Elijah of Buxton

“They’ll tell you I throwed up on Mr. Douglass a whole half a hour afore Ma came and snatched me away and pointed me out the schoolhouse window.” 

Elijah reflects on this detail from the story about Frederick Douglass’s visit to Buxton. He wishes the folks of Buxton would exaggerate about his rock-throwing abilities instead of his throwing-up abilities. Ma tells Elijah that he must learn to not believe everything he hears.

“I figured out that this chore fit right in with the Buxton Settlement Creed: ‘One helping one to uplift all.’ It’s the way all us in the Settlement look out for one the ’nother. We don’t expect nothing in return […] Good things always come from that.” 

Elijah refers to his chore of swatting horseflies from Flapjack the mule, which he tends along with other animals at Mr. Segee’s barn. He uses the flies as bait for fishing and then gives the fish to his parents and to neighbors for dinner.

“The way I figure, if the Preacher had took those guns from those men, how come he only said he found one pistol?” 

It’s rumored that the Preacher stole both silver pistols from the slavers who came near Buxton, then sold one in Toronto, but Elijah questions the logic of that assumption. He recalls the Preacher saying that he found only one pistol; also, Elijah thinks the Preacher would have kept both pistols, for bragging rights.

“But classroom learning just don’t work the same as when something happens to you personal.” 

Elijah refers to Mr. Travis’s classroom lesson on familiarity breeding contempt. Although the lesson in school is memorable because of Mr. Travis’s rage and punishments, Elijah holds the opinion that a lesson learned outside the classroom has a deeper impact. Elijah’s reflection sets up the story of the following chapter when Mr. Leroy teaches Elijah a lasting lesson. 

“Y’all young folks gotta understand that’s a name what ain’t never called with nothing but hate. That ain’t nothing but a word them slavers done chained us with and if God’s just, like I know he is, one day it gunn be buried right ’long with the last one of ’em.” 

Mr. Leroy explains to Elijah the terrible meaning and impact conveyed by any use of the n-word. Mr. Leroy’s words show how Elijah, who is young and has always known freedom, contrasts with Mr. Leroy, who is older and was a slave before he came to Buxton. Mr. Leroy speaks of the word’s symbolic negative power to “chain” and states that the justice of God will prevail to put down slavery and racism.

“But, if you’ve changed your mind about helping the Settlement, I understand. It’s easy to talk about being helpful, but actually doing what one has promised can be a lot more difficult.” 

The Preacher is using guilt and obligation to preemptively coerce agreement from Elijah. He wants Elijah to go with him to the carnival, planning to exploit Elijah’s rock-throwing skill there. It is ironic that the Preacher “guilts” Elijah with the idea of being helpful, as Elijah helps with community chores daily.

“If I’d’ve knowed this was gonna happen I’d have brung me a length of rope and tied it ’round my ankle.” 

Elijah sees a poster advertising the act of the mesmerist at the carnival. It shows a man Elijah thinks must be a conjurer with lightning coming from eyes causing a man to float. Elijah naïvely worries the conjurer will make him float, too, and tries to avoid the mesmerist’s show. However, the Preacher forces him to sit and watch. Inside the tent, Elijah is relieved that no people are floating around near the top.

“But this is Canada! You ain’t but three miles from Buxton! You ain’t never heard of Buxton?” 

Elijah tries to convey to MaWee that he is in the land of freedom. MaWee, however, doesn’t see himself as a slave. He has no interest in being “cut […] a-loose” and worries that Elijah will take his place in the slingshot show. 

“But he says that the most hardest step to take is the very last one. He says that finally crossing over from slavery to freedom is the most horrifyingest, most bravest thing a slave will ever have to do.” 

Elijah repeats Mr. Frederick Douglass’s words to explain why the family of escaped slaves is hiding at the edge of Mrs. Holton’s clearing. Pa sends for Emma Collins, whose quiet, youthful greeting convinces the fearful father to emerge from the woods. Elijah credits Emma with being the only one in Buxton who can calm newly arrived slaves so well.

“Maybe all the sad things ’neath the scars and burns and the pieces that were missing off of their kin were stories best not looked at too hard.” 

Elijah speculates on the “secret language” of adults. Miss Duncan the First and Miss Duncan the Second discovered that one of the newly arrived escaped slaves is their little sister, but they ask for time before letting her know. At first Elijah wonders why they don’t want a happy reunion immediately, but he realizes that recognizing a relative separated due to slavery churns up many complicated emotions.

“I knowed it waren’t right, but it didn’t seem like it was wrong neither, it was kind of middling twixt the two.” 

While Elijah knows he should take a horse to collect the mail in Chatham, he prefers the mule Flapjack because the speed of horses makes him nervous. Pa did not specify directly that Elijah should take a horse, so Elijah rationalizes his decision to take Flapjack. He recognizes that sometimes the line between right and wrong isn’t clear. 

