Convictions (14 page)

Abruptly, the roar of thunder ceased, as did the shrilling of the wind. The bellowing of the livestock below and the moaning of the timbers persisted, as the ship continued to rock and roll in the crashing waves, but the hurricane seemed to have passed.

“Is it over?” asked Alice.

“No,” Sarah whispered hoarsely, her body stiff against Jennie.

They waited. Fear grabbed Jennie so tightly she couldn’t breathe. All at once there was a giant sucking sound.

“Brace yourselves!” Nate yelled from somewhere down the passageway.

Moments later, the ship’s prow tilted straight out of the seething ocean and smacked back down, jolting everyone. Immediately the ship rose again on another massive wave. It twisted, lurched sideways and smashed into something with a horrible, wrenching shudder. The ship lifted again, trembled, and dropped suddenly. Then came the splintering of wood followed by a terrible roar.

Suddenly, the sound of the storm magnified, and Jennie caught a glimpse of jagged rocks. As the ship tilted, she saw angry black clouds. A second later, a wave blotted out the sky. There was a gaping hole in the hull where the galley had been!

Before anyone could react, water poured into the hold, whooshing down the passageway. Those in the hammocks just below the rupture never knew what hit them. They lay in the path of the rushing water that swept them along until they were wedged against something solid. Screaming women rushed to the stern and climbed to higher berths.

Jennie scrambled upright and helped Alice to stand. She sloshed through ankle deep water as she pushed her friends into higher bunks nearby, then hung back.

“What are you doing?” Sarah yelled.

“I have to find Lizzie!” Jennie turned toward the cells and was pushed along by the clamouring knot of women.

“Stay with us, Jennie!” Alice shouted after her.

But Jennie took no heed. When she caught sight of Red Bull clinging to a top berth in the guardroom, she screamed at him, “Open the jail cells!”

“Do it yourself,” Red Bull snarled. He flung the keys down.

All of a sudden Nate was by her side. He snatched the keys from the floor and raced to open the cell doors.

“Get to a higher place,” he yelled at her, but Jennie followed him, as he hurried to shepherd the women out of the cells.

At last she saw Lizzie, struggling to keep upright as the press of women carried her along. Jennie snatched Lizzie’s hand. The ship tilted, throwing them against the berths. Pain shot through Jennie’s shin and hip. She clenched her teeth and pulled Lizzie with her, wedging her way through a crushing bottleneck of women.

Jennie gave up trying to get back to her friends. Instead, she thrust Lizzie upwards into a berth that was already crammed full. Reaching hands pulled them both up. Eleven women were jammed together with Jennie, shaking in fear and mumbling prayers.

“Do you have a safe place?” Alice yelled, her voice wavering above the sound of rushing water.

Jennie assured her she was safe, though she knew this was far from the truth.

All around them the wind howled and the waves continued to pound against the ship. The sea rushed in faster, aided by a wind-blown blast of icy, pelting rain. Jennie became numb with cold. They watched and waited as the water level rose to the bottom berths, then ever higher. The sounds of livestock below had ceased long before. When would their time come?

“We can’t just wait to drown. We have to do something.” Jennie heard Nate from farther along the berths where the guards had lodged.

Walt answered, “What would you have us do, lad? There’s nowhere to go.”

“We’ve crashed onto rocks, there must be land. At least we’d have a better chance than sitting here.”

Walt agreed. “Check if you have the will,” he said. “You go on, lad. I’ll wait here for you to report back.”

“What about the rest of you?” Nate asked.

“Can’t swim.” The answer came from several of them.

“Not even you, Coombs? Edwards? You’re sailors!” Nate chided.

“Doesn’t mean we can swim.”

Jennie was surprised Coombs and Edwards hadn’t been on deck with the rest of the crew. They must have joined the guards to play cards and been trapped.

“We’re all going to drown,” said Coombs, fear evident in his voice.

“Not if I can help it,” Nate replied.

