1633

by Eric Flint

  Breaking the spell, Luke pointed downhill. “Thomas, I see you’ve done wonders with the settlement. Show me what’s there! I don’t see the tents that were there when I left.”

  The trek down the hill was much faster than the journey up. As they reached the first cabins, Luke asked casually, “Thomas, before I forget. What happened with the widow that lost her husband in the storm?”

  Captain James pointed to a nearby cabin. “She’s now a newly remarried wife! Two weeks after we landed, one of the miners, Hans Kleindorf, asked her to marry him. She and her son are farming a small garden plot while Hans works in the new mine. With her wedding and two christenings, we’re keeping Pastor Bauman busy and out of mischief!” Thomas’ smile left Luke wondering what else had gone on in his absence. The group continued through the small settlement, admiring the work that had been accomplished in the short time.

  Two days later, under a cloudless sky, the Köbenhavn, Henrietta Marie, and Kristina set sail for Hudson's Bay. Up in the crosstrees, Svend sat sketching their departure. On the opposite page was a sketch of Agnes as he last saw her. He was smiling as he finished the sketch. He remained aloft, sketching the coastlines as they passed. On the aftercastle, Luke watched his stepson with a heavy heart. For someone so young, Svend had suffered a great deal, but he didn’t know how to ease his pain. John walked over and cleared his throat to interrupt Luke’s thoughts. He nodded toward the figure aloft. “I hope he’s alright. He can’t seem to accept what’s happened.”

  “I know, and I don’t know what to do. I never had any children of my own and I just can’t seem to break through that false optimism he’s holding onto.”

  “Give him time Captain. He’s a smart lad and should come around on his own. We’ll just need to keep him busy so he can’t brood.”

  “I hope you’re right John.” Luke hung his head in frustration and turned to watch the horizon.

  * * *

  The first few days were uneventful. Diedermann, and his five miners were dropped off to start developing the gold field. They were anxious to see the vein that was supposedly going to make them rich. All thoughts for their safety, in the event there were unfriendly natives around, were forgotten. As they rowed off, Luke called out to them one last warning to exercise caution. When the boats returned, the ships then set sail north for the passage to Hudson’s Bay. The weather held fair but as they neared the Hudson Strait, ice floes started increasing in size and quantity. The temperature hovered barely above freezing at night, but the days were bright and the sun barely set at night. Whales were now a common sight and speculation about their edibility was rampant. Luke asked Joseph to his cabin to discuss the broader question of food at their destination. “I’m concerned about food for the coming winter. When we locate your tribe, we’ll want to be able to start raising food for our needs. Is there enough tillable land in the region for us to be able to plant our own crops?”

  Joseph looked perplexed. “I’m not sure what you’re asking Captain. We only grow a little of what we need to get us through the winter. We hunt and fish and gather what we need. We don’t have fields like I saw in Denmark. We certainly don’t have extra food.”

  Luke shook his head. “You misunderstand. Maybe I didn’t say it right. What I need to know is whether the ground will be able to be turned and planted by the time we get there. And, is there an area nearby that we could use without crowding your crops?”

  Joseph mulled the question over before answering. “The ground should be soft enough to dig when we get there, as long as you don’t go down too far. You can still find some frost, even in summer, in the shaded areas. There is land south of our village that should be open enough for the small gardens I saw in your city. If you want better land, you’ll need to travel south for some distance to get good land for growing.”

  Luke sighed, “That’s what I was afraid of. We may need to send out whaling and fishing parties to supplement our food stocks. That will take up valuable time and energy.”

  Luke seemed to focus on some distant point that Joseph couldn’t see. “At least we’ll be able to start a settlement this year. Unless the resupply ships arrive before September, I’ll have to send some of the workers back to Christianburg for the winter.” Realizing he was wandering he nodded to Joseph. “Thank you Joseph, you may go.”

  Looking out the stern windows, Luke stared at the ice flows curling back into the Köbenhavn’s wake. It reminded him of a task he’d been considering. He’d need to make contact with some of the Inuit to establish a shelter along the route, in case any ships were stranded by ice. They would also be a good trading source for whale meat and oil and furs.

