Chapter 15

It was two days later that I heard movement outside, the two goons were talking to someone else. Then the door opened, and they called me outside. There was another chap there, big and burley, and barrel-chested. He was armed with two pistols and cudgel. Dibble’s goons gave me a flask of water and I drank well from it, it was the first drink I had had in a long time. I felt weak from the lack of food and water over the last two days, The big man stared at me, the hard stare of a killer. Even Dibbles goons seemed scared of him.

“Right lad we are going to the harbour, where we will board a boat that will take you off to see Mr Jacobs’, he growled.

“Do I get a choice in the matter?” I asked.

“Yes, you can arrive at the boat dead, or you can arrive there alive” the barrel-chested chap growled, “it is your choice matey”

One of the goons pushed me in the back sending me sprawling to the floor. All three men laughed.

“Right mate, we don’t want any trouble” he shouted, “As you have just been told Jacobs wants you back alive, but he will take you dead if needs be!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t make any trouble “I lied. I had decided that it would be better to die trying to escape than to die at the hands of Arthur Jacobs, all I had to do was just the right time and place.

“Good because if you do you will feel a whole world of pain,” said the other goon and waved his cudgel at me. I could see that two goons were itching to have a go at me.

They led me out of the warehouse and down the road toward the harbour. It was dark and the streets were almost deserted. The big man led the way and the goons stood either side of me.

We were in the harbour before I had even thought of a way of escaping. The big chap led us to a small boat. He jumped aboard and the goons pushed me forward. I stepped aboard.

“Right lads step aboard and lively now,” the big man said.

“We weren’t told we had to come along as well!” The first goon said nervously,

“Matey you are being paid handsomely by Mr Dibble for this and we need to get this tub out to our ship” the big man growled.

The goons looked at each other, stepped into the boat and then sat down, picked up the oars and started to row the boat out into the harbour. The Big man took to the tiller. He guided us out of the harbour and headed toward a small merchant vessel that was anchored a few hundred yards away.

The goons tried their best, but they were not a seaman and the journey took some time. As we approached the ship a rope ladder was thrown down and the big man steered us toward it. He waved the pistol at me and told me to climb aboard.

In my head I knew I had lost my chance of escape, I headed up the rope ladder at the top I was met by a dozen sailors, all armed and looking menacing, I watched as the big man told the goons to go aboard. They looked at each other and then climbed up. They were soon on deck, and all three of us looked over the side as we expected the big man to come aboard as well but he pushed the little boat away and took the oars to row away.

“Hey where are you going?” shouted one of the goons

“You can’t leave us here!” the other shouted.

I turned back and saw movement in the corner of my eye, two big lads with cudgels sneak out from behind a sea boat that was being stored on deck and each one smashed their cudgels over the heads of the goons. I braced myself and awaited the pain but there was nothing.

Then the rear cabin door opened, and a huge man walked out and headed toward me.

“Hello John, I hear you are looking for me?” he laughed.

I had never been so pleased to see my old mate Ollie the Ox

“Ollie ... you old bastard, how are you?” I said and we embraced.

“Well I am doing better than you me old mucka,” he said, “so how about we take a drink and you can tell me about it!”

“That sounds good to me” I replied and winced as the slapped me on the back.

He looked at the two goons who sparked out on the deck.

“Right lads put these two wankers in the brig and have a twenty-four-hour guard put on them “he shouted.

“Aye Aye Captain “one of the lads and ordered four of the ship’s crew to carry them below.

“Cook... , cook where are you man “shouted ollie and an old chap with a patch over one eye and wooden leg stomped forward.

“Yes Captain, “he said and gave us both a sailor’s salute, touching his knuckles to his forehead.

“Let’s have a hot meal for all aboard and some brandy for me and my old shipmate,” said ollie The cook saluted again and stomped off, his wooden leg bagging on the deck.

“Silver is the best ships cook I have ever had the pleasure to meet,” said Ollie, “Smithy, Bryn...”

“Aye captain” a Chap to my left replied,

“Join us if you will lads”

He led me into his cabin, and we were joined by two big men, not as big as Ollie but they were still big lads. Ollie introduced to his first mate, smithy and his Bosun, Bryn. He told them how we had sailed together for years. He then started to tell stories of our time together, all very much embellished.

Then a ship’s boy brought us brandy and ships biscuits, ollie filled out cups and asked me to tell him my story. I gave them the story chapter and verse, warts and all from when Ollie had left the village after the battle on the beach, how I had been duped, shipwrecked and rescued, and how I had taken revenge on most of the gang that had helped Jacobs to take my estate from me.

The story was interrupted a few times as the Ollie, Bryn and Smithy asked questions and when I had finished Ollie shook his head.

“Jacobs seemed a nice chap when I meet him” he growled, “and now he is a dead man walking!”

“Him and Dibble, they are both dead men walking “I replied

“Well John Trelawny, me and my crew are here and ready to help you in any way we can “he shouted and smashed his fist into the table, “aren’t we lads”

Smithy and Bryn nodded their agreement.

“It has been a while since we had a dust-up!” said Smithy with a laugh.

“So, ollie I have a question for you, “said I, “how did you know I was looking for you?”

“I have many spies and friends in the town” He laughed, “in our business, it’s good to keep your ear to the ground”

“And what business is that matey,” I asked innocently although I had a good idea of what it was.

“Some might say we are importers; we go to France and bring back a few things that we sell on”

“That we do, “said Bryn, “brandy, baccy, silks that sort of stuff!”

So, ollie had turned to smuggling, he had always been a wild one and it didn’t surprise me. As I pondered that thought. Silver the cook and two ships boys brought in the food. Mutton stew and stale bread. It was thick and hearty.

