by Jim Musgrave
The two horses came to a halt, and Penelope sprang from the coach like a woman possessed. She ran up to the tall young man and turned him around. "Walter?" she asked, but when he turned, she saw it was not he. It was another, less distinguished gentleman, who was obviously quite inebriated. "You're not Walter," she said.
"Hey, little lady. Can you spare some change for a man in need?" said the drunk.
Penelope opened her purse and handed the man a pound note, forgetting that she had yet to exchange her money for American currency. However, as he was too drunk to really notice, he took the bill and staggered back toward the tavern entrance.
When Penelope was back inside the hansom, she looked embarrassed. "I was certain it was my Walter. I suppose it's all the fatigue from our voyage and stress about his being over here.
"Driver, you may proceed to Beech Street!" Amelia directed, and the cab took off once more.
* * *
"Darling!" Amelia gasped, as she entered John Ericsson's residence on Beech Street. John was in his workroom, his usual domain, and his Lead Draftsman, Charles McCord, was there also. Ericsson turned from his bench and a look of pure joy filled his tired features as he gazed upon the woman for whom he had been working so hard for these many months.
"Amelia! You've come, at long last!" he said, taking her diminutive waist into his hands and pulling her toward him. He could smell her Parisian essence, and the softness of her cheek against his muttonchops was like an elixir of life to his aging body. John held her at arm's length for several moments, and then said, "You shall never have to leave again, my dearest. I've done it! The United States Government has agreed to purchase 500 monitor-class ships from me, and we were busy working up the plans before you became the luscious frosting on our celebratory cake."
Amelia was overcome with delight. "Oh, John, I told you it would all work out. Didn't I? You were always such a pessimistic soul. You need me around to keep you in high spirits!"
"You didn't tell me your husband was such a genius. And a very handsome gentleman as well!" said Penelope.
Amelia's face turned crimson. "Oh, Pen! I'm so sorry! John, this is my best friend and confidant, Penelope Andrews. She has been very kind to me these last few weeks, giving me solace in the West End, as this horrid war rages on over here in the colonies. Her fiancé, Walter Sinclair, is also over here in some kind of business with the war. We hope to look him up for dear Pen, as she is almost as lovelorn as I," Amelia said, and she kissed her husband warmly.
John walked over and took Penelope's hands. "Any friend of my Amelia's is immediately a friend of mine. How was your voyage, my dear?"
"We had an uneventful voyage, Captain. There do seem to be many men making enterprise from this war, however. I dare say you have been one of the lucky ones to profit from this tragic circumstance. Does this cause you any ill feelings?" said Penelope, in her usual audacious manner.
"My, Amelia! I do like your new friend. She gets right down to business. No, Penelope, I have long ago given up my ill feelings about such things as man's inhumanity toward man. However, I do believe in finding one's own place on this earth, where it is possible to live in moderately safe and healthy splendor. This war boon has provided my wife and me with the means to become castaways from these ill feelings. It shall now be only a matter of planning and of patience. The time is at hand for us to find our own paradise. Isn't that our plan, Amelia?" asked John.
"Yes, when John was shot, we agreed to escape from this insanity as soon as we could muster the resources. If we can find passage, we shall travel away to our island in the sun. It shall, indeed, be our own paradise! I love you so much, John," she said, both of her white arms winding around Ericsson's wide waist like a young girl hugging a trained bear.
"Captain, why don't we stop working and take these fine ladies out on the town for dinner?" Charles McCord spoke for the first time.
Penelope brightened at once. "Yes! I am certainly up for a pint of something and a big, juicy, American steak! I've heard about these prime cuts from every man on board the Europa coming over. Now I shall taste for myself!"
John laughed. "Well, well! It seems your friend has a good cultural grasp of these American cousins of yours, Amelia. Let's all go to a place Charles and I have frequented many times over the months. It's called Fox Cave. The poet, Walt Whitman, has read there many times, and he has even been in fist fights with patrons when he began arguing his fierce patriotism for the Union cause. It's all quite jolly, and I think you ladies will enjoy yourselves. Yes, and we can obtain quite a large American steak there. I believe they're called New York sirloin, is that correct, Charles?"
