Date: Sat, 25 Jan 2020 16:40:44 +0000 (UTC) From: Peter Brown Subject: Last of the Line Chapter 34 Last of the Line by badboi666 =============================================================================== If sex with boys isn't your thing, go away. If, as is much more likely, you've come to this site precisely to get your rocks off reading about sex with 14-year-olds then make yourself comfortable - you're in the right place. Don't leave, however, without doing this: Donate to Nifty - these buggers may do it for love but they still have to eat. http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html =============================================================================== Chapter 34 I threw open the tent flap. Jacob was standing there with a knife in his hand, blood visible on the blade. "He's dead! Amos, he's dead!" I ran to get my Father - he would know what to do. No more than 15 seconds had passed between my seeing Jacob and the bloody knife and my Father witnessing it also. "Have you killed him, boy?" he whispered. Jacob was stunned. "No, no, I ... I was with you." My Father sent me to Rueben. "Get him here, but don't make a fuss so that others are alerted." Half a minute later Rueben was kneeling by Gideon's body. "He's been dead for at least half an hour," he said. Jacob fainted. "What's the matter with him?" asked Rueben. My Father explained that Jacob feared he would be seen as the murderer, but that he and I had been talking to Jacob from the moment the two of us left Rueben's tent. "So who can it be?" mused Rueben. As Gideon and my Father were the two camp elders it fell to my Father to raise the alarm. I don't believe that anyone expected that Gideon had been killed by some stranger who had suddenly appeared in camp to do murder, and just as suddenly disappeared again: no, the murderer was one of us. Jacob and I sat as far from the fire as we could while my Father and Rueben told what had happened. Twenty six men sat silently. Most, I knew, would already have heard about our discovery with Jed and William, and some, I knew, would have smiled to themselves relieved, perhaps, that they had not been the ones caught fucking out on the knoll. Twenty five of them had no knowledge of what had happened to Gideon in his last moments. One knew. Would he remain silent and undiscovered for ever? Would he slip away in the night? Would he stand and boast that he had done it, daring us to apprehend him? I saw one of the men get up and walk away - was this the murderer making his escape? To my horror I saw it was William. He walked slowly away then, straining my ears, I heard the sound of piss pattering against the brushwood on the ground. My heart rose. William strolled back and came to side beside me. "Are you all right?" he whispered. "I am, but Gideon has beaten Jacob severely." William grunted. "He was punished severely." "Who by?" I whispered. "Can't you guess, Amos? He's done it before." "How do you know?" "I don't, but I can't believe there are two murderers in our little group, can you? You haven't been with him, have you? I mean fucking." I shook my head. "What about Jacob?" I whispered the question to Jacob, who shook his head, causing him some discomfort. "That's a mercy." "What will they do? To Harry, I mean." "What can they do, Amos? We don't know it's him for certain, do we." While we had been whispering many of the men had said that they were witnesses to others of the company being engaged in drinking, or talking, and could vouch that they were not the killer. After several minutes there remained only three people who had not been witnessed by any others: Jed, Harry and a fairly recent arrival called Lucky. Lucky was a few years older than I - 19 or 20 perhaps - and very slender. William nudged me quietly. "I wonder why Jed is being so slow in saying where he was. What do you think, Amos?" I didn't know what he meant. "If it were daylight, and if you strolled past Lucky, Amos, do you think he might have held your gaze and smiled?" I turned to him with a knowing look. "Yes, Amos, and tonight wasn't their first little escapade. When you and Jed were discovered Jed's needs were not wholly satisfied." I smiled in remembrance of that terrible few moments - now overlain with much more terrifying events. "Lucky will have been only too keen to help, as he has with me and most of the others. I think Jed and Lucky are each waiting for the other to own up to the latest of tonight's revelations." I realised that William was thoroughly enjoying himself. A voice called out from the ring by the fire. "Jed, stand up, and I will also." William hissed, "that's Lucky. Now watch the fun." Jed and Lucky stood. Jed said clearly, "some of you decided to creep up on William and me while we were fucking Amos and Jacob. That's no great secret, and if you don't like it, that's tough. Gideon didn't like it either, and he beat Jacob half to death. Someone didn't like that, and went in and killed Gideon. There's but three of us without a witness to say we could not have done it. But neither could Lucky or me, because we were busy finishing the business that was interrupted out there. Yes, lads, we were fucking, and if you don't like it, as I said, that's too bad. Lucky, come here." It cost a supreme effort not to stand up and cheer, but my Father's wise words came to me in time to keep me seated and silent. "Well, Harry?" said my Father. Harry jumped