William leads the men into the fort to find it empty in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 53
We knew what William was going to walk into in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 53. Well, we sort of did. It turns out the doom that Jamie predicted wasn’t there.
The bridge wasn’t destroyed. The slaughter of animals didn’t happen. William walks into a silent fort, but the supplies are all there. This is important in how the British viewed the whole thing. For them, this was a great victory. However, did it lead them into a false sense of security?
I do get the sense that there is some foreshadowing in this chapter. It’s short, but what they walk into and the way they act certainly hints at a few things they’ll do in the future. It also has an essence of security for William, and I’ll get to that in the foreshadowing section.
If the whole fort storyline is played out in the TV series, I fully expect this chapter to be used. it’s short enough to be included, and I’ll get to my thoughts on that in the adaptation section.
Let’s dive into An Echo in the Bone Chapter 53.
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.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
It certainly does seem to foreshadow the security the British feel. They think they’re going to win, but it’s all downhill from this point. We know that there is a string of failures to come.
The ending of the chapter also sees Fraser ordering the capture of the runaway rebels. I do think this foreshadows William and Jamie finally coming face to face. After all, Jamie is technically a runaway rebel at this point in the story.
Adapting An Echo in the Bone chapter
I’m not sure if the fort storyline is going to be used. I think it should to add some drama to an episode, especially as it is a big part of the battles focused on in An Echo in the Bone. That would mean this chapter needs to be developed.
We need to see William leading the troops, and we need to see the fort abandoned. It’s important to show us how Claire and Jamie get free, and what actually happened at the fort. History isn’t always recorded properly. It’s recorded by the victors and the British would want this to seem like a much bigger success than it really was.
What did you spot while reading An Echo in the Bone Chapter 53? Let us know in the comments below.
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