Attack on the Colony

“What’s goin’ on?” asked Robert.

“I dunno, but Imma bout to find out,” said Harriet. In a flash she was fully dressed and peering out the front door. She saw several white men standing around the next cabin. One of the men by the cabin was Theophilis Knight. He had thrown a torch into the first cabin and the dry, brittle wood was quickly being consumed by flames. There were still people inside the cabin, including Boyd and his family, and they began firing their own rifles back at the slave-catchers. When she saw the slave-catchers firing into the cabin Harriet turned to her group.

“Get ready cause we’re leavin’ now!”

Bethany and the other three men were frantically moving about, putting on clothes, loading guns, and looking out the windows.

“How many of ‘em?” asked Duke.

“Can’t tell,” said Purvis. He was trying to survey their surroundings from one of the windows. “Ten. Maybe twelve. They scattered about.”

Kyla and Zammie put their clothes on quickly, and Baby Claire began crying due to the commotion.

“Are they lookin’ for us?” asked Henry.

Before Harriet could answer, a burning torch flew through one of the windows and landed on the straw mat on which Kyla was sitting. She screamed and Zammie pulled her up and away from the flame. Duke quickly picked up the torch and threw it back out the front door, but the mat was already burning.

“They approachin’ this cabin now! Robert, get them kids back here!” said Harriet.

Robert pulled Zammie and Kyla away from the front of the cabin while Duke ran out the front door with his rifle primed.

“No, wait!” yelled Harriet, but it was too late. Duke was shot down as soon as he stepped outside. Zammie watched his body fall back and slump in the doorway. 

“Duke!” yelled Bethany. She ran over and dragged Duke back inside the cabin. Duke’s body convulsed and blood dribbled out of his mouth. A moment later his gasping stopped. Bethany’s face filled with anguish when she realized he was dead.

Harriet turned to her group. “All the way back!” she said. She herded them towards the back wall of the cabin. Purvis and Shadrach continued firing off their rifles through the front windows while Bethany fired off her pistol through a side window. It was a slow process for the men. Their rifled muskets only held one shot so they repeatedly had to take time to reload their guns with powder and ball before they could fire again.

Smoke began to fill the cabin as the flames from the burning mat quickly licked up the walls towards the ceiling. The limited furnishings, a couple wooden chairs, one storage chest, and two homemade beds with straw mattresses, were like kindling for the fire. They couldn’t have been burning faster if gasoline had been poured on them. The flames were quickly sucking up all the oxygen inside the structure. Everyone had to cover their faces with their sleeves or shirt to keep from breathing in the burning ash, and the heat was becoming unbearable.

--Theophilis Attacks the Colony  

from Time Trip #2 (Chapter 18)

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 4

KILLING FOR COUNTRY  

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TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 1

THE JOURNEY TO ANCIENT GREECE 

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TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 2

A RIDE ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

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TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 3

WITNESS TO THE FIRST THANKSGIVING 

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