“That night, Mary’s family gathered in the barn, sitting around the wooden table Mary’s father had crafted out of pine trees cleared from the land. Everything they ate, wore and used came from the land. Mary’s mother had cooked a fish that Turner had pulled from the stream. It was a strange fish with reddish flesh that Mary had never seen before. Mary’s mother said Miss Dorthea called it, “salmon.”“

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“Later that night, Mary and her mother served the Holmes’ their evening meal, beans soaked in molasses and water with sliced potato. Mary’s mother dished it into small metal bowls from the slave quarters because all of Miss Dorthea’s fine china had broken . Things were different now, out on the trail, heading towards freedom. Maybe that is what freedom promised, Mary thought, everyone eating off the same plate.“

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“Mary could not imagine her family ever separated. Although they were slaves, they had been lucky. Master Holmes had kept them together. Kept them a family. “If it’s thy Lord’s will, thee will be together again some day.” Mr. McPhedren said. Mary wondered why God would allow people who loved each other to be separated. Maybe it wasn’t God who decided. Miss Dorthea always said, “God meant for White men to match and bred slaves.” Mary didn’t believe that. The more she learned, the more she began to think the things Miss Dorthea said might not be true.“

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“As the wagons stopped for the day, Mary gathered buffalo chips in her apron to build a fire for her mother to cook the evening meal . She wished she were a boy like Turner. He got to help their father feed the horses and look after the cows. Mary would much rather do that.“

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“Without being asked, he joined Mary’s father and Turner behind the wheels of the heavy wagon. Their legs sank in the mud around the wheels and they were quickly up to their waists in water. They were soon so covered with mud you couldn’t tell there was a White man among them.“

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“At nightfall, the wagons stopped at a giant rock which had many names carved around its base. Mr. McPhedren told Mary and her family it was called The Great Register. “Do you see all of the names? Travelers on this route have left their mark here, as a sign to those who come behind them, that they made it this far. Now tis our turn.” He handed Mary’s father his knife. Mary watched with pride as her father carved his name on the stone. Then he wrote her mother’s and her brother’s name.“

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“Mary had never heard of Quakers. What she had heard of God came mostly from Miss Dorthea. They had held church in slave row every Sunday morning. The mistress had taught Mary that God meant for Whites to be masters, and it was a sin to disobey Him. Mary was confused. Whose God was right?“

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“Everything from the giant piano to the tiniest box was being loaded onto the two wagons Master Holmes had purchased for the trip. They were parked at the edge of town, already lined up among 150 other wagons. There seemed to be wagons as far as Mary could see. Cattle were tied to the back of many of them, placidly chewing their cud. Dogs ran freely around their owners, including Master Holmes’ two ugly bloodhounds.“

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“That night, Mary slept on a rug at the foot of Miss Dorthea’s bed. It was Mary’s first time in a hotel and she marveled at how large the building was. It was bigger than the Holmes’ house, even bigger than the barn where Mary and Buddy used to visit the horses. Her mind was so full of new sights she barely slept.“

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“When the day of the auction arrived, the plantation was filled with men inspecting the slaves who were for sale. Mary walked among them, keeping their lemonade glasses filled and listening to Bostwick describe her friends. “This boy can tote two bails at a time. And Carrie over here’s got ten good years of birthing left in her.”“

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