The World Duology (World Odyssey / Fiji: A Novel) (21 page)

After six months as the new head of Johnson Traders, it was as if Johnson Senior had n
ever been away. At the end of Nathan’s first year at the helm, the company posted a record profit. 

35

South Atlantic, 1848

N
early two weeks later, beneath clear winter skies,
Minstrel
rounded Africa’s scenic Cape of Good Hope, at the bottom of Cape Colony. Passengers and crew were treated to the sight of a rugged coastline interspersed with white sand beaches. Neat cottages nestled in the valleys reminded some of Devon.

The Drakes, along with most of the other passengers, had been on deck to view the spectacle ever since the cape had
been sighted hours earlier. They were all rugged up in their warmest coats and scarves, the heat of the Tropics long forgotten.

As
Minstrel
merged with scores of other craft in Cape Town’s beautiful harbor, children squealed with delight when a pod of dolphins provided an impromptu escort for the brigantine. The dolphins were almost close enough to touch. Several performed spectacular somersaults alongside
Minstrel
, prompting more squeals from the children and cheers from the adults.

The passengers’ eyes were drawn to
the majestic Table Mountain. Towering over Cape Town like a granite sentinel, it was impossible to miss. Atop it was a narrow blanket of cloud which ran its full length. The cloud cover was likened to a tablecloth by Miss Finch, and Susannah thought that most apt. When Susannah thought about the mountain’s name, she realized others had thought it apt also.

F
irst impressions of
Minstrel’s
latest destination were highly favorable. Even before stepping ashore, passengers and crew were unanimous in their praise of the British colony that would one day be known as South Africa.

After weeks at sea, everyone was
looking forward to the stopover. For Susannah, her excitement was tempered by the fact she hadn’t completely recovered from the near-catastrophic collision with the barque and the events that led up to it. The young Englishwoman now viewed those
events
as shameful, and had prayed frequently for forgiveness.

Susannah hadn’t seen Goldie since that night for he’d remained incarcerated in the hold. She feared what fate awaited him in Cape Town and fervently hoped he wouldn’t be punished further.

“Everything alright, my dear?”  It was Drake Senior who asked. He’d noticed his daughter seemed distracted.

“Of course, papa.” Susannah forced a smile.

Drake Senior wasn’t fooled. He knew his daughter well enough to know when she had something on her mind. The extra time she’d set aside recently for her daily prayers and bible studies was a clue that Susannah may be wrestling with some inner torment. The clergyman smiled and placed a caring arm around her. “Well, you know I’m here for you if you need to talk to someone,” he said tenderly.

“Thank you, papa.” Susannah leaned her head on Drake Senior’s shoulder. How she wished
she could go back and undo the events leading up to
that
recent night. She’d slept poorly ever since. Her dreams had been filled with Goldie; in some she was with him, making love. The more she prayed and asked God for forgiveness, the more sexually explicit her dreams had become.

Susannah was starting to feel like she was trapped between t
wo worlds: the strict religious world she’d been born into and the secular world – the world that allowed for more freedom of expression – that she was beginning to realize her heart desired.

The one bright spot in her life was her father was recovering well from his wounds. Since his setback after discharging himself from hospital in Bata, he was getting stronger every day and was almost back to his old self. Susannah clung to that and forced all other thoughts from her mind.

#

Later that morning, as the Drakes and other passengers lined up on deck in preparation for going ashore, a now sober Captain Mathers gave them the same pep talk he delivered on arrival in every new stopover port.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I would remind you we are only here for four days,” Mathers said.

Everyone was aware the original ten-day stopover had been cut because of the delays
Minstrel
had experienced in Bata.

Mathers continued,
“In that time we will be reprovisioning Minstrel. As always, take care ashore, watch the children closely and never venture anywhere alone.”

As the captain rambled on, several male passengers – the single men in particular – were growing impatient. They couldn’t wait to hit the bars and, in some cases, the brothels in town.

“Departure is scheduled for mid-morning June twenty-ninth, and anyone not on board then will be left behind!” Mathers warned as the men finally broke ranks and strode down the gangplank onto the wharf.

