Jack opened his mouth to reply, then closed it, realizing anything he said now would only aggravate the situation. He stood in frustrated silence as the three men behind the bench conferred. It took but a few moments for them to reach a decision.

Ominously, the judge slipped on a black cap and gloves before addressing Jack. ‘After careful consideration, and in light of the serious nature of your crimes and those of your two absent companions, this court finds you guilty of all charges. The law is that you shall return to prison and from there be taken to a place of execution, where you shall be hanged by the neck till your body is dead. May the Lord have mercy upon your soul.’

8: The Gallows

The horse-drawn cart bumped and rumbled through the city, making its slow procession from the prison to the marketplace at Smithfield. Having been confined for the past three days to a stifling cell, the sunlight and comparatively fresh air were a relief to Jack. But he knew his enjoyment would be short-lived. Beside him in the cart were eight men and women, all unfortunate prisoners like him, sentenced to be hanged that morning. Two of them sat rocking in silent shock, while another two cried out for mercy and forgiveness; one man was blubbing to his wife as she trailed beside the cart, a screaming babe in her arms; two were stoic to their fate; and the last one was grinning.

‘What are you so pleased about?’ demanded Jack.

Porter’s grin widened. ‘I get to see you hang.’

Jack shot him an incredulous look. ‘But you’re going to hang too! The judges can’t have taken your willing co-operation into account after all.’

‘Oh, they did,’ Porter replied grimly. ‘This is lenient in their eyes. For my list of crimes, I should’ve been hung, drawn and quartered!’

Beyond the act of treason, Jack didn’t dare think what this vagabond might have done to warrant such a brutal punishment as that. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I suppose, justice is a double-edged sword.’

‘You call that justice,’ said Porter, nodding ahead.