A Certain Threat (The Merriman Chronicles Book 1) by Roger Burnage Page B
Authors: Roger Burnage
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landings of brandy and such but I don’t know where we were taken those times though I kept my eyes open. I must ‘ave pleased the man in charge because I wasn’t blindfolded again.”
Owen finished his account and stood there, nervously waiting to see what effect his tale would have on his audience. Both of his listeners looked at him f or a long moment without saying anything, then Captain Merriman rose to his feet and paced up and down, his brow furrowed in concentration. He turned to his son, “James, what do you make of this man’s story? I’d like your opinion.”
“ I believe it Father. Don’t forget that he didn’t have to go, it was my idea and as for killing that man, Owen had no option and the fellow would have been hanged if the authorities had managed to get hold of him.”
“ My view exactly. I don’t like killing if it can be avoided, but in this case I believe it to be justified.” He swung round to face the big sailor. “Do you understand what I am saying? We attach no blame to you for the man’s death, but not a word about this affair must go beyond this room..”
“ Aye-aye Sir, and thank’ee Sir, I’ll not tell a soul,” said Owen with a relieved look on his face. “But that’s not all Sir. I found out where they take some of the stuff to in Chester.”
“ Did you by God!” said the Captain, “Maybe we’ll be able to catch these rogues before too long. We could go to wherever it is with the Revenue and catch them red-handed, what do you say James?”
“ I think we should hear what more Owen has to tell us before we make any precipitate plans Father. As we’ve said before, there must be somebody with a good brain behind this affair and we don’t know if the man that Owen met, the leader of the gang, is the one we want.”
“ Blast it! You always were the thinker James, and you are right again. I’m too ready to lay alongside and give ‘em a broadside. Right then, tell us the rest of it”
“ Well Sir, as I said, after I killed that man they seemed to trust me a bit more because one night I was taken in a loaded wagon into Chester. O’ course it was dark and I was told to keep under the cover, so I couldn’t see the name of the tavern we stopped at but I reckon I could find it again. It was a tavern Sir, I know, and the wagon turned into a big yard at the back of it.”
“ The driver said I was there because I looked strong enough to do the work of two men and we set to to ‘elp unload the wagon. There were three other fellows there and we moved the load and split it up between three smaller wagons. We ‘ad to be quiet and could only work by the light of a couple of lanterns. As each wagon was loaded, one of the men drove it away.”
“ Have you any idea where they were going?” asked Merriman.
“ No Sir, sorry Sir,” replied Owen, shaking his head. On the way back I asked the driver about it, casual like, but he told me to mind my own business. I didn’t want to press him Sir, in case he got suspicious.”
“ No, quite right. You have done well Owen, I’m very pleased.”
“ Thank’ee Sir. Mebbe I can learn more when I go back..”
“ Going back may not be easy. How did you manage to get away to come here?”
“ I told ‘em I wanted to see my sister who works on a farm near here. O’course I ‘aven’t got a sister but I think they believed me.”
“ Well we certainly need to know as much as we can about these fellows, but you must be sure of your safety. I suggest that you do exactly what you are told to do and don’t try to come back here unless you have something really important to report, or if you think that you may be in danger.”
“ Aye-aye Sir, I’ll do that.” And with that he left Merriman and his father alone.
“ You’ve got a good man there, James. When you return to sea with a command you could do worse than take him with you and make him your Cox’n.”
“
Owen finished his account and stood there, nervously waiting to see what effect his tale would have on his audience. Both of his listeners looked at him f or a long moment without saying anything, then Captain Merriman rose to his feet and paced up and down, his brow furrowed in concentration. He turned to his son, “James, what do you make of this man’s story? I’d like your opinion.”
“ I believe it Father. Don’t forget that he didn’t have to go, it was my idea and as for killing that man, Owen had no option and the fellow would have been hanged if the authorities had managed to get hold of him.”
“ My view exactly. I don’t like killing if it can be avoided, but in this case I believe it to be justified.” He swung round to face the big sailor. “Do you understand what I am saying? We attach no blame to you for the man’s death, but not a word about this affair must go beyond this room..”
“ Aye-aye Sir, and thank’ee Sir, I’ll not tell a soul,” said Owen with a relieved look on his face. “But that’s not all Sir. I found out where they take some of the stuff to in Chester.”
“ Did you by God!” said the Captain, “Maybe we’ll be able to catch these rogues before too long. We could go to wherever it is with the Revenue and catch them red-handed, what do you say James?”
“ I think we should hear what more Owen has to tell us before we make any precipitate plans Father. As we’ve said before, there must be somebody with a good brain behind this affair and we don’t know if the man that Owen met, the leader of the gang, is the one we want.”
“ Blast it! You always were the thinker James, and you are right again. I’m too ready to lay alongside and give ‘em a broadside. Right then, tell us the rest of it”
“ Well Sir, as I said, after I killed that man they seemed to trust me a bit more because one night I was taken in a loaded wagon into Chester. O’ course it was dark and I was told to keep under the cover, so I couldn’t see the name of the tavern we stopped at but I reckon I could find it again. It was a tavern Sir, I know, and the wagon turned into a big yard at the back of it.”
“ The driver said I was there because I looked strong enough to do the work of two men and we set to to ‘elp unload the wagon. There were three other fellows there and we moved the load and split it up between three smaller wagons. We ‘ad to be quiet and could only work by the light of a couple of lanterns. As each wagon was loaded, one of the men drove it away.”
“ Have you any idea where they were going?” asked Merriman.
“ No Sir, sorry Sir,” replied Owen, shaking his head. On the way back I asked the driver about it, casual like, but he told me to mind my own business. I didn’t want to press him Sir, in case he got suspicious.”
“ No, quite right. You have done well Owen, I’m very pleased.”
“ Thank’ee Sir. Mebbe I can learn more when I go back..”
“ Going back may not be easy. How did you manage to get away to come here?”
“ I told ‘em I wanted to see my sister who works on a farm near here. O’course I ‘aven’t got a sister but I think they believed me.”
“ Well we certainly need to know as much as we can about these fellows, but you must be sure of your safety. I suggest that you do exactly what you are told to do and don’t try to come back here unless you have something really important to report, or if you think that you may be in danger.”
“ Aye-aye Sir, I’ll do that.” And with that he left Merriman and his father alone.
“ You’ve got a good man there, James. When you return to sea with a command you could do worse than take him with you and make him your Cox’n.”
“
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