Railroad of Courage Read online

  “What about my family and Moses? They’re trapped below,” I cried out.

  “I’ve sent Boots to free them,” he told me. “There’s no time to waste. You and Delilah must get off the boat now. In the confusion, it’s not likely that Jeff will see you, Rebecca, but you must cover your face, just in case.”

  Delilah and I ran onto the deck with the Birdman. People were screaming and running in all directions. Delilah was knocked down but we helped her to her feet. The Birdman pushed through the crowd of panicked people. When we got to the side of the boat, he said, “I’m going down below to help the others. We’ll meet on the sandbar. Now, jump!” Delilah and I jumped and landed in shallow water. We were safe, but that was little comfort as I thought about my family and Moses trapped below.

  When the Birdman ran below, he did not see any white overseers. They had run up on deck to save themselves, leaving the slaves trapped in the pen. Boots was trying to break the heavy lock on the wooden door but the lock was too strong. My pa covered his face with his shirt and ran into the flames. My ma screamed, “Obadiah, what are you doing?”

  My pa grabbed an iron poker the slaves had used to push logs into the fire box and raced back to the other side of the pen. He raised the poker and slammed it into the wooden door, splintering the wood. Then Uncle Josiah took the poker and freed the slaves who were chained to posts. At last, all the slaves were able to run up to the deck and the Birdman rushed up the steps behind them.

  The Birdman pushed through the crowd of frightened passengers and led my family and Moses to the side of the boat. I heard the Birdman shout, “Jump!”

  I saw my pa and ma hesitate. They were deathly afraid of water and were too frightened to jump. Uncle Josiah grabbed a long pole the deckhands had used to measure the river’s depth and pushed it into the water. “It’s only knee-deep!” he shouted. Then Uncle Josiah and my folks jumped from the burning boat, followed by Moses and the Birdman.

  We gathered on the sandbar and ran to the shore. The Birdman shouted, “Keep moving! That boiler could explode and release a cloud of steam.”

  We climbed onto the riverbank, grateful to be alive. Moses said, “Friends, we’re on the Missouri side of the river and Missouri is a slave state. We need to get across to the Illinois side as quickly as we can.”

  As the fire spread through the wooden frame of the boat, sparks fell on our skin, burning our faces and arms. Passengers and slaves who were trapped on the boat screamed. Some jumped to the safety of the sandbar, but others jumped off the far side of the boat, where the water ran deep and the current was strong.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Saving an Enemy

  We stared at the burning steamboat. All of a sudden, I gasped, “I see Master Jeff! I see him in the water.” In the light cast by the fire, I saw him floating in the river. His arms rested on a wooden plank and he seemed lifeless.

  I hesitated for a moment. Master Jeff was hateful but he was Miss Clarissa’s brother and I knew she loved some part of him. Suddenly, I knew I could not leave him in the river. I grabbed the pole Uncle Josiah had carried from the boat and plunged into the river. Holding the pole with one hand, I reached back with the other and asked my pa to hold tight. My pa held on to Uncle Josiah and he held on to the Birdman, making a chain of people, our hands holding tight to one another. I sank deeper and deeper into the black water of the river. I did not know how to swim but I knew I had to save Master Jeff.

  I stretched as far as I could into the current, working the end of the pole under Master Jeff’s body. I pulled him closer until I could grab his arm. “I’ve got him!” I shouted. The others pulled and pulled until we were able to drag him onto the sandbar. Then Uncle Josiah and the Birdman carried Master Jeff onto shore.

  Master Jeff was so limp that I thought he was dead. The Birdman shouted, “Help me turn him over so I can get the water out of his lungs.”

  I remembered then that the Birdman was a doctor and knew how to heal people. He pumped Master Jeff’s back and water poured out of his mouth. The Birdman put two fingers on his neck and said, “He is alive, but barely so.”

  My pa said, “You did the right thing, Rebecca, by saving Master Jeff. On the plantation, I saw some slaves turn as mean as their growers. I’m glad that didn’t happen to you.”

  Master Jeff opened his eyes and stared at my pa. He croaked, “Obadiah!”

