‘Aye lads, I’m no longer the William Gisborne you once knew. Now, I am … William the Dark!’
A collective gasp rippled through the huddled men.
‘And the first evil practice tha’ Captain Liversage forced me intae, tae corrupt me’ pure soul an’ twist an’ destroy it, was tae … eat only fruits an’ vegetables!’
William jumped up with a maniacal roar, and the others fell back in fear – before quickly raising puzzled eyebrows and looking around in perplexed confusion.
‘Wh-, what?’ Paul stammered. ‘Wait, what on earth are you on about, Will?’
William laughed uproariously, slapping his thigh with enthusiastic vigour as he did so.
‘I got yous! I had all ay yous!’
‘Bloody hell Will, that wasnae funny!’ Paul whined. ‘Tellin’ us you’d sold your bleedin’ soul tae the devil an’ what not. Crikey, man!’
William couldn’t stop laughing, and his glee was so infectious that the others couldn’t help but join in.
‘You lot shouldnae be so gullible as tae believe all tha’ nonsense the lads are spoutin’ about Captain Liversage,’ he said.
‘I suppose we deserved tha’,’ Andrew admitted sheepishly. ‘But there must be something ay a grain ay truth tae the rumours, surely?’
‘Captain Liversage is indeed a practitioner ay a number ay Eastern philosophies, tha’ part is true. However, lads, there’s nowt “evil” about it, nowt at all. And aye, he’s got some religious statues from India, China an’ Siam in his tent, but he doesnae pray tae them or worship them or anything ay the sorts. They’re just souvenirs ay his travels. He does “meditate” a lot, though.’
‘Meditate? What’s tha’ then?’ Paul asked.
‘He’s trying tae teach me how t’ dae it, actually. It’s no’ a religious thing, it’s more like, well, trying tae focus your thoughts an’ clear your mind, an’ relax your body, like, an’ really get in touch wi’ your soul.’
‘Sounds like humbug tae me,’ Michael scoffed.
‘It does sound strange, but it works if you dae it right. He also gets up in the wee hours ay the morning before sunrise tae practice this thing called “yoga”.’
‘Yoga? What on earth is tha’?’ Paul asked.
‘It’s, er, a kind ay Indian exercise thing,’ William said. ‘You kind ay get your body intae all these stretches an’ strange positions an’ such. The captain tells me it’s also a very spiritual kind ay thing. I’m no’ so sure about all that though. Still, it seems tae have worked for him.’
‘That’s bloody strange, it is,’ remarked Paul, who was looking rather perplexed. ‘Why anybody would want tae be up before sunrise, I cannae understand fir the life ay me. Myself, I try tae squeeze out every last minute ay sleep I can before tha’ bastard of a bugler wakes us up at the crack ay dawn!’
Everyone chortled at this, and murmurs of agreement flitted around the group.
‘Hey lads,’ Andrew said after the chuckles had died down, ‘do yous remember when tha’ photographer chap, Mr Fenton, it was, took his photograph ay all ay us?’
‘Oh aye, aye!’ William said. ‘I’ve been so busy recently tha’ I forgot about tha’ fir a while, even though I was so excited ate see the photograph. I wonder wha’ it looked like?’
‘We’ll ne’er know now,’ Michael muttered glumly. ‘No’ until we get back tae England, anyway. Fenton left a week ago, an’ took all ay his phot-, photo…’
‘Photographic equipment,’ Andrew interjected, ‘tha’s what it was called.’
‘Aye, photographic equipment,’ Michael continued, ‘well he took it all wi’ him when he left.’
‘Tha’s a shame,’ Paul said. ‘I would ha’ loved tae see it, but I suppose tha’ will have tae wait until we’re back home, eh lads?’
‘Aye, when we get back,’ Michael murmured, a strange light glinting in his eyes.
Everyone fell silent for a while, and a strange pall seemed to have descended from out of nowhere upon the tent.
‘Listen lads, I’ve got tae get back tae the Captain,’ William announced, breaking the uncanny silence. ‘It’s been good seeing all ay you again.’
‘Aye William, aye,’ Paul said. ‘We dunnae see nearly enough ay you these days. Come an’ sit around our campfire tonight an’ share a wee dram with us, if you can.’
‘I’ll dae tha’. Right oh lads, I’m off!’
***
‘“In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self, and should therefore refrain from inflicting upon others such injury as would appear undesirable to us if inflicted upon ourselves,”. This, my boy, is one of my favourite passages of Jain scripture.’
‘Tha’s … tha’s some true wisdom there, sir. I must admit tha’ I’m enjoying these lessons ay yours. I ne’er thought I’d have any interest in no ancient Indian philosophies, but it’s really fascinating stuff, like. And I can really see the effect it’s had on your life, sir. I’ve really begun tae understand, Captain Liversage, if I may be so bold as tae say, what the core ideas ay these teachings mean fir our lives, fir ourselves, an’ fir our souls.’
Captain Liversage smiled and ruffled William’s shaggy blonde hair.
‘Good lad, good lad! You’re a fast learner, you are. A very apt student. Indeed, perhaps one of the best I’ve ever had.’
William’s cheeks reddened a tad, and the corners of his mouth inched upward at the compliment while subdued delight gave a slight sparkle in his eyes.
‘D’you mean tha’, sir?’
‘Absolutely. There is something very special about your spirit, William.’
‘There is, sir?’
Captain Liversage’s countenance suddenly took on an expression of grave severity, and he stared into William’s eyes with his own deep-set green orbs. William couldn’t help but feel some discomfort, for it was as if the Captain were looking through the portal of his eyes, peeling away the membrane of the physical and probing deep into the soul that was hidden behind that gelatinous veil.
‘I say this to you with the most serious of intents, Private William Gisborne: you are not like other men. There is something about
