Chapter Sixteen
Bourbon County: 1858


Willie shaded his eyes against the glare of Benjamin’s lamp and set down the rucksack he was carrying. “What’s going on, Ben?” he asked. He looked Daisy up and down. “Isn’t that Miss Carr’s maid?”

Daisy looked Willie up and down, too. She had often seen him in town – he was a freedman who sold work shoes in the marketplace.

“She was,” Benjamin corrected. “Mr. Carr aims to sell her, so we’re going to Canada.”

“I was wondering when you were going to make a run for it yourself,” Willie said, “but taking a slip of a girl along is plain foolishness. Do you know how valuable she is? The slave catchers’ll be after you before you can turn around.”

Benjamin hugged Daisy’s waist. “She’s going,” he said stubbornly. “You think it’s better she be sold South?”

Willie shuddered. “I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.” He looked at Daisy. “How do you know he’s selling you, honey?”

“He said so. At least, he said he was selling me, he didn’t say where.” She looked up at Benjamin doubtfully.

“I’m not taking that chance,” Benjamin said. “We’re going together. I’ll take care of her, Willie. Don’t you worry.”

“It’s on your head, then,” Willie said reluctantly. He handed Benjamin the rucksack. “Follow me.”

He took the lantern from Benjamin, and the two of them followed him out into the larger chamber of the cave, then through a narrow, low passage. The passage opened out into a chamber the size of a cathedral, with large stalactites hanging down from the roof, some so long they formed pillars. “Where are we?” Daisy whispered. Her voice rebounded off the walls and broke against the pillars, shattering into dozens of tiny echoes.

“An old, old place,” Willie said quietly. Something about the place seemed to call for solemnity. He held the lantern higher. “The Indians used it for their burials, long ago.”

Along the wall Daisy could see bodies, shriveled and warped into odd shapes. She cringed and huddled closer to Benjamin. He put his arm around her. “They can’t hurt you, dear,” he said, but his own voice was trembling.

“No white man has ever set foot here,” Willie said proudly. “It was my discovery – I like to think they’d approve of my using it to foil the people who stole their land from them.”

Daisy felt easier then, as though she had something in common with the ones who rested there. She straightened her shoulders and followed Willie, although she still clutched Benjamin’s hand.

She touched a pillar as she passed it – she was surprised to find that it was damp. It took nearly half an hour to traverse the cathedral – it turned out to be much longer than it had first appeared. There followed many twisting passages, some so low they had to bend double. They scrambled over piles of fallen rock, or wended their way between low-hanging stalactites, no sound but the drip, drip, drip of water. As they followed Willie’s lantern, Daisy lost all sense of direction. She began to wonder, how well did Benjamin know Willie? What if Willie’s intent was to lose them here and rob them?

She began to doubt the wisdom of her actions. If she went back and begged, perhaps Mr. Carr would relent. She touched the bruise on her cheek. No. Perhaps Pamela would fight for her? She recalled her sister’s words. No. She felt Benjamin’s hand, calloused, strong and warm in hers. Yes. She did not know how or where or how well their adventure would end, but as long as it ended with the two of them together, that would be all she would ask for. Besides, she could not find her way back now if she wished to.

Please, God, keep us safe.

“Quiet,” Willie warned, although they had been making no noise. He held up the lantern before a narrow opening, barely large enough to crawl through. “You go through there, you’ll come out on the side of a hill overlooking Stoner Creek.” He bent down, drawing with his finger in the dirt. “Follow the creek north until it runs into the South Fork. Follow that north until it runs into the Licking River. Keep following the river, staying on the west side, until you come to Cynthiana. Just on the outskirts of town, there’s an old abandoned cabin, right by the river. You’ll find this sign carved on the door.” He made a figure like the Big Dipper. “Wait there, but if anyone comes, hide until they say the word, which is ‘drinking gourd.’ Got that?”

Benjamin nodded. “I got it.”

“You’re not going with us? I thought you were our guide,” Daisy asked.

Willie shook his head. “Sorry, I can’t be gone for too long – if I’m missed, people might start asking questions I can’t answer. It’s past dawn – best to lay up here until dark, then stick to the woods. You’ve got several days, or rather, nights, travel ahead of you.” He looked at Daisy. “I hope you’re up to it.”

“I have to be,” Daisy said. “I have no choice.”

