by Jack Dunn
The morning of June 27, 1863 did not start in a positive way for Benjamin.
“Git up, boy! Git up!”
That command along with the boot prodding his ribs was more than enough to get Benjamin awake. The end product of this rude arousal was most irritating but a lifetime of servitude kept him from reacting in an aggressive manner.
“You better get movin’, boy. Your owner is going to have you beat about right if you’re late with his breakfast. You been actin’ pretty uppity here of late. Better watch it, boy.”
Benjamin’s antagonist was Leonard Clutter, who with his wife owned the boarding house where he and his master were staying in Berkley Springs. Leonard was a thin man of average height in his mid forty’s. He was possessed with chronic bad temper. Other characteristics included premature baldness, a salt and pepper beard, missing teeth and an indifferent approach to personal hygiene which in the aggregate made him an individual with very few friends.
In contrast, despite his lifetime of slavery, Benjamin had a congenial personality. He was clearly aware of slavery’s negatives having witnessed the public whipping of other slaves for minor rule infractions. But, he had never been the subject of any physical punishment and his owner’s treatment of him was reasonably humane. Benjamin’s complexion was lighter than most of his peers and he was taller than average and possessed a muscular build. Generally he was very perceptive of events going on around him. He was intelligent but had learned it was wise to not express opinions unless asked.
Benjamin struggled to his feet from the straw tick in front of his master’s bedroom door. Leonard glared at him and obviously enjoyed his domination over the young black man. Rubbing his eyes, Benjamin headed down the hall to the stairway, then stopped and turned to Leonard.
“Whas Miz Cutter hab fo breakfast t’day? Massa getting mighty tired of them same old grits.”
“Never you mind, boy. He’ll git filled up. Yawl lucky that we could take you in ,,,give you a place to stay and meals, too.”
Benjamin recalled when he and his master, Stuart Taylor had arrived at Berkley Springs. It had been a long, hard trip from Harrisonburg with the hope that the healing waters of the warm springs could provide relief to the chronic pain in Taylor’s knees and hip joints. Previous medical efforts and cures of various types had produced no noticeable improvements. It was common knowledge throughout the State of Virginia that the Berkley Springs hotel had closed at the beginning of hostilities. When the western counties, including Morgan County, the county seat of which was Berkley Springs, had voted not to secede and took steps to try and join the Union as a new state, strong feelings, pro and con, came to the fore in this border area. The Cutter residence was one of only a few places in or close to the community where lodging and meals could be obtained for those wishing to try the mineral waters as a medical cure.
Benjamin remembered that when he and his owner had arrived during the first week of May the plan was to stay until fall. Unfortunately, there had been little evidence that the reputed healing waters had produced any beneficial effects for Mr. Taylor. He reported that he felt soothed only during the time that he was emerged in the waters but that feeling quickly left. For that reason he had informed Benjamin on the previous day they would be leaving for Harrisonburg two days hence. However, Benjamin detected something suspect in his master’s demeanor that suggested to him that there might be other reasons for this premature departure.
Benjamin made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen. It was quite warm from the wood fired stove with the various utensils on top all engaged. These included the ever present teakettle, coffee pot and pan of grits. This morning, though, Benjamin also saw a sizzling pan of side meat. Wilma Clutter was in the process of taking a tray of biscuits from the oven.
A good breakfast, indeed, thought Benjamin. Great smells! He hoped when everyone else had eaten that there would be something other than grits left for him.
Wilma acknowledged Benjamin’s presence in the kitchen with a curt nod as she struggled to hold the hot tray with her folded apron in one hand and guide the biscuits into a serving bowl with the other. Wilma was a big woman. She was taller than her spouse and twice his weight. She was even tempered and not very talkative except when it came to giving directions and instructions to Leonard. The thought of that made Benjamin smile. There was no question as to who was the decision maker in the Clutter household.
“That sure be a fine lookin’ breakfast, Miz Clutter. Massa gonna be real pleased.”
“That’s nice. Git a plate. I s’pose he’ll be taking his food up in his room.”
