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@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ # Notes - Need more details of landscape, sea, and marsh esp. -- household is father, Tambo and his wife, plus Kobayashi. +- household is father, Tamba and his wife, plus Kobayashi. Plots - The british captain from Charlestown is also the landowner of th etrees, McPhail. He comes after the family about the tree stumps, which he sees as his, being used for their profit, and also that they make the pirate ships that raid mcphail's ships more seaworth, insult to injury. Add moral complexity for the kids, is papa a bad person? Is the McPhail a bad person? Or is it all just wrong and now can own the trees? @@ -31,14 +31,14 @@ Birdie the artist, Lulu the what? What does Lulu do? We need to get deeper into - Opening at sea. The approach to Edisto through Birdie's eyes. - Scenes: - Birdie in the hammock, her as skilled sailor, desc of ship - - introduce Tambo, Kobayashi and rice + - introduce Tamba, Kobayashi and rice - Story of the storm, rumors about Nassau and the british - Backstory of the mother, landing on Edisto - Pine forest intro: in the stumps - Scenes: - Camp establishing shot: - - Lulu and Tambo in the boat, more on rice, father as anarchist + - Lulu and Tamba in the boat, more on rice, father as anarchist - Lulu and the alligator part 1 - Lulu on the stumps, break from the others, relationship with Birdie - Backstory of the edistow @@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ By the time they arrived all the twins had left was a memory of trees. The deep ## Chapter 1: On The Sea -The scent of the world crept into her hammock before she ever opened her eyes. The smell of wet wood and salt. The soft sweetness of wood too long at sea and then the bright briny salt smell of the sea itself. She opened her eyes and looked up. A sliver of purple twilight peaked through the canvas of the hammock, wrapped up around her. She craned her head back to look at the dark brown mast, crusted with salty white patterns that looked like the drawings of snowflakes in Papa's big book, which was wrapped carefully in walrus leather and stored somewhere in the small hold below her. She did not know where. Neither did her sister. Neither did her brother. It was a mystery they worked on nearly every day they were at sea. +The scent of the world crept into her hammock before she ever opened her eyes. The smell of wet wood and salt. The soft sweetness of wood too long at sea and then the bright briny salt smell of the sea itself. She opened her eyes and looked up. A sliver of purple twilight peaked through the canvas of the hammock, wrapped up around her. She craned her head back to look at the dark brown mast, crusted with salty white patterns that looked like the drawings of snowflakes in Papa's big book, which was wrapped carefully in walrus leather and stored somewhere in the hold beneath the deck. The wood creaked. Some of the salt blew loose. The water slapping the hull told her the waves were small. Her hammock, strung between mizzen mast and taffrail, swayed hardly at all. She lay without moving, trying to feel the boat as her father had taught her. She closed her eyes again. The boat was lifting and rolling slightly. They were moving with the current, but not as fast as the light swell rolling past them. At this latitude, this time of year, this close to shore, that would be south, as it had been for days now, although a swell moving south was called a northerly swell, which always mixed her up. @@ -218,17 +218,17 @@ The tk was 52 feet from her bow sprite to aft rail where Birdie's hammock was ti One of those companions, Tamba, a tall, powerfully man with skin so black it was almost blue, was walking toward Birdie. She hopped out of the hammock, her feet landing on the smoothly worn oak planking of the deck with a light thud. -"Morning Birdie." Tambo was from Gambia, across the ocean. An even hotter place, he had told her, which Birdie found difficult to believe. He had sailed with her father so long neither of them seemed to remember a time when they did not sail together. +"Morning Birdie." Tamba was from Gambia, across the ocean. An even hotter place, he had told her, which Birdie found difficult to believe. He had sailed with her father so long neither of them seemed to remember a time when they did not sail together. -"Good morning Tambo." +"Good morning Tamba." He laid his hands on her shoulders and bent down to press his nose against hers. "Yes." he said and then he straightened up and spun her around to face the east where the sky was already fading from red and orange. "See. It comes." "Yes. The sun is rising. Again" -She heard her father chuckle. Tambo laughed in a way her father never did, deeply, with a kind of rumble like a wagon on a washboard road. He shook her gently by the shoulder. "Appreciate. Always." +She heard her father chuckle. Tamba laughed in a way her father never did, deeply, with a kind of rumble like a wagon on a washboard road. He shook her gently by the shoulder. "Appreciate. Always." -"I do. I promise. But I'm hungry. Do you want rice Tambo?" +"I do. I promise. But I'm hungry. Do you want rice Tamba?" He shook his head. A sleep voice from a hammock on the other side of mast piped up, "I do." @@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ She could see her brother's unruly mop of hair sticking out the side of the hamm "Papa?" -He nodded to her and then turned back around to watch the sun rise. Birdie ran aft, ducking under booms, and hopping over the coiled lines and small barrels stacked along the gunwales, a name she did not understand since there were no cannon on Delos. Well, none on the gunwale anyway. Below deck in the stern were two small cannon loaded with forks and knives designed to shred an enemy's sails. "Delos is small," Tambo once told her. "We would be blown to bits by a cannon, but we're fast, we can outrun them all. We have just enough fire power to convince any other small, fast ships not to chase us. That's all we need." +He nodded to her and then turned back around to watch the sun rise. Birdie ran aft, ducking under booms, and hopping over the coiled lines and small barrels stacked along the gunwales, a name she did not understand since there were no cannon on Delos. Well, none on the gunwale anyway. Below deck in the stern were two small cannon loaded with forks and knives designed to shred an enemy's sails. "Delos is small," Tamba once told her. "We would be blown to bits by a cannon, but we're fast, we can outrun them all. We have just enough fire power to convince any other small, fast ships not to chase us. That's all we need." She ducked into the small doorway that led below decks. Keeping her hands on the rails -- always keep one hand on the boat was her father's mantra -- she flung herself down with a single leap, bypassing the wooden ladder completely. It was much darker below, it took her eyes a moment to adjust. She could see the glow of the stove and Kobayashi's form bent over, stirring a pot. He never looked up at her thud. He kicked a clay pot by his feet so that it slid slightly toward her. She grabbed a basket hanging from the rafters and scooped rice out of the pot and into it. @@ -264,11 +264,11 @@ The wind had born them south, hugging the shoreline, out of the strong northward Running downwind, as they were, meant they were moving at the same speed as the wind. So even though there was wind all around them, it felt still. Dead still. The warm humid Carolina air was like sitting inside a wet wool sweater. Birdie sat in the slight shade of the sail, with her back against the mizzen, alternately watching the shoreline for signs of Charlestown, and whittling a whistle she was planning to use to find duck nests when they got to the island. -Her father, Tambo, and Kobayashi sat in the stern, taking turns tending the wheel. She did not turn around to see who was at the wheel, she could feel the boat and knew it was her father. The other two were probably smoking their pipes, and scanning the horizon for any sign of sail. They'd all done close to the same every day for the past ten days, but now it felt different. Birdie sensed a tension that had not been there when they were in the north. A tension that had not been there, she stopped whittling for a moment and considered it. Had she ever sensed a tension? She could not recall every feeling the tightness in her chest that she felt now. It felt like something was swelling in the air around them, squeezing them somehow. Her father's voice brought her back to the ship. +Her father, Tamba, and Kobayashi sat in the stern, taking turns tending the wheel. She did not turn around to see who was at the wheel, she could feel the boat and knew it was her father. The other two were probably smoking their pipes, and scanning the horizon for any sign of sail. They'd all done close to the same every day for the past ten days, but now it felt different. Birdie sensed a tension that had not been there when they were in the north. A tension that had not been there, she stopped whittling for a moment and considered it. Had she ever sensed a tension? She could not recall every feeling the tightness in her chest that she felt now. It felt like something was swelling in the air around them, squeezing them somehow. Her father's voice brought her back to the ship. "You two should relax." -Tambo grunted. "Easier for you to say." +Tamba grunted. "Easier for you to say." "Well then at least put your glass more to the north, They'll not cross the stream where we did, they'll stay out longer. They're provisioned better, have more sails. Why would they sail these shallows?" @@ -284,7 +284,7 @@ The rumors from early in the summer, up on the cape, were that the British were Delos was not a pirate vessel, and did not sail with pirate vessels, but it, and Birdie along with it, definitely knew and spent time with ships and crews that were often called pirate by those that spread rumors up and down the Atlantic coast of the colony. Rumors that were always saying, the British are coming. Except that the British never actually came, or came to the wrong place, or not enough of the came. Birdie had lost track of what it was the British did and didn't do. They were about as real as the black and white birds that couldn't fly that Kobayashi swore he had seen on a trip around cape horn. -"You don't think they'll come at all, or you don't think they take Nassau." Tambo's voice was low, as if he didn't want Birdie and her sibling to here this part of the discussion. +"You don't think they'll come at all, or you don't think they take Nassau." Tamba's voice was low, as if he didn't want Birdie and her sibling to here this part of the discussion. "I don't think they'll come at all. Not this year. They'll retake Nassau someday. They can't let Hornigold have run of the place forever. But they aren't coming this year. Or the next." @@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ Delos was not a pirate vessel, and did not sail with pirate vessels, but it, and "Have I ever steered us wrong before? -"Yes" Tambo and Kobayashi spoke in chorus, which made Birdie laughed. She heard her father laugh too +"Yes" Tamba and Kobayashi spoke in chorus, which made Birdie laughed. She heard her father laugh too "Okay. But on this one you'll have to trust me. No British warships coming to take Nassau this year." @@ -304,7 +304,7 @@ Two night later, there had been a tap at the window and there he was. She'd pick Neither she nor Lulu had any memories of their own mother, save the stories she had heard her father tell, memories she inherited and clung too sometimes when she felt the tightness in her chest grow too much to bear. -She was startled out of a midday drowse by Tambo's shout from the bow. "I see the bank." Birdie jumped up and ran the bow (grabbing on the way the mizzen mast, rails, lines and other other holds, as normal people do on a ship), racing past Lulu and Henri coming out of the hold. She nearly slammed into a Tambo, but managed to hit the rail next to him instead. She followed his finger and saw the light green patch that marked the bank. It was high tide, still under water. The bank was a deposit of sand and silt that started a few hundred yards out from the north fork of the Edisto river and stretched between half a mile and mile out to sea, depending on the year. This year it looked to be shorter than usual. The bank was where they did most of the their fishing, and last year they'd even careened a very large ship on it. Birdie had not been allow to come on that ship, but she, her siblings, her cousins and some of the local kids had all sat on the end of the island and watched as three smaller ships careened a new ship, the largest ship Birdie had ever seen, a ship called Revenge sailed by a captain with the curious name of Bonnet. +She was startled out of a midday drowse by Tamba's shout from the bow. "I see the bank." Birdie jumped up and ran the bow (grabbing on the way the mizzen mast, rails, lines and other other holds, as normal people do on a ship), racing past Lulu and Henri coming out of the hold. She nearly slammed into a Tamba, but managed to hit the rail next to him instead. She followed his finger and saw the light green patch that marked the bank. It was high tide, still under water. The bank was a deposit of sand and silt that started a few hundred yards out from the north fork of the Edisto river and stretched between half a mile and mile out to sea, depending on the year. This year it looked to be shorter than usual. The bank was where they did most of the their fishing, and last year they'd even careened a very large ship on it. Birdie had not been allow to come on that ship, but she, her siblings, her cousins and some of the local kids had all sat on the end of the island and watched as three smaller ships careened a new ship, the largest ship Birdie had ever seen, a ship called Revenge sailed by a captain with the curious name of Bonnet. Birdie ran astern to tell her father what they had seen, but he was already standing on the Taffrail, glass to his eye. "Bit smaller this year, eh Birdie?" @@ -326,7 +326,7 @@ Birdie pulled in the porgy, which was big enough to feed them all in a stew. Lul Delos was a lateen rigged Caraval with two masts and two triangular sails. She was light, fast and maneuverable. She had a short keel that made it possible to bring her nearly a mile up the Edisto river if they needed. Their winter home was nowhere near that far up river, in fact they made their camp on the island, a mere quarter mile from the Atlantic shore. Delos would be kept further up in the marsh though, protected from storms by a massive stand of lobblolly pine that sheltered the marsh. -The worst part of winter camp was arriving. Every year they had to beat upwind, while also fighting the current of the river and constantly sounding to watch for shallows in the mudding brown river mouth. Even now, still a quarter mile off shore, Kobayashi and Tambo were hauling up the sounding lines while her father shortened the traveler so they could beat closer to the wind. +The worst part of winter camp was arriving. Every year they had to beat upwind, while also fighting the current of the river and constantly sounding to watch for shallows in the mudding brown river mouth. Even now, still a quarter mile off shore, Kobayashi and Tamba were hauling up the sounding lines while her father shortened the traveler so they could beat closer to the wind. All Birdie wanted was to get ashore and see Aunt Māra and her cousins. She went below and stowed her fishing gear. She and Lulu climbed to the crows nest on the main mast and began watching for light patches of water that meant shallows. @@ -360,11 +360,11 @@ She signed and went to retrieved her sheet. Delos was waiting. She already knew --- -She walked over the dunes into the area that would be the camp and took stock of it. The fire pit would need to be dug out again, the bamboo frame of the little hut that would be their winter home was nowhere to be seen, but she assumed her father or Tambo knew where it was buried. Or would claim too. There were already two barrels plopped unceremoniously in the middle of what would eventually be camp. Not very ship shape she thought as she started down the trail to the marsh. +She walked over the dunes into the area that would be the camp and took stock of it. The fire pit would need to be dug out again, the bamboo frame of the little hut that would be their winter home was nowhere to be seen, but she assumed her father or Tamba knew where it was buried. Or would claim too. There were already two barrels plopped unceremoniously in the middle of what would eventually be camp. Not very ship shape she thought as she started down the trail to the marsh. When she got to Delos everyone was already up and unloading barrels. There was no breakfast in sight and her stomach was growling. "Lulu, good of you to join us again" Her father smiled, but his tone of voice told her she was late. Papa did not suffer anyone not pulling their weight. She looked around. Henri and Birdie were bringing things up from the hold and stacking them as best they could and the listing deck. Delos was aground now that the tide was out. -Her father and Tambo were alongside Delos, looking over the pirogue, which had been stored for months now in the hold. They seemed satisfied with it and set in the muddy water next to Delos. +Her father and Tamba were alongside Delos, looking over the pirogue, which had been stored for months now in the hold. They seemed satisfied with it and set in the muddy water next to Delos. She was about to ask her father were Aunt Māra and her cousins were when she felt herself grabbed from behind and swept off the ground into her Aunt Māra's arms. She was squeezed tight against a warm soft chest. "Lulu. I've missed you so much." Aunt Māra kissed her cheeks before she put her down and spun her around. Lulu wrapped her arms around her. "Māra, I missed you." Lulu felt the warm of Aunt Māra's belly against her face, she felt the warmth spreading through her body and all the tighter. @@ -392,78 +392,83 @@ Today though, Cuffee came up out of the hold of the Arkhangelsk with a load of p The hugged and laughed and hugged some more. Until that moment Lulu would not have said that she missed Cuffee that much, but then suddenly she realized she had, without knowing she had. And somehow it made her want to cry that she did not know that she had missed her this much and so she squeezed her tighter and buried her face in her shoulder and thick braids of hair and cried for a moment. Cuffee pulled her back and wiped her tears. "It is okay, we are here now. Together. Come on, help me get these pots down to your camp." -Lulu followed her back up onto the ship and helped gather up the pots, taking extra care with Kobayashi's precious rice steaming basket. Kobayashi was Japanese and while he would eat the rice that was grown in the Carolinas because he wasn't about to starve to death, whenever he could he bought rice from ships returning from Asia. He never boiled it, he shook his head at the way the Africans and Lulu's family boiled their rice. Instead he boiled water and put the rice in a woven basket over the boiling water and let the steam cook it. It took longer, but even Tambo admitted it was the best rice he'd ever had. Lulu would never tell Kobayashi, but she liked the Carolina rice better. It was mushier, nuttier. It became part of the fish stews in ways that Kobayashi's rice never did. Although she liked his better when they were eating dried fish or Pemmican at sea. Maybe, she thought as she walked down the path to camp, she liked both kinds of rice. Maybe there wasn't a best rice, maybe there was just the best rice for each thing. That was what Papa always said, there is no best, just best for this, best for that, best for now. +Lulu followed her back up onto the ship and helped gather up the pots, taking extra care with Kobayashi's precious rice steaming basket. Kobayashi was Japanese and while he would eat the rice that was grown in the Carolinas because he wasn't about to starve to death, whenever he could he bought rice from ships returning from Asia. He never boiled it, he shook his head at the way the Africans and Lulu's family boiled their rice. Instead he boiled water and put the rice in a woven basket over the boiling water and let the steam cook it. It took longer, but even Tamba admitted it was the best rice he'd ever had. Lulu would never tell Kobayashi, but she liked the Carolina rice better. It was mushier, nuttier. It became part of the fish stews in ways that Kobayashi's rice never did. Although she liked his better when they were eating dried fish or Pemmican at sea. Maybe, she thought as she walked down the path to camp, she liked both kinds of rice. Maybe there wasn't a best rice, maybe there was the best rice for each thing. That was what Papa always said, there is no best, best for this, best for that, best for now, but no best always. All morning Lulu helped haul food and gear out of the Arkhangelsk down the trail to the cluster of dunes at the south eastern tip of the island. Here, alongside the mouth of the tk river they used a sheltered area of dunes to make camp. It had been their winter home for three years now, ever since the northern end of the island shifted and the water turned too salty to even cook with. Her cousins continued to make their camp at the north end of the island. -Kobayashi, Tambo and her father set about constructing their camp, which consisted of little more than a thatched hut, built to a design the native people, most of whom were now gone, had showed them. It was, as all great shelters are, ingeniously simple. First they set up a pole structure made half of oak timbers, which gave it strength, and half of pine timbers, which were bent to give it shape. The structure was then covered with thatching made of reeds. Her father and Tambo had the basic structure done by mid afternoon. For the time being they simply draped an old, but freshly tarred, sail over the top to stop the rain. In the next few weeks everyone would chip in to make the thatching, which would slowly take the place of the sail cloth. +Kobayashi, Tamba and her father set about constructing their camp, which consisted of little more than a thatched hut, built to a design the native people, most of whom were now gone, had showed them. It was, as all great shelters are, ingeniously simple. First they set up a pole structure made half of oak timbers, which gave it strength, and half of pine timbers, which were bent to give it shape. The structure was then covered with thatching made of reeds. Her father and Tamba had the basic structure done by mid afternoon. For the time being they draped an old, but freshly tarred, sail over the top to stop the rain. In the next few weeks everyone would chip in to make the thatching, which would slowly take the place of the sail cloth. Eventually it would cover the entire hut, down to the sand, except for one spot toward the rear, which her father called the back door. No one ever used it, but you could, if you lay down and wormed or rolled your way under the last layer of thatch, slip outside. -With the structure up, Lulu and her sister set about cleaning the inside, picking sticks and other debris out of the sand they'd be walking on and sitting in all winter. Aunt Māra helped then hang the hammocks, which they'd use for bed when the weather drove them inside. Most of the time however, it was warm enough to sleep outside with a sheet and one of Aunt Māra's quilts, which is how Lulu, Birdie and Henri preferred it. The hut was better than being rained on, but the rest of the time they would rarely be in it for more than a few minutes at time. +With the structure up, Lulu and her sister set about cleaning the inside, picking sticks and other debris out of the sand they'd be walking on, sitting in, and sometimes sleeping on for the next five or six months. Aunt Māra helped then hang the hammocks, which they'd use for beds when the weather drove them inside. Most of the time it was warm enough to sleep outside with a sheet and one of Aunt Māra's quilts, which is how Lulu, Birdie and Henri preferred it. The hut was better than being rained on, but the rest of the time they would rarely be in it for more than a few minutes at time. -When they had too they cooked on a small fire inside the hut and around the solstice it would be cold enough for a few weeks that they'd use the fire place for heat. Lulu and Henri walked the shoreline gathering small stones they could use to build the indoor firepit. Her father and Kobayashi took the pirogue upstream to find suitable stones for to create a small tripod on which they could cook, but the main place they cooked was outdoors using the iron tripod their father had forged using iron scrounged from a shipwreck many years ago. +Lulu stepped out from under the sail cloth her aunt was busy tying down and into the sun. It was hot, humid still, but the sun was near it's zenith and not directly overhead. She guessed it was early September, but she didn't keep track of the date the way her father did in the ship's log. She knew the position of the sun and the phase of the moon. Those were the only useful accountings of time in Lulu's world. The moon told her what the tides would be like, how many stars would be visible, and whether or not it was a good night to hunt turtles. The position of the sun told her how much longer it would be hot, when it was safe to stop worrying about storms. It was still hot and humid, storms could still be coming. +The first thing you saw stepping out of the hut was their communal cooking area, which consisted of a fire pit, along with several old, weathered trunks of palm trees they used for sitting or as tables if they sat next to them in the sand. It was where the days started and ended, where guests would come to sit and talk, where visiting ship crews would tell the news from Boston, London, Kingston, tk Madagascar. It was where Lulu and her sister would fall asleep at night, watching the fire listening to tales of storms, close calls in the rigging, sand bars where they should not have been, and cruel captains cursed in language their father told them not to use. The fire was the center of the world and the best thing in it. -brought two large flat stones to build a hearth in the middle so the smoke would drift up through the opening. He lit a fire, said a prayer, the threw of some Frankincense resin on the coals. The sweet, light scent of Frankincense filled the hut when Lulu walked in carrying a load of tk and it immediately smelled like home. +When they had too they could cook on a small fire inside the hut, and around winter solstice it would be cold enough for a few weeks that they'd use the fire place inside for heat. -It was still much to hot to have a fire inside though, so she soon retreated to the dunes outside where the long afternoon shadows began to race their way across the clearing they'd be calling home for the next six to eight months. +Birdie and Henri were down by the shoreline gathering small stones they could use to build up the fire pit. Her father and Kobayashi took the pirogue upstream to find larger stones to brace the iron tripod, which was where they did most of their cooking. It was their father's doing, though Kobayashi did much of the cooking. Papa had forged the tripod using iron scrounged from a shipwreck many years ago. -Her father was just completely the outdoor cooking area, which consisted of a fire ring and an iron tripod that fit over it and from which they could hang their cooking pots. Kobayashi and her father did most of the cooking, though sometime Francis and Owen's mother would bring them something or tend the fire during the day when no one else was around to look after it. +When her father and Kobayashi returned Lulu went to help unload the stones, but they were too heavy for her to carry. She contented herself to gathering wood for the fire. It wasn't hard, the past summer's storms had brought down plenty of dry oak branches that lay still dry amongst the sandy leave debris of the forest floor. Lulu ducked into some thickets of palmetto to see what had made its home in them this year. She flushed a few tk, and started a dozen squirrels angrily chattering and twitching their thick fuzzy tails at her. When she had enough twigs and small branches to fill the leather thong she looped it tight, heaved the bundle unto her shoulder, and headed back to camp. -Lulu turned and looked west. A little back from camp there was a like of oak trees and that then gave way to the marsh where the tk would be anchored for the season. In those oaks they would soon construct great kilns that would be used to make the tar that brought them to the island in the first place. Across the flat reedy world of marsh was another line of oaks and then a no man's land of cypress swamp and brackish water that slowly, as you moved south, resolved itself into the southern fork of the Edistow. Another half mile beyond that was Kadiatu's family's house and farm. Beyond that were the great pine forests of the low country where they would dig stumps and then haul them by barge and horse out here to the beach where they would burn them, slowly extracting the sap and then boiling it down into a sticky resin that sealed wood against the sea. +Her father arranged the tripod and tested it's balance with a kettle full of water. They carried a number of large kettles, far larger than they needed to cook for the six of them, for occassions when a ship came to carreen. Then whole crews of men, sometimes as many as a hundred would eat with them. Usually Tamba would kill a pig on those occassions. Last summer sailors from the tk ship name, had managed to kill a bear. Lulu sat now and watched as Papa lit a fire, said a prayer thanking Hestia, and threw some Frankincense resin on the flames. The sweet, light scent of Frankincense filled the air in the dunes and it immediately smelled like home to Lulu. -They ate as the sun set through the trees behind their half-finished hut. Lulu went down to the shore and rinsed her abalone bowl. The air had a hint of chill at the edge of it. The sea was cold on her feet. When she came back her father and Kobayashi were laying oak logs on the coals that had cooked dinner. It wasn't long before the fire was roaring and light filled the circle of dune. Lulu sat on a log gray driftwood and watched her uncle play the fiddle while Birdie and her father danced in circles. Henri and Owen sat on a log next to her Aunt Māra and directly across the fire. Lulu smiled. She like winter camp, she liked her family. She knew enough of the world to know they were different. Perhaps even odd to most people. But she didn't care. She was just glad they had a place to live their lives the way they wanted to, a place they could fish, a place they could weather storms. +The long afternoon shadows began to race their way across the clearing they'd be calling home