The Secret of the Stone

Chapter 4

Elsie

I had taken some dirt and smudged my face. Then I rumpled my clothes so I didn't look as neat. The one voyage my father had taken me on plus how much he taught me had prepared me well for this moment. I knew how the ships were run.
Being a cabin boy should be easy. I had to be a cabin boy. The cobble stones glinted as the sun rose and I almost tripped over a crate. It was busier than I expected. Several ships were preparing to depart. A breeze pushed past and I felt the cold air on my newly exposed neck. Reaching up I feel my shorn hair just one last time before I shove it from my thoughts.
My name was Elias, and I was looking for immediate passage to the caribbeans. When I reached the ship that Peggy had described there were men carrying jugs and other necessities on board. People were shouting and there was so much movement I froze.
“Move boy!” Someone bellowed from behind me. They smash into me and keep going. I lose my balance, starting to slip off the edge towards the water. I flail my arms desperately terrified of falling in and I feel a grip on my shirt as I am tugged back.
“This is no place for you. Get gone.”
I turn to look. A young man with blond curly hair was glaring at me. I jump back and adjust my shirt. “I am looking for the captain of this ship.” I tell confidently.
He raises an eyebrow at me. “Are ya now? What for?” He folds his arms across his muscular chest, his handsome face amused.
“I would like to request passage to the Caribbeans. I am well ver-” The man shakes his head. “We are not a passenger ship, sorry.” He makes to go past me and I jump in front of him.
“I know! But you are in need of a cabin boy? Right? I am well versed in the work and I can help.”
He furrows his brows, looking me up and down. “And how did you come by that bit of knowledge?” He appears irritated for a moment and I take a step back.
“Your-your cabin boy sir. He came through town and people gossip.” My heart pounding, I stand my ground. He looks concerned and his eyes are far away. I could see he was hesitating so I rushed on. “That is a beautiful Schooner you have and I can climb the masts and cook and clean. I am not afraid of hard work. Please-” My voice cracks and I clear my throat giving myself a moment to composing myself. “Please I need to get to the Caribbean, my father is ill and I need to see him. Maybe you could put in a word for me to the captain? Or give me advice on how to approach him?”
He grins at me and pats me on the head. “Alright. I’ll ask the captain about it. Go help the other men and I'll let you know what he says.”
I jumped in picking up the heavy barrels, carrying rope across the boat and anything else they needed moved. After a while I was sweating and breathing heavily. I was used to hard work during cider season, I always got my hands dirty, but this was using muscles I didn't know I had. Despite that I didn't waver and continued hauling gear aboard. The other men gave me weird looks but didn’t say anything. After moving the pile of necessities from the dock to the rig one of the men hollered across the deck. “Captain! We are almost ready.” I whip my head around eager to see the captain. Morning light streamed out and I shaded my eyes looking across the ship. The man I had spoken to earlier stares at me. His blond curls swirling in the wind. He looks at me, winks, then starts barking out orders. My eyes widen and my face flushes.
He was the captain. I mentally kick myself. How was he a captain when he looked so young?
He saunters over and flicks me on the forehead. “The captain thought about your request. Watched you work. And has decided you are hired. Now get this stuff stored below.”
Breathing in relief I tell him, “Thank you captain.” and scurry below. After securing the barrels of food and water I go back up to the deck. We had already begun moving away from the dock navigating our way out of the bay. I wasn’t sure what to do to be of service so I ended up standing awkwardly to the side. Watching the men work together in unison was mesmerizing.
“Hey cabin boy!” A gruff older man with a scraggly sun bleached beard yells at me. He was trying to pull on a rope that wouldn’t budge. “Climb up their lad and untangle this will you?”
Gawking at the tall mainmast I almost choked. It was the fisherman's sail. One of the ropes had gotten tangled. While my father had taught me plenty about sailing and I had been friends with the cabin boy when he took me across to England, I had NOT actually been allowed to climb the masts. I hurry forward, gulping at the little metal pegs in the mast for climbing. I had grown up my whole life climbing our trees. This couldn’t be that different? I grab hold of the first metal bar and haul myself up. While this wasn’t the biggest ship I had seen, and it only had two masts it was still daunting with every foot I climbed. The rope was stuck about 80 feet high. Looking down nauseated me and I tried my best to keep my eyes forward. There was nothing holding me up but my own two hands and I was covered in sweat. The sun was starting to beat down now. And the boat swayed with each wave.
