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and when the men came ashore we moved in around them, with muskets and
pistols,
sixty men to their twenty, and all armed and ready.
Jonathan Delve was an older man now and the mark of Satan was on him. He
started
to bluster and threaten, but I spoke to him quietly.
"You'll surely remember me, Delve. You served under me once, and a poor sort
of
man you were. And by the look of you, you're no better now."
He started to speak but I cut him off.
"You'll threaten no man here, nor raise your voice on the streets of the
town.
You and your men are prisoners, and Captain Powell will provide you with
comfortable quarters while they go through your ship. We hear you've a spot
of
powder left, and we'll be having it."
"You'll be damned if !" He started to bluster.
"It is you who'll be damned, Captain Delve. Don't threaten us with your guns.
By
now your men will have discovered that your guns are spiked."
"Spiked!" His voice was hoarse with rake. "You're a liar, Barnabas Sackett!
How
could ?"
"My boys are woodsmen, Delve. They were aboard last night." A movement caught
my
eye, and turning my head from him I saw a ship coming up the river. "Here
comes
your quarry now, with cargo for Virginia. You'll not mind waiting ashore
until
she's gone, will you, Delve?"
Now there was a hint of panic in his eyes. "What are you trying to do,
Sackett?"
"It is not me." I indicated Captain Powell. "You must speak to this officer,
or
to the governor."
So they were disarmed and taken away to be locked up. We walked to the
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riverfront, the boys and I, to watch the ship come in, yet there was no joy
in
me to see her, fine craft though she was, for Abby would be going away, and
my
little girl with her.
Would Noelle have the gift? We had never talked of it, although sometimes she
looked at me so solemnly, so strangely that I was sure she knew.
In the better of the several ordinaries that had sprung up, I was invited to
a
glass of wine with the governor, Sir Francis Wyatt. He gestured to a seat
opposite him. "Captain Sackett, I hear you will be leaving us soon?"
"I will."
"Your wife, I hear, is returning to England?"
"With my son, Brian, and my daughter, Noelle. This is not the land to bring
up a
young woman, and my son wishes to read for the law."
"Commendable." He turned his glass on the table. "Sackett, if you will permit
me? I have asked no questions as to your background or your reasons for
settling
here. You realize, of course, that the land you occupy is the King's?"
"I suppose that is the official interpretation," I replied quietly. "However,
I
must suggest a thought. The land lies in the realm of the Catawba. So far as
I
am aware none of that land has to date been purchased, nor has it been
yielded.
Moreover, the Catawba has been a friend of the white man. At least," I added,
"to the Englishman."
"What you say is true, no doubt, yet the grant given stretches to the western
ocean. I do not wish to create an issue where none yet exists, Sackett, and
certainly you have been most helpful. Most men under the circumstances would
have demanded the highest price for their grain."
"It is not our nature to take advantage."
"You wish no favors in return?"
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"None. If you wish, however, you might write some letters of introduction for
my
family, and especially for my son. It is not easy for a young man to make his
way without friends."
"It shall be done. My family home is at Boxley Abbey. A letter will accompany
your ship to England. I shall also address several members of the company on
your behalf."
He leaned back in his chair. "None of us knows what the future holds, and by
all
appearances I shall be governor here for several years. It may be that we
will
again need your help."
"You have only to ask."
"Thank you. I would also take it kindly if you would keep me informed on any
exploration you do into the mountains, or beyond them. And perhaps you can
help
us develop our relationship with the Catawba. I understand they are a strong
people."
"They are among the most noted fighting men in the country, Sir Francis. And,
as
it happens, most of their enemies are our enemies, too."
I paused. "You understand, Sir Francis, that I left England rather
hurriedly."
He lifted a hand. "Please! No more of that. You are a settler here. You have
proven useful and helpful. I wish to know nothing more. I am a practical man,
Sackett, and I am interested only in the interests of the colony." He glanced
at
me curiously. "You have been here a long time?"
"More than twenty years."
"You realize that, officially, no one has been here so long?" He refilled his
glass. "Of course, for some time there have been stories of white men in the
back country. You knew that, I suppose?"
"There were such rumors when first we came here, Sir Francis. I am sure that
we
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