"We may not meet with a single difficulty, and we may be in danger all the time. I cannot tell. I hope for the best, but I am ready for the worst." "Any thing is better than slavery, Dan." "Even death itself, Lily," replied Dan, solemnly. "But there will be no people out on the lake in the night--will there?" "There may be; but we may not find a good place to conceal ourselves during the day. We may be discovered, for there are more people at the lower end of the lake than in the part where we have been." "We will pray to God, Dan, every day, and He will protect us, as He has before," added Lily, confidingly. "And while we do that, we must be very careful. There is one thing I have been dreading ever since we began to prepare for this cruise." "What is that, Dan?" "You know Mr. Lascelles?" "Yes; he spends a week at Redlawn every year, and master used to stay a week at his plantation." "He lives down this way somewhere--I don't exactly know where. The Isabel, I think, came down here one year; if so, I am afraid they will know the boat." "Possifus!" exclaimed Cyd, who had been silently listening to this conversation. "Dey'll ketch us, for shore." "I'm not afraid of being caught; but Colonel Raybone almost always visits Mr. Lascelles in the month of May. Suppose he should be there, and we should happen to go near his plantation?" "Hossifus!" groaned Cyd. "Massa Raybone down dar! Dis chile gubs it all up den." "Don't give up yet, Cyd," laughed Dan. "Mossifus! If dis nigger see ole massa, he done sink into de ground, like a catfish in de mud." "You haven't seen him yet, Cyd; and what is more, I don't believe you will see him." "I hope not," added Lily, with a shudder. "If we do, it will not alter any thing." "What would you do, Dan?" "I will never become a slave again. We have guns and powder, bullets and shot." "Would you kill him?" "No man shall stand between me and freedom. I would shoot him or any other man, if it were necessary to secure our safety." "Gossifus! Shoot Massa Raybone!" exclaimed Cyd. "I hope we shall not be obliged to fire upon any man; but I shall do so, and you must do the same, Cyd, if we are in danger of being captured." "Do any ting you say, Dan," replied Cyd whose mind readily settled upon any policy adopted by his leader. "Now, Lily, you had better turn in, as Midshipman Raybone used to say. You must sleep while you can, for you may have no rest again for several days." "I'm not sleepy; but you are going to have a very hard time. When we get out to sea we shall have to run all the time--shall we not?" "Yes--night and day." "Then when will you sleep?" "Cyd and I must sleep by turns. We shall get along very well if the weather is only good."