As the Drakes queued to descend the gangplank, Susannah caught her first and last glimpse of Goldie. The rigger had been brought up on deck and was being addressed by the first mate Paxton. Having spent so long in the hold, he looked pale and drawn.

Susannah caught Goldie’s eye when she drew level with him. She mouthed the word
Sorry
to him as she passed by. He smiled at her. The young woman felt relieved and grateful all at once. Goldie’s smile had signaled to her that he didn’t blame her one jot for what had happened.

L
ater, Susannah would learn that other than having his pay docked, Goldie had been released without further punishment.

After spending an enjoyable afternoon ashore, the Drakes dined as guests of Harry Kemp. The colonel had been invited to dine at the home of old family friends, and had assured Susannah and her father
that two extra guests would be most welcome. That turned out to be true, and all three shared a wonderful evening at the home of a retired London surgeon and his charming Dutch wife.

Susannah struck up such a rapport with the Dutchwoman she accepted an invitation to stay over for a couple of days. For the young Englishwoman, those two days flew by and she regretted she had to return to
Minstrel
so soon. Before departing, she assured her generous hosts she’d remain in contact by letter.

For
Minstrel’s
passengers, the first few days in Cape Town passed without incident. Then tragedy struck.

The morning before
Minstrel’s
scheduled departure, one of the female passengers reported her husband had not returned from a visit ashore the previous night. Bill Compton, a God-fearing gentleman, had gone ashore to purchase medicine for the youngest of his three children.

When he hadn’t returned, his wife Thelma thought he may have decided to overnight on shore for some reason. However, when he didn’t show up the following morning, she knew something wasn’t right.

True to form, Captain Mathers was too drunk to arrange a search party, so his first mate Paxton took over. A dozen men – passengers and crew – were quickly appointed to search for the missing man. Drake Senior had volunteered to join the search party, but Susannah had intervened, pointing out he was not yet back to full health and needed to conserve his energy. His protestations had been quelled by the timely intervention of Miss Finch, who proved a valuable ally for Susannah at such times. 

#

When the scheduled day of departure dawned for
Minstrel
and her passengers, Bill Compton still hadn’t been found. Thelma Compton was beside herself with worry, and Susannah took it upon herself to stay by her side to comfort her and help care for her three children.

No-one could imagine departing Cape Town minus a passenger. No-one, that is, except Captain Mathers. He’d sobered up after hearing of Compton’s disappearance and was, to
his credit, helping coordinate the search effort. However, he was also threatening to stick to the mid-morning departure time he’d scheduled.

Only Harry Kemp’s intervention dissuaded the captain from carrying out his threat. As the man who had chartered
Minstrel
, and who ultimately paid for Mathers’ services, the colonel had final say on such matters. Mathers’ authority only exceeded Kemp’s on matters of on-board safety and other maritime issues when at sea.

Despite every able-bodied man aboard
Minstrel
now being involved in the search, the day passed without Compton being found. One day led to another and then yet another. Thelma Compton hadn’t slept in all that time and was now ill with worry.

By the dawning of the fourth extra day, Kemp had to ma
ke a decision. He consulted with Mathers and with several male passengers whose opinion he respected, but his mind was already made up. “We have to depart now,” he said after some heated debate.

The others – of whom Drake Senior was one –
finally agreed. As a still sober Mathers had pointed out, they could keep searching for another month for no different result.

“Someone should break the news to Missus Compton,” Kemp said.

“I will do that,” Drake Senior offered.

“I don’t envy her decision,” Mathers said.

Everyone knew what decision he referred to: Thelma Compton had to decide whether to relocate herself and her children ashore in the hope she’d be reunited with her husband, or continue on to New Zealand without him. It was a hellish decision for any woman to make and none of the men envied her.

“I’ll inform her now,” Drake Senior said, taking his leave.

The others watched him go. Each was pleased it wasn’t himself who had to deliver the news.

D
rake Senior found Thelma in a drawing room that adjoined the dining room. The distressed woman was being comforted, as always, by Susannah. Miss Finch was nearby, watching over the three Compton children.