  The Birdman said, “Jeff, this man and his daughter saved your life.” Jeff shook his head in disbelief. We stepped back into the shadows.

  The Birdman took Moses aside. “If we leave Master Jeff here, alone, he may die; but if you stay with him, you’ll lose your freedom. You must move deep into the woods while I stay here. As a doctor, it’s my duty to care for him.”

  Moses answered in a low voice. “Yes, you should stay with him until a boat comes and takes him to St. Louis. But as soon as you can, you must get to Alton, on the Illinois side of the river. Find Priscilla Baltimore, a freed slave, and ask her to send boats to carry us to Illinois. We’ll wait in the woods until we hear your owl hoots.”

  The Birdman nodded. “I’ll find Priscilla and come back with boats.”

  Moses said, “Thank God for you. Now be gone. Tell Priscilla to bring me a gun. My revolver is dripping wet and it may be no good.”

  The Birdman went back to Master Jeff and knelt beside him. I saw moving lanterns on the river and realized that boats were coming to the rescue. I knew then that Master Jeff would be saved. Then we left the riverbank and Moses said, “We’re going to move deep into the woods before we settle down for the night. Missouri is a mean state if you’re black and even meaner if you’re a runaway.”

  My ma said, “Moses, what will happen next? How will we get across the river if the Birdman doesn’t get boats?”

  Moses looked at my ma. “I’m not going to lie to you, Deborah. We’re in a tight spot, a spot we didn’t plan to be in. Getting off the boat in St. Louis would have been risky, but not as risky as our current situation. But the Birdman is a good man and a clever one. He saved me and Delilah once; he will save us again. I know he will get boats.”

  My ma said, “It’s still hard for me to believe that there are white people like the Birdman who are willing to risk their lives to help us.”

  Moses nodded. “Yes, white people come in different kinds, good and bad. Some help us and others believe we should live in bondage.” Then Moses laughed. “I can hardly talk with all the smoke and ashes in my throat. Let’s get some water and wash out our mouths. A little ways back, we passed a creek.”

  When we found the creek, we sat on the ground and splashed water on our faces. We drank our fill but had nothing to eat.

  Uncle Josiah said, “Obadiah, remember when we were young? Sometimes we had to go for days without a meal. I guess we can do it again.”

  My pa nodded. “Yes, I guess we can. Maybe if we don’t think about our empty bellies, it’ll be easier. Moses, will you tell us about Illinois? What’s it like for black people in a free state?”

  Moses leaned her back against a tree and started talking. “When we get to Illinois, we’re going to stay in the Freedom Village of Brooklyn, a village near Alton. Twenty-five years ago Priscilla Baltimore gathered eleven black families and together they founded the first black town in America. Soon you’ll meet Priscilla. She is a strong woman, a very strong woman.”

  “Like you,” I said.

  “No, child, she is much stronger. I am weak beside her.”

  Uncle Josiah said, “Then she must be a powerful woman, Moses, because you are stronger than anybody I know, man or woman.”

  My ma sat up. “Moses, can we settle in Freedom Village? I am tired of running and hiding, of being frightened day in and day out.”

  Delilah said, “Yes, I’d like to stay in Freedom Village, too.”

  Moses looked at my ma and Delilah. “I know it’s hard being on the run but you can’t stay in Freedom Village. You’re runaways. Even in Illinois, a free state, there will be bou
nty hunters looking for you. Priscilla is a freed black so she’s safe.”

  My ma sighed. “The Lord knows I wish I could stop. I feel weary enough to be an old woman. Obadiah is strong and he could work on a farm in Freedom Village. I could work on a farm, too, and Rebecca could help a white woman, cooking and cleaning.”

  I stood in front of my ma and said, “No, I want to live in freedom. I am travelling from midnight to dawn and I won’t stop until I see the sunrise.”

  Moses said, “You are some girl, Rebecca. I’ve led many children to freedom. Most of them cry and whine all the way to Canada. But not you. You have a hunger for freedom as strong as any grown-up.”

  Uncle Josiah asked, “How can they call Illinois a free state when runaways can’t settle there?”

