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  “Mussels?”

  “Aye the black shiny shells. They cling on to the rocks. Here,” he gave me the basket he used to carry his food. “Take this and use it to collect them. I can keep an eye on you from here.”

  I was lithe and I had good balance but, even so, the rocks proved to be slippery. I later found out that Stumpy had known that it was a hard place from which to collect them which is why the mussels there were untouched. There were hundreds of them. They were easy to pick but the smell of the sea weed and the smell from the drain water from the town almost knocked me sick. The only thing which kept me going was the thought of what Caitlin had to do. Just putting up with the discharge from the privies in the town was not important.

  I collected three baskets full. Each time I collected one I took them back to Stumpy who had found me an old Hessian sack. He nodded, “They’ll do.” He gazed at the glistening pile of shells. “Too many to eat. I’ll tell you what; we’ll go down to Megan. She has the shellfish shop on the corner. She’ll buy them off you and cook them. Some you can eat and some she will pay you for. How’s that?”

  I was so happy I wanted to hug the smelly, one armed sailor but I was becoming a man and men did not do that. “That’ll be fine.” I would soon be earning money and that meant that Caitlin was closer to freedom.

  The fish woman, Megan, was a broad rosy faced widow. Her red hands showed that she worked hard but she was a lovely lady. I got the impression that the two of them had something going on, I couldn’t work out what. She seemed to know my story and kept shaking her head and ruffling my hair while mumbling about English bastards. She paid me a handful of copper coins and gave me a basket of the steaming mussels to take home. I thought it was a shame that Caitlin would not be able to eat them hot but at least I would have provided a meal for her when she came in.

  I must have been more tired than I had thought for I fell asleep soon after eating, exactly, half of the mussels. Consequently I was easily disturbed when Caitlin returned. “Sorry I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  Her voice sounded slurred and sleepy; perhaps she was tired. “I have some mussels for you. They are lovely.”

  She hugged me and I smelled drink on her. “What a grand brother you are. I’ll have them for breakfast.”

  With that she promptly fell asleep. I lay awake. I was young but I was not stupid. My sister was even drunker than she had been the previous day. Perhaps she had drunk too much to help her to forget what she had been doing. I would have to wait until the morning to ask her. I didn’t think I would get much sense from her in her present state.

  She looked bleary eyed when we awoke but she seemed more her normal self. “Why did you drink so much Caitlin?”

  “Sure and it was just to keep out the cold. It’s a lovely drink called gin. Looks like water but tastes like the nectar from heaven.”

  I was not convinced but I showed her my coins. “See what I earned yesterday and Stumpy said he might get me a berth on a boat.”

  She grabbed me about the shoulders. “My wee brother earning money; I am so proud of you but I am also trying to find you a berth but not one where you would have to work. One of the gentlemen in the alehouse says he might be able to take you as a passenger if I can pay him some money and,” she giggled, “show him some favours.”

  This did not please me in the least. “Tell your friend it is alright. I am sure Stumpy will come through for me and I would rather work than take charity.”

  Her face suddenly chilled as though frozen by snow. “And this is not charity. It is business. I am buying you a passage. That is not charity.”

  Fearing another rattled slap I smiled, “We will see who makes the first offer then eh?”

  Stumpy’s face fell when I told him my story. He pointed his stump at the harbour. “The American ship sailed on last night’s tide. That would have been the best place for you.” He smiled although I could see that it was forced. “Never mind; I see the two big Indiamen are still berthed and there are always more ships coming in every day.”

  I went down to the rocks to collect more of the mussels but my spirits sank. I would have to rely on my sister and her dubious contact. I hated the thought of the favours and pleasures he would expect. I ate all of the mussels that I had not sold to Megan that night. With some of the money I bought myself a cheap pair of rope soled shoes. They would be useful if I ever gained a berth and they would protect my feet from the sharp rocks in the harbour. The rest of the money I hid. Stumpy had given me an old leather purse and he showed me how to tie it beneath my clothes to keep it hidden.

