by Phil Walker
“Robby Pierce!” said Harriet Grant, “What’s so important that you can’t even wait for a body to open the door?”
“I’m sorry, Mizz Grant, I gotta see Willis right off.”
“Well, he’s down in the barn tossing hay.”
“Thank you, Ma’am” and Robert was out the door in an instant. He dashed across the heavy ground still damp from the overnight rain, and into the barn. “Willis, Willis, you here?”
A tall, young man stood up from behind a stall. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and his powerful chest glistened with sweat. His blond hair was falling across his strong face. He pushed it back with his big hands. “What you having a fit about!”
“You know how we are always talking about heading out into the wilderness to find sport and adventure?”
“Not much chance for a couple of farm boys.”
“Now there is,” said Robby with a wide grin.
“What you talkin’ about?”
“This!” said Robby, pulling a paper out of his back pocket. “It just came in the Boston Herald.”
“What is it?”
“Here, I’ll read it to you.”
A Call to The Strong, The Few, The Proud!
A large Colonial Enterprise is now recruiting men and women between the ages of 18-22, for the adventure of a lifetime. Our purpose is to conduct the largest exploration of the North American continent in history. This will be a most dangerous job and your safety, while of paramount importance to us, is not guaranteed. However, you will see the greatest sights in the world and experience the excitement that can only be achieved with dedication and hard work. We offer excellent pay, full provisions, clothing and food and the best training to be found anywhere in the world. Only the most physically fit need apply, however we will offer schooling in reading, writing ,and mathematics for those who are not qualified. This is a full-time career commitment and only those who are willing to give a lifetime to this extraordinary opportunity should consider it. Your acceptance is strictly provisional on the completion of our rigorous enlistment requirements. We can promise, if you do meet our standards, the greatest and most satisfying life that God can provide. To apply: appear in person at 8 AM on September 1 through 5 1770, at the central post office in the Capital city of your colony.
“Don’t hardly sound real,” said Willis.
“We can do this!” said Robby, “we are both strong as an ox. We got plenty of family for our Pa’s to do the farming, we are both 19, right inside where it says we have to be, and both of us have never wanted to stay on the farm all our lives. We want something special for our lives. This is it!”
“September 1 is just two days away.”
“We can catch the freight wagon to Boston tomorrow, and be at the Post Office on time come Friday morning.”
There was trouble in both households that night as the young men made their cases for setting out to find a better life. When Robby had gotten the grudging support of his father, if he promised to write and send home some of that “excellent pay” the ad mentioned. Robby promised to do that and rushed out to run the mile to the Grant farm.
As he came in, he found Willis pleading with his crying mother. “You always said, you wanted the best for me, Ma. This ad says they will teach me to read and write and do my numbers. I could use some more of that, the Lord knows.”
“It also says that this is a permanent career job. I may never see you again.”
“Ah Ma, I won’t be gone forever, and I promise to write when I can, after I learn my letters better.”
“Did you come up with this Robby Pierce,” said Mrs. Grant?
“I brung the ad, if’n that’s what you mean Mizz Grant, but this is a chance for both of us to make somethin’ of ourselves. Please say yes, my folks already have done so.”
The following morning, with just a change of clothes and a few personal things in a shoulder bag, the young men caught the freight wagon to Boston.
Boston was big and busy and hard to get around in, but the men, finally made their way to the main Boston Post Office and settled down to wait for morning. Robby spent a couple of pennies for a sack of apples, and they pulled a blanket out of their bags to stay warm against the building.
As the sun came up, the men stirred. It wasn’t long before other young men began to arrive at the Post Office. By 7:30 there were at least 50 young men standing around waiting. Willis and Robby, said a few words to some of the others. Mostly, they seemed like local boys, but a fair number had come from at least as far as Concord and further.
At exactly 8 AM, a wagon pulled up in the square facing the Post Office. Five men jumped down. They were very big men, only Willis was close to their size. Robby was a couple of inches shorter than all of them. The men from the wagon were dressed in very strange clothing. Their pants and shirt were patches of green. They looked like work clothes, but there was a very snappy look to them. They all wore very sharp looking berets, and had brown boots then went up past their ankles. Their pants were turned under just above their boots. All five men looked incredibly fit and had lean, hard looks on their faces.
Five tables were quickly set up and a very fancy tent went up over the tables, with a canvas sheet separating the interview areas. The leader of the group had a patch on both sleeves with brown stripes, three going up, and three going down.
He turned to the men who had gathered around and said, “Are you all here in response to our ad?” There was a murmur of agreement.
“Did all of you read the ad thoroughly and understand it? We want you to know that if you qualify for training, you will be making a commitment that has no set end date. It’s a career choice. We believe you will find the experience to be the greatest of your life, beyond anything you can imagine. However, our training regimen is long, hard, and very physically challenging. You can quit anytime you like during training. In fact, we encourage it. We only want men who are serious, dedicated, and worthy of respect. The respect you will have to earn. Our training system requires you to follow orders immediately and without question, because we don’t have the luxury of wasting time, and a great deal of what we do is dangerous. I need to tell you we expect to have at least one fatality during the training, and it’s almost always because a man was doing something he shouldn’t have done, or didn’t follow orders. This is your first chance to quit. If any one of you didn’t like what I said, leave now.”
