Freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad relied on a sophisticated and secretive system of coded signals, oral traditions, and environmental cues. Because most were prohibited from learning to read or write, information was passed through "spirituals" or songs like "Follow the Drinking Gourd," which contained lyrical directions to follow the Big Dipper constellation toward the North Star. Physical markers were also used, such as specific patterns in quilts hung on fences or chimneys painted with white stripes to indicate a "safe house." "Conductors" (guides like Harriet Tubman) would use bird calls or specific knocks to signal their presence. Once a runaway reached a safe house, "station masters" would provide them with hidden compartments in wagons or directions to the next stop. The network was not a literal railroad but a series of trusted individuals who used these subtle, non-verbal methods to navigate thousands of miles of hostile territory in the dark of night.