The young man said, “Please don’t tell you saw us here.” Red laughed and moved closer. “If you won’t tell that you saw us here.” The young man lowered his head and strained his eyes. “Lordy, you wearin’ uniforms.” The girl trembled so hard she could barely speak. “What would Yankees be doin’ here?” Tim said quietly, “We’re making our way north. We haven’t had an easy time.” The man studied their tattered uniforms. “Well, I guess not,” he said. “Wish we could help you, but all the colored folks hereabouts mus’ be inside by sundown.” Red said, “You can help us most by forgetting you saw us. Have we crossed into North Carolina yet?” “No, Massa. Old North State is one mile more.” The man looked down at his bare feet. “I thought to go north to fight for Massa Linkum, but I got no shoes.” The girl turned to her man. “Don’t go away,” she pleaded softly. Red’s face was serious. “You better not try it without any shoes.” He looked into the shadows. “Will we be safe if we travel this road?” The young man turned and motioned with his arm. “Go lef’ when you come to the fork. Hide in the trees if you hear a soun’.” As the white men started down the road the girl called after them, “God keep you safe.” * * * * * On the morning of the third day after they had crossed into North Carolina they slept at the bottom of a broad cleft in a massive rock. At the top of the rock the rift was narrow so that the crack formed a sheltered cave. The floor of the cave was dry and the men were tired. They slept much later than usual. Tim was awakened by a violent cramp. They had eaten the last of their food two days before. He lay on his back and stared at the walls of rock. It was bitter cold. If they hoped to go on they would have to find food by nightfall. Tim studied Red’s face, thin and sunken under his bristling beard. Red stirred in his sleep and moaned and settled down again. Tim bent his knees and sat up, stretched, and crawled to the mouth of the cave. The ground outside was in the grip of a heavy frost. Tim faced a long, steep hill dotted with poplar and spruce. At the bottom of the hill, in a winding valley, a river glistened in the afternoon sun and the sound of running water came to his ears. Beyond the valley, above the delicate fringes of purple and gold, a mighty ridge stood proud against the sky. Last night and in the early hours of this morning they had traveled fifteen miles or so without a halt, pushing onward to forget their hunger and bring themselves nearer to people who might help. Behind them was their first high ridge. They had crossed it in the blackness of a cloudy night, hardly aware of the dizzying heights until they reached the top. Then, looking back, they saw the shapes of the cliffs and rocks tumbling downward into the darkness, giving them sudden vertigo.