by Ken Busato
Chapter 9
Farewell beloved Scotland. No more will I look upon your great land with pride. I will start fresh and create a new Scotland, a new place to call home. It will be a place of rolling hills and fast moving rivers, where people will be free and at peace. My family will live happily with one another, and my youngest brother will grow up not knowing hardship, sorrow and hate. Goodbye sweet Scotland, nothing more than a memory to pass on to generations coming after me…
We woke up on the 26th to a drizzling rain. We made our way down to the dock to depart. Although excited, I was equally saddened about what I was leaving behind. This country is the only thing I have ever known.
As we approached the harbour, I noticed a large crowd of people. These people would be our neighbours for the next six weeks or so. I saw the Docherty’s off in the distance, and I started to scan faces to see if there were any girls my age. I looked carefully over everyone, and sadly, I could not see one single girl who I could hope to befriend on the long voyage.
As we started to blend in with the crowd, I heard concerned voices all around. People were upset with the ship. I didn’t care too much for it myself, but I thought that if it was good enough for Mr. MacDonell, then who was I to complain? Everything is being paid for, so you can’t object about what you’re getting. Some people were complaining about money, thinking they should receive wages from Lord Selkirk. With so many people, I concentrated on taking care of Liam.
“You make sure not to let go of my hand,” I commanded.
“Yes Molly,” Liam replied softly.
Off in the distance, there was a man in uniform standing above everyone, shouting out orders. He was wearing a British uniform, and he was angry. The colour of his face almost matched the colour of his coat.
“Don’t you all know we are at war,” said the red faced fellow. “Look at where you are going: away from where your country needs you. This is a disgrace; you men are a disgrace. The war with Napoleon goes on, and we need more soldiers.”
“I don’t want to fight for the British. It’s not my war,” said an angry voice from the crowd.
Hearing this, the man who was speaking, Captain Mackenzie, turned an even deeper shade of red. “Bloody Highlander scum,” he started. “The war might come to you even as you sail away from here. Don’t you know French cruisers patrol the water around here? Do you think your ship has any chance of out running a ship from the French navy? Whether you Scots like it or not, the war may come to you a day or two after leaving these waters. And what do you think French soldiers are going to do when they see women and children?”
I got a huge lump in my throat. I started to squeeze Liam’s hand so much he complained I was hurting him. What if this Mackenzie is right and we don’t even make it a day on the water? All around me, people were speaking anxiously. This captain was convincing men to join the army.
“What the hell are you saying?” The voice behind me was Mr. MacDonell running up to where this British captain was. “You know enough not to scare these people Mackenzie. They have passage aboard these ships, and there’s not a damn thing you can say to change it.”
The Captain held up his musket high in the air where all could see. Everyone fell silent. At last, the Captain spoke. “MacDonell, you’ve filled the head of every man, woman, and child here with lies: lies of a bright future in a new settlement in Assiniboia. What do you think awaits these good people upon arrival? Nothing but empty wilderness! MacDonell, you and Lord Selkirk are condemning these people to die a terrible death away from the only home they have ever known. And if, by chance, some of you lot were able to survive, what kind of life do you think you’ll have? No, you’ll wish you had never left. You’d pray for the time when you could go to work honestly in a coal mine or cotton mill.”
“How dare you?” responded Mr. MacDonell. “Good people, let’s understand for a moment who it is speaking against this noble project. This Captain Mackenzie is a distant relative of Alexander Mackenzie. It’s no wonder he would speak so ill of us. His famous uncle, along with many others, believes the fur trade will suffer as a result of settlement. Rupert’s Land, my good Scots, is large enough for all men, settlers and trappers, to exist peacefully and out of each other’s way.”
“Do not have any fear about our ocean crossing. There is one more ship accompanying our expedition part of the way. A British man-of-war has been detailed to lead the way for one hundred leagues off the coast of England. A French battle cruiser will not try to board our ship as we leave here. Our passage to York Factory will be very safe. This Captain Mackenzie is stirring up your fears. Don’t let him do it!”
Mackenzie waited for MacDonell to finish before making a final attempt to persuade us to stay. “Men and women of the Highlands, mark my words carefully. This is your final chance to avoid the biggest mistake of your life. There is nothing that awaits you in the wilderness except hardship, pain, and death. The settlement project of Lord Selkirk is a dream. I will wait for any of you who have the common sense not to go through with this crazy scheme. Men are needed to help fight against Napoleon and his French barbarians. Would it not make better sense to stay and join a sure thing? As a soldier, you will be accommodated. You will not want for anything.”