“There’s always a choice,” Willie said gravely, “but better men than I am have thought freedom worth dying for.” He offered his hand to Benjamin. “Good luck. I’ll send a message ahead to warn them you’re coming.”

“Thank you, Willie,” Benjamin said.

Willie nodded and turned away, taking the lantern with him. Daisy wanted to cry out that he was leaving them in the dark, but restrained herself. She was a woman now, better start acting like it. Willie’s lantern receded, leaving them in pitch darkness. “Are you scared, Daisy?” Benjamin asked.

She shook her head. “No. Well, a little.” She snuggled up under his arm. “I’m trying to think of this as an adventure – there may be struggle and danger, but we’ll be well and happy at the end.”

“That’s my girl,” he said proudly. “Get some sleep, dear. I’ll watch over you. We have a long way to walk – better save your strength.”

“All right, but wake me in a couple of hours. I’ll watch over you – you need rest as much as I do.”

Light began to leak into the cave from the opening and she could see his smile in the dimness, but he said nothing, merely wrapped himself around her. She put her head on his shoulder and fell asleep, safe for now.



She awoke hours later after an uneasy rest. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and looked up at Benjamin. “You didn’t wake me,” she protested.

“You were sleeping so soundly.”

“No, I wasn’t.” She frowned up at him. “Don’t treat me like a baby, Benjamin,” she said sternly. “If we’re going to make it, we have to work together.”

Benjamin raised his eyebrows. “I’m your husband – it’s my job to take care of you.”

“And mine to take care of you.” She jabbed a finger at his chest. “How far is it to Cynthiana? And how far will we get if you wear yourself out because you think I’m useless?”

“About sixty miles.” He looked down at her. “And I know you’re not useless. But, dearest, you’ve spent your whole life in the House.”

“I know. So have you. Come now, let’s not fight. Lie down and sleep until dark, anyway. I’ll keep watch.”

Benjamin smiled and kissed her. He gave her some of the bread and dried meat from their pack before laying down and resting his head on the pack for a pillow. She chewed the dry bread, longing for water. She could hear water trickling somewhere in the cave, but did not want to go in search of it. There would be plenty of water after dark once they headed down to the creek at the bottom of the hill – she would endure her thirst until then.

She woke Benjamin at dark, as he had asked, although she knew he had not slept nearly enough. He rubbed his eyes and shouldered the pack. Daisy crawled behind him through the passage. He pushed aside the underbrush that hid the opening, and she felt the cool night air brush her cheek, filled with the warm aroma of earth after a rain. They paused for a moment to make sure no one was about, then cautiously made their way down to the creek. Daisy drank her fill, as did Benjamin. Now that they were above ground, she could see that they were no more than seven or eight miles from the Carr farm, even though they had walked almost all night. She hoped that their progress through the cave had thrown off pursuit, but it would still pay to be cautious. Neither of them were exactly wood-wise, but they had a clear path to follow, and the will to follow it. She clutched Benjamin’s hand as they began to make their way north.



Although Stoner Creek passed through many farms and pastures, the farmers allowed the woods to grow wild on either side as a preventative against flooding and erosion, so as daylight approached, the two runaways burrowed into the underbrush to sleep. Daisy insisted on taking the first watch this time, over Benjamin’s protests. He finally acquiesced, although angry at her stubbornness on the matter. It might have been their first fight except they were afraid to shout, so conducted the argument in whispers.

There had been no sign of pursuit, which puzzled her. The route they were taking seemed so obvious, surely any slave catcher worth his hire would be watching for them. They had been careful, stealthy and quiet, but how long could their luck hold out? They had made barely ten miles that night, at that rate it would take them nearly a week to reach Cynthiana.

She brooded on this until Benjamin awakened. “We should go another way,” she told him. “This way’s too obvious.”

Benjamin shook his head. “The road would be obvious, and too dangerous. Willie’s been doing this for twenty years – if there were a better way, he would have told us.”

Daisy pondered this. “Do you trust him so much?”

“I do. He’s risked himself countless times for our people.” He took her hand. “We can’t go back, we must go on. Will you trust me to get us there?”

She squeezed his hand. “I will. I do.”

“Now lie down and sleep,” he ordered her. “I’ll keep you safe.”



The next night they found a rowboat tied to a tree and debated taking it. The fear of navigating an unfamiliar river, and the possible arousing of the law decided them against it. They had to deal with a light but soaking rain all that night and the next day, and huddled in the undergrowth miserably, barely sleeping.

