Off to the left something else lay in the darkness. Another boat? Libby tried to decide what it could be. Almost as long as a rowboat, but not the right shape.
Suddenly Jordan caught his breath and pointed to where Libby had been looking. Whatever they were seeing, it was rounded on the top and solid looking. Now it seemed to be moving—slowly, slowly moving.
“A log!” Caleb’s whisper was no more than a breath, but he, too, was filled with wonder. “A large floating log!”
As the men in the boat rowed around in circles, the log slowly moved away from them. Always moving slightly downstream, it seemed to drift with the current.
By now Jordan was so excited he could hardly contain himself. Then Libby noticed what he had already seen. The log was stripped of bark, rubbed clean and smooth by the washing of water. On the side of the log away from the slave catchers, Libby saw a man’s head.
Then an arm and hand reached forward in a swimming stroke. With each stroke the log moved closer to shore. Riding the current, it was going downstream from where Libby and the boys watched.
Quietly Jordan stood up. Hiding behind trees and bushes, he crept downriver, with Libby and Caleb following. Staying even with the log, Jordan watched as it drew closer and closer to shore. When at last the log bumped against the riverbank, Jordan was as near as he could be without coming out into the open.
For a minute Micah Parker waited, clinging to a broken-off branch on the side of the log. From where she knelt, Libby saw him draw long, deep breaths. With his face turned toward the riverbank, he seemed to be deciding how to cross the open ground.
Then Micah let go of the branch. On hands and knees he crawled up the riverbank.
Just then the men on the river stopped their circling and turned the boat toward shore.
“Daddy!” Jordan whispered.
His father’s head jerked up. In the light of the moon, Libby saw the light in Micah’s eyes.
But Jordan was frantic now. “They’re coming this way!”
CHAPTER 16
Big Bullies
Micah Parker turned toward the river. After one glance he kept his head low. On his belly now, he pushed with his toes and pulled himself forward with his elbows.
When the chain between his ankles clanked, Micah stopped. He turned his head, as if to listen. As he moved on, he again pulled himself with his elbows but dragged his feet in the dirt. At last Micah reached the edge of the woods.
Without wasting a moment, Jordan started crawling back into the woods. On his hands and knees again, his daddy kept up. Twigs and branches reached out, catching the chain between his ankles. But Jordan and Micah kept on, with Libby and Caleb following.
Deeper within the woods, Jordan stood up, but his father kept crawling. Soon there came the sound of a boat grating against the gravel at the edge of the water. The men’s angry voices came clearly through the trees.
Jordan stopped, standing without movement, and the rest stopped behind him.
“Riggs ain’t gonna like this!” The voice came from the direction of the trail through the woods.
“It’s all your fault. You should have watched him better.”
“Watched him? How should I know he’d jump into the river?”
Then the men passed by, and their voices moved farther away. At last Jordan walked on, with his father still crawling on his hands and knees behind him.
“If we could just get rid of your legirons,” Jordan muttered. Libby knew it would take a blacksmith or a sledgehammer and chisel to break the chain that stretched between the bands around each ankle.
As they reached more open ground, Micah stood up. Swinging his legs as far apart as the chain allowed, he brought forward one foot, then another. When they came to the small clearing, Micah Parker waited while Jordan brought the mare he had ridden over to a stump.
“How did you find me?” Micah whispered to him. “How did you ever find me?”
“I prayed,” Jordan said quietly. “The Lord showed me where to go.”
With the moonlight streaming down on his son, Jordan’s daddy just looked at him. “You has grown since I seen you. You be a man now.”
Jordan shook his head. “I ain’t a man yet, Daddy.”
But his father looked deep into his eyes. “You all right, Jordan?”
Jordan straightened in the proud look that made him seem like royalty. “Now that you’re here, I am as right as I can be.”
Jordan and Caleb helped Micah onto the horse. Then Jordan swung up in front of his father. With his legs hanging down on one side, Micah hung on to his son’s shoulder. Lifting the reins, Jordan turned the horse toward an opening in the trees.
