Escape from Boston

With Benjamin Franklin following them, Ratonhnhaké:ton and Kanen'tó:kon needed to be more careful than on their way to his house. Luckily the old man made no attempt to cause problems. He followed them without contradiction, hid from passing guards with them when necessary and even gave them the hint for a safe route without any patrols. It seemed like Benjamin Franklin was actually ready to erase the faults of his past with helping his former enemies. But Ratonhnhaké:ton wasted no thought about it for the moment. He just wanted to get to the harbour as soon as possible and make sure that they had a safe escape to New York. When the first ship masts appeared in the darkness, he was extremely tensed. The others had agreed to go to the harbour in small groups and gather on the ship. Before Kanen'tó:kon and he had set off, three men had left the hideout to meet the captain of the ship and make the first preparations with him. Lillian was supposed to be in one of the last groups with Logan, Ezra and Sam Adams so that everything was prepared and she could get on board as soon as possible. Ratonhnhaké:ton had been sure that she would be less in danger like this but with the information about the frigates, it didn't matter if she was on board of a ship or onshore. As soon as the first canons were fired, everyone at and around the harbour was in imminent danger. He just hoped that she was fine for now. But at the harbour, everything was quiet. Only a few sailors were lingering at the docks but soldiers were there as well.

"Do you know where the ship is?", Ratonhnhaké:ton asked Kanen'tó:kon as they hid in the shadow of a warehouse and let their eyes roam over this part of the harbour.

"At the north end."

Ratonhnhaké:ton nodded. "Maybe this could be our advantage if we make it on board and set sail. If these frigates are guarding certain parts of the harbour, we will only have to deal with one at first."

"But we have to get on board before."

Ratonhnhaké:ton nodded again. If they drew no attention to themselves, they would probably be able to set sail before the frigates could prepare for the attack. Ratonhnhaké:ton looked past the warehouse and down the street through his eagle vision. He saw a patrol walking towards their destination with their backs turned to them. Another look into the opposite direction and Ratonhnhaké:ton gave Kanen'tó:kon and Franklin the silent signal to follow him. They hurried along the street, always staying in the shadows of the warehouses until Ratonhnhaké:ton detected two all familiar masts. The ship they were heading for was the Aquila and he felt joy, knowing that the ship was really intact and the question, how it had come here from the bay in Davenport, became unnecessary after another joyful discovery. At the pier, beside the plank leading onto the Aquila, stood no one else but Robert Faulkner. Ratonhnhaké:ton hadn't recognised him at first since he was wearing the uniform of a bluecoat like the two other men beside him, pretending to guard the pier while beckoning small groups of rebels over, who hurried onto the ship and hid there, as soon as the real guards had passed. Five men had just gone on board and Faulkner hastily indicated to Ratonhnhaké:ton, Kanen'tó:kon and Franklin, that they should hide beside a nearby warehouse with the remaining rebels. He looked nervously into the direction of the departing patrol while following them until they finally stood in front of each other in the darkness.

"Jesus, I'm not made for these secret missions", he growled and looked at each one of them until his gaze stopped upon Franklin. "Thought you wanted to kill him? What is he doing here?"

Benjamin Franklin uttered an indignant "Pah", puffed himself up and just wanted to start defending himself against Faulkner's obvious disapproval as Kanen'tó:kon silenced him with a simple gesture and began to explain.

"We are sure he can be a help. At least he already gave us very important information for our escape."

"Really? Which is?"

Kanen'tó:kon nodded at the open sea. "Frigates are waiting for an alarm signal from the harbour to shoot at it. If everything went well until now, we have to make sure that it stays this way. Otherwise, our escape will fail before it even begun."

Silence, in which Faulkner stared at Kanen'tó:kon in disbelief before swearing rudely. "I knew something was odd with these ships, but I thought they were just guarding the water. Shooting at the harbour is...insane. Are you sure?"

Ratonhnhaké:ton nodded. "We are sure. That is why we have to think about how to go on. How many men are on board already?"

