The Way to Freedom: Chapter 2
by Tami B.
Disclaimer: The following work has been written solely for the enjoyment of fans and not for monetary profit. The rights to the characters initially created for the Daniel Boone series belong to 20th Century Fox and Fess Parker. All other characters are of the author's own creation. No copyright violation is intended.
Rebecca swept the floor of the empty tavern as Israel played in the courtyard of the fort with his friend Andy Rand. There had been a few patrons in the tavern this afternoon and the promise of more later. Rebecca had a pot of Irish stew cooking over the fire. They had taken one sniff of it and vowed to return. Until then, she was alone with only her broom and the ever-constant concern for her daughter.
Just as she was finishing the sweeping, Rebecca was hit with such a sense of foreboding that she became light-headed. Steadying herself against the counter, she knew Jemima was in danger. "Mima," she whispered, her eyes tearing. As she had done for Daniel in the past, she began to pray for her daughter in the same manner. Her lips lifted a silent prayer that traveled on angel's wings into the very throne room of God. She paced the floor interceding on her daughter's behalf, requesting protection for Jemima and a safe return home.
Israel came dashing into the tavern. His blond hair disheveled from roughhousing. "Ma!" he shouted. "Can I..." His question trailed off when he recognized what his mother was doing. Walking with her head bowed and lips moving rapidly but making no sound meant somebody was in trouble. He didn't know whether it was his father or sister or both, but he knew not to interrupt his mother when she was engaged in fervent prayer. Leaving quietly, Israel decided to stand guard outside and not allow anyone inside lest they disturb Rebecca.
After a time, she came to a sudden stop, feeling like laughing. She held it back, thinking how inappropriate that was with her daughter in danger. Then no longer able to hold back, she laughed and felt at peace: a peace she hadn't experienced since Jemima's absence. Taking a chair, she sat in it as tears of joy ran down her face, dampening the sleeve of her blouse as she raked her arm across her slightly reddened face.
Carefully opening the door, Israel poked his head inside to find Rebecca in a state of amusement. He thought it odd since not that long ago she had been occupied in serious prayer. "Ma, whatcha laughin' at?" Israel asked cautiously as he approached her.
Drawing in a few breaths and calming, Rebecca cleaned her wet face using the one dry sleeve she had left. "I don't know, but whatever it was, it was humorous," she answered and then rose to continue sweeping the floor.
Israel started for the door thinking how odd his mother was acting. Nobody just laughed at nothing. He was glad no one had witnessed the incident except himself or they might label her a loon, lock her up, and throw away the key.
Dodging the blow, Jemima began to laugh loudly. "Big slow Indian!" she shouted, continuing to laugh and then broke into a dance with her rifle in one hand and the rabbit in the other. She then sang. "You can't catch me. I'll fly away like a bee." As she danced around the Shawnee brave, he remained rooted in place, staring at the strange white girl. "You think I'm a loon," Jemima said and then immediately thought, 'please, please think me a loon'. "I am a loon and not in just the month of June. Look my Shawnee friends, let's cook this rabbit and eat together. I love to eat rabbit on any day and no need to serve it on a tray," she said, with a giggle, handing the rabbit to one of the Shawnees.
The Shawnee leader ordered two braves to gather wood and soon the rabbit was cleaned and roasting on the spit. They each cut a slice, which amounted to only a morsel. Jemima favored them with incessant babbling. Still clutching her rifle, she crept around the braves. She wasn't sure they understood a word she said, but so far, she had them spellbound, and it looked as if they would leave her unharmed as well as her friends. The charade would go on for as long as she needed it to, and she hoped her performance would continue to be convincing.
"I can be a rabbit. I can hop, hop, hop," Jemima said as she demonstrated. "Hop. Hop. Hop. Hop a lot and don't stop." A Shawnee brave joined her and then another. Soon, there were five Shawnees looking like rabbits hopping behind the loony white girl. Then she broke into a skip and began singing. "Lou. Lou. Skip to my lou. Skip to my lou, my darling. I got a pretty Shawnee better than you. Lou. Lou. Skip to my lou. Lou. Lou. Skip to my lou. Lou. Lou. Skip to my lou, my darling." She repeated that song several times until the Shawnees were trying to sing it and skip with her.
Out of breath, Jemima stopped and motioned for the Shawnees to sit down. It was dusk now and she had a story to tell then she hoped the Shawnees would let her go. "Tell me, my fine Shawnee friend, have you heard the story about Solomon Grundy? No, I'm sure you haven't. Allow me to tell it to you. 'Solomon Grundy. Born on Monday,'" she related and extended her arms wide, with the rifle firmly gripped in one hand.
"'Christened on Tuesday.'" She poured some water from her canteen that hung from a strap around her neck, sprinkled some on her forehead, and then took a big drink.
"'Married on Wednesday.'" She danced around the Shawnees with her arm bent at the elbow.
"'Took ill on Thursday.'" She placed the butt of her rifle in the ground and leaned on it and gasped.
"'Worse on Friday.'" She slowly slid down to the ground, keeping the rifle upright. Then she laid on her side with the rifle beside her.
"'Died on Saturday.'" She threw herself on her back, kicked her legs three times, and then rolled her head to the side with eyes closed and her tongue hanging out.
"'Buried on Sunday.'" Throwing dirt on herself, Jemima found that she wanted to laugh at the spectacle she was making. She suddenly sat up. "'This is the end of Solomon Grundy.'" She bounded to her feet and curtsied several times.
