Promises to the Dead

by Mary Downing Hahn

"If you're scared to help your own nephew," I said, "swear not to say a word about him to anyone in your uncle's house." To show her I meant what I said, I squeezed her soft white wrists. "That's all I ask. We'll leave like we came, nice and quiet."

  "I promise I won't tell a soul," Polly sobbed. "But you must go this very minute. If Uncle Cornelius finds you, there's no telling what he'll do. He's even stricter than Father when it comes to runaways. And he has company from Baltimore, men loyal to the Cause."

  She turned, still crying, and fled like the very devil was chasing her. This time I let her go. I hoped she'd calm down before anyone saw her and asked what the trouble was. She didn't strike me as the sort who'd make up a good lie.

  I turned to Perry, but he was scowling at me through his tears, fairly shaking with anger. "Now see what you've done," he hollered. "What am I to do? Where am I to go? Oh, why didn't you let me die in the woods with Mama?"

  With that, the child took off running, crashing into the woods, heading back to the cabin as fast and reckless as he could go. I ran after him and brought him to a stop. If he hadn't been crying, I might have punched his nose, for it made me mad to be blamed for the way things had turned out. After all, it was his mama's idea to come to Miss Polly Baxter, not mine. I'd just done what Lydia had asked. Kept my promise and then some, for Lydia hadn't said nothing about coming all the way to Virginia.

  "Listen here, Perry," I began in a gruff voice for I was more upset than I cared to show. "We got to think things out. Maybe Hyacinth—"

  "You should have done what she told you!" Perry cut in. "When she finds out we talked to Polly, she'll be mad. What if she sends us away?"

  "Hyacinth won't do that," I said. "She's your mama's sister." But as I spoke, it occurred to me Hyacinth could very well send me packing. I wasn't no kin to her. The Lord only knew how I'd find my way home from here.

  Perry scowled at the ground. It was clear he was having another one of his spells of silence and would say nothing more till he was ready.

  I walked a little farther into the woods and sat on the trunk of a fallen tree. Maybe if I left him alone, he'd get over his mood and be friendly again. After a long while, I heard the leaves rustle behind me. I didn't turn around. If Perry wanted to talk to me, he'd have to start the conversation.

  He sat down on the tree beside me, not real close, but I could hear him breathing. More time passed. A woodpecker hammered away at a dead branch over our heads. A mockingbird ran through his notes, singing them over and over as if he was practicing for some great event. A train whistle blew across the river. But Perry said nothing, and neither did I.

  "I been thinking," Perry announced at last.

  I peeled bark off a twig like it was a task of some importance and waited for him to go on.

  "Mama trusted Polly and you," he said slowly. "She was wrong about Polly, but you came all this way with me just because she asked you to. You could have gone back home anytime."

  I looked at him. His face was streaked with tears and dirt, but he was trying to smile, even though his chin wobbled a little.

  "More than once I wanted to run off and leave you by your lonesome," I confessed. "But every time I thought about going home, I remembered your mama and how I'd sworn to keep you safe. So here I am and there you are, and what we're going to do now I just don't know."

  "I suppose you're sorry you made that promise," Perry said, scowling again. "Most likely you can't wait to be rid of me."

  I went back to peeling my twig while I considered what he'd said. "Truth to tell, Perry," I spoke up at last, "I've grown used to you, though I must say you ain't always the best of companions."

  "I guess I'm used to you, too, Jesse," Perry said in a low voice, "but you make me awful mad sometimes." He sighed and moved a little closer to me.

  We sat there a while without talking, but it was a peaceful silence this time. I judged it to be about three o'clock, which meant about four hours to go before dark. A long time to wait with an empty belly and nothing to do.

  When I got tired of sitting, I slid off the log and reached out to help Perry down. He hesitated a second, but then he took my hand and jumped to the ground beside me.

  Perry picked up a long stick and whacked the bushes. "Let's pretend this is the Green Wood," he said, "and we're Robin Hood's men, hiding here to rob the rich and give to the poor."

  I looked at him with some perplexity, for I had never heard of Robin Hood or the Green Wood.

  "Don't you know the story of Robin and his Merry Men?" Perry asked. "Papa was reading it to me before he died, so I never heard how it ends."

