“’Tis hard for those tender feet,” he said, “but be quick as you can. My name is William Trull, if your folks ask who ’twas that fetched you home, and my mate’s name here is Richard Jones.”
“Thank you; my name is Anne Nelson,” Anne replied.
She turned back and waved her hand to them when she had reached the land above the shore, and saw them push off their boat and row away. It was very hard now to walk over the rough ground, and Anne felt very tired and unhappy. She kept steadily on, and was soon in sight of home. Mistress Stoddard and Captain Enos were both standing in the doorway looking anxiously toward her.
“Well, well, Anne, and do you think you should stay away like this? And what has become of your sunbonnet?” questioned Mrs. Stoddard.
“Indians!” wailed Anne. “Indian women, Aunt Martha! They carried me off,” and, with Mrs. Stoddard’s arm about her, and Captain Enos listening in angry amazement, Anne told the story of her adventure.
“’twas an evil thing!” declared the captain. “I’m thankful the English sailors were on shore. I’ll remember their names.”
Mrs. Stoddard bathed the tired feet, and Anne was quite hungry enough to relish the hot corn bread, even though she had no milk to drink with it.
“We must be careful about letting the child wander about alone,” Captain Enos said, after Anne was safe in bed that night. “’Twould be ill-fortune indeed if harm befell her.”
“I’ll keep her more at home,” replied Mrs. Stoddard. “She is to begin knitting now, and that will give her amusement indoors.”
“’Tis said that English soldiers are coming into Boston by land and sea,” said Captain Enos. “We Province Town people are exempt from military service, but we are loyal to the American forces, and some of us think the time is near when we must let you women stay here by yourselves,” and Captain Enos looked at his wife questioningly.