“Your momma?” Micah asked softly. “Serena, Zack, and little Rose?”
“They’re wanting with all their hearts to see you, Daddy.”
With Libby and Caleb on Annie again, they rode onto the trail. Here the path was wide enough for Libby and Caleb to ride alongside the other horse.
His voice still soft, Micah spoke to his son. “You didn’t run, did you?”
Jordan turned, his gaze clinging to his father’s face. “At first I did, Daddy. I could only think what you told me to do.”
Jordan’s father nodded with approval. “That’s my son.”
“But I couldn’t leave you.” Jordan’s voice broke. “I had to find you.”
When the trail grew narrow, Caleb signaled Annie to fall behind Jordan and his father. While still some distance from the Brown house, he and Jordan stopped their horses. “We can’t take a chance on having a whinny give away Jordan and his father,” Caleb whispered to Libby.
At a well-hidden spot, all of them worked together taking handfuls of grass and leaves to rub down the horses. Then Caleb tied Annie’s lead rope to a tree. Leaving the other horse nearby, the four of them set off through the woods. Again Jordan’s daddy stretched his chain to the limit, swinging one foot ahead of the other.
In the darkness before dawn, they reached Brighton. To Libby’s great relief, the lantern in Dr. Brown’s backyard was lit. The minute Caleb drew near the house, Dr. Brown opened the door. When he saw Micah Parker, his face lit up.
“I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you!” Drawing all of them inside, the doctor closed and locked the door.
When he turned up the flame of a lamp, he noticed Micah’s wet clothes. “You jumped overboard and swam with leg irons on?” The doctor was amazed. “Just the weight of those irons would drag the average swimmer down—let alone the strong river currents.”
But there would be no changing of clothes until the irons were off. “I’ll get you to my friend, the blacksmith,” Dr. Brown said. “Do the slave catchers know you’re alive?”
“If they find my marks in the riverbank, they be knowin’,” Micah answered.
Caleb groaned. “We should have brushed them out.” Yet there had been no time.
“You need to leave right now while it’s still dark,” Dr. Brown told Micah. “Riggs promised me another call. He’ll come with a search warrant and more slave catchers.”
Standing at one side, the doctor looked through a narrow crack between the window and a heavy curtain. “I see the light at the Hill House,” he said, talking about the stagecoach inn where Libby and the boys had come in.
By road Dr. Brown’s house was about five blocks away from the Hill House. In a straight line, the inn was closer, with only a few buildings between. None of those buildings blocked the view of the signal light.
“It’s safe for you to go on,” Dr. Brown told Jordan’s father. “Sit down for a minute while I tell you what to do.”
As all of them gathered around the kitchen table, Dr. Brown explained to Micah, “We have three stagecoach stops in the area. They all work together and with the Underground Railroad people in private homes. An hour ago I hitched up our old mule in case you got back. I’ll drive you to the stable at the Hill House. There’s a blacksmith there who will take off your leg irons.
“The
minute you’re free of them, try to go four blocks north to the Palmer House.” On the table Dr. Brown drew a line with his finger. “If you need to stop there, go in the cellar door. They have tunnels under the yard where fugitives hide. But if you’re able to keep on, walk another mile or so. You’ll come to a T in the road. Turn left and walk to the Andrews house. It’s a large private home with a cupola on the roof. If there’s a lighted lantern in the cupola, it’s safe to go up to the door.”
“And if there be slave catchers around those places?” Micah asked.
“The last Underground Railroad station in the area is another stagecoach stop, the Hart House. It’s about half a mile beyond the Andrews family. If you need to hide and don’t see someone to help you, crawl into their cistern. It’s dry.”
As though about to set off on a great adventure, Micah grinned. But then the doctor spoke to Jordan. “You need to take a different route.”
“Sir,” Jordan said respectfully. “My daddy and I want to stay together.”
“If you do, you’ll be caught for sure,” Dr. Brown warned. “Both of you are marked fugitives. Every slave catcher for miles around will know you want to be together.”
