Brings the Lightning (The Ames Archives Book 1) by Peter Grant Page B
Authors: Peter Grant
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the catfish!”
“No,
suh!
No
way
dat gonna happen to
my
passengers!”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
Walt grinned to himself as the servant stacked his baggage in a corner of the stateroom, poured water from a jug into his washstand bowl, then bustled through the connecting door to Rose’s cabin. He’d heard too many stories to be under any illusions about the level of crime aboard riverboats, even though the
Queen
was supposed to be the best and most secure among those plying the Cumberland River route. He’d invested an awful lot of money in his outfit and in Rose’s. A little more to see everything safely to St. Louis was cheap insurance. He had no doubt Jason would enlist the help of one or two of his fellow workers. For a share of Jason’s tips, they’d work with him to safeguard Walt’s and Rose’s cabins and possessions.
He washed his face and hands, hung his jacket in the closet, and went out onto the upper deck balcony. He was standing there enjoying the sunshine when Rose came out of her cabin to join him.
She yawned. “Why do they start so early in the morning? I was hard pressed to be ready in time. I’ve grown used to a more relaxed, leisurely awakening since we arrived here.”
Walt smiled. “Yes, it’s been like a holiday, hasn’t it? I understand the departure is early because the captain wants as much daylight as possible for the passage. This ship ties up every night rather than risk running aground on a sandbar in the dark, or hitting a snag and holing the hull. There’s a reason the average riverboat doesn’t last much longer than five years. The
Queen
has a reputation for comfort and safety, but that’s at the expense of speed. Other ships will make the run two or three days faster. Still, I’d rather get there in one piece.”
“Oh, I couldn’t agree more!” She smiled. “Besides, they say the food aboard this ship is the best on the river. We may as well take our time and enjoy it.”
They watched as the last passengers came aboard. Every one of the fifty staterooms was occupied, with another two hundred people finding places for themselves among the bales and barrels of cargo on the main deck outside. Most of them appeared to be newly-discharged Union troops on their way home. The ship’s steam whistle shrilled, the lines were cast off, and with a rumble and swish from the stern paddlewheel and a dull thumping from the reciprocating steam engine, the riverboat backed away from the quayside. There was a pause as the engine was put ahead, followed by another rumble, and the
Cumberland River Queen
turned into the main channel and slowly left Nashville behind.
Walt and Rose spent the morning sitting in comfortable chairs on the upper deck balcony, watching the river banks pass slowly by, enjoying a light lunch brought to them by a very attentive Jason and two waiters he introduced as Samson and Elijah. “Dey gonna help me keep an eye on your t’ings, suh,” he assured Walt. “You gonna be well looked after.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said, nodding to the two men.
After lunch, Rose decided to take an afternoon nap, but Walt wasn’t feeling tired. He walked around the ship, observing everything that was happening, making mental notes about the other passengers. Most of the former Union troops were still in uniform. Several gamblers in civilian clothes were circulating among them, offering various games of chance. He thought sourly that by the time they’d finished rigging their games, marking their cards and weighting their dice, there wouldn’t be much left to chance at all. Still, the soldiers were adults, and would have to learn that lesson for themselves if they hadn’t already done so. Some of them were wagering large amounts, probably out of their discharge pay, he realized. His smart new clothes attracted the interest of the gamblers, but he declined their repeated invitations to join a game.
That evening he said to Rose, as they went down to supper,
“No,
suh!
No
way
dat gonna happen to
my
passengers!”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
Walt grinned to himself as the servant stacked his baggage in a corner of the stateroom, poured water from a jug into his washstand bowl, then bustled through the connecting door to Rose’s cabin. He’d heard too many stories to be under any illusions about the level of crime aboard riverboats, even though the
Queen
was supposed to be the best and most secure among those plying the Cumberland River route. He’d invested an awful lot of money in his outfit and in Rose’s. A little more to see everything safely to St. Louis was cheap insurance. He had no doubt Jason would enlist the help of one or two of his fellow workers. For a share of Jason’s tips, they’d work with him to safeguard Walt’s and Rose’s cabins and possessions.
He washed his face and hands, hung his jacket in the closet, and went out onto the upper deck balcony. He was standing there enjoying the sunshine when Rose came out of her cabin to join him.
She yawned. “Why do they start so early in the morning? I was hard pressed to be ready in time. I’ve grown used to a more relaxed, leisurely awakening since we arrived here.”
Walt smiled. “Yes, it’s been like a holiday, hasn’t it? I understand the departure is early because the captain wants as much daylight as possible for the passage. This ship ties up every night rather than risk running aground on a sandbar in the dark, or hitting a snag and holing the hull. There’s a reason the average riverboat doesn’t last much longer than five years. The
Queen
has a reputation for comfort and safety, but that’s at the expense of speed. Other ships will make the run two or three days faster. Still, I’d rather get there in one piece.”
“Oh, I couldn’t agree more!” She smiled. “Besides, they say the food aboard this ship is the best on the river. We may as well take our time and enjoy it.”
They watched as the last passengers came aboard. Every one of the fifty staterooms was occupied, with another two hundred people finding places for themselves among the bales and barrels of cargo on the main deck outside. Most of them appeared to be newly-discharged Union troops on their way home. The ship’s steam whistle shrilled, the lines were cast off, and with a rumble and swish from the stern paddlewheel and a dull thumping from the reciprocating steam engine, the riverboat backed away from the quayside. There was a pause as the engine was put ahead, followed by another rumble, and the
Cumberland River Queen
turned into the main channel and slowly left Nashville behind.
Walt and Rose spent the morning sitting in comfortable chairs on the upper deck balcony, watching the river banks pass slowly by, enjoying a light lunch brought to them by a very attentive Jason and two waiters he introduced as Samson and Elijah. “Dey gonna help me keep an eye on your t’ings, suh,” he assured Walt. “You gonna be well looked after.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said, nodding to the two men.
After lunch, Rose decided to take an afternoon nap, but Walt wasn’t feeling tired. He walked around the ship, observing everything that was happening, making mental notes about the other passengers. Most of the former Union troops were still in uniform. Several gamblers in civilian clothes were circulating among them, offering various games of chance. He thought sourly that by the time they’d finished rigging their games, marking their cards and weighting their dice, there wouldn’t be much left to chance at all. Still, the soldiers were adults, and would have to learn that lesson for themselves if they hadn’t already done so. Some of them were wagering large amounts, probably out of their discharge pay, he realized. His smart new clothes attracted the interest of the gamblers, but he declined their repeated invitations to join a game.
That evening he said to Rose, as they went down to supper,
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