In the Halliday home, George and Eliza discuss their plans for life in Canada. Their conversation is disrupted by the arrival of Simeon and another man, a rugged, sturdy man from the backwoods, whom Simeon introduces as Phineas Fletcher. Phineas informs the pair that slave hunters have been spotted nearby. With his assistance, the group of freedom seekers set out on their journey.

Though they travel exclusively under the cover of darkness, Tom Loker and his accomplices soon spot them, and a pursuit begins. When Tom gets too close, George reflexively shoots him; the chase fails, and Tom’s associates abandon him, but George refuses to leave the cruel man for dead, bringing him to a Quaker house for medical care.