by Ginny Dye
Carrie glanced at her watch. The interlude with the captain had delayed them, but they were still right on time. She knew it was too soon to be worried, however. Trying to make all the arrangements for the Underground Railroad was a daunting task; anything could have held their conductor up. She glanced over at her friends’ anxious expressions and smiled. “It will be all right,” she said soothingly.
They reached the end of the bridge, moved a little to the other side, and then pulled their horses to a halt.
“You really think this is going to work?” Moses asked suddenly. “You really think we can just ride right through to where we’re going?”
“What if that captain had asked to see our papers?” Rose added. “He would have known who you were and maybe would have remembered seeing us if your father puts out a reward flyer for us.”
“The captain didn’t ask to see the papers,” Carrie reminded them, “and, yes, I do believe it’s going to work.” She took a deep breath. “You’ve just got to take one minute at a time,” she said firmly. “To answer your last question - yes, I do think you’re going to just be able to ride through. But if you can’t, the conductor who is leading you will find another way.” Then she turned to Rose. “As for you, my darling aunt, What If’s will control you for the rest of your life if you let them.” She took on Sarah’s scolding tone. “Why you could sit still the rest of yo’ life and never have nothin’ happen if you start thinkin’ about all the what if’s.”
Their laughter once again cleared the tension in the air.
“I couldn’t have put that any better myself,” a deep voice said from just behind them.
Carrie gasped and spun around on Granite. Standing just behind her was a tiny man, barely five feet tall, with dancing eyes as green as her own. “Where did you come from?” was all she could think to ask.
“From right there,” he said cheerfully, waving at the bridge. “I figured I would take a wee nap while I was waiting for you. Your horses’ hooves woke me up. Just like I figured they would.” He laughed and then bowed quickly. “The name is Mike O’Leary. I’m your conductor.”
Carrie looked at him with delight, liking him immediately. The wrinkles said he was older than her father; his twinkling eyes and ready laugh spoke of someone much younger. And in the midst of his cheer was the look of steady courage and determination in his eyes. She began to feel better. She knew instinctively she could trust Rose and Moses with this man.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mike O’Leary. My name is Carrie Cromwell. This is Rose and Moses.” She smiled and handed over the forged papers that would identify them as his slaves if they were stopped and questioned.
O’Leary acknowledged the introduction with a broad smile, looked carefully at the papers, and then looked at his watch. “You’re right on time. That’s good. But we got a long ways to be going. I reckon we’d better be on our way.” He turned and strode quickly into the woods and emerged moments later on a towering, bay gelding that made him look even smaller.
Carrie watched him for a moment and then turned to Rose and Moses; the lump in her throat made it impossible to smile. She dismounted from Granite slowly, thankful there was no one to witness their farewell. Rose and Moses swung from their horses as well.
Carrie and Rose stared at each other for a long moment and then fell into each other’s arms. Their emotion was too deep for tears - they simply clung to each other – and tried to gain strength from the other.
Carrie finally pulled away, allowing all the love in her heart to shine through her eyes. “Please be careful,” she whispered.
Rose nodded, staring back into her eyes. “Thank you, Carrie.” Her voice broke as she reached out again to hold her friend. “I love you,” she whispered.
It took Moses to pull her back. Then he wrapped Carrie in a warm embrace. “You are a very special woman, Miss Carrie Cromwell.” He held her back then and looked into her eyes. “Thank you for everything.”
Carrie nodded, unable to trust her voice to say anything. Finally she whispered, “Take good care of yourselves. I love you both.”
O’Leary was the one to lighten things up. “Shucks, you’d think you weren’t never going to see each other again. Why, I reckon before all this is over, you folks are going to be free. Then you can be seeing each other any time you want.”
Carrie managed a smile. “I hope you’re right, Mr. O’Leary.”
“Shucks. You can’t be calling me by such a big handle. The name is Mike. The same to you two,” he told Rose and Moses cheerfully. “We’re going to be seeing a lot of each other the next few days. Might as well be on a first name basis.” Then his voice dropped and became more serious. “We’d best be going. We have quite a way to go before we reach our place for tonight.”
Carrie nodded and stepped back while Rose and Moses mounted their horses again. She watched until they were out of sight.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Rose could hardly move the next morning when she woke up. She had never been so sore in her life. She rolled over to see if Moses was awake.
“Don’t remember feeling pain in quite these places before,” Moses said with a smile. He was lying on his side and watching her.
Rose nodded and allowed herself a small groan. “Are we really going to spend all day in a saddle again?” she asked with a small smile. “I think every single part of me hurts.” This was the first time they had talked since they had arrived at their station the night before. When Mike had pointed them toward the barn where they would sleep, they had fallen into their hay beds, exhausted. Within seconds they were asleep.
Moses looked at her lovingly. “It’s amazing.”
“What is?”
“How you can still look beautiful after all day in a saddle and all night in a hay loft.”
Rose smiled and leaned over to give him a kiss. Then she fell back as every muscle screamed in protest of movement. “That’s what I love about you, Moses. You’re such a good liar.”