So they trudged on, night by night. Daisy was weary and in pain from the unaccustomed exertion, but she made no complaint. Benjamin’s work as a carpenter kept him in better condition, and she was determined not to slow him down, if at all possible. She was glad of the darkness, and she worked hard to keep her breathing steady and even.

She heard a faint sound and paused to listen. Coming down the river, there was a faint splashing of water and the creak of oars. She tugged Benjamin’s hand and made him listen, too. He nodded and they retreated from the riverbank, withdrawing further into the underbrush. Who could be out boating in the middle of the night? At least there was no sound of barking dogs, but Daisy’s heart pounded as they waited and listened for the boat to pass.

A woman screamed, and a loud splash brought them out of hiding. The rowboat they had passed by a few days ago had collided with a downed tree - one of the many snags that made the Licking nearly unnavigable - spilling its occupants into the river. Benjamin waded into the shallows, hanging onto the tree. “Here!” he called out.

Neither he nor Daisy could swim, she knew, so she waited in anxious silence. The full moon shone hazily through the clouds, making it difficult to see what was happening. There were two people in the water, she thought. The boat had righted itself and spun lazily downstream, but one of the passengers seemed caught in the snag that had upset it.

Benjamin pulled himself into deeper water. The flowing water dragged him under, and Daisy gasped until he surfaced, shaking the water out of his dark hair. He pulled himself hand-over-hand until he reached the woman who was caught in the snag. “Save my husband!” she said. She pointed. A dark figure lay face down in the water, spinning past them. In a moment it would be too late. Benjamin let go of the tree and kicked desperately to catch the man before he spun out of reach. He grasped the hem of the man’s trousers as the woman caught at him, pulling him back to the tree. Benjamin turned the man over so that his head was above water, then hesitated.

“Benjamin?” Daisy called from shore. “All you all right?”

“All right,” he called, “but he’s bigger than I can manage.”

“Please try,” the woman said. She struggled against the branches that held her, only entangling herself further.

“Hold still!” Benjamin demanded.

Daisy took a deep breath, then waded out into the river as she had seen Benjamin do. “Go back, Daisy!” he hissed at her.

“And leave you out there to drown?” she said. She clasped the tree trunk as the water tugged at her, more frightened than she had ever been, but she kept going until she reached her beloved. The man he held was barely breathing, and she was not sure they could save him, but she took him by the arm. “You take his leg, Benjamin, and we’ll haul him in that way.”

Benjamin turned to the woman. “Will you be all right until I can get back to you?”

The woman nodded, but Daisy could see how hard she was shivering. Daisy was beginning to shiver herself, so she turned and started back to the bank, tugging the man along by the arm as Benjamin followed, holding the man’s leg.

She slid her hand along the tree, all the time fighting the pull of the river, until she at last felt mud under her feet. She was unable to pull the man ashore, so she held his head above water as Benjamin moved past her and they could pull him up together.

Benjamin plunged back in the water after the woman. Daisy rubbed the man’s cold hands, although hers were not much warmer. They were all soaked to the skin, with no change of clothes and although the night was not particularly cold, it was not warm, either.

The man was dark, as dark as a night with no moon. He must be an escaped slave, too, and so was the woman, probably. He had a long knife in his belt and there were cuts and bruises on his arms, as though he had defended himself from a beating. Daisy gnawed her lips as she contemplated him. Benjamin returned with the woman, who was swaddled in so many long skirts and petticoats it was a wonder they had not dragged her under. Daisy helped her out of them as Benjamin tended to the injured man. The woman was paler than Daisy, although whether it was from cold or the natural lightness of her skin was uncertain, and there were bloodstains on the back of her dress.

“How is he?” the woman asked, teeth chattering.

“Unconscious, but breathing,” Benjamin said.

“Let me see,” the woman said, kneeling by her man’s side. “He’s so cold.”

“We’re all cold,” Daisy said.

“Let’s move him away from the riverbank,” Benjamin said. “Then we can start a fire.”

“Are you sure?” Daisy asked.

“We have to,” Benjamin said, “or all die from the chill.”

Daisy agreed with that assessment, so she shouldered the pack and the woman’s wet clothes as Benjamin and the woman dragged the man further into the underbrush. Benjamin seized the man’s knife and hacked through the thickest briars, making a sort of cave for them to hide in.