"Right you are, Captain. New York seer-loin she is! Penny here will have a great task to get her choppers around this piece of meat!"
Penelope made a face with bulging eyes, and mimicked a huge bite in the air, and they all laughed uproariously. However, as they were about to leave, a tall man in an overcoat approached the front entrance. He was, at first, in the shadows. But, as he came closer, and came into the gaslight of the front porch, Penelope screamed. "Walter! What are you doing?" she asked, staring in incomprehensible horror at her fiancé, who was standing in front of them pointing a long, black pistol.
"Am I interrupting something?" said Walter, smiling, in spite of the fear in his stomach. "I think we should go back into the house," he said, making a brushing motion toward the inside with the Colt in his hand.
Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Captain Retreats
Hampton Roads, Virginia, April 2, 1862
Chip Jefferson was keeping a sharp eye on his new captain, Lieutenant Samuel Dana Greene, and the way the gentleman was behaving made Chip certain something was wrong. Mister Greene began to request meatless meals because, he said, "One should value the peaceful serenity of the vegetarian existence." Greene also began staying up late into the night reading from his beloved Emerson, Thoreau and Whitman, and he received old issues of the Transcendental Movement's magazine called The Dial, which he read to Chip as if he were reading scripture. It was quite strange, indeed!
The Monitor had not confronted the giant enemy again since that infamous day in March, but word had it she was going to come out again "to play" pretty soon, and the ship's company was constantly practicing battle drills, although the new captain did not seem to have his heart in the exercises. Chip often found his captain locked inside his cabin, reading poetry and writing in his journal. After that letter came written by Mister Ericsson, the mood of the captain began to get worse. Chip was certain Ericsson was doing something to the young man's mind. Chip's family had an old cousin named Josie who purportedly knew the ways of the African witch doctors, and she could put people under her spell. It certainly looked to Chip that Greene was under just such a spell by this evil inventor, John Ericsson, with his brusque manner, his talk of the slave trade, and his fixation with Easter Island. It was this fixation that made Chip think Ericsson was as crazy as Captain Ahab, and he was using this young Samuel Greene the same way Ahab used Mister Starbuck. Only, this time, Mister Greene was "star-struck," thought Chip, and he chuckled to himself, as he picked out the beef in the stew for the captain's mess. Inside, he could hear his captain reading to himself, and he pushed the door open with his foot while holding the tray of food. "Evening, Captain. Sorry to bother, but I have the latest from the cook. Brunswick Stew without the meat." He set the tray down on the table. The young captain looked up briefly from his reading. "Yes, indeed. Stew. Thank you, Chip. You may go now."
Chip was about to leave when he spotted the title of the book in Captain Greene's hands, Easter Island: The Rapaniu Speech and the Peopling of Southeast Polynesia. Chip wondered at the title. Then, he had a flash of insight. Certainly, that was it! That's the way all the slave traders did their work. First, they learned the language and the tribal customs so they could negotiate with the tribal leaders. His father told him about this himself, as this was how his own family was negotiated for in Africa. Mister Greene was le
arning about Rapaniu speech so he could trade for slaves!
"Aye, Captain. You have yourself a nice meal," said Chip, and he closed the hatch behind him.
* * *
After the young Cabin Boy had left, Captain Greene began to write again in his journal:
It's all clear to me now. Captain Ericsson was using me all along for his own selfish interests. I have seen it with the clarity of vision that my new life's regimen has given me. As a Transcendentalist, I can commune with Nature and see into the hearts of scoundrels like John Ericsson. He has lied to me all along, just so he could get a big contract for more ships. There is no paradise at Easter Island. And there is only one way I can get my revenge on this man. He does not know about life aboard his own invention! We have nearly exploded and sunk twice from the heat and infernal noise and confusion this craft engenders. Combat is not like sitting in a neat drawing room sipping brandy. No, it is much more sinister, Mister Ericsson. And, I will show you just how sinister I can be once this assignment is done!
Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Negotiation
New York City, April 2, 1862
“I’ve been after you for several months, Captain I Ericsson. It's now time we had a talk." Walter was still pointing his revolver, and the women were clutching each other and staring at him in disbelief. Ericsson and McCord were seated on the divan, wondering if this madman were going to kill them all. Was it some love triangle? Did he seek revenge?
"Walter, what's happened to you? Have you lost all your senses?" Penelope's voice was shaking with emotion.
"I was contracted by the Confederate Government to kill this gentleman," said Walter, twitching the barrel of the pistol at Ericsson. "Indeed, I was supposed to destroy his infernal invention as well, but as with many enterprises in my life, I was unable to complete the mission."
"You told me you were doing business over here, Walter. I thought you might have been running the blockades with your ship, but you said nothing about such horrors!" said Penelope, making a motion to approach her fiancé, but his stern look made her stop. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, holding out her arms in a pleading gesture.
"Tell you? My dear Pen, these American rebels said they would kill you if anybody else ever discovered my plan. In fact, both of our lives are in danger right now, unless I can kill this bastard and bring them the drawings of his ironclad. Do you understand? We are as good as dead while this man is still alive!"
"You can't be serious, Walter Sinclair," said Amelia, walking up to him with no fear in her eyes. Walter pointed the gun at her, but she did not flinch. "You will hang for murder, and then where will poor Penelope be?"
"If I might be so bold, Sir, but I believe I have a stake in this discussion," said Ericsson, adjusting his necktie.
Walter turned his gun on the inventor. "Yes, I suppose you do. Make your peace quickly, as I do not have much time."
"This woman is quite correct, you know. Even if you do kill me and take my plans to the enemy, do you suppose they will fulfill their end of the bargain? I doubt it. Even if they do, where will you go? The Union and the Confederacy would not want you here. And, if you did return to England, you could be arrested," Ericsson pointed out, in his matter-of-fact, scientific manner.
"They told me you were a tricky one that they did. They gave me quite a small fortune to accomplish this job, and I am to receive the other half when it's completed," said Walter, trying to keep the confidence in his tone, although he was becoming more doubtful every moment.
"Listen, Mister Sinclair, I have a proposition for you. It may solve all of our problems at this juncture. The Union Government has just negotiated for a contract worth quite a bit of money. I dare say it is quite a bit more than what the Confederacy has offered you."
Walter was listening intently, although he still kept the gun on his prey.
"I want to make a rather lengthy and dangerous voyage to Easter Island. My partner, Mister McCord, and I have some new ideas about how to outfit a ship to make the journey without too much difficulty. However, I need a ship and a captain. If you'll assist me, Captain Sinclair, I will promise you a safe passage to an island where you and your betrothed can live out your lives in peace."
Sinclair looked over at Penelope with concern in his eyes. He understood what Ericsson was saying, and, deep down, he trusted this Swede. They would be better off leaving what was left of civilization to try another world. It could prove dangerous, but there would be more danger if they stayed here.
"I say, love, what are your thoughts on this?" Walter asked his fiancée.
Penelope walked over to him and took his two large hands into hers, staring deeply into his brown eyes. "Walter, I am attracted to you because you are an adventurous man. This would simply be another chance for us to live dangerously!"
"Then, it's settled? We can discuss the trip over dinner," said Ericsson, picking up his hat and coat once again.
"Look! There's someone at the window!" Amelia shouted, pointing to the dark shape moving past the bay window.
Sinclair and McCord ran out of the house to apprehend the intruder, with the women and Ericsson following close behind. Huddled down behind a hedge, Sinclair pulled forth the skinny body of the little orderly, Chip Jefferson.
Ericsson frowned. "What are we to do with this fellow?" he asked, beginning to worry about too many complications in his flight for freedom.
