William decided Archibald must be buried on his land, in a tract hidden on a hill, which would not easily be found. He felt it would honor Archibald properly and keep his final resting place clandestine. William wasted no time once his mind was made up and retrieved his spade from the house. “Seems proper that Archibald made the tool that we be digging his grave with.”
The large funeral procession took the cart up the hill and onto a rocky knoll. The men cleared an area of stones so it would be easier to dig. The honor of digging the grave was divided and the men worked quickly. In just over an hour, a large, man-sized hole laid in wait to accept its offering of flesh. A bell was heard ringing from the town. A priest was crying, “Duncan McIntosh, slain by the British this morrow for illegal writings!” A long funeral procession followed in a single file. The large group approached and took their places circling the now hallowed hole in the earth. The men were on one side and the ladies on the other, watching respectfully. The Darien people were considered very progressive to allow women to attend the funeral, having relaxed many of their rigorous customs since moving to the new world.
Patrick had never seen a Scottish funeral but Archibald had told him about their customs one past evening. The murdered mentor explained how long and elaborate Scottish services were, but how the custom had died out more than one hundred years before. The English had outlawed burial services for Scots and over time, the ceremonies adapted to British regulation. They were fast and quiet. No words were said and no coffin was used. The body was simply placed in the hole by the clansmen. The ritual occurred exactly as the deceased black smith predicted, except for the addition of an ancient ritual. The clan in Darien observed one ancient Scottish burial rite called “earth laid upon a corpse”. The priest laid a wooden plate on Archibald’s chest. A small amount of salt and earth were placed onto the plate to represent the future of the deceased. The salt represented the soul which would never decay. The Earth reminded all who witnessed that the body would decay and eventually rejoin the Earth from which it came. The men of the clan quickly covered the lifeless vessel with dirt and then hid the grave with stone and marsh grass. William said something to the funeral goers in Scottish, pointing at the grave and covering it with fallen limbs to hide it. Patrick assumed William told his clan never to revel its location to outsiders for fear of British retaliation. William then nodded to the crowd signaling the ceremony was now over.
Traditional Scottish funeral with no fanfare
The sound of bagpipes filled the air and the men and the women paired off. Patrick and Marian stared at each other in confusion, not sure if the Scottish men and women were dancing. The two watched as the men paired off and sang and danced with each other. The women then followed suit. Patrick assumed that somehow dancing with the same sex after a funeral is not offensive to the Scottish God. He shrugged his shoulders and joined in. After a few minutes, all of the Freeman family were pulled into the celebration and were actually smiling a bit. It was cathartic for the traumatized family to reminisce about Archibald’s life with song and dance. People that knew him were telling stories about their fond memories of him and singing old Scottish hymns.
Suddenly, a boy in a kilt came sprinting up to William. He panted, “British be coming! Only about an hour's walk away.”
William interrupted and shouted commands in Scottish. Within five minutes, no trace of a funeral could be found. He also reminded the group that this event and grave would never be spoken of to any outsiders. “Time to go, lads. We booked ya a safe voyage. Follow me and hurry.” William and his family pushed quickly toward the coastline of the town.
Isaac was massive and strong but it caused him to have shallow lungs while running. “Where are we going?” Isaac asked through his winded voice.
William replied with ease, “You need to run more, lad. Ya be going to a new Scottish settlement up in Cape Fear, North Carolina. It be called the Argyle Colony. It is three-hundred-and-fifty strong. I have good friends there from the clan MacKay. They will take care of ya and hide your families.”
After a long jog and lots of sweating, the large group of families straggled onto the coast. In the water was a small fishing sloop. There was no dock but the ship was very close to the shore. William ran into the water and simply swam out to the waiting vessel. In just minutes he was pulled aboard and explaining the situation to the captain. The captain was reluctant at first, but he changed his mind once he realized that the man who was killed was the same man who rescued his clansman from Fort Mose. He agreed to ferry them. William waved at the group to join them. Those who could swim did while the others waited for a small jolly boat to row out and retrieve them. Within just ten minutes, everyone was aboard.
“Take good care of that horse, Deborah! I love that horse and will be back for him someday!” Prudence’s father shouted at the women on the shore. William’s family waved goodbye then hurried away to hide the horse and cart from the British.
The fishing ship was crammed with passengers and the vessel moved slowly, burdened with all the weight, but luck was on their side. The wind picked up and pushed them away from the shore.
Heather stared into the wind and smiled, “Thanks for the push, Father”.
The ship sailed into the afternoon sky and Darien’s coast shrank from view. William advised the captain, “Best go into open waters. Be wise to keep distance from Savannah.”
* * *
Some more sentimental words were said by the Freemans and their friends as they sailed past Savannah in the night. The family was still in shock but the words they spoke eased the numbness a little. Prudence’s and Mari Anna’s father approached Patrick and Isaac. The baker stated, “This is a bad time to talk about this I know, but our families are very upset they cannot go home. We have very little money and we left all our tools of the trade back in Savannah. What will we feed our families with now?”
Patrick looked at Isaac with concern. “I am so sorry your daughter got involved with this violence and now your family is displaced.”
