Against All Odds

by Marian L. Jasper

  Liza was a little hurt by these comments as she thought she had sometimes put together a passable meal for her family, but she had to admit that although she could organise fantastic banquets, her own cooking achievements were fairly ordinary. She also had to admit that even in Benson it was Zelma who ultimately made her meals interesting.

  “Well, at least I’ll be able to help peeling potatoes and preparing other vegetables,” said Liza sulkily.

  Mrs O’Rourke had heard this interchange between Liza and Patrick and laughed heartily. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you helping with something, but not until you are fit enough. Look at you; those pretty eyes of yours keep crossing and I can see that you have to keep leaning on something to keep you upright. Mind you, I wouldn’t object to leaning on your good looking husband for a while.”

  Banging and hammering could be heard all over the ship as the sailors tried to get the ship back into some sort of order. The deck was also littered with bedding drying in the sun although it would soon be setting and many of the sailors and passengers would be sleeping on wet mattresses or hammocks.

  Liza was back in her cabin helping Mary to get the boys ready for bed. They thought it was going to be great fun sleeping in the same bed and in the same room as Patrick, Liza and Mary. Patrick appeared in the doorway carrying a large can full of vegetable soup. They found various unusual mugs and plates to use as crockery. No spoons could be found, so much to the delight of the boys they all had to drink their soup directly from their dishes.

  The boys were sleepy and soon went to bed and much as they had been determined to enjoy sleeping together and chatting, they were sound asleep very quickly. Mary stayed talking for a while. She needed to tell them how frightened she had been, she had been so frightened that the ship was going to sink, but she had been more frightened when she thought they were both dead. She needed to tell them that if they had died, she would have made sure that the boys were well looked after. Patrick and Liza looked at one another and then at Mary and thanked her for her loyalty and reassurance about the boys’ future should they not have survived.

  Mary went to her curtained off section and they could hear her rummaging around getting ready for bed, and finally, they heard her get into her bed. Liza got undressed and into her nightgown, and Patrick decided that he might as well also get ready for bed and he put on a nightshirt as they were not alone.

  Patrick climbed into bed and spoke quietly to Liza. “How many times are you going to defy death, Liza? This is the third time that I’ve been in danger of losing you and I believe there have been times before I knew you that you have been close to it. I thought I’d lost you today. I was just as frightened as the boys and Mary; no, that’s not true, I was much more frightened than they were and all I wanted to do when I saw you lying there was be with you whether you were alive or dead and if you were dead, that was where I wanted to be also.”

  “Patrick, the same goes for me; I wouldn’t want to live if you weren’t alive. But you know that we would both have to go on for the sake of the boys. We mustn’t talk like this, it didn’t happen so we’ve been lucky today and besides, just like a cat, I have a least another five lives left,” said Liza.

  Liza snuggled down comfortably close to Patrick and she was soon dozing. Patrick wanted to hold her to him, but all he could do was to slip his hand up inside her nightgown; he needed to be comforted by the feel of her body and he held her closely. In her very sleepy and somewhat still befuddled state, she started to open her legs for him and Patrick whispered, “No, Liza, we’re not alone.” Liza thought that she was having one of those dreams where she was naked in front of strangers.

  Patrick could see that both boys were asleep and he could hear Mary breathing heavily behind her curtain, so if they were quiet, they could be with one another that night. Once again, Patrick touched Liza and once again, she lay on her back and opened her legs for him. “We’ll have to be quiet,” whispered Patrick. Liza opened her eyes and realised what he was talking about and smiled as he moved on top of her. They managed to be quiet, leaving the boys and Mary unaware of the love making which they both needed from one another following the fear that they had experienced that day.

  ***

  The ship had been blown seriously off course during the storm and was still moving in the wrong direction. Captain Forde and the first mate lowered the anchor trying to keep them from moving further and although it gave them some drag, it was still going away from the shipping lanes and therefore the chance of sighting another ship was becoming more remote. The sailors were desperately trying to make repairs which could eventually get them back on course. Everything that could be jettisoned had been done and a decision was taken by the captain to launch two boats roped to the ship and manned with rowers to help them back on course. It was a desperate measure but the captain was quite confident that until they could finalise the necessary repairs, they could at least head back towards the shipping lanes.

  Anyone with a trade such as carpenters would not be used as rowers as they would be needed to continue with the repairs to the ship. Patrick and the male passengers all volunteered for rowing duty, as well as some of the young lads. The captain suggested that as they would be required for very long stints at the oars, they would need some form of hand covering. Patrick was lucky as he had his army gloves, but the captain said that even those would probably get worn through. Liza tore up one of her petticoats and made bandages out of it for him to use under his gloves, she also gave bandages to the other passengers as none of them had previous experience of rowing, and certainly not for the length of time that was going to be needed.

  She watched Patrick and the other rowers climb down the precarious ladder into one of the rowing boats. It had been agreed that a four hour stint was going to be long enough for any of them to cope with and the captain had another number of men lined up to take over for the next four hours. It was going to be so hard on them all; four hours rest after such exertion was really not going to be enough, but that was going to be what they were going to have to deal with.