“Yes’m. He wanna rest all day. Long trip home, we startin’ on the morrow. Be hard fo him.”
“Yes, I s’pose it will be”, said Wilma, “You tell Mr. Taylor that I’ll have his bill figured up by dinner time and we can settle up then.”
Benjamin proceeded to fill a plate for his master. He knew that his owner was a favored guest at the Clutter house because of the length of his stay and the dependability of his payment. So, he did not stint on the size of the servings he heaped on the plate. He then headed back upstairs with the steaming plate and coffee.
In the upstairs hallway, he tapped lightly on the bedroom door.
“Massa Taylor, time for breakfast, suh.”
Clearly, Stuart Taylor was already awake, as he responded at once.
“Come on in, Benjamin. Hope breakfast is good. I’m quite hungry this morning.”
“Yes suh, massa. You gonna like what I got for you this mornin’. Side meat and biscuits.”
He quickly crossed the room and placed the provisions on the small table at bedside. He brought the nearby chair up to the table, helped his master out of bed and eased him in to the chair.
“Indeed, Benjamin, this looks excellent. Not unlike what we could have expected back home before the shortages started. I will be so glad when the Yankees will have decided to give up on this war and life can get back to normal.”
After a few bites of breakfast and a swallow of coffee, he continued, “I have some special chores for you today, Benjamin. We’ll be leaving after breakfast tomorrow, so I want you to go over to the livery stable. I am sure that the horses are being well cared for but the wagon needs a look. Look at the cover and tighten it down if needed. The wagon bed may need to be swept and my pallet will surely need fresh straw. Now, can you remember all that?”
Proud of the responsibility that he was being given, Benjamin responded, “I surely can, Massa.”
“Oh, one other thing, Benjamin. Ask the blacksmith if he knows where we could buy some slabs of well-salted side meat to take back with us. That’s an item that will be difficult to get at any price back home.”
Benjamin, nodded and started to hurry out of the room.
“No need to rush, Benjamin, we have all day. Get yourself some breakfast before you head out. Oh, and be certain to convey my most gracious thanks to Mrs. Clutter for this excellent breakfast as well as her other kindnesses during our sojourn here.”
Back downstairs in the kitchen, Benjamin was relieved to see that the breakfast bounty was only slightly depleted.
“Miz Clutter, could I have some breakfast now. Massa said to tell you he surely liked his breakfast.” Massa got some ‘portant jobs for me to do and need to get started.
“Couldn’t be too important if a dumb nigger can do em,” interjected Leonard.
“Leonard, would you just shut up.” said Wilma and with a sigh, she added, “At least he’s willing to do some work…not like some others around here I could think of. Get a plate, Benjamin.”
Benjamin did so and sat down to enjoy a hearty meal made all the more satisfying by the reprimand that Leonard had received. Leonard had quickly exited the kitchen and probably wouldn’t return until evening.
A short while later, Benjamin with a full stomach was walking down the dusty main road into the center of Berkley Springs. He passed several homes. Just beyond a general merchandise store was the livery stable. He rec
ognized the blacksmith standing by the open door but not the other two men nearby who eyed him with much interest as he approached.
“Morning suh,” said Benjamin. “I be Massa Taylor’s house niggar. I be Benjamin.”
“Yes, Benjamin. I remember when Mr. Taylor and you came here back in May. What brings you here?
“Mr. Taylor and me, we be goin’ back home tomorrow. He want me to look about his wagon and ask you to hab it hitch up so we can go after breakfast.”
“Well, tell him the horses are in good shape and I’ll have everything ready to go in the morning. The wagon is out back.”
With a nod, Benjamin strode through the door into the smiths area, past the horse stalls and out the rear of the building. The wagon had been pushed up to the side of the building and had been protected somewhat from the rains. Benjamin observed that the canvas wagon cover did need some adjustment and tightening. Little else was required and after putting fresh straw in the pallet, Benjamin felt satisfied that the tasks were finished and that his master would be pleased. As he passed out through the front of the livery stable he saw that smith and the other two men were engaged in conversation and he approached them.
