The lead dog ran silently, only barking occasionally, but the others were noisy, howling almost nonstop. Daisy counted six dogs. She knew the men would be close behind. She again cautioned everyone to silence.
She need not have worried. James was sitting between the two girls now with a protective arm around both of them. The baby was still happily chewing her crust, but the other three looked terrified.
Simon looked at her for reassurance. Daisy hugged him close. Footsteps were pounding close. The men were yelling. It sounded like they were arguing.
“Shut up and run, Turner.” The voice that yelled was very close. The footsteps passed beneath the tree and kept running.
“If those stupid dogs are on a wild goose chase or any wild animal chase, I won’t pay,” growled Turner. He stomped slowly beneath the tree, panting heavily.
Daisy was afraid he would stop to rest and discover the ladder to the tree. But the voice slowly faded as he continued to stomp slowly and grumble loudly.
The occupants of the little shack high in the tree continued to sit breathlessly and without moving for a long time, except for the two girls, who were still trembling.
“I think we’re safe,” Daisy whispered. “That was close.”
James nodded. “You were right, Sammy. We were safer up here.”
Daisy still had a hard time getting used to being called Sammy, but she nodded. “Thank Jesus!”
“Thank you, Jesus!” whispered the two girls in unison.
Daisy passed out sandwiches again, keeping the one for herself that she had torn parts from. When Simon couldn’t eat all of his, Daisy passed it to James. They finished the milk.
Daisy didn’t offer anyone cookies. They had only a few left and three sandwiches. That would need to take them at least through today and maybe tomorrow.
Later they found another patch of wild berries. Even Baby Lori loved them. Soon her little face was stained purple. Daisy chuckled at the sight and glanced at her own purple hands.
They all headed down to the creek to wash. Simon wanted to play in the creek again, so Daisy let him, not sure if it was wise. When he complained of hunger, Daisy divided up the remaining food, giving everyone half of a sandwich, except James. She gave him the last whole one. Daisy was surprised when he ate only half of it and insisted Dorie finish the rest. “You have to eat for the baby.”
Daisy was surprised how often the baby wanted to eat. She guessed she was not getting enough.
The others were reluctant to stray far from the tree. But Daisy was worried. If they had the dogs out last night, what would keep them from bringing them out again? If it did not rain again, the dogs would pick up their scent and lead the men right to the tree. There was no sign of rain in sight. They were in danger. They had to move on. But Daisy had no idea which way to go and darkness was beginning to settle in.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Caught
“WE NEED TO KEEP MOVING and move fast,” Daisy said. “We can’t be anywhere near here if they bring dogs out again.”
Sarah nodded. “We should try to find the house with the lantern again. We don’t want to get off track of the Underground Railroad.”
“Does anyone know which way the house is?” James asked.
When everyone shook their head, Dorie asked, “Which way is the river?”
No one knew. “I thought if we follow the creek, we might find the river again,” said Daisy. “We went this way yesterday, but it was the wrong way. Maybe we should go that way.” She pointed the other direction.
James nodded. “It would be away from the direction the dogs came from, too.” He took the lead, carrying the baby and walking rapidly. The other girls followed, with Daisy and Simon coming last. Simon was almost running to keep up. Smoky was running beside him. Daisy kept a firm grip on Simon’s hand. She wished she could carry him. He had to be tired after playing in the creek and not taking a nap.
After a while, James slowed down. He motioned ahead. Skirting around the others, Daisy could see a clearing. James handed the baby to Dorie and motioned them to stay. And then slipping from tree to tree, he disappeared in the darkness ahead.
The group left behind huddled together. “Hungry,” whimpered Simon.
Daisy hugged him silently. She wished they still had leftover sandwiches or cookies, but they were long gone. Dorie was bouncing the baby, trying to keep her quiet.
Finally, they heard footsteps approaching. Afraid it might not be James, Daisy quickly pulled Simon behind some bushes, motioning the others to follow.
As the footsteps neared, Dorie peeped out. “James,” she said in a loud whisper. They all stepped out.