He took a flint from his pocket and used it and the knife to strike sparks into a pile of dry leaves. Daisy gathered sticks and twigs to feed the fire, and in a few minutes had a small flame to warm their lair.

The woman chafed the man’s hands until he began to stir. He blinked his eyes, looking around the briar patch and at the fire. “What happened?”

“The boat upset, dearest,” the woman said. “These nice people fished us out of the river.”

The man looked them over warily. “Runaways?” he asked.

Benjamin nodded.

“Where from?”

“I’d rather not say,” Benjamin replied. He held out his hand. “I’m Daniel. This is my wife, Rose.”

Daisy raised her eyebrows at this blatant lie, but kept silent. Perhaps it was best not to tell too much. What was unknown could not be betrayed.

“Shadrach,” the man said, taking Benjamin’s hand. “My wife, Lily.”

“We’re a couple of flowers,” Lily said, with a weak smile.

“Let me have one of those skirts,” Benjamin said.

“What for?” Shadrach asked.

“To throw in the river,” Benjamin said. “If someone comes looking for you, I want them to think you’ve drowned.”

Lily nodded and peeled one of the petticoats out of the pile. Benjamin took it and crawled out of the briars, returning a few moments later, empty-handed. He squatted by the fire. “When did you escape?” he asked.

“I’d rather not say,” Shadrach said.

“You think I can’t read the signs?” Benjamin asked angrily. “You -” he pointed to Lily, “- were being flogged for some reason, and you -” he pointed to Shadrach, “- interfered. You got away, so it’s safe to say you either killed or wounded your attacker. Which means they’re after you, which puts my wife and myself in danger with you. Do I read it aright?”

“You do,” Lily said. “I was a lady’s maid, and then my mistress died, and my owner. . .” she turned crimson. “When I rejected his advances, he started caning me, and Shadrach came to my rescue.” She looked at her husband glowingly.

Benjamin held out the knife. “Killed?”

Shadrach reached for it, but Benjamin snatched it back. “He oughtn’t to’ve touched my wife,” Shadrach said. “I’d kill any man who dared.”

“So would I,” Benjamin agreed, putting the knife in his belt. Shadrach glared at him, but was too weak yet to argue.

“And your plans?” Benjamin asked.

“Head north,” Shadrach said. “Cross the Ohio, get to freedom.”

“Freedom is farther than that,” Benjamin said, “or didn’t you know that the law allows them to come get you anywhere they can find you? Better head to Canada, if you know what’s good for you.”

“Where’s Canada?” Shadrach asked, wrinkling his brow.

“Further north,” Benjamin said. “A thousand miles.”

Daisy did not think it was quite that far, but let it go. “We can take them with us, can’t we, B-dearest?” She hoped no one noticed her stumble. Lying was difficult enough; she was afraid that carrying on someone else’s lie was beyond her.

“They killed a white man,” Benjamin said. “It’s too dangerous.”

“We don’t need no help,” Shadrach said.

Daisy put her arm through Benjamin’s and whispered. “Husband, they have no idea what they’re doing. We can’t just leave them here.”

“I have to keep you safe,” Benjamin whispered back. “It’s the only thing that matters.”

“Not the only thing,” she said. “If they’re caught, he’ll be hanged and she’ll be – well, I hate to think of it. Me getting sold pales in comparison.” She tugged on his arm. “We have to take them with us. It’s the Christian thing to do.”

Benjamin pressed his lips together. “No.”

“Yes.”

“I can’t ask you to,” Lily interrupted, “and we have nothing to pay you with if you do. All I can say is, I’d be grateful if you would. We came away with the clothes on our backs – I’m afraid we’ll die out here without help.”

“Woman – “ Shadrach said warningly.

Benjamin narrowed his eyes and regarded them both. “All right,” he said at last. “But you follow me and do everything I tell you, no questions. You got that?”

Lily nodded. She took his hand and kissed it. “Thank you. God will reward you, I’m sure of it.”

“Don’t care if He does,” Benjamin said, “as long as we make it to Freedom, that’s all I want.”

Daisy hugged him. Maybe taking on Shadrach and Lily had placed them in more danger, but she had every confidence that Lily was right and God would reward them. She snuggled down under his arm and fell asleep, warm and happy.