Railroad of Courage Read online

  Priscilla heard my question. “That sign says ‘Founded by Chance, Sustained by Courage.’”

  Inside the church, platters of food were laid on a long table. I was so hungry that I ate and ate until my stomach hurt. Later Priscilla walked us to her house where her husband and their four children welcomed us. They led us to the attic and we slept on blankets on the floor.

  My ma rested her head on her hands and said, “Oh, Obadiah, I am so tired. I don’t know whether I can go on.”

  My pa said, “You will find the strength to go on, just as I found the strength to follow Moses. I was afraid of running away, but I was wrong to be afraid. People like Ezekiel and the Birdman, the Pickerings and Priscilla have given me courage. We’ll rest and then we’ll move on.”

  My ma said, “Every day, I ask myself, what’s best for Rebecca?”

  My pa looked at me. “Deborah, I know what’s best for her and so do you. Rebecca’s mind is set on reaching freedom. She is not the same child who lived in slavery on the plantation. None of us are the same. I am a different man since we crossed the Mason–Dixon Line from slavery to this free state of Illinois, and I can feel that change even now.”

  “What do you mean, Obadiah?” my ma asked.

  “When we were at Grower Brown’s, he and his men could come to our shack at any time and beat me. There was nothing I could do. Nothing!”

  “But, Obadiah, if the bounty hunters catch you now, they’ll beat you.”

  “Yes, the bounty hunters could catch me and they could beat me. But the people of Freedom Village would fight them and I would fight them. I would fight for freedom. That’s something important, that’s what’s different. I’m never going back to slavery.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The Handcars

  I was awakened by Priscilla’s words of alarm. “Bad news, Moses! One of our conductors, Mr. Shadow, has seen many bounty hunters riding into Alton. They’re stirring up the white people, telling them runaways should be sent back to the South. I fear that a mob may march on Freedom Village.”

  Moses said, “We need to get moving—fast.”

  Priscilla said, “Yes, you must be on your way tonight; a mob is a very ugly and dangerous threat.”

  Delilah asked anxiously, “How can we leave Freedom Village with so many bounty hunters looking for us?”

  Priscilla answered, “Alas, this is not the first time our town has been surrounded. Tonight six wagons will assemble outside the church. The six wagons will head in different directions. The bounty hunters will follow them. Then another wagon, with all of you hidden inside, will drive north.”

  “Who will drive us?” Moses asked.

  “A black man named James Thomas. He’ll drive you to the spur line of the railroad in Litchfield. He has arranged for two handcars to be left in a shed there. You will use the handcars to move north on the spur line, travelling by night and sleeping by day. Along the way, there will be families to hide you.”

  Moses said, “Deborah and Delilah, I know you are weary of travelling, but we need to move on tonight. Are you ready?”

  My ma put her arm around me and said, “My daughter wants to go to school in Canada, so I’m ready.”

  Delilah nodded her head and said, “I’m ready, too.” She smiled at Uncle Josiah.

  It was time to say goodbye to our trusted friend, the Birdman, who was heading to Philadelphia. As my pa reached for the Birdman’s hand, the Birdman put his arms around my pa’s shoulders. They stood hugging for a long time.

  The Birdman said, “This is not the end of our friendship; we will meet again in Canada as free men.”

  In Priscilla’s kitchen, we gathered around the stove, warming ourselves as we waited for Mister Thomas. We heard a knock on the door and a big black man came into the house. Priscilla said, “This is James Thomas.”

  He smiled at all of us and said to Moses, “It is a privilege and an honour to help you—and your friends, too. Moses is a name that is much respected in Freedom Village.” Then Mister Thomas explained his plan for the next leg of our journey. “I have chosen a safe, slow route to Chicago. Tonight we’ll travel by wagon, stopping and resting in Litchfield. Then we’ll take two handcars and travel at night along the spur line. Only one train a day runs on that line and it runs during the daylight hours.”

  Mister Thomas led us to the door. “Please follow me to the wagon. You’ll have to lie down so I can cover you with sacks of chicken feed. I have to make sure nobody can see you.”