No applause was forthcoming. With a broad grin, Jemima bowed a few times. "Thank you, my Shawnee friends. I must rest now. This loon is quite tired. Good night," she said, waving and then walked away from them into the forest. She took a circuitous route, but they didn't follow. Considering it safe, Jemima rendezvoused with Harry and Alice who had, by this time, become quite concerned for their friend.
"Are you all right?" Alice asked, seeing she had been sweating and looked so very tired.
"Nothing a little sleep won't cure. Listen, if the Shawnees come back just go along with me. It'll save our lives," Jemima instructed.
"We will," Harry said, passing Jemima some jerky.
"Thank you, Harry. Get some sleep now," Jemima ordered. "We lost time today. We'll have to make up for it tomorrow."
"We heard mumblings, but that was all. We feared for your life," Alice said.
"I have the Shawnees wrapped around my little finger...right now. As long as they think I'm a loon, I'll be unharmed and you should be safe as long as you stay with me," Jemima explained confidently.
"We really have no choice, but to follow you," Harry pointed out. "A loon? They think you're out of you mind? Crazy and all."
"Yes, and I intend for them to keep believing that, if we should run into them again," Jemima said, hoping that would not be the case.
"Will we?" Alice asked.
"It's possible. I hope my performance will be enough that they will give us a wide berth and leave us alone," Jemima stated. "But their curiosity may make them seek us out. No more talking. We must sleep and be ready to leave before first light."
Jemima took her own advice and curled up into a ball. Thinking back on her play-acting, she chuckled silently. What would her parents have thought of such antics? They would have congratulated her on her ingenuity she was certain. She thought of other wild things that would entertain the Shawnees. A scene from one of William Shakespeare's plays, perhaps? Which one? Romeo and Juliet, she decided. There was a scene that Mingo and she would recite together. They had done it often enough that she practically had it all memorized. The odd part about it was that Mingo spoke Juliet's lines and she, Romeo's. They tried reversing the roles once, but Mingo stumbled and stammered through the reading. She remembered her mother being quite entertained by it. The thought occurred to her that Daniel was never around when they read. It didn't matter, she supposed. As she fell asleep, with a smile on her lips, she could hear Mingo's melodious voice saying, "'O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?'"
As promised, Jemima awakened her friends and they made haste north with the hope of putting miles between them and the Shawnees. By midmorning, they rested by a stream. Alice cooked some beans over a fire Harry had made using a flint and steel. Jemima was fearful about shooting any more game after the incident with the Shawnees so Alice volunteered to oversee the bean preparation.
They sat eating their food silently, thinking it was the finest meal they had had in a long time. They had been existing on jerky and not much else. The change was welcome. Jemima kept on the alert for trouble. She had a nagging suspicion that the Shawnees would return. Keeping one eye on their surroundings and the other eye on her food, she somehow managed to accomplish both without much difficulty.
Mingo ran a hand across to his featherless head. He felt naked and exposed without the feathers. They hadn't seen a turkey, but when they did, Mingo would then have new feathers and they would make a meal from the meat. They had stopped for the moment in the natural shelter of large leafy trees.
"Here, Mingo," Daniel said, placing his coonskin cap on Mingo's head. To Daniel's reasoning, Mingo obviously missed something on his head and since no feathers were available, his coonskin cap would have to do. "There that ought to fix you up," Daniel announced, before realizing that that he had placed the cap so that the tail hung down in Mingo's face. Snickering, he spun the cap so that it was properly placed on the Cherokee's head. "Sorry about that."
"Daniel, you did that on purpose," Mingo accused, realizing the odor he smelled periodically eminated from the coonskin cap.
"Now hold on there, Mingo. Why would I do that?" Daniel asked, smiling crookedly and looking the very essence of innocence with his brown hair blowing in the wind and an invisible halo over his head.
"Only you know that," Mingo said, doffing the cap and handing it back to the tall woodsman with his nose turned up. "I have smelled this foul odor for some time, and now I realize it is from your cap. What died in it? It smells like flesh that has been rotting for a week. You might try using Mrs. McGrady's soap to get the stink out."
Laughing, Daniel said, "That's what got the stink in there. Israel decided to be helpful and cleaned my cap with Mrs. McGrady's soap. I reckon I got used to the smell. I thought it had worn off by now."
Mingo joined him in laughter, but it was quickly stifled when they saw the Shawneess running towards them. Ducking behind a clump of bushes, they watched the Shawneess pass. "Where do you think they're going in such an all fire hurry?" Daniel asked with curiosity. "Let's follow them for a spell."
"That may not be a good idea, Daniel," Mingo said. "We're upwind of them. They might smell your cap coming."
"That just might keep them away," Daniel laughed quietly as he clandestinely followed the Shawnees with Mingo behind him.
Harry started on a second bowl as Jemima finished hers and began cleaning her bowl. When she looked up, she saw the Shawnees approaching; the very ones they encountered the day before. No, she thought. Her premonition came true. She wasn't sure they had seen her, and she thought she had concealed their tracks well, but they came towards them. She watched as they suddenly stopped and acted as if they were sniffing the air like she had seen dogs do.
"What's goin' on?" Harry asked as he came to her side to see what had captured her interest.
"The Shawnees are back," Jemima answered quietly. "Something has their attention, but it isn't us. There's something in the air that has them curious."
Alice joined the observation party and was immediately fearful of the Indians.
