Grail Quest (3 page)

“You haven’t mentioned what a danger I am to maidens and wives alike.”

“Aye. A number of jealous husbands and irate fathers might be another reason for you to leave England.”

“This flaky endeavor is beginning to sound very sensible Sir. What is the next step?”

“Tonight, the powers-that-be want to see you in person in Glastonbury
 
Abbey… at midnight.”

So that is why I was scared out of my normal good sense by the Archbishop, or was it his ghost? On the way back to the Thistle in the Colonel’s shay he told me some more of the arrangements. “You’ll sail to America with a Captain Argyll. You’re fortunate. Instead of taking months by way of the Canaries, he plans to sail directly to Jamestown. Should be there in a few weeks. You’ll be given a number of small gold coins, only to be used in a dire emergency. No uniform, you must appear to be a civilian. You’ll tell absolutely no one of your secret mission. If it were known, there are many who would oppose you. Mums the word.”

“So, how do I stay in touch with you or the power, Sir?”

“You don’t. You’ll be strictly on your own. If and when we are able to devise a courier, he will know you, but you won’t know him until he uses the code word ‘Tintagel.’ When you hear that word you can trust the speaker.”

Back in our camp, temporarily bivouacked on Salisbury Plain, Colonel Throckmorten reassigned me from my squad to his headquarters, ostensibly to learn how to be an adjutant. That way, I could make preparations to leave without anyone else having any interest in what I was doing. Throckmorten’s letter to Captain Argyll explained that I had been mustered out. The Virginia Company of London then hired me to explore other portions of Virginia for possible profit.

Argyll
 
commanded a fleet of three ships, the “Clyde” and two smaller vessels, which loaded at docks on the Thames down river from London. When I went aboard to give him my passage letter to the Captain, he read it over three times. “I’ve no notice from’t Company I’d be carrying you and your mounts to Jamestown.”

“I’m surprised as you, Captain. The colonel said my passage was arranged by high persons in the company. There’s always that ten percent who don’t get the word.”

“Got a smart mouth, ‘ave ye’ Laddie?
 
Well I won’t be one of that percentage. You don’t load ‘till I’ve got permission directly. Now get off until I do.”

From his boson I learned lading wouldn’t be finished for three days. Nearby I found a stable where I could leave the horses, and I cut out for London. I’d been in this stinking sewer of a town once before, and knew enough not to act like a boob from the shires. I didn’t know how people could live and continue to breath through decaying fish, sweaty decaying bodies, and the noxious smell from chamber pots emptied onto the street.

I had a month’s pay in my pocket, and two gold sovereigns sewed into the back of my belt. Not that I had any intention of using the gold for my pleasure. What I was looking for shouldn’t cost more than five bob. I found her, or rather she found me, at the “Lay of the Land” Inn where I took a night’s lodging. While I enjoyed a glass of ale, after feeding on a steak and kidney pie, she sat at the table next to me.

“Ye’ve got the look of a military man, General. Am I right?”

“I was, I was. Why do you want to know?”

She patted my hand. “Now that yer’ve washed camp dust out of your craw, I’m thinking ye’ might like some refreshment…of another kind.”

She was a comely enough lass, but looked starved. Her rather fancy dress was too big for her, and the low cut bodice revealed a skinny young lady. I reckoned she wasn’t more than fifteen. I reached for her chest to have a free feel. She jumped away and slapped at my hand. “’ere now General. Yer’ve not paid to touch!”

“Well now. You’re not only scrawny, but saucy as well.
 
Let’s discuss your proposition while you have something to eat.”

I ordered fish and chips over her protest that she wasn’t hungry, and giving the tuppence to her would suit her better than eating. “I’m just ensuring that you’ll have strength enough to furnish me with some refreshment… when you’re through.”

She scarffed the food in nothing flat.
 
“What’s the going rate for ‘refreshment’ in London these days?”

She wiped her mouth and said, “For a military gentleman like yourself there’s a discount, only twenty bob.”

“Twenty bob?
You must think I’m a rich trader, not a poor soldier.”

“Aye, but yer’ll have twenty bob of pleasure.”

I looked around the room. Two girls sat at a table on the other end of the room. “Oh? If I were to look around…perhaps I could find twenty bob of pleasure…for five bob.”

She saw my glance. “Oh, not from them. Got the pox, both of ‘ em.”

“And how do I know you haven’t got it?”

“Because I’m very clean, and very careful. I only provide refreshment to fine gentlemen, such as yourself.”

I took her hand to pull her after me. She must nave bathed in rose water. Smelled like she could use more water and less rose. “Let’s go then, if five bob it is.”

“Yer’d rob a poor lass, yer would.”
 
Now she pulled back on my hand. “Come with me. That way. There’s a clean patch of straw out behint the stable.”

No way was I about to head down a dark passage in London with a trollop. More’n likely her brothers or other friends would be waitin’ with a leaded cosh. “No ya’ don’t, Missy.
 
I’ve taken a room. We’ll go there.”

She tried to pull me towards the door. “Forget it, Luv. Do you take me for a rube? The five bob is in my room.”

Her face sank, but she followed me. In my room I lit a candle.

“Oh, put it out. We don’t need that. Don’t yer think it’s more fun in the dark?”

I pinched the candle. In the faint moon light through the single window I could make out her dropping her gown. Then she scrambling into the bed. Eager now, I laid aside my saber, removed my boots and trousers. Freeing my magnificent stallion from confining clothing, I wondered if such a slight female could survive an attack by such a monster. Well not to worry. I’ve sundered small women before. Regardless, I aimed to get twenty bob of ‘refreshment’ out of her.

I jumped in on top of her. She was lying on her stomach.

“Turn over, Lass. I’m not a bugger.”

Instead of turning she humped her hips. “Yer can still get it in from there.”