Jennie heard a splash. Moments later, Nate appeared, pulling himself along the edge of the upper berths, his legs submerged in the icy water. Jennie watched in amazement and dread as he made his way toward the yawning rupture.

Somehow he found purchase above the swirling sea. He struggled against the force of the incoming water that dragged at his body. He lost his grip and the surge swept him back.

Again, he grabbed for a hold and half-swam, half-pulled himself through the sluicing water. Clutching the ragged, broken boards at the edge of the opening, he hoisted his upper torso through. Nate kicked hard and strained to hang on as he surveyed the scene for a few minutes. At last he dropped down and let himself be carried back by the current.

Nate took a deep breath and disappeared below the water. He was under so long that Jennie thought he had drowned. But he reappeared, clutching the end of a torn hammock. He made his way to a post and secured the end ropes around it. Then he dove again and pulled up another hammock. He tied it to the first.

Several more times Nate fought his way underwater and back again, making a length of hammocks that he stretched and dragged toward the opening. Somehow he managed to secure the last one to the broken boards. He pulled himself along it, testing it for sturdiness, then stopped, clinging to a post.

“For anyone who would like to try, it’ll be safer on deck,” Nate shouted. “I don’t know how we’ll survive once we’re out of the hold, but we’re sure to die if we stay here.”

“What’s it like topside, lad?” hollered Walt.

“The ship is rammed onto the rocks, so it shouldn’t shift for a time, unless the storm worsens.”

“I say we try it!” Sarah yelled. “Jennie, are you up for it?”

“Oh, yes!” she called back.

“I’ll help,” said Walt. He splashed into the water and edged along the top berths the way Nate had done.

The water was higher now, and his going was slow. Several women dropped into the water and headed toward the opening, hampering one another as they rushed to be saved. Many hung back, too terrified to move. Red Bull overtook the women one by one, almost throwing them out of his way as he thrashed to the opening. When he passed Jennie, he had terror in his eyes.

Nate shouted more instructions. “When you get up top, stay together in the centre in case the ship tilts.”

The others from Jennie’s berth rushed to save themselves ahead of her and Lizzie. A shocking jolt of frigid water hit Jennie as she lowered herself over the edge of the bunk. She reached back for Lizzie.

“You go. I’ll only hinder you,” Lizzie said, hanging back.

“I’m not going without you.” Jennie yanked Lizzie’s hand and pulled her down.

Lizzie sputtered and cursed, as Jennie shoved her against the berth ahead of them. Jennie grabbed a wrist and forced Lizzie to hold on to the edge.

“We’ll never make it,” Lizzie protested.

“Not if we don’t try.”

Lizzie inched her way along.

“A little faster,” Jennie urged, as the water reached her waist.

They struggled down the length of the berths, fighting against the water. Ahead, Nate and Walt struggled to push the women through the opening where water continued to gush in. As Jennie neared them, she saw hands reaching to pull the women above board. Who had gone ahead of Nate and Walt to help? Red Bull’s beefy arms were swarthy, and the ones helping were slender.

Jennie pressed forward. There were so
many of them to go yet. At last Lizzie was shoved up, and it was Jennie’s turn. She hung on tight, pulling as hard as she could as the men battled against the surge to thrust her upwards. Strong hands grabbed her wrists and yanked her onto the deck. She lay there stunned, as ominous grey clouds swirled above her.

Jennie wiped the moisture off her face. Whoever had helped her was reaching for the next person. When he turned, she saw it was Meadows. How had he been saved? Then Sarah was there helping her stand. Jennie let herself be guided to the centre of the deck, keeping low to help against the pitching and rolling of the ship.

When Jennie reached the huddle of women, Alice and Kate hugged her and pulled her beside them. Sarah started back to help others.

Kate touched her arm. “I’ll take a turn. You need a rest.”

Sarah shook her head. “There’s not much time left.”

“We’ll both go then,” said Kate.

“I can go too,” volunteered Jennie.

“No,” said Kate. “We can only get people out one at a time, anyway.”