“When did this happen?” inquired the smith.
“What I heard,” explained the one visitor, “is that the Congress passed on it last week and that the President signed it right off.”
“That’s so”, said the other. “As of June 20, the new state of West Virginia was taken into the Union.”
“Well, I guess that’s fair. If Virginia could secede from the Union, then the western counties ought to be able to secede from Virginia and make their own state. I guess that our new state is free?”
“Oh yes! Don’t believe there was ever any question about that.”
“Well, Benjamin”, said the smith turning in his direction, “this is big news for you. Do you think you’d like to settle down here in Berkley Springs?”
Benjamin had only a vague idea what the conversation was about and was completely perplexed by the smith’s question.
“What you mean? Massa and me going back home tomorrow.”
“Well, it’s like this Benjamin. You’re in a new state. You’re no longer in Virginia, It’s West Virginia and a man can’t own slaves in West Virginia. So I guess you’re free.”
“I don think Mr. Taylor gonna like that. I been his nigger for a long time.”
“Well, Benjamin it happens that’s not his say so. If you take off and head north, there’s not much he can do about it.”
“That’s not all true,” observed one of the other men. “There be slave hunters here about ready to catch runaways for a price. And there was Confederate cavalry over in Martinsburg heading north last week. Some say a real invasion…not just a raid. They’d be ketchin’ niggers, free or not, and takin’ em back south. You’d need to be real careful, boy.”
“I don know ‘bout all this”, said Benjamin, shaking his head.
He turned and started to walk away. After only a few steps he remembered the other task that his master had assigned to him, turned and walked back to the smith.
“Did you forget something, Benjamin?”
“Yassuh, I did that. Massa Taylor lookin’ to take some side meet back home with us tomorrow. Tol me ask if you’d know where we’d get some.”
“ Happens I do, Benjamin. Try Fulton’s General Store. It’s about halfway back to the boarding house on the other side of the street. Know where I mean?”
“Yassuh, I know that place.”
“He’s got hams and side meet, salted and smoked, in his cellar. That’s your best bet.”
Benjamin nodded his thanks, turned and left the smithy. In a few minutes he had walked a short distance back towards the boarding house and stopped in front of the general store. He hesitated, unsure as to what to do, as he had never entered a store or home unless in the company of his master. He shrugged his shoulders and walked up on the porch and into the building. He observed three men sitting on a bench at one side of the store. At the far end of the store, past a pot belly stove he saw a man and a women standing by a counter. He assumed the man was the store owner and started to walk in that direction.
His movement was brought to an abrupt halt by a stern command.
“Hold on there, boy. Whar you think you’re goin’.”
Benjamin stopped. He was speechless.
“Boy, if’n you think you got business here, you go back outside and come around to the back door. That’s where the niggers go.”
“Yassuh,’ responded Benjamin. He turned and quickly retreated, feeling both anxiety and embarrassment made worst by the snickers of the seated, store customers.
He knocked at the back door but had to wait a few minutes before the storekeeper appeared adding to his uncomfortable feeling.
“ All right, boy. Speak up! What’s your business here?”
“I Massa Tayor’s nigger. We stayin’ at Clutters bordn’ house. Goin’ home tomorrow. Massa Taylor want buy some side meat to take home.”
“Well, I got side meat. I don’t suppose you got any money, have you, boy?”
“No, suh.”
“Well, it’s this way, boy. I got meat to sell to your Mr. Taylor. But I ain’t gonna give somthin’ away to some nigger boy. You tell your Mr. Taylor to come around and I’ll sell him what he needs.”
Benjamin turned around and left.
As he walked down the dusty road he was oblivious to melodies of the song birds and the sweet smell of the honeysuckle. The experience with the storekeeper had been humiliating and the conversation with the smith and the two other men had created additional turmoil in his mind. He felt some sense of loyalty to his master in view of the relatively good treatment he received and the vague references to granting him his freedom sometime in the future. Still, he thought, being free now seemed like a wonderful prospect. Somewhat naively, he assumed he could live where he wished, work when he wanted and come and go as he pleased. The outlook was intoxicating.
