The
Characters
Angus Fulton....A
retired merchant
Elspeth....His
maidservant
Sarah Fulton....His
wife
Jane Fulton....His
eldest daughter
Mary Fulton....His
youngest daughter
Jennie....A neighbour
David Chalmers....A
Lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion, Royal Scots
George Strachan....The
local Doctor
A Frenchman
The Setting
A cottage on a remote part of the Fife coast
between Fife Ness and St. Andrews
The Period
1815
Sample
scene
1815. Napoleon has
returned from Elba and Europe is again plunged into war. On a remote part of the
Scottish coast, a French warship has struck rocks and run aground. The only
apparent survivor of the shipwreck is sheltered at a farmhouse by a local
family. The surviving Frenchman appears to be an ordinary seaman, but the local
doctor has raised some intriguing doubts.
Angus, the head of the family, is determined to hand the Frenchman over to the
authorities at the first opportunity.
Present in this scene are Angus, his wife Sarah, and his two daughters, Jane and
Mary. Lieutenant David Chalmers has just arrived in response to a summons from
Angus. He doesn't know the reason. Angus is openly hostile towards the
Lieutenant, seemingly because of the latter's relationship with Jane.
ANGUS Come
in. Guid o' you to call so promptly.
DAVID I did receive your message, but I was detained.
ANGUS Daen what? Building sand castles by the sight of you.
DAVID We took advantage of the low tide to wade out to the ship.
She's aground in shallow water.
SARAH Is she badly damaged?
DAVID The hull's split wide open and all the masts are gone.
There's wreckage and debris strewn all along the beach.
SARAH And the crew?
DAVID We've begun counting the dead, but it would appear that the
ship's entire complement perished.
ANGUS You're shair about that?
DAVID We found that captain's log book. My sergeant knows a
smattering of French. However, it was another entry in the same log book
concerning the ship's mission which proved most intriguing.
ANGUS Up the Forth to raid the ports, correct?
DAVID No, nothing like that. Their course was north-east.
SARAH North-east? Then they had no intention o' coming near the
Scottish coast?
DAVID Evidently not. The storm must have blown them well off
course.
ANGUS You still haven't told us their mission.
DAVID To purchase a vast quantity of weapons and munitions from an
undisclosed foreign government.
ANGUS Interesting I'll admit, but hardly intriguing.
DAVID Until we read details of the vessel's cargo. According to the
log, there was, somewhere on board, a casket.
SARAH A casket? Containing what?
DAVID A fortune.
ANGUS (suddenly very interested) A fortune you say?
DAVID In valuable gems, jewellery, gold....
SARAH Incredible. And all to be spent on arms?
DAVID Enough to equip an army. Needless to say, I ordered an
immediate search of the ship.
ANGUS And what did you find?
DAVID Nothing.
ANGUS Nothing?
JANE Nae treasure?
ANGUS Are you positive? Did your men search thoroughly?
DAVID Every nook and cranny. I can assure you, if there ever was a
casket as described, it is no longer on board that ship.
ANGUS As you say, intriguing.
DAVID I thought I would give you an accurate account before the
rumours began to
circulate. Now what was this urgent business?
ANGUS (still ruminating over DAVID'S disclosure)
Urgent business? Oh aye.... you'll be riding back to St. Andrews?
DAVID Yes, but not until tomorrow.
ANGUS That's unfortunate. I....er.... wanted a letter delivered
there as soon as possible.
DAVID Is that all you wanted? On my way here I met Doctor Strachan.
He was going to St. Andrews. Couldn't he have delivered your letter?
ANGUS I meant to hand it to him, but I clean forgot.
SARAH Never!
DAVID Having wasted a journey, may I be permitted to rejoin the
search?
JANE For the casket?
DAVID Naturally, but also for survivors. Although I think we would
have found any by now. You haven't seen any survivors?
ANGUS Not a sowl.
(SARAH and JANE exchange glances)
DAVID I would ask you to be on the lookout nonetheless.
ANGUS If I get to ken about any survivors, you'll be notified.
DAVID I'd be obliged. I'll take it now.
ANGUS Take what?
DAVID The letter for St. Andrews?
ANGUS Oh that? It doesn't matter. It wasn't urgent anyway.
Plays by
Alan Richardson
