an almost fearful whisper. Jacob surmised that he was the one most easily frightened, therefore, probably the one with the least amount of say, if he had any at all.
“Obviously we did, Tom. We're not deaf. The sound came from over there.” This was said with bravado by the man Jacob assumed to be the leader, as he pointed in the general direction of the woods where Jacob was hidden. “Whoever is in there, you come on out. Now!”
Jacob froze, going as still and as silent as the night.
“You hear me, you damned niggers?” the presumed leader demanded. “We know all about your plan to escape, so you just come on out peaceably. If you don't, we'll be forced to come in after you, and you won't like that.”
The third man said nothing. Just cocked his gun and fired.
And he'd be the most dangerous one . Jacob had all the evidence he needed for that conclusion. All action, no talk . The bullet had come nowhere near him, but it was still his signal to leave. He'd gotten what he'd come for, but in preparing to go back to the barn, he couldn't resist enlightening them. Throwing his large head back on his neck, he let out a roar loud enough to reverberate through the woods and to the town. He watched the slave catchers as they, with wide eyes and frantic, clumsy motions, scrambled, hurrying to get to their horses.
Jacob turned to go, then paused as he heard one of the slave catchers say urgently, “No! Don't shoot blindly, you idiot! You'll just make it madder.”
“What does it matter? We can take care of any animal that—”
“Shut up! Now is not the time.”
Jacob was still in the woods as he heard the three gallop away. As he continued on his journey back to the barn, he thought about sharing this particular tale with his father and brother. He wouldn't even object if his sister insisted on sitting in (as she usually did) for this one. He needed to let them all know that they had some new slave catchers in town who were good enough to track him for miles, mostly undetected. The desire to smile quickly returned when he thought about whom he would notify first. A quick dunk in the creek should rid him of the smell, an odor he knew would tempt Mary Katherine to speak aloud the accusation of beast he was sure she'd been calling him in her head. After that, he'd take the short trip to see the lovely lady, Miss Day. She'd be happy to know he hadn't been caught in the trap. Now the question was who had set it.
Chapter Three
After everyone left, Mary Katherine took her time tidying the simply furnished hidden room. It held only an iron bedstead, a chest of drawers, and a washbasin. The plain, whitewashed walls glowed from the light of the lantern, giving the room a coziness it would otherwise have lacked, though the colorful quilt on the bed did brighten its stark confines somewhat. She changed the linen in a practiced motion and emptied the chamber pot. Finally, realizing that she was shaking like a leaf, she sat down on the edge of the bed.
She didn't probe too deeply as to why she was so worried about a man who did nothing but aggravate her. She'd be equally concerned about any of her brethren of the underground. At least that was what she told herself. After all, she was even worried about Cameron, and she didn't really know the man. She stretched out on the newly made bed, intending only to take a short nap.
* * *
Instead she was awakened near dawn by the sound of someone tapping out the new code on the cellar door. Trembling in her eagerness, she sprang from the bed and rushed over to open the door and found Jacob standing there.
“Well, you told me to let you know if I came out whole,” he drawled when she just stared at him.
Mary Katherine resisted the urge to hug him, but it was a near thing. She gestured for him to enter the room, then secured the door. “What happened? Was it a trap?”
He nodded. “But I was able to get away.”
She barely dared to ask. “And the
“Obviously we did, Tom. We're not deaf. The sound came from over there.” This was said with bravado by the man Jacob assumed to be the leader, as he pointed in the general direction of the woods where Jacob was hidden. “Whoever is in there, you come on out. Now!”
Jacob froze, going as still and as silent as the night.
“You hear me, you damned niggers?” the presumed leader demanded. “We know all about your plan to escape, so you just come on out peaceably. If you don't, we'll be forced to come in after you, and you won't like that.”
The third man said nothing. Just cocked his gun and fired.
And he'd be the most dangerous one . Jacob had all the evidence he needed for that conclusion. All action, no talk . The bullet had come nowhere near him, but it was still his signal to leave. He'd gotten what he'd come for, but in preparing to go back to the barn, he couldn't resist enlightening them. Throwing his large head back on his neck, he let out a roar loud enough to reverberate through the woods and to the town. He watched the slave catchers as they, with wide eyes and frantic, clumsy motions, scrambled, hurrying to get to their horses.
Jacob turned to go, then paused as he heard one of the slave catchers say urgently, “No! Don't shoot blindly, you idiot! You'll just make it madder.”
“What does it matter? We can take care of any animal that—”
“Shut up! Now is not the time.”
Jacob was still in the woods as he heard the three gallop away. As he continued on his journey back to the barn, he thought about sharing this particular tale with his father and brother. He wouldn't even object if his sister insisted on sitting in (as she usually did) for this one. He needed to let them all know that they had some new slave catchers in town who were good enough to track him for miles, mostly undetected. The desire to smile quickly returned when he thought about whom he would notify first. A quick dunk in the creek should rid him of the smell, an odor he knew would tempt Mary Katherine to speak aloud the accusation of beast he was sure she'd been calling him in her head. After that, he'd take the short trip to see the lovely lady, Miss Day. She'd be happy to know he hadn't been caught in the trap. Now the question was who had set it.
Chapter Three
After everyone left, Mary Katherine took her time tidying the simply furnished hidden room. It held only an iron bedstead, a chest of drawers, and a washbasin. The plain, whitewashed walls glowed from the light of the lantern, giving the room a coziness it would otherwise have lacked, though the colorful quilt on the bed did brighten its stark confines somewhat. She changed the linen in a practiced motion and emptied the chamber pot. Finally, realizing that she was shaking like a leaf, she sat down on the edge of the bed.
She didn't probe too deeply as to why she was so worried about a man who did nothing but aggravate her. She'd be equally concerned about any of her brethren of the underground. At least that was what she told herself. After all, she was even worried about Cameron, and she didn't really know the man. She stretched out on the newly made bed, intending only to take a short nap.
* * *
Instead she was awakened near dawn by the sound of someone tapping out the new code on the cellar door. Trembling in her eagerness, she sprang from the bed and rushed over to open the door and found Jacob standing there.
“Well, you told me to let you know if I came out whole,” he drawled when she just stared at him.
Mary Katherine resisted the urge to hug him, but it was a near thing. She gestured for him to enter the room, then secured the door. “What happened? Was it a trap?”
He nodded. “But I was able to get away.”
She barely dared to ask. “And the
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