On to Richmond (46 page)

             
The sun was now high, but a thin layer of clouds covered the clear blue sky.  The already cool day was getting colder.  Rose shivered, partly from the shock of what had happened and partly from the cold.  Without saying anything, Moses turned and wrapped his arms around her.  They sat that way for a long time, both dealing with the new reality of their situation.  They were in the middle of nowhere, with no guide, no boat to take them across the river, and very little food. 

             
Moses was the first to speak.  “Looks like we have an obstacle to overcome.”

             
His strong voice released the dam holding back Rose’s emotions.  Sobs racked her body as Moses continued to hold her close and stroked her head gently.  She cried for Mike O’Leary and for the family he had told them about who would never see him again.  She cried to release the fear that had gripped her as they listened to him die. After a long while, she grew quiet again.   Then, “What are we going to do, Moses?”  She wiped at her tears and stared up into his face. 

             
He looked thoughtful for a long moment.  “We’re going to find us a boat,” he said.
              Rose stared at him.  “How are we going to do that?”

             
Moses shrugged.  “We’re going to walk until we find us a boat.  I don’t know what else to do,” he admitted.  “We can’t swim across that river.  As wide as it is here, there’s no telling how far we’ll have to go before we find a place narrow enough to cross. And we’re not going back,” he said with firm resolve.  “That leaves us only one thing.  We’ve got to find a boat.”

             
Rose nodded slowly.  She had never seen such a vulnerable look in his eyes, and she knew he needed her support.  “We should wait till it’s dark,” she said with a smile. 

             
Moses gazed at her tenderly.  “I love you, Rose girl.”  Once more he wrapped her in a warm embrace. 

             
They fell asleep that way.  When they awakened, the sun was dipping low on the horizon.  They quickly ate the last bit of food they had, then put on their coats, and began to move through the woods.  It was too soon to move down onto the trail.  This way they could keep the river in sight and stay invisible to seeing eyes.  When it was too dark to see their way through the woods anymore, they moved down onto the narrow trail.

             
“What if those two men come back this way?” Rose asked nervously.

             
“They won’t,” Moses said confidently.  “They went back home by some road.  They won’t be in any hurry to come down on this part of the trail any time soon.”

             
Rose took comfort from his words, continued to press down the trail, and tried to ignore the pangs of hunger.   She lost track of the number of times she stumbled over some unseen root or rock in the trail.  The moon, which had been visible at first, was now hidden behind a thickening layer of clouds.  A stiff wind had sprung up, causing the cold air to infiltrate even their heavy coats.  Her feet had grown wet from plodding along the shore line and now were beginning to feel numb.  Rose gathered her coat even closer around her, bit her lip, and continued to press on. 

             
“You all right, Rose?”  Moses’ voice was deep with concern.

             
“I’m just fine, Moses.  I’m sure we will find a boat soon.”  What difference did it make that he knew she was lying?  She knew he needed all the support he could get.  She was determined not to become a burden. 

             
They plodded along all night, not finding anything.  Rose was becoming weak from hunger and exhaustion when Moses gave a low, triumphant cry.

             
“A boat!”   Immediately Moses pulled Rose back into the bushes. 

             
“What are you doing?” she whispered, pushing back the branches grabbing at her face.

             
“If there’s a boat, that means there are people somewhere around.”  Moses continued to peer through the bushes.  “It’s not very big, but I think it will do the job.  Now if it’s only here tonight when we need it.”

             
Rose stared at him in the darkness.  “Tonight?  What do you mean tonight?”

             
Moses’ voice was patient.  “We’re going to have to cross at night.  Just like we were supposed to do.  People will see us if we cross during the day.”

             
“What are we going to do all day?” Rose hated the frightened sound in her voice, but she was close to the limits of her endurance.

             
“We’re going to hide,” came his firm, quick reply.  “The sun will be  up soon.” 

             
Rose glanced at the horizon and was stunned to see it beginning to turn light.  They had walked all night long.  Her body and her gnawing hunger verified the fact.

             
They moved a hundred feet back into the woods until they found a sunken area surrounded by brush that would provide them protection from the wind and from prying eyes.  Rose sank down gratefully.

             
Moses touched her shoulder gently.  “I’ll be back soon.  I’m going to get some food.”

             
Rose looked at the determined set of his jaw and knew there was no stopping him.  She swallowed her fears.  “Be careful,” she whispered.

             
Moses nodded, kissed her briefly, and then moved away.  “Stay right here.  I’ll be back as soon as I can.” 

             
Rose watched from her hiding place as the sun brightened the still cloud-laden sky.  She tried to ignore the cold that had seeped into every pore of her body.  She had known escaping could be difficult. 
Freedom!
   Just thinking about it gave new strength to her heart.  All of this was worth it.  It would all be over someday and when it was she would be living a new life of freedom. 

