by LeRoy Clary
Bender said, “I guess an old boat is worth what someone will pay for it.”
The man turned his back to Bender and Tyler, and he said in a voice a little louder than he probably usually used, “Boys, we’d better be getting back to the house. I want you to bring in the dogs for the next few nights because I’ve heard some ugly rumors.”
Bender and Tyler exchanged grins and gathered their few belongings. Tyler gave a short whistle, and the yellow dog appeared, but remained behind, untrusting of the new people. Bender kept the farmers’ in sight as he followed at a distance, and when they came to a small house set back from the road, surrounded by vegetable gardens, he and Tyler paused at the edge of the trees and decided not to go nearer the buildings in the daylight.
Two dogs ran to greet the farmers and were immediately rounded up and taken in the farmhouse, along with the children and a woman. The barn stood on the opposite side of the house, with five stacks of hay in a neat row. The third one held their attention.
Bender said, “Let’s work our way around the farm and locate the river. Stay in the woods the entire way. We have almost a whole day to waste.”
Tyler said, “Not a waste. We need sleep today if we’re going to steal a boat after sundown and row far enough down the river to escape from two armies. The night is ours. We should have bought some farmer clothes, so we’ll blend in later, instead of standing out in these uniforms.”
Bender was watching the farm. “See the wash hanging on the line?”
“So now, we’re going to steal clothes, too?”
“We don’t steal from good people who help us. We’ll leave another copper where they’ll find it.”
Tyler said, “Isn’t that stealing?”
“Of course, not. It’s purchasing without permission. They can buy ten new sets of farmer clothes for a full copper, and you know it. We just want two used sets. I’m ashamed that you’re going to overspend so much for your outfit, but you always have been something of a dandy. You’re just throwing our money away.”
Bender managed to reach the far side of the barn without incident and then found the overgrown path that took them to the river. Standing on the bank, they saw smoke from campfires across the expanse, most of them upriver, however, not all. On their side, more columns of smoke were rising, up the river, probably all from the camps of Queensland troops.
Tyler said, “None downriver. At least, that’s good for us.”
“As long as they haven’t strung a net across the river to stop boats, or have bonfires at night to prevent the other side from crossing, we’re okay.”
“You’re always negative and really need to work on being more positive.”
“Am not,” Bender said automatically. “But in a small boat, we can drift with the current and keep our heads low. They probably won’t see us even if they’re looking.”
“Probably? Is that good enough?” Tyler asked.
“Don’t like it? Pray for clouds to cover the stars, so it’s darker tonight. The moon won’t be up for hours, so how’s that for positive?”
Tyler said, “I can’t even talk to you anymore right now. I’m too busy saying a few of my favorite prayers.”
They moved under the trees closer to the farmhouse and found an apple tree that had probably grown from a seed tossed away years earlier. It hadn’t gotten enough sun in the shade of the forest, nobody had pruned it, but the tree still produced small, tart apples that were ripe. They ate several and slept under the tree. The miserable yellow dog stood to watch with its eyes closed as it spread out near them.
When Tyler woke several times, as was his habit for the last five years, the dog had moved beside him. Maybe he’d been wrong about disliking dogs all those years.
Bender said, “They were working on the other side of the barn earlier, and the father placed a pitchfork leaning beside the barn for us to use. He’s a good man.”
“It’s going to get dark soon. How long do you want to wait?”
“Just after full dark is good. The smart thing would be waiting until the campfires die down, but I want to get clear of them as fast as we can. Notice there are a few clouds to help hide us? You should have prayed harder, and maybe there would be more.”
“I’m not done praying yet,” Tyler muttered. “And you could have offered up a few of your own.”
They squatted under the apple tree and filled their backpacks, which would help feed them for a few days, but it also killed some time as the sun sets. Tyler noticed his hand shaking as he reached for another apple.
Bender noticed and said, “You too? We’re a pair, you and me. I climb right into a dragon nest and steal two eggs right out from under those dragons’ evil noses and manage to evade them for days, but we’re scared shitless to steal a little boat that we overpaid for, and row it down a lazy river like the country gentlemen we are.”
“There is so much wrong with the way your mind works.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Darkness finally fell on the pair of anxious ex-soldiers. No farm dogs were outside the house. They could no longer see the pitchfork left for them in the dim light, so it was time to move. The yellow dog sensed their nervousness and crept along with them, ears pinned to its skull. At the clothesline, they gathered two sets of the heavy, tan clothing favored by farmers everywhere.
Bender steered them to the barn, where he reached for the pitchfork and paused. Tied to the handle by a string was a cloth bag. He opened it and found traveling food packed inside. He pulled the drawstrings tight and whispered, “You have another copper handy? Slip it between the barn boards right here where they can’t miss it.”
Tyler made short work of tossing the hay aside. Once he had the boat exposed, they rolled it over, and the rest of the hay spilled out. Two oars were inside, tied front and rear with a small piece of rope. Each of them took an end of the boat to carry, Bender took the smaller bow, of course.
The boat was light, the sides shallow, the bottom almost flat. The bow was only a little narrower than the stern. Bender tossed the bag of food inside. The yellow dog followed them to the river’s edge where they slid the boat into the water and untied the oars.
