Against All Odds Read online

  Mary and the boys were back from their trip and were being waited on by a sailor who had made them their favourite lunchtime meal of eggs and bacon, but they were not using their fingers to eat with, much to Liza’s relief.

  After lunch Liza asked to be taken down to the hold where the passengers were housed. It was not an easy task getting down the steps in her long dress and smart shoes and she was thankful for Patrick’s help. The passengers were settled; they had their beds laid out and there were one or two hammocks. Food was stored neatly and Liza met the Irish contingent for the first time. She spoke to them and found that they were a little on edge with the new passengers and she asked them if they were having problems.

  “We don’t have much information about what is happening and how long we are going to be on this voyage. Are we going to be allowed on deck at all and if so, when?” asked one of the men.

  “Didn’t the first mate tell you anything?” ask Liza.

  “Yes, he told us a lot of things, and handed us a list which we took to the stores, but there were items on it which weren’t to do with food or clothing and we don’t know what they meant.”

  Liza looked at her list and asked them for theirs to make sure they were the same and they were. So, they couldn’t read. She smiled at them and said, “You will be allowed on deck at allocated times if the sea is not too choppy. They obviously don’t want the workings of the ship to be interrupted at certain times, and those times could vary from day to day, which is why they will be posting them on the entrance to this hold.”

  “Well, that won’t be any use to us,” said one of the men. His Irish accent was so broad that Liza had difficulty understanding him.

  “I’ll make sure that you know,” said Liza and she told both the French and Spanish passengers that they would be told when they could go on deck. She also asked them if they had introduced themselves to one another in English, French and Spanish and they all shook their heads. She had a list of their names and so, she introduced them to one another in all languages, and this seemed to break the tension that had been building between them.

  She told them that she would now leave them in peace and see them again the next day when they would be well on their way to their new homeland. In the meantime, if they had any real difficulties then they were to ask one of the sailors to get a message to her.

  She was asked her name and she replied ‘Liza Kelly’ in all languages. The Spanish woman said that she had been called a different name in the store; she had been called Marchant, which was the name of the shipping company.

  “Yes,” she said, “I’m sometimes called that.” That was all that she wanted to say on the subject.

  Liza was very thoughtful as they made their way back to their cabin. Patrick removed his sword and gun. “They are all going to be fleeced when they get to America. They’ll lose all their money and end up begging on the New York streets because they’ll get no further than there,” said Liza sadly.

  “It’s really not your problem,” said Patrick, “but you’re going to make it so, aren’t you?”

  “Only if they want me to,” said Liza.

  They would not be sailing until after dinner that evening and Captain Forde joined them just in time for the meal. “I’m very grateful for the job you did today, Mrs Marchant,” he said.

  Liza corrected him, “I’m Mrs Kelly now, Captain.”

  “Of course, I’m sorry,” he said. “The people from Spain were well and truly robbed. Hopefully we’ll get the money back from the agent.”

  “Oh, we’ll get that back all right, it just might take until the next people he wants to thieve from arrive,” said Liza. “But they are all going to lose everything when they get to America. None of them can understand either English or read it. I’m going to suggest to them that they learn it on the voyage. It will give them something to concentrate on other than the swell of the sea.”

  “You won’t be able to see what you are doing down in the hold. If the weather holds then part of the deck can be used, but really, I suppose you can use this room. How long would you need to use it each day?” asked Captain Forde.

  “It would have to be at least a couple of hours a day. I have to keep up the education of our boys but that can be done in our cabin. If all the passengers want to learn then initially it could be a little chaotic. I really don’t want to take your ready room away from you. The last thing I want to do is disrupt the smooth running of this ship,” said Liza.

  “I can assure you that I won’t let that happen,” said Captain Forde.

  “They may not want to learn; I can’t force them, but I believe it would be a grave mistake if they don’t. We’ve already seen one disaster with the Spaniards, and the Irish had no idea what was on the list of goods needed, and posting notices on the doorway will be of no use to them. The French have fared better, but they also don’t know what anybody is saying to them. I hope they have people meeting them when we dock in New York otherwise they are all going to be in trouble,” said Liza.

  “I had nobody meeting me in New York Liza, when I arrived, but you’re right, Sean and I could read, write and speak the language. We had been educated enough to recognise the money grabbers that were waiting on the docks for all the unwitting immigrants,” said Patrick. “These people are going to be fleeced, if they haven’t been already. It’s happened to many people before and no doubt it will go on happening to many more. You can’t help everyone, I’m afraid, Liza.”

  “No but in a small way perhaps we can help these people,” said Liza. “I’ll go and see them again tomorrow and see if they would be willing to learn.”

  “Have you taught before, Mrs Kelly?” asked Captain Forde.

  “Yes, I’ve had some experience in the past. The difficulty will be finding enough material to write on and instruments to write with. I only have enough with me for the boys’ education,” said Liza.

