The Emerald Tartan

by Patricia McGrew

  Lydia, exhausted and discouraged, laid back on the sealskin to rest and covered herself with another one. She would not let herself fall asleep. The lights of the ship could be seen from the cave where she lay, so she had no concerns about finding her way back to the ship. She just had to figure out how to get away.

  Lydia studied Jemmy’s face. For the first time, some regret appeared in his facial expression. He turned toward the fowl roasting on the spit over the fire, and while laughing at some unknown private just, he began speaking rapidly to Kurok. Kurok laughed too, and ambled over to the fire. Lydia sat there, perplexed, as Jemmy trotted to the back of the cave and came back carrying a bottle filled with an amber colored liquid.

  He offered the bottle to Kurok and Elda, who both crowed their approval over Jemmy’s gift. Kurok stood up, pulled out the cork of the bottle, and took a healthy swig. He wiped his chin with the back of his calloused hand, as liquid dribbled from the corner of his mouth.

  “Time eat,” he grunted, looking at Lydia. “Need food, be strong and eat!”

  Elda looked up at Kurok and waited. Without another glance at Lydia, he ripped the drumstick off the spit and took a bite. He frowned and pointed to the roasted bird when he realized Lydia had failed to respond to his words.

  “Good food. Woman, eat now.”

  Lydia reached out and carefully tore a small piece of breast meat from the spit.

  Elda hissed at the attention Kurok paid to Lydia. She could no longer wait and grunted at Kurok in their language. He looked down at her and tipped the bottle slightly above her head. Elda tilted back her head and opened her mouth. The beverage splashed into her gaping mouth, and she laughed huskily – all without wasting a drop. She patted the new sealskin next to her and invited Kurok to join her. He hesitated for only a moment. He turned, glanced at Lydia and patted his lower groin area again, “Tomorrow. You wife. You get Kurok and drink too!” He smiled in his lopsided manner.

  Good grief! Kurok made it sound as though she was missing out on something good! She stifled a laugh at the ridiculousness of her situation. This ugly, short man actually believed he was a gift to women, and Lydia was lucky to be marrying him! How could she make him understand just standing near him made her nauseous – he was filthy, he smelled like dead fish, he was crude, and… and… With any luck Lydia hoped he would drink too much and then she could make good her escape. If only she could stay awake long enough to flee once Kurok passed out drunk. The cold was taking its toll on her systems. At least, she hoped he would get drunk. That way, even if Kurok awoke in time to see her leaving, he would be in no state to follow her.

  Jemmy said nothing all this time; he squatted by the fire and ate bits of roasted fowl. Lydia lay back on her sealskin and waited for what seemed like an eternity. Kurok and Elda were only halfway through with the bottle. Lydia assumed it was rum or perhaps Scotch from the color. She knew it was an alcoholic average because as impossible as it seemed that any smell could overcome the stench of Kurok’s body odor, she could smell the alcohol. Her eyes kept closing involuntarily. She shivered from the cold. Her head hurt. Even the fire in the cave was not enough to keep the chill of the outside air from permeating the damp of the cave. She pulled one of the skins over her body, just enough to keep her feet warm so that she would be able to run when she had the chance. Adjusting the skin over her legs was a mistake, the warmth felt so good she allowed herself to believe she could close her eyes for a few moments and be safe. Her head still throbbed from the blow Kurok inflicted on her. Just a few moments of rest were all she needed to regain her strength. It felt so good to be even a little warm. The restfulness that comes with food and warmth was too compelling, and Lydia lost the battle to stay awake.

  Suddenly, her sleep was no longer restful; she was suffocating. It was as though the sealskin covering her legs had been pushed up over her face. Something was wrong, but it was almost impossible for Lydia to awaken. Her legs were cold now and she could feel something rough up against her legs, pushing them apart. Suddenly, something pinned down her arms, and she could not move. She could see Elda above her head, holding down her arms. Elda smelled of too much drinking, and she was clearly intoxicated because she giggled uncontrollably and her words, although unintelligible to Lydia, sounded slurred. Someone was tugging at her ankles trying to pin them down.

