Mir Pacifica

Published: 22 Jan 2018

Early the next morning brought a new surprise for Thomas. As he awoke he was met by his usual morning cafe and the smiling face of Fairley. Once his cafe was almost finished and Thomas had carried out his morning ablutions, Fairley then told him what lay in store for the day.

“Your coach will be here in a few minutes General and your baggage will follow in another cart. Colonel Colosio has made it clear that he and his Cavalry will be your escort and once you are safely home they will leave for the Colonel’s home. Your hacienda will be ready for when you arrive even though the works is still ongoing. George will be here shortly and go with you to Toro Bay as will Colonel Grey. Is there anything else you need General?”

“Yes Fairley, stop calling me bloody ‘General’! Those days are over and now I’m just a trader; well I will be if I can learn enough to make it pay.”

“Yes General. I will stop calling you ‘General’, General.”

Thomas did not miss the semblance of a giggle in his batman’s voice. If there was one thing he could count on it was that Fairley would not let his head swell and that the young teen would always be watching his back for him.

As promised, the coach arrived with his young driver sitting proudly on the driver’s seat. Thomas noted that the coach looked fresh and still had the shine of newness about its paintwork. As Thomas went outside and prepared to mount the coach he heard the sound of solid steps bearing towards where he stood. Turning his head Thomas saw the large figure of George walking towards him with a heavy looking kit bag over one shoulder and his strange wooden short spear in the other hand.

Thomas waited for George to step up beside him before he smiled at the large man.

“Welcome George, I hope you can enjoy the trip to my new home. Is there anything you need?”

George dropped the heavy kit bag to the ground before starting to use the secret language with his hands to tell Thomas that he had all he needed and was looking forward to the voyage back to his homeland.

Thomas thanked George for coming with him and then indicated he take a seat inside the coach but much to Thomas’s surprise George indicated he would prefer to sit with the driver and it was left for Fairley and Carmelo to take a seat inside with Thomas.

It was only moments before they were to leave on the three day journey to Toro Bay, that Thomas heard the clatter of massed hooves coming towards where he waited. Like always Estaban’s Cavalry was in perfect order and as the coach started to move they all took station along both sides of the single coach and the large cart that followed. While there was little chance of any attacks from brigands and much less from the French, Estaban was not about to take even the slightest of chances.

It would be weeks later before Thomas was to find that the now named Duke of Wellington had totally defeated Napoleon Bonaparte at a battle field called Waterloo in the far off country which was named the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. There would be no more terror from the French on the Iberian Peninsula. The same could not be said for the newly crowned King of Spain but that was in the future and Thomas along with his many friends would be well at sea before the deceit of the new King would come to light.

The journey to Toro Bay would take almost a full three days. They would stop at Boialva and Lieria before the final trip to Toro Bay on the coast, where he hoped to settle until all three ships were ready for sea. The pace of travel was kept to a slow trot so as not to tire the coach horses too much and they hoped to arrive in Boialva in the late hours of the afternoon where accommodations had already been booked for them by Senior Forsca’s son.

There was a stop at midday for lunch in a small village town just south of Gramido and across the river. The townsfolk were surprised at the arrival of such a large force but one look at the crest on the side of the coach and the town was laid open for them. Lunch took nearly two hours as was the fashion of the day and then the coach moved off with its escort for Boialva and a good night’s rest.

It was almost strange for Thomas to be travelling in such safety and comfort. A far cry from the tension and danger he had previously had to contend with over the last five plus years. Another surprise was awaiting Thomas and his friends when they reached the town of Boialva. At the first sign of the black coach entering the town, the word flew around in very short order that the famous hero, Don Thomasino De Toro had arrived in their town and was rumoured to be staying the night.

On arrival at the only sizeable inn in the town, Thomas and his friends were greeted by none other than the Mayor himself along with a large number of the town council and a huge crowd which was forming quickly. Any chance of Thomas having an early night was quickly dispelled by firstly, a long welcome speech by the Mayor, and then the vast preparations for a town-wide fiesta to celebrate the arrival of such a famous personage.

