The Hungry Tide (22 page)

‘I think I can do that,’ said Will. ‘I just need to borrow some tools, and I know somebody who has some. I’ll be back later.’

It was well after the time that Will had arranged to meet Tom and he paced up and down outside the Seamen’s Hospital in some impatience. He was anxious to get to Rob Hardwick. He knew he could borrow some tools from Rob and he was sure that he would help him. Rob was a craftsman as far as woodwork and carpentry were concerned, although it wasn’t his trade. Some of the scrimshaw work which he turned out during times when the whalers were becalmed was beautiful to see. He would sit for hours bent over a whale’s tooth or walrus tusk, carefully etching and carving intricate designs and pictorial scenes.

Will walked through into the Hospital and asked if he could see the Swinburn boys. Tom would just have to wait for him now. He had no doubt become involved with some of his old mates and forgotten about meeting his father.

The porter looked sharply at Will. ‘The eldest lad is poorly. He’s consumptive and he’s fretting. There’s nowt much we can do for him and ’young un won’t leave his side. But tha can see them if tha has a mind to.’

Will followed him down the corridor and into a high-ceilinged dormitory. The bare floorboards were scrubbed clean and in the middle of the long room was a smoky stove which gave out a little heat as they approached it. Beds were lined down each side of the room, one or two were occupied by sick boys but most were empty with a blanket folded neatly at the bottom of the iron bed.

Jimmy sat on his brother’s bed and gazed at Will defiantly. ‘I’m not moving from here, not till our Ted gets better, so don’t try and mek me.’

‘He should be out doing his share of jobs, not wasting time in here,’ the porter said chidingly. ‘I’ll have to report him again.’

‘Do what tha likes, I’m not moving.’ The child stared back at them, his thin, pinched face hostile.

The boy in the bed moved his hand limply to attract attention. ‘Don’t get into bother over me, Jimmy. I’ll be all right, honest.’

He smiled weakly up at Will. His face was deathly white and it was obviously painful for him to speak. ‘Hello, Will. I told our Jim that somebody would come soon. Has tha seen owt of our ma?’

Will swallowed hard. How could he tell this sick child that there had been no word of Annie, that she seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth?

He smiled back. ‘No, but I expect she’s busy trying to find work, tha’ll be hearing soon enough, never fear. But we’ve got Lizzie staying with us out in ’country. She’s got roses in her cheeks already.’

Ted nodded, as if appeasing Will in his effort to console. ‘I hope she comes soon, me ma I mean, but if she doesn’t—’ He broke off in a fit of coughing and his brother slid down from the bed to hand him a cup of water.

Jimmy tugged on Will’s jacket. ‘Can we come with thee? Me and Ted? We’ll work, well, I will, till Ted’s better.’

‘It’s not as easy as that, Jimmy.’ How could they manage to feed and clothe another two children? He and Maria took their main meals at the Hall, but there must be a limit to how many children Isaac Masterson would be prepared to feed.

‘Please,’ the boy shook his arm. ‘We don’t eat much and we wouldn’t be any bother. We don’t like it here.’

‘I’ll have to think about it, Jimmy. I’ll come back tomorrow and bring Tom. Tha’d like to see him, Ted?’

Ted nodded, ‘Aye, I’d like to see Tom again.’ He closed his eyes for a moment, then opening them wide he looked at Will searchingly. ‘Tell our Lizzie that we thought about her, and our ma.’ He closed his eyes again and dropped off into a doze.

‘Has ’doctor been to see him?’ Will questioned the porter as he went to the door.

‘Aye, but he says it’s just a matter of time. He was sick when he came here but it’s just galloped away since. There’s nowt anybody can do.’

‘Could tha see thy way to keeping quiet about ’other little lad not working?’ Will asked. ‘If it’s not for long?’

The man looked stonily at Will and Will put his hand into his pocket.

‘Well, I suppose I could turn a blind eye, just this once.’ He took the proffered coin and slipped it into his own pocket. ‘It’s against ’rules, but I’ll not say owt this time.’

Tom still wasn’t there as he came out and Will was getting angry. He left a message with the porter to tell Tom where to find him, and made his way to the Hardwick house.

The room was full of children. Mrs Hardwick had borne seventeen and twelve of them were still living at home. Rob was sitting by the fire, puffing contentedly on his pipe and oblivious to the turmoil going on around him.

