Chapter 6: Old Reg
Over the following six months, the blacksmiths of New Southland were busier than ever, having been tasked with quartering the horde of Spanish Silver Dollars, turning the 10,000 coins into 40,000 - more than enough to sustain a healthy circulation amongst the population. The work was meticulous and the hours long. The workshops were guarded day and night by the marines, and the blacksmith's pockets were checked after every shift. Counting of the coins at the end of each shift was the responsibility of the marines, who dreaded the task. Some of the younger marines had thought of a clever way to make the counting much more efficient, saving them hours of work at the end of each shift. They had built a scale and filled a bag of exactly 100 cut coins on one end, which they would then use to measure the coins provided by the blacksmiths at the end of each shift. A balanced scale gave the marines comfort that each bag was filled with exactly 100 cut coins. However, if the marines thought they were being clever, they had no idea that they had been played for weeks by one sharp blacksmith by the name of Reginald Woods. Old Reg, as he was more commonly known, had been watching the coin counting process closely and had worked out a simple yet effective way of deceiving the unsuspecting young marines. By simply adding a few stones to each bag, Old Reg had been able to pocket hundreds of cut coins over the past few weeks. He had been hiding them in his shoes, which the marines never thought to check, and had quite a stockpile hidden in a secret location up on the hillside overlooking Arthur's Cove.
Old Reg had a colourful history. Joining the navy as a young boy he had fought for Britain against the Americans in the Revolutionary Wars. Wounded after a cannon misfire, he was shipped back home to recuperate. After receiving no assistance from the government and relying solely on the care of benevolent nuns at his local parish, when he was fit enough to walk again, he was quickly moved out to make way for other injured veterans. On top of that, his payout was so insignificant, as the navy was only willing to pay him for his time spent in active service, which amounted to little over a week. Infuriated by his treatment by the country he had risked his life for, Reg became somewhat of a nomad, roaming the countryside taking odd jobs here and there, avoiding taxes and the authorities. He became an apprentice at a small family-run blacksmith in Aberdeen where after 5 years, he took the reins and purchased the business for himself. Unfortunately for Reg, after only a few years, economic conditions worsened and he was forced to sell up. He then tried his luck working the coal mines, but couldn't stand the backbreaking work. Once again, he became a nomad, heading north into the Highlands where he squatted on crown land, hunting wild bucks and catching fish in a nearby stream for food. Life was great for Reg until one day he was caught by some park rangers skinning a buck he had just killed. He was tried and convicted, sentenced to transportation, and the rest is history...
It was only when Arthur inspected the progress of the coin cutting one morning did he find out about the deception. He spent the rest of the day observing the blacksmiths and marines for any sign of malpractice. Old Reg was unaware and had snuck a few quarters into each shoe. At the end of the shift the routine check was completed by the marines - weighing the bags and a quick check of the blacksmith's pockets before heading over to Arthur's office. However, just as they were all about to leave, they were stopped by Arthur and a second group of armed marines. "Empty the bags right now!" Arthur demanded. As the coins dropped to the ground, several round river rocks rolled towards Arthur's boots. He picked them up and threw them back at the two young marines - "Explain this!". The two young marines looked down in horror. "Check their pockets" Arthur ordered his company to check the two men "They're clean, sir". "Check them too" he demanded, pointing at the blacksmiths. As they frisked the blacksmiths, they found nothing, but Old Reg, shaking with nerves, suddenly lost his footing and fell to the ground. As he was helped up, one of the marines noticed something by his boots. A shiny piece of silver reflecting in the evening sun. "Sir, come take a look at this". As Arthur walked over, Old Reg knew there was no way out, and tried to make a dash for the hills. Of course, he had no hope of outpacing the young marines, who were at least half his age. He was brought to the ground and dragged off to Arthur's office for interrogation. "Search his house". "Where's the rest of the silver?". "I don't know what your talking about" replied Old Reg. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be". "Alright, alright. I cut these few pieces wrong and I didn't want to get into trouble so I hid them. I was going to give them back of course..." "I'll give you one more chance to tell the truth". "Sir, that is the truth, this is the first time and will be the last". Arthur knew Old Reg was lying through his teeth. He had his men look through all the bags of quartered coins earlier in the day, where they had pulled out no less than 200 river stones - easily enough to have deceived the marines of at least 1000 quarters. "His house is clean, sir". Arthur gave one last look at Old Reg before the marines dragged him out to the town square - "Well then I guess that settles it". A half hour later, most of the townsfolk had gathered in the square for an emergency meeting. "I have called you here this evening for the public trial of one Reginald Woods, caught stealing silver coins and refusing to co-operate with the investigation. As you all know, this is a clear breach of our founding principles. Nobody is above the law - there can be no leniency. The rules have been broken and the punishment must be enforced". As he detailed the events of the day and the overwhelming evidence against Old Reg, including eyewitness accounts from the marines and other blacksmiths, public opinion was staunchly against Mr Woods. Old Reg was given an opportunity to defend his actions, however most of the public had already made up their mind. A show of hands confirmed the verdict - guilty. The punishment - banishment. "Any final words?" Arthur asked Old Reg - "You havn't seen the last of me..." he chuckled, as he was led out of the square.
That evening, Old Reg packed his belongings under the close watch of the marines and bid farewell to Port Arthur. He took the winding road north towards Shepheard's Bay, before stepping off the dirt track heading East through the forest up into the highlands.
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