Moses opened his mouth to protest, but just then they heard the barn door creak open.
“Anybody alive in there?” the now familiar Irish voice sang out.
“We’re alive,” Moses called back.
“That’s good. I have some breakfast here for you. Then we’ve got to hit the road. We’ve...”
“Got connections to make,” Rose completed for him. Then she brightened. Each connection with the Underground Railroad was taking them that much closer to freedom. She stretched long and hard, forcing her stiff muscles to respond.
“You gonna make it, Rose girl?” Moses asked playfully.
Rose stuck out her tongue and jumped to her feet, ignoring the pain that shot through her body. “I’ll be ready before you are!” she shot back. In a flash, she climbed nimbly down the ladder leading to the loft and headed in the direction of the well.
“Hey, you!” Moses cried. Seconds later he ran up behind her and grabbed her in a hug.
Laughing, the two of them quickly got ready.
It was almost dark when they rode up to the banks of the Rappahannock River. In spite of her exhaustion, Rose was thrilled at the sight of the vast river spread out before her. It was like being back on the James. The sight of it made her heart long for Carrie. “You think she made it back home, don’t you?” she asked for what was probably the hundredth time.
Moses answered patiently. He knew how worried she was. “Carrie Cromwell is an incredible woman. I know she made it back home.”
Rose nodded again, but still her heart wondered. Carrie had had to ride back that long distance by herself. Had anyone stopped her to question her? Had she run into any trouble? Were things going to run smoothly on the plantation?”
“Honey, you’re going to have to let it go.”
Rose looked at Moses. “I know. Mama always told me it was a waste of precious energy to worry about things you couldn’t do anything about. I’m trying to let it all go. Honest.”
Mike broke through the b
rush surrounding them and smiled brightly though fatigue showed on his face. Minutes later they were seated in a large boat, moving quickly through the water.
Rose watched as the land slipped farther away. Mike had assured them the horses they had left tied would be picked up by someone that night. They would be well taken care of and used for more escape attempts. Still, it had been hard to leave them. They had been Rose’s last tangible connection with Carrie. She watched until the encroaching darkness made it impossible to see anything but the water surrounding her. Then she turned her head to see where they were going.
Moses and Mike were leaning hard into the oars as the man who had met them skillfully navigated the dark waters. Rose watched for a few minutes and then laid her head back to stare up into the sky. The first stars had begun to shimmer, and a mere sliver of the moon seemed to hang from a thread. She was grateful the sky was clear. She couldn’t imagine being in this boat during a storm.
The only sound was the men’s heavy breathing as they hauled hard on the oars. Rose smiled as she caught her first glimpse of the approaching shore. Mike had said they were making good time. The last two days had been full of heart-stopping moments for her. Every strange face had the potential of being the one that would result in her being sent back into slavery. It had been hard to leave Carrie, but as they had moved steadily north, the desire for freedom had become a constant flame in her heart. She could feel the desire pulse with every hoof beat - and now with every stroke of the oar.
Freedom... Freedom... Freedom...
So far they had run into no obstacles. The closest they had come to trouble was meeting the captain on the road. True, they had a long way to go to reach Philadelphia, but they were soon going to be out of Virginia. She could feel the excitement growing in her heart.
Two days later they reached the bank of the Potomac River. The twenty miles they had covered after leaving the banks of the Rappahannock had been grueling. Being on foot now meant they must travel by night. The narrow, rutted roads they had walked down would have been difficult by day. By night they were relentless. Rose had fallen more than once, quietly getting back up every time to continue on. The nights were getting colder, and she was increasingly grateful for the warmth of the coat Carrie had given her.
Mike returned from his scouting of the shore with a worried look on his face. “The boat should have been waiting for us. We will stay here. They’re probably just running late.”
Rose said nothing, just stared across the huge expanse of water. The sky was beginning to grow light. If they didn’t cross soon, they would have to spend another whole day by the river, risking discovery even though their location must truly be remote.
The sky was glowing orange when Mike turned to them with a smile. “Looks like we get one more day in Virginia.”
Rose could tell he was trying to not worry them.
“Will there be a boat, Mike?” Moses asked quietly. “You can be honest with us.”
Mike shrugged his shoulders. “I can’t be knowing that. There was supposed to be a boat. That’s all I was told. Any number of things can be happening to mess up the plans, though.”
“And if there’s not a boat?” Moses asked.
“Then we’ll be looking for another way across that water,” Mike said cheerfully. Then he stretched mightily. “As long as we don’t have somewhere to be getting to, I think it would be a fine time for a wee bit of sleep.” He lay down on the ground and was soon snoring.
Rose and Moses looked at each other. Moses smiled encouragingly. “He’s right. We might as well get some sleep.”
Sometime later an angry shout startled them from their sleep. It came from the direction of the water.
Rose started upward only to be stopped by Moses’ big hand on her arm. He had a finger laid across his lips. Mike was already up, crouched at the brush, trying to see where the noise was coming from. When he saw Rose and Moses watching him, he motioned them to move farther back into the woods. Moses stood easily, took Rose’s arm, and crept away. Only when they were another hundred feet back, settled behind a large tree surrounded by low growing brush, did he stop.
