They found the interior of the Annie Laurie changed and smelling of new lumber. Two separate holds, each with a row of five stalls and a large hatch open to the deck, were now set up to transport horses. A covered hold in between them held the fodder and bedding. The ship was still largely deserted with only a deck officer and two seamen standing watch. MacIntyre met with Collier in his cabin while Matt spread bedding in the new stalls and then led the horses one by one to their quarters.
The last horse was aboard, and Luiz was beginning to fill hay nets and fetch water when the Captain came down into the hold. "Do you like the new accommodations, Mr. Dillon?" he asked.
"Generally, yes," Matt replied. "But it's a trade-off. We can keep the hatches open unless there's a high sea, but on the other hand, we don't get to make use of the extra space as the supplies are used up."
MacIntyre, who had been expecting compliments, was disgruntled by the comment, but refused to show it. "We have four more horses set to come on board tomorrow morning as the crew returns," he said drily. "And you will have four grooms, besides Luiz, working under you this voyage. The book I read said that there should be no more than two horses per groom. Will that be satisfactory?"
"If they're good men, it should be fine." Matt answered. "Roddy and Stoner coming back?"
"Roddy is. Stoner is not." MacIntyre answered, and then, with narrowed eyes he said, "You will join the officers' mess on this voyage, Mr. Dillon. With five men working for you directly, your status needs to be made clear."
"I'd rather not, Captain."
"I didn't ask you your preferences, Mr. Dillon. I gave you an order," the captain replied.
"Yes, sir." Matt replied, and added, his face sober but his eyes twinkling with humor, "Do I still get double rations, sir?"
"As needed, Mr. Dillon, as needed." MacIntyre said making his exit.
OoOoO
That night Matt and Luiz hung their hammocks under the open hatch. The empty ship was quiet with only the noise of the waves against the side and the quiet shifting of the horses in their stalls to disturb them.
"Padrinho?"
"Luiz?"
"I am glad to be back in my hammock." Luiz said. He was quiet for a while longer, and Matt thought the boy had drifted off to sleep when he added, "You understand why I did not like the bed, padrinho?"
You don't have to explain anything to me. That's what Matt thought about saying. It's what he wanted to say, but he didn't. "I think I do, Luiz, but you go ahead and tell me about it."
Luiz's voice was breathy and soft. Although they were no more than a foot from each other, Matt had to listen hard to hear him. "When we first came on the ship, she was the Ana-Cristina then not the Lupinho, we had a cabin with two ship-beds."
"Berths." Matt interjected quietly.
"Berths," Luiz agreed. "And my mother and my little sister took one, and I slept in the other with my father. He would hold me very close at night so I did not fall when the ship was rocking."
Matt nodded in the darkness. "As early as I can remember I slept in a bed between my two big brothers. I always felt safe with them next to me."
"That was how it was, padrinho. I felt very safe. But then," Luiz's voice trickled out, but in a little while it came back, a bit louder and a bit harder. "But then, they died from the sickness, and many of the crew, and the Captain, they died too."
"Were you sick, Luiz?" Matt asked.
"I was a little sick, but I got better. They did not." Luiz replied. "When we came to Rio, the boat was sold. They changed the name to the Lupinho. Martinez, he was the only officer left from the Ana-Cristina. The only one who stayed. And I stayed too. I had nowhere to go. The new officers came on board, and one came to the cabin where I had lived with my family. He told me I could stay there with him."
More silence, but Matt knew the boy was not asleep. He listened to the sobbing sound of Luiz's breath. "What happened then, Luiz?" he prompted.
"The new mate, he was good to me. He talked to me. Made sure I had food. Gave me work to do each day." Luiz's voice was low again, "And he had me sleep next to him in his berth. I liked this, padrinho. I felt safe like with my father. But then one night, he hurt me. I tried to tell him to stop. I tried to run away. But he held his hand over my mouth so I could not scream, and he hurt me very bad."
"He fucked you? There in your father's bed?"
