Arrival in Southmost, a plea for help, work to do…
“Keep that white flag waving. We want them to know we aren’t coming to raid,” Blackie let the ship drift toward the dock where a group of archers were gathered with crossbows aimed at the ship. He leaned on one of the children who could boost his voice and called to the people on the dock.
“We come in peace. We have need of your help for some of our children. Lady Rita Kearney told us the medical school might be able to help them. We have things to trade if that helps.” Blackie had Betty and the children stand on the fore-deck to show they were not belligerent.
“Slow the ship until we get the buffers back,” A women called as she waved to some of the group to throw the bundles of straw back over the edge of the dock. Blackie motioned to the crew to drop the sails and the drag anchor so they would not harm the dock. He could tell the Utopians were still skeptical. The crossbows were not lowered.
“We got some children with early manifestation and Doc Rita told us you might have some folks at the school that could help,” Betty climbed off the ship with Buddy in her arms. “These are my children, and they need help. Name’s Betty Batchelder.”
“Long way to Amaurot, but we have some folks from the medical school working here and they might be willing to help since it was your men who caused the problems they are working on.” The leader of the archers had not given the order to stand down, so all the bows were still aimed at the ship’s company.
“Since the father of these children caused some of the problems they are studying, I hope they have some pity since he caused these too,” Betty was about the cry again when Buddy seemed to wake a bit and became alarmed. “No Buddy everything is fine. These people aren’t hurting mommy. Quick, somebody give me some juice for Buddy!” Julie grabbed a bladder of the drugged juice and handed it to Betty. He fought it but finally swallowed enough that he dozed off.
“He can make things stop and he’s just a baby. He doesn’t know what he’s doing, and he killed two people in Port. Please, I need help for my babies.”
“Name’s Cate O’Malley, head of the local security, heard you all were trying to change things,” She motioned to the rest of the team to put the weapons down and get the ship tied up. “Somebody let the doctors up at the clinic know we got some more patients for them.
“Better let Master O’Malley know because this old ship needs looks like it needs some work and he had been looking for one of these old ones.”
***
“I know this ship was taken from Utopia years ago. We have sailed it and cared for it, but my grandfather insisted I acknowledge it was only borrowed,” Blackie wanted to be as truthful as possible with the boat builders at Southmost. He needed that ship fixed because he needed it to sail trade goods.
“So, you need this ship fixed but admit it is property of Utopia. I can see some lose boards. It needs to be dry docked before it sinks. You realize that?” The master ship builder had joined the group on the dock.
“I know it leaks but I didn’t think it was that bad!” Blackie was alarmed. How long would this take? He realized he might be here for longer than he expected. “My crew and I are willing to work and learn how to fix these ships. We’ve talked about sailing for Utopia, carrying trade to Refugio and back. We’ve learned most of the tricks of this ship. She is a nice one but tricky when you have to tack.”
“You know how to tack? I saw the sails on it. Those are not from here. They look stronger, Grandfather, we have things to learn from them. I vote we help him out. He doesn’t look like the folks who raided.”
“Just because they are talking about changing the Charter does not give you leave to contradict me, Damon O’Malley.” Master O’Malley was upset about the changes he was hearing about from Amaurot. This changing things was not in the Charter. He knew his grandson was one of the young people supporting it in Southmost. He wanted to become a teacher, not a boat builder like the rest of his family.
“But, Grandfather, this is not a ship we built. I can tell it is that overlap design from the books, I suspect, not very seaworthy.”
“I see that, Damon. Hush boy, I am in charge here. The changes have not been made to the Charter yet. You still have to do what I say.
“Get a crew on the towboat and help them get it around to the dry dock before it sinks here and clutters up the harbor.
“You, Captain, this ship is old and not the same as we build now,” O’Malley wanted to see how this ship was built. He hated working with the pirates but if he could get his hands on this old ship, there was so much to be learned.
“I had no idea it was so bad. It has served us well. Just tell us what you want us to do. We are here to learn.” Blackie was relieved and excited about getting to know these people. Spacer was right. They needed to stop the raids. These folks were a lot like the Grounders.
***
The small single masted coastal ship was quickly unloaded and then towed to the ship repair area. The Port sailors were assigned some cabins away from the rest of the farm’s buildings. O’Malley knew there would always be hard feeling among the Utopians who had suffered the raids. This bunch was different, and he wanted to see that old ship they were sailing. His grandfather had built it, one of the first they had done after the landing. It was a funny design, one they did not use, and he did not understand. Damon’s information gave him some clues, but working on the ship would be a good learning experience for his team. He wondered if he could get help with his pet project. It was almost finished.
***
Master O’Malley put the Port crew to work learning all the steps of building a ship. Blackie and Julie returned to their cabin after their second day working. Neither would have problems getting to sleep that evening.
“Were you able to reach Jose?” Blackie had given Julie a message and asked if she could persuade a far speaker to let Port know they arrived safely.
“Yes, but I changed the message a bit,” Julie realized he had left out that they were not coming back directly. Blackie had not wanted to include what their plans were, but Julie realized to be open with the ‘pins was better.
“I know you don’t agree with me on that. No harm done. Master O’Malley had me scraping logs all day. I am getting too old for this kind of work.” Blackie groaned and stretched. Master O’Malley had decided that they needed to understand all the steps to building a boat, from cutting the trees to curing the wood. The repairs would be done with cured wood, but they would need to replace what was taken from the wood storage. There was much more to this than Blackie had suspected.
