The Old Cape House (14 page)

Abigail asked him, “Tell me, did you happen to sail near the West Indies on your route?”

“Yes, we did, and I’m glad we made it home safe from there.” Matthew looked up towards the heavens in gratitude to the Lord.

“Did you come across a vessel commanded by my husband,
Nathanial Doane? His ship is named the
Voyager
.”

“No, I don’t remember seeing that ship; but we did see pirates.”

“Pirates!” explained Abigail. “Tell us more.”

Matthew wiped his mouth, straightened his back and began his story. “It started out a fine day on our voyage home; the wind was at our backs. We had just loaded our cargo of indigo, rice, sugar, and 500-pounds sterling when we spotted them off our bow.”

Maria held her tightening belly and began to massage it with both hands.

Matthew continued, “Our Captain began yelling orders as he
came up from his cabin. 'Break out the weapons. Be quick lads. We have no time!' ” Matthew took a drink. “It was my first encounter with real danger, and I was quite nervous but steadfast in my actions. I stood by the rail and watched them fast approaching. I stayed there far too long so one of my mates hit me on the back by my shoulder and ordered me, ‘Get below, if you're not ready to fight!’ ”

“What did you do?” Maria asked, her heart racing, fearful of the outcome.

“Fortunately, he knocked me out of my daze, upon which I
grabbed
a pistol from the arsenal.” Matthew leaned close over the table.
“After all were ready, we stood our ground, poised with cannons facing the
pirates, waiting, hoping they would not bother us. But before we
could breathe easy, they were upon us. They came alongside and swung over to board us. We managed to get one shot of the cannon off but it did little damage to their craft.”

Matthew motioned for more ale. “A hard fight ensued but they were too much for us. They overpowered the crew and gathered us together, to one side of the deck, and made us kneel while the two captains talked below.”

He took a drink and leaned even further into the center of the sideboard. “It was strange. While I was kneeling and praying that they would have mercy on us, I overheard one pirate call another by the name of Bellamy! I thought to myself, I know that name. I’d heard it around Eastham before I left.”

Maria stared with wide eyes.

He looked over to Maria. “Remember, Maria, there was a Sam Bellamy staying at Smith’s Tavern? He said he was going off with Williams to salvage treasure.”

Maria was stunned. Her face turned pale and she felt sick. Sam was not a pirate. He couldn’t be!

Matthew saw Maria’s reaction and was pleased that his
encounter
with pirates seemed so interesting to her. “One poor soul, a
Dutchman hired in the West Indies, tried to reach for a pistol that had been dropped and was hidden under a sail. Before he was able to get his hand on it, he was run through by one of them foul pirates standing near me.” The young storyteller took a deep breath. “After that, we all closed our eyes, prayed, and waited for our turn.”

Abigail could see that Maria was visibly upset. She took Maria’s hand and held it tight under the table.

Matthew asked, “Are you feeling well enough to hear the end of my story, Maria?”

 She moved her free hand over her belly. “Go on, Matthew.”

“After a short time, I could hear footsteps on the deck,” he
continued. “Opening my eyes just a crack, I saw the two captains together. The pirate captain by the name of Henry Jennings ordered the tall, black haired Bellamy to go with two other fellows and fetch the spoils. They took the 500-pound sterling, most of our food supplies and all of our weapons. With a wink in his eye, Jennings told Bellamy he could take anything else that he fancied. It seemed that Bellamy was the favorite of his captain. When all was loaded onto the pirate ship, to our amazement, they left us.”

Maria stood up from the bench and excused herself. She thanked
Abigail for her hospitality, and Matthew for all his efforts to take
care of her, and went up the stairs to her bed.

Matthew watched her exit, then asked Abigail, “I hope I didn’t frighten her with my tale? She looks quite ill.”

Abigail stood to clean the sideboard. “Don’t worry about Maria;
she’s a very strong woman. She’ll be fine now that she’s here with
me.” As she carried the dishes to the dry sink, Abigail turned to Matthew. “I must ask you, Matthew. What did your Captain do or say to that pirate Jennings?”

