Less Than a Gentleman Read Free Page A

afraid.
    The horse pawed at the spongy, black earth, sensing the vibrations of approaching horsemen. More than one, Caroline could tell. The rumor she had heard last week flitted through her mind. Redcoats had invaded a home, found a pregnant woman, and stabbed her and the unborn child with their bayonets. Then they had written a warning above the bed. Thou shalt not give birth to a rebel.
    She glanced at her expectant sister and murmured a silent prayer. Then, in case God was occupied elsewhere, Caroline lowered herself to one knee and lifted the loaded musket to her shoulder.
    She eased the tip of the barrel between leafy branches of sweet pepperbush. The strong scent of the spiky white flowers itched her nose. Blast. This would be a bad time to sneeze. The horsemen dashed by in a dusty blur of black, brown, and dirty homespun. Colonials, four of them. Caroline caught her breath and stood.
    “No,” Virginia whispered. “They could be British deserters. They could be desperate, even ruthless. We trust no one.”
    Caroline refrained from mentioning their own desperate situation. Eventually, they might have to trust someone. “The danger is over for now. We should press on.”
    For five days, they had traveled south through the Black Mingo Swamp, winding their way around bogs and hiding from anyone who ventured close. They planned to reach the Black River and follow it westward ’til they located Colonel Sumter’s army, where their father was stationed.
    Caroline walked in front of their group, carrying their one musket. She glanced back to check on the children, who rode. Nine-year-old Edward nodded in the saddle. Seated behind him, Charlotte rested, her arms wrapped around her brother. Poor innocents . Father had been right. The price of freedom would be paid by all, including the children.
    Virginia led the horse by the reins. She gave Caroline a tired smile.
    Caroline smiled in response, then faced front with a jerk. Dear God, what if her sister went into childbirth? In the middle of a swamp with enemy redcoats all around?
    She swallowed hard at the panic rising in her throat. Face the facts, Caroline. You’re the only able-bodied adult in the group. It is up to you to make sure we survive. By her calculations, they were now close to the Black River. If they found passage upriver, they could be reunited with Father in a few days.
    “What is that smell?” Virginia asked.
    Caroline sniffed. Not again . The air along the Pee Dee had been thick with the smoke of burning homes. Had the British burned along the Black River, too?
    “I smell fire,” Edward announced.
    “Mama, I need the potty,” Charlotte whispered.
    “Do you see a chamber pot around here?” Edward muttered.
    “Don’t fret, sweeting,” Virginia told her daughter. “We’ll stop soon.”
    Caroline strode around a bend in the path and slowed to a halt. The path widened and sloped down to the Black River. Here the land had been cleared of vegetation, but as the river snaked into the distance, tangled vines hugged its banks. The horse path continued on a parallel course to the river. In front of her, smoke curled into the air from the charred remains of a rowboat. A boat they could have used.
    She groaned. How could it get worse than this?
    Virginia stopped beside her. “We’ll figure out something.”
    “Can I get down now?” Charlotte asked.
    Caroline propped the musket against a tree, then lifted her niece off the horse. Virginia led Charlotte behind some bushes.
    “Godsookers! Look at that.” Edward slid off the horse and ran down to the water’s edge. “They set it on fire while it was still in the water. I didn’t know that was possible.”
    Caroline frowned, gazing at the blackened remains of the ferry that floated on the far side of the river. “Ships burn at sea all the time.” She winced inwardly. Blast! She’d done it again and blurted out something dreadful. Edward’s father, a blockade runner, had been missing at sea since