  Chapter 26

  July 1634, off Danby Island, Hudson’s Bay

  “Ahoy the deck! Smoke off the port quarter!”

  Captain Foxe hurried on deck. “Can you make out what it is?” Hopefully, it was an Inuit hunting party. The lookouts had specific instructions to hail the deck if any possible sightings occurred.

  The lookout was an experienced sailor from a previous Artic expedition. He surveyed the activity at the base of the smoke column. “It appears to be a hunting party. There’s something in the water by the beach that looks like a whale carcass. They may be butchering it. I can’t be positive, but it looks like three or four boats pulled up on the shore. One of them appears to have some sort of mast, almost like a Thames River wherry! I can’t make out how many are in the party.”

  Without waiting for orders, John Barrow started preparations to lower the longboat. The Captain had been so anxious to make contact with the Inuit, John knew he would be personally going to meet the hunters. It still took almost an hour to reach a safe anchorage. Even though it was summer, there were ice floes that slowed the ships’ passage. Even before the Köbenhavn’s anchor touched bottom, the longboat had pushed off for shore. The other ships simply stood off with their sails furled. Luke had the guide, Heinrich, Svend, Joseph, and four sailors accompany him to the meeting. All carried some type of weapons. Heinrich, Svend and Joseph were armed with muskets, Luke had a pistol and sword and the sailors had boarding pikes. Luke wasn’t expecting trouble, but he’d always insisted that any landing party going into unknown territory had to be ready for any type of trouble.

  As they were being rowed ashore, Luke was still instructing Joseph how he wanted to approach the hunting party. “Are you sure you can handle their language? I want to make sure they know immediately that we come in peace.”

  Deadpan, Joseph replied, “I think I remember how to say that. Then again, most of the Inuit I know dealt with meeting their girls. For all I know, you may have an extra wife when this is all done.” Luke looked aghast, until Joseph and Svend broke out laughing.

  Between gasps for air Svend managed to reassure Luke, “Relax Father. Everything will go fine! You’ve been grilling Joseph ever since we sighted the hunters. He knows what you want him to say. If there’s any doubt, the gifts you’re bringing should help bridge any misunderstandings.”

  Luke ruefully admitted his misgivings. “You’re right. It’s just so important we make this contact.” The rowers started to ship their oars. “Well, we’re here!”

  As the longboat beached on the shore, a group of five Inuit gathered a short distance away between the landing site and the whale carcass. They presented an interesting sight. All wore animal skin clothing that was liberally drenched in blood and spotted with patches of blubber. The apparent leader was somewhat taller and more weathered than the other hunters. He was unusual, in that he had a full beard. One of the younger men had a flaming red head of hair. The other three were typical shorter, dark haired Inuit. Four others hung back and continued their work on the carcass, carving off long strips of blubber.

  Joseph stepped out of the boat with his hands empty and raised. “ Uvagup qaijuq saimmavuq. ” He paused and waited for a response. The leader simply stared at the landing party. Joseph turned back and said to Luke over his shoulder, “I think I said it correctly.
What should I do now?”

  The leader stepped forward. “You said it correctly. It’s just that your Cree accent is atrocious!”

  The landing party was dumbfounded. The leader had answered in English with a slight London accent! Luke was the first to recover. “Who are you sir, and how do you come by your English?”

  The leader answered, “I might ask you the same! I’ve been waiting here over twenty years for rescue. My name is Jack Hudson. My father was Henry Hudson.”

  Luke studied the leader intently, trying to ascertain if he spoke the truth. “I’ve heard descriptions of your father, and you do bear a resemblance. I’ve also read everything from the trial of the mutineers.” He turned to the red haired youngster. “Was your father the ship’s carpenter? I heard he was a red head.”

  In halting English the red head, Adam, answered, “I’m told he was. I never knew him. He died of the lung fever shortly before I was born.”

  Jack Hudson interrupted, “You said mutineers? So the Discovery did make it back. Did they hang them all?”