for the next six to eight months. Lulu turned and looked west. A little back from camp there was a line of oak trees that then gave way to the marsh where Delos would be anchored for the season. In the shade of those oaks they would soon construct great kilns that would be used to make the tar that brought them to the island in the first place. Across the flat reedy world of marsh was another line of oaks and then a no man's land of cypress swamp and brackish water that slowly, as you moved south, resolved itself into the southern fork of the Edistow River. Another half mile beyond that was Kadiatu's family's farm. Beyond that were the great pine forests of the low country where they would dig stumps and then haul them by barge and horse out here to the beach where they would burn them, slowly extracting the sap and then boiling it down into a sticky resin that sealed wood against the sea. -She had heard someone once whispering in a shop, calling them pirates, but she didn't think they were. They had never captured a ship or found any treasure. She asked her father about it and he just laughed and said no, pirates have much bigger ships than we do. But maybe someday Lulu. He had that twinkle in his eye that made it seem like just about anything was possible, like when he told stories around the fire on winter evenings and Lulu felt like the worlds he described were out there somewhere, waiting for her to discover. Worlds of pirates and ships and storms, talking animals, and tk and tk. Her father never failed to take what would always tart as a normal story and turn it in someway that you never saw coming but afterward couldn't imagine turning out any other way. +They ate dinner as the sun set through the trees behind their half-finished hut. Lulu went down to the shore and rinsed her abalone bowl. The air had a hint of chill at the edge of it. The sea was cold on her feet. When she came back her father and Kobayashi were laying oak logs on the coals that had cooked dinner. It wasn't long before the fire was roaring and light filled the circle of dune. Lulu sat on a log of gray driftwood and watched her uncle play the fiddle while Birdie and her father danced in circles. Henri and Owen sat on a log next to her Aunt Māra and directly across the fire. Lulu smiled. She like winter camp, she liked her family. She knew enough of the world to know they were different. Perhaps even odd to most people. But she didn't care. She was glad they had a place to live their lives the way they wanted to, a place they could fish, a place they could weather storms. -Tonight though he did not tell any stories. He danced. First with Birdie, then we Henri, then with her. After a while Uncle Clay professed he was tired and put away the fiddle and sat down by the fire. There was catching up, plenty of poking fun, a rather long story about planting rice that Lulu lost track of in the middle when she began to doze off. She found a blanket in the pile of still unsorted belongings in the hut and went partway up a dune where she could still feel the heat the fire, which was not much smaller, but also see the stars. She fell asleep trying to find the tk, lost somewhere up among all the others. +She had heard someone once whispering in a shop, calling them pirates, but she didn't think they were. They had never captured a ship or found any treasure. She asked her father about it and he laughed and said no, pirates have much bigger ships than we do. But maybe someday Lulu. He had that twinkle in his eye that made it seem like anything was possible, like when he told stories around the fire on winter evenings and Lulu felt like the worlds he described were out there somewhere, waiting for her to discover. Worlds of pirates and ships and storms, talking animals, strange mythical creatures. Her father never failed to take what would always start as a normal story and turn it in someway that you never saw coming but afterward couldn't imagine turning out any other way. + +Tonight though he did not tell any stories. He danced. First with Birdie, then with Henri, then with her. After a while Uncle Cole professed he was tired and put away the fiddle and sat down by the fire. There was catching up, plenty of poking fun, a rather long story about planting rice that Lulu lost track of in the middle when she began to doze off. She found a blanket in the pile of still unsorted belongings in the hut and went partway up a dune where she could still feel the heat the fire, but also see the stars and the sea. She fell asleep watching Castor and Pollux twinkle in the night. ## Chapter 3: Birdie Organizing Camp -It was hard to believe it would be cold in another turning of the moon. Maybe two this year, thought Birdie as she sat sweating in the sweltering afternoon heat weaving swamp grass with Kadiatu and her mother. They were making the last five or six mats that would serve as the walls to their house. Birdie and her father had already set up the hut. She loved to organize things, to find a place for everything and put everything in her place. Her father loved the result, but not the process, he left that to Birdie, only stepping in from time to time to point out that they needed something to be in a particular place. Pans by the fire for instance. Birdie had wanted to hang them from the rafters, but her father said no, by the fire. Where we use them. Besides, if they hang they can fall. If they're on the ground they'll never fall on someone's head. The thing was, they would have look so beautifully organized hanging there. Kobayashi agreed and he cooked nearly as many meals as their father, but he too wanted them on the ground. It is sometimes necessary to not be quite a as beautiful so that it can be more safe. +It was hard to believe it would be cold in another turning of the moon. Or, maybe two this year, thought Birdie as she sat sweating in the sweltering afternoon heat, weaving swamp grass with Kadiatu and her mother. They were making the last five or six mats that would serve as the walls to their house. Birdie and her father had already set up the inside of the hut. She loved to organize things, to find a place for everything and put everything in its place. Her father loved the result, but not the process. He left that to Birdie, only stepping in from time to time to point out that they needed something to be in a particular place. Pans by the fire for instance. Birdie had wanted to hang them from the rafters, but her father said no, by the fire. Where we use them. Besides, if they hang they can fall. If they're on the ground they'll never fall on someone's head. The thing was, they would have look so beautifully organized hanging there. Kobayashi agreed and he cooked nearly as many meals as their father, but he too wanted them on the ground. It is sometimes necessary to not be quite as beautiful so that it can be more safe. + +She settled for hanging the bag she had made last year from the rafters. She had woven it from spare hemp, scrap fabric, and the occasional reed to make it more water proof. It held her book, which she brought everywhere with her, sketching the things she saw all around her. Shells, plants, birds, boats, the shore, the clouds, the sea, Birdie drew everything. When she wasn't drawing she was imagining the drawing she would soon make. Sometimes she drew what she saw around her, other times she drew when she saw in her mind. -She settled for hanging the bag she had made last year from the rafters. She had woven it from spare hemp, scrap fabric, and the occasional reed to make it more water proof. It held her book, which she brought everywhere with her, sketching the things she saw all around her. Shells, plants, birds, boats, the shore, the clouds, the sea, Birdie drew everything. When she wasn't drawing she was imagining the drawing should soon make. Sometimes she drew what she saw around her, other times she drew when she saw in her mind. She would lay in the dark of the hut at night, listening to the soft sigh of the others breathing while white shapes danced in the darkness behind her half closed eyes. She would watch them until she made some sense out of them and then arrange them into scenes, organize them, find where each belonged. Sometimes, when the moon was waxing, she could creep silently out from under the warmth of the covers, and slip outside, her feet silent on the sand, to draw by the moonlight, or firelight if her father was still up, as he often was. He would stare at the glowing coals, she would draw, and they would be together silently in some way that felt to her deeper connected than when she was talking to someone, despite the fact that neither of them ever said a word, or even acknowledged each others presence. +She would lay in the dark of the hut at night, listening to the soft sigh of the others breathing while white shapes danced in the darkness behind her half closed eyes. She would watch them until she made some sense out of them and then arrange them into scenes, organize them, find where each belonged. Sometimes, when the moon was waxing, she could creep silently out from under the warmth of the covers, and slip outside to draw by the moonlight, or firelight if her father was still up, as he often was. He would stare at the glowing coals, she would draw, and they would be together silently in some way that felt to her deeper connected than when she was talking to someone, despite the fact that neither of them ever said a word, or even acknowledged each other's presence. -Drawing as much as she required Birdie to make her own ink. She did it the way her father taught her, blending octopus and pine tar to make a dark grayish purple that was good for outlines. She made green paint from just about any plant, and she'd discovered how to make yellows and reds be experimenting with flowers that grew around the island. She needed a good blue though, blue had thus far eluded her. Paper and brushes were harder to come by, those she had to buy. +Drawing as much as she did required Birdie to make her own ink. She did it the way her father taught her, blending octopus ink and pine tar to make a dark grayish purple that was good for outlines. She made paint too. Green could be had from just about any plant, and she'd discovered how to make yellows and reds by experimenting with flowers that grew around the island. She needed a good blue though, blue had thus far eluded her. Paper and brushes were harder to come by, those she had to buy in Charlestown. She still had two of the three brushes she'd bought last year in Charlestown using the money she'd managed to make by drying fish with Lulu and Francis. They fished and dried all through the first Autumn moon and managed to preserve enough of their catch that they were able to trade in Charlestown. They spent some of their money on enough peppermint sticks for everyone back at camp, and then they split the leftover money evenly between them. Lulu bought a doll, Birdie bought horsehair paint brushes, and Francis bought a small compass which Birdie did not have the heart to tell him, was not very accurate. -One of the brushes she'd lost somewhere on the voyage north to summer camp on the cape. She thought she had packed them carefully away after she tried (and failed) to paint the ship's rigging one day, but the next day when she went to get them out there were only two. She'd searched the entire hold, everyone had pitched in, but they never found it. The tk claimed that brush as her own. Luckily it was her least favorite brush anyway. Still, she had already built a new rack to dry fish on again. As soon as their camp was set up, the hut thatching finished, she was planning to get out to the bank to start fishing. She was going to get more brushes, and this time they weren't going to get lost, she was going to sleep with them if she had to. +One of the brushes she'd lost somewhere on the voyage north to summer camp on the cape. She thought she had packed them carefully away after she'd struggled to paint the ship's rigging one day. The next day when she went to get them out there were only two. She'd searched the entire hold, everyone had pitched in, but they never found it. Delos claimed that brush as her own. Luckily it was her least favorite brush anyway. Still, she had already built a new rack to dry fish on again. As soon as their camp was set up, the hut thatching finished, she was planning to get out to the bank to start fishing. She was going to get more brushes, and this time they weren't going to get lost, she was going to sleep with them if she had to. "Birdie?" Kadi was looking at her with a curled smile. "Your mind moves much faster than your hands." Birdie looked down and realized she'd been holding the same strand of reed for, how long? She did not know. She had been thinking of drawing, painting. "Sorry, I was thinking." -Kadi's mother laughed, "How old are you Birdie?" She shook her head. "Lost in thought, stopping work at the age of eight. You are your father's child." She laughed again. +Kadi's mother laughed, "How old are you Birdie, already lost in thought?" She shook her head. :"You are your father's child." She laughed again. This last comment startled her, did she disappear like her father? Was that what it was like for other people when she was thinking? What that what it was like for her father when he disappeared from the present? Kadi laughed again, "right back to it. Go girl, go and play, we will finish this." -Birdie looked up at her to see if she was serious. Kadi and her family never let anyone out of chores, but they seemed serious. Birdie had a momentary pang, she was abandoning them to work on her own house, she should make her own house. +Birdie looked up at her to see if she was serious. Birdie had a momentary pang, she was abandoning them to work on her own house, she should make her own house. -"Don't worry," said Kadi, "go and play. This is almost done anyway." +"Don't worry," said Kadi, "Go and play. This is almost done anyway." -Birdie jumped up, blurted out a thank you and took off down toward the dunes where she knew Lulu and Francis were digging up last year's stumped and spreading cut reeds to dry. She reached the top of the dune and stopped so abruptly she nearly toppled over. Lulu and Francis were down below, spreading reeds along the side the dune and weighting them down with drift wood gathered from the beach. Judging by the pile near Lulu they had about ten minutes of work left. Birdie shouted in the wind, "Hurry up, and meet me at the ship." +Birdie jumped up, blurted out a thank you and took off down toward the dunes where she knew Lulu and Francis were digging up last year's stumps and spreading cut reeds to dry. She reached the top of the dune and stopped so abruptly she nearly toppled over. Lulu and Francis were down below, spreading reeds along the side the dune and weighting them down with drift wood gathered from the beach. Judging by the pile near Lulu they had about ten minutes of work left. Birdie shouted in the wind, "Hurry up, and meet me at the ship." -They looked up at her squinting. She saw Lulu nod. Birdie turned and walked out to the harder sand near the shoreline and made her way down to the Arkhangelsk. She saw Henri and Owen playing on the rear deck. For reasons she did not understand no one ever made either of them do any chores, though both were perfectly capable of helping out. Somehow they both got a pass. Birdie was pretty sure she'd had chores at their age. She tried to set aside the anger she felt rising in her chest when she realized they'd had nothing to do all day but go play hunting in the forest with their bows and arrows and play out here on the ship. Her ship. She stopped herself. Their ship. Everyone's ship. Poseidon's ship. The island's ship that it had been so kind as to preserve so they could use it. +They looked up at her squinting. She saw Lulu nod. Birdie turned and walked out to the harder sand near the shoreline and made her way down to the Arkhangelsk. She saw Henri and Owen playing on the rear deck. For reasons she did not understand no one ever made either of them do any chores, though both were perfectly capable of helping out. Somehow they both got a pass. Birdie was pretty sure she'd had chores at their age. She tried to set aside the anger she felt rising in her chest when she realized they'd had nothing to do all day but go play hunting in the forest with their bows and arrows and play out here on the ship. Her ship. She stopped herself. Their ship. Everyone's ship. Poseidon's ship. The island's ship that it had been so kind as to preserve so they could use it. Grateful, always be grateful for the gifts we have. -It wasn't long before Lulu and Francis arrived and they began to play. As with most of their adventure's it started with Lulu creating a back story. They were a family of sea gods who had been cast out of the high temples where their mother and father had disowned them for some reason that Birdie was entirely clear on. From that time they were doomed to wander the seas for forty years, and woe to any ships that crossed their path for they would devour them and all their sailors. As captain is was Birdie's task to find a new homeland, but since they could not find it for forty years she mostly just conjured ships for them to attack. +It wasn't long before Lulu and Francis arrived and they began to play. As with most of their adventure's it started with Lulu creating a back story. They were a family of sea gods who had been cast out of the high temples where their mother and father had disowned them for some reason that Birdie wasn't entirely clear on. From that time they were doomed to wander the seas for forty years, and woe to any ships that crossed their path for they would devour them and all their sailors. As captain is was Birdie's task to find a new homeland, but since they could not find it for forty years she mostly just conjured ships for them to attack. Lulu had a back story for every one of those ships too. Birdie sometimes complained to her that half the time they were playing they were just listening to Lulu tell stories, but everyone else seemed to really enjoy these outlandish tales. Too outlandish for Birdie's taste. Who had ever heard of sea gods cast out of somewhere? How did a god get cast out of something? What was the point of being a god if you can get cast out just like a person? -"Because Bee, Gods are just like us, they have to deal with other gods. They get in fights and stuff. They have to work things out." +"Because Bee, Gods are like us, they have to deal with other gods. They get in fights and stuff. They have to work things out." "My dad says there's only one god." Owen looked at Lulu accusingly. Lulu, Birdie, and Henri exchanged a glance so quickly neither of the other two noticed it. "Well," said Birdie, "that may be. Who knows? We're just playing anyway." -Lulu climbed up on the railing of the ship, balanced for a moment there and then, with a wild yell, leaped off and started running down the beach, shrieking like a banshee. Birdie climbed up and looked after her. "Well," she said slowly, "I have heard that Poseidon used to drive some people mad." +Lulu climbed up on the railing of the ship, balanced for a moment there, and then, with a wild yell, leaped off and started running down the beach, shrieking like a banshee. Birdie climbed up and looked after her. "Well," she said slowly, "I have heard that Poseidon used to drive some people mad." "What?" said Francis. "Does this mean the game is over?" "I guess so." Birdie smiled helplessly. -"Come on Owen. Let's see if we can find some duck eggs in the marsh." +"Come on Owen," Francis shook his head. "Let's see if we can find some duck eggs in the marsh." They left. Henri sighed and climbed up to look after Lulu. "You think she'll come back." @@ -487,7 +492,7 @@ Lulu and Henri walked up the beach and sat on a ledge of sand, inching themselve "Even when they're fantastically dense and clueless about the world around them" Lulu had a triumphant look on her face, as if she'd just somehow trapped Birdie. -Birdie considered this for a minute. "Well, yes, I still like them. It's like father says, you can like someone even if you don't agree with them." +Birdie considered this for a minute. "Well, yes, I still like them. It's like Papa says, you can like someone even if you don't agree with them." "Ugh, he would say that." @@ -501,21 +506,21 @@ And so she did. But then the scowl returned to her face. "Well I don't care if t "Owen has a good imagination," Henri said from the sand behind them. -"When he's with you maybe." Lulu did what Birdie called her hrumf, and hrumphed into silence. They sat side by side, legs drawn up, arms wrapped around them, staring out at the sea. Papa was right Birdie decided, we're different. She did not really know why or what the difference was. It wasn't something she wanted. But it was there. She knew Lulu felt it too. She wasn't sure if Henri did yet or not, but she thought so. He would eventually anyway. Still she felt sorry of Francis and Owen more than anything. They didn't get to sail much. They had to live in town half the year. And they had to live with their father. +"When he's with you maybe." Lulu did what Birdie called her hrumph, and hrumphed into silence. They sat side by side, legs drawn up, arms wrapped around them, staring out at the sea. Papa was right Birdie decided, we're different. She did not really know why or what the difference was. It wasn't something she wanted. But it was there. She knew Lulu felt it too. She wasn't sure if Henri did yet or not, but she thought so. He would eventually anyway. Still she felt sorry for Francis and Owen more than anything. They didn't get to sail much. They had to live in town half the year. And they had to live with their father. --- -Kobayashi was digging up the roasted boar when they got back to camp. He and Tambo had killed it with a single arrow the day before. "Lucky shot," Tambo had said when he told her father the story. They butchered the animal, splitting it between their camp, her cousin's camp down the beach, Kadiatu's family, and a family of Edistow that were camped across the river mouth. Kobayashi, who claimed to have been a cook in the emperor's household before he was Shanghai'd from a Hayama bar, had buried their portion of the boar the day before in a pit of coals. He pulled it up and gently unwrapped it from the great leaves of seaweed he'd wrapped it in. +Kobayashi was digging up a roasted boar when they got back to camp. He and Tamba had killed it with a single arrow the day before. "Lucky shot," Tamba had said when he told her father the story. They butchered the animal, splitting it between their camp, her cousin's camp down the beach, Kadiatu's family, and a family of Edistow that were camped across the river mouth. Kobayashi, who claimed to have been a cook in the emperor's household before he was Shanghai'd from a Hayama bar, had buried their portion of the boar the day before in a pit of coals. He pulled it up and gently unwrapped it from the great leaves of seaweed he'd wrapped it in. -Her father and Henri dragged some driftwood up from the shore and soon they had a good blaze going. Her Aunt Māra and Uncle tk came with their cousins. The incident on the beach was forgotten. The boar was sweet and salty and possibly the best thing Birdie could remember eating. The fat and juice drained into her rice and she ate until her belly ached. +Her father and Henri dragged some driftwood up from the shore and soon they had a good blaze going. Her Aunt Māra and Uncle Cole came with their cousins. The incident on the beach was forgotten. The boar was sweet and salty and possibly the best thing Birdie could remember eating. The fat and juice drained into her rice and she ate until her belly ached. The sun disappeared to the west, an orange glow in the tree line. Birdie hunted around the eastern sky for the first star, but as it always seemed to be, Venus was the first light in the sky. Should I wish upon a planet? It's a god right? Can you wish to a god? She wondered what she should wish for and then it came to her, she saw it in her mind and focused on it until it seemed almost real, and then she silently asked Venus, grant this one wish, if you like it, if you think it's a good idea. If not, it's okay. She wasn't sure what you were supposed to say. The rhyme her father had taught her didn't really have instruction on precisely how one wishes, just that one could wish on stars. And maybe planets, hopefully planets. -Across the fire Kadiatu and Tambo were talking quietly together. Her father was lying back on his elbow, listening to Kobayashi tell stories of Japan, but she also say him watching Uncle tk out of the corner of his eye as tk drank from a bottle of rum he'd brought. Lulu came over with a sheet for Birdie. She laid down by the fire and listened to the crackling wood as the darkness closed in around them. Far off in the distance she could hear the waves breaking on the shore. She closed her eyes. +Across the fire Kadiatu and Tamba were talking quietly together. Her father was lying back on his elbow, listening to Kobayashi tell stories of Japan, but she also saw him watching Uncle Cole out of the corner of his eye as he drank from a bottle of rum he'd brought. Lulu came over with a sheet for Birdie. She laid down by the fire and listened to the crackling wood as the darkness closed in around them. Far off in the distance she could hear the waves breaking on the shore. She closed her eyes. -A frightening hissing sound woke her up. She didn't move for fear it was a snake, but then she heard it again and realized it was her father. She wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep but the fire was coals and only her father and Uncle tk were awake, standing very close together and speaking in hissing whispers Birdie could hear, but not understand. She didn't need to understand the words to know that her father was not happy. She glanced around and saw that Tambo was awake as well. She saw his eyes in the darkness and glint of his knife in the sand next to him. Until that moment Birdie had still been half awake, but the knife snapped her out of it, clearly her father was angry and something was wrong. +A frightening hissing sound woke her up. She didn't move for fear it was a snake, but then she heard it again and realized it was her father. She wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep but the fire was coals and only her father and Uncle Cole were awake, standing very close together and speaking in hissing whispers Birdie could hear, but not understand. She didn't need to understand the words to know that her father was not happy. She glanced around and saw that Tamba was awake as well. She saw his eyes in the darkness and glint of his knife in the sand next to him. Until that moment Birdie had still been half awake, but the knife snapped her out of it, clearly her father was angry and something was wrong. Whatever it was her father seemed to have convinced her uncle to leave. He stumbled away into the darkness. They watched him go. Her father came back over the fire and it was only then that she noticed her Aunt Māra was lying on the ground. Her father helped her up and Birdie saw dark smear running from her nose across her cheek. Her father handed her a cloth and she wiped her face. @@ -529,7 +534,11 @@ Her father sat down, "well, you can come down here whenever you need to. You're Her father shrugged. "Doesn't mean you have to go down with the ship." -Birdie saw her nose flare slightly. She gathered up her bag, turned and hurried off into the night. +Birdie saw her nose flare slightly. She shook her head slowly. "You don't understand." She gathered up her bag, turned and hurried off into the night. + +Birdie watched her walk away until she disappeared into the darkness. "Papa. What happened?" + +"Birdie? You're awake?" Her father came over and sat down beside her. He bent down and kissed her forehead, his beard tickled her cheek. "Nothing sweet girl, get some sleep." Birdie let herself slip back into the sheets and quilts on the soft sand. She let her eyes fall closed and when she opened them again the sun was nearly up. ## Chapter 4: Among the Stumps @@ -539,9 +548,9 @@ Lulu hopped from stump to stump. Crouching down, her knees bent like coiled spri Tamba turned carefully around, not letting his weight move side to side, and smiled knowingly at her. "Rice lulu. They cut em down for rice. They sell the timber to the city." Tamba smiled again, rolling his eyes toward the sky. They both knew her father, who was standing in the stern of the boat, pushing them through the marsh with the long pine pole, could not see Tamba's rolled eyes beneath his hat. But they both waited and heard him grumble again, "stop rolling your eyes behind my back Tamba." They all laughed. -"The rice will give us food. We won't have to buy it." +"The rice will give them food. And we can buy it." -Lulu heard her father grunt and mumble something about diggers. Tamba turned around again. The boat slid silently along the edge of the marsh, where a thin line of trees still stood, offering some shade from the already brutal mid morning sun. +Lulu heard her father grunt and mumble something about diggers. Tamba turned around again. The boat slid silently along the edge of the marsh, where a thin line of trees still stood, offering some shade from the already brutal mid-morning sun. The water ran out right before the line of great oaks started. There were clumps of prickly, fan-leaved palmetto trees growing beneath the oaks. The muddy bank of the marsh quickly gave way to the dark coloured clay, mixed with sand and hundreds of years of leafy hummus. This was the soil, rich in nutrients, that would grow rice. "For a time at least," her father had said as he dragged the small pirogue up onto the muddy clay bank, next to a stand of palmetto and tied the pirogue to a tree. "But you take away the pine and it all goes, nothing will hold this soil." @@ -569,31 +578,27 @@ Tamba and her father walked out into the field, leaving her at the tree line. Th Cutting trees stirred up the forest. Stirred up the animals of the forest. The plant eaters lost their homes, the insects lost their homes. The animals that ate the insects lost their food. Only the animals at the very top stood any chance. The snake might get the homeless mouse, but eagle got the snake. Nothing got the alligator though. Nothing ever got the alligator. Her father always said not to fear the alligator, but to respect it. Give it a wide berth and do what you can to make sure it doesn't see you as meat. She sat down on stump and wondered what made you look or not look like meat. -Lulu didn't think alligators were scary anyway. She'd once been sitting on a fallen log in the river upstream, dangling her feet over, gnawing on a stick of dried fish when a small alligator swam up beneath her. It stayed back and seemed to watch her. At first her heart leaped into her throat and beat so hard she could feel the blood pounding in her ears. But then