Haleys pov

If Joseph hadn't of made some kind of noise, Julianna and I would have completely missed him.We heard pounding footsteps behind us and scrambled into the tree. Colonel Tavington came bounding through the trees, and ran right under us. He stopped and looked around. The only place he didn't look was up. He ran off in the opposite direction we had just come from.

"Well he seems to be breathing okay now," Julianna said,"See I told you I didn't kill him. I merely knocked the air out of his lungs."

We all laughed. At this point I noticed something missing.

"Joseph what did you do with the rope?''I asked. Three soldiers came running under us, flipped over and landed on their backs.

" Does that answer your question?" Joseph asked with a smirk. I was about to answer him when a hand tightened around my ankle and gave a yank. I fell out of the tree and landed on my back.

"If you were the one with the brown hair, I would say we were even," spit flew in my ear as Tavington spoke, causing my head to twitch. He looked up in the tree to find Joseph and Julianna gone.

" I want those other two found before we leave this forest!" he shouted to the scattering men. He pulled me roughly to my feet,and right afterwards lifted me onto his horse. He then mounted behind me, wrapped an arm around my waist, and urged his steed onward.


About an hour into the trip I got extremely bored and decided that I would amuse myself by annoying the Colonel.

"Oh," I wined," Can we stop for a minute?"

"If you are going to vomit I suggest that you do it on that pretty gown of yours," Tavington said.

"I meant something else," I said in a strained voice.

"You can hold it. We are almost at the estate."

"Oh geez...too late now."

Tavington jumped out of his 'seat', and I elbowed him in the stomache. Caught by surprise he fell and his spurred boot dug into his horses side. Frightened, the horse took off running, dragging the colonel behind him.

"Stop him," the colonel called to me. We ran over a bump and his pistol flew out of nowhere. My amusement was increased.

"What? What did you say?" I called.

"Stop him," the colonel screeched.

"Hey,maybe if I shoot the pistol into the air, he'll stop," I suggested.

"NO," the colonel said with a note of panicked urgency," Don't shoot."

"Do it?" I shouted," Ok shoot."

I fired the pistol and the horse-believe it or not-stopped. I was trying to get off Tavingtons horse when another arm wrapped around my waist, and pulled me onto yet another horse. It was the general, O'hara.

"Really Colonel," he mocked," with how brutal you are on the battle field, I expected this girl to be intimidated by you."

"Sir she-" he stopped in mid-complaint.

I had heard it too. Two soldiers backed out of a bush, ran back in, then backed out again. This time they brought Julianna and Joseph with them.

"Well, now we're getting somewhere," O'hara said," Let's get back to the estate. Lord Cornwallis wants to see these three. Colonel do you think you can handle this one."

"Yes," Tavington said through clenched teeth. He grabbed Julianna roughly by the arm.

"Ow! Easy there butch," she said. Without a word he lifted her onto the horse, got on behind her, and followed the General. Joseph disappeared in a group of soldiers as they mounted up. Tavington grunted somewhere behind me which meant that Julianna either hit him in the stomache or the face. I didn't know what was going to happen to us, but I was having too much fun at the moment to really care.