They were tired of sitting and watching, when Sara said, “Here comes the bos’n.”
Prin turned to find him striding, almost stalking in their direction, his fists balled, a scowl on his face. She hissed, without moving her lips, “Uh-oh.”
“Do the two of you know anything about Jam slipping off the ship?”
Sara said, “Yes, sir, we do.”
“Then, you’re going to explain it to the captain.”
Sara said, “We didn’t help him and didn’t know he did it until we spotted him spying on us in the city. In fact, we know where he is right now. He’s hiding behind the corner of that building with the green curtains. He can’t get back to the ship without revealing himself. That’s why we’re sitting here.”
The bos’n said, “How long has he been there?”
Prin held up her water bottle. “Long enough for me to sip this almost to the bottom. He has to be hot and thirsty.”
“Why don’t you two ladies go back to the ship and get something to eat and relax. Tell the captain what’s happening, so he does not worry about Jam. I think I’ll sit here and watch the crew of that ship do their jobs and maybe I’ll catch a restricted crewman trying to sneak back onto my ship.”
They gathered their packages and scooted away, leaving the bos’n positioned where he could see the longshoremen at work, and the entrance to the pier. Prin said, “I wouldn’t want to be Jam. But you know, he’ll somehow blame this on me.”
“It’s his fault,” Sara said.
“He heard us talking the other night. He knows there is a reward for me.”
“Another subject I may bring up to the captain at the right time. He took us on because of El, and I don’t think El would be pleased if that brat gets you captured.” Sara increased her pace as if she couldn’t wait to speak to the captain.
Once they stored their belongings, Sara went to the wheelhouse while Prin carried one of her new books about horses to a place near the bow where a hatch cover was sitting aside for loading and unloading. It provided a shady location to rest and read—and to keep watch on the bos’n in the distance.
The book was a good one for several reasons. Most pages held a drawing on the page on the left, and the words on the page on the right described what was happening in the drawing. It helped her understand the sentences, and even guess correctly at a few words. Unfortunately, there were only thirty pages, and she was more than half done when the bos’n stood.
Her eyes went to the edge of the buildings. Jam walked slowly, and unsteadily, to where the bos’n waited. His chin hung to his chest, and his arms were limp at his sides. The bos’n spoke to him, then places an arm around Jam’s shoulders to guide him to the ship.
They walked up the gangplank, then to the ladder and up to the wheelhouse where the captain no doubt waited. As they entered, Sara scooted out and slipped down to join Prin.
Sara asked, “How’s your book?”
“Good.”
They talked and watched the strange city as the sky darkened. The buildings became peppered with yellow lights in the tiny windows. Prin said, “It gets cold at night, here.”
“The closeness of the buildings and the thick walls and small windows show how people change to fit where they live.”
Prin watched the other ship in port. She said, “I’m glad we got on a small ship instead of one like that.”
Sara didn’t answer.
Prin said, “What are you thinking about?”
“How lucky we are.”
“Lucky? We’re running for my life,” Prin said.
“And we own a warehouse and workroom in Indore, and in the morning, we’ll own the books a sorceress gave us with work from a thousand years ago. Do you realize what that means?”
“I guess I don’t.”
“It means a lifetime of work from a sorceress who lived across a sea and collected information from others who have passed on. Some of the spells are one or two hundred years old, some a thousand. The spells may have never been seen or heard of in Indore, or at home.”
“We could share them with Evelyn.”
“And more. With the right spells, we might find ways to allow you and I go home in safety.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The following morning, the crew was awake and working hard as the sun rose over the mountain peaks. More cargo had arrived on the pier during the night, all ready to be stored in the ship’s holds or on deck. Prin had been called to the wheelhouse to meet with the captain, before eating.
Both Prin and Sara wore a set of their new ‘sailor suits’ and enjoyed the bending and stiffness of the course material. Of course, they suffered many rude comments from the other crewmen, all said in friendly ways with much laughter. Prin felt almost part of the crew for the first time.
When she reached the top of the ladder to the wheelhouse, the captain stood looking out over the deck, watching every aspect of the loading with a critical eye. From there, he could see nearly all the ship, even down into the cargo holds. She heard the bos’n shout at someone, and the captain nodded in agreement. His attention flicked in her direction, then back to his work.
“I understand you have some crates for shipment?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. The space on the Merry Princess is limited, and we earn our way by using all of it. Are you prepared to pay, or will I deduct the cost from your pay?”
“I get paid?”
“Prin, you receive ordinary seaman pay. I promoted you a few days ago and forgot to mention it. You are no longer a whipping boy.”
“Sir, I just needed to get away. Escape. That’s all you owe me.”
“Harrumph, that nasty business was finished when we cleared port the first day. You work as hard as anyone on the ship and will be paid accordingly, however, when you wish to ship something on the Merry Princess you are a customer. Pay, or have the cost deducted from what you earn.”
She stood straighter and considered. “Five small crates. Will my pay cover that?”
“And then some.”
“There is one crate I wish to be stored where we can reach it. Is that possible?”
“What’s in it?”
“Mostly books. That is what I want to get to. So, I can study them.”
He pointed, “I think they just arrived in that wagon, so you had better get down there and explain your needs to the bos’n. Tell him to add them to the manifest, regular cargo rates. Will this happen at other ports?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Don’t think?”
“I can’t be sure, but I didn’t expect these, either. Sir.”
He smiled, relaxing somewhat. “It is good to have you aboard, seaman.”
She realized she had been dismissed and scuttled down the ladder. She rushed to the bos’n and relayed what the captain had told her, then to the galley for a handful of crackers. She watched her crates slung into the hold, and made sure the one with the books was on top. Then she ran down the gangplank to thank the old man who probably sat in the wagon to make sure they were safely delivered.
He was not there. The cart driver was young and still hadn’t pulled his wagon away. When she reached him, he lifted two pairs of sailor-shoes into the air. “I expect you’re looking for these.”
“I wanted to thank him.”
“He’s not feeling well, today. But he made sure your things were delivered.” He tossed an arm into the air as he snapped the whip to the rump of the horse, and the wagon pulled away. She wondered how the horse and wagon navigated the narrow streets and realized it couldn’t. The crates must have been hand-carried to a place where the wagon waited. Prin stood and watched, feeling as if in total solitude, as she stood in the middle of a crowd of people on the pier.