They moved an hour before dark, following the route that Parnell had pioneered.
“You two.” Kennedy picked Dickert and MacRae. “Stay in the camp with Mrs Williams.”
“Sir,” MacKim protested. “They’re the best men we have.”
“All the better to guard Mrs Williams,” Kennedy said. “God only knows how Roberval’s men would treat her. Benjamin, you remain here as well.”
“I can fight,” Benjamin protested. “Give me a musket and I can shoot, or let me have a cutlass and I’ll show the Frenchies!”
“You don’t know our ways. Stay here, damn it!” The fact that Kennedy swore proved the turmoil in his mind.
“Yes, sir.” Benjamin looked at the ground.
The Rangers slid through the woods—so different from the cool forests of North America—following Parnell. Although MacKim had never found Parnell an easy m
