Chapter one
27th of August 1864
"Papa, what is that further down the road", asked Michael and pointed strait ahead.
Adam Haapanen looked at that direction where his son was pointing at and he saw a tree trunk laying on the road.
"That is odd", he said.
There hasn't been a storm for weeks so it was quite strange to see a single fallen tree on the road.
Adam pulled the reins and told their horse Gunpowder to stop.
Gunpowder was their only horse; Michael remembered when he, his older brother Raphael and their father Adam had bought him. The man who had sold Gunpowder was an old gold miner, who had spent the most of his life for searching gold. He told their father how after numerous misfortunes he had found a fortune at Rocky Mountains so he didn't need his sturdy old horse anymore.
Michael and Raphael would have liked to hear more about the old miner's adventures at Rocky Mountains, but their father had urged them to leave with the horse before the man would change his mind.
"Wait here and I will have a look if I can move that tree", his father said and jumped down from their wagon.
When he approached the tree trunk a group of men came out from the surrounding woods.
They were farmer Henry Tate, his son Arthur Tate and three grooms of his stables: Jasper, Ed and Owen.
"Look who is here boys, it is my neighbor Adam Haapanen with his only surviving son Michael", Henry said and grinned with his brown teeth.
Adam didn't like the looks in Henry's pungent eyes, but he forced himself to ask politely what was going on?
"Funny you ask, haven't you read the declaration", Henry asked and spat.
"What declaration?"
"The declaration of toll on this road to Tomahawk", Henry replied and crossed his short arms on his fat chest.
This sight of a fat man trying to cross his way too short arms around his far too wide chest would have been comical in Michael opinion, if the situation wouldn't have been so menacing.
"I have no idea about any kind of toll so let my wagons pass", Adam demanded.
He wasn't afraid of Henry Tate; he was just a greedy money-grubbing bully from Jacksonville who thought that he could do anything.
"No can do partner, you owe me money if you want to use this road", Henry continued, injecting more hostility to his rasped voice.
"We have no money without, only the corn which we are going to sell at the market."
"Well, in this case I can let you pass if you'll give me the half of your crop."
Fire of anger flamed in Adam's eyes; Henry's troops came closer to him, all facing Adam.
"Listen now you son of a bitch, either you and your puny lot will move this tree out from my way or I will pull your oversized head off from your adipose shoulders."
"Ha! Did you hear that boys, this piece of shit is threatening me", Henry mocked.
His son and grooms started to laugh and then Arthur pulled out of his gun.
Cold shivers went down on Michael's spine when he saw the revolver, it was a horrible looking object and its pipe was aiming at his father.
His heart was about to explode in fear and he hoped that Raphael had been with them.
"Now then since you boys heard how my neighbor bad mouthed me, I think he owns me apology. Don't you think?"
Men behind of Henry agreed.
"I owe you nothing", Adam dared.
"Yes you do, you hurt my feelings and if you don't say you are sorry, you'll pay me with your entire crop", Henry demanded.
Michael gasped; Henry Tate couldn't do such of thing.
"You have something to say sunshine", Henry asked when he heard Michael's gasp.
"Please Mr. Tate sir, let us go in peace and we will not trouble you again", Michael begged.
Henry snorted at him.
"You have educated your son well, I must say. He knows how to address his superiors unlike his old man. Very well then for the good of my heart I will let you go back to your home safely, after you have gave me the half of your corn", Henry decided.
"No, you don't! This is a robbery", shouted Adam in rage.
"No partner, this is justice and besides I heard at the town that you have now one less mouth to feed", Henry pointed out coldly.
Blood boiled in Adam's veins and red mist covered his sight.
Without of any thoughts his hands grasped around Henry's short greasy neck and started to strangle the life out from him.
Suddenly a sharp pain hit Adam at the back of his head and he let go of Henry.
Owen had jumped across the tree trunk and had hit him with helve.
Michael started to scream; he didn't know what to do.
Helplessly he watched how his father fell to the dirt road.
Had these men killed his father, Michael didn't know.
Had Raphael fell like that at some distant battlefield when Confederates attacked, if only he would have been in here to protect them.
"Take the corn boys and let this crybaby to go back to his mama with his knave father", Henry instructed his grooms.
Michael was in shock and he didn't come out from it until they were back at his home farm.
His father was lying down at the back of the wagon and somehow Gunpowder had brought them back from Tate's estate.
Suddenly Michael heard the voice of his mother Eva.
He saw her running out from a doorway of their little log cabin and Mary was behind of her.
"What happened", she asked and ran beside of her husband.
"Tate's men took half of our crop and hurt poor father", Michael sobbed.
"Help me to get your father inside", Eva urged her children.