Chapter 36 – Acceptance

When I woke the following morning, the first thing that I heard was the comforting hum of a woodpecker making a hole in a near-by tree. It took me a minute to get my barings and remember where I was. When I opened my eyes, the remains of a well burned fire was in front of me. There was no heat comming from it now, the only warmth I felt was from being wrapped up snuggly in a worn old blanket. But I was greatful.

I looked around and could feel a little ray of morning sushine beaming through the many trees, warming on my face. I was in the middle of the militia camp. By the old Spanish Mission if I wasnt mistaken. My father Benjamin Martin had taken Gabriel, myself and Thomas along the old swamp paths when we were younger. Trust him to use a place like this to hide his band of ragged men. I sat upright and let the blanket fall from my shoulders, an instant change in the temperature was evident. I took a deep breath in and allowed it to fill me up. Once we got out from under the trees, it would be a lot warmer.

There were many men, all fast asleep nestled in their own equally thread-bare blankets. I instantly recognised the blonde matt of hair that was my brothers, sleeping not far away from me. There was a space which looked as though there had been someone sleeping it, although it was now empty. These men must have slept like this for nearly 9 months! I bet they couldnt even remember what it was like to sleep on the comfort of a mattress.

Getting to my feet, I felt the blade of the knife hidden in my boot press against me. It was uncomfortable, but I felt easier having it on me. I tried to step quietly around the slumbering men, it was a harder task than I expected it to be, as the men were so tightly packed in that it left little room to move without stepping on one of them.

Everything looked different in the day, than what it had done the night before. I could see that the place was filled with old bits of furniture with old maps strewn over it. This must have been where my father devised his plans. I had never seen him as a comander. At one point I had even thought him a bit of a coward. But now I realise that he was trying to protect his family at all costs. War was not a funny thing, it wasnt glorious and full of valour like I had thought it was. It was something that stripped people down into something that could mearly survive. It was a thing that ripped families apart and left a huge trail of sorrow and disapointment. I know understood why my father was against this war. He had once said that you should do everything that you can do to avoid a war, and I was begining to believe him.

To the right of the sleeping men, was a big pile of old clothes and wepons. I can only guess that they were what had been taken off dead soilders. After all, a dead man does not need his coat, where someone else could do with it.

Steping around tree roots and fallen leaves, I made my way back towards the stream that I had washed in the previous night. I stepped down and onto the bank. There was no body around, all that I could hear was the constant trickiling of the water as it made its way down its path. Too cold to take my red coat off, I bent down and splashed water on my face. The cold water was enough to wake anyone up!



Then out of no-where I heard a twig snap! Before I knew it, I had reached down, pulled the knife out of my boot and was pressing it against the throat of the person who tired to sneak up behind me.

The French Major, Jon Velenue looked stunned! He was not quite awake yet, but having my knife pressing into his skin, was enough to bring him to his senses.

"Woooow Miss Martin!" He staggered, "What are you doing?"

Seeing who it was I took the blade away. "Im sorry Major," I said, looking down at the knife in my hands, "You scared me..."

"And you scared me," said the Frenchman, "Believe me." He was rubbing his neck, looking for blood. I hadn't cut him. "She's a chip off the old block, Benjamin!" Velenue said.

I looked around curiously, and there was my father sitting on the bank a little further up the stream. When I had looked, I didnt even see him! "Yes," My father began, "You've got to keep your eyes open with Lucy"

"Your telling me!" Replied the Frenchman.

I let out a little laugh. Perhaps I did overeact a bit. I looked at my father and he was just looking out into the thick of the forest.

"Why have you got a knife, Lucy?" He asked me. He didnt even look at me when he had said this, just carried on looking into the trees.

I wasnt expecting that. "Well why do you carry a knife father, or your tomahalk?" I asked him, "Surley only to defend yourself if you ever should need too."

