Usual disclaimers... and I still hate them!
***
It was just before dawn and Jack and Catherine were dressing when they first heard the noise - a high pitched shouting and screaming interspersed with deeper yowls. Jack frowned, realising the noise was getting closer. "What the..." he muttered, as the doors to the cabin were hauled open.
"Sorry Captain," William Hawker apologised as he deposited the source of the noise before him.
A small black boy looked up at them, frightened now that he was surrounded by adults. "Well, well, well," Jack muttered. "It's been a while since we had a stowaway!" He looked closely at the small boy. "What's yer name boy?" He frowned - the child could be no more than seven or eight if he was that.
"M... M... Moses Sir... Moses Smith." The boy looked up fearfully. "You won't take me back, will you Sir?" he pleaded.
"Well that depends Moses... if yer are goin' t' attack m' crew again?" He looked to William who was rubbing his hand, small teeth marks clearly visible. "Where did yer find him?"
"In the cable locker Captain," William sighed. "Must have scrambled up the anchor cable - he's skinny enough to get in that way!"
"Kitty?" Jack looked up as she emerged from their side cabin.
Catherine sighed, quickly taking in the scene. "Well you'd best heat some water William and I'll prepare a bath..." she said softly.
Moses' head whirled, surprised to hear a woman's voice. "Bath?" he squeaked.
"I'm surprised William didn't smell you before he saw you!" She sniffed. "Bath!" The two men looked at her in amazement. "What?" Catherine protested. "You can't exactly throw him overboard and I'm not having that stench onboard!" She looked at William's hand closely. "Nasty! I'd get Ned to see to that - small boys are vicious foes!" She glanced sideways at Moses. "He can stay if he is a hard worker..." she began.
"I'll work hard..." Moses promised, looking up at them hopefully.
"Yes, yer will!" Jack sighed, knowing Catherine was right. He opened some of the stern windows, realising she was also right about the necessity of a bath. "An' no attackin' m' crew! Savvy?"
Moses did not know what Jack meant by savvy but understood that he was staying. He nodded enthusiastically. "I'll be good Sir!" he beamed.
"I'll find th' bath," Jack sighed as he headed out of the cabin. "Hawker - heat th' water!"
***
Moses looked at the bath water worriedly.
"Come on," Catherine smiled reassuringly. "Let's get those clothes off you..."
"Can't I keep them on?" he squeaked.
She laughed. "Silly! You cannot take a bath with your clothes on!" Quickly, before he could protest further she slipped his shirt over his head. "Wha..." Catherine went white in shock. Moses' back was covered with welts, angry, red and definitely recent. Older, half-healed welts could be seen beneath the new ones.
"I wasn't bad!" Moses protested, frightened. "Honest I wasn't!"
"Moses!" she gasped. "Who did this to you?"
His eyes dropped to the floor. "The Overseer..." he said quietly.
"You were a slave?" Catherine asked quietly.
Moses nodded fearfully. "You won't send me back... will you?" he panicked.
Catherine smiled, shaking her head. "We have no slaves on this ship Moses. All are free men - and that includes you!" She sighed. "But I think we need to get Ned to look at your back. Hopefully he has something to ease the pain..." She rose, walking across to the cabin doors, spotting Isaac Hallam nearby. "Isaac, can you find Ned for me please..."
"Eh?" Jack looked over the rail from the quarterdeck as Isaac went in search of Ned Cotton. "What's th' matter?"
"Come see," she said quietly. "Moses has been badly whipped..." Jack frowned as he walked down the stairs, reaching Catherine at the same time as Ned. They followed her back into the cabin. "Moses, let Ned see your back..." She crouched down beside him, smiling as she turned him around so that the men could see where he had been whipped. She saw Jack's face darken - she knew he hated slavery and slavery of children was the worst. "Do you have some salve or something Ned?" she asked quietly.
Ned Cotton nodded, smiling as he quickly left the cabin whilst Catherine removed the last of the Moses' clothes and helped him climb into the bath. Gently she washed his back where the welts were the worst, but scrubbed more vigorously elsewhere. When he was done she wrapped him in a blanket whilst she washed his clothes.
"Do you fancy some food?" she asked, unsurprised at his enthusiastic nodding. "Keep the blanket round you whilst your clothes dry and come with me to the galley. With luck Jean Claude has already prepared breakfast, else you will have to wait for me to cook..." She offered him her hand, relieved when he took it, and they walked out of the cabin together towards the galley.
Catherine was relieved to see that Jean Claude had indeed cooked and sat at the trestle happily with two bowls of breakfast. She pushed one across to Moses who ate eagerly.
"Everyone, this is Moses," she introduced. "He is crew and will be working with you from now on." Muttered greetings welcomed the child. Catherine noticed that he had already finished his bowl. "If you want more, go to the galley and Jean Claude will give you some," she smiled. He dashed off. When he was out of earshot she continued. "He has been badly treated... I trust that you will all treat him well and see he is happy," she cautioned.
A chorus of "Ayes" greeted her comment and when Moses returned he found himself included in the general table banter that usually accompanied mealtimes. She frowned, noticing Jedidiah rise from the other end of the trestle. She had not noticed him there and was glad that she had not said anything that Jack would worry about. He stared at Moses as he walked past, returning his bowl to the galley before walking out on deck. Something about him and his stare set her teeth on edge. Jack was right - the sooner they were rid of their passenger the better.