Faulkner looked him over before nodding at the Aquila. "All of them, I would say. At least they told me that no one else but you are left. Only these seven men of my crew..." He pointed at the men beside them. "and the four who have to get on board."

"So a woman was here, too?" It didn't mean that Ratonhnhaké:ton didn't trust Faulkner's words, in the contrary. He just wanted to be sure that Lillian was actually on board and in less danger than she would be here on the pier. So he was relieved when Faulkner nodded.

"She and her companions were the first I sent on board and told her to go under deck. Just in case something goes wrong."

Ratonhnhaké:ton gratefully bowed his head. She was safer under deck when the Aquila was under attack. At least for the moment. So he could concentrate on sending the last men on board so that the Aquila could set sail. Without drawing too much attention.

"Is everything ready to raise the anchor?", Ratonhnhaké:ton asked, looking at the Aquila which appeared empty due to the darkness.

"Aye. But she's not ready to fire. We have cannonballs and powder onboard, but the canons aren't prepared. We wouldn't be able to defend ourselves if they attack us and the preparation will cost time and it will be conspicuous to clap on all sail alone."

Ratonhnhaké:ton had already thought the same. If everyone capable would give a hand, they could prepare the Aquila in no time but they also needed men to prepare the canons. They needed to gain more time to do both and Ratonhnhaké:ton already believed to know how to do this.

"What if you prepare the ship for battle first before setting sail?"

"It doesn't matter what we do first. Fact is that the soldiers will notice it. According to your information, they will give the signal and the nearest frigate will shoot at us."

"Not if we play for more time with some of the men." Kanen'tó:kon's gaze brushed Ratonhnhaké:ton who nodded slowly. Obviously his friend had come to the same conclusion. "You will go onboard, send us a few of our men and we will make sure that the soldiers will not give the signal. We will distract them while you prepare the ship for battle and then for setting sail. Is it possible?"

The already aged forehead of Faulkner wrinkled even more. His eyes were radiating the scepticism he seemed to have but he nodded. "Sure it is. But the question is how you want to gain so much time?"

"You have to work quickly", Ratonhnhaké:ton replied simply. "The crew shall get as much help from the rebels as possible. At first it will be enough, if the ship is ready to return fire. Even if it has only two canons ready: It will not be defenceless. If the signal is lit anyway, you set sail immediately."

Faulkner huffed. "You're funny, lad. Return fire with two canons? You don't know what you're talking about."

Ratonhnhaké:ton almost replied that he knew exactly what he was talking about, but he restrained himself. Instead, he nodded at the Aquila and said: "She looks like a ship that can make it possible."

Faulkner's look followed his and as Ratonhnhaké:ton had expected it, he saw the familiar pride in his beloved ship in the old sailor's eyes.

"We will do our best", he muttered and gave his men a signal, after checking the docks. With Benjamin Franklin by their side, they left the hideout and sneaked to the ship.

»Do you really think, it is possible?«, Kanen'tó:kon asked while they looked after the shadowy figures, hurrying up the plank and hiding on board of the Aquila.

»It has to«, was the simple answer.

The two men remained in silence and Ratonhnhaké:ton's gaze roamed the docks. Close to the Aquila was only one active patrol of five soldiers. It could be easy to eliminate them if the other soldiers wouldn't be close already. He could clearly see their red auras through his eagle-vision. A fight wouldn't escape their notice.

»Do you think we should take position close to the tower?«, Kanen'tó:kon asked and nodded at a warehouse near the docks. It was a warehouse like any other but on its roof was a small tower, similar to a lighthouse. The only place where you could light a signal. They had to keep an eye on it but not the way Kanen'tó:kon suggested.

»The patrol is too close. They would notice. We have to watch them from here and react fast enough«

Kanen'tó:kon nodded and turned his eyes back to the Aquila, where six men just left the ship over the plank. They were rebels. Under cover of the night and out of the soldiers' sight, they approached them and said no word as they waited for orders, visibly tensed. Ratonhnhaké:ton and Kanen'tó:kon shared a look. Kanen'tó:kon seemed to wait, too, trusting that Ratonhnhaké:ton knew what they had to do. He looked down the docks once more and finally turned to the men.

