The Untold Story of Mary Seymour

Chapter 22

I landed on my back and the wind got knocked out of me. That didn't stop whoever grabbed me to lift me off the ground and place a gun at the back of my head. I looked down and saw a part of a red coat and knew who was behind me.

The soldier walked me forward and eventually I ended up in the clearing where Sam, John, and to my surprise, Paul were all watching. Sam's eyes widened and he raised his gun so it was pointed at the man behind me.

The man pulled me against him and moved the gun to my temple. I could feel myself break out into a cold sweat and I could barely breath. "Put the guns down or I will shoot her."

I looked at Sam and then John. John was the first to put his down, but Sam was reluctant to do so. He looked at me and I mouthed "please", and sighing he did as he was told.

"We did as you said, now please just pass her to us and we will be on our way," Paul tried to negotiate.

The man responded by gripping my arm tighter, causing me to yelp in pain and he pressed the gun harder against my skin. "I am not oblivious to what you have done to these men here just now. There is no way in hell I am letting you walk free. You are to give me your names and then I will take you to General Gage."

I began to laugh due to my nerves and everyone looked at me like I was crazy. "Well let me tell you their names. That's Sam Adams, John Hancock, and Paul Revere. As for me I am Mary Seymour. Do those names ring a bell?"

I felt the man's grip loosen and that is when I stepped forward and kicked my leg up so my foot hit him in the groin. Sam told me to duck has he picked up his gun and quickly fired at the man. John helped me up and walked me away from the lifeless body. He pulled me into a hug, and I gratefully wrapped my arms around him. The hug itself was comforting and I slowly began to relax.

Sam came over to me and I pulled away from my brother. "What happened here?" I asked. I looked around and saw four dead British soldiers laying throughout the clearing.

Paul limped over to me. "I was stopped by these men's and started a fight with them. Luckily you were crossing paths with me. I'm sorry that you were placed in danger because of me, Mary. But what you did was brilliant."

I felt John place a hand on my shoulder as a sign of encouragement. "What you did was brave but I suggest we leave before more soldiers come after us."

John started to take us back to our horses but not before I heard Sam say something to Paul. "Take care of yourself, Paul." It sounded like a goodbye.

I watch Paul frown for a moment but he nodded and got back onto his horse. He looked over at me and I could see him sigh. Very somberly Paul said, "get them to safety please."

I turned back to my brother and we continued through the brush. I heard Sam following after us. Once I was back on my horse, Sam grabbed my reins. I looked down at him and he looked upset.

"I'm sorry for what happened. I shouldn't have left you here alone," Sam whispered.

I took the reins from his hand and shook my head. Keeping my voice down I said, "stop being hard on yourself. You were rescuing a friend, and as you saw I can take care of myself."

Sam didn't say anything, instead he walked over to his horse and climbed on. John looked to me, so I rode ahead of everyone. When I looked at John as I passed him, I realized that he looked sick. His hands were shaking as he wrapped the reins tighter around his hands. It was like all life was drained from him and he was left with a vacant stare. I was going to say something but he fell behind me, leaving me in front alone.

Throughout the rest of the ride I was cautious of every branch that snapped in the distance. I was stopping constantly, so much that Sam must have become annoyed because he passed me and took the lead. Not a word was spoken between us and once we reached the edge of the tree line I was relieved to see a small encampment ahead. I meant to ask Sam how many men were actually on our side because I must have second guessed our numbers. When we rode closer to the camp and noticed that there were maybe thirty men about the small men clearing all watching us approach.