Thomas spent most of the night and well into the late hours being inundated with words of gratitude for what he and his men had done for the country and its people. Any chance of a long rest was now out the window and Thomas was now dreading the next day’s travel.

It was close to the midnight hour before Thomas and most of his friends could make their way to the rooms booked for them at the inn. If Thomas thought this had been a night to remember then he was in for a bigger shock on his arrival in Leiria, but that was yet to come.

With the help of Carmelo and Fairley, Thomas made his rather unsteady way to the inn where they were expected. The next morning was going to be one of those where Thomas once again and for perhaps the tenth time in his life; promised himself to give up drinking to excess on occasions like this event.

As much as Thomas did not want to leave his bed the next morning, there was little chance of sleeping late. As he sipped his cafe and watched Carmelo dress with apparently no effect from the festivities of last evening, Fairley appeared through the door and said, “General, there are two rough looking street urchins wanting to talk to you.”

“What did I tell you about the ‘general’ thing Fairley? What do they want?”

“I did not ask them General but they do look awful rough around the edges if I may say so.”

Thomas frowned at Fairley with his best ‘don’t call me General’ look and then took another sip of his cafe before answering.

“Well you might as well show them in. I hope they don’t want to join us as I think we have more than enough tagging along as it is.”

“Getting a bit posh are we General? No time for the riff raff now the Frenchies is done?”

“Don’t you start on me Fairley. It’s too bloody early in the morning and my head aches, so just go and get these boys and let’s see what they want.”

Fairley left the room to go back outside. Had Thomas been able to see the smile on his face he may well have known that his batman was up to something. Thomas finished his cafe just as Fairley came back, opened the door, and announced in his best attempt at a posh voice, “Don Thomasino may I present messers Marking and Marking.”

Had Thomas still been drinking his cafe, he may well have spluttered it all over the table when he heard the names and then watched the two boys walk in. Sergio and Carlito were dressed in their best Spanish style clothes and both had wide smiles on their faces as they saw their friend and savioured a look of disbelief on his face.

“What the bloody hell are you two doing here?” Thomas had even mispronounced his Spanish in his disbelief at seeing the two teens standing before him. He had thought they would still be at Toro Bay and not here in Boialva.

“Ah Patron, we could not bear the thought of waiting longer to join you again so came on horseback to meet you here. There is such a hurry and rush at the Hacienda and little for us to do, so we came to escort you to your new home.”

“Well as you can see Don Estaban had the same idea but I have to say I am glad to see you both. Have you had a good time since I last saw you both?”

“Yes Patron, it was a very good time once the Senor Carterton had the new kitchen built but there is so much noise and dust we had to get away and so here we are.”

“And I suppose you have plans of following me over the sea as well?”

“But of course Patron, how would you eat if we were not there to cook for you?” Sergio replied.

Thomas could only chuckle at the reply before grasping both teens by the shoulder and giving them a good hard hug in welcome. The rest of that day’s travel went much as the day before except for the midday meal which was taken by the side of the road and well clear of any town. Thomas had already had enough fussing for one trip and wanted to avoid any celebration if at all possible.

Leiria proved to be even more of a task for Thomas than Boialva had been. Any chance he could have sneaked into and out of the town unnoticed was thrown to the winds as soon as his coach was seen on the road outside the town.

As seemed normal for the times, the word of his passage to the south had gone ahead of them faster than any horse could gallop; the ability for rumour to move at speed still astounded Thomas when he saw it in action.

Another late night was spent in Leiria. Although this time Thomas watched his consumption of the many offered wines more closely than he had the night before, which then allowed him to rise earlier and with a clearer head.

The next morning and Thomas was starting to feel as though he was coming home. With every step of the horses he knew he was that much closer and was starting to welcome the thought of laying in his own bed. As the entourage moved through the open plains that spread wide before the coast, Thomas could sit in peace even though the sun was now well high enough to cause the heat to have an effect on those travelling at a steady pace.