My thoughts turned to great Uncle Donnan and what Papa had said about him while fighting for the British in Quebec. If he were alive today, the last thing he would say was he was accommodated by the British.
Mackenzie barged through the group with his musket still held high. He made an intimidating presence. If it was his intention to scare good folks, he certainly did it. Mr. MacDonell, however, was not finished talking.
“My fellow settlers,” MacDonell continued, “Today is a great day indeed. Today, we leave this country behind to create a new Scotland across the ocean. Do not be troubled by those who wish to spread doubt and fear. All preparations have been made, and all citizens will be looked after. Soon, we will begin boarding. Please sit and rest while final preparations are made.”
Mr. MacDonell left to work on last minute details. Everyone sat down and started to talk with one another. Mr. Docherty came over to strike up a conversation with Papa and Willie.
“Mackenzie makes a good argument,” Mr. Docherty started, “But you can’t believe everything he says. He wants to recruit soldiers for the army. The more men he gets to sign up, the more money he makes. Sure, I’ve heard about the wars in France, but I figure it’s got nothing to do with me.”
“Aye,” Papa replied, “I don’t want to go pick a fight with any man who has not picked a fight with me. If they were to board ship and start in on my family, well, I’d kill any man who dared touch anyone I love. But what could they possibly want with us anyway? Sure, the other ships are carrying supplies to the fur trade post, but there certainly is not a lot to take on our ship.”
“Unless they forced us by gun point to fight for them, like this Captain Mackenzie almost did,” my uncle replied.
“Aye, there is that, but we can’t worry about such things. If you start thinking about all the bad things that might happen, you’ll just wind up scaring the kids and yourself too. We board ship, and what happens, happens,” said my father finally. “We’ll worry about things as they come to us.”
“Then let’s just pray all things that come to us from here on will be good things,” replied Willie.
In the middle of the afternoon we were finally allowed to board ship. She had a crew of sixteen, including the captain, mates, and three boys. I asked one of the boys what they usually carried, and he replied the ship was empty except for some basic supplies as she crossed the ocean west. Coming back east to England, she carried all sorts of items like wood and fur. He wished me safe passage since this was the first time the Edward and Anne had people living in its hold.
The hold of the ship was dark and damp. There was a small ladder which led down to the cargo hold. I was frightened t
o go down because I couldn’t see where I was going, but my uncle had already made it down and he encouraged me to continue to the bottom. Once I reached the floor, it took a moment for me to get my balance. I felt a twinge in my stomach, and I started to pray I would not get sick even before we left the dock. It took a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Once I was able to see clearly, I noticed a large section where all the beds, or berths, were put together.
We were given two berths, one right on top of the other. We didn’t have much room, but at least there were two beds instead of one. The Docherty’s were right beside us. The three of them had to squeeze onto a bed no longer than three feet across.
“Well, it’s not much,” said Mama, “But I guess we’ll have to make the best of it. Molly, you don’t have to stay down here. I’m going to take a small rest with Calum. You should take Liam up on board to get some air and watch as we leave.”
I was about to respond but Papa interrupted. “Let’s all get back up to watch the ship sail a while. Fiona, are you sure you don’t want to take Calum up?”
“I’m fine here. Besides, I don’t want to see us leave. I’m afraid I’ll cry like a blubbering fool. No, it’s best I stay down here and settle in with the baby.”
The sky had cleared a little and the wind started to pick up as we stood looking out. Off in the distance, I could see the red faced captain yelling at a couple of men. New recruits no doubt. Good luck...
“Goodbye,” Papa whispered to himself. I gently took his hand in mine. I could feel him shaking a little.
As I stood there and watched the land leave, I started to cry. I did not want Papa to see, so I hid my tears behind my hair. I closed my eyes, and I could feel a gentle spray of water wash on my face. Except for the taste of salt on my lips, I was reminded of a cool Highland morning. It seemed like years ago when I had these kinds of feelings, the type of feelings only free people have. And yet, are we truly free? In Argyll I felt free, even though as a crofter I wasn’t. Lord Selkirk has called us free men and women, yet can we truly be free when we depend so much on someone else? As I turned around to go back down to our berth, I quietly wondered how much we would have to pay to truly be free.