Luiz's voice rose with anger, "I was so little, padrinho, I did not even know what he was doing. Horses do not do that, and I did not know that people did. I only knew he hurt me, and I bled, and I thought maybe I would die." The boy spoke quietly when he spoke again. "The next day I asked Martinez for a hammock, and I hung it in the hold with the other men. I slept there with all the men, but still I was frightened. I was always frightened. I thought I had done something wrong, something bad, and that was why the man had punished me."
"You didn't do anything wrong, Luiz." Matt told him steadily, "It was the officer who did wrong."
"Perhaps I know that now. Perhaps not. But then, then I was just afraid. When we came to Galveston, the mate, the officer, he left the ship. And that was the first time we took women on board. He brought them onto the ship, and the Lupinho took them to Rio."
"Were there other men who hurt you like that, Luiz? Before Pedro?" Matt asked him.
"Yes, sometimes. Not too often. Some men tried to give me things, but I would not take them. Other men, they just hit me and then took me. I was on the ship for many years. I learned to be careful, padrinho. I learned to hide – sometimes alone, sometimes in the middle of many people. But still… "
Matt blew out a breath, trying to blow away his anger. "So when we went to stay on the station, and they put us in a room with one bed, you thought… that I would hurt you?"
"My heart did not think so, padrinho, but I was afraid." Luiz said, and there was shame in his tone.
Wanting to reach over and touch the boy, but knowing that was exactly the thing he could not do, Matt said, very matter-of-factly, "I have done many things in my life, Luiz, but I have never raped anyone – man, woman, or child – and I never will. I cannot always keep you safe, Luiz, but for now, I can. And when you are older, I will teach you to defend yourself so that you never need to let that happen again."
They were silent together for a time, and Matt thought the boy was asleep when he spoke again. "That man. The officer. His name was Malachai. He was one of the men who carried you on the ship in Galveston, padrinho. And I thought then, perhaps, if you are his enemy then I would be your friend."
"Thank you, Luiz. You've been a good friend." Matt told him. "Go to sleep, boy."
"Yes, sir."
The ship rocked gently in the harbor, and Matt angled himself so he could look out the open hatch at the clean sky and the stars. I almost told him he didn't need to explain, Matt thought, and he really did need to tell me. Then later, before he slept, the memory slipped into his mind of all the times he'd told Kitty that they never needed explanations. All the times she'd wanted to tell him something, and he thought he already understood, and hadn't wanted to listen. Well, maybe, sweetheart, he thought, when I come home, we won't be able to do all the things we used to do, but I'll always be there to listen to you. Luiz has taught me that.
OoOoO
It was still winter and the seas were rough. They had to use the slings to keep the horses on their feet, and the three new men were barely competent to fill hay nets much less bundle the horses into their canvas wrappings. Dillon, Luiz, and Roddy were busy night and day.
By the time they reached Wellington harbor with the city rising on a hill above it, Matt knew he was going to lose some of the horses if he didn't get them out and walking on dry land for a bit. Hanging in the slings weakened their legs and tied up their guts with colic. His argument with MacIntyre was quiet but intense. Matt knew better than to raise his voice. The more people who knew about an argument the harder it was to change someone's mind. Eventually he gained permission to take the horses one at a time to walk the length of the pier. MacIntyre clearly envisioned each horse walking the pier one time. Matt kept the men leading the horses up and down in turn throughout the day and far into the night.
September was springtime in the South Seas, and as they sailed north and east towards Hawaii the weather improved slightly and sunny days began to outnumber stormy ones. Three of the new men settled into their jobs, and Matt dismissed one back to the regular crew when he found him negligent in his work. Instead he brought in an old sailor who told him he'd driven a horse cab in London for twenty years, and in John Myers he found the replacement horsemaster that MacIntyre was looking for. Myers had a feeling for horses, a sharp eye for any misbehavior from the men, and he wasn't afraid to speak his mind. Matt began to do less and direct more.