“It’s the right place, and the lantern’s lit,” James said. “Let’s go.”
When they reached the clearing, Daisy stopped them. “We need to move as one shadow,” she cautioned.
James nodded and took the baby again. Then he passed the baby back to Dorie and scooped up Simon. He put his free arm around his wife and motioned Sarah and Daisy closer. “Put your arms tightly around my waist,” he told them. “When we get there, Sarah, you knock on the door firmly, but just once.”
Daisy put her arm around James and grabbed a handful of shirt to be safe. With the other hand, she hung onto Smoky and the empty jug.
They moved rapidly across the clearing. Suddenly, a woman rushed out of the house and blew out the lantern!
James’ steps faltered, but Daisy tugged him on. They were not safe in the woods tonight. She was almost sure of it.
So they moved on in the bright moonlight. Sarah gave a firm knock on the door as soon as they were close enough. The door opened so quickly, Daisy figured the woman had probably been watching them come.
“It’s not safe,” the woman whispered as soon as they were inside. “He’s home.”
“Tell us where to go,” begged Daisy. “The woods aren’t safe. They had dogs last night.”
The woman nodded. “Tonight, too.” In the moonlight from the window, Daisy could see the fear in the woman’s eyes.
“Susan!” called a man’s voice from close by.
The woman jumped and hurried away. James started reaching for the door, but Daisy caught his hand and shook her head. If they went back into the woods they were going to be caught. She would rather take the chance in here.
She had barely finished the thought when the back door flew open, and a young girl came in. She stifled a scream when she saw them. Her eyes got round as she glanced to the open doorway. She was carrying a basket of eggs. She hurried on through the door with her eggs.
Daisy wished she could have grabbed a few eggs. Eggs were good raw, were they not?
A few minutes later, the girl returned and motioned them to follow her. She led them upstairs and stopped at the end of the hall. She pointed to a string dangling from the ceiling.
James was the only one tall enough to reach it. He pulled it down. Part of the ceiling came down, along with a ladder. The girl motioned for them to go up and then quickly left.
James went up first and set Simon down. He reached back for the baby before crawling all the way in. Dorie followed with Sarah and Daisy right behind.
James pulled the ladder and ceiling up again. It was dark in the attic. But a light was coming from somewhere. Upon investigating, Daisy saw that it was coming from a window that was not quite covered. In the moonlight, she could see the pile of blankets on the floor.
Tugging Simon by the hand, she went that way, silently motioning the others to follow.
Not long after they were all settled, Simon began to whimper, “Hungry,” he cried. Daisy didn’t know what to do. She pulled him closer, muffling his sobs. Dorie was trying to feed the baby. She was whimpering, too.
Finally, Simon drifted off to sleep. Daisy was very tempted to move the curtain a bit to see outside, but it was too dangerous. Smoky was curled up beside Simon. As they listened to the sounds downstairs, Daisy heard them going to bed. There would be no food for them tonight.
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Daisy awakened slowly. She heard footsteps approaching. She cautiously sat up and saw a light coming toward them. It was a dim lantern carried by a huge man.
Seeing Daisy sitting up, he said, “Aha! I thought so!”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Dogs Again
“JUST STAY QUIET,” HE TOLD them. “I’m not supposed to know you’re here, but I got suspicious. And I know my Susan has such a soft heart. Did she bring you anything to eat?”
Daisy shook her head. The man set down a small bucket and a basket. “Eat all you want, and take the rest with you if you can. I’m leaving again in the morning. But never, never tell anyone that I know about this. Promise?”
“Promise,” whispered Daisy. “Thank you!”
The man glanced at the other quiet forms and then left. As soon as the trap door closed Simon whispered, “I was scared!”
“Me, too,” whispered Daisy. “Let’s see what he brought.” The others were sitting up, too.
The bucket held a dipper and water. Inside the basket, Daisy found a loaf of sliced bread, hard-boiled eggs, and some cheese. After everyone had eaten, Daisy piled the leftovers into two bundles like they had before. She filled the jug with the fresh water, glad she had rinsed it out in the river earlier, and then she settled back to sleep.
