Free The Captain by Lynn Collum Page B

missing the wagon altogether, caught his right foot on the edge of the wagon’s wooden side. It twisted to the left and pain shot up his leg.
    He had no time to worry about his injury. He rolled away from Jack, who lay with his eyes closed, still trembling. “Ben, tell the driver there are two pounds in it for him if he can keep us from the clutches of the Press Gang.”
    The captain couldn’t hear the lad and the driver’s conversation, but suddenly the wagon jolted and swayed as it picked up speed, taking them away from the men up on the roof, who shouted at them in frustration. The wagon rounded the corner onto Smithfield Street which would take them east towards Wapping.
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    No traffic obstructed the rough trip up Smithfield which soon turned into Ratcliffe Highway. The old rag wagon was not designed for such treatment as the driver was currently inflicting, but despite its rattling and swaying, it kept moving away from danger. Jacinda lay in the smelly rags, ashamed of her conduct on the roof. If it hadn’t been for the captain she would have been too afraid to jump. She was thankful he had been there and for the ragman’s timely appearance below them. Still, she was anxious to return to the protection of their rooms. She wouldn’t feel completely safe until then and she was worried about Lili. Would their friend, who’d done so much, make it safely back home?
    Gathering her dignity, she sat up and recognized the shops they passed. They were almost at the street where she and Ben lived. A backward glance to make certain they weren’t being pursued and she noticed the captain rubbing his ankle. “Are you hurt, sir?”
    â€œNothing of consequence, lad. In truth, my head hurts worse than my ankle.”
    In the glow from an oil street lamp on the corner, Jacinda could see him in profile as he smiled and took note of how few lines etched his smooth face. Curiously, he seemed far too young to be the captain of a ship. Her years spent in Wapping and Shaddock had caused her to rub elbows, so to speak, with a variety of sailors from ships’ cooks to officers. Captains were generally weatherworn gentlemen even when they weren’t very old. It was clear he hadn’t been sailing for many years.
    Ben scrambled to the back of the wagon, interrupting Jacinda’s contemplation of their companion. “I’ve talked the driver into stopping at New Gravel Lane to let us down. We’ll be close to home there and the East India docks are just a short walk.”
    The captain reached into his coat and handed Ben the coins. “Give him my thanks.”
    Some five minutes later, the wagon drew to a halt. The trio climbed down and the rag wagon continued on at a more sedate pace. Ratcliffe Highway was quiet; only the occasional drunken sailor could be heard singing an off-key sea verse in the distance as he made his way back to his rooms for the night.
    The captain’s ankle was clearly bothersome, so Ben and Jacinda helped him back to their tenement with the offer of a ride from one of their neighbors who operated a hackney. The stairway to their lodgings was too narrow for three across so Jacinda hurried ahead. She stopped first to knock at Lili’s door, but as she expected, Lili was not yet returned. While unlocking their door, she was suddenly aware of the musty odor of humanity that filled the halls and she wished they had someplace better to bring a gentleman, but this was all they could afford. She relit the old rush lamp as well as two tallow candles she’d purchased the week before. She looked around and determined that while the room was sparsely furnished, it was clean. They had nothing to feel ashamed about here. She set about finding something for them to slake their thirst and found a jug of apple cider that she’d bought at the Pear Tree on her way home the night before.
    Minutes later, Ben helped the captain through the door. The