Prison Ship (27 page)

We used branches to paddle and, although we had to travel upstream, we made good progress. Sometimes one of us fished and the other paddled. We were remarkably successful with our fishing out in the middle of the river, and by mid-morning we'd caught enough to feed us for two days. ‘Not worth catching any more,' I said, ‘they'll go off before we can eat them.' It felt wonderful to be able to say that.

Most of the time, Thomas seemed to know where he was going, although there were so many coves and bays and inlets I sometimes wondered if we had taken a wrong turn or gone up a blind alley. It all looked the same to us – steep sides covered in thick greenery with sandstone outcrops. I was amazed at the speed we travelled. We could never have done this without a guide.

Bad weather came and went, but as we were confident about finding nourishment, we felt less need to be constantly moving forward, and we were always prepared
for a coming downpour. By the riverbank there were caves for shelter. There was brushwood for fire. It wasn't an easy journey, but in good weather it was bearable.

We saw a few of the natives, distant figures on the far bank of the river or walking along the ridge above the valley. Thomas was as keen to avoid them as us. But my fear of them faded with every passing day. If they really were going to eat us, they would have killed us by now.

After three days our river turned into a stream, then a brook. ‘We walk from here,' said Thomas, and carefully hid our boats in undergrowth ready for his return journey. That day we tramped up the steep side of a valley. When we reached the ridge, by late afternoon, Thomas pointed through the thick bush and told us there was another river ahead that would take us down to Parramatta.

We got to a small stream the following evening and walked along its banks until it became navigable. Here we set up camp. While Richard and I made a fire, Thomas fashioned another bark boat for us. As we ate our supper, he told us he would be coming no further. ‘I don't even want to see a column of smoke,' he said. ‘I want to go back so badly, and seeing you boys has reminded me how much I miss the company of my own people, and being able to talk in my own tongue, but it's not the right time. I can't bring myself to do it, not while Tirrike is with me.'

It was a terrible dilemma, and I could see it was tearing him apart. I wished I could say something to offer him a crumb of comfort, but I could think of nothing worthwhile.

After an awkward silence, Richard said, ‘Tell us how to get down to Parramatta from here.'

It was simple enough. We would travel downstream until the river reached a great juncture. ‘There's no little tributaries or inlets to confuse you,' said Thomas. ‘Just carry on here until you reach another wide river. There you must go east. But beware. You'll soon reach the settlement, and you'll be very easy to spot in the middle of the river. Better leave your boat and walk. Travel by night and keep to the north side of the river. It shouldn't take you more than a day to reach the far side of Sydney Bay.'

That night, troubled by violent dreams, Thomas muttered and moaned in his sleep, constantly waking the two of us. At dawn we said our goodbyes. ‘If we hadn't met up with you and Tirrike, we'd be dead,' I told him. To my surprise he gave me a hug. ‘I shall miss you boys. Perhaps we'll meet up again back home?' It was the most unlikely thing I'd ever heard in my life. ‘Here, I want you two to have this,' he said, undoing a small bag from his belt and handing it to Richard. It was full of nuts.

He stood by the river bank and watched us paddle away. ‘What d'you think's going to happen to them?'
I asked Richard.

‘I dread to think,' he said. ‘He's going to go mad out here, isn't he? Perhaps they'll go back to Sydney, and it'll be a disaster. Or her tribe will find them and kill them both. The best thing that could happen is that she'll run off to another tribe, and he'll come back on his own and they'll give him a pardon because he's useful. Whatever happens, I wouldn't like to be either of them. I'm glad we decided to come back to Sydney and take our chances on a ship.'

The current was strong and we reached the big branch in the river by late afternoon. We could see it parting the thick forest either side of the water. ‘This is where we ditch the boat,' said Richard. We paddled to the side and hauled ourselves and our little boat on to dry land.

As we sat on the riverbank getting our breath back in the mild sunshine, my fear returned. What we were about to do was fantastically dangerous. I had not given it a thought throughout our journey back, but now we would have to put our plan into action.

‘I don't think we should ditch the boat,' I said. ‘It's light enough for us to carry. If we can get back to Sydney undetected, then we can use it to get out to a likely ship.'

‘Good thinking,' said Richard. ‘Let's eat and rest now, and see if we can get past Parramatta tonight.'

We cooked our fish then dozed into the early evening. The days were getting longer now, and it was mid-evening before we felt it was dark enough to venture further. Sticking close to the riverbank we crept silently onward, taking it in turns to carry the boat. It was light enough to pick up with one hand.

We passed by Parramatta a couple of hours later, its twinkling lights on the far side of the river. We could smell the smoke and the cooking, and hear the low hum of humanity. After all these weeks away from houses and hearths I had a deep yearning to join them. Dark silhouettes moved in the gloom, so we lay still till the dead of night. We had been right not to use the boat for this part of the journey, we would certainly have been spotted.

Eventually the settlement grew quiet and we crept forward once again. Away from the houses we picked up our pace, and Richard said we should try the river again. It was a dark, overcast night and I didn't see why we shouldn't. The river had widened considerably by now. If we stuck close to the overhanging branches of the bank and kept our eyes open for any approaching vessels, we should be able to navigate our way unseen.

The boat was flimsier than I thought. Carrying it had loosened the stitches in the bow and stern and water seeped steadily in. I bailed, Richard paddled. ‘Let's hope we don't come across any sharks,' he joked.

Dawn was breaking on the rim of the horizon as the river widened into the great bay before Sydney. The waves grew choppier too, and I worried that our boat would not be able to stand these rougher waters.