some part of her reasoned with the fear, it was in the water, she was on a log. If it was going to try to jump at her, it would not have swum up on the surface. She turned over the situation in her mind for several minutes and eventually her heart slid back down into her chest, her breath began to come again and she found herself strangely relaxed as the aftermath of fear, the relief of not being eaten washed over her. She and alligator sat like that for some time, eyeing each other. Lulu reasoned they were probably close to the same age. Maybe not in years, but the alligator was probably about the equivalent of an seven year old, which was how old Lulu was at the time. This made her feel closer to it, they had that at least in common. It was not easy being seven. Lulu knew that. The alligator probably knew that to. What did a seven year old alligator have to do? Did it have a moody father? Was it's mother alive? Did it have cousins and aunts and uncles? Did it have to stand watch? Probably not she reasoned, alligators don't sail. Then she pictured an alligator ttrying to sail, an alligator propped up on its hind legs, one hand (or claw?) on the wheel, one holding a spyglass to it's eye. +Lulu didn't think alligators were scary anyway. She'd once been sitting on a fallen log in the river upstream, dangling her feet over, gnawing on a stick of dried fish when a small alligator swam up beneath her. It stayed back and seemed to watch her. At first her heart leaped into her throat and beat so hard she could feel the blood pounding in her ears. But then some part of her reasoned with the fear, it was in the water, she was on a log. If it was going to try to jump at her, it would not have swum up on the surface. She turned over the situation in her mind for several minutes and eventually her heart slid back down into her chest, her breath began to come again and she found herself strangely relaxed as the aftermath of fear, the relief of not being eaten washed over her. She and alligator sat like that for some time, eyeing each other. Lulu reasoned they were probably close to the same age. Maybe not in years, but the alligator was probably about the equivalent of an seven year old, which was how old Lulu was at the time. This made her feel closer to it, they had that at least in common. It was not easy being seven. Lulu knew that. The alligator probably knew that to. What did a seven year old alligator have to do? Did it have a moody father? Was its mother alive? Did it have cousins and aunts and uncles? Did it have to stand watch? Probably not she reasoned, alligators don't sail. Then she pictured an alligator trying to sail, an alligator propped up on its hind legs, one hand (or claw?) on the wheel, one holding a spyglass to its eye. -The ridiculousness of this image helped relax her even more and she went back to eating her dried fish. The moment she took a bite though, the alligator's eyes flinched. She couldn't describe it, but she saw something almost like hurt flash through it's eyes, the same sort of thing she'd seen in the eyes of her cousins' dogs, the pain of a pack animal whose pack isn't sharing it's food with them. Except that alligator weren't pack animals. Or were they. Lulu wasn't sure, but she didn't think so. Still, did one need to be a pack animal to feel hurt when someone doesn't share their food. She momentarily thought of Birdie and how she always took the last bowl of food, letting everyone else have theirs first. She waved the stick of dried fish at the alligator, "you want some of this?" "Of course you do." +The ridiculousness of this image helped relax her even more and she went back to eating her dried fish. The moment she took a bite though, the alligator's eyes flinched. She couldn't describe it, but she saw something almost like hurt flash through it's eyes, the same sort of thing she'd seen in the eyes of her cousins' dogs, the pain of a pack animal whose pack isn't sharing its food with them. Except that alligator weren't pack animals. Or were they? Lulu wasn't sure, but she didn't think so. Still, did one need to be a pack animal to feel hurt when someone doesn't share their food? She momentarily thought of Birdie and how she always took the last bowl of food, letting everyone else have theirs first. She waved the stick of dried fish at the alligator, "you want some of this?" "Of course you do." She bit off a decent sized piece and held it up. "This is all I have, and I have to paddle all the way back to camp." She regarded the dried fish in her hand again. "Still, I know what it's like to want something and not be able to get it. So I want you to have it." Having made up her mind to do it, she tossed the fish in to the water quickly before she could change her mind. The alligator swam quickly toward it and in a movement so deft and fast Lulu barely saw it, it swallowed the stick of dried fish. Now it was closer to Lulu, nearly at her feat. And once again they stared at each other for a long time. Lulu took another bit of fish and broke off a smaller piece and tossed it to the alligator. This time it knew what it was, and it snapped it up without hesitating. Lulu saw its teeth and for a moment she was afraid again. What if it followed her to the bank when she walked up the log and back down to the pirogue, which was tied just upstream? What if she was a fool to feed an alligator and it wasn't thinking she was nice, but trying to decided why dinner was feeding it dinner? -She pushed these thoughts out of her head and decided she like her original story, the alligator was cute, maybe even cuddly in some strange way, and they were friends. Until something happened to make this seem wrong, this was the story she was sticking with. She took another bite of fish and flung some to the alligator, but this time she threw it behind the creature so it had to turn around and swim the other way, she liked her story, but she also liked to cover herself. As the gator turned around and circled back to get the fish she wondered, was feeding an alligator respecting it? Was thinking it was cute respecting it? She wasn't sure. She knew getting it to back away from her was respecting it. +She pushed these thoughts out of her head and decided she liked her original story, the alligator was cute, maybe even cuddly in some strange way, and they were friends. Until something happened to make this seem wrong, this was the story she was sticking with. She took another bite of fish and flung some to the alligator, but this time she threw it behind the creature so it had to turn around and swim the other way, she liked her story, but she also liked to cover herself. As the gator turned around and circled back to get the fish she wondered, was feeding an alligator respecting it? Was thinking it was cute respecting it? She wasn't sure. She knew getting it to back away from her was respecting it. Eventually she'd walked off the log and back to her boat to make her way home. The alligator had gone its way. Apparently it had not seen her as dinner. Or she'd given it enough dried fish that it had changed its mind. -Remembering the alligator made Lulu want to see one. Sort of. A small one again. But it was already mid afternoon and she hadn't seen anything but biting flies and mosquitos. The sun was directly overhead and felt like it had been worked with a bellows. Lulu could just barely see her father on the far side of what had once been a forest of broom pine. Slash pine the sailors called it. Whatever you wanted to call it, it was gone. No more tufts of green above to filter the harsh clean light of day, no more long thin needles to whistle in the wind when the onshore breezes started. It was a dead still afternoon. The world highlighted in a glare that made it difficult to see. It was hot, humid. The air felt like a wet wool blanket wrapped around you. Lulu decided she would not like to be a rice plant or anything else that tried to get along in this place. She liked it better back at camp. By the sea, in the wind. What was life without wind? +Remembering the alligator made Lulu want to see one. Sort of. A small one again. But it was already mid afternoon and she hadn't seen anything but biting flies and mosquitoes. The sun was directly overhead and felt like it had been worked with bellows. Lulu could just barely see her father on the far side of what had once been a forest of broom pine. Slash pine the sailors called it. Whatever you wanted to call it, it was gone. No more tufts of green above to filter the harsh clean light of day, no more long thin needles to whistle in the wind when the onshore breezes started. It was a dead still afternoon. The world highlighted in a glare that made it difficult to see. It was hot, humid. The air felt like a wet wool blanket wrapped around you. Lulu decided she would not like to be a rice plant or anything else that tried to get along in this place. She liked it better back at camp. By the sea, in the wind. What was life without wind? She jumped to another stump and looked down. It had her father's mark on it. A square inside a diamond. "Two squares really," he had once told her and her sister, "one is just rotated 90 degrees. It's easier to draw than four interlocking circles, which is what I used before." -Lulu shielded her eyes from the sun and lifted a gourd of water to her mouth. It was bitter and hot, but it coated her throat for a moment and kept her tongue from feeling so swollen. She was hot and bored. She wished she'd stayed with her sister and her aunt, setting up winter camp. She hated staking tents and lugging bundles from the boat though, so when her father, who was worked up about the big cut, asked if she wanted to come along, she'd jumped at the change. Now though, she wished her were setting up with her sister and brother and cousins. Even cleaning and drying fish would better than this stillness and heat. Anything to escape this relentless sun. At least at the beach, at camp, there was a breeze. +Lulu shielded her eyes from the sun and lifted a gourd of water to her mouth. It was bitter and hot, but it coated her throat for a moment and kept her tongue from feeling so swollen. She was hot and bored. She wished she'd stayed with her sister and her aunt in camp. Even cleaning and drying fish would better than this stillness and heat. Anything to escape this relentless sun. At least at the beach, at camp, there was a breeze. -Lulu wore a straw hat that a woman had given her the year before when a ship had come to careen on the beach. Despite repeated soaking, stretching and pulling, the hat was too small for her now. "At least your head is growing," her sister, who was nearly a head taller, teased. +Lulu wore a straw hat that a woman had given her the year before when a ship had come to careen on the beach. Despite repeated soaking, stretching and pulling, the hat was too small for her now. "At least your head is growing," her sister teased. Birdie was nearly a head taller. Lulu wanted to punch her in the mouth, but instead she took off her hat, hit her sister over the head with it, bared her teeth and growled at her. Then she ran before Birdie could retaliate. Sometimes it was intolerable to have a twin. Usually though these moments were just that, moments. And then they were gone as quickly as she felt them, though she was not above drawing them out for a while to get at her sister, who rarely seemed to feel this way. -Lulu wanted to punch her in the mouth, but instead she took off her hat, hit her sister over the head with it, bared her teeth and growled at her. Then she ran before Birdie could retaliate. Sometimes it was intolerable to have a twin. Usually though these moments were just that, moments. And then they were gone as quickly as she felt them, though she was not above drawing them out for a while to get at her sister, who rarely seemed to feel this way. - -Sometimes Lulu needed to get away, to be alone, so she had come today with her father and Tamba out into the scorching midday sun to find stumps to dry for next winter. Her father made carvings in each stump, a square within a diamond, the beginning of wisdom he told her when she asked what it meant. - -Others would mark their stumps with their own marks and then all of them and their wives and children would come out together every night for a week, maybe two for this field, thought Lulu as she glanced around at the vastness of the clearing. They'd come for a week on either side of the full moon, to work in what light could be had, digging stumps and hauling then back to the beach, to the dunes just beyond camp, where they would be piled in great heaps and lie there for a year, drying like great white bones bleaching in the sand until they were so weathered they were gray. Once camp was set up today, perhaps tomorrow, her father and her uncle would begin repairing and improving the kilns so they could begin to burn the stumps they had gathered last year. +Sometimes Lulu needed to get away, to be alone, so she had come today with her father and Tamba out into the scorching midday sun to find stumps to dry for next winter. Her father made carvings in each stump, a square within a diamond, the beginning of wisdom he told her when she asked what it meant. Whatever that meant. They'd come for a week on either side of the full moon, to work in what light could be had, digging stumps and hauling then back to the beach, to the dunes just beyond camp, where they would be piled in great heaps to lie there for a year, drying like great white bones bleaching in the sand until they were so weathered they were gray. Soon Tamba and her father would repair the kilns and start making tar with the stumps they'd gathered last year. Lulu and Birdie and Henri and two other families worth of children, their cousins and friends, would gather moss and dry grass to feed the slow heat of the kilns. As the wood burned the dark pitch drained down to the bottom of the kiln and dripped into barrels set below the catch it. This was the Arkhangelsk tar. The way her father's people had made it for generations he said. The archangel tar that kept the ships afloat, the rigging tight, the sailors safe and bought Lulu and Birdie and Henri a place in the world, clothes to wear, food to eat and sometimes even peppermint treats or dolls or new ribbons for her hair. These stumps were the reason Lulu's life was possible. @@ -603,19 +608,17 @@ Lulu hadn't been able to see her father or Tamba for at least an hour. They were When they finally did return, both were pouring sweat and no longer bickering about farming rice or anything else. They drank the gourd of water and sat a while in the shade in silence. Lulu sensed that asking anything at that moment would only have earned her grunts. After a few minutes her father motioned with his head and they all set off, back through the trees to the pirogue. -Her father ruffled her hair as he stepped over her into the boat. He pushed them out again, following the trail through the reeds, back to the deeper waters of the marsh, toward the river, which would lead them back to beach where camp was being set up. Lulu watched the little black snails, which had climbed ever so slowly up the reeds as the tide had come in while they were hunting stumps. It was was nearly time now little snails, nearly time to slide back down, nearly time for the tide to return. - -The moon was nearly full so she doubted they'd gather any stumps this moon. There was still too much to do. They hadn't yet been to Charlestown. Lulu hated town because she had to wear a dress. Most of the year she wore the clothes of the Edistow, a deerskin skirt that reached midway down her shins and was fringed with shells Lulu was extremely proud of and forever changing when new shells washed ashore. Unlike her sister she often wore a cotton shirt if she was going to be in the sun all day, but she had not today. Her long blond hair was pulled back in a single braid that reached nearly to her waist and had shells woven into it. She looked, aside from her slightly lighter skin, like everyone else on the island they called home. +Her father ruffled her hair as he stepped over her into the boat. He pushed them out again, following the trail through the reeds, back to the deeper waters of the marsh, toward the river. Lulu watched the little black snails, which had climbed ever so slowly up the reeds as the tide had come in while they were hunting stumps. It was was nearly time now little snails, nearly time to slide back down, nearly time for the tide to return to the sea. -The Edistow have lived here for hundreds of years, probably more, her father said. There were few of them left, but enough still that her family traded with them. Her father changed their camp from a canvas tent to one of the circular pole structures he'd seen the Edistow use and it was still what they called home. Her father had also taken to wearing a deerskin loincloth for a while. Lulu thought he looked ridiculous with his thick black beard and hairy chest and then the little flap a deerskin which reached right above his knees and looked, no matter how long it might have been, too small on his rather large body. At nearly six feet their father towered over almost everyone on the island, save her uncle who was about the same height. +The moon was nearly full so she doubted they'd gather any stumps this moon. There was still too much to do. They hadn't yet been to Charlestown. Lulu hated town because she had to wear a dress. Most of the year she wore the clothes of the Edistow, a deerskin skirt that reached midway down her shins and was fringed with shells. Lulu was extremely proud of it and forever changed shells when new ones washed ashore. Unlike her sister she often wore a cotton shirt if she was going to be in the sun all day, but she had not today. Her long blond hair was pulled back in a single braid that reached nearly to her waist and had shells woven into it. She looked, aside from her slightly lighter skin, like everyone else on the island they called home. -Tambo just shook his head and walked away when he saw the loin cloth. Later he told Lulu, "You should have seen when he tried the grass skirts." Kobayashi threatened to sign on with the Royal Navy if her father didn't go back to wearing pants. Her father became rather indignant. "They've lived here longer than we have, I expect they know what's best to wear," he said. But after a few days, and a badly sunburned butt, he had returned to wearing pants. +The Edistow have lived here for hundreds of years, probably more, her father said. There were few of them left, but enough still that her family traded with them. Her father changed their camp from a canvas tent to one of the circular pole structures he'd seen the Edistow use and it was still what they called home. Her father had also taken to wearing a deerskin loincloth for a while. Lulu thought he looked ridiculous with his thick black beard and hairy chest and then the little flap a deerskin which reached right above his knees and looked, no matter how long it might have been, too small on his rather large body. At nearly six feet their father towered over almost everyone on the island. Tamba shook his head and walked away when he'd seen her father in the loin cloth. Later he told Lulu, "You should have seen when he tried the grass skirts." Kobayashi threatened to sign on with the Royal Navy if her father didn't go back to wearing pants. Her father became rather indignant. "They've lived here longer than we have, I expect they know what's best to wear," he said. But after a few days, and a badly sunburned butt, he had returned to wearing pants. -This was how he looked in her earliest memories and how she preferred he look all the time. Lulu looked back at him now, pushing them slowly along, still sweating, eyes fixed on some point in the distance. Lulu loved her father, but often felt lost around him. He could be stern, or even cross with her or Birdie or Henri, at times, but more often he just seemed to be elsewhere, lost in depths of thought no one, not even Tambo seemed able to plumb. The worst was that he often returned from wherever this far away place was quickly with startling bursts of temper. Just as often though it was laughter. What was hard was figuring out which it would be at any given moment. When they were at sea, it was always laughter. On the land, it was hard to tell. +This was how he looked in her earliest memories and how she preferred he look all the time. Lulu looked back at him now, pushing them slowly along, still sweating, eyes fixed on some point in the distance. Lulu loved her father, but often felt lost around him. He could be stern, or even cross with her or Birdie or Henri, at times, but more often he just seemed to be elsewhere, lost in depths of thought no one, not even Tamba seemed able to plumb. The worst was that he often returned from wherever this far away place was quickly with startling bursts of temper. Just as often though it was laughter. What was hard was figuring out which it would be at any given moment. When they were at sea, it was always laughter. On the land, it was hard to tell. -Lulu thought about this, and about her mother, about things she barely remembered from the old country, a different river, a different marsh, a different shoreline with the cold smell of wet mud and salt brine, the barnacle crusted rocks that had cut her feet tile they bled. She could still feel them sometimes when she starred into the fire in the evenings or when she watched the stars at night, lying under her sheets in the soft cradle of sand. She did not miss it exactly. She did not remember enough to miss it. But she did think of it sometimes on the edge of sleep, she'd hold it in her thoughts, turn the memories over and around, looking for details she'd missed in all the times before. Though it had been a long time since she'd found a new detail she didn't already hold in her memory, still she did it most every night, letting those old visions usher her into sleep on the hot summer nights when the mosquitoes dove at her all night long, even through the smoke of the smudge fires. +Lulu thought about this, about the mother she never knew, about things she barely remembered, different rivers, different marshes, different shorelines with the cold smell of wet mud and salt brine, the barnacle crusted rocks that had cut her feet until they bled. She could still feel them sometimes when she starred into the fire in the evenings or when she watched the stars at night, lying under her sheets in the soft cradle of sand. She did not miss it exactly. She did not remember enough to miss it. But she did think of it sometimes on the edge of sleep, she'd hold it in her thoughts, turn the memories over and around, looking for details she'd missed in all the times before. Though it had been a long time since she'd found a new detail she didn't already hold in her memory, still she did it most every night, letting those old visions usher her into sleep on the early autumn nights when the mosquitoes dove at her all night long, even through the smoke of the smudge fires. -Lulu could feel the water pulling them now, partly the tide of the marsh, partly the current of the river it was drawing them to the sea. The boat rocked slightly as her father laid the pole down and took up the paddle he used to steer. She looked back and he was sitting, smiling now as they drew nearer to home. Stern and distant though he might sometimes be, her father was almost always smiling when his face was turned toward the sea and the wind was on his cheek. +Lulu could feel the water pulling them now, partly the tide of the marsh, partly the current of the river, it was drawing them to the sea. The boat rocked slightly as her father laid the pole down and took up the paddle he used to steer. She looked back and he was sitting, smiling now as they drew nearer to home. Stern and distant though he might sometimes be, her father was almost always smiling when his face was turned toward the sea and the wind was on his cheek. Shadows of moss lengthened across the ground like fingers stretching out of the oak trees by the time the pirogue finally nosed onto the sandy shore of the island. It was a half mile walk to camp. Lulu hopped off the side of the boat and into the water, wading ashore. She glanced back at her father who nodded once. She needed no further encouragement, taking off down the path that led back to camp. @@ -631,7 +634,7 @@ Lulu stopped chewing. "Really?" A smile came over Birdie's face, all she could d "I started to carve spoons for it they aren't done yet but do you want to see?" Birdie was already pulling on her arm, dragging her away from the fire. -Birdie was always making things for them to play with, she'd fixed the wheel, carved a pole for the flag, made fish hooks out of deer bone, and was always helping Papa repair the fishing nets. Sometimes Lulu hated the way Birdie was so good at making things, but mostly she loved to use the things when they were finished. She scooped up some sand and wiped her bowl out. She dumped it all at the edge of the fire and handed the bowl back to her Aunt. "Going to the ship," she blurted as the three of them ran out of camp. +Birdie was always making things for them to play with, she'd fixed the wheel of the ship, carved a pole for the flag, made fish hooks out of deer bone, and was always helping Papa repair the fishing nets. Sometimes Lulu hated the way Birdie was so good at making things, but mostly she loved to use the things when they were finished. She scooped up some sand and wiped her bowl out. She dumped it all at the edge of the fire and handed the bowl back to her Aunt. "Going to the ship," she said as the three of them ran out of camp. They slowed when they reached the dunes, they all knew from experience that running in the dunes was a waste of effort. From the top of the rise they could see the single mast of the Arkhangelsk. @@ -643,36 +646,47 @@ They slowed when they reached the dunes, they all knew from experience that runn Birdie nodded at Henri, who scowled. "Was not!" -Henri was four, and as their father said, clever as a Lynx and innocent as the doves. Henri had a way of twinkling his eyes when he smiled so that adults were immediately less angry at whatever had attracted their attention in the first place. It did not, naturally, work on Lulu or Birdie, though they both secretly and not so secretly, admired this ability. In fact Lulu and Birdie had practiced this twinkle for hours, Lulu thought they were pretty good at it. But it never seemed to come off right when they tried it on adults. +Henri was five, and as their father said, clever as a Lynx and innocent as the doves. Henri had a way of twinkling his eyes when he smiled so that adults were immediately less angry at whatever had attracted their attention in the first place. It did not, naturally, work on Lulu or Birdie, though they both secretly, and not so secretly, admired this ability. In fact Lulu and Birdie had practiced this twinkle for hours, Lulu thought they were pretty good at it. But it never seemed to come off right when they tried it on adults. -Despite his twinkle, Henri never got away with anything. He was too naturally mischievous and yet not sneaky. If something was amiss in camp, some prank played, some calamity caused, everyone always came looking for "the little brown imp." The only other possible culprit was their cousin Charles, but he was a year younger, actually quite sneaky, and lived a quarter mile down the beach with their aunt and uncle, which generally absolved him. +Despite his twinkle, Henri never got away with anything. He was too naturally mischievous and yet not sneaky. If something was amiss in camp, some prank played, some calamity caused, everyone always came looking for "the little brown imp." The only other possible culprit was their cousin Owen, but he was a year younger, actually quite sneaky, and lived a mile down the beach with their aunt and uncle, which generally absolved him. -They crested the last dune and from the top the Arkhangelsk came into view, lying as she always did in a gully just beyond the beach, listing slightly to port, her mast pointing nearly due north, marking time nearly as well as the sundial her father kept in his tent. The three ran down the slope of the last dune in great bounding leaps, sinking deep into the soft sand and leaping out again great whooping war cries rising from their lips. +They crested the last dune and from the top the Arkhangelsk came into view lying in a gully just beyond the beach, listing slightly to port, her mast pointing nearly due north, marking time nearly as well as a sundial. The three ran down the slope of the last dune in great bounding leaps, sinking deep into the soft sand and leaping out again great whooping war cries rising from their lips. Lulu ducked under the crumbing beam that had once supported the deck, following Birdie down into the hold, where the new pot sat on their makeshift stove. It was a world of black and white, dark shadows punctuated by bleach white light streaming in the occasional holes in the deck. The damp sand under the shadows was a cool luxury after the heat of the swamp. Lulu sat down and Birdie passed her the pot. She felt it cool and smooth in the darkness. She ran her finger along the lip feeling the nicks where metal tongs had banged into it. She passed it back to Birdie who put it on the stove. They all went out to gather crab shells and seaweed for a stew. -It was dark by the time they walked back to camp. The air had turned cold as the sun set. Not cold, but cool enough that Lulu got her blanket out of the pole lodge. They only ever slept indoors in the worst of weather. Lulu brought out her blanket and lay down in the sand, pulling it over her. She lay for along time whispering with Birdie about plans for the next day, watching the thin sliver of moon drag its light across the shifting ripple of the sea. - +It was dark by the time they walked back to camp. The air had turned cold as the sun set. Not cold, but cool enough that Lulu got her blanket out of the hut. They only ever slept indoors in the worst of weather. Lulu brought out her blanket and lay down in the sand, pulling it over her. She lay for along time whispering with Birdie about plans for the next day, watching the thin sliver of moon drag its light across the shifting ripple of the sea. ## Chapter 5: Fishing the Bank Birdie woke early, before first light. She sat up on the dune where she had slept and looked off toward the sea. She saw the silhouette of her father down by the shore, his back to her. His hand went up and pulled down to his head with a movement so sharp and sudden she felt as if the starlight itself bent down to him. She watched at he turned to each direction, and then back to the center where he stood still, facing east. -She lay back in the sand and stared up at the stars. They began to fade as the pre-dawn blue crept up from the edge of the world, turning the black night sky first to blue, then to pink, to orange and then the stars were gone. A