Authors: Janet Cooper
A flash of color caught his eye
. Wolf yanked his bow over his head, and quickly notched an arrow. Taking aim on the spot, he waited. His overseer rounded the corner of the wall and trudged toward him. "Brave Bear," Wolf called in Algonquin, lowering the bow and spurring his horse forward.
The Bear lifted his head,
and then leaned against the shovel he had been using to spread the ashes. Even at this distance, the exhaustion showed in his face and carriage. Gray ash covered his hair, making him appear twice his age. Strips of black soot painted lines on his walnut colored skin.
"What happened?" Wolf demanded, jumping off his horse
. "Where is my family? What about the raiders? Are they still about?"
"Your grandfather, son and the other braves rode out two sunrises ago
. The British soldiers arrived after sunrise yesterday and left before the sun reached its zenith," Bear answered.
“
Are Little Turtle and White Owl safe?" Wolf asked.
Brave Bear
nodded as he breathed deeply perhaps filling his lungs with clean air after the foulness he had endured. "Lenape, from the Turtle clan, were crossing the
Amen apush
trail on their way to Seneca country." He stopped and took a breath. "Our people were eager for news of the Lenape community on the far side of the Delaware River. White Owl sent a rider ahead." He wiped his brow with the back of his shirt sleeve. "They planned to meet the travelers at the Octoraro Creek."
The slowness of his overseer's speech sparked an irrational anger within Wolf
. Although he recognized Bear's exhaustion, Wolf wanted to know everything at once. The uncertainty of the whereabouts of the other members of the community ate at him. With difficulty, he sought and found the patience his grandfather constantly encouraged. "My father?" Silver Wolf asked, dropping the reins so the ends trailed on the ground.
Bear shook his head, before pointing
to the smoldering barn. "He, whose name
we can no longer say, tried to prevent the soldiers from taking the horses."
"Dead?" His father was dead? He did not want to believe it, but Brave Bear never spoke a false word
. Looking again at the barn, Wolf curled his fingers into fists. "This will not go unpunished," he vowed. "How did he die?"
Brave Bear hesitated
.
"How did he die?"
Silver Wolf had to know. "Tell me all."
"The women and children had left for the orchard
. Then the soldiers arrived."
The news eased his worry
.
"We asked what they wanted," Bear continued
. "They said, 'Stand aside. We are here to collect the taxes.' We objected. They beat us, and then tied us." He pointed to the tall wooden post that once had supported a gate and a split-rail fence. "Your father asked them to leave a few of the animals. The fat corporal ordered him separated from us did not untie the bonds on his hands. Then the fat man said your father would to replace the animals in the barn. The soldiers laughed."
Each word lengthened the lacerations that crisscrossed Wolf's gut, deepening his pain
. Yet, he must hear the story. He closed his eyes. Images of the scene blasted his mind. He wanted to shout to Brave Bear to stop. He could not. Every bit of horror Wolf would use to stoke the fury within him. The soldiers would regret their cruelty. They would wish they had never come to Long Meadow Plantation. The son of… He could not even think his father's name, for that would dishonor the great man's memory. When the whites paid for their atrocities, his father would rest easily among the stars.
"The fat corporal jumped on your father's back and tried to ride him toward the stable
." Bear took a deep breath. Lines creased his face proclaiming his internal struggle. Wolf shared his foreman's distress, but needed to know.
"He, whose name we may not say, attempted to throw him off
. Then the fat corporal wrapped a scarf around his neck and choked him."
Wolf grimaced
. "Continue."
"He refused to move
. The fat corporal slammed the butt of his bayonet against your father's head." Brave Bear's nostril flared trying to maintain his control. "Do not ask me more."
Wolf placed his hand on the man's arm
. "I appreciate your sorrow, but you must tell me everything."
"I tried to escape the bonds
, but could not," Bear said with despair.
For the first time, Wolf saw the rope burns on his foreman's wrists
. "The marks prove your efforts." He squeezed Bear's elbow before releasing him.
"They dragged his unconscious body into the barn
." Brave Bear's voice cracked.
Pain coursed through Wolf's system as he stared at the smoke-blackened, skeleton walls
.
Glancing down in shame, Bear said, "I failed
."
"Nay
. No one could have done more." Bear looked as if he might argue the point. Wolf added, "There are too few of us. I need my braves alive. We will take our revenge." He dropped his hold.
A sign of understanding and agreement passed over the foreman's exhausted face
.
"What else do you know about the soldiers?"
"They were attached to Cornwallis."
"How many were there?"
"Five."
For now, Wolf needed to hear no more
. He gestured for Bear to cease reciting the facts. The ache inside, however, would not be silenced as quickly.
He stared at the stone shell
of the barn as he walked closer. It had been full of dry hay. Even if the British had looted all the grain, the residual dust would have flamed like a greasy torch. The smoke from the dying fire filled his eyes and helped disguise the tear trickling down his cheeks. Only glowing ashes remained. He wanted to shout and tear his clothes, to follow his people's customs and show his grief, but he could not, not yet. His obligations and responsibilities forced him to turn his anguish inward and
temporarily
bury the sorrow within. Allowing himself one outward display, he bent down, picked up a cooled piece of charcoal and blackened his face and neck.
