The Emerald Key

by Christopher Dinsdale

  “I’m not a doctor,” replied Jamie. “I’m not sure how I can help.”

  “Actually, the captain was wondering if you could lend us a healthy hand in running the ship. He is willing to pay you time and a half for your efforts.”

  “You want me to be a sailor?” asked Jamie, incredulously. “But this is the first time I have ever set foot on a ship!”

  Officer Keates smiled. “I understand, but you seem to be well-educated and a quick learner. Plus, the captain said that we will only be able to continue at half sails as there is no longer the required number of crew to properly man the rigging. It might add another three days to our crossing time. One more person on deck might be the difference in allowing us to continue at full sail.”

  Jamie didn’t hesitate. He stood up and saluted Officer Keates.

  “Seaman Galway reporting for duty, sir.”

  When Officer Keates found out that Jamie had an intricate knowledge of knot-making from his days of working in the family mill, a mischievous grin crinkled his weathered cheeks. He asked Jamie if he had a fear of heights. Soon after, Jamie was high up in the ocean breeze, climbing the masts and yardarms of the ship. He was taught how to trim and reef the sails at the captain’s command. He also learned how to secure the sails by lashing them down with ropes if the winds became too strong.

  Jamie would never admit it to his new friend Officer Keates, but he was actually starting to enjoy himself high above the swells of the North Atlantic. Up on the mast, the deep blue horizon stretched out before him in all directions, giving Jamie a feeling of vastness that he had never experienced back on land. He also enjoyed how the fresh ocean air invigorated his exhausted mind.

  Nighttime was even more spectacular. During his short breaks, he would simply lie back on the thick yardarm and take in the spectacular view of the starry sky above, counting the shooting stars and wondering if Ryan was staring up into the same sky with him at that very moment.

  One night, as Jamie looked up to the black canopy of the night sky, his thoughts were suddenly shattered by a grief-stricken wail. He rolled into a sitting position and watched six crewmen carry out a wooden platform. On top of the platform were the outlines of two bodies covered in a single white cloth. Following behind was a distraught woman, a young girl, and the ship’s chaplain. The strong ocean breeze rippled the thin, white cloth as the crew lined up the two bodies with the edge of the ship’s rail. The young chaplain said a few quiet words, then nodded to the sailors. The woman collapsed to her knees as the sailors tipped their load, and two bodies, most likely a father and son, fell away and disappeared into the inky darkness of the waves.

  Jamie closed his eyes and said a prayer for the family, both living and deceased. He had already lost count of the number of bodies he had witnessed go over the side of the ship. How many more would die before they reached Canada? He looked west, beyond the bow of the mighty sailing ship. The unending darkness made it feel as if they were sailing toward a dream, never in view and always just beyond their reach.

  A sharp whistle caught his attention. Officer Keates was waving for him to come down. It was the end of his shift.

  Jamie crawled along the yardarm and then slid down the ropes to the deck below. Officer Keates waited for him as a lad even younger than Jamie scurried up the opposite side of the mast to take his place among the sails.

  “That’s good work you’re doing up there, Jamie,” said the officer. “If you’re ever in need of employment, we’ll always have a place for you on board the Independence.”

  Jamie smiled. “Thank you, sir, but I still prefer my feet to be on solid ground.”

  “Now that your shift is over, why don’t you head to the officer’s mess and grab a bite to eat? Cook has whipped up a decent stew.”

  Jamie nodded, although his appetite disappeared as another covered body was brought up on deck, followed by the sobs of another tortured family. The ashen-faced young mother, with her young son in hand, followed the procession to the railing. Officer Keates and Jamie moved aside to allow the body to pass. A gust of wind caught hold of the fluttering white sheet and blew it sideways, exposing the face of the latest typhoid victim. Jamie shook his head in dismay.

  “Not Brendan too … ”

  “Did you know him?” asked Officer Keates.

  “We boarded the ship together. He was the one who waved to us below decks.”

  “Well then, you should know that their older son and daughter also passed away earlier this week.”

