about midnight
His surprise was therefore proportionally great when , on the following morning , it became apparent that Pedro had succeeded , in spite of the dogs , in making good his escape from the estate . A slave-hunt was at once organised , and about nine o'clock , as George was hard at work in the fields , he saw the hunters -- some half a dozen in number , mounted , and accompanied each by a bloodhound -- pass down the main road through the estate and out on to the open ground beyond . Here the party divided , half going in one direction , and half in the other , to encircle the estate , and endeavour to pick up the trail . They were absent the whole day , but when they returned at about midnight , the unfortunate Pedro was with them , handcuffed , and secured by a rope round his neck to the saddle of one of the horsemen . It afterwards transpired that he had been perfectly successful , not only in evading the dogs during his actual escape from the estate , but also in `` hiding the scent '' from them ; and his capture was due to the unfortunate circumstance of his having been met by a friend of his master 's who , an hour afterwards , encountered the party in pursuit of him , and so put them upon his track . Next morning the unhappy wretch was `` made an example of , '' by being flogged so severely in the presence of all the other slaves belonging to the plantation that at first it seemed doubtful whether he would ever recover from the effects of it ; and , though he did eventually , it was nearly three months before he was again fit for work . This incident of Pedro 's escape and its unfortunate failure was naturally the chief topic of conversation among the slaves for a long time afterwards , and George heard so much of the many difficulties attending such attempts , that he often felt upon the very brink of despair .