  The night air was cold and Mister Thomas gave each of us a thick coat, the cloth heavy and rough. Moses told us the coats were made of wool, from the fleece of sheep. “In the North, you’ll be wearing wool all winter or you’ll freeze!”

  Mister Thomas lifted me into the wagon with a chuckle. “Child, you weigh nothing. Did Priscilla forget to feed you?”

  Mister Thomas drove and drove through the dark night until he stopped in a thick forest. As he tethered the horse, he said, “We’ll stay here with William and Mary Dodge. They have helped many runaway slaves. Maybe Mary will have some extra food for you, child. If you don’t eat more, you’re likely to blow away in a snowstorm.”

  As dawn filled the sky with light, Mister and Missus Dodge hid us in the attic of their small home. We passed the day, impatient to be on our way. At last, night fell and Mister Thomas led us back to the spur line. And, just as he had promised, we found two handcars in the shed.

  “Now I’ll show you how to pump these cars,” Mister Thomas said. “We’re going to pump all the way to Joliet! It will take about a week if we’re lucky. I’ll work one car with Moses, and, Obadiah and Josiah, you’ll work the other car.”

  We divided ourselves so I rode with Mister Thomas, Moses and my ma while Delilah rode on the other car with my pa and Uncle Josiah. The cars were so small there was no room to lie down. Fearing I would fall off, I leaned into my ma and held tight.

  Mister Thomas said, “Let’s go. You’ll be surprised at how fast we can move. Keep your car close to mine so we can call to one another if need be. Everybody will take turns working the levers, everybody but you, Rebecca. You’re too little for this work.”

  I said I wanted to help. Mister Thomas laughed, “You’re helping just by being you. Child, you don’t weigh more than a shadow and it’ll be easy to drive you down the line.”

  As Mister Thomas had promised, we moved at a fast pace. There was no moonlight and we could not see the rails, but the wheels followed the tracks. As we rolled through the night, Mister Thomas was quiet; he never stopped watching and listening. He told us that a train sometimes broke down and had to run late on the spur line. Hardly ever, he said, but he needed to stay alert, just in case.

  As the wind blew down the neck of my coat and up my sleeves, I tried to pull my coat tighter around me. Every time I breathed out, my breath made steam, something I had never seen before. Mister Thomas and my pa wrapped scraps of blanket around the levers so their hands wouldn’t freeze on the cold metal.

  Pa challenged Uncle Josiah. “Remember when we were kids? You were always telling me you were the strongest. Well, let’s just see if you can keep up with me.”

  Their car sped along until Mister Thomas called to them. “Slow down. We need to stay together. Just pump your car nice and steady.”

  Moses laughed, “You two rascals! You’re going to wear yourselves out before we even get started. It’s a long way to Joliet so you better listen to Mister Thomas!”

  After many hours on the handcars, Mister Thomas said, “The sun will soon be up and we’ll need to stop. There are likely to be bounty hunters in the next town so we’ll pull off on a siding before we reach Decatur.”

  I shivered with cold and fear. Would bounty hunters catch us? I looked at the sky. On the plantation, I had loved the colours of sunrise but the dawn now frightened me. Once the sun came up, we would no longer be invisible.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Delayed

  We hid the handcars and followed
Mister Thomas to the home of white abolitionists, Amos and Tabitha Stewart. They were very old but they climbed a ladder, leading us to a hidden room below the eaves.

  My pa was restless as we waited for the day to pass. On the plantation he had walked with his head down, his back bent. Now he walked tall and proud. Uncle Josiah looked at him and said, “It’s hard just waiting here, isn’t it, brother? We’re both happier when we’re travelling.”

  My pa nodded. “Yes, I’m anxious for the night to come so we can get back on the handcars.”

  “I’ll be ready to go tonight,” my ma said. “But right now, I’m tired and I’m glad to rest. I try to take my mind off my weariness by imagining what life will be like in Canada.”

  Mister Thomas said, “I don’t know about life in Canada, but I can tell you about my life as a freed slave in Illinois. Most of the time, my wife and I feel safe. Our children go to school, they’re learning to read and write, but they don’t have any white friends. Most of the white people—young and old—they hold us apart. And there are times when we do not feel safe. Sometimes the fear and anger gets so strong that the white people form a mob; then we’re fearful.