  Jamie looked at the officer, stunned, then to the wife at the railing. “And Erin, the mother, how is she?”

  They stared at the young mother gently touching her husband’s cheek one last time. “She’s sick, as well, but not as bad as some. With a bit of luck, she might make it across to Canada.”

  Jamie looked at the officer, and then back to Erin. “I need to ask a favour.”

  “Anything. We owe you more than you know.”

  “I want Erin and her remaining child to have my berth in second class. It must be unbearable for her to remain in the same berth that has taken the lives of her husband and two other children.”

  Officer Keates nodded grimly. “I understand your feelings, but we have to consider the health of the other passengers, including yourself.”

  “I’m willing to sleep anywhere, even out on deck.”

  “I don’t think that will be necessary. Perhaps the captain will bend the rules if you are willing to accept one condition. The woman and child must be kept under quarantine.”

  “Agreed.”

  “As well, she won’t be able to access purser services for food or assistance. We can’t afford any more sickness among the crew.”

  Erin wrapped her son in her arms as her husband disappeared over the railing.

  “I’m sure that she will agree to the quarantine. And I will look after them myself between shifts on deck.”

  “Then you must take precautions for your own health. Typhoid is contagious.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be careful.”

  “So are they friends or family?”

  “I’ve never met them before in my life.”

  “They’re strangers?” Keates looked at him strangely, then shrugged. “I was going to offer you the extra cot next to mine, but I know the other officers would object to such arrangements once they learn you that are regularly visiting someone under typhoid quarantine. I’m afraid a sailor’s cot is the only accommodation I can offer you.”

  Jamie shook his friend’s hand. “That’s more than a generous offer.”

  Chapter 5

  Jamie ignored the black quarantine ribbon hanging from the latch of his cabin. He lifted the brass handle as he pulled up the handkerchief that hung around his neck until it covered both his nose and mouth. The oils in which he had soaked the cloth were herb derivatives known by the ancients to stop infection. Jamie would have to trust his health to the old Irish texts he had studied under the watchful gaze of the Brotherhood. He stepped quietly through the door.

  Erin O’Connor lay under the covers of the bed. Her body was shivering beneath the single sheet. Her youngest son, Colin, was sleeping peacefully on the floor beside her. Hearing the door creak, she opened her eyes and managed to prop herself up on her elbow. She smiled weakly as Jamie presented a plate of bread, a slice of cheese, and a tumbler of water. Jamie tried to hide his shock at the worsening state of her appearance. In just hours, her skin had become milky white. Her voice was dry and raspy.

  “You are an angel, Jamie Galway, even if you look like you are about to rob me.”

  He laughed, placed the food on the desk beside her, and pulled out the chair.

  “Sorry for my appearance, but the cloth has to stay,” said Jamie, sitting down beside her. “How are you feeling?”

  “My head feels like it’s swelling to the size of a watermelon and every single joint in my body is on fire. Other than that … I’m as healthy as a horse.”

  Jamie admired
her courage. “And Colin?”

  Her voice quivered. “He seems fine, God bless him. I don’t want him to go through what we went through. My heart simply couldn’t take it, Jamie. Thanks to you, he might survive the crossing.”

  Jamie pointed to the porthole. “I’m happy to tell you that we are now officially in Canadian waters. We are only four days away from Quebec City.”

  “I don’t know how I’m going to do it, Jamie,” whispered Erin. “My husband and two children … gone. How am I going to survive?”

  “You’ll do it for Colin,” he said, looking down at the young boy still sound asleep at the foot of the bed. “When I was young, my uncle helped raise my brother and me. And our extended family helped him, just as yours will in Canada when you arrive.”

  She nodded as she wiped her cheek. “And you will find your brother. I know you will. Can I ask one last request, Jamie? It would mean the world to me.”

  “Anything.”

  “I’m so weak. I barely have the strength … to talk anymore. If something should happen to me, can you make sure Colin finds his way to my sister Sharon’s home? She lives in the town of Dundas, Canada West.”