“She’s right, you rest,” said Sarah. “Though another strong man would be nice to relieve Meadows.” She nodded toward Red Bull, who skulked in the shadows of the damaged wheelhouse, his back to the rescue efforts.

Kate and Sarah somehow kept their balance as they staggered back to the gaping hole, only to find that Coombs and Edwards had made it out, and were now helping to rescue the others. They returned to the group of women.

Jennie crushed herself tight to them to keep warm. They were quite a big group by now, but three quarters of the prisoners still needed to get out. Jennie knew the water was rising quickly, and they wouldn’t all make it. She stared in shock at her surroundings. The mast closest to the stern had snapped off and the largest sail dangled precariously by ropes over the starboard. The poop deck and quarterdeck were gone, as was the top of the captain’s cabin. And so was the rest of the crew.

“How did Meadows survive?” she asked.

“Apparently he was in the captain’s quarters and somehow got trapped there when the ship hit the rocks. Fortunate for him, but not for Captain Furlee and Lieutenant Yates, who were swept away in the wreckage,” said Fanny.

“Fortunate for us. He’s here to guide us,” said Jennie. “Nate and the others too.”

Alice said, “The reverend and the surgeon were meeting with the captain as well, and they’re gone.”

Jennie stretched to see beyond the huge, jagged rocks impaling the ship on its port side. Cautiously she stood, propping her hands on Alice’s shoulders to keep from falling over. Some distance past a large number of rocks, she could see a ledge that might offer some shelter, though the danger to get there would be great. Only the agile were likely to make it.

She settled back down, and Alice tapped her shoulder. “What did you see?”

Jennie explained the situation to a silent group of women. They stared at the roiling sea as the wind whistled around them. Though they might have been saved from drowning below deck, they were still facing great peril. They needed to find food and water. The chance of being rescued was unlikely, as they had been blown far off course.

A feeling of absolute hopelessness overcame Jennie.

Chapter Twelve

The wind and the waves
, relentless under the darkening sky,
continued to pound the crippled ship.

Suddenly, the vessel shifted with a groan. Everyone screamed and scrabbled for a hold. The mass of women plummeted to starboard grabbing onto whatever they could: cleats, ropes, fallen sails, broken masts. Several tumbled overboard.

Jennie lost her grip on Alice, but she was lucky enough to roll against the hatch door and was able to hold on to its latch. Through the melee, Jennie glimpsed Sarah and Alice clutching the capstan not far away. Sarah had a gash on her forehead, but she and Kate struggled to tie the three of them to the capstan with the end of a frayed rope. It might hold them in place, but if the ship capsized, nothing would save them.

Behind her, someone whimpered. Jennie turned to find Lizzie clinging to a useless mooring rope. Although the ship still rocked ominously, for now the ship seemed to have stabilized somewhat from the major shift. Jennie reached for Lizzie and dragged her over. They tied themselves to the latch.

Jennie looked toward the yawning rent where Meadows was lying flat on his stomach with Coombs and Edwards beside him. They had roped themselves to the splintered boards
protruding from the breach, and were reaching for someone. Was it Nate? Or Walt? Maybe they would have a chance to get out even though the water had probably reached the top of the second deck.

The men heaved and Walt’s bedraggled body slumped onto the deck. Rolling Walt over and out of the way, they reached down again. Nate emerged, coughing and spluttering. Meadows said something to him and Nate shook his head. The men collapsed on the deck, breathing hard.

Jennie knew the rest of the women were gone. She whispered a silent prayer for all those who hadn’t been saved. Then she surveyed what was left of the group that had made it out and hadn’t toppled overboard. Only about thirty of them remained. Jennie wondered what they would do next. They wouldn’t survive long without food or water. And she knew none of them could withstand another lashing from waves if the weather worsened.

As the ship settled, Jennie realized that for some reason the aft end seemed to be floating with just the main deck above the water line. She wondered how long that would last and how long they would keep getting battered by repercussions of the hurricane. The churning waves seemed to go on endlessly. It might
take days before the sea calmed after such a furious storm.