An Orphan's Journey

by Rosie Goodwin

  The four of them stayed close together as they followed her across the deck, which was so much larger than any of them had imagined it would be.

  Eventually they came to a door and they followed the woman down a steep wooden staircase that seemed to be little more than a ladder. Once at the bottom they found themselves in a long, low corridor with numerous doors leading off it. Each door was clearly numbered and after what seemed like a long time the woman stopped in front of door 22 and threw it open. They entered a low-ceilinged, narrow room with bunks beds built from floor to ceiling along each side. There was a small porthole at the end, but seeing as it looked out on to the seaweed-encrusted wall of the quayside, at present it was very dark and gloomy. There were two girls already storing their small bags beneath two of the bottom bunks, both looking as nervous as Pearl felt. They looked to be about the same age as them and Pearl rightly guessed that they had been separated into age groups.

  ‘Right, girls, you can choose whichever bunks you like,’ the woman told them. ‘There will be twelve girls to a room when the others arrive so just remember your door number. You’ll find the toilets at the very far end of this corridor should you need them, but for now I would like you all to stay in here until the ship sets sail. It’s fairly hectic up on deck getting everyone aboard, as you’ve seen, but hopefully we’ll be setting sail within the next two or three hours. You can all come up on deck then, should you wish to, and later on this morning you’ll be shown around so that you know where the dining cabin and things are.’

  With that she closed the door, and Pearl quickly chose two beds close together for herself and Eliza, and placed their bags on them.

  ‘It’s a bit bleak, ain’t it?’ Susan said glumly as they sat on their bunks.

  ‘Ah well, we’ll just ’ave to make the best of it. After all, it ain’t everybody that gets to sail in a big ship, is it?’ Pearl said, hoping to raise everyone’s spirits. ‘I’m Pearl, by the way, an’ this here is my sister Eliza.’

  ‘I’m Nancy,’ said the girl, who they would soon discover was the youngest of the group, with a smile. She was clearly excited about the new life they were going to, but the other girl remained quiet and so Pearl too fell silent. They sat listening to the hum of furious activity on the deck high above them. Beyond the door they could hear the sound of footsteps on the bare wooden floors as yet more children were shown to their sleeping quarters, and the raised voices of adults shouting instructions. Through the thin walls dividing the cabins they could hear the muted sounds of girls chatting as the rooms filled up and then the door opened and the final six girls entered to join them.

  Introductions were made, but Pearl had forgotten half their names within seconds as her thoughts turned to the siblings she had left behind, especially the baby she’d never even met – she and Eliza didn’t even know if it was a brother or a sister. She could only pray yet again that they would survive. There was nothing she could do to help them now.

  Slowly it grew slightly lighter in the cabin but with the porthole facing the dock they couldn’t see much, even as the mist cleared and a pale watery sun appeared in the sky. Suddenly Susan turned pale and gripped the side of her bed as she gasped, ‘I reckon we’re off. I’m sure I just felt the ship move.’

  Before anyone could reply the door opened and the same young woman they had seen earlier, told them, ‘We’re leaving the docks now. If any of you would like a last glimpse of England follow me up on to the deck.’

  Despite Pearl trying to convince her to come with them, Eliza chose to stay where she was, but the rest of the girls hurried after the kindly woman and very soon they were up on deck again, gazing towards the rails where girls and boys clamoured for their last sight of home. The ship was very slowly picking up speed as it left the docks and Pearl felt a lump form in her throat.

  If I ever come back here, it will be once I have made something of my life, she promised herself as she stood and watched the land slowly slip away. This would be the start of her new life, in the New World.

  Chapter Nine

  T

  he first night on the ship was surprisingly comfortable and it was nice to wake the next morning knowing they didn’t have to face a long day in the laundry.

  ‘I wonder what we’ll get fer breakfast?’ Susan said with a yawn and a stretch, thinking of her stomach as usual.

  The young lady who had shown them to their cabin had introduced herself as Miss Walker and explained that they would go to the dining cabin in sittings and that she would fetch them when it was their turn the next morning. The girls could understand that they couldn’t all possibly be fed together – there were hundreds of children aboard, let alone the crew and the people who had gone along to organise them. Susan was just worried that they might run out of food.

