Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims: Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans (14 page)

“Freedom, can you ride a horse?” I asked.

Instead of responding, Freedom sprinted and sprang up the side of Liberty and into his saddle.

“Tommy, you next,” I said.

“I can’t do that,” Tommy complained.

“Aren’t you the star quarterback?” Freedom teased.

“Yeah, but I’m not a ninja horse whisperer,” he said.

Tommy walked over and I boosted him up.

“I’ll jump through the time portal behind you, Liberty, let’s go,” I said.

“Rush, rush, rushing to history!”
Liberty said.

As the portal opened and Liberty started to gallop I said, “December thirty-first, 1620, Plymouth Plantation, America.” I watched Freedom and Tommy bounce on the back of Liberty as he jumped to our next history lesson. As I followed and jumped through the portal I instantly felt the freezing temperature on my face. Thermal underwear never felt so good!

We were at the edge of a forest. The trees were naked. Thin patches of snow rested on a thick layer of brown leaves like random quilt patches covering a blanket. I could hear voices and the distant sound of waves crashing on the beach. The sun was overhead but the weather prompted me to button my coat.

“Where are we?” asked Freedom.

“If we were in the modern day we would technically be in the state of Massachusetts,” I said.

“Hey, when you guys talk I can see your breath,” said Tommy.

Both Liberty and Tommy exhaled and watched their breath as it crystallized in the air.

“Look,” said Freedom, pointing. “Are those the Pilgrims?”

Through the trees we could see a clearing. “Yes, those are definitely the Pilgrims,” I said. “And I see a warm fire. Let’s go over and see what we can learn.”

“Okay, but first can Freedom and I take Liberty and ride to the top of that other hill?” Tommy pointed to a larger hill about fifty yards away. “I bet we could see Cape Cod from there,” said Tommy.

“I’m fine with that. But you must stay with Liberty, no exceptions,” I said, firmly. “Liberty, I trust you’ll keep them safe.”

“No worries, boss,” said Liberty. “They don’t call me ‘Liberty the Dragon Slayer’ for nothing.”

As the three of them trotted away, I started my own course toward the Pilgrims. It was a cold but clear day. The small settlement was located on a flat hill. I saw several men carrying timber and others framing the side of a house. A few men were resting or chatting by a fire. I noticed William Bradford and Myles Standish speaking to each other as they pointed at different parts of the landscape. As I walked toward them I could see the
Mayflower
anchored in the harbor about one or two miles from us.

“We should be able to finish the Common House in about two weeks,” said William as I approached from behind.

Myles turned and saw me first, “Rush Revere,” he said. “We thought you were dead. Where have you been? Where’s Tommy?”

“Indeed,” said William as he rushed over and embraced me. “What a delightful surprise. I knew you were still alive. I wouldn’t believe anything else. One passenger thought you had fallen overboard. But when we couldn’t find Tommy I assumed that when we landed at Plymouth Rock and all the passengers disembarked from the ship, the two of you went exploring.”

“That’s exactly what we did,” I said, relieved that William had assumed my alibi. “Yes, we, um, found a trail of sorts and decided to follow it. It was a foolish thing to do but I was strongly prompted to explore this New World.”

“A prompting we have all felt, I’m sure,” said William.

“Yes,” agreed Myles, “but there is safety in numbers.”

“All is well, Myles,” said William. “And it appears that Rush Revere is capable of taking care of himself. But where is Tommy?”

“He and a new friend are exploring the top of that largest hill with my horse,” I said, referencing the nearby hill.

“Did you say horse?” asked Myles.

“Oh, yes,” I said, forgetting that neither William or Myles had ever met Liberty or Freedom. I had been thinking of a reasonable explanation and said, “As Tommy and I were exploring we became disoriented but were fortunate to come across a young Native American girl riding a horse. Strange, I know. But the girl took a liking to us and helped us find our way back to you!”

“No matter,” said William. “The important thing is that you’re here now.”

“So this is your new home?” I asked, changing the subject. “How did you know where to start building?”

“It wasn’t easy,” said Myles.

“We have struggled, for sure,” agreed William. “We searched all over Cape Cod. Some of us explored by foot and others explored using the shallop. Myles and his men survived an Indian attack.”

“We have all survived hard things,” said Myles. “William has had to survive the passing of his wife, Dorothy.”

