When I entered the vessel the captain came
forward to meet me. He was an elderly man, with
a pleasant countenance. He showed me to a
little box of a cabin, where sat my friend Fanny.
She started as if she had seen a ghost. She
gazed on me in utter astonishment, and
exclaimed, "Linda, can this be you, or is it your
ghost?" When we were locked in each other's
arms, my overwrought feelings could no longer
be restrained. My sobs reached the ears of the
captain, who came and very kindly reminded us,
that for his safety, as well as our own, it would be
prudent for us not to attract any attention. He
said that when there was a sail in sight he
wished us to keep below; but at other times, he
had no objection to our being on deck. He
assured us that he would keep a good lookout,
and if we acted prudently, he thought we should
be in no danger. He had represented us as
women going to meet our husbands in --. We
thanked him, and promised to observe carefully
all the directions he gave us.
Fanny and I now talked by ourselves, low and
quietly, in our little cabin. She told me of the
sufferings she had gone through in making her
escape, and of her terrors while she was
concealed in her mother's house. Above all, she
dwelt on the agony of separation from all her
children on that dreadful auction day.

Adapted from Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the
Life of a Slave Girl, 1861.


Why is the captain worried about his safety and the safety of the two women?
A.
He thinks the women's loud conversation is distracting his crew from their work and thereby endangering the ship.
B.
He's helping the women escape from slavery, and if he were caught, he would be severely punished.
C.
He's afraid that another ship he's seen is about to hit his ship.