He shifted in his chair. “Ye’d be better off asking your pap about her.”
“I don’t believe he’d say, sir. I’ll ask him one of these days, if I ever go home again. But I was wondering. You seemed to remember her mighty well, considering you’d only seen her once, in a picture in a locket at Yorktown. Kind of odd how she stuck in your mind’s eye for nineteen years.”
He leaned back with his hands behind his head. “Forget about position, boy. Lay alongside and fire away. What’s on your mind?”
“I think you still have that locket, sir. I’d like to see it.”
“Ye never knowed her. Ye can’t have any sentimental reasons for wanting it.”
I looked him in the eye. “Sentiment don’t enter into it, sir. If I’m a man of color, I want to know.”
He pulled at his chin. “Some things are best left hid.”
“I’ll take that chance, sir. I have a right to know.”
“Do ye now? I don’t recall that particular one being spelled out.” He thought about it awhile. His eyes were as blue and empty as the sky. Then he reached into the side pocket of his uniform coat and held out a closed hand. “You’re sure now?”
“I am.”
He opened his hand, and in it was a tarnished pewter locket on a broken chain. “Go home, Mr. Graves,” he said as I took it from him. “I can manage without ye for a bit.”
It was a tiny heart-shaped bit of nothing, dented along one side and grimy with age. I pressed the catch and the lid sprang open. My mother smiled out at me, delicate and pretty, hardly more than a girl. I searched her face for my lips, my nose, my eyes, my chin—all there, all there. And like my own, her eyes were dark and her hair was black and curly. But her curls fell long and loose around pale shoulders, and her cheeks were pink as roses.
I shut my fist around the locket. I knew why my father hated me.
Author’s Historical Note
This is a work of historical fiction, with the emphasis on that word fiction. The major events in the book and the people who brought them about are real enough, but I have condensed some people and eliminated others entirely. Jean-Jacques Dessalines besieged Alexandre Pétion at Jacmel, and the fall of that town on the evening of March 10–11, 1800, effectively marked the end of the War of Knives. Henri Christophe was there with his two demi-brigades, but from most accounts he wasn’t nearly as charming as I’ve depicted him. Toussaint L’Ouverture seems to have been everywhere at once, sometimes as himself, sometimes as Grandfather Chatterbox, and sometimes as strategic imposters. An American frigate helped force the issue by bombarding the fortress, but that ship was the General Greene, 28, commanded by Captain Christopher Perry. Perry’s son Oliver Hazard was along for the ride, as a fourteen-year-old midshipman in the General Greene, but as he accomplished nothing of note during the siege I assigned his dramatic duties to Dick Towson.
Toussaint wrote on March 16 to Edward Stevens, the U.S. Consul General at Santo Domingo, to express with “most intense joy” his gratitude for “the signal and important services which [Captain Perry] has rendered me,” but he doesn’t specify the nature of the help. Perhaps of most moment to him was that Perry had chased away a privateer brig that had been annoying the small flotilla that Toussaint had assembled to blockade the town. He doesn’t mention L’Heureuse Rencontre by name, but there’s no doubt Toussaint’s ships scattered when she hove over the horizon, otherwise Matty would have seen them in the bay.
I painted Pétion and André Rigaud with particularly broad strokes. They were inveterate intriguers, but so far as I know neither was ever involved in a plot to transport the slave rebellion to the United States or to invade Mexico. Certainly Americans feared the first possibility, and that the second was considered more than once is evidenced by the ease with which Aaron Burr, James Wilkinson, and others were discovered in their later conspiracy to carve an empire out of what were then northern Mexico and the southwestern United States—if, indeed, that was their aim. At any rate, if Mr. Connor had consulted a lawyer before he set out, he might have realized he wasn’t on such shaky legal ground as he thought. The only charge that stuck against Burr was a misdemeanor, and the case was thrown out on a technicality.
A number of people helped me during the writing of this book. I am particularly indebted to Jackie Swift for her insight and humor, to Rick Crawford for his help with Sergeant Cahoon’s boggish brogue, and to Walter Mladina for the swell photograph and his help with French idioms. The inevitable mistakes are my own and not theirs.