"Yes," Replied my father. "But I would hope that you would not carry a wepon like that if you plan on using it." I didnt know what my father was implying. He turned his gaze away from the woods and looked directly into my eyes. "Gabriel told me that you have made a promis. And John Billings told me what you said when you were in the British camp. That you did not want to be found and that you were better off dead"

I didnt answer him. I was not ready to share with him what had happened to me when I was in the camp. I felt confident that he would not judge me for it, but if I told him I was not sure what he would want to do. As we all knew, my father had a rage inside him that scared even him sometimes.

"Father," I began, "I have made a promis, and I will ask you not to push me to tell you."

Benjamin Martin looked from his daughter to the French Major still rubbing is neck. Jon Velenue shrugged. Benjamin knew that he could not push her to tell him if she didn't want to tell him. Having been a man who had served in two wars he knew what could happen to a young woman. He only felt sorry for letting Lucy be taken away into the camp. He did not feel the anger that he though he should feel, as she had not admitted anything to him. He would probably feel differnt if she ever did tell him abything.

"So Benjamin," said the Frenchman, aware of the silence which seperated father and daughter, "Whats the plan for tonight?"



"It's still early..." replied my father. "When the other men are awake, I shall tell you all" And with that he turned his gaze away from us and walked away into the thick of the forrest. We watched until we could no longer see the white of his shirt.

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Captain Wilkins woke with a start that morning. He was late getting up as most of the other dragoons who shared his tent had already left, probably to tend their horses. Wilkins had been dreaming. He did not dream as a rule, but that night he had. Corneal Tavington had woken him up the previous night and demanded that he give them information as to the where-abouts of Benjamin Martin's family.

Eager to please his Corneal, Wilkins had revealed the location of Martin's wife's sisters plantation. The only obvious place where he would send his family after their own house had been burnt to the ground. Wilkins had had a terrible dream where he vividly saw the faces of Martins children being murdered!

"What have I done?" Said the Captain to himself. He was a traitor to his contry, but he would never hurt inocents, children of his once friends especially.

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Later that night in the militia swomp camp, Benjamin Martin had gathered all his men together and were waiting to tell them the plan for that night. He had allowed the men to sleep in, and to enjoy the day, as best as they could in their circumstances. Martin knew that it was only a matter of time before the British found out the location where he was hiding his children, and he feared that they would strike that night. They had to be moved.

"Right men," Martin started. "As you all know, there is a traitor amoungst the British camp."

"Yeah too right we know," shouted John Billings. He had after all briefly been a prisioner in the camp.

"Andrew Wilkins used to be a man with honour," continued Martin, "He was one of the men who voted in favour of the war, and now has joined forces with the British."

There were various shouts of "Traitor" and "Snake" throughout the men, but they did not want to stop their leader from talking.

Martin continued, "As many of you know Wilkins, he will know whether you have family and more especially he will know where they are. It is important now that we all go to move our families to safer locations. We will do it in the shade of night, as this way we have more camoflage to hide them when we move them. I will ask you all to be patient, all of your families will be moved, but I fear that they will target those who the British have seen before they try to work their way through the rest of us."

Many of the men were nodding their heads in agreement. "Tonight we shall go to the plantation where my children are at, and then move Johns family. We then make our way into Penbroke. How does that sound?"



There was a murmor of acceptance. "Good," started Martin. "I want us to split into two groups when we move each family, one to move them and then one to act as a smoke screen should the British turn up. Agreed?" Another murmour. "Good. Tonight I want Gabriel, John Billings Reverand and Major Velenue to obtain the family, and then the rest of us to act as the smoke screen on horses. I want you to then take them to the white sand beach where Abigale and the rest of the field hands are,Im sure that they will be safe there. We then meet back here in the morning, and move on to the next family. Right, thank you. Lets prepare."

And with that most of the men took to busying themselves with different things, like shining their muskets, sharpening their blades, refilling their gunpowder, etc. My father came and sat by me, "I want you to go with your brothers and sisters to the white sand beach, stay with them and keep them safe..."