“Yes,” said William softly. He sighed and said, “She died just
before we found our new home. Her loss has been the hardest thing. But I also ache for many of our people who suffer because of the cold and lack of food. Many have the chills and cough and no place to get warm. But after thirty-four days since the
Mayflower
arrived at Cape Cod, we have found our home. This is Plymouth Plantation. Or it will be. For now, our people must stay on the
Mayflower.
”

“It will make for a fine town,” William went on. “When we arrived we found barren cornfields with the land strangely cleared for our homes. There is even a running brook with fresh water.”

“Did someone once live here?” I asked.

“Perhaps,” William said. “But we can see this place has been deserted for years.”

“I heard you mention a ‘common house.’ What is that?” I asked.

William pointed to the frame on the ground and said, “This will be the Common House. It is one of the first buildings. It belongs to everyone. We’ve agreed to set aside our want of personal property or personal gain and instead create a community where the houses and buildings and profits belong to everyone. We are trying to create a fair and equal society.”

I thought of the Pilgrims on the
Mayflower.
These were tough, strong, and independent people. I thought of them as self-reliant and ambitious. People who came to America to start a new life, build their own homes, work for themselves, and be free people. But what William Bradford was explaining to me seemed like the opposite. Certainly, it would be tempting to live in a society where everything is shared and all your choices are made for you. But is that freedom?

With some courage I asked William, “You say you’re trying to
create a fair and equal society. Do you think your people will find joy and happiness with this kind of common control?”

William sighed and said, “It will be a test, for sure. At first, the Common House seemed very attractive. This kind of control should guarantee our prosperity and success. But recently I’m beginning to doubt whether everyone will work their hardest on something that is not their own,” William said.

“All these men are working on the same project,” said Myles. “All week they’ve used axes and saws to fell trees and transport them to this site. The trunks will be woven together with branches and twigs and then cemented with clay and so forth. Some men do little and some men do a lot. When this house is finished, who deserves the benefit and blessing of having this roof over their head?”

I pondered the question. Was there a right answer? Certainly, no one should be left out in the cold. But at the same time, it didn’t seem fair for everyone to be rewarded equally when people who were able to work chose not to. I finally said, “You’re right. I think this will be a test. But I know you are both wise enough to figure it out.”

“A fine answer, Rush Revere,” said William, smiling. “Are you sure you don’t want to be governor?”

“Not me. You’ll make a fine governor,” I said to William.

“If you’ll excuse me,” I said, “I’m going to track down Tommy and his friend and make sure they’re okay.”

“I think I can see your horse at the top of Fort Hill,” said William as he squinted and looked over my shoulder. “We are building a platform at the top of the hill so we can mount our cannons.”

“And soon we will build a fort,” said Myles. “I’m sure Tommy will enjoy that.”

“Ah, yes, there’s nothing like building a fort,” I said with pleasure. “I remember building forts in my living room with blankets and chairs. My brother used to always want to be the lookout. He would scream, ‘Incoming!’ and I would run around making sure all sides of our fort were secure.”

“And did you have muskets and cannons?” Myles asked, smiling.

“Not exactly,” I winked. “We had Nerf guns! They’re very specialized weapons and highly effective in keeping out annoying little sisters.”

Myles smiled, “Ah, these Nerf guns are good for little sisters but probably not so effective for savage Indians.”

“Not so much,” I said, smiling back at him.

Just then one of the Pilgrims working on the Common House called for William.

“Excuse me,” said William as he stepped away from us.

“I promised Tommy I would teach him how to fight with a sword,” Myles said. “However, it may need to wait until the spring, when it’s warmer.”

“No worries. I’ll tell him and I’m sure he’ll understand.” I excused myself, again, and headed in the direction of Fort Hill. As I started climbing I heard the clomping of hooves and saw Liberty coming in my direction with Freedom and Tommy on his back.

“We saw Indians!” said Tommy.

“What? Where? How many?” I asked.

“There were only two scouts,” Freedom responded. “They were
on a neighboring hill, watching us. They wore heavy pelts and furs. They were only curious.”

“I’m glad you came straight back here. Good job, Liberty,” I said.

“Did you find William Bradford?” Liberty asked.

“Yes, and I’m worried about their conditions, their health. They have little food and this weather is making life miserable for them.”

“Let’s give them our food,” Tommy said. “Didn’t you say you brought food or snacks? We don’t need them.”