  Luke took a deep breath, “None of the mutineers were hanged. Greene and Juet didn’t even survive the return trip. In all, only eight returned.”

  Hudson seemed to shrink with that news. “Those bastards deserved to die, especially Greene and Juet. They set us adrift and then taunted us, just keeping the ship out of reach. We rowed after them for almost a day, hoping they would relent and take us back aboard. Many of us were deathly sick. Four of our group died within a fortnight of the cold and deprivations. Two more were killed by a white bear, trying to save a seal we’d killed for food. For me, the worst was watching my father die. I think he died simply of a broken heart. After we buried the two the bear killed on the island, the rest of us tried reached the mainland. We were starving and threw ourselves on the mercy of the locals. When we proved we could be of assistance, they reluctantly took us in.” Jack stared out across the open water.

  “I’ve waited twenty years for rescue and vengeance, and now you tell me those that did this went free? Thank God I made a life here for myself. I’ve helped my clan grow, with the knowledge I had of ships and metal.” He pointed to the wherry. “That used up all the nails salvaged from our boat and what little we could trade for. It’s let us range much further to sea, hunting whales and returning with more from the catches. We’ve almost doubled in size since I became their leader.” He looked back to the workers who continued to strip the carcass, almost finished with the work of packing the meat aboard the wherry. “I’m forgetting my manners. Will you have a meal with us and tell me more of what transpired with the Discovery? I can’t promise an elegant fare, but it’s the best we have.”

  Luke quickly accepted. “I’d be honored.” He pointed to the goods wrapped up in the stern of the longboat. In the confusion of the stunning discovery, he simply used his prepared speech. “Let me present you with these goods as a token of our appreciation of your hospitality. They may help to make life easier for your people.”

  Jack nodded. “With many thanks.” He turned to the distant group of butchers and yelled, “Yutu! Kirima! We have guests. Start preparing food and drink.”

  It took a few minutes to unload the presents. Svend stared at the hurried meal preparations and the ingredients going into the pot. He started to get queasy. Joseph leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Now we can get some real home cooking. Not some of that tough sheep we had in the Orkneys!” Svend turned a light shade of green.

  Luke looked surprisingly pleased. “That sounds delicious. I’ve looked forward to that all during my voyage. I’m sure the rest of the party will be just as pleased.” His look quelled any possible objections.

  The bosun saw the look on Svend’s face and decided to poke some fun at him too. He’d been with Luke on the previous voyage to the Bay. “That sounds excellent Captain. Lot’s better than the rat we had to eat on our last trip!”

  Luke looked back to the ships offshore to hide his smile. “I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait for your share, bosun. I need you and your crew to return to the Köbenhavn and inform Mr. Barrow we will be remaining here until morning. He’s to have the other ships anchor and use the time to check their rigging. I noticed that the Henrietta Marie’s cordage seemed somewhat frayed in spots as they passed us coming in. They can use this rest to check it and reave in any replacements needed. You can return ashore when that’s done and eat then.”

  Jack Hudson had followed the conversation with interest. “I see a Captain’s work is never done. We’ll have to swap stories while we eat. I’m curious to know what brings such a large group this far into the unknown and I’m sure you want to know more about the full story on what happened aboard the Discovery .”

  “That I do! But first, show me this wherry you built. Your ingenuity in fashioning the sail is amazing.” Svend followed behind, after pausing to pull out a sketch pad and pencil to record the scene.

  * * *

  Luke sat back, savoring the heat from the whale oil fire. “That was an excellent meal! Who knew you could do so much with just whale, caribou and fish!” He looked toward Svend, who’d been very quiet during the meal. “What do you think of it son?”

  Svend nodded and then quickly mumbled, “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He looked very distressed and slightly green. He started to head beyond the light of the fire, but paused and picked up his rifle first. Heinrich was about to say something, but just nodded to himself when Svend remembered the gun. His pupil had learned the hard way about safety in a strange location and had remembered his lesson.

  Joseph didn’t even notice Svend’s departure. He’d been fascinated to find out that one of the Inuit party was female. She was Jack Hudson’s daughter, Kirima. He’d sat next to her throughout the meal and practiced his language skills.

