Authors: Ginny Dye
“Yes, sir!”
The next sound they heard was disappearing footsteps. Moses let his breath out, and they moved on until they came to another set of stairs and descended into a lower part of the tunnel. Carrie knew they must be parallel to the basement. The air was heavier and carried a lot more moisture. She reached out to touch Moses, but he shook his head and continued on. She knew he was not willing to talk until they were farther from the house.
Just then he stopped and held up his hand. Without saying anything, he pointed to the outline of a door in the wall. Carrie leaned forward to gaze at the barely visible door, its looped handle resting almost solid against the bricks. It must lead into a part of the basement. She tried to ascertain where they were. The closest she could figure, they were almost directly under the kitchen. Suddenly she remembered the wall of shelves holding all the herbs she had bottled. Was there a door hidden in those shelves? They had been there for as long as she could remember.
Her amazement grew as they continued along. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined her house held such a secret. How had Moses known about it? That intrigued her almost more than the tunnel.
They made several more turns before Moses finally came to a stop. Then he turned to her. “I think it’s okay to talk now.”
Now that it was safe to talk, Carrie could do no more than stare at him. Suddenly the reality of the situation hit her, and tears flooded her eyes. When Moses opened his arms, she walked into them. A moment later, sniffing back her tears, she stepped away. She wouldn’t waste their precious time crying. She took a deep breath and looked up at him. “You know I have a thousand questions. Why don’t you just start talking?”
Moses nodded. “I will. But let’s get out of this tunnel. I’m not sure how long my candle is going to last. We don’t want to be stuck in the dark.”
Carrie nodded. It took them just a few more minutes to travel the rest of the tunnel. She gazed around her as they walked. The tunnel was circular and tall enough for even Moses to walk straight. Who had built this thing? How long had it been here?
Why
was it here?
Then her mind flashed back to the house. How were Sam and Opal? What about the children? All she could do was pray the Union soldiers wouldn’t hurt them. She hoped Sam was right - that they didn’t have a fight with the slaves. Other concerns crowded in, though. What would the slaves do if they had no food? How would they survive with her not there to run things? Impatiently, she shoved the thoughts from her mind. There was nothing she could do about them now.
Finally, they broke out of the tunnel. Carrie stared at the gentle lapping swells of the James River just feet from where she stood. Moses waved her over to sit on a rock right next to the entrance. There was no chance anyone would sneak up on them. The entrance commanded a view of the river bank a hundred feet or more in either direction. The entrance itself was well concealed with a heavy growth of brush.
Carrie gazed at Moses. She wasn’t sure which question to ask first. Finally she said, “I got your letter from Aunt Abby. I’m so glad you made it safely.”
Moses nodded. “I could take all morning just to tell you about that trip. I reckon it will have to wait for another time.”
Carrie couldn’t miss the anxious look on Moses’ face. She knew it had to be more than just worry for her safety. Then she remembered the last conversation she had heard between the soldiers in her bedroom. The one called Clyde - he’d talked about Moses. She’s almost forgotten it in her amazement over the tunnel. “You’re a Union spy?”
Moses nodded. “I told you I would find a way to help the Union.” He answered Carrie’s next question before she asked it. “Rose is doing fine. She’s in school and helping Aunt Abby around the house.”
Carrie was glad to know her friend was okay, but her mind quickly moved on. “If you don’t reconnect with the rest of the men soon, you will be in danger.”
Moses nodded again. “It’s not me I’m so worried about. I can figure out a story to keep them at least guessing. It’s Sam and the rest I’m worried about. That man Clyde can cause a lot of trouble.” Then he shook his head. “First we got to get you out of here safely.”
Carrie had to know one thing. “How in the world did you know about the tunnel, Moses?”
Moses shrugged. “I was listening when I shouldn’t have been listening,” he said with a small smile. “I’ve found out it can come in handy sometimes. Your father took Robert up to your bedroom one day when your mama was real sick. I was taking up a bucket of ice to you. I wasn’t even sure myself why I snuck down that day to listen to them. I knew he would beat me within an inch of my life if he found me. But for some reason I just had to go.” His heavy brow creased. “I heard your father tell Robert the mirror was the entrance to a tunnel that ran all the way to the river. That your great-granddaddy had put it in to be ready for Indian attacks.”
“But why didn’t Father ever tell me?” Carrie cried.
Moses shrugged. “I reckon you’ll have to ask him that. Anyway, I heard a scraping noise and knew the entrance must be opening. Then I heard your father say sometimes the handle sticks on the outside.”
“There’s a handle on my mirror?” Carrie asked in amazement.
“Evidently. Anyway, next he said the handle on the inside always worked.”
“But why did he tell Robert?”
“Because he knows Robert loves you. He figured he would be the one to take care of you if he couldn’t,” Moses said simply.
Carrie’s eyes filled with tears. How wonderful that would be. Then she shook her head. Dreaming was useless. Especially now.
