THE MYSTERY OF ROANOKE; CHAPTER 8: MELISSA AND BRIAN LISTEN TO JOHN'S STORY (EIGHTH OF 14 PARTS)

The story so far: After their ghostly new friend has vanished in the springhouse, Melissa and Brian discover a secret tunnel in the wall. They follow it underground and end up in a cave on the river, where their mysterious friend, John, is waiting for them.

Melissa stared at John and slowly released his warm hand. He seemed to glow.

"Are you -- a ghost?" Melissa whispered.

John looked down at his arms and legs. "Well, I'm not sure about that," he said. His voice was strong and calm, and there was an airy fragrance about him, like fresh laundry.

"Are you an angel?"

John laughed. "I don't think so, miss," he said. "I'm just someone who lived a long time ago. I've been waiting for you. I need your help." He gestured for them to sit down inside the cave.

Then John told them his story.

He was born in 1845. He had been a slave at Belle Vie, sold from a large farm in Salem to the owner of the O'Donnell plantation, Miss Elizabeth.

"They sold you?" Brian asked.

John nodded soberly. He had been forced to leave his family, who also were slaves. His mother cried and pleaded, he said, but it did no good. He was taken away and his last name was changed to O'Donnell.

"In those days, a lot of people were treated much worse," he said. He patted Faithful on the head. "But, while I was not harmed at Belle Vie, I longed for my freedom," he said. "And I missed my family. I was only 10, like you."

Melissa said, "We miss our parents, too."

Now, John continued, there happened to be a secret network of people, black and white, free and slave, men and women, all working together to help slaves escape to freedom. They seldom knew each others' names. They sent messages in code. And they were in constant danger, because it was a crime to help slaves escape.

A white man in Salem, Rev. Henry Baxter, was one of them. He was an old friend of Miss Elizabeth's, and visited Belle Vie often. And, even though he knew that Miss Elizabeth also hated slavery, he did not discuss it with her. It would have been too dangerous for everyone if the wrong people found out what he was doing.

On certain nights, Rev. Baxter and many others helped people on their way to freedom. If the runaways could get to Pennsylvania, they would be free. Most of them continued north. Many went as far as Canada.

Most slaves knew about a woman who had fled slavery in Maryland. She returned to the South many times to escort running slaves. Others learned her ways and joined the effort.

"That was Harriet Tubman," said Brian. "I've read about her. She led people on the Underground Railroad."

"We called her Moses, but we never saw her," John said. "We only heard of her."

"She was really brave," Brian said. "She could've been killed."

John agreed. "My family and I always said that if we ever got free, we would change our last name to Moses, in her honor."

He explained that the Underground Railroad wasn't really a railroad at all, nor was it underground. It was a name for the slaves' escape routes through woods, across rivers, and over mountains.

One of the good things in his life, John said, was that he could read and write, even though it was against the law. He and his parents and his little sister had been taught secretly by a slave who had been a teacher. Mostly they read the Bible, which helped give them courage during hard times.

After John went to Belle Vie, he helped Miss Elizabeth's son, George, with his Bible lessons. George was grateful; he needed the help. When Rev. Baxter visited, George was expected to know such things. Both Miss Elizabeth and the reverend knew John could read -- and they kept quiet about it.

John looked forward to the minister's visits. For three years, secretly, the kind man brought letters from John's family. When he left, he took John's letters to them in return.

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, 1858, Rev. Baxter and his wife paid a visit to Belle Vie. Their wagon was loaded with food and gifts cotton for clothes, a wooden hobbyhorse for George, a cake, fruit and wine. For the slaves they brought gifts also, including a small wooden box for John. Rev. Baxter drew him aside. "John, your gift is special," he said, tapping the box. "Search for your answers here." John opened it, and found his name carved inside the lid. The box held a small, simple Bible, with a ribbon marking the page with Psalm 23.

John explained that passage to the twins. "It's about a dangerous journey," he said.

Brian and Melissa nodded. They had seen that psalm a lot lately.

"You see, he was trying to tell me something, but I did not understand," John continued. "Belle Vie was a station on the Underground Railroad. One of the other slaves, Joseph, had been helping people who passed through. He had dug the tunnel through the springhouse, which led to the river. Others passing through had been using it to hide and escape, but I didn't know about it."

Brian said, "We saw that room in the tunnel. Did people stay there?"

John nodded. He went on, "Late in the day, Joseph took me aside and told me I was to escape that very night. My family was waiting for me. Rev. Baxter had hidden them in his wagon and left them at the river. And he had given me the Bible, for courage, I suppose. Joseph asked me if I had seen a map, but I said no, there was no map. Joseph seemed upset.

"After supper, I had time only to dress warmly. Then I had to leave.

"I felt sad that I wasn't able to say good-bye to anyone, especially Miss Elizabeth. I had always thought she wanted me to be free. The last thing I heard was Miss Elizabeth playing the piano.

"But in my rush, I forgot the box and the Bible. I found the tunnel in the springhouse, but --" He broke off.

"What happened?" Brian whispered.

"I never found my family," John said, and he held his head in his hands. "At the river I must have gone the wrong way. It was so dark. And the river was high from all the rain. I lost my way and then --" He paused.

"What?" said Brian.

"I drowned," John said. "I fell in the river and I could not swim." He shivered.

The twins were silent.

John looked up. "Ever since then, I've been stuck here, waiting, until you arrived. I can still get back to my family, but I need your help."

"Help?" Melissa said. "How can we help you?"

She touched John's hand. This time his skin was cold.

Next week: The stone by the river.