Outlander Book Club: Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone Chapter 47 breakdown

Just the Outlander chapter

The chapter starts with John fishing to avoid talking to Hal about Percy. That’s when he gets a crab and then later drunkenly leaves it on Hal’s nightstand.

After that, he attends a party, where multiple women swarm onto him because of his military status. He tells Hal that it was like being pecked to death by pigeons. It’s such a funny picture as John knows what his status will do, but it makes him very uncomfortable. Hal understands that.

The conversation moves onto a bit of catchup about the last time that John saw Percy. There’s also a discussion of the time John was held captive and then pretended to be part of the Continental Army to save his neck. John doesn’t share that he helped to save Percy from being hanged. John does share that Percy warned John of Captain Richardson being a danger to William.

William interrupts the conversation. He’s looking for Banastre Tarleton. When Hal questions why, William’s reasoning is sound. He needs to know what happened to Ben, and it was Tarleton who found out the news that Ben was dead. Who told him? That’s an important piece of the puzzle.

Hal uses this time to make a few suggestions. William will need to write to Sir Henry Clinton, who may have some information about Tarleton’s whereabouts, but William will need to be careful of the details in the letter. Hal also shares what he has learned about Sir Henry looking to take Charles Town. Hal has the same account from three sources. We have this reminder of the Revolutionary War, but William is out of it now as he resigned his commission.