Tyler climbed in first, careful to wear his backpack. The egg inside needed warmth, and besides the clothing, his back kept the night chills from reaching it. His other consideration was water leaking into the bottom of the boat. He’d found the tin scoop for bailing at the haystack and brought it.
Without speaking, Tyler climbed inside and took the rear seat. Bender pushed the boat into deeper water, ready for a final push when he called the dog, and it leaped inside. Bender continued pushing until the boat floated free, and with the last shove, climbed in with dry feet.
Bender made the dog move to the front while taking the oars and fitting them into the leather oarlocks. A few pulls took them to deeper water, where the current took hold. They’d already discussed keeping close to shore where shadows and overhanging trees hid them. Rowing down the center of the river gave anyone on watch a better opportunity to spot them. Keeping to one side made it hard for the other side to see them, and they’d take their chances on the near side.
Tyler scooted off the rear seat to sit on the floor. It was still dry, and the change would help disguise his shape from the shore. They would only see the side of the boat and perhaps his head, but in the dim light, it would hopefully appear more like a bump on a log. Bender moved down lower, too, letting the current do the work.
Only three campfires were in sight on the far bank downriver. But on the near side, where they bank extended into the river to form a peninsula, a dozen burned. Worse, the boat seemed to be drifting towards them.
Bender whispered, “Row?”
“I don’t think so. Wait.”
The current carried them closer, and men moved near the fires, easy to see in the light the fires cast. Tents stood in military precision, and even a few shouts drifted in the cool air. But the current swirled and turned to flow past the peninsula,
carrying the boat sideways, but parallel to the shoreline.
The dog emitted a low growl deep in its chest just as Tyler felt they were safely past. He came alert, his eyes finding two soldiers standing on the shore, talking to each other. One was on watch, the other relieving him of duty. The boat drifted close enough to hear the words, close enough to hear the crunch of heavy footsteps on the gravel as one turned and strode away.
The boat creaked, the water flowing past hissed softly, and a small thump came from either Bender or the dog shifting positions. Tyler kept his eyes on the soldier still on watch, as his head turned in response to one or more of the boat sounds. He peered into the dim light, and he looked in the direction of the boat. If it had been dry land, he would have taken ten steps and investigated.
But ten steps into the water wasn’t an option. His stood and listened as the boat drifted past. Tyler could see him because of the campfires burning behind him, but the guard couldn’t see out on the river, and if he had just come from camp with the bright fires, his night vision hadn’t kicked in yet.
Tyler realized he’d been holding his breath. The boat drifted slowly past, and the guard turned away. Tyler imagined all three had expelled their breath, the two of them and the dog. It hadn’t made another growl or sound as if it understood the danger.
There were no more fires on the near side of the river, and probably no more guards. On the far side were the last of their campfires, too. They had been wrong about the village being the extent of the Queensland camps, and there might be more. The current carried them at about the same pace as a slow walk, but steady.
When the last of the fires were dwindling from sight, Bender whispered, “Safe to row?”
“I think so. Besides, if we’re spotted they’ll have to take time to find a boat to follow us, and maybe we can pull away while they’re at it.”
They moved to the seats, and Tyler realized the boat hadn’t leaked any water. It might be old, but it was sound, at least so far. The steady rhythm of the oars entering the water as Bender pulled on them, and the hiss of water passing under the hull followed. The water dripping off the oars as they were pulled from the water sounded as loud as thunder in his ears.
One leather oarlock squeaked with every pull. Tyler winced with each. His feet felt cold water soaking through his boots. With the dog in front, and Bender sitting on the floor near the front, the seeping inside had pooled up there, so the boat was not as dry as he’d believed. Now that they had moved to the seats and shifted the balance of the boat, the water ran to the back. Tyler fumbled in the dark until his hand touched the metal can.
One lip had been bent flat to allow more water to enter with each scoop. He started bailing, matching his pace to the oars. If the water grew deeper, he could speed up.
The night sounds of the river were different than the sounds of the forest he was used to. More mosquitoes buzzed, but the steady movement of the boat had them outpacing most. A fish plopped in the water. Its splash had him grabbing for his knife in reaction to possible danger. Bats fluttered by, some so close he ducked.
On the shore, they passed dark fishing shacks, a few farms, and near dawn, even a small town with glowing lights of early risers. There were only a few people on the single street, some farmers probably going to milk the cows, bakers starting their bread, or fishermen going for the morning bite, but none appeared to be in uniform. That reminded Tyler that he still carried the clothing they’d stolen and had placed it in the corner of the boat on the seat. Bender had the food at the bow, and as Tyler thought of it, he grew hungry.
At first light, they could pull ashore, eat, and change clothes. Then, they could spend the rest of the day escaping to a land that had never heard of Queensland or Unity. He smiled. Yes, that was the plan. Nothing more was needed. They would keep it simple.
No, not so simple. He remembered the eggs. Speaking softly, he said, “Bender, we could just leave the eggs behind, you know. Maybe we could even sell them.”
“Who wants to buy dragon eggs?”