up, shouting that it wasn't him. "Why would I want to kill him?" No-one spoke; the silence went on. At length my Father sighed. "We all know that someone here killed Gideon. Until we find out who it was we must each of us be very wary. Until now there has been trust among us. There have been disagreements, and sometimes blows have been exchanged, but always there has been a bond - the miners' bond - for each of us looks out for the others when danger lurks." Again the silence. After a few minutes some of the men got up to go to their tents, and soon only Jacob, William, Rueben and I were left with my Father. He sighed. "Rueben," he said, "you saw the wound. Could any of us have made it?" Rueben shrugged. "I guess so, Joel, it was straight to his neck. It wouldn't have taken much strength - only a sharp blade." William moved close to my Father. "I saw Harry near Gideon's tent," he said quietly, "and it's nowhere near his own." "When?" my Father said eagerly, "when, man?" "A few minutes after the screaming; we all heard it, and many of us saw Jacob being led off to Rueben. I had been with Jacob, and I was worried for him - Gideon is - was - a strong man and could have harmed you, Jacob. I lingered, wondering whether to remonstrate with him when I saw the two who had restrained him leave. If I had then perhaps he would still be alive. I saw Harry go in." "Yes, William, what then?" "There was no sound, but Harry left again less than a minute later." "And you can swear to this?" "Aye, Joel. And the boy returned with your boy here from Rueben's tent not long after - twenty minutes at most." "Did you not go in to Gideon after Harry had gone? You were going to remonstrate, you said?" William sighed. "No, Joel, I had thought differently. I waited for Jacob to return - I wanted to speak with him, to say how sorry I was that our fucking and being discovered had brought such pain and humiliation to him. No-one else entered Gideon's tent after Harry left it." My Father sighed. "I believe you, William, but whether others will I cannot say. It would be your word against Harry's. Unless others can be found who saw what you saw I cannot see that there can be a resolution. Please, all of you, say nothing if this to a soul." There were murmurs of agreement. I felt a quiet pride in my heart - pride that my Father could be so strong and so clear about such a dark and misty matter. Jacob asked if he could sleep in our tent. "I cannot bear to sleep with my father's body," he whispered. "No, lad, that would be wrong. There is room in my tent," said Rueben, "and I will be able to bind your wounds properly. Come," and the two of them left us. "William," said my Father heavily, "go and find Jed. The two of you and Amos will redeem yourselves by dealing with poor Gideon." Five minutes later the four of us, equipped with shovels, started to dig a grave. It took us most of the night, for the ground was rocky and hard to excavate. At length my Father called a halt. "It is not as deep as it should be, but we cannot spend longer. Tomorrow - no, this morning - we will bury him. Now go, the two of you and take what sleep you can. Thank you, lads," and he pulled me to him, kissing my forehead. My Father and I went to Rueben's tent as it grew light. He shook Rueben gently, and he awoke with a start. "Ssh!" whispered my Father, "there is no alarm. But I need you to come with me and attend to Gideon's body." He told me to stay with Jacob. "Sleep if you can, Amos, even if only for an hour." When they had gone I lay down beside Jacob. I would have loved to cuddle him, to tell him that I would make the nightmare go away, but such foolishness soon passed. His poor bruised face touched my soul: how could a father treat his son so? Blood was still trickling from his ear, and I resolved that we would set off to seek a doctor that very day. When all the miners were awake and the fires were lit for breakfast my Father called out that a grave had been dug for Gideon, and that we would all bury him before any work was done. He came over to where I was awake - Jacob still slept uneasily - and told me that he and Rueben had washed the body and wrapped it in a cloth. "It would not be a fitting shroud back home, I fear, but 'tis the best we can do here in the wilderness. God will forgive us." He did not tell me until later that he and Rueben had looked most carefully at the great wound in Gideon's neck, hoping perhaps that it contained some secret that would confirm that Harry had done it, but nothing of use came from their examination. ***** We buried Gideon that morning. My Father read words from the Bible. None wept - not even Jacob. Many eyes covertly glanced at Harry, but he showed no signs of remorse or guilt. After the earth had been laid again over the body most of the men, embarrassed now that there was nothing left for them to do, went back to work. Rueben looked again at Jacob's ear. I said that I was going to start with Jacob that day. Rueben nodded. "Make sure he doesn't tire himself, and that you find a comfortable place for him tonight. You should be in San Francisco ere dark tomorrow." It was hard, but Jacob manfully strode on with me as we made our way down the familiar track. That night I found a cosy dell and made him as comfortable as I could. His aches and pains must have troubled him, but he said that the walking was easing the worst of them. His ear still bled a little. We reached the city in