In addition to reading with him, he also began to talk more to Luiz about the people he would meet in America. Stories about his early years with Frank after the war and then their years as lawmen perked the ears of all the grooms, and the adventures soon traveled 'round the ship. Outlaws, rustlers, bank robbers, and Indians became daily fare. His first meeting with Festus and their search for Black Jack Haggen was a favorite, as was the advent of Newly onto a hijacked stagecoach with the lovely Kitty Russell. As the stories grew in popularity, Matt still shared meals with the officers, but began attending the evening gatherings at the seamen's mess with Luiz.
He never told more than one tale in an evening, and they were usually short, but his simple delivery somehow made them all the more believable. As he spoke, Matt relived those years and thought about what he'd done and what he'd given up. He'd always felt that if he didn't keep the law, no one would do it as well. And while he knew that at one point that had been true, by now he'd been gone for more than a year, and someone else had surely taken his place. He didn't need to go back to it. He didn't need to take up that burden again. He wasn't sure what he'd do when he got back, but he was more and more convinced it wouldn't be the law. That was when Kitty would enter his thoughts, and the fact that it was too late to marry her. All the years they'd waited, all the years when the badge came first, began to haunt his dreams.
OoOoO
Somewhere not long out of Wellington, Luiz' voice began to change. The men teased him constantly – trying to get him to talk or sing with his cracked tones. Luiz began spending more time in the hold with the horses, even missing meals. Matt found him there during dinner mess one evening when he had excused himself early from the officers' meal. "Why aren't you up eating dinner, boy?" he asked.
"I am not hungry." Luiz answered.
Knowing it was more than that, Matt sat down on a bale of hay and leaned back against the wall. "Come talk to me, Luiz." The boy reluctantly came to sit with him. "This about your voice, son?"
Luiz nodded in agreement. "They laugh at me, padrinho, and I cannot help it."
"I know you can't, Luiz. Seems men always laugh at a boy when his voice breaks. They remember people laughing at them, and they do the same. But you can't let it keep you from your meals or your work." Matt said.
Luiz remained sullen, so he tried a different tack, "You know what this means, don't you, Luiz?"
"It means I cannot sing anymore," he replied.
That made Matt smile. "Well, not with your boy's voice you can't. Those high notes are gone forever, son. But pretty soon your voice will settle down and you'll be able to sing again in your man's voice. It won't take more than a few months. And likely you'll start growin' too."
Luiz looked up at him with interest. "I will grow bigger?"
"Indeed you will. If you're fifteen now, then I'm surprised this hasn't happened earlier. I was only eleven when my voice broke and I began to grow."
"This happened to you too, padrinho?" Luiz asked in astonishment.
"It happens to every man, Luiz, and every one of us gets teased about it. You just have to bull your way through and not let them bother you. And you need to eat so your body can grow. Lord knows, there's not much that's fit to eat on a ship, but you need to do the best you can." Matt said.
Luiz considered that. "I would like to be bigger. I did not think I would ever grow."
"You will," Matt assured him, "You just need to be sure that you grow inside as well as outside so that when your body is bigger you can use it to take care of those who are smaller and weaker than you are."
"Like you do, padrinho?"
"I try." Matt agreed, "My father taught me that."
"And you teach me." Luiz nodded in satisfaction, "I too will try."
They sat in silence for a bit. Silence was one of the other things that Luiz was learning from Matt. After a while, Luiz said, "If you really want to know how old I am, padrinho, you can look at the papers in my caixa."
"Oh?" Matt said, his interest piqued. "What kind of papers, Luiz?"
"I am not sure of all of it. It is in Portuguese, and the words are very hard, but it talks about my family. I have not looked at them in a long time." Luiz said.
"Go get it." Matt told him, and the boy went to rummage in the bottom of their seabag for the small, leather bound box. He brought it to Matt and released the small latch to open it. Inside were three sets of folded papers, hand-written in Portuguese on stiff, heavy paper, a small silver framed mirror, a piece of dark lace that might have been a woman's veil, and a tiny, tightly-folded garment of gauzy white cloth. Leaving the other things in the box Matt looked at the papers, but could make out only a few words. Two seemed to be letters, and one some sort of official document with a seal. On this he recognized a list of names and dates.
"Your father was Miguel Arnaldo Ramos da Silviera?" Matt asked.