He continued to be preoccupied with the pro’s and con’s of running away during the afternoon when he took his owner for the last trip to the waters. Later at supper time, Wilma remarked about his uncharacteristic quietness. He helped his owner get ready for bed, a bit earlier than usual because of the long day ahead. By that time he had made up his mind to leave.
He was sure it was the right decision but he looked away and didn’t respond when his owner dismissed him for the night with the remark, “Get a good night’s rest Benjamin; sure will be good to head for home tomorrow, won’t it?”
About two hours later the house was completely quite except for the snoring he heard from the Clutter’s bedroom. Very carefully he got to his feet and slowly walked down the hall to the stairway. With the first step down, the board creaked and he froze in place. But the snoring continued and there was no sign that he had been heard. He found that by stepping at the stair step sides, the sounds were not so loud. He reached the kitchen and moving along the wall felt the cook stove, still slightly warm. His hands found the bowl with four biscuits remaining from breakfast and he put them in his pockets.
Outside the moon was in its first quarter and provided only a little aid to his ability to see. But the light was sufficient that Benjamin could distinguish enough of the surroundings to move along, although rather slowly. As hid eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, he was able to pick up his pace.
The road to the right was the one they had traveled on from Martinsburg. Remembering the conversation at the livery stable, he opted to not turn in that direction and walked straight ahead in the belief that it was north. I need to be very careful, he thought, so he stopped frequently and listened for any sounds that would indicate anyone was approaching from behind or in front. He changed from one side of the road to the other depending on where the greatest amount of vegetation was, reasoning that he could jump for cover if he heard anything. Soon he was able to test that option when the mournful call of a whippoor
will in a nearby tree was so startling that he launched himself into the darkness. The ditch and rocks were unforgiving and resulted in several scrapes and bruises but did relieve his tension and nervousness somewhat.
He proceeded along the roadway which indeed was in a northerly direction. After walking for about an hour, he decided it was time to stop for a brief rest. After all, he reasoned, he was a free man. It felt good to sit down and lean back against a tree. In fact it felt so good that relieved of the stress of the day, Benjamin quickly dosed off.
He awoke with a start, provoked with himself that he had fallen asleep. As he started to get to his feet, he heard something. He sank back to the ground and listened intently. From the direction that he had been traveling he thought he heard the sound of horse hoofs. Yes! He was sure of it. As the sound became more distinct he decided that it was more than one horse. He flattened himself to the ground and with as little movement as possible worked his body farther off the road and into the weeds. As the sounds came closer he was able to see the forms of two riders on horseback. They were only about twenty feet away when Benjamin was able to hear their conversation.
“Well, Mitch we don’t even know if he took off or if he’s going to.”
“That’s so but I’m bettin’ that if he hasn’t he will before first light. I could tell there at the livery stable that we gave him somethin’ to think about. If we don’t catch up with him by the time we get to Hancock, that’ll mean he’s behind us and we’ll just wait for him to show up.”
“I sure hope you’re right. I believe that Taylor fella has a lot of money and he’ll likely pay a nice price to get his nigger back.”
“I reckon so. It’s about time. Our nigger catchin’ hasn’t paid off very well, lately.
After he could no longer hear his pursuers, Benjamin rose to his feet and proceeded in the direction that they had gone. He had no sense of what time it was or how long it had been since he left the Clutter house. He guessed that it might not be too long until daylight. He was right and sometime later noticed that the sky was getting lighter to his right. As he walked along he saw that the terrain sloped upward rather steeply in the other direction. As it got lighter he saw that there was a natural, ledge-like area up the slope about fifty feet from the roadway. He climbed up to that area and found a spot covered with a dense growth of mountain laurel. It was a natural hiding area and one from which he could observe the roadway for a considerable distance in both directions. Satisfied that he was secure in this spot, Benjamin stretched out, took his first deep breath of freedom and soon fell asleep.
