my pocket and I offered him any reasonable sum, if he would only let
us cross; but no, he knew the Scheimers better than he knew me, and
their goodwill was worth more than mine. Here was a block to the
game, indeed. I had sent my baggage forward in the morning to
Belvidere; Sarah had nothing but the clothes she wore, for she was
so carefully watched that she could carry or send nothing away; but
she was ready to go if the obstinate ferryman had not prevented us.

While we were pressing the ferryman to favor us, down came one of
Sarah's brothers with a dozen neighbors, and told her she must
return home or he would carry her back by force. I interfered and
said she should not go. Whereupon one fellow took hold of me and I
promptly knocked him down, and notified the crowd that the first who
laid hands on me, or who attempted to take her home violently, would
get a dose from my pistol which I then exhibited:

"Sarah must go willingly or not at all," said I.

The production of my pistol, the only weapon in the crowd, brought
about a new state of affairs, and the brother and others tried
persuasion; but Sarah stoutly insisted that she would not return.
"Now hold on," boys, said I, "I am going to say something to her." I
then took her aside and told her that there was no use in trying to
run away then; that she had better go home quietly, and tell the
folks that she was sorry for what she bad done, that she had broken
off with me, and would have nothing more to do with me; that I would
surely see her to-morrow, and then we could make a new plan. So she
announced her willingness to go quietly home with her brother and
she did so. I went to a public house half a mile below the ferry.
That night the gang came down to this house with the intention of