Grantville Gazette, Volume XII

by Eric Flint

  "Agh. I feel awful."

  "Not long now, Anna. The captain says we should be in Bristol in another five hours if the wind holds."

  "Five hours. Why did I ever let Swiger talk me into this?" Another surge from her stomach made Anna hang her head over the rail again. "Agh. How can you stand there looking so healthy?"

  Richard snickered. "No idea. I don't get seasick, I guess." He took the bottle of boiled water from her hand, then said, "As for Swiger, he offered a lot of money."

  "I should have asked for more."

  "Probably. But look on the bright side. It could be weeks before we find what we're looking for and have to start back for Grantville."

  Anna gripped the rail, trying to hold herself upright. "You're not helping, Richard. Why don't you just leave me alone so I can die in peace?"

  Richard gave Anna a quick grin before leaving her to her misery.

  * * *

  "How's Anna holding up?" Thomas Welford, the second Englishman on the four-person team, asked.

  "She'll live. Not that she'd agree with me right now," Richard said.

  "It was stupid to bring her along. What do we need her for?" Valentin Weber, a very self-important German merchant and the self-styled leader of the team snorted. "I know what we're looking for as well as she does.".

  "I doubt you've got her experience," Richard said. "We need someone who can recognize the cowpox when they see it. Dr. Alexander, the large animal vet, said she was the best of his students,"

  "She's the best Grantville had to offer? All they did was show her some pictures in a couple of books. I saw them, too."

  Richard sighed. "Herr Weber, Anna's father was a knacker . . ."

  "A knacker! Nobody told me I'd be pretending to be married to a knacker's daughter."

  "Nobody told you, Herr Weber, because they probably didn't think it mattered. Anna probably has a better chance of recognizing cowpox when she sees it than anybody in Grantville. And that includes Rudi Muller, who's been dealing with animals all his life."

  "Better than Rudi?" Thomas shook his head. "Seriously?"

  "That's what I heard Dr. Alexander tell Herr Swiger." Richard turned to Valentin. "And I'd be careful of letting your prejudices show, Herr Weber. Anna's not one to suffer slights meekly."

  Bristol , England , several hours later

  "No! Absolutely no way. You are not getting me back on some poky little sailing boat." Anna folded her arms and glared at her colleagues.

  "Come on, Anna. It won't be so bad. It's only about sixteen miles. The Little Avon River runs into the Severn River, and we can sail right up that to Berkeley. We could be there inside three or four hours. If we go by road, we can't leave until first light tomorrow. And we risk spending a night on the road." Richard tried to get Anna to see sense.

  "No. The next boat I get on is the one taking me home. Anyway, we really should travel by land. We might miss an infected animal if we don't. We don't know exactly where Dr. Jenner found the cowpox he used in his experiments. All we know it that it was from somewhere near Berkeley."

  "Anna's got a point," Thomas said. "There's a pretty big bonus at stake if we can bring back an infected cow. It'd be foolish not to maximize our chances of finding one."

  Anna turned to Valentin. "Herr Weber, I suggest you see about getting some horses. There's over sixteen miles of farmland between Bristol and Berkeley. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can start looking."

  Valentin bristled at the order, as he'd been doing for days. It was obvious that he didn't care to take orders from anyone, much less from Anna. Richard wondered just how much trouble the self-important little squirt was going to cause.

  * * *

  "Anna, have you finished yet?" Valentin called.

  "Nearly. Just another three to check."

  Valentin stomped away, calling, "Will you hurry? If we want to get to Bevington before nightfall, we have to leave soon."

  "It takes as long as it takes." Anna returned to examining the cows. They'd been on the road a week and hadn't found any sign of cowpox. There hadn't even been scars on the cows to suggest they might ever have had the disease. Surely if there was any cowpox in the area, some of the hundreds of cows she'd examined should have had it at some stage. But the signs weren't looking good and Anna was starting to lose hope.

  She finished her examination of the last animal and stood up. The rest of the team was watching hopefully, so she shook her head to indicate no luck. Wiping the worst of the muck from her hands with a rag, she followed the farmer's wife into the wash-house where she could get cleaned up. That was something she had been able to do, pass on the Grantville ideas of hygiene and sanitation. After drying her hands, Anna reached for her satchel and withdrew several printed pamphlets.

