Race for Freedom

by Lois Walfrid Johnson

  When the slave catchers don’t find us, will they turn around again? Libby wondered. The mud on the road would make it easy for them to follow. Maybe they’re tracking us even now. Maybe they’re just far enough back so we can’t see.

  A few miles above Reads Landing, Caleb brought them to a high stretch of ground overlooking Lake Pepin. As the sky turned gold and pink, the sun lit the great expanse of ice. People had told Libby that at places the lake was three miles wide, but she never expected anything so beautiful. In spite of her worries, she wanted to take in everything and remember it all. Someday I’ll paint this! she promised herself.

  As they hurried on, tall bluffs rose above them on their left. On their right the ground dropped sharply away to the lake. Gradually the road narrowed, then turned into a limestone trail.

  By the time Caleb found a large log and sat down, Libby felt hollow with hunger. Even while eating breakfast, Caleb faced back toward the trail over which they had come. Grateful for the chance to rest, Libby dropped down next to him. But Jordan grasped the lower branches of a tall white pine and pulled himself up. From far overhead he, too, checked the trail.

  Watching the boys, Libby felt uneasy. Did they still fear Riggs even after miles of fast walking? It must be hard for Jordan, Libby thought. He’s helping Elsa when he really wants to get his family to freedom.

  Finally, Jordan climbed down and began to eat. When all of them finished, Caleb brushed aside his crumbs and Libby did the same.

  Using a small pine branch, Jordan swept the ground until their footsteps disappeared. When they returned to the path, he carried the branch along. More than once, dirt had washed over the limestone trail. Where needed, Jordan brushed away their footprints.

  As the sun climbed higher, the trail leveled out, and Libby felt grateful. They walked close to the lake now. The sunlight turned the ice into a shining jewel.

  Beyond a long point reaching out into Lake Pepin, the ground once again dropped sharply away. Soon after the trail led them farther from the lake, Caleb pointed down to a large paw print. “That’s a big one!”

  “A big what?” Libby asked, not sure she wanted to know.

  “A bear, probably a male. They’re hungry now. When they come out of hibernation, they eat everything in sight.”

  “Food, you mean?” Libby tried to keep the scared sound out of her voice.

  “Of course they eat food.” A sparkle of fun shot through Caleb’s eyes. Then he grew serious. “And little girls.”

  “Oh, Caleb!” Libby didn’t believe him.

  “They’re especially fond of big girls, whether they’re tasty or not.”

  “You’re just making that up!”

  But Caleb’s face was as serious as she had ever seen it. “If you see a bear—”

  “I don’t believe a word you’re saying!”

  “Just stay as far from it as you can. Don’t ever get between a female and her cubs!”

  Well, that sounds reasonable, Libby thought. So, is the rest of what he’s saying true or not? When Caleb teased her, she didn’t know what to believe.

  Libby tossed her head, and her long red hair swung around her shoulders. I refuse to think about it. We’ll reach Red Wing before dark—by four or five o’clock, Pa said. That will keep me safe from any bears!

  Besides, it was Riggs and his two slave catchers that Libby worried about. They’re much more dangerous than any four-footed animal!

  CHAPTER 16

  Slave Catchers!

  When Caleb would have stopped for a rest, Jordan said no. “What’s wrong?” Caleb asked, his voice low.

  Jordan looked over his shoulder. “Someone’s watching my back.”

  “What do you mean?” Libby asked.

  “Someone’s behind us,” Jordan answered. “Someone comin’ mighty close.”

  “You didn’t see anyone, did you?” Libby asked. “How do you know?”

  “I just knows,” Jordan told her. “The Lord, He make me uneasy. He say, ‘Jordan, you watch your back, or you is goin’ to be in big trouble.’”

  “Did the Lord tell you what to do?” Caleb asked.

  “Leave the path,” Jordan said, as though there were no doubt in his mind.

  Listening to the boys talk, Libby felt surprised. It was Jordan leading them now, and Caleb seemed to trust Jordan’s leading. Stepping aside, Caleb let him take first place. Libby still walked in the middle, but now Caleb followed her.

