by Ken Busato
After two weeks on the Edward and Anne, things started to settle down. We had come up against only one small storm, but it was nothing the ship could not handle. There were still a few people sick in the hold that did not have the strength to leave their berths, but most passengers were generally healthy and had gotten used to the ship’s movements. MacDonell started to drill the men on how to load and fire a musket. I was on deck at the time and Papa told me if I was quiet, I could stay and listen.
“Men,” Mr. MacDonell started one late afternoon, “You need to know how to use a musket. This is essential for life in Assiniboia when protection is necessary.”
“Protection from what?” my uncle asked.
“Wolves, bears, and other animals will try to take farm animals you may want to raise.”
“What about men?” Willie went on to ask.
“I cannot say for certain if there are any men who would think ill of our settlement,” replied Mr. MacDonell carefully. “It is true, as we saw when we left Scotland, there are those who oppose us. Yet you must all remember this land we are settling on is Lord Selkirk’s legally. We are not like some pack of thieves squatting on land not belonging to us. Protection from animals and hunting are the main reasons why using a musket is essential for frontier life. Yet, if there are those who may oppose what we are trying to do… well, the point of a gun has a way of convincing people of almost anything.”
Everyone laughed. It had been a long time since I had seen a smile even on my uncle’s face. The bruise from his most recent beating has almost healed, and with the sea sickness almost gone, it’s nice to see him returning to his old self. He was the first to volunteer to try and load the musket Mr. MacDonell had brought.
“Now William,” Mr. MacDonell started, “Make sure the hammer is set to half cock, like this. Remember you’ll be looking down the barrel to load her. We don’t want the damn thing to go off if you were to drop it or kick it, now would we. It might do something bad to that face of yours.”
“Aye, it would improve it,” someone yelled from the back.
“Was that you McIntyre?” my uncle asked. “Just remember who’s got this in their hands before you go mouthing off.” Everyone started to laugh again. Mr. MacDonell was getting angry.
“Men, please! Can we get back to the task at hand? This is very important.” There were no objections as everyone settled down, so Mr. MacDonell continued. “Now, take a charge from your ammunition pouch. You need to tear off the top of the charge with your teeth and keep the musket ball in your mouth. That’s right William, very good. Now, take the powder and pour it down the barrel. Next, put in the lead ball and then the wadding.”
Mr. MacDonell had everyone’s attention. He made loading a musket seem easy, since Willie had no problem doing everything he was told to do. While everyone’s eyes were on the musket, I couldn’t help notice one of the ship’s boys staring at me. I glared at him to stop, but he kept on looking at me, and he started to smile a little. I turned away from him and pretended he was not there.
“Once you have put everything into the barrel, you need to take the ramrod and push it all down into place. Then, take some gunpowder and put it in the flash pan below the trigger. Now you are ready to fire. You simply put the hammer to full cock, aim, and shoot.”
Once Willie had finished, he held the musket in the air to show everyone he had correctly loaded the gun. For some reason though, the gun accidentally fired up into the sails.
“Damn it Fraser,” Mr. MacDonell screamed. “It’s not a toy you’re holding in your hands. You could have killed someone.” Looking up, I noticed a small tear in the sail where Willie fired. Captain Davis came running out of his cabin, clearly upset.
“What the hell is going on here MacDonell?” the captain screamed. “It’s bad enough we need to take so many people with us to York Factory, getting in the way at almost every turn, but now you have to put guns in their hands as well.”
“It was an accident,” my uncle replied angrily. “No one was hurt.”
“No, it’s much worse. Look at the sail. One of my crew will have to fix the damage you’ve caused. We have enough work to do as it is without having to clean up after you. Mark my words well. This is my ship. You’re lucky I don’t put you in the hold, one deck lower than where you now stay, and lock the door after you.”
My uncle’s face got very red. He’s never one to back down from a fight. He would have hit the captain too if MacDonell had not gotten in the way.