  * * *

  "Woman! What took you so long? I thought you were only supposed to be washing your hands?"

  Valentin was obviously annoyed. Not that Anna cared. "I'm supposed to talk to them. It's all a part of spreading the knowledge and you knew that when we started on this trip." Anna had given the woman several of the Sanitation Commission pamphlets, and because the woman had had difficulty reading them, she'd gone over each pamphlet with her. Anna wouldn't be surprised if the woman sold the information to her neighbors, but that wasn't any of her concern. Distributing the information was the important thing. If the woman made a little money in the process, that was just a bonus. "I'm ready now."

  "Right. Well, hurry up. We have to get the pack animals loaded before we can leave." Valentin nodded to Thomas and Richard before leading the way toward the waiting ponies and horses.

  Anna sent a speaking look toward Richard and Thomas before following Valentin. Why didn't that idiot start loading the pack animals while I was talking with the farmer's wife if he's in such a hurry?

  Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England, a couple of days later

  "So this is Berkeley." Anna sat on her pony and gazed at the irregular structure that was Berkeley Castle, infamous as the site of the murder of Edward II more than three hundred years ago.

  "It's no good looking in that direction, Anna. There'll be no beds for the likes of us there," Thomas said.

  "I was just wondering if they offer tours of the room where Edward the Second was murdered. And maybe we could tour the park and some of the tenant farms. The more animals we can check out, the better."

  Thomas groaned. "Not more animals. It was bad enough chasing around in the muck on the way here. I'm learning more about cattle than I ever wanted to know."

  "You do want that bonus, don't you? And I'd have thought you knew a lot about cattle. You come from Hereford, don't you? The up-timers say the Hereford was a well-known breed."

  Thomas shook his head. "Never heard of no Herefords. Mind, before I became a soldier, I worked on the orchards. Richard?"

  "There were no cows on the hop fields I worked on," Richard answered.

  "What?" Valentin's face was nearly purple with anger. "Neither of you know anything about cows? Then why did Herr Swiger lumber Team Delta with a couple of useless ex-soldiers from Hereford? Surely there are suitable people in Grantville who know cows?"

  Richard shrugged his shoulders. "No idea. Maybe Herr Swiger figured we'd speak the local language, Herefordshire being so close to Gloucestershire."

  Anna did her best to ignore Valentin. The man was a royal pain as far as she was concerned and she was getting very tired of him and his attitude.

  Stroud , England , Two weeks later

  Thomas looked up from his mug of hot cider and sniffed. "When can we head home? It's been three weeks, the last two in miserable weather, and you still haven't found any sign of cowpox . . ." Thomas wasn't happy. It was winter, and it wasn't just cold, it was wet and cold.

  "We can't give up yet, Thomas. We've barely started looking," Anna answered.

  "And we are being paid by the day. So it's not as if we lose out by taking our time," Richard added.

  Thomas was so deep in his misery that t
heir comments passed over his head. ". . . and as for the lousy oilskin rain capes we were issued, they're worse than useless. Why couldn't we have some of the new pattern gear?" He glared at the faces of his colleagues. "Yes, yes, I know we couldn't have up-time weapons because they'd stand out, but those new rain capes they're making for the army. Why couldn't we have some of those?"

  "Because we'd look different, Thomas," Valentin answered. "When we get back to Bremen you can change back into your favorite clothes. But look at Anna. Do you hear her complaining because she can't wear her divided skirts?"

  Anna grinned at that. "I'm obviously not muttering loud enough." Valentin might be an arrogant pain, but at least he had the mission in mind.

  Valentin ignored the interruption. "Anyway, Anna's found no sign of cowpox around Stroud, so I suggest we make our way towards Gloucester next. They make a lot of cheese there, so there should be a lot of cows."

  Richard buried his head in his hands. "And to think I became a soldier to escape the farm."

  Near Gloucester , England , February 1633

  Anna had learned early in this mission that a vicar's wife was the person to talk to in any almost any English community. They were usually well-educated by English standards, especially for females, and they tended to know their communities well. Grace Barneby was the best of the breed Anna had come across since arriving in England. While the vicar talked with the three men, Anna and Grace talked about health and the Sanitation Committee pamphlets.

