The Colonel did not respond immediately. He was standing beside the stream and watching Medlicott’s men use bowie knives to cut the timber that would be used as firewood around the barrels of gunpowder. “You don’t want to be too familiar with these fellows,” the Colonel finally said. “One day you’ll have to command them in battle and they won’t respect you if you don’t keep a distance.” Washington Faulconer, did not look at Starbuck as he spoke, but instead gazed through the trestle at the sliding gray river down which a twisted black tree branch was being carried. Faulconer appeared very miserable. His beard was untrimmed, his clothes damp and dirty, and his normally brisk manner subdued. Bad weather soldiering, Starbuck reflected with surprise, did not seem to suit the Colonel. “Officers should keep company with other officers.” The Colonel embroidered his criticism petulantly. “If you’re forever with Truslow, how will you command him?”

That was unfair, Starbuck thought, for he had spent far more time on the journey with Washington Faulconer than with Truslow, yet Starbuck dimly understood that the Colonel was jealous that Starbuck, and not he, had so earned Truslow’s regard. Truslow was a man whose good opinion other men wanted, and the Colonel clearly thought he deserved it more than some stray student from Massachusetts, so Starbuck said nothing and the Colonel, his complaints against his aide delivered, turned back toward Medlicott. “How much longer, Sergeant?”

Medlicott stepped back from his work. He had stacked the powder kegs around one of the bridge’s tallest legs, then surrounded the gunpowder with a thick stack of brush and logs. “There’s a terrible lot of wet in everything,” he observed gloomily.

“You’ve got kindling in there?”

“Plenty of that, Colonel.”

“Paper? Cartridges?”

“There’s enough to make a fire,” Medlicott allowed.

“So when will we be ready?”

“We’re as good as ready now, I’d say.” Medlicott scratched his head as he considered the answer he had just given, then nodded. “It should do, Colonel.”

“You’ll go to Hinton.” Faulconer turned to Starbuck. “Tell him to pull back over the bridge. Warn Captain Murphy to ready the horses! Tell everyone to look lively now, Nate!”