Pleading with his eyes, Jordan turned to his father. “Daddy—”
But Micah agreed with Dr. Brown. “If we go different ways, at least one of us should get back to your momma.”
“You could meet at Springfield,” the doctor told them. “There’s a group of free blacks there who will help you. If you ask for the Colored Baptist Church, you’ll find the people you need.”
“That sounds like a good meeting place for all of us,” Caleb said quickly. Digging into his pocket, he gave Jordan’s father one of the railroad passes from Mr. Godfrey. “With this you can get on or off a train whenever you need to.”
Standing up, Micah clapped his son’s shoulder in goodbye. Jordan trembled but did not speak. When Micah left the room, Jordan watched his daddy as if seeing him for the last time.
The minute Dr. Brown and Micah went out the door, Caleb turned to Frances. “What’s the quickest way to get Jordan out of town?”
“The railroad. The real railroad, I mean. The St. Louis, Alton, and Chicago train to Springfield. But it costs a lot of money for a ticket.”
“I’ve got more passes.” Again Caleb dug into his pocket, this time giving a ticket to Jordan. “Compliments of Mr. Godfrey,” he said.
When Frances saw the pass, her eyes lit up. Standing at one side of the window, she looked through the narrow crack to the Hill House.
“Go now while it’s still dark,” she told Jordan. “At the inn they’ll hide you, give you breakfast, and put you on the next train.”
After a quick thank-you to Frances, Jordan slipped out the door. As Caleb and Libby again sat down at the table, she looked around the kitchen. To her, the room offered warmth and security, something she needed right now.
With the ease of long practice, Frances broke eggs into a bowl, then poured them into a frying pan. Lifting a lid on the wood cookstove, she set the pan into the opening to speed up the cooking. Watching her, Libby felt glad for this twelve-year-old girl. In spite of all the frightening things in her life, she did what was needed, and even read Bible stories to fugitives.
But Libby felt a nervousness Frances didn’t show. “What do we do?” Libby asked Caleb. “If we take the same train as Jordan, we can’t follow the swindler.”
“I’ll check on Dexter this morning,” Caleb promised. “With all that’s happened, he might already be gone.”
Libby swallowed hard. “If we lose Dexter now, we might lose him forever. Today is August third. In twelve days Pa has to have the money. If he doesn’t get it, he loses the Christina.”
“I know,” Caleb answered. “I’ve been counting the days too. And Jordan needs to find the money stolen from his church. But we might have to make a choice.”
“Between finding the money and helping Jordan?”
Caleb nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
“By the way,” Libby said. “Where’s Peter?”
Caleb jumped up. “Still sleeping, I bet.” From the sound of it, Caleb took the stairs two at a time.
In that moment Libby remembered all the things she needed to explain to Peter. Having a new brother wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought.
By the time Caleb returned with the ten-year-old, the eggs were ready, as well as great, thick slices of bread. As if she hadn’t eaten in years, Libby devoured everything on her plate. The moment she and the others finished eating, Caleb left for the Hill House. Libby started explaining to Peter.
After filling the slate several times, her fingers felt sore and stiff. Glad for the art lessons she had while living in Chicago, Libby started drawing quick pictures. When Peter understood, he nodded, and Libby went on. More than once, he showed her a sign that would help. As before, Libby felt amazed at how quickly he caught on.
“And we will go to the train Jordan takes?” Peter asked at last.
“Someone at the Hill House will take him there,” Libby wrote.
“Will we get on that train?”
All of Libby’s questions rushed back. What about Pa and the Christina? What if we don’t find the money, and Pa loses the boat? Libby’s stomach tied in a knot just thinking about it. Do I have to choose between Jordan and what happens to my own father?
Feeling torn in two directions, Libby didn’t want to explain to Peter. Palms up, she shrugged her shoulders.
“If we don’t watch out for Jordan, what will happen to him?” Peter asked.
