Ghost Messages (5 page)

“Then you fix it?” Ailish asked, curiosity getting the better of her despite worry at being discovered.

“Not quite. Once we’ve carried it to the bow, it’s fed into a machine that dredges it to the surface and pulls it back onto the ship.”

She looked out at the mirrored face of the sea reflecting the moonlight in iridescent filaments. “You drag it up from the ocean floor! How deep is that?”

“In some places, twelve thousand feet – an amazing length of cable to trail behind the ship, to be sure. The weight of it is so massive, we need a special machine just to pay it out, inch by inch.”

Ailish was trying to imagine this and decided the cable must be a huge thing, as thick as a giant oak tree. She could hardly wait to see it!

It was then she noticed a small wire no wider than a man’s thumb in the trough. “Hadn’t you better clear that spindly stuff out before the cable is brought up?”

Again Paddy let go with his infectious laugh. “That, O’Connor,
is
the cable!”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “What! You’re joking,
mister! Surely not that, that…
thread!”
Squirming past one
of the men manning the wooden trough, she examined the strand more closely. It was not more than an inch across and covered in grey slimy ooze.

“That’s it, alright,” Paddy assured her. “And see that?” He pointed at a complicated piece of machinery. “That’s the automatic release mechanism. Inside there’s wheels and cogs ticking away, making sure the cable lets out just so, not too fast and not too slow. You mustn’t let size fool you, lad. The automatic release is a stalwart piece of machinery, no doubt, but it’s delicate as a cuckoo clock. And though the cable’s little more than a wire, it be mighty as a bridge, a bridge that will span the entire ocean.”

With a shouted warning to “look lively!” the sailors started the laborious task of hauling the thin cable back aboard. Instantly, everyone was hustling about the deck as they bent to their task.

“This is dangerous work, O’Connor. You can’t be wandering about on your own and I’ve too much to do to take you to the captain. You’ll have to accompany me on my watch.”

So Ailish followed Paddy as he went about his tasks, her stomach feeling emptier as the minutes crawled by. Dawn came and went, then six… seven… eight o’clock.

“That’s forenoon watch come and I’m done for this shift.” Paddy had been working a machine called the pick-up wheel that wound the cable aboard but he now signaled another sailor to relieve him.

“What happens if the break can’t be found?” Ailish asked as they leaned against the rail to watch the continuing action.

“Then, my lad, we turn tail and head back to Ireland.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “Back to Ireland? We may be going home!” She thought of the last time she’d seen her da and again offered up a quick prayer that he was all right. Hope and joy sprang up in equal measure at the possibility of seeing him so soon.

“It would be a sad blow to all aboard, to be sure.” Paddy sighed. “But I shan’t worry about it. I’m sure we’ll be able to find the problem.”

“Yes, and fix it we shall!” A tall gentleman with a strong American accent interrupted as he joined them.

Ailish took note of the newcomer’s deerstalker hat and Inverness cape. He was obviously not a sailor, but a proper gentleman.

Paddy nodded agreement. “Aye, that we will, sir.”

“And who do we have here, Paddy?” the man asked, looking at Ailish.

“O’Connor is a cabin boy, Mr. Field.” Paddy said by way of introduction. “O’Connor, this is Mr. Cyrus Field, an American gent with the vision and wherewithal to put this fantastic enterprise together.”

“Failte,
Mr. Field,” Ailish said, catching herself as she was about to curtsy. That was hardly something a cabin boy would do.

“You must be the youngest crewman aboard, O’Connor.” He smiled warmly. “Paddy, how much cable has come up?”

“Near as I can tell, ten miles, sir.”

“That’s a substantial amount to haul back aboard and we’ll have to scour every inch to find that break.”
The tall American looked about searching for someone on the crowded deck. “I’d best confer with the other gentlemen about what to do if this rescue is unsuccessful.”

“I saw Mr. Canning and Professor Thomson go into the telegraph testing caboose, sir.” Paddy said helpfully.

