The Packhorseman
Publication Year: 2009
Published by: The University of Alabama Press
Series: Alabama Fire Ant

Acknowledgments
This book is much the better for having been read in an early draft by friends and relatives who blessed me with encouragement and criticism: Kathryn Braund, Mary Jo Magee-Brown, Robbie Ethridge, Peggy Galis, Gene Hodges, Jim Hudson, Terry Kay, David Liden, Ron Rhody, and Leah Sullins. It was also I am grateful to a long list of scholars and readers who generously gave me ...

1. Highland Born
William stood at the rail of the Cecilia as she sailed into Charles Town harbor on an April afternoon in 1735. The Carolina sky was as blue as the day God made it. Barely twenty years old, William was medium tall, thick through the neck, shoulders, and chest, with arresting blue eyes and a head of unruly blonde hair. In his boyhood imaginings he had Vikings in his ancestry, but the grimy, ...

2. The Indian Trade
The sun was well up in the sky when William began to come awake. He was surprised to fi nd himself in a bed that was clean, comfortable, and stationary—no grimy, swaying hammock in the middle of the ocean. Again he had to make an effort to remember where he was—his uncle’s tavern. He looked around and found he even had the luxury of no roommates, for a night at least. The three ...

5. Jim-Bird
Because he was sharing lodging with Sam Long at the Packsaddle, William gained a degree of familiarity with the Charles Town end of the Indian trade. On and off throughout his stay in Charles Town, Sam had been bargaining with James Crockatt, his main supplier and creditor for the trade goods he packed into Cherokee country, gradually working his way through the list of ...

6. The Road North
When they awoke the next morning, the sky was overcast and the air was heavy. After a quick bite of food, William, Thomas, and John went to pack their horses. As they approached the area where they had hung up their gear, William was chagrined to see that at least half of his had fallen from the limbs “You’ll have to do better than that next time,” said John, shaking his head. ...

7. MacDonald’s Cowpen
The day dawned clear, the light so bright that everything in sight seemed to have sharp edges. The men were still at their breakfast when Sam told them to start packing—he wanted to cover good distance on this day to make up for lost time. They wolfed down the last of their food and got ...

11. The Trading House
William awoke to darkness in Sam’s winter house. Looking around for the door, he saw the faint glow of early dawn. No sound came from Jim-Bird’s bed, but it was too dark to see if he was still there. William dozed a little and then awoke again. Now there was enough light to see that...
E-ISBN-13: 9780817382407
E-ISBN-10: 0817382402
Print-ISBN-13: 9780817355401
Print-ISBN-10: 0817355405
Page Count: 280
Illustrations: 1
Publication Year: 2009
Series Title: Alabama Fire Ant
See more Books in this Series
MUSE Marc Record: Download for The Packhorseman