It was several hours later when he awoke. He felt well rested although he was thirsty and hungry. He sat up and looked down at the road and along it as far as he could see in both directions. There were no travelers or other signs of life. He did see a small stream on the other side of the road and the water was inviting. After looking up and down the road again he then carefully climbed down from his perch and made his way across the road. On the way towards the stream he was fortunate to find briars loaded with large, ripe blackberries. He took the time to pick what amounted to a double handful and bundled them in a flannel rag that he carried as a handkerchief. At the stream he found a small pool and a shady area. In comfort he had a satisfying meal of berries and two of the biscuits with lots of cool water. Ah! Freedom was good.
Thus refreshed, Benjamin decided to not tarry any longer. He felt exposed walking along the road and decided it would be more prudent to walk near the stream, which seemed to parallel the road at least as far as he could see. The journey was, however, somewhat slower by this route as he had to negotiate around scrub brush, briar patches and trees. From the position of the sun, he reasoned that it was around mid day and that he had several hours of daylight to make his way.
The area was not uninhabited and he observed a few homes and outbuildings, some tilled fields and livestock out to pasture. At one point he was startled by a bell ringing and was concerned that it was some type of alarm. But as he saw two workers leaving a cornfield with hoes over their shoulders and walking briskly towards the farmhouse, he realized that the bell was summoning them to the mid day meal. It was good to be cautious, though, he thought.
Just as he was silently praising himself for his good judgment, his reverie was abruptly broken by a harsh voice.
“Wat you doin, boy?”
Benjamin turned to the sound and was immediately in awe of a roughly dressed man, taller than himself, possessing a full beard and carrying a thick, four foot shaft of wood that was likely a weapon. He guessed that the man was about his owner’s age.
“I…I….ah…goin’ north,” was the best reply he could muster.
“Seems like that’s the direction everybody’s going these days.”
He paused and peered intently at Benjamin. It was clear that he expected some clarification as to Benjamin’s destination. Benjamin struggled to recall the name of the place that he had overheard the two slave hunters mention..
“Oh, I can’t …it’s a …somethin’ like handy…dunno.”
“Well, I guess yawl trying to say Hancock.’
“Yassuh, that’s it”, said Benjamin, smiling broadly.
“Well, boy, that be no place for a niggar, ‘specially in daylight and,” he paused a few seconds for emphasis, “more ‘specially if he be runaway.”
“No suh”, responded Benjamin. “ I be free here in Wes ‘ginia.”
“Mebbe thas right here but soon as you cross the river and get in to Hancock, you no longer in Wes Virginia. Then you be in Merlan. Merlan a slave state. No doubt they be slave catchers there.”
With those few words, the stranger had crushed the euphoria that Benjamin had felt over his new found freedom. He looked up at the stranger with despair written all over his face.
“Well now, boy, don’t look so sad. Maybe ole Jess can help you out.”
Benjamin brightened at that but then he wondered if this was another trick. He looked up at the man in a noncommittal way and didn’t reply..
Jess was initially puzzled by Benjamin’s reaction to his offer but then realized that the young man was only being cautious.
“Look, boy, you have to trust me. Ole Jess not be a slave catcher. Don’t abide with keepin’ slaves. You come with me to my place. ‘Bout a mile upstream from Hancock. My woman’ll fix us plenty to eat and I’ll get you across that river by early light in the morning.”
After a brief hesitation he made eye contact with Jess and nodded.
Jess nodded in return and said, “All right, boy, we best be movin’ on.”
Jess turned and started up the slope in the direction of the road with Benjamin following. As they got to the road, Jess slowed and looked in both directions several times. Satisfied that no one was in sight, he glanced back at Benjamin and gestured with his head to follow across the road. On the other side of the road, the trek continued upslope where the hillside was thickly forested. Benjamin could see no sign of a trail, yet Jess moved in a very deliberate way. Soon they reached the crest of the hill. Jess stopped and pointed back and to the right.
“That there’s Hancock”.
Benjamin looked in the direction indicated and saw a small town on the far side of a river. He could see a number of homes along the main street that paralleled the river and a few homes scattered up the hillside beyond. Closer to the river he saw three larger buildings and the railroad. He noticed that there were people on the street but nothing to indicate unusual activity.
