| Page | Item | Description |
| 3 | Massa Swille | The main slave master of the story, also, the word “swill” refers to slop, usually fed to pigs |
| 3 | Liza Leap | This is likely a reference to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, in which Eliza leaps from the South side of the Ohio River to the North side; which symbolizes the leap from slavery to freedom.
https://www.shmoop.com/uncle-toms-cabin/eliza-leap-symbol.html |
| 3 | Trailways | Code word for the Underground Railroad and also a reference to a bus company based in Baltimore, MD.
http://projecthbw.blogspot.com/2011/08/break-it-down-flight-to-canada_31.html |
| 3 | Cap’n | Most likely the leader of the Underground Railroad where the narrator escaped. He along with other “passengers” commended the narrator on his escape.
http://projecthbw.blogspot.com/2011/08/break-it-down-flight-to-canada_31.html |
| 3 | “Craning your next after the North Star” | The way the narrator is travelling is better than having to watch your back for slave catchers, or “crane your neck”.
http://projecthbw.blogspot.com/2011/08/break-it-down-flight-to-canada_31.html |
| 3 | North Star | The North Star, also known as Polaris, is a star famous for its location (The North Celestial Pole), and for the fact that it does not rotate like other stars. Consequently, the North Star would mark the direction of North, or “The Promised Land” to slaves. |
| 4 | Hays and Allen Stock | Referencing Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave, likely referring to slave catchers. |
| 4 | Yellow Judas Cato | From the context of the story, probably another slave on the same plantation that the narrator was. |
| 4 | She-Bear | An Italian fairy-tale about a girl who is turned into a bear to escape her incestuous relationship with her father. She finds a prince while she is a bear and later shows him that she is actually a woman. They then get married and live happily ever after. This could refer to slave masters who would make sexual advances on their female slaves, sometimes slaves who were their daughters)
https://listverse.com/2013/03/16/10-unusual-little-known-fairy-tales/ |
| 4 | Ryan’s Mart | Constructed in 1859, it was a place where slaves were sold. It was the only place in South Carolina that a person could buy a slave. It was used for a short time until the end of the Civil War and ultimately the end of slavery. It still stands today but is now called “Old Slave Mart” and is a museum of African American history, arts and crafts.
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| 4 | Quadroon | A person having one-fourth black ancestry. (one black grandparent) |
| 4 | Cotton Money | Certificates issued by banks on baled cotton, generally used in commercial and financial operations by planters in the Old South. |
| 4 | Saskatchewan | A Canadian province that borders the United States to the South
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| 4 | Hobby Horse | A stick with a horse’s head, or a rocking horse ridden by children. Also, a term to describe a topic in which one is obsessed. |
| 5 | Deep Six | The “Deep Six” is likely a reference to the depth of a grave, also known as “Six Feet Deep/Six Feet Under” meaning that by the time the master gets the letter he will likely be dead. |
| 5 | Old Crow | An inexpensive brand of whiskey. |
