"I suppose you have your free papers?"
To which I answered:
"No sir; I never carry my free papers to sea with me."
"But you have something to show that you are a freeman, haven't you?"
"Yes, sir," I answered; "I have a paper with the American Eagle
on it, and that will carry me around the world."
With this I drew from my deep sailor's pocket my seaman's protection, as before
described. The merest glance at the paper satisfied him, and he took my fare
and went on about his business. This moment of time was one of the most anxious
I ever experienced. Had the conductor looked closely at the paper, he could
not have failed to discover that it called for a very different-looking person
from myself, and in that case it would have been his duty to arrest me on the
instant, and send me back to Baltimore from the first station. When he left
me with the assurance that I was all right, though much relieved, I realized
that I was still in great danger: I was still in Maryland, and
