Posted by Many Flags on March 19, 2000 at 04:35:44:
Cousins Malcolm and Davey,
This message will arrive to you by way of Sign Talker. You will be glad to have him back, we are glad to be rid of him. He has sold or traded everything he owns to us and says he must get back to the "Scotch", as he calls you, to get more trade goods.
We took a long detour to visit with the aged ones, our Vater und Mutter, your Tante Maggie. I apologize if I lapse into Deutsch at times. Being with the Eltern has brought my other language back to memory. Three Tales and I had not been with them for nigh on ein Jahr. So, when we left our kin the Sechlers, we headed Sud then Ost to the Allemangel in the nordern region of Berks County. We spend vier Tage mit Mutter and Vatter, learning the news of the region. They also have had troubles from the Shawnee and Mingo, you remember that my Vater, the Deutsche immigrant, has a small stockade, ein Festung, on his acreage. Last fall a small band of savages led by zwei renegade weiss Mann attacked the neighboring Reichelderfer homestead. Herr Reichelderfer was in the Feld when the attack began. He witnessed the brutal slaying of his Tochter Anna and his Frau. All the other Kinder had been playing within site of the Festung and when they heard the screams, they ran to the aged ones, Mutter and Vater's, to the Festung for protection.
But, the Frau and junge Tochter were savagely cut and hung in an oak tree. Herr Reichdelderfer is unconsolable, blaming himself for not acting to save his liebe Familie. The Volk now call the tree the Galja Baum or hanging tree. It is a sad story and has made our Blut heiss for the death of these savages.
When we left Mutter and Vater, we traveled to Reading Town so as to follow the King's highway west to Lancaster and thence to Harris Ferry hoping to cross the Susquehanna and meet with you at Fort Carlisle. But, we have had another delay. As you are aware, Three Tales has a wife and drei children nahe Fort Henry. Tales visited with his Frau, who goes by the Lenape name of Two Bottle. His Kinder grow large and are fine looking, the eldest a Sohn by the name of Christian. A young lad of sieben Jahre, he is fair haired and as you Scots cousins say, braw! While Tales visited with Two Bottle, I roamed the country side near Fort Henry traversing near Womelsdorf and there, there dear cousins, I met, what I believe to be my true Liebling. I attended services in the Kirche there, Lutheran, of course, and sitting in the pew next to me was a most lovely Fraulein. Being in my clout and leggins, she would slyly glance my way, turn red and smile, even being so bold as to wink once. And her beauty! Ahhh, cousin, you know I am a hard man and think little of romance. But, my feelings welled large inside of me and I had to speak with her after the service.
Finding out her name to be Magdalena Gutshall, daughter of Pastor Johann Gutshall, Ja, the Pastor's daughter! I introduced myself and asked the good Pastor if I could call that evening. There having been some savagery in that area the Jahr before, Pastor Gutshall appreciated the work we do in protecting "his flock", the farmers of the area. I was welcomed into their Haus and was allowed to sleep in the Pastor's barn for the next four nights, as Magdalena and I learned to know every nook and cranny,... of the barn.
Cousins MacWilliam and Gunn, you have often told me about the wonders of your wives, and I now believe it to be true. Magdalena and I pledged our love to each other. We are joined in love and when the frontier is safe, will marry. I have viele Gluckligkeit, Magdalena so Schone und ihre Schenkeln und Brusten so fein und weich, ihre Kussen macht mir eine kleine Kinder ins ihre Arme! Aber, die wunderbare Tage mit Magdalena muss ende und soon Three Tales was knocking at the Pastor's door looking for me.
So, we are off again, our task at hand to meet with the 77th at Fort Carlisle. I have had word that you are indeed planning on leaving Carlisle in all haste to march to Fort Morris, Fort Loudoun and thence to Fort Frederick as our nephew Half Breed has requested. I learned this from some Soldaten at Fort Henry who have talked with a Sgt. Toot, a Freund of our cousin Seamus.
We travel on the King's Highway to Lancaster Town. If you have left the Fort at Carlisle when we arrive we will follow. Fear not, cousins, Flags and Tales will be with you if there is to be a fight on the MaryLand frontier. There is one more curious story I must relate to you. Your Tante Maggie, our Mutter, hinted that her brothers Angus and Quasi are in this colony. Our Lenape brothers have often spoken of a Scotsman of the countryside, herding sheep and speaking strange words, but we thought it just spirit talk. Aber, Mutter spoke as if the story to have some truth and that a hunchbacked man may be living near to Carlisle, this same man to be Seamus's father, our Onkel Quasi whom we have heard such lurid stories of. If our Onkeln Angus and Quasi truly be alive, it would be a Wunder and such a Familie reunion we would have. Cousins, ON to FREDERICK! Pax Aye!
Many Flags and Three Tales