  Moses answered, “In Illinois, slavery was abolished thirty years ago but a lot of people don’t want black folks to live there, whether they’re slaves or freed blacks. Some years ago they made a law called the Black Codes of 1819. Any slave who wants to become a freed black has to register at the county courthouse and pay his white owner to become free. I don’t think Grower Brown or Grower Davis will let you buy your freedom, do you?”

  Delilah and my ma shook their heads. My ma said, “No, they wouldn’t want to see us set free, no matter how much money we gave them.”

  My pa was puzzled. “How did the blacks in Freedom Village get to be free? How did they get the money?”

  Moses answered. “Priscilla’s master was also her father. He was a minister in Kentucky but he didn’t always follow the Lord’s teachings. Maybe he didn’t like looking at Priscilla and knowing she was his daughter so he sold her to another minister, a reverend in St. Louis. The new master made her work all day for him, but in the evenings, he let her earn money for herself. She sewed dresses for the white women in town, and over the years, she saved five hundred dollars, enough to buy her freedom.”

  My pa shook his head. “Five hundred dollars! That’s a lot of money.”

  Uncle Josiah said, “Yes, it’s a lot of money but now she’s free. What’s it like to live as a freed slave in Freedom Village?”

  Moses said, “The people in Freedom Village are free but only in some ways. Under the law, they are free but there is always fear, fear in the hearts of the white people and fear in the hearts of the black people.”

  I asked, “What about Canada? What will it be like to live in Canada?”

  Moses said, “I live in a place called St. Catharines in Canada. Near my town, there’s a big river that divides the United States and Canada. The river goes over a mighty waterfall—Niagara Falls. The roar of that waterfall tells everybody that there’s a border there. And that border means everything to black people. In both countries, there are people who hold black people apart, but in Canada the law says there shall be no slavery. At one time, there was slavery in Canada and fear and hatred remain. The law can’t change that in our lifetime, but the law can protect you so you are never forced back into bondage.”

  We nestled into the fallen leaves on the ground. I lay awake during that chilly night, thinking about freedom. I had been born a slave and I knew what it meant to be a slave. Now I was a runaway, no longer answering to Grower Brown. What would it be like to be free? What lay ahead?

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Underground Ferry to Freedom

  We woke up early the next morning, hungry and thirsty. Moses told us to stay in the woods while she and Delilah walked back to where the steamboat had run aground. Smoke hung in the air over the charred remains of the steamboat. Even though they were alone on the shore, Delilah was afraid to walk out in the open. But when Moses reminded Delilah that she was safe with her white skin, she walked out on the sandbar, looking for any food that might have been cast from the boat. When she found nothing she hurried back to Moses, and they returned empty-handed to where we had stayed in the woods.

  We were all hungry. Uncle Josiah said, “I bet there are some hickory trees in these woods. We can eat those nuts. They won’t fill us up but they’ll keep us from starving.” He headed off in the direction of the river and soon came back with hickory nuts wrapped in his shirt. He picked up a rock and cracked one of the nuts, then gave the nutmeat to Delilah. She smiled and broke the piece in two. With her small hand, she fed a half to my uncle. We broke open the rest of the nuts, chewing each one carefully.

  We waited for the Birdman to return. That night, we listened for his bird calls but they did not come. On the second evening, Moses told us to wait deep in the woods while she went to the river to look for the Birdman. Whenever Moses left us, our spirits sank and we worried about what would happen next. What if the Birdman had been arrested for helping us runaways?

  Then I heard a wonderful sound, a sound that filled me with hope. It was the Birdman’s owl hoots. I ran through the woods to meet Moses and the Birdman.

  Moses said, “The Underground Ferry has arrived with boats. Come quick. We have only a few more hours of darkness and we must cross the river before daylight.”

  At the river’s edge, I saw three boats. A man motioned for me, my pa and my ma to get into the closest one. A black woman held the oars. She said softly, “The Underground Ferry has come for you.” The man pushed the boat off the shore, jumped in and sat beside the woman. They each took an oar and started to row.

  My pa said, “Here, let me help.” But the woman shook her head. “No, I will row. You just sit down. You’ve been running and hiding; you must be tired.”

