Enemy in the Fort

The story takes place in 1754 in the area of New Hampshire. The main female character is Rebecca who has a younger sister named Selinda.

They live relatively near a fort but it doesn't do them any good as raiding Indians attack their house and take their mother, father and brother captives, not noticing the two girls hiding in a root cellar. The girls end up being taken in by a widow, with Selinda going to work for one of the families in the fort.

Matters get complicated when it turns out that Selinda is actually indentured to the other family and, since they plan to move out of the territory back to a more "civilized" area, she will be required to go with them unless Rebecca can somehow raise enough money to buy back her sister's contract.

Another complication comes from a white boy that had been taken captive by the Indians who is brought to the fort after being "liberated." The boy is more Indian than white, as far as culture goes, though, and is disliked and distrusted by almost everyone. He has a fight with one of the fort's bullies, and Rebecca suspects him of stealing some silver spoons she had been hoping to sell to raise money for her sister's contract.

There's a lot that goes on in this story, especially in relation to trying to look at the white/Indian warfare that went on at the time, trying to look at it from both sides in a more balanced view. The historical section, of course, helps with this task.

It's not a happy story; it's a very gritty, that's-the-way-things-really-were type of story and definitely worth reading.

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