  Jordan stayed off the path, but walked not far from it. When they dropped onto lower ground, they found pockets of snow in the hollows beneath tall white pine. Sheltered from the sun, the snow sometimes lay a foot deep. As it melted, water streamed downhill.

  “It’s hard to believe it’s the last week in April!” Libby exclaimed.

  “Don’t forget it was one of the worst winters Minnesota Territory has had,” Caleb reminded her.

  Trudging across land he had never seen, Jordan led them on. Watching him, Libby wondered about other times when he needed to find his own path. Always Jordan walked with a confidence she never seemed to feel.

  Though used to a warmer climate, he hiked without seeming tired. After a time he took off the boots Caleb had given him. Tying the laces, he slung the boots over his shoulders, as if more comfortable going barefoot.

  Once Libby heard Jordan singing softly, almost under his breath.

  I got shoes,

  You got shoes,

  All God’s children got shoes.

  When we get to Heaven

  We goin’ to put on our shoes

  An’ shout all over God’s Heaven.

  Heaven! Heaven!

  When Caleb and Jordan finally stopped for lunch, Libby was so hungry she could hardly walk another step. Using a large stump as a table, she untied the cloth bag holding her food. For each sandwich, Granny had put together two big pieces of thickly sliced bread with chicken or beef between.

  Libby had gobbled up one sandwich and started another when she looked around. Where did the boys go? Up till now they hadn’t left her alone. Libby didn’t like the idea at all.

  Just then she heard a branch crack. Her heart leaped. Caleb? Jordan? Are they coming back? They would never make so much noise.

  Whirling around, Libby gazed in the direction from which the noise came. When she heard a second cracking sound her stomach bottomed out. Riggs and his slave catchers! And I’m here alone!

  Forgetting her lunch, Libby stumbled away from the large stump. When she reached a tall tree, she slipped behind the trunk.

  On the other side of the clearing, bushes were starting to leaf out. Something black seemed to move behind them. Peering out from behind the tree trunk, Libby watched. Closer and closer, the black shape moved, lumbering along. With every step the shape grew larger.

  Suddenly, Libby felt her knees go weak. Without warning she slid to the ground. By the time she felt strong enough to look again, the black creature was out in the open. A great big bear!

  Libby had never seen a bear before, but it was so big it had to be a male. On all fours he walked, swaying from side to side. In the sunlight his black hair shone. When he sniffed his way around the clearing, Libby guessed what he wanted.

  “You’re not getting it!” she muttered.

  Leaping up, Libby headed straight for the large stump.

  With one hand she snatched up her sandwich. With the other, she grabbed the bag with the rest of her food. Then she heard a snuffle, not far away.

  Turning, Libby faced the bear. In the next instant he stood up on his hind legs.

  “Caleb!” Libby tried to scream. But panic closed her throat.

  “Jordan!” she tried again. Not a sound came from her mouth.

  With his great brown eyes, the bear sized up Libby. As though spotting the sandwich in her hand, he dropped down and headed straight for her. His mouth opened, showing his great teeth.

  “Libby!”

  As though from far away, she heard Caleb’s voice.

  “Drop y
our sandwich!”

  With one quick movement, Libby threw the sandwich from her. Instead of following it, the bear turned toward the cloth bag and the sandwiches in her other hand.

  “Get rid of your food!” Caleb called.

  Libby threw the bag after the sandwich. In that moment the bear turned from her. With a single gulp, he swallowed the sandwich she had thrown.

  Unable to run, Libby stared at him. With another great paw, the bear pushed at the cloth bag and sniffed the sandwiches inside.

  Just then a hand reached out to grab Libby’s arm. As the bear gulped a second sandwich, the hand pulled Libby back.

  In terror she tripped, then caught herself. Looking up, she saw Caleb’s frightened face.

  “Hurry!” he commanded.

  Pulling her along, he walked as quickly as she could follow. When they reached the path, Caleb kept going. Faster and faster he moved, with Libby stumbling behind. Only his strong hand kept her from falling in the snowy slush.

  After a time Caleb drew her off the path into the trees. When at last he stopped, Libby’s side ached from hurrying. Only then did she realize that Jordan was just behind them.

