His friend frowned as he replaced the wrapped weapons. “As you saw, it was behind a very clever false wall. That would be a lot of work and expense.”
“Joachim perhaps or Albrecht?”
“I’m not sure Ned, to tell the truth. The ship master could commission it, but then so could the cargo agent.”
That left one dead and silenced and the other alive and suspect. To Ned, the odds of pinning down the slippery Albrecht weren’t ones he’d place a groat upon.
“Do any of the crew know of your discoveries?”
“No. Meg set them to repairing the rigging and repainting the ship.”
He gave a brief prayer of thanks for their diverted attention. “Excellent. Can you hide all this again, somewhere different?”
His companion paused in thought and sadly shook his head. “Ned, all the common places have been used. I don’t think so.”
This was exasperating. He had a ship that’d been rigged for smuggling, every crevice and hidey hole of which was packed to the brim and it wasn’t even his cargo. “All right, since I own half of this damn boat build some more. I don’t care how or where, so long as the crew don’t know and a casual search can’t find them.”
Rob leant against the solid oak beam and pinched thoughtfully at his chin. Finally after a couple of minutes pause he slowly nodded. “It… it can be done Ned, but it’ll cost. We need skilled craftsmen and the parts smuggled in. Emma’s lad Mathew, at the cartwrights, should be able to help and I’ll put it around that we’re repairing from the fire.”
“Fine, whatever it takes.” Ned would have quailed at the rapidly mounting cost, except for the also rapidly escalating crisis. He waved consideration of mere gold aside, even if his daemon quailed in horror as a result. “Rob, being killed always trumps being in debt. Anyway we’ve got worse problems than contraband.”
The large artificer gave a disbelieving snort and shook his head, so Ned launched into the story of his morning ambush, and all went well until the section concerning his escape over the roof. Rob Black stopped it there, getting Ned to give a fuller description of what happened in the alley. Then Rob pulled his lip pensively, before drawing Ned cautiously towards the bow. The artificer passed Ned the lantern then ferreting around in yet another secret hole by the charred section. And lo and behold, like a market fair mummer, Rob conjured from the shadows a small flat box the length of his forearm
“That weapon they used was a sort of harquebus as you said.” Rob once more pulled at his lip in thought and shook his head. “Four shots in under a minute-not a common weapon that. I’d say it’s a very special harquebus, with replaceable breech chambers and that quality of craftsmanship is pricy. Only a lord could afford it and since there were two, he’d have to be fairly dripping in gold. Tell me, did they look like these?”
Rob flicked the catch opening the box. Inside was revealed a pair of beautiful small harquebus a foot long, but with a completely different firing mechanism to the one he had fired in training. There was the small clamp on an arm, but rather than hold a match, it had a small metallic looking rock in its jaws. And that wasn’t all. Under this jaw was a disc a couple of inches across, set into the lock and trigger plate.
“Why yes! The weapon I saw had this device instead of the matchlock!”
“I thought so. For a breech loading harquebus with this device, the price just doubled.” Rob hefted one of the small ‘Gonnes’ in his hand, picked up a lever a hand span long, fitted the square slotted end over a projecting spur in the centre of the disc and then turned it like a crank once until it clicked, before replacing it.
“This is called a pistol, with a wheel lock firing mechanism. Very modern-I’ve only seen a few. According to Uncle Jonathon, they’re made by the best artificers from the German lands.” Rob held the smaller weapon appreciatively, with due care fiddling with the complex looking mechanism.
“What you do is this.” So saying, he held out the weapon and pulled the trigger. This set the disc to spinning, then the jaw dropped and a shower of sparks flew into the recessed priming pan.
Ned was extremely impressed. It didn’t take much practice with the harquebus to see its limitations. Well for one thing rain and dampness tended to put out the slow match. Rob handed him the other weapon from the box and took him through the sequence several times. It really was very easy to use, less complicated than juggling the intricate manoeuvres of the long harquebus.
Now he had a name, he recalled there’d been envious talk about these weapons at the Inns of Court. Pistols were said to be all the rage across the channel and in a fight gave a man that extra edge. And, as always happened whenever a new piece of weaponry became available, some voice the claim that the use of such was hardly the act of an honourable gentleman.. There were also complaints that small, dangerous harquebus made it easier for brigands and rebels to threaten their betters. Of course, such a portable concealable weapon created its own problems. Emperor Charles had banned them in his territories, though not with any appreciable effect so far.
Rob gave the weapons a closer inspection after their trial, before handing them back to a curious Ned. “Good, these have the Augsburg mark and should be reliable. Now you load as you would an harquebus, but the range is only good for ten paces, and before you fire, you have to wind the spring with the lever. Now both could fit under your doublet, tucked in your belt. That’ll give you two shots.”
Ned looked at his friend with a puzzled expression. “Why should I need them? Aren’t they after Meg?”
Oh Damn! Ned hadn’t meant that to slip out, but Rob just smiled grimly and shook his head. “From what I’ve seen, Meg, no.”
“The ship may be?”
“But you…yes.”
Ned swallowed nervously as the implications of his misconceptions hit home. Rob could be right. Now he wondered if he’d at least have a chance to practice with the new pistols before he needed to use them. The gift gave his confidence a boost though it still left the question of who was after him and why?
***
Chapter 17. Westminster and Old Friends, Westminster Palace, Afternoon, 8th June
Further speculation on the new found contraband was brought to an abrupt halt by a summons from the deck above. A messenger had called for Ned. Before ascending, Rob helped him adjust the two pistols so that they caused the least discomfort and shoved the small powder canister and bag of shot into his belt pouch.
Finally straightening his doublet, he climbed up into the light. Damn, it was barely worth the effort, for on the deck leaning insolently against the ships rail was Ralph Sadleyer’s arrogant snot of an usher from Westminster. “About time Bedwell. I’ve had to tramp all over the city looking for you”
It was in that snorting, sneering drawl perfected by courtiers that set a man’s teeth on edge and made one instinctively reach for a cudgel. Instead Ned gave as deep a bow as he would to a lord. This man was close to Cromwell and flattery was essential. His courtesy was accepted with a fluttering wave of a ringed hand. “You are commanded to attend the Star Chamber at Westminster before the midday chimes.”
Ned suppressed a chill. The Court of the Star Chamber had a chancy reputation as the place that Wolsey used to break and humiliate his opponents. Ned tried to maintain a calm demeanour as he returned courtesies for the message, even to paying over four shillings for the delivery. Not that his generosity was accepted with anything more that a disdainful grimace from the departing usher.
Thus since his ‘good lord’ called, any other matters must go hang. Ned would have cursed Cromwell if he thought it was any use, but what could not be cured must be endured. And once again with no time to change into more suitable dress-it was almost as if he needed to keep a spare set of court finery on hand at all times. Even so the cost in tailor’s fees for this week’s damage alone would run towards five gold angels, and after that he’d still need another set of finery within the month. The saints knew how courtiers afforded the expense, though he supposed that was one reason for such extensive bribery. They needed some way to keep decent clothes on their backs.