The First Book of Samuel - SAREJESS (chrysanthemum read aloud TXT) 📗

Washington had called for the leaders of the colonies to meet and discuss the current problems that they faced, that much William knew. What would come out of the meeting was another thing. He had heard they were calling the meeting of congress, well good luck to them.

The last time that William had fought in any sort of war was against the French a few decades earlier when the Indians and the French in Canada had taken it upon themselves to invade the colonies. This had not been a major war like some of the wars William had fought in through out his long life but it was the most recent. He had been sickened by the slaughter at Culloden back in 1746 on coming upon the body of the Jew Samuel he had decided that he would leave the Kings service and travel to America. Here the world was clean with very little in the way of wars and for a number of decades he had farmed. Building the house had been a hard task; he had cut and planed every piece of timber for the house. He had become quite a craftsman enjoying the feel of the wood as he molded it to the desired shape and size.

“Ah but King George and his cronies, well there would be some thing to be said after General Washington’s continental congress.” In the meantime there was work to be done. William had heard that Mr. Benjamin Franklin would be at the congress. He was a man to be reckoned with; a formidable mind. Mr. Jefferson would also be there, another good man, a man who favored the farmers if the truth be told.

But thinking about all of this was distracting him from his work he had lived alone for a long time and he had no desire to change that but he had a feeling that things were about to change. He had been aware of under currents in the colonial society for some time now. Judging by this he knew changes were coming, he had seen it all before but what could he do as a solitary man. He would once more shoulder a rifle and buckle on his sword and go to war but there was a difference this time. This time he would be fighting for a country. He had made his home his country. That sounded strange, he had no country for a long time. For centuries he had fought as a mercenary first for one side then another. However this time he sincerely believed that he would be fighting on the side of right to establish a new nation somewhere that he might one-day call home. And what of the farm? Well when the war was over he would continue to build and improve the place. Maybe one day he would be a wealthy landowner with hundreds of slaves to do his bidding but in the mean time he would labor on doing things for himself. When the call came to arms he would be ready and who knew, maybe, just maybe when the war was over he might have made such a name for himself that people would flock around asking him what had happened. Maybe he could get a commission in the militia and rise but these thoughts he put aside as he once more took up the hoe and began working. Virginia sure was a pretty place. It was named for the old queen some two hundred years before. He considered it ironic that this place that was so beautiful was named for an old queen who had long since gone to dust. Well that was the thing about naming places once they were named they tended to keep their name.

In the distance he could see one of his fellow farmers riding towards him on an old dray horse. The man seemed to have some thing important to do. He seemed quite agitated. “I wonder what is so important that Old John Samson would take his old horse and ride out at mid day?”


CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
FRANCE 1795
It was in the year 1795 when Samuel the Jewish innkeeper found himself in a small village a few miles from the sea on the main road from Paris. It was the height of the terror and everywhere people were trying hard to keep out of the sight of the tribunal Madam Guillotine had already taken many heads but her lust for blood refused to be stanched.

Samuel had come to France about 20 years earlier and had bought an old run down inn which he had rebuilt offering good food and the best wines he could buy on his limited budget. The inn had slowly grown in popularity until there was a steady flow of customers who frequented the inn. Being on the main road from Paris had helped of course, now travelers would arrive at all times of the day and night despite the curfew placed on all citizens.

So Samuel was not really surprised when one night in the winter of 1795 when there came a hammering on the door long after all lights had been extinguished. He rose from his bed lit a lamp and made his way to the door. He shivered in the cold as he descended the stairs into the main area of the inn.

The hammering at the door became more furious. “Alright I am coming” he shouted as he crossed the room. Upon opening the door he found a group of the most pathetic people he had seen in a long time and he wondered for a moment if they were the mob come to drag him away to the tribunal. But quickly he realized from the appearance of the people that they were a customer of another kind. Quickly he pulled the door open and let them in, urging them to make as little noise as possible. The group consisted of five adults, two woman three men and two children. One of the men crossed to the fireplace and stoked the fire bringing a bright glow from the embers of the fire.

