The Journey

The Journey. . Once the slaves escaped, they faced an ever-present danger of being recaptured, severely punished, and sold back into slavery. To avoid this danger, freedom seekers employed a variety of methods including traveling by night, wading in streams to lose their scent, taking zigzagged routes and wearing disguises. Harriet Tubman, an escaped slave who helped many others make the journey north, is said to have fooled her would-be captures by pulling out a book and pretending to read. Slaves were forbidden to learn to read. , , The majority of escaped slaves traveled hundreds of miles by foot. The journey north often required swimming rivers, crossing icy waterways and trudging through snake-infested swamps. The path to freedom was treacherous and slaves traveled light, frequently with only the clothes they were wearing when they escaped. As they traveled, slaves had limited access to food. On the first day or two, an escaped slave might have hard biscuits or other saved food. But, as the journey progressed, freedom seekers had to trap animals, catch fish or identify edible plants and berries. The food an escaped slave received at Underground Railroad stops was vital.