B.C.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Glossary
aback, a sail is said to be aback when the wind presses it against the mast, driving the vessel sternward.
abaft, to the rear of a vessel.
abeam, toward or from the side of a vessel.
aft, after, toward, in, or from the stern.
alee, away from the wind.
alligator pear, avocado.
amidships, toward or in the center of a vessel.
astern, toward the rear of a vessel.
athwart, across.
avast, ’vast, given as a command to stop what one is doing.
belay, to make secure, as with a LINE to a BELAYING PIN. Also given as a command to disregard a previous command.
belaying pin, a usually wooden dowel of about 18 inches long, fitted through a rail along the inboard side of a bulwark or at the base of a mast, and used to secure the RUNNING RIGGING.
bend, to attach securely but temporarily, as a sail to a SPAR.
binnacle, a cabinet that houses a ship’s compass.
bit, an eighth of a REAL.
black vomit, YELLOW FEVER.
boarding net, a rope latticework meant to keep enemies from coming over the rail.
boarding pike, a spear used by sailors.
boom,a SPAR to which the foot of a fore-and-aft sail is attached. Also a pole used to push a hazard away.
bosun, or boatswain, the senior WARRANT OFFICER charged with the care of a ship’s boats and rigging, and often with disciplining the enlisted men.
bosun’s mate,a PETTY OFFICER who assists the bosun and flogs the men as required.
bow, or bows, the forward part of a vessel.
bowse, to lift or drag using ropes and pulleys.
bowsprit, a heavy SPAR to which the foremast STAYS and HEADSAIL gear are attached.
brace, a line attached to the end of a YARD and used to trim it fore or aft.
brail, a line used to haul the foot of a sail up or in.
broadside, a vessel’s artillery considered as a whole, or the GUNS along one side.
cable, a heavy ROPE to which an anchor might be attached or that might be used to MOOR a vessel. In the U.S. and British navies its length was calculated at 100 FATHOMS, which was conveniently close to a tenth of a nautical mile.
cable tier, the place in a vessel where a CABLE is stowed.
can, a tankard.
cane knife, a machete.
canister, a projectile made of small shot in a metal case.
Cap Français, the principal city and former capital of SAINT-DÓMINGUE: Cap-Haïtien (or Kapayisyen), Haiti.
capstan, a vertical winch, useful for moving heavy objects such as anchors.
captain, the top commissioned rank in the U.S. Navy, equivalent to an Army or Marine major, lieutenant-colonel, or colonel, depending on his seniority; by convention, the commander of any vessel. Also the senior man at a given station, as captain of the foretop.
carbine, a short musket meant for cavalry use.
cat, a heavy timber projecting from the bow and that keeps an anchor from damaging the side of the vessel.
cat-o’-nine-tails, a whip of nine strands, each about 18 inches long and affixed to a hempen or wooden handle.
chains, the gear that secures the base of the SHROUDS.
chain shot,a ROUND SHOT cut in half and reconnected by a chain.
channel, from chain-wale, an outboard platform on either si
de of each mast that serves as a base for the shrouds.
chasseurs à cheval, soldiers armed as light infantry but mounted on horses. In some services they were armed as HUSSARS but were considered inferior to them.
cheer’ly, quickly, with a will.
chef-de-brigade, a French rank equivalent to a colonel or brigadier general.
cheval-de-frise, a piece of timber with sharpened stakes put through it, laid horizontally in front of a breastwork or trench to discourage unwanted visitors.
Chips, nickname for a ship’s carpenter.
clew, either of the lower corners of a SQUARE sail or the aftermost one of a FORE-AND-AFT sail.
coatee, a jacket with a high waist and short tails.
commandant, the rank of major in the French army.
commissioned officer, in the U.S. Navy, an officer nominated and confirmed by the Senate. The category included captains, masters commandant, and lieutenants, who could be promoted, and surgeons, surgeon’s mates, and (later) pursers, who could not.
commodore, the temporary commander of a naval squadron.
companion, companionway, a stairwell aboard ship.
conn, to steer or direct the steering of a vessel.
cook, the WARRANT OFFICER who supervised the cooking of the enlisted men’s food. Officers had their own cooks.
corvette,a SHIP-rigged MAN-OF-WAR with a single row of GUNS, FLUSH-DECKED and smaller than a FRIGATE.
coxswain, a man in charge of a boat and its crew; he usually steers as well.