"Do you know what this is about?"

They all nodded.

"Good. We will split up. Some go to the warehouse over there." He pointed at said building. "The rest stays here. Provoking a fight is too risky. We will wait until the soldiers notice something and come here. Then we can surprise them, but always keep an eye on them. We have to stop them from lighting the signal. This has priority. As soon as the Aquila is ready, we will stop fighting and enter the ship. Alright?"

They nodded again and after a silent signal, they split up. Four of them, led by Kanen'tó:kon, sneaked to the other side of the pier and hid in the shadows of the warehouse. The remaining men stayed with Ratonhnhaké:ton and then they waited.

The Aquila's deck had already come to life and it seemed like the crew had also assigned someone to keep watch, too. Every time the danger of getting caught was low, you could see figures running over the deck. Orders were shouted as quiet as possible and canons were pushed into position. The sails got prepared, too but as soon as a patrol came nearer, the Aquila became silent again. Everything went well and Ratonhnhaké:ton already dared to hope for a successful escape, when a muffled rumble and a scream echoed through the night. On board, a clumsy rebel hadn't been careful with the handover of one of the heavy canon-balls and had dropped it on his own foot. The whole world seemed to stop and get silent. As if it held its breath, as the patrol stopped and turned to the ship, which seemed to be entirely empty. Tensely Ratonhnhaké:ton leaned against the weathered wall of the warehouse and watched the soldiers, whose voices were clearly audible from his position. Then their marching steps as they approached the Aquila. Ratonhnhaké:ton looked at Kanen'tó:kon and despite the darkness, he was sure that their eyes met. Behind him, the other men whispered to each other to stay ready. They all knew what was going to happen. The heavy boots of the soldiers hit the pier and the clattering of their weapons alone made Ratonhnhaké:ton pull out his tomahawk and hunting knife. They waited. The soldier had to make one more step. Two. Three. Four.

Raising his tomahawk, Ratonhnhaké:ton stormed out of the shadows and saw Kanen'tó:kon and the others doing the same. The surprised shouts of the soldiers were quickly replaced by pained cries and the death rattle of a man, as Ratonhnhaké:ton thrust his tomahawk straight against his throat and almost beheaded him. The attack had cost the lives of three soldiers, but two rebels had fallen victim to the bluecoats' defence. But the remaining bluecoats had no chance anyway and were soon lying dead next to their comrades. But new opponents followed. The patrol on the other dock had noticed the short turmoil and called more soldiers for help. Clearly in majority, they stormed the pier. The Aquila's deck was already descending into chaos. Now it wasn't only about preparing the ship without getting noticed. Now it had to be prepared before one of the frigates could fire its canons at the Aquila. Right now, Ratonhnhaké:ton wasted no thought on it. He was only concentrated on fighting the bluecoats who were mercilessly driving their remaining five opponents back. Another rebel, with his belly sliced open, was lying in his own blood and was a hindrance for Ratonhnhaké:ton as his killer attacked him with the bayonet of his musket. He had to jump over the dead body and block the blade with his tomahawk. As soon as Ratonhnhaké:ton had firm ground beneath his feet again, he attacked the soldier with several short but strong strikes until he couldn't block them anymore. His blood ran over Ratonhnhaké:ton's hand when he suffered the same fate as the young man the Mohawk had killed just moments ago. With a cry of anger, one of his comrades attacked Ratonhnhaké:ton, who could hardly duck under the bayonet before it could bore into his side. Blocking the next attack with his tomahawk, he kicked the bluecoat who stumbled backwards and fell and he instantly kneeled over him to put his life to an end.

»Ratonhnhaké:ton!«

He just pulled the knife out of the man's chest when he heard this call behind him. Ratonhnhaké:ton whirled around and saw Kanen'tókon, fighting against a bluecoat. His friend's head nodded down the pier and Ratonhnhaké:ton saw another bluecoat, running down the landing stage. Obviously with a destination.