A few men did walk off. Robby and Willis stood their ground. Willis as calm as ever and Robby with eyes shining,
“Alright,” said the sergeant, “let’s get started. I want five lines in front of these tables. In each line, arrange yourself according to height, with the shortest first.”
The young men milled around a little. Robby and Willis got into the line in front of the sergeant who did the talking. They were separated by five or six men, since Willis was close to the rear of the line and Robby several spaces forward.
The line did not move quickly. Each man came into the tent alone and the man outside could not hear what was being said. The questionnaire was two pages long and the sergeant made careful notes.
When it was finally Robby’s turn, he stepped into the tent and the sergeant waved him to a seat. “I’m First Sergeant Thomas Seacrest,” he put his hand out and shook Robby’s hand. It was hard and firm. “What’s your name?”
“Robert Pierce.”
“Where do you live?”
“Concord, Massachusetts.”
It went on that way for a while. Seacrest wanted to know about Robby’s family, what they did for a living, how old he was, did he have any diseases or disabilities, was he brave, had he ever been in a fight, the questions went on and on.
Finally, Seacrest asked, “Robby, do you read your Bible and believe in God?”
“I’ve read the whole Bible several times, Sir, although I don’t know it as well as some of my other friends.”
“Do you remember the first few verses of Romans 12?”
“Do
not conform to the ways of the world, but let your mind be transformed by the Holy Spirit?”
“Close enough,” smiled the Sergeant. “Now tell me this, in light of Romans 12, what is your opinion of the British occupation of the American Colonies. You can tell me what you really believe, I’m not a British sympathizer.”
“Well, sir, the British seem to think we’re their servants and that the colonies exist to make them money. We have no say in the way they do things. It’s just not right.”
“Do you believe that the Colonies should break away from England and form an American nation.”
“We talk about it all the time in Concord, but nobody really knows how we could do it.”
“What if I told you that there is a way and you can be a part of it?”
“I would be ready to do whatever I could.”
“Fine, now go out and join the men standing near the steps of the Post Office. Just wait until we finish interviewing the entire group, and then we’ll tell you what comes next.”
Robby exited the tent and walked over to a crowd of young men. He estimated there were about thirty men. Robby joined them. “Good afternoon, anybody have an idea of what comes next?”
“None of us know anything,” said a young man who seemed a little older than Robby, “I was one of the first people to be interviewed, and I’ve been waiting here for hours. One of the fellows wearing those strange clothes left a while ago, so it slowed things down. The other two fellows are still talking to people”
Robby turned and looked at the line. It had gotten longer. “Some others must have come later.”
“What did your man ask you?”
“He wanted to know where I was from, how old I was, everything about my family, whether or not I had any infirmities, and then he asked me to repeat a verse from the Bible. After that, he wanted to know what I thought of the British and whether I would be in favor of separating from England and making a new country. What did he ask you.”
“Almost exactly the same things,” said the young man. “Say, where are you from anyway?”
“My friend and I came in from Concord last night. My name is Robby Pierce.”
“I’m Charlie Arthur, and I’m from nearby in Watertown.” The two shook hands.
“Did you come on account of the posting in the paper?”
“Seemed like a good idea at the time. I’m beginning to wonder after waiting for so long. But I guess they’re doing the best they can.”
After talking with some of the other men, Ronny found out that everyone in the group were devout Christians and hated the British. “This is a smaller group than this morning,” said Ronny. “Did some of boys get sent away?”
“Quite a few, actually,” said Charlie, and some of them were pretty upset about it.”
Willis came out the tent about an hour later, and came over to Ronny, “Looks like not being able to read and write mattered very much. I sure did give that sergeant a shilling’s worth on my feelings about the British. I sure hope he was telling the truth about not being a British sympathizer.”
It was late in the day when the last person was interviewed. Sergeant Seacrest came out of the tent and stood in front of the men. “I apologize for the long wait most of you have had today. You 47 men represent those who’ve passed the first test in our selection process. As you can see, we have three wagons. I think we can fit you all in, so get aboard.”
“Where are we going,” asked one of the men?
“Someplace a little more private,” said Seacrest. “It’s a place we’ve already chosen and set up.
There was just enough room to fit all the men into the wagons, and they rolled away. Seacrest led the wagons clear out of Boston and pulled into a wide meadow that was far away from any houses, but had woods lining the meadow. They put the wagons into a sort of circle, and Seacrest hopped down. “We need a fire. Some of you boys head over to the forest and gather enough wood to last the night. Half the group jumped out of the wagons immediately and headed for the forest.
Seacrest nodded his head to his own men, and they went to the wagons and brought back several large cardboard boxes and three big coolers. They quickly set up the tent again and put the three tables together, with the boxes and coolers sitting on them.
