“I know she would. And I’m not saying we shouldn’t go back for her. I’m just saying we need a plan!”
“Well, Adam, while we’re sitting here formulating a plan, Helen is being raped! Paw would already be in there right now, if he were…”
And, at that, the boys grew silent.
Faint whimpers could be heard just before Jedidiah grabbed both from behind placing his hands over their mouths. Instantly they began to fight, kicking his legs and scratching at his face.
Jedidiah began repeating in a calm, controlled voice, “Boys, I am not one of them. I am here to help you.” After what seemed like a full minute, they began to calm down.
“I am going to let you go, but you must be quiet. You are not out of danger yet.” When Jedidiah turned them loose, they jumped away from him before turning around. The boys were scared, but Jedidiah could see they had fight in their eyes.
“Gentleman,” he said, “we need to move.”
“Where to?” one of the boys asked.
“As far away from here as I can get you,” Jedidiah replied.
“We’re not going anywhere without our sister!” the other boy shot back.
In that moment, Jedidiah’s heart ached, but he dropped down to one knee in an attempt to appear less imposing, leaned his rifle on his leg, and stuck out his hand to the boy on the right.
“My name is Jedidiah,” he said in a low calming voice. The boy reached and shook his hand firmly. “I am Adam Wells and this is my younger brother, John.” John stuck out his hand to Jedidiah delivering another firm shake.
“Adam … John, I came on to your place just a little bit ago from up over the ridge there,” pointing as he spoke. “I’ve seen the horrible things these men have done to your family.” Both boys dropped their heads and began to sob softly. “I saw your mother give her life to ease your father’s pain and I tried to get down here quick enough to get you kids out. When the house fire began discharging your hidden ammunition I saw you guys make it to the woods, so I went after your sister.”
As soon as he said this, Adam and John stopped their crying and looked up hopefully. They held their breath in anticipation. Jedidiah reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the cross he found around the girl’s neck. “Boys,” he said, “your sister is dead.”
Adam and John embraced each other and fell to their knees under the weight of this final loss. “Are you sure she’s dead?” John managed to ask through his tears.
With a lump in his throat, Jedidiah presented the cross to them. “Yes, John, I’m sure of it.”
The boys’ sobbing subsided as they saw Helen’s necklace. Adam removed it from Jedidiah’s hand with care. Surprisingly, neither boy began to cry again. Jedidiah wondered what was going through their minds and how it was that they both were reacting in the same way. That, however, was something he would never know.
“Adam… John… We should go.”
With a resolve Jedidiah had rarely seen in grown men’s eyes, both boys stared back at him.
“No sir, Mr. Jedidiah,” Adam said with a sniffle, “We cannot, sir. These men have raped and murdered our family. We have fought these thieves off several times before to protect our stores of food and last winter they killed some of our neighbors over on the Campbell’s place. These people have done and will continue to do horrible things. They must be stopped.”
Adam was deadly serious and he wanted Jedidiah to know it. Jedidiah had no doubt that Adam meant what he said but he looked over at John to gauge his reaction to what his brother was committing them to.
Sensing that, John added, “Mr. Jedidiah, we will not run.”
Displaying no change in expression, the boys could only wonder what this man was thinking. As they stared at him through the dark, searching for some indication of what he might say next, both realized how much they needed his help. They knew nothing about him and couldn’t even make out what he looked like. The forest seemed to be working with him to conceal his identity. They feared if they looked away, he might disappear back into the shadows that covered him like a blanket. But though his physical appearance was still a mystery, even at their young age they were able to see that he was different from anyone they had ever known. His eyes were steady, his stance was confident, and when he spoke to them, they knew he spoke the truth. Though they could not explain why, they felt he was trustworthy and capable––qualities they had known in their father and character they had been taught to greatly respect.
With both boys staring up at him, Jedidiah ran through his options. On one hand he assumed that the boys’ family would rather he get them to safety. On the other hand, every word they spoke rang true. He had knowledge of these raiders as well and he knew they had been victimizing settlers and drifters alike in this territory for some time. Furthermore, he knew that they would indeed continue to victimize even more people if no one stopped them.
Father, he thought, You know how I feel about those guys… But what would You have me do?
What seemed like minutes passed with no response from Jedidiah. He said nothing and showed no body language that would point to what he was thinking.
Finally, John said, “Well, mister, we are grateful to you for trying to save Helen. We really are. But we don’t exactly need your permission to do what we know to be right.” He attempted to stand until he felt Jedidiah grab him by the arm. With a firm but gentle tug, John was pulled back down to his knees.
“No, John,” Jedidiah said in a kind and patient voice, “you don’t need my permission. But if you’re wise, you’ll accept my help and my advice.”
Immediately they felt a combination of great relief followed by an overwhelming rush of anxiety. They knew this meant they would have to match their actions with their words. Both boys had shot at men before, but this was different. Shooting from behind a semi-fortified position at people trying to take your things and hurt your family is not the same as actively hunting them down. They had no idea what to expect. They had no idea, whatsoever.
After Jedidiah offered his services and observed the obvious signs of relief on their faces, he stood up and began heading closer to the tree line back in the direction of the homestead. The boys’ hearts began beating so hard they thought Jedidiah was sure to hear it.
“Are we going in right now?” John whispered to Adam.
“Not sure, but let’s go,” Adam replied. After only a few seconds of Jedidiah’s beginning to move, the boys could no longer see him. They grew up hunting and instinctively stopped to try to hear his movement. John closed his eyes to focus on the sounds. They could hear nothing but the breeze and some muffled voices from their property. They shot a look at each other communicating they heard nothing.
“Let’s just keep heading toward the house and maybe we’ll find him,” Adam whispered.
As they got nearer to the tree line, the firelight from their cabin began to appear through the underbrush. Just short of open ground they stopped, positioning themselves behind a couple of large trees. They could see out over the field to where the bandits were but there was no sign of Jedidiah.
“Did he already go in, you think?” Adam thought out loud.
They jumped when they heard Jedidiah’s low voice coming from just beside them.
“I don’t think these guys are going anywhere tonight.”
Looking to their right, they could barely make out his outline. He was on one knee, his massive backpack protruding off his back, and their eyes strained to see him.
“I’ll keep watch here,” he said, his eyes never deviating from the raiders. “You fellas get further in and rest. You two have