Turn 8 – 6 AM – Day 2
Marcus and Bulfinch woke to find Bennett was fast asleep. He was supposed to be on guard!
A swift kick to the would-be guardsmen’s plump rear and a verbal tirade followed.
With the damage having been done, the two fit mountain men lifted the crippled Bennett onto a brushwood litter. Moving slowly through the thick riverside undergrowth, they headed northeast and hopefully away from their pursuers.
Carrying a litter restricts movement to a walk, so it would be slow going for Marcus and his party over the next few hours. Silently, Marcus struggled with the choice as to whether to abandon Bennett to the wilderness or continue their escape at a snail’s pace for the foreseeable future.
Shane and Jim Moore had had a rough night. Without fire and shelter, they had only recovered half the Stamina they would have. Needless to say, they scrambled up the hill towards the looming cliff face.
Reaching the bottom of the cliff, they were happy to encounter Gibbons.
The older man has also had a very bad night, with no food, no shelter, or fire. Gibbons had woke and found himself all alone, had decided to push west in the hopes of catching his companions. Tracing his way around the base of the cliff at a fast pace, he found them.
The three mountain men exchanged a greeting with a simple nod of their heads as they continued their journey eastward.
Red Knife stirred his warriors and moved north, entering the hex where Gibbons had spent the night. Another close call for Gibbons, if he hadn't broken camp as soon as the sun crested the mountains, his scalp would be on Red Knife's lodge that night.
In the south, the other Peaquot warbands continued their bush bashing and find nothing.