“Listen Davis, this was my idea, so I take full responsibility for the outcome. For where they’re going, these men need to know how to carry a gun. If damage has been caused, I’m sure Lord Selkirk will be more than willing to pay for repairs. Speaking of Lord Selkirk, remember who pays your wages, Captain.” Mr. MacDonell waited for a moment to let his words sink in. “Do we understand one another?”
Captain Davis took a deep breath. “We understand one another. But no more trouble, especially with guns. If you need to fire, go to the rear of the ship and fire out into the ocean. And that one,” Captain Davis pointed directly at my uncle, “Keep him away from me or by God I’ll throw him in the brig for the rest of the trip.” Captain Davis stormed off back to his cabin. Today’s weapons lesson came to a quick end.
Soon, the deck was empty except for Papa, Willie and I. It was nothing more than an accident, but I could see Willie was smouldering. Papa put his hand on Willie’s shoulder directing him down to our hold.
“Molly, are you coming with us?” Papa asked.
“In a while,” I replied. “I just want to stay on deck and watch the waves.”
“We’ll be having some dinner soon. Don’t stay up here too long. The more we travel, the colder it’s becoming, and I don’t need you getting sick on us now.”
“I’ll be along soon Papa.”
Once Papa went down into the hold, I had hoped to be alone, but I wasn’t. That ship’s boy was still staring at me. I didn’t need to look in his direction to know he was eyeing me up and down. Turning towards the water, I hoped he would see I was not interested, but that made him even bolder.
“Excuse me Miss,” the young boy started. “I couldn’t help but notice it was your uncle who fired off that gun?”
“It was a mistake,” I replied, still looking in his direction. “Won’t you get in trouble if they see you talking to me?” I asked.
“There are not too many people on deck now, so there is nothing to worry about. My name is George, George Cooper.”
He waited for me to introduce myself. Not to be impolite, I replied, “Molly Fraser.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss. Fraser. It’s not often we have women travelling across the ocean. If I have offended you by speaking to you in such a forward and bold manner, I beg your forgiveness.”
“My, my,” I said. “How does a ship’s boy learn such a proper way to speak?”
“I can write a few letters I’ll have you know. I may not be very educated, but I do listen to the adults when they talk, especially the Captain. I’m not always going to be working on a ship.”
“Where are your parents?”
“I don’t know who my father is. I’ve never even seen his face, and my mother did not speak about him when I was younger. Sad to say, my mother died four years ago from the fever. I was lucky not to come down with it.”
When I heard this, I turned around to look George in the eyes. He had beautiful, yet troubled blue eyes, like a person so much older than his actual years. I thought he was around my age, or perhaps even a little older.
“I’m sorry to hear about your mother.” I had heard about the fever and how terrible it was. People said a person could be in perfect health in the morning, and dead the same evening: that was how fast the fever spread. Just thinking about it made me shudder.
“So, you said you would not always be working on this ship. Do you have any plans for the future?”
“Actually, I do have a plan. I think about what you and yours are doing, and I wonder if it might not be a good idea for me? Now, I know you are going to a settlement. I’m not sure if I would be one for farming, but I would give anything a try. I have not yet approached Mr. MacDonell, but I may soon ask him if I can stay with your group for the winter at York Factory and then go with you down river to where your land waits. I get excited when I think of the adventure.”
“You may not find too many adventures living life as a farmer.”
“True, but surely that is not the only option open to young men with ambition. At times on this ship we have brought fur traders back to England. The way they look and the stories they tell… if farming is not for me, then a life in the wild might be a better option.”
George and I continued to talk for a while. As the sun started to set and the cold wind started to blow across the deck, I excused myself and made my way back down to the hold. We all usually take our dinner together. It’s one of the few times during the day when I can tolerate the smell. As I sat with the others eating my boiled biscuits and soup, I thought about all George Cooper had to say. Besides my family, maybe this voyage would not be as lonely as I thought.