The Emerald Key

by Christopher Dinsdale

  Jamie, however, wasn’t as interested in the islands as he was in the other five ships anchored nearby. He found Officer Keates on deck, barking out orders as the Independence prepared to disembark any identified passengers for quarantine.

  “Is there anything I can do to help, sir?”

  He smiled at Jamie behind his thick moustache. “No, lad. You’ve done more than enough for this ship.”

  Jamie pointed beyond the bow. “Do you recognize any of these ships as the Carpathia?”

  Officer Keates shook his head. “No. The Carpathia is a smaller ship than any of those. It must have already sailed on to Montreal. But that doesn’t mean that your brother is not on the island. If he was found to be sick by the station doctor, the doctor would have your brother disembark before the ship sailed on. Either way, they should have a record of the ships’ passenger manifest on Grosse Isle, and your brother’s name should be on it.”

  Jamie and Officer Keates turned to the port rail as a rowboat left the quarantine station. They watched its oars rhythmically propel it towards the Independence. Meanwhile, the ship’s crew prepared a long line of wrapped bodies for transportation to the island. Captain O’Malley was wasting no time in his effort to rid himself of the recently deceased.

  Jamie decided to check in on Colin. He found the boy sitting at Jamie’s desk, busy drawing pictures with Jamie’s pencil. Colin smiled and held up the drawing for Jamie to see. Jamie walked over and ruffled the little boy’s hair as he admired the piece of art. He could make out four stick people with wings on their backs. All four were standing on a cloud.

  “Is this your family?” Jamie asked.

  Colin nodded. “They’re in heaven now.”

  “That’s a beautiful picture, Colin. Can I fold up your art and put it in your bag for safekeeping?”

  Colin nodded. Jamie had kept the best of the family’s worn bags for Colin to use before the other contaminated belongings were disposed of at sea. Jamie had made sure that any of the meagre personal effects of Colin’s parents, such as his mother’s hair brush and his father’s Bible, had been saved and stored. He also hung on to the family’s travel papers. If he was to keep Colin out of an orphanage, he would need all of the required documents for the Canadian government, including the letter from his aunt and uncle that invited the family to stay with them in Canada West.

  “Is it time to go?” Colin asked.

  “Just a minute,” Jamie replied. He wanted the body of Colin’s mother to be well away from the ship before he took the lad out on deck. “Let me take a look at you first. I think we need to give your collar a fix. And now just a quick brush of your hair. There. Now you should be more presentable for the Canadian authorities.”

  Jamie opened the cabin door and led the small boy to the end of a growing line of passengers. Jamie was relieved to see that the bodies had already been removed from the ship’s deck. The first to line the deck for inspection were the passengers with enough money to afford a cabin in first or second class. Colin looked completely out of place among the wealthy travellers. His filthy clothes hung from his thin frame and a tattered sack lay at his feet.

  A stocky man with a handlebar moustache and high-collared coat climbed over the ship’s railing and spoke briefly to Captain O’Malley. The captain pointed to the line of waiting passengers. The stern stranger stepped forward and addressed them.

  “My name is Dr. George Douglas, and I am the medical superintendent for the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station. According to Canadian law, anyone who appears to be sick or is at high risk for sickness must disembark here and remain in quarantine before being allowed further travel. It is for the health and safety not only of the passengers on this ship but also for the citizens of Canada. If I deem it is necessary for you to disembark, you must immediately move to the ladder and be taken to Grosse Isle, where you will be processed and then have to fulfill a minimum quarantine period of three weeks.”

  The doctor moved down the line and quickly examined each passenger. Several men and a woman were pulled from the line and sent to the ladder. Those remaining gave a sigh of relief as they were given stamped permission on their travel documents to sail on to Quebec City. Dr. Douglas stopped at the couple next to Jamie. He peered into the eyes of the wife and examined her face closely.

  “No discolouration. Good. Extend your arm, please.”

  She held out her hand. He manipulated the joints of her fingers. “Does that hurt?”

  “No, doctor.”

  “Fine. Now let’s have a look at your husband, shall we? Hmm, your eyes seem to be slightly sunken and your complexion is somewhat chalky. Hold out your hand, please. Now make a fist and squeeze.”

  The man’s face contorted with pain.

  “Yes, he is most definitely experiencing first stage symptoms. You will have to remain on the island.”

  Shocked, the couple looked at each other.

  “But how can you separate us?” exclaimed the husband. “We are both expected in Montreal!”

  “Your wife will have to make arrangements to meet you in Montreal after your three week quarantine period has ended. I’m sorry, but I must move on.”

  The husband was led away by quarantine staff. The doctor stepped up to Colin.

  “Is this the one whose family all perished from dysentery?”

  “Typhoid, sir,” answered the assistant, looking through the thick pile of notes.

  “He does look healthy, but he better have a stay on the island, just in case.”

  Jamie, standing behind Colin, couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “But he’s fine! Just look at him. He doesn’t need to be quarantined. What he needs is to get to his family in Canada West. He’s lost everyone else on the crossing.”

  Dr. Douglas looked up at Jamie. “And you are who, exactly?”

