I came from a slave state, but my family is of New England blood and breeding.

I am just as much your friend as though you were white.

Now you and I have got a hard job before us." "Yas, sah, we sure has." "And the first thing we have got to do, is to trust each other.

Now I am going to ask you a question--is that the best way for us to go, up the Illinois ?" He was slow to answer, evidently turning the whole matter over in his mind.

I waited impatiently, feeling the delay to be a serious loss of time.
"Well then, let me put this differently.