Now all they could do was listen. For a long time, they heard nothing. Then voices erupted again.
“I thought you told me you saw movement up there,” a deep voice called.
Moses leaned close to Rose’s ear and whispered. “Whoever it is must be down on the little trail that runs along the bank. I saw it earlier.”
“I did see something move!” a voice slurred back. “It was a deer I tell you!”
Rose frowned. The sound of their voices told her they had been hitting the bottle too hard that morning. She pushed back down her sudden panic. She couldn’t let memories have the best of her now; letting her imagination run wild now would do no one any good.
The unseen voices continued. “Daddy said we better not come back without some deer meat. It’s your fault we’re getting such a late start.”
“Ain’t my fault! You’re the one who brought along that bottle!”
Just then a shot rang out.
“I got one!” a voice yelled in triumph. “Did you see it move up there on the bank? We’ll be taking our deer home tonight!”
Rose could hear brush cracking and limbs breaking as the two men made their way up the bank. Was Mike in a place they couldn’t see him? She thought of his nimble body and smiled. He was probably up a tree staring down at them - trying to figure out how to get rid of them.
Suddenly the air was rent with heavy cursing. Then the older voice spoke. “That ain’t no deer, you fool. That’s a man. You done killed a man!”
Rose gasped, staring at Moses in horror. His eyes were wide as he grabbed her arm, warning her with his eyes to be quiet.
“Well, how’d I know it was a man up here?” The voice grew suddenly suspicious. “What was he doing up here in the woods, anyhow?” The reality of what he had done seemed to have sobered him up somewhat. “He must have been up to no good if he was here hiding in the woods.”
“Yeah? Well, what are we going to do with him?”
“I say we leave him right here. Ain’t nobody gonna find him.”
“We can’t just leave him here to rot,” the other voice said with disgust. There was a brief silence then he continued. “I reckon we can put him in the river. That way no one will connect him with us.”
The killer had obvious relief in his voice. “Yeah. That’s a great idea.”
There was another brief silence, and then the other voice spoke again. “What’s this here in his pockets? Some kind of papers...” Silence and then, “These here be slave certificates. Says his name is John Salem. These here papers be for a couple of slaves named Rose and Moses.”
The killer laughed again. “Yeah? Well, dead men can’t tell no tales. I say his papers go down the river with him.”
Suddenly the other voice spoke up. “These here papers are for slaves. You think they’re around here somewhere? If they are, they know we killed him.” There was a short silence, then, “Maybe we ought to look through them woods.”
The killer protested immediately. “You crazy? They’re ain’t no slaves around here. If there were, they’ve probably already run far away. We wouldn’t never find them.” His voice rose to a whine. “I say we just get rid of the body. Let imaginary slaves take care of themselves.”
“Yeah. I reckon you’re right. We’ve got to get a deer. Not hunt slaves.”
There was another silence and then a loud splash.
“Good-bye, Mr. John Salem,” the other voice called. “Too bad we can’t take you home to put in our smoke shed.”
Both men laughed, and then moments later their voices faded from hearing.
Rose allowed the tears to come then. She turned to Moses for comfort, but he was already up and running. She wanted to call to stop him but was afraid the two men were still close enough to hear her voice. She leapt to her feet and followed him.
She found him standing on
the river bank, scanning the water. She looked fearfully down the bank and prayed the two men would not retrace their steps. “Moses! What are you doing?” she whispered.
“Mike O’ Leary was a good man. The least we can do is give him a proper burial.”
Rose nodded. But their scanning of the water revealed nothing. The two men must have thrown Mike’s light body into the current. He hadn’t been dead long enough for his body to float. And neither one of them knew how to swim. Finally they had to admit defeat. Heavyhearted, they climbed back up the bank and took their hiding place again.
The sun was now high, but a thin layer of clouds covered the clear blue sky. The already cool day was getting colder. Rose shivered, partly from the shock of what had happened and partly from the cold. Without saying anything, Moses turned and wrapped his arms around her. They sat that way for a long time, both dealing with the new reality of their situation. They were in the middle of nowhere, with no guide, no boat to take them across the river, and very little food.
Moses was the first to speak. “Looks like we have an obstacle to overcome.”
His strong voice released the dam holding back Rose’s emotions. Sobs racked her body as Moses continued to hold her close and stroked her head gently. She cried for Mike O’Leary and for the family he had told them about who would never see him again. She cried to release the fear that had gripped her as they listened to him die. After a long while, she grew quiet again. Then, “What are we going to do, Moses?” She wiped at her tears and stared up into his face.
He looked thoughtful for a long moment. “We’re going to find us a boat,” he said.
Rose stared at him. “How are we going to do that?”
Moses shrugged. “We’re going to walk until we find us a boat. I don’t know what else to do,” he admitted. “We can’t swim across that river. As wide as it is here, there’s no telling how far we’ll have to go before we find a place narrow enough to cross. And we’re not going back,” he said with firm resolve. “That leaves us only one thing. We’ve got to find a boat.”
