Free Eye of the Wind by Jane Jackson Page A

rasp the two men exchanged a glance before eyeing him uncertainly.
    Tom addressed them in a confiding tone. ‘In prison in France, he was. They near enough cut his throat, poor bugger, that’s how he can’t speak proper.’ He turned to Gabriel. ‘Show ’em what they done to you.’
    Reluctant, but aware it would aid his acceptance, which was no doubt what the shrewd foreman intended, Gabriel leant forward and pulled down the edge of the bandage, swiftly replacing it as both men grimaced and studied him with new respect.
    Tom continued, ‘He got back here, but he can’t go home ’cos the press gang will have him again.’ He turned to Gabriel. ‘This here’s Walter Keverne, he’ll tell you what to do. This is Tansey, and his boy, Billy. And that there beanpole is Joseph. All right?’
    ‘Hang on a minute,’ Walter said. ‘What about the wood, then? You seen mister?’
    ‘No. But Miss Melissa come down this morning. I told she ’tis urgent.’
    ‘So long as she remember to tell her father.’
    ‘She will.’
    Melissa. Gabriel cleared his throat. ‘Any logs not cut?’
    Walter nodded, sucking his teeth. ‘A few. Stacked out the back they are. But since Charlie near hacked his leg off, there haven’t been no one to go down the pit. Billy’s willing, but he can’t do it by his self. And with the packet to finish, none of we got time.’
    Knowing it was an unpopular task, and hoping the welts on his back would stand the stretching, Gabriel shrugged. ‘I’ll do it.’
    Tansey grinned, showing a mouthful of blackened teeth. ‘Now I call that handsome. Come just the right time you have.’
    ‘You want it quarter sawn?’ Gabriel asked.
    Exchanging a slow grin of relief, Tom and Walter both nodded.
    ‘I’ll need help,’ Gabriel reminded.
    ‘I’ll go,’ Billy volunteered. Stocky like his father, he had muscular arms and powerful shoulders. ‘All right, father?’
    Tansey shrugged. ‘All right with you, Walter?’
    ‘Get on, the both of you. What are you waiting for? God knows we do need it.’
    Surprised, Gabriel indicated the reduced stacks of wood. ‘That’s all?’
    Walter and Tansey nodded, Walter adding, ‘Never seen ’un in this state, not in all the years I been here.’
    ‘The wood, or mister?’ Tansey muttered darkly.
    ‘All right, all right,’ Tom broke in. ‘I don’t want to hear no more of that. What if it had been your Billy?’ He turned to Gabriel. ‘Mister’s eldest boy got hisself killed last year. A lieutenant in the navy, he was.’
    ‘Mister?’ Gabriel repeated.
    ‘Mr Tregonning. Own the yard, he do. Got another boy out by Jamaica or some such place.’
    ‘No word from he for months neither,’ Walter added, shaking his head.
    ‘I know what I think,’ Tansey muttered darkly.
    ‘Yes, well, you keep it to yourself,’ Tom snapped. ‘Family got enough trouble. They don’t want you making it worse.’
    ‘’Tisn’t only they who’ll have trouble if we don’t get more wood,’ Tansey grumbled.
    Wondering if Mr Tregonning was the owner of the woodland above the yard, Gabriel kept silent.
    ‘You said your piece, now shut your yap,’ Tom snapped. ‘C’mon, move yourselves. Time’s wasting.’
    Gabriel followed Billy, hoping the youth wouldn’t ply him with questions. In fact, he hardly spoke at all. But he worked. By late morning they had hauled a two foot thick and eight foot long log from the pile, stripped off the bark with small axes, marked the main divisions, and made the first cut.
    When the others stopped for their dinner, Gabriel sent Billy to join them, saying he wasn’t hungry and would wedge the log ready for the second cut. But within ten minutes Billy was back, a stone jar dangling from one large fist. His young face fiery, he thrust a thick wedge of meat and potato pie at Gabriel.
    ‘Walter sent it. Said his missus always give him too much. Fat as a pup he’d be if he ate it all hisself.’
    Wiping his hands on the sweat-soaked and