new day. Her father came walking up from the ocean, swinging his arms and stretching his back. He saw that she was awake and plopped down in the sand next to her. His beard was still wet and droplet of salt water sprayed her as he sat down. They did not say anything, the just sat together and watched the dawn paint the sky in front of them. +She lay back in the sand and stared up at the stars. They began to fade as the pre-dawn blue crept up from the edge of the world, turning the black night sky first to blue, then to pink, to orange and then the stars were gone. A new day. + +Her father came walking up from the ocean, swinging his arms and stretching his back. He saw that she was awake and plopped down in the sand next to her. His beard was still wet and droplets of salt water sprayed her as he sat down. They did not say anything. They sat together and watched the dawn paint the sky in front of them. + +Birdie's people were sea gypsies. Alban, was what her father called himself. Got lost on our way to the old valuta grounds her father would say, laughing. Birdie wasn't quite sure what this meant. He never elaborated. He was a man of few words, comfortable with silence. He expected everyone else to be comfortable with it as well, especially his. + +The low landers, as he called anyone who didn't live on the sea (which again made no sense to Birdie: how could people who lived on the sea not be the lowlanders?), "talk to hear themselves, talk about what they don't even know until they're half way through talking about it," he said. "I know I am the only one of our people you have to judge by, but we are not that way. If there is something to say, say it. But mark your words Birdie, pay attention to them, think on them, choose them well. Find the best ones you can and don't speak until you have found them. The low landers think they can learn by talking, by asking questions, but you must listen first. Listen and watch the world around you. If you have a question, ask it first of yourself, see what answers you can come to. Once you have those, ask someone else and see what answers they have. Compare yours with theirs. This is how you learn." -Birdie's people were sea gypsies, Alban, was what her father called himself. Got lost on our way to the old valuta grounds her father would say, laughing. Birdie wasn't quite sure what this meant. He never elaborated. He was a man of few words, comfortable with silence. He expected everyone else to be comfortable with it as well, especially his. +Her father sat silent now beside her. She wondered where he was. Was he here, next to her? Was he on some other shore? As if reading her mind he turned to her and smiled. "It will be good day." And then he rose and walked back toward camp. -The low landers, as he called anyone who didn't live on the sea (which again made no sense to Birdie, how could people who lived on the sea not be the lowlanders?), "talk to hear themselves, talk about what they don't even know until they're half way through talking about it," he said. "I know I am the only one of our people you have to judge by, but we are not that way. If there is something to say, say it. But mark your words Birdie, pay attention to them, think on them, choose them well, find the best ones you can and don't speak until you have found them. The low landers think they can learn by talking, by asking questions, but you must listen first. Listen and watch the world around you. If you have a question, ask it first of yourself, see what answers you can come to and once you have those ask someone else and see what answers they have. Compare yours with theirs. This is how you learn." +Lulu sat up. "I was dreaming of pine trees." Birdie glanced sharply at her. She too had dreamed of pines. She wondered if they both were thinking of burning stumps or if there was something more. -Her father sat silent now beside her. She wondered where he was. Was he here, next to her? Was he on some other shore? As if reading her mind he turned to her and smiled. "It will be good day," he said in a whisper. And then he rose and walked back toward camp. Lulu sat up. "I was dreaming of pine trees." Birdie glanced at her. She too had dreamed of pines. She wondered if they both were thinking of burning stumps or if there was something more. Birdie still remembered the northern forests, or thought she did, or perhaps her father's stories had worked their way into her head until they became her memories and dreams too, lodged there as if she had seen them with her own eyes. And now she dreamed of her imagined memories, layers and layers of story peeling back to reveal at the end... what? +Birdie still remembered the forests of the old country, or thought she did, or perhaps her father's stories had worked their way into her head until they became her memories. Maybe her dreams too. Lodged there as if she had seen them with her own eyes. And now she dreamed of her imagined memories, layers and layers of story peeling back to reveal at the end... what? -She stood up. "I'm going to get some food." She skipped down the slope, feet squeaking in the dry sand. Memories of cold salt air, oceans crossings, fog and pines, where it was always cool, and soft breezes blew did not help her here, in this land of swelter and storm. What she wouldn't give for a cool dry breeze stirring the pines of some rocky northern shore. +She stood up. "I'm going to get some food." She skipped down the slope, feet squeaking in the dry sand. -She stopped at the top of the dune and watched the disk of the sun break the horizon. She stood, rooted like a sago, feeling the first warm orange rays, savoring the brief moments when it seems like perhaps it would not be murderously hot by mid morning. Then she uprooted herself and walked toward the teepee into which her father had disappeared only moments earlier. Inside it was dark, she blinked as her eyes adjusted to reveal the thin slivers of light from the windows, the rafters hung with dried fish and herbs, roots and tubers she and Lilah had dug the day before. Plants Tamba had shown them that he and his people had learned from the Edisto. There was plenty to eat in the marshes and pine forests if you knew where to look. Still the hut smelled as it always did, of the sea and fish. There was fishy smell inside that rarely left since most of what the family ate came from the sea, fish, clams, mussels, oysters as big as Birdie's head, seaweed and sea oats, even salt dried from the sea, there was always a bit of the sea in the stew pot. This morning it smelled of dried fish and onions. Her father smiled at her, asked about her dreams while he ladled the leftover stew into Birdie's bowl, a coconut shell sanded and polished smooth, carved with a scene of mermaid rising from a clam shell, something her father had seen in London. It was in fact the one and only story of London he had ever told her. +Memories of cold salt air, fog and pines, a place where it was always cool and soft breezes blew did not help her here. This land of swelter and storm had none of that coolness. What she wouldn't give for a cool dry breeze stirring the pines of some rocky northern shore. + +She stopped at the top of the dune and watched the disk of the sun break the horizon. She stood, rooted like a sago, feeling the first warm orange rays, savoring the brief moments when it seemed like perhaps it would not be murderously hot by mid morning. + +Then she uprooted herself and walked toward the hut. Inside it was dark, she blinked as her eyes adjusted to reveal the thin slivers of light from the windows, the rafters hung with dried fish and herbs, roots and tubers she and Lulu had dug the day before. Plants Tamba had shown them that he had learned from the Edistow. There was plenty to eat in the marshes and pine forests if you knew where to look. Still the hut smelled as it always did, of the sea and fish. There was fishy smell inside that rarely left since most of what the family ate came from the sea, fish, clams, mussels, oysters as big as Birdie's head, seaweed and sea oats, even salt dried from the sea. There was always a bit of the sea in the stew pot. This morning it smelled of dried fish and onions. Her father smiled at her, asked about her dreams while he ladled the leftover stew into Birdie's bowl, a coconut shell sanded and polished smooth, carved with a scene of mermaid rising from a clam shell, something her father had seen in London. It was in fact the one and only story of London he had ever told her. --- -Birdie sat in the shade of a sago palm. It was the last palm, the edge of camp. After the palm was the beach. She watched the ocean from the top ridge of the small, shaded dune, squinting in the bright light of the midday sun. Birdie's real name was Māra, after her mother's sister, who was down at the shoreline, pulling in a fishing net with Henri. Birdie had helped them cast out the net and secure it to the buoys earlier in the morning. Now she was waiting for her cousins to be done with their chores. She glanced up the beach toward their camp but there was no sign of Owen or Francis. She sighed and plucked at a sea oat, slowly breaking up the stem. +Birdie sat in the shade of a sago palm. It was the last palm, the edge of camp. After the palm was the beach. She watched the ocean from the top ridge of the small, shaded dune, squinting in the bright light of the midday sun. Birdie's real name was Māra, after her mother's sister, her Aunt Māra who was down at the shoreline, pulling in a fishing net with Henri. Birdie had helped them cast out the net and secure it to the buoys earlier in the morning. Now they were pulling it in. + +Birdie was waiting for her cousins to be done with their chores. She glanced up the beach toward their camp but there was no sign of Owen or Francis. She sighed and plucked at a sea oat, slowly breaking up the stem. Down the beach she would see the single mast of the Arkhangelsk. Most of the time she loved seeing the boat, but sometimes it reminded her of the awful day it arrived. After her father had told the captain of the Ave Marie it could not be saved, the rest of his crew shrugged and went off hunting the wild boar that were forever rooting in the jack pines. The captain sat on the beach and stewed. He drank rum all afternoon until finally he'd strode into camp shouting for her father, who eventually appeared. There was a good bit of quarreling in several languages until at some point Birdie remembered the captain drew his sword and her father had gone very quiet. Aunt Māra pulled all the children inside the teepee, but Birdie had stood by the door and watched as her father walked very slowly forward until he had placed his neck against the captain's sword, a move that had been so unexpected that the captain did not appear to know what to do. He stammered something Birdie could not hear, though she heard her father's voice quite clearly, I know how I will die and it is not by your hand. The captain had dropped his sword, spun on his heel and marched right out of camp in the direction of Charlestown. @@ -819,7 +833,7 @@ Birdie considered it. It was a lot of fish. "Are you sure you're okay?" Birdie tried as best she could to keep the net closed while Francis pulled it into the boat. It took them a good twenty minutes to get it into the boat, but in the end they saved well over half their catch. The ride back into shore was shared with six dozen flopping fish, and once, Birdie thought she saw a dolphin streak by. -After she had helped Francis limp back to their camp, and her father and Tambo had organized a trip upriver to see Kadiatu's family, Birdie came back out the beach to sail Delos back to her home at her cousin's camp around the north end of the island. She pushed off, but the wind was blowing off shore, forcing her farther out than she wanted. She ended up right back at the bank. She took it as a sign. There was only a small spit of sand still above water, wet sand, but she ran aground on it and climbed out. She looked around for a fin, but saw nothing. A turtle swam by in the shallow water. Birdie She sat down on the sand and lay back in the sun, feeling its warmth against the cool of her skin. She felt the chill of the wind as it dried the salty drops of water running down her arm. +After she had helped Francis limp back to their camp, and her father and Tamba had organized a trip upriver to see Kadiatu's family, Birdie came back out the beach to sail Delos back to her home at her cousin's camp around the north end of the island. She pushed off, but the wind was blowing off shore, forcing her farther out than she wanted. She ended up right back at the bank. She took it as a sign. There was only a small spit of sand still above water, wet sand, but she ran aground on it and climbed out. She looked around for a fin, but saw nothing. A turtle swam by in the shallow water. Birdie She sat down on the sand and lay back in the sun, feeling its warmth against the cool of her skin. She felt the chill of the wind as it dried the salty drops of water running down her arm. She lay back on the sand and closed her eyes, and she immediately felt something strange happening in her body, or to the world around her, she couldn't tell. At first she thought perhaps it was the linger pitch and roll of the boat, which stayed with you even after you got out. But then the whole world seemed to undulate, like a rippled passing through it. She felt as if she were floating in the water, but she was laying on solid sand. Then it came so suddenly it was terrifying. Something immense and unfathomable washed over her, a presence that stretched through her, encompassing her and everything she had ever known or done in an instant. She was afraid to open her eyes. A voice, no, that was the wrong word, something thought words for her, inside her. She could not understand them, a jumble of words falling in her mind so fast that she could not catch them, could not find the meaning of them, not even the order. She felt as if something massive and uncontrollably wild had seized her up in its arms and was taking her on some wild, frightening, but exhilarating dance. She became afraid again and forced herself to breathed slowly in and then slowly out. As she did this is was like the thing gave up and set her down again. She felt it slipping away. She blurted out, "No! Wait!" She wanted it to stay, it was just too much, too sudden, she wanted to say, give me a minute, but it was already gone, slipping away, the world settled, she opened her eyes and there was the sea, Delos, looking as it always did. She stared out the flat horizon where the sky bled into the blue of the sea. Come back. But nothing happened. She got up, she pushed off and climbed in Delos. She raised the sail and turned the boat toward home. @@ -829,7 +843,7 @@ It was mid afternoon by the time Papa rounded them up and set them about gatheri This year Papa had built three kilns, each used the side of a dune as its primary structure, reinforced with a layer of split logs, and then packed earth and then packed clay. The other side was built up of logs and earth until a conical shape was formed and then the whole thing was filled with clay. For days Lulu, her father, and Kobayashi had hauled the rich red clay of the banks upriver down to the beach and packed it into the kilns until they were smooth as glass. Then they little smoldering little fires to dry the clay and bake it hard. This took several days, but when it was done the kiln was ready to make pitch. -Kobayashi and her father worked all the next day dragging last year's stumps to the kilns and took turns splitting them with the axe until all the roots had been neatly stacked. Tambo, her uncle, and Francis had gone inland to gather walnut logs in the wagon, while Lulu, Birdie and Henri gathered downed oak and stacked the grasses they had cut and dried several weeks before. +Kobayashi and her father worked all the next day dragging last year's stumps to the kilns and took turns splitting them with the axe until all the roots had been neatly stacked. Tamba, her uncle, and Francis had gone inland to gather walnut logs in the wagon, while Lulu, Birdie and Henri gathered downed oak and stacked the grasses they had cut and dried several weeks before. Now they had everything neatly stacked and ready. Lulu was chewing something Francis had brought back from his trip inland. A Mvskoke woman they'd run into far up river had given him a strip of partly dried spruce gum. Francis did not like it. "It's like eating a tree," he said. @@ -855,7 +869,7 @@ Then her father stepped toward the fire and raised his hands. Everyone fell sile Her father turned toward the sea and with both her arms still raised over his head, "Hekas, hekas! Este bebeloi!" His voice vibrated as he spoke and Lulu felt the words move through her, vibrating her blood with a tingling sensation that faded slowly as the sounds of the night became louder. He again vibrated the words and again let the sounds of the night once more return. He then spoke in a language neither Lulu nor her sister knew, but which somehow seemed ancient, as if it had been born millenia ago around fires just like this. It was guttural and strange in way that was both thrilling and a little frightening. Lulu knew what it all meant because her father had finally told her last year, but she still could not match the sounds she heard to the meaning in English and trying to do so made her head swirl in a confusion of noise and sense and meaning until she could feel more than she could understand. -Tambo took a large stick out of the fire and went to each of the quarters in turn. First the East, then the south, then the west, then the north and then back to the east. At each stop he called on the archangel, the arkangelsk, of that station, offering a bowl of water to each. When he was finished he handed the stick, with its glowing red tip to her father. +Tamba took a large stick out of the fire and went to each of the quarters in turn. First the East, then the south, then the west, then the north and then back to the east. At each stop he called on the archangel, the arkangelsk, of that station, offering a bowl of water to each. When he was finished he handed the stick, with its glowing red tip to her father. Her father then nodded to Aunt Māra who went to the kettle of simmering stew. He handed her a bowl and she ladled some stew into it and gave it back to him. Lulu's father lifted the bowl in the air, the abalone shell glittered and sparkled in the moon light and not for the first time Lulu thought how lucky she was to be surrounded by such wealth, bowls that shone like gold in the light. "Uriel, bless this earth, bless this bounty we give back to you that you might bless these fires. Thank you for you love." He carried the bowl over and set it down on the first kiln. He repeated this incantation twice more until all three kilns had bowls atop them. Then he laid the stick to the dry grass that Lulu and her siblings had gathered over the past week. Lulu watched as he lit each of the kilns in turn. @@ -867,7 +881,7 @@ Everyone cheered and Birdie, always the hungry one, jumped up and was first in l --- -The next morning the smell of wood smoke and the faintly sweet scent of tar overwhelmed their camp. Lulu was watching the kilns while she ate, making sure the buckets below them were not too full so that they would be impossible to carry. She was not allowed to actually handle the hot tar. No one but her father and Tambo moved the buckets to the oak barrels, which, when full, were allowed to cool and then Lulu and her sister could hammer on the lids. No one had ever been burned too badly, though her father had once scalded his hand badly enough that the skin had come off. He made sure that the children did not handle the sap until it had cooled. +The next morning the smell of wood smoke and the faintly sweet scent of tar overwhelmed their camp. Lulu was watching the kilns while she ate, making sure the buckets below them were not too full so that they would be impossible to carry. She was not allowed to actually handle the hot tar. No one but her father and Tamba moved the buckets to the oak barrels, which, when full, were allowed to cool and then Lulu and her sister could hammer on the lids. No one had ever been burned too badly, though her father had once scalded his hand badly enough that the skin had come off. He made sure that the children did not handle the sap until it had cooled. Lulu didn't need to be told twice. The hot tar scared Lulu. It was a fiercely hot, red-brown liquid that boiled and bubbled and almost seemed to snarl in the buckets. It smelled of the forest somehow, like the distilled essence of a tree now made so dense that all the complex smells of the forest, the light smell of living leaves, the floral scent of flowers, earthiness of bark, the soil, the dry leaves, the rotting wood, the mushrooms and lichens and fungus were all condensed down to a single point that was all of them and somehow none of them as well. It was a deep smell, plumbed out of the depths of the earth, too deep, too much all at once. @@ -885,7 +899,7 @@ He nodded at her as he entered camp. Papa was a quiet man, prone to grunts and n "Yes, Papa." -"You can go now. Tambo and I will take over here." +"You can go now. Tamba and I will take over here." Lulu smiled and dashed off before he could change his mind. She knew Birdie and Henri were down at the ship. She found them playing with their cousins. Or rather Birdie and Francis were playing one game and Henri and Owen appeared to be playing another, which included harrassing them with toy arrows, a volley of which appeared just as Lulu was climbing up into the ship. "hey" she shouted as one actually stuck into the wood deck near her foot. She grabbed it. The tip was a shell that had been broken to a point and sharpened. It could easily have split the skin if fired with sufficient force. The closer she looked at it the madder she got. "That could have hurt." She leaned over the railing looking for Owen. She knew Henri hadn't came up with this plan. He might be annoying some times, but he was nearly always kind and never dangerous. There was no sign of either of them. She descended below decks to find Birdie and Francis. @@ -1098,15 +1112,15 @@ Henri too sniffed. He cocked his head to the side and studied Birdie or a minute Henri stared. "What did you say?" -While her brother and sister did not notice it, at nearly the same moment that Lulu had hit her head, her father had also jerked upright out of a sound sleep in a hammock slug between to pieces of driftwood. "Tambo!" He shout leaping out of the hammock. "Storm." +While her brother and sister did not notice it, at nearly the same moment that Lulu had hit her head, her father had also jerked upright out of a sound sleep in a hammock slug between to pieces of driftwood. "Tamba!" He shout leaping out of the hammock. "Storm." -Tambo came slowly out of the hut, wiping the fish guts off his hand with a rag. He looked up at the sky. He frowned. +Tamba came slowly out of the hut, wiping the fish guts off his hand with a rag. He looked up at the sky. He frowned. Papa stopped to sniff again when Lulu came around the corner at full speed and skidded to a halt in front of him. "Papa! the air smells different, I think there's a storm coming." -He smiled at her and turned to Tambo. "See?" +He smiled at her and turned to Tamba. "See?" -Tambo grunted. "I see. I see you have raised them like you. Like wolves." He smiled and then it disappeared. "We need to stop Mr tk, he was taking Delos to Charlestown today. +Tamba grunted. "I see. I see you have raised them like you. Like wolves." He smiled and then it disappeared. "We need to stop Mr tk, he was taking Delos to Charlestown today. Her father glanced out at sea. "I'm sure he'll stay." @@ -1142,11 +1156,11 @@ Birdie nodded and they left their Aunt to grab her things and head for their cam And then they saw it, a tiny white triangle against a blue sea and blue sky that would soon be black. It was too far to hail, too close to make Charlestown by nightfall. Lulu prayed silently, *Please go to shore, please go to shore, please go to shore.* Birdie was crying again. "Come on," said Lulu. "We have to get back." -By the time they got back Papa and Henri were on their second sled drag from camp to the boat. Papa pulled, Henri ran behind grabbing anything that fell off. Lulu dashed into the hut and grabbed her bag, which held tk and tk, the only things in the world she cared about. She slung her bag over her shoulder as she waited for Birdie to grab her things. They set off after her father and Henri, who were already well down the trail. At the boat Tambo was already raising the sails while Aunt Māra hurried up and down out of the hold, hauling dried fish and water in small barrels. +By the time they got back Papa and Henri were on their second sled drag from camp to the boat. Papa pulled, Henri ran behind grabbing anything that fell off. Lulu dashed into the hut and grabbed her bag, which held tk and tk, the only things in the world she cared about. She slung her bag over her shoulder as she waited for Birdie to grab her things. They set off after her father and Henri, who were already well down the trail. At the boat Tamba was already raising the sails while Aunt Māra hurried up and down out of the hold, hauling dried fish and water in small barrels. They would sail the tk up river, threading the marshes as quickly as they could, to tk Landing, where they could careen her against a grove of swamp cypress. They would lash her to the trees as best they could and ride it out there. It was not a new plan. They had gone so far as careen her once two years ago, but storm had never materialized. Wherever it went, it had spared this one. Lulu could feel in her bones that this storm was not going away. It was coming here. Now. Tonight. -The tide was raising tk, her father and Tambo used lines and a bent pine on the hammock next to it to winch it into deeper water. It took the better part of an hour, but she was soon floating. They used the Pirogue to load the last couple barrels of tar, which Kobayashi and her father were still manuevering into the hold as Tambo raised the sail to get a enough speed to fight the river current. +The tide was raising tk, her father and Tamba used lines and a bent pine on the hammock next to it to winch it into deeper water. It took the better part of an hour, but she was soon floating. They used the Pirogue to load the last couple barrels of tar, which Kobayashi and her father were still manuevering into the hold as Tamba raised the sail to get a enough speed to fight the river current. High clouds had been blowing in all afternoon, but it wasn't until the afternoon sun sank below them and headed for sunset that they could see the line of the storm. It was so dark it looked like night blowing across the sea. Her father climbed the mizzen mast with his spyglass and studied the horizon. When he came down Lulu noticed something she had never seen in his eyes before, fear. It chilled her. She shivered and put her arms around him. He knelt down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. "It's going to be okay Lu. I promise." @@ -1168,9 +1182,9 @@ He blinked at her as if this were the silliest question he had ever heard. "Beca --- -The darkness of the storm blotted out the sunset. Lulu was wishing she could be wherever the sun was setting. Some place happy and bright. She heard Tambo yell from the bow and both she and Birdie rushed up to see what was the matter. +The darkness of the storm blotted out the sunset. Lulu was wishing she could be wherever the sun was setting. Some place happy and bright. She heard Tamba yell from the bow and both she and Birdie rushed up to see what was the matter. -Threading it's way out of cluster of cypress trees was a small dugout with six people in it. At the stern was man, probably about her father's age Lulu guessed. In the bow was a woman, perhaps about the same age, his wife she assumed. Between them, in the line were two girls and a young boy about Henri's age. The older of the two girls held a baby in her arms. The man was calling out to Tambo in a language Lulu did not know well, but recognized as tk. She had seen her father trade with the enough tk that Lulu and Birdie had learned to recognie words that seemed like they meant please and thank you and hello. Lulu heard the man say the word she thought meant thank you. Tambo spoke fluent tk and spoke for some moments as the dugout moved alongside the tk. +Threading it's way out of cluster of cypress trees was a small dugout with six people in it. At the stern was man, probably about her father's age Lulu guessed. In the bow was a woman, perhaps about the same age, his wife she assumed. Between them, in the line were two girls and a young boy about Henri's age. The older of the two girls held a baby in her arms. The man was calling out to Tamba in a language Lulu did not know well, but recognized as tk. She had seen her father trade with the enough tk that Lulu and Birdie had learned to recognie words that seemed like they meant please and thank you and hello. Lulu heard the man say the word she thought meant thank you. Tamba spoke fluent tk and spoke for some moments as the dugout moved alongside the tk. He turned to Birdie. "Go tell your father that we're going to give this family a ride and they're going to show us an island, we can careen on the leeward side." @@ -1190,9 +1204,9 @@ He studied her for a moment. "Lulu, go get a line and some rigging out of the ho She snapped to attention and smiled. "Yes sir!' -She took off for the hold. It was dark below, even the faint light of the evening was no help down here. She worked by feel to get several lines, but she could not find the rigging Tambo wanted. She ran back with the lines so the tk could at least tow the canoe along without the poor man having to paddle to keep up. Then she ran back into the hold and felt around where the rigging ought to have been but could not find it. She was about to give up and grab a couple of lines to just tie a ladder when she tripped and fell and landed on the unmistakably painful lumps of tightly knotted hemp lines. The rigging. She dashed back up and with Tambo's help, secured the rigging to the gunwale and lowered the ladder-like rope over the side so the family could climb aboard. +She took off for the hold. It was dark below, even the faint light of the evening was no help down here. She worked by feel to get several lines, but she could not find the rigging Tamba wanted. She ran back with the lines so the tk could at least tow the canoe along without the poor man having to paddle to keep up. Then she ran back into the hold and felt around where the rigging ought to have been but could not find it. She was about to give up and grab a couple of lines to just tie a ladder when she tripped and fell and landed on the unmistakably painful lumps of tightly knotted hemp lines. The rigging. She dashed back up and with Tamba's help, secured the rigging to the gunwale