Chapter 2
By evening the two men could tell the children were tiring rapidly. Their small footprints dragged at the heel. They found a scuffed place in the forest duff where the smaller one had fallen and been jerked up. The two tall men quickened their pace but halted when they noticed one set of footprints had disappeared.
"Her daddy's pro'bly carry'n her," Daniel said, his voice subdued and sad.
Mingo nodded, then bent and closely examined the tracks. He stood to his full height and looked back along their trail. Then he leaned in close and whispered in Daniel's ear.
"Her father's tracks are not heavier, Daniel. He's not carrying her. She's been hidden somewhere along the trail behind us. Look, two of the captors are ahead of the group. One split off behind us, probably to hunt. They stashed the child, Daniel."
Daniel's green eyes carefully searched the backtrail. He quietly began to retrace his footsteps. Mingo paralleled his friend, moving silently through the trees. Suddenly he stopped and motioned Daniel to stop. Between them was a thicket of berry bushes. Mingo spied the toe of one tiny shoe peeping beneath the leaves. He pointed down and Daniel slowly approached the thicket.
"Hello, there." Daniel made his voice soft and mellow, all his fatherly qualities coming to the forefront. "My name is Daniel. I see your foot peeking out under the bush so I know you're there. What's you name?"
The little foot jerked back and disappeared into the thicket. The child failed to appear and made no comment. Mingo stepped to Daniel's side and whispered. "She's probably thinking that we are the men who captured her. She won't respond. Let's just make a camp very near and wait for her."
Daniel nodded and the two quickly constructed a small camp against the base of three close-growing walnut trees. Mingo went to collect firewood while Daniel made a fire ring and carefully watched the berry thicket. The child reminded him of a fawn. Once placed, the little animal could be trodden upon before it would move. Mingo arrived and started a fire to brew the coffee. Then he took the pot and went in search of water. He returned after a half hour with an empty pot.
"There's no water that I could find, Daniel. We'll just have to sip from our water bags."
Daniel silently handed Mingo a piece of jerky and the two men sat down a few feet apart and began a conversation. Daniel sat facing the bushes, Mingo with his back to them. The child did not appear. Mingo leaned in and whispered an idea. Daniel nodded and the two began to sing one of Israel's favorite nonsense songs about a frog going courting. They made their voices light and the humorous verses spilled into the darkening forest. Suddenly they heard a soft giggle from the berry thicket. Daniel rose and stood before the bushes.
"I could reach in and take your hand, but I'd prob'bly get all scratched up. Why don't you come on out and join us for a sing? We haven't had any comp'ny for days and we'd sure like to meet you." Daniel knelt down to lessen the effect his tall frame would have on a frightened child. After several minutes the bushes parted and a tiny child emerged. Daniel extended his large hand and the child placed hers in his palm. Together they walked back to the fire.
Though Mingo carefully controlled his expression as Daniel was doing, the two men were very surprised at the child's appearance. Her hair was curly and seemed to be a light brown color. Her skin was pale and she bore no sign of having Negro blood. Mingo scooted over so she could sit beside him near the fire. He leaned over and gave her a piece of salted bear meat. She took it and gnawed hungrily. The friends exchanged a guarded glance.
"My name is Mingo. You already met Daniel. Won't you tell us your name so we can all be friends?"
The child looked up into Mingo's dark eyes and brown face framed with long black braids. She studied him for several seconds and then replied, "Zena."
"That's a very pretty name. Did your mother and father give you that name?"
The child nodded but did not speak again. She chewed and swallowed dryly. Mingo leaned over and gave her his water bag. She tilted it carefully and sipped the warm water. Then she handed it back to the man at her side.
"Where are your mama and papa?" Daniel looked across the fire at the little mite at Mingo's side.
The child raised her eyes but did not answer. Daniel looked at Mingo and shrugged. Mingo tried again. "We passed a cabin a few miles back that had just burned. There was a tight little smokehouse and a privy. It had a pretty rose bush in the yard. Was that your house?"