Thomas leaned back into the leather padded seat and closed his eyes as he let his ears tell him about his surroundings. There was the sound of his coach horses on the rough road; their steady trotting pace was almost like small drums beating out a rhythm as the odd creak of a wheel and axel, as it dipped into a pot hole, acted as an extra tempo.

To each side and behind the coach, Thomas could hear the creaking of saddlery and the jingle of the metal parts of the horses tack as they trotted alongside the coach. Thomas knew that had it still been during war time there would have been a completely different feeling in the air instead of the strange sense of peace that he now felt.

Once again they had stopped way out in the open for their midday meal which they took their time with; they were now so much closer to his final destination that Thomas and the others felt there was little need for haste.

It was late afternoon and the entourage was now less than a half hour from Toro Bay. The men were all looking forward to the end of their journey until those riding at the front of the procession suddenly stopped when Pablo Cavalino, who was riding at the very front of the escort, raised his hand for the column to halt immediately.

As the long column came to a creaking halt and as the horses shuffled their hooves in the rough roadway, Thomas suddenly heard the sound that had made Pablo stop in such a hurry. From somewhere ahead came the distant but unmistakeable sound of drums. Thomas suddenly swore under his breath as he realised what it was they were all now hearing. It was the rest of his drummers that had stayed behind at the Hacienda and they were now welcoming him back to his new home in the only way they knew how.

Thomas called for Estaban to get moving again, there was going to be no stopping those ahead from doing what they wanted to do, so he might just as well grin and bear it. The column turned the last bend before the hacienda and it was then that Thomas saw a small figure high up on the ridge watching them from horseback. He had been the one to warn those at the building site of Thomas’s approach.

From what Thomas could see of the building site it appeared as though there was construction of one sort or another going on all over the place in what seemed like little order.

The road he was now on was bordered on the landward side by a new three foot high stone wall. On the other side of the wall was a stretch of about twenty yards of rough ground covered in tough looking scrub and grasses.

Amongst the scrub Thomas could see long haired goats grazing casually and only occasionally lifting their heads to see what all the fuss was about. Twenty yards from the roadside wall was another but this one was much higher; almost five feet. In the distance he could see some of his large black bulls grazing. There was no sign of any of his horses but he knew that the land that sloped upward to the ridge top would probably be where they were held, on the other side and out of sight.

Thomas turned back to the approaching hacienda. The surprise for Thomas was its huge size. He had imagined his new home would be a small house with just enough space for him to live comfortably. But what he saw before him was nothing short of huge and imposing; especially as there were no other buildings within miles of his new home.

The hacienda sat above the bay and overlooked the area that would now be the companies own private docking area. The beach was small loose stone but the dock was now far wider than when he had last seen it. It appeared that Mister Carterton had been satisfied with the length of the dock, as it edged right onto deep water. But he had decided to widen it and the work was still in progress even as Thomas looked out into the bay which held three smaller ships with the blue flag of MSC flying at their mast tops.

The drums were now as loud as they would ever get as Thomas’s coach drew to a stop outside a pair of imposing new gates. His cavalry escort rode on past the gates and into a smaller field off to the south of the hacienda.

As Thomas stood up to leave the coach, the drums came to a crashing crescendo before stopping all at once. Seconds later there was an even louder sound as every man and boy around sent up a resounding cheering as Thomas stepped from the coach. The Patron had returned and they all wanted to show their thanks to him for taking so many of them out of poverty and giving them a home to be proud of.

Waiting for Thomas was a very happy and smiling Timothy Carterton while all over the place were hundreds upon hundreds of men and teens. Most could be easily made out to be tradesmen while the younger ones were mainly those of his previous force but all had one thing in common. They had come to build their Patron’s home.

There was only one event that caused a little silence to come over the large crowd. It was when George stood up and stepped down from the front of the coach. None of those present had seen such a man before. His size was imposing and his sense of assuredness was backed up by the fierceness his strange tattoos gave him. George seemed totally unconcerned at some of the looks he was getting as he heaved his large kit bag from under the seat and set it on the ground by his side.