and lowered the ladder-like rope over the side so the family could climb aboard. -It took several tries, but they eventually managed to get everyone on board. Tambo took the man to the cockpit to tell her father the directions. Kobayashi came forward with a lantern they hung of the bowsprit to provide some modicum of light as the sun ceased to be of any help. +It took several tries, but they eventually managed to get everyone on board. Tamba took the man to the cockpit to tell her father the directions. Kobayashi came forward with a lantern they hung of the bowsprit to provide some modicum of light as the sun ceased to be of any help. "Where were you when I was below?" @@ -1202,7 +1216,7 @@ Kobayashi smiled at her, "I was lighting the lattern over by the stove, waiting He shrugged. "You never looked." -A flash lit up the sky and the first rumble of thunder drifted toward them. Tambo came running foward and he and Kobayashi dropped sounding lines and yelled out depths. The number came ever smaller, then sudden bigger as they entered the main channel of the river. Lulu helped her sister reef the sail and together with the current this slowed them considerably and they swung alongside a low flat island. Tambo jumped for shore and pulled them in and around the back. In the fading light Lulu could see it was only maybe ten feet above the river at it's tallest. A thick stand of oaks and pines stood in the middle of the island. It was there that she and her Aunt took two tarps and plently of line to try to construct a shelter of some kind. Kobayashi and her father dragged the lifeboat off the tk, flipped it over, and propped it between two trees. Lulu and Aunt Māra drapped a tarp over the upturned hull and began tying the tarp down to the base of the trees around them. +A flash lit up the sky and the first rumble of thunder drifted toward them. Tamba came running foward and he and Kobayashi dropped sounding lines and yelled out depths. The number came ever smaller, then sudden bigger as they entered the main channel of the river. Lulu helped her sister reef the sail and together with the current this slowed them considerably and they swung alongside a low flat island. Tamba jumped for shore and pulled them in and around the back. In the fading light Lulu could see it was only maybe ten feet above the river at it's tallest. A thick stand of oaks and pines stood in the middle of the island. It was there that she and her Aunt took two tarps and plently of line to try to construct a shelter of some kind. Kobayashi and her father dragged the lifeboat off the tk, flipped it over, and propped it between two trees. Lulu and Aunt Māra drapped a tarp over the upturned hull and began tying the tarp down to the base of the trees around them. Her father shone the lattern on their work. "That should hold for a while anyway." @@ -1216,7 +1230,7 @@ Lulu considered this, but before she could answer he went on. "Trickle a stream down a bank of sand and it will slowly cut deeper and deeper as it comes to rejoin the sea. Deeper and deeper, until eventually there is a canyon where once there was just a trickle. Everyone thinks that's the end of the story, when that water flows into the sea, but we know better yeah? There are rivers in the ocean, the animals ride them, sometimes we ride them. Water is always in motion, that is it's nature. It is never at rest." -Her father and brother joined them. Tambo and Aunt Māra were building a small fire they hoped would burn down to coals they could keep until morning. The boat was half careened on its side at the rear of the island, as ready as it could possibly be. +Her father and brother joined them. Tamba and Aunt Māra were building a small fire they hoped would burn down to coals they could keep until morning. The boat was half careened on its side at the rear of the island, as ready as it could possibly be. "We see the medium processes," continued Kobayashi. "The ones that move at our speed. We see the tides change every day, we see the moon wax and wane. We see the season turn. We see the winds change. We see only what moves at our speed. If we want to see the other things we have slow ourselves down. Or speed ourselves up. Or sometimes, like now, we just hang on and try to survive the ride." @@ -1226,21 +1240,21 @@ The storm came on so strong it seemed to suck everything toward it. The wind ble And then it opened up like something terrible that Lulu had never dreamed was possible. She had never known that such forces existed in the world. Everything seems to screech and wail as the storm tore at the land, working hard to rearrange, reshape, renew. Lulu, Birdie and Henri huddled with the others under the shelter of the boat, but it rocked and began to move too. Her father ducked outside and added more lines. The tk man, who had been carving more of his tightening sticks went with him and together they shored up the shelter as best they could. -"That's the last time we walk out there without a line." said her father when he ducked back under the shelter. He started readying a line should he have to go out again. The flashes of lightning came so fast and frequent that it felt like the sky was just light, with flashes of darkness. She saw Henri sitting in Birdie's lap, both of them huddled next to Aunt Māra. Tambo and Kobayashi were playing some sort of game with sticks the Lulu did not understand, gathering them up, throwing them and then starting at the resulting scatter of sticks and nodding and grunting thoughtfully before gathering them all up again and starting over. It seemed very boring to Lulu and a strange thing to do in the middle of a storm. +"That's the last time we walk out there without a line." said her father when he ducked back under the shelter. He started readying a line should he have to go out again. The flashes of lightning came so fast and frequent that it felt like the sky was just light, with flashes of darkness. She saw Henri sitting in Birdie's lap, both of them huddled next to Aunt Māra. Tamba and Kobayashi were playing some sort of game with sticks the Lulu did not understand, gathering them up, throwing them and then starting at the resulting scatter of sticks and nodding and grunting thoughtfully before gathering them all up again and starting over. It seemed very boring to Lulu and a strange thing to do in the middle of a storm. Lulu knew if she went outside the wind would blow her away. She knew it would actually move her across the ground with more power and she had to resist it. It would shape her, it would put her wherever it wanted, she knew it and yet a part of her still longed to duck out under the canvas and feel it, feel her own helplessness in the face of the storm, measure herself against this great rearranging force, to feel as physically insignificant as she sometimes felt in her head. It was so big thing. She was so small a thing in the face of it. But she was sure she could outwit it somehow, could dodge it, could survive it using only what she had about her. It was a feeling at once of power and fear mingled together. -Then suddenly, when it seemed it could get no worse, it stopped. And eerie quiet calm descended upon them. The wind dropped to nothing more than a windy day at the beach. Her father, Tambo, and Kobayashi were out in an instant, the tk man said something to his family and went out with them. They secured the lines on the tarp, the lines on the boat. They moved branches and debris that was washing ashore of the little island. Anything that the second round might be able to hurl at them, they moved and cleared as best they could. +Then suddenly, when it seemed it could get no worse, it stopped. And eerie quiet calm descended upon them. The wind dropped to nothing more than a windy day at the beach. Her father, Tamba, and Kobayashi were out in an instant, the tk man said something to his family and went out with them. They secured the lines on the tarp, the lines on the boat. They moved branches and debris that was washing ashore of the little island. Anything that the second round might be able to hurl at them, they moved and cleared as best they could. Lulu and Birdie crawled out from under the tarp and looked around. The wind was steady, a stiff onshore breeze, but with gusts that would rip through suddenly, ferociously, a little reminder from the storm that it was not done yet. -The men were joking and laughing as they came back from securing the tk. Tambo and tk man were carrying a barrel of water. Everyone came out and drank in the darkness and calm. Lulu wasn't sure, but she thought it was probably past midnight by now. +The men were joking and laughing as they came back from securing the tk. Tamba and tk man were carrying a barrel of water. Everyone came out and drank in the darkness and calm. Lulu wasn't sure, but she thought it was probably past midnight by now. "How much longer will it last Papa?" She could see the whites of his eyes gleam in a flash of lightning. "I don't know my girl, maybe it'll be over by morning." -Tambo said something in tk, the tk man nodded. He knelt down by Lulu and looked at her face. It was so dark Lulu could feel his breath better than she could see him. He reached out in the darkness, she felt his rough hands on her shoulders. He began to sing in a soft voice. Lulu could not understand the words, but she understood the meaning. His own daughter came out and stood next to Lulu, holding her hand. +Tamba said something in tk, the tk man nodded. He knelt down by Lulu and looked at her face. It was so dark Lulu could feel his breath better than she could see him. He reached out in the darkness, she felt his rough hands on her shoulders. He began to sing in a soft voice. Lulu could not understand the words, but she understood the meaning. His own daughter came out and stood next to Lulu, holding her hand. The wind began to rise again, it felt like the pulse of the storm was quickening, building back to roar once more. The man's song finished. He squeezed Lulu's shoulder and she saw him smiling in the darkness. She crawled back under the boat with birdie and sat back down in the bow. @@ -1438,7 +1452,7 @@ Birdie's father smiled. "And I thought I was using them to lure you here." Anne straighted up and adjusted her hat. Birdie watched as she leaned in and quickly kissed her father on each cheek. "Strictly business tk father's name. We need to careen. *Revenge* has worms, our canvas is frayed, and lines are shredded. She's a sad sight when you get out there." -Her father nodded. "We'll bring her in at high tide then. Send some of your men out hunting with Tambo, let's see if they can't get a couple boar, we'll cook them overnight, have a feast tomorrow." +Her father nodded. "We'll bring her in at high tide then. Send some of your men out hunting with Tamba, let's see if they can't get a couple boar, we'll cook them overnight, have a feast tomorrow." "You know tk father's name, that I and my crew will drink if we do that." @@ -1578,15 +1592,15 @@ Her stared out at the sea in silence for a moment. "Somewhere, someone is very, --- -Birdie went with Tambo and Kobayashi to work the rigging on Revenge. The ship was huge, so much larger than tk ship name as to make her home feel like a little toy. Revenge was a warship Jack kept saying, and Birdie thought he was just bragging until she got out there next to it in the rowboat and realized what he meant. It was big, a truly massive, hulking heavy looking piece of wood and sail. It had a presence you could not ignore. +Birdie went with Tamba and Kobayashi to work the rigging on Revenge. The ship was huge, so much larger than tk ship name as to make her home feel like a little toy. Revenge was a warship Jack kept saying, and Birdie thought he was just bragging until she got out there next to it in the rowboat and realized what he meant. It was big, a truly massive, hulking heavy looking piece of wood and sail. It had a presence you could not ignore. -She climbed up the rigging with Tambo behind her. They got to work tarring the standing rigging, some of which the men were still retying and splicing. The smell of pine and tar and salt water mixed in the offshore breeze with it's scent of salt marsh and river mouths and maybe, if she really focused, the hint of campfire smoke. But she didn't focus, she focused on holding onto the rigging because she was higher than she had ever been before and, unlike her sister, she did not much like heights. She kept one arm looped tightly around the hemp line as she painted the tar onto the row of line above it. +She climbed up the rigging with Tamba behind her. They got to work tarring the standing rigging, some of which the men were still retying and splicing. The smell of pine and tar and salt water mixed in the offshore breeze with it's scent of salt marsh and river mouths and maybe, if she really focused, the hint of campfire smoke. But she didn't focus, she focused on holding onto the rigging because she was higher than she had ever been before and, unlike her sister, she did not much like heights. She kept one arm looped tightly around the hemp line as she painted the tar onto the row of line above it. She was halfway down the mizzen mast rigging when she happened to stare out at sea at just the right moment so that she saw something white move. At first she thought it was a sea gull, or a skimmer dipping its beak down to snag some unseen fish, but then she realized it was not a bird, it was too far away, to indistinct to be a bird. It was a sail. Without really thinking about it, because it was what she always did when she spotted a sail, it was what any sailor would do if they saw a sail, she yelled "sail". -She felt every eye on the ship glance up at her, find her line of site and follow it out to sea. Tambo was in the rigging across from hers and he slowly turned around to look. She watched as it dipped below the horizon before he had turned. She gulped, what if no one believed her? She glanced down. Jack was standing below her, one leg on the rail, glass to his eye. She watched as he brought the glass down and glanced up at her, "Flag? Bearing?" +She felt every eye on the ship glance up at her, find her line of site and follow it out to sea. Tamba was in the rigging across from hers and he slowly turned around to look. She watched as it dipped below the horizon before he had turned. She gulped, what if no one believed her? She glanced down. Jack was standing below her, one leg on the rail, glass to his eye. She watched as he brought the glass down and glanced up at her, "Flag? Bearing?" -She shook her head. He nodded. He called out someone's name and handed them the glass. Birdie watched as the sailor climbed the main mast rigging up to the barrel and began scanning the horizon. He was at least 20 feet higher than her, surely he would see it. She watched as he silently shook his head to Jack. Tambo turned back around and looked at her. "You sure?" he asked quietly. +She shook her head. He nodded. He called out someone's name and handed them the glass. Birdie watched as the sailor climbed the main mast rigging up to the barrel and began scanning the horizon. He was at least 20 feet higher than her, surely he would see it. She watched as he silently shook his head to Jack. Tamba turned back around and looked at her. "You sure?" he asked quietly. She nodded. "Very." @@ -1596,27 +1610,27 @@ She nodded. "Very." "We'll leave them the barrel of tar, they can finish it when they finish it." -Birdie felt her heart sink. Anne would be leaving too. She glanced around the ship, looking for her, but she was below. The barrelman still had not seen anything. Birdie began to wonder if maybe it hadn't been a bird. She and Tambo went back to their work. The men below went back to their tasks, but there was a tension, Birdie could feel it. She glanced back at Edisto. She wondered what her father would say. She decided he would probably say nothing. This was always a good assumption when trying to decide what her father would say. But would he believe her? Of course he would. He always believed her. +Birdie felt her heart sink. Anne would be leaving too. She glanced around the ship, looking for her, but she was below. The barrelman still had not seen anything. Birdie began to wonder if maybe it hadn't been a bird. She and Tamba went back to their work. The men below went back to their tasks, but there was a tension, Birdie could feel it. She glanced back at Edisto. She wondered what her father would say. She decided he would probably say nothing. This was always a good assumption when trying to decide what her father would say. But would he believe her? Of course he would. He always believed her. "Sail!" -Birdie glanced up at Tambo. He nodded toward the deck and they both began decending, brushes int thei mouths, the bitter taste of piney tar on their tongues. Captain Jack was racing up the main mast rigging and Birdie couldn't help wondering why he hadn't done that when *she* had yelled sail. Was it her? Or would he have ignore the first sighting no matter who had made it? Was the sailor in the barrel some eagle-eyed trusted salt? Was that why Jack seemed to belive him and not her. She had a dozen reason why he didn't act on her sighting by the time she reached the deck, but the truth was she was hurt. She didn't like it when people doubted her. Especially a whole ship full of people she liked and wanted to like her. +Birdie glanced up at Tamba. He nodded toward the deck and they both began decending, brushes int thei mouths, the bitter taste of piney tar on their tongues. Captain Jack was racing up the main mast rigging and Birdie couldn't help wondering why he hadn't done that when *she* had yelled sail. Was it her? Or would he have ignore the first sighting no matter who had made it? Was the sailor in the barrel some eagle-eyed trusted salt? Was that why Jack seemed to belive him and not her. She had a dozen reason why he didn't act on her sighting by the time she reached the deck, but the truth was she was hurt. She didn't like it when people doubted her. Especially a whole ship full of people she liked and wanted to like her. -Anne came up from below deck dressed in leathers and carrying two tomahawks. Two more were strapped to her waist and to more to her back. Birdie had never seen her dressed for battle, she was startled by how different she looked. Her eyes seemed more alive, they had an intesity Birdie had never seen in them before. "Birdie," she cried. "I want to bring you with us," Birdie's heart skipped a beat, but before she could react Anne went on, "but your father would kill me." Jonathan, she turned to a sailor who was preparing to help hoist a sail. "Make read their pirogue. Birdie, you help Tambo get the bung in that barrel and then get overboard to the boat, we're raising anchor. +Anne came up from below deck dressed in leathers and carrying two tomahawks. Two more were strapped to her waist and to more to her back. Birdie had never seen her dressed for battle, she was startled by how different she looked. Her eyes seemed more alive, they had an intesity Birdie had never seen in them before. "Birdie," she cried. "I want to bring you with us," Birdie's heart skipped a beat, but before she could react Anne went on, "but your father would kill me." Jonathan, she turned to a sailor who was preparing to help hoist a sail. "Make read their pirogue. Birdie, you help Tamba get the bung in that barrel and then get overboard to the boat, we're raising anchor. -The ship came to life when Anne came on deck. Men scurried up the rigging and began dropping the sails. Others were already winching the great wooden wheel that raised the anchor. Birdie had spent most of her life at sea, been on many a ready ship, but she had never seen a crew come together in the kind of concerted effort that the crew of the Revenge displayed now. It was like an organism waking up. An octopus moving first a few suckers, then whole tentacles, then sudden it's off, gone in a flash. She and Tambo hammer in the bung and fairly slid down the side of the rigging into the priogue. Jontahn hoisted up the rigging behind them and Revenge began to move away from them before they had even settled into their seats. The offshore wind sent her surging out to sea and she and Tambo watched her go as they set about raising their own sail and tacking back toward shore. +The ship came to life when Anne came on deck. Men scurried up the rigging and began dropping the sails. Others were already winching the great wooden wheel that raised the anchor. Birdie had spent most of her life at sea, been on many a ready ship, but she had never seen a crew come together in the kind of concerted effort that the crew of the Revenge displayed now. It was like an organism waking up. An octopus moving first a few suckers, then whole tentacles, then sudden it's off, gone in a flash. She and Tamba hammer in the bung and fairly slid down the side of the rigging into the priogue. Jontahn hoisted up the rigging behind them and Revenge began to move away from them before they had even settled into their seats. The offshore wind sent her surging out to sea and she and Tamba watched her go as they set about raising their own sail and tacking back toward shore. And just like that, Revenge was gone, back to what she did best, chasing sails over the horizon. --- -Tambo's people have been sailing these waters longer than ours probably. Her father nodded at Tambo, but he shook his head. +Tamba's people have been sailing these waters longer than ours probably. Her father nodded at Tamba, but he shook his head. "I do not think so." Birdie glanced back and forth between the two them. Her father raised his eyebrow. -"The Egyptians perhaps. There are stories I have heard from the northern tribes about trading for copper that came from over the seas. But my people were coastal cruisers. Why cross oceans when everything you need is right here?" Tambo stretched his arm toward the shore. "If you want to have food, you need to be by the shore. Maybe you sail out of sight sometimes, you follow the currents and migrations of the fish, but you do not need to go too far. Where I come from there is plenty of food to be had without even setting foot in a boat. You grow rice on the shores. We have yarrow and tk on the higher ground, and you cast a net in the shallows for fish. We have palms and a tree that is not here. It is very strong. Like the teak we traded in Siam. We have these trees for building shelter. Everything is just there, we use it. It is only crazy people who would leave this." He smiled and gestured at her father. +"The Egyptians perhaps. There are stories I have heard from the northern tribes about trading for copper that came from over the seas. But my people were coastal cruisers. Why cross oceans when everything you need is right here?" Tamba stretched his arm toward the shore. "If you want to have food, you need to be by the shore. Maybe you sail out of sight sometimes, you follow the currents and migrations of the fish, but you do not need to go too far. Where I come from there is plenty of food to be had without even setting foot in a boat. You grow rice on the shores. We have yarrow and tk on the higher ground, and you cast a net in the shallows for fish. We have palms and a tree that is not here. It is very strong. Like the teak we traded in Siam. We have these trees for building shelter. Everything is just there, we use it. It is only crazy people who would leave this." He smiled and gestured at her father. Her father grunted. "I didn't leave anything. I was driven out." @@ -1630,15 +1644,15 @@ Her father grunted. "I didn't leave anything. I was driven out." Her father shrugged. "I don't know. I think on this all the time. I think perhaps it is because they cannot stand the idea that not everyone is as miserable as they are." -Tambo laughed. "You may be on to something there. These people came to our shores too and seemed unable to leave us alone. And look what they do to the people on these shores. Some people Birdie, I don't know, they won't leave you alone. It is a great mystery." +Tamba laughed. "You may be on to something there. These people came to our shores too and seemed unable to leave us alone. And look what they do to the people on these shores. Some people Birdie, I don't know, they won't leave you alone. It is a great mystery." "How did they drive us out papa?" Her father sighed. "Drive might be the wrong word." -Tambo burst out laughing. "Yes, I think it would be. I have no love of the British or any of the rest of the people you call lowlanders, but I know you well enough to know that no one could drive you out of anywhere. You'd die in a hole before you'd be driven anywhere." +Tamba burst out laughing. "Yes, I think it would be. I have no love of the British or any of the rest of the people you call lowlanders, but I know you well enough to know that no one could drive you out of anywhere. You'd die in a hole before you'd be driven anywhere." -Birdie expected her father to join in Tambo's laughters, but he did not. He ignored him completely. "We left Birdie because I was tired of the place we were. I wanted to go somewhere no one knew my name, somewhere I didn't have to do anything so I could chose what I wanted to do. So I could be free of the obligations that places lay upon you." +Birdie expected her father to join in Tamba's laughters, but he did not. He ignored him completely. "We left Birdie because I was tired of the place we were. I wanted to go somewhere no one knew my name, somewhere I didn't have to do anything so I could chose what I wanted to do. So I could be free of the obligations that places lay upon you." Kobayashi was nodding. "I too left to be free. It is a hard thing for some. For me it was easy because when I am here, I can breath, I am free, no one looks for anything from me. I an able to be who I am. Your father can be who he is," Kobayashi's eyes twinkled, "he can wear his loin clothes and do his dances by the seashore." @@ -1646,11 +1660,11 @@ Now her father laughed. I will never live down the loin clothes will I? Everyone "That seems silly. Why would anyone care what you did? That would just make them stupid." -Tambo raised an eyebrow at her. "Strong talk in this one tk." +Tamba raised an eyebrow at her. "Strong talk in this one tk." Her father smiled. "Yes, they are strong. They will have to be. Stronger than us I fear. I fear they will be living through much more than you and I have had to deal with this time." -Tambo puffed on his pipe and said nothing. +Tamba puffed on his pipe and said nothing. Kobayashi leaned back against a stack of driftwood and packed his pipe. "This country is wild, it will not be tamed." @@ -1677,9 +1691,9 @@ Lulu knew he was talking to himself, but she enjoyed answering his inner monolog Her father took the glass from his eye and stared down at her. He cocked his head to the side as if considering her, but she knew he was really considering some silent thought in his head. "That could be Lu. That could be." -He turned around and walked back toward camp. "Kobayashi! Tambo! We may need meat. I am going to sail the Pirogue out to them and see what's afoot. I'll have them fire a cannon if they're coming ashore." Lulu watched from dune as he headed down the trail toward the marsh to collect the Pirogue. She considered running after him, but she knew what he'd say *it's too dangerous*. It was always too dangerous. She grumbled to herself as she walked back toward camp to see Tambo and Kobayashi packing their rifles. "You should take Henri." They glanced at her, then at each other. Tambo shrugged. Kobayashi looked at her, go get him. +He turned around and walked back toward camp. "Kobayashi! Tamba! We may need meat. I am going to sail the Pirogue out to them and see what's afoot. I'll have them fire a cannon if they're coming ashore." Lulu watched from dune as he headed down the trail toward the marsh to collect the Pirogue. She considered running after him, but she knew what he'd say *it's too dangerous*. It was always too dangerous. She grumbled to herself as she walked back toward camp to see Tamba and Kobayashi packing their rifles. "You should take Henri." They glanced at her, then at each other. Tamba shrugged. Kobayashi looked at her, go get him. -Lulu bolted back up the dune. Henri was already on the far side, walking the shore with Birdie. She yelled. They turned. But she knew they could not hear her. She gestured for them to come, and then she began running toward them. They met in the middle and Lulu had to bend over, panting hard before she could get it out even in gasps. "Henry... hunt... Tambo... Kobayashi..." birdie put is together before Henri, and shouted. "Tambo and Kobayashi said henry can go hunting?" +Lulu bolted back up the dune. Henri was already on the far side, walking the shore with Birdie. She yelled. They turned. But she knew they could not hear her. She gestured for them to come, and then she began running toward them. They met in the middle and Lulu had to bend over, panting hard before she could get it out even in gasps. "Henry... hunt... Tamba... Kobayashi..." birdie put is together before Henri, and shouted. "Tamba and Kobayashi said henry can go hunting?" Lulu nodded and sat down in the sand. Henri did not ask for details. he was off and running the miute Birdie had opened her mouth. The girls sat in the sand, catching their breath. Birdie stood up. "Look, papa." @@ -1693,7 +1707,7 @@ They watched as the Pirogue and the man of war closed the gap between them. The They lost interest in the game as the two boat drew together. "I wish we had a glass," said Birdie. -"I wish we were in the boat with Papa," said Lulu. Though she too wished they at least had a glass. Technically Tambo had a glass and he probably would have let them use it if they'd asked, but she had not thought of it. Her only thought was to get Henri headed back to camp so he could go hunting. Without Charles around Henry had no one to hunt with. He never spoke of Charles, or of hunting, but she knew he missed them both. She saw it in the way he sat quiet sometimes, staring at nothing. It was little bit like what Aunt Māra did, but it didn't last as long. Still it lasted long enough that Lulu had noticed it, and as soon as she noticed it she'd made a point to look for ways she could help him. This was the first thing she'd been able to do. It made her feel good to think of him off hunting, though she did wish that she'd thought to ask Tambo for his glass because it was impossible to tell what was happening offshore. Her father's boat was in irons, probably being towed by a line to Revenge, since she had not slacked sail, though she did appear to be coming about. The Pirogue's sail flutter like a flag alongside. +"I wish we were in the boat with Papa," said Lulu. Though she too wished they at least had a glass. Technically Tamba had a glass and he probably would have let them use it if they'd asked, but she had not thought of it. Her only thought was to get Henri headed back to camp so he could go hunting. Without Charles around Henry had no one