  I stared at him in some surprise. "Mr. Peregrine read stories to you?"

  Perry whacked the bushes again. "Papa used to come to Mama and me late at night," he said, "and sit by the fire with me on his lap, reading stories from a big book. He taught me my letters and my numbers, too."

  I remembered what Hyacinth had told me about Mr. Peregrine Baxter, but I didn't say nothing. Sooner or later Perry would hear her side of things, but it wasn't my place to speak up against the man.

  "Sounds like Mr. Peregrine was a good daddy to you," I said, thinking he'd done more for Perry than my uncle ever did for me.

  "Papa was only there at nighttime," Perry said in a low voice. "In the daytime he never paid me the least notice. Mama told me I wasn't to talk to him unless he spoke first. And I was never, never to call him Papa anywhere but in our quarters when there was nobody else around."

  Judging by the look on Perry's face, I reckoned it might be good to talk of something else. "Tell me about Robin Hood," I said. "What kind of story is it?"

  "Well, it happened in England way back a long time ago in the days of knights and ladies and noble deeds," Perry began. "Robin Hood was cheated out of his land by the Sheriff of Nottingham, so he hid in the Green Wood and became chief of a band of outlaws. But they weren't bad. They stole from the rich and gave to the poor, which was a good thing to do."

  Perry talked on and on, telling of high deeds till my head was full of pictures of the olden days. I'd never heard such tales in my life, and when he fell silent, I yearned to hear the ending as much as he did.

  "It would be a fine game to play," I said. "I can be Robin Hood and you—"

  "Why should you be Robin Hood?" Perry asked. "I told you about him, so I should be Robin Hood."

  "But I'm the biggest," I said.

  "That's why you should be Little John," Perry said.

  "Little? Why—"

  "Little John is called 'Little' because he's so big," Perry explained.

  That didn't make no sense to me. If I was big, I'd want to be called big, not little. I eyed Perry suspiciously. "Was Little John as brave as Robin Hood?"

  Perry nodded. "He started out to be Robin's enemy, but then, after they had a fight, they became the very best of friends and did noble deeds together."

  "Well, I'm calling myself Big John," I said. "It sounds a heap more sensible."

  Perry looked as if he might put up a fuss but changed his mind. "We can make bows and arrows from sticks," he said. "And then we can hunt deer just like Robin and Big John."

  It took us a while to make the bows. We used grape vine for the string, but it didn't work too good. If we pulled too hard, the whole contraption fell apart. But we stalked through the forest anyway, ever watchful for our enemies.

  After a while, we spotted three white men coming along a trail. I recognized Mr. Cornelius Baxter, but the other two were strangers. They carried guns and their faces were grim.

  "Rich merchants of Nottingham," Perry whispered.

  Before they saw us, we ducked into the bushes and aimed our arrows at them. They passed by our hiding place, unaware of how close they were to death.

  "I reckon it was a Yankee soldier," Mr. Baxter was saying. "They've been known to accost innocent young ladies like my niece."

  His friend spat in the dirt. "Most likely the coward's run back across the river by now."

  "It's
a pitiful shame a young lady ain't safe on her own land these days," said the third.

  "Don't you worry, Henry. Once the Virginia army gets itself together, we won't see any Yankees on our soil."

  "Let's go back to the house," Mr. Baxter suggested. "I could use a drink of whiskey 'long about now."

  The men walked on and the woods closed in behind them, quiet except for birds.

  "They're hunting us," Perry whispered. "Polly must have told after all."

  "They were looking for a Yankee, not two boys," I said slowly. "Maybe Polly came home all in an uproar and her uncle thought it was a soldier that scared her. Maybe she didn't say nothing at all about us. Maybe she just let him think what he liked."

  Perry frowned. "You're taking up for her because she's pretty," he said. "That's all."

  Dropping our bows and arrows on the ground, we began making our way back to the cabin. The game was over. It was time to face Hyacinth.

  CHAPTER 14

  Hyacinth was waiting for us. She opened her cabin door and dragged us inside fast. "What have you done, Jesse?" she asked. "I told you to stay inside and wait for me, but you ran off and did just what I warned you not to do!" She was so mad she was practically shooting fire at me.