Once I reached the rope I didn’t want to let go to grab it from where it was tangled. I was petrified. Taking a deep breath I raised my hand from the mast and reached out grabbing the rough tan rope. It didn’t budge. So I pulled harder. This time it slipped out and I lost my balance. One of my feet slipped and I clung to the mast for dear life. My heart was beating like crazy and I squeezed my eyes shut. The men bellow below as the sail unfurls and I force open my eyes. The view took my breath away. We were beginning to reach the open ocean. The wind rustles my short hair and I realize my hat had fallen off. I slowly start my climb back down. Taking extra care.
When my feet are touching the deck again I say a little prayer and start to look around for my hat. I immediately spotted a tall lanky boy holding it. “Wasn’t to bad was it?”
He was probably 16 or 17 and he handed me my hat. I shake my head, my mouth still dry from fright. My arms were trembling from clinging so tight and my back was covered in sweat.
“Here. My name is Eddy!” He grins at me, his blue eyes sparkling in the sun.
“Elias.” I say holding out my hand after popping my hat back on. He swats away my hand and then clasps me on the back. “Welcome aboard Elias. I’ll show you around. I used to be the cabin boy before I got hired on as a crew member! I was worried I would be stuck with cabin boy duties when Vincent got sick. I sure am thankful you turned up.” He gestures for me to follow him down below. Complimenting me about my good organization with the goods I had stored, Eddy quickly walks past further into the ship. He starts talking about the crew quarters and some of the men, but I don’t understand most of it.
“This is the kitchen.” He shows me a tiny room with a fire hearth in the middle. And a small table to the side. There were vegetables and slabs of salted meat laying about. It was not going to be fun making meals. I grimace and Eddy sees.
“Oh don’t worry. You’ll mostly be making easy meals. Porridge, fish, stews and such. It is a short voyage, only about a couple of weeks.”
When I went with my father to England it was about a month-long trip so I was relieved to hear it would be half that.
Next Eddy shows me the head, I was thankful that it was a private area. I hadn’t quite known what to do if I couldn’t relieve myself privately.
“Next I'll show you the top deck and the captains quarters. But I am only showing you once. You should have no reason to be abouts that area unless the captain wants a word with ya.”
I nod and squint as we climb back into the sun. Most of the men were settling down now into their assigned roles. Without the flutter of movement I could see there were only 8 crew members counting Eddy.
We start walking across to the deck and as we walk I find it hard to maintain a straight course. My legs wobble and my face heats as the passing men give a chuckle.
"Don't worry lad you'll find your sea legs soon enough." One of the men wearing a dark blue shirt with a leather belt shouts at me.
"That is Clovis. He is super friendly and helpful if you want to learn stuff.."
I wasn't looking at Clovis though, I was looking past him at a tall man with wide set eyes the color dark soil. He was staring at me in what I could have sworn was anger, arms crossed lips pursed. I didn't know what to make of it.
Eddy walks up to the door on the other side of the deck and knocks softly.
It swings open to reveal the captain. "Ah yes cabin boy. I need you to come in and sign the ship's log so I can pay you when we reach port." Despite my fearful look Eddy nudges me forward then leaves.
The captains quarters were smaller than I expected and papers were strewn all over the table top. The captain reaches onto a shelf and pulls out a small booklet.
"Do you know how to read or write?" He inquires gently.
Nodding,  he hands me the booklet. It was black, slim and bound neatly. I open it curiously. Inside it read: "Rules for Crew and Employer Contract."
Reading through, I found it to be basic rules about behavior, working, and following orders. It included a basic contract for the voyage.
When I finish reading I look up at the captain. He was watching me carefully.
"Any questions?”Again I shake my head. "Alright, please sign your name then."
I take the quill from his hand and write my alias down carefully. Captain takes the quill, his penmanship was much less neat than mine, as he signs and dates it. He quickly closed the book and slides it back.
"Elias, Your penmanship was very good. Where did you grow up?"
Somehow I felt like this was a trick question despite his easy tone. Carefully, I answered anyway.
"South Carolina. We have an apple orchard and sell our cider. That's what my father is doing in Cuba. He was trying to get new clients interested in buying our cider. I pause my mind picturing him laying alone, sick in bed. “At least before he fell ill."
"Ah. So you've never actually been a Cabin boy, just a merchant's son then?" He says it so calmly but I can see his body tense. He had just called me a liar without saying as much and I speak calmly.
"I never claimed to be a Cabin boy just to be well versed in the work, which is true."