Creole, a French or Spanish colonial born in the Americas, sometimes but not always of mixed race; also a patois of various European and African languages, specifically the French Creole that evolved into the language now spoken in Haiti.
cuirassiers, heavy cavalry equipped with a steel helmet and breastplate and mounted on large, powerful horses.
cutlass, a short heavy-bladed sword used by sailors.
cutter, a fast-sailing single-masted vessel, used to carry dispatches or for reconnaissance. Also a broad ship’s boat that could be rowed or sailed.
Damballah, in voudou, father of the loa, represented by a snake.
dirk, a long dagger carried by midshipmen as a badge of rank.
Doc, nickname for a Navy cook.
dogwatch, either of a pair of two-hour watches, from 4 to 6 pm and 6 to 8 pm
dragoons, light cavalry that could fight on horse or on foot. They carried SABERS and CARBINES, and often wore a distinctive leather or brass helmet.
fathom, a unit of measure equal to six feet. To fathom something is to understand it.
flush-decked, lacking a raised QUARTERDECK.
fo’c’s’le, loosely, the forward part of the WEATHER DECK. From forecastle, a fighting platform once carried on a warship’s bow.
fore, toward or associated with the front of a vessel.
fore-and-aft, trending along a vessel’s centerline. Fore-and-aft hat:a bicorn worn with the points to the front and rear.
frigate, a fast ship of war usually armed with 28 to 50 guns that were carried, in theory, on a single deck, and which was meant to cruise alone as a scout or marauder.
fusiliers, lightly armed infantry, often used as skirmishers.
gaff,a SPAR to which the HEAD of a FORE-AND-AFT sail is attached.
garrote, a piece of rope or wire used for strangling.
gen du couleur, lit. “person of color,” a MULATTO.
gig, a small ship’s boat often reserved for the CAPTAIN’S use.
grand blanc, a white French colonist of the upper class.
grape shot, an artillery projectile made of small shot in a bag or wired around a dowel.
great gun, a piece of artillery firing shot of at least three pounds.
grenadiers, elite infantry, originally composed of a regiment’s largest men and used to lead assaults. By 1800, steadiness and experience were considered of greater importance than size.
griffe, a person who is of one-quarter European descent.
grog, watered-down booze.
Guadeloupe, a French island in the Lesser Antilles.
gun, a cannon; GREAT GUN.
gunner, the senior WARRANT OFFICER charged with the maintenance of a ship’s artillery and small arms. Loosely, someone who operates a gun.
gunroom, the cabin where the junior WARRANT OFFICERS ate.
gunwale, the topmost part of a vessel’s side, so called because guns were once mounted there. Pronounced “gun’l.”
gwo bla, CREOLE for GRAND BLANC.
handsomely, gently.
handspike, a length of wood used to move a gun laterally or turn the CAPSTAN.
hanger, a sword of medium length and weight designed to hang comfortably at the side of a man on foot; it was the weapon of choice among naval officers.
haul, to haul one’s wind: to sail to windward, particularly to avoid an enemy to LEEWARD.
hawse, the place between a vessel’s bow and where its anchor cable enters the water. To cross someone’s hawse: to provoke unwisely. hawse-hole, a hole in the bow through which the mooring CABLE passes.
head, the foremost part of a vessel, and by extension a toilet, because sailors relieved themselves from the head. Also the upper edge of a sail.
headsail, a sail set between the bowsprit and the forward mast.
heave-to, to hold a ship in place by setting one or more of its sails ABACK; past tense is hove-to.