             
It seemed like eternity before she heard footsteps.  Shrinking back into the brush, she made not a single sound until she saw Moses searching for where he had left her. 

             
“I’m right here,” she said quietly, stepping out into the open. 

             
Moses smiled brightly, acting as if the labors of the night before had not even affected him.  He took her hand and pulled her back into their hiding place. “Have a seat, wife.  Breakfast is served.”

             
Rose sat and stared at him with love and gratitude.  He returned her look and then reached into his deep pockets.   Rose gaped as he laid the food on the rock in front of her.  There was a small loaf of bread, a thick slab of cheese, and two apples.  In addition, he pulled out several carrots and two small tomatoes.  “Where in the world?” 

             
“You don’t want to know,” Moses said with a smile.

             
The mere idea of the danger he must have put himself in to get this food made her shudder.  “You’re right,” she murmured.  Then she reached for the food. 

It had been dark for quite a while before Moses ventured back out into the open.  Rose waited for him impatiently.  She was ready to resume their journey.  The food and a good day’s sleep had renewed her strength and revived her spirits.  When Moses reappeared with a smile on his face, she rose immediately and followed him. 
                            The boat was right where they had seen it the night before.  No one had been near it.  The sky had still been a threatening gray when the sun had gone down, but at least there was no stiff wind blowing.   Looking carefully in every direction, Moses led the way onto the shore.  Only when he was satisfied no one was around, did he signal for Rose to join him. 

             
Rose moved quickly and settled herself in the front of the boat and tried to control the fear rolling in her stomach as she looked into the black emptiness of the water stretching before her. 

             
Moses stepped in behind her and then settled himself at the oars.  “I haven’t done a lot of this, but I think it won’t be too hard to handle,” he said quietly.

             
Rose merely nodded.  “I trust you,” she said lovingly.  She was determined to be brave.   At his signal she reached forward and undid the thick rope holding the boat. 

             
Rose looked back as the shore line disappeared.  Soon all she could see anywhere was water.  She sat as still as she could while Moses pulled the oars steadily.  “How in the world can you see where you’re going?” she finally asked. 

             
“Can’t.  But I know it’s taking us farther away from the South.  That’s good enough for me.”

             
Suddenly the wind that had died down sprung back up.  Moses worked harder, grunting with each stroke, as the water kicked up whitecaps around them. The boat bobbed like a cork.  Rose took deep breaths to calm herself.  Then to make matters worse, the clouds that had threatened all day delivered on their promise.  The drops started out slowly but were soon a steady downpour.   Soaked through to the bone, Rose soon shivered uncontrollably.

             
“You all right?” Moses called in between gasps for air. 

             
“I’m fine,” Rose called back.  Then, to combat her fear, she began to sing the song that had become their beacon of hope. 

             
Swing low

             
Sweet chariot

             
Coming for to carry me home

             
Swing low

             
Sweet chariot

             
Coming for to carry me home.

             
I looked over Jordan

             
And what did I see

             
Coming for to carry me home

             
A band of angels coming after me

             
Coming for to carry me home.

             
Her voice had started low, but as she sang on to the end, it raised in determined triumph against the elements that battered them.  The rain continued and the waves beat against the sides of their small boat, but her heart was strong and her courage intact. 

             
Once she had finished that song, she launched into another.  She knew without asking that her songs gave Moses strength.  From one song to the next, she sang without stopping. 

             
You call yourself church-member,

             
You hold your head so high,

             
You praise God with your glitt’ring tongue,

             
But you leave all your heart behind.

             
O my Lord delivered Daniel,

             
O Daniel, O Daniel,

             
O my Lord delivered Daniel,

             
O why not deliver me too.

             
Rose lost all track of time as they forged through the water - her singing and Moses rowing.  Suddenly she gave a sharp cry.

             
Moses, with his back to her, stopped rowing.  “What is it?  Is somethin’ wrong?”

             
Roses shook her head happily and then realized he couldn’t see her.  “Land!  I see land, Moses!”

             
Moses whipped his head around for a brief moment and then bent himself to his task once more.  Her announcement seemed to give him added strength, for it seemed only moments before the small boat scraped against the shore.

             
Rose stepped out, her trembling limbs barely able to support her.  A moment later, Moses was standing beside her.  They embraced wordlessly.  The night was still dark and the rain continued to pelt them, but they had completed the next leg of their journey.  Somewhere in the middle of the vast river, Rose had grown up a little bit more.  She would no longer ask what they would do next or whether they would make it or not.  God had brought them this far.  They would continue - one day at a time.  One step at a time.  What did it matter that they were lost in the middle of nowhere?  They were together.  Together they would make it.