Valley Forge

Chapter VI

December 25th, 1778

His answer befuddled me. "Have you gone funny in the head?"

"Perhaps" Benny opened his sack and pulled out papers A stack a little larger than a thin book of receipts "I stole this last night, I'm not sure how your going to handle it"

"You fought with Lee, He caught you in his tent?" I packed some snow into a ball and handed it to him "Put this on your eye, Clod" 

He winched as the snow touched his skin "It wasn't Lee who punched me, But he joined in later." He mumbled, "Then who hit you first?" I asked He shook his head "No, Not that." The bandages on my chest started to become sore I'd have to conceal them more and make them more comfterble "You can't be serious?"

"Aye," He said with a groan, "My belly is a giant empty pit, James. Tasting those little bites of those letters, There are so many rumors"  I nodded leaving my eyes on the snow "What do they say?" I asked. "You'll want to murder the man" He responded as he handed me the letters

They were filled and riddled with smut, to another lady my eyes widened at what I read I wanted to stop but I didn't I flipped through them some were letters to other men talking about how horrid the father Washington is 'He needs to resign, he simply doesn't know how to command' Thousands of letters 'bout the father and his mistress I scrunched up the letters in my fist

"He deserves to be flogged, . ." I cleaned off the water on his eye 

"I agree" He spat wiping blood on his ripped sleeved

"He should be flogged to death," I said. "Then brought back to life and flogged all over again"

"Surely so." Benny moved the snow away from his eye, "I told him I'd share what he's said with the other fellows that he has not been honorable. When he laughed at the notion I hit him"

"And he hit you back by the looks of it," I said

"The coward kicked me between the leg. Once I was on the ground, he gave me more kicks and took the bag I was carrying and then ran off" He put the snow back on his eye

"Aunt Cathrine would beat the skin off my backside if she knew I had fallen so low I stole from a sinner," He said each word laced with sorrow, I poked at the burning twigs and added more wood

"Aunt Cathrine, wouldn't of beat you" I ventured, "Stealing from a thief is justice ."

"Honest?"

"I swear."

From the fire I pulled a branch that was burning at one end, I told Benny how to prepare the fire and went off in search of the perfect rock. It took a good while, but the time I returned, He had the fire blazing with two logs the thickness of my legs lying next to each other two hands of space from each other 

"Are you going to tell the general about this" 

"Arnt you, He should know about Lee." 

He shook his head "Lee will point the finger back at me, The father would never forgive me for breaking the army's rules. Aint that considered treason?"

"Then I won't breath a word of it

"Thank you." He poked the fire "Does that mean your not sore at me anymore."

Instead of answering, I handed him another ball of snow "Your lip."

"I do apologize, James." He put the snow on his lip, Whence and then removed it "I've been pondering the matter ever since we quarreled. You were right If we're gonna fight a war, It should make everybody free just not some." The compass needle inside me whirled. I could not trust him; he was only being nice so I wouldn't get him in trouble; His apology was heartfelt. I dared not be his friend, of the friend of any person

"I cant accept your apology If you're going to be associates of Lee."

"The poxy scoundrel can hang himself!" Benny punched my shoulder so hard I lost balance on the log I sat on "How much longer, I want to confront Lee."

"Have at it, The most that would happen is a fist fight." He continued on "A noble sacrifice."

"More people should make them" I muttered he just sat and stared at the fire

*Flogging/Flogged/Flog- A form of whipping and beating

Word count: 728