Daughter of Destiny (5 page)

A needle of anger shot through her. She had done nothing
wrong and always tried to do everything right. But he wouldn’t even give her a
chance. Wouldn’t even speak to her in private to list her failures. They might
as well be mere acquaintances, for clearly he seemed not to care much for his wife.

With a sigh, she put aside her useless musings and pulled
Daniel up on her lap for another game of cat’s cradle. Later, when he lay down
with his mother to take their afternoon naps, she would pour out her heart in
prayer and in her journal, for there was no person on earth whom she would
burden with these heartaches.

Leah adjusted the small oak secretary on her
lap, opened her journal, and dipped her newly sharpened quill into the inkwell.
She loved these quiet afternoons. Gladys and Daniel napped, everyone else
tended to duty, and she was free to do as she wished. First she read her Bible
and prayed, then wrote journal entries or added news to an already long letter
to Mother Adams, who had given her this little lap desk.

Tapping the quill on the edge of its well to remove excess
ink, she set pen to paper.

Dear Lord, How lovely Your sky and ocean are today. How
quickly You speed us along on our voyage. In these three months, we have come
so far, and soon will reach the Straits of Magellan. In Your great mercy,
please make it an easy passage, for many are turned back or lost in those
turbulent waters.

She sat back and regarded the page, chuckling at her words.
Who was she to tell God about His own wide, wild ocean? And when had she begun
to write her journal to her Heavenly Father? Perhaps as far back as her earthly
father’s and mother’s deaths, when she no longer had anyone to whom she could
pour out her heart. Yet she treasured her written prayers because often she
would review old entries and realize how many of those prayers God had
answered.

Today she rejoiced in recalling her petitions concerning
Sister Gladys’s continued illness, for time had revealed its cause. By the time
the Hillermans arrived in the Sandwich Islands four or five months from now,
Daniel would have a tiny sister or brother. Gladys no longer felt ill, but she
had grown so large that her travel dresses needed to be let out. That task
completed, the two women now sewed or knitted clothing for the coming infant.

Lord, grant her and her baby strong, good health.

Other prayers had been answered, as well. Only a few weeks
out of New Bedford, Daniel had begun to grow weak and listless. Midway down the
Atlantic coast, the ship docked in the Cape Verde Islands and restocked its
stores. The Smileys procured fresh produce and two dozen hens to replace those
that had stopped laying eggs and thus ended up in the stew pot. Also, because
Gladys and Daniel needed milk, Captain Swain permitted the Hillermans to
purchase a milk goat. Improvements in both mother and son came quickly, and
Daniel made the animal his new pet.

Not all prayers concerned health. Leah prayed daily for
each person on the ship, with Jonah topping her list, of course. After their
first days at sea, she had given up praying for his approval. Although distant,
he treated her just as kindly as ever. Once Leah began thanking God for that
instead of complaining to Him, she felt much happier.

Now her prayers for her husband had to do with his excellent
preaching, which had already made a difference in the behavior of the crew. Not
one curse could be heard from their lips, and several had asked what it meant
to be saved. With Jonah’s wise guidance, they found new life in Jesus Christ,
and nearly all the crew had begun to decline their weekly ration of rum.
Captain Swain expressed surprise, but he also voiced his gratitude to Jonah for
refining erstwhile surly sailors.

Another answered prayer came to Leah’s mind. Neither Jonah
nor Reverend Hillerman had taken offense when the crew dumped the two ministers
into the sea at the Equator, a ritual for everyone who crossed zero degrees
latitude for the first time. Having crossed the line often in her father’s
ship, Leah had wanted to warn them of the impending surprise initiation, but
that would have spoiled the crew’s harmless fun. Even Daniel had received an
on-board dousing. Only Gladys was spared due to her delicate condition.

Leah never doubted Jonah could prove himself up to any
task. These days, he only separated himself from the crew at mealtime, when he
joined the captain and the other passengers. Only then could Leah talk with her
beloved. Yet she appreciated those moments.

Just the previous evening at supper, Jonah lamented that
his original challengers, Sam and Pete, still had not come to repentance. Leah
offered a suggestion. Perhaps if each man knew that he had been named for a
wise, godly man in the Bible, he would wish to emulate his namesake. Jonah
welcomed the idea as brilliant. He would begin right away to address them as
Samuel and Peter.

