Chapter 10

The following day we walked out into the woods and found some nice soft ground and then we dug a hole, long enough to take the muskets, deep enough so they would not be found. We took a pistol each and all the other guns, plus half the powder and shot were buried, buried in a place we could find again easily enough should we ever need them.

We had wrapped them in sacking that we found in the barn, I was not sure if this would save them from the elements, but we had to try.

We had just packed up our camp and I had a sack loaded with all the food we had plus to flagons of water when we heard a noise from down the track. It was a horse and rider coming our way. We could hear the hooves hammering along the track.

We hid in the bushes and waited for the rider to reach the bay. The horse was a jet-black hunter, and the rider was dressed well. When he dropped from the horses back and turned toward the barn, I realised who it was, it was Charles Brashleigh.

He had dropped to the floor and looked around; seeing nothing he tied the horse to a tree. At the same time, we came out of hiding, both of us had our pistols at the ready.

“You don’t need those guns john I come in peace.” he shouted, “I have come to help you!”

“And how do we know we can trust you?” yelled back as we walked toward him.

“Come now John we were friends when we were children, our families were friends you have to believe me” he pleaded.

“And why would you want to help me?” I asked as I was now only a yard from where he was standing.

“You know my secret, the secret that Edward and I share,” he said blushing, and he looked crestfallen, “there are only four people that know that secret”

“Four?” I asked.

“Yes four, Edward of course, you and Makosi and unfortunately Albert Cuthbert!” he said and there were tears in his eyes.

“Albert Cuthbert but how?” I asked.

“He saw us, two weeks ago, we were in a wood near Polperro village. “Charles said.

“And he only saw you, but not Crilly?” I asked.

“He saw us both, but only recognised me, let’s just say Edward’s face was hidden from view,” he said and I had to work hard not to laugh.

“And what did he do?” I asked.

“He waited at the start of the track into the woods, and when I came out, he punched me,” Charles told us, I had guessed many years ago that he was not of one the world’s great fighters.

“He told me he would let the world know about me and Edward, that would be the end of the world for me!” Charles said, “My father would disown me, my wife would leave me!”

There were tears in his eyes, I wondered if the loss of his father’s money and estates would hurt him more than losing his wife. I knew his father’s wealth was vast and I guessed once the old boy had passed on Charles could do what he wanted with who he wanted.

“Then he told me he wanted me to pay him five hundred gold coins” Charles blurted out, “Or he would tell everyone about me and Edward, and even if he could not prove it mud sticks, you know that John!”

“Wow five hundred gold coins, but that’s a king’s ransom” I retorted, I guessed that there were few men in the county that could lay their hands on that sort of money at short notice.

“Indeed, it is, so I told him I needed some time to get that kind of money together,” Charles said.