“What do you hear from Betty?” Blackie took the basket of food from the runner and began setting the dishes out on the small table in the cabin they had been assigned.
O’Malley realized that the presence of the Port crew would be difficult for many of the residents of Southmost to accept so they had their meals in the cabins. The depredations from the pirates had caused deaths and much damage. It would take time for some to accept these were not the same people, but some would never accept the Grounders could be trusted.
“Betty said the doctors are working with the children,” Julie ate slowly enjoying every bit of the fresh food. It was spring and the fresh vegetable and bread were such a treat. “She said they were shocked but what happened to them will help them understand what happened to the raped girls. She said they were able to help Buddy, so he does not have to be drugged. They really want some of that drugging stuff.”
“Tony said that fish juice is the main thing we can trade with them.” Blackie tried to snitch a piece of bread from his wife’s dish and got his hand slapped.
***
“I don’t understand why they used this older technique for the first boats,” O’Malley brought his drawings from the old ship and spread them out in the common room. “It worked for these people in the early days of the Confederation but it sure wasn’t the best for deep sea. This overlap of the boards means you need a lot more caulking, and they won’t hold as much.”
“Grandfather, I found something in an old description that may explain it,” Damon had his notes as usual. His grandfather sighed.
“Well, out with it,” He knew that if he didn’t give Damon time to report, he would hear about it for days.
“Those early ships were made that way so they had a low draft and could be dragged up on shore when the sailors were raiding the monasteries and castles. They also were able to sail farther up the rivers to raid. The Vikings raided all over the continent as well as traded.” Damon paused to get his breath. He got excited when his grandfather would listen to him. “I speculate they were thinking only of using them along the coast and up the rivers, not across the wild sea.”
“I’d say the boy is onto something, Dad,” Damon’s father smiled at his youngest son. His other sons worked with his father in the shipbuilding trade. Damon loved his books. The family had resisted moving as was expected. The excuse they used was the need to properly prepare the wood when in fact, they loved building ships. In the first years of the settlement, it was obvious that learning the trade of shipbuilder took far more than five years. The O’Malley family had lived at Southmost since the second rotation and expected to stay.
“That would explain it, Damon. Now we need the inside frames for more cargo and this old lady needs to be allowed to remain off the wild sea.”
“But what will Captain Blackie sail back to Port on?” Damon gasped.
“We’ll see what we can find. He is a good sailor and a hard worker. We’ll work something out.” Master O’Malley already had a scheme in mind but needed to discuss it with his brother as soon as he got back from the Assembly in Amaurot.
***
One day a week was called Rest Day in Utopia. Master O’Malley dropped by the cabin and invited Blackie and Julie to walk with him. He pointed out vegetation and features he was proud of as they walked. They wandered across the farm and then through a shed over a swampy area. The locked back door led to a well hidden walkway into the swamp. Hidden from the view of the farm was a mostly finished ship sitting in dry dock. It was much larger than any ship they had ever seen and sported two tall masts.
“This is my pride and joy,” Master O’Malley said. “I’ve been working on it for years. Found the plans for a model of it and worked to make them full size. What do you think?”
“I could have used that on the Magellan we did,” Julie said.
“What, you have been completely around the planet?” O’Malley was stunned. “Not in that coastal you brought in?”
“No, that is Blackie’s main ship. Mine is a bit larger but needs a new mast. We were hoping to learn how to fix it or make a deal to bring it here.”
“Amaurot never approved this ship, so I have been working on it as we had time and supplies. We have some drawings of how to rig it but could use some suggestions. That’s one reason I wanted you to stay. Are you willing to help?”
“Are you serious,” Blackie’s grinned. “That is the most beautiful ship I have ever seen. It will carry at least four big sails and we could rig a jib, Julie, imagine, a real jib.”
“Well, I guess I can take that as a yes,” O’Malley tried to remember what Blackie said because he would have to look it up in his books when he got back home. “I’ll get my son to show you the sails we have and the rope. It is going to take a lot. We’re counting on using hemp cloth but may have to mix in some goat hair and wool. Ship sails take a lot of thread to weave them.”
“That is the main reason everyone is encouraged to learn to spin, Master O’Malley.” Julie said. “This is going to be an exciting ship.”
***
Over the weeks, the ship building team worked with Blackie and Julie to install the riggings of the new ship. The family called the ship O’Malley’s Dream and the Port sailors were just as excited as the family to get it finished. Master O’Malley had invited Blackie to have Julie’s ship brought to Southmost. In his wood drying shed was a tall straight trunk that would make a perfect new mast for her ship. He also had a small ship that he thought would make an excellent fishing vessel and said he would send the Port sailors back home in that. The design needed to be tested.
The Southmost permanent residents were not happy about the Port people. The Grounders worked hard and once the family saw they were hard workers, the animosity because less open. After the new mast was set, Blackie and a crew took Julie’s ship and returned to Port to pick up Sarita, Rita, Tony, and Wendy. After delivering them to Refugio, he would return to Southmost to finish the repairs it needed. Julie stayed in Southmost to help with the rigging of the new ship. The small coastal ships were not equipped to carry that large a group.
Once it was launched, it would sail to Refugio across the Wild Sea for its maiden voyage. O’Malley estimated it would cut the trip across the water by at least a week. He gave his granddaughter Catherine the honor of sailing on that first voyage. The trip to bring the trade delegation to Utopia would be its first serious duty.
Leave a Reply