Francis Jackson Garrison, William Lloyd Garrison, 1805-1879; the story of his life told by his children: volume 3

[195] quite overpowering. I have never perspired so much in my life. The quantity of water thus exuded through the pores of the skin has astonished me, and I marvel that anything is left of me in the shape of solid matter.

Saturday afternoon, at 4 o'clock, Dr. Peck (he is a fine,¹ promising colored young man, son of my old friend John Peck, now of Pittsburgh, and formerly of Carlisle), who has lately graduated at the Rush Medical College at Chicago, Douglass and I, took passage for this place (a distance of forty² miles) in a canal-boat, it being the first trip of the kind I had ever made on a canal. The day was excessively hot, and on the way one of the horses was almost melted, and came within a hair's-breadth of losing his life. Colored persons are not allowed, usually, to sit at the table at regular meals, even on board of these paltry canal-boats, and we expected to have some difficulty. When the hour for supper arrived, the captain came to us, and said he had no objection to our sitting down together, but he did not know but some of the passengers would object. ‘We will go and see,’ said I, with my feelings somewhat roused. Happily, no objection was made. Berths were also given to us all, but it was impossible for me to sleep in so confined an atmosphere, as the cabin was small and thronged. The scenery on the route was very pretty.

At 4 o'clock yesterday morning (Sunday) we arrived here,³ and immediately came up to the ‘Mansion House,’ kept by N. Andrews. It is a ‘rum tavern,’ but the landlord (strange to say) is friendly to our cause, and generally entertains the abolition lecturers without charge. This world presents some queer paradoxes, and this is one of them. Yesterday, we held⁴ three meetings, in a beautiful grove, which were well attended. During the day, the burden fell chiefly upon me, as Douglass was entirely exhausted and voiceless. I am afraid his old throat complaint, the swelling of the tonsils, etc., is upon him. He left for Salem after dinner, accompanied by Samuel Brooke,⁵ a distance of forty miles. J. W. Walker, S. S. Foster, and Dr. Peck helped to fill up the gap at the meetings. To-day, I⁶ leave for New Lyme (forty miles off), where the annual⁷ meeting commences on Wednesday, and will continue for three days. Thus far, I have stood the fatigues of the tour better than I anticipated. As yet, I have not had a word of intelligence from home. I trust you have written to me at Salem.