We went into our hut and collapsed onto our hammocks. I was wore out.

Alice fell asleep right away, but I wondered what would happen to us. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep. When I woke up, I quietly got up off my hammock and split open a coconut. I sipped up the milk. I got out of the hut and look at the sea. There was a ship! I woke up Alice.

“There’s a ship!” I said.

“Where?” she asked.

“Over there!” I replied, pointing to the ocean. She got up.

“How will we get there?” she asked. I saw some driftwood. It looked stable enough to carry two people. We got on, and using cut bamboo sticks, we rowed over to the boat. It took us about an hour. When we were close, I got up and yelled, “Please help us!” A patriot soldier spotted us, and he threw a rope over to us. We climbed up quickly. “Thank you for saving us!” Alice said. A woman dressed in fancy clothes came out from under the deck.

“Oh my! You girls are in rags. I must dress you in fine clothes, and make you elegant ladies.”

We were fed lots of warm food. We were given fine clothes to wear, and we were giving a cozy room on the ship with warm blankets, and fancy nightgowns.

When we slipped into bed, Alice said, “I was never treated like this at home. My family was poor, and we ate cold porridge and bread every day. We wore plain clothes, and I had to do men’s work.”

I thought of home. My mother would be ashamed of me, if I returned or not. I blew out the candle. I dreamed of my town. I thought of the meadow I would sit in every day, and watch the dock. I had been gone for two months. I woke up and looked around. Alice was still asleep. The sun was starting to rise. I got dressed early. I looked into the drawers before I pushed them away, but then, I saw a dark green book with a quill next to It. It also had a little jug of ink. There was a note inside. It said, “Dear Sarah, you might want this to record your thoughts.” I looked in Alice’s drawer, and there was a blue book in there.

I opened my new green diary, dipped my quill in the ink, and wrote:

“Sunday, March 3^rd, 1775. I am on a ship in the middle of the sea. I have been away from home for two months, in search of my father. I pray each night, asking if I will find him. I have gotten no answer yet, but I hope I will get one soon.”

I closed the book. The sun was up now, and I heard the thump of feet across the deck. I got up and opened the door.