  “Twenty years ago, a white man named Elijah Parish Lovejoy had a printing press in Alton. He was an abolitionist and he printed articles about the evil of slavery. He was shot by a mob as he stood in front of that printing press. The people in that mob were his neighbours. A shooting like that makes it hard to forget that many white people don’t want us to live among them.”

  When the sun had set, we said goodbye to the Stewarts and walked back to the handcars. Along the way, Delilah mumbled, “I’m cold. So cold. I want to go home. Please take me home.” Uncle Josiah wrapped his arms around her and steadied her as she started coughing.

  Moses said, “Rebecca, you stand by Delilah. If she coughs, hold a blanket to her mouth. We have to stay quiet.”

  We inched forward on the handcars until Mister Thomas motioned for us to stop. We looked ahead and saw lanterns in the distance. Mister Thomas whispered, “I think bounty hunters are watching the road up ahead. It runs beside the track for some distance. I’ll go back to the Stewarts and ask Amos to find a way to lead those men away from the tracks.”

  We huddled together on the handcars. Delilah started to moan and Moses put a hand on her forehead. Frowning, she said, “Delilah has a fever. She’s burning up.”

  We heard Mister Stewart riding fast in the distance. He rode to the bounty hunters and shouted, “Come quick. Runaways have stolen food from my kitchen.” The bounty hunters picked up their lanterns and ran down the road.

  Mister Thomas appeared out of the darkness and said, “Amos has led the men away. Now it’s time to start pumping these cars and get past that checkpoint before they come back.”

  We hurried past the spot where we had seen the lanterns and kept pumping until we reached the town of Decatur. No lights burned in the houses and stores we passed, and I hoped that every person in that town was fast asleep. We glided quietly through the town and back into the country. I whispered to Delilah, “We made it through the town without being seen. We’re invisible again.” I don’t know whether she heard my words or not. She moaned and closed her eyes.

  Mister Thomas said, “We must get Delilah to a safe place. She needs a doctor.”

  Moses agreed. “Yes, she’s too sick to travel much farther.”

  “We can reach Gibson City by morning,” Mister Thomas said. “I know a conductor there, David Hull. He’ll hide us and find a doctor to take care of Delilah. She may need to rest for several days.”

  Moses said, “And the rest of us? How long will it be safe for us to stay in Gibson City?”

  Mister Thomas said, “It would be best to keep moving, but it’s your decision whether to stay with Delilah or leave her behind.”

  He took off his coat and wrapped it around Delilah. “I won’t need a coat tonight; I’ll be plenty warm pumping the handcar. It’s likely to snow tonight, and that will be both good and bad for us. It will be harder to move the handcars but the snow will hide us.”

  Even as I worried about Delilah, I found myself wondering what the snow would be like. Moses had told me it would be as cold as ice but as fluffy as cotton.

  As we travelled along, I felt the cold creeping into my bones. The wool coat was thick and I no longer cared that it was rough on my skin. I wrapped it close around me and tried to hold the sleeves down over my hands. Mister Thomas told us to keep wriggling our toes so they wouldn’t freeze. As I looked up at the night sky, I saw flakes of snow floating down, landing on everything. Then the snow started coming down thicker and thicker. I opened my mouth and let snowflakes fall on my tongue. The snow had no taste and melted in my mouth before I could even feel its coldness.

  Soon the snow was lying heavy on the tracks and it was harder and harder to pump the handcars. I lost track of time. I wanted to sleep but there was no room to lie down.

  When we reached a siding in Mansfield, Mister Thomas said, “Can you keep going? I know it’s hard work with all this snow on the tracks.” We thought about Delilah who was racked with fits of coughing, and we said we’d keep going.

  Moses said, “Let me take another turn on the lever and see if you men can keep up with me!”

  The men laughed. My pa said, “We’ll try. We’ll try.”

