Rocky instinctively grabbed his hand and shook it warmly. He remembered to stay in his role as a semi-helpless gentleman, as he said, “Oh, thank you, kind sir. I’m Rocky Perna, and I’m on my way to England, then Scotland to see about some property I’ve invested in.”
The man’s blue, gray eyes sparkled as he said, “I’m on to England. I’ve some colleagues I met at a medical conference in Boston, who practice medicine over there. They say there is no better place to learn the medical profession than in London.” He looked around the deck. “Forgive my curiosity, sir, but is your baggage arriving soon?”
Rocky shook his head. “Alas no,” he said. “My luggage was lost on a trip from New Jersey. My steed became uneasy and ran off carrying most of what I had brought along. Luckily, this parcel fell off. I hope to do a quick shop before we sail. Are you familiar with New York, Mr. Schure?”
“Please call me Edward, and I’m familiar enough to help you get your bare necessities. We’d best hurry for we sail with the tide.”
“Gentlemen.” They turned toward the deep voice and saw the captain approaching. He wore his long black hair pulled and tied back into a pony tail and had a short trim mustache. He had thick side burns, which seemed to frame his tanned face. Over his broad shoulders draped a long blue coat that flared at the bottom and black, tight-fitting breeches. A red vest was worn over his white shirt with a frilly collar. His dark blue, three-cornered hat had a gold round badge on it and was set at a jaunty angle. His sea boots were shined and his black thick belt held a short scabbard that held a knife. He smiled easily as he extended his hand to them.
“Captain Lawrence Sojack, gentlemen. I and my ship and crew, are at yer service sirs.” He made a small bow as he tipped his hat to his paying customers. “I take it that ya be on yer way to merry ‘ol England?”
The big man answered first. “I be Edward Schure, Captain Sojack. And yes, England it tis, then on to London.
“Dear ol’ London town,” said the captain. “Never would there be a dull moment there, I dare say.” He turned to Rocky and offered his hand. “And you, sir? Where be yer destination?”
Rocky gave a slight bow as he shook the captain’s hand and responded, “My destination would be England, dear Captain, then on to Scotland.”
“Ahh, bonnie Scotland! A great land indeed, even if they tend ta’ wear ladies dresses at times.”
Rocky smiled at this and said, “Yes, Scotland it is, Captain. For I have business to attend to. However,” he said, gesturing, “as you can see I fear I have no baggage except for this small package I was able to save from a runaway horse.” He gave the captain his most helpless look and continued, “I was hoping to do a shop before we departed. Is this possible?”
“We sail at sunset, sir. I’m sure the shops along the dock would be able to help ya. And, for the ship’s record, your name, sir?”
Rocky removed his hat and bowed deeply. “I, dear Captain, am Mr. Rocky Perna. I am off to Scotland to sign some sort of legal papers, my advisers say are important. As I said to Mr. Schure, this is my first sea journey and I pray that you will keep the motion to a steady movement and not a rolling one.” He pointed to his stomach and said in a stage whisper, “My stomach tends to become easily upset, you see.”
The captain fashioned a look of concern and, with a slight wink to Schure, turned to Rocky and said, “Of course, sir! I had every intention of taking as steady a course as ever I did. Rest assured. Now, I’m sure ya both know of the twenty-one-pound-seven-shilling-and-one-penny fee, for a trip of this magnitude? It was posted on yonder post. They both nodded. “Now then, I’ll have Jenkins collect the fare and show ya to yer berths and then you can go ta shop for yer wares.” He looked up at the sun and continued with a cautious tone, “Remember sirs, the tide waits for no man. Best ta keep an eye on the sun, fer she dips fast and I’ll have ta be off on me journey.”
He turned and waved to an elderly seaman with long white hair and tattoos up and down his arms. “Jenkins!” he shouted to the sailor. “Come take our guests below.”
The man walked with a slight limp and easily picked up Rocky’s baggage as he waved to another seaman to bring Shures’ along. He muttered to them, “This way, gents, and mind yer ‘eads. ‘Tis low down b’low.”
