“I can’t go home, sir. I haven’t got one.”
There was a moment of silence between them as they just stared at one another.
“Then go with God, laddie. And be careful.”
“I will, sir. And thank you for the food.” Gabriel turned and went into the wet darkness.
H 6 H
80 CANNON
Gabriel awoke from a short, restless sleep under a tall pine tree with thick branches that shielded him from the rain. His woolen coat was soaked with the heavy morning dew, and it was cold against his skin. Shivering, he drew his knees in up under his chin as he sat on the ground, trying to warm up.
He reflected on the kindness shown to him the night before. Perhaps he reminded the old man of his own son leaving to go to Boston. It made him think of his own father again. He wished his father had been there to see him off to fight for freedom, but, then again, he probably wouldn’t have gone if his parents were still alive. He couldn’t begin thinking that way again, though. He had already wasted too many hours thinking about what life should have been like for him, instead of how it was. He had finally come to accept his circumstances and make the best of what he’d been given.
At the moment, it seemed like he had been given a lot. The thought of the biscuits and ham consumed him once again. He had plenty left for a good breakfast. He set the towel down on the bed of pine needles and couldn’t keep from stuffing his mouth so full of food he could hardly swallow.
After eating almost every morsel, it dawned on him he should save some of the food for later. Reluctantly, he folded what was left of the meal back into the towel and stuffed it into his rolled-up sack. The sky was still dark, with no sign of a rising sun, so he laid back down, though he was no longer sleepy.
He thought about starting a fire to warm up and dry out, but he was afraid it would draw too much attention. The best plan was to find his way back to the road and get moving. Walking would help warm him up, and with any luck, the clouds would give way to some sunshine. As soon as he saw the sun start to rise, Gabriel stood, picked up his belongings, and stepped out from under the large pine tree that had been his shelter for the night.
The sunrise gave some light to the gray clouds above, but Gabriel still didn’t know which way to go. Where was the road? There was no clear way to figure out where he had come from the night before. It had been too dark, foggy, and rainy to have seen much of anything. Still, having heard that soldiers were lurking about, he wanted to get going.
He noticed a stream of smoke wafting into the air back in the direction of the home of the man who had fed him last night. Getting his bearings, he headed in the direction he thought the road would be. After walking a long time, he mumbled to himself, “I hope I haven’t headed the wrong way. I don’t remember it taking me this long to reach that barn last night.”
He kept on going in the same direction toward the east. Just to the north, he saw a hill that hadn’t been visible in the dark. I’ll climb to the top, he thought. From there I’ll be able to see the land around me.
When he first noticed it, the hill looked small. But as he neared, Gabriel realized the climb would be more of a challenge than at first sight. The slopes were steep and rocky, but he was determined to reach the top. He hoped to be able to see the road from there.
The lower rise of the hill was a meadow with a few trees scattered about. Wildflowers had started to bloom, and their blossoms dotted the green grass with purple, pink, and yellow. As he neared the halfway point, the slope became much steeper and the grass gave way to rocky soil. He slung his drum and sack over his back and began to climb. With each step, his foot slipped on the rocky surface. He grabbed hold of trees and roots to pull his way up. By now, he was breathing hard. The top was in sight, but to reach it, he would have to make one final push over a larger boulder jutting out from the side of the hill. Lying down on his stomach, he crawled up and over this last obstacle.
Once he reached the top, all he could do was lie on his back and look up at the sky. His arms and legs burned as though they were on fire, and he felt as if he would never catch his breath. The gray rain clouds were beginning to give way to puffy white clouds, with streaks of interwoven blue. Encouraged by the thought of approaching sunshine, Gabriel rose to his feet and looked out.
The view both captivated and terrified Gabriel. He hadn’t realized he was so close to the sound. He could see the tops of tall trees — oaks and pines, maples and spruce. They seemed to stretch out all around, covering the land all the way to the water. But anchored there just beyond the shoals were
