Timecachers (39 page)

“I’m afraid it is not your property any longer,” the soldier said. “You and your family must come with us.”

“Come with you where? Why should we?”

“You are being ordered to come to the fort at New Echota. My name is Captain James Martin, of the Georgia Guard. We have no wish to cause you any harm, but my orders are to bring you and your family to Fort Wool for relocation. Peaceably, I hope, for the sake of your safety and that of your family.”

“We were told we had until May 23rd. Today is only the 18th,” said Benjamin.

“The Georgia Guard has been ordered to begin the roundup of all Indian people today. The federal troops are making the final preparations of the relocation forts, and will begin assisting with the roundup soon.

“We have much to do today,” the captain continued. “I would like to be patient, but I have not been allotted time for discussion. Will you and your family cooperate, or must I order my men to move you by force?”

The look in Captain Martin’s pale blue eyes and the stern tone of his voice implied that he preferred not to use force against this family, but he would be willing to do so if pressed. The men standing outside the door were already fidgeting, and Benjamin did not doubt that they would be willing to do the captain’s bidding; some of them would possibly even enjoy using violence against defenseless civilians.

He turned and looked at his family. Billy stood boldly, but fear showed through his defiance. Sally was crying, holding tightly to her mother’s skirt. Alice looked disbelieving and full of anger, ready to verbally engage the captain, though wisely remaining silent. He glanced at Catherine and noted that this was one of the few times he had seen her without a smile, struggling to keep her fear and anger hidden. She exchanged a look with Benjamin, slowly nodding her head, lowering her eyes to the floor.

“We will cooperate,” Benjamin said. The words left a foul taste in his mouth.

“That would be for the best. I will give you ten minutes to gather personal items. You have a wagon, and you may load your things into it. Everyone, including your slaves, will be escorted to the fort.”

“Ten minutes!” Benjamin cried. “How are we to get all our belongings into a single wagon in ten minutes?”

“Consider yourself fortunate that I am allowing you that,” said the captain. “Do not waste the time you have.” He turned and walked out the door, followed by his two companions.

The family stood looking at Benjamin in shock, feeling as if their world was coming to an end. The feeling was not far from the truth. It would take every bit of his willpower, but Benjamin knew he had to set aside his anger and humiliation, at least for the next ten minutes. He suppressed his initial inclination to oppose the men, to show them he was no coward and greet their aggression with fierce resistance. It would only be foolishness. He knew he was no coward, and so did his family. He did not need to prove anything to these men. His immediate priority was to get his family safely to the fort. He knew they were as angry as he was, and it was clear they had no choice but to capitulate to the wishes of the Georgia Guard. He gathered his thoughts and began directing the preparations, firmly and without emotion.

“Catherine,” he began, “gather what you can of our clothing and blankets, those things may be the most important. Also whatever household items you think are essential. You must leave behind sentimental items, we have limited room with a single wagon, and it cannot be overloaded if we are truly expected to make a long journey. Keep Sally with you.

“Billy, you will come with me to prepare the wagon and help gather a few of our most important tools. We will inform Isaac and Silvey of the situation and I will send Silvey back to help Catherine.

“Alice,” he lowered his voice to not be overheard by the men outside, “they may assume you are part of the family, which at the moment may be for the best. I do not believe that trying to explain anything else to them is advisable at this time.”

With her blonde hair and blue eyes, Alice hardly looked like a Cherokee, although many of the mixed-blood Indians had European features. She was still wearing the tattered and dirty clothing from working in the field, giving her the appearance of a farm laborer. Most likely, the Captain just didn’t want to take the time away from his roundup schedule to deal with individuals.

“Yes, you’re probably right,” Alice answered. “I’ll help Catherine pack, and go along with you all to New Echota.”

“Very good,” Benjamin said. “I will bring the wagon as soon as it is ready.”

Captain Martin sent a couple of his men along with Benjamin to the barn. They did not offer any help, but neither did they interfere. Benjamin could not imagine the purpose of sending the men to the barn. Did this captain think that he would run off and leave his family behind? He put the thought from his mind, and set about his tasks.

They brought the partially loaded wagon to the house, where the women had begun stacking a pile of items to be loaded. Benjamin was not sure how much of his ten minutes he had used. The captain watched, expressionless, as they loaded the wagon. He was clearly impatient but was so far uncomplaining of the progress.

Several of the men nudged each other and pointed to the tree line across Benjamin’s fields. The captain could see that another group was gathering there—scavengers, ready to swoop in like buzzards to help themselves to whatever Benjamin left behind. This assignment was not one that Captain Martin enjoyed. He had many Cherokee friends at home back in Tennessee, but he was a soldier and had no choice, it was his duty and he would do it as best he could. He called his men to order and turned his attention back to the Rogers.

“That will do,” he said to Benjamin. “We’re moving out.”

They had not finished loading the wagon, and Catherine started to protest, but Benjamin held up a hand and shook his head. He was sure their ten minutes had long passed.

“We are as ready as we can be,” he said to the captain.

In addition to the two horses pulling the wagon, Benjamin had brought up two additional horses. He and Billy rode on one, while Isaac mounted the second. The women squeezed into the wagon, with Catherine at the reins. They headed down the lane, the captain placing several of the men in front and several behind the wagon. When they reached the end of the lane, Benjamin paused.

“Captain?” he said, nodding his head toward his family.