Thomas turned back to Timothy Carterton as the whispers began to spread around the large crowd.

“How are you Timothy? It’s so good to see you again, you have done a remarkable job here given how little time has passed.”

“Hello General, yes we’ve had a lot of extra help I had not planned on so things have gone along at a good pace. How was your return home to England, your family is in good health I hope?”

“Yes they are all doing well thank you Timothy and you can cut out the ‘general’ part, those days are done. Now if you could show me where I can put my head for the night perhaps we can meet tomorrow and you can tell me what is going on here. I was not expecting to see such a house! How ever you got it built so fast is far beyond my understanding but perhaps we can go into that tomorrow.”

“Yes it can all wait until then but I’m afraid you will not be getting an early night tonight. The boys have got something planned for your welcome home and you can guess what that’s going to mean.”

Thomas almost let out a groan as he got a vivid picture in his mind of what lay ahead for the rest of the waning daylight and into the night time proper. For the next hour there were a lot of handshakes and back slapping to go through before Thomas could escape into the large bedroom that had been prepared for him on the second floor. Below on the main floor they were still working on the many finishing touches that would eventually make up his home. Only the kitchen was fully complete and that was due mainly to the insistence of Diego and Carlito in the early part of the construction.

There was no lack of willing hands to swiftly carry Thomas’s baggage from the wagon to the upper floor where Fairley was already at work sorting out and putting away what seemed to be an unnecessary amount of goods that Thomas had somehow accumulated in his travels and that Fairley had kept a close eye on.

At the first sight of Thomas’s arrival there had been an instant tools down, and now everyone was working hard to set up for his welcome home. In the large kitchen were so many people it was almost difficult to move around and yet Diego and Carlito seemed to have everything running without pause.

Outside a huge number of men were setting up long trestle tables and preparing a fire pit, while ten boys were busy preparing lamps for when the night arrived. Thomas could only stand and wonder as he watched the preparations going on below him. His position on the second story veranda gave him a good view all along the waterfront as well as the land immediately to each side of the long open space that stretched from one side of the house to the other.

Thomas watched as nearly every man from the three ships started to walk towards the house where the preparations were going on. A number of the sailors were carrying small casks on their shoulders and it took little imagination for Thomas to know what the casks held.

The celebration for his return did not leave Thomas with many memories the next day. As much as he tried to watch his intake of food and drink there was just too much going on and his head told him the next morning, he had once again gone too far.

On opening his bleary eyes after sleeping well past midday, the first thing he saw was the ever smiling face of Fairley. Of Carmelo there was no sign. From outside came the noises of carpenters and stone masons at their work which to Thomas seemed to echo through his skull as the first smell of fresh cafe hit his nostrils.

Slowly Thomas sat up and with an unsteady hand reached for his cafe while Fairley watched as he set out fresh clothing for Thomas. The amusement on Fairley’s face did not go unnoticed by Thomas.

“What are you smiling about? One word out of you and it’s the wet ground for you to sleep on.”

“Yes General. Shall I inform the others that you will join them for lunch, General?”

“Lunch! What the hell is the time?”

“Lunch time General, the others are waiting for you at table. It’s out on the lower patio facing the bay.”

“Well go tell them I will be right there but I don’t think I can eat anything just yet but another cafe will help.”

“Stomach a bit iffy is it General?”

“Shut up Fairley and for once in your life do as you’re told and stop with the bloody ‘general’ all the time.”

“Yes General.”

“Fairley…” Thomas let a growl enter his voice.

“Just leaving General.”

Thomas finished off his cafe and then very gingerly eased himself from the comfortable bed. As yet he had not really had time to look through his new home and his head was in no state to do that just yet. After a quick wash to clear his eyes, Thomas dressed in the plain clothes set out for him and left to find the front patio.

