Free Underground to Canada by Barbara Smucker Page B

them, as they stood quiet and expectant around him.
    â€œI just wish I could take you right to the border of Canada.” There was unexpected fervour in his voice. “Slavery is a horrible evil.”
    He pulled a round, sturdy watch from his pocket—then checked the position of the sun in the sky. He became nervous again and spoke quickly.
    â€œThe mountains will take you into Kentucky to the city of Lexington,” he said. “Here you can follow the railroad tracks by night. They lead straight north to the city of Cincinnati in Ohio to the home of Levi Coffin . Don’t forget his name. He is the ‘president’ of the Underground Railway.”
    The Underground Railway? Julilly was puzzled. Had these Abolitionists built a road under the ground that led all the way to Canada? She would have to remember to ask Massa Levi Coffin about this.
    â€œGod bless each of you,” the little Quaker called as he ran to his wagon.
    The four slaves watched him leave. He had given them hope and a safe place to stay. His cart of hay bumped up and down on the small, deserted road.
    THE FOUR OF THEM felt almost gay as Lester opened the bundle of food. Bread, cheese, and dried venison lay before them. A ray of sun from the broken window spread over it with golden warmth. Lester gave each of them a portion and tied the remainder inside the bundle again. They walked about the barn swinging their arms and legs. For one day and one night this barn was their home. It had walls and a roof. And a blessed flow of fresh water ran before their door.
    â€œA gift, straight from the Lord,” Liza declared.
    â€œNo hound dog is gonna sniff our scent over this rushin’ water,” Adam laughed.
    Adam found an old pail. He turned it over and began beating a small rhythm with a stick. Julilly caught the swing of a song in it and began to dance. Liza didn’t smile, but she clapped her hands, swaying back and forth with the rhythm. Lester, sitting in a corner, was thoughtful but not displeased.
    â€œBefore the sun sets we should catch some fish,” Adam said, laying down his pail and walking to the door. Lester joined him.
    â€œWe’ll go across the stream, where the trees are thick,” he said. “Nobody can see us there.”
    â€œIt would be safer if you didn’t cross the stream,” Julilly called out to them. But they didn’t hear. They were already splashing through the water.
    Julilly watched the gold sheet of sun stretch across the barn wall. The fresh hay felt soft against her feet. She thought of washing her clothes in the flowing stream and laying them in the sheet of sun to dry.
    â€œIf you’ve got to wear rags”—Julilly could hear Mammy Sally’s voice singing these words way back at Massa Hensen’s place—“keep them clean.”
    There was quiet when the men left. Julilly and Liza pushed the hay into a corner.
    â€œWe’ve got a bed,” they laughed together.
    They found a board and propped it on some logs to make a table. They put the bundle of food carefully beneath it.
    â€œWe’ve got us a house fit for a fine Missy.” They sang the words together.
    The rushing stream swallowed the man noises of the road. Only the clear song of a mockingbird could be heard above its rippling. Even the wind, playing through the leaves, was quiet. There was no crackle of branches to tell where Lester and Adam had gone.
    It didn’t seem real when the yelping noise of hound dogs entered the safety of the sun-drenched barn, shooting through the air like an arrow. Julilly cried out against it. She and Liza grabbed the bundle of food and the compass from the window ledge. They crawled into a far corner of the barn and began scratching at the hay to pull it around them.
    The yelping came to the edge of the stream. There were scuffs and pounding of horses’ hoofs. The mockingbird flew away, leaving the sky for a moment empty of its song. But