Pengallon?”
“Yes,” Luke confirmed, tightlipped. “I could not bring myself to stay. It’s-oh, the whole place is full of Elizabeth. I’d see her at every turn, Mercy. I hadn’t the heart to stay there.”
“Then what will you do?”
“I want to go back to sea. I-well, I’d hoped that Claus might be willing to sign me on as one of his hands. But if he’s on passage to Batavia, then I’ll just have to look elsewhere, find another ship-work my passage back to the States, maybe. But-was
“There are no American ships in port here at present,” Mercy told him. “They mostly berth at Port Phillip or Geelong, carrying Americans to the Victoria diggings. There is-was She hesitated, eyeing him uncertainly. “There is the
Mercedes
brig, one of Claus’s traders. She’s due to sail for New Zealand in the next few days, and Silas Deacon, who was mate of the
Dolphin,
if you remember, is in command of her. He is a very good man -Claus has always thought highly of him.
But New Zealand … perhaps you-was “No,” Luke put in quickly. “I don’t care where I go. I simply want to get away, to work till I drop, Mercy. I’m at the end of my tether, you see. I … do you suppose Silas Deacon would be willing to sign me on?”
“Yes, I’m quite sure he would. I can write him a note, if you wish, but-oh, he’ll remember you, Luke. And all our ships are short of hands these days, particularly experienced hands.”
Luke got to his feet. “Where can I find him?”
“He’ll be on the Van Buren wharf,” Mercy said. “But it’s late, Luke-after eight o’clock.
Stay here for the night, have a good night’s sleep, and-was
He shook his head. “I can’t sleep. I’ll go now, get it settled, if Silas is there. I … thanks for your hospitality and for offering to let me stay. But I’m not fit company for anyone, least of
42
William Stuart Long
all for you and those boys of yours. I-was He gestured to the suit he was wearing. “I’ll send these garments back before we sail.” Mercy studied his face for a long moment and then rose too, making no attempt to argue or to detain him. At the door, she kissed him on the cheek and stood there, watching him out of sight.
Silas Deacon was in the small office on the wharf, a pile of cargo manifests in front of him. To Luke’s relief, the onetime mate remembered him. He asked no questions and, after hearing his request in silence, readily agreed to sign him on.
“You can go aboard right away, if you want to,”
he said. “I’ve done as much as I can with these blasted papers tonight, so I might as well come with you.” He grinned and laid a friendly hand on Luke’s, as he set down his pen. “It’s good to see you again, young Luke, though I have to say I didn’t expect to. Reckoned you were one who’d swallowed the anchor … but if you didn’t, then I’ll be glad to have you.” His grin widened. “You’ll find an old friend of yours on board the
Mercedes,
name o’ Yates-Simon Yates, my second mate he is now. Went gold digging with him and his brother, didn’t you, a few years back?”
Luke’s spirits lifted. “Yes,” he answered.
“Yes, I did, Captain. On the Turon
River. When I left, he and Rob were still hoping to strike it rich.”
“Well, they didn’t,” the master of the Mercedes
stated with finality. was Tis a fool’s game, this gold seeking. For every man that makes his fortune, there’s a thousand that never do. But you can’t tell “em, and they keep on coming, packing in good jobs, running from their ships, deserting their wives and kids. But some learn sense, like the Yates lads-and like you, seemingly.”
“Yes,” Luke agreed flatly.
“All right, lad, I’m not bothered as to why you’re signing on with me. You proved yourself useful enough on the passage from ‘Frisco, so I reckon I can rate you A.b. this voyage. That’s it, then, unless —” Deacon hesitated, his white brows knit as a thought occurred to
“Yes,” Luke confirmed, tightlipped. “I could not bring myself to stay. It’s-oh, the whole place is full of Elizabeth. I’d see her at every turn, Mercy. I hadn’t the heart to stay there.”
“Then what will you do?”
“I want to go back to sea. I-well, I’d hoped that Claus might be willing to sign me on as one of his hands. But if he’s on passage to Batavia, then I’ll just have to look elsewhere, find another ship-work my passage back to the States, maybe. But-was
“There are no American ships in port here at present,” Mercy told him. “They mostly berth at Port Phillip or Geelong, carrying Americans to the Victoria diggings. There is-was She hesitated, eyeing him uncertainly. “There is the
Mercedes
brig, one of Claus’s traders. She’s due to sail for New Zealand in the next few days, and Silas Deacon, who was mate of the
Dolphin,
if you remember, is in command of her. He is a very good man -Claus has always thought highly of him.
But New Zealand … perhaps you-was “No,” Luke put in quickly. “I don’t care where I go. I simply want to get away, to work till I drop, Mercy. I’m at the end of my tether, you see. I … do you suppose Silas Deacon would be willing to sign me on?”
“Yes, I’m quite sure he would. I can write him a note, if you wish, but-oh, he’ll remember you, Luke. And all our ships are short of hands these days, particularly experienced hands.”
Luke got to his feet. “Where can I find him?”
“He’ll be on the Van Buren wharf,” Mercy said. “But it’s late, Luke-after eight o’clock.
Stay here for the night, have a good night’s sleep, and-was
He shook his head. “I can’t sleep. I’ll go now, get it settled, if Silas is there. I … thanks for your hospitality and for offering to let me stay. But I’m not fit company for anyone, least of
42
William Stuart Long
all for you and those boys of yours. I-was He gestured to the suit he was wearing. “I’ll send these garments back before we sail.” Mercy studied his face for a long moment and then rose too, making no attempt to argue or to detain him. At the door, she kissed him on the cheek and stood there, watching him out of sight.
Silas Deacon was in the small office on the wharf, a pile of cargo manifests in front of him. To Luke’s relief, the onetime mate remembered him. He asked no questions and, after hearing his request in silence, readily agreed to sign him on.
“You can go aboard right away, if you want to,”
he said. “I’ve done as much as I can with these blasted papers tonight, so I might as well come with you.” He grinned and laid a friendly hand on Luke’s, as he set down his pen. “It’s good to see you again, young Luke, though I have to say I didn’t expect to. Reckoned you were one who’d swallowed the anchor … but if you didn’t, then I’ll be glad to have you.” His grin widened. “You’ll find an old friend of yours on board the
Mercedes,
name o’ Yates-Simon Yates, my second mate he is now. Went gold digging with him and his brother, didn’t you, a few years back?”
Luke’s spirits lifted. “Yes,” he answered.
“Yes, I did, Captain. On the Turon
River. When I left, he and Rob were still hoping to strike it rich.”
“Well, they didn’t,” the master of the Mercedes
stated with finality. was Tis a fool’s game, this gold seeking. For every man that makes his fortune, there’s a thousand that never do. But you can’t tell “em, and they keep on coming, packing in good jobs, running from their ships, deserting their wives and kids. But some learn sense, like the Yates lads-and like you, seemingly.”
“Yes,” Luke agreed flatly.
“All right, lad, I’m not bothered as to why you’re signing on with me. You proved yourself useful enough on the passage from ‘Frisco, so I reckon I can rate you A.b. this voyage. That’s it, then, unless —” Deacon hesitated, his white brows knit as a thought occurred to
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