Thelma took one look at Drake Senior’s face and burst into tears. She knew what was coming.

The clergyman placed a caring hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Missus Compton,” he murmured. “We can wait no longer.”

Although the announcement came as no surprise, Thelma let out a heart-rending cry of anguish.

Susannah held her tight. At the same time she looked up at Drake Senior. “Papa, surely we can delay departure another twenty-four hours?”

Drake Senior shot his daughter an angry glance that told her now was the time for a united front, not for prevarication. “I’m sorry Colonel Kemp has made his decision. We can wait no longer.”

“What am I to do?” Thelma implored.

Drake Senior had been dreading that question. He’d been expecting it, but had no answer. “That’s for you to decide,” he said at length. “No-one else can make that decision.”

36

Pacific Ocean, 1841

T
he two weeks it took for
Besieged
to reach Norfolk Island was uneventful enough. Jack’s days were spent scrubbing decks, cleaning and emptying latrines, and attending to whatever menial task first mate Quincy Adams threw his way; his nights were spent interned in the hold.

A day out from Norfolk Island, everything changed. A fierce storm swept in from the north, preventing
the schooner from approaching the island’s harbor and transferring supplies from ship to shore. It also prevented Captain Jones from handing over his uninvited passenger to the penal settlement’s authorities.

As one day became two and then three, Jack started to believe he may have dodged a bullet. The storm was showing no sign of easing and conditions remained far too dangerous for
Besieged
to enter the harbor. Equally, it was too dangerous for any craft to leave the safety of the harbor to approach the schooner.

Jack had overheard crewmembers saying the captain was under pressure to continue the voyage to Fiji. Apparently, whalers there were depending on
Besieged
for urgently needed supplies as the whaling season was fast approaching.

Captain Jon
es was torn between fulfilling his obligations to Norfolk Island’s penal settlement authorities and to the anxious whalers awaiting their supplies in Fiji. It wasn’t an easy decision because the penal settlement needed supplies also, and the next supply ship wasn’t scheduled for another two months.

As the fourth day dawned, Jack received a big scare when the wind eased sufficiently for the island’s residents to send a large, covered
longboat out to try to connect with
Besieged
and transfer some of the most urgently needed supplies back to shore. The boat, which was manned by ten hardy oarsmen plus another man on the tiller, reminded the stowaway of a similar craft he’d once seen used by Marine Lifeguard personnel in a rescue mission off England’s southern coast.

On the orders of Captain Jon
es, Jack was brought out on deck to await the longboat’s arrival. First mate Adams took great delight in informing his prisoner the authorities were more likely to intern him on the island than send him back to Parramatta. To rub it in, he accepted a one guinea wager from the second mate over whether Jack would ever see New South Wales again.

The stowaway held his breath as the longboat edged closer to
Besieged’s
side. Its task was made easier as the wind eased for the first time since the storm had struck.
Just me luck!
Jack cursed his misfortune.

While the wind had eased, the swell hadn’t. A huge wave picked the longboat up and smashed it against the schooner’s hull, snapping oars and damaging the smaller craft.

That was enough for longboat’s captain. He immediately ordered his oarsmen to heave to and return to shore. As if to reinforce that he’d made the right decision, the wind chose that moment to increase and the longboat was dashed against
Besieged’s
hull a second time.

Looking on, it took all Jack’s will power not to cheer loud
ly and break out into a jig. Instead, he celebrated quietly, contenting himself with a smile.
Reprieved!

The smile wasn’t lost on Adams. “Lucky bastard!” he cursed, realizing he’d just lost his wager with the second
mate. Turning to a crewman, Adams snapped, “Get him below!”

“Yes chief,” the crew
man said. He grabbed Jack by the arm and marched him below deck as ordered.

#

After five days of being assailed by unrelenting gale-force winds and heavy seas, Captain Jones made the difficult decision to resume the voyage to Fiji. As he explained in his log,
The whalers were afforded priority ahead of the Norfolk Island penal settlement because their entire season depended on receiving the supplies
. The captain just hoped his employers would agree with his decision. If he’d got it wrong, he knew his job could be on the line.

