Chapter IV

The shadows of the night began to appear as dark outlines, the wind chilling to the bone. Voices and shouts of soldiers were heard within near distance. Evelyn jogged across the cornfields towards the woods of the Martin plantation, Brook by her side, sniffing out anything that attracted his scent. Suddenly, Evelyn heard a voice pass by not far off from wear she was standing. She hid behind one of the nearby trees, rifle in front of her. She dared to peak out towards the woods' path. She noticed two colonials with a Redcoat on horseback in front of them.

She heard their faint voices conversing with one another, the Redcoat general furious from their reply. He shot the one in the right leg and shoulder, the other towards side of his head. They both fell, screaming in agony. The Redcoat general retreated from the spot, heading for his men that awaited him in the nearby fields. Evelyn waited until he was out of her sight; she ran up to the men who had fallen from the blow.

They were still moaning in agony as she approached them, kneeling beside them. The one shot in the arm and leg looked up at her with surprise and uncertainty.

"It's alright," she comforted, examining the wound upon his shoulder and leg. He was gasping for air frantically. She looked over at his companion who was in more enduring pain than the other. He was bleeding by the left eye and ear, the side of his face covered in blood.

"Save him!" the one beside her forced out, "He's my brother."

Evelyn nodded in understanding throwing the strap of the rifle across her chest in order to carry it back with her. She tried to pick up the suffering man with all of her strength. The young man bleeding upon his head grasped her by the shirt, allowing his arm to fold around her.

"C'mon I got you," she informed in a comforting tone as the man wept from the enduring agony that lain upon him. She looked back at the other; instinctively she grabbed a hold of his good arm, hoisting him to his feet. He hopped alongside his brother to help her support him.

"Thank you," she commented under her breath. The three of them headed towards the house as fast as they could, Brook following them, barking at the house. Gabriel tried to stand up looking out the window of his room.

"Father! Father!" he exclaimed from up the stairs. Thomas instantly awoke from the sudden disturbance as well as Ben who began rushing down the stairs. Ben looked out the screen door with shock and confusion, seeing the two wounded colonials along with Evelyn who supported them. Ben immediately rushed outside, along with Thomas.

"What in God's name happen?" Ben questioned as he took the man that was bleeding rapidly by the head.

"They were shot by a British officer," Evelyn replied anxiously, setting the two men down upon the ground. Ben examined the one that bled from the head.

"Thomas get me the bandages and Abigail now!" he ordered.

"Yes father," Thomas replied rushing back into the house to find Abigail. Evelyn looked at the wounded soldiers, staring towards the one that was shot in the shoulder and leg.

"Thank you," he commented gratefully towards her. She nodded with an expressionless face. Suddenly, Abigail came out from the house, with a few roles of bandages and whiskey within the house.

"Oh my heavens," she commented as she witnessed the one soldiers great suffering wound within his head. "Step back, Mr. Martin. I'll handle this."

Abigail poured the whiskey upon the bleeding side of his face. The soldier cried from the burn. Then, she immediately wrapped the bandages around his head as much as she could. She worked on the companion, repeating the same technique towards the wounds on the leg and shoulder. Ben stood along with Evelyn, staring her down for a moment with expressionless eyes.

"If there are two wounded there are more," he informed in a stern flat tone. "Abigail, Thomas, Evelyn and I are going to find more of the wounded soldiers and bring them here."

"What if they're Redcoats?" Thomas asked in a curious tone.

"Bring all that are wounded, is that clear?" Ben questioned for a response.

"Yes father," Thomas replied. There was a bit of silence between them.

"Search everywhere you can around the property," Ben ordered and the three of them split from the front of the house towards the outskirts of the plantation.

Evelyn followed Thomas for a while, picking up the suffering soldiers that were either of red or blue uniform. The two of them dragged them back to the house if they were unable to walk on their own from their injuries. They were searching and returning to the house after the sun had risen, finally giving them light to search the property with more accurate vision. Evelyn wandered off alone, after they had retrieved a few dozen soldiers of both ranks. She searched the ghastly, gory bodies that lay within the fields, lifeless.

She suddenly heard someone's voice.