The other man, a tall thin man with a hawk like face turned to him and said “My good man please, wine if you have and some food for the children.” Samuel left the room the guests now gathered round the fire and began talking quietly, fear showing on all the faces in the light of the fire. “Oh Andree” said one of the women “lets hope he will not betray us.” The tall man whom she addressed turned to her and scowled. “Marie I have told you I had it on good authority that he will help, now stop your worrying.”

Samuel returned carrying a tray with a jug of wine and food, which the guests fell to eating ravenously. Once they had finished eating, Andree Du Preez, asked the inn keeper if he had a place for them for the next 20 hours of which no one else knew. Samuel at first looked on with an astonishment “citizen I am but a humble inn keeper I don't have such a place.” Du Preez then asked one of the set questions he had been given in Paris to identify himself to the innkeeper “Is there an inn in Bethlehem?” he said.
”Yes citizen there is” replied the inn keeper “do they serve pigeon to the hawks at the inn?” asked Du Preez?
“No citizen” replied Samuel smiling. “Now I know what you are” said Samuel “we can do some thing” he continued. To these words the members of the group gave a combined sigh of relief.

Showing his guests down the stars into his wine cellar he pressed a concealed button and a whole section of the wall moved aside revealing a comfortable room behind the great vats. “You may stay as long as you need citizens” he said. “But I will need to know a number of things. Did you leave any horses or a coach outside? How far behind you are the lackeys of the tribunal and finally I will need some coinage to make the arrangements for your stay” he said.

”We left Paris earlier this evening. The tribunal is about three hours behind us and no we sent the coach on to the sea side, thus saying he handed over a large bag of coins to the inn keeper.” “Very well citizen I will make arrangements for you to be picked up by one of the fishing boats, on the coast about 10 miles from here tomorrow night after 12 o clock. In the mean time there are beds and some food make yourselves comfortable and leave every thing to me” he said. Once he had seen the guests into the hidden room he closed the disguised door and left the cellar. Before returning to bed he roused one of his servants and told him to go to the fishing village to the house of one Jacques known as ‘the ugly’, to tell the fisherman that he had need of 7 cod the following day at noon, five should be quite large and two should be of a smaller size. (This was one of the codes that they had worked out to let the fisherman know that the fleeing nobles would be at the village at midnight the following night awaiting transport to England). Then Samuel returned to bed knowing he had maybe an hour before he would need to rise to meet with the forces of the tribunal who would be looking for the fugitives. He was not wrong when an hour later just as the false dawn was touching the horizon, there was the sound of horses and voices in the court yard below and a hammering at the door, rising once more and feigning announce. He opened the window over looking the courtyard and inquired of the men below that did they not know there was a curfew and what business did they have to worry an honest innkeeper at this hour of the night. “Silence innkeeper” replied the man in charge of the horsemen “and open the door. We want to inspect your inn. We have been following a group of criminals of the state who might be lodged here.”

Samuel went down stairs and opened the door the men entered and began questioning Samuel as to how many guests their names and the nature of their business.

Once Samuel had satisfied the leaders of the tribunal’s party that all of his guests were bona fide travelers he offered them wine and cheese, which the men set on devouring. The snow had begun falling as the servants of the inn set about their daily tasks in the kitchen and the yard, with fearful looks at the latest arrivals from Paris. It was not the first time that men had come to the inn looking for refugees of the terror which was running rampant in the capital.

Samuel while playing the jovial host cast furtive glances at the door hoping and praying that the servant he had sent out earlier should have enough sense to use the kitchen door on his return. As anyone entering the inn would now automatically be questioned as to their whereabouts at such an early hour of the morning. By seven-o clock the servant had not made an appearance and it looked like the tribune's men would be leaving soon.

Once they had left, continuing to the coast in search of the refugee nobles, Samuel heaved a sigh of relief, when he saw the servant emerge from the stables stretching as if waking from a good night’s sleep. Samuel indicated to