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Nobody had told Albert about a court case. He was bundled into a cart with several other prisoners before he could say anything. The lid was bolted down. He had never been to Lancaster before, though he knew it was somewhere up north and a long way. As the cart left the gaol and bounced along the road, he saw in the gloom one of the other prisoners was Flanders. They locked eyes for an uncomfortable moment.

"You confounded boy," Flanders said angrily but quietly, so the driver wouldn't hear. Talking was forbidden.

The other two prisoners laughed. But Flanders didn't and neither did Albert. Tension grew when spit meant for Albert missed its mark and landed on the arm of the man next to him.

"Why, you filthy scab," the victim said to Flanders.

"No talking," the driver called out.

"I ought to ..." the victim continued. He went to raise his arm to strike Flanders but remembered he was shackled, as were all four of them, to the sides of the cart.

Their only weapons were their mouths and Albert was relieved by this. Words couldn't hurt him, and he had come into contact with worse things in gaol than another man's spit. What was hurting him though was the way the manacles cut into his wrists every time the cart rode over a bump.

A problem for Flanders was his height. He kept hitting his head on the lid. His cries of pain were met with mirth from the other prisoners, including Albert. Flanders would then swear and spit at them, but this only caused more amusement, and finally he stopped his attacks on them.

The cart hurtled along at what seemed a dangerous speed. Albert hoped Henry was able to keep up. He was sure his father would overpower the driver and rescue him when they had left the city. But the cart kept going. He had no idea for how long. With only a small opening at the front, the air inside got tighter and he found it hard to breathe. It smelt as if one of them had soiled their trousers. He inhaled through his mouth rather than his nose. Just when he wasn't sure he could take the bumps and the lack of air any longer, the cart stopped. Were they there? he wondered. If not, where? He strained to see out the front, and listened for signs of a town - other horses and carts, voices, factory or workshop noises. But he couldn't see anything and heard only birds and cows. Suddenly the lid was raised, and he tried to adjust his eyes to the light.

"Out. All of you," the driver said. He took their handcuffs off but left their leg-irons in place.

They struggled to get

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