  ‘Did you see how much they were carrying aboard while we were waiting to get on? There was enough to feed an army fer months!’ Pearl had tried to reassure her.

  ‘Ah, but warrabout fresh water?’

  Pearl sighed. ‘They’ve already explained that we’ll be stopping at different ports along the way. And anyway, we’ll be washing ourselves and our clothes in sea water,’ Pearl pointed out.

  ‘Hm.’ Susan still wasn’t convinced as she collected her towel and they headed to the washroom. Once there they had to wait their turn to reach the sinks which they filled with jugs of water from a barrel standing on the corner.

  ‘Our clothes are gonna be stiff as boards if we ’ave to wash ’em in salt water,’ Susan complained, and Freda glared at her. She was back to her old sarcastic self and Pearl just hoped they could get through the voyage without too many squabbles.

  When their turn came to eat, they were pleasantly surprised at the food. Thick, juicy sausages, crisp rashers of bacon and doorstep wedges of fried bread.

  Things got even better when Miss Walker told them they could attend a talk that had been organised for them once the dining room had been cleared. Until then they were free to take the air on deck providing they didn’t hang over the rails or get in the sailors’ way.

  Pearl held tight to Eliza’s hand as they wandered along, marvelling at the huge sails that were flapping in the wind. Some of the children were already suffering from severe bouts of sea sickness and were confined to their cabins, but thankfully none of the girls from the workhouse had been ill as yet, although one of the girls from the Dr Barnardo’s home who was sharing their cabin had.

  As they were staring out at the vast expanse of sea, Nick came racing towards them with a broad smile on his face.

  ‘This is a bit of all right, ain’t it?’ He grinned. ‘It’s like bein’ on ’oliday, I imagine, an’ the breakfast were grand.’ He rubbed his stomach appreciatively and Susan giggled. ‘The bunk beds are comfy an’ all, ain’t they? Are yer goin’ to the talk when everyone ’as finished eatin’? Mr Briggs, who’s keepin’ an eye out fer the lads in our cabin, told me they’re goin’ to be tellin’ us what we can expect when we get there.’

  ‘Yes, I’ll be goin’,’ Pearl confirmed enthusiastically. ‘It’ll be nice to know what to expect. Better than goin’ back to our cabin just yet anyway; one o’ the girls in there ’as gone green wi’ seasickness an’ the place stinks.’

  ‘Mm, I wondered what them buckets under the bunks were for.’ Susan grinned. ‘An’ it ain’t even as if we can open a winder.’

  When they all eventually piled into the dining room where the tables had been organised into neat rows, Pearl was entranced as she listened to Miss Walker tell them of the new land they were going to, although Susan wasn’t too happy with some of what they were told.

  ‘I didn’t know they ’ad grizzly bears there.’ She shuddered. ‘Imagine comin’ face to face wi’ one o’ them, eh? I don’t much like the sound o’ the grey wolves either, nor them cougars.’

  Pearl laughed. ‘I doubt they’d hurt you if you didn’t hurt them,’ she said stoically.

  Now that she no longer had to work each day, Pearl
intended to spend some of her free time practising her alphabet on the slate that Miss Sweet had given her. She had offered to help Susan learn her alphabet too, but Susan wasn’t that interested. Already the sallow look was disappearing from her cheeks and she was looking forward to her new life.

  Pearl was beginning to relax too and even Eliza didn’t seem so tense, although she was still quiet, but then she had never had a lot to say for herself so there wasn’t really much change there. Still, Pearl lived in hope that now they were on the way to a new life her sister might come out of her shell.

  By the time they went to bed that evening, the girls were all in a mellow mood. Admittedly the smell was still not too pleasant in their cabin, despite the fact that they had propped the door open earlier in the day, but the sound of the old ship creaking and groaning was surprisingly calming and with that and all the fresh sea air, Pearl slept like a top.

