CHAPTER FOURTEEN - THE MEN OF POQUOSON
CHAPTER FIFTEEN - THE SELECT MEN
CHAPTER 16 - THE CREW
Kate stood on the docks, with ledger book in hand, as the men of the Essex spent the afternoon loading supplies aboard ship. She counted each barrel of biscuits, of gunpowder, and even of water as the men hauled them aboard ship. Kate meticulously entered into the ledger book every barrel describing its contents.
Occasionally, she looked towards town to see if Mr. Hagney would return with more recruits for the crew. With each glance of the empty streets and with no sight of Mr. Hagney, her mind fretted over a crew that would be 40 men short of a full contingent. The work at hand kept her steady, but the anxiety grew.
Aboard ship, Captain Lewis had his men from the Concord, and now the mainstay of his crew aboard the Essex, busy mending sails and inspecting the rigging for any worn lines.
Mr. Marshall took upon the unenviable task of trying to explain to the new recruits, many of whom had spent most of their lives plowing the fields of Virginia, the commands of the ship. Each time he had tried to explain, the men stared blanking, most had never been aboard the deck of a ship let alone had ever sailed a ship.
Mr. Crossland spent his day below decks overseeing the storage of supplies. Without the strong arms of the Wright brothers, who were away recruiting with Mr. O'Malley, the work went very slowly.
Poor Mr. Howard received the task of loading the gunpowder into the magazine which required him to work barefooted and in his nightshirt. For in the depths of the gunpowder magazine any spark from any metal could lead to a disaster. The men took particular delight at the sight of this fine gentleman of Maryland working in his nightshirt.
And thus the afternoon led into the evening with no sign of Mr. Hagney nor of Mr. O'Malley.
Kevin spent much of the day at Kate's side, learning how to count and to identify the letters and words used in the ledger book. He fidgeted each time Kate pointed to a letter and asked him to recall its name. Even in the midst of working Kate never missed an opportunity to continue her nephew's education.
As the last of the supplies were being loaded, Kate asked Kevin to climb up to the crow's nest and keep a sharp lookout for Mr. O'Malley. Kevin without any hesitation or reservations left his schooling behind and scurried up the rigging. High above the deck of the Essex the wind blew strong in Kevin's face. With each gust, Kevin filled his lungs with the clean crisp air, free of the torment of the letters and of the numbers.
Small boats filled Norfolk harbor, as the men of Virginia prepared for war. To Kevin's eyes all the long boats looked alike, but he would know Mr. O'Malley even at a distance, by the bright red shirt that he wore. After an hour in the crow's nest, he spied a small longboat in the distance making its way through harbor with a man in a bright red shirt at the tiller. The longboat made its way towards the Essex at a greater speed than any of the other boats in the harbor. Speed given unto it by the powerful arms of the Wright brothers.
Kevin smiled at the sight of the longboat filled with men. O'Malley had been successful. Kevin briefly tried to count the number of men in the boat, he got as far as six but could not think of what number came next.
Looking down on the deck of the Essex he spied Captain Lewis and cried out while pointing at the longboat:
"Captain Lewis, O'Malley has returned, with men, sir!"
Captain Lewis, briefly glanced a the longboat and then returned to his tasks at hand. It was Kate who raced across the decks to set her eyes upon the longboat and count the men, eight he had found eight men. Not as many as she had hoped for but given the circumstances, a relief none the less.
O'Malley grinned with delight as he boarded the Essex with the men of Poquoson and made his way towards Captain Lewis.
"Captain Lewis meet the men of Poquoson, eager and ready to serve aboard the Essex, sir."
Captain Lewis, showing no emotions, briefly nodded to Mr. O'Malley and instructed him to take the recruits to Kate so she could have them sign aboard the crew.
"Mistress Kathleen, may I present to you the men of Poquoson, all fine sailors ma'am. These fine lads here are me own cousin's sons, O'Malleys ma'am. And they vouch for all these other men."
Turning to Evan O'Malley, who was the eldest of the O'Malley brothers, Kate inquired:
"Is that so? Can you vouch for ALL of the men?"
For Kate had noticed that one of the men had stood back and seemed more interested in the cannons that lined the deck of the Essex than in any introductions to a woman, even though she was the Master of the Ship.
Evan stuttered just a bit, under the glare of Kate's blue eyes, and after stammering just a while he responded.