  The woman said, “My name is Priscilla—Priscilla Baltimore. We’re taking you across the river to Illinois. You’ll be safer there than you were in Missouri, but still, Illinois is a dangerous place for you. We have a wagon waiting to take you to our town, Freedom Village, where you can hide.” Both the man and the woman had revolvers in their belts, and the man had a rifle slung over his shoulder.

  The oars splashed noisily in the river, and I worried that the bounty hunters would hear us. Looking up at the sky, I feared the coming of dawn. Priscilla seemed to sense my fear. “Don’t worry, child. We’ll be on the Illinois side well before sunrise.”

  When we reached the far shore, we pulled the boats up on the riverbank. Priscilla said, “Follow me. The wagon is waiting up ahead. We have food for you. I’m sure you are hungry!”

  Uncle Josiah said, “Hungry for food and hungry for freedom!”

  We walked one by one behind Priscilla until we saw a big covered wagon. A black man smiled at us and passed us cornbread, bacon and boiled eggs. Then he handed us jugs of cool, clean water. After we climbed into the wagon and headed north to Freedom Village, the Bird-man told us what had happened in St. Louis. “The night the steamboat burned, I stayed with Jeff. His mind was confused. At times, he thought that I was the one who had saved him. I said nothing, for I didn’t want him to remember that it was Rebecca who had saved him. But after a while, he remembered what had happened, and he said, ‘My slaves, a man called Obadiah and his girl, Rebecca, they pulled me out of the river, didn’t they? Why would those runaways save my life?’”

  The Birdman went on, “Meanwhile, the captain took a count of passengers and slaves. Everyone was standing on the sandbar, the white passengers at one end and the slaves at the other. Deckhands stood guard over the slaves. When small boats arrived from St. Louis, some of the passengers wanted to take their slaves with them but the captain refused. He said the slaves could walk to St. Louis along the riverbank and his crew would make sure none ran away. The captain and I loaded Jeff onto one of the boats along with other injured passengers. From time to time, Jeff felt strong enough to talk, and he told me over and over again that Rebecca and Obadiah had saved his life. He couldn’t understand why.

  “He should have been grateful, but as Jeff grew stronger, he became more and more determined to catch you. When Jeff regained a bit of strength, he sent a message to the castle of the Knights of the Golden Circle in St. Louis and learned that the Grand Founder, George Bickley, had also come to St. Louis t
o see the Dred Scott trial.”

  Moses asked, “Did you meet Bickley?”

  The Birdman nodded. “Yes, I did. George Bickley is a most unpleasant man. He walked into Jeff’s hospital room and introduced himself as the Grand Founder of the Knights of the Golden Circle. Bickley kept pulling a gold watch out of his pocket, reminding me of Wyatt and the other gamblers on the steamboat. Bickley is as greasy as a side of bacon. Jeff gave him what money he had left after gambling and said the growers in South Carolina raised the money to hire more bounty hunters. As soon as I could, I said goodbye and hurried to Alton.”

  Moses looked at the Birdman. “You look tired. I hope you know how grateful we are.”

  The Birdman smiled. “I am happy to play a small part in helping you to reach freedom. By the way, Bickley said most runaways cross the river from St. Louis to Alton, and from there, they ride the Chicago and Alton Railroad to Chicago.”

  Moses looked at Priscilla. “If Bickley thinks we’re riding on the Chicago and Alton Railroad, we’ll have to travel a different way.”

  The Birdman agreed. “When you leave, I will go to Philadelphia to meet William Still. I want to tell him what I learned about the Knights of the Golden Circle.” He turned to me and explained, “William is the founder of the Philadelphia Vigilance Committee which passes important information to the conductors on the Underground Railroad.”

  I asked, “What does ‘vigilance’ mean?”

  “Vigilance means keeping watch over you and keeping you safe.”

  I mumbled the word “vigilance” and hoped that Mister Still was watching over Moses, my family and me.

  Priscilla said, “Can you see Freedom Village?” I looked down the road and saw the town with a few houses and a large church. Many people came out to greet us: men, women and children—all black.

  They led us to the church. I pointed to a large sign above the door and asked Moses what it said. She laughed. “Child, I wish I could read, but I can’t. When you get to Canada, you’ll go to school. Then you can tell Moses what that sign says.”