Rocky finally had a moment to look around. This is the best! he thought as he tried to take it all in at once. I’ve died and gone to heaven. He stumbled as the heel of his dress shoe caught an uneven board that protruded and a seaman caught him.
The man said with a grin, “Careful mate, ya’ don’ want ta’ be fallin’ or’board so soon in the journey.”
Rocky thanked him and thought, Oh well, that just adds to the clumsy gentleman act.
As he was led down to the second deck, he thought, Wow! How many times I’ve read all about this, the darkness of the interior, the closeness and smell of sailors who haven’t bathed for weeks, but this is it for real! It is dark! It is close and it does smell . . . but it’s a dream come true.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye he spotted something move in a dark corner. Rats! he thought, as he remembered how they shared the ship along with the crew. He shrugged his shoulders. Oh well, all part of the trip.
The sailor led them through a tight passage. It was low and made them all bend as they went their way. In the rear of the ship, where the ride was smoother, Jenkins stopped at a small door and opened it revealing a room, five-by-six feet with a wooden cot attached to the hull wall. A small table hung on four ropes from the ceiling. The ropes were there, Rocky knew, to sway with the roll of the ship. There was an empty wooden bowl for washing and a tattered, but clean towel on a peg.
Jenkins opened another door to the right and showed them another room identical to the first. He put Schure’s baggage in the first one and Rocky’s in the second.
He said, as he pointed to a smaller room with the door open, “Gents, this here’s fer when you need ta use the privy. Mind yerselves now, sometimes the water sloshes up through the privy hole. Now,” he said as he held out his hand, “the capt’n’s fee and me job’s done here.”
He walked away after collecting the money and left them standing there.
Schure turned and said, “Come, Mr. Perna. We’ll see to purchasing your needs before the tide turns.”
Rocky agreed and they went up on deck. “Mind that plank, Mr. Schure,” Rocky said pointing it out. “It tends to sneak up when one least expects it and gives the crew a jolly good laugh.”
That remark made Schure chuckle. “Mr. Perna! A sense of humor! Ha! I love a good sense of humor. And from an unexpected source at that.”
Rocky smiled. “Should gentlemen not have a sense of humor, Mr. Schure?”
“Please, sir, call me Edward. Let us not be so formal, for we shall be together in close quarters for weeks to come!”
Rocky laughed as he thought, This guy could be a friend of mine in The 1800 Club. He’s for real. Then he said, “Edward it is then. And you must address me by my given name, Rocky.”
“Then, Rocky, shall we go ashore?”
They went down the gangplank as the crewmembers watched and waited for the gentlemen to stumble. Wages were exchanged as they left the ship without a stumble.
Rocky thought as he looked around, New York City in 1772! This is amazing. Thank you Bill and John!
They set off toward a block of stores and Rocky found his dress leather shoes a poor match for the slippery cobblestones that lined the way. Horse waste and fish parts from seagulls littered and made the streets hazardous. He saw a group of men sitting on the dockside repairing nets. He smiled as he remembered sitting in the same spot having pizza with Joe Pelligrino, an old friend of his in the 1990s. He looked down toward Front Street where he and Paddy Gilardi, a friend from Brooklyn, had drinks in Jeremy’s Ale House in the late 1990s. Now the place was a sail maker’s hut.
The two men proceeded up an uneven wooden sidewalk to the stores. As they passed a row of fish shops, Rocky noted tha
t the Firemen’s museum would be in one of these buildings in the future. He looked up at the skyline, as he had done so often when he ate at the South Street Seaport area in the future, and realized the entire place was so much brighter now.
It’s the low buildings, he thought with a start. They allow much more sunlight to come into the area compared with the future. Because real estate was in such demand, the skyscraper was born and drowned out the light and turned the place into a city of gray canyons. What a shame!
Rocky’s reverie was broken when he found himself being guided into a store by Edward.
“This is where you’ll find undergarments,” said Edward, as he looked around. “And there,” he said, pointing to another counter, “is where you will find stockings along with handkerchiefs and shirts. I do think we should find you a leather jerkin of some sort rather than your silk jacket. The weather will be less able to chill you, than if you be in silk. In fact, I would advise you to not any purchase finery for the trip. Perhaps, wait until we dock in England, rather then trying to store them in the tight confines of the ship.”