"Yes ma'am, I have known most of them all me life, with one exception, ma'am."
"And the exception?"
Evan looked about and spying the man staring at the cannons nodded in his direction.
"We call him Dutch, ma'am, for that is where he says he came from. He showed up in the village three years ago, ma'am. We know him to be a good fellow, he kept to himself, never saying much about why or how he came to the village. And being as most the folk round here have a past that is best forgotten, we never asked. It is our way, ma'am, for the past is the past and it shall never be again."
Kate looked hard upon the Dutchman, who still had not even acknowledged her presence, but had stared at the cannons and smirked at the Colonists trying to learn the ways of the ship. Finally, Kate barked out:
"You, what's your name, for I have met your companions!"
At the sound of Kate's voice and by her harsh tone, the Dutchman turned toward Kate. Their blue eyes fixed upon each others, each trying to decide who could be more stern.
The Dutchman smiled and removed his hat as sign of respect and with a bit of admiration for a woman who did not flinch at his glare.
"Peter. Peter is my name, but these fellows call me Dutch, for a Dutchman, am I. I am a sailor, and you need sailors . . .no?" he said in his thickly accented English.
"Aye, the Essex has a need for sailors." Kate replied, knowing what the Dutchman had said was true but not liking the way he had said it.
These men would do. Kate was pleased with O'Malley's work and rewarded him and the Wright brothers with a few small pieces of silver. Eight more men for the Essex and still no word from Mr. Hagney.
Cornelius Hagney looked upon the men of Limerick, whom he had purchased from the scoundrel O'Flynn. Filthy, unkept and half starved, in their current state these men would never put fear into a child let alone the French or if need be a mutinous crew.
He could not simply return to the Essex nor could the crew of the Essex ever learn that among them was Patrick O'Donnell, the brother to Kate O'Donnell Lewis, the Master of the Ship. For if there would be any treachery among the crew, Patrick would become an immediate target more a liability than an asset.
Mr. Hagney, spent some time standing in the pig sty with his select men. Explaining the circumstances aboard the Essex. He had known many of them from his service in the Irish army in colonel O'Donnell's regiment. And as for the others, Patrick O'Donnell assured Hagney of their character and trustworthiness. These men had a bond forged in war that few other men ever knew. Only death could break this bond. And death they had all denied during the Fall of Limerick and the years of service in the army of the French King. A King who failed to pay their wages, and would soon pay dearly for that error in judgment.
Patrick's eyes lit up when Hagney spoke of his sister Kate. Yet the joy of this news was tempered first by the hearing of his sister Maggie's death in giving birth to Kevin and then by the realization that for his own sake the name O'Donnell could never be spoken again.
Patrick would be not an O'Donnell any more, he would be known aboard the Essex as Patrick McNulty.
The select men knew what was expected and all had agreed to keep Patrick's identity among themselves. The accord being made, Mr. Hagney marched the men to the closest brothel, for the baths and not for the other pleasures.
The mistress of the brothel refused to clean the men's clothes, as she said there was no point as the filth had worn the threads bare. She feared that nothing would be left fit to wear after the washing and would not be held accountable for their demise. She did however offer too sell clothing that had been left behind in her house by men who over the years had had to quickly depart her establishment through the back door when their wives had appeared at the front door demanding entry. Boots, breaches, shirts and coats, much of it in fine condition, enough to clothe fifty men were stored in the cellar of the brothel. Knowing the desperation of her clients, the mistress of the house struck a hard bargain for the clothing with Mr. Hagney, whose only additional request was a strong drink of Virginia corn.
Cleaned and shaven, Mr. Hagney once again surveyed his select men. These would now do, he thought, yes these men would do.
He marched the men out of the brothel and through the streets of Norfolk. Instinctively the men fell in order and marched behind Mr. Hagney in two perfect columns and in perfect step.
Prior to reaching the docks, Mr. Hagney ordered the select men to wait, while he alone went aboard the Essex. For he knew he had to first speak to Kate before she laid eyes upon Patrick, lest she reveal his true identity.
Kate still pondered what sort of man the Dutchman was, yet she willing signed him aboard the Essex for he was a man of the Sea, and the Essex needed sailors.
