As planned, Natanis arrived at the Personnel Door of the Duquesne Fur Company warehouse with two of his Indian guides precisely at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2nd. An hour later, Lieutenant Archibald Steele, Ensign David Valinski, Sgt. Dennis Azato, and Corporals Joshua Smallbone, Michael Aitken, and Charles Holton arrived at the same portal.

That number, six, was two more than we expected. It was supposed to be Lt. Steele plus three. The other problem, the contents of the safe in Marie’s father’s office, was also numerical. Marie told me “ten thousand in Spanish dollars and pounds sterling.” But I failed to figure out what that would weigh. As it turns out it’s more than sixty pounds.

Natanis’s answer when I explained the situation to him (without letting on what we were bringing that weighed so much) is classic: “No problem.”

And it really was not a problem. Our trip back was so fast I’m still surprised when I look at the brief entries made in Journal 17 compared to my previous record:

9:00 a.m., Wednesday, April 3rd, 1776: Departed Pointe Lévis on horseback.

7:00 a.m., Thursday, April 4th, 1776: Departed Sartigan on horseback.

5:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 9th, 1776: Cleared top of River Chaudière. Met by Natanis’s friends with mounts for all.

4:30 p.m., Saturday, April 13th, 1776: Encamped on east bank of Lake Mégantic. Light rain with snow flurries.

3:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 17th, 1776: Completed traverse of Height of Land by horseback. Lt. Steele seems much fatigued. Tiny sliver of waning moon.

4:50 p.m. Saturday April 20th, 1776: We arrive at Natanis’s home on a beautiful early spring afternoon on banks of Dead River. Days getting noticeably longer and much warmer. Natanis has one of his Indians bring us some venison for dinner. Marie, wearing a traditional Oneida Indian one-piece dress, is the star attraction.

5:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 24th, 1776: Entire party arrives Fort Halifax via canoes rowed by Indians. Mr. Calvin Coolidge meets us with wagons to carry us down to Fort Western. He confirms rumors we have heard that British fled Boston when Col. Knox arrived with artillery from Boston.

3:00 p.m. Friday, April 26th, 1776: Entire Party arrives Fort Western, now abandoned as Arnold Expedition Rear Base. We press on to Gardinerston where Mr. Reuben Colburn has entire town turn out to “Welcome the ‘Famine Proof’ Quebec survivors home.” Natanis and his Indians bid us a tearful goodbye and head back up the Kennebec River. Based on the poor condition of Lt. Steele, Mr. Coburn books passage on a vessel tonight to ­Newburyport for Lt. Steele, Marie, Ensign Valinski, Sgt. Azato, Cpl. Holton, and me.

2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 27th, 1776: We arrive Newburyport to another grand welcome. Mr. Tracy of the local Committee of Safety comes aboard and volunteers to take Lt. Steele to the hospital after assuring him the smallpox epidemic has run its course.