  As she walked back to the upper deck she became aware of a number of the sailors looking at her and mumbling under their breath. She smiled at them thinking that they just needed some reassurance that everything was going to be all right, but she got no response apart from some very dark looks.

  On the upper deck, she turned to look at the sailors as she had a very uneasy feeling about them, and she could see them staring at her. The captain and the first mate were also watching them and frowning and Liza thought it best if she went into her cabin as she had obviously upset someone in the crew and wanted to think about what she may have done or said that could have created a problem.

  She heard the captain talking relatively quietly to the first mate, who seemed to take up a position outside the cabin. She suddenly wanted Patrick to be with her; she felt threatened but didn’t know why. The boys and Mary went out for a breath of fresh air and Liza could hear the first mate telling them to stay on the upper deck as it was a little dangerous at the moment on the main deck.

  The captain was pleased with the progress that the rowing boats had made to the Jackson’s directional movement and he was waiting for the men on that stint to come aboard. The second four hour rowers went down the ladder and started their stint. Patrick was talking to Mr O’Rourke and Mr Cavanaugh. The French and Spanish men were on the second rowing order.

  “I wanted to have a word with you Patrick, and also your friends here,” said Captain Forde who had now felt able to be on first name terms with him. “I don’t have the man power to protect your wife, I’m afraid, so I’m releasing you from rowing duty.”

  The three men looked puzzled and Patrick said, “I’m sorry but I don’t understand what you are saying Captain.”

  “Sailors are very superstitious people, Patrick. They believe that there are always reasons for problems at sea other than nature. There are serious rumblings and they are going to blame somebody
for the misfortune that has become us on this voyage. They do not like women on board ship and I have to say that at the moment, they do not like women with bright green eyes that flash sometimes in the sunlight. They are uneasy and if their unease goes any further, they will feel justified in getting rid of her,” said the captain.

  “We Irish are a very superstitious people,” said Mr O’Rourke, “but this is ridiculous. Surely you are not telling us that they will gang together and throw her over the side?”

  “I’m afraid they may well feel justified in doing that, Mr O’Rourke,” said the captain.

  Patrick looked up towards their cabin and saw the first mate standing guard there. “You’re right, Captain; it’s my duty to protect Liza. You need all your men to get us out of this situation; you must leave this to me.”

  Mr Cavanaugh then said, “Yes, she needs protection, but O’Rourke and I are needed for our strength on the rowing boats, so I’m going to suggest that we put our wives also on duty, and no sailor is going to mess with them, they wouldn’t dare. Also, we’ll tell our Spanish and French friends what’s happening and they’ll agree with us, I know they will.”

  Patrick asked Captain Forde if Liza knew what was going on. “I haven’t told her Patrick, but I know that she has sensed that something is wrong and she hasn’t moved from the cabin and hasn’t let the boys or their nurse leave.”

  Patrick sighed and remembered his conversation with Liza last night and she had said that she still had five lives to go; he hoped that this was not one of them. His decision was whether to tell her or not but of course, he should as she probably knew already.

  He walked past some of the sailors and wondered whether they were the ones who wanted her dead. Mr O’Rourke called after him telling him that he would get somebody to bring some food up to them shortly and not to worry; they would all make sure that she was safe. Patrick turned, smiled and nodded to him.

  The boys and Mary were playing a board game when Patrick entered the cabin, firstly having nodded to the first mate on the way in. Liza was sitting quietly on the bed as if she was waiting for something. The boys were delighted to see him and wanted to examine his hands as they had been told that they would probably be bleeding when he got back. Children always seemed to want to study the worst and most painful side of any occupation and his hands were sore and blistered but his bandages and gloves had saved him from much worse. He told them that one of the ladies would be bringing them something to eat shortly.

  “Good,” said Matthew, “we haven’t eaten much today. Mummy wouldn’t let us go down today. She said that the sailors were too busy mending the ship to have us under their feet.”

  “And she was right,” said Patrick. “Are you enjoying your game?”

  “Yes, Mary’s no good at this game so John and I are winning,” said Matthew.

  “Good, carry on. I’ll tell you all about what I was doing today later on,” said Patrick and he went over to Liza and started speaking to her quietly.

  “Liza, there’s a problem,” he whispered.

  “Do the sailors think that I’m a Jonah?” she asked quietly.

  Patrick nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

  “What are they going to do? Are they going to try to get rid of me?” asked Liza.

  “No, I think that’s a bit drastic. They’re not that worried, it’s just that some sailors can be rather superstitious,” Patrick lied.

  Liza looked at him for a long time and he couldn’t hold her eye contact. “You’re not very good at lying, are you Patrick?”

  “No, you’re right; I’m not good at lying to you. Captain Forde is worried that some of the sailors are so steeped in superstition that they may take matters into their own hands, so I’ve been relieved of rowing duties to stay with you day and night. He doesn’t want you to leave the cabin, or at least you can just get some fresh air on this deck and the women passengers will also keep you company on occasion and your food will be brought up to you,” said Patrick quietly.