"No," I almost shouted! "I want to stay and fight!"

"Absolutly not." My father said, as though it was the end of the conversation. I was right, I was just expected to turn back into a child that needed to be protected.

"Father," I sternly said, grasping hold of his arm so that he had to listen, "I have more reason to fight than many of these men! You must let me stay!"

"No Lucy," Said my father looking at me, "I am not risking loosing you again. You will be safe with your brothers and sisters."

"You dont know what I have been through!" I shouted at him! "I have had 9 months without you. I am not a child anymore! I do not need to be protected. I have seen things that you would not imagine, I have been subjected to things that you would not put a dog through, and I am not just going to leave. You wanted to know what I had prommised, I made a promis to Wilkins that I would not rest until I killed him. I want to see the life drain from his eyes for what he done to me!"

My father just looked at me. He sudenly understood. He knew that Wilkins had been infatuated with me and that I had rejected his proposition of marriage, and he understood that he had just taken what he had wanted. Once again my father felt a rage grow inside him. How dare he.

"I want you out of this war Lucy." He said in a deathly calm voice.

"Yeah," I said, not taking my eyes away from him, "Well Im not leaving."

"Gabriel," My father shouted. My brother came over to where we were sitting. I expect that he had heard most of what was said, as he wore a look which rivled my fathers. "Take good care of her tonight when she goes with you."

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"What!" Shouted William Tavington at the young dragoon. He couldnt believe what it was he was hearing!

"There was an ambush," stuttered the dragoon, "And she escaped with them"



How could that happen! Lucy Martin would go to find the militia, having been in the camp she could be able to give away secrets to the layout of the camp. She could give them the exact location of Cornwallis's office, so that they could once again sneek into the camp! He dare not tell Cornwallis this. He had after all taken responsibility for Lucy when she had been there.

"You may leave." He said to the dragoon, he wanted to be by himself, to think things over.

"Sir," nervously said the dragoon, "Miss Martin asked me to give you this." The dragoon handed over a dirty red coat. "She said to say thank you."

Tavington felt the fabric of the coat under his fingers and gave a curt nod. The dragoon took a bow and left the tent, leaving Tavington alone. One thing was for sure and that was that he did not expect to have this coat back. It came as a surprise to him that she had thought to deliver it back to him. Tavington could not get Lucy Martin out of his mind, she had occupied most of his waking thoughts since she had left for Washington.

He held the coat and smelled it. It still smelled of her, even though it had been in the charge of the dragoon for that past two days. He wondered where she was. Was she with her family? The family that she had longed to see for all the time that she was at the camp.

Tavington stood up straight and pulled his own clean jacket down. He threw her jacket onto his cot and went to pick up his green helmet from on his desk. He had a job to do that night, and it was time to go.

When any of the men saw Corneal Tavington, they cleared the way for him to pass, they all salooted him hoping to stay in his good books. He passed Borden who was also comming out of his tent, helmet under his arm.

"Are we ready Corneal?" Asked the Major.

"As ready as we will ever be." Tavington replied. Together they walked away from the cluster of greying tents, towards the stables. The dragoons were after all a mounted company, and took pride in their horses.

The sun was just begining to set, and a deep orange glint could be seen in the air.

"Oh look, a red sky at night" said Borden, "Shepards delight." Tavington said nothing. God he hated how cheerful Borden was. Tavington was trying to focus. They would probably be gone from camp for about 3 days by the time they went to pembroke as well. He knew exactly wat he was going to do. Spare no one. If they helped the enemy, they were the enemy and needed to be stopped.

His men were all ready all at the stables, Wilkins too. It was time, and he didnt even have to say anything to his men. They all knew him well enough not to keep him waiting. They all believed that if they looked after him, then he would look after them.

"Right men," Said Tavington, mounting his horse, "let go."