"Sim, padrinho. And my mother's name, here," he pointed, "Was Maria Elena Alamieda. That was my grandfather's name, Alamieda."
"So your full name is Luiz Jose Maria Alamieda da Silviera?"
"Yes, that is me, Luiz," the boy agreed.
"Then you will turn fifteen about the time we get to San Francisco, Luiz. It says here you were born on novembro terceiro 1873. November third 1873." Matt said.
"That is good, chefe. If I am almost fifteen then surely I will grow bigger soon." Luiz said, his voice suddenly an octave lower than before. Matt didn't comment on the break, and Luiz took the papers, carefully returned them to the box, and latched it.
"You will grow bigger soon." Matt agreed, not realizing that the boy would outgrow all his clothes even before they reached Hawaii. And someday before too long, Matt thought, I'll have to find someone who can read those papers and translate them for us.
OoOoO
Collier's horses were unloaded at the port of Hilo on Hawaii. The Annie Laurie sailed into the harbor, and Matt finally found the kind of village he'd imagined since Africa. There were a few board homes and warehouses, but most buildings looked like they were made of woven grass mats. The rancher taking custody of the animals was an American from California who was pleased with the stock, but tried to argue about the agreed on price. Matt waited out the argument between the captain and the rancher in silence, putting his attention to the difficulties of getting the horses off the boat. The dock was reasonably sturdy, but narrow, and, when money matters had been settled, Matt himself led each horse, one at a time, off the ship and onto the shore.
The island was different from anything Matt had ever seen – clear blue water, sandy beaches, and a lush growth of trees. The native women wore mostly long loose dresses that covered them from neck to ankle, but they seemed to have no problem discarding these single garments at the shore to swim and frolic naked on the beach. He soon saw why Hawaii was a favorite port for the seamen. The young girls were stunningly beautiful - slender and dark with long black hair. The women were large but graceful with big hips and heavy breasts. All of them, young and old, seemed happy to greet the sailors and the greetings were more intimate than anything Matt had ever seen done in public. Matt found himself blushing. He'd done his fair share with women in the past, but he'd never actually watched the process being performed by two, or more, others.
"Not to your taste, Mr. Dillon?" Captain MacIntyre said, suddenly appearing at the rail beside him.
"They're very lovely, Captain," Matt told him, "But they seem a bit free with their favors."
"You're not going to go sample the wares?"
"No, thank you, Captain." Matt said.
"You have the watch, then, Mr. Dillon. No girls on the ship and any man who can't walk up the plank under his own power goes on report," MacIntyre said. Matt saw him a few minutes later walking off into the trees with not one but two native girls.
Matt stood his watch through the afternoon and into the night. He was alone on the ship – even Luiz, Myers, and the elderly cook had left. Luiz came back sometime after dark bringing him fresh fruit along with meat and strange vegetables that seemed to have been steamed and then wrapped in leaves. Matt ate hungrily. "You find a girl, Luiz?" he asked.
"No, sir."
"They seem willing." Matt commented.
"They are willing for every man, padrinho. I have been long enough on ships to see the sickness this can cause." Luiz responded without embarrassment.
"You're smarter than most of the men, Luiz." Matt told him, "Although you may find it more difficult to resist when you're a little older."
"When I am older I will be in America, and American women are not like this, I think."
Matt smiled at that, "Not like this, no. But you'll find some that are willing, and eventually one special one you'll want to marry."
"Perhaps, chefe. Perhaps I will find a woman like your amada and be happy forever."
"Perhaps you will, Luiz."
OoOoO
They boarded more horses at Honolulu – a real city – four days later, and Matt found a chandlery where he could buy more clothes to replace those Luiz had outgrown. He was surprised to find both pants and shirts that would fit himself as well. "You're a tall fella," the storekeep told him, "But we got some Hawaiians here make you look small. Always keep a few things in the larger sizes." He didn't buy much though. In another month he would be back in the States, and back to familiar clothes, and, most likely, a gun. Thoughts of guns and of Kitty and the trade-offs he had made in his life kept his mind more than full on the last leg of his journey home.