The Silver Bullet by DeFelice Jim

Author:DeFelice, Jim [DeFelice, Jim]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Patriot Spy
Publisher: Black Coyote Inc.
Published: 2011-03-29T05:00:00+00:00

-Chapter Eighteen-

Wherein, Jake pursues the messenger and that eminent squire, Claus van Clynne, seeking to return to the latter all that is owed.

The ambush on the lake caused a delay in Jake’s plans, not only because of the time involved in the incident itself, but because the loss of the boat meant he had to proceed by land, where it was more difficult to make up the lead Herstraw had obtained. Schuyler had given him tend days to accomplish his task, but in truth this amounted to something closer to eight, since he would need to leave time to return to Albany with word of his success.

The general’s horse was a fine beast, with thick muscles and long legs, quick eyes and sharp movements. But the strongest animal needed food and rest, and this one was no exception. Every delay was a frustration. Though Jake stuck to the main roads, these were not so fine as to guarantee quick progress. Aside from the potholes, there were long swathes of mud left by the recent heavy rain.

By the end of the second day, Jake had only just reached the other side of the river from Albany, and had yet to spot his quarry or even hear definite word of him. He stopped in an inn and tried to catch some sleep – even his boundless energy required an occasional nap to be recharged – but the proximity to Albany turned his thoughts to Sarah and her family. After two hours of fitful stretching and wrestling with the covers, he rose and set out, doubling his efforts to catch up with the spy’s party.

Jake soon adopted a desperate routine: He’d hop from his horse on a dead run as he pulled up to a house or inn, plunge inside and shout for the proprietor. In the shortest speech possible, he’d demand to know if a man answering the messenger’s description had traveled through; then he’d ask about van Clynne, whom he realized would be a more memorable guest. If the answer were no – and for a while it seemed as if it would always be no – he’d rush back outside and resume his journey.

The approach lacked subtlety, but his inability to find any trace of Herstraw worried him a great deal. He feared that the messenger had changed his route and perhaps his tactics.

Finally, late in the afternoon, a startled innkeeper in Claverack told him that a party answering his description had passed through that morning, hoping to make Rhinebeck by nightfall. Jake thanked the man, threw a gold guinea down for his troubles and fled back to his horse.

With the next few miles of the journey passing uneventfully if quickly from Columbia to Dutchess County, the narrative will take a slight detour to address the matters of patriotism of the countryside, as it bears not a little relevance to the attitude of men passing through it. If, for instance, you are wondering why Jake rides with a loaded and cocked pistol in his hand as night comes on, here is the reason.

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