I tried but couldn’t find it. Mine is a blind beast. She reached behind to grab my rampant weapon. “’ere, I’ll help yer.” She tried to insert it, but it wouldn’t penetrate.

“You’ve got the wrong one too.” I reached under to find the right one and grabbed her …balls!

Shocked, I still had presence of mind to give ‘em a good twist.
OWHOOOH
. He/she let out an anguished howl. I leaped out of the bed to grab my saber. Keeping him from the door with my sword point, I lit the candle. “Well, what have we here? A soddomite, no less. You could go to gaol for that, Lad.”
 
I flicked my sword point across his abdomen. “Perhaps I ought to make you a real girl.”

Wailing, he fell to his knees. “Oh please, Leftenant, don’t hurt me. It wasn’t my idea. Yer were supposed to come outside. They made me do it.”

I don’t have any use for soddomites. If they don’t bother me, I won’t bother them. This one stretched the limit. I brought my sword point up to his throat. “How did you know I was a Leftenant, and who is they?”

He stopped blubbering. His eyes bugged and he looked wildly about the room.

“There’s no one to help you. Answer me!”

“It was two toffs. Said you was a Leftenant. Said you ‘ad some gold an would share wiv me. Said I’d go to gaol for sure if I din’t do what they said… and be quiet after.”

“What did they look like? Were they military men?”

“I don’t know. It was dark and they had mufflers over their mouths.
 
I don’t know who they was.”

He could be lying, but I think my saber brought out honesty in him. “Take your things and get out!”

He hesitated at the door. “Yer can ‘ave me as yer like an’ only three bob.”

“Cheeky
 
sod! OUT!”

 
I assisted his departure with a swift kick.

The he/she’s information made me wonder how secret my secret quest was. The following day as I toured London, I kept looking behind to see if I was followed. If so, they were cleverer than I. That evening when I chose a doxie myself, I was sure that she was genuine. She was the last female rations I was to have for some time. The Colonel didn’t mention there were only a couple of white women at Jamestown, and they were married.

The next day Captain Argyll said I could load my horses and supplies. He assigned me to the Clyde, and only then, because I had to look after my three horses. Though he must have got the word that I was a legitimate passenger, he wasn’t thrilled about it. My horses and feed took up a lot of space in his largest ship. “You’re totally responsible for those nags. My crew ain’t got time to be messing wiv’ ‘em. And…if they become a problem they can bloody well swim to Virginia.”

“I’ll manage my mounts without any knuckle-broken swabbies touching them. The horses will be no problem for ye,’ Captain.”

“Aye. Them’s not draft horses, Cavalry, were ye’? I reckon ye’ll need some fast mounts to stay ahead of those Red-Indians…an’ maybe ahead a’ some o’ the settlers too.”
 

As I turned to leave he said, “Yer not the only late party to join the fleet. I’m taking on another bod. Nothing special to load. He’s on the second vessel.”

“Oh? Why do you reckon he’s going to Virginia?”

“Claims to be a settler. But don’t look like a farmer to me, an’ got soft hands.”

That news was of more interest to me than the Captain could guess. I was glad, whoever he was, that he was on another ship. I wouldn’t have to worry about him until we landed in Virginia.

I soon had real worries. Crossing the Atlantic affected my stomach like a shuttle cock. I spent hours studying the waves over the ships side. The bouncing ship also was hard on my horses. All of us were relieved when finally we entered a long patch of smooth water. Then one of the sailors told me if I kept my knees loose, and floated over the deck when walking, I wouldn’t get as sick. Later I had plenty of opportunity to test his theory.
 
It wasn’t fool-proof but helped. We were over three weeks at sea sailing to Virginia. On this ‘short’ route Argyll hoped to stay clear of any Spanish warships.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Once we were in smooth seas, Captain Argyll loosened up and became almost friendly. “What can you tell me about the Red-Indians, Cap’n?”

“They’re a right shifty lot, Lad. Don’t have any horses. Once they see you getting around on ‘em, they’ll be after yours. From what I hear, they’re dead clever in the woods. Yer might want to take some lessons from ‘em. Learn how they get around so quietly. Might save yer life. ‘Naturals,’ the settlers call ‘em. I’spect the man ye’ ought to see is Captain John Smyth. He’s done a bit of exploring through the woods himself.”

After he unloaded his ships, Captain Argyll planned to explore bays and rivers adjacent to the colony. When we docked, perhaps he wouldn’t see the last of me.
 

Our first sight of habitation in the new world was Fort Algernourne on a spit of land at the entrance to Jamestown River. There we learned that a soldier had been
 
ambushed and murdered by the Red-Indians. Then we sailed into a huge bay that was the mouth of the river.
 
When we arrived at Jamestown we observed another three-sided fort, some makeshift buildings, and a surprising number of people milling about.

My horses immediately became a bone of contention. Two stocky types, who were built like tree trunks in homespun, came up to me. One said, “Them won’t be much use ‘nfronta
 
plow.”

“You got that right, friend. These are riding horses.”

His pal said, “Whoa on there, fellow. They don’t look like much, but we need plow horses, not show pieces.” He reached for the reins of my gelding.

I pushed his arm away. “Forget about that friend. These belong to me, not London Company.”

“Well, they’re here, not in London. Why should we be killing oursel’s in’t fields while you canter about free az a breeze.” He reached for the reins again.

“I guess you didn’t hear me, friend. Grab these reins only if you don’t need all your fingers.”

“Is zat so!” His fist became a maul headed towards my head. Did he think I couldn’t see it coming? What a clod. I locked his arm, sprained his elbow and threw him on his back. He glared at me and mumbled some curses while feeling his of arm.

“I give you fair warning. Try to steal my horses at your peril.” I looked at his friend. “You have something else to say?”