Chapter 27

Reg seemed as if he wanted to say something, but stopped. Abby looked at him with a question on her face. He looked at James with a slightly humorous expression and decided to say what he had started.

"I was going to say that for all his strict rules, Thomas was not above accepting some bounty from time to time." Abby was puzzled.

"Bounty?"

"Yes. The Ganger was very good at providing Rabbits, Pheasants, a Trout now and again, and Mushrooms. We all had a share, including Thomas, although he didn't know where they came from. They were just left on his doorstep." James knew where they came from.

"Poaching!" He declared. "Poaching on my land." Reg grinned.

"Well the Ganger always said that they were taken from Railway land." James was smiling now.

"How do you think a Trout could be taken from Railway land?" He asked. "Unless the Trout managed to jump out of the river onto a bridge." Reg shrugged his shoulders.

"We didn't think to ask." He grinned back at James who acted outraged, but couldn't keep up the pretence, and returned the grin.

"Mushrooms," James commented. "I can understand. Rabbits did have their burrows in the embankments. Pheasants now, he would have to be lucky to catch them on Railway land."

"Well, Mr. James you know how stupid Pheasants are. I am told he would put down some bread crumbs and seeds, then sit there quietly until the silly pheasant came along to eat them. Quick whack on the head and the Pheasant's in the bag, or so I understand." James laughed. Then went on to say.

"Well it's a good job then that the railway isn't there now; otherwise I would know where to look if I were losing pheasants on a regular basis."

There was one question that bothered Abby.

"Surely the Ganger wouldn't take a fishing rod with him?" Sam, James and Reg smiled in unison. Sam answered her.

"No he would tickle them." Abby looked long at Sam, trying to decide whether he was kidding her or not.

"Tickle them?" Sam nodded. Abby looked confused so he went on to explain.

"There are parts of the river where the Trout will sort of hover, in eddies and suchlike. If you are very slow and gentle, you can get your hand into the water and underneath them, and then gently stroke their bellies. It seems to hypnotise the Trout. Once you have lulled them you can quickly scoop them out and onto the bank. There you have it. Trout for dinner." Abby looked from one to the other and saw that none were smiling, just nodding. She appealed to Gladys.

"Are they having me on?" Gladys shook her head.

"No, Abby. It's quite well known how to do it, especially amongst those who want to take the fish without the owner's permission." James cleared his throat.

"And that was without my father's permission. He took a dim view of poaching, always complaining that the Courts didn't treat the case severely enough. But then he couldn't understand why deportation for life was not still an available sentence." The smiles were interrupted by Sam.

"You do your father an injustice, Mr. James. When the old Gamekeeper retired, he never bothered to appoint another. Woody lived by poaching all the time, your Father knew this, but never tried to put a stop to it." James nodded.

"Yes but he considered that Woody paid for the game in other ways."

Sam had to agree with that, and then changed the topic and addressed Abby.

"Have you got those keys, Abby?" Abby nodded.

"Yes they are in my room. I'll go and fetch them." James got to his feet as Abby left.

"I'll get another round in."

Sam turned to Reg.

"Abby reckons she has the keys to the station and the house. We are going to open them up tomorrow. Want to come along?" There was no doubt in Reg's mind.

"Yes, of course, but why?"

"Abby is going to live there." James had returned with a tray of drinks, and on hearing Sam, added.

"She wants to restore the station as it was when her granddad first came to Combe Lyney." Reg was dumbstruck, and then a happy expression suffused his face.

"That will be good. A Tregonney back at the station. Wherever he is, Thomas will finally have a smile on his face. Mind though, he wouldn't let it show." Abby returned and handed the two keys to Sam. Reg leaned across.

"Let me have a look." Sam showed him the keys.

"Yes I would say those are the keys, I saw them often enough, Thomas always had them on a little chain loop attached to his belt." He addressed Abby.

"Sam says you are going to live in the old house and restore the station. Your granddad would be very happy about that. Did you buy the land from Railtrack?" Abby shook her head, but James answered.

"No. The land always belonged to the estate, but no-one knew it. It was Abby who discovered that, so we have done a deal." Reg didn't enquire into the details, but went on to say.

"If there is anything you need to know, I hope you will ask me."

"That's very kind of you, Reg. I suspect I will need a lot of help as there doesn't seem to be many photographs of the station to work with. I have the ones that you took, but they don't show the station as it was in nineteen thirty-eight." Reg laughed.

"Oh it didn't change at all. I have some more at home, which I took from the box. I'll sort them out, and let you have them." Abby's smile said it all.

"Have you any more with my granddad in them?"

"I think I have. He hated having his photo taken. When things were running down, we used to get enthusiasts coming around to take photos. Thomas would chase them off. Of course there were some official photos taken, Thomas couldn't do anything about that, so they should be in the archives somewhere, but I don't know where that could be." James looked at Abby.

"From what you have said about him, I reckon that your Mr. Brasher will know where they are, and how to get hold of them." Abby agreed.

"Yes I suspect he will."

Reg surprised Abby then.

"Will you want any Permanent Way?"

"Permanent Way?"

"Yes. I know some of the old Gangers, all retired now of course, but I was told about some rails that had been lifted, but never sold for scrap. Could be possible to get some. You will have to pay for them, but I could find out." Abby was delighted, the smile on her face saying it all. With rails the station would really be as her granddad knew it.

"That would be wonderful, could you, Reg? I would be ever so grateful."

"It shouldn't be a problem, I will ask next time I see the guys. They would probably be happy to come and lay them for you, give them something to do. Mind I doubt they will be able to do it the old way. They will need a small crane or a JCB now."

"The old way." Abby queried. "What was the old way?" Reg laughed.

"Sweat, muscle, and aching backs. They would place the Sleepers, then measure and fix the Chairs, and finally they would put the rails into the chairs and hammer in the Keys. All by hand. Two men to lift a Sleeper and at least ten men to lift a rail." Abby was amazed; she had thought they would have some kind of mechanical assistance.

"Ten men to lift a rail?"

"Yes, at least ten. They had these grips, like huge pliers, that they would fix over the rail head, lift the rail together on the count, and heave it into position." Abby was now worried.

"No! I would love some rails, but I can't have these old men doing that, what if one were to hurt himself."

"Don't you worry about that, Abby. If they say they can do it, they will do it. Lessons and habits learned from a lifetime are not forgotten. I haven't worked a mechanical box for years, it was all buttons and small levers when I retired, but put me back in a box and I reckon it would take about twenty minutes to get all the old skills back. They will be the same but as I said they will need something to lift and carry the rails, don't think there will enough of them to do that now." Abby still had reservations but decided that she would wait and see what Reg could discover.

The evening was drawing to a close now, and Abby couldn't wait until the morrow. Reg and Gladys were staying at the Inn, so the party broke up. Sam waited for his customary kiss on the cheek, which resulted in his usual broad smile and blush. Reg promised to be there at the station, but Gladys had decided that she would go to see her Family.

"I will see you again, won't I?" entreated Abby, receiving assurances from Gladys that indeed she would.

Abby arrived at the station just after ten o' clock to find Sam, Harry and Reg there already. A few minutes later James rode up on Cassie. He greeted them and asked Harry.

"Where are the dogs, Harry?"

"They are in the van. Thought it best to get the place opened first, else they would be difficult to control. They're excited enough as it is."

"Good idea." said James. "Well shall we give it a try?" Sam gave the keys to Reg.