Jack was emptying a latrine over the schooner’s side when he heard first mate Adams give the order t
o weigh anchor. As usually happened the wind blew the urine and crap, and other unsavory contents of the latrine, back into his face. Jack didn’t mind this time. In fact, he didn’t even notice. He was elated.
Fiji here we come!
His prayers had been answered.

The stowaway had been hoping against hope the storm would be his salvation. And so it had transpired. Ahead of him now was another two-week voyage – this time to Fiji.

While he’d undoubtedly bought himself some time, Jack was under no illusions that his problems were over. He’d simply replaced one set of problems with another. The voyage to Fiji would pass soon enough and then he’d be handed over to the British authorities there and transferred back to Parramatta. However, he’d had a stay of execution and, for the moment, that’s all that mattered to the irrepressible Cockney.

A day out from Norfolk Island,
Jack received further good news when the captain ordered that the stowaway could bunk in with the men and dine with them in the mess. Until now, he’d been confined to sleeping and eating alone in the hold. At least now he’d have some company for the remainder of the voyage.

Furthermore, Captain Jon
es decided to put Jack’s blacksmithing skills to good use, and ordered that he assist the schooner’s carpenter with general on board repairs as required. The promotion was timely as
Beseiged
had suffered damage to its timber structures in the continuing storm, so Jack was kept busy – too busy to empty the latrines. That thankless task fell to an ordinary seaman.

So began a
new routine for the stowaway. By day he put his smithing skills to good use and at night he bunked in with the crewmen. He now enjoyed full rations and most of the privileges of a normal crewmember. Almost inevitably, his friendly demeanor and cheeky personality endeared him to the crew and they quickly accepted him as one of them.

While Jack appreciated his new status, the fate that awaited him was never far from his mind.

Three days out from Norfolk Island, the storm finally passed by, leaving in its place calm seas, blue skies and balmy temperatures. The temperature rose steadily as
Besieged
ventured deeper into tropical waters.

#

Two days out from Fiji’s outer islands, the wind died and
Besieged
was becalmed. Captain Jones allowed the men some rare free time. Some took advantage of this by fishing for any one of the numerous tropical fish varieties found in these waters while others caught up on lost sleep or lounged around above and below deck, playing cards or reading.

Though the free time didn’t officially extend to Jack, not even the first mate objected when he set his duties aside to try his luck with a spot of fishing.

Shouts alerted the men
to the arrival of a school of tiger sharks off the schooner’s starboard side. Several sailors threw fish bait and food scraps down to the man-eaters and a minor feeding frenzy developed. Jack and the others watched, intrigued, as a dozen fins sliced left and right through the water. The sea in the immediate vicinity became a churning mass of foam as the sharks fought for the morsels being tossed down to them. Several sharks turned on each other, fresh blood only adding to their frenzy.

The schooner’s youngest crewmember, thirteen-year-old deck boy Thomas Brown, laughed gleefully as the sharks fought for a large piece of bait he’d just thrown down to them. In his excitement, Thomas leaned over the rail for a better view.

“Careful, lad!” a burly rigger called out.

The warning came too late. Thomas lost his balance and fell into the sea. He landed a short distance from the sharks and momentarily disappeared beneath the surface. Jack and other horrified crewmen rushed to the near rail.

As Thomas resurfaced he started panicking and thrashing about. It was immediately clear he couldn’t swim. “Help!” he spluttered after taking in a mouthful of water.

A quick-thinking sailor tossed a rope over the side. It landed next to the lad. “Grab the rope!” the sailor shouted.

Thomas grabbed hold of the rope. He tried to climb it, but lacked the strength. Crewmen shouted their encouragement to him.

Captain Jones arrived on deck, attracted by the commotion. He became distraught when he realized who it was in the water. “For God sake, someone do something!” he screamed, distressed.

Observing him, Jack thought the captain’s reaction was out of character given that he was normally very calm when faced with difficult circumstances. The Cockney wasn’t to know that Captain Jones was the boy’s uncle.