As we ate Ollie told me how his life had changed in the brief period since the last time I had seen him just after the battle on the beach. He had to try to get a berth on a ship but befriended smithy and Bryn while he was ashore, and they had decided to try and make a living by outrunning the excise men. They had worked for a smuggler, but he had been shot in the last run-in with the excise men and the crew had voted man and boy that Ollie should take over the ship.

We drank late into the night and I awoke with a thick head and dry tongue. I went out onto the deck and drank from the ships water barrel; it was a sunny dry morning with a nice breeze.

I flinched as ollie slapped me on the back.

“We are weighing anchor any minute; we have to drop some merchandise off in Falmouth,” He said.

Even as he told me I heard smithy and Bryn shouting out their orders and getting the ship ready to leave its berth. The men didn’t need much telling, it was obvious they were well drilled and ran around doing their jobs without too much encouragement.

Men ran up the rigging, others manned the windlass to drag the anchor off the seabed. The topsail men as they were called were unfurling the huge sails. The ship’s boys were sent below to work the pumps.

“Right John, once we are underway, we will have some breakfast and sort out a plan,” Ollie said I stood on the quarter deck and watched as the well-drilled crew went about their work, the wind picked up, filled the sails, and we made our way down the coast.

Bryn told us that the journey would take the best part of the day, an hour after we left Plymouth a ships lad called us down to eat. Silver the cook had prepared a big bowl of porridge which went down well. There was also bread and jam.

We were joined only by smithy as Bryn was on watch.

“So, John what is the plan?” asked Bryn between spoons full of the thick oat porridge.

“Well I guess Dibble will have found out I have gone and will have warned Jacobs”

“Yes, we should take that as gospel, “said Ollie

“So, Jacobs will be waiting for me and knowing him he will have an army of well-armed men at his side,” I said and gulped down some milk

“And so, do you, my friend, “said Ollie and I knew he meant well, but I could not risk the lives of his crewmen. I would make the call when we go to the estate.

“Well I would prefer to take him on one on one, “I told them, “but if it comes to it, I would love your help”

“Then you shall have it, my friend,” said ollie with a huge grin and gave me a shuddering slap on the back.

...

After breakfast, we all went up onto the deck. Ollie called out some orders and the two goons were dragged from the brig to the foredeck. They were pleading their innocence as they were manhandled by four of the crew. The crewmen made the goons kneel in the deck before Ollie and me.

“So, Lads, you were working for Simon Dibble and you would have killed my friend here?” Ollie growled as he said it both men shrunk backwards and looked at each other, neither wanting to be the first to talk.

“Come on lads, speak up!” Ollie yelled.

“Sir we were only doing what Dibble paid us to do,” He said sniffling

“Captain!” growled Ollie.

“Captain?” one of the goons said, there was fear evident in his voice

“When you address me, you address me as Captain on board my ship” Ollie shouted.

“Yes, sorry sir, I mean sorry captain” the goon stuttered.

“So, you feel that killing a man because you are paid to do it is acceptable?” asked ollie with a glint in his eye.

“It was not personal captain it was just a job to us,” the second goon said.

“You’re a pair of bastards,” ollie said to them, his voice had dropped to almost a whisper.

“But Captain...” one started to say before he was interrupted.

“Quiet ... you speak when I ask you too and not before, do you hear me!” Ollie snarled.

He turned to me and whispered to me

“So, john what do you want to do with them,” he asked.

“They would have seen me dead,” I said and we both knew the outcome to that statement. Ollie turned to the crew and let out a huge laugh.

“Feed them to the fishes lads” He cried.

I watched as the crew grabbed the goons and launched them over the side, two loud splashes were followed by a barrage of abuse and jeers from the crew as the two men wallowed around in the water.

I knew that we were too far out to see for them to survive, they were dead men and it didn’t bother me one bit. After a few minutes, Bryn called the crew to order and then set then about their jobs.

The rest of the trip to Falmouth did take all day, we got there just before the sun went down. We anchored in the mouth of the river Fals Estuary. Smithy took six armed men in the ships sea boat and went into town. We sat on the quarter deck and watched the town as darkness crept over it and the lights went on in the houses and Inns.

Smithy came back two hours later and told us the contact would be with us in the morning, Ollie posted armed guards. The crew were told to stand down and food was served. We were served a great meal and plenty of ale. Ollie was right, Silver was a great cook. We drank late into the night and all went to our bunks more than a little drunk.

As I tried to sleep that night, I tried to work out my plan. All but one of Jacob’s original band of men had been killed, killed by my own hands.

Mrs Jacobs, the Pugh boys, Barny Mcgrew Cuthbert and Grubb all dead, only dibble remand at large and if he knew what was good for him, he would be leaving Plymouth very soon.

My worry was that a few people had told me about the little private army Jacobs now had on the estate, I had no idea how many men that army totalled.

I woke as the sun peaked over the horizon and went up onto the deck of the ship. Smithy was on the quarter deck and he was watching as four larger sea boats were rowed towards us.

“Good Morning John,” he said, “once we have unloaded some goods onto these boats were shall make our way Charlestown!”

“I have made a plan but need to talk it over with you and Ollie,” I told him.

“Then we shall do that over breakfast matey,” said a booming voice, ollie was stood behind us

“Smithy please arm the rest of the men,” said Ollie, “John do you want a weapon?”

“Are we expecting trouble?” I asked.

Ollie let out a laugh that echoed around the ship

“Always my friend, always...”

By the time the sea boats got to the ship, all the crew were armed with pistols and either cutlasses or pikes. A rope ladder was lowered, and three men came aboard.