to hunt with. He never spoke of Charles, or of hunting, but she knew he missed them both. She saw it in the way he sat quiet sometimes, staring at nothing. It was little bit like what Aunt Māra did, but it didn't last as long. Still it lasted long enough that Lulu had noticed it, and as soon as she noticed it she'd made a point to look for ways she could help him. This was the first thing she'd been able to do. It made her feel good to think of him off hunting, though she did wish that she'd thought to ask Tamba for his glass because it was impossible to tell what was happening offshore. Her father's boat was in irons, probably being towed by a line to Revenge, since she had not slacked sail, though she did appear to be coming about. The Pirogue's sail flutter like a flag alongside. And then they watched as the Pirogue heeled slightly, caught the wind and pulled away from Revenge. The big ship began to turn away, abreast the wind, Lulu saw the anchor fall from the bow and guessed Revenge was going to spend the night just off the mouth of the river. @@ -1719,7 +1733,7 @@ Her father frowned. "Yes, he's coming with Anne. Only for the night. A party of Her father frowned again. "Yes. We'll talk about that tonight. Where's your brother." -"Hunting with Tambo and Kobe." Her father raised his eyebrows. "It was my idea," said Lulu. +"Hunting with Tamba and Kobe." Her father raised his eyebrows. "It was my idea," said Lulu. "That was kind of you Lulu. I should have taken him yesterday when I went upriver. I know he misses having Owen around." Her father glanced inland. @@ -1763,7 +1777,7 @@ He sighed again and climbed out of the Pirogue onto the log next to her. "I don' It was somber around the fire that night, Anne sat beside Jack, leaning into him from time to time. Lulu watched her father across the fire. She always suspected her father and Anne might be in love, but now she wondered if she was mistaken and it was Jack and Anne that were in love. TK fix this: She wished she understood this thing love that grownups talked about. What was it, what did it mean? -"This McPhail." It was Tambo who broke the silence. "Does he plan to settle here? On the island I mean? Like those plantations down south of here on that gooseneck island in Georgia?" +"This McPhail." It was Tamba who broke the silence. "Does he plan to settle here? On the island I mean? Like those plantations down south of here on that gooseneck island in Georgia?" "Oh, I doubt that." Ratham chuckled. "He sounds more like the type to call Charlestown home, send a man out here every now and then to make sure riffraff like us aren't overrunning the place." @@ -1844,13 +1858,13 @@ She lowered herself slowly down, not wanting to be spotted. She scuttled over to "What?" Birdie snapped awake. They gathered up their quilts and dolls and ran for camp. Their father was up, drinking some of the coffee Captain Jack had given him. Or maybe it was Anne. Lulu wasn't sure. She wanted to scream, but she did not. She forced herself to speaking clearly and slowly. There's a ship. Soldiers are rowing in. She watched her father's face. It flickered for just an instance, but otherwise he looked at her as if she had just told him about a shell she found on the beach. He took a sip of coffee. He swallowed. -"Lu, get Henri and go with Kobayashi and Tambo. Ready Delos to sail. Birdie, I want you to stay with me." +"Lu, get Henri and go with Kobayashi and Tamba. Ready Delos to sail. Birdie, I want you to stay with me." Lulu balked. She did not want her sister to stay. She started to protest. She glanced at Birdie and could tell she did not want to stay either. "Papa why? I want Birdie to come with us." "Lulu," he hissed, "Do as I say, and go." -She ducked into the tent, Tambo and Kobayashi had a of sail cloth bag of their guns and swords already between then each was gather shot and powder. Lulu picked up the coppers and the iron skillet her father loved. Henri helped with a bag of shot. The four of them headed down the trail to the marsh, Lulu tried to think where the tide was. She thought about the boat coming in, she tried to see it in her memory, where was the surf line, she thought it was high, that would mean there would be enough water to easily float Delos, but it also meant it would be harder to +She ducked into the tent, Tamba and Kobayashi had a of sail cloth bag of their guns and swords already between then each was gather shot and powder. Lulu picked up the coppers and the iron skillet her father loved. Henri helped with a bag of shot. The four of them headed down the trail to the marsh, Lulu tried to think where the tide was. She thought about the boat coming in, she tried to see it in her memory, where was the surf line, she thought it was high, that would mean there would be enough water to easily float Delos, but it also meant it would be harder to --- @@ -1868,7 +1882,7 @@ A shadow drifted down the dune, extending past her. It had a stick poking out th Birdie slid her hand to her waist and gripped the handle of her knife. Things were happening slowly. Her father was talking she realized, but she had not heard what he said. He took another sip of coffee, set down his cup and stood with his hands raised in the air. "I am unarmed," he said. Slowly turning a circle so whomever was standing on the dune behind Birdie could see. I am not she thought. Was that part of her father's plan? Suddenly she felt foot steps trudging down the sand behind her, black boots passed her by, another pair stopped behind her. "Get up young lady" a voice commanded. -She stood and looked behind her for the first time. The sun was low on the horizon, golden rays bouncing off the reflective calm of the morning sea. She could not see faces for the glare, but there were soldiers all around them. They wore white wigs, one of them had on a the three pointed hats her father was always making fun of. They all carried guns, many of them wore swords as well. They wore heavy red wool coats. Birdie knew this was what English soldiers wore, she heard her father and Tambo and Kobayashi talk about redcoats before, but she'd never really understood what that meant until she saw them. They were made of wool and looked heavy, heavier than any clothing Birdie could ever remember wearing. For some reason she fixated on this detail. It was not part of her training, it was not fighting back, but somehow it made her come back around to herself. She stopped floating a few inches above her self. She settled back into her body and mind. They were ill dressed. They had made a mistake of clothing. What other mistakes might they make? There was hope here. Nothing was over yet. No one was dead. +She stood and looked behind her for the first time. The sun was low on the horizon, golden rays bouncing off the reflective calm of the morning sea. She could not see faces for the glare, but there were soldiers all around them. They wore white wigs, one of them had on a the three pointed hats her father was always making fun of. They all carried guns, many of them wore swords as well. They wore heavy red wool coats. Birdie knew this was what English soldiers wore, she heard her father and Tamba and Kobayashi talk about redcoats before, but she'd never really understood what that meant until she saw them. They were made of wool and looked heavy, heavier than any clothing Birdie could ever remember wearing. For some reason she fixated on this detail. It was not part of her training, it was not fighting back, but somehow it made her come back around to herself. She stopped floating a few inches above her self. She settled back into her body and mind. They were ill dressed. They had made a mistake of clothing. What other mistakes might they make? There was hope here. Nothing was over yet. No one was dead. --- @@ -1972,7 +1986,7 @@ The soldier said nothing, but he swung the rifle clear of Birdie and Māra while --- -The sound of iron clanging woke Birdie. Every time her father rolled over, the chains on his wrists clanged together with a terrible clanging sound. She stretched her back and reached her arm out for Māra and felt nothing. Her heart started, but she was careful not to react. She continued her stretch and rolled over again. How had aunt Māra slipped out so quietly. Birdie tried to imagine her sliding out the back of the hut. Her father had made a trapdoor in the the wall that allowed anyone sleeping against the way to slip out very quietly. He and Tambo had taken turns practicing slipping out of it queitly, but so far as Birdie knew, Aunt Māra had never practiced. Apparently she did not need to Birdie thought. From there one rolled a short distance in sand and there was a small shrub you could use for cover while you stood up and stealed yourself. Then it was just a matter of slipping quietly down the path and out of camp. Once Aunt Māra, or any of the rest of them, were in the woods the soldiers didn't stand a chance. This was what her father had always told them anyway. Get the the woods and move quietly. Most people cannot move as queitly as we can and so we can avoid them. +The sound of iron clanging woke Birdie. Every time her father rolled over, the chains on his wrists clanged together with a terrible clanging sound. She stretched her back and reached her arm out for Māra and felt nothing. Her heart started, but she was careful not to react. She continued her stretch and rolled over again. How had aunt Māra slipped out so quietly. Birdie tried to imagine her sliding out the back of the hut. Her father had made a trapdoor in the the wall that allowed anyone sleeping against the way to slip out very quietly. He and Tamba had taken turns practicing slipping out of it queitly, but so far as Birdie knew, Aunt Māra had never practiced. Apparently she did not need to Birdie thought. From there one rolled a short distance in sand and there was a small shrub you could use for cover while you stood up and stealed yourself. Then it was just a matter of slipping quietly down the path and out of camp. Once Aunt Māra, or any of the rest of them, were in the woods the soldiers didn't stand a chance. This was what her father had always told them anyway. Get the the woods and move quietly. Most people cannot move as queitly as we can and so we can avoid them. Birdie wasn't sure what their plan was, she had not paid much attention to the half whispers and nudnges that her Aunt and her father shared the afternoon after they put him in irons. She had been too struck by the fact that her Aunt seemed once more her Aunt. She was not a wandering ghost pacing the island. She did not seem numb and unable to see you, she looked at you again and while Birdie was still afraid, this was one good thing she had found in an afternoon she had spent mainly trying to thing of good things she could think of, because every time she looked over and saw the iron manacles on her father's arms she had trouble thinking of good things. The whole world seemed wrong. her sister and brother and the rest of her family were hiding somewhere in a swamp, trapped up the river by a 32 gun British warship and her father was in chains and he had warned her that they would be separated and none of this made Birdie feel anything but bad and scared and afraid and she wished she had a mother to hug her and tell her everything was going to be alright even if it wasn't. @@ -1984,16 +1998,16 @@ Aunt Māra getting away was the beginning of that plan and that had worked. So f It all happened so fast that Lulu never had a chance to feel anything. She and Henri were off down the trail headed for Delos before it really even hit her that Birdie was not with them. It wasn't until she was knee deep in pluff mud, helping Kobayashi push Delos into deeper water that it hit her, where was Birdie. It was like something in the center of her had switched off, a vast open space created where there had been none. She wasn't positive, but she was pretty sure she and Birdie had never been apart for more than a few hours. Even then, Birdie was out fishing, or Lulu was down the river at Kadiatu's, they were both here. And now they were not. -Kobayashi lifted her over his head and she strained up until Tambo's huge rough hands gripped hers and she was lifted up over the gunwale and onto Delos' deck. Tambo fed a line down to Kobayashi and he walked himself up the side and onto the desk beside her. He nodded as her, +Kobayashi lifted her over his head and she strained up until Tamba's huge rough hands gripped hers and she was lifted up over the gunwale and onto Delos' deck. Tamba fed a line down to Kobayashi and he walked himself up the side and onto the desk beside her. He nodded as her, "thank you." -Lulu nodded back, but said nothing. She saw Kobayashi and Tambo exchange a look out of the corner of her eye. She ignored them and started to go to her place in the bow, to watch for sand bars, submerged trees, anything that might snag them. +Lulu nodded back, but said nothing. She saw Kobayashi and Tamba exchange a look out of the corner of her eye. She ignored them and started to go to her place in the bow, to watch for sand bars, submerged trees, anything that might snag them. -"Not this time Lulu," said Tambo. "We need you at the helm. Henri," he turned to Henri who sat by the wheel, picking at a splinter. "We need you in the bow. You know the drill? Call out anything you see, even if you're not sure." +"Not this time Lulu," said Tamba. "We need you at the helm. Henri," he turned to Henri who sat by the wheel, picking at a splinter. "We need you in the bow. You know the drill? Call out anything you see, even if you're not sure." -Henri nodded in excitement and darted up to the bow. Kobayashi and Tambo went below to row. Delos had room for four oars. Or four guns, Lulu reflected, which suddenly seemed like maybe they might have their uses. She wondered if her father was changing his mind about cannon on the ship. Probably not. Four guns wouldn't do much good against the ship-of-line sitting outside the river mouth, presumably waiting for them. +Henri nodded in excitement and darted up to the bow. Kobayashi and Tamba went below to row. Delos had room for four oars. Or four guns, Lulu reflected, which suddenly seemed like maybe they might have their uses. She wondered if her father was changing his mind about cannon on the ship. Probably not. Four guns wouldn't do much good against the ship-of-line sitting outside the river mouth, presumably waiting for them. -She brought Delos out into the wide channel of current. She felt the boat slip and shudder at the current of the river met the current of the incoming tide. She could feel the oars lifting her, driving her against the current. Still, they were slow. What would they have done if the tide wasn't in their favor. Could Tambo and Kobayashi really row Delos up stream? It felt like they were having trouble as it was. Lulu glanced at the sun and thought for the minute. The tide would shift soon, she guessed the crest would be another hour. Then it would run out and the marsh would be impassible for Delos for the better part of eight hours. They would trapped somewhere up river until well after nightfall and then they would have the ride the river into the oncoming tide and either row, or, if they got lucky perhaps an offshore breeze could push them through the southern marsh and out the tk river mouth to the sea. That way the warship would miss them. Once they were at sea, nothing could catch Delos. She knew that. Or at least she believed the adults who told her that. Kobayashi swore by it. Only an outrigger could catch this boat he'd told her once. She hadn't known what an outrigger was, but he'd explained how the doubled thin hulls paired with a sail and some of the best sailors in the world made the outrigger the fastest, and possibly the best, boat on the sea. Lulu desperately wanted to sail an outrigger. +She brought Delos out into the wide channel of current. She felt the boat slip and shudder at the current of the river met the current of the incoming tide. She could feel the oars lifting her, driving her against the current. Still, they were slow. What would they have done if the tide wasn't in their favor. Could Tamba and Kobayashi really row Delos up stream? It felt like they were having trouble as it was. Lulu glanced at the sun and thought for the minute. The tide would shift soon, she guessed the crest would be another hour. Then it would run out and the marsh would be impassible for Delos for the better part of eight hours. They would trapped somewhere up river until well after nightfall and then they would have the ride the river into the oncoming tide and either row, or, if they got lucky perhaps an offshore breeze could push them through the southern marsh and out the tk river mouth to the sea. That way the warship would miss them. Once they were at sea, nothing could catch Delos. She knew that. Or at least she believed the adults who told her that. Kobayashi swore by it. Only an outrigger could catch this boat he'd told her once. She hadn't known what an outrigger was, but he'd explained how the doubled thin hulls paired with a sail and some of the best sailors in the world made the outrigger the fastest, and possibly the best, boat on the sea. Lulu desperately wanted to sail an outrigger. "Hard port!" @@ -2001,11 +2015,11 @@ She brought Delos out into the wide channel of current. She felt the boat slip a She turned Delos back into the middle of the river and squinted at the trees in the distance. They seemed so far away. Delos felt so exposed out here. She wanted to turn around and look, but she could not. Were there soldiers there on the shore watching them slide upriver. Had they captured her father and Birdie? She could not bring herself to turn around and look. It was better to wonder than to know that that had happened. There was nothing she could do anyway. She tried to force thoughts of her father and Birdie from her mind. Just focus on what you have to do. Take note of what's going on, because bad things may happen, but you can't react to them now. Never react, always act. Her father's words in her head. She tried. But somehow Birdie kept creeping back into her mind and she felt afraid. She shivered and tried to focus on the river, on the wind, the current, Henri's voice, but he sat silent in the bow. She wondered if he felt the great emptiness inside her that she felt. Is it different when you're a twin she wondered, or did everyone feel this way? -Finally, after what seemed like hours, Delos drew near the trees that marked the inland border of the marsh. Then they slipped into the wider current of the river. Here the current was slower, the water deeper. Another hour brought them to the stand of flooded Cypress they'd prepared years ago in case they need to hide Delos. She brough the boat alongside the edge of the largest of the trees and Tambo and Kobayashi, exhausted from rowing, but running on that same adrenaline and fear that Lulu had used to pilot Delos, managed to secure Delos. They lowered the dingy over the side with a block and some tackle. Using a bow line, Tambo rowed the small boat further into the thicket of trees and then, wrapped the line around a large cypress, ran it back through the tackle, and slowly winched Delos into the tree grove. An hour later could have been paddling up river within twenty yards of Delos and not seen her. Lulu knew this because she took the dingy and paddled twenty yards out to fish for dinner and she had trouble finding her way back to Delos with her three catfish. +Finally, after what seemed like hours, Delos drew near the trees that marked the inland border of the marsh. Then they slipped into the wider current of the river. Here the current was slower, the water deeper. Another hour brought them to the stand of flooded Cypress they'd prepared years ago in case they need to hide Delos. She brough the boat alongside the edge of the largest of the trees and Tamba and Kobayashi, exhausted from rowing, but running on that same adrenaline and fear that Lulu had used to pilot Delos, managed to secure Delos. They lowered the dingy over the side with a block and some tackle. Using a bow line, Tamba rowed the small boat further into the thicket of trees and then, wrapped the line around a large cypress, ran it back through the tackle, and slowly winched Delos into the tree grove. An hour later could have been paddling up river within twenty yards of Delos and not seen her. Lulu knew this because she took the dingy and paddled twenty yards out to fish for dinner and she had trouble finding her way back to Delos with her three catfish. -Kobayashi cooked the catfish below deck, waiting until the sun had set and mist coming up off the river would mask any smoke that might drift up. They ate in silence, Tambo at the bow until Lulu had finished and she came up to relieve him. It was like standing watch, but not fun and exhilerating like that was. This was scary and nerve wracking and Lulu depserately wished she could close her eyes and everything would just go back to normal, that this was all a dream should wake from, still on the beach between her sister and brother, no ship on the horizon. But it was out there, the ship that is, somewhere out there. The question they all wanted answered was whether or not it was out there looking for them. +Kobayashi cooked the catfish below deck, waiting until the sun had set and mist coming up off the river would mask any smoke that might drift up. They ate in silence, Tamba at the bow until Lulu had finished and she came up to relieve him. It was like standing watch, but not fun and exhilerating like that was. This was scary and nerve wracking and Lulu depserately wished she could close her eyes and everything would just go back to normal, that this was all a dream should wake from, still on the beach between her sister and brother, no ship on the horizon. But it was out there, the ship that is, somewhere out there. The question they all wanted answered was whether or not it was out there looking for them. -They gave Lulu and Henri first watch. Tambo and Kobayashi hung their hammocks topside and slept, or tried, Lulu wasn't sure how anyone could possibly sleep right now. They rested anyway. She and Henri sat on the windlass, staring out at the darkness. +They gave Lulu and Henri first watch. Tamba and Kobayashi hung their hammocks topside and slept, or tried, Lulu wasn't sure how anyone could possibly sleep right now. They rested anyway. She and Henri sat on the windlass, staring out at the darkness. "Lu?" @@ -2013,7 +2027,7 @@ They gave Lulu and Henri first watch. Tambo and Kobayashi hung their hammocks to "I wish Papa was here. I'm scared." -Lulu sighed. She was scared too. She wished Papa was there too. They were never apart and she did not like it. "Tambo says he'll get away as soon as he can. But he has to talk to the man, otherwise we might have to leave the island." She saw her bother's face squeeze up into a frown. +Lulu sighed. She was scared too. She wished Papa was there too. They were never apart and she did not like it. "Tamba says he'll get away as soon as he can. But he has to talk to the man, otherwise we might have to leave the island." She saw her bother's face squeeze up into a frown. "But we are leaving the island. We already left the island. And tonight we're trying to get out to sea." @@ -2023,7 +2037,7 @@ Lulu sighed. She was scared too. She wished Papa was there too. They were never This stopped Lulu mid thought. She realized he was right and she had not even thought about it. She had simply accepted that they needed help. But why did they need help. And why were they hiding? If all her father was doing was talking to a man about pine trees, why did he want the ship hidden? And why did the man bring soldiers? Obviously there was more going on than Lulu had worked out. She'd been too busy and too caught up in her own fear and pain to think about the bigger picture. She'd failed what her Papa always said, detach, step back and take a look around. See the whole picture before you dive into your part in it. -Not only had she not detached, spending far too much time worrying about the future rather than using the present to create future. Worse though, she had fail to look at the bigger picture and failed to ask questions... of herself, of Tambo, of anyone. She had accepted it all as it was handed to her. +Not only had she not detached, spending far too much time worrying about the future rather than using the present to create future. Worse though, she had fail to look at the bigger picture and failed to ask questions... of herself, of Tamba, of anyone. She had accepted it all as it was handed to her. "I don't know why we need help," she said finally. @@ -2039,9 +2053,9 @@ Lulu watched the water in front of them shimmering black in the starlit night. O --- -The darkness felt like a black quilt wrapped around them, a cover beneath which they could disappear into safety. She still didn't know why they were running, but if that was what they were to do, then do it already, she thought. But she said nothing to Tambo and Kobayashi who had relieved her just as her eyelids were starting to drop. Henri had long since fallen asleep with his head in her lap. Kobayashi carried him back to the stern and placed him in his hammock. Lulu wanted to stay up but her eyelids were so heavy it hurt to keep them up. She didn't remember giving in, but she jolted awake again when she felt Delos move. She tried to gauge how long she had been a sleep, but she couldn't see the moon for teh trees and wasn't sure where it had been when she fell asleep anyway. +The darkness felt like a black quilt wrapped around them, a cover beneath which they could disappear into safety. She still didn't know why they were running, but if that was what they were to do, then do it already, she thought. But she said nothing to Tamba and Kobayashi who had relieved her just as her eyelids were starting to drop. Henri had long since fallen asleep with his head in her lap. Kobayashi carried him back to the stern and placed him in his hammock. Lulu wanted to stay up but her eyelids were so heavy it hurt to keep them up. She didn't remember giving in, but she jolted awake again when she felt Delos move. She tried to gauge how long she had been a sleep, but she couldn't see the moon for teh trees and wasn't sure where it had been when she fell asleep anyway. -She rolled out of her hammock with a thud and saw Tambo was at the helm, Kobayashi in the bow, winching them forward with the lines, pulling Delos out of the trees. With a start she noticed a third figure on deck and ran over to her, "Aunt Māra, how did you get here?" +She rolled out of her hammock with a thud and saw Tamba was at the helm, Kobayashi in the bow, winching them forward with the lines, pulling Delos out of the trees. With a start she noticed a third figure on deck and ran over to her, "Aunt Māra, how did you get here?" "I slipped out of camp after everyone was asleep. I brought the pirogue." @@ -2051,7 +2065,7 @@ Her aunt smiled, "I did. And you know what?" She knelt down by Lulu. "It was fun Lulu smiled. Somehow she could not picture her aunt as a little girl. It was impossible to see grown ups as anything other than, well, grown ups. "When did you get here?" -"Just a bit ago. Tambo and Kobayashi are pulling us out of the trees. You father wants us to cut south through the marsh, take the tk southern river and head out sea. Try to find Jack. If not him, then go to ocracoke and get Teach." +"Just a bit ago. Tamba and Kobayashi are pulling us out of the trees. You father wants us to cut south through the marsh, take the tk southern river and head out sea. Try to find Jack. If not him, then go to ocracoke and get Teach." Lulu's heart skipped a beat. She liked Edward. He always had good stories. And his eyes were kind, though she knew he could be rather frightening. Or at least some people were frightened of him. Her father wasn't. She wasn't. No one in her family was. Anne wasn't. Jack wasn't. And that was all that really mattered she reasoned. And if anyone could help her father, it was Edward. He always had a plan. @@ -2065,9 +2079,9 @@ Lulu shivered. "I miss her." Lulu went up to the bow and helped Kobayashi pull in the last of the lines. Delos was free of the trees and began to drift into the current. She kept an eye out and Kobayashi went up to raise their main sheet. It would make them easier to see, but they wouldn't get far without it. There wasn't much wind, but between what wind there was and the current of the river and tide heading out they should be able to make their way along the backside of tk island, into the tk river and use its current to get themselves out to sea. If it didn't work there were always the oars. -Henri woke up when they moved out of the river current and into the slower water of the marsh. It felt like Delos was running aground as she moved into the slow mushy waters. Henri came and sat beside her in the bow, staring into the black water, looking for anything that might cause problems, dead trees, reeds indicating shallow water. It was all but impossible to see though. They moved through without hitting anything by Tambo's skill as a pilot and the grace of the gods who must have wanted them at sea, not stuck in a marsh. +Henri woke up when they moved out of the river current and into the slower water of the marsh. It felt like Delos was running aground as she moved into the slow mushy waters. Henri came and sat beside her in the bow, staring into the black water, looking for anything that might cause problems, dead trees, reeds indicating shallow water. It was all but impossible to see though. They moved through without hitting anything by Tamba's skill as a pilot and the grace of the gods who must have wanted them at sea, not stuck in a marsh. -When the hit the current of the tk river on the far side of the marsh Delos's bow swung toward the sea like a horse when you drop the reins. The ship knew where she belonged, knew where she wanted to be. Tambo gave her her head and she took them rushing out the mouth of the river and into the sea. +When the hit the current of the tk river on the far side of the marsh Delos's bow swung toward the sea like a horse when you drop the reins. The ship knew where she belonged, knew where she wanted to be. Tamba gave her her head and she took them rushing out the mouth of the river and into the sea. Far to the north, somewhere up in the darkness of the shore, which didn't glitter and shimmer in the night like the sea did, was where her father and sister slept, prisoners. At least she hoped the slept. Birdie was probably asleep. Her father might be. Sometimes he would stay up for days, sailing them through a storm. Other times he would sleep soundly through a squall seemingly without even being away it had come and gone. He always seemed to know which times it was worth staying awake for and which times he could sleep though. Lulu wondered what sort of time this was. @@ -2113,7 +2127,7 @@ They sat in silence, listening to someone outside snoring. "Delos? I thought..." -"We needed