The Shawnees huddled as if they were determining what to do, and Jemima hoped they went back the direction they had come from. As if they heard her, they did just that. "Come on. Get packed and let's get out of here while they're occupied with something else."
Concealed in the woods, Daniel and Mingo watched as the Shawnees came towards them. They moved away from them and began circling around them in order to catch them from behind. A much better offensive position, Daniel surmised.
"Daniel, they smelled your stinking cap. I know they did. It is said a Shawnee has the nose of a bloodhound," Mingo whispered. "They sniffed us out."
Not immediately responding, Daniel kept his eyes trained on the backs of the Shawnees as they conversed among themselves. "Apparently, those bloodhounds have lost the scent," Daniel observed.
"Good. Let's get out of here. We'll have to go upwind," Mingo said.
Daniel crept upwind as Mingo suggested and with him following on his heels, they were able to see the Shawnees' meeting come to an end. The Shawnees fanned out and began a search. "Looks like those bloodhounds intend to find the scent," Daniel said.
Snatching the offending cap from Daniel's head, Mingo threw it to the ground. "Leave it, Daniel, before you don't have a head to hang it from."
With a smile, Daniel led the way, but an especially good sniffing Shawnee brave spotted them and barked out a warning. Daniel and Mingo immediately took to their heels and ran. One brave got an arrow off, but it was impaled into a tree rather than in Mingo's back.
The others converged on the scene, and they began to chase Daniel and Mingo.
Having quickly packed Jemima and her companions climbed a hill in haste, leaving a trail that a dead man could follow, but time was of the essence. They had to get to higher ground to know if they were being followed. She stopped when she heard the Shawnees whooping and hollering. Peering through the trees, she saw they were pursuing two persons and one of them looked extremely like her father. As they drew closer, she knew the hunted ones were Daniel and Mingo. "Harry, Alice, stay here. The Shawnees are after my pa. I have to help him," Jemima ordered. "Keep out of sight. I'll be back for you when I can."
"Please be careful," Alice called after her.
Jemima didn't answer. She raced down the hill and clutched her heart when she saw Daniel fall and two Shawnees jump on top of him. One of them raised his tomahawk and aimed for her father's head. "Pa!" she screamed, but she was too far away for anyone to hear but Alice and Harry. Her legs ran towards him hoping she would arrive in time to save him.
"No! No! No!" Fox screeched. "The trail can't have gone cold."
"It has," Cincinnatus said. "But we know they are definitely headed east. We were close once, but they got clean away. We backtracked them all the way to that broken branch we spotted when our attempt to head them off didn't work. They're ahead of us somewhere."
"We'll just keep on heading east then," Fox said.
Cincinnatus shook his head. "I'm goin' back to Boonesborough. We don't have a prayer in catchin' them."
"Don't you want to see justice served?" Fox asked. "You must help me retrieve my property."
"There ain't no chance of gettin' your slaves back," Cincinnatus said. "They 're gone. To Salem, most like, and by the time we get there, they will have been sold or dead. Face it, you're not goin' to get them back. Am I right, boys?"
The trappers nodded their heads. They were far from being good trackers, but Fox figured they were better than nothing. It seemed the tavern keeper knew more about tracking than those two and that got him wondering.
"How is it that you know so much about tracking? You are, after all, only a storekeeper," Fox asked, with a sneer on his face.
"You don't live close to Dan'l Boone without learnin' from him. Besides, I wasn't always a storekeeper. In my younger days, I was quite the woodsman," Cincinnatus boasted, wondering why Fox was just now getting around to asking that question.
"You sure we can't catch those thieves?" Fox asked.
"We'd have just as much chance as a blizzard strikin' in July," Cincinnatus told him. "We should just turn back to Boonesborough and give this hunt up. A mug each of Blue Thunder is on me." That was enough enticement for the trappers as they clapped each other's backs in anticipation of free drinks.
"That really angers me. Losing my property like that and no one made to answer for it," Fox said. "I seek justice."
"Them that stole from you will be made to paid for it...somehow," Cincinnatus said.
"I certainly hope so," Fox said angrily as he followed the trail that led to Boonesborough with the trappers following him, finally thinking it was hopeless to continue.
"Yes, I'm sure she'll be gettin' many jewels in her crown of glory for it," Cincinnatus added, chuckling and then brought up the rear.
Rebecca closed the tavern for the day and took her son hunting. He carried his play rifle while she carried the real thing. Walking along the Kentucky River, Israel picked up stones and began to try skipping them across the water. Rebecca sat on a log and watched him. That foreboding sense came over her again and this time she knew Daniel was in danger. Coming to her feet, she began to walk and pray silently. Her lips moved rapidly as she wrung her hands.
"Hey, Ma! Did you see that one? It skipped four times," Israel said, delightedly. He turned around to see his mother pacing that certain way and knew what that meant. "Gosh, not so soon again. I wish Pa and Mima would come home so Ma can go back to being herself." Indifferent to her unvoiced prayer, Israel returned to skipping rocks.
With great strength, Daniel was able to roll the two Shawnees off of him just as the tomahawk was embedded into the ground where his head had been. As he was rising, another Shawnee brave tackled him to the ground and the other two were able pin him down. One brought a knife to his throat and prepared to slit it.
"Stop!" Jemima yelled then began to laugh. "You can't do that. No. No. No." She crossed an index finger over the other repeatedly. "Shamey. Shamey. Shamey. You must leave the nice white man alone."