  Lydia struggled out from under the sealskin and looked towards her feet. There she saw Kurok, stark naked, trying to hold down her feet, so he could move up towards her. His manhood jutted out, prepared to take Lydia. She tried to scream. Elda shoved a piece of sealskin over her mouth.

  Lydia squirmed, twisted, and thought, but she could feel Kurok clumsily making his way up her legs with his hands. The combination of fear and complete revulsion sent bolts of strength through Lydia’s arms and legs. With one mighty jerk, she threw off Elda and brought her knees up into Kurok’s groin. He roared in agony. Lydia screamed and scrambled to her feet. Elda reached over to grab her ankle, when Lydia heard a strange noise. Jemmy was standing over Elda with his fist clenched. Elda lay back against the cave wall, unconscious, and with blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth. Kurok was still in pain holding his groin.

  Motioning toward the cave opening, Jemmy shouted at Lydia, “Come, we go now. You not belong here. Always be fighting between you and Elda. You come now.”

  Jemmy sprinted to the cave opening with a lighted torch in his hand and motioned the way. With no hesitation, Lydia snatched up a sealskin and ran out into the darkness and falling snow.

  She had a general feel for the direction of the ship, but the sky was black and there was no light other than the torch carried by Jemmy. The lights from the ship were gone! Lydia prayed Jemmy would take her back to the ship and to safety.

  She slipped a few times on the icy ground, and their progress back to the ship was slow with both of them relying on the light from the single torch to guide their way through the darkness.

  As they rounded a massive outcropping of rock, in the distance she saw flickering lights coming towards them.

  “Ian! Thank God.” Her pace quickened and she shouted out, “Ian, it’s me. We’re here! Ian.”

  Jemmy cuffed Lydia across her draw and hoarsely whispered, “Quiet woman! You want Kurok to know where we are? We get to Captain soon enough. Be quiet and follow me.”

  Lydia almost said something back to him. After all there were five or six torches coming toward them. What could Kurok possibly do against five or six men? But just the knowledge Ian was coming for her was enough. She didn’t need to chide Jemmy. After all, he was helping her to make her escape.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Lydia found herself wrapped in Ian’s long, protective arms crying with relief. He pulled Lydia away from his chest and looked down into her face. Ian said, “Now you ken why I don’t want you on deck, Lass? Are you all right? Did they hurt you?”

  Lydia began to ramble. “No. I’m fine thanks to Jemmy here. If it weren’t for him, I’m afraid I might have ended up being Kurok’s wife in the morning. Actually, by their custom, I came very close to being his wife tonight. Jemmy, bless his heart, helped me to overcome Elda and Kurok. He gave Kurok some sort of liquor, which both Kurok and Elda drank. They were heavily into their cups – so I was able to get out with Jemmy’s help.”

  She couldn’t tell Ian the truth of everything that had happened. The vision of her time in the cave was so sordid, she couldn’t bring herself to think about what could have happened. It was enough for Ian to know somehow Kurok wanted to make Lydia his wife. The details were irrelevant.

  Jemmy stood watching back toward the direction of the cave, as though he expected something untoward to happen. He kept whispering to Ian’s men. Finally, Doctor Miller came up to Ian and explained, “Jemmy is concerned Kurok will come after Lydia. She is quite a prize – no Indian would give her up willingly or without a fight. He wants us to leave immediately because Kurok knows the area and the terrain, and he could catch up to us quic
kly.”

  “Does Kurok have any friends who could assist him?” asked Ian.

  “No,” said Jemmy. “But that not matter. Kurok is great warrior, very smart. Good with rocks and bows and arrows. He knows where to hide. Can pick you off, one by one. You not know this place that good.”

  “Don’t you live in the area? asked Ian.

  “No. Live away in Woolya. Here only to visit my sister’s family, a few miles from here. I was on my way back to friend who have boat and can take me to my family. I stay with Kurok for day or two only for food and rest. This afternoon Kurok came back to cave with woman. It custom for men to take to wife any woman he kidnap or steal. But, Kurok, he not like any other man. He more like animal. I know lady when I see one. Lydia a lady. She die here if she marry Kurok. Come, we go now. You take me in ship to my home. I get no help from Kurok or others in area now because I help white men.”