  "I'm sorry," I said, but I don't think she even noticed or cared what I had to say.

  "You upset Miss Polly so bad she's taken to her bed," Hyacinth went on. "I meant to talk to her before she went out for her afternoon walk, but her mother kept me busy ironing and mending and doing for her. By the time I was free, Miss Polly was running in the back door, out of her head with grief and fear, throwing the whole household into an uproar."

  "Did she tell about seeing us?" Perry asked.

  "Bless her heart," Hyacinth said, "Miss Polly kept quiet about you and Jesse. Everyone thought she'd seen a stranger in the woods. Her uncle and some of his friends went out hunting for him, convinced she'd met up with a Yankee spy."

  "We saw those men," Perry spoke up, "but they didn't see us 'cause we were hiding."

  On hearing that, Hyacinth sank down at the table, her head in her hands. "Lord, Lord," she prayed, "why did these children have to come here now?"

  Perry began to cry, taking the words to mean she didn't want him. Turning to him, Hyacinth hugged him tight. "Oh, Perry, don't cry," she said. "It's just that you couldn't have picked a worse time to come to me. I told you Mr. Baxter is selling arms to the Confederates. The man supplying the rifles is Colonel Botfield himself. He's up at the big house now, along with a Confederate officer."

  Perry turned pale, and I felt my knees go weak. Like I'd suspected, Colonel Botfield and me were part of the same story. No matter where I went, that devil was close behind.

  "We can't stay here," I said. "What if Polly takes a notion to tell her uncle about us? Or just lets something slip by accident? The colonel will be on our trail in a flash."

  Hyacinth opened the shutter and peeked outside. It was dusk but not yet dark. Candles shone from the windows of the big house, and sounds of merriment drifted our way. Though I couldn't be absolutely sure, I thought I detected Colonel Botfield's laughter.

  Hyacinth closed the shutter and latched it. "You boys sit down and eat your supper," she said. "We'll be doing some traveling later tonight."

  "Where—" I asked, but she silenced me with a sharp look.

  "Just do as I say, Jesse." Without another word, Hyacinth ladled rabbit stew into three bowls and set them on the table. I burned my tongue on the first spoonful because I couldn't wait to get that hot food in my stomach. When I asked for another helping, Hyacinth shook her head.

  "But there's more in the pot," I said, too hungry to remember my manners.

  "That's for someone else," Hyacinth said in a low voice.

  "Who?" I asked, puzzled by her secretive manner.

  "Don't ask any more questions," she said, as if I'd vexed her in some way.

  "But—"

  Hyacinth shook her head. "What did I say, Jesse?"

  It was clear she meant me to hush, so I did. After that, nobody said anything at all. It was so quiet I could hear the wind stirring the trees outside the cabin and the crackle and pop of the fire on the hearth. Perry was falling asleep over his empty plate again, head nodding, eyes closing, but Hyacinth sat up straight and tense, studying the flames, her face sharp and bony. As for me, I stared at the pot and wondered who was to get the stew I hungered for.

  Suddenly Hyacinth looked at Perry. "Why don't you go on to bed, honey?" she asked gently.

  He slid off his chair and went to Hyacinth. I watched him kiss her good night as natural as if he'd already begun to think of her as his mama. Then, nodding to me, he crawled under the quilt.

  Hyacinth watched him for a few moments and then turned to me. "My sister trusted you with the life of her only child," she said in a low voice. "Now I have to decide if I can trust you."

  I guessed she was still mad about what I'd done earlier. Truth to tell, I wished with my all heart I'd stayed in the cabin like she'd told me to. But as both Uncle Philemon and Delia had said more than once, I didn't have the sense I was born with.

  "I'm sorry about speaking to Polly like I done," I said. "I swear I'll do what you say from now on."

  She studied me a long while without saying a word. I kept my eyes on hers so she'd know I was telling the truth. Outside the cabin, the wind picked up a little, and I heard an owl hoot close by.

  Hyacinth glanced at Perry as if to make sure he was truly asleep. "A group of runaways is hiding in the woods north of here," she said slowly, keeping her voice real low. "Two women, a man, and a baby. All but one have traveled a long way, and I've been feeding them to build up their strength. We planned to leave for Ohio next week, but now I'm afraid to wait that long."

