Ahoy-hoy!
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Chapter Ten
They continued to go walk throughout the night, their close encounter with the British keeping them alert. It began to snow.
Henri was very, very tired of being cold, and hungry (they had run out of food that morning). He was also very tired of James and Sarah's sullen bickering, and above all, bored. Like any ten-year-old boy, he would rather be playing, helping in the print shop, or annoying someone then walking all day. Sarah continued to tell him to keep to the road whenever he attempted to wander off in search of something interesting. She sounded like Moses. Ugh!
So, as any young boy would do in a dire situation like this, he complained loudly and vocally whenever he had the breath of the cold, the lack of food, his boredom, and generally anything else he could think of. This didn't actually do much to improve the mood of the group.
Two days later, they reached Boston.
Henri was fairly certain the only time he had been as happy to see a place was when he, James, and Moses had first arrived at the print shop. This thought brought back familiar memories.
Henri blinked and tried to sit quietly in the darkest corner of his cell. Perhaps if these two did not see him, no one would hurt him. He didn't know who they were, but no one on this ship was a good man.
Suddenly there was a clang. A piece of metal—a key—slid underneath his door. He pressed himself against the wall.
One of the people shouted a few unfamiliar words before footsteps sounded near and near to his door. And then suddenly there was a boy older then him groping on his hands and knees for the key in the relatively dark hold. More unfamiliar words, and then suddenly the boy looked up and saw him cowering in his cell corner.
Henri couldn't understand English for it was fast and he didn't understand the language the sea captain spoke. But he had managed to pick up a few words, and some of them the boy was using now. Come, and quickly. Venir, and rapidment.
Suddenly his companion, a large man of color, was looking into the cell too. Henri squeezed his eyes shut and prayed.
The older man said something else. His loud voice filled the room and Henri opened one eye, straining to understand. The beating was always harder when he didn't understand what the captain wanted. But he couldn't understand a word.
Suddenly the man pointed at himself with both hands and said the word, "Moses." he knew what this meant. Captain Wright had used it to inform Henri of his name. Monsieur Captain, or Monsieur Wright (he wasn't sure which was his first name) was what he had attempted to call him the first time, and he knew never to do that again.
Monsieur Moses pointed to him. He nodded, knowing that he wouldn't understand. "Moi je m'appelle Henri Lefevre—nee me blesse pas! Née me blesse pas!" he covered his head with his hands, speaking in a rush.
To his shock, Monsieur Moses nodded and replied, "Je te présente James." he pointed to the other boy.
The French was awkward, and the accent wasn't the best, but it was some of the first French he'd heard in a little less then a year. He began to speak quickly, but the man quieted him.
"No, no..." another word he knew well. "Uh, petite French. Très petite." he said something to the other boy, Monsieur James, and then said something else to Henri that he only caught a few words. Who, and you. Assuming he wanted to know who Henri was, Henri attempted to tell him so, using a combination of gestures, French words, and the odd English word he knew.
Afterwards M. James turned to M. Moses and said something. Again, Henri picked out words. We, help, Moses.
M. Moses spoke to M. James and M. James left his view before coming back with a long, metal pole. Without warning the man wedged the pole between the bars and began to force the bars open. Slowly the space between the bars widened. Henri watched in disbelief.
When the space was wide enough, M. Moses gestured for him to climb through. Henri shook his head. What if Captain Wright found him again? The punishment would be severe.
M. Moses said something to him he couldn't understand, then something he could. "Sécurité."
Safe.
Would he be safe with these people? He didn't know, but he figured that it couldn't be worse then where he was now. These people hadn't tried to hurt him.
Henri climbed out of the hold and looked around. A few minutes later he was holding his breath and lying inside a large box as the Monsieurs carried him out of the ship.
Henri watched curiously as M. Moses stopped the horse and cart in the courtyard behind a largeish building. He had been allowed to sit up and in the cart as soon as they had left the city. He sat next to James, who had informed him that he 'wasn't no mon-anything' as soon as Henri had attempted to address him with the honorific. Henri didn't mind, as James was only a few years older, but he knew what could happen if he didn't show enough respect to Captain Wright and hadn't wanted to repeat the mistake.
Walking inside the building, Henri swiveled his head around at all the unfamiliar equipment and furniture. James stood next to Henri as M. Moses walked out of the room and came back talking in English to another man, older, with gray hair.
"Je m'apelle Dr. Franklin." he said, and then began to speak in completely fluent French to him.
Henri was a bit short, so Dr. Franklin knelt down to his eye level to introduce everyone else again.
"This is James. He's my apprentice—he's eleven. How old are you?" he said in French. James had looked interested at first, but now that it was established he didn't know the language anyone was speaking, he was kicking his feet and shifting around the room.
His eyes widened. Dr. Franklin spoke excellent French. "Seven."
He related his story again—a bit clearer now that he could speak it in his own language. "My Maman and Papa told me that we would go across the sea, but...they got sick—and one of the sailors told me that they...had gone to God, but they didn't come back from Him..." he struggled with the words. Dr. Franklin and Moses looked at one another.
"Plague?" said Moses in English, and Dr. Franklin nodded. Henri continued in French.
"The captain of the ship told me I had to work for him. He said my parents had said they would work for him for...nine years, but I still don't understand. He made me work for him, and clean, and carry water, but I didn't know what he said. He got angry with me when I didn't understand..."
"Never mind that anymore." said Dr. Franklin. "If you wish, you could have a home with us."
"He could be like my brother and be a patriot with me." James said optimistically, patting Henri's shoulder. "What's his name, again?"
Of course, James had spoken this in English, and Henri didn't catch a word, but he was starting to like the older boy, and Moses and Dr. Franklin seemed like good people as well.
"Henri." said Dr. Franklin, then turned to the younger boy. "What do you say, Henri? Do you want to stay with us?"
The little boy nodded vigorously. With some difficulty, Dr. Franklin rose to his feet.
"James, you make up the other bed in your room. Henri can help you." James groaned at this, crossing his arms.
"Dr. Franklinnnn, that's girl work!" Dr. Franklin raised one eyebrow and James grabbed Henri's hand. "Come on, Henry. I'll show you where you're gonna sleep."
"It's Henri!" called Moses from the print shop, chuckling.
For the first time in a year, Henri had a family.
James nudged Henri in the side, and he looked up to see a house. "Well, here goes nothing." said James, and he raised his hand and knocked on the door.
A maid opened the door, looking at the three tired, hungry, cold, bedraggled children confusedly. "We don't need any chim'ny sweeps 'ere—be off."
"We're here to see Mrs. Adams." said Sarah. "She's expecting us." which wasn't exactly true, but nevertheless, they had to see her, anyway.
"Who is it, Laura?" called someone inside. Laura bit her lip, considering, before sticking her head back inside the door.
"Mistress?" she called. "You're gonna want tae see this."