Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen Page B

of a moon but clouds covered it and with them came a soft rain. Enough to make everything wet and uncomfortable outside. A godsend. Even drunken soldiers didn’t like to be out in the rain.
    Abner and Samuel had gone by the sugar mill just before dark to look it over. Samuel’s mother had been right. Only one door was being used and two guards stood there talking. One had a chair. There was a small roof over the entry to keep the rain off.
    The building was strangely quiet. If there are hundreds of men packed inside, Samuel thought, there should be more noise. They walked past the guards, who paid them no mind, and down alongside the building. Now and thenthey could hear scuffling and thumping against the wall on the inside, but nothing else.
    When they had walked completely past the building, they crossed the street and came back on the other side. Because of the rain, there weren’t many soldiers along the walkways and no one bothered them.
    They went along the river to a point close to where Matthew would come across and then moved into some trees along the bank. It was starting to get dark. Abner pulled a small oil-soaked bag from the inside of his coat and took out a watch. “Seven-thirty.” He put the watch back, settled down against a tree, hunched up the collar of his coat. “Try to get a little sleep, because later tonight there won’t be any.”
    “How are we going to do it?” Samuel asked. “Get him out?”
    “Simple plans are best,” Abner said. “Did you see all the bricks around the steps? They probably had more of a porch when the place was new; now the bricks have all fallen down. I’ll distract the guard; you take a brick and hit him over the head.”
    “That’s your plan?” Samuel stared at him. “What if both guards are there?”
    Abner said, “I’ll be ready for him. You just do your part.”
    Samuel still stared. “We’ve come this far and you tell me to just hit him over the head with a brick?”
    “Hard,”
Abner added. “Hit him over the head
hard
.Then we open the door, grab your father and run like hell. Or as fast as we can go. Scoop up your mother, get in the boat, get across the Hudson, hook up the mules, get in the wagon and head out. A good, simple plan.”
    And in the end that was exactly the way it worked.
    Almost.
    Samuel surprised himself. After an hour of his thoughts tumbling over each other without sense or reason, in spite of the rain, a veil slipped over his mind and he slept, leaning against the same tree as Abner.
    “Let’s get to it.” Abner shook him awake close to midnight. Samuel rubbed his face and stood.
    Abner was gone in the darkness and Samuel had to hurry to catch up. Their path took them past the house where Samuel’s mother worked. She was already outside and saw them approach. “I’m coming with you,” she said softly as they neared. “To help.”
    “No. Hold. Hold here. We’ll be back,” Abner whispered. “Shortly.”
    As they walked closer to the sugar mill Abner took off his coat and wrapped it so that it seemed he was carrying a bundle. There was a tiny glow from a lantern near the guard, the kind with a small candle inside and a slit to let out a sliver of light.
    It was enough for Samuel to see some bricks. He picked one up before they moved within range of the guard.
    “Halt!” the guard said as he saw them. Samuel held the brick behind him. “State your purpose.”
    “Bringing food,” Abner said, holding up the bundle, “for the prisoners.”
    “Advance.” The guard stepped forward, interested in the package.
    They climbed the steps to the entrance, Abner in front of the guard and Samuel slightly to the side, gripping the brick.
    Abner held the bundle out. The guard put the butt of his musket on the ground to free one hand to open the package. He leaned forward and Abner said, in a soft, conversational tone, “Now, Samuel.”
    And Samuel hit the guard with the brick.
    Hard
.
    A moment’s hesitation, then the guard fell.