  “Jamie Galway. I am a friend of the family, and I can firmly state that the boy is not sick.”

  “So you were in close proximity to the family during their illness?”

  “Yes, I looked after them as I know a little bit about medicine, but I took care not to …”

  “Then quarantine Mr. Galway, too.”

  Jamie was horrified. “Wait, you can’t! I need to get to Quebec City as quickly as possible myself! Look! I can open and close my hands. No pain!”

  Officer Keates overheard the heated conversation and pulled Jamie aside. The doctor ignored Jamie and moved on.

  Officer Keates lowered his voice to a whisper. “Don’t argue with the man. He has the power to put you on the next ship back to Ireland if you do not cooperate. I think I can help get you out of this mess. Tell the quarantine officers on the island that there was a mistake and you are a crew member of the Independence. I’ll look after the paperwork at this end.”

  Jamie took a deep breath and tried to calm down as Dr. Douglas continued his examinations. It only took a second for Jamie to put his trust in his friend. Jamie took Colin’s hand and led him to a long wooden ladder descending over the side of the ship. Climbing down, he helped Colin into one of the rowboats bobbing along the side of the hull. One of the sailors from the Independence sat at the oars and grinned at Jamie as he and Colin took their place on the bench.

  “Hey, crewman,” he said cheekily to Jamie. “Slacking off on your duties again? Sit yourself down over here and grab an oar.”

  Jamie smiled as he patted Colin reassuringly. “Sorry. Off duty, mate. I’m just here for the ride.”

  Jonathon Wilkes was shocked when he looked down the line and saw Jamie Galway ordered to quarantine. Even he could see the lad was as healthy as a horse. What was the doctor thinking? For a second, he had considered faking an illness himself in order to follow the lad onto the island. Thank goodness, common sense took over before the doctor arrived to examine him. He had been quietly keeping tabs on Jamie’s conversations and had overheard that his brother had sailed on to Montreal. Why should he risk death at the quarantine station, surrounded by all those sick Irish peasants for three
weeks, when he could just as easily wait in comfort for Galway to arrive in Montreal? Satisfied with his solution, he opened his mouth to the doctor and let him look into his eyes.

  “Good colour. Eyes clear. Do you feel well enough to continue on to Quebec City Mr. … er, Wilkes?

  “I have never felt better, sir. It must have been all of the fresh sea air from the crossing.”

  The doctor scribbled a note on his clipboard. “All right. That completes the first- and second-class passenger list. Now let’s bring the other passengers up on deck!”

  After fighting through the strong river current to the quarantine station’s dock, the oarsmen tied the rowboat to the dock and helped many of the weakened passengers disembark. Jamie was surprised to see that the island was a bustling hive of activity. Dozens of families were spread out in little clusters along the rocky shoreline. Some were cooking over small campfires; others were washing their clothes in the cold waters of the river. Some of the children stopped their playing along the shore to eye the passengers from the Independence curiously as they made their way towards the wooden buildings. Several nurses dressed in the long white habit of a Catholic nun met the passengers at the end of the dock. One stepped forward and greeted the new arrivals.

  “Welcome to Canada! Please stay in your family groupings and follow me to the immigration building where you will be processed.”

  Jamie and Colin followed the crowd into one of the smaller buildings and waited in queue for their turn to be processed. Finally, a man with spectacles and a long nose called them forward.

  “Papers?”

  Jamie handed him their travel documents. He also passed over the paper that Officer Keates had quickly created before he had left the ship. It was signed by Captain O’Malley himself.

  “I’m a crew member on board the Independence and a friend to this boy,” explained Jamie. “His family died during the voyage, but he has extended family living in Canada West. I was to arrange a meeting in Montreal in order to return him to his relatives.”

  The official glanced wearily over his spectacles. “I see from the list that his entire family died of contagious typhoid. He will have to stay here in quarantine for three weeks before he will be permitted to sail on to Montreal.”

  Jamie pushed Colin forward until he was on full display before the desk clerk. “Why quarantine? Just look at him. He’s a healthy boy! There’s no reason why he can’t continue to travel on with me to Montreal.”

  The man shuffled through the papers. “I don’t see a note among the papers that states that you, Mr. Galway, are a certified physician. This quarantine order was signed by Dr. Douglas himself. Neither you nor I have the power to change the order.”

  “He obviously made a mistake. Why do I need to be a physician to see that he’s a healthy lad? You can see that for yourself.”

  The official gave Jamie an icy stare. “I’m a very busy man, Mr. Galway. You may go back to the ship, but he stays.”

  “But who will look after him if I leave?” Jamie demanded.

  The official sighed. “We are not an orphanage or a babysitting service. He will have to stay in the quarantine building, where the nurses will feed him and keep an eye on him as best they can.”

  Jamie looked at him with disbelief. “Keep an eye on him? He just lost his entire family!”

  The officer didn’t bother looking up from the paperwork. At the top of Colin O’Connor’s papers he slammed down a rubber stamp that stated family deceased.

  “Mr. Galway, we’ve just had three large passenger ships dock within ten hours of one another. As you can see, we’re a little overwhelmed at the moment. But don’t worry, we will not lose the boy. Please drop him off with his papers at the quarantine building. It’s the large building at the top of the hill. Next!”