Her eyes were fixed towards Norfolk seeking for any sign of Mr. Hagney. As the Sun began to set over the harbor, she spied a tall, broad figure of a man strolling along towards the dock as if he had no sense of urgency about him. She knew the man, it was Hagney.
Her heart sunk for he was alone, he had been gone all day and had failed to find a single man. Her disappointment soon turned to rage, for Mr. Hagney was whistling and taking his time to cross the docks towards the Essex. Mr. Hagney only whistled when he was drunk, and Kate knew it.
In her mind she accused Mr. Hagney of being derelict in his duties. Instead of finding men, he had found the bottle. Soon enough, she thought, Hagney would find her wrath and indignation.
Mr. Hagney, strolled aboard the Essex, whistling his favorite drinking tune paying no attention to the daggers in Kate's eyes, infuriating the Mistress of the Essex even more.
"Mr. Hagney, a word if you please." Kate commanded.
"Ah there you are, ma'am. I was looking all over for ya."
Kate leaned close to Mr. Hagney's face and then whispered in his ears:
"You reek of whisky."
"Whisky? No ma'am its called corn not whisky, ma'am, in Virginia it is corn that they drink, ma'am." Hagney wryly replied, with a wide grin about his face.
"You found the bottle sure enough, but we sent you to find men. Did you?"
"Did I what, ma'am?" Hagney smiled even wider as Kate's face became red with fury almost matching the color of her red hair.
"Did you find any men?" Kate retorted with her teeth clenched.
"Let me see, men ah yes men for the crew. Aye that was my task, no I remember, it's the drink ma'am, sometimes it makes me forget. Men? hmm yes I tink I found just the sort we be needing, but it seems I have lost them."
"Perhaps, you should go and find them, Mr. Hagney."
"Aye, but first a small word, Katie, about the men." Hagney said in a hushed and completely sober voice.
Kate was a bit stunned, for Mr. Hagney was a man of the formalities, and he had called her Katie. He only did that when she needed to listen very carefully to what was about to be said. It was a name that Hagney used only with a fatherly affection and with fatherly advice.
Mr. Hagney began to explain who the men were and where they had come from. He held back for awhile, assessing as to whether Kate had calmed down enough so as not to react to the news of her brother being one of the select men. Kate seemed stunned by the news that Lord Pembroke had confided in Mr. Hagney about his misgivings for some of the crew. Even more worrisome was the fact that Lord Pembroke had given Mr. Hagney silver to buy a loyal crew.
She nearly burst into tears with the mention of Patrick's name, and but for Mr. Hagney grabbing her arm and tightly squeezing it to signal she must remain silent, Kate would have given a shout that the entire crew would have heard and have noticed. Kate quickly composed herself, and Mr. Hagney gently removed his hands from her arms.
Kate understood the meaning of all of it and did not ask any questions, although Mr. Hagney knew her displeasure in not confiding to her before about John Talbert. She would play her part.
"Now, if you are ready, I shall go find those fellas who seem to have gone missing." Hagney said and winked at Kate as he took his leave.
In no time at all, Mr. Hagney returned marching at the head of two columns of men keeping perfect step all whistling together Mr. Hagney's favorite drinking tune. Such a splendid sight these men made that for a moment the entire crew froze in order to behold the parade of the select men marching towards the Essex.
The sight brought a smile to Captain Lewis's face, Hagney had succeeded, the Essex had her crew.
The men marched aboard the Essex and lined up single file to sign aboard the Essex. Kate held out the log book for each man to sign.
Each man introduced himself, first to Captain Lewis and then to Mistress Kate Lewis.
The last man stood before Kate in perfect silence, just staring at her, and she staring back at him. It was a brief moment than none would notice, except for Thomas O'Malley, who noticed everything and could tell a man's thoughts by the look of his face. These two know each other, O'Malley thought, and then he noticed they were the spitting image of each other, and of Kevin. O'Malley knew, and chuckled to himself, four O'Malleys aboard the Essex and now three O'Donnell's to boot.
Another man also noticed the similarity between Mistress Lewis and this man, the old man with the scar upon his face, the man who John Talbert obeyed.
Finally, the last man in line turned towards Captain Lewis and said:
"My name is Patrick . . . Patrick McNulty at your service sir."
Kate, using all her might so as not to betray her brother, held the quill pen out to the last man in line and quietly said:
"Sign the log Patrick . . . McNulty."