the late afternoon, and luckily were able to find a doctor before he went home himself. I told him what had happened and he snorted, muttering that violent behaviour was only to be expected among miners. I managed to keep back any retort. Many minutes passed before he came out of his room. "Your friend is in great peril," he said, "I wish to have someone more skilled that I to examine his head." I was alarmed. "Peril of his life?" I said. He shook his head. "I cannot say, but we will take him to the hospital." This was becoming far too hazardous, and I felt that - much as I wished to be responsible for Jacob's welfare - what was besetting him was far beyond my abilities. I nodded, "yes doctor. We can pay." ***** Even now, 15 years later, I find it painful to remember the next few days. Two hours passed while I waited, and at length a second doctor came to find me. Ascertaining that I was responsible for Jacob he said that the news was grave. "Your friend's beating has caused an injury to his brain far more serious than those to his body. Walking from the mine has not helped, but I guess you had no choice about that. I have examined him thoroughly, and I have to tell you that I do not think he will live more than a few months. He will gradually lose the ability to do simple things and in several weeks he is unlikely to be able to talk clearly. I am so sorry, for he is young and fit. I will keep him here tonight - there will be no charge - and you can take him tomorrow. I have arranged with the doctor who brought him here that he will tell you what you should do to give Jacob comfort." He shook my hand, saying again that he was sorry. The doctor told me what medicine Jacob would find useful, although he made it clear that nothing could be done to reverse, or even to slow, the progress of his malady. "Laudanum will help towards the end," he said, "and you will wish to bring him comfort then." I asked whether Jacob would be able to walk back to the mine, for I could think of nowhere else where he could be looked after. "Yes, it will make no difference to his affliction," he said, "but make slow journeys, I beg of you." "Does he know what will become of him?" I asked. He shook his head. "No, not knowing his mental state my colleague did not wish to tell him." I swallowed. My burden was become ever heavier. I thanked him, saying I would return in the morning. It was now well after 9 in the evening and I had no lodging. My steps turned in the only direction they knew. I knocked at the door of the woman who was looking after Seth. She was astonished to see me, but happily bade me in when I told her why I was in Barbary. She took me to see my son, asleep with his thumb in his mouth. My heart turned over with love for him. How could a father beat his son to death? I vowed that I would protect my son with every breath in my body. The woman had no room where I could sleep so I paid for a cheap room in a doss house. The following morning I went to bring Jacob home, but he insisted on going into Barbary with me first. "We must talk, Amos," he said earnestly. I found a tavern where we could buy breakfast and talk. As soon as mugs of coffee and plates of bacon and eggs lay before us I realised how hungry I was. Jacob fell to as though he hadn't eaten for a week. "What is happening to me?" he asked when his plate was done. I had feared this question, and had asked myself whether, had it been happening to me, I should wish to know the truth. It had come to me that I could not forgive someone who kept from me that I was to die soon, for without forewarning how I could say farewell to the people and places I loved? Death may come to old men unannounced, but surely old men are aware that death cannot long be delayed: for boys of 17 that was very far from true. I took a mouthful of coffee, postponing the moment a second or two longer. "Give me your hand, Jacob," I said, "for the news is grave. The doctors say that the injury to your head will ... will lead to your death in a short while. I am so sorry." He squeezed my hand. "Do not be sorry, Amos: the news is grave but you are not to blame. How soon will it be?" I told him what the doctor had told me. "And I will be fit for a few weeks, they think, before ... before ..." "Yes, Jacob, and they think we can return to the camp if we do so more slowly." He smiled - I was astounded. It almost seemed that he was accepting the awful fate which lay before him. "We will set off today then," he said, "and you will look after me. But first we must go to the bank." "Are you sure, Jacob? Do you not wish to start our journey now?" But he was adamant. He insisted that I come with him. We both knew the bank well, as both we and our fathers had made frequent deposits of gold. To my astonishment Jacob instructed the bank to transfer all his deposit to our account. "Why, Jacob?" I cried. "I will have no need of it, Amos, and my father's needs are long gone." He explained to the banker that Gideon had been killed in an accident three days afore, and the banker asked him to sign an affidavit to that effect. I watched in disbelief as the transfer was made, making my Father and me more than twice as wealthy as we had been minutes earlier. "There," said Jacob, "now we can set off for home. For home it is for me, Amos, and that is where I shall die, among friends." Even though we were still in the presence of the banker I could not prevent my eyes from betraying me. