Sanctuary

Chapter 1 - The Island

St Helena, Atlantic Ocean

The appearance of ships in Manati Bay was not an uncommon sight. Under the rule of the British East India Company, the island had been a lively centre of activity for over 150 years and had had some memorable visits by such men as Captain Cook and Napoleon, sent in his exile to the quiet, isolated beauty of the area.

But, in the early 1840s, after all the naval ships had ceased patrolling and the East India Company had passed control to the British Crown, the arrival of a strange vessel in the bay attracted the attention of both the inhabitants and occupiers. She was not a grand ship; her whole being seemed to strain and labour like some great weight was pressing down upon her, or maybe pulling her down by the keel. The sails caught the wind but when she anchored, they appeared to breathe a sigh of relief. Any person who saw her in the bay said to their partners that she was indeed odd, yet they whispered it as if by saying it louder would curse her even more than she already looked to be.

The name was unfamiliar too – not of a place they knew, or some superlative word to praise her, nor some notable man or woman, but the 'Pequod'. It had a bizarre air to it.

Two men came from her and began the lengthy walk through the rocks and hills to the British station overlooking the harbour. They were not so different from many men but they were of 'that ship' as she soon came to be known and so were greeted by captivated stares as they advanced along. Two officers in the trading post cast almost sneering gazes at them when they passed to go to headquarters.

''American whalemen,'' one said disapprovingly. The other chuckled.

''You can tell from just one look?''

''What other type of men would come to this godforsaken island in the middle of nowhere?''

They soon returned to the little building though and one of them pointed directly at it. The two officers within glanced at each other knowingly. ''Oh good Lord,'' they said. ''Hold on to your nose!''

But as they entered, the officers smiled in a fake show of hospitality and stood for them. ''Good afternoon, gentlemen,'' they greeted. The taller man returned their smile much more genuinely and shook their hands. The other man, shorter and with a pipe stuck in his mouth, stayed by the door, gazing intently at the maps on the wall like an Inspector General.

''Good afternoon to you, sirs,'' the first man said and ignored how the officers slyly wiped their hands on their trousers. ''Starbuck, first mate of the Nantucket whaleship Pequod, and my second mate, Mr Stubb.'' He turned and seeing Stubb studying the pictures on the wall, called him to his side. He smiled heartily without taking the pipe from his mouth and rigorously shook their hands, causing them afterwards to rub at their wrists. Stubb laughed.

''A firm grip is all a man needs!'' he said. Starbuck glanced sideways at him.

''You must excuse my partner, sirs. All his life at sea and I think he's quite forgotten how to act on land.''

''Ha ha, Mr Starbuck! There is no part of me that wants to act on land!''

The officers looked at each other then to hurry along the conversation, one asked, ''what can we do for you, sir?''

''I have been sent to procure some citrus fruits for the men. It appears we were somehow stocked with numbers below our quota. And Lord forbid if scurvy should break out because of it.''

''And between you and I – oh! If we haven't already had some share of bad luck!'' remarked Stubb.

''A ship stocked with too few citrus fruits?'' one of the officers asked with a strange element to his voice. ''It sounds a terrible oversight on someone's part – or maybe your ship's oddity stretches beyond her appearance.''

Starbuck looked at him as if he hadn't heard him correctly.

''I'm sure something can be arranged,'' continued his colleague.

''I only have American money,'' Starbuck said. ''I'm sure that will not be a problem?''

''Oh – no, sir.'' The officers looked at the money and held it gingerly as if it had been infected by some horrible substance. They quickly stored it away and one of them walked out of the back of the building after whispering something almost conspiratorially to his partner.

''Lieutenant Jones shall organise the provisions for you.''

''Thank you, sir.''

''…and if it is food you are here for, then St Helena's forests may provide you well – if your seamen are game for the hunt. If they can handle it.''

Stubb laughed. ''Oh, sir, maybe you did not hear Mr Starbuck, or perhaps you did not observe our ship rightly! We are whalemen, some of the best hunters out of all New Bedford! We are always game for the hunt! Sir, we live on it!''

''Mr Stubb,'' said Starbuck firmly to quiet him. He turned back to the still grinning officer. ''Sir, I believe if your men can handle such a hunt, then our men surely can.''

''Oh ho ho!'' Stubb chuckled approvingly. The grin disappeared from the man's face.

''Thank you, sir, for the information,'' Starbuck said evenly. ''I will return with some good men, collect our provisions and grasp your hunt by the tail. With our captain's permission.''

As they departed, Stubb had trouble controlling his joyous laughter and they again drew the attention of the people of the island. ''Oh, sir, bless your soul, it is one matter for me to insult such a man but quite another for a God-fearing fine man such as yourself to do so! Oh ha ha, did you see the look on his face? Ho ho, we certainly dashed the wind from his sails!''

Stubb continued his personal monologue, all the while chortling vigorously, until they reached the small village that had grown up around the shore. The Pequod was floating silently out on the water, so quietly one might have thought she was a ghost ship. The two men had not seen her in this way since the distant days of Nantucket and watching from her from the land had a profound effect. Starbuck thought it may have been her almost tangible sense of melancholy that had stopped Stubb's laughter. She was already old and weary and with the sun behind her, she appeared almost blackened with emotion. It was as if she was trembling, yet both of them knew it must have been the steady motion of the waves beneath her causing that illusion. Still, it was the first time she had paused and she seemed nigh on ready to break, maybe with fatigue or perhaps anticipation of what was to come after this brief sanctuary.

''What do you wager the captain will say to our stopping for the hunt?'' Stubb asked after some time of seemingly reverent silence. Starbuck found he had to look from the ship such was her quiet sadness.

''I do not know what he shall say,'' he said. ''Yet it would be –''

He could not find the words. It would be nice to stop? Pleasant? Relieving? Vital for the ship and her crew?

''I very much would welcome the pause, Mr Starbuck, if you allow me to say so. Despite what I said before to that dense man, it would be pleasing to feel the land again.''

Starbuck nodded but it was not the stability of the land he was thinking of. After a life on the water, the decks of a ship felt far more even than the earthly ground. ''I will make my best case, Mr Stubb,'' he said. Stubb's laughter returned.

''Oh ho, Mr Starbuck, if the calling of the waves should ever cease for you, the courts would greet you warmly!''

Starbuck smiled distantly and together, they walked down to the softly lapping water.

TBC

...so I decided to try a multi-chapter Moby Dick story. Because I couldn't resist!

I say this might be slightly lighter than the other two but ha, no, probably not. So don't hold me to that. Although I'll try to add some 'lighter' moments in. Try.

I'm not entirely sure how likely it would be that the Pequod would stop on its journey with Ahab quite as obsessed as he is, yet St Helena is (what I think) a credible choice to pause at for a couple of days. And citrus fruits, well, I guess that's pretty essential against scurvy. Anyway, sorry, okay, I'm done with the notes. Let's just say they stop...and this story is based on what I think would happen/would like to happen aha!

Thank you all so much for the feedback on my Moby Dick fanfiction so far. You're all amazing!