Recovery from the exhaustion, hunger, and loss of his hand would require time. Time Tobias didn’t have. He was moving closer to the slave catchers, and had a long way to go before his journey ended. He needed strength, sleep, and food.

He moved rather slowly that day, making his way through the woods. At least the shade of the trees kept the hot August sun off his back as he traveled. The woods were thick, almost shutting out the rays of the sun completely. Only a few narrow beams of light penetrated the leaves, spotting the ground beneath with round blotches of light. He felt safe in the woods. The chances of anyone finding him here were slim.

The same could not be said for the rest of the trip. After he left the cover of the forest, Tobias would be in the open more often. He would travel during darkness, trying to pick up a few miles each night, making whatever headway he safely could in the daytime.

Tobias reached the Northern edge of the woods about two hours before sunset that first day. A tobacco plantation lay in a valley to the north. About three miles to the west, Tobias noted a narrow strip of woods winding in an irregular path Northward, probably bordering the same stream he had crossed this morning. Tobias would rest here until well after nightfall. Then he would decide if he should follow the road or the stream.

He poked around in the woods looking for anything Mother Nature may offer in the way of food. After finding only a few edible roots, Tobias happened upon a wild apple tree. The tree yielded some small, bitter apples. The first apple instantly dried his mouth, but after gobbling three or four his stomach was temporarily satisfied. He wished his pants sported pockets, for he would have liked to take a couple of the sour apples with him. But, given the fact he had a hard time carrying anything, he would pass, hoping to find more food along the way.

Tobias began to move deeper into the woods when he realized he had left the apple cores lying on the ground, a sign that the slave hunters would surely notice when the dogs led them here. He picked up the cores, wondering what he should do with them. The only thing he could think of was to eat them. He ground the gristly cores between his teeth as he looked for a place to sleep.