Captain Martin looked at Benjamin and the grief-stricken faces of the rest of the family. He was a soldier, but not completely without sympathy. He signaled his men to halt, and said to Benjamin, “I can only give you a moment.”

“That will be long enough,” said Benjamin.

The Rogers family turned for a final farewell to the farm that had been their home for so many years. So much more than a few acres of land and a handful of buildings, the place was part of the family, full of memories of good times and bad, echoes of laughter and tears; as much a part of the family as any one of them.

“Good heavens, what will happen to the rest of the livestock?” Alice asked.

“I do not think we will have to worry about that,” said Benjamin, indicating with his eyes the group of scavengers already moving toward the house.

“Let’s move out,” said the captain, and they turned their backs on the farm and rode away in grim silence.

Chapter thirty-four

G
uwaya, I know that you have considered the difficulties you are sure to face if you take that course of action,” said John Carter.

Tom looked around the table at the resolute faces of the Ward family. Even little Sagi, plainly too young to understand the conversation, appeared to have a look of determination.

“As I have said, we discussed it and have decided that our only choice is to go into hiding. I know of places here in the mountains that the whites have never seen, even after all these many years of their settlements here. There is rough terrain that offers good hiding places because they are too rough to be used for farming.”

John looked doubtful. “I hope you are making a wise decision. You will be hunted, and have to live off the land, with your mother and two small children.”

“It is them I am thinking of. It is the only way to preserve their dignity. As you yourself have said, it would be honorable to fight, but suicidal. In my mind, going to ground is more honorable than giving up.”

John nodded solemnly. He knew that once the Ward family had made their decision, it would be irrevocable. He would not be able to change their minds, and it was not his place to do so. Cherokee etiquette demanded noninterference and respect for the self-determination of others. Even if he believed someone was making a bad decision, it was not appropriate to belabor his concerns; he must accept their decision unless his opinion was sought. In his heart, John was not so sure it was a bad decision. Certainly extremely risky and dangerous, but was it really any more perilous than giving up the ancient homelands and being forced to move to unknown territory? He was torn between principle and self-preservation, as were many of his people.

Tom, however, was another matter, and John needed to make sure he understood the situation in which he was being placed. He excused himself to the Wards, and asked Tom to accompany him outside where they could speak privately.

“Tom, if Guwaya intends to take flight to avoid removal, the situation for everyone involved becomes much more complex. Living off the land with a family up in these mountains would be difficult enough, and with the additional pressure of pursuit from the militia, I do not much like his chances of success. Not to mention that you will be complicit in their illegal activities.”

“Aren’t they pretty much living off the land now?” Tom asked.

“They unquestionably possess the skills to live independently, but no, they currently are not living off the land entirely. Guwaya depends on supplies he gets from town, and they barter goods that they make and grow. If they are going to hide in a remote place, they will no longer have the resources of this farm or access to trade.”

“Surely they would not expect to live in hiding permanently. I supposed they expect that if they hide out for a while, things will change and they’ll be allowed back on their land. As I’ve told you, in my future that’s not what happens, and I don’t see it as very likely in any event.”

“I agree. Once others get their hands on the land, it is certain that they will not give it up willingly. I believe that the best they can hope for is to hold out for a few weeks and try to join up with any others that may have taken the same course of action. A larger group will have a better chance at survival for a longer time. Then there may be an opportunity to find sanctuary as they continue to try to regain their lands. But as for you, it may be best if you return with me. This was not the situation I intended to put you in.”

“You just said that with more people, their chances might be better. I haven’t much experience at living entirely off the land and hiding out from a militia, but I can definitely lend them my support in other ways.”

“I am sure you could, but if you choose to stay with them, you must understand that you could be putting your life at risk—much more than you have already.”

“Guwaya is the only adult male in this family. I think that staying here to help him do what he believes is best for his family is worth the risk to my safety. In fact, I don’t think my conscience will let me leave, knowing what they face and that I may be of some small service to them. My trivial contributions could mean the difference between life and death for them.”

Tom gave no indication he was making a glib decision—he understood all that was at stake. John wondered if he had misjudged these people from the future, giving them less credit than they deserved. It was clear that they were inexperienced in the difficulties of everyday life, used to a much softer time, and were unaccustomed to the harshness of living in this world, but they also had demonstrated a doggedness to stand against injustice, both against themselves and others. If they truly represented the future, perhaps there was hope for the people after all.

“Your presence would certainly be useful to the Wards. I do not believe that your contributions would be trivial, and if we left them on their own my conscience would suffer as well. This is a fine family, and I would like to give them every opportunity to survive through whatever may happen. If you are certain that you understand the hazards you are likely to face, I will discuss some tentative plans with you and Guwaya. Obviously once you go into hiding you will be cut off from communication with me until I return.”

“I’m about as sure as I can be about anything since meeting you back in that little valley,” Tom said with a half-grin and shake of his head.

Back inside the cabin, Guwaya once again confirmed that he would be most appreciative of Tom’s help. He explained his plan in more detail, and described the area he had chosen where he was sure his family would not be found by anyone intending them harm. He spoke to John and Tom of an isolated area where there were small caverns he was sure not many others knew of. John knew this part of the country was littered with caverns. He had explored many of them, but was not familiar with the place Guwaya was describing. The area he had picked was far from any roads, and it was not a place that John knew to be popular for hunting. Still, he could think of several problems with Guwaya’s plan, and tactfully spoke about his concerns.