  Luke noticed the byplay and turned to his host. “I see my interpreter is putting his skills to good use. Just before we arrived, he was saying that he hoped he wouldn’t misspeak and I’d end up with another wife.” The comment had been loud enough for Joseph to hear and he started to blush. Evidently, Kirima understood enough English because she started to laugh at Joseph’s discomfort. She whispered something to him that that caused him to choke on the bite he’d just taken.

  Jack was quick to take up the joke. “It seems my daughter is honing her hunting skills. I hope your interpreter knows what he’s in for. He may have been right about someone ending up with a wife!” The smile on Jack’s face was the first that Luke had seen since they met. “I have a request to make that concerns my daughter.”

  They were interrupted when a loud scream brought everyone to their feet. It came from the direction of the whale carcass. Two of the Inuit had gone off to finish loading the wherry with the last of the meat and boil. A second scream was cut short, but the sounds of a struggle were clearly heard on the night air. A final moan and the tearing of flesh were followed by a bubbling sound. Something large had attacked the two men. Heavy footsteps could be heard coming from beyond the shallow hummock. Beyond the circle of the firelight, only the nearby hummocks were dimly visible in the Artic twilight. A shadow was moving just beyond the nearest rise. Suddenly, a frenzied polar bear was revealed by the firelight as he stopped at the crest of the slope, covered in blood. In his jaws he held the feebly struggling body of one of the Inuit hunters. Seeing new prey, he flung the body aside and stood on his hind feet, bellowing a challenge. Jack Hudson was closest. He reached back and grabbed the spear lying there. He then charged the bear, alone. This wasn’t the first polar bear he’d faced. He knew he couldn’t kill it alone, but he could slow it down. He stopped short and jabbed at the bear, trying to distract it so that the others could seize some type of weapon before the bear reached the campfire.

  The bear lunged and his claws raked Jack’s left arm from the shoulder to the elbow, knocking him aside. The spear fell from his hands as he landed face down on the moss. Kirima screamed at the sight of her father’s injury, but stood transfix
ed, too shocked to move.

  Her scream drew the bear’s attention. He dropped to all fours and started down the slope toward her. The short delay gave Joseph just enough time to grab his gun, cock it, and aim. When he pulled the trigger, the priming misfired and there was no time to reprime. He shoved Kirima aside with the gun’s butt and continued with a pirouette to use the gun as a club to stop the bear. He struck a solid blow to the bear’s head. All it accomplished was to shatter the gunstock and turn the bear’s attention toward him. The bear’s return swipe caught Joseph on the back as he stumbled from his swing. It launched him through the fire to the other side of the circle of light. He lay there trying to beat out the flames on his trousers with his one good arm. His other shoulder was drenched with his blood.

  The bear’s delay wasn’t wasted by the rest of the party. Heinrich had an extra second to check his priming, before firing. The bear was broadside to him. His only reliable shot was for the heart. He took it, knowing that it would still take some time before the bear died. He prayed it would slow him down so that someone else could finish him before it killed again.

  In the meantime, Svend was just returning from using the privy pit. When he heard the screams, he yanked his belt tight and ran back toward the fire, repriming his rifle as he went. As he crested the hummock outside camp, he arrived in time to see Heinrich’s shot. His father and Heinrich were now squarely in the bear’s sights for its next attack. As the bear reared up, it seemed to realize it was mortally injured as blood frothed from its mouth. That realization just enraged it more. It let out a bubbling moan and turned to face the source of its pain. Svend remembered Heinrich’s advice from the last bear attack he faced. A brain shot was his only hope to stop the bear before it killed more of the party. When the bear roared again as it started to charge, Svend calmly sighted on the mouth and fired. The crack of the rifle was immediately followed by a spray of blood and brains as the ball entered the brain from the mouth and blew out a section of skull as it exited. The bear stiffened and then fell over dead at Heinrich’s feet. Captain Foxe reached over with the sword he’d drawn and prodded the bear to make sure it was dead.