  Jamie stepped forward and placed his hands on the large oak desk. “Please, sir, just one more thing. I’m also looking for my brother who might have arrived here a few days ago. His name is Ryan Galway. Do you know if he is here in quarantine on Grosse Isle?”

  “I’m a simple immigration officer, Mr. Galway. I don’t have access to such information. Ask for him up in quarantine. Next!”

  Jamie shook his head in frustration, grabbed the papers, and took Colin’s hand.

  “Come on, Colin. Let’s go find the next building.”

  They left the office and climbed the low hill to a much larger building. Its two storeys stretched out across

  the island with its many windows facing out towards the St. Lawrence River. They climbed up the steps to the wooden veranda that ran along the face of the building, crossed the creaky planks, but froze as they stepped through the open double doorway. The nightmarish sight before them brought Jamie right back to the fourth-class compartment on the Independence. It seemed that every square inch of floor space within the building was covered in a carpet of humanity. Men, women, and children were huddled together, sick and shivering on the floor. Weaving in and out of the sick were a half-dozen nuns carrying either trays of medicines or mops. Jamie’s nose twitched in disgust. The stench of the sickness simply poured out through the open door. Stepping over several patients, a nurse made her way towards them.

  “Excuse me, but I have a small boy who … “

  She glided past them in her long white habit as if she had not heard a word he had said. Jamie thought for a moment, then switched to French.

  “Excusez-moi. Could I have your assistance, s’il vous plaît?”

  She stopped in her tracks and turned around, amused.

  “A French-speaking Irish boy?” she replied in French.

  “I know a bit,” he continued. “I’m dropping off this boy from the Independence. He has lost his family, and I was told to bring him here to quarantine.”

  She sighed and wiped her brow. “He can stay here by the door. After I tend to the other patients, I’ll help settle him in.”

  A man leaning up against the doorframe doubled over in a heaving wet cough. His face was as pale as death itself. Jamie quickly moved Colin to the other side of the door.

  “Should the boy really be in here? He’s not sick.”

  The nurse shrugged. “We’ve brought up that very point with the doctor many times. The sick infect the healthy and that makes our job even more difficult. But the government insists that families stay together in quarantine. Some have chosen to keep away from the sick by living down on the shoreline. To tell you the truth, I cannot blame them. But this little boy is here by himself. He must stay in the building with us so that he can be supervised.”

  Jamie could see that she was exhausted. “Your duties seem to be unending. Are there really only six of you?”

  “There usually are more nurses, but some have come down with the sickness themselves, and we are severely short-staffed. The only nurses in Canada willing to work here among the sick are other Catholic nuns. All other nurses in Canada refuse to come to our quarantine station for fear of catching disease.”

  “Then how do you survive?”

  She mustered a smile. “I work all day long, but I try to catch a little sleep when I can. This is what I was meant to do. It’s my calling. I’m sorry, but I must go.”

  A calling. Jamie understood. It was a calling from above that had brought him into the priesthood as well. The nun quickly approached a nearby family with eight children, all lying on their sides, writhing in severe pain. Jamie looked down at Colin, who was taking in the whole scene through huge eyes. His face showed no emotion. He had already seen so much death in Ireland and then on the ship as his family slipped away one by one. Jamie guessed he was probably now immune to it. Or perhaps he had decided that he was destined to be next. It wasn’t fair that an innocent child had to see so much horror at such a young age. Jamie had him turn his back to the sickness and walked him across the veranda. Together, they sat down on the steps. The beautiful panoramic view of the sparkling St. Lawrence River stood in stark contrast to the bleak horrors that lay behind.

/>   “I need to go talk to someone about my brother,” said Jamie. “You wait right here on this step for me. The nurse will be back soon. If she arrives before I get back, do what she says and follow her. Don’t worry if she moves you. I’ll come and find you, I promise.”

  Jamie started to pull away, but Colin wouldn’t let go of his hand. His eyes started to widen in panic. Jamie knelt down and smiled. “I’ll be back very soon.”

  Slowly, Colin released his grip. It broke Jamie’s heart to leave him alone, even if it was for just a few minutes.

  Jamie needed to get his bearings on the island before he could start his search for Ryan. He swung behind the quarantine station and climbed up the hill until he reached the summit of Grosse Isle. The view of the huge river stretching east and west was breathtaking, with sailing vessels of all shapes and sizes plying its sparkling waters. He had never seen a valley as thickly wooded and lush as what banked either side of the distant river shores. On the far side of the hill was a scene that stabbed him in the heart. Large swaths of trees had been removed from the base of the hill and a small army of men worked spades into the earth, creating a series of long shallow pits. Other men were reaching into the back of a horse-drawn cart. The cart was full of shroud-covered bodies. The bodies were being carried to the long pits and unceremoniously dropped into the fresh earth. Another crew followed behind the cart and shovelled fresh dirt onto the mass grave. Jamie couldn’t tear his eyes away from the horrific sight, for he knew Erin was among those currently being placed in the grave. He kneeled down and whispered a prayer of peace and deliverance for his friend and her family.