“Come on, boy, don’t be triflin’. Gotta keep going.”
By now Benjamin had been able to observe Jess at close range. His stature was deceiving. He was taller than average and gave the appearance of being thin. It was clear from the way he moved that he was muscular and fit. Benjamin had to exert himself to keep up. He had also revised his estimate of the man’s age and guessed he was younger than his former owner. The beard and scraggy hair had made him appear older.
They circled around the
hill crest, gradually moved down slope and soon were paralleling the river. After a few minutes walking, they entered a small clearing at the far side of which was a small cabin and next to it, a make-shift shed open on one side. A cow was tethered nearby and several chickens were wandering about.
With Benjamin following, Jess walked straight to the cabin.
“Woman, you about?” And he repeated the question.
From around the side of the cabin, a strikingly attractive young woman appeared, wiping her hands on an apron. Her greeting to Jess consisted of a smile and a nod. Her gaze took in Benjamin and she turned to Jess with an inquiring look on her face.
“We got company -- at least over night. He ain’t said but I be pretty sure he’s a runaway. Found him over near the road to Berkley Springs. Says he wants to go north. I be taking him across the Potomac tomorrow by early light. You have enough for one more at the supper table?”
The woman nodded. Then she turned and pointed to Benjamin and looked at Jess with the questioning look.
“She wonders if you have a name, boy. I been wondering that, too.”
“I be Benjamin.”
“Benjamin, huh? Pretty fancy name. Well, boy, I’m going out back and wash up a bit. You can, too, if you be of a mind.”
The well was only a few steps from the covered area at the back of the house. A bench served as a resting place and a wash stand. As Benjamin waited his turn to wash away the sweat and dirt of the day, the woman came out of the cabin to get water. She was dark skinned but lighter than Benjamin. Her facial figures were decidedly not Negroid…sharper and angular, high cheek bones. She was slender but possessed more than ample breasts. Her hair was jet black and very straight. Unable to help himself, Benjamin looked at her for several seconds with an interest beyond plain curiosity showing on his face. His studied concentration was not lost on Jess.
“Purty thing, ain’t she? Been with me better’n ten years now. Had some business up near Cumberland and came across this cabin that was on fire. Really burnin’. Don’t know if there was anybody inside. But I found this dirty, skinny li’l gal hiding in the brush nearby. Didn’t say a word but I could tell she didn’t know if she wanted to go with me. Know what? She’s never talked but she knows every word I say. So I raised her. She knew somethin’ ‘bout cookin’ and keepin’ house and she larned the rest by doin’. She blossomed out real quick but I didn’t tech her ‘til ‘bout three years ago after she bleeded the first couple of times. She didn’ know bout that either but she learn quick. She be a good woman.”
And as if reading Benjamin’s mind, “She’s ‘most dark as you, boy but her looks not the same. High cheeks. Thinner lips. I ‘spec sometime back some runaway nigger man took up with a injun gal. Wouldn’t be the first time in these mountains.”
In a little while, the woman appeared at the door and nodded to Jess. Supper was ready.
When the meal was over they went out back and enjoyed the coolness of the evening. The sun had already fallen behind the mountains to the west and it was not long before darkness started to fall. Crickets were chirping and a whippoorwill called out from time to time. Benjamin was at last really enjoying his freedom with the evening’s quiet and a full stomach. His reverie was abruptly interrupted.
“We best get to bed, boy,” advised Jess, “be getting’ up before the chickens.”
Curled up on a straw tick on one side of the cabin, Benjamin had some difficulty in relaxing as he reviewed the events of the last twenty-four hours, arguably the most significant such time period in his life. Moreover, the sounds of Jess and the woman coupling on the other side of the cabin was not something that he found soothing. But sleep eventually came.
It was still dark when Benjamin was awakened by the gentle shaking of a hand on his shoulder.
“Time to get up and goin’, boy.”