The tailor replied, “Displaced! You mean wanted! We are fugitives now.”
“We all knew the risks of reading those books. This could have happened to either of you. Besides, Sovereigns, these nefarious circumstances affect us all,” Patrick reminded them.
“Patrick, I can spare half my gold if you can, we can help our brothers start a new life,” Isaac generously offered.
“My gold! I forgot it! Curses! I left it buried in the swamps in Savannah. I had no time to retrieve it. I do have some of Archibald’s gold. Perhaps Marian will let us use some of that until I can retrieve my share,” Patrick hoped.
Marian interrupted, “Quarters are very tight gentleman and I heard your conversation. I am sure Archibald would want you to have half his gold to get a new start. Think of him when you build a new life for your families.” Patrick handed her the wool cloth which contained Archibald's gold. She cried as she unfolded the colorful fabric. She let the gold fall and held the tartan in the moonlight, “This is his clan’s colors. Thank you so much for saving this.”
The former blacksmith’s indenture looked at the kilt with surprise. “I never even noticed it was his colors. I am very happy it was not left behind.”
“I think he would want William to have it. It would not be right if you or the boys wear it since you are not bloodline,” Marian surmised as she picked up the bag of gold. She then divided the pouch of yellow rounds and gave each of the two fathers one fourth of the doubloons. Isaac then dug in his remaining gold and did the same. They humbly accepted the gifts and went to share the news with their families. The widow then walked over to William and showed him the tartan. He proudly accepted it and pledged to wear it to honor her husband.
Patrick put his hand on Isaac’s shoulder and said, “That was a wonderful thing you did. You really honor your God and your people.” The large hulk smiled and nodded.
Grief had exhausted the group and by ones and twos, they drifted off to
sleep on the deck of the small fishing sloop.
“Ahoy! Cape Fear!" the captain declared waking Patrick from the dead.
“How long have I been asleep, Isaac?” he questioned.
“A day and one half. We ran out of wind and sat for a few hours,” the man in the yarmucle explained.
“Take a look at this place. Not much here but a dock. It does look like a good place to disappear though,” Patrick sighed.
The crowded ship drifted in but the dock master was nowhere to be found. Well that be some damned luck! No dock master, captain MacKay wondered. He then belted his order, "Everyone off as fast as you can! Let’s make you disappear before someone comes by and wants to know all your names and your business.” The passengers wasted no time. They piled out to the dock and watched as the ship drifted off.
“Don’t forget to pick me up at noon in three days,” William yelled across the water.
The kilted man led the pack away from the docks as fast as possible. “Let us get to Argyll before sundown. We will find shelter and some excellent haggis with Mr. MacKay.”
The troop traveled until they crested a hill and were amazed at what they saw. An entire Scottish town was under construction. Besides the little subtle differences of using local materials, one would think they had just walked into a village in Scotland. The architecture and building techniques were all old world. “William, this is amazing! They made all this in just under two years?” Isaac questioned in disbelief. “You Scottish truly are impressive!” The market place was very busy and people were building structures everywhere. The amount of progress did not reflect the population of four hundred.
William McIntosh at the Argyle Colony
“We will look at the town in the morrow," William determined. "Let us go to the MacKay’s to find sanctuary.”
Many eyes fell on the refuges as they made their way to the MacKay farm. The locals relaxed once they spotted William’s tartan as his mob walked by. After a short walk out of town, they approached a small farm house and a barn under construction. William told the large group of friends and family to stay and wait as he approached the house and knocked. He yelled in Scottish, waited, and when the door finally flew open, he was welcomed in. The families waited nervously.
William walked out followed by a tall, skinny, bearded man who was bare chested and wearing only a kilt. The tall man approached Marian and softly stated, “I be very sorry for your loss, lass. William told me about the darkness dat fell upon yar family. He also told me dat yar husband risked his life and fortune to free me clansmen from slavery and death. We not forget loyalty like dat. Yar family will be safe here.” The refugees all sighed with relief as the skinny Scot continued, “Ya have a large gathering and we don’t have empty homes. Ya can live in the barn until we build ya some places to live. Of course, the men can sleep under da trees like true Scotsmen but you lasses can use the cover of the barn. It is mostly built. We just need more hands to finish it. Ya will have to help work da farm if ya want to eat and help us finish dis barn before winter. Only converse with people I be trusting. No talking to any strangers. You put my family and clan at risk, so I don’t want ya all seen much. Can ya family follow des rules?" he asked sternly.
Patrick collected the opinions of the group. They all nodded in agreement to the terms. "Aye, we accept your terms,” Patrick stated boldly.
“Very well. Make ya family comfortable in da barn and we will cook up some haggis,” Mr. Mackay offered.
The families settled in enjoying the meal and new friendship.
* * *
It was now the fall of 1741 and the refuges had settled into their new lives. The barn was built quickly with so many hands working. Pooling their resources, the families were able to buy a small farm outside of the Argyll Colony. They had even started the construction of two other homes on the property so each family could have their own domicile. News from William reported that all of their homes and possessions in Savannah were seized by the government's men. Warrants were signed for the families but were quickly forgotten about. It appeared nobody missed Sergeant Luthor enough to continue the search for his killers. The troops searched Darien and questioned William but that was the extent of the investigation. Isaac was worried Dr. Nunis would be held accountable for his actions, but William reported that he was unmolested. It appeared Oglethorpe was more concerned about losing a good doctor than carrying out his idle threats. The wanted families used new aliases and kept to themselves. The Scots that knew the truth kept their tongues to themselves and guarded their secret safely.
