Outlander Book Club: An Echo in the Bone Chapter 53 breakdown

Just the Outlander chapter

The chapter starts with William leading Brigadier Fraser’s men into the fort. It’s silent. Too silent. This is a fort that is empty, and William doesn’t quite understand why.

He also notes that things have been hastily left behind. There are plenty of supplies around, but we know from the previous chapter that St. Clair wanted to remove all supplies. He wanted to make the British wait for supplies to arrive from Canada. It looks like the plans were hastened to the point where the slaughter of animals couldn’t happen.

In a way, I’m glad that the animals couldn’t be slaughtered. Sure, they’re going to end up being used for food, but I’d rather them used for food instead of just slaughter to prevent the British getting supplies.

William tries to prevent the soldiers looting the fort, but there are too many soldiers compared to one of him. When he goes back to Fraser with the news, Fraser is shocked to hear of the looting. He’s disappointed in the soldiers.

What of the men who were supposed to destroy the bridge? Well, it turns out that they got drunk and the destruction never happened. Is that really surprising when they realized what it would mean? Not everyone is going to sacrifice themselves for a cause.

The previous chapter had been full of despair. Jamie knew what it would mean for the men left behind, and we had this sense of dread. Now we get this sense of joy and security.