"Anybody there?" he forced out in a pain-filled tone. Evelyn headed towards the sound of the soldier's voice. Somehow she seemed to recognize it. She rushed out into the path of the cornstalk fields, finding a facedown body along the path, his head moving. She immediately went towards him hastily, flipping him onto his back. Her eyes widened in shock as she faced the suffering soldier.

"Logan," she whispered in horror, tears forming in her eyes.

"Evelyn?" he questioned his eyes squinting from the sun. Evelyn scanned his figure, noticing the blood releasing from his chest onto his dark, blue uniform. She stood, grabbing a hold of his better arm, hoisting him to his feet. She dragged him with all her might towards the house. She could hear Logan's breath slowly decreasing as she came closer towards the house.

She was mere feet away as she noticed Ben still helping the soldiers upon the porch and front yard. Thomas noticed her return with a wounded colonial, instantly running towards her to help. He grabbed Logan's other arm gently setting him near the front side of the porch. Evelyn sat him up a bit, ripping off his shirt. She saw the wound releasing massive amounts of blood, some already dried to his flesh. Logan looked at her with half-lidded eyes as he felt the immense pain rush through him.

"Father! Abigail!" Thomas called out from beside her with anxiousness in his tone. Abigail looked up, walking towards them with the bandages. Ben started his way towards him as well. Ben knelt down, recognizing the colonial.

"Logan," he said in shock as he saw his mortal wound. Abigail tried to bandage him up as much as he could. Evelyn sat there beside her brother, her eyes filled with complete worry and fear.

"Logan, stay with me," she begged, trying to cover the fear within her tone. Logan closed his eyes tightly as he felt the burning of the wound that was now covered with whiskey and bandages.

"I'm afraid that's all I can do," Abigail informed with a sigh. Evelyn looked at her brother, noticing his breathing becoming frantic.

"Logan, stay with me," she begged, her hand grasping his arm for dear life. A moment later, he was motionless, breathless in front of them. Evelyn stared, praying that it was not what she knew she saw. Her hand touched his pale face, noticing it was a cold and ghastly feel from the loss of blood.

"Logan?" she whispered, nearly choking on his name. He was gone. She retrieved her hand, standing up with her hand over her mouth. The three of them watched her as she departed a few feet away from them.

Evelyn couldn't keep her sorrow within her. She was enraged, afraid and distraught. Tears flowed down her face once more, her hand still covering her mouth. Ben looked at Logan's body, standing from it, looking towards Evelyn. He noticed later that Gabriel had entered outside from within the house in full uniform once again. He examined the porch and front yard filled with wounded soldiers that remained alive or perhaps later mortally wounded. A few moments later, the appearance of Redcoats came out from the cornfields towards the home.

The Martin children appeared outside with Abigail in front of them as if to protect them. One of the Redcoats was a commander; his hair of a white wig, black pointed-rimmed hat placed on his head and a red formal uniform of his dress. He examined the wounded soldiers that were scattered along the property. Evelyn walked over towards Gabriel and the children onto the porch. Ben approached the commander with an expressionless face.

"Thank you, for taking care of His Majesty's soldiers," the commander thanked with a manner of respect. Ben nodded in reply. Not a moment later they heard horses pounding their hooves along the ground. A Redcoat colonel followed by higher officers on horseback approached the house at a steady canter. Evelyn suddenly had a bad feeling within her stomach as the colonel approached, halting his followers. The commander approached him without hesitation. He whispered something unheard towards the general. Finally he sat up straight upon his horse looking out towards the family.

"Let it be known if you harbor the enemy, you will lose your home," Colonel Tavington announced among them. Evelyn felt a great dislike upon this man. His tall, thin face with light but piercing blue eyes seemed to show him more along with his prideful, controlling voice that spoke out his words. Suddenly, the commander that spoke with Benjamin handed the Colonel an envelope. Tavington read it with a serious look upon his face. After a few moments he looked up.

"Who carried this?" he called out in a demanding tone. Everyone around him looked at him with silence. Evelyn stood beside Gabriel, noticing his troubled expression.

"Who carried this?" Tavington repeated in a more furiously demanding tone. Gabriel finally spoke.

