Chris knew Jacob was not finished when the knock came at the door. He saw the man frown and give up the original journal to Major Washington. Hopefully enough of the journal was translated by now. The major tucked it away in his jacket and motioned to Chris to open the door.
As expected, two soldiers greeted them and escort them to the Legardeur’s office for dinner. The sun was already low in the sky, and Chris couldn’t tell if the diversion was still in place. But he didn’t need to concern himself with that for at least a couple of hours.
Major Washington and Jacob walked at a brisk pace in the December chill. Chris knew to take long strides and conserve energy in the winter weather. Working out here for the Virginia Company had made him sort of an expert on the climate and many other aspects of this part of the world.
This was one of the most beautiful places he’d ever explored. Unlike the country further west, here a person could gaze on rolling hills and inspiring vistas. Yes, the rivers made for treacherous travel in winter the, but such travel was vital to the wealth of this area.
Up at Fort Le Beouf, one was at the mouth of the Allegheny River. The Allegheny flowed with smaller creek at Fort Venango and continued south all the way to the Forks of the Ohio. At the forks, the Allegheny met with a river the savages called the Yougiogheny to forms a new and stronger river they called the Ohio. From there, the Ohio flowed all the way west and south and eventually to the Atlantic Ocean.
Several years ago, Chris had followed that larger river for the Virginia-Ohio Company all the way to Pickawillany and Chillicothe in the Ohio Country.
That far west, the land flattened into patches of thickets, forests, and maize farms planted by the savages. Not as compelling a geography as the Allegheny Valley, but easier to navigate. After the conclusion of the business with the French, all this land would be plotted and settled by colonists from Virginia and the old country.
Chris also traveled south from there into the Appalachian Mountains with his companion Daniel Boone. He missed his old friend now and wished he could have accompanied them on this excursion. Daniel was a good neighbor in North Carolina, where Chris had his first estate. Chris liked Carolina. The weather was milder than here and the summers started early. Of course, he wouldn’t be traveling back there soon, since raids by local Indians forced Sarah to pick up and move the family to Roanoke in Virginia. No, after this trip he will meet up with his wife there and travel alone to Carolina to assess the situation.
They stopped at the smallest of the internal structures inside the fort. This building probably housed a couple of offices and some storage as well as the Legardeur’s office. Surely, his things were cleared away.