“From what the crew could figure, he convinced the old pirate that his ship was too small to be of any value and he would gladly give him anything he wanted as long as he spared him and his men. Jennings must have been in good favor that day, or he was just practical in his thinking. It was too much work to kill everyone and destroy the ship. The gods smiled upon us that day.” Matthew stood to stoke the fire in the hearth. “If it is agreeable to you, Abigail, may I bring in some wood for the night and check my horse in the barn?”

Abigail was grateful. “Of course, thank you, Matthew. I’m afraid
that by the time you return I’ll be sound asleep, so I must say
goodnight now. You may sleep in the borning room here off the kitchen.”

“Much obliged. Goodnight Abigail. Thank you for being such a wonderful friend to Maria.”

“And thank you, Matthew. I’m not sure what would have
happened to her if you hadn’t come along when you did.”

He grabbed his hat and opened the door. “I’ll make sure the
doors are latched. Good night.”

 Friday, November 1, 1715

Matthew was up early; anxious to go home. By the time Abigail awoke, he already had the hearth warm and was preparing to leave.

“Please wait, Matthew, so I may fix you something to eat before your journey home,” she coaxed.

He smiled as he grabbed his coat and hat. “I must be on my way.
My mother will be worried. I told her nothing of what I was doing
when I fetched the wagon, except to trust me and that I would be back shortly.”

“Maria is still sleeping; she’ll surely be sorry to have missed
you.” Abigail insisted, “At least let me give you some bread and beef strips so you may eat them on your way.”

Friday, November 1, 1715

NORTH HARWICH – CAPE COD

MARIA SAW MATTHEW THROUGH THE WHITE FROST
that
circled the small windowpanes in the upstairs bedroom. As his
wagon pulled away she felt regret at not saying goodbye to him. Matthew was such a good friend. She knew she would not have been able to refrain from asking more questions about Sam; the thought of Sam as a pirate was frightening to her. Her child–and the fact that Sam would return to her someday–was more important than any other notions assaulting her mind.

Abigail called up the stairs. “Maria, are you awake?”

“I’ll be right down.” Abigail’s house was so comforting to her. She straightened the lovely blue coverlet across the cozy bed and threw a shawl over her shoulders. As she entered the warm kitchen, Maria feigned innocence. “Did Matthew leave?”

“Yes, I’m afraid he did.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.” She sat down to a bowl of hot porridge. “I do hope that he’s careful on his trip home.” She fell silent.

Abigail could not help but notice that Maria appeared unsettled. She sat down at the sideboard across from her and extended her hand over the young girl’s arm. “Maria, are you all right?”

“Why yes, I’m fine, Abigail.”

“Do you want to talk about last night and the terrifying news of
Sam?”

“Oh that? I’m sure that Matthew was mistaken about Sam. If you remember he was quite afraid when he met those dreadful pirates
and he probably heard the wrong name being called out.” She
continued eating her breakfast, “I know that when people get frightened their minds play tricks on them. I’m not worried about my Sam.”

Abigail added, “When Nathanial comes home from his voyage
in a few days I will ask him if he’s heard any truth to Matthew’s
words about Sam Bellamy being a pirate.”

Maria’s face paled again at the idea of Sam as a pirate, and she
suddenly felt nauseous. She felt her stomach tighten as it had
throughout the previous night. It felt so tight that she dropped her spoon.

Abigail jumped up and held her around the shoulders. “Maria, what’s wrong?”

“I’m not sure. It’s too early for the child to come, but it feels like I’m in my travail.”

“Do the pains stop and then repeat?”

“No, I don’t think so. I just feel this tightening every so often.”

Abigail went over to a small box high on a shelf in the corner of
the kitchen. “Here is something Minda gave to me when I was
feeling unwell and had great pain in my back.”

Maria watched from the corner of her eye as Abigail opened the box on the table. “What is that?”

Abigail opened a leather pouch from inside the box. “Minda told
me to be very careful with this medicine. It’s a special mix of herbs
and
roots. It worked to calm me down and it took some of my pain
away.”

“Do you think that I’ll have need of it?”