Until now, the sharks had been so pre-occupied fighting over the food scraps none had noticed Thomas. Suddenly, a big shark peeled off from the others. Its fin sliced through the water toward the boy. Thomas saw it coming and started screaming. He frantically tried to climb the rope, but kept falling back into the water.

Captain Jones shouted, “Loop the rope around your arm and we’ll pull you up, Thomas!”

The boy froze as the big shark nosed up to him. For some reason it veered away at the last second. The reprieve motivated Thomas to renew his efforts to climb the rope. Again, he failed.

“Loop the rope around your arm!” the captain shouted again. He looked like he was about to dive over the side.

Looking on, Jack willed the boy to do as the captain ordered. He knew if Thomas could loop the rope around his arm, the sailors could haul him on board. Unfortunately, the lad was too frightened to think clearly.

The shark returned and made a second pass. Another shark joined the first. Their fins zigzagged urgently through the water, indicating they were preparing to attack.

Jack knew the boy was on borrowed time.
Help me, Lord!
Kicking off his boots, he dived over the rail and landed next to Thomas. Jack resurfaced just as the nearest shark rolled over onto its side, exposing its teeth and one eye. He eyed it fearfully.
The bastard’s grinning at me!
The Cockney reached up and grabbed the rope, entwining it several times around his strong right arm. With his left arm he enveloped Thomas and held him tight against his chest. Looking up, he yelled, “Pull!”

The rope immediately tightened as a dozen sailors began pulling on the other end. Jack and Thomas were hauled from the water just as one of the sharks came in for the kill. The shark rose high out of the water as it tried to grab Jack’s legs. Jack swung his legs up, narrowly avoiding the shark’s jaws.
In that split second, he saw all the shark’s teeth. Moments later, he and Thomas were safely on deck.

Willing hands whisked Thomas below deck while other crewmen crowded around Jack to confirm he was okay. Shaken but otherwise unharmed, the Cockney was subjecte
d to much back-slapping as crewmembers bestowed their hearty congratulations on him. His heroic actions had earned him the respect of all – in particular that of Captain Jones.

From that day on, Jack would be trea
ted as a fully-fledged member of
Besieged’s
crew, and he had a friend for life in young Thomas.

That night, Captain Jon
es summonsed Jack to his cabin. He greeted his nephew’s savior with a warm handshake. “That was a hell of a thing you did today, Mister Halliday,” he smiled.

“I did what anyone would do,” Jack said.

“But anyone didn’t do it,” the captain pointed out. “You did it.”

The conversation lapsed. Jack wondered what was coming next. He hoped it was a reprieve.
He’s gonna tell me I’m a free man!
Jack held his breath, and not for the first time on this dramatic voyage.

“I’m afraid you’re not going to like what I have to say
next,” Captain Jones said somewhat embarrassed.

Jack could tell his hopes were about to be crushed.

“Unfortunately, nothing has changed as far as you’re concerned. You are still an escaped felon and I’d be neglecting my duty if I didn’t turn you over to the authorities.” The captain hated himself at that moment. He’d have liked nothing better than to inform the young Cockney he was a free man, but his sense of duty wouldn’t allow that. He hastily added, “God knows you deserve to be free, and rest assured I’ll put in a good word for you when we hand you over.”

“
Thanks,” Jack said lamely. He was tempted to plead with the captain to reconsider his hard line, but that wasn’t his style.

As Ja
ck turned to leave, Captain Jones restrained him. “One minute, Mister Halliday.” The captain went to a drinks cabinet and pulled out an unopened bottle of rum. He held it up, a twinkle in his eyes. “I understand you are partial to rum?”

Jack’s eyes lit up. “I am at that, sir.”

“Good,” the captain said. “Because I’d like to share a drink with the man who rescued my nephew from certain death.”

The two unlikely drinking companions proceeded to enjoy a glass of rum together.
If either thought it strange, neither said so. Given what had transpired earlier that day, it seemed the most natural thing in the world.