The Silver Lotus

by Thomas Steinbeck

  Three weeks after making the first announcement of his intentions, Captain Hammond, Lady Yee, and their two children were comfortably installed in their staterooms aboard The Silver Macy. They were accompanied by Lady Yee’s maid, a new children’s nurse named Sing Joon to help lighten the burden on Li-Lee, and, of course, Ah Chu, who insisted that he was the only one qualified to cook for the family, especially the children. Lady Yee agreed in principle, and the captain acquiesced, knowing that any objection would only cause ill feelings all around.

  The new nurse slept in the children’s cabin, while Ah Chu and the maid occupied the newly split quarters next door. Captain Hammond and Lady Yee occupied the expanded double stateroom across the way. The passenger accommodations, though limited, had all been furnished with the most modern conveniences possible, including electric lights and fans, gimbaled beds, and water closets. Lady Yee was quick to confess that their stateroom was far more comfortable than the old captain’s cabin aboard The Silver Lotus. And being a large and bluff steamship, it afforded the added luxury of not requiring one to live at unnatural angles all the time. Lady Yee even came to appreciate the ship’s new name.

  To the delight and surprise of all aboard, the outward-bound journey to the Hawaiian Islands was exceptionally smooth. Even Captain Penn was moved to regard the millpond surface of the ocean as something quite exceptional for so long a period of time and distance, and he openly wondered whether it presaged something less commodious, but in the end, nothing happened. The sky remained cloudless and a vivid blue, the breezes wafted gently from the southwest, the sunsets were clear and bright, and the ocean swells remained almost unnoticeable. All these elements together allowed The Silver Macy to log very good course speeds despite being fully burdened with cargo and coal. This made for a happy ship all around. Even the captain and Lady Yee found the experience broadly nostalgic and quite romantic. In the evenings they would sit alone in the stern, hand in hand under the bright stars, and talk of their many adventures under sail. But this was unique, as it was the first time Captain Hammond had ever enjoyed the experience of being at sea as a passenger, even though Lady Yee had noticed that every time the ship’s bell was struck, her husband winced like a retired fire horse.

  But it was the children who had the very best of times. Macy and Silver were totally convinced that the whole expedition was just for their benefit, and in a sense it was. Within two days, Macy and her little brother had endeared themselves to every man in the crew, and these hardened tars took turns watching over the children when they played on deck. Sometimes these salts even joined in games of tag or blind man’s bluff. Then Macy somehow formed a special attachment for Captain Penn. She insisted she liked the way he talked, and she thought him very amusing.

  This fact seemed to both flatter and frighten the captain, who had never spent any time around children. But Macy persisted in her affections and devotion, and completely won the old sailor’s heart. Suddenly, and when conditions allowed, Macy was permitted to go up to the bridge and stand with Captain Penn. Together they marveled at the vast schools of leaping dolphins that sometimes accompanied the ship for great distances, and also the flocks of flying fish that were determined to stay in the air for as long as possible to avoid becoming a dolphin’s supper. Macy appeared to love it all, and she bubbled with clever questions that Captain Penn always patiently answered. In fact, Lady Yee became used to finding her daughter in the company of Captain Penn, and was surprised to discover how much her daughter learned every day about her new environment. On the other hand, little Silver became the darling of the deck officers, who went out of their way to arrange for all his amusements.

  The ship laid over in Hawaii for three days, adding coal to her bunkers, taking on provisions, and allowing the crew a short while to stretch their legs and purchase personal items onshore. The children were allowed to play on the beach, collect seashells, and wade in tide pools that were clear as glass. Ah Chu had a particularly rewarding time visiting the local markets. He came back aboard ship with a splendid variety of fresh fish, fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Soon, even Captain Penn chose to eat with the Hammonds, rather than the other way around, as tradition dictated.

