17 
17 The hounds are baying on my track, my Master’s just behind,
Resolv’d that he will bring me back and fast his fetters bind.
GEORGE N. ALLEN, FROM The Underground Railcar
Gant was unprepared entirely for the message delivered to his door in the middle of the night.
Word came down the line from Keller’s station well after midnight, delivered by one of Tom Keller’s sons. So rushed was the warning that apparently no thought had been given to sending a note. Instead, young Merle Keller gasped it out in a harsh whisper. The boy quickly agreed to take the same message to Turner’s station, and then he bolted back to his horse and rode off.
Gant’s mind raced as he watched him ride away. So the runaways would not be leaving as planned. At least three teams of slave catchers had been spotted in Washington and Noble counties over the past few days. No fugitives or conductors would be safe on the roads regardless of how well traveled they might be.
Gant wasn’t a worrier by nature. He had long ago learned that prayer was the underground operation’s most dependable defense. Over the years he had taken to heart the apostle Paul’s advice to pray without ceasing, so he often prayed for the refugees’ protection while they were sheltered in his barn and during a move. But this sudden and wholly unexpected change of plans spooked him a little.
He simply had too many people on the premises to hide safely. Concealing two or three runaways was risky enough, but eleven men, women, and children were currently counting on his protection. How in the world was he to shelter so many indefinitely?
He bolted the door and decided against going back to bed. Sleep was the furthest thing from his mind now. Too much to think about, too much to figure out. And some of that unceasing prayer would seem to be in order as well.
From his place by the stove, Mac growled. Gant looked at him, but an instant later a low rumble made him turn toward the window. Again, Mac gave a chuff, but he too had grown accustomed to the sound the bobcat made when he was close by and paid the animal little heed these days. The cat would remain well hidden. That halfhearted snarl he’d just offered was simply his way of making his presence known.
As if Gant needed a reminder. He was beginning to feel as though the creature had taken to tracking his every move.
Finally he went to the window and looked out, but as he’d expected, he could see nothing but darkness. But the cat was out there all right, slinking around in the trees and behind the bushes, watching the house and waiting.
Waiting for what? Gant wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
Asa was just as reluctant as Gant to break the news to the people the next morning.
They went to the barn early, before dawn, to get it over with before taking them their morning meal. Just as they expected, when the refugees heard about the delay, the weight of disappointment was heavy. Gant’s attempts to brighten the situation fell flat for the most part, although he could sense some of the folks making an effort to stay positive.
“It may not be all that long,” he said, watching their faces after he explained the problem. He couldn’t blame them for feeling discouraged and apprehensive. Even to him, his words sounded unconvincing.
The boy Silas made no attempt to hide his frustration. “How long will we have to wait?”
“There will be people keeping watch day and night, passing the word down the line,” Gant said. “As soon as the slave catchers are out of the area, we’ll know.”
“Are you talking about hours or days or what?”
Gant shrugged. “There’s no telling. All we can do is stay put until word comes that it’s safe to move.”
“So in the meantime we just sit here and wait to get caught,” the boy shot back.
Asa was clearly growing impatient. “There won’t be any getting caught so long as you do as Captain Gant says. You just have to stay out of sight and keep quiet.”
“That’s easier said than done,” Silas muttered. “Folks are already getting restless. They want to be on their way.”
Gant knew the boy was right, and impatience bred carelessness. But with everyone around them looking on and hearing their exchange, he held his own concerns in check. “No doubt. And I’m not saying it will be easy, but we don’t have a choice. We just have to wait it out.”
The boy’s mouth pulled down. “Oh, there’s a choice. I’ve outsmarted slave catchers before. I can do it again.”
“Boy, don’t go talkin’ foolishness!” Asa shot back. “Just because you’re willing to risk your own neck doesn’t give you the right to put other folks in harm’s way. You need to settle down and use whatever common sense the good Lord gave you.”
Asa’s outburst surprised Gant. He’d never known a man with a cooler head or one slower to rile. Something about the boy seemed to set Asa’s teeth to grinding.
Silas stood glaring at Asa but said nothing more.