  “Why, Patrick, what have I done to make them think that? I don’t get in their way. I don’t interfere with their work. I smile at them; in fact, I like them and respect the difficult job that they do. So, what have I done wrong?” she asked.

  “You’ve done absolutely nothing wrong Liza, but they are concerned because of your beautiful green eyes. They have seen the way they can flash in the sunlight and it worries them. I don’t know what they believe, but whatever it is, they have muttered that you shouldn’t be on this ship. Also, being a woman on board ship is something that sailors do not like,” said Patrick.

  “Flash in the sunlight, what do you mean flash in the sunlight?” asked Liza innocently.

  “You really don’t know, do you?” said Patrick. “Liza, I have seen the sun catch the colour in your eyes and it’s as if there is a bright flash of green lightning. It’s only momentarily but it’s very noticeable. I would think that it’s why the Cherokees believe that you are their guiding light and unfortunately, now it’s why the sailors think you are some kind of evil spirit.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know that. Matthew’s got my eyes. Are they going to try for him also? They can’t think that a little boy is also a jinx. Please Patrick, you’ve got to help me keep him safe. If there’s a choice, you’ve got to look out for him, you really must, promise me Patrick,” said Liza.

  “They’re worried about you Liza, not him. They are always concerned about women on board ship; they’re not concerned about a little boy, that I can promise you. But you know, I will always do my best to look after you both, and they are never going to get past me,” said Patrick.

  “We can’t even leave the ship; we have nowhere that we can go for safety so I don’t think I’m going to hide away. This ship is much too small for that. I’m not going to run up and down the deck inviting people to throw me overboard, but I’m going to spend time still teaching the women, boys and girls. I’ll do it down in the hold and they can keep an eye on me there, and between here and there, you can put your arm around my shoulder and see me safely backwards and forwards,” said Liza.

  “I think that’s a little dangerous, Liza. I’m sure you would be safer here in the cabin, although if they get to you here, you have nowhere to run. If I think about it, you could be right, you’ll be surrounded by people who care for you down there and those women are a force to be reckoned with,” said Patrick. “We’ll think about it this evening and see what the captain says. There is safety in numbers.”

  Mrs O’Rourke and Mrs Cavanaugh came to the door with food for them all. Liza told them that she would be giving them further lessons tomorrow down in the hold, if they were agreeable. They were surprised but said they were pleased that she was not going to be intimidated by the stupid superstitions of a handful of ignorant sailors.

  Whilst Mary and the boys were eating, Liza bathed Patrick’s hands and put some of her cream on them. He didn’t want them to be too greasy or be bandaged as he said that he may need them to protect his family that evening. Mary was well aware of what was going on, she had heard the gossip and mumblings coming from some of the sailors and she had reorganised the cabin so that the boys were not sleeping near the door; she had put herself between them and the door, and Liza and Patrick thanked her. The boys thought it was wonderful that they would be sleeping behind a curtain and they were going to stay awake all night, or so they said.

  Patrick was so tired after his four-hour rowing stint that no matter how he tried, his eyes kept closing, so they put a chair against the door knob and let him sleep for a while. He was devastated to find that they had let him sleep until the early hours of the morning. Liza and Mary were resting on Mary’s bed and Patrick was annoyed that they had really guarded him all night instead of the other way around.

  He lifted Liza onto the bed and she went straight off to sleep. Mary lay down on her bed and she too was fast asleep within seconds. Patrick sat himself on a chair and spent the rest of the night listening to any and every sound f
rom the ship.

  The next morning Mary was quietly instructed to keep the boys in the cabin for a couple of hours, and then only let them onto the upper deck to play and get some fresh air. Liza and Patrick would see if they could join the others in the hold if all went well that day.

  Liza and Patrick slowly went down the steps to the main deck. They both smiled at any sailor that they came in contact with and Patrick had his arm around Liza’s shoulder. They stopped on occasion to either watch what a sailor was doing or look out at sea, making sure that they were seen being perfectly normal and unafraid, which was far from what they were feeling. The captain was watching them and had to admire their courage. He knew that what they were doing was trying to diffuse a difficult and dangerous situation and his hand was hovering near the gun that was hidden in his jacket.

  As they neared the hold, Mrs O’Rourke appeared followed by Mrs Cavanaugh who also stood on the deck chatting and smiling at them before ushering them into the hold. Liza and Patrick visibly breathed a sigh of relief when they were out of sight of the sailors.

  “Well done,” said Mrs O’Rourke, “that must have taken quite an effort.”

  They both nodded. Mrs Cavanaugh suggested that they held their lesson sitting on the large hatch in full view of everyone, she added that they need not worry as they would make sure they were both surrounded by all the passenger students, they would not let anyone get near them and it would send a very strong message to anyone who had any stupid superstitious ideas that they were all nonsense and nobody was going to take them seriously.