  “If they want to have lessons then we’ll have to see what we can come up with for you. I have to say that I’m not happy sending these people out into the world so very unprepared to not only look after themselves but their families also. America invites them to go to their land of opportunity and leaves them stranded on the docks, it would be good to give them a proper start,” said Captain Forde.

  “Whether it will be a proper start, I doubt very much, all I can do is make sure they understand the language and know what they are getting themselves into, anything further is down to them,” said Liza.

  “Are you sure you’re not taking on too much, Liza; remember how unwell you became when you were trying to teach the German and Italian families in Benson,” said Patrick.

  “There were also a great many other issues going on at that time, Patrick. It wasn’t just those families that made me ill, don’t forget that we had just lost Danny and Angus and many people weren’t coping well with all that,” said Liza.

  “Yes, you’re right, anyway, I’ll make sure you don’t do too much,” laughed Patrick, knowing that he didn’t stand a chance of stopping her once she got started.

  When they got to their cabin, Patrick reiterated that he was concerned that she may be taking on too much, but Liza said that they may not want her help, so he wasn’t to worry and she promised not to work too hard and she would save a lot of time for him. “I’ll come with you tomorrow to see the passengers, I have an uneasy feeling about what the Irish have let themselves in for and if I’m right then they will find it hard to admit and live with.”

  “That sounds mysterious, Patrick. Is it anything I should know?” asked Liza.

  “No. I’ll sort it and if necessary, let you know, but I don’t want it to get in the way of what you are trying to do,” said Patrick.

  They heard the bustle of the sailors casting off and the shouts and calls from the docks and they were underway, at last, to America. Liza checked on Mary and the boys and all were awake so Liza suggested that they wrap up and go out on deck to watch the ship leave port. The passengers we
re also watching the ship leave England and they were on their way to a new life. Liza hoped that she could do some good for them. She would find out tomorrow. Patrick came and put an arm around her and said that they would not see England again for a very long time, if ever.

  A wave of sadness swept over Liza, but she was with her family so leaving was not as difficult as it might otherwise have been. They all then went to bed and nobody seemed to be disturbed by the ship’s movement.

  After breakfast the next morning, Liza organised some simple lessons for the boys and left Mary in charge and then she and Patrick went to the hold to see the passengers. They had slept quite well and had been relatively comfortable as the ship had been quite smooth.

  Liza told them all that she wanted to speak to them about assisting their understanding of what they may expect when they reached America and part of that would be understanding the language. She firstly spoke in detail to the French passengers offering to teach them to read and write in English. They talked amongst themselves but the outcome was that they felt that it would benefit them greatly to have some knowledge of the language prior to arriving in New York. Liza said that she would organise a time and place when they could start.

  She then approached the Spanish passengers. They were a little reluctant to take advantage of Liza’s offer but thought that their children should learn. Liza pointed out to them that they had already nearly lost everything due to the fact that they could not understand English and she asked how they were going to communicate with the people they were going to meet when they arrived at their destination and how they were going to distinguish between the genuinely helpful people and those who were only out to take what little money they had from them. Finally they agreed that it could well be a good idea to learn the language of the country that they will call home.

  Lastly, she spoke to the Irish passengers. She told them that speaking the language was not enough to help them in America; it was really essential that they could read and write in English also.

  “That won’t be necessary,” said the man who appeared to be the spokesman for them all. “Maybe the children could learn something from you, but we don’t need to be able to read. We already have a place to go and somebody will be meeting us in New York to take us to our employment.”

  Patrick butted in using his best Irish accent. “Have you signed up as Bond Servants?”

  With some hesitancy, the man said that they had.

  “How did you sign and do you know what you signed?” asked Patrick. Liza realised that Patrick knew exactly what he was talking about and this had been his concern.

  “Mr and Mrs Cavanaugh and my wife and I made our mark in agreement,” said Mr O’Rourke, the spokesman.

  Patrick nodded and said, “I suppose you knew what you were signing for. Was the document read to you then, Mr O’Rourke?”

  “Yes, the man who organised our trip and the work read it all to us,” he said.

  “I hope he was an honest man then, Mr O’Rourke,” said Patrick smiling. “Come on, Liza you have a lot to organise if you are going to teach those who want to learn.”

  Liza then told the passengers in their own languages that she was going to get everything ready for them and that they would start the following day and she would let them know the time and lessons were to be held in the Captain’s Ready Room, which seemed to excite them.

  On the way back to the upper deck, Liza told Patrick how very wise she thought he was. “How long do you think it will be before they ask for our help?”

  “It will probably be this afternoon; maybe tomorrow at the very latest. The proud Irish man may not ask you, but will be more than likely to ask me,” said Patrick, “and I shall tell him that if he had been able to read then he would know what he had signed. I still have a very uneasy feeling about this; I believe they have been misled, but we will see if they show me their signed agreement.”

