Convict Girl

Chapter 2

It was a couple of weeks before we were let out onto the deck again. In all the pushing and shoving, I helped Sarah out onto the deck. Many of the women didn’t like looking out to sea, so they either sat or stood around the deck, groaning.

Sarah and I loved the fresh, salty sea breeze. I could see for miles at sea. There was an occasional spray of sea water in the breeze. I hoped the guard wouldn’t call for us to go into the hole yet. Some convicts were too sick and depressed to come up into the deck. Some were dying and couldn’t move anyway. It was ghastly to witness women being reduced to frail skeletons.. We walked over to an empty place at the rail. Sarah nudged my elbow.

“What is it?” I asked. I followed her gaze to see ivory-coloured birds with a wide wingspan, wider than any I had ever seen in England, gliding gracefully on the wind.

“Birds, Eleanor,” she replied a little breathlessly, “Sea birds. Do you know what that means?”

“No,” I replied, frowning.

“That means,” Sarah said, almost toppling over the guard rail in excitement, “That we’re nearly at Botany Bay!” Her words sank in.  We were nearly free! Anything was better than this god-forsaken ship.

°°°

Only a few days later, we were allowed on the deck again. It was pure bliss to feel the salty air blowing in my face again so soon. I was watching our ship ride over the turquoise waves when I noticed a stretch of dark green land on the horizon.

I shouted the good news to Sarah and soon a crowd of women were leaning over the rail, shouting, crying and hugging each other. Soon the guards saw that we had spotted land and they quickly lined us up and put us down in the hold again.

That night I didn’t sleep. Thoughts of what lay ahead kept my mind alert until the early hours of the morning. Sarah had told me about the giant animals that jumped on their enormous back legs and had a long tail. What kind of creatures lived on this land? Would the darker-skinned people hurt us? What would life be like in Botany Bay? What if something happened to Sarah?  These questions snaked through my thoughts like serpents in a pit.

The next day, while lying on my hammock, I noticed that the boat had stopped bobbing up and down. I sat up, and realised something was different. I woke Sarah quickly and told her the news.

“Sarah!” I cried, “We’ve stopped moving! We’re at Botany Bay!”