THE SHADOW PATRIOT: Jonathan's Story II (SONS OF THE NEW WORLD Book 3) by JAMES SHORT

Author:JAMES SHORT [SHORT, JAMES]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-07-30T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

Finally rid of the good doctor, Jonathan copied out three letters, not bothering to take the time to code them, conveying his suspicions, then collected twenty guineas and started for the ferry.

It was near midnight when Jonathan was finally able to take the crowded Paulus Hook ferry across the North River. He sensed restlessness and excitement in the encampments on both sides of the river. They could not possibly be aware of Arnold’s betrayal, yet he imagined the soldiers felt in the air an impending action. After dropping one of the letters in a hollow tree trunk that would be collected sooner or later, Jonathan intended to ride along the Hudson as fast as he could, braving the most treacherous country in the Americas, given that neither the British nor the Continentals had control of the area. That left it free for the marauders of every description to treat every lone traveler as an enemy, thereby meriting a stripping and a beating if they were in a merciful mood, a hanging if they were not.

Nothing occurred during the first hours of brisk galloping down dark lanes under a moonless sky, generally heading north. Jonathan covered fifteen miles, slowing the last leagues as his horse tired. The few times he sighted the river he did not see as he feared the silhouettes of barges filled with soldiers silently rowing toward West Point but an empty flat blackness. In truth, as Jonathan rode through the darkness it was easy to imagine that he was traveling through a world devoid of humanity. That illusion changed when an orange glow broke the murky darkness ahead of him. Wondering at the existence of any structures left to burn in this blighted region, Jonathan halted and started backtracking to find a way around the fire. Suddenly, three small flames punctured the darkness in front of him. Before he could realize that these were horsemen carrying torches, he was surrounded by a small troop.

Behind him, he heard a familiar giggle and a voice, “So what are you about in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere without your monkey, Mr. Asher?”

“Personal business,” Jonathan replied.

Percy, who was holding a torch, positioned himself facing Jonathan, “Personal business? Out here? Out of uniform, Mr. Asher?”

“You may do me the favor of addressing me as Lieutenant Osborne. We are, after all, fighting on the same side,” Jonathan responded angrily.

“That don’t answer my question.” Percy raised his high voice in probably what he imagined was a commanding tone.

Jonathan lowered his. “I’m not obliged to answer your question; however, since you insist, my business, of course, brings me here. I can say no more than I’m meeting a captain of a cutter and would like to continue on my way.”

“I’d say you are intending to deprive King George of his duties with your smuggled merchandise. We might as well do the king a favor by collecting them ourselves,” Percy said. There was a grumble of assent among the other men.

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