  Though the ship made two more short landfalls, the journey to Canton continued as a swift and smooth affair by all sailing standards, and the Hammond family arrived in the hectically busy harbor of Canton on a beautiful spring morning six weeks later. After the relative tranquility and refreshing ocean breezes of the past few weeks, the raucous sounds of constant activity from the shore and the fetid odors of garbage mixed with the exotic smells of a thousand kitchens were all a bit overwhelming, though the children seemed to enjoy every moment of the insanity. Lady Yee told Macy that Canton was a remarkable conglomeration of cultures and peoples. Long before any European had ever set eyes on the city, the old harbor on the Zhu River in Guangdong province had been crowded with trading vessels from Hormuz, India, Java, Korea, Sumatra, and all points in between. An early Arab presence was still represented in the city’s population, and their trading houses and banks had been some of the most successful in China.

  Captain Penn anchored the ship, raised the appropriate signal flags, and waited for the Chinese customs and harbor officials to take notice to send out a launch to check their papers and cargo manifests. Patience was required as the harbor was so busy that it sometimes took many hours or even days for those officials to get around to paying a call. In the meantime, the ship was considered to be in a state of quarantine, and no one was allowed to come or go until the vessel had received permission to stay and off-load.

  The harbor officials finally found time to come aboard in the late afternoon, and they were truly surprised to be introduced to the renowned Master Yee’s daughter and son-in-law. As a mark of respect, the officials immediately sent one of their men ashore to find and inform Master Yee that his ship had literally come in, and in more ways than one, it appeared. The Silver Macy was then cleared to unload its cargo as soon as dock space became available, but there were no promises when that would be accomplished.

  Upon hearing the news of his daughter’s arrival, Master Yee sent a small army of porters and carts to the harbor. A bobbing fleet of sampans sculled out from the shore with all manner of goods to sell the barbarians. They nudged up against the ship like children awaiting a treat. A very handsomely appointed river junk came alongside as well. It had been sent by Master Yee to convey his daughter’s family upriver to his small estate. The junk also brought written instructions informing Captain Hammond that a pilot would be sent to guide the ship to the company docks, where the cargo would be transferred to Master Yee’s adjacent warehouses.

  There were still a number of important details to be worked out concerning the ship and its cargo, and Captain Hammond felt obliged to see his part played out with caution and diligence. It was a mark of respect for his father-in-law. To his way of thinking, that included witnessing the transfer of goods personally and securing an accurate warehouse receipt for every pound of cargo unloaded. Though it went unspoken, Canton, like all Chinese ports, was a complex of interconnected commercial warrens where goods magically disappeared like smoke if one wasn’t extremely diligent. This was why every warehouse in Canton employed at least a dozen guards around the clock. With pressing obligations in mind, the captain sent Lady Yee, the children, and the servants on ahead. He knew Master Yee would be anxious to greet his daughter and meet his grandchildren, and there would be plenty of time for the captain and his father-in-law to speak later.

  Lady Yee was not quite prepared for the elaborate reception her father and mother had arranged for her homecoming. Every Yee relative for a hundred miles seemed to be in attendance with small gifts of welcome. How they knew just when she would arrive was a mystery, but she suspected they had been in the neighborhood for weeks living at her father’s expense. Her father was almost moved to tears when his grandchildren greeted him affectionately, but respectfully, in almost perfect Cant
onese.

  The family reception, which lasted for two days, also included Lady Yee’s two older sisters and their six children, as well as numerous little cousins from all quadrants of the clan. Lady Yee was pleased that after shy introductions and a bit of sniffing around, the children were all soon laughing and chasing each other around the compound like a pack of clumsy puppies. And now that there was need of it, Macy slipped into speaking Cantonese most of the time, and like all children her age, absorbed new phrases like a sponge.