  The hair bristled on the back of Lydia’s neck. She scanned the dark horizon and saw nothing. “Let’s go back to the ship now, Ian. Something isn’t right. I can feel it.”

  As all began to gather together to head back to the ship, there was a distinct “plop” noise as though something large had just landed in the snow. Everyone looked at everyone else. Almost in unison, they started to ask, “What was that?”

  Then, without any warning there was a loud, dull clunk. Ian dropped to the ground. Blood gushed from a gaping wound in his forehead.

  CHAPTER 13

  “Oh my God! Ian! No! This can’t be happening!”

  Lydia knew in her heart what had happened. She also knew who was responsible – she was. An uncontrollable rage sped through her body. She knelt down and picked up the rock that cracked Ian’s skull. It was about five inches in length and stained with Ian’s blood.

  Before anyone realized what she was about, she ran off into the night screaming, “Kurok! Come here you coward! Come here. Face me like a man instead of hiding behind the rocks! Kurok!”

  Much to everyone’s surprise, Kurok came out of hiding. He ran towards Lydia. She already knew with Kurok, there were no rules to the game – playing dirty was how Kurok fought. Just as she was about ten feet from him, she pulled her arm back and focused her concentration and vision on Kurok’s forehead – and threw the rock. Her accuracy surprised her, but it stunned Kurok even more. For a moment, he stood immobilized. Then he slumped into a heap in the snow.

  She ran to him and kicked him in the ribs as he lay motionless, fighting back her own anger and tears. The First Mate pulled her away from Kurok and while Dr. Miller hovered over the Captain to check on his condition.

  “No, doctor! Do not help that man,” she yelled. “He is a savage. He has no morals. He steals whatever he wants; he is a brute, cruel and mean. He does not hesitate to kill to get what he wants. Let him die by the same code he lives by.”

  A sense of order and purpose arose in Lydia; she knew what she had to do. No man would keep her from fulfilling her goals. She surveyed the landscape around her and stared glassy-eyed the doctor, who had already gone back to checking Ian’s condition.

  “Doctor Miller, is he going to be all right?”

  “I’m not certain, Lydia. He’s been badly hurt by the blow from that rock. It may have cracked his skull. He has a concussion for sure. We need to get him back to the ship, fast.”

  “Did you hear that?” she yelled out to First Mate Briggs and the four crew members with them. “We must get the Captain back to the ship immediately. The doctor cannot tend to him here in the cold and the wind. We need to make some type of structure to carry him in.” She searched the bleak landscape looking for something in which to carry the Captain. Seeing nothing that would help them, she turned her attention to their small group.

  “We can use the sealskin I was using as a coat. We’ll cut holes in the corners and tie rope through them. Each man carries one corner. Don’t stand there looking at me as though I’m daft. Get busy! Your Captain’s life depends upon it.” She was calm yet frantic.

  “And Doctor, may I please borrow your coat? I see you are wearing layers of clothing. Yet, I need something to warm to wear until we get back to the ship.”

  The crew mumbled amongst themselves. Then the Doctor shouted, “Men, I believe you’ve been given your orders. Look smart and get busy. I can’t do much to help the Captain out here in the snow and the cold. He needs warmth and medical attention right away. Miss Lydia is right. Your Captain’s life may well hang in the balance. Let’s move it!” He promptly removed his outer coat and handed it to Lydia.

  Without another second’s hesitation, the men fell into line and each began working on a corner of Lydia’s sealskin blanket.

  She walked over to the doctor, thanked him for his help and then whispered, “There is a lot I don’t know about sailing, but I do know that the Captain is on a tight schedule to… ah … to deliver the tea. It’s very important to him, and I’m going to see to it we don’t waste another minute here in this godforsaken place. He saved my life – I must do the same for him. Uh, Doctor … I have a big favor to ask of you. Would you mind if we used your shirt? We can tear it into strips then we can bandage Ian’s head until we get back to the ship. I cannot remove my shirt under the circumstances.”