  "The Americans say that someone who has been vaccinated using cowpox won't catch smallpox. Well," Anna corrected herself, "the person is protected for at least ten years. Then they have to be given the vaccine again in what they call a booster shot."

  "But if they variolate, they are protected for life?"

  Anna nodded.

  "That doesn't make sense. Surely it would be better to 'immunize' a person for life rather than have to 'vaccinate' them every ten years," Grace said.

  "I agree, Grace. However, the Americans claim that variolation is dangerous even if you deactivate the smallpox. They don't feel it's worth the risk, not if cowpox is available."

  "And that's why you're in England."

  "And still not finding any sign. Yes, I know. But the Americans want cowpox, so we have to try to find it."

  "At least you're inside and warm. I don't know why you didn't think to offer a reward for the farm worker who found an infected animal earlier."

  "Me, either." Anna smiled. "It's certainly much more comfortable having other people doing the searching."

  "Of course. Now, let's see what the next little book is all about." Grace glanced at the title of the pamphlet in her hands. "Treatments for safe drinking water . . ."

  * * *

  The knock on the door was followed by a young housemaid popping her head into the room. "Sorry to disturb you and your guest, Missus, but one of the farm workers is wanting to talk to you."

  Grace paused in her reading of the safe water pamphlet. "What do you think? Has someone found something interesting? I won't be a moment."

  Anna hoped someone had found something interesting. This search for cowpox was starting to look like it might end in failure. She tried to sit quietly in her chair while she waited for Grace to come back.

  A few minutes later the maid popped her head into the room again. "The missus would like you to follow me, Miss."

  Anna shot to her feet, grabbed her satchel, and followed the maid to the back door. There she found Grace, a farm laborer and a scruffy little urchin.

  Grace smiled at Anna and gestured towards the boy. "Young Peter here thinks he's found what you're looking for."

  Anna walked up to the boy and knelt down in front of him, offering him her hand. "Hello, Peter."

  Peter placed his filthy hand in Anna's and gently shook hands. "Do I win the pennies?"

  Peter's father gave him a clout across the ear. "That's no way to speak to the lady."

  Anna looked from father to son. The twelve pennies she had promised to whoever found an infected animal would be a lot of money to this family. "Yes, Peter, if you've found what I want, the pennies are yours." Anna turned to Grace. "If you'll let my companions know where I'm going, I'll get some boots on and follow them."

  "Not without me, you won't. Betty can tell the men to join us," Grace said. "Right, Betty?"

  The maid nodded shyly and retreated to pass on the instruction.

  * * *

  The horse was a sorry-looking beast. The first thing Anna did was move the gelding into better light. That was difficult, as the animal didn't want to move. When he did move, he lifted his feet high. That was an obvious sign that something was wrong.

  Given that sign, Anna had high hopes for what she might find. Grace had been horrified when the child led them to a horse instead of a cow, but the child had said it had pox pustules. So far, this horse was showing the symptoms Dr. Alexander had told her to look for.

  She lifted the animal's front off-side foot and looked at it closely. "There we are, Grace. See? Lots of little pox pustules just below the fetlock."

  Grace shuddered. "I'd rather not look, thank you."

  Anna stifled a laugh and searched in her satchel for a small glass bottle, a small spatula and needle. Then, holding the foot on her thighs, she began to drain the noxious-looking pustules.

  It took a while to deal with all four feet, but finally she finished. She wiped the gelding's legs down with a cloth soaked in a weak bleach solution to sterilize the wounds, then stood up to see that her male companions and the vicar had turned up to see what was happening. She held up the glass bottle. "Success."

  "What do you mean 'success'?" Valentin asked. "That's a horse."

  Anna wrapped the precious bottle in a cloth and placed it in her satchel. "Horse or not, we have what we came for."

  "But . . ." Thomas stopped. "Anna, I don't understand."

  "What Thomas is trying to say, Anna," Valentin said, "is we're supposed to be looking for cowpox. Not whatever that horse has."

  Anna looked over at the still silent Richard. "Do you have anything you'd like to say?"

  Richard shook his head. "Not me. I'm sure you've got your reasons."

  "Yes, I do. I'm pretty sure that horse has 'grease,' which is also known as horse pox." She gently patted her satchel. "This is more than enough horse pox for our purposes. All we need now are some cows to infect. Then we wait about twelve days for the pustules to form, and there we'll have it. Cowpox."

