But before he could finish his question, Jedidiah looked over at him with gentle eyes and said firmly, “John, go and rest, my friend. I’ll keep watch. They will not get away.”
In spite of all they had experienced that evening, Adam and John suddenly felt safe. And, though their minds were far from being at rest, they withdrew further into the woods to try and follow Jedidiah’s instructions. Seconds after dropping down at the base of a large tree, they were curled up together sitting in silent suffering as their minds replayed the horrible events they had just lived through.
Jedidiah could hear them crying for some time before silence finally regained its hold on the woods.
Father, I don’t even know what to say, he prayed. What will come of these boys, only You know. I trust You and may I do as You would have me to do.
The minutes turned to hours as Jedidiah’s watchful eyes focused on the murdering thieves. Using his pack as a support for his binoculars now, he laid in silent observation. Completely invisible to within inches, he was in no danger of being discovered.
There appeared to be no single leader of the group. Jedidiah was able to count nine of them, three women and six men. They seemed to do what they wanted, when they wanted. Their caravan of load-bearing animals was heavy laden with all their stolen goods, yet the bandits showed no signs of leaving. A significant amount of time was spent on the dead, or rather on their belongings. All the while watching each other with untrusting eyes, they laid the bodies out in the open, side by side. After completely stripping them, everything they could find on the bodies was laid out. And when everything was in place, they began to draw straws for each item. All the items were eventually claimed, the trading began, and sometime later, when everyone seemed fairly satisfied, they began to settle down for the night. Once or twice an argument broke out, but for the most part they spent the night eating, laughing, and sleeping. Observing them sleeping for several hours, and satisfied they had no one on overwatch or roving patrol, Jedidiah decided it was time to act.
Chapter 2
The faint sound of the rooster crowing in the distance woke Adam and John. Within the first seconds of consciousness, they expected to hear the playful voices of their parents joking and teasing each other. The mornings had always been special, filled with the sounds of their parents’ laughter. But this morning was silent. Reality set in quickly and the weight of their life-changing event again took hold, creating a new unspoken bond between them. Adam sat up, looking around for Jedidiah, while John lay motionless with his eyes wide open, still trying to digest the horrors from the night before.
Adam leaned over to ask, “John, you awake?”
“Yeah,” John’s voice cracked through his broken heart.
Regaining their bearings, they realized that a wool blanket had been spread over them that could have only been put there by Jedidiah.
“Have you seen him?” John asked.
“No. I’m going to see if he’s still where he was last night. Will you come with me?”
John got to his feet in reply. “I’ll bring the blanket.”
As they backtracked to where they had last seen Jedidiah, they were so emotionally drained from the previous twenty-four hours that no expression could be found on their faces. They felt like ghosts of their former selves. But as they reached the spot where they expected to find him, their hearts sank even more. The stranger was nowhere to be found. The obvious signs of him were there –– the matted down grass where he kept watch, the slight indentions in the ground where his elbows had been. But Jedidiah was gone! In that moment, their young hearts processed a range of emotions from terror to disappointment to rage. They stood there trying to decide what to do next, when John suddenly grabbed Adam and pulled him down while simultaneously moving back behind one of the big trees. In their confusion they had been standing in plain sight of the bandits. John realized this only a fraction of a second before noticing a man moving about on their homestead. As they stared out over the open field, their hearts began to pound again. He was now obviously walking in their direction. Panic began to set in as their minds raced for an answer. Should they run or stay frozen in place? They weren’t certain they had been seen, but the man was walking directly toward them. As their muscles tensed, Adam suddenly cocked his head to one side, watching the man approach as if he was seeing something John had not noticed.
Seeing his brother’s expression, John looked out whispering, “What?” But, just as the word left his lips, they heard a familiar voice.
“John…Adam. It’s alright. It’s me, Jedidiah.”
The boys were speechless, their minds flooded with questions. Had the bandits gotten away? Was he one of them? Had he killed them all? With great uncertainty in their eyes, they began to slowly stand.
Reading their expressions and body language, Jedidiah again attempted to reassure them. “Truly, it’s alright. The raiders are secured and are awaiting your judgment.”
More confused than before, the boys were uneasy about coming out in the open. But, by then, Jedidiah was within arm’s reach. He could see their eyes, and he understood their fear.
Once again, he dropped to one knee, his rifle now slung over his back, and repeated, “Adam… John...the raiders have been bound. They are awaiting your judgment. It is safe. Please come.”
When the boys began to move forward, Jedidiah stood, turned, and walked back toward the property, with Adam and John following. Now that day was breaking, they were able to see what this stranger looked like. In the short time they had known him, he had almost seemed superhuman. From rushing in and attempting to rescue their sister, to staying up all night to watch the bandits, to finally, somehow, capturing them alone. But now, in the glow of the early morning light, his appearance seemed rather unremarkable. He was a man of average size with dark hair and a full beard. His hair was beginning to gray making him appear older than they had expected. His skin was dark and leathery, as were most folks who lived in the territory. His words and his eyes, however, spoke to them. They inspired trust –– they made the boys want to trust Jedidiah.
As they began to enter the homestead, Adam and John slowed their pace. They could smell the smoke from the smoldering cabin and, as they looked around and remembered the horrific sounds and sights, their eyes began to swell with tears. Jedidiah turned back toward them.
“Boys,” he said, “don’t come in here if you’re not ready. Take your time. There is no rush. No rush at all.”
In silence, they both looked up at him. He knew they couldn’t speak without losing their composure, so he softly placed a hand on their shoulders and gently reiterated, “Don’t rush this.”
At that, he turned and walked away toward the main barn. As their eyes left him, they began to take in their surroundings. With the exception of the burned-out cabin, everything seemed so peaceful. It was hard to believe what had happened there the night before. They half expected to see their sister, Helen, pop out from behind a tree to tease them into chasing her, or to hear their father call out to them to fetch a tool. They could picture their mother standing on the front porch of the cabin, as she did every morning, calling them to wash up for breakfast.
But today, there were no sounds of the family they loved so much. There was only silence. After standing there for several minutes, John began walking in the direction Jedidiah had taken toward the main barn. Adam wiped his tears and followed. Rounding the corner to the barn’s entry, they noticed something to their right. There, just to the left of the smoking rubble that had been their home, were three covered objects. Immediately, they knew what they were. Walking toward the remains of their family with obvious difficulty, they felt as if there was a massive weight resting upon them, or as if someone was pulling them backward as they walked. The closer they got, the more audible their crying became. They could see that great care had been taken to position the bodies. Jedidiah had acquired large burlap sacks from their barn and cut open the bottoms. By sliding the sacks over the bodies like a sock, one after another, he was able to completely cover the dead.