4 Escape!

Chapter 4 Escape! Frederick was now six feet tall, strong, and smart. Master Hugh hired him out to one of the many shipyards in Baltimore. Frederick was to do whatever jobs were needed. "Fred, bring that roller here!—Fred, go get a fresh can of water—Fred, come help saw off the end of this timber." For eight months, Frederick worked alongside free blacks and whites. At another shipyard, Frederick learned to caulk, or fill the cracks in a ship's hull so it wouldn't leak. Within a year, Frederick was earning as much as nine dollars a week. All this money went to Master Hugh. Frederick felt he was being robbed of his own wages. Master Hugh hadn't earned the money. Why should he get to keep it? The reason was slavery. And the only answer was to once again plan an escape.

Frederick needed to set some money aside for himself. He convinced Master Hugh to let him find his own work. Frederick would buy his own food and tools and pay for a place to live. All these expenses would cost about six dollars a week. Master Hugh wouldn't have to pay for any of them. In addition, every Saturday Frederick would give Master Hugh three dollars. This was a good deal for Master Hugh, who didn't have to support Frederick any longer. But it was hard for Frederick, who would have to caulk six days a week and pick up other jobs, too. Still, he was up for the challenge and managed to put away a little of the money each week.

During this time Frederick met a free black woman named Anna Murray. Anna worked as a housekeeper for a rich white family. She and Frederick fell in love and hoped to marry.

One weekend in August, Frederick was late bringing Master Hugh his three dollars. Angry, Master Hugh stopped letting Frederick hire himself out for jobs. Frederick went back to living with his master. This was something he could not endure. With the money he had saved, and more from Anna, he would make a run for the North. He set a date he would leave: September 3, 1838. Anna would follow later. As the date approached, Frederick grew uneasy. If he were caught again, he would surely be sold farther south. There, it would be much harder to escape, because the distance to any free state would be so much longer. Anna carefully tailored Frederick's clothing to look like the uniform of a sailor.

On Monday morning, Frederick left the Auld house for work, as usual. But instead of going to the shipyard, Frederick boarded a northbound train from Baltimore. He wore a red shirt, a black tie knotted loosely around his neck, and a

broad-brimmed sailor's hat. As proof of his freedom, he carried a friend's seaman's papers. These papers described Frederick's friend—who had much darker skin than Frederick. If anyone looked closely and discovered this, Frederick would be arrested. On the train, the conductor asked Frederick for his free papers. "My whole future depended upon the decision of this conductor," Frederick knew. Satisfied by the American eagle on top of the seaman's papers, the conductor looked no further.