Rib Bone Jack: Smuggler's Pride by John Williamson

Author:John Williamson [Williamson, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-11-12T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

An hour had past, and to everyone's astonishment Lady Cravith was still alive.

Elmshall's men had gathered at the burning shell of Cravith's house, waiting, expecting the poorly armed civilians to run. As it was, every man, woman and child stayed; each with their post and their own vital part to play in whatever was to follow.

“How did you come across bear traps, Sir?” Jack asked to serve his own, sometimes dangerous curiosity.

“My father. There was a blacksmith in Tenby. He'd been making them for the fur trade, in the frontiers. One day they just stopped buying. Left him with a cart load. My old dad was a crafty man, he knew the blind spot, that stretch of wood posed, even then, so he bought the lot.”

“Clever man,” Jack agreed, as he fiddled with a pair of sheep shears, pulling at the handle, deliberately trying to break them in half. “Bloody perfect,” he said, with a sense of achievement as they broke into two equal sized single blades.

“Your preacher is a talented man. I owe him my wife's life.”

“He's a good man, but he needs help seeing it.”

“There's a place for good men here. Even Englishmen!” Cravith smiled slightly to share the joke, but there was purpose in his words.

“Where did they come from?” Jack pointed to the thick metal breast plates, worn by two of the women, standing at the cart.

“Civil war. Not sure if it ever ended around here.”

“Won't stop a musket.”

“No, but it gives them a chance against a sword or a pistol,” Cravith explained, before returning to his wife's side.

It was now deep into the night, but with hours before dawn, there was no need for Elmshall to hurry. The waiting was doing more harm to morale than any number of musket shot could. Women and children were sobbing, and the men were jumpy; put on edge yet more by every sound and movement in the dark.

“Listen up people,” Charlie bellowed, sensing the need to distract them from their fear. “We picked up some scratches and scrapes, but last time they came, we didn't loose anyone. They lost six. They're more afraid than we are right now. If every one of you stands your ground; holds your position, I promise you we will win this.” A few of the villagers gave a half hearted cheer, but the idea of facing the same concentrated assault again filled them with dread, and it showed.

Jack looked back to Camilla as she attempted to make Lady Cravith comfortable. Once more he had put her in harm's way, though, as ever, unintentionally. He looked back to the large hut, where Dewson and the other wounded were being treated. The women were coming and going, hurriedly fetching water and fresh cloth and blankets from the other houses. Charlie's words thinly veiled the truth, that though they had gained no more deaths since the raid in the afternoon, so many of those peaceable people were quite badly injured, leaving the blockade poorly defended.

“Where's

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