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Hunter of Dreams - A Story of the Underground Railroad

by Steven Duff

307 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #02-0124; ISBN 1-55369-311-6; US$25.50, C$28.95, EUR21.00, £15.00

Hunter of Dreams is the story of the so-called Underground Railroad, the escape route to Canada of American slaves in the 1850s and early '60s. The driving force behind Canadian involvement was Dr. Alexander Milton Ross of Belleville, Ontario, an extraordinary character, but one relatively unknown except to historians specializing in his area.

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about the book      about the author      sample excerpt      catalogue info

About the Book Hunter of Dreams is the story of the so-called Underground Railroad, the escape route to Canada of American slaves in the 1850s and early '60s. The driving force behind Canadian involvement was Dr. Alexander Milton Ross of Belleville, Ontario, an extraordinary character, but one relatively unknown except to historians specializing in his era. Alexander Ross travelled in the Deep South, using his background in ornithology as a pretense at doing research. In reality, he was alerting slaves to the existence of the Underground Railroad and in the process, faced a number of dangerous situations. As well, he was involved on the fringes of John Brown's famous raid on Harpers Ferry. His work brought him to the attention of Abraham Lincoln, who commissioned him as a special agent to monitor the Confederate activities in Canada during the Civil War. Ross's work, declared Lincoln, shortened the Civil War by the better part of a year. Hunter of Dreamsreveals the story of the relatively unknown Alexander Ross, based on his own memoirs and contemporary magazine and newspaper articles; it is cast as a novel, told through James Ramsay, an imaginary friend of Dr. Ross's.

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About the Author Steven Duff is a retired high-school music teacher who now devotes his time to writing, watercolours, "messing about with boats", and indulging his very active interest in Canadian history. This is his third historical work, following In the Land of the People Apart, a novel about the Jesuit missionaries to the Huron natives, and The Wanderer's Storm-Song, a similar work concerning LaSalles exploration of North America. Hunter of Dreams is Mr. Duff's second Trafford book: Raiders of the Lost Barque, a story for young boaters, was published in 2001. Mr. Duff lives in the country near Parry Sound, Ontario, and when not at home, he is off sailing his small yacht Turangalila. When he is at home, his wife Debra and cat Rascal keep him company. He has two daughters, Roberta and Christine, who in turn has a family of her own, Andrew and Mr. Duff's grandchildren, Curtis and Olivia.

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Sample Excerpt

FOREWORD

Except for the narrator James Ramsay, his family, and certain peripheral characters, all personnel in Hunter of Dreams actually existed, as did the major events in the story. Central to the drama is Alexander Milton Ross, whose memoirs providedso much historical information and accounts of dealings with the likes of John Brown and Abraham Lincoln. Wherever practical, conversations, correspondences, and newspaper articles have been quoted directly.

Likewise, dates and times have been adhered to as accurately as possible, although some small adjustments had to be made to allow for certain irregularities and inconsistencies in Ross's own accounts.

Ross's career was an extraordinary one; he led a multiple life as an abolitionist, a medical doctor, a naturalist, and writer, and despite great distinction in all these fields, his name is known only to a few today. It is my hope that Hunter of Dreams will, in whatever way it can, set the record straight.

Ross is presented in the role of hero, which he undoubtedly was. But equally heroic were the slaves brave, determined, and hardly enough to make the journey from the Deep South to Canada on foot under the cover of night and under the constant threat of capture. Additionally, there were natural threats from weather, wild animals, and so forth. Yet these folks, eventually to become a valued part of the Canadian patchwork, carried onward. Imagine, if you will, attempting a similar journey today, perhaps wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, and you will have some sense of what the escapees, many of whose names we will never know, went through in the quest for freedom. Their story is one that can only excite admiration.

S.D.
"Strathdee"
Parry Sound, Ontario
July 2002

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Catalogue Information

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