The men began coming back with bundles of wood. One of Seacrest sergeants gathered up a hand full of dry grass and pulled a small tube like thing out of his pocket and flicked the top of it. There was an instant flame, and in no time a fire was lighting and warming the encampment. There were also several lanterns set out, but they were unlike anything the colonists had ever seen. They seemed to light without anything more that flipping a switch.
“Ever seen anything like those lanterns or that fire starter?” asked Ronny to Willis, who just shook his head.
Sergeant Seacrest turned to the group and asked, “Anybody hungry?”
There was a rumble of agreement to that among the young men.
“All right then,” said Seacrest, we have a meal for you right here, just line up and pick up box, there are cups for you to drink. By the way, the drink is not water, but a special mixture of ingredients that are very healthy for you. Before we do that, I would like to offer thanks for our meal.”
Everyone bowed their head and a few of the men kneeled as Seacrest prayed, “Dear Lord, we offer our praise and gratitude for this day, and the bringing together of these young men. May they all be successful in our efforts tomorrow. Bless these men Lord, and watch over them and protect them. Now we offer thanks for our meal, that you have provided. We pray in the name of our savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.”
Robby and Willis got in line and received a fairly large brown box, and a big glass that wasn’t glass, but made of strange material that bent easily if you squeezed it. They pushed a button on the cooler and an amber fluid came pouring out.
The two sat down on the grass and opened their boxes. They were crammed full of packages that Robby read, “It says to push the top of this package and mix the ingredients with the water at the top.” He did that on the biggest package, breaking the seal of water and massaging the package. As he was doing this, the package got hot in his hand. There was a line down the middle of the package that the instructions said to puncture with the enclosed knife. The knife was hard but clearly not metal, but it cut open the package and the delicious smell of beef stew came out. Both men took the provided spoon and fork and dug in. The food was quite good, and very filing. They opened other packages that contained bread and finished with a hot pudding for dessert. At the bottom of the box was a large package that said “chocolate” on it. Neither, Robby or Willis had ever eaten chocolate, but they had heard about it. They wolfed it down, wondering how they had missed such luscious stuff all their lives. The drink was cold, and was quite sweet with a hint of tartness It was delicious.
It was fully dark when they finished. The Sergeants came around and gathered all their trash in bags, which they threw on the fire and when everything was burned, there was no trace that anything had been there.
Sergeant Seacrest threw a few more logs on the fire, and spoke to the group,
“Men, I hope you got enough to eat.” There was an outburst of applause and cheers of agreement. “When we’re in the field like this, we have to make do as best we can.”
Robby and Willis laughed at this, they hardly ate better when they were in their own homes.
Seacrest continued, “Tomorrow we’ll get up early, have breakfast, and then begin the physical portion of our testing. We’ll be seeing how fast you can run, how much weight you can lift, and we have agility tests. We’ll finish the day with an old-fashioned tug of war. Now men, we are looking for a particular kind of person, with certain skills. We need special people to do very specialized tasks. Not all of you have them. If you don’t meet our standards, we don’t want you to feel slighted or disgraced in any way. Remember the ad only promised you an opportunity.”
While he was talking, the other four sergea
nts were spreading out a huge canvas not far from the fire. “I’m sorry we can’t provide you with better sleeping arrangements,” said Seacrest. “For those of you who did not bring a blanket, we have enough to go around. Our field cover will keep the chill from reaching you. The bumps in the ground, we can’t do much about. Remove your shoes and boots before walking onto the field cover. We have dug slit trench latrines just beyond the far wagon. Please use them.”
“That’s all I have for you tonight. Get as good a rest as you can and we will see you for breakfast. May God bless you all.”
Robby didn’t realize how tired he was. He went to the edge of the field cover and slipped off his boots. He was very surprised to find that his stocking feet where stepping onto warmth as he walked out on the field cover. He lay down, and the whole cover was radiating a cozy heat from it. He pulled his blanket over him and looked at Willis settling down next to him.
“All of this is getting stranger and stranger,” he said, “Food you don’t have to cook and comes out hot all by itself, now this big cover that radiates its own heat.”
“It’s strange all right,” said Willis, “but it’s all been good. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings. Night, Robby, sleep well.” Willis turned over and seemed to be asleep in a minute. Robby was not far behind him, as the rest of the men went to sleep quickly as well.”
14
Outside Boston, Massachusetts
The following morning Robby woke feeling quite refreshed, and warm all night from the heated field cover. He was one of only a few men awake and stirring. He gave Willis a shove, and the big fellow rolled over coming awake and wiping the sleep from his eyes. The two of them stepped over other sleeping men and found their boots. Then they went to the tent where they got another box of rations. There was a big pot of coffee hanging from a frame over the fire. They poured themselves a cup in a different kind of glass then they had used the night before. This one did not let the heat of the coffee burn their hands. Robby tasted the coffee and found it was excellent, the best he’d ever drunk.