  Caleb dropped her hand. Anger filled his face. “I have never in my life—”

  “I’m sorry,” Libby said quickly.

  “You are sorry for trying to get killed?”

  “I didn’t know.”

  “How can you be so stupid as to take on a bear for one little sandwich?”

  Suddenly Libby began to cry. “It was all the food I had,” she wailed.

  “No, it wasn’t.” The anger disappeared from Caleb’s face. “You had my food and Jordan’s food.”

  Libby giggled. “You’re right. I wasn’t very smart, was I?” As though it were the funniest thing she’d ever done, she started laughing.

  Moments later, tears ran down her cheeks. Her entire body shook with sobs.

  “Libby!” Caleb commanded. “Stop it!”

  But Libby could not stop crying.

  “Libby Norstad!” Caleb’s voice filled with panic. Bending down, he scooped up a handful of snow and clapped it across her face.

  In that instant both tears and laughter left Libby. Only anger remained.

  “You … you!” she sputtered. “Who do you think you are?”

  Caleb looked relieved. “Your pa said I had to take care of you.”

  “Well, you have a strange way of doing it!”

  “Yup.” Caleb seemed pleased with himself now. “When you start going into hysterics, I better do something.”

  Feeling as if she were going to explode, Libby stared at him. “How can you be so awful?”

  Caleb grinned at Jordan. “Guess she’s back to normal.”

  But Libby didn’t feel grateful to Caleb. Why does this terrible boy always have to be right? she wondered. I wish that just once he’d make a fool of himself!

  By now she even felt angry with Caleb for rescuing her. With the bear far behind and her fear gone, she wondered about only one thing. How can I ever win?

  She almost felt like praying. Just once, God, let me beat Caleb at something.

  Then she pushed the thought aside. From what she knew about God, Libby didn’t think He’d answer that prayer.

  As though making sure she was all right, Caleb gave her one last look, then started walking again. When he came to some large rocks near Lake Pepin, he stopped.

  “Watch out for snakes,” he told Libby.

  “Snakes!” she exclaimed. That would be even worse than a bear! What other horrors hid out in this wilderness?

  Libby turned to Jordan. “Is Caleb teasing?”

  Jordan’s gaze met hers. “Snakes likes to lie on warm rocks,” he said simply.

  Libby shuddered, then was sorry she had shown her fear. Opening the cloth bag he carried around his waist, Caleb spread out his lunch. “Help yourself,” he told Libby.

  But Libby’s pride was wounded now. Not for anything was she going to eat Caleb’s food. “I’m not hungry,” she said.

  “Yes, you are,” he answered. “You’re just proud.”

  His words upset Libby even more. How could he possibly know how she felt? Not for anything will I give in now!

  As Libby drew back, her stomach gurgled.

  “Hear that rumble?” Caleb asked Jordan without looking at Libby. “How can such a skinny girl need so much food?”

  Jordan grinned. “Bet your granny bakes those lip-smackin’ pies just for Libby.”

  “I ate a big breakfast,” Libby said, surprised that Jordan dared tease her. Bravely, she backed away. “Thanks anyway.”

  She looked at the rocks, then remembered what Jordan said about snakes. Walking off a short distance, she sat down on a log. When Caleb chomped down on his sandwich, she glanced away, trying to not think about food.

  Along the shore a narrow band of black water separated her from the great mass of ice in Lake Pepin. Although the day was growing warmer all the time, the ice still looked solid.

  Before long, Caleb and Jordan closed up their sandwiches.

  “I’ll figure out which way to go and be right back,” Caleb said.

  As soon as he disappeared, Jordan offered Libby a sandwich. “I saved it for you,” he said. “Eat up now.”

  Glancing around, Libby saw that the trees hid her from Caleb. Grateful that Jordan had waited until Caleb was gone, Libby took the sandwich.

  “Thanks, Jordan,” she said.

  With her gaze on the trees where Caleb disappeared, Libby wolfed down the sandwich. Quickly she brushed her skirt, making sure that no crumb showed. No sooner had she wiped a hand across her mouth than Caleb returned.

  “Let’s stay off the path and climb higher,” he said.