“Wise advice, Edward. I thank you for your foresight. And, as the ship’s food fast becomes old, I insist that we dine before we leave and I pick up the ticket.”
The big man smiled. “If you insist, then I shall have to agree to such a request.”
“Oh, insist I do, Edward! For in fact, I’m famished and feel it may be a spell before we have food on land again.”
Rocky chose his clothing along with sturdier shoes than he presently wore and paid, asking the manager to have them sent to the ship before it sailed.
They left the haberdasher’s and walked to a small food shop nearby called, ‘The Canvas.’ Inside were small wooden tables and a piece of slate leaning against the wall showed the food on offer. The aroma from the kitchen made Rocky think, If the food tastes half as good as it smells, we’re in for a treat.
A small man with long brown hair tied back approached and said, “When you are ready, gentlemen, just raise your hand to me and I shall serve you. Martin’s my name.” Then he went back to the cutting board where he had been working.
“Roast beef for me, Rocky, and an ale.”
“Same for me,” answered Rocky remembering the poor state of drinking water in these times. He waved to Martin who came over and took their orders. As they waited Rocky looked around and began to laugh softly.
“You really must share your good humor with me, Rocky, for I fear I am at a loss as to what provokes your laughter at times.”
Rocky pointed to the paintings on the walls. “The name of this eating establishment. The Canvas! Ha, I thought it would be a place displaying ships’ canvas, but no, ‘tis a place displaying artist’s works on canvas. Clever those artists, are they not?”
“Indeed, they are, my friend.”
Rocky grinned and thought as he studied the artwork, Boy, I’d love to purchase one or two pieces. They are good, and they are long gone in my time. But, knowing he had no place to store them he could only enjoy them briefly.
The roast beef was served on clay plates with a large piece of brown bread and small, diced potatoes. It was tasty, even though it was on the tough side, and they needed the two-pronged forks and sharp knifes the man set down next to the dishes. It was smothered in gravy and the two men ate every bit of the dinner and then washed it down with a second mug of the dark ale.
After their meal, Rocky paid the modest bill, and they left the eatery. The sun was going down and the walk back to the ship was done with caution, as the cobblestones, coated by the evening fog, made them more slippery than usual. Candles and lanterns were being lit throughout the seaport and a different lifestyle was appearing. Women in heavy makeup walked in twos and threes, and smiled at the men as they left for home. And more than one man stopped to talk to them.
A seaport bar, ‘the Carriage House,’ was well lit and a piano played, somewhat out of tune Rocky noted, as he took it all in with a smile. More shadows flitted between the boxes and barrels that littered the area and he made out a cat chasing a rat . . . or, he thought, was it the other way around?
“Caution, Rocky. At this time of the day, one can’t tell if a shadow is a person bent on crime or just a harmless wooden post,” said Edward, as they walked up the creaking gangplank.
Jenkins stood on deck and lifted a lantern as he checked all who stepped aboard. Rocky noticed he had a club in his right hand, probably to discourage unwanted stowaways.
“Good! Jus’ in time then, lads,” he said. “Evening wind’s heading offshore and the capt’n ‘ll want to be with it.”
“I see ya have yer wares, Mr. Perna. I’ll have Jenkins put them in yer cabin.” The voice that came from the darkened deck was Captain Sojack as he motioned to the package delivered earlier. He kept an eye on everyone who came onto his ship. “I suggest ya stand aside, gents, as the boys will be running about as we take her out and I wouldn’t want to have ya bumped o’er the side. Gives a ship a bad name.”
Within ten minutes of coming aboard, the sails caught a breeze and they watched the lights from the shore recede. Rocky listened to the ship as she creaked and groaned, and felt the fresh salt air on his face as realized the smells of the city were gone . . . along with the noises. He looked aft and thought, It’s so quiet! He gazed up at the sails as they now went taut with a full wind. This is nature at its best, he thought, watching the waves break against the bow. Not a sound of a pollution-making engine, just the wind pushing a sail. He smiled as he heard the creaking of the masts as they groaned against the wind.