At that moment, a shout drew everyone’s attention. “Here! Come here! We’ve found the fault!”

Immediately, a frenzied commotion ensued around the man who had sounded the news. Ailish, Paddy and Mr. Field all hurried toward the hubbub.

When they arrived, the American pushed through the crowd to join several gentlemen who were leaning over the trough where the dead cable lay, while Paddy and Ailish hung back.

“Look at this, Cyrus,” a man with a thick Scots accent indicated to Mr. Field.

“Who’s the Scottish gent?” Ailish asked Paddy in a hushed tone.

“Professor Thomson, the most brilliant scientist of our time, a true genius, I heard. The other fellow is Samuel Canning; he’s in charge of the actual cable laying.”

Ailish watched as the three conferred. She could feel the tension in the men around her as the murmuring increased and then Mr. Field held up his hand. There was something in it. Ailish tried to get a better look, but the crowd was pressing closer and she had trouble seeing through the throng.

“Gentlemen, this is a dark day for all of us. We have but only begun our journey and here we have evidence of sabotage! This two-inch spike was driven through the cable allowing the electric current to leak into the ocean and stop the signal from reaching back to Ireland.”

Ailish saw Rufus Dalton standing beside Cyrus Field. He was busy looking very important for the crowd until he caught sight of Paddy; then an evil grin appeared like a gash across his face.

“Fenians! A Fenian traitor in our midst!” he shouted to the gathered men.

Pandemonium ensued as the word spread like fire through thatch. Ailish knew that this ship was filled with English gentlemen who feared the Irish freedom brotherhood and she also realized death would be how they’d deal with anyone caught.

Mr. Field motioned for silence. “Sabotage does seem likely, Mr. Dalton, but why do you suspect the Fenians?”

“I can guarantee that wire was sound when it left the tank. I’m telling you, it’s a plot. I’ve heard rumours the Fenians want to invade Canada and hold her ransom until the English leave Ireland. Without the telegraph cable, it would be weeks before England could answer Canada’s call for help and by then, it would be too late.”

Again there was a general outcry.

“Hang the traitor!”

“Throw him overboard!”

Ailish saw an imposing man in a crisp Navy uniform step forward. This, she reasoned, had to be Captain Anderson. Things were very tense and it was not the time to spring an unexpected cabin boy on him. She melted further back into the crowd.

“I will personally conduct this investigation.” The captain’s voice boomed over the noise, stilling the ruckus. “I want the Fenian scoundrel arrested and sent to England for treason – if we don’t keelhaul him first. I will not tolerate any interference with this project.”

Ailish saw Dalton look at Paddy, then draw his thumb across his throat in a gesture that made her blood run cold.

The captain called for order. “We will splice the cable and continue on our mission. Thousands of men have worked for many years to make this dream come true and we shall not be defeated. This is our chance to make history, gentlemen. Let’s make that history a glorious one!”

A chorus of enthusiastic assent rose from the men and they set to work. The captain’s words stirred something in Ailish, too, and she saw how, small as it seemed, the cable was bigger than any single person here. She had a feeling the transatlantic telegraph cable would change the world as she knew it.

“What happens now?” she asked Paddy, who had slid farther back into the crowd to stand beside her.

“They’ll cut out the bad section and splice the end to fresh cable from the tanks. If it’s still dead once we’ve completed this, then we have naught else to do but sail for home. We’ll have done all we can.”

The sun scribed its brilliant arc as it climbed ever higher in the clear blue sky but no one left Oxford Street while the splice was made. The crowd milled about, men offering help wherever needed. Paddy pulled out some sailor’s hardtack and broke her off a piece. With the biscuit, Ailish was able to wait the long, tense time until at last, the cable was whole once again.

Cyrus Field left for the telegraph testing caboose to see if the freshly repaired wire would actually work. The very air around them stilled as every man and one young girl stood silently awaiting the verdict.