The Shawnee warrior withdrew the knife and stared at Jemima.
From his position on the ground, Daniel swore he heard Jemima's voice. Turning his head so he could see if it was her, he made out buckskin pants and his eyes went upward to see the lovely face of his daughter. But what was she doing way out here? Right now, that didn't matter. Getting clear of these Shawnees did.
"Let the nice white man go," Jemima said, giggling. She approached the Shawnees and gently pushed them away from her father. They did as she wanted, then Jemima sat on Daniel's chest and leaned down to his ear. "Pa, they think I'm a loon." Then she jumped up and skipped a few yards away, knowing that her father would understand exactly what her statement meant.
Daniel came to his feet and saw his daughter act the very part of a loon. "Would you like to play with me, big white man?" she asked, taking him by the hands and they danced in circles as she laughed. "Can you be a turkey, big white man?" Jemima asked. She began to strut and gobble like a turkey as Daniel joined in. They went on like that for time. Then Jemima poked her fingers to squeeze her checks so that her lips projected outward. "Be a fish, big white man," she demanded, moving her lips up and down. Daniel imitated her. Even a few Shawnees gave it a try. Jemima then collapsed to the ground and engaged in hysterical laughter. She rolled around and then bounded to her feet just in time to see a captured Mingo escorted by the missing Shawnees.
Running towards Mingo, Jemima jumped and clung to his neck to whisper in his ear. "I'm a loon, Mingo." Letting go, Jemima took his hand and began to dance a waltz.
"Ah, Jemima," Mingo whispered. "You are dancing much too slowly. The waltz is a dance in three-quarter time."
Jemima giggled, sped up the dance, and glided towards where Daniel stood. All the while she clung to her rifle. The Shawnees gathered around, but made no menacing moves towards any of them. She released Mingo so that he came to stand beside Daniel. She then tried dancing the waltz with the Shawnee leader, but he did not move. Jemima narrowed her eyes at him and shouted to the top of her lungs. "You think you're too good to dance with me? Do you? Well, I can tell you, you aren't good enough. None of you are." Jemima pointed an accusing finger at each one of them, which had the effect of unnerving the Shawnees. Bursting in laughter, Jemima swung her rifle around repeatedly.
Gripping her rifle once more, Jemima cocked her head from side to side. "We need to hear a story. A tragic story. Romeo and Juliet. I will present a scene from the play. Mind you, I don't remember all the lines, but I promise it will be entertaining. Romeo enters as Juliet appears at the window." Extending her arm upward, Jemima began her rendition of William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet.
"Romeo says,
But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief,
That thou her maid art far more fair than she...
It is my lady, O, it is my love!
O, that she knew she were!
Jemima said melodramatically and extremely overacting.
"Juliet says,
Ay me!
With both arms raised and slowly twirling in a circle, Jemima continued. "Romeo says:
She speaks: O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art
As glorious to this night, being o'er my head
As is a winged messenger of heaven
Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes
Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him
When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds
And sails upon the bosom of the air.
Then Juliet says:..."
Enraptured in the performance, Mingo unwittingly joined in.
O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet...'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.
Mingo quoted perfectly and just above a mumble.
Jemima raised her head to sky, clutching her fist over her heart and pounding it three times. "Romeo says..."
...I will never be Romeo."Then Juliet says..."
What man art thou that thus bescreen'd in night
So stumblest on my counsel?
Mingo chimed in quietly as Daniel looked on amused.
"Romeo says..."
By a name
I know not how to tell thee who I am:
My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself,
Because it is an enemy to thee;
Had I it written, I would tear the word.
Jemima strutted about as she spoke. "Juliet says..."
My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words
Of that tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound:
Art thou not Romeo and a Montague?
Mingo recited, in a voice just above a murmur.
"How is it, Mingo, you know all of Juliet's lines?" Daniel asked, wearing his usual crooked smile.
"Well, Daniel, while attending Oxford I - " Mingo interrupted himself as he was about to admit to something that Daniel didn't need to know. Then chagrined, he remained silent for the rest of Jemima's stellar performance.
Jemima spoke the rest of the scene sometimes verbatim sometimes not. At last, she came to the end of the scene. "Romeo says..."
Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast!
Would I were sleep and peace, so sweet to rest!
Hence will I to my ghostly father's cell,
His help to crave, and my dear hap to tell.
"The end. Do you know what happened to them? They committed suicide. Killed themselves, they did. Oh, how tragic!"
She dropped to the ground and began to wail uncontrollably. Daniel was sure they could hear her all the way to Boonesborough. After a time, her sobs ceased and she ran a sleeve across her nose and mouth. On her feet again, she leaped to the Shawnee leader. "Let's be deer," she suggested and leapt about the group. She made Daniel and Mingo join her and the three of them leapt away from the Shawnees.
Apparently having enough of the crazy white girl, the Shawnees left her with the white man and the Cherokee and ran for their village. Daniel, Mingo, and Jemima watched them go.
Feeling a calming peace come over her, Rebecca and Israel resumed their hunt. To their surprise and delight, they came upon a turkey. Rebecca handed the rifle to Israel with instructions to be careful. He aimed the rifle and the turkey fell to the ground as Israel did too.
"Did I get him, Ma?" Israel asked as he climbed to his feet.
"Indeed you did, oh great hunter," Rebecca said, clapping her son on the back.