The next morning, Daisy was tempted to pass out the leftovers but decided to wait and see if they brought them anything. It would be hard to explain why they weren’t hungry.
It was close to noon by the time the woman named Susan opened the door to the attic again. “Come down,” she said simply and left.
Sarah started to pick up the empty bucket and basket, but Daisy motioned for her to leave them. How would they explain it? Daisy stuck the smaller bundle into her shirt front and handed the larger one to James. He did the same. Daisy took the nearly empty jug.
Once downstairs, they were ushered into a tiny room with only a small window. “Sit,” Susan told them. Everyone sat on the floor. She handed them each a bowl with a hot, thick vegetable and beef stew, along with buttered bread and glasses of milk.
A few minutes later, she returned with a kettle. “Anyone want more?” When James held out his bowl for a refill, Daisy did, too. Then Sarah and Dorie did also, but Simon shook his head. He had dunked part of his bread in his milk and was feeding the half-grown kitten. Daisy hoped the woman would not see it.
When Susan returned, she was obviously nervous. “They had the dogs out again this morning just when I was about to call you. I could hear them until about an hour ago.” She paced in the small space. And then she stopped to face them. “You need to break up. Your group is too large.”
“We are two groups,” offered Daisy.
“Good,” the woman nodded. “The first group must leave directly. There is a wagon outside. I’m having some quilts delivered to a store farther north. The second group must wait until almost dark and walk through the woods to the next town.”
“They must go first,” Daisy said. “They have a baby the men are hunting to kill.”
Susan’s face turned even paler. “Tonight will be even more dangerous. So yes, the ones with the baby should go now.”
The others rose quickly to their feet. “Wait,” Daisy said. “Do you have milk for this jug? They should take some along.”
Susan took the jug and everyone left, except Daisy, Simon, and the kitten.
It wasn’t long until the woman took them back to the attic. In the attic, Simon wanted to play hide and seek, but Daisy was afraid they would make too much noise. So instead, he played with the half-grown, smoky-gray cat in the dim light of the attic. Daisy was glad when he settled down for a nap.
A short time later, Susan was calling for them. She handed them each a cookie and directed them where to go. “On this side of town is the livery. In the back of the livery is a wagon. Climb into the back of this wagon. They will take you to the next stop. You’ll need to run to make it in time. I did this on purpose, so you won’t be in the woods for long. Now run!”
As Daisy and Simon ran through the woods, Smoky ran along beside them. The woods were dark, and Daisy was afraid they would lose their way. But she was even more afraid of being caught. It wasn’t long until Simon was begging her to slow down. She was half-dragging him. Daisy did not slow down. When he started to cry, Daisy stopped and picked him up. She tried to keep running, but he was too heavy. So she settled into a fast walk.
Finally, they reached the edge of town. Daisy put Simon down. As he grabbed up the kitten, Daisy was sure she heard dogs barking in the distance. It didn’t take her long to locate the livery.
As they approached the back of the livery, Daisy’s heart sank. There were two wagons parked back there! Which was the right one? Only one had a cover, so Daisy decided that one had to be the right one. She carefully lifted Simon up. As he grabbed for the side, the kitten leaped out of his arms!
Daisy tried to quiet Simon before he could start crying, but it was no use. He started to cry loudly, and was determined to climb back down and search for the kitten.
“S-s-sammy,” he sobbed. “What if bad people find my kitty? They’ll whip him for sure!”
“You stay here. An’ I’ll go look for your kitty. But you must be quiet, or we’ll all get whipped!”
Simon nodded and tried to stop crying. His hiccupping sounded loud in the quiet summer night. Daisy searched frantically around the wagon but could not find the smoky-gray kitten. “Kitty! Kitty!” she called as loud as she dared.