Libby sighed. Ashamed now, she turned away from this younger boy who seemed much older than she.
Jordan and Micah can do more things than any two people I’ve met, she told herself. They won’t have any trouble reaching a safe place. They don’t need us. In fact, we might get in their way.
In that moment Libby felt tired all over. Going into the sitting room, she curled up in a big chair and closed her eyes. Yet she soon realized that her weariness had nothing to do with being up most of the night.
Though she wanted to sleep, pictures of Jordan flashed through her mind. Jordan on the auction block the day he was sold to Riggs. Jordan walking through the night and the rain, leading his mother and brother and sisters to safety. Jordan kneeling in the woods, weeping for a daddy who had given up his own freedom so that Jordan could be free.
When Caleb returned from the Hill House, he sat down to talk with Libby. “Edward Dexter is still there. He’s eating breakfast in the dining room.”
“We need to make a choice, don’t we?” Libby asked.
Caleb’s gaze met hers. “What means the most to us? The money or Jordan?”
Now Libby knew what to answer. “Jordan is our friend. What if we leave him now and something more goes wrong?”
With a promise to write to each other, Libby and Frances said good-bye. Then Libby, Caleb, and Peter walked to the Brighton Depot. As they waited to board the train, Peter asked, “What’s that big wooden thing on the front of the engine?”
Taking the slate, Caleb explained. “It’s a cowcatcher. Cows wander loose on the prairie. They cause trouble for the trains.”
Then Peter wanted to know about the huge water tank next to the tracks.
“The train engine needs water, just like the steam engines on the Christina,” Caleb wrote. “That’s why they put such big tanks along the track—and cisterns, too, to store water.”
Caleb showed Peter the nearby cistern. About nine feet in diameter, the round concrete tank was set deep in the ground with only the top showing. A flat wooden cover protected the opening and kept people from falling in. A rope attached to a nearby post led under the cover. Libby guessed that the other end of the rope was tied to a bucket for dipping out water.
When they boarded the train, Libby found a place where two seats faced each other. She and Peter sat closest to the window. Caleb sat down next to Libby.
Soon the train whistled for departur
e. How will we know if Jordan is on board? Libby wondered. Then a man rolled a wagon piled high with trunks and boxes over to the baggage car. Leaning forward, Libby watched every move. Soon she saw Jordan slip from behind a trunk into the baggage car.
His face filled with excitement, Peter signed the letter J. Libby laughed with relief. They had Jordan with them.
Moments later the engine chugged out of the station. Grateful that all was well, Libby leaned back. Borrowing Peter’s slate, she wrote a message for both him and Caleb. “We’ll meet Jordan and his father in Springfield and CELEBRATE!”
Peter held up his hands, signing, Yes! Yes! We’re winning!
A few miles later, he stood up and started forward for a drink of water. When the train lurched, he staggered, then caught hold of the back of a seat. The boys who sat there glared up at Peter.
“Sorry,” he said, and moved on. But the two boys, both of them older than Peter, kept watching him.
On a table near the front of the car was a covered bucket with a tin cup hanging nearby. As Peter picked it up, one of the boys started forward. Reaching over Peter’s shoulder, he snatched the cup.
Whirling around, Peter grabbed for it. The bully held it high, then tossed it to his friend.
“Uh-oh!” Caleb leaped up from his seat. Libby followed him.
Peter faced the boys with an angry scowl. Automatically he began to sign, his fingers and hands moving rapidly.
The first boy drew back, staring. Then he began to laugh. Poking his friend, the bully wiggled his fingers, imitating Peter.
Suddenly Peter stopped signing. His face flushed with anger, he held up a clenched fist. “You’re not going to get the best of me!”
“So! The little boy wants a fight!” the bully cried. “We’ll give you one to remember!”
CHAPTER 17
Fire!
In the next moment Caleb reached the bully. “No, you won’t!” Grabbing hold of his shirt, Caleb twisted the bully around. But the boy’s friend threw up his fists, ready to take on both Caleb and Peter.
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