  The days slid easily one into another, and for the first time in their lives Pearl and Eliza were treated kindly. Even the captain had a ready smile for the children he saw on deck and the grown-ups organised endless things to entertain them so they wouldn’t get bored. When the sailors were swabbing the decks, the children were confined to their cabins, and they would chatter and gossip, especially Nancy, who was coming out of her shell now. All in all they suddenly had a great deal of time on their hands and the majority of them took full advantage of the fact. As well as practising her letters, Pearl loved to lean on the rail watching the boat slice through the clear blue water and Nick often joined her.

  ‘I could get used to this way o’ life,’ he chuckled one day as the sun shone down on them. Because of the time spent outside, Pearl’s hair had turned a lovely platinum-blonde colour and now that it was growing longer it framed her face in soft curls. Nick secretly thought she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen, although he didn’t tell her that, of course. She was still just a kid as far as he was concerned, whereas at fourteen, he considered himself to be almost a man. ‘I wonder what this place we’ll be staying at till they find us work will be like?’ he mused. Miss Walker had told them about it that day.

  Pearl was as curious as he was. ‘Well, it sounds like a type of children’s home,’ she answered.

  ‘Hmm, but then we ain’t all little kids, are we?’ Nick was actually amongst the oldest travelling to Canada. ‘I reckon we’ll get chosen fer jobs first, bein’ amongst the oldest,’ he mused.

  Pearl nodded. ‘Probably. I bet the littler ones will stay in the home till they’re a bit older, but we’ll soon find out.’

  They stood side by side staring out across the calm waters until Freda came to stand beside them, batting her eyelids at Nick. It was obvious she’d developed a crush on him, although, could she have known it, he didn’t particularly like her. He’d heard the way she spoke to the others, especially Susan, and he didn’t like it.

  ‘All right, Nick?’

  ‘Mm, yes, ta,’ he answered shortly and without a word turned and walked away, quickly followed by Pearl who didn’t spend a moment longer than was necessary in Freda’s company.

  Later that afternoon, some ball games were organised for them on the deck, followed by a supper of cottage pie and vegetables in the dining room. The older children were amongst the last to sit down to their meal, but there was always plenty of food left and Pearl wondered how the cooks managed it.

  She felt content as she snuggled down in her bunk that evening and stared dreamily at the star-studded sky through the small porthole, and soon she drifted into a peaceful sleep.

  But it didn’t last long as in the early hours of the morning, Pearl started awake. The ship was juddering and swaying alarmingly and she realised they were experiencing their first storm. Outside the porthole jagged flashes of lightning were lighting the sky and deep rumbles of thunder seemed to be rocking the boat as it rose and fell on the high waves like a cork.

  ‘Gawd love us! What the bleedin’ ’ell is goin’ on?’ Susan had just woken and was gripping the edge of her bunk for all she was worth. Two of the girls started to sob, and clambering out of her own bunk Pearl made her way unsteadily over to Eliza, wrapping her protectively in her arms while some of the other girls were violently seasick into buckets put in the cabin for just such a time.

  ‘Ain’t it bloody typical. I fought it were too good to last,’ Susan complained chokily. ‘There we was ’aving the time of us lives an’ now we’re gonna end up as bleedin’ fish food.’

  Her words made some of the other girls cry even harder as the ship lurched and shifted.

  ‘Come on, you lot! Panickin’ ain’t goin’ to help us, is it? Just hold tight an’ I’ll bet it’ll all blow over in no time. The sailors know what they’re doin’ an’ they won’t let us sink,’ Pearl told them sternly.

  There was no answer save for the sound of people vomiting and once again the acrid smell was overpowering. Suddenly there was another loud crack of thunder and the heavens opened and a deluge of rain lashed against the porthole as if it was trying to get in. At that moment there was a tap on the door and Miss Walker entered, hanging on to the door handle for dear life as the movement of the ship threw her from side to side.