  A couple of times during the afternoon Patrick noticed Mr O’Rourke looking towards him, but he chose to ignore it. He helped Liza accumulate paper and writing implements for the following day. While she was writing out the alphabet on several pieces of paper, Patrick was finally intercepted by Mr O’Rourke and asked to read the Bond Servant agreements of both families.

  As he quickly read the documents, he realised that they had indeed been misled over the time that they would be expected to be in bondage to what could only be described as their owner. Patrick said that he would like to study the document further before giving his opinion on its content and if he had no objection, he would like to show them to Liza who has had some legal experience in the past. Mr O’Rourke nodded his agreement.

  Liza was in the Ready Room preparing for the next day when Patrick came in. On the way he had asked Captain Forde to join them.

  “I have been concerned about the Bond Servant agreements that our Irish passengers have signed. In the past I have seen such agreements and know that they can be fraught with at best, misleading terms and conditions and at worst, downright lies. Unfortunately, I believe that these are the latter,” said Patrick and he handed one document to Liza and the other to the captain.

  When they had both finished reading through the terms, they were both very silent for a while. Liza laid her document on the table and started reading it again. Captain Forde was staring up at the ceiling and shaking his head.

  Finally Liza said, “Unfortunately, it appears to be a properly drawn up legal document, signed and witnessed correctly. Do we tell them now, or do we wait a little while? Whenever they find out, they are going to be suicidal and you don’t want that to happen.”

  “I was right to be concerned,” said Patrick. “As far as I see it, not only are the parents in bondage but all the children and any future children will also be in bondage for seven years from the age of eight and as long as there are children then the parents and the older children have to stay in bondage until the last child has served its seven years. I can’t see a get out clause for any of the children who may themselves have children; they will also be under the same rules. And you are saying that this is legal, Liza.”

  “I said that the document has been legally drawn up, signed and witnessed. I didn’t say that the situation was legal. I would have thought that if they have been misled due to the fact that they were unable to read, then there may be a legal way out of such a contract. Do we know this unscrupulous man?” asked Liza.

  “I believe he’s one of your customers and although he sometimes comes to New York to pick up his goods, most of the time, he’s on your delivery list,” said Captain Forde.

  “Do you know what he buys, anything in particular?” asked Liza.

  “He gets just about everything from us, but mainly seed for his large plantation. He also owns and runs a drinking place in his area. We don’t supply alcohol to him, but drinking vessels, plates, cutlery and many other items,” said the captain.

  Patrick and Liza looked at one another. “I’ll have to see this man when I get to New York and he may be returning to his establishment empty handed.”

  “He’s one of your very large clients, Mrs Kelly, so you could be creating a problem for yourself,” said Captain Forde.

  “If he’s such a large client then he is going to suffer considerably having no supplies delivered to him. It’s something that I will have to discuss with Henry when we reach New York. It may be that we will be able to persuade him to alter his agreement to what was believed to have been signed. If people want to be Bond Servants then that is up to them, it is a way that they can eventually start a new life, but when they are tricked into signing their lives and the lives of their children away, that is criminal. I think you had better tell them Patrick that I am studying their documents and will let them know in a day or two. Oh, this is such an example of why everyone should be able to read and write. I do despair of people.”

  Liza spent a very happy two days revelling in teaching so many willing students. Even the two Irish ladies joine
d the classes. Matthew and John were as helpful as they could be with the younger children teaching them all that they already knew. Even Patrick came in and assisted with some of the Irish children and towards the end of each lesson Liza would spend around half an hour reading to them, and translating where necessary.

  As the lesson on the second day finished, she was approached by Mr O’Rourke and Mr Cavanaugh and she knew that the time had come to tell them the bad news about their Bond Servants agreement. She asked their wives to remain behind after the lesson and also asked Patrick and the captain to join them.

  When they were settled, Liza told them that she was going to read their document to them and hoped that it was not going to be a shock for them. She could sense their unease and looked to Patrick for support. He moved around the table and sat next to her.

  The first part of the document was in order, but when she reached the details regarding the number of years involved and the members of the family who were also going to be indentured, Mr O’Rourke stood up, banged the table and shouted at Liza that she was wrong and that it was only he and his wife who were to be indentured for seven years, none of the children were to be involved. Mr Cavanaugh nodded in agreement telling her that he would never sign his children away. They were both getting very heated and their wives were also denying what Liza had said.

  Liza waited for them to calm down and then said, “I’m only reading what is on these agreements in front of me. Can you confirm that this is your mark at the bottom, Mr O’Rourke and can you, Mr Cavanaugh?”

  They looked at the papers and said that it was their mark, but she must have read it wrongly. Liza turned to Patrick and said, “Would you please read it Patrick and then if they are still not convinced, perhaps the Captain would also read one of the documents.”

  Patrick read the document from the beginning and once again, when the details of the years and who was to be indentured was read, both men looked as if they were going to hit Patrick. He put up his hands and said, “Please don’t blame the messenger.”