"I did sir," he admitted shifting his body slightly. Evelyn immediately darted her eyes towards him in great fear. The colonel looked at him, raising his eyebrows with satisfaction of his confession.

"I was wounded and these people gave me care," Gabriel added. "Believe me they have nothing to do with the dispatches."

The colonel looked at him with a serious look upon his face.

"Take him, he is a spy. We'll hang him and put his body on display," Tavington remarked, forcing two of the soldiers to grab a hold of Gabriel.

"Those dispatches are of marked case," Ben protested his voice anxious. "You cannot hold him as a spy."

"We're not going to hold him, we're going to hang him," Tavington corrected in a smart tone and a grim smirk placed upon his lips. Thomas was about to move but held back for a moment, feeling Evelyn's hand upon his arm.

Ben began to protest again but Gabriel muttered over to him. Tavington smiled evilly as he realized it was his son.

"Burn the house and barns," he ordered in a loud voice.

"You're violating the rules of war," Ben protested.

"Would you like a lesson about the rules of war?" Tavington questioned, pointing his pistol towards Benjamin with a scowl written upon his face. Then he turned it towards the girls and younger boys. "Or perhaps your children?"

"No lesson is necessary," Ben replied in a nervous tone. Tavington set down his gun within its place along his belt.

"What of the rebel wounded?" the commander questioned.

"Kill them," Tavington replied in a flat unhesitant tone. The commander bowed his head from the colonel's reply.

They began to start off, dragging Gabriel along the side with them, to tie his wrists with rope, leaving a few of the men to shoot down the colonial enemy. Suddenly, Evelyn felt Thomas push by her, running up to Gabriel, pushing away the soldiers with all his might.

"Thomas!" Evelyn shouted about to run after him. Benjamin ran behind her. But before they could both stop him, Tavington shot his pistol through Thomas' back, causing him to fall on his knees.

"No!" Gabriel yelled as he saw his brother bleed along the side of his chest, his face beginning to turn paler by the minute. The Colonel looked at the three of them as Thomas lay there in his father's arms.

"Stupid boy," he commented as Ben looked up at him with a begging look and rode off with his officers. Evelyn watched around her as the Redcoats killed the colonial wounded with their guns. The younger children looked around in horror at the sight of the shootings right before their eyes. Evelyn looked out towards Gabriel as he looked back at her and the others with a worried look upon his face as the carriage of soldiers dragged him along.

As she looked back at Benjamin, she noticed that Thomas was dead in his arms, lifeless and pale. Suddenly, Ben rushed into the burning plantation home, leaving his children with Evelyn. After a few moments later, he was carrying all of his rifles within his grasp. He called his two young boys Nathan and Samuel to him, throwing the two of them a rifle.

"Margaret, take Susan and William and hide in the fields. If we're not back by sunset, go to your Aunt Charlotte's as quickly as you can understand?" Ben explained. Margaret nodded in understanding her eyes filled with tears. Evelyn looked at Thomas for a moment.

"Evelyn, go with the girls," Ben ordered in a stern tone. Evelyn looked at him with a straight face of seriousness. She walked over towards the end of the porch steps grabbing her father's rifle within her grasp.

"I'm going with you," she protested in a flat tone. Ben looked at her wide-eyed and turned towards her as she passed him.

"Evelyn I'm ordering you to stay with the girls and William," he informed. Evelyn walked back towards him.

"I can shoot," she pointed out. "I practiced everyday when father was outside."

"I don't care if you can shoot, the last thing I want you to do is get killed," Ben informed.

"Mr. Martin you don't understand, I have to go with you to help you and Gabriel," she protested. Ben looked at her with an unknown looked of uncertainty. "I'm doing this for my own sake. At least I could help save someone since I have the chance and strength to do it."

Evelyn looked at him with a pleading look, wishing she could've done the same for her family but now they were lost from her for good. Ben sighed in defeat, turning back at Margaret.

"Margaret, you know what to do," he said looking back at Evelyn. "Let's hurry so we can catch them on the main road."

He began to run down the dirt road at a quick pace with Samuel and Nathan close behind. Evelyn looked back at the plantation that stood burning. She looked at the three remaining children, nodding to them in farewell. Margaret nodded in return and Evelyn sprinted off to catch up with the others.