"I will go with you to Mr.Renfrew the first thing in the morning and get him to draw up a paper testifying that you are engaged in lawful business, and are making inquiries with a view to discovering a crime which has been committed, and recommending you to the assistance of the police in any town you may go to.Then if you go with that to the head constable at Hicks Ford he will tell you which are the places at which such fellows as these would have been likely to put up for the night, and perhaps send a policeman with you to make inquiries.If you get any news telegraph to me at once.I will start by the six o'clock train on the following morning.Do you be on the platform to meet me, and we can then either go straight on to Florence, or, should there be any occasion, I will get out there; but I don't think that is likely.
Pearson him self will, to a certainty, sooner or later, go to Florence to get his luggage, and the only real advantage we shall get if your inquiries are successful will be to find out for certain whether he is concerned in the affair.We shall then only have to follow his traces from Florence."Two days later Mr.Renfrew received a telegram from the head constable at Hicks Ford: "The two men with cart spent day here, 20th ult.Were joined that morning by another man-negro says Pearson.One man returned afternoon, Richmond.Pearson and the other drove off in buggy.A young negress and child were with them.Is there anything I can do?"Mr.Renfrew telegraphed back to request that the men, who were kidnaping the female slave, should if possible be traced and the direction they took ascertained.He then sent the message across to Vincent, who at once went to his office.
"Now," the lawyer said, "you must do nothing rashly in this business, Vincent.They are at the best of time a pretty rough lot at the edge of these Carolina swamps, and at present things are likely to be worse than usual.If you were to go alone on such an errand you would almost certainly be shot.In the first place, these fellows would not give up a valuable slave without a struggle; and in the next place, they have committed a very serious crime.
Therefore it is absolutely necessary that you should go armed with legal powers and backed by the force of the law.In the first place, I will draw up an affidavit and sign it myself, to the effect that a female slave, the property of Vincent Wingfield, has, with her male child, been kidnaped and stolen by Jonas Pearson and others acting in association with him, and that we have reason to know that she hasbeen conveyed into South Carolina.This I will get witnessed by ajustice of the peace, and will then take it up to Government House.There I wifl get the usual official request to the governor of South Carolina to issue orders that the aid of the law shall be given to you in recovering the said Dinah Morris and her child and arresting her abductors.You will obtain an order to this effect from the governor, and armed with it you will, as soon as you have discovered where the woman is, call upon the sheriff of the county to aid you in recovering her, and in arresting Pearson and his associates.""Thank you, sir.That will certainly be the best way.I run plenty of risk in doing my duty as an officer of the state, and I have no desire whatever to throw my life away at the hands of ruffians such as Pearson and his allies."Two hours later Vincent received from Mr.Renfrew the official letter to the governor of South Carolina, and at six o'clock next morning started for Florence.On the platform of the station at Hicks Ford Dan was waiting for him.