***
It was just before dawn and Jack and Catherine were dressing when they first heard the noise - a high pitched shouting and screaming interspersed with deeper yowls. Jack frowned, realising the noise was getting closer. "What the..." he muttered, as the doors to the cabin were hauled open.
"Sorry Captain," William Hawker apologised as he deposited the source of the noise before him.
A small black boy looked up at them, frightened now that he was surrounded by adults. "Well, well, well," Jack muttered. "It's been a while since we had a stowaway!" He looked closely at the small boy. "What's yer name boy?" He frowned - the child could be no more than seven or eight if he was that.
"M... M... Moses Sir... Moses Smith." The boy looked up fearfully. "You won't take me back, will you Sir?" he pleaded.
"Well that depends Moses... if yer are goin' t' attack m' crew again?" He looked to William who was rubbing his hand, small teeth marks clearly visible. "Where did yer find him?"
"In the cable locker Captain," William sighed. "Must have scrambled up the anchor cable - he's skinny enough to get in that way!"
"Kitty?" Jack looked up as she emerged from their side cabin.
Catherine sighed, quickly taking in the scene. "Well you'd best heat some water William and I'll prepare a bath..." she said softly.
Moses' head whirled, surprised to hear a woman's voice. "Bath?" he squeaked.
"I'm surprised William didn't smell you before he saw you!" She sniffed. "Bath!" The two men looked at her in amazement. "What?" Catherine protested. "You can't exactly throw him overboard and I'm not having that stench onboard!" She looked at William's hand closely. "Nasty! I'd get Ned to see to that - small boys are vicious foes!" She glanced sideways at Moses. "He can stay if he is a hard worker..." she began.
"I'll work hard..." Moses promised, looking up at them hopefully.
"Yes, yer will!" Jack sighed, knowing Catherine was right. He opened some of the stern windows, realising she was also right about the necessity of a bath. "An' no attackin' m' crew! Savvy?"
Moses did not know what Jack meant by savvy but understood that he was staying. He nodded enthusiastically. "I'll be good Sir!" he beamed.
"I'll find th' bath," Jack sighed as he headed out of the cabin. "Hawker - heat th' water!"
***
Moses looked at the bath water worriedly.
"Come on," Catherine smiled reassuringly. "Let's get those clothes off you..."
"Can't I keep them on?" he squeaked.
She laughed. "Silly! You cannot take a bath with your clothes on!" Quickly, before he could protest further she slipped his shirt over his head. "Wha..." Catherine went white in shock. Moses' back was covered with welts, angry, red and definitely recent. Older, half-healed welts could be seen beneath the new ones.
"I wasn't bad!" Moses protested, frightened. "Honest I wasn't!"
"Moses!" she gasped. "Who did this to you?"
His eyes dropped to the floor. "The Overseer..." he said quietly.
"You were a slave?" Catherine asked quietly.
Moses nodded fearfully. "You won't send me back... will you?" he panicked.
Catherine smiled, shaking her head. "We have no slaves on this ship Moses. All are free men - and that includes you!" She sighed. "But I think we need to get Ned to look at your back. Hopefully he has something to ease the pain..." She rose, walking across to the cabin doors, spotting Isaac Hallam nearby. "Isaac, can you find Ned for me please..."
"Eh?" Jack looked over the rail from the quarterdeck as Isaac went in search of Ned Cotton. "What's th' matter?"
"Come see," she said quietly. "Moses has been badly whipped..." Jack frowned as he walked down the stairs, reaching Catherine at the same time as Ned. They followed her back into the cabin. "Moses, let Ned see your back..." She crouched down beside him, smiling as she turned him around so that the men could see where he had been whipped. She saw Jack's face darken - she knew he hated slavery and slavery of children was the worst. "Do you have some salve or something Ned?" she asked quietly.
Ned Cotton nodded, smiling as he quickly left the cabin whilst Catherine removed the last of the Moses' clothes and helped him climb into the bath. Gently she washed his back where the welts were the worst, but scrubbed more vigorously elsewhere. When he was done she wrapped him in a blanket whilst she washed his clothes.
"Do you fancy some food?" she asked, unsurprised at his enthusiastic nodding. "Keep the blanket round you whilst your clothes dry and come with me to the galley. With luck Jean Claude has already prepared breakfast, else you will have to wait for me to cook..." She offered him her hand, relieved when he took it, and they walked out of the cabin together towards the galley.
Catherine was relieved to see that Jean Claude had indeed cooked and sat at the trestle happily with two bowls of breakfast. She pushed one across to Moses who ate eagerly.
"Everyone, this is Moses," she introduced. "He is crew and will be working with you from now on." Muttered greetings welcomed the child. Catherine noticed that he had already finished his bowl. "If you want more, go to the galley and Jean Claude will give you some," she smiled. He dashed off. When he was out of earshot she continued. "He has been badly treated... I trust that you will all treat him well and see he is happy," she cautioned.
A chorus of "Ayes" greeted her comment and when Moses returned he found himself included in the general table banter that usually accompanied mealtimes. She frowned, noticing Jedidiah rise from the other end of the trestle. She had not noticed him there and was glad that she had not said anything that Jack would worry about. He stared at Moses as he walked past, returning his bowl to the galley before walking out on deck. Something about him and his stare set her teeth on edge. Jack was right - the sooner they were rid of their passenger the better.