The youth’s reckless air and apparent hotheadedness troubled Gant too. Before leaving the barn, he took the boy’s arm and led him aside. “Take care you don’t get your people stirred up. They’re counting on you. There’s always danger when you’re on the move, but there’s no need to go looking for more trouble. You’ll be safe here for now, so don’t get in a hurry and do anything foolish.”
“I don’t need you to tell me that,” the boy said, yanking his arm away from Gant’s grip. “I’ve done this enough times to know what’s safe and what’s not.”
Gant studied him for a moment. “Then you’re smart enough to know not to light out when there’s a gaggle of riffraff prowling about just waiting to turn a profit off someone’s lack of caution.”
For an instant, the youth’s eyes flashed defiance and a hint of deep-seated anger. But the fire banked as quickly as it flared. “I’m not stupid,” he said. “Don’t concern yourself about me.”
“See that I don’t need to,” Gant grumbled, following Asa out the barn door.
Outside, Mac trotted ahead of them, but Gant slowed. “That boy’s too young and too feisty to be in charge of all those people. Once you get on the road, you’ll have to cool him down more than once, I expect.”
Asa nodded. “He’s some too big for his britches, that’s for sure.”
They took up a faster pace again. “Comes with being young, I suppose,” Gant said. “He gets to you, doesn’t he?” he added, grinning.
“He’s a little impudent, all right.” Asa hesitated. “I can’t place exactly what it is about him, but he reminds me of someone.”
“Who’s that?”
“I don’t know. Just something about him…”
“Well, I can’t blame him for being jumpy. The longer we have those runaways under roof, the more risk for them all.” Gant paused. “For that matter, I’m worried just as much about you.”
Asa looked at him. “Me? Why?”
“You know why. You’re a free man, but a lot of people aren’t aware of that. And some who do know might not care.”
“Ohio’s a free state.”
They stopped walking. “You’re too smart to think that guarantees you a pass from trouble. There are just as many folks eager to help the bounty hunters as those trying to help the slaves.”
“You’d best worry about yourself instead of me. I’d say a white man with eleven runaway slaves in his barn is living way too close to the local jail.”
“Even so, you’d do well not to be too visible while we’re waiting on word to move. Most folks in town know you’re free and just think you work for me. But outsiders that stick around any length of time are going to question why you come and go as you do.”
“Don’t you worry none, Captain. I can do a pretty good job of pretending to be your ‘boy.’ ”
“Hang it all, Asa, that’s exactly what you can’t do! If they assume you’re not free but working for wages, they’ll haul us both to jail. You know it’s illegal for a white man to hire a slave.”
Asa shrugged. “All right. I’ll stay in the barn with the others for now.”
“You will not!”
The dark, steady gaze Asa leveled on him made Gant flinch. “Captain, we’ve always known there would be things about this work we wouldn’t like. But we both agreed we’d do whatever needed to be done.” He paused. “Sleeping in a barn a few nights doesn’t seem like much of a sacrifice to me when some of those folks have probably never slept even a single night by a warm stove.”
They started walking again. “Best we get some food out to them now,” Asa said mildly. “It’ll be daylight soon, and they’ll need to go below.”
Gant nodded, still not liking the idea of his friend sleeping in the barn. But when Asa took that tone with him, he knew better than to argue any further.
“So where has young Gideon been keeping himself lately?” Asa said. “I know he’s working in the shop, but I never see him anymore in the evening. He hasn’t had supper with us for days now.”
“Doc and Susan have needed help out at the farm lately,” Gant said. “There’s a lot to be done out there. Gideon leaves right after he finishes up in the shop and goes out to lend them a hand.” He smiled a little. “I believe he also spends some of his time driving by a certain young Amish girl’s place. That’s just an assumption on my part, but Emma Knepp lives close to Gideon’s family, you know.”
“Ah. So he’s gone sweet on a girl.”
“I’d say so. But she’s Amish.”
“Well, he is too.”
“But he’s living Englisch, and that will be a problem if he tries to court an Amish girl.”
“Well, love has a way of overcoming problems sometimes.”
“Always the philosopher, eh?”
Asa shrugged. “You don’t agree?”
Gant shoved his hands in his pockets and kept walking. “All I know is, even love isn’t enough to bridge the divide between Amish and Englisch.”
Asa looked at him but said nothing.