His anger and pain added yet another thick, hard layer of protection to his once vulnerable heart
. The need for revenge screamed inside him like an ancient warrior's cry. He vowed that when he had finished his duties here, he would seek the men responsible for his father's death. Not until he punished them would he allow himself to feel any emotion other than hate.
"They caught us unaware," Bear said
.
That will not happen again
, Wolf vowed, solemnly.
"I am sorry," Brave Bear said as he drew near
.
Wolf let his gaze express his understanding and support
. As he looked upon Bear's face, he noticed for the first time a clotted scab reaching from the man's eyebrow into his hairline. Although he knew he should instruct Bear to go and clean his wound, Wolf focused again on the destruction of the barn which now held the remains of his father. "We will tear the building down. The smaller stones will be a memorial to him whose name we may not say. The larger ones will be the foundation of our new barn." Whirling around, he quizzed, "Did you send anyone to search for Little Turtle and White Owl?"
"Our neighbor, Jeremiah Low, saw the smoke and rode over before the sunset yesterday
. He promised to search for them and to notify his regiment."
Glancing at Brave Bear, Wolf sensed his foreman wanted to say more
. "You said all the women and children had gone to the orchard."
His man shook his head
. "Not all."
Wolf's stomach tightened as he waited what he knew would be additional bad news
.
"After they knocked me unconscious, the soldiers raped Quick Rabbit
."
A bleak hollowness filled him
. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, seeking to control his anger and frustration. "How does she fare?"
"She is alive, but cannot or will not talk
." His voice sounded resigned. "When the women returned, they saw to her."
Wolf ground his teeth together
. Later, he would
visit Quick Rabbit and offer his help. "Anyone else?"
"No
. As I said the others had left at sunrise two days ago."
"Where are the women and children now?" Wolf asked, with rising concern
.
"Since the British burnt what grain they could not carry away, I sent them to glean the fields
."
"Are they alone?" Wolf asked, anxiously
.
"No
. I set the older boys to guard them. We must gather in whatever they can cull."
Wolf nodded his approval
. How he wished for braves to defend the women, but they had ridden with his grandfather. Still, Silver Wolf was confident that even young Lenape with bow and arrows would keep the soldiers at bay. "What else did the thieving bastards steal?" he asked. Although he dreaded to hear, he needed to know exactly what provisions they must replace to survive the oncoming winter.
"Several milk cows, a few goats, and a dozen or so chickens
. They planned to take all, but the soldiers were drunk and had difficulty herding the animals." Bear rested his forehead on the arm that still held the shovel.
"Go
. Get some rest," Wolf said.
"There is much to do," he protested
.
"
Nitis
, my friend, your duties are over for now. Go, rest." He gently nudged Bear toward his cabin.
After his man had gone, Wolf tried to comprehend the damage and make plans for the future
.
I must find provisions for my people. Then I will avenge my father's death and the destruction of our plantation will be revenged.
The sound of a horse's hooves hitting the earth drew Wolf's attention
.
"Luke
."
Turning, he saw Jeremiah Low
.
Before fully reining in, his nearest neighbor called, "I sent two of my men to find your grandfather and your son
. And notified our neighbors. They are coming to help." He vaulted down from the gray gelding.
"Why did you seek their aid?" Wolf asked
. "You know I do not want them on my land."
Or you either,
he added to himself.
"During a war, neighbors support neighbors
. You share a common border with these people. You need assistance. They will give it."
"I will block the road
." Wolf clenched his fists. "They may not enter my property."
Jeremiah shook his head
. "The time for hatred is past, Luke. These men and women's farms surround your plantation. Don't build a wall when they offer the hand of friendship."
"Since my father's time, we have depended on no one except ourselves," Wolf responded with pride
. "We…
"I am sorry about Running Deer—err, sorry, I forgot I shouldn’t have mentioned his name" Jeremiah interrupted
. "Damn the British!"
"The Colonists are not saints," Wolf said, pointedly
.
"They don't pillage and rape
."
"Oh?
Perhaps not here, but they have done so to my people, often."
Jeremiah's fair skin reddened
. "I am against those acts, as you well know. So are the others who are coming to help."
Wolf wished to deny the statement, but honesty prevented him from speaking
.
His neighbor's color slowly faded
. "What shall we do first?" he asked, as if needing to change the subject.
Seeing a small cloud of dust in the distance, Wolf realized help was approaching
. Although he hated the idea of accepting charity from his white neighbors, a farmer needed a barn and strong fences. "Since I have sent my foreman to bed, will you direct the volunteers?" He gestured at the wagons coming into view. With Jeremiah overseeing the whites, Wolf could avoid direct contact with them.
"Of course
."
"I must check on my people and take an inventory of what is left of our goods and property," Wolf said
.
"Aye
." Jeremiah nodded. "That is important."
After outlining his priorities to Jeremiah, Wolf headed toward Quick Rabbit's cabin
. His failure to protect her increased his guilt. As he approached her log house, he saw her sitting on the step. In age, she and Wolf were only a few years apart. He had often admired her spirit and winning ways. Today, she reminded him of a stone statue, lacking light and warmth. An unbidden image of Sarah crept into his mind. The idea of any man forcing himself on her sparked a monstrous rage within him. She was safe, he reminded himself, safe at the Dilworthtown Inn with her father, where she belonged.