curiousers under way

Part 8 - Press Gang

Squire Trevelyan rejoined us as we finish stuffing ourselves with food. We were well into our cider and I was feeling quite tipsy. Miguel was beginning to slur his words before Denny told us that cider in England meant fermented apples. We were getting drunk.

Licia, Miguel and I decided not to drink anymore but Denny took a large swallow of beer telling us it had less alcohol than Canadian beer and he was looking quite happy when a thickset man, with a battered, black hat, stumped in looking like Long John Silver. He wore a short blue jacket with brass buttons, white knee-length trousers and horizontally striped stockings. A round black wooden cudgel dangled from his fist.

'Now, I am Bo'sun 'arry 'orrocks,' he bellowed with a gap toothed grin, 'of 'Iss Majesty's ship, CURIOUS. And, I know all of you are exceedingly anxious to take the King's shilling and fight for King and Country against the Frenchies. So, I shall be most obliged if you will all come along peaceable like. An' I promise no one'll get 'urt.'

There was dead silence for about two seconds when someone shouted, 'The press! Run for it!' All the younger and several old men in the room leaped to their feet and fought to get through the back door at the same time. In a few seconds only Squire Trevelyan, the inn keeper and we remained. Bo'sun Horrocks beamed at us hugely as he calmly waited by the door, tapping the palm of one huge hand with his cudgel.

'Where did . . . everybody go?' Denny hiccupped.

'The HMS CURIOUS needs more men,' Squire Trevelyan explained. 'And as they say, the press gang, like the gallows, refuses no man.'

We could hear angry shouts and the sound of fighting from the rear of the inn and a large young man, with blood on his face, charged in through the back door and tried desperately to fight his way past bo'sun Horrocks. It was an unequal contest. The bo'sun swung his cudgel with practised ease and a burly sailor dragged the mans unconscious body outside. Bo'sun Horrocks turned to us. 'Well, now. I suppose the four of you will come along quietly.' He knuckled his forehead. 'Begging your pardon for interrupting your conversation squire.'

'We're Canadians!' Denny gasped as the meaning of bo'sun Horrocks words registered. 'You can't arrest Canadians. We haven't done anything.'

'Aye,' Bo'sun Horrocks grinned. 'An' if yer do dress like beggars but yer do 'av' two arms and legs apiece and the Royal Navy takes all kinds. Canadians, Baptists or Muggletonians, all can pull on a rope.'

Squire Trevelyan jumped to his feet. 'Now see here, my good man,' he said. 'These are my friends. You can't just drag them away like sheep. I beg you to desist in . . .'

'Begging your pardon again Squire,' Bo'sun Horrocks interrupted. 'But I 'av' orders to take any man or boy in the tavern excepting only gen'lemun like yersel'.'

Denny looked at Licia, Miguel and me with alarm. 'Don't take the boys,' he pleaded. 'Let them go, please.' They're Canadians.

'Nah. We've barely got 'alf a crew as it is,' he said apologetically. 'The first lef-tenant would be amazingly vexed if we didn't take every pair of 'ands we could press. And, we are very short of nippers.'

Three sailors hauled us to our feet and started to herd us through the door. 'A moment please. I must leave a message with the inn keeper,' Denny said. The bo'sun nodded.

'If some of our friend's arrive,' Denny said to the landlord, 'one of them is a Chinese nobleman called Dr Zhang - please tell them where we are.'

'Right you are, Maister,' the inn keeper replied with a broad, gap-toothed grin. 'I'll tell 'im ye're doing yer duty fer King an' Country on the old CURIOUS.'