The signal, Ratonhnhaké:ton thought and he ran. He pushed a fighting soldier aside with his shoulder without turning his eyes away from the runaway. He headed for the building Kanen'tó:kon had noticed before. Ratonhnhaké:ton quickened his pace, wanted to stop the soldier by all means, but before he reached the building, the bluecoat disappeared inside and Ratonhnhaké:ton heard the noise of a heavy lock as he stopped in front of the gate. He swore quietly, took a few steps back and looked up the building. The fire bowl, where the signal was supposed to be ignited in, was about six metres above him. Climbing up would be easy, but it would take time and Ratonhnhaké:ton had no time. His gaze roamed over the building, searching for another entrance and stopped at a rope winch which was normally used to lift goods through a second gate. Some heavy boxes were still hanging from the rope, far above under the roof ridge. Ratonhnhaké:ton hoped that this was his way onto the roof. He pushed the tomahawk back into his belt and turned his eyes to the rope, tightening his grip on his hunting knife. Despite his hurry, he needed to concentrate. If this went wrong, he would end up with broken bones at best. He inhaled deeply, took a few steps back and finally ran towards the rope. While running, he grabbed it with his right hand and cut it. Instantly the crates rushed downwards and their weight tore Ratonhnhaké:ton up. His flight was only a matter of seconds as he already let go and landed on the edge of the roof. The impact made him stumble forward but he could just prevent himself from falling. A loud bang cut through the air as the crates hit the ground and shattered. Ratonhnhaké:ton's heart rushed in his chest when he returned to the edge and looked down. The rope he had just held in his hands, looked like a snake between the wreckage. If he had been only a few seconds too slow, he would be lying there now, too. Likewise lifeless. But now he was standing on the roof, only a few feet away from the small tower and the fire bowl.

Approaching it, Ratonhnhaké:ton stuck the knife between his teeth and started climbing. His feet and hands found hardly enough grip on the splintering wood and these splinters bored painfully into his fingernails. But still he only concentrated on getting to the top of the tower and the fire bowl. His hands felt for every narrow gap in the wood to give him the grip he needed to let his feet follow this path. He was only a few metres away from his destination, as he heard a trap door hitting the ground above his head. Then heavy steps and the sound of liquid being filled into a vessel. The soldier wanted to ignite the signal. Ratonhnhaké:ton climbed faster until his hands finally grabbed the edge of the balustrade that was framing the top of the tower. But he didn't stay unnoticed. His hands had hardly appeared on the edge when he heard the soldier swearing and his head appeared above him.

"Big mistake, savage", the man growled and struck for Ratonhnhaké:ton's left hand with a dagger. He could pull it back just in time. The metal got stuck in the wood of the balustrade, which made the man swear and gave Ratonhnhaké:ton the chance to grab the dagger himself. He thrust it upwards and felt the blade brushing bone as it bore into the soldier's shoulder. He screamed and stumbled backwards, grabbing the knife with one hand. Before he could pull it out and attack, Ratonhnhaké:ton pulled himself up, swung his legs over the balustrade and finally stood in front of the bluecoat, whose gaze flitted nervously back and forth between the Mohawk and the fire bowl. It seemed like he wasn't sure if he should fight, or light the signal first. He chose the middle way.

