they planned to exchange the British cargo for their own worthless one.
The soldiers snored peacefully by the fire while Matthias and his team made the switch. When the raft had taken all the weight it could, they poled it downriver to the gristmill and unloaded the loot.
Matthias lifted a barrel of gunpowder. "I'll be right back." He ran to Jacob's house, deposited the gunpowder on the back porch, then returned to find Caroline and Jacob still storing the stolen loot in the mill.
When they were done, they returned to the enemy camp for another load. Once the British barrels and crates were empty, they filled them with counterfeit cargo, then hammered the lids back on.
"Let's go." Matthias helped Caroline onto the raft. She settled on a burlap sack filled with flour. Jacob and Matthias poled the raft downstream.
They left the light of the campfire behind. A crescent moon hovered over them, partially concealed by wispy clouds. The mill clung to the riverbank, an immense black shadow, its huge wheel groaning as it slowly turned and slapped the water. They passed the load they had left at the mill, planning to come back for it later.
Caroline opened the shutters of the lantern completely. "It went well, don't you think?"
"Yes." Matthias swatted at a mosquito that buzzed by his ear. "You're certain this cabin is deserted?"
"It was a few weeks ago. The partisans had burned the ferry, and the owner claimed he was ruined. He left . . . on our horse with all our belongings."
"I see." Matthias recalled burning the ferry himself.
"It shouldn't be far." Caroline yawned. "We were on foot and not moving very quickly."
Soon, the lantern light picked out the remains of the burned ferry. Matthias and Jacob maneuvered the raft to the north riverbank, tied it off, then grabbed some items to carry to the cabin. Caroline accompanied them, carrying the lantern.
"Wait here." Matthias dropped his sack outside the door and pulled the knife from his belt. He pushed the door open and peered inside. Empty. Almost. Four golden eyes stared down at him from a shelf. He set the lantern on a table. "We have a few uninvited guests."
"There they are." Caroline pointed. "Raccoons. The rascals will get into the food." Stifling another yawn, she located a broom. "I'll try to shoo them away."
The men returned to the raft. Matthias came back with an armload of muskets.
"They're gone!" Caroline announced with a smile. "I chased them out the back door." Her smile faded as she stumbled back and steadied herself by leaning on the broom.
"Are you all right?" Matthias deposited the weapons on the floor.
She rubbed her brow. "I feel a little . . . tired."
"I knew it." Matthias grabbed her just as the broomstick clattered onto the floor. "You drank some rum, didn't you?"
"I . . . didn't mean to . . ." Her head rolled against his shoulder. Her body went limp.
"Damn." He lifted her in his arms.
Jacob strode in with two buckets full of gunpowder. "What happened?"
"She's out." Matthias carried her to the narrow bed in the corner. "We'll have to take her with us when we go back for the second load." He adjusted her skirt to cover her ankles. "I'm not leaving her alone in this condition. She cannot protect herself."
Jacob set the buckets down. "Why don't you tell her the truth?"
"I wish I could, but I'm a wanted man. 'Tis safer for her not to know who I am."
"I was referring to your feelings."
Matthias crooked a finger in his neck cloth to loosen it. "She knows that I care about her. Come, we have a job to finish."
Jacob followed him out the door. "If you care about her, then you should tell her the truth."
Matthias groaned. Ever since the meeting in the orchard he had managed to maintain a business-like attitude around Caroline. And she had done likewise. "She doesn't want to be involved with a spy. And she's right. As long as I'm involved with the war, I shouldn't court a woman." He reached the raft. "Take the other end of this crate, will you?"
"You could do as she suggested and go away. The two of you." Jacob lifted his side of the crate with a grunt. "And when the war is over, you could come back to live at Loblolly."
Matthias trudged alongside Jacob, carrying the other end of the crate. "I'm not sure she could be happy at Loblolly. I'm not sure I could, but then, I don't have