  “There are many fine men on ships but there are some thieving bastards too!” He also took me to his home, little more than a roof and three walls really where he gave me some other treasure. He gave me an oilskin jacket, although torn in places he assured me it would keep out the wet. As he told me, “The sea is a fearful wet place!” He gave me a hat to go with it although it was just a woollen one. Finally he gave me a pocket knife which folded up.

  Once again, I did not see Caitlin until the next morning and this time she was full of excitement. “I told you I would come through for you! I have a berth on a ship and you won’t need to work! It sails in two days time so we will have to buy you things for the trip like some clean underwear and a spare pair of breeches.”

  “What about money?”

  “Don’t you worry yourself about that. It is your sister Caitlin who is organising this, not a one armed old soak from the harbour.”

  Although I loved my sister I did not like the way she spoke about Stumpy who had shown me nothing but kindness.”Don’t talk about Stumpy that way. He is kind and he looks after me.”

  Her eyes flashed an angry green. “Meaning I don’t!”

  “I didn’t say that. Let’s not quarrel. Which ship is it then?”

  She looked suddenly puzzled and then she laughed. “I must be soft; I forgot to ask. I’ll ask tonight.” She reached into her purse and took out a silver sixpence. “Here, put this with your money.”

  “Where did you get this?”

  “Never mind but I bet it is more than the sailor gave you.”

  As I left her to prepare for her work I realised that she was jealous. I shook my head; Stumpy was a kind old man but she was family and blood was thicker than water. Stumpy was not as happy as I had thought he would be about the news that I had a berth. “I can’t see officers from the Indiaman frequenting a whorehouse. But it might have been a crewman.” He rubbed his stubble with his stump. “But they couldn’t get you a passage. You be careful young Jack. Your sister sounds like a kind girl but she doesn’t know men and the way of the world. Keep your wits about you and survive! Now you go and get your mussels. Tonight I’ll ask around about the ships again. See what I can discover.”

  That night as I left Megan and Stumpy I didn’t realise it would be for the last time. They both looked at me with such kindness that I felt safe for the first time since ma and da had died. When Caitlin came in she woke me. She had the slurred speech and smell of someone who has been drinking but her eyes were wide with excitement. “I have great news Jack. You sail for America on the morning tide. Captain Bailey will give you passage and his is a quick ship.”

  My heart sank down to my new rope soled shoes. Black Bill Bailey was a smuggler and a pirate why would he offer me passage? “Are you sure I heard he was…”

  “Don’t you listen to gossip. He is a good man and a kind man. He is taking you to America in return for me looking after his house here in Cork.” She beamed. “I am to be a housekeeper! I’ll be a whore no more!” It sounded good but I was not convinced. However I was excited. By noon the next day I would be heading west to America to make my fortune and then return to bring my sister to the land of milk and honey. As I gathered my few belongings together to put them in the haversack Caitlin had brought me I was sad that I would not see Stumpy and Megan before I left… but when I returned, ah, then I would reward them both for their kindness.

/>   Chapter 2

  Jack

  The ‘Rose of Tralee’ had looked to be small when I had viewed her with Stumpy but now that I stood next to her I saw that she was quite large. There were two masts and she was about eighty feet long. I later found out that she was called a Brigantine but, as with many things, I would discover that after I had been at sea for a month and was told such things. Black Bill Bailey was waiting for us impatiently at the gangplank. Caitlin was fluttering her eyes and I noticed that her lips were red and her cheeks rouged; the blue paint on her eyes was more obvious too.

  When he saw us he turned his scowl to a smile. “Ah so this is the wee laddie.” He was Scottish but it was more of a gentle burr than the unintelligible gabble of a highlander.

  “Yes my love. This is my little brother, Jack.”

  “Not so little. Now, young Jack, you kiss your sister goodbye and then get aboard. My first mate will see to you. The tide waits for no man.”

  Caitlin held me tightly and I felt the salty tears trickle down my face from my sister’s eyes. “Now Bill will watch over you; trust me and we shall meet again. Of that I have no doubt.”