Suddenly, the back door of the livery swung open. Daisy hurriedly scrambled in the back of the wagon. “We need to be perfectly still,” she whispered in Simon’s ear. She still wasn’t sure they were in the right wagon, but it was too late to change, because a team of horses was being hitched to it. It wasn’t long until Daisy heard someone climb onto the seat in front.
“Much obliged,” called a strange voice. And they were off.
Daisy started praying again. If they were on the wrong wagon, where would they go?
“There’s a parcel of food under this seat,” said the strange voice. “Help yourself.”
“Thank you!” whispered Daisy, as much to Jesus as to the man. They were on the right wagon!
“My kitty,” whimpered Simon.
Daisy hugged him. “Maybe we’ll find him again,” she whispered. She reached under the seat and pulled out the bundle. She handed Simon a biscuit, then discovered several apples. Apples! Daisy couldn’t remember the last time she had an apple.
Just as she was about to bite into one, Daisy heard approaching hoof beats. Almost immediately she heard shouts. “Stop! Stop in the name of the law!”
Daisy looked frantically to the back of the wagon. Should they try to escape? She quickly pulled Simon to the back. Before Daisy could react, Daisy heard a voice nearby.
“I’ll check the back and make sure they can’t escape!” The voice was familiar.
The back opened, and it was the man from the attic! “Come quickly!” he said quietly. “Go hide in the woods. Climb into a tree or the stream if you can. They have dogs. Go. Quickly!”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Caught Again
DAISY WAS QUICKLY LIFTED OUT of the back of the wagon, followed by Simon. She grabbed Simon and pulled him into the woods. Every step sounded loud to Daisy’s ears. She lifted Simon into her arms and tried to walk more quietly. Simon clung to her, which made it easier to hurry. She quickly scanned the nearby trees. None of them looked easy to climb. They probably needed to go deeper into the woods. But it might not be long until the dogs would be turned on their trail.
“Please, Jesus,” she whispered. “Show us where to go.” She had to let Simon down. He was getting much too heavy to carry. As she put him down, she saw a bit of silver shining through the trees. She rushed toward it, pulling Simon along. It was water—just a small stream—but water nonetheless.
Daisy and Simon both gasped as they stepped into the water. It was ice cold! Daisy
didn’t dare go right back out, even though Simon was shivering and whimpering. The stream seemed fairly shallow, so Daisy started to cross it. “Sammy!” protested Simon. Daisy stopped when she realized the water was above his knees. She could hear the dogs barking in the distance. What should she do? She didn’t know if the stream was safe to cross, but she was afraid to stay on this side. She waded a bit further upstream, until she saw a tree with branches hanging low over the water. She hurried toward it, dragging Simon along.
As they came closer Daisy realized the branches were higher than she had thought. They wouldn’t be able to reach them! Still Daisy continued toward the tree. Just as she was almost directly beneath it, she stubbed her toe hard on something. In the dim light of the moon she could make out the shape of a rock just slightly below the water.
“Simon,” she whispered. “Climb up on this and see if you can reach those branches.” She helped him climb up. But he couldn’t reach them. She scrambled on the rock beside him. It was slippery! She could reach the thick branch, but just barely. She struggled to keep her balance as she lifted Simon up.
“I can’t!” he cried. “I’m afwaid.”
“Simon!” said Daisy, firmly. “You’re goin’ to climb into that tree or I’m goin’ to throw you into the cold water!”
With a cry, Simon grabbed the branch and pulled himself up. “Go on down a ways,” she instructed. She gave a little jump and pulled herself up beside him. She hugged the sobbing boy, but not for long. “Come, my dear, we needs to go higher to be safe.” She kept her arm firmly around him as she surveyed their position. If only they could get higher where the leaves were denser. She coaxed Simon along and climbed from one branch to the next, going higher whenever possible. The trees were close together. So Daisy moved from tree to tree until the stream was once again only a faint silver stream in the distance. There Daisy stopped. She did not want to lose sight of the stream completely. She looked around and saw two thick branches fork from the tree at the same spot. “There,” she whispered to Simon. “We stop there.” Daisy felt relieved when she reached the spot and leaned against the heavy trunk.
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