He inspects me again, thinking back for a moment before relaxing. "True enough then. Ya didn't lie and you proved to know a thing or two especially after climbing the mainmast. I look forward to seeing if your cooking skills are as on par as the rest of your knowledge." He stands up from his chair and sticks out his hand. "Welcome to the crew Elias."

After dinner I was laying down in my hammock listening to the other sailors chattering to each other and I finally let my mind wander. I hoped that Peggy was alright and that the letter I had left for Mark was enough to make him understand why I ran away. He was a nice man and I feel bad for not honoring the agreement but at the end of the day all that mattered was getting to my father. I flex my sore arm, rolling my shoulder. Every muscle hurt. All the work I did today had me wondering how tomorrow would go. My body would only grow stronger with each day so I wasn’t worried.
I only had to make it a few weeks.
I had started to drift off thinking about the beautiful orchard trees from home when someone swung into my hammock and cheerfully belted out my name.
“Elias, here have some rum!” Eddy tells me, shoving a bottle in my face. I grab it and take a swig. It burns my mouth and my eyes water. Gaging, I double over coughing.
“That was nothing like cider!” I proclaim. He chuckles and takes it back. One of the other men I hadn’t met yet sits up next to us. “Hey, give me some of that.” He takes a swallow before looking at me and points. “Is it true you are a merchant's son!? Doing the work of a cabin boy?”
Well gossip traveled fast on the ship, something I would need to carefully keep in mind. “Yeah, just trying to get to my father, he is very ill.” I shrug and grab the bottle out of his hand and take another drink only to cough again and they both laugh. “How old are you?” Eddy asks me as I hand the bottle back to him.
“15.” The lie rolls off my tongue easily. The other man scoffs, "You definitely look scrawny for 15!" Eddy smacks the man upside the head. “Don’t be rude, Auden. You look old for 35!”
Auden huffs and walks away leaving me and Eddy to grin at his back. “So, how do you like ship life so far?” I shrug honestly, not sure. “A lot of work?" I reply truthfully.
"It sure is that. But I love sailing." He grins at me cheerfully and then his smile slowly fades as he quickly takes another sip. "So your father is really sick huh?" I grab the bottle this time and nod. "yeah he was in Havana meeting with some of his distributors and I got word he was very Ill. It's just me and him so I had to hop on the first ship out here in case I can make it to him before he….. I trail off and my head starts to spin.
I had never had anything but some wine or cider and the rum was hitting me harder than expected. "I'm sorry Elias," he tells me, "I lost most of my family too. That's how I ended up here. But the crew treats me like I am their family. I hope we get to Havana in time. I know the captain is going as fast as he can." I hand him the bottle back, done with it. "Why are you guys going to Cuba? Is your captain a merchant?"
Eddy chuckles at my words. "Captain Dax? A merchant? Nah. Not really. We are usually hired for important things like messages and the likes. He has a fast ship and not one good for carrying loads of stuff. Though that being said this one time we carried limes from the Caribbean to England. Have you ever tasted a lime!?" I think back trying to remember. "I don't think so. What do they look like?" He stands up stumbling. "They are about half the size of my fist and green as leaves. You slice them open and they are so sour. And they sting open cuts. Nasty fellas really not sure why anyone wants them." They did sound nasty and I grimace at the thought of them. But I was also curious. "What are they used for?" Eddy shrugs. “No idea.”
After I got done telling him about our orchard he began to yawn and stumbled to his hammock. I had to pee so I made my way to the head. My vision was blurry and I stumbled a bit before I made it. As Beginning to pee, I hear voices outside the door and they are arguing quietly. I finish my business and then carefully put my ear to the door.
"I don't trust him!" The voice says, "He just happens to talk his way into our ship with some story about his sick father right when we are on a top secret mission!?" I realized he was talking about me. I inhaled sharply and covered my mouth.
"John I appreciate your concern but I talked to him. I believe he isn't a threat, he knows nothing about our voyage, only that we were the first ship out to the Caribbean." I recognized that voice. It was Captain Dax!
"I don't trust him. He is hiding something! Your father never would have let him aboard if he-" Dax cuts him off sharply, voice cold and angry.
"My father is not here. I am and you follow my orders John." There was silence for a moment then John says, ,"Aye captain. As you wish."
The footsteps slowly fade away. I wait a few minutes before coming out and slowly slink back to my hammock. I wasn't sure what to make of that. Being aware of the mistrust was better than being oblivious. I could watch my back now.
The day’s would pass slowly as I waited to get to Havana. I didn’t want any drama. All I cared about was safe passage.