chess.”
“I heard the officer say to another soldier that the only reason he brought your father was that he saw a chessboard when they raided the cabin and he wanted somebody to play with.”
Thank God, Samuel thought. Thank God for such a little thing to mean so much. His father’s life spared for a chessboard. His mother’s life, too. He stood. “Thank youfor the food. I have to be going. If I’m only three days behind and they keep taking it slow, I could catch them.”
Caleb said, “They’re headed for New York. The city. The British hold it and they keep a lot of prisoners there in old warehouses and out in the harbor on old ships. If you don’t catch them along the trail you might just go there. Good luck to you, son. We’ll keep you in our prayers.”
Ma pressed more food on him—venison, potatoes and corn, wrapped in a piece of linen. Annie and Ma hugged him and Caleb shook his hand. Then he trotted slowly, his stomach still heavy, out of the yard to the edge of the woods, where he entered thick forest.
He stayed well off to the side of the trail. Once again, this small act saved his life.
He heard one clink—metal on metal—and dropped to his stomach, out of sight, though he could see through gaps in the brush.
He watched them pass: an organized body of troops with tall hats moving at a quickstep in a tight formation. They followed an officer on a large bay horse. They did not look like British soldiers—they had brownish instead of red uniforms and were more disciplined than the redcoats. Hessians, he thought, Germans.
They were quickly past Samuel. Their march would take them directly to Caleb’s farm. Curious, and with some fear, Samuel turned and followed them, off to the side, fifty yards to the rear.
He’d relive that decision for many sleepless nights.
The attack was over in minutes.
The Hessians quick-marched into the yard, broke formation and spread out into the farmyard, grabbing chickens as they moved.
Caleb and Ma came out onto the porch. Caleb wasn’t armed, though he raised his arm and pointed at the soldiers.
He and Ma were immediately gunned down. Then four soldiers jumped to the porch and bayoneted them. Annie exploded out of the house and ran toward the barn. Three or four of the soldiers shot at her but missed, and once she was around the barn she ran for the trees. More men tried to hit her but missed. Samuel was amazed at how fast she ran. She stumbled once and it looked as if she might be hit, but she jumped to her feet and kept running.
They took the bodies of Caleb and Ma and dragged them back into the house. Eight or ten men went in the house then and looted it, taking anything shiny and all the food they could find.
Then they set fire to the house and barn and when those were roaring with flames, the soldiers fell into formation and quick-marched out of the yard, disappearing down the trail.
It had taken less than ten minutes.
Samuel was sickened by the cruelty, the absolute viciousness, of the attack, and he hunched over and retched. He felt that he should have run to Caleb and his wife, to help in some way, but knew there was nothing he couldhave done. He would have been dead long before he’d got at them.
He was helpless. He sat crying, watching the house and barn burn, the Hessians gone like a plague. Caleb and Ma. The food, eating together, how open and gentle and pleasant and good it had been to sit with them and talk.
Destroyed. Gone.
Gone in this ugly war with these evil men. Gone and never coming back and there was nothing, nothing, he could do or could have done to save them, help them.
Except find Annie.
Take her with him to New York.
He made certain nobody was coming down the trail, then set off at a trot around the clearing, staying well in the undergrowth, looking for Annie and trying to erase from his mind what he had seen.
He had to find Annie. Then find his parents.
That was all that mattered.
PART 3
G REEN
New York—1776
War
“I heard the officer say to another soldier that the only reason he brought your father was that he saw a chessboard when they raided the cabin and he wanted somebody to play with.”
Thank God, Samuel thought. Thank God for such a little thing to mean so much. His father’s life spared for a chessboard. His mother’s life, too. He stood. “Thank youfor the food. I have to be going. If I’m only three days behind and they keep taking it slow, I could catch them.”
Caleb said, “They’re headed for New York. The city. The British hold it and they keep a lot of prisoners there in old warehouses and out in the harbor on old ships. If you don’t catch them along the trail you might just go there. Good luck to you, son. We’ll keep you in our prayers.”
Ma pressed more food on him—venison, potatoes and corn, wrapped in a piece of linen. Annie and Ma hugged him and Caleb shook his hand. Then he trotted slowly, his stomach still heavy, out of the yard to the edge of the woods, where he entered thick forest.
He stayed well off to the side of the trail. Once again, this small act saved his life.
He heard one clink—metal on metal—and dropped to his stomach, out of sight, though he could see through gaps in the brush.
He watched them pass: an organized body of troops with tall hats moving at a quickstep in a tight formation. They followed an officer on a large bay horse. They did not look like British soldiers—they had brownish instead of red uniforms and were more disciplined than the redcoats. Hessians, he thought, Germans.
They were quickly past Samuel. Their march would take them directly to Caleb’s farm. Curious, and with some fear, Samuel turned and followed them, off to the side, fifty yards to the rear.
He’d relive that decision for many sleepless nights.
The attack was over in minutes.
The Hessians quick-marched into the yard, broke formation and spread out into the farmyard, grabbing chickens as they moved.
Caleb and Ma came out onto the porch. Caleb wasn’t armed, though he raised his arm and pointed at the soldiers.
He and Ma were immediately gunned down. Then four soldiers jumped to the porch and bayoneted them. Annie exploded out of the house and ran toward the barn. Three or four of the soldiers shot at her but missed, and once she was around the barn she ran for the trees. More men tried to hit her but missed. Samuel was amazed at how fast she ran. She stumbled once and it looked as if she might be hit, but she jumped to her feet and kept running.
They took the bodies of Caleb and Ma and dragged them back into the house. Eight or ten men went in the house then and looted it, taking anything shiny and all the food they could find.
Then they set fire to the house and barn and when those were roaring with flames, the soldiers fell into formation and quick-marched out of the yard, disappearing down the trail.
It had taken less than ten minutes.
Samuel was sickened by the cruelty, the absolute viciousness, of the attack, and he hunched over and retched. He felt that he should have run to Caleb and his wife, to help in some way, but knew there was nothing he couldhave done. He would have been dead long before he’d got at them.
He was helpless. He sat crying, watching the house and barn burn, the Hessians gone like a plague. Caleb and Ma. The food, eating together, how open and gentle and pleasant and good it had been to sit with them and talk.
Destroyed. Gone.
Gone in this ugly war with these evil men. Gone and never coming back and there was nothing, nothing, he could do or could have done to save them, help them.
Except find Annie.
Take her with him to New York.
He made certain nobody was coming down the trail, then set off at a trot around the clearing, staying well in the undergrowth, looking for Annie and trying to erase from his mind what he had seen.
He had to find Annie. Then find his parents.
That was all that mattered.
PART 3
G REEN
New York—1776
War
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