  “Take care of yourself and, if you ever need him, go to Stumpy.” She pulled back with the start of a scowl on her face. I held up my hand. “He is a kind man and if you have nowhere else to go you will be safe. Promise me.”

  She hesitated. “Well I will always be safe with Bill so I will promise you.” She peered over my shoulder and I suspect that the Captain must have looked angry for she said, “Now get aboard and I love you.”

  It was an awkward goodbye for we did not go in for such things in our home but I said, “I love you too sis.” It sounded strange but, as events turned out I was pleased that I had said it.

  I clutched my bag with my few belongings and hurried up the plank to the deck. I turned and saw the Captain fondling Caitlin. I was angry but I could say nothing and then he hurried up on to the deck and began to shout orders. “Hoist the foresail. Haul in the gangplank. Cast off forrard.” He glanced down at me, all semblance of kindness gone. “And you, you scraggy wee shit, get yourself below deck and keep out of the way.”

  A huge hand grabbed me and propelled me through the hatch to the crew’s quarters. “You heard the feckin captain now move!” That was my first meeting with the First Mate, Paddy Henry. He was a sour faced bully who terrified the whole crew. He seemed to enjoy cruelty. In all the time I knew him I never saw him smile once. I would have broken something if it wasn’t for the fact that I always had good balance and scrambling about on the rocks for mussels had honed that skill.

  When I stood in the gloom I peered around to get my bearings. As my eyes became accustomed to the dark I saw neatly coiled hammocks and small lockers. I could also see a dim glow from further in and a small round man stood in the doorway. He smiled at me. “Welcome to the Rose of Tralee. You have just met the, always pleasant, First Mate, Mr. Henry.” He held out a greasy and pudgy hand. “And I am the cook, Fatty Hutton. Welcome aboard.“ He pointed to the corner of the deck where a locker stood open. “This is your berth and your hammock.”

  I was confused. Why was I bunking with the crew? “I thought I was a passenger.”

  He looked at me sadly. Although his English accent sounded foreign, it was not the aristocratic English of the lord of the manor. It was a rougher accent and it made me feel welcome. “Sorry son. You are now part of the crew.” There was the noise of someone coming down the steps and he hissed, “I’ll talk to you later. Stow your gear and just do everything that they say.” He winked at me.

  A huge ham of a hand slapped the back of my head. “Put your feckin gear in there and then get yourself on deck. It’s time for you to earn your passage!” The laugh he gave was evil and there was no smile attached, Paddy Henry enjoyed bullying and on this ship he only answered to the captain.. The deck suddenly looked like a scene from hell and I was doomed to die there.

  The sudden light of the main deck blinded me for a moment and I looked towards the stern. I could see, beyond the wheel, the harbour and, just for a moment I saw Stumpy. He must have recognised me for he raised his stump. I felt tears in my eyes but before I had a chance to either cry or wave a roar came from Captain Bailey. “Grab the rope and pull you wee little shit! Let go aft!”

  I was learning that my new name was ‘wee shit’. I saw three sailors on a rope and I took hold of it and helped them to pull. The sail at the bow gradually rose and caught the wind. I was amazed at how quickly the boat left the dock. I had no time to congratulate myself. One of the seamen began tying off the rope on a metal stanchion as the captain shouted, “Hoist the mainsail!”

  The sailor who had been next to me, a young lad about five years older than me said, in a strange accent, “Best do as I do, otherwise Mister Henry will flay the skin from your bones!”

  I could now see that the first mate had a quirt or short whip in his hands. His face left me under no illusions; if he could he would make me bleed and enjoy every red flecked drop. It looked like Stumpy was right. What had my sister done to me? I knew it would not have been deliberate but it looked as though I was not being given a free passage to America. By the time we had hoisted all of the sails on the brigantine I was exhausted. I had not eaten since the previous night and not even had a drink. The salt air had parched my throat and the sun now chose to emerge from the clouds and I felt myself heating up.

  First Mate Paddy Henry loomed up. “You, go to the captain. Now!”

