<P> Soon afterward, Tubman escaped again, this time without her brothers . Beforehand, she tried to send word to her mother of her plans . She sang a coded song to Mary, a trusted fellow slave, that was a farewell . "I'll meet you in the morning," she intoned, "I'm bound for the promised land ." While her exact route is unknown, Tubman made use of the network known as the Underground Railroad . This informal but well - organized system was composed of free and enslaved blacks, white abolitionists, and other activists . Most prominent among the latter in Maryland at the time were members of the Religious Society of Friends, often called Quakers . The Preston area near Poplar Neck in Caroline County contained a substantial Quaker community, and was probably an important first stop during Tubman's escape . From there, she probably took a common route for fleeing slaves--northeast along the Choptank River, through Delaware and then north into Pennsylvania . A journey of nearly 90 miles (145 kilometers), her traveling by foot would have taken between five days and three weeks . </P> <P> Tubman had to travel by night, guided by the North Star, and trying to avoid slave catchers eager to collect rewards for fugitive slaves . The "conductors" in the Underground Railroad used deceptions for protection . At an early stop, the lady of the house instructed Tubman to sweep the yard so as to seem to be working for the family . When night fell, the family hid her in a cart and took her to the next friendly house . Given her familiarity with the woods and marshes of the region, Tubman during the day likely hid in these locales . Tubman only later described her routes because other fugitive slaves used them . </P> <P> Particulars of her first journey remain shrouded in secrecy . She crossed into Pennsylvania with a feeling of relief and awe, and recalled the experience years later: </P> <P> When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person . There was such a glory over everything; the sun came like gold through the trees, and over the fields, and I felt like I was in Heaven . </P>

Famous abolitionist publisher and activist on underground railroad