Savior for A Night

….that Nature might stand up

And say to all the world,

This was a Man.

Shakespeare,

Julius Caesar

Oh! What happened! What a wicked headache! I haven't had one like this since the wild drinking party nights at Oxford. As I opened one eye, and surveyed the tavern, I found it littered with bodies, sprawled all over. Cincinnatus was asleep on the counter. Daniel was lying on the floor by the fireplace. Yad, sound asleep, still with a mug in his hand slumped in a chair that leaned against a wall.

There was a mug on the table where I found myself. From the way that my head pounded, I concluded that I must have imbibed on some, maybe a lot, of ale. As my head started to clear, the events of the night before made it though the haze and fog in my head. Before I could face remembering, I needed some coffee. I stood up, and with an unsteady gate, made my way to the hearth and put the coffee pot on the coals. While warmed-over coffee was not what I wanted, I did not think that I could make a new pot.

After a couple of sips of the hot coffee, I thought back to last night, or should I say, early this morning. It was well after midnight, before everything was over. Everyone wanted to thank me, buy me a drink, share a toast with me or shake my hand. Such a difference, a few months ago, these noble men of Boonesborough wanted to hang me.

It all started when I arrived at Daniel's cabin late yesterday afternoon. As I emerged from the woods, the scene that greeted me was shocking. I could see that there had been a struggle. Daniel's cap was on the ground. His broken knife was struck in the cabin's porch post. Broken farm tools littered the ground as if they had been used for defense. The cabin door was opened. The table and several chairs were overturned. One of Rebecca's precious porcelain cups and its saucer lay broken on the cabin floor.

I discovered Daniel's rifle behind the open cabin door. It had not been fired. He must have been surprised and did not have time to use it.

I found tracks leading from the cabin towards the fort. A small footprint followed by a man's boot print. Next I could make out two sets of prints, one a little smaller than the other, again followed by a man's boot print. Next came Daniel's footprint. I would know his anywhere. There were two sets of boot prints, one on either side of Daniel's.

My first impulse was to follow the footprints as quickly as possible to the fort to find out what had happened. Luckily, a sense of caution stopped me from making a hasty, unadvisable decision.

Looking towards the fort, I found it curious that the gates were closed at this time of day. Then I realized that as I could see the fort from the cabin, someone could see me at the cabin. If Daniel and his family were in trouble, and all the signs indicated they were, I needed to remain at liberty.

I took Daniel's rifle, and the other one from the cabin along with a power horn and some lead shot. I also took a few biscuits and some meat that were near the hearth. I had a terrible feeling that I might not have time to fix a meal. As I started back to the woods, I took a length of rope from the shed, thinking that it could prove to be useful.

Once back under the cover of the woods, I looked out at the fort through Daniel's spyglass that I also appropriated. I could see the top of someone's head walking along the guard's walk, but could not see who it was.

With dusk, I knew that I should start making my way to the fort. If I approached the fort, from the side near the tavern and storage room, I should be able to get over the wall unseen. I went back to the cabin and got a blanket. Then I wrapped the two extra guns and other items in the blanket so they would be easier to carry and not make any noise. Luckily the fort was not far. I was able to carry the extra items and cover the distance quickly.

At the wall, I tied the rope around the blanket and fastened the other end to my belt. I uncoiled the whip and sent the tip of it around one of the sharpened logs posts. It took a couple of tries before I got a secure hold. Then I pulled myself up. At the top of the post, the sharp pointed logs told me that I had made a mistake. I needed the blanket to cover the sharp logs before I was impaled. I backed down, untied the rope, removed the blanket, then retied the guns and other items together. I pulled myself up again, placed the blanket over the sharp logs, pulled up the other guns, lowered them on the other side, and then backed down the other side.

Suddenly the place exploded with light. A big bonfire had been started in the open area by the gates. From the explosive sounds, they had used gunpowder to ignite the big blaze. I moved quickly behind the storage shed. Then I heard a voice that made me shudder; every word told me that Daniel was in real trouble. It was a voice I hoped I would never hear again. It was the man everyone called "The Preacher." I thought we had driven him and his sons out of the area after Daniel killed his oldest son, Peter.

Daniel shot The Preacher's son defending me. It was a little over a year ago that we came across The Preacher and his sons camped on Cherokee land while we were out hunting. Daniel told them about the treaty and that they had to move on. They reluctantly agreed to do so. There was a woman with them who was introduced as Peter's wife. Several days later, we found the woman alone in the woods. She had run away. The woman said that she had been kidnapped by Peter and was being held against her will. When The Preacher and his sons found her with us, Peter went berserk. Peter fired his rifle without warning, wounding me in the shoulder as I was moving the woman to cover. Daniel fired at Peter as he pulled a pistol out from under his coat and ran towards me. Daniel did not mean to kill him, it just happened. After his son's death, The Preacher accused Daniel of murdering his son and said that God would avenge Peter's death.

As I listened, I recalled the passage he was quoting, Leviticus, Chapter 24, "If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall be inflicted on him. Thus the one who kills an animal shall make it good, but the one who kills a man shall be put to death."

