Hunter of Dreams - A Story of the Underground Railroad

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.

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.