Page 145 (1/2)

He bore rowing light His hair had come loose while he slept and feathered over his shoulders, its ruddy waves fraly marked by both humor and passion--but which possessed a paradoxical and most remarkable capacity for stillness

"No," I said at last, and set h "It’s still you"

He gave a srunt of amuse round nearby, cursing as he tripped over a wagon-tongue The ca; a few of the co their officers and ood many were not, and tipsy tents and strewn equipe

A druan to beat, to no apparent effect The ar to be able to do anything with these troops?" I asked dubiously

The local avatar of the arone back to sleep as well Atauburn lashes lifted in lazy response

"Oh, aye Tryon’s a soldier He kens well enough what to do--at least to start It’s no so verra difficult tolatrines, ken To "

"Can he do that?"

The chest under h

"Maybe so Maybe no The question is--will he have to?"

That was the question, all right Ruale, all the way froulators had ten thousand e was sailing froie County militia had rioted and killed their officers Half the Wake County men had deserted Hermon Husband had been arrested and spirited onto a ship, to be taken to London for trial on charges of treason Hillsborough had been taken by the Regulators, ere preparing to fire the town and put Ed and all his associates to the sword I did hope that one wasn’t true--or if it was, that Hubert Sherston was not one of Fanning’s intih the mass of hearsay, supposition, and sheer wild invention, the only fact of which we could be sure appeared to be that Governor Tryon was en route to join the militia After which, ould just see, I supposed

Ja the edge of my shoulder blade With his usual capacity for mental discipline, he appeared to have dismissed the uncertainty of theof soan, and then broke off

"Think what?" I bent and kissed his chest, arching e him to rub it, which he did

"WellI’m no so sure I can explain, but it’s struck er thanI expected to happen," he added, with faint wryness "It’s onlywell, it seems odd, is all I only wondered, did ye ever think of that, yourself--having lost your , I mean?"

"Yes" My face was buried in his chest, my voice muffled in the folds of his shirt "I used to--when I was younger Like going on a journey without a map"

His hand on my back paused for a moment

"Aye, that’s it" He sounded a little surprised "I kent more or less what it would be like to be a man of thirty, or of forty--but nohat?" His chest ht have been a mixture of amusement and puzzlement

"You invent yourself," I said softly, to the shadows inside the hair that had fallen over my face "You look at other women--or men; you try on their lives for size You take what you can use, and you look inside yourself for what you can’t find elsewhere And alwaysalwaysyou wonder if you’re doing it right"

His hand arm and heavy on my back He felt the tears that ran unexpectedly from the corners of my eyes to dampen his shirt, and his other hand came up to touch ain, very softly

The cas and thuh voices Overhead, the grasshopper began to chirp, the sound like so my father never saw," Jah the walls of his chest, as with ift, hed deeply and turned ently and wipedstock," he added practically, "I’ve all , andIt could be worse"

59

MILITARY ENGINES

Journal of the Expedition against the Insurgents

Kept by William Tryon, Governor

Thursday, May 2nd

The Craven and Carteret Detachments marched out of New Bern with the two Field Pieces, Six Swivel Guns ons, & four Carts, loaded with Baggage, Ammunition and as much provisions as would supply the several Detachments that were to join them on their Route to Col Bryan’s, the place of General Rendezvous

The Governor left New Bern the 27th of April, and arrived at Col Bryan’s the 1st of May Today the Troops from the two Districts joined