On the fourth day of their captivity inside their own little church, a dozen men were ushered out for a breath of fresh air in the backyard highly supervised by armed English soldiers. Acadian women congregated daily there hoping to get a glimpse of their man. They all understood why Acadians were captives. They had refused to take the Oath of Allegiance to the English Crown.
When Anne saw her fiancee, Joseph, she threw her arms around him, but a guard separated them with his rifle.
"How long is this going to last?" Joseph asked her.
"There are English ships arriving in the harbor," Anne said. "Rumors are that we we will be brought aboard and shipped out tomorrow."
"Have you packed any bags?"
"Yes, a few things for both of us. But only one bag for each. I will be here early. There will be a lot of confusion."
"We need to make sure we hook up and board together."
"I'll hold a red umbrella up as high as I can," said Anne. "I wish I knew where we are going."
"It doesn't matter, Anne, as long as we sail together."
Soldiers then corraled the men like cattle, prodding them back inside their prison/church. Joseph blew her a kiss and said 'Au revoir', meaning, "See you soon." But there would be no guarantee of that.