Suddenly a booming voice came out of the darkness, “What ship?”
“The Lindsey May,” replied the captain through a speaker horn. Rocky saw the lights of another ship appearing as if by magic. Then he saw the ship as a darker outline against the twinkling stars.
The voice in the dark continued, “Sojack! ‘Tis I, Harper! All’s well I hope?”
Captain Sojack called back as they came abeam of the other ship. “Harper, ya ol’ seadog. What port are ya running from this evening?”
Rocky could see a smile on the captain’s face by the light of a lantern near the compass.
Harper answered as they continued to pass each other, “From jolly ol’ England, I am. But mind ya, she ain’t so jolly these days my friend. She needs sailors, and it seems she like the Yankee ones best. Keep a sharp lookout, and ya can buy me a drink for my advice next time we port together.”
“Thank you, my dear Harper, for the news. I shall stay alert.” He put down his speaking horn as both ships disappeared from one another and he went below.
“I think perhaps it is best we get some rest too, Rocky,” said Edward, “for when at sea, we are at natures whim, and one should rest when one can.” Rocky agreed and they went below.
It got even darker as they approached their cabins. Jenkins appeared with a lantern.
“Best have me go in first gents. Ya can never know what may be sleepin’ on yer bunk and this here lamp keeps ‘em away. I’m gonna light yer candles fer ya’s. Just make sure ya put ‘em out befer ‘ya go ta’ sleep. The capt’n fears fire worse then pirates.”
He opened Rocky’s cabin door, lit a small candle and placed a glass cone over it and left. By the feeble light Rocky saw that on the small bed was the parcel of clothes he had purchased. He opened them and removed a long woolen nightshirt. He laid out his clothes for the next day, a mix of fineries and the leather jerkin and deck shoes. He smiled thinking, Heck, usually I wear less when I sail. Just a T-shirt, shorts and sneakers.
He was pleasantly surprised at the steadiness of the boat as it plowed through the sea. They made them pretty good back then . . . rather, now, he thought as he climbed into bed. Usually, he slept with a porthole open when he sailed, but his cabin had none. He laughed to himself as a breeze filtered between some loose fitted planks. Guess I don’t really need an open porthole to get the fresh sea breeze after all.
The mattress was a th
in covering of wool that itched as the straw beneath it poked through. After a few minutes he put some of his clothing under it to soften it a bit. There was a heavy blanket rolled up at the foot of the cot that proved to be as itchy as the coarse mattress cover, but it did its job of keeping the night’s chill off. He wanted to go through all that had transpired that day but fell asleep right away.
A tap on his door woke him, and he saw light coming through spots in the ceiling. He could see shadows crossing the lights and realized the ceiling he was looking at, was the ship’s deck where some tar caulking had come down, revealing the daylight and sailors going about their business. The small bits of dried tar were sprinkled over his blanket and in his hair. The shouted commands and slap of bare feet overhead told him the crew was up and at work already. He opened the door to see Edward standing there.
“Good morn, Rocky. I trust you slept well?” Edward handed him a steaming mug and said, “Tea straight from the galley. I’m told by the cook, that if you are up in a short time he’ll fix us some breakfast. Do you feel up to it?”
Rocky smiled and answered as he took the tea. “Lord, man, I do feel fine! It’s as though we are on nothing more than a slow ferry crossing a lake. Why, at this rate, I feel I might even purchase my own ship.”
Edward laughed at this and said, “Your sense of humor seems to have survived the first night, my friend. Now, I’ll leave you to get dressed and ask that you knock on my door and we shall breakfast together.” He turned and went back to his small room.
Rocky dressed in close-fitting dark cotton pants that came up to just under his knees. They tied at the bottom and had the dual purpose of holding his white stockings up and keeping drafts out. He wore his new soft-leather deck shoes and the same white shirt from the day before minus the cravat. Over this, he put on his new brown leather jerkin. A small three-cornered hat topped his head, and his hair, while not as long as the others, was pulled back in a ponytail. He noticed that Edward had dressed in much the same manner.
Time Travel Adventures of the 1800 Club. Book III Page 13