  ‘Underneath your mattresses you’ll find a strap, girls,’ she told them, trying to contain her panic. She was still in her dressing robe and with her hair loose about her shoulders she looked very different to the neat and tidy young woman they were used to seeing. ‘Tie them around yourselves and don’t attempt to get out of your bunks until I come back to tell you to. And try not to be frightened. I’m sure this ship has survived many a storm,’ she ended tremulously. The girls instantly began to rummage beneath the thin mattresses and Pearl stopped to help Eliza into hers before climbing up and doing her own. Soon they were all strapped in but it didn’t stop them from being afraid. Some of them were still vomiting but now they were merely leaning over the side of their bunks and the smell made Pearl feel nauseous too.

  ‘I just want yer to know, Pearl, that I fink the world o’ yer,’ Susan said solemnly as tears trickled down her cheeks. ‘I ain’t never ’ad a proper friend afore.’

  ‘Oh, don’t talk like that,’ Pearl scolded. ‘We’ll be back in calm waters in no time, you’ll see.’

  But despite her brave words, she wasn’t so sure. What if none of them made it to the new life they had been promised? What if they all ended up in Davey Jones’s locker never to see the light of day again? She fell silent and prayed as she had never prayed before.

  As the endless night wore on, the girls could hear shouting as the sailors above tried to steer the ship through the storm. Eventually the cabin grew lighter as dawn streaked the dark sky and after what seemed like a lifetime, the ship began to feel a little steadier.

  ‘I think we’re through the worst,’ Pearl whispered hopefully but Susan didn’t hear her. As terrified as she was, she had fallen asleep through sheer exhaustion. Some of the other girls were sleeping too although some were still crying and praying aloud. In the light filtering in through the porthole Pearl could see that the cabin floor was awash with vomit and the sight made her stomach revolt.

  At last Miss Walker appeared again, dressed this time, and smiled at them, though she looked thoroughly tired out.

  ‘The worst is over, girls, but please stay where you are for a while longer. It’s pandemonium up on deck. One of the masts was damaged during the storm so goodness knows what time they will be able to prepare breakfast. Are you all all right?’ Her eyes fastened on the youngest girl in the room. Nancy was lying unnaturally quietly with her hand flopping limply across the side of the bed and when Miss Walker had waded through the disgusting mess on the floor to get to her, her face paled. She hurried away, only to return minutes later with a burly sailor, who lifted Nancy from her bed and bore her away as if she weighed no more than a feather.

  ‘What’s wrong wi’ Nancy, miss?’ Susan enquired worriedly.

  Miss Walker merely shook her head. ‘I have no idea, Susan,
but just lie patiently for a while longer.’ And with that she was gone.

  The minutes ticked away and slowly the boat stopped rocking and things were calm again.

  ‘Phew, that were a close ’un,’ Susan declared as she unfastened the strap holding her to the bed and sat up. Some of the other girls did the same. They all looked pale and frightened but at least they had survived.

  It was well after eleven o’clock in the morning before they were allowed to head for the dining hall but after the night they’d had none of them were really hungry.

  ‘I’m so sorry, girls, but I’m afraid Nancy didn’t make it,’ Miss Walker told them sadly when they entered the room. ‘There will be a short memorial service for her later this afternoon.’

  ‘What!’ Susan sputtered. The girls were horrified. Nancy had been such a sweet young girl.

  ‘The doctor thinks she had a weak heart that had probably never been detected,’ Miss Walker said.

  Many of the girls, including Freda and Susan, began to cry, but Pearl stood in stunned disbelief as a picture of little Nancy’s smiling face flashed in front of her eyes. She couldn’t believe she would never see her again and tears started to slide down her cheeks. She had seemed so alive, so excited to be on board and to have this opportunity. To think that flame had gone out and she was dead was terrible. She was only a couple of months younger than Eliza, just eleven years old.

  ‘But why can’t we wait till we get to Canada to bury ’er?’ Susan asked in a shaky voice. She didn’t like the thought of Nancy being tossed over the side of the ship into a watery grave, and she’d heard that’s what happened with burials at sea.

  ‘I’m afraid it wouldn’t be wise,’ Miss Walker told her gently. ‘And so if any of you wish to attend the service to say your goodbyes be on deck at three o’clock. Meanwhile, I suggest you get some mops and buckets and clean your cabin up. I’m afraid everyone is far too busy trying to put right the storm damage to help you.’