  Early the next morning, Master Yee boarded his private junk and sailed down the river to his wharves and warehouses in the harbor. Captain Hammond greeted his father-in-law with all the deference and formality expected of a Chinese son-in-law of a great khan. This amused and pleased Master Yee very much, who in turn complimented his barbarian son-in-law by saying that he had been blessed with lucky and talented relatives. After a ceremonial tray of tea and traditional exchange of small gifts, Master Yee joined his son-in-law in overseeing the off-loading of the grain. He was anxious to test its quality and appraise its market value. Master Yee was especially pleased with those items on the manifest that his daughter had personally suggested, and set aside the tea chests of salt-packed squid for special repackaging and sale at a later date. Though he intended only a modest profit on the sale of wheat and rice, he intended to make up the difference with squid-flavored salt, which was considered a delicacy. The dried squid, which was of very fine quality, would also show a reasonable return.

  It was important that The Silver Macy take on a new cargo as quickly as possible and speedily return to San Francisco. An idle ship costs money. Captain Hammond had prearranged for three full shipments of grain to be taken on in California, but return cargos from Canton were a matter of catch-as-catch-can. A purchasing agent like Master Yee or Captain Hammond would use discretion, along with a sound understanding of their markets, and then make a choice from what was available. Leaving Canton with empty holds was out of the question. Happily, Master Yee knew this would be the case, and, subject to Captain Hammond’s approval, he had arranged something special. With the tacit approval of friendly customs officials, Master Yee had recently purchased a confiscated cargo of raw Malaysian rubber, copra, and coconut oil, and at cut-rate prices. To this he added five hundred bolts of tent-grade Indian waxed canvas and a hundred cases of local Chinese porcelain, chosen for durability and the quality of workmanship. The latter came to Master Yee as partial payment of a long-standing debt, and the canvas came directly from a British naval warehouse in Singapore. All this he gave to his son-in-law on credit, as repayment for the credit extended to him on the grain.

  Even with a credible force of stevedores and the use of the ship’s steam cranes, it took two full days to warehouse the grain, and then another three days to take on the new cargo, which had to be carefully stored based upon bulk and weight. Of course, special care had to be taken with the porcelain, for though the pieces had been carefully packed in paper and rice chaff, and then placed in chests, it had to be loaded last, as near to the center of gravity as possible to avoid excessive movement or pounding during bad weather.

  Captain Hammond had determined to remain with the ship until she was ready for sea again, then he would surrender The Silver Macy to the tender mercies of providence and Captain Penn. It would be three months before they would meet again, weather permitting. The day before the ship sailed, Lady Yee came downriver with the children. They were anxious to see their father and say farewell to Captain Penn and the crew. Lady Yee had even thought to bring gifts of fruit and sweet pastries for everyone aboard. Even the ship’s cats were included with a small basket of steamed herring. After taking on bunker coal from barges, Captain Hammond said goodbye to his ship and wished Captain Penn a swift and easy voyage. Then he sailed back upriver to his father-in-law’s compound to be with his wife and children for a well-deserved rest.

  20

  MASTER YEE had leased a handsome little compound just east of his own property for the use of Captain Hammond, his family, and servants. He employed other servants as well to look after the property and do all the cleaning. It was all rather elaborate, and Captain Hammond was moved to admit that, compared to their modest life in California, and certainly by American standards, they were living in veritable luxury twenty-four hours a day. He worried that the children would become spoiled, and worse still, that he would become spoiled and, like the lotus-eaters, never want to leave. Lady Yee smiled and said that was the prerogative of all grandparents. A desire to keep their grandchildren close can sometimes inspire great expense and secret manipulations. It was to be expected, not to be feared. She said her father was simply doing what Chinese grandfathers do whether they have money or not. Spoiling grandchildren, she claimed, was one of those ageless privileges, and as far as she could discern, one shared by all mankind.