Abigail cautioned her, “You may not need it, but if it be, then you only need a pinch boiled in a small amount of water. After a few
minutes, sip only the liquid.” Abigail closed the small box. “You
must be sure to tell me when you have another tightening and we’ll note the times with the hourglass.” She put the box back on the shelf and took the hourglass down, placing the timepiece near the hearth.

Maria saw Hestor walk into the house through the back door. She greeted her with, “Good morrow, Hestor.”

Mumbling under her breath, she responded, “Good morn,
Miss.”

Maria watched Hestor work in the kitchen until she’d finished
her breakfast. She then went upstairs to sort through her weaving
supplies.

 When Maria was out of sight, Hestor spoke to Abigail, “Mind you, Ma’am, I don’t think it be a good idea to have that girl with you. Given her condition and all.”

“Oh Hestor, don’t worry about me. Things will prove fine.”

Hestor added, “I heard her singin’ and talkin’ to no one when she was here last. Don’t it seem strange to you?”

“No, it’s just her way.”

“Well, I don’t like it, I think she’s tetched in the head and ripe for evil to take over.”

Abigail answered Hestor’s rude words with firm politeness, “I must ask you to stop talking about that poor sweet girl. You will keep your opinions to yourself. She has enough problems for now.”

To Abigail’s relief, Hestor left early with no further comments.

For Maria the morning hours passed with no recurring pain. She was happy to spend time with Abigail, helping her with whatever was needed.

EASTHAM

When Matthew arrived home his Mother was laying out the
clothes
to dry in the sunny but cool autumn air. He gave a loud call,
“Mother!”

 Mrs. Ellis turned to wave back.

As the wagon pulled past her, she coyly said, “So I see you
finally came home. This time I hope you’ll stay a little longer?”

Matthew smiled and drove on into the barn.

She shook her head and whispered to herself, “That boy has a
mind of his own. When he sets to do something, he certainly does it.” She smiled with pride for her only son. Oh how she’d missed his boyish
presence while he was gone to sea. Today she was happy to see him again. She turned towards the barn and watched him walk closer to
her.

After hugging his mother, Matthew picked up the laundry
basket and escorted her into the house. “I have so much to tell you, Mother, I don’t know where to begin.”

She patted her son’s back and said, “It’s good to have you home again. We can talk forever if you like. But first, you must eat.”

Mr. Ellis returned home within the hour of Matthew’s arrival. Over a hearty late breakfast, the young man told his parents of his adventures with the pirates, and his rescue of Maria.

His mother finally asked, “And how is your friend, Maria
Hallett? I have not seen her in almost a month. I was wondering if she ever finished the linen cloth that I asked her to weave for me.”

“I’m afraid, Mother, that Maria has gone and landed herself in a difficult set of circumstances.”

Mr. Ellis looked curious. “What do you mean? Come to mind, I
haven’t seen that drunken old father of hers for a while either.”

Mrs. Ellis began to clean away the trencher from the middle of
the table. “I hope it has nothing to do with the gossip about her
being with child.”

Matthew grew silent.

Mrs. Ellis sat down. “Is it true, Matthew? Is it?”

“I’m afraid the rumors are correct, Mother, and I fear for her
very survival. She seems to be close to birth and has no one but an older woman from the North Parish of Harwich, the old Indian midwife, Minda, and me to help her.”

His mother wanted to help the poor girl and offered some information.
“A few days ago, Minda came here to ask if we had seen Maria. I told her
I didn’t know where she was.”

Matthew unwavering in his tone, said, “Thank you, Mother. Tomorrow I’ll to try to find Minda and tell her about Maria. She needs to know.”

His mother cautioned him. “You must be careful when you
travel through the Indian Territory.”

“Don’t worry, I have been on their trails with Maria when we
were small. Minda showed the two of us the secrets of their forest. She’s my friend.”

NORTH HARWICH

Throughout the day, Abigail kept reassuring her young friend that her birthing would be normal. She knew several women who would come to be with her, when her travail began. And after the
child was born, Maria would also enjoy the usual ‘lying in’ for
several
weeks; during which time she would be taken care of, as was the
custom.