“Let
us rest for a minute, sister,” said Robert. “We’re exhausted.”
Harriet
was tired as well, but she knew those slave-catchers could still be looking for
them. She stepped out just beyond the trees again to investigate the land
around them. The sun was rising quickly, and in the distance through the early
morning mist she could see a white wood frame house with a large barn behind
it. The farmhouse was probably a half mile off. Harriet was thinking up the
next move for her group when she heard Robert calling her.
“Harriet?”
“What?”
“Step
back here, please.”
Harriet
walked back into the trees to see what her brother wanted. She wasn’t expecting
this. A young white boy was standing in the trees about ten yards from the
group. He looked to be about seven years old and he was wearing brown pants, a
thick dark blue coat, and a wool hat. He stared at everyone matter-of-factly
with bright blue eyes and no apparent fear. Zammie liked the boy’s coat. It
reminded him of a Navy officer’s pea coat. If it were a little larger he
wouldn’t mind wearing a similar style coat to school in the winter.
“Who’s
that?” asked Harriet.
“I
dunno. He just walked over from that field,” said Robert.
“Hello,
young sir,” Harriet said to the boy. “What’s your name?”
“Elias,”
said the boy.
“Elias?
Well, that’s a fine name,” said Harriet. “You live ‘roun here, Elias?”
“Yes—“
“Elias!”
A man in the field nearby interrupted the boy before he could finish his
statement.
Harriet
ducked down behind a tree when she heard the voice.
“Elias!
Where’d you wander off to?”
Elias
ran towards the field where the man’s voice was coming from.
“Papa!”
he said. “There’s runaways over here!”
A
million thoughts shot through Harriet’s mind, the primary thought being how
would she be able to hide her shattered group within the next fifteen seconds.
But it was too late. Before she could blink a tall, lanky white man with a
short, brown beard dashed in from the field.
“Well,
I’ll be,” he said.
“Please
don’t be cross, sir,” said Henry. “We jus passin’ through.”
“See,
papa!” said Elias.
“Yes,
Elias. More than usual.”
“A
whole bunch of ‘em,” said Elias.
“Go
tell your mom we’re gonna have company.”
“Yes,
papa.” Elias took off running back towards the field and down to the house.
-- Harriet meets Elias
from Time Trip #2 (Chapter 19)
TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 4
KILLING FOR COUNTRY
TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 2
A RIDE ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 3
WITNESS TO THE FIRST THANKSGIVING
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