After dodging past or around workers inside the house he finally found his way to the patio and saw the others all sitting waiting for him. Most had a very satisfied look on their face as they watched him wince when he was hit by the first full sunlight.

Thomas looked along the table and saw a number of new faces, most were looking at him with respect and a little awe on their faces. It was only his close friends that had the look of amusement showing and none of them looked in the least unrepentant at his condition.

The table was long and built in a somewhat rustic fashion and yet it suited the patio and the environs. At the head was his large carved chair that Estaban had given him so long ago and to its left and right sat Carmelo and Estaban. Their chairs were also newly made and of the same heavy duty but rustic style as the large table. Standing off to one side were Carlito and Sergio who would have the food carried from their new kitchen just as soon as Thomas was seated.

Sitting on the table in front of Thomas’s place was a familiar small glass with its liquid looking once again like some sort of gunk. Thomas looked at the smiling face of Carmelo. “You’re going to try to make me drink that bloody poison again, aren’t you?”

“Of course Patron, did I not fix your little problem last time?”

“Yes but the bloody taste stayed with me for days… I think I would rather suffer.”

Thomas took his chair and sat while the others followed suit. With everyone now seated and the two teens starting to bring out the food, Thomas asked who the new men were at the table.

Timothy Carterton began the introductions as he went around the table and pointed to the newcomers and told Thomas their names and professions. The new men were all the owners or foremen of the workers that had come from far and wide to build the hacienda for Thomas. This was the first chance most had had to meet the young man who had done so much for their countries.

Once again, Thomas had had to close his eyes and pinch his nose to drink Carmelo’s concoction but the effects soon made it all worthwhile. Thomas had the fleeting thought that Carmelo probably set him up to drink too much just to see his face as he tried to drink down the foul smelling liquid.

As it was always the way, Lunch went on for more than two hours and the discussions on what had yet to be done and how to do it all was the main topic of conversation. Outside the workers had all stopped during the heat of the day and were also relaxing after eating well from the kitchens.

With lunch finally over and the sun lowering enough that the afternoon breeze could cool the land, Thomas and his friends thanked the overseers for their time and efforts so far. After the men had left it was time for Thomas to finally get a good look at what Timothy Carterton had been up to and where his plans would take the new home.

With the large table cleared Timothy laid out a number of hand drawn plans and began to explain it all to Thomas and his friends. The first map was of his land holdings; Thomas was amazed at the detail and fine work of the plan and made an instant note in his head to have this one framed and placed on a wall within the house. As they talked over the plans, Thomas could hear the tap, tap, tapping of a carvers hammer as he worked on finishing the large carved plaque on the front doors that would depict his coat of arms.

After some time the final decision on the plans had been made and Thomas asked Timothy Carterton to guide him through the property and reveal all that had been done, there were so many work sites within the lands that he had not had a chance to see or understand it all.

Timothy reached for another unrolled plan and tucked it under his arm as he led Thomas off to view everything. The first thing Thomas asked about was the high wall surrounding three sides of the villa. The walls were about ten feet high and had a step built against the wall that was about five feet tall and ran the full length of the three sides; there were a number of masons still working on the top of the wall fixing what appeared to be crenulations.

“What’s going on with the wall Timothy?”

“Well Thomas, as you may know it is the fashion of the Iberians to wall their villas but I thought we could make it as part of your security as well. The lower part is for a firing step and the crenulations are to act as firing ports in case you get attacked in the future.”

Thomas nodded at the common sense of the idea, in these torrid days so soon after the war it was not unknown that many brigands and gangs would go about the countryside attacking anything they thought they could win over.

Thomas’s new villa being so far from any support could just as well be a target for such raids and Carterton’s innate ability to look ahead had prepared Thomas’s new home for any eventuality including wild raiders.

After walking past the end wall that was open and looking out into the bay Thomas pointed out what appeared to be construction going on high above the entrance to the bay. There was one on each side of the tall bluffs but Thomas could not quite make out what was going on and asked Timothy for an explanation.