"Ma, will I ever be growed up enough so I don't get throwed to the ground every time I shoot a rifle?" Israel asked.
"You will, Israel," Rebecca answered. And all too soon, she thought.
Israel raced to claim his turkey and hauled it up by its scrawny neck. Rebecca joined him as both of them wore smiles. "It's a big 'un, ain't it, Ma?" Israel asked.
"It most certainly is," Rebecca answered. "We'll have to save the feathers for Mingo."
"Why?" Israel asked. "Don't he have feathers?"
"I'm not sure," Rebecca said, puzzled that she knew she should give the feathers to Mingo. "We'll keep them for him anyhow. Let's go back to the fort and cook this fine bird."
Israel nodded and the two of them headed for home.
"Thank goodness. They're gone," Jemima said, taking a seat on a nearby rock. "If I had to act like a loon one more day, I would have gone loony."
"You got some explainin' to do," Daniel said firmly. "What are you doin' out here and dressed like that?" he asked, pointing to her buckskin pants.
"Pa, I'm taking Harry and Alice to freedom," Jemima said, standing to her feet.
"Harry and Alice? Aren't they Fox's slaves," Daniel asked.
"Not anymore," Jemima proclaimed. "They're free just like you and me."
"What do you mean, they're free? Free by whose proclamation? Mima, what have you done?" Daniel asked, knowing he wasn't going to like the answer.
"I did what needed to be done, Pa. I'm showing two fine people the way to freedom," Jemima began to explain. "Mr. Fox was going to separate them. They 're married. They belong with each other. They decided they'd rather take a risk at being free so they could stay together. I decided to take that risk with them and lead the way."
"Where are you planning to take them?" Daniel asked.
"To the forks of the Ohio where your friends will take them by flatboat to Canada and freedom," Jemima answered.
"You got it all figured, do you?" Daniel asked.
Jemima nodded. "I tried to consider everything."
"Everything? Mima, do you know you could be hanged if you're caught. And Harry and Alice could be maimed to prevent them from ever escapin' again," Daniel pointed out.
"I know that and I told them that, but they still were willing to take the chance," Jemima said. "Pa, what I'm doing is right. I know it is. You once told me that if I don't do what's right, I may as well be dead and I didn't want to die."
Daniel stared at her, feeling odd that his own words had been thrown in his face. "Mima-"
"Before you lecture me, Pa, let me say this," Jemima explained. "You also told me once that our actions always have consequences, good or bad. I weighed that before I agreed to take Harry and Alice to freedom. Believe me, Pa, I thought it all over. I even tried to worm out of it, but my conscience wouldn't let me. No matter what you say, I know I'm right. I'm prepared to suffer the consequences, good or bad."
"Do you really know what you're sayin', Mima? This isn't a game you're playin'. We're talkin' about people's lives. Your life. The stakes are high. Maybe too high," Daniel said.
"Maybe too high for you, Pa, but I would rather lose my life for doing what's right than to live to old age with shame as my constant companion. That's my way to freedom," Jemima said.
Daniel smiled knowing that he wasn't going to win this debate. She had taken to heart the values Rebecca and he had instilled in her. What did he expect her to do? Turn a blind eye? He wouldn't have if he felt something needed to be done, so why would she? Pride swept through Daniel as he glanced in Mingo 's direction. Mingo crossed his arms and turned the corner of his lips upward. Daniel returned his attention back to Jemima. There his daughter stood, accepting responsibility and acting the adult she had suddenly become in his eyes. Certainly, she had violated the law of the land, but a law Daniel considered immoral. She answered to a higher calling. No father could have been more pleased with his daughter than Daniel was at that moment. "Mima, I'm right proud of you," Daniel said, as he watched her face light up. "You've taken on a great responsibility and are handling it well."
"Thanks, Pa," Jemima said, and let out of a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Will you help me take them to the forks of the Ohio? It'll be easier with two of us going."
"Now hold on there. Does your Ma know about this?" Daniel asked.
Jemima bowed her head and slowly shook it. "I couldn't tell her Pa. If she knew, she wouldn't have let me do it. I know she wouldn't. I figured it was better to get forgiveness afterward than permission beforehand. That's why I didn't tell her. I snuck out in the night with her thinking I was going hunting."
"She's probably gone plumb out of her mind with worry," Daniel concluded.
"I feel just awful about that. It couldn't be helped. You understand, don't you, Pa?" Jemima asked.
Nodding, Daniel brought a hand up to push back his cap before realizing he wasn't wearing his cap. Instead, he ran his palm along the top of his head. "Still, Mima, we shouldn't worry your ma more than we have to. The question is what do we do now?" Daniel posed.
"I have the solution, Daniel," Mingo spoke for the first time. "I will escort Harry and Alice to the forks of the Ohio while you and Jemima return home."
"No!" Jemima shouted, startling the two men. "I started on this venture. I'll see it through."
Daniel approached Jemima and placed his hands tenderly on her shoulders. "Mima, think of your ma. Mingo will see to Harry and Alice. He won't let anything happen to them. You've done your job, but now it's time to go home."
Peering into her father's green eyes, Jemima saw the love that radiated from them. She wanted to do as Daniel asked. She wanted to see her mother and alleviate her worry, but she couldn't. Harry and Alice were her responsibility. "Pa, I can't leave them. They trust only me."
"They'll learn to trust Mingo," Daniel said, rubbing the back of his neck. Jemima didn't know it, but he had no intention of allowing her to travel any further than she had. She was going home and all he had to do was have her make that decision herself. If it came to him putting his foot down, then that's the way it would have to be.