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I looked up amazed. It looked as though the Cunliffe wealth was in large part due to a murder in California in 1852 - to two murders, perhaps. I wanted to read more - to find out about Jacob's last days: Jacob whose generosity to his friend Amos was evident in the bricks surrounding me. I reflected on how tenuous that thread had been: had not two queer couples been discovered fucking Gideon would not have beaten Jacob, and both of them would, like Joel and Amos, presumably have built on their wealth during their normal life span, and founded their own family. It was a reminder of how much random chance could come along and fuck things up. I needed Billy; I needed to remind him that I loved him, just in case I didn't live long enough to tell him in bed that night. Amos was reaching out and touching me. I put Amos away and went over to where Billy was engaged with Thomas Cromwell. He looked up. "Hello, Dab." I knelt at his feet and took his hands in mine. "I love you," I whispered. "You're crying," he said softly, "what has Amos done to you?" ***** It was very rare for us to go to bed and make love in the afternoon: that made our love-making that day all the more tender and poignant. There were times, as you know, when fierce fucking was what both of us wanted, but Billy, sensitive to my moods as he always was, knew that I needed to be wooed almost, fucked as one might fuck a new lover, anxious that every touch, every gesture, every word should be designed to build a gossamer structure of indescribable tenderness. Afterwards I lay in his arms. "Amos has made me very grateful," he whispered, "I think I love him almost as much as I love you." I'd love to be able to recapture that afternoon. Everything about it was perfect. But it couldn't last. I had made an appointment to talk to Dunstable and Wilbye at 4 o'clock, and if I was to appear fresh and interested I would need a shower. "Come on," I said, breaking the spell, "work. Can you bring tea for three into Dunstable at 4?" "Very good, your Lordship." His Lordship and the footman (or whatever he was) kissed tenderly before, as he rose from his bed, the footman slapped the lordly arse. "We must do this more often." A wish it would be good to fulfil, I thought, although the emotional release I needed after reading about Jacob and Amos might never be needed again to quite the same extent. ***** I learned more in the next two hours about the wider aspects of the Estate than I thought possible. Wilbye - a desiccated fellow of 40 or so - took me through all the agricultural property in Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire. I owned 1,700 acres in Lincolnshire and a somewhat smaller acreage over the county line in Cambridgeshire. "What do we grow? How is it managed?" I asked. "Mainly potatoes and sugar beet, with some cabbage in Lincolnshire. Wheat and soft fruit in Cambridgeshire. Each farm has a tenant who is paid a salary and there is a bonus scheme which rewards higher production than we expect. The tenant employs whatever staff are needed, and we pay the tenant to pay their wages." "How many people are involved". "It varies seasonally, but there are always 15 over the two counties. We've rarely needed many seasonal workers as we don't harvest much by hand, but the soft fruit always needs extra hands for picking." "And all this produces the bulk of the Estate's income?" "Around 65% on average. The brewery brings in around 15% and the rental from the remaining portfolio of commercial premises the balance." I was surprised - I wasn't aware we still had commercial premises. "Where are they?" Wilbye passed me a sheet. "They're listed here. There used to be far more, but your great-grandfather sold them to buy more land - he was right to do so, by the way." There were offices in three towns all within 50 miles of here. Wilbye waited while I studied the list. "Do you recommend any changes?" I asked. I remembered that on my 15th birthday we'd agreed that things should go on as they were, but it did no harm to become more involved. Dunstable shook his head. "No, things are stable now. The rental income from the property is secure and as for the brewery, well, beer will never go out of fashion." I smiled at the recollection of the secondary use made of the beer - my beer - in the Sling Room. "And the farms?" "Food is fetching higher prices than ever," said Wilbye, "but with the economy much more stable now, they may not go on growing at the same rate. But we grow what people will always need to buy, so I would not recommend any change." A grave mistake, as it would turn out, but even with hindsight I don't think any change we might have made would have made any difference in the long term. =============================================================================== The fun continues in Chapter 35 as Sebastian and Dodo set off together, and we meet new staff members. I'm conscious that there hasn't been a lot of explicit sex in the last two chapters, but it was necessary to advance the two plot threads if this tale is to finish before it starts to rival War and Peace. Seb will be coming to lunch tomorrow, however, and it is unlikely that his visit will go undetailed. Drop me a line at badboi666@btinternet.com - that is after you've dropped nifty a few quid. ===============================================================================