Rapscallion by James McGee Page B

devil's
he talking about now?"
    "Your
friend Fouchet didn't tell you?" Murat said, a half smile forming on his
lips.
    "Tell
us what?" Hawkwood sat back.
    "There's
a contribution taken from our food rations. It's kept back for prisoners on
punishment. If anyone disobeys the rules or does damage to the hulk, they're
reduced to two-thirds quota. The food we put by is used to help them out."
    "Very
generous," Lasseur said. "And maybe a little something's put aside
for escapers as well? Is that it?"
    Murat
hesitated again.
    "Why,
Lieutenant, you sly boots!" Lasseur grinned.
    The
interpreter coloured.
    "All
right," Hawkwood said. "Let's not piss around here. What's it going
to cost?"
    Murat
blinked. "What do you mean?"
    "Don't
take us for fools, Lieutenant."
    "Think
of your commission." Lasseur arched an eyebrow suggestively.
    "And
how generous we might be," Hawkwood added.
    A
light flickered behind the interpreter's eyes.
    "Well?"
Hawkwood prompted, recognizing the bright glint of greed.
    Murat
stared at them for a long time. Finally he sighed. "If such a thing could
be arranged - and I'm not saying it could - it would not be cheap. There are
expenses, you understand."
    Lasseur
patted the interpreter's knee. "That's my boy." The privateer turned
to Hawkwood and winked. "Didn't I tell you Lieutenant Murat was the man to
see?"
    Murat
seemed to flinch from the touch, but he recovered quickly.
    Hawkwood
leaned forward. "All right, how much?"
    The
interpreter hesitated again. Hawkwood suspected he was doing it for effect.
    "Just
for the sake of argument," Hawkwood said.
    "For
the sake of argument?"
    "The
three of us having a little chat, nothing more."
    Murat
looked around. Then, in a low voice, he said, "I'm assuming you would not
be expecting passage all the way back to America?"
    "You
get me as far as French soil and let me worry about the rest."
    Murat
sat back. "Very well; four thousand francs, or
two hundred English pounds, if you prefer."
    Hawkwood
sucked in his breath.
    "Each,"
Murat finished.
    "God's
teeth!" Hawkwood sat back. "We don't
want to buy the bloody ship.
We just want to get off it. The highest offer I had for my boots was only
twenty francs. We'll both be dead from old age or the flux before we'd earned
enough. Are you mad?"
    "The
price would include all transport, accommodation and safe passage to
France."
    "For
that sort of money," Hawkwood said, "I'd expect the Emperor to
collect me in a golden barge and carry me up the bloody beach when we got
there!"
    Lasseur
chuckled. Then his face grew serious.
    "How
the hell do you expect us to find that sort of money?" Hawkwood demanded.
    The
interpreter shook his head. "An agent makes contact with your families.
It's they who arrange payment. Once the full fee's been paid, preparations for
your departure would begin."
    "How
do we get off the ship?"
    Murat
smiled. "Come now, gentlemen; I'm sure you understand the need for
discretion. The less you know at this stage, the safer it will be for all of
us. I would also urge you to keep this conversation to yourselves."
    "You're
telling us the walls have ears?" Lasseur asked.
    Murat
grimaced. "It's not unknown for the British to plant spies among us, but no,
sadly, there have been occasions when betrayal has come from closer to
home."
    Hawkwood
felt his insides contract.
    "Traitors?" Lasseur said.
    "Not
necessarily. You forget , we're not the only
nationality on board these hulks. Captain Hooper is proof of that. We've got
Danes, Italians, Swedes, Norwegians . . . take your
pick. France has many allies. There'll be some who'd look to alleviate their
misery by claiming a reward for informing on their fellow prisoners."
    Hawkwood
prayed that nothing was showing on his face. At least he'd discovered one
thing: if there was an organized escape route, it was only available to the
rich. He wondered how deep Bow Street's coffers were and what James Read's
reaction would be when Ludd relayed details of the amount involved: four