Mingo offered another suggestion. "Jemima, I'll spend the rest of day with Harry and Alice, and if they feel uncomfortable with me by the end of it, then we'll make other arrangements."
"I suppose that would be all right. Is it all right with you, Pa?" Jemima asked.
"I think it's a mighty fine idea, and I have no doubt that Harry and Alice will succumb to Mingo's charm. He doesn't look so menacing when he's quoting Shakespeare," Daniel stated, clapping his friend on the back.
"You're forgetting something, Daniel," Mingo reminded him, letting the woodsman's remark go unanswered. "Fox and the rest of Boonesborough may be searching for Jemima, Harry, and Alice. Returning Jemima home may be more hazardous than you realize."
Mingo had a point. Going home might be putting Jemima in jeopardy, more so than allowing her to continue the journey. His mind was made up though and if home was unsafe, he would find a place where it was. Squeezing the bottom of his chin with his thumb, Daniel said, "Don't fret, Mingo. We'll be extra careful."
"Mr. Fox can't know what I did or where to find us. No one could," Jemima said with confidence. "Only myself, Harry, and Alice knew of our plan and I covered our tracks real good except for those I wanted to be seen."
"Maybe so, Mima, but we'll be on our guard at all times," Daniel said, not willing and not about to let anything or anybody come between himself and his daughter.
"Yes, Pa. Since that's settled, you and Mingo need to fetch your rifles just in case the Shawnees return and aren't charmed by my lunacy anymore," Jemima suggested.
"We'll do that," Daniel said, then his voice gentled. "Wasn't it only yesterday you were my little girl? And now, today, you are a grown woman."
Smiling, Jemima wrapped her arms around his waist. "Pa, I'll always be your little girl because I'll always want to be."
Daniel returned his daughter's embrace and kissed the top of her head. "Well, if you're going to be my little girl, you'll get yourself out of those buckskin pants and into a proper dress," he said in jest.
"I think not, Daniel. It is the latest fashion among Boone loons," Mingo said, entering the conversation again.
The three of them laughed. "That was quite a performance you displayed for us and the Shawnees," Daniel remarked. "Mingo's wasn't bad either."
"That was nothing, Pa. You should have seen yesterday's performance. It was the show stopper," Jemima said, reaching to kiss his cheek. "I'll tell you all about it after I fetch Harry and Alice off that hill." Then she asked, "When did Mingo perform?"
"While you were givin' an outstandin' presentation to us and the Shawnees, Mingo was recitin' Juliet's lines right along with you with such precise diction that I was almost brought to tears," Daniel said. "No woman could have done better except for you, Mima."
"Oh, he always does that," Jemima admitted.
"Does he now?" Daniel asked, smiling crookedly and calculating.
"Yes...well...don't you think we should be getting those rifles, Daniel?" Mingo asked, wanting the subject matter to be changed desperately.
"One day he thought about asking Mrs. McGrady for one of her dresses to really play the scene," Jemima teased.
"Only as a joke, Daniel, I assure you," Mingo said in his own defense.
"Mingo, I think I'm learnin' things about you that I didn't need to know," Daniel said with a huge grin. "You're startin' to scare me. I'm thinkin' maybe you're as loony as my daughter."
"Not a loon, Daniel, but a confusion unto myself," Mingo corrected.
"So you keep telling me," Daniel said, then he turned serious. "One more thing, Mima. You saved my life back there. Thanks." Daniel said.
"Well, Pa, you ever need the services of a Boone loon again to save your sorry hide, I'm always available," Jemima said and they joined again in laughter. When they quieted, Jemima stared at Mingo with her eyebrows furrowed.
Mingo looked to Daniel and then back to Jemima, wondering what she was gaping at. "Jemima, something wrong?"
"It's..it's...it's," Jemima stammered.
"Whatever it is just say it," Mingo encouraged.
"Mingo," Jemima began then dropped her voice to a whisper. "You're not wearing any feathers."
His hand automatically ran from the top of his hair to the back of his naked head. "Yes...well..My lack of plumes takes some getting used to. I haven't adjusted to the change either. They met with an unfortunate end," Mingo explained.
"If the Shawnees come back, I'll get a couple of feathers from them for you. You won't mind used ones, will you?" Jemima asked, smiling.
"No. After all, the feathers I had were used. They happen to have belonged to a turkey at one time," Mingo commented. They laughed together and then went to collect rifles, Daniel's smelly cap, and Jemima's friends.
After leading Harry and Alice down the hill, Jemima took them to Daniel and Mingo. She explained to them that her father wasn't going to take them back to Fox so they agreed to meet with him. "Harry, Alice, you remember my pa and Mingo," she said.
"Yes," Harry said, as kept his head bowed and Alice did the same.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance again," Daniel said, holding out his hand in friendship.
Pausing, before shaking the woodsman's hand, Harry dared to look into his face only to see Daniel's crooked smile. "Likewise," Harry said, taking Daniel's hand and then Mingo's.
Alice raised her head when Harry nudged her with an elbow. She was greeted by smiles on the big men's faces. "Good day, sirs," she said politely.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, ma'am," Daniel said.
"An honor," Mingo said succinctly to Alice.
"We've been doin' some talkin' and decided while I return Mima to her mother, Mingo here has volunteered to see you to the forks of the Ohio," Daniel said. "If that's agreeable with you."