  Jamie placed a gentle hand on her feverish forehead. “You can do it yourself, Erin.”

  He stroked the matted hair from her eyes, but her distant, hollow gaze confirmed that she was losing the battle with the disease. With a tremendous effort, she raised her head from her pillow. Her reddened eyes refocused on him in a desperate plea for help.

  “Just … promise me. I need to know someone will look after my little Colin if I should die.”

  Jamie took her hand. “Of course. Colin will make it to his aunt’s home. You have my word.”

  Grimacing in pain, she lowered her head back onto the pillow. “This is selfish of me to ask, but would you have another one of those special handkerchiefs?”

  Jamie touched the cloth covering his face. “These medicines won’t help you get better. It only helps those who haven’t been infected. Otherwise I would have given one to you a long time ago.”

  “It’s not for me,” she whispered, out of breath. “It’s for Colin. I would do anything to keep him from catching this sickness. Do you think your handkerchief might help him too?”

  Jamie looked to the sleeping boy. He berated himself for not thinking of it sooner. “It might. I’ll prepare one for him right away.”

  “You are an angel,” she said softly, then drifted off into a feverish sleep.

  The crew murmured with excitement as the ship pushed deeper into the narrowing valley of the St. Lawrence River. The end of the voyage was near and everyone was itching to get off the disease-ridden ship. Officer Keates told Jamie that Quebec City lay just a few hours ahead. He also said the crossing had been one of the worst in recent memory. Sixty-two passengers had succumbed to typhoid. A third of the crew was bedridden. Without the help of Jamie and several other willing passengers acting as crew, the ship could have found itself in serious peril during the dangerous final leg of the Atlantic crossing. Jamie stared over the railing at the distant shores on either side of the ship. He couldn’t convince himself that they were actually sailing up a river. It was an absolutely enormous river, much larger than any river he’d ever crossed in Ireland. He would not have believed it had Officer Keates not lowered a bucket and offered him a drink of the gloriously cool, fresh water. Jamie surmised that Canada was indeed immense, in every sense of the word.

  Captain O’Malley approached the two men at the railing. Jamie was surprised the captain wasn’t at the wheel during their upstream sail, and from the lined expression on the captain’s face, he sensed there was something wrong.

  “I’m sorry, Jamie.”

  “Sir?”

  “Erin O’Connor. We heard her son crying in your cabin. When a crewman went in to investigate, she was dead. I know you two had become friends. Again, I’m sorry.”

  Jamie hung his head in guilt. “I should have been there for her.”

  Officer Keates put a hand on his shoulder. “You did everything you could for her. There was nothing else you could have done, even if you had been there by her side. The ship needed you, too.”

  “Captain, I would like the honour of helping to carry her to the railing.”

  O’Malley shook his head. “We won’t be performing an ‘at sea’ burial now that we’re sailing up the St. Lawrence River. The recent dead will be unloaded with any passengers heading to quarantine at Grosse Isle. She will be properly buried there. And don’t worry about Colin. He seems healthy enough. Our chaplain is currently looking after him.”

  “Thank you.”

  “There is one more thing. This note was found lying next to the deceased. I believe it was for you.”

  Jamie carefully took the folded note from the captain. Not wanting to read it in front of company, he stowed it away in his shirt pocket. Captain O’Malley nodded, then walked back to the bridge.

  Jamie turned to Keates. “Grosse Isle?” Jamie asked. “Is that part of Quebec City?”

  “No. Grosse Isle is a quarantine station. It’s an island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River where passengers suspected of harbouring infectious diseases have to wait before being allowed to step onto Canadian soil. With all of the sickness we’ve experienced on board, there will no doubt be some who will be asked to unload there.”

  “And it’s supposed to help stop the spread of disease to the Canadian people?”

  Keates shrugged. “From what I’ve seen, it doesn’t work very well. If too many boats arrive at the same time, the facilities at Grosse Isle become overwhelmed and they simply send the surplus boats on to Quebec City or Montreal without proper quarantine. Because of this oversight, thousands of Canadian people have already died from typhoid or dysentery.”