“We are putting two redoubts up there to watch the entrance. There will be two artillery pieces mounted in each redoubt and a watch roster will be set for those staying behind. As you can see we have almost finished the extension on the docks, the men are fitting the last of the cap stones now and should be all done within the week. The redoubts will have a good view out to sea and any ship trying to enter that is not flying the company flag will be warned with a single shot. If they persist then the others will open fire. With the height of the redoubts any ship would have trouble raising their own guns to reply.”

Thomas nodded his understanding but could not for the life of him see why it would be needed. Turning back to look landward, Thomas then asked about the strange set up for the fencing across the road.

“Well Thomas I looked at all the possibilities for any attack on your home and after talking it over with the others we all came to the conclusion the villa was in a good defendable place so took advantage of the natural lay of the land. The front fence is to slow any attack in that direction. After any army fought to take the wall they would then have to climb over it and then be met with the rough ground and scrub. Moving through that they would then be open to return fire from the much higher wall as they struggled with the ground underfoot. If they were able to breach the higher wall they would then find themselves in open ground but facing a number of very angry bulls. Just along the top of the ridge is another defendable wall which the men would have retreated to but by the path on each side of the main field. If you look to the north you will see what looks like three stone shepherd huts high up on the side of the ridge. They are in fact three more disguised redoubts. The entrance into them is from the rear and totally unseen from the roadway and the large wooden shutters on the front are in fact false. When thrown open they will reveal six firing ports for the men inside to fire at those on the road below. Each redoubt can house a dozen men so they would be able to keep up a good rate of fire, especially using your double barrelled muskets. The area to the south is much the same and with the same advantages.”

Thomas looked in both directions as things were explained to him. He could still not really reconcile the need for such protection until Timothy was turning back towards the villa and began to talk once again.

“As you saw on the plans we will be erecting a large warehouse and extra barn on land above the dock for any cargo left here and the barn will be used to house the rest of the artillery pieces in case they are ever needed. I have had news from Spain that Don Estaban passed on to me but had asked that you not be concerned with it until now. It would appear that the Spanish King, Ferdinand the 7^th, has begun to turn on his countrymen just as Prince Pimentel forecast. It appears the King is doing his best to rid himself of anyone involved with the Cortez or those he deems a threat to his reign. Fortunately Don Estaban has such a reputation in Spain as does the Prince that they are so far safe from his wrath. Unfortunately he seems to be deathly afraid of one Don Thomasino De Toro and has declared you to be an enemy of Spain and has put the price of ten thousand gold on your head. There was a rumour that he tried to invalidate your title but was finally convinced by his advisors that it may make the people rise up against him. It was with this information that we decided to make your villa as defendable as we could even though you may be away for some time but I also think that you have far more friends here in Portugal than he has agents so there is a certain safety in having your home here.”

Thomas was surprised that the far off King would think him a threat and was now glad he had made the decision to go travelling until the air cleared and things settled down after the long and arduous war.

After entering his new home and with Timothy along to point out all the rooms, it took another half an hour before Thomas could return to the patio and sit to watch the three ships in the bay prepare for sea. It was at a time like this that Thomas began to feel his full seventeen years and he began to wonder what the future would hold for him on this new adventure when he took to the seas.

As the sun began to sink into the west, Thomas looked back over the last six years of his torrid life and could still only marvel at how he had survived but now he had a new life to look forward to. It was the 29^th of May and the heat of the day was only now beginning to ease as the soft footsteps of Fairley came towards him with a cool drink, as he watched the mass of workmen set down their tools after another hard day at their labours.

Thomas sighed as he watched the sun send its last rays into the sky in a bright show of colours that lit the sky in a pallet of reds, oranges and purples. The sound of his friends footsteps walking towards him on the stone tiles of the patio made Thomas raise his head and send a warm smile in their direction, it was indeed a good day to be alive.

TBC

You are reading Book 3 of Thomas Markings incredible journey. Let Arthur know what you think of this latest chapter. Arthur at CastleRoland dot Net