‘We’ve finished early today. ’Ship’s almost fitted up, we’re just waiting for ’inspectors to check her. I’ve been right lucky to get this job.’

He listened while Will told him what he wanted and then, tapping out his pipe on the floor, said, ‘I reckon we can do better than that, but tha’ll have to do most of ’carving thyself, I can’t hold ’tools so well now with these fingers missing.’

They decided to scrap the wooden peg from the Infirmary and Rob searched around in the yard outside until he found what he was looking for, a strong, light piece of timber.

As they worked on the wood, carving and whittling, Will was getting anxious about Tom, who still hadn’t arrived. Rob sent one of his youngsters out to look for him, but he came back in great excitement.

‘There’s masses of soldiers in ’town, somebody said there’s been a riot in ’Market Place!’

‘Doesn’t surprise me one bit.’ Mrs Hardwick spoke bitterly. ‘Nobody can afford to buy bread and vittals at ’price they’re asking. Don’t they realize folks’s starving, and winter coming on as well? I’d go on a riot too if Rob wasn’t in work, just see if I wouldn’t!’

Rob raised scraggy eyebrows towards Will. ‘She would too, believe me!’

Will got up from the chair. ‘I’ll have to go and look for ’young devil, and I’ll flay his hide when I do find him. It’s getting dark and he won’t know where to find me. I can’t trust that porter to be around to tell him where I am.’

‘I’ll come with thee, Will. We’ll stand better chance of finding him if we both go.’

But they couldn’t find him. Though they searched and asked and went to all the old haunts where he used to play, there was no sign of him.

‘Tha’d best spend ’night with us,’ said Rob at last. ‘There’s no sense in us looking any further. I reckon he’s gone home with some of his mates and he’ll turn up in ’morning.’

‘Nay, I’ll look a bit longer. Go on back home and I’ll come back after a while. I’ll not rest easy till I know where he is.’

What would he tell Maria if he didn’t find the boy, if press gangs had him, or if he’d fallen in the river skylarking about? Worries beset Will and gnawed at his mind. I can’t go home without him, and that’s that, even if I have to stay here for a twelve month! he told himself. I’ll skin him alive when I do find him! If I find him!

His search took him deeper into the alleyways by the Old Harbour and he wandered in and out calling Tom’s name, his voice bouncing eerily off the walls and his crutch tapping against the cobbles.

A woman stopped him. Her clothes were the worn and shapeless cast-offs of a woman of a different kind, but she had made an effort to be fashionable, with her hair dressed high and her white cheeks rouged.

‘Is tha looking for somebody special, dearie, or will I do?’ Her few yellow teeth gaped into a smile and she lifted her torn skirt invitingly.

Will smiled back at her and winked. ‘Not this time, love. I’m looking for my lad, he’s gone missing. If tha should see one wandering about, ask him if he’s Tom Foster, wilt tha? And if he is, send him round to Rob Hardwick’s.’

‘Aye, I will. Though I can’t ask all ’young lads that pass by here. It would tek all night for one thing, and ruin my reputation for another. I don’t mek a habit of accosting young ’uns!’

Will felt deep into his breeches pocket. There was just one coin left. ‘Here, take this, it’s all I’ve got but I’d be grateful if tha’d keep a look out.’

She hesitated for a moment as she looked at the coin in his hand, then waved it away. ‘I don’t want tha money. Not unless I’ve earned it.’ She smiled again and drew nearer. ‘Tha wouldn’t be disappointed!’

Will shook his head. ‘I’ve got a good wife at home, and besides I must look for my lad.’

She smiled wistfully. ‘Then tha’s both lucky, for there’s others with good women at home who still come searching for such as me.’

He blew her a kiss as consolation and turned away.

‘Wait on.’ She called him back. ‘What does he look like, this lad of yourn?’

Will described him. ‘And his hair is black and curly.’

‘Well, it might be nowt, but there was a young lad this morning, making a devil of a row. Woke me up he did, and when I looked out—’ she pointed to a window above her. ‘There was this fella pulling a young lad along by his ear. I didn’t think owt about it at ’time of course. But he was kicking and shouting at ’chap who had hold of him.’ She shook her head. ‘I don’t suppose it was your lad. ’Chap with him was dark as well.’

‘Where did they go?’

She shrugged, ‘I didn’t watch, I wanted to get back to bed. But they were heading down towards ’George.’