  Captain Black Bill Bailey was leaning on the stern taff rail. (I soon learned all the nautical terms although it cost me many a cuff of the ear to do so.) He was smoking a long thin cigar. The biggest man I had ever seen and the first negro was steering the boat his face set in a cheerful grin. “Now then you little wee shit. Your sister wants me to take you to America.”

  He paused, as though affording me the opportunity to speak. “Yes sir. She said you would give me a free passage to America.”

  From his laugh and that of the negro you would have thought I had told the funniest joke ever. When he had stopped laughing he grabbed hold of my ear and twisted it. “That empty headed whore of a sister is even dumber than I thought. You are now a member of my crew until I say otherwise.”

  “Won’t I be getting off in America then sir?”

  The backhanded slap made that of Caitlin’s seem like a love tap. I tasted blood in my mouth and my head rang. I picked myself up from the deck and he pointed his cigar at me. “Listen carefully. I hoped you were a little cleverer than your sister but obviously not. You are a member of my crew until I am tired of you and throw you to the sharks. Clear?”

  Holding back the tears I mumbled, “Yes Captain.”

  “Now get below and stow your gear away.”

  I descended into the gloom and took my few possessions out of my bag. They seemed lost in the tiny locker. The young seaman who had been kind to me appeared at my shoulder. “Haven’t got much have you boyo? Orphan, are you?”

  I turned, amazed. “Yes. How did …?”

  “Me too. There were two others but,” he lowered his voice, “they upset the captain and they are feeding the sharks. Watch your step.” He spoke with conviction. “I am Davy Thomas from Holyhead, that is in Wales. It makes us almost neighbours. We have a packet sails to Dublin and Cork every day.”

  “I am Jack Hogan. Thank you.”

  He put his arm around my shoulders and I noticed that his arms were knotted with muscles. “The first few days are the worst and they let you be once you know the ropes.”

  “Know the ropes?”

  “Aye boyo. When to pull and when to lower. You stick with me.” He looked worried. “Are you afraid of heights?”

  “I don’t think so. Why?”

  He pointed through the open hatch. “Because we have to climb the ropes and reef the sails. On a day like today that is no problem. But in an Atlantic gale…”

  He let the sentence drift in the breeze. I sighed. I wished that I w
as on the American ship. I think I would have been safer. Fatty Hutton peered around the door leading to the galley. “Here Jack.” He handed me two pieces of bread with hunks of fried bacon and a mug of ale. “Eat them quick before the first mate sees you.” He winked. “You are doing alright Irishman.”

  “Thank you.” I gratefully bit off so much of the sandwich that it filled my mouth. I quickly gobbled it down and washed it down with the warm ale. Before I finished the rest off I said, quietly to the two men, “I feel like a slave and not a free Irishman.”

  Fatty sadly shook his head, “The Irish were never free and when you see real slaves you’ll see how well off you are.” Davy nodded his sombre agreement. I had barely finished the food when we heard, “All crew on deck!” I swallowed the ale and threw the mug to Fatty who grinned at me as he adeptly caught it.

  There was no sign of Captain Black Bill Bailey. I could see the rest of the crew were gathered. There were ten of us and the steersman. It was not a big crew and I wondered how we would manage to sail the ship across the ocean. One of them just glowered at me and I wondered what I had done to offend him, or perhaps he was just a man who hated Irishmen. There appeared to be plenty men who did that.

  “Get down to the cargo deck. I want all the shackles oiling and securing.” He pointed to Davy. “You, take the useless piece of Irish shite with you and see if he can pick it up otherwise.” He gestured behind us with his thumb and all but Davy laughed.

  We descended to the deck below ours. It was black as coal and, but for the oil lamps we carried, we would have seen nothing. Davy took my arm. “Come with me.” He led me to the far end. There was a sudden movement and Davy’s teeth flashed in the oil light. “Rats! The feckin ship is infested with them.” He pointed at the chains tethered to the wall and held up an oil can. “Smear them all over with the oil. We need to make sure we can release them quickly.”