With the doubloons now all spent, Patrick and Isaac decided the responsibility lied in their hands to make some income until the crops took the following growing season. Mr. MacKay came by one afternoon and offered the men an opportunity to make some silver. “There be an area of sovereign land in North Carolina. Back in the lord’s year 1663, the king divided Carolina into eight parts and sold it to wealthy English investors. Over da years, seven of da eight investors, which by the way, fancy being called Lord Proprietors, sold their share back to the king. But one Lord Proprietor kept his land and did not sell it. His name be George Carteret. The property be passed down by family rights to his great grandson John Carteret II, Earl of Granville. He currently owns the land but is stuck in England.”
“Wait, I am confused, sir," Patrick interjected. "Are you saying that a large track of land exists in the colonies that is sovereign and not ruled by any government? How can this be? Surely the king would march soldiers in and claim it.”
“Well the king would march troops in and take what he wanted if it was owned by common folk but there be rich folk, who own it. The king has to be much more cautious in how he be handling the situation. His majesty needs to look legitimate and if he steals this land, no rich folks would be investing with him again,” the skinny man explained. “To answer ya other question, yes, Carteret surrendered protection and participation in the government in exchange for sovereignty. He does not have to pay taxes and he can do as he pleases with the land; he can even make his own laws outside the king's. It is truly a unique situation.”
The sovereign land of the Granville District
“That's fascinating. Someone is allowed to live free of the king's rule here in the colonies, but what does this have to do with us?” Isaac questioned.
“Well, he be needing patrols for his land. It is hard, dangerous work but the pay is good. It seems that poachers and timber men are coming on his land and taking what they want. Ya will be guarding the borders of this private land.”
“Well, we got to feed our families until the crops take. We will take work,” Patrick agreed.
“Excellent," MacKay encouraged. "Come to me farm at dawn in the morrow and I will give ya a map and see ya off."
The men returned, informing the families of the work. As much as they wished Patrick and Isaac to stay, they all understood why they were going to leave to work elsewhere for the winter. The gold had gone quickly and only a few pieces of silver remained. Mari Anna’s father would have to sell a beautiful and ornate fowling gun just to feed the group until they returned. The two men said their heart-filled goodbyes in the morning, encouraging the twins to use their excellent fishing ƒskills to help keep everyone fed until they returned. As always, the three young women were inseparable and making jokes with each other as they wished Patrick and Isaac well. Marian even embraced Patrick while saying goodbye, which by civilized English culture would be considered vulgar.
The lifelong friends waved goodbye and reported to Mr. MacKay’s. The men’s pack mule was loaded with supplies and food for the long voyage. The tall, skinny Scotsman handed them a map and told them to report to a Mr. Perry. He was waiting for relief at a small estate. The two men and their mule headed out into the wilderness with mixed feelings of hope and concern. The tracking and hunting skills they learned from the old Indian would be extremely useful during their trek. Li Go Che would have been impressed that they even followed th
e map accurately without getting lost.
Patrick was awed by the stunning colors of the foliage that were turning as they traveled. Carolina had some beautiful trees, unlike London or Savannah. Some leaves had fallen already, which provided wonderful hiding places for local snakes, but both the men were fortunate enough to have thick, deer-skinned boots. Over the years, those boots had saved them from countless snakebites. The two had come across a cougar carcass, but the hide was removed already and the claws had also been taken. The travelers also found two black bears. They stayed safe by keeping their distance and staying upwind as Li Go Che had taught them. The unsettled and wild land was crawling with wildlife.
After a long journey, Patrick and Isaac finally found the small home near a winding creek. Smoke bellowed from the chimney. The weather was finally changing as the mornings were growing cold and the days short. The two friends knocked on the door and waited.
Patrick called out, “My name is Mr. Willis. Mr. MacKay sent me to relieve you for the next six months.”
The door sprung open and two men, already packed, shoved past Patrick saying, “Finally! Here are the maps for your patrols. See you in March!”
“Wait! Mr. Perry, what do we do?" Patrick yelled. "We need instructions.”
“It is all written down inside. I hope you are lettered and can cipher. See you in the spring!” the man yelled as the pair walked into the woods.
“I guess we should make the best of it. Let us see our home, Patrick," Isaac stated optimistically.
The note with instructions left to Patrick and Isaac was very short. It instructed to patrol once a day and had a map drawn on it. There was a picture of a few other patrol houses on the map, but the patrol area was extensive and would be impossible to cover in just one day. They ignored the note and decided to prepare their new home. The clapboard shack was small and humble, the men knew they had to be ready for a harsh winter or this would be their tomb.
Pirates of Savannah: The Complete Trilogy - Colonial Historical Fiction Action Adventure (Pirates of Savannah (Adult Version)) Page 25