Lord, please save Samuel and Peter, for they are
influential men among their shipmates and could do so much for Your kingdom.

“Mrs. Adams!” Jonah burst into the cabin, interrupting her
reverie, his face lit with joy. “My dear, you truly are brilliant.”

Leah quickly set aside her secretary and jumped up to greet
him. To her shock, he gripped her arms and set a quick kiss on her cheek.

“Oh!” She gasped, but felt a grin of happiness spread
across her face.

Jonah stepped back and slapped his hands together. “I did
as you suggested. I told Samuel the story of the prophet whose name he bears.
He cannot read, and no one ever told him. When I read him the scriptures about
the faith-filled prayers of Samuel’s mother, the poor fellow wept and said he
has no idea who his own mother was. Nor had he ever met anyone who cared for
his soul. Then he asked what he must do to be saved, and I told him, and he
called upon the name of the Lord. Can you believe it? He had no idea of his
namesake’s story being written in God’s Word, and now today his own name was
written in the Lamb’s book of life, all because of you.”

Jonah seemed about to burst with happiness. He gripped
Leah’s shoulders again and placed another kiss on her cheek. But when she tried
to reach up and respond in kind, he drew back and released her, almost pushing
her away.

“Forgive me, my dear.” His face flushed scarlet. “I didn’t
mean to. . .”

Leah felt the breath escape her lungs. He didn’t mean to
touch her? Another mistake? How could she bear it? Before she could force out
words, any words, to dispel this moment of awkward torment, Daniel opened the
door of his cubicle and ran to them.

“Mrs. Leah.” He rubbed his eyes. “I’m hungry.”

She knelt down and pulled him into her arms, glancing an apology
to Jonah, who appeared as relieved as she was at the interruption.

“Go ahead, Mrs. Adams,” he said. “See to the boy. I must go
back to work. The men have come to depend upon my doing may part.”

“Yes, of course, sir.”

But she spoke to his retreating back.

“Mrs. Leah.” Daniel wiggled in her arms.

“Shh, don’t fuss.” Leah spoke over the lump in her throat.
“Let’s go find Mrs. Smiley. I’m sure she has a cold biscuit and some honey.”

He threw his arms around her neck and kissed her on the
very spot of Jonah’s kiss. Yet this little man did not push her away in
disgust, but clung to her with love and trust.

***

Jonah scrambled up the rat lines as if running from a
demon. What had possessed him just now? He almost broke his vow to protect
Leah. He almost pulled her into his arms and kissed her lovely lips. That would
have led to disaster. Every day, he watched poor Sister Hillerman grow larger
and more miserable, and he knew his decision had been wise. To escape the
allure of his bride, he must take Pete’s place in the crow’s nest and let the
ocean winds cool him down.

“Say, matey.” Pete leaned out of the enclosure. “It’s not
your watch yet. What’s your rush?”

“Uh. . .” Jonah could think of no honest answer. “I, well.
. .”

“Not that I’m complaining, Rever’nd.” Pete climbed out onto
the ropes.

Jonah threw one leg into the nest and pulled himself
upright, grateful he did not have to complete his answer.

“Here’s the glass.” Pete loosed a slender leather pouch
from his rope belt and gave it to Jonah before beginning his descent.

“Thank you, my good man.” Jonah remembered his success with
Samuel. “Thank you, Peter.”

Pete looked up sharply. “What’s that you say?”

“Peter. That is your full name, is it not?”

The other man narrowed his stare. “Don’t be calling me
that, mister. Not unless you mean to back it up with your fists.” He scrambled
down the ropes, jumped down the last several feet, and glared up at Jonah for
another moment before he disappeared down the hatch to the crew quarters.

Jonah shook his head. What a strange encounter. Pete’s
threat did not frighten him, but it certainly cooled him down. He must not
assume all these men were alike. After a moment, Jonah chuckled. Maybe he
understood more than he thought. Pete had a temper just like his biblical
namesake. Now Jonah just needed to study how the Lord had tamed the rash man whom
He had called a rock.

