Hale and hissed a demand at him.
‘Are you
sure
they were here, Alfred?’
‘I’d swear it on the Good Book.’
‘Did you recognise the two of them?’
‘Yes, Micah – they were as large as life and no more than twenty yards away.’
‘That’s too far in the dark.’
‘I know their gait as well as my own. Peter is bolt upright when he marches along. Paul is more leisurely and has a shorter stride.’ He removed his hat to scratch his head. ‘Or maybe it’s the other way round.’
‘Be quiet.’
‘It was
them
, Micah. I’m certain of it.’
‘Hold your tongue, man,’ said Yeomans, grabbing him by the throat. ‘Just listen, will you?’
‘What am I supposed to hear?’ croaked Hale.
‘Listen!’
Cocking their heads, they strained their ears. The noise was faint but insistent. It was a regular knocking sound and they soon guessed that it came from above. Charging out of the bedroom, they rushed along a corridor to the staircase that led to the attic. With Hale in his wake, Yeomans thundered up it with the lantern held high. When he turned the knob, he pushed the door wide open and shuddered at the sight that greeted them. Simon Medlow had been stripped naked then bound and gagged before being strung up naked by his feet to a thick beam. By swinging to and fro, he’d beenable to hit a table with his head and summon help.
‘Where in the world
are
they?’ yelled Yeomans, puce with rage.
‘They won’t get far, Micah,’ said Hale. ‘We’ve got the place surrounded.’
But another fifty men would not have been enough to catch Peter and Paul Skillen. Having escaped over the roofs of the adjacent houses, they’d already climbed down to the ground and were calmly making their way back to those awaiting them.
Fortune favoured the sailors. Though much smaller than the vessels to which they were accustomed, it was well built and scudded through the waves. A stiff breeze helped them to maintain good speed, so they were able to watch the shore move steadily past them. Moses Dagg was concerned.
‘You said we’d complain to the Prime Minister, didn’t you?’
‘That’s right.’
‘We don’t even know his name.’
‘I do,’ said Tom O’Gara. ‘I asked one of the soldiers. It’s Lord Liverpool.’
‘Why should a lord bother with a couple of escaped prisoners?’
‘We haven’t really escaped, Moses. As soon as the peace treaty was signed, it was our right to be released. They shouldn’t have kept us in Dartmoor. It’s a point we’ll make when we write to Lord Liverpool.’
‘I think we’ll just be pissing in the wind.’
‘Well, we’ve done enough of that in our time,’ said O’Gara with a laugh. ‘Trust me. The British have got their faults – and lots of them – but they believe in justice. That’s all we’re asking for. We may be free but all of our friends are still there, being punished by Captain Shortland and his men. The governor is cruel. He enjoysthrowing prisoners in the Black Hole. I should know – I was one of them.’
‘Jake Hendrick was another. He went mad when they locked him away in the dark for a couple of weeks. When they let him out, he was still screaming.’
‘I walked out of there with a smile on my face,’ boasted O’Gara. ‘I wasn’t going to let the governor think he’d hurt me.’
Having sailed throughout the first night, they’d kept going until they came in sight of the Isle of Wight. Since they hadn’t eaten for over twenty-four hours, they looked for somewhere to land. A deserted cove allowed them to slip unseen ashore and to haul their craft onto the beach. They then climbed a rock face and took their bearings. There was a farmstead in the distance. After waiting until light began to fade, they approached stealthily and watched until their chance came. While O’Gara stole food from the kitchen with practised deftness, Dagg grabbed a bucket of water that stood beside the pump. They went hundreds of yards before they
‘Are you
sure
they were here, Alfred?’
‘I’d swear it on the Good Book.’
‘Did you recognise the two of them?’
‘Yes, Micah – they were as large as life and no more than twenty yards away.’
‘That’s too far in the dark.’
‘I know their gait as well as my own. Peter is bolt upright when he marches along. Paul is more leisurely and has a shorter stride.’ He removed his hat to scratch his head. ‘Or maybe it’s the other way round.’
‘Be quiet.’
‘It was
them
, Micah. I’m certain of it.’
‘Hold your tongue, man,’ said Yeomans, grabbing him by the throat. ‘Just listen, will you?’
‘What am I supposed to hear?’ croaked Hale.
‘Listen!’
Cocking their heads, they strained their ears. The noise was faint but insistent. It was a regular knocking sound and they soon guessed that it came from above. Charging out of the bedroom, they rushed along a corridor to the staircase that led to the attic. With Hale in his wake, Yeomans thundered up it with the lantern held high. When he turned the knob, he pushed the door wide open and shuddered at the sight that greeted them. Simon Medlow had been stripped naked then bound and gagged before being strung up naked by his feet to a thick beam. By swinging to and fro, he’d beenable to hit a table with his head and summon help.
‘Where in the world
are
they?’ yelled Yeomans, puce with rage.
‘They won’t get far, Micah,’ said Hale. ‘We’ve got the place surrounded.’
But another fifty men would not have been enough to catch Peter and Paul Skillen. Having escaped over the roofs of the adjacent houses, they’d already climbed down to the ground and were calmly making their way back to those awaiting them.
Fortune favoured the sailors. Though much smaller than the vessels to which they were accustomed, it was well built and scudded through the waves. A stiff breeze helped them to maintain good speed, so they were able to watch the shore move steadily past them. Moses Dagg was concerned.
‘You said we’d complain to the Prime Minister, didn’t you?’
‘That’s right.’
‘We don’t even know his name.’
‘I do,’ said Tom O’Gara. ‘I asked one of the soldiers. It’s Lord Liverpool.’
‘Why should a lord bother with a couple of escaped prisoners?’
‘We haven’t really escaped, Moses. As soon as the peace treaty was signed, it was our right to be released. They shouldn’t have kept us in Dartmoor. It’s a point we’ll make when we write to Lord Liverpool.’
‘I think we’ll just be pissing in the wind.’
‘Well, we’ve done enough of that in our time,’ said O’Gara with a laugh. ‘Trust me. The British have got their faults – and lots of them – but they believe in justice. That’s all we’re asking for. We may be free but all of our friends are still there, being punished by Captain Shortland and his men. The governor is cruel. He enjoysthrowing prisoners in the Black Hole. I should know – I was one of them.’
‘Jake Hendrick was another. He went mad when they locked him away in the dark for a couple of weeks. When they let him out, he was still screaming.’
‘I walked out of there with a smile on my face,’ boasted O’Gara. ‘I wasn’t going to let the governor think he’d hurt me.’
Having sailed throughout the first night, they’d kept going until they came in sight of the Isle of Wight. Since they hadn’t eaten for over twenty-four hours, they looked for somewhere to land. A deserted cove allowed them to slip unseen ashore and to haul their craft onto the beach. They then climbed a rock face and took their bearings. There was a farmstead in the distance. After waiting until light began to fade, they approached stealthily and watched until their chance came. While O’Gara stole food from the kitchen with practised deftness, Dagg grabbed a bucket of water that stood beside the pump. They went hundreds of yards before they
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