With a hasty jump to the side, he grabbed the bucket of oil he had used before to fill the fire bowl with the fuel. With a twisted kind of battle-cry, he poured it towards Ratonhnhaké:ton and hit his arm as he escaped to the side. The soldier wanted to use this distraction and stormed at the Mohawk, only to notice that he had just set a trap for himself. He slipped on the oil, stumbled and fell against Ratonhnhaké:ton who only caught him to tear his knife out of the man's shoulder and to thrust his forehead forward. The bluecoat screamed in pain again and pressed his hands against his nose. Blood ran through his fingers and now blinded, he stumbled backwards, slipped again and fell against the balustrade. In the desperate try to cling to something, he flailed his arms and Ratonhnhaké:ton's eyes widened as the man came dangerously close to the burning torch that was waiting to ignite the signal. He leaped forward, trying to grab the soldier by the collar and hold him, but it was too late. Another, deafening scream escaped the bluecoat's mouth when the torch fell to the ground and enflamed his oil-soaked coat in the process. The oil on the ground caught fire, too and it quickly spread in the wooden construction of the tower. Ratonhnhaké:ton backed away from the flames until his back hit the balustrade. His eyes moved to the soldier who fell to his knees, screaming in agony, a living torch himself. The scent of burning flesh rose into his nose and he felt his heartbeat rushing in his chest. Fire has always been the one element he feared the most since he had seen his mother dying in the flames of their burning village. But he couldn't let the fear control him. He forced his stiffened muscles to move and saved himself with a jump over the balustrade before the flames could reach him and ignite his oil-drenched clothes as well. The impact on the roof caused a searing pain in his limbs and Ratonhnhaké:ton rose stumbling, before looking up. The whole tower was in flames and it was only a matter of time until it would collapse and set the rest of the building on fire. The creaking of the wood was audible over the roaring flames, like the call of his name, sounding from the pier. Kanen'tó:kon was standing there and pointed at the Aquila. They had pulled the plank in and had set sail and Ratonhnhaké:ton could see the men who had fought on the pier with them and were now climbing the ship to get on board. They had fought the bluecoats back but more were coming. He wasted no time. Quickly Ratonhnhaké:ton ran to the edge of the roof, climbed down a bit before dropping himself and running to the Aquila, which was slowly departing from the pier.

Ratonhnhaké:ton was only a few metres away from the edge of the long landing stage when he heard a thunder in the distance. Then the cracking of heavy metal hitting wood and the cries of several men. Franklin had said the truth. One of the frigates had opened fire and its shots didn't only hit the Aquila. Ratonhnhaké:ton didn't realize what happened when he heard a loud, hissing sound and then a deafening bang. The ground shook beneath his feet and he tore his arms in front of his face to protect it from wooden splinters and stumbled backwards. One of the heavy canon-balls had tore a big hole into the pier in front of him.

»Are you alright?«, he heard Kanen'tó:kon calling from the other side of the pier and he nodded before taking a run-up and jumping over the hole. The thunder of canons sounded again but this time it was the Aquila firing. She had only set half sail but was still departing quickly.

»We need to hurry«, Ratonhnhaké:ton told his friend. The Aquila had to set full sail soon to escape from the destructive firepower of the opposing frigate. Kanen'tó:kon nodded and stormed towards the edge of the pier. Ratonhnhaké:ton would have followed him, if an uncertain impulse hadn't made him turn around again. At first he looked at the bluecoats who were coming from the other end of the pier but then he noticed a small, white object on the other side of the hole. Ratonhnhaké:ton's heartbeat quickened when his hand slid into the pouch on his belt, where he had kept his mother's necklace beside his ammunition and his fingers ran through a tear in the leather. Whenever it had happened, Ratonhnhaké:ton hadn't noticed that he had lost several bullets by now. And his mother's necklace which was now lying on the pier. He knew that he could waste no time but he couldn't leave it behind either. It was the only thing he had left of his mother and so he didn't think twice. Instead of following Kanen'tó:kon and leaving the pier, Ratonhnhaké:ton turned on his heel, jumped over the hole again and hasted to the necklace. Still running, he bent down, grabbed it and closed his fingers tightly around it as he whirled around again. He heard the soldiers stop behind him. Orders were shouted, muskets prepared. But in the same moment, when the soldiers fired, their target had jumped over the edge of the pier and dived into the icy water. Ratonhnhaké:ton swam to the Aquila where marksmen were shooting at the bluecoats at the harbour and covered the two Mohawk as they finally climbed the ship and heaved themselves on board. The Aquila shook every time her canons were fired. She had already been hit but was still intact so that they could set full sail and head towards the open sea. Into safety.

For now.