  “I guess we Irish are not well-liked, then.”

  “Some understand that it’s not the Irish immigrant’s fault. But others are trying to keep new immigrants out of the cities — for fear that an infected newcomer might start a new wave of infection.”

  Jamie shook his head. “It seems that one can’t escape disease or starvation on land or at sea.”

  “They go hand in hand, don’t they? Starvation and disease are the Grim Reaper’s two best mates.”

  “And how am I going to fit into all of this? I can’t stay in quarantine for three weeks. I need to find my brother.”

  “Don’t worry about Grosse Isle, Jamie. I’ll get your name put on the crew manifest. That way, the captain can give you permission to stay on with us and sail to Quebec City after the identified passengers have disembarked.” Jamie sighed in relief. “Thank you. That would be extremely helpful.”

  “After saving the ship a number of times, it’s the least we could do for you.”

  A thought suddenly struck Jamie.

  “But what of the Carpathia? Would it not also have to send some of its passengers to Grosse Isle for quarantine?”

  Officer Keates thought for a moment and smiled. “Possibly. That means there is a chance you might see you brother today.”

  Keates slapped Jamie on the back then returned to his duties. Jamie was momentarily overwhelmed at the prospect of finding his brother in only a few hours. Then he remembered the note he had stuffed in his pocket. He walked over to the railing. A beautiful emerald shoreline floated past the ship, a land that Erin and her husband should have had the chance to see themselves, but never would. He unfolded the note. Her handwriting was faint and shaky.

  Dearest Jamie, I know I do not have long to live. I can see Brendan, Neil and Patricia waiting for me. You have done everything you could to help us during the crossing. I thank you with all of my heart. Please, help Colin find Sharon and Robson…

  It was there the note ended.

  Tucking the note back inside his shirt pocket, Jamie marched down the deck and opened the door to the chaplain’s quarters. He found Colin sitting quietly on the side of the bunk while the chaplain filled out another death certif
icate at his desk.

  “May I come in?”

  “Yes. Please do,” replied the young priest, standing up. “In fact, I’ll go get some fresh air and give you two a little privacy.”

  The priest shut the cabin door behind him. Colin stared at the floor. Jamie crossed the room and sat down next to him on the bed.

  “How are you doing?”

  Colin sniffed and wiped a tear from his face with a dirty sleeve. Jamie put an arm around his shoulders, just as Ryan had done to him after the horrendous fire that took the lives of his parents.

  “I miss her too. She was a good friend and an even better mother. She asked me to help you get to your aunt and uncle’s farm in Canada West. How old are you, Colin?”

  “Five.”

  “Colin, you need to listen to me very carefully. Somewhere out there, in this new land, you have a family that loves you and is waiting for you. You are not alone. You will be with your aunt and uncle very soon. Do you understand?”

  Colin looked up, tears rolling down his cheek. “Can I go there now … to my new family?”

  “You’ll have to be patient. It’s a long journey to where your aunt and uncle live. There are also people who govern this country that want to make sure you are not sick before they let you join your new family.”

  “I have to wait?” sniffed Colin.

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “How long?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Will you wait with me?”

  Jamie hesitated. He couldn’t make a promise to this young boy that he couldn’t keep. It would only break his heart even more. But if he told him the truth, that he had to leave him to go find his own brother, then that would surely shatter Colin as well. In the end, he said the only thing he could say.

  “Yes, I will wait with you … for a bit.”

  The ship anchored amongst a handful of wooded, picturesque islands. The crescent moon shape of the islands made natural harbours for the handful of anchored passenger ships as they waited for the arrival of the Grosse Isle medical inspection team. Grosse Isle was the largest of the river islands. From the port railing of the Independence, Grosse Isle dominated the view with rows of clean white tents and large wooden buildings decorating the length of the island’s east peninsula. Jamie knew why Grosse Isle was the perfect location for a quarantine station. The river current here was so strong and the distance to shore so great that no one in their right mind would ever consider attempting a swim to the mainland.