Then he stopped for a moment, when he continued, I'll never forget the words, "Revenge is mine, Boone, and you will taste a father's sorrow, an eye for an eye, a son for a son."

His voice rang out over the otherwise quiet fort. It brought a chill to the summer night. "I have not forgotten your Injun friend, Boone. I had hoped to have him here for this judgment day. I'll just have to have another trial when I find him."

My mind stopped. I could not even grasp the idea of what this man was saying. He just could not mean it. I felt powerless; a complete loss of the ability to move for a second, then a rage and anger rose up from deep inside me. I had to stop him now. I did not have the right to fail.

I crept from my hiding place to the edge of the building, just enough that I could see the yard. There was Daniel on the other side of the bonfire. He was tied to a post with his hands extended over his head. He was gagged. His clothes were torn. He must have put up quite a fight. I could see the fury in his eyes even from my location.

Where was everyone else? Maybe they were in Cincinnatus' place. Cautiously, I moved around the shed until I could see the front of the tavern. Three men guarded the place. The hay that had been stacked near the corral had been moved and placed around the tavern. If the hay was set on fire, the whole tavern would burn down. I could not believe The Preacher was so diabolical. In my life, I have seen man's hatred and his cruelty to his fellow man, but how could he? How could he even think of burning people alive and yet claim to be a man of God?

I turned and moved over to the back of the storage shed. The storage shed led to the back of the tavern. I could see light coming from under the door. Another guard was probably in the shed. I wondered how I could get the guard's attention and have him come out.

Picking up several small pebbles, I uncoiled my whip and gently threw one of the pebbles at the door. Throwing a second one, I could hear noise of someone moving around. Maybe I had the guard's attention now. Hitting the door with the third pebble had the desired effect. The guard opened the door and stepped out far enough that I could reach him with the whip. Once I had him near I knocked him out with the handle of my whip. One man down, I only had six more to go.

Stepping into the storage shed, I surveyed the room, determined the best path to the door connecting to the tavern and blew out the candle. I opened the door just enough to see into the tavern. The room was packed with people, worried men, panic-stricken women and crying children. There was another guard in the room by the exterior door. I could just see the top of Yad's head but there was no way to get his attention without alerting the guard. At that moment, Jemina walked over to the water pail on the counter. I had to take a chance. I still had a couple of pebbles. Opening the door ever so slowly, just enough to reach my hand though, I lobed the pebble into the bucket. It hit the water just as Jemina replaced the ladle. While she was startled, she did not cry out, but looked in the direction of the door. I opened the door just a little more, so my whole hand and wrist with the copper bracelet showed. A fleeting look of recognition flashed across her face. I could tell that she knew who it was. I pointed in Yad's direction and hoped that Jemina understood. Then I took my knife and slid it along the floor behind the counter. It stopped near some barrels. Now it was up to Jemina and Yad. I would need their help against these men.

I could not see if Rebecca or Israel were in the tavern. Did The Preacher have them sequestered somewhere else?

Leaving the storage shed, I stopped in the shadows and listened. The Preacher was still talking, going on and on, as if he was giving a sermon and poor Daniel was the only one in the congregation.

I had to free Daniel, but how? The very thought that all these people could die, if I did not act soon to stop these men, clouded my mind. I had to stop thinking about what could happen. I had to focus on helping Daniel. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the fear, and rage that I felt; it was almost overpowering. It was paralyzing me. Fear, that I would fail and not save the Boones and the others. Rage, against the Preacher but also against God, if there is a god, which would allow such cruelty to exist in the hearts of men.

As I returned to where I had left the other rifles, I noticed a ladder resting against the fort wall. Finally an idea came to mind. I moved the ladder and put it up against the tavern wall. Taking the rifles and other things, I got up on the roof of the tavern. I crawled to the edge of the roof, so no one

could see me. From that vantage point, I could clearly see Daniel on the other side of the bonfire, the Preacher and the guard near the tower. There was no way to get any nearer to Daniel. With the three rifles, I could get three shots off before I had to reload. I could shoot the guard and the Preacher but what could I do about Daniel?

With Daniel's rifle, and its longer barrel, maybe I could reach Daniel after all. I had fired his rifle a number of times but never acquired his skill with it. I have come close to hitting a bull's eye with his gun, close but…. Would close be good enough tonight?

Daniel is not afraid to risk injury to himself when necessary. I have seen him hold his hands over a flame to burn ropes binding his wrists. If I could cut one of the ropes holding his wrists with the lead ball, he could pull free. I could also hit his hand and really hurt him. I must try; the danger is too high, especially for Israel. Daniel would want me to take the gamble.

I checked the rifles, putting each down on the roof in the order that I planned on using it. First, I would use my rifle to take out the guard near the wall. Next, I would free Daniel, not try, but do it. The third rifle's lead shot belonged to the Preacher.

Since there was no way that I could do anything about the guards outside of or the one inside the tavern, I just had to believe in Jemina and Yad. Believe that Jemina had figured out a way to get to Yad, tell him I was there and about the knife behind the counter. Believe that Yad could get to the knife, overpower the inside guard and breakout when he heard gun fire. Tonight, I found it hard, very hard to hold onto that much belief, but for the lives of my friends, I would believe. I would believe in their resilience and determination.

