Chapter 8
After docking, Reginald Piper was charged with taking care of them. “The captain sends his apologies. He’d have liked to take you ashore himself, but he has to oversee the unloading of the convicts. Such is his responsibility.”
Lucien and Abel followed him down the gangplank to the jetty, where a small crowd of people had gathered, undoubtedly to await the arrival of loved ones. Lucien hardly gave them a second glance. He knew there’d be no one waiting for him.
Piper led them through the streets to the military barracks, not too far from the docks. He explained to the officer-in-charge what had happened, and after being asked a few questions, Lucien and Abel were taken by an officer named Charlesworth to a large dormitory, where the majority of enlisted men spent their nights.
