Chapter SevenThe soldier dragged me into the portion of the lower hold set aside for the worst miscreants, and locked me inside a wooden cage with a wet and stinking floor. It reminded me pathetically of my old laboratory, which I hoped Jem hadn’t blown up since I left. I took shallow breaths and tried to tell myself I really was at home. My eyes filled with tears at the thought.
There was no light, and no bunk or seat, nothing but iron rings fixed into the wall. I held onto the rings for balance and listened as the boiler’s rumble increased. We were on our way once more. Two redcoats guarded me, facing away and maintaining a military silence. The hour of lax discipline had passed.
It was clear from the smell that the brig had been used to house animals—frightened animals—before it becam