He hurried back down the High Street, even though he and Rob had already covered this ground. He looked up at the Mastersons’ house as he passed and saw by the lamp in the uncurtained windows that the room was bare but for packing cases stacked against the walls ready for removal.

Mastersons are nearly ready for off, he thought. I’ll have to look sharp over this business, I shall be needed out at Garston Hall.

He came to the entrance of the George inn yard and hesitated under the shadow of the pillars, wondering whether to cut through and look in the adjoining inn. Someone in there might have seen Tom. He looked across the old courtyard, at the closed stable doors ranging it with the galleried hay lofts above, and was about to move across when he heard the sound of a door opening and closing quietly above his head and footsteps coming down the wooden stairs into the yard.

There was something familiar about the shape of the man who came down the steps. He was plainly unfamiliar with the area for he felt his way cautiously and then, misjudging the last two steps, slipped, cursing. Will watched him as he made his way across the courtyard to the inn. As he opened the door the beam of lamplight highlighted his shape and bearing and, though his face was turned away, Will was in no doubt about his identity.

Cautiously he climbed the stairs to the upper storey, pulling himself up by the stair rail. He listened at one door and quietly opened it. It was pitch black and smelt of damp hay. He called softly. ‘Tom? Tom?’ There was no sound apart from the scurryings of rats. Quietly he closed the door again and moved along the gallery to the next. As he opened it there was a sudden crash on the floor which startled him.

‘Who’s there? Tom is, that thee?’

A muffled shout and banging came in answer and though Will had no light, as his eyes adjusted to the darkness he saw across the straw-strewn floor a writhing bundle. He dropped down on to the floor, as the beams were low, and scrabbled his way through the bales of hay and straw. There, trussed up like a chicken, was Tom, his hands and feet tied and a filthy rag knotted around his mouth.

He started to gabble incoherently as his father released him.

‘He was going to sell me to ’press gang, Fayther. He said as it was to get even. That tha owed him summat.’

‘All right, all right, quietly, son. Tha’s safe now. Don’t worry.’

He released the ties and gently rubbed Tom’s ankles and wrists where the twine had cut into him. ‘Can tha manage to get down ’steps, or is tha too stiff?’

Tom rose painfully to his feet but his knees buckled beneath him.

‘I’ve been tied up nearly all day, I can’t feel my legs.’ His voice was hoarse and cracked.

‘Never mind, put thy hands round my neck and climb on to my back. I’ll carry thee down.’

Will put both hands on the stair rail and carefully swung himself one step at a time down the stairs.

‘Now sit here in this corner for a bit and keep rubbing thy hands and feet. Stay there till I get back. I’ll not be more than a few minutes.’

Reassuring the boy, he turned back towards the inn. It was hot and stuffy inside with a strong smell of whale oil burning in the lamps. The room was filled to capacity and there was a loud buzz of talk. A woman was singing boisterously as she moved in and out of the tables, filling up the ale tankards generously from a large earthenware jug, the brown liquid brimming over and slopping on to the tables.

Will raised his voice and banged with his crutch on the floor. ‘Wilt tha listen.’

There was a sudden silence as the crowd turned towards him, then a woman laughed hysterically and made a ribald remark. General laughter broke out, drowning his voice. He reached out towards a table and took a glass from the nearest drinker and holding it high above his head he smashed it down on to the floor.

Its owner got up from the table, his hands clenched.

‘My fight’s not with thee, my friend.’ Will held him off, his hand open to pacify him. He raised his voice to the now silent throng who had turned towards him, their eyes wary and their bodies tense, preparing for a fight.

‘There’s a man among thee, if I can call him a man, who fights with childre’. Somebody who has a grudge against me, and who instead of fighting fair and square, chooses to take my lad, who’s no more than eight years old, and ties him up in a rat-infested hole, ready to sell to ’press gang!’

The crowd’s voice erupted. They had no love for the pressmen or those in their pay. ‘Point him out, man, we’ll string him up for thee.’ ‘Cut his throat, that’s best thing for him.’

Will held up his hand. ‘I can fight my own battles.’ From the corner of his eyes he saw a figure slide down into his seat, pulling his hat further over his face. ‘I just want to let him know that I’ve marked him. That I know he’s here and I’m ready, whenever he is.’

Loud cheering broke out at this and the man who had lost his drink came over to Will. ‘Just give us his name and we’ll find him for thee. We want no navy agents here.’