“Another army?”
“I’ve had enough dealing with the military for a lifetime. Besides, how do you know where to find one?”
“Leave them here?” Tyler suggested. “They are just going to cause us problems, I think.”
“Leave them to die?”
Tyler said, “Well, we need to think about it. Mine is moving again. More than before.”
“Maybe it’s just the motion of the boat disturbing them. Or that you were sleeping before and didn’t feel it move so much.”
He’s lying. I hear it in his voice. It was the same tone Bender used that day they waited on a ridge on the front lines for Queensland to attack. We’ll be all right. Don’t worry; they’ll break ranks before they even reach us.
Bender continued to row, and Tyler increased the speed of his bailing. The boat took on more water as the night progressed. It should be the other way around. As the boards soaked up water, they should expand and seal any seams. Less water should be coming inside. He puzzled over a solution, but still needed to bail faster.
“We need a map,” Bender said.
“I thought you had one in your head. Maybe we can talk to someone who’s been downriver. Finding information should be our main concern.”
Bender’s voice took on a teasing tone. “We just reached the end of the map in my head. We’re off the chart, as sailors say.”
“You don’t know any sailors, so you don’t know what they say,” Tyler said.
“If we’re off the charts, does that mean we managed to get away?”
Tyler decided to give in. “It does. Now we should think of what comes next. The boat is sinking, by the way.”
“I’ve noticed you aren’t doing your job of bailing very well. My feet are wet.”
“I’m going faster and faster. Stay near the shore, just in case.”
Bender angled the boat closer to shore and kept rowing, a slow, steady pace. Later, the dog gave another of his warning growls. Bender stopped rowing, and Tyler quit bailing. The dog had used the same tone before with the same soft, deep growl, and neither had to be reminded of the danger he’d warned them about. The boat drifted quietly.
Another boat was on the water ahead. Because they were drifting closer to it, Tyler assumed it was anchored, and his first thought was to switch to the one that was not leaking. His second was wondering why a boat with two people was anchored in the darkness.
“Doing any good?” a voice called to them.
“Huh?” Tyler answered, confused.
“We’ve caught three perch so far, and one nice river-cat,” the voice responded proudly.
“We got nothing,” Bender said. “But we heard the fish are biting downriver.”
The voice chuckled, “Us too, but then we’d have to row back up here, and we’re too lazy for that. Good luck.”
The men in the boat believed Tyler and Bender were fishing. But they were a source of information, too. Tyler said, “Don’t go upriver too far. There are two armies camped on each side of the river ready to go at it.”
“We heard that, too. Almost as bad as Dickenson, right?”
“Right,” Tyler called, their boat already well past the other. He started bailing fast, trying to lower the depth of the water that had risen to his ankles.
Bender pulled on the oars and set his steady pace again. “What’s Dickenson?’
“No idea, but whatever it is, we want to stay away. Besides, they looked like they were wearing Unity uniforms. They were deserters.”
Tyler cringed at the word, as he managed to lessen the depth of the water in the boat. If he slowed at all, it quickly rose again. He was thankful they’d slept all afternoon because neither was going to get any sleep if the boat sank. “You want me to take a turn rowing?”
“I’m good if you are. I don’t think I’d trust this boat to change seats unless we put in, and I don’t want to do that.”
“Is this another case of you wantin
g to be in command? Then you can take the boat where you want?”
“Probably. Right now, I want to take it down this damned river past Dickenson, whatever that is. Has it occurred to you that if we’re not careful, we might end up in another war and get drafted by another army? As privates, again?”
Tyler said, “Maybe this time we’ll be on the winning side.”
“There are no winning sides when two armies are battling, not if you’re a private. Maybe we should throw our money together and become gentlemen farmers.
“I like that idea. We could hire only pretty women to work for us.” Tyler added. “Sit on a covered porch and sip tea and ale all afternoon and watch them work.”
Bender laughed, “That imagination of yours will get us both into trouble someday. In fact, it already has. You know, we might have enough gold between us to buy a small, scrub farm. Maybe a goat or two, but not much else.”
“A man has to dream big.” Tyler was bailing as fast as he could, and the water was up to his ankles again. “Right now, I’m dreaming of you rowing us to shore because this boat is sinking.”
CHAPTER NINE
They rowed the boat to the deserted edge of the river where the bank was low. They pulled the boat onto the shore and turned it over, spilling out the water. Both were amazed at how much water poured out. The dog sat a few steps away and watched, as if amused before exploring the local area.
Bender said, “You’re sure you were bailing and not sleeping back there?”
Tyler examined the hull in the morning light and found a board that had sprung free. It was the lower board on the left where the side joined the bottom, and it left a gap wide enough to slip his finger inside. A nail or two would repair it.
They didn’t have a nail. Or hammer. There were no farms or people in sight. Bender said, “Let’s eat and catch some sleep, first.”
The bag of food the farmers provided had a thick slab of meat, probably venison, a chunk of cheese, and several small, hard rolls. Tyler scooped clean water from the river with the tin bailing cup to drink. They sat on the shore and enjoyed a feast. Then they slept in the shade of willows.