  With Lake Pepin on their right, they headed into the trees. Jordan led again, and Libby fell into line with Caleb behind her. Though they didn’t follow the path, they stayed close enough to catch a glimpse now and then. Jordan and Caleb seemed to move in agreement, as if knowing exactly what they were doing.

  Soon they started up a steep slope that rose far above the pebbly shores of Lake Pepin. As Libby hiked along, she heard a low voice at her back.

  “Take it,” Caleb said and pushed a sandwich into her hand.

  Libby looked down. With every part of her being, she wanted to grab the sandwich. In spite of what Jordan had given her, she was still hungry. But Libby shook her head.

  “We still have a long way to go,” Caleb told her. “If you’re hungry you’ll be weak.”

  Again Libby hesitated, her pride in the way.

  “Elsa needs your help,” Caleb said.

  Libby’s pride vanished. Caleb had given her the one reason she couldn’t argue. “Thanks,” she said softly.

  “Don’t mention it.”

  Libby grinned. “I won’t.”

  Without slowing her pace, she gulped down the sandwich. Granny’s chicken and bread had never tasted so good.

  For at least fifteen minutes, they walked with the ground growing ever steeper beneath them. More than once Libby clutched at small trees and branches to pull herself up. Finally Jordan stopped.

  Behind a thick growth of bushes he waited. When Caleb came close, Jordan pointed to a spot just below them. “There’s the path,” he said. Both boys crouched low.

  Kneeling beside them, Libby stared down the steep hillside. Shrubs hid the path, and Libby wondered how Jordan knew it was there. As the minutes stretched long, she grew impatient.

  When she started to speak, Caleb laid a warning hand on her arm. “Shush!”

  Moments later Libby heard men’s voices. Trying to push aside her nervousness, she listened.

  Then just below them, a young man stopped. Through a small opening between bushes, Libby saw his face and blond hair.

  I know him! Libby gasped. He’s one of the bullies who chased Jordan! So he’s a slave catcher now!

  Squeezing Libby’s arm, Caleb warned her to be quiet. Instead, she hiccuped loudly.

&nbs
p; As Caleb glared at her, Libby clapped a hand over her mouth. Oh no! What should I do?

  From somewhere beyond the blond slave catcher came a call. “Hey! What’s keeping you?”

  Just then Libby felt another hiccup coming. Filled with panic, she tried to hold it in. When she breathed deeply, Caleb clapped his hand over hers. Swallowing hard, Libby gasped.

  Suddenly Caleb clutched the back of her head and pushed her face into the ground. When the hiccup came, it was gigantic.

  On her head Caleb’s fingers stiffened. Desperately Libby held her breath.

  Just below them, still another man was talking. His voice seemed familiar to Libby. With a quick flash of fear, she wondered if it was Riggs. Still afraid to breathe, she dreaded the next hiccup. When it came, it seemed to rumble across the hillsides.

  At last the three slave catchers passed beyond them. For long minutes Libby and Caleb and Jordan waited, silent and watchful. Then Caleb pounded his fist into the ground. “Libby, I cannot believe how you do it!”

  In the next moment, he looked at her and started to laugh. “How can you manage to get hiccups at a time like this?”

  Her eyes wide, Libby stared at him. Not for anything in the world would she admit that she had eaten three of Granny’s big sandwiches.

  CHAPTER 17

  Danger Signal

  How did you know they were still following us?” Libby asked Jordan as they walked on.

  “I gots the jiggles right here.” He pointed to his heart.

  “Jiggles?” Libby asked. “You felt uneasy?”

  Jordan nodded. “When I just a little boy, my momma tell me, ‘Jordan, when you is doing something that should be good and the Lord wants your attention, you notice the jiggles. You pray, ‘What’s botherin’ me, Lord? Is it you?’ If the Lord says, ‘Yes’m!’ you pay attention.”

  Libby stared at Jordan. “So it’s God talking to you? That’s really strange!”

  Jordan moved quickly now, still being quiet, but not as careful about noise. Slipping and sliding on old wet leaves, they dropped down to a lower part of the bluff.

  When Jordan stopped for a minute, Libby wanted to know more. “You still haven’t told me how you knew the men were behind us.”