Shadow of the Hangman(109)

She walked out and slammed the bolt home. Anne sagged back into despair.





Tom O’Gara stood beside the bulwark and waited for his friend to surface. Moses Dagg had been for what he hoped would be a refreshing swim in the river but he was still weakened by the fight and not able to stay in there for long. Breaking the surface, he tossed his head then made for the ship. O’Gara threw the rope overboard and slowly hauled him back on deck. When he’d finally come aboard, Dagg flopped down on his back. He was breathing heavily.

‘How do you feel, Moses?’

‘Half-dead.’

‘I hope you didn’t swallow any water. The Thames is an open sewer.’

‘I needed a swim, Tom. You should have come in with me.’

‘I’d rather stay here.’

Dagg could feel the warmth of the sun on his naked body slowly drying him off. After a couple of minutes, he made an effort to sit up and left a wet patch on the deck where his back had been. Having wallowed in the Thames, he’d been both cleansed and wearied. Though the injuries sustained during the fight still smarted a little, he felt less pain than before.

‘I want to go home, Tom,’ he said.

‘We both do.’

‘London is not the place for me. I could never settle here.’

‘We’re sailors. We can’t settle anywhere. We’re born to roam.’

‘How much longer must we stay?’

‘We’re here until we get satisfaction one way or the other,’ said O’Gara.

‘They’re still out looking for us. We’ve escaped from them twice now. We might not be so lucky the third time.’

‘It’s not luck, Moses; it’s a blend of skill and courage. We escaped from Dartmoor during a massacre. If the soldiers had been able to shoot straight, we’d have been killed. Dodging a few Runners is child’s play compared to that. Besides, we have Dermot on our side. He’ll look out for us.’

‘Why is he being so helpful?’

‘I’m his cousin.’

‘I think there’s more to it than that.’

‘There is,’ said O’Gara. ‘His father died in an English prison so Dermot knows what it’s like to be caged. He only visited his father once. When he went there the second time, the prison doctor said that he’d died of smallpox. Dermot didn’t believe him. His father – my Uncle Harry, that is – was like you and me. He wouldn’t let anyone push him around. He’d have been a troublemaker in prison. It might have got him killed. That’s why my cousin has sympathy for us,’ he said. ‘We’re like my Uncle Harry. Now go and put some clothes on. Dermot will be here any moment.’

Hauling himself up, Dagg padded off towards the cabin, leaving his friend on deck. O’Gara looked down the river at a three-masted vessel that was making its way upstream towards him. The sight revived memories of his time in the navy and he longed to resume his life as a sailor. It was, however, an ambition that had to be set aside for the moment. The persistent yapping of a dog sent him to the other side of the deck and he looked down to see Fallon waiting to come aboard. He lowered the gangplank then stood aside as the dog raced past him. As soon as his cousin had stepped on deck, O’Gara pulled up the gangplank.

‘I’ve got bad news, Tom,’ said Fallon, waving a newspaper. ‘They’ve not delivered a verdict yet but it looks as if the commission has made up their mind.’

‘Did they read that account we sent them?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘That’s what actually happened, Dermot, word for word.’

‘It’s what you and Moses told them but you’re only two voices against a lot of others. The most important one is the governor’s. They were always likely to believe him instead of you.’

‘So what’s the decision?’

Fallon opened the newspaper. ‘This only says what they think will happen.’

‘And what’s that?’

‘Well, to start with, they call it a riot and not a massacre. Your name is mentioned as the person who started it.’

‘That’s a lie!’ shouted O’Gara, seizing the paper from him and reading it. ‘Justifiable homicide! Is that what they call it? Captain Shortland orders his men to fire on unarmed prisoners and it’s justifiable homicide?’

‘They’ve closed ranks against you, Tom.’

‘Didn’t they listen to anything we said?’

‘There’s worse to come,’ Fallon pointed out. ‘If you read to the end, you’ll see that the governor is not only cleared of any blame, he’s likely to win promotion.’