"You're askin' for our permission?" Harry asked incredulously.
Daniel nodded as Jemima piped in. "You'll like Mingo. He knows more about the wilderness than I do. But if you're troubled by him taking you, Pa says we'll work something else out."
"I'm sure Mingo will do just fine. I don't know how he could lead us any better than you have so far," Alice said.
"That's not the problem," Daniel told her. "My wife doesn't know where Jemima is and is pinin' for her something fierce. To ease her worryin', my daughter has agreed to allow Mingo to take you the rest of the way so she can go back home."
"I understand, Mr. Boone," Alice said. "Miss Boone should return to your home. I was only sayin' what a mighty fine job she has done."
"There's no argument there," Daniel agreed. "I tell you what. Let's get us a nice meal, and Harry you can come along."
"I'd like that," Harry said. "I've had only one lesson in huntin'. I could use more especially from a fine hunter such as yourself."
"Good. After supper, I think Jemima and Mingo will present a performance for us that will leave you astounded," Daniel said. "It did me."
"Perform what?" Alice asked.
"A scene from a very famous play," Jemima said. "I did it for the Shawnees. Pa seems partial to it."
"Harry, let's go get supper. Mingo, you comin' or stayin' here with the women?" Daniel asked, letting the implication lapse into another droll joke.
"I'm coming with you, Daniel," Mingo said with a shake of his head.
The three men went hunting together and returned with a pheasant. The women cleaned it and prepared it. After supper, Mingo spent some time talking with Harry and Alice. They were becoming friends and that went a long way to ease Jemima's mind. She wouldn't have to worry about them for they would be in Mingo's very capable hands and her mother would be greatly relieved to see her again safe and sound. Sound? After convincing the Shawnees that she was a loon, Jemima thought she wouldn't consider herself normal again. In the back of her mind, she would always be a loon.
At last, the performance of the century was given as Jemima and Mingo overacted, paraphrased, and ad-libbed the scene they had done earlier in the day. It was made even more humorous as Mingo took Romeo's part and Jemima Juliet's. As usual, he stumbled through his lines, sometimes on purpose, and sometimes not. The laughter among the audience did much to entice them to reach into their imaginations and work for greater hilarity.
When the laughter faded, they talked among themselves. After some time had passed, Harry and Alice announced that they agreed to the plan of Mingo taking them to the forks of the Ohio. They voiced that Mingo was a fine gentleman and a terrible actor, but they trusted him to lead them. Mingo humbly acknowledged the compliment and ignored their assessment of his acting ability. He promised them he wouldn't disappoint them. He knew Daniel's friends at the forks of the Ohio and knew they would provide transportation by flatboat to Canada where Harry and Alice could live in freedom the rest of their days.
They all settled in for the night. Daniel decided to keep watch with Mingo taking a turn later. He sat on the ground with his long legs stretched out before him. Jemima cuddled alongside him, resting her head on his shoulder. His arm was bent behind her so that his hand lay on her upper arm.
Nestled against her father, Jemima thought how safe she felt with him. Even in the midst of Shawnee territory, she was secure in the knowledge that everything would be all right as long as her father was there. His affection for her was undeniable as he squeezed her arm. She smiled, wondering if Flanders would love their children like Daniel loved his. Now, how did Flanders work himself into this equation? she asked herself. And how did they end up with children all of sudden? They hadn't even started courting yet, but Jemima had a strong inkling he was the husband for her. Jemima fell asleep, letting Daniel keep both eyes open for trouble as she slept soundly; as soundly as a loon could anyway. The next morning, after the good-byes were said, Daniel and Jemima watched Mingo lead the way to Harry and Alice's freedom. Then the two of them headed for home and a happy reunion with Rebecca.
Cincinnatus walked into the tavern wearing a smile as big as the Kentucky wilderness. Rebecca was cleaning mugs as he approached the counter. "I did it, Becky. Fox thinks his slaves are in the east somewhere and doesn't suspect Jemima at all. He's givin' up the hunt."
"Oh, Cincinnatus, that's wonderful. How did you do it?" Rebecca asked, setting down a mug.
"My usual cunning and cleverness," Cincinnatus boasted.
Coming around the counter, Rebecca threw her arms around Cincinnatus and held him tight before releasing him. "You saved my daughter a trip to the gallows. How can I ever repay you?" Rebecca asked.
"You just did. I haven't been hugged like that in a month of Sundays," Cincinnatus said, laughing. He then sniffed the air. "What's that cookin'?"
"Turkey stew," Rebecca replied. "Israel, the hunter, provided it."
"I will be thanking that little hunter with every bite I take," Cincinnatus said.
"Go rest, Cincinnatus. I'll call you when supper is ready," Rebecca told him and led him to the stairs. As he began to ascend them, Rebecca added. "Thank you again."
Waving his hand and with a nod of his head, Cincinnatus ducked into his room for a well-deserved rest and relaxation.
Stepping onto the porch with a load of firewood, Israel looked back to see Daniel and Jemima approaching. Rebecca came out of the cabin to see Israel purposely drop the firewood. "Israel!" she began to admonish him. "You pick up every one of th- "
"Ma! Look!" Israel said, interrupting excitedly and pointing to the source of his exhilaration. "It's Pa and Mima!" Dashing from the porch, Israel jumped into his father's open arms.