  ***

  Doctor Miller was dumbfounded. He was the Doctor, in his own shock at the strange turn of events, and he stopped thinking as a physician. Of course, he had to stem the bleeding from Ian’s forehead, he thought. But why was Lydia the one to notice that it needed to be done, and not he? She was no longer the shy or reticent young woman he believed her to be. In fact, she had just taken charge of everything, just as Ian would have done in the same circumstances. He shook his head in dismay at his own behavior.

  Within a little less an hour, they were all safely back at the ship. Ian had not regained consciousness. The crewmen placed the Captain on his bed, and Lydia promptly ordered all of the men out except the doctor. The men looked in askance at the Doctor, but when he asked them what they were all waiting for, they departed quickly.

  ***

  “All right, doctor. What can I do to help?” asked Lydia.

  “I’m not sure at this point. I’ll have to examine him. Perhaps you should leave the room.”

  “Not in a thousand years. Not until I know he is going to be all right will I leave his side. So you might as well tell me what I can do to help.”

  “We need to get a fire started in the stove to warm up this room a bit. He may be unconscious, but he is shivering and his lips are slightly blue. Then we need to get him out of these wet clothes. It appears as though the bleeding has stopped, but I don’t know how much blood he has lost. His worst damage may be from the cold. I just can’t tell yet.”

  “Fine. I’ll start the fire – and don’t worry, I’ll remember to open the flu. As soon as you can start get him out of his damp clothing, we can examine his wound. That is, you can examine his wound and tell me what I can do to assist.”

  Lydia laid in the kindling and started the fire in the wood burning stove. She hung up Ian’s clothing as the Doctor peeled it away layer by layer. By the time Ian was completely undressed and under several blankets, his shivering subsided.

  “All right, Lydia. Come here. Someone else should know what is going on with the Captain and how to care for him. So I want you to stand beside me while I take off the makeshift bandages from his forehead.”

  “Uh, perhaps I should share with you the fact I’ve never been able to tolerate blood and gore. My most immediate reaction is to leave the area before I see anything too unpleasant. Maybe I should step out now.”

  I understand what you are saying, but as I said a moment ago, I need someone else to know how to care for him. Please, stay and help me.” So she stood beside the him as he unwrapped the strips of cloth.

  “Is something the matter, Miss Lydia?”

  She shook herself and refocused on Ian’s for head. “No, Doctor. I’m fine. Just getting over the chill of having been ou
tside in the cold for so long myself.”

  The swelling on Ian’s forehead looked almost as large as the rock that had hit him. His left eye was swollen shut, and the right eye was almost as bad.

  Lydia brought a washbasin full of clean water to the doctor. He great care he washed away the dried blood. The sight was not pretty. A triangular flap of skin, about an inch and a half long, hung like a limp piece of wet newspaper down the skull. The doctor could see a minor hairline fracture of the skull. However, the skull itself appeared to be intact.

  “Yes, Miss Lydia. I know what you’re thinking. I believe he will be all right in time. The concussion is bad, but not as bad as it could have been. He will need time to heal. Now we have to hope he doesn’t catch pneumonia. As you already know, this weather is not exactly conducive to good health for injured people. We will have to watch him carefully.”

  “How soon do you think it will be before he will be able to captain the ship again?”

  “Now that is a question I cannot answer. It could be a week, or it could be two months. With head injuries, one never knows how long the healing process will take.”

  Lydia fidgeted. “But Ian doesn’t have two months. It is already early May, and he must have … uh … the tea to Hawaii before the middle of June.”

  “Well, Lydia, this is one time I do not believe the Captain will succeed in meeting his deadline. We have a lot of open sea ahead of us before reaching Honolulu. He is the only one who knows how to use the sextant and to chart our course. We’ll just have to wait for him to get well.”

  “No! That is not possible,” said Lydia.

  Doctor Miller threw his hands up in the air. “The impatience of youth! This is what it is, Miss Lydia. We can’t suddenly wish him well. That only works in fairy tales!”

  “No doctor. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but Ian really must get to Hawaii by mid-June. You don’t understand what is at stake. But his pride and his reputation depend upon the ship’s arrival at the Honolulu Harbor by no later than June twentieth or so.”