Viva Jacquelina! (36 page)

And there was one other who watched me go—a solitary figure clad all in black, who stood at the edge of the camp. I raised my hand to her, and she did the same to me. I turned and headed down the dusty road, and I have the feeling she watched me till I went out of sight.

The way down was pleasant. I traveled as a boy, of course, and hitched many a ride on wagons, and some in coastal boats, so, by and large it was good. Yes, the ground was hard at night, but the sun was warm in the day, and all was right with my world.

 

When I slipped into Gibraltar, I went right to the harbormaster's shack. The harbor was bristling with the masts of ships, but most of them bore the Union Jack, and I wasn't quite sure I wanted to get back into that life, not just yet.

“What's shippin' out, guv'nor?” I asked of him. “Who's taking on crew?” I have absolutely no money left after my journey here.

He checked his ledger. “Most all to England, but not hiring.
Hmmm . 
.
 .
There's one, lad, that's taking on men—the
Margaret Todd.
She's going to America... Charleston... New York... then Boston. You might try her. She's right down there, in that slip—the four-masted schooner.”

Hmmm . 
.
 .

What I wanted was a berth on a ship bound for Rangoon, to see Jaimy, but that was not likely to happen, not here in this inconvenient corner of the world.

So I sat on the pier and considered...

Lord Allen is back in England under the care of Dr. Sebastian, and there's nothing I can do for him should I arrive there. And Jaimy's in Rangoon. Hey, it's easier to get from Boston to Burma than from Gibraltar to there, the Spice Trade and all. Plus, I should be checking on Faber Shipping Worldwide . 
.
 .

So, Jacky . 
.
 . to America.

 

I stride down the pier and walk up the gangplank of the
Margaret Todd.
There is a man standing on the deck, and I suspect he is either the Captain or one of the mates.

“What do you want?” he asks of me.

“I am told you are taking on sailors.”

“Maybe. Who are you?”

I drop my seabag to the deck and say...

Jacky Faber . 
.
 . Seaman . 
.
 . Rated Able.