her hidden so she could slip out at night. If all went well, and I think it did, Tambo and Ko slipped through the marsh and out the mouth of the Combahee in the dark. But there's little in the way of wind, she's likely not out of sight. If they didn't see her earlier, they will in a minute." He squeezed her tight again and then went back over to his bed and lay down. "It's going to be a long couple of days Birdie, best get some rest while you can." +"We needed her hidden so she could slip out at night. If all went well, and I think it did, Tamba and Ko slipped through the marsh and out the mouth of the Combahee in the dark. But there's little in the way of wind, she's likely not out of sight. If they didn't see her earlier, they will in a minute." He squeezed her tight again and then went back over to his bed and lay down. "It's going to be a long couple of days Birdie, best get some rest while you can." Birdie lay back down in bed wondering what Lulu and Henri were doing on Delos. She tried to decide which was scarier, being here with all the soldiers or sailing without her Papa on board. She couldn't make up her mind, but she was glad she was the one staying behind. @@ -2277,17 +2291,17 @@ Her father laughed. "Oh, I don't care about commerce at all. I like to sail, and ### Lulu and Delos at Sea -They were well out of the river mouth before the easter sky even hinted at sawn, but there was little wind to speed them over the horizon. They had hoped to sail east, out of sight and then cut north to find Revenge, which was likely north of Charlestown, watching the shipping routes to London and Bristol. The wind was not cooperating though. In a flat out race they could not beat the British warship. It was bigger and heavier, but it had more sails and could catch more wind. Tambo still believed they could out race it, but even he didn't want to try right now. So they were going to do what the warship could not, sail close the wind, row if they must, and use the tides and shallows to their advantage. They could lose her in the tidal marshes of the shoreline, they just had to get north of her first. That was the first race, and they had one distinct advantage: surprise. The tk warship's crew weren't on the lookout for a ship. They might know something was hidden up the river, but they did not know it was Delos or that she would slip out under the cover of night. They had a head start, the question was, how much would that help. +They were well out of the river mouth before the easter sky even hinted at sawn, but there was little wind to speed them over the horizon. They had hoped to sail east, out of sight and then cut north to find Revenge, which was likely north of Charlestown, watching the shipping routes to London and Bristol. The wind was not cooperating though. In a flat out race they could not beat the British warship. It was bigger and heavier, but it had more sails and could catch more wind. Tamba still believed they could out race it, but even he didn't want to try right now. So they were going to do what the warship could not, sail close the wind, row if they must, and use the tides and shallows to their advantage. They could lose her in the tidal marshes of the shoreline, they just had to get north of her first. That was the first race, and they had one distinct advantage: surprise. The tk warship's crew weren't on the lookout for a ship. They might know something was hidden up the river, but they did not know it was Delos or that she would slip out under the cover of night. They had a head start, the question was, how much would that help. -Tambo pushed them nearly four miles out and then turned north. They had a northwest wind at their back, but as the moved closer back to shore it would fall off. While Edisto Island faced nearly due east, most the coast line faced south and the land to the south didn't extend out as far, which meant winds from the south were blocked by the land when you got close to the island. That meant that while Delos had 13 knots of wind, and was moving at over 9 knots, the British ship closer to shore would have trouble finding southerly wind at all. Of course Delos would run into the same problem as she got closer to shore, but if all went well, they would already be far enough north of the other ship that it wouldn't ever get within cannon range. +Tamba pushed them nearly four miles out and then turned north. They had a northwest wind at their back, but as the moved closer back to shore it would fall off. While Edisto Island faced nearly due east, most the coast line faced south and the land to the south didn't extend out as far, which meant winds from the south were blocked by the land when you got close to the island. That meant that while Delos had 13 knots of wind, and was moving at over 9 knots, the British ship closer to shore would have trouble finding southerly wind at all. Of course Delos would run into the same problem as she got closer to shore, but if all went well, they would already be far enough north of the other ship that it wouldn't ever get within cannon range. The British ship had sails out. Lulu could see them through the glass. There was something strangely thrilling about this chase. She knew they might all drone if that ship caught them, but somehow it seemed impossible that it should. That was the thrill of it, that distance between what it seemed like was going to happen and what was actually happening. -She turned the glass north toward the shoreline of tk island, the marsh country south of Charlestown. The pitch of Delos and the blurriness of her glass made it impossible to tell for sure if the trees were moving, but she didn't think they were.That was good for them. She scanned back to the warship and was startled to see how fast it had gotten underway. It seemed like it was halfway to them already. For the first time since they'd escape the marsh Lulu felt afraid. She put down her glass and glanced at Tambo who was staring through his own glass. She heard him mutter under his breath as he brought the glass down to his side. He saw that she was watching him and he smiled. "She's a fast one eh?" +She turned the glass north toward the shoreline of tk island, the marsh country south of Charlestown. The pitch of Delos and the blurriness of her glass made it impossible to tell for sure if the trees were moving, but she didn't think they were.That was good for them. She scanned back to the warship and was startled to see how fast it had gotten underway. It seemed like it was halfway to them already. For the first time since they'd escape the marsh Lulu felt afraid. She put down her glass and glanced at Tamba who was staring through his own glass. She heard him mutter under his breath as he brought the glass down to his side. He saw that she was watching him and he smiled. "She's a fast one eh?" -Lulu nodded and gulped. If Tambo was afraid then maybe it wasn't impossible that it would catch them. "Is it going to catch us." +Lulu nodded and gulped. If Tamba was afraid then maybe it wasn't impossible that it would catch them. "Is it going to catch us." -Tambo frowned. "It's going to be close. She's made good ground with the offshore breeze, just like we did. Now she's going to turn north at a slightly sharper angle and try to overtake us before we make it back in the wind shadow." +Tamba frowned. "It's going to be close. She's made good ground with the offshore breeze, just like we did. Now she's going to turn north at a slightly sharper angle and try to overtake us before we make it back in the wind shadow." "Will she catches us then?" @@ -2297,11 +2311,11 @@ She knew he wanted to talk to Kobayashi without her listening. Birdie would have She went forward and sent Kobayashi to the back. She sat down with Henri to play cards. There was nothing they could do. It was all about the wind and skill of the captains in using it. She, along with every other sailor, was just along for the ride. The wind always decided who won and who lost. -By midday it was not looking good. The British ship was within hailing distance. Thankfully she had no forward cannon or they would be in real trouble very soon. As it was they still had a chance, though even Tambo was sweating now. He and Kobayashi had used lines to pull the main boom in tighter, allowing them to turn sharper into the wind, which gave them a heading the British warship could not match. Unfortunately it was also pushing them further out to sea rather than closer into the coast where they wanted to be. +By midday it was not looking good. The British ship was within hailing distance. Thankfully she had no forward cannon or they would be in real trouble very soon. As it was they still had a chance, though even Tamba was sweating now. He and Kobayashi had used lines to pull the main boom in tighter, allowing them to turn sharper into the wind, which gave them a heading the British warship could not match. Unfortunately it was also pushing them further out to sea rather than closer into the coast where they wanted to be. -When the sundial her father had built just forward of the wheel read 3, Tambo gave up on the coast and pointed them as close to the wind as they could come, heading them nearly east, when they wanted to heading west. He decided, and they all agreed, that it was better to run until dark and try to cut back inland in the night, then disappear into the marshes at first light. It was working. They had gained a little ground on the British ship, but the wind would begin to die down as evening wore and her much larger sails would soon have the advantage. She was already and anticipating this, having broken off a direct chase in favor of setting herself up to tack back into the them as the wind died and Delos's speed fell off. +When the sundial her father had built just forward of the wheel read 3, Tamba gave up on the coast and pointed them as close to the wind as they could come, heading them nearly east, when they wanted to heading west. He decided, and they all agreed, that it was better to run until dark and try to cut back inland in the night, then disappear into the marshes at first light. It was working. They had gained a little ground on the British ship, but the wind would begin to die down as evening wore and her much larger sails would soon have the advantage. She was already and anticipating this, having broken off a direct chase in favor of setting herself up to tack back into the them as the wind died and Delos's speed fell off. -"Her captain knows how to sail anyway." Tambo muttered. +"Her captain knows how to sail anyway." Tamba muttered. Lulu watched the British ship cross their stern wake as it headed further out, hoping to catch the onshore wind of the evening and come swooping down on them. "What if we break now and run for the marsh? Couldn't we get into shallower water?" @@ -2317,11 +2331,11 @@ Lulu nodded. "But don't we want to find Anne and Jack?" Lulu considered this in silence. She was curious what Anne did in battle, but she knew that Anne mostly preferred to avoid pitched battles with warships. Edward was the only person she'd heard of who enjoyed that. Her father too perhaps. She had never seen him in battle. -Suddenly the british ship began to come about, moving toward a parallel course. "Tambo!" Lulu screamed as she watched tiny black dots come running out the length of the tk british ship. Cannons. All those black dots were cannons and they were all pointed at Delos. Pointed at her. +Suddenly the british ship began to come about, moving toward a parallel course. "Tamba!" Lulu screamed as she watched tiny black dots come running out the length of the tk british ship. Cannons. All those black dots were cannons and they were all pointed at Delos. Pointed at her. -Tambo stood beside her with the glass. He didn't say anything but she noticed his hand was shaking slightly as he held the glass. She heard him exhale and steady himself. "Are they going to fire at us?" Before she was finished speaking a screaming came across the sky, a shrieking whistling roar that stopped when something splashed into the sea about two hundred feet off their port side. Lulu screamed. +Tamba stood beside her with the glass. He didn't say anything but she noticed his hand was shaking slightly as he held the glass. She heard him exhale and steady himself. "Are they going to fire at us?" Before she was finished speaking a screaming came across the sky, a shrieking whistling roar that stopped when something splashed into the sea about two hundred feet off their port side. Lulu screamed. -Tambo scooped her up in his arms and hugged her tight. "It is okay lulu, they are not in range yet. They are just trying to scare us." +Tamba scooped her up in his arms and hugged her tight. "It is okay lulu, they are not in range yet. They are just trying to scare us." "It's working," she said as she composed herself. @@ -2333,11 +2347,11 @@ Tambo scooped her up in his arms and hugged her tight. "It is okay lulu, they ar "Are we going to fight?" -They watched a tiny puff of smoke and then there was another roaring sound. The splash seemed closer. "We may Lulu. But I still think we can get away." Tambo glanced up at the sun, slinking slowly down behind the islands to their west. "Once that sun is down, the advantage shifts to us, he doesn't have a pilot, non of them know these waters. We will lose them in the shallows tonight, make our way to mouth of the tk river and run out it northeasterly like any other ship headed for England. Then we're home free, use the current to head to Ocracoke. Should take two days. Another to provision and ready Queen Anne, and then we'll come get your Papa while that frigate is out at sea chasing our ghost." +They watched a tiny puff of smoke and then there was another roaring sound. The splash seemed closer. "We may Lulu. But I still think we can get away." Tamba glanced up at the sun, slinking slowly down behind the islands to their west. "Once that sun is down, the advantage shifts to us, he doesn't have a pilot, non of them know these waters. We will lose them in the shallows tonight, make our way to mouth of the tk river and run out it northeasterly like any other ship headed for England. Then we're home free, use the current to head to Ocracoke. Should take two days. Another to provision and ready Queen Anne, and then we'll come get your Papa while that frigate is out at sea chasing our ghost." "And if we don't get away?" -Tambo shrugged. "We get put in jail with your father and have to come up with a new plan. If I know you father, he's already working on that part." +Tamba shrugged. "We get put in jail with your father and have to come up with a new plan. If I know you father, he's already working on that part." ### Road to Charletown. @@ -2345,7 +2359,7 @@ Her father was up before dawn. He nudged Birdie's foot and moved around so their Birdie nodded. "I'm fine. How are you?" -"I am fine. I wish I knew were Delos was and what luck she had had, but I'll just have to have faith in Tambo and Kobayashi." +"I am fine. I wish I knew were Delos was and what luck she had had, but I'll just have to have faith in Tamba and Kobayashi." "And Lulu," said Birdie. @@ -2387,7 +2401,7 @@ Her father was quiet for a moment. "That's the hardest part. The waiting. We wil The sun was already below the horizon when Lulu woke up. She and Henri had laid down in the hammocks to try to make up for the sleep they'd lost last night and the sleep they'd lose tonight. Lulu didn't think she could sleep with a warship periodically firing cannons at them, but she did. She remembered her father once saying, you'd be surprised what you can get used to, but she'd not really believed him until now. She lay there a moment in the hammock just listening to the silence of the boat plunging though the sea, there was no other sound and it was easy to believe she was alone in the world. That the whole world was just this boat and there was no British warship around, no England at all, just ocean and her ship sailing in between worlds where no owned the trees and everyone was nice. Then she got up and looked around. The British ship was no closer and in little while it would be dark. -She went below to get some food for her and Henri when he woke up and found Aunt Māra and Tambo sitting in the hold sewing on a huge black piece of canvas. +She went below to get some food for her and Henri when he woke up and found Aunt Māra and Tamba sitting in the hold sewing on a huge black piece of canvas. She took a piece of dried fish from the rafter and a ball of rice from the stove and came over to where they were working. "What are you doing?" @@ -2395,7 +2409,7 @@ She took a piece of dried fish from the rafter and a ball of rice from the stove "The night sail?" -Tambo laughed. "That's what your father calls it. It's a black sail, hard to see at night. Once it's truly dark, we'll bring down the other sails and run this one on the main so we're harder to see. +Tamba laughed. "That's what your father calls it. It's a black sail, hard to see at night. Once it's truly dark, we'll bring down the other sails and run this one on the main so we're harder to see. "I didn't know we had black sails." @@ -2403,17 +2417,17 @@ Tambo laughed. "That's what your father calls it. It's a black sail, hard to see "Did you use them before I was born?" -"Some." Tambo bent his head to his work. +"Some." Tamba bent his head to his work. "Do you need help?" "I need a break," said Aunt Māra standing and stretching. "I'm due to relieve Kobayashi in a spell anyway. You take over for me." She handed her needle to Lulu and bent down to show her where she had been sewing. Lulu could see the ragged holes where rats had chewed the canvas to make themselves a nest. She hated rats. -She and Tambo worked in silence. When her section was done she carefully put the needle away in the bag Aunt Māra had given her and hung it back up in its spot on the wall. She grabbed some more fish and rice for Henri and went back up topside. The air was cool now and the last hint of blue was fading from the western sky. It was Lulu's favorite time to be a sea, the darkness was overwhelming, like a huge thing rising up to swallow you, but in the good way, it was so much space, so much room, it was as if you could see forever. On calm nights when they were anchored somewhere sheltered the water turned glass and reflected the stars so well it was like floating among the stars, sailing on the great clouds in the sky. Which her father told her were clouds of stars, but she wasn't sure if he had been pulling her leg or telling the truth. +She and Tamba worked in silence. When her section was done she carefully put the needle away in the bag Aunt Māra had given her and hung it back up in its spot on the wall. She grabbed some more fish and rice for Henri and went back up topside. The air was cool now and the last hint of blue was fading from the western sky. It was Lulu's favorite time to be a sea, the darkness was overwhelming, like a huge thing rising up to swallow you, but in the good way, it was so much space, so much room, it was as if you could see forever. On calm nights when they were anchored somewhere sheltered the water turned glass and reflected the stars so well it was like floating among the stars, sailing on the great clouds in the sky. Which her father told her were clouds of stars, but she wasn't sure if he had been pulling her leg or telling the truth. Tonight it wasn't that calm, but that was okay, somewhere out there in the darkness that ship was still coming for them. She squinted at the western horizon, but could not tell how far out they were. She came and stood by her Aunt who was taking her run at the helm. She sat down on the stool her father had anchored to the deck and Lulu climbed in her lap. -Aunt Māra would sail for four hours, then Tambo would relieve her and sail into the early morning, then Kobayashi would take over, then Aunt Māra again, and so it would go. As long as they were at sea, someone had to be on watch. If her father were here, and if they weren't being chased, Lulu would have a watch, usually in the day time, although once or twice her father had let her take the first night watch. Twilight was her favorite time to be at sea, there was something so peaceful about the way to sounds of the sea and light of the evening mingled together. mixing at the western horizon where the last yellow glow faded to blue and then black and then it was just the waves and the wind and stars, like floating in a sea of stars. +Aunt Māra would sail for four hours, then Tamba would relieve her and sail into the early morning, then Kobayashi would take over, then Aunt Māra again, and so it would go. As long as they were at sea, someone had to be on watch. If her father were here, and if they weren't being chased, Lulu would have a watch, usually in the day time, although once or twice her father had let her take the first night watch. Twilight was her favorite time to be at sea, there was something so peaceful about the way to sounds of the sea and light of the evening mingled together. mixing at the western horizon where the last yellow glow faded to blue and then black and then it was just the waves and the wind and stars, like floating in a sea of stars. Lulu jerked away and realized she had dozed off in Aunt Māra's lap. She stood up, hugged her Aunt and went forward to find Henri. She picked him up and carried him to his hammock, gently laying him down. She went below and fetched a quilt for Henri and another for her. The night was already chilled and would be even colder some morning. Then she climbed in her own hammock and pulled the quilt over her head and fell asleep. @@ -2421,7 +2435,7 @@ The sun was up when she woke with a start. It was cold, but the beginning of war Lulu sat up. "Anchoring? Where, why?" -"Good winds through the night, Tambo brought us straight up to Ocracoke. We're going to see Edward." +"Good winds through the night, Tamba brought us straight up to Ocracoke. We're going to see Edward." Lulu looked out at the Carolina coast, which was more barren here than down south. That meant they must have had excellent wind all night to have made it this far. "What about Revenge?" @@ -2433,7 +2447,7 @@ Lulu chewed on the fish and consider this. "Maybe Revenge is at Ocracoke?" There was no way to know until you came right up on it. Ocracoke was a small barrier island off the coast of Carolina with several very protected anchorages. It was favorite of Thatch's and Bellamy's before he'd gone down. It offered three things all sailors loved, protection from storms, fresh water, and game. It was also nearly impossible to sneak up on it. They watched Thatch's lookouts came toward them from the headland long before they rounded the bend and actually saw his ships. If they'd been flying colors they'd have no doubt been engaged, but they flew a solid blue flag with a small white trident in the upper left corner. It was another of her father's symbols which he was vague about. "It's the color of the sea he'd said once, and that's our only master. -Tambo hailed the men in the long boat with the bullhorn, letting them know they sought Thatch. The men came alongside and tied off to Delos. They both clamored aboard and glanced around briefly before Tambo brought them to the wheel to pilot her in to the shallows where they could anchor. +Tamba hailed the men in the long boat with the bullhorn, letting them know they sought Thatch. The men came alongside and tied off to Delos. They both clamored aboard and glanced around briefly before Tamba brought them to the wheel to pilot her in to the shallows where they could anchor. They were both missing teeth and dirtier than Lulu had ever seen anyone be. Even the men of Jack and Anne's crew, while rough, were not a rough as these men. Lulu involuntarily shrunk from them. One of the men grinned at her. "Don't often see young ones on a ship out here, good for you girl. And don't worry, I won't bite." @@ -2443,23 +2457,23 @@ Lulu was pretty sure they *could* do it, but then that was the point right? Not They Anchored Delos close enough to Queen Anne's Revenge that they could have had a conversation with Thatch from the deck, but he was ashore according to the men who piloted them in. They left quickly, heading back the headland where they apparently lived, and presumably, kept watch over the anchorage. -Tambo, Lulu and Henri climbed down into Delos's boat and Tambo rowed them ashore. A sixable portion of Queen Anne's crew leaned over the railings, watching them in silence as they paddled by. +Tamba, Lulu and Henri climbed down into Delos's boat and Tamba rowed them ashore. A sixable portion of Queen Anne's crew leaned over the railings, watching them in silence as they paddled by. Here there was no surf to negotiate. The protected lagoon allowed them to row straight in and beach the boat. As the pulled her up above the high tide mark, Lulu glanced up the beach and saw two men walking toward them. One was stocky man of medium build that Lulu did not recognize. The other was a tall man with a massive black beard that stretched half way to his waist. He had long curly hair and sparkling, wild eyes. He reminded her of her father. -"Tambo! I thought I recognized that flag." He embraced Tambo, they clapped each other on the back. "How are you? Still sailing with tk father's name I see. That's still Delos eh?" +"Tamba! I thought I recognized that flag." He embraced Tamba, they clapped each other on the back. "How are you? Still sailing with tk father's name I see. That's still Delos eh?" -"Edward." Tambo inclined his head in way Lulu had never seen him do before, it was not quite a bow, but it was more than she'd ever seen him do for anyone else. "I am in fact still sailing with tk father's name and that is Delos, holding fast." +"Edward." Tamba inclined his head in way Lulu had never seen him do before, it was not quite a bow, but it was more than she'd ever seen him do for anyone else. "I am in fact still sailing with tk father's name and that is Delos, holding fast." Thatch nodded, stroking his beard. "Still making the tar then?" -Tambo nodded. "Careened Revenge not more than a fortnight ago." +Tamba nodded. "Careened Revenge not more than a fortnight ago." Thatch grunted. "Which Revenge? I've got a Revenge. And Queen Anne's Revenge. Then there's captain Ratham. Hornigold has a Revenge down in Nassua. Hell, Vain probably does too by now." He turned to the man next to him as if sharing an inside joke. "If he stops drinking long enough to sail that is." -"There's a lot of Revenges in these damn waters Mr Tambo. What is it with Revenge? Tk father's name would say that's our problem, too much revenge, not enough... something else." Thatch chuckled. He waved his hand to the man standing next to him, you remember my quartermaster Mr Dobbs?" +"There's a lot of Revenges in these damn waters Mr Tamba. What is it with Revenge? Tk father's name would say that's our problem, too much revenge, not enough... something else." Thatch chuckled. He waved his hand to the man standing next to him, you remember my quartermaster Mr Dobbs?" -Tambo nodded to Mr. Dobbs. The Thatch turned to Lulu and knelt down. "You must be... Lulu?" +Tamba nodded to Mr. Dobbs. The Thatch turned to Lulu and knelt down. "You must be... Lulu?" She nodded. @@ -2467,9 +2481,9 @@ She nodded. Henri glanced uncertainly at Lulu. She spoke up. "He already is sir, on Delos." -"Ah, shame. Well." Thatch stood up. "Come, let's walk to my new home. I have property now. Here. I own it. Thatch laughed. "So, what brings you to my island Tambo? Not that you aren't welcome to visit, but tk father's name does not appear to be here, and only two of his children are, which suggests... mystery." +"Ah, shame. Well." Thatch stood up. "Come, let's walk to my new home. I have property now. Here. I own it. Thatch laughed. "So, what brings you to my island Tamba? Not that you aren't welcome to visit, but tk father's name does not appear to be here, and only two of his children are, which suggests... mystery." -Tambo looked down at his feet. "Yes. You might want to hear this before we go to your property. A British ship has come to Charlestown. Well. First to Edisto, now, since we lost it in the night, I assume, Charlestown." +Tamba looked down at his feet. "Yes. You might want to hear this before we go to your property. A British ship has come to Charlestown. Well. First to Edisto, now, since we lost it in the night, I assume, Charlestown." Thatch glanced up. "A British ship? You mean a man of war? Do go on..." @@ -2483,7 +2497,7 @@ Thatch burst out laughing. "He was arrested for cutting down trees? That is the When Thatch had composed himself he straightened his jacket and smoothed out his beard. "What do you want from us then?" -"Well," Tambo glanced at Lulu. "tk father's name sent us here because he knew you were looking for a flagship. And he does not like living in Charlestown's jail." +"Well," Tamba glanced at Lulu. "tk father's name sent us here because he knew you were looking for a flagship. And he does not like living in Charlestown's jail." Thatch grunted. "I imagine not. So we sail into Charlestown, blockade the harbor, demand the release of," he glanced down at Lulu and Henri, "your father, cpature this british warship and sail out of the harbor, is that about it?" @@ -2491,7 +2505,7 @@ Thatch grunted. "I imagine not. So we sail into Charlestown, blockade the harbor "You do realize that would make me the most notorious and hunted pirate in the Americas?" -Tambo smiled. "Probably." +Tamba smiled. "Probably." "Sounds like a fantastic plan." Thatch rubbed his hands together. "We're been itching for a prize around here. It turns out the men are less impressed with my property than they are with more, well, tangible goods. We've a bit of work to do as well of coures, but when is that ever done? A ship is nothing but work. Nothing but work. Sometimes you just have to say enough. Trim the sails and find the following wind." He patted Henri's head. "Mr Dobbs, call the men, let's put it to a vote and go get ourselves another ship. Maybe we can even," he glanced mischievously at Lulu and Henri, "recruit some new crew members." @@ -2557,7 +2571,7 @@ Bridie watched The faces watching her from doorways. She saw a mixture of expres ### Lulu and Henri at sea. -The next day Delos sailed out of the cove at Ocracoke, followed closely by Queen Anne's Revenge, tk, and tk, the latter two being prize ships that Thatch and crew had decided to keep for the time being since a show of force, rather than speed was called for on this occasion. The winds and current were against them coming out to the east and of the island, but as the rounded the point and moved into the ocean, the wind blew west southwest and Delos could bear almost directly for Charlestown. Queen Anne's Revenge and the other ships, being square rigged, could not sail quite a close to the wind, and had to tack. After consulting with Thatch Tambo agreed that Delos would sail to the mouth of the river and wait, staying out of sight as much as possible, posing as a fishing