Walter brushed the front of the boy's shirt, which had become dusty from his sleuthing around the house. "Your Mister Greene can take care of the lad, Captain. We can't risk his going to the authorities, now can we?"
"I'm afraid you're correct, Mister Sinclair. We'll take him with us to Easter Island," said Ericsson.
Chip's eyes grew wide with horror. "Oh, no! Captain Ahab! I will not go with you slave traders to Easter Island!"
Amelia walked over to the boy and put a soothing arm around his narrow shoulders. "Now, my boy, we are not slave traders. Didn't John tell you? We're going to live in Nature's paradise. It will be a wonderful adventure!"
Part III: Return to Paradise
December 29, 1862 - September 2, 1863
Chapter Forty: Anchors Aweigh
New York City, December 29, 1862
The months passed, and the British blockade-runner had been thoroughly transformed into an oceangoing vessel with many new inventions, thanks to the genius of one John Ericsson. In addition, the little Captain's Orderly, Chip Jefferson, had been convinced by the ladies that the adventure awaiting them all was far more exciting than the dangers of this Civil War. As a result, Chip went back to the Monitor to tell Captain Greene about the plan and to try to convince him that the journey to Easter Island was their only way to stay safe. Chip knew he could not tell his parents about leaving the country, as they would never understand. His father would be especially angry, as he believed the world was teeming with slave traders and profiteers, but Captain Ericsson and Sinclair had convinced the boy that Easter Island had been preserved from this kind of activity. "Most of the stories in books and articles are written to sell copies, my boy," said Ericsson. "This island still possesses the charm and character of a natural paradise."
Walter added, "We'll be the top dogs on that island, that's for sure. With Mister Ericsson's genius at invention, we just might be considered gods!" That was enough for Chip's imagination to take over, and he resigned to keep the trip a secret from everybody, including his family back home in New York.
John Ericsson and Walter Sinclair personally supervised the reconstruction and loading of the H.M.S. Caine, as they wanted to be certain that all the right cargo was brought on board, and they needed to be extremely cautious about not disclosing their destination. The women were being kept at the hotel in Brooklyn until they were ready to sail, and Charles McCord was watching after them, although Sinclair was distrustful of McCord and insisted that the Irishman not be permitted any alcohol until they were underway.
Before they began their long journey of over 11,000 m
iles, they had to first get Lieutenant Greene. He was soon to be relieved of his command aboard the Monitor, and Ericsson thought it best they pick him up at the Bachelor Officers' Quarters at the Brooklyn Navy Yard when he arrived from his deployment in Virginia. Captain Ericsson was still under the assumption that Greene was anxious to live out his life in peace on Easter Island, but Chip Jefferson had stated "the new Captain was recently acting mighty strange onboard the ship."
As Chip Jefferson and Dana Greene would soon be, in effect, kidnapped by this adventurous group, the dangers would continue to plague them on this journey. The United States Government would not be happy to see its top naval inventor and two war heroes going "absent without leave." Ericsson believed, however, that the Union would be too busy with the war to notice a British ship escaping New York Harbor. As a British citizen, Captain Walter Sinclair had all the necessary papers for the Caine, and they had acquired permission to leave port on April 5, two days hence, presumably to head toward their final destination of Liverpool, England. They, of course, would not be going to England, as their trip would be a long and dangerous voyage around Cape Horn and on out into the South Pacific to the islands that had been termed "the navel of the world."
The two women, Penelope and Amelia, would be traveling the long voyage without the usual formal attire and civilized accoutrements to which they were accustomed. They believed it to be a great adventure, however, and so they decided they would wear the clothing of sailors and pitch in with the work as best they could.
The war was going at full force, and as the ship was being loaded, two United States Marines, accompanied by a naval officer, came over to the berth where the H.M.S. Caine was a beehive of activity. Captain Sinclair met the young officer and his men at the gangway, whereupon two men were busy loading cargo onto the ship. "Good day, Lieutenant," said Walter, affecting his best military bearing.