  The snow got deeper and deeper, the pumping harder and harder. Soon everyone was tired, even Moses. But then Mister Thomas said, “We’ve made it. We’re just outside Gibson City. See that siding up ahead? There’s a shed where you can hide while I go to get David Hull. I’ll ask him to send for a doctor before we come back with a wagon.”

  We stopped the handcars on the siding and ran to the shed. Uncle Josiah carried Delilah. When he laid her down, I took her hand. She was hot with fever and her strength was leaving her. We listened to her cough and the rattle of her breath. Her teeth chattered.

  Soon Mister Thomas was back with Mister Hull. We climbed into his wagon and found a welcome pile of blankets. Before we took any for ourselves, we heaped blankets on Delilah. The men tied branches behind the wagon, and the branches swept over our tracks, hiding the wheel ruts. We travelled a short distance to a small house where we were met by Missus Hull and two small children. We climbed to the attic and lay on the floor, all of us wearing our coats and wrapped in blankets to keep us warm. I was very tired.

  As I tried to fall asleep, I heard Moses and Mister Thomas talking in low voices. Mister Thomas sounded worried. “I did not plan to stop here but Delilah is clearly in need of a doctor. There are many people in these parts who would be only too happy to see the bounty hunters catch you.” Mister Thomas lowered his voice even more and whispered, “Have you heard of a man named Seth Concklin? About five years ago, he was helping runaways in a neighbouring state. They were captured and Seth was arrested when he went to help them. He was released from jail but, a few days later, he was found dead. Seth was David’s cousin.”

  Moses was quiet for a few moments. “David is a brave man to be a conductor, knowing what happened to his cousin. Clearly, we cannot stay here for long. If the doctor says that Delilah cannot travel, we will have to leave her here while we move on to Chicago. With her light skin, Delilah can pass as white and she’ll be safe.”

  While we waited for the doctor to come, Uncle Josiah tended to Delilah. He stayed close, wiping her forehead with a cool cloth and tucking blankets around her. He comforted her, saying, “Delilah, we’re going to reach Canada. But first you must rest.” Delilah looked at Uncle Josiah and gave him a faint smile. Then she started coughing again, gasping for breath.

  Mister Thomas said, “The doctor will be coming soon. Let’s carry Delilah downstairs to a bedroom. Mister Hull will tell the doctor that Delilah is his niece. The rest of us will hide up here in the attic.”

  I was worried about Delilah and I could not fall asleep. I was worried about Moses and my family, too. Would the rest of us come down with the sickness? I felt my ow
n forehead and was relieved that it was cool.

  After a short while, the doctor came to the house and Mister Hull led him to the bedroom where Delilah lay, coughing. I heard the two men talking downstairs but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. After the doctor left, Missus Hull came to the attic and invited us to warm ourselves around the wood stove in the kitchen. Mister Hull looked worried.

  “The doctor said that Delilah has pneumonia,” he said. “She is not strong enough to travel. But, with her white skin, she is safe staying in our home. I told the doctor that she is my niece from St. Louis.”

  Moses asked, “Was he suspicious?”

  “No, I don’t think so. My wife and I will care for Delilah until she’s well. I don’t think it’s safe for the rest of you to stay here in Gibson City. You should move on. When Delilah has recovered her strength, I will take her to Chicago to rejoin you.”

  Uncle Josiah said, “I want to stay and care for Delilah. I don’t want to leave her.”

  Moses took his hand in hers. “Josiah, I know you want to stay with her. But these parts are not safe for runaways. If you stay here, you could bring harm to Delilah and the Hull family, as well as yourself. This is not the way I planned for things to go. But sometimes on the Railroad, a conductor has to make a hard choice.”

  Uncle Josiah began to weep and Moses held him tight. We all knew then that he had fallen in love with Delilah.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Waiting in Chicago

  We said goodbye to Delilah and promised that we would wait for her in Chicago. Uncle Josiah wept. We wished we could stay together, but we couldn’t risk being spotted in Gibson City, a small town where neighbours watched each other’s comings and goings. Mister Hull drove us back to the shed where the handcars were hidden. As we thanked him, he said, “I will see you when I bring Delilah to Chicago. I wish you Godspeed.”