  Suddenly she reached across the table and seized my hand. I'd never met a woman with a grip as strong as hers. "You'll have to come with us, Jesse. I can't risk leaving you here. I know where you were born and who brought you up. I know what you've been taught."

  I started to speak, but she hushed me. "They're all rebel lovers on the Shore. Why, if it wasn't for Mr. Lincoln's army, the whole bunch of them would be in the Confederacy by now, including your uncle, Mr. Philemon Sherman."

  "Not me." I found my voice at last. "I wouldn't belong to no nation that has Colonel Abednego Botfield in it."

  Hyacinth eyed me. She hadn't eased her grip on my wrist. Trying not to flinch, I said, "I swear I'll never betray you. You think I brought Perry all this way to see him get caught?"

  "Just be sure you remember that," Hyacinth said. "White folks have a way of going back on their word."

  It cut me to the heart to hear her speak so distrustfully, but there was no denying such things happened. "Didn't I keep my promise to Lydia as best I could?"

  Hyacinth reached out and patted my hand in a kindly way. "I'm sorry for doubting you, Jesse. But my own mama is with those runaways, and I can't take any chances on her being caught."

  "Your mama?" I stared at her as the full meaning of her words sunk in. "Perry's granny?"

  Hyacinth nodded. "I been searching for her such a long time, asking every slave I meet if they've seen her. Not long ago I got word where she was. As soon as Polly and I arrived here, I sent a message to Mama telling her I was at Mr. Cornelius Baxter's place, close to her. She ran the first chance she got. Lord, it was good to see her. Nine years is a long while to be apart."

  Hyacinth broke off talking and stared into the fire. "Mama doesn't know Lydia's dead. Nor does she know about Perry." She sighed and shook her head. "Now's not the time to sit here thinking sad thoughts. We have to get ourselves ready to go."

  Getting to her feet, she began to gather things for the trip. "Make a bedroll with your blankets, Jesse, and help Perry do the same."

  Perry woke in some confusion. "Why are you taking the blankets?" he asked, grabbing for one. "I'm cold, Jesse."

  Hyacinth hushed him and blew out the candle. The fire had burned itself dow
n to embers so the cabin was almost as dark as the woods outside. "We're leaving here," she told Perry, "so we must be as quiet as quiet can be."

  "Where are we going?" Perry asked, suddenly fearful.

  "Someplace we'll be safe," Hyacinth whispered. "Safe and free. Just like your mama wanted."

  "But it's dark outside. It's still nighttime." Perry looked at me. "Is the colonel coming after us?"

  I shook my head. "Don't fret, Perry. The colonel don't know nothing. Just do what Hyacinth says."

  Still worried, Perry let Hyacinth take his hand and lead him to the cabin door. I followed, carrying the blanket roll on my back. Once we were outside, we heard men laughing and talking in the big house. It gave me shivers to think how close the colonel was. I prayed he wouldn't come to the window and see Perry and me skulking past in the shadows.

  Hyacinth strode into the woods, carrying a huge basket on her back. Perry was right behind her. I hurried after them, struggling with the bedroll.

  Dark as it was, Hyacinth never hesitated. I reckoned she'd been this way before, taking food to her mama and others. We climbed one hill after another, going higher and higher with every step, following a path that wound round rocks and trees. I was soon gasping for breath, bent nearly double under the weight of the bedroll, but Hyacinth kept up a steady pace. Though every one of my muscles ached, her long skinny legs never seemed to tire.

  At long last we reached level ground, high atop a ridge above the river. Across the water in Maryland, I could make out the watch fires of Federal army camps. They shone like tiny stars fallen from the sky onto the black earth—hundreds of them, it seemed.

  Hyacinth looked at them. "For every Yankee fire you see on that side of the river, there's a rebel fire on this side. We got to be quiet so as not to alarm the sentries."

  The thought of armed rebels all around us scared me some. Did they ask questions first or did they just shoot? And if they did ask questions, what would we answer?

  "How much farther do we have to go?" Perry whispered.

  "Downhill a ways," Hyacinth said. "They're hiding in a cave halfway to the river."