We got stowaways!

Just then there were three sharp knocks on the wood plank at the front of the wagon.

“Oh! That’s the signal, children,” said Harriet. She sprang up and gave three knocks back on the plank.

“What signal?” asked Kyla.

“Someone’s comin’,” said Harriet. “We need to hide ourselves in case it’s a slave-catcher.”

Harriet pulled at one of the planks that made up the floor of the wagon bed and it lifted up. She slid the false floor plank to the side revealing a small compartment below.

“Quick, hide in here! Lay down flat!”

The two cousins dropped down into the tight compartment and Harriet laid down beside them before pulling the plank back over for cover. Zammie couldn’t see anything in the darkness, but he could hear more horses galloping towards them. Daniel slowed the wagon down. The sounds of additional horses could be heard stomping and snorting around the wagon. The light of lanterns filtered through the cracks in the wood.

“Awful late to be travelling alone, ain’t it?” said one of the horsemen.

“Agreed,” said Daniel. “Tryin’ to get home before the missus gets angry.”

Kyla felt like she was in a coffin. She was crammed tightly between Harriet and Zammie and the thin dust from the wood of the wagon was tickling her nose.

“You haven’t seen any runaways on your journey, have ya?” asked one of the horsemen.

“Not tonight,” answered Daniel. “You missin’ slaves?”

“Not us, but a couple of the local farmers are.”

“Ah, bounty hunters,” said Daniel.

Zammie could hear one of the horses trotting around the wagon to the rear.

“Mind if we check the contents of your wagon, sir?” asked the rider of the horse.

“You won’t find a thing back there,” said Daniel.

“We’ll check anyway if ya don’t mind,” said the first rider.

Zammie heard the wagon gate open. Then he heard boot steps clunking on the plank just inches above his head.

“Anything?” asked the first rider from the road.

Zammie held his breath to keep from making any noise at all.

Then it happened…

“Ha-choo!”

Zammie’s eyes went big. Kyla had sneezed.

“What was that?” asked the first rider.

“What have we here?” said the rider in the wagon.

Kyla felt the blood drain out of her face when she heard the man grasping for the niche in the false floor plank above them. A second later the plank was lifted and tossed away. The light of the lantern filled the thin compartment in which the three of them were hiding.

“We got stowaways!” said the man.

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 2

A RIDE ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

Available at Amazon.com!