Moses continued on. “I was hoping to get to you last night.” Briefly he explained his floundering in the woods. “When I realized I wasn’t going to make it on time to get you out through the house, everything your daddy said came pouring back.”
Carrie looked around where they were sitting. “How in the world did you know how to find the entrance?”
“I didn’t,” Moses said with a grin. “All I knew was that it broke out onto the river.”
“But Moses,” Carrie protested. “The river bank goes a long way. How in the world did you find it?” She looked back over her shoulder and saw absolutely no evidence of a tunnel entrance. She jumped up and walked over for a closer look. If she looked closely, she could see a slight break in the brush. She pushed it aside and could just see the outline of a wooden door. She shook her head in amazement. “How…?”
Moses’ voice sounded over her shoulder. “Let’s just say I agree with Sarah about the power of prayer. I ain’t never prayed so hard in all my life. I was walking along, knowing that with every second that passed you were in more and more danger. All of a sudden, it was like that pile of brush there was calling my name. I didn’t even ask questions for once. I just walked over and there it was.”
Carrie stared up at him. She didn’t know what to say. At some point all of this would sink in, but right now it was hard to believe she wasn’t living a dream. A single gunshot in the distance jerked her back to hard reality. “Sam! Opal...” she breathed. Suddenly she squared her shoulders. “I can’t just leave them, Moses. I have to go back.”
Moses took her by the shoulders and swung her around to face him. “You’re not doing any such thing, Carrie Cromwell. I don’t reckon God showed me that tunnel to make sure you were free, just to have you turn around and walk right back into the middle of trouble.” His voice was stern.
Carrie gazed at him. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew he was right. Her eyes filled with tears. “What if they hurt them?”
Moses shook his head. “I don’t think they’ll hurt anybody. They might scare them, but it wouldn’t do them any good to hurt them. They’ll probably need their help getting all the food.”
Carrie groaned again. “How in the world are they going to survive when the soldiers leave and all the food is gone?”
“They’ll manage,” Moses said firmly. “And if I know the captain, he won’t take it all. He’s a good man. Hates slavery. He’s not going to leave them to starve. They’ll plant again, Carrie. They’ll be fine.”
Carrie wasn’t sure she believed him, but believe it or not, she was forced to accept she could not do anything to help them right now. “What next?” she finally asked with a small smile.
Moses frowned. “We’ve got to get you to Richmond.
How
is the question.”
Carrie stared out over the water. “I probably wouldn’t make it on foot. It sounds like there are lots of troops in the area.”
Moses nodded. “We can walk back together to find my horse, but I’m not at all certain she is still there.” His voice was troubled.
Carrie thought hard. “They will take all our horses, won’t they.” She could hardly bear to think of Granite in Union hands.
Moses nodded. “Probably,” he said regretfully.
“Today?”
Moses looked thoughtful. “Probably not today. They are more interested in food. They’ll bring men back to gather the food. Then they’ll probably help themselves to the animals. Most of the other plantations had turned them loose. We found them wandering in the woods.”
“Everyone else is gone?”
“Sure looks like it.”
Carrie shook her head. “Why didn’t Father let me know?” Then she pushed such futile thoughts out of her mind. She must deal with the present. She was quiet for several minutes as she thought. Now that some of the terror had passed, she was able to think more clearly. Obviously God wanted her out of here, or he wouldn’t have allowed Moses to find the tunnel. She just had to figure out what came next.
“You think this tunnel leads to the barn?” she asked.
“I wondered the same thing. I don’t know for sure, but it would make sense. Animals were just as important then as they are now.” He paused. “Why?”
“Granite is in the barn. With any luck they won’t let him out. It’s obvious how valuable he is.” The plan took shape rapidly as she talked. “I’m going to wait here until it’s dark. Then I’m going to figure out a way to get to the barn. When I do, Granite and I are going to clear out of here.”
“You’re going to ride right past Union soldiers?” Moses demanded. “Are you crazy?”
Carrie shrugged, her courage returning. “I know parts of this plantation no one else does. With any luck I’ll make it.”
“And if you don’t?”
Carrie smiled up at Moses’ tense face. “And what if you hadn’t been able to find the tunnel?”
“But I did!”
“Exactly. But not because of anything you did. God showed you that tunnel. I guess he can help me get out of here, too.” Her voice and mind were calm now.
“But what if it doesn’t work?” Moses protested.
“You got any better ideas?” Carrie asked.
Slowly Moses shook his head. “Let’s go look for that tunnel to the stable.” He turned to head back inside.
Carrie reached out her hand and stopped him. “I’ll find the stable. You have to get back.”
Moses straightened abruptly, his eyes flashing. “I’m not going to do any such thing. I aim to stay with you until I know you’re safe.”
Carrie’s voice was firm. “That’s ridiculous, Moses. And you know it. You’ve done all you can for me now.” She took his rough hand and smiled up at him. “You risked your life for me. Thank you,” she said softly.
“It was the least I could do,” Moses growled.