You continue through the woods and decide to steer clear of the main roads. "It's better to take a long time by a safe route than a short time by a dangerous one" you reason.

​

The way ahead is not easy. The branches scrape at your faces and arms. The mud and stagnant water fills your shoes and pretty soon your feet are numb from the cold. After three days of walking through the woods, the raisins, pork belly, and the biscuits Ellen stole from the plantation kitchen are gone. Your body aches from walking so much and all you can think of is how nice it would be to sleep next to warm fire with a hot bowl of blackeyed pea soup. You look at Ellen and you can see from her face that she feels the same way but the two of you are too tired to talk.

​

You begin to wonder if you should give up and return to your owner. You think of other slaves who had absconded from their masters, hid out for a time, to get something they wanted. After a few days the master would be angry but so grateful that his expensive property was back that he would often give in to the slave's demand. You might be able to head back to the plantation and convince one of your friends to tell the master you had just absconded but would return if he promised not to split you and Ellen apart.

​

You keep your thoughts from Ellen until you are sure that's what you want to do. The thought of being a slave again was heartbreaking but at this point freedom was just a cold, soggy dream. You see a stream ahead and reaching it, realize that you are only a few miles from Hammond Plantation. You had completly walked in a circle during the night.

​

Ellen begins to sob and you tell her of your plan. She agrees to go along with it. What choice is there?

​

A few hours later your friend returns to tell you that the master is furious but grateful that you hadn't been stolen. He agrees to your demand and suprisingly, he keeps his promise.

​

You both spend the next 14 years as slaves to the Fisher's until the end of the Civil War when all slaves in the United States were officially emancipated.

The End