“One of the corpses had a bowel wound. Someone had tried to join the two segments of the bowel together using a section of windpipe from a goat.”
For a moment, Hawkwood thought he must have misheard. “Did you say a goat?”
“The goat’s trachea had been inserted into both ends of the bowel, which had then been drawn together over it. I’ve heard about it, but never seen it performed. They also found that a section of the goat’s intestines had been removed. The French surgeon’s report stated that it was most likely intended as some sort of a conduit and that Hyde had been attempting a transfusion of blood.”
“From a goat to a man?” Hawkwood stared at the Surgeon-General in disbelief.
“Good God, no!” McGrigor shook his head, but then, to Hawkwood’s astonishment, he said, “Although Denys and Lower carried out similar procedures using lamb’s blood.”
Hawkwood looked over towards the Chief Magistrate. James Read’s face was pale, as was the Home Secretary’s; though presumably the latter wasn’t hearing anything he didn’t already know.
McGrigor frowned. “I read the French surgeon’s report – fellow by the name of Lavalle. He said the corpses in the cellar were not the remains of men. They were monsters. He referred to the cellar as
The word hung in the air. No translation was necessary.
“You’re telling us,” Hawkwood said, “that Colonel Hyde carried out surgery on prisoners of war using body parts taken from the corpses of French soldiers, and animals?”
“That is what I am saying, yes. The report suggested that he had been trying to mend them, using flesh, bone and blood from their dead comrades.”
“And when he couldn’t mend them and he received his orders to withdraw, he left them to their fate,” Read said, staring balefully at McGrigor. “The fire and the graves were clearly a deliberate attempt to conceal the evidence of his activities.”
“At least we know where he got the notion to burn down the church,” Hawkwood said heavily. Then he caught the look on the Surgeon-General’s face. “What? You mean there’s more?”
McGrigor hesitated. He looked uncomfortable. “Lavalle’s report also hinted that some of the casualties’ wounds would not have been considered terminal.” McGrigor paused again to let his words sink in.
“You mean their deaths were induced in order to provide the body parts?”
McGrigor nodded.
“When you caught up with him, did he have anything to say for himself?”
McGrigor shrugged. “He was remarkably calm, philosophical almost; as if he’d been expecting it. He told us we’d never understand. He said there could be no barriers in science and medicine and that our minds were closed, and if surgery was ever to advance we should open ourselves to the endless possibilities that lay before us. He even had the nerve to quote Hunter at us. I remember it distinctly. He said it wasn’t enough for a surgeon to know the different parts of an animal, he should know their uses in the machine, and in what manner they act to produce their effect. You’ll note his use of the word ‘machine’.
“To add to our woes, we’d received a direct communication from the French Commander, Victor. He sent a courier under flag of truce. Threatened that if we didn’t hand over the man responsible, we couldn’t expect French surgeons to show any mercy to British casualties. Needless to say, the medical officers we’d left behind at Talavera had already been given a rough ride, though they’d sworn blind they had no idea it had been going on. It seemed that Hyde had managed to keep his experimentation secret. Don’t ask me how.
“We presumed he’d had some assistance, probably from the lower ranks. But with all the troop movements and with so many men spread over such a large area, it was impossible to pin anyone down. We knew all about the teeth being taken from the dead, but this was different, far worse.”
“Obviously you didn’t hand Hyde over,” Hawkwood said. “How did you answer the French demand?”
McGrigor made a face. “We knew we couldn’t dismiss it. Especially since one of the letters carried by the courier was a personal request from my opposite number, a fellow called Percy.
“It was clear that Colonel Hyde had become severely distracted, but we certainly weren’t prepared to surrender him. That was out of the question. Equally, it would have been impossible for him to remain. You know what the army’s like. If word got out that our surgeons were experimenting on the wounded, there’d be panic in the ranks. We couldn’t let that happen. Our only solution was to relieve Colonel Hyde of his duties and ship him back to England. Lord Wellington advised Percy that he had taken charge of the matter personally, and that the colonel was being transported home with all dispatch. He would be dealt with, and he would not return.”
“And the French accepted that?” Hawkwood said. He was unable to conceal his scepticism.
“Victor and Percy are, for the most part, honourable men. They understood that, if Lord Wellington gave his word, the British would not go back on it.”
“So he was brought back and admitted into Bedlam? Why not a military hospital?”
“We learned that the colonel had been corresponding with an old friend, Mr Eden Carslow, who had influence with the Bethlem board of governors. I, too, am acquainted with Mr Carslow. It seemed fitting, given his influence and our personal knowledge of Colonel Hyde, that Bethlem would be more suitable. So we arranged for his admission and guaranteed his bond.”
“On the Admittance Document you stated he was melancholic. He was a lot more than that, wasn’t he? He was as mad as a bloody mule.”
McGrigor spread his hands. “To be admitted to the hospital, a patient is diagnosed as either raving, mischievous, or melancholic. We did not consider Colonel Hyde to be raving. It was clear he was suffering from a severe form of distraction, an aberration, but he was certainly not violent. As for mischievous; you and I may view the colonel’s actions as horrific and by our own standards wholly unacceptable, but from my conversations with him, I think he believed, bizarrely, that he was engaged in legitimate surgery. Once he was removed from that world, there was no reason to suppose he’d be a risk, either to the staff or his fellow patients. He was calm and coherent at all times. We didn’t think him a threat to anyone.
“Also, we were rather anxious to keep the full details of the colonel’s activities in the shadows. The trust between the public and the medical establishment is uneasy at the best of times. The line between enlightenment and ethical considerations is a thin one. In many respects, the colonel was right when he said that people do not understand. Sometimes, and I speak bluntly, it pays to keep them in the dark.”
Hawkwood looked at Ryder. “If you didn’t think he was a threat, why did you write a personal letter to the governors, stating that he was to remain detained?”
Ryder stiffened. “We made an agreement with the French that the colonel would remain incarcerated for an indefinite period. The intention was to observe his condition on a regular basis. It was possible we could look forward to his eventual discharge and convalescence. The war was unlikely to last for ever, once we had Bonaparte on the run.”
“Pity the Reverend Tombs happened along then, wasn’t it?” Hawkwood said grimly. “Not to mention the sexton’s wife.”
“Indeed,” Ryder nodded, missing the irony. “A most regrettable situation. Had we any idea at the time, of course –”
“You should have handed the bastard over to the French,” Hawkwood growled. “If you had, we wouldn’t be in this bloody mess. And
McGrigor’s eyes widened.
Ryder’s face went rigid.
McGrigor, sensing a possible explosion, hastily rearranged his expression into one of curiosity. “These latest mutilations – the women’s bodies – what makes you think that the colonel is responsible?”
“The way the skins were removed. Surgeon Quill told me the mutilations and removal of the organs were almost certainly performed by someone with medical knowledge. It struck me as too much of a coincidence when I saw that parts of the women’s faces had been taken.”
“I see …” McGrigor looked thoughtful.
“But do you want to know what really convinced me?” Hawkwood said.
McGrigor tilted his head.
“It was you. It was everything you’ve just told us about him. There’s an old military saying: ‘Once is misfortune. Twice is coincidence. But three times? That’s enemy action.’ And that’s what Hyde is – the enemy.”