  During most days Lady Yee visited with relatives, worked with the children on their lessons, and saw to her husband’s comforts, while Captain Hammond spent much of his time with Master Yee studying the intricacies and formalities of Chinese business practices. Buying and selling was an art form in and of itself, and gentlemen merchants prided themselves on observing certain courtly formalities. It was akin to bowing and complimenting your opponent before a duel, only in this case it was a duel of wits. And in that regard, Captain Hammond was amused to learn that the only people the Chinese held in high esteem for their trading skills were Arabs, Alexandrian Jews, and down-east Yankee traders. They disdained most European jobbers as arrogant and stupid, and took unfair advantage of them whenever possible. They thought it only fair considering all the damage the Europeans had caused in the past. They liked the Yankees more or less, despite their lack of sophistication and subtlety, primarily because they always backed a fair offer with cash on the barrelhead. Master Yee was fond of saying that the Americans were not all that bright in business either, but they were scrupulously honest, loyal to their trading partners, and didn’t dabble in Chinese politics, which made them the very best of a bad lot when it came to barbarians.

  Captain Hammond was also surprised to discover that though there was a healthy market for his California-grown rice, the Chinese didn’t enjoy eating it because it lacked the sticky consistency that gave the rice a quality they enjoyed. On the other hand, Yankee rice, once milled, made superlative rice flower, which was used in great abundance, and because of its high natural sugar content, brewers of rice wine and rice wine vinegar paid very good prices for Sacramento delta rice. Master Yee also introduced his son-in-law to the highly prized and extremely profitable Chinese markets for American tobacco, ginger, arrowroot, dried beans, and especially cured salmon, or native Indian smoked salmon. Mexican dried peppers were popular as well as American jerked beef and pork, which lasted months and was used in China to flavor foods, since fresh meat was expensive and difficult to come by for most Chinese.

  Master Yee also presented his son-in-law to other prominent Chinese traders, which proved most helpful as he planned for future return cargos. Master Yee ensured Captain Hammond’s social status and his line of credit as he had in the past. This allowed the captain to arrange to purchase goods without having to set out hard cash until he took delivery at the docks. In this respect, as well as others, Captain Hammond was once again to become the most privileged Yankee trader in Canton. As a barbarian, it was one thing to do business with the Chinese, but once a person like Captain Hammond was acknowledged as a member of an established family as prestigious as the Yee clan, then all the tides flowed in his favor. Still, it was important not to take undue advantage. The one quality all Chinese most admired was self-effacing modesty, especially in a wealthy barbarian, but one was still obliged to balance the books when it came to reciprocation, so it was critical never to overextend oneself when it came to asking favors. Captain Hammond found his education very enlightening, and he thoroughly enjoyed the company of Master Yee, who had a wry sense of humor as well as a faultless sense of the abs
urd, both necessary qualities for a man who was essentially a gambler on a very large scale.

  The weeks passed into months with no notice of time except for the coming and going of cargos, which could be remarkably fast. The captain’s first grain cargo was sold off in less than six hours, and Master Yee gained great face and respect for not gouging a starving market. Nonetheless, twenty-five tons of rice and forty tons of wheat couldn’t be expected to go very far in a city the size of Canton, and Master Yee speculated that not much of it ever left the city proper. He suggested that perhaps the next cargo should be loaded onto junks and taken inland to be sold, but either way it was obvious that three shiploads of grain would hardly make an impression on the market. What they needed was twenty or thirty cargos of similar size every three months, but the cost outlay was prohibitive, even for Master Yee and Captain Hammond. And considering the great population of southern China, not even their concerted efforts would have made any substantial impact on the problem. Nonetheless, as profits slowly returned, Master Yee took advantage of his son-in-law’s business connections in San Francisco, and arranged for a further three shipments of grain under the aegis of Hammond, Macy & Yee.

  In the meantime, Lady Yee was proving quite a success in her own right. It was incumbent upon her to take the children and go about the countryside paying formal calls on all the venerable elders in the clan to hopefully garner their blessings. She tutored the children on how they were to address their relatives, and how they were to behave. She also arranged for them to present these elderly ladies and gentlemen with appropriate gifts as signs of filial homage. Little Macy, being an unrepentant showboat, handled her part with charm and dexterity, while her little brother had to be bribed into playing his part by being promised a ride on a wooly Asian dromedary that was kept at the Canton zoological gardens for just such a purpose.