Chapter 6

Morning - June 18th, 1777 , the day after

They met near a river where they often fished together in early spring . Mingo arrived first and made a fire after setting a line in the water. When Daniel arrived and saw how Mingo was frowning, he went to gather water before meeting his friend face to face. As he got to the river, he saw Mingo's fish line tied to a tree and it looked like there was a catch. He lifted the fish out of the water and filled his canteen with fresh water.

Coffee and food before discussion.

But Mingo wasn't in a mood to wait.

"What took you so long yesterday? I had to hit Jemima twice, in order to protect Rebecca as much as possible. Twice, Daniel; I hit Jemima twice. She must be in so much pain today. How does she feel? What the devil took you so long?" His tone was not full of anger, as Daniel had expected. It was filled with worry, pain and regret.

"'Mima's fine; her face is bruised is all. She told me to tell you she's proud of you for doin' what you had to do."

"What about Rebecca, Daniel? She told you it didn't go as planned, did she not? It must have been the worst day of her life, Daniel, and you didn't arrive in time to stop me."

"Becky's fine too. She told me everything, and I'm fine with it. I trust you with the lives of everyone in my family. Becky sent you a message. I'll cook the fish and make coffee; you read the note she sent you."

Mingo took the piece of folded paper that Daniel handed him and walked away. He held it with trembling fingers and sat by the river, trying to collect a measure of calm that he didn't feel.

Slowly, he opened the fragile parchment; Rebecca had sealed it with a bit of her precious wax. Daniel probably hadn't read it. He wondered when she had found the time to write it. Still, she had written a letter for him. He badly wished to hear her voice; this letter might fill the void.

Mingo read slowly, taking in every single word, as if a judgment was passing over his head.

Dear Mingo,

I'm fine. I'm sorry the stitches in my dress didn't hold as they should have. Thank you for looking only into my eyes as we shared this pain. You would have killed anyone who attacked me this way, and I know the pain it caused you.

Mingo, I trust you as I always have, with my life and my children's lives.

Your devoted friend, Rebecca.

Mingo read his letter twice. Folded it close to his heart. He knew he had to give it back to Daniel, he couldn't take the risk that it would be found on him. But for now, he needed this small dose of comfort.

Mingo walked back toward Daniel, his heart still wrenched but with a little more peace.

Daniel leaned his tall frame against an oak tree. As he saw Mingo coming toward him, he extended his hand. Mingo's face wore a half-smile, and he handed Daniel the letter. Daniel tucked it into his bandoleer.

Just as Mingo turned toward the fire, and the cooking fish, the tall Kentuckian seized the Cherokee by the arm, slammed him harshly against the tree, and punched him hard in the face. He hit him once more for good measure.

Mingo simply allowed Daniel to pummel him, making no effort to defend himself or to fight back. He clearly felt he deserved any abuse Daniel thought necessary.

As the Cherokee sagged to his knees, Daniel raised his hands above his head, as if in surrender. "Your actin' was a little too good, Mingo. I plumb forgot it was all my own idea," he said, shocked at his own behavior.

Daniel sheepishly helped Mingo to his feet. His eye was swelling closed already, and blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"I'm so sorry I was late yesterday," Daniel added.

"I should have stopped you sooner. It's my fault it went as far as it did, not yours."

Mid-Day - June 18, 1777, the day after

Mingo and Daniel had eaten their fill. The raw emotions that raged in them both had been alleviated. Daniel had acted like a husband and father. He had looked at his daughter's face and the handprints so terribly plain on her cheeks. She had been hurt when Mingo slammed her into the table. Daniel remembered how she came out of the bedroom and fell into his arms, just as she had when she was little. She was in tears, shaking like a doe in fright.

She had been incredibly brave. Rebecca let her cry it all out in the bedroom. Jemima had been the first to realize the extra stitching in the dress hadn't held, when Mingo ripped it. The women should have asked Daniel to check their work – he would have known it wasn't strong enough against Mingo. They agreed that Jemima would be hit once, and get up only to put a shawl over Rebecca when Daniel arrived. But the dress ripped too much– so she did the only 'reasonable' thing, she attacked Mingo. It allowed Rebecca time to pull her dress up, and gave Mingo a chance to use his own body to hide Rebecca from view. Jemima kept her wits all through the ordeal.

Afterward, she was just a little girl in pain who needed her strong father to comfort and protect her. Daniel did what he had not done in years , he held her on his knees and slowly rocked her against his heart, soothing her lovingly.

The tears on Jemima's face brought Daniel to hit Mingo. And now, this done, they could face one another as they always did. Breaking bread together was reaffirming their faith, their friendship. Breaking bread would always be the way of the world to assuage pain and doubts.

They ate their fill in silence, contemplating their blessings. Mingo made sure he had ample shot and powder, that his whip was supple enough. Daniel teased Mingo about the bruise he would also sport, telling him that three of the most important people in his life would be sharing the same coloring for a few days. Mingo looked at him, shrugging his shoulders and frowning as he did whenever he thought Daniel's humor was in poor taste. But there was, nevertheless, the beginning of a twinkle in his eyes.

"Are you going to meet Rain Cloud as planned, Daniel?" asked Mingo as he readied his pack. Mingo would leave shortly, in order to be a few hours ahead on the trail. "And what about McTavish? Still meeting him in about a week by the Natashquan river?"

"Don't worry, Mingo; we'll track you just fine and we'll find a way to hook up before the worst happens. Make sure you keep your feathers out of the fire," Daniel smiled, but despite the lightness in his voice, their unspoken thoughts were foremost in their minds.

Daniel went south. Mingo rose and went north.

The game had begun yesterday , the dice had been rolled. It was just a matter of catching the right players and the proper cheater. Mingo was unaware of what lay ahead of him.