Just as I picked up my rifle, the Preacher stopped talking. He motioned to one of the guards. Within minutes, one of the guards carried Israel to the Preacher. He made the towheaded little boy sit on an overturned bucket that was half way between Daniel and the Preacher. I could see Daniel straining at his bonds, twisting and turning his hands, trying to get free.

I could feel Daniel's rage as it was the same that had burned in me, but suddenly no more. I cannot explain what happened because I stopped thinking, planning, or trying to figure out what to do. The fear stopped, the rage gave way to action. I just grabbed Daniel's rifle, quickly aimed it and pulled the trigger. The shot cut the rope striking the post right between Daniel's hands, just where I wanted it to hit. Without waiting, I dropped Daniel's rifle, picked up mine and shot the guard who had raised his rifle to shoot Daniel. Two down, five to go.

As I reached for the third rifle, I heard just what I had hoped I would hear. Coming from the direction of the tavern, the sound of fighting between the guards and the men of the fort lead by Yad, whose voice rose above all the other voices. I am glad that I believed in Jemina and Yad. Now only The Preacher remained.

Turning back, I saw that Daniel had freed himself and pulled Israel to safety behind the blacksmith's forge. The Preacher was cursing and shaking his fist at Daniel. I was tired of concealment, so I rose up and announced my presence with a loud fierce war whoop. Then I proclaimed that I was a guardian angel sent by God to avenge any harm inflicted on Daniel and Israel. The Preacher turned, looked up, and started screaming at me, "Heathen, how dare you mock the word of God, and claim contact with the Lord. You are not a guardian angel. You have ruined everything. You can't stop me. I'll kill you, I'll kill them." He shook his fists at me screaming like a child having a temper tantrum.

Suddenly, The Preacher stopped screaming and pulled a pistol from under his coat, and walked towards Daniel and Israel. I told him to stop, and if he got any closer, I'd shoot. He kept on walking. Then, I heard Daniel yell, "Mingo, stop him now." Aiming the rifle, I shot the Preacher in the shoulder, giving Daniel the opportunity to grab and disarm him, which he did quickly and with great zeal.

By the time, I climbed down the ladder and reached the ground, all of the Preacher's men had been disarmed, rounded up and were being lead to the jail.

I saw Rebecca running from the tavern. She grabbed Israel, pulled him close to her; Daniel enclosed both in his arms. As I drew near, Rebecca turned to me, embraced me, saying she was very glad that I was their guardian angel. Israel just hugged me. That was the best, thank you.

Suddenly, I started to hear my name coming from the people who were surrounding me, "Mingo stopped the Preacher," "Mingo freed Daniel and saved Israel," "Mingo saved us, saved Boonesborough." Even some of the citizens, who had never actually spoken to me directly, were extending their hand and saying, "Thank you."

Cincinnatus, happy to be alive and that his tavern was not a pile of ashes, invited everyone into the tavern, and started the ale flowing. I was pushed and pulled into the tavern by unexpected friendly hands. Thus began the event that lead to this wicked headache.

The other men finally started to wake up and head home to nurse their ailments. Some stopping and saying thank you again, others not. Daniel rose and came over to where I was sitting. His left hand was wrapped with a cloth. The lead shot that cut his bounds had singed his hand. He offered to give me some lessons with his rifle, in case I needed to use it again to set him free. I suggested that he stay out of trouble so I would not need to use it again.

After Daniel left to take Rebecca and the children home, I finally had enough strength to put on a fresh pot of coffee, extra strong.

When Daniel returned to the tavern in late afternoon, he found me sitting with Yad, still nursing the headache, sipping a cup of hot tea. I had refused to take Yad's advice that I needed more ale. I have had enough ale for a while. However, Yad was firmly following his own advice. Daniel sat down with us. He told us that Rebecca was making my favorite meal and warned both of us not to be late for supper. As if I would be late for anything that Rebecca cooked.

I told Daniel that in the morning I would be heading back to Chota but had a couple of days for a little hunting or fishing if he was interested. I needed to return to mother earth and the solitude of the stars. In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through me, in spite of all the sorrow and hurt inflicted by man.

Just at that moment, a couple of Boonesborough leading citizens came in and greeted Daniel. They nodded to me as usual, but they averted their eyes. They were probably embarrassed by their actions last night. They had acted grateful and friendly and not in their usual self-righteous ways. The pretentious nature of man is found everywhere and is laughable at times.

It really did not matter to me. I let the magnitude of saving so many people; including Daniel and Israel, slow me down with doubts in my ability to save them. I conquered the doubts I had in myself and won. Conditio sine qua non. I am content with myself.

Daniel shook his head, musing that it looked like my time as savior of Boonesborough was over. As he got up to leave, he squeezed my shoulder.

I laughed. Yes, everything was returning to normal. Now I wondered how long it would be before these noble men of Boonesborough would want to hang me again.

Courage mounteth with occasion.

Shakespeare,

King John