vessel should they be spotted. Tambo believed they would make Charlestown before the sun set, but it would likely be a long night of sailing either way since they'd probably have to tack back and forth all night. Unless they got their early enough to set an anchor before the light disappeared. Tambo and Kobayashi set the sails and gave her the course before they went below to get some rest, leaving Lulu on watch. She knew that Aunt Māra was to keep an eye on her, but she also knew Aunt Māra was no sailor and that Tambo was trusting her to keep the ship on course and the sails smartly trimmed. +The next day Delos sailed out of the cove at Ocracoke, followed closely by Queen Anne's Revenge, tk, and tk, the latter two being prize ships that Thatch and crew had decided to keep for the time being since a show of force, rather than speed was called for on this occasion. The winds and current were against them coming out to the east and of the island, but as the rounded the point and moved into the ocean, the wind blew west southwest and Delos could bear almost directly for Charlestown. Queen Anne's Revenge and the other ships, being square rigged, could not sail quite a close to the wind, and had to tack. After consulting with Thatch Tamba agreed that Delos would sail to the mouth of the river and wait, staying out of sight as much as possible, posing as a fishing vessel should they be spotted. Tamba believed they would make Charlestown before the sun set, but it would likely be a long night of sailing either way since they'd probably have to tack back and forth all night. Unless they got their early enough to set an anchor before the light disappeared. Tamba and Kobayashi set the sails and gave her the course before they went below to get some rest, leaving Lulu on watch. She knew that Aunt Māra was to keep an eye on her, but she also knew Aunt Māra was no sailor and that Tamba was trusting her to keep the ship on course and the sails smartly trimmed. Henri sat on the desk beside her playing with two corn husk dolls who alternated between brutal close quarters sword fighting, and scampering runs around and between his legs and body. Sitting on the deck, below the reach of most of the wind it was warm in the sunshine. Lulu could almost pretend it was spring, they were headed north to fish, to spend the summers on the warm beaches of Rhode Island. But whenever she stood up to check her heading against the landmarks on the coast, or compare the maze of inlets, creeks, and estuaries on the map to the seemingly unbroken coastline in front of her, a cold blast of Atlantic winter wind reminded her it wasn't spring, and she wasn't sailing for fun. @@ -2567,7 +2581,7 @@ Charlestown was not nearly so bad, as a town or a inlet, though it could get rou The upside was that the rough shes meant that, more than likely, the pilot boats and crews out on the island near the inlet would be laid up indoors, and unlikely to head into town to alert HMS Victory to their presence. The plan was for Delos to anchor near those pilot boats tonight and stop them from going anywhere tomorrow when Queen Anne's Revenge and the other ships showed up. -Tambo took over the helm when the sun reached it's high point for the day. Which wasn't very high. Lulu wasn't exactly sure what day it was, but she new the Solstice was close. She wondered if they'd be able to celebrate this year with their bonfire pig roast. It had been that very fire two years ago that had first brought Captain Anne to their shores. She'd been sailing with her husband of the time, John Bonny, bound for Nassau when they'd spied a huge fire on Edisto and decided to investigate. +Tamba took over the helm when the sun reached it's high point for the day. Which wasn't very high. Lulu wasn't exactly sure what day it was, but she new the Solstice was close. She wondered if they'd be able to celebrate this year with their bonfire pig roast. It had been that very fire two years ago that had first brought Captain Anne to their shores. She'd been sailing with her husband of the time, John Bonny, bound for Nassau when they'd spied a huge fire on Edisto and decided to investigate. Lulu thought about that night as she help Kobayashi gather up dried fish and two day old rice for a snack. She braced herself against the timber next to the cold stove and used the motion of the ship to guide her knife up and down through the tough strips of fish. @@ -2575,11 +2589,11 @@ They made the inlet well before dark, but the channel was too rough to approach. --- -It was still dark when she woke. Aunt Māra shook her awake so she could help Kobayashi and Tambo into Delos's shore boat. They both had swords strapped to their waists, pistols on straps across their chest, and rifles in their hands. Kobayashi had darkened his face with charcoal and both were wearing black. They looked frightening. Lulu was glad she wasn't waking up to men like this bursting into her house. And then she remembered that she had woken up to them. +It was still dark when she woke. Aunt Māra shook her awake so she could help Kobayashi and Tamba into Delos's shore boat. They both had swords strapped to their waists, pistols on straps across their chest, and rifles in their hands. Kobayashi had darkened his face with charcoal and both were wearing black. They looked frightening. Lulu was glad she wasn't waking up to men like this bursting into her house. And then she remembered that she had woken up to them. She watched them row into the night and then she went below to start the stove and make some warm breakfast. Two days of nothing but cold rice and dried fish with seaweed was enough. She struck and match an lit a bit of parafin, which she pushed n the small door of the stove. She began to feed tiny splinters, and curled wood shaving into the flame, letting the fire build slowly until coals began to form. Once she had enough heat she put in larger twigs until she had a good fire going. Enough of a fire to heat water for porridge. She put a copper on the stove and filled it with water from the fresh water barrels. Then she measured out several handfuls of oats and put the sheet to tin that served as the lid over the pot. -She sat down on the stool Kobayashi kept by the stove and opened the door to the fire chanber to warm her hands. She fed in a few more sticks and waited for the water to boil. She watched the orange glow within the stove and wondered what Birdie was doing at the moment. Probably sleeping. If she was luckily. What was her father doing? Probably also sleeping. She glanced aft to where Delos's guns would be if she had any guns. There was a faint glow around the hatch door which meant the sun was rising. That meant her father probably wasn't sleeping. Neither was Birdie. It also meant Tambo and Kobayashi should have captured the pilot boats by now. Soon the dreaded pirate Blackbeard's flagship would appear on Charlestown's eastern horizon and with any luck that would strike enough fear in the hearts of its citizens that they would release her father and sister, and then... and then what? For the first time it hit Lulu that they would not be going back to Edisto. That, even assuming everything in the next few hours went according to plan and they made their escape, nothing would ever be the same again. They might escape his clutches, but Captain McPhail still owned the island. Still claimed the trees. Still had the soldiers to drive them right off it again. Wherever they went after this, for the first time Lulu began to understand, nothing would be the same, +She sat down on the stool Kobayashi kept by the stove and opened the door to the fire chanber to warm her hands. She fed in a few more sticks and waited for the water to boil. She watched the orange glow within the stove and wondered what Birdie was doing at the moment. Probably sleeping. If she was luckily. What was her father doing? Probably also sleeping. She glanced aft to where Delos's guns would be if she had any guns. There was a faint glow around the hatch door which meant the sun was rising. That meant her father probably wasn't sleeping. Neither was Birdie. It also meant Tamba and Kobayashi should have captured the pilot boats by now. Soon the dreaded pirate Blackbeard's flagship would appear on Charlestown's eastern horizon and with any luck that would strike enough fear in the hearts of its citizens that they would release her father and sister, and then... and then what? For the first time it hit Lulu that they would not be going back to Edisto. That, even assuming everything in the next few hours went according to plan and they made their escape, nothing would ever be the same again. They might escape his clutches, but Captain McPhail still owned the island. Still claimed the trees. Still had the soldiers to drive them right off it again. Wherever they went after this, for the first time Lulu began to understand, nothing would be the same, ### Father in Jail, Birdie to some charlestown family. @@ -2695,9 +2709,9 @@ Her father smiled at her. "I don't know, where do you want to go?" ### Lulu and Henri at sea -The sun was just past it's peak when Queen Anne's revenge appeared on the horizon. Tambo and Kobayashi had come back hours before with one of the pilot boats and six men under guard. They were below decks now, tied up. Lulu had given them fish and water. They were sullen and did not eat. She had felt sorry for them when she went below to get them water as Kobayashi had asked her, but by the time she came back up on deck she decided they were a rude lot and she didn't really care what became of them. +The sun was just past it's peak when Queen Anne's revenge appeared on the horizon. Tamba and Kobayashi had come back hours before with one of the pilot boats and six men under guard. They were below decks now, tied up. Lulu had given them fish and water. They were sullen and did not eat. She had felt sorry for them when she went below to get them water as Kobayashi had asked her, but by the time she came back up on deck she decided they were a rude lot and she didn't really care what became of them. -Revenge anchored a short distance back from Delos and launched two long boats that came over to Delos. Edward and his men came aboard and grilled the pilots about the best way into the harbor. In the end one of the boats took four of the men back to Revenge, while Edward forced the other two into the second boat with him. As the sun set the crew began to row upriver toward HMS Victory which, according to the pilots, had a small watch. Tambo went with them, Kobayashi remained on Delos to bring her into the Harbor once the long boat returned. +Revenge anchored a short distance back from Delos and launched two long boats that came over to Delos. Edward and his men came aboard and grilled the pilots about the best way into the harbor. In the end one of the boats took four of the men back to Revenge, while Edward forced the other two into the second boat with him. As the sun set the crew began to row upriver toward HMS Victory which, according to the pilots, had a small watch. Tamba went with them, Kobayashi remained on Delos to bring her into the Harbor once the long boat returned. Edward sat on the deck brading punks into his beard and tying more to strands of his long hair. He caught Lulu watching him from where she sat, perched on the rail. "Make me look scarier." @@ -2713,7 +2727,7 @@ He made a hurt face. "You mean I look scary all the time?" "He said that did he?" Thatch seemed pleased. Lulu nodded. -Later Thatch was the first one in the long boat. He stood in the bow, one foot on the gunwale, adjusting his hat. He looked up at Lulu and tipped it to her. Tambo was the last man over. He shook Lulu and Henri's hand before he went over. "If this goes wrong, take the ship, go to Nassau with your Aunt." And then he began climbing down the netting into the long boat. Lulu and Henri glanced at each other. Lulu tried to smile, but this backup plan, it was not a thing that would make anyone smile. She filed it away under things not to worry about right now. The sun was setting as the long boat headed up the river toward Charlestown. By the time they were out of sight the darkness of night had fallen and the only thing left to do was wait. +Later Thatch was the first one in the long boat. He stood in the bow, one foot on the gunwale, adjusting his hat. He looked up at Lulu and tipped it to her. Tamba was the last man over. He shook Lulu and Henri's hand before he went over. "If this goes wrong, take the ship, go to Nassau with your Aunt." And then he began climbing down the netting into the long boat. Lulu and Henri glanced at each other. Lulu tried to smile, but this backup plan, it was not a thing that would make anyone smile. She filed it away under things not to worry about right now. The sun was setting as the long boat headed up the river toward Charlestown. By the time they were out of sight the darkness of night had fallen and the only thing left to do was wait. Lulu paced the aft deck. Henri fell asleep in Aunt Māra's lap. Kobayashi sat on the bowsprite with the glass and periodically scanned the horizon. Eventually Lulu too grew tired and laid down on the deck, wrapping a quilt around her. She was just dozing, slipping between darkness and dream when the distant sound of a canon jolted her upright. A moment later Queen Anne's Revenge fired an answer. Then the other two ships. Kobayashi had the anchor free before Lulu could get the sails up. He raised the foresail on his was aft to follow Queen Anne between the sandbars. The three ships road the tide and a light wind through the narrows and up the river into Charlestown harbor, one stayed behind the make sure reinforcements didn't arrive by sea. @@ -2795,13 +2809,13 @@ The road lead through the main square where Birdie saw a yellow wall in ruins an Birdie glanced at Mr. Seward. She said nothing. It made sense. More sense than peppermint sticks for every child anyway. She wished she had thought of that. Of course they would need a doctor. After gold doctors were the most sought after thing on the sea. Sometimes before gold. After all you couldn't find gold if half your ship was sick. She'd heard Anne and Jack tell stories of captured doctors who'd eventually joined their crews, not so much because they wanted to be pirates, but because they were no longer able to convince anyone they weren't already pirates. -The wagon turned up Meeting street, headed for the shoreline. Near the end the road became too muddy for the wagon and Birdie and her father climbed down and helped Mr Seward with his chest, which was full of medicine Edward had asked for. Her father and Mr. Seward struggled through the mud to a long boat where Birdie saw Tambo standing among a number of other sailors, all holding guns, all with swords at their wastes. She wanted to rush into his arms, but she did not. She waited why the chest was loaded in and then Mr Seward climbed in. Her father lifted Bridie over the gunwale and sat her next to Tambo and then she threw her arms around him, and he his around her. Her father pushed them out, mucking his was through the sucking marsh mud until he was up to his chest in the water and then he heaved himself up and into the boat in a wet, muddy, stinking heap. +The wagon turned up Meeting street, headed for the shoreline. Near the end the road became too muddy for the wagon and Birdie and her father climbed down and helped Mr Seward with his chest, which was full of medicine Edward had asked for. Her father and Mr. Seward struggled through the mud to a long boat where Birdie saw Tamba standing among a number of other sailors, all holding guns, all with swords at their wastes. She wanted to rush into his arms, but she did not. She waited why the chest was loaded in and then Mr Seward climbed in. Her father lifted Bridie over the gunwale and sat her next to Tamba and then she threw her arms around him, and he his around her. Her father pushed them out, mucking his was through the sucking marsh mud until he was up to his chest in the water and then he heaved himself up and into the boat in a wet, muddy, stinking heap. "Way to make an entrance" muttered one of the sailors who was rowing them back toward Queen Anne's Revenge. ### Back together on Delos. -The long boat hadn't even touch Delos when Birdie leaped off and onto Delos' webbing. She felt her father and Tambo climbing up behind her, but she raced on up and over the gunwale in such a hurry she knocked Lulu and Henri over and all three of the sprawled in a heap on the deck. Birdie quickly gathered them up and they all squeezed each other until the could not breath and burst out laughing and rolled apart. +The long boat hadn't even touch Delos when Birdie leaped off and onto Delos' webbing. She felt her father and Tamba climbing up behind her, but she raced on up and over the gunwale in such a hurry she knocked Lulu and Henri over and all three of the sprawled in a heap on the deck. Birdie quickly gathered them up and they all squeezed each other until the could not breath and burst out laughing and rolled apart. Birdie rolled over and kissed the smooth oak boards of Delos' deck. "Thank gods." She looked at Lulu and Henri and it felt a little like someone was punching her in the gut, an unaccountable welling started in her gut, moved up her chest and began to slowly leak out her eyes in silent tears. Lulu rolled over toward her and they lay side by side, hands squeezed together, tears rolling down their cheeks as they stared up at the mast and the sun beyond it. @@ -2809,7 +2823,7 @@ And then the sun disappeared and Lulu and Henri were yanked away from her as her But here they were, now it was time to go. "Let's raise anchor." -Tambo chuckled. "Good to have you back Birdie." +Tamba chuckled. "Good to have you back Birdie." Kobayashi came up from below and scooped her up for a hug. "My dried fish thief is back at last." @@ -2859,7 +2873,7 @@ Her father narrowed his eyes at her and smiled. "Now you're talking." Their camp looked just as they had left it. Birdie ran ahead of her father and Edward's men who'd come for the tar. As she crested the dunes and looked down she half expected it to all be gone, but it was all there, the hut, the fire, the kettles beside it. Everything just as she had left it that afternoon, just a few days ago she realized with a start. A few days and the whole world had turned upside down. -Now it was time to turn their camp upside down. While Tambo and Henri, along with two of the better hunters among Queen Anne's crew headed off to the interior of the island in search of boar and deer, Kobayashi and her father fashioned sleds from spars the yanked out of the roof of the hut. Birdie and Lulu gathered up their belonging and piled them next to the sleds. There wasn't much to gather, it took longer to build the sleds than it did to make the piles next to them. +Now it was time to turn their camp upside down. While Tamba and Henri, along with two of the better hunters among Queen Anne's crew headed off to the interior of the island in search of boar and deer, Kobayashi and her father fashioned sleds from spars the yanked out of the roof of the hut. Birdie and Lulu gathered up their belonging and piled them next to the sleds. There wasn't much to gather, it took longer to build the sleds than it did to make the piles next to them. It made Birdie a little sad to see the hut begin to sag where her father had removed poles for the sled. They'd never taken it down before. It always needed work when they returned, it always needed new thatching, but they had never destroyed it before. It was always there. Now her father planned to burn it. "Let McPhail build his own damn huts," he'd muttered. @@ -2901,17 +2915,17 @@ Lulu nodded. "Yeah, it could be nice to be in a town for a while. Do you think t ### Bridie goes on a hunt -It was midday before the Henri and hunters returned with two boar and a deer. The crew had already built a fire and wasted no time cleaning the animals and loading them onto spits. Henri strutted about the camp like some great warrior hunter even though Birdie knew he hadn't had anything to do actually killing any of the animals. Her father caught her glaring at Henri's back and asked her why she was scowling. On a whim she told him it was because no one ever asked her to go hunting. Her father looked at her for a minute and then smiled. "Well Tambo's going again this afternoon to get something for us to bring when we head south, tell him you want to go." He turned and then spun back around and added, "And tell him I said you can use my gun." +It was midday before the Henri and hunters returned with two boar and a deer. The crew had already built a fire and wasted no time cleaning the animals and loading them onto spits. Henri strutted about the camp like some great warrior hunter even though Birdie knew he hadn't had anything to do actually killing any of the animals. Her father caught her glaring at Henri's back and asked her why she was scowling. On a whim she told him it was because no one ever asked her to go hunting. Her father looked at her for a minute and then smiled. "Well Tamba's going again this afternoon to get something for us to bring when we head south, tell him you want to go." He turned and then spun back around and added, "And tell him I said you can use my gun." -Birdie's face lit up in a smile and she bolted off off to find Tambo before he headed back off into the island. He was sitting cross legged by the firepit, a bowl of rabbit stew in his lap. A kettle of water hung over the fire and was nearing a boil. She sat down across from Tambo, unsure what to say. He raised an eyebrow at her. She looked down at her hands in her lap. She took a deep breath. "I was hoping I could go on the hunt with you today." +Birdie's face lit up in a smile and she bolted off off to find Tamba before he headed back off into the island. He was sitting cross legged by the firepit, a bowl of rabbit stew in his lap. A kettle of water hung over the fire and was nearing a boil. She sat down across from Tamba, unsure what to say. He raised an eyebrow at her. She looked down at her hands in her lap. She took a deep breath. "I was hoping I could go on the hunt with you today." -Tambo did not say anything, he continued to chew on rabbit stew and watch her, squinting and narrowing his gaze. Finally he seemed satisfied. "Your father's gun?" +Tamba did not say anything, he continued to chew on rabbit stew and watch her, squinting and narrowing his gaze. Finally he seemed satisfied. "Your father's gun?" She nodded. -Tambo grunted. "Okay then. After the coffee, we hunt." +Tamba grunted. "Okay then. After the coffee, we hunt." -Tambo made coffee like her father, by pouring the boiling water over the grounds and then waiting for them to settle. Tambo lifted the kettle lid with a sticks and then carefully unwrapped the coffee grinder from the cloth it was kept wrapped in. It was her father's prize possession, something he'd acquired from a man in Boston the year before. Most people, her father included drank tea, but Tambo and her father were the only she's ever seen drink coffee. Birdie had tried it once, it was bitter and tasted like moldy wood smelled. She'd never asked for it again. +Tamba made coffee like her father, by pouring the boiling water over the grounds and then waiting for them to settle. Tamba lifted the kettle lid with a sticks and then carefully unwrapped the coffee grinder from the cloth it was kept wrapped in. It was her father's prize possession, something he'd acquired from a man in Boston the year before. Most people, her father included drank tea, but Tamba and her father were the only she's ever seen drink coffee. Birdie had tried it once, it was bitter and tasted like moldy wood smelled. She'd never asked for it again. "Why do you drink coffee?" @@ -2927,15 +2941,15 @@ Tambo made coffee like her father, by pouring the boiling water over the grounds Birdie darted into the hut. Her father had two rifles, one was a new gun he'd bought on their journey down from a gunsmith in Philadelphia. It was a massive thing, easily two heads longer than Birdie was tall. She knew her father did not mean for her to use it. She grabbed the shorter, English navy rifle from over the door where it hung. It was heavy and the steel strangely cool in her hand despite the heat of the day. She knew it was loaded, she was careful not to put her finger over the trigger, but she carried it as her father had taught her, as she would on the hunt, one hand on the trigger and flintlock, the other on the barrel just up from the trigger, that way it was balanced in her hands. -She brought it to Tambo who took it and examined it carefully. "This will do for our hunt. We will clean it when we return." +She brought it to Tamba who took it and examined it carefully. "This will do for our hunt. We will clean it when we return." -She waited while Tambo drank his coffee and cleaned his own gun. He stood up and slid the ramrod out from it's place under the barrel. He took a small scrap of clean sailcloth and fastened it to the end of the ramrod. He scooped some boiling water still simmering in the kettle and poured it down the barrel. In one smooth, practiced motion he slammed the ramrod in after the water and rubbed it up and down, sending pulsing jets of powder-black water squirting out to base where the hole for the cap was located. Tambo lifted out the ramrod and repeat the process, this time though the water wasn't nearly as black. Tambo lifted out the ramrod, put another piece of sailcloth on the end, this one well greased with pig fat, and rammed it up and down. When it was well-coated he pulled it out and rubbed down the outside of the barrel and stock with a bit of grease. +She waited while Tamba drank his coffee and cleaned his own gun. He stood up and slid the ramrod out from it's place under the barrel. He took a small scrap of clean sailcloth and fastened it to the end of the ramrod. He scooped some boiling water still simmering in the kettle and poured it down the barrel. In one smooth, practiced motion he slammed the ramrod in after the water and rubbed it up and down, sending pulsing jets of powder-black water squirting out to base where the hole for the cap was located. Tamba lifted out the ramrod and repeat the process, this time though the water wasn't nearly as black. Tamba lifted out the ramrod, put another piece of sailcloth on the end, this one well greased with pig fat, and rammed it up and down. When it was well-coated he pulled it out and rubbed down the outside of the barrel and stock with a bit of grease. -Tambo let Birdie hold the gun when he fetched his powder horn and shot bag. When he came bag he open the metal cap of the powder horn and poured in gunpower. He glanced over at Birdie, shrugged and then poured in a little more. He tapped the barrel and shook the gun a little to get it all down at the base. Then he dropped in a bullet and used the ramrod, with a bit of cloth to pack the bullet into place. He put the ramrod back in the gunstock and placed a cap under the hammer. He slowly lowered down the hammer. "Well then, let's go." +Tamba let Birdie hold the gun when he fetched his powder horn and shot bag. When he came bag he open the metal cap of the powder horn and poured in gunpower. He glanced over at Birdie, shrugged and then poured in a little more. He tapped the barrel and shook the gun a little to get it all down at the base. Then he dropped in a bullet and used the ramrod, with a bit of cloth to pack the bullet into place. He put the ramrod back in the gunstock and placed a cap under the hammer. He slowly lowered down the hammer. "Well then, let's go." The set off down the souther trail that led along the back of the marsh. Birdie was hoping they'd run across boar, but she knew deer were more plentiful on the island. The boar preferred the less swampy forests of the mainland that were not easily accessible without the pirogue. -Tambo walked quickly and quietly, with a sense of direction and purpose. +Tamba walked quickly and quietly, with a sense of direction and purpose. As they walked through the woods Birdie worked up her courage to ask. "What made you say I could hunt with you?" @@ -2943,7 +2957,7 @@ As they walked through the woods Birdie worked up her courage to ask. "What made "I mean when I asked you, you stared at me for a long time, like you were figuring something out or testing me or something, I was just wondering what it was that I did that made you say yes." -Tambo burst out laughing. "You give me too much credit little one. You give yourself too little. I wasn't testing you, I just had my mouthful. Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to talk with your mouth full?" +Tamba burst out laughing. "You give me too much credit little one. You give yourself too little. I wasn't testing you, I just had my mouthful. Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to talk with your mouth full?" Birdie stopped in her tracks. "You mean you were just chewing." @@ -2990,7 +3004,7 @@ Lulu leaned against the gunwale watching Queen Anne's Revenge silhouetted agains ### following your path campfire talk -It was a quiet night. Her father usually played the fiddle and Aunt Māra and her husband and Kadiatu and Tambo would dance, but tonight he never reached for the instrument. They sat talking, or quietly watching the flames flicker. +It was a quiet night. Her father usually played the fiddle and Aunt Māra and her husband and Kadiatu and Tamba would dance, but tonight he never reached for the instrument. They sat talking, or quietly watching the flames flicker. She loved the way everyone's face glowed ruddy orange around the fire. Faces were more animated, expressions sharper and clearer, everything looked better by firelight she decided. She wondered briefly what she would do if they lived in a house somewhere, with no fire to sit around but hearth or an iron stove. She glanced up at the stars. It was good to live outdoors, she wasn't sure why anyone would want to cut themselves off from the world by spending all their time in a house. @@ -3002,7 +3016,7 @@ Her father laughed. He glanced around the fire at everyone and sighed. "I do bel "No we should not," said her sister. "Then they would all come out here and there would be nowhere for us to have our camp and make tar and careen ships." -Tambo was nodding. "You don't want everyone rushing out here." +Tamba was nodding. "You don't want everyone rushing out here." "They would not come, my darling." Her father stared at the fire. "You could tell them and tell them til you turn blue in the face and they would not believe you. Even if they came out here and saw why we love it, saw that they to could live this way they would not. It is not an easy thing to do you know. The comforts that house offers, the ease of living in the city, these are not things that are so easy to let go of. We don't think of them because we have never had them, or not for long, but for people accustomed to them it is difficult to leave them behind. They do not believe that they can leave them behind." |