The child lowered her head and nodded. Mingo continued, "I am very glad that you weren't hurt when the cabin burned. Where are your mother and father? Did you run away from them?"
The child slowly shook her head. "You didn't? Then how did you come to be all by yourself hiding in a berry thicket?"
A slow tear coursed down the little girl's face. Mingo reached out and pulled her gently into his arms. She pressed her face into his shoulder and quivered in distress. He lifted her to sit on his lap as he slowly rocked and hummed to her. Daniel walked to sit beside them.
"Zena? Mingo and I want to help you. Will you let us do that? Please?" The child continued to press her face into Mingo's shoulder. Daniel's voice was warm and tender. He tilted his head to look into her face. "We like you. Don't you like us?"
The little head nodded against Mingo's leather vest. Daniel smiled down into her face.
"Daniel and I like you too. Won't you tell us what happened yesterday? Hmmmm?" Mingo's voice was soft and velvety. "Sit up now and tell us."
Zena did as Mingo asked. She brushed the backs of her hands across her tear-streaked face. Her light eyes sparkled in the firelight. With quivering voice the little girl told her story.
"The men came while we were eatin' breakfast. Mama made pancakes." Two tears rolled down her face at the memory. Daniel reached out and brushed them gently away. "They scared me. They yelled at Papa and pushed him. Mama hugged me real tight. Leander too. But the men pulled Lee away and pushed him onto the porch with Papa. Then they pulled Mama and me outside. They had big guns and talked real loud. Papa tried to talk to them but the one man hit him with his gun. Papa's head got all bloody."
Zena's voice caught in a sob as the memory hit her with full force. Mingo hugged her tightly and looked into Daniel's taut face. He shook his dark head warningly. Daniel nodded in assent and reached to pull the blanket from his pack. He draped it tenderly over the child in Mingo's arms. Mingo continued to slowly rock and hum, and soon the little girl's body was limp with slumber. Mingo carefully wrapped the blanket around her body and laid her on the ground. Then he and Daniel moved to the other side of the fire and talked together.
"Well Mingo, looks like we were right. Those men must be pushin' the family south back into slavery. How men can be so outright mean is a puzzle to me."
"It comes back to greed, Daniel. The man will probably fetch a high price, between 100 and 200 pounds sterling. He's in his prime. The wife will likewise bring a high price. The boy will bring less, but still a sizeable sum. Undoubtedly they will be sold to different buyers. We've got to catch them before they reach Savannah or Charles Town. Those are the likeliest destinations. What I don't understand is how the three men know this family."
"It doesn't really matter at this point. We need to hurry. They'll prob'bly whip the rest of 'em once they notice Zena's gone."
"I doubt that Daniel. These men want the best price possible, and whip marks will decrease the price."
Daniel frowned his doubt. Mingo continued to explain his thoughts. "Whip scars will indicate the slave is intractable. It will lower the amount another man will pay for such a troublesome hand. And whip scars on a woman makes her less desirable in other ways." Mingo's face was tight with his emotion and soon Daniel's face mirrored his friend's as he understood Mingo's unspoken implication.
"We should be able to catch'em tomorrow, Mingo. They've got the woman and boy to slow 'em down."
"And now we have Zena to slow us."
Daniel pursed his lips in thought. "Yeah, but you and me're used to the wilderness, and I somehow doubt their legs are as long as ours." Daniel grinned as he remembered all the times he and Mingo had to slow down to accommodate other companions. Mingo smiled in return and patted Daniel's shoulder. Their heavy moods lightened with their confidence.
"Then we'd best get some sleep. We'll have to take turns carrying Zena just like we did with Onatha. I'll watch first. Good night, Daniel. I'll wake you in a few hours." Mingo grasped his rifle and eased outside the circle of firelight. Daniel pulled Mingo's blanket loose, draped it around his shoulders and stretched full length upon the soft Kentucky soil beside the sleeping child. In minutes the sound of his heavy breathing blended with the night sounds as the moon made its nightly journey to join the morning.