5

Slip of the Lip

.- .. .-.. … -.. .- -.-. .- .-.. .-.. … …. . .-. --. .. ..-. - - …. .. …

Moments later, the American gentleman emerged
from
the caboose and the crowd held its breath. His face remained inscrutable but then he lifted his head and spoke the welcome words.

“The cable is working perfectly! Ireland is engaged again.”

A cheer swelled from all on deck. Ailish felt her spirit leap. She was truly glad the cable was repaired and she raised her voice along with the others.

“Time to cadge a quick forty winks,” Paddy said with a yawn. “Dalton’s keeping an eye on me and knows when he goes off shift in two hours I’ll be left on afternoon watch. I don’t want the crew chief to have me up on orders for falling asleep at my post. I think you’ll be safe enough on deck now that the crisis has passed. I’ll see you later, O’Connor.” With a wave, he left her standing amid the hustle and bustle.

Everyone else, excited at the happy news of the signal, remained to watch as the cable was returned to the sea.

Ailish herself desperately needed sleep. But first, she wanted to tell Davy what had happened. She threaded her way through the crowd, then past several cabooses to the hatch that led belowdecks. As she reached for the iron door, it flew open and Rufus Dalton stood in her path.

Ailish was so surprised, she stood rooted to the spot.

“You again! Where are you off to, boy?”

“Ah, going to get some sleep, sir.” She ducked her head, not wanting to look him in the eye.

He stared down at her suspiciously. “What did you say your name was?”

Ailish gulped. “O’Connor, sir.”

“Why don’t I remember seeing you before today?”

“I’m not sure, sir. I’m small, maybe you overlooked me.” Ailish kept her eyes downcast. For someone who was supposed to be an example to his men, Dalton was downright scruffy. His boots and wool trousers were coated in dingy black dirt, and he smelled of rank sweat.

Dalton grunted and pushed past her. “Stay out of my way, stupid boy, or I’ll have you paying the devil!”

It must be another seafaring term, Ailish thought, but whatever “paying the devil” was, she knew it wouldn’t be pleasant. Grateful to escape once more, she fled below to find Davy.

– - • – –

Davy was in the hold where Ailish had first met
him, sitting on a large crate.

“You’ll never guess what’s been going on topside,” she began, hoisting herself up onto the box next to him. “It’s incredible.” Quickly, she explained what had happened.

“At first, I wanted the cable to fail so we could go home, but now, I truly would like to see it succeed. I would be part of a great event in history, something to tell my grandchildren, that’s for sure,” she finished with a flourish.

“Oh, aye. To be part of this is marvellous, indeed,” he agreed.

“And going home is out of the question until I solve the matter of my stolen property, anyway.” Ailish thought of Dalton and his threat against Paddy. “There’s something else I need to tell you, Davy, and it may take awhile.”

“I’m not going anywhere and I crave a good story.” He swung his legs in a most casual manner.

Wiggling in a vain attempt to get more comfortable on the hard wooden crate, Ailish explained about overhearing Dalton blackmailing Paddy for his money.

“Aye, that Mr. Dalton has been a bad one for years. Not a good soul, at all.” Davy agreed. “If there’s something rotten belowdecks, you can bet Dalton is behind it.”

“And I haven’t told you the worst part yet. He’s going to make it seem like a Fenian plot is being hatched on board and Paddy is the culprit. This is why the cable fault is so frightening. It plays right into Dalton’s plan and now everyone is looking for the traitor. Besides myself, Paddy is the only other Irishman aboard.”

Davy shot her a teasing look.

“Irish
person
aboard,” she amended. “This could go very badly for Paddy and I like him. I don’t want anything terrible to happen. Now that the cable is working, I hope this tempest will blow over and the rest of the trip will be uneventful.”

“And what if this friend of yours
is
a Fenian and
did
put that nail through the wire?”

Now came the tricky part. How could Ailish explain her gift without sounding as crazy as a bedbug? “I
know
Paddy didn’t sabotage the cable,” she began.