Jonah inhaled deeply. How grand the ocean air smelled up
here, with no trace of the odors of the goat, chickens, or pigs kept in the
deck below the crew quarters. He recalled the first time he had climbed the
ropes. Not one to be fearful of heights, he nevertheless had spent several
hours in prayer and hymn singing. The rail of the crow’s nest did not come up
to his waist, and if he did not remain alert, he could easily fall into the sea
or, worse, fall to the deck below.

He pulled the telescope from its leather pouch, stretched
it to full length, and scanned the horizon. Just two weeks before, he had seen
a storm in the distance and called down the alert. Swain had steered the ship
around the worst of the bad weather. A few days later someone on watch had
spotted another ship, a merchant vessel returning to Boston from Chile, and
Destiny’s
Hope
had heaved to for a gam, the sailors’ term for a friendly visit. The
other captain had been delighted to meet Jonah and Reverend Hillerman and
insisted they hold a church service for his merchant crew. Swain had granted
permission, and the two missionaries marveled that God would bring souls to
hear His Word even on this vast ocean.

Not long into his watch, Jonah began to think a second such
service would soon be in order. Billowing white sails peeked over the horizon
and grew larger. He tucked the telescope under his arm, cupped his hands, and
called, “Sail ho.”

Swain gave the helm to First Mate Turner and lifted his own
telescope to see the newcomer. Even from high above, Jonah could see the
captain stiffen.

“Pirates!” The call sounded throughout the ship, and the
entire crew scrambled on deck.

“Adams, come down.” Swain beckoned furiously.

By the time Jonah reached the deck, the captain and mates
had retrieved guns and ammunition from a locked cabinet below. The officers
passed the weapons around, but when Swain thrust a musket toward Jonah, he
stepped back.

“No, sir, I will not shoot anyone.”

Swain again thrust it at him, forcing him to take the
weapon. “You’ll protect the ladies, or I’ll throw you to Davy Jones’ locker
myself.”

Jonah felt himself grow warm with shame. Of course, he
would protect his wife and Sister Hillerman and little Daniel. He hurried to
take his place at the ship’s railing beside Samuel, Pete, and Brother Hillerman
while other crew members scrambled up the ropes to make certain the sails
caught all the force of the brisk summer wind.

“I’ve instructed our wives to pray,” Hillerman said.
“Perhaps God will turn aside these miscreants.”

Jonah nodded his agreement, but fear gripped his heart. He
knew he would protect Leah with his life, but could he shoot to kill?

***

Leah clung to Sister Gladys, with little Daniel squeezed
between them, and all three shook. Their prayers poured out in tremulous tones
as they pleaded for God’s mercy and protection for everyone on board. Gladys
wept out tearful words for her husband and son, adding a plea for her unborn
child. Wide-eyed Daniel watched his mother, and began to cry too. Leah almost
permitted herself to be swept into their despair, but something inside her
jolted. With a deep breath, she shook off her anxiety. Then she shook Gladys.

“Sh! God will protect us. You must lock yourself and Daniel
into your cubicle. I’m going up to help the men.”

“Oh, no, you mustn’t.” Gladys glanced at her son. Her eyes
widened, and she gave her head a little shake. “Forgive me. I’ll be all right.
Go. Do what you must.”

Leah dashed to the deck and located Jonah at the rear of
the quarterdeck. A gun rested on the rail before him. In the distance she saw
the ominous specter of the pirate ship in pursuit. The mid-sized vessel
appeared to have no forward cannon, but its crew lined the bow, some waving
sabers and some aiming muskets.

“Mrs. Adams!” Jonah stared at her, a flicker of fear in his
eyes, and then a frown. “Go below, madam. This is no place for a woman.”

“If I load your guns, you can shoot more times.”

“Will you disobey me?”

“She’s right.” Captain Swain stepped over and thrust
pouches of powder and shot into her hands. “You know how to do this?”

“I learned from my father.” She glanced at her husband. She
had never disobeyed him. What would he think? What would he do? His glower
softened, and he gave her a curt nod before turning back to the approaching
ship.

The wind seemed to favor the pirates. Their ship quickly drew
closer. Leah could see Jonah’s jaw working. Was he angry with her?

A round of gunshots rang out from the other vessel, but the
distance prevented the shot from reaching
Destiny’s Hope
.