Outside, they headed down slope and were soon at the river’s edge. As Benjamin helped Jess drag a small log raft out of some brush, he noticed just the hint of lightness on the horizon to the east. The raft was dragged to the water’s edge and Jess took up a long pole that he would use to propel and guide it.
“Well,” said Jess, “we’re not gonna have much time to talk oncest we get t’other side. I can pole this pretty well but the current always seems stronger on the other side. I don’t want to end up in Hancock. When we get to the other side you need to jump off and I be headin’ back. I don’t rightly know how to help you, boy, but I think you better stay off the roads. After we get to the other side, you head north. By the time it gets real light, you’ll be well past Hancock, out of Merlan and into Pennsylvania. Then you head to the east, the sunrise. By mid morning, you come to the second large stream flowin’ south. Follow that stream north. It’ll take you up the big cove to the little town of McConnellsburg. It’s a good twenty-five miles and probably be late afternoon time you get there. You most likely goin’ have to find a hay stack to sleep. At the far side of the cove at the foot of the mountain…they calls it Scrub Ridge…I heard tell theys some niggars live there. Maybe they can help you. You get all that, boy?”
Benjamin wasn’t sure but he nodded in the affirmative.
“One more thing, boy. My woman put up some food for you,’ as he handed a bundle of unknown contents wrapped in a piece of deer skin.
“Let’s go then.”
The trip across was uneventful and it seemed obvious to Benjamin that Jess had made this trip many times as his handling of the raft seemed expert. When they reached the other side, the stop was sufficient only for Benjamin to leap off. .He turned as Jess immediately pushed off for the return trip.
“Thank you, Mista Jess, thank you.”
There was no acknowledgement except for the wave of an arm as the raft moved off into the darkness.
Benjamin headed off north, unsure of directions but always keeping the ever brightening horizon on his right. Initially the trek was difficult as it was up-slope and thick with brush and trees. Eventually, however, the terrain leveled out and the hiking was easier. Before long he noticed the tip of the sun peeping up over the horizon. He reasoned that he was far enough to the north by this time and turned and started walking towards the sun. As he went in that direction the terrain again seemed somewhat unforgiving. To keep going towards the sun he had to climb a number of hills. Before long he came to the first stream that Jess had mentioned. It was large enough that he had to reconnoiter up and then downstream for a few hundred feet to find a place shallow enough to cross.
Benjamin was not prepared for the rigors of the next hour.. He had to make his way over a moderately high ridge that was heavily forested and also had thick undergrowth. By the time he reached the summit he was hungry, tired and sweaty. He had a rip in his shirt and several scratches on his legs. A rest was definitely in order. He found a shady spot, sat down and decided to investigate the provisions that Jess’s woman had supplied. He was not disappointed. There were several pieces of dried, smoked meat, probably deer, two biscuits and a nice supply of dried apples. He saved two of the larger pieces of dried meat but devoured the rest with relish. He felt quite comfortable, lay down and in a few minutes fell asleep.
It was mid afternoon before Benjamin awakened. He could tell the approximate time by the position of the sun and was distressed that he had slept so long. He got to his feet and proceeded down the far slope of the ridge. The vegetation was not as thick as the other side and in short order he had reached the valley floor. The second stream was in sight and he decided that there was no point in crossing it and he proceeded north.
The balance of the afternoon was uneventful. Benjamin did make some wide detours to avoid roads and farmhouses. By late afternoon the valley that he was traveling along had widened and at this point the stream was noticeably smaller. He crossed the stream and while he continued to the north he was on an oblique course toward the formidable mountain to the east. As the elevation increased, he gradually was able to gain a wider view of the entire valley. Then he saw
his destination, a small town nestled in the valley at the foot of the mountain. He stopped to survey the area and consider his options. According to what Jess had told him it was only a possibility that he might find someone at the other side of the valley to help him in his flight to freedom. If he headed across the valley now it would be dusk by the time he got there. No. Better to spend the night where he was and start fresh in the morning. Today had been good. Maybe tomorrow would be even better.
ROY’S BIG SUPPRISE