“Well, the body don’t never endure, do it? But I hopes…naw, I knows that something inside all of us be so strong it caint be stopped. It fly on forever.” 

Ma comforts Mrs. Holton with these words after a letter arrives from America confirming the death of Mrs. Holton’s husband, John. Mrs. Holton cannot reconcile with the phrase “His body could not endure” in the letter (199). Ma points out that Mr. Holton—and everyone—has a spirit or soul stronger than the physical body.

“If you gets another chance and don’t take it…or die trying…I swear, girl, I’ll kill you myself once you get back here.” 

Ma retells her slavery story to Mrs. Holton as they take the buckboard wagon to a picnic at Lake Erie. She restates the words her mother told her when she returned from a trip with her owners to Michigan, where Canada and freedom were within sight. Ma’s mother told Ma in clear terms to take the next chance she Ma she got to escape.

“I caint turn it down, I caint turn it down…” 

Mr. Leroy reacts with these words when Mrs. Holton gives him her gold. She does not need the gold now that her husband is dead; Mr. Leroy can use it to buy the freedom of his wife and two children. 

“No, Spencer, me and ’Lijah’s working partners. The boy handles hisself like he’s growned so I hope you don’t mind if he stay.” 

Elijah is thrilled when Mr. Leroy calls him “growned.” Mr. Leroy has come to Pa to ask help in bringing his family to Buxton; Mr. Leroy not only allows Elijah’s presence but requests that Elijah stay. Elijah notes that it is the first time anyone has said he behaves as though he’s grown.

“I caint think ’bout nothing but all them years Leroy done worked and how if Zeph left with that gold we waren’t never gunn see him no more.” 

Mr. Highgate tells Pa and Elijah what happened when he and the Preacher went to the village in Michigan. At night, Mr. Highgate awoke to see the Preacher about to take Mr. Leroy’s gold. Mr. Highgate tried to shoot the Preacher in the leg to prevent his running away, but the shotgun was empty. Mr. Highgate says the Preacher took the ammunition out.

“You caint let your wantings blind you to what’s the truth. You always got to look at things way they is, not the way you wish ’em to be.” 

Pa tells this to Elijah about Mr. Leroy. Elijah feels guilty over the Preacher’s actions and the fact that he, Elijah, told Mr. Leroy that the Preacher was trustworthy. Pa tries to get Elijah to see that no matter what Elijah said, Mr. Leroy would not see the risk inherent to any plan because of how badly he wanted his family back. Elijah does not buy what Pa is saying, thinking that he is indeed responsible for Mr. Leroy losing his gold.

“I’m terrible sorry, Elijah, but a ball done started rolling downhill what ain’t gunn be stopped. We both going to Michigan.” 

Mr. Leroy tells Elijah that the two of them are going after the Preacher to try to get Mr. Leroy’s gold back. Elijah focuses on the fact that Mr. Leroy is forcing him to go. Elijah thinks if he has no decision-making power in the situation, then his parents cannot be angry with him.

“Son, caint you see I’m dying? Please tell me, please tell me you’s gunn get the money for your ma and sister. That ain’t much. ’Zekial, how come you ain’t telling me?” 

As Mr. Leroy slips toward death, he believes that Elijah is his son Ezekiel. Mr. Leroy tries to coerce a promise from Ezekiel to get the gold back. Elijah feels he has no choice but to promise him.

“I didn’t know what to say or do.” 

Elijah gives water to Mrs. Chloe and the baby. When he tries to give the gourd dipper to the man, however, the sight of the chains on the man’s wrists stops Elijah cold. He does not move, realizing the stories former slaves in Buxton told about chains are nothing compared to the sight of the real thing. Chloe must prompt Elijah to help the men.

“You caint know it, but you’s the shiniest thing what we’s seen in a long, long, long time. Seeing you’s the next best thing to seeing Canada. Seeing you shows me the whole thang ain’t no dream.” 

Out of ideas for rescuing the slaves, Elijah miserably gives up trying to pull the chains free from the wall and kneels in tears. Chloe tells Elijah to stop crying and lets him know how important seeing him is to them.

“I was so dumbstruck I couldn’t even cry.” 

Elijah tries to elicit help from Mr. Alston and the men in the village, but they refuse. When he persists, one of the men hits him and insists he won’t have the trouble Elijah brings. Elijah is shocked, hurt, and confused by their actions. He leaves on Jingle Boy but soon stops to be sick in the road.

“’Stead of this being your last night it turned to your first.”

Mrs. Chloe says this to her baby girl after Elijah suggests taking the baby back to Buxton with him. Faced with the choice of seeing her daughter returned to Kentucky and a life of slavery or separated from her and brought to freedom, Chloe doesn’t hesitate—she sends the baby with Elijah.