"Mima," Rebecca said in a voice just above a whisper. Then she, too, raced from the porch to embrace her daughter. When she decided to release her, Rebecca encircled her husband's waist, and then turned her attention back to Jemima. "Jemima Boone, I know exactly what you've been doing," Rebecca said sternly. "I was worried sick about you. I'm grateful your father found you and brought you home." She hugged Jemima once more.
"Well, Becky, it was Mima that found me goin' head to head with a couple of Shawnees," Daniel explained as his eyes searched for unwanted intruders, but the gesture was moot. Jemima and he had scoured the area before making themselves visible. They had determined that no one was about except Rebecca and Israel. "It was her that saved me from havin' my throat slit," Daniel admitted.
Rebecca looked towards Jemima as they stood side by side. She had her arm across her daughter's shoulder. "It's a good thing I sent you out to rescue your father. Who knows what kind of trouble he could have gotten himself into," she declared, changing her story to fit the situation.
Jemima smiled broadly. "You always know best, Ma. Maybe you should ban Pa from the woods forever," she suggested.
"That'd be like telling the sun not to rise in the morning or set in the evening. It's not going to happen," Rebecca said then asked a serious question. "What about Harry and Alice?"
"You know about them?" Jemima asked. Her mother nodded. She was somewhat surprised that she had it all figured out despite Rebecca's statement that she had. "They're fine, Ma," Jemima answered. "Mingo is showing them the way to freedom."
"That's wonderful. Mr. Fox has given up all hope of recovering them, thanks to Cincinnatus. He doesn't suspect Mima as the thief that pilfered his property," Rebecca informed them. "Everything is working out as we all would like."
"It seems so," Daniel agreed. "I tell you what. Let's swap stories over a warm meal."
"I was just about to suggest the same thing," Rebecca said.
While the women went inside, Daniel rummaged through his pack to withdraw the odorous coonskin cap and took it to a stump near the cabin where it would air out. Next, he helped Israel pick up the firewood. At that opportune time, Cincinnatus arrived. Daniel invited him to share a meal with them and tell them his side of the story of tracking with Fox. He agreed and that night the Boone cabin was filled with food, much laughter, and a few tears.
As Jemima began to demonstrate her performance of Solomon Grundy, there came a knocking at the door. Daniel rose from the bench seat to answer it. Swinging the door open, he saw Fox standing there. "Mr. Fox, come in," Daniel invited and stepped out of his way.
"Thank you, Mr. Boone," Fox said, coming inside the cabin. "I thought you might be back now. I suppose your wife has told you of my property being stolen."
"Yes, she did. I also know that Cincinnatus tried to help you to recover it," Daniel said.
"We were unsuccessful," Fox said disappointedly. "I don't mind telling you, Mr. Boone, that whoever took my property should be punished severely and if I ever find him, I intend to see justice served," he proclaimed emphatically.
"Chances of that happenin' are a might slim. It's best you accept your losses and be done with it," Daniel advised him.
"For now, that's what I will do, except I have to know something. Talk at the fort said you were up north. Is that right?" Fox asked.
"That's right," Daniel admitted, nodding his head.
"Did you see my slaves or any sign of them while you were up that way?" Fox asked. "They might have headed north, although Cincinnatus said they didn't go that way."
"Slaves? No, I didn't see any slaves," Daniel answered. "Met up with some Shawnees though who were held spellbound by a loon."
Fox furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't understand what you mean about the Shawnees or a loon."
"It's a long story," Daniel said, with a wave of his hand.
"I'll take my leave now, Mr. Boone. I just came by to ask you about my property. Good night all," Fox said politely as Daniel held the door for him.
Daniel then took his place next to Rebecca on the bench seat as Jemima came to stand beside him. "You lied, Pa," she said.
Looking confused, Daniel looked towards Rebecca as if his answer was written there, but it wasn't. "When did I lie?" he asked his daughter.
"When you told Mr. Fox you didn't see his slaves," Jemima replied.
"I didn't see his slaves. What I did see were two free people looking for a new life in Canada," Daniel explained, smiling crookedly.
Jemima grinned as she thought back to her own proclamation of the same. Her father thought of them similarly as she. He refused to acknowledged them as anything other than free.
"Thanks, Pa. I knew you'd know and do the right thing," Jemima said.
"If'n you don't do what's right, you may as well be dead," Daniel said.
"Thanks to you too, Cincinnatus, for throwing Mr. Fox off our trail," Jemima stated.
"Oh, I didn't do nothin' really. Sign pointed east, either real or otherwise, and that's what I followed," Cincinnatus said, with a chuckle.
Jemima laughed at that and then became somber. "Pa, you reckon Harry and Alice will be all right in Canada? They have a lot to learn in a short amount of time."
"I reckon they'll be make out all right. They're both willin' to work hard. Besides, they had a great beginnin' in havin' a friend like you settin' them on the path to freedom," Daniel said.
"Pa, I showed them the way to freedom too," Jemima corrected. "Doing what's right, no matter what." Chuckling, Jemima hugged Daniel's neck and then took her mother's hand for a moment. After releasing it, Jemima continued to stand by her father, taking pleasure in being with her family.
"Jemima," Rebecca said. "We're waiting for the loon presentation of Solomon Grundy."
"Oh, of course, Ma," Jemima began as Israel squeezed himself between Daniel and Rebecca and the rest of the audience gave her their undivided attention. Taking a deep breath, Jemima said melodramatically, "'Solomon Grundy...'"Previous page: The Way to Freedom: Chapter 1
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