  * * *

  Anna was feeling smug. Valentin was pacing the sitting room, obviously unhappy. Thomas and Richard were curious, but as they were on the team purely as bodyguards for Anna and Valentin, they had always been out of the loop.

  Valentin stopped pacing to turn and glare at her. "Why wasn't I told everything?"

  She had to smile at the picture Valentin made. He wasn't taking the realization that a knacker's daughter had been the real head of the team at all well. If Grace and her husband William hadn't been present, Valentin would have been screaming the question. "Because you didn't need to know."

  "What?" Valentin was barely holding onto his temper now. "Of course, I needed to know. How many opportunities to find this grease have we missed, because I didn't know to look for it?"

  "None. Whenever we visited a farm I asked about any sick animals and all you ever did was complain about it." Anna grinned at the furious look Valentin sent her way. "And, of course, I never complained when you asked me to examine any of the sheep you were interested in."

  "Sheep? Is there such a thing as sheep pox?" Thomas asked.

  "Sheep pox, cowpox, horse pox, even cat pox, they're all pretty much the same thing," Anna answered.

  "Cats can get cowpox?" Grace asked.

  "Yes. But I wouldn't advise using the pus from cat pox without deactivating it. The trouble with cats is they can also catch smallpox, so there's always the risk that you might infect the patient with the wrong disease and give them real smal
lpox."

  "Young lady, I'm curious. Why do you want to infect a cow?" Grace's husband asked.

  "I want to be sure that I can infect a cow before going home. It'd be silly to get home only to find what we have isn't cow or horse pox," Anna answered.

  Valentin stopped his pacing in front of the vicar. "Herr Barneby, I'd like to buy that horse and any cow that is infected."

  "Of course, Mr. Weber."

  "Thank you, Mr. Barneby, but that won't be necessary," Anna interjected.

  "Not necessary? And how are we supposed to get the cowpox back to Grantville?" Valentin asked.

  "In a bottle. It's so much easier to transport than an animal the size of a horse or cow." Anna grinned. "You don't think I thought this up myself, do you? I'm just acting on instructions from Dr. Sims and Dr. Alexander. Oh, and we're to take our time getting back to Grantville. The Sanitary Commission wants us to distribute the vaccine and knowledge of how to vaccinate along our route home."

  Domestic Violence

  by John Zeek

  Jürgen Neubert was not a happy man. His promotion to patrolman first class at the end of last year had just added to his responsibilities. Now the grass was turning green and the flowers were starting to bloom and here he was, stuck in the office doing paper work. Not even his new trousers could cheer him up. The trousers were a replacement for the up-time uniform trousers that had finally worn out. Jürgen had been able to have the tailor sew them with a looser cut, more like what he was used to wearing.

  The cause of his unhappiness was two-fold. First, and most importantly, being an investigator was not what he had expected. Every case, no matter how minor, seemed to land in his and his partner's lap. He looked down at the case file in front of him, and realized it was typical of the cases he and Marvin had been dealing with. It was a petty theft case. If the officer who responded to the first call couldn't solve the case on the spot, he and Marvin got a report. In Jürgen's opinion, Mr. Hudson's chicken was now resting comfortably in the stomach of a fox, but the man wanted a police report.

  The second problem Jürgen had was caused by Chief Frost. Not that the chief had done anything to Jürgen, but because the chief had announced his retirement. Small town police departments are a lot like a family, so Jürgen was not looking forward to getting used to a new father. And then there was the problem of who was going to be the new chief. Rumors were flying; it seemed everyone had an opinion about who was going to step up to chief. Jürgen felt that his partner, Marvin Tipton, had the inside track. Marvin was the oldest of the up-time policemen and had been a policeman for over twenty years. And Marvin was a sergeant, the only sergeant who was not a watch commander, but still a sergeant. Jürgen realized that he was not qualified to be the senior investigator. So if Marvin moved up to chief, Jürgen would get a new senior partner and he wasn't sure he could work with someone else. It would be a difficult adjustment, and he doubted that he and a new partner would have the close relationship he had with Marvin. And now Marvin was in a meeting with the Chief and one of the watch sergeants, Preston Richards. This had to be it.