We put down on a beach opposite the town. There was thick bush immediately away from the shore, just right for hiding during the day. We cooked again. ‘They see a fire, they'll think it's natives,' said Richard, then he peered towards the far shore in the gathering light. I looked over to the houses and towers of Sydney with a lump in my throat. Here was the prospect of capture and awful punishment. But what a lovely life we had had there. And we had messed it up so badly we were having to risk our necks in a foolhardy attempt to escape from the place. I would have given anything to be able to return to Doctor Dan and our little house on the Rocks, and pop into the Sailor's Arms for dinner.

‘Tell me my eyes are deceiving me!' Richard shouted. ‘That merchantman just starboard of the other ships in the harbour. Is that the Stars and Stripes she's flying?'

I squinted and strained my eyes. We were too far away to be able to say for sure. But when the sun came out later in the morning, we could both just about see that this was indeed an American ship.

Richard could barely contain his excitement. ‘I thought we'd be stuck here for weeks waiting for our moment. Let's go now. Come on, let's just chance our
arm.' He could scent freedom just beyond his reach, and it was making him reckless.

‘Richard, we'd be spotted a mile away. The Navy'd send out a boat full of marines and we'd be in gaol in time for dinner. We've got to wait 'til nightfall.'

‘All right,' he said. ‘But if she sails today, I'll never forgive you.'

Having been up all night, we tried to sleep. But we were too unsettled. It was a hot day, so we bathed in the bay and washed and dried our stinking clothes. All the while we both kept casting anxious glances towards the American ship. If she sailed, there might not be another one in for months.

When we put our dry clothes back on I said, ‘Now when we're seen by anyone, I'm hoping they won't give us a second glance.'

‘No chance,' scoffed Richard. ‘We still look like scarecrows. Our clothes may be cleaner but they're still falling off our backs. And we need to shave off these scrubby little beards. We look like we've been raised by a couple of wolves.'

I hadn't cared what I looked like in the forest, but now I did. Richard was right. We stood out a mile as the fugitives we were.

I could not remember when time had crawled so slowly. We ate the last of the nuts Thomas had given us, and
scoffed down oysters we found among the rocks by the shore.

Eventually the sky began to fade. The cool of dusk settled over us and the lights of Sydney came on one by one. It was a beautiful sunset, but one we weren't at leisure to enjoy. ‘Let's go now,' Richard kept saying.

‘No. Give it another few minutes,' I urged him. Our tempers were fraying. It was a cloudless night – worst luck – and the half moon was shining brightly.

‘Come on, Sam. I can't bear to wait another minute.' Leaving our blankets and weapons behind, we pushed the boat out into the dark water and began to paddle towards the far shore. A stiff breeze blew across the bay and we both shivered despite our exertions. I bailed frantically. This was a river boat, and not at all suited for a great bay.

Halfway across, Richard began to panic. ‘Which one is it?' he kept saying, peering through the dark. The ships loomed larger and still we could not be sure which one was ours. My heart was beating so hard I thought my chest would burst.

‘Look, there it is,' I shouted, ‘I can make out the flag.'

The ship was barely thirty yards off shore from the Rocks. We were close enough to our old home to be able to make out dark figures on the shoreline. I reckoned I could have swum there in a couple of minutes. We drifted closer. ‘Let's get right up to the strakes and then
I'll call up,' said Richard. He was absolutely convinced they would take us on board, especially when they heard his voice.

So far, so good. We were close enough now to see the shrouds and ratlines of her rigging. In a minute or two, perhaps less, we would know whether our escape would succeed or not. I wondered what she was called.

Then a voice bawled out from our larboard side, from further across the bay. ‘Vessel approaching the
Nantucket
, identify yourself!'

I knew at once they could only be calling to us. Peering through the dusk I could see a Royal Navy cutter in the middle of the bay, probably ferrying supplies from one of our ships to shore.

Richard cursed roundly and said, ‘Keep going, the
Nantucket
might still take us.'

‘We can't Richard,' I hissed. ‘They'll send marines to board the ship and find us, even if the crew agree to take us. We've got to head for the Rocks and hide.'

He didn't reply, but began to paddle for all his worth towards the shore.

When we scrambled onto the rocky shore I looked over my shoulder to see the Navy cutter heading straight towards us. She was barely a couple of minutes behind. There was nothing for it but to head for our old home. We didn't even need to say it. I prayed Doctor Dan was still there.

We passed no one we recognised on our frantic journey, and within a minute or two we were outside the house.

‘What if he's moved?' said Richard. I knocked impatiently on the door. A voice called out, ‘Who's there?'

It was him.

‘Dan!' I whispered. ‘It's Richard and me. Let us in quickly.'

The bolt drew back. We dashed inside.

‘Boys! I thought I'd never see you again!' said Dan. He looked delighted, then, in an instant, alarmed. ‘What in heaven's name is going on?'

‘No time to explain,' I said breathlessly. ‘We've just come over from north of the bay. There's a party of Navy men on our tail. Can you hide us?'

Dan was flabbergasted. ‘You must be joking,' he said. ‘Where am I going to hide you in this little hovel? We haven't got a cellar or an attic, remember?'

I suddenly realised we were asking him to risk his liberty by hiding us. If the Navy men found us in his house, he would be flogged or worse.

I started to gabble, saying how sorry I was that we were here, but he shut me up.

‘Look, listen very carefully. I have some extraordinary news. I heard it from the Governor himself. You are pardoned. Fresh evidence has been unearthed in England. Your ship's Purser, he's been found out. And his son. Can't say I understand it all, but no doubt you'll find out more soon enough.