Hispaniola, the large island lying between Cuba and Puerto Rico and containing the colonies of SAINT-DÓMINGUE and SANTO DOMINGO.
hogshead, a large barrel for holding liquids, usually about 63 gallons by U.S. measure.
holystone, a block of sandstone used to clean a deck by scraping it.
houngan,a voudou high priest, also called a papa.
hussars, elite light cavalry, known for élan and fancy uniforms.
jack, Jack Tar: a naval sailor. Every man jack: everyone present. Foremast jack: an enlisted man.
jib, any of the outer FORE-AND-AFT HEADSAILS.
jib boom, a moveable SPAR extending from the BOWSPRIT.
Johnny Crappo, U.S. Navy slang for a Frenchman. From Jean Crapaud (“John Toad”).
jolly boat, a small rowboat with a wide stern, carried aboard a sailing vessel and used for light work.
katye jeneral, a military headquarters (CREOLE).
knot, an analogous measurement of a ship’s speed, calculated by letting out a LINE knotted at certain intervals (usually 47 feet three inches) for a certain amount of time (usually 28 seconds).
ladder, a stairway aboard ship.
langridge, loose pieces of metal or glass used as ammunition.
larboard, to the left of a vessel’s centerline; loosely, to the left.
launch, LONGBOAT.
lead, a lead weight attached to a line used for measuring depth; also the entire apparatus. Often it had a concave tip that could be loaded with wax or clay for determining the composition of the sea floor.
Le Cap, cap français.
leeward, downwind.
leg, to make a leg: to bow deeply with the forward leg extended.
Legba, in VOUDOU, the intermediary between humans and the LOA.
lieutenant,a COMMISSIONED OFFICER ranking below a CAPTAIN and above a WARRANT OFFICER.
lieutenant-de-vesseau, a French grade of SEA LIEUTENANT.
line,a ROPE that is attached to something.
loa,a VOUDOU spirit, similar to a saint or angel.
loblolly boy, an assistant to a naval surgeon.
lobster, a jeering word for a REDCOAT.
log-line, a knotted ROPE (the “line”) attached to a wedge-shaped piece of wood (the “log”), used to determine a vessel’s speed in KNOTS.
longboat, a large ship’s-boat, usually with a removable mast and sails.
loo’ard, LEEWARD.
lubber, an ignorant or clumsy person.
magazine, a room where gunpowder was stowed and where cartridges were made.
mainmast, the chief mast when there’s more than one.
mainsail, the principal means of propulsion in a sailing vessel.
man-of-war, an armed vessel belonging to a government navy.
marine, an amphibious soldier. U.S. Marines stood sentry at sea, but did no actual shipboard work.
marline spike, a long blunt iron needle used for splicing cordage.
master, the commander of a merchantman; see also SAILING MASTER.
master commandant, a sometime rank in the U.S. Navy between LIEUTENANT AND CAPTAIN.
master’s mate, a senior MIDSHIPMAN or PETTY OFFICER, often but not necessarily an assistant to the SAILING MASTER.
mechanic, an artisan or machinist.
merchantman, a private trading vessel.
mess, a cabin where food was eaten, or a group that customarily ate together. The officers’ messes often contributed a set amount toward making large purchases, as for livestock or liquor.
messenger, an endless ROPE passing around a CAPSTAN and to which a heavier one, such as an anchor CABLE, might be attached.
midshipman, a (usually young) WARRANT OFFICER training to be a commissioned officer.
mizzenmast, the one behind the MAINMAST.
monkey, a mug made of wood or tarred leather.
moor, to fix a vessel in place by means of a ROPE or ropes.
mulatto, loosely, a person of mixed race; specifically, half European and half African.
murdering-piece, SWIVEL GUN.
nankeen, a lightweight cotton fabric.
octaroon, a person who is of one-eighth African descent.
paw-paw, papaya.
petit blanc, a white French colonist of the middle or lower class.
petty officer, a noncommissioned officer usually specializing in a particular task, as a BOSUN’S MATE or QUARTERMASTER.
picaroon, a West Indian privateer of questionable legality.
piece of eight, the Spanish silver dollar, or peso, which circulated widely in the Americas and was worth eight REALES. It was commonly chopped into eight bits, each in theory worth twelve and a half cents American (hence “two bits,” a quarter dollar), although coins worth one-half to four reales were also minted.
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