Thanks to Assistant Purser Higgins—and, yes, I am so pleased to have him along on this journey—I have gathered about myself a generally trustworthy group of twelve girls. The Newgater Crew we are called by the others because most of us have been recent residents in that foul prison, condemned to hang for petty thievery. I can't call my crimes petty, though, so I count myself lucky to have escaped the noose, one more time. We have cornered the laundry concession, and with my worthy Crew, we prosper to a small degree—not as much as the Whorey Crews when they hit a port, to be sure, but we get by. I chortle to think of you, dear Amy, as I am on this ship with some two hundred and fifty prostitutes, thieves, and other criminals. I almost wish you were here so I could watch your face! Remember that day in Boston when I said that my ship would never turn into a floating brothel? Ha! Never say never, indeed!
I have let it be known that I will be doing miniature portraits for two quid each, and I already have promises of two commissions. Thank God my good Higgins managed to preserve my seabag, so I have my painting tools, as well as all of my musical instruments. I know I mentioned it before, but I am so very lucky to have Higgins along on this journey—I cannot tell you how much.
I plan to do readings on the main hatch, admission one shilling each. I'll do Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders, etc., and some theatricals, to lighten the day-to-day tedium of the cruise—recitals of passages from Shakespeare, Marlowe, and Chaucer, even, for the risqué tales. The naughty bits of anything, be it song or story, are especially appreciated around here. Additionally, I have started a school for the young children aboard. There are twelve of them—seven girls, five boys—ranging in age from four to nine, and all seem to be taking to it quite well. We do reading, writing, and arithmetic. I am having the younger members of my own Crew—Mary Wade, Hannah Bolt, and Ann Marsh—attend as well. So you can see I am being kept quite busy, and that is all to the good, for we both know the Devil himself finds work for idle hands, especially these hands of mine.
As you've undoubtedly surmised, it is a pretty happy ship. In any other place, we would have been forced to do our work and warned to either produce or be flogged. Actually, and to my amazement, all of us ladies have been given a great deal of freedom on this trip, our Captain Laughton being a good and generous, if totally dissolute, man. Any thought I might have had of turning the crew or the Crews to rebellion would be quite in vain, as the men love their Captain, and the women aboard are resigned (and in some cases looking forward) to their fate. So I shall be going to New South Wales, make no mistake about that, dear Sister, for the once wily fox ... or, rather, vixen ... Jacky Faber has finally been brought to ground, good and proper.
As we are sailing down the west coast of Africa, we will be crossing the equator soon and I know a big celebration is planned. The men aboard cannot contain their glee. Alas, in all my travels I have not yet crossed that line. I am still a Pollywog, and must look forward to some abuse when King Neptune comes aboard and we Pollywogs are initiated into the ranks of the Shellbacks. Still, it should be jolly fun, for all that.
Well, I have gone on quite at length, in spite of myself—sorry about the jumble of words; my thoughts tumble about so—but no time for neat Literary Composition (belles-lettres), as Miss Prosser back at the Lawson Peabody would have it. I have ink spilled everywhere, but I have blotted it up and will manage to get this into an envelope. Please excuse the mess.
Do not be sad, dear Sister, at our separation, for as you well recall, a little of Jacky Faber goes a long way, and you've already had more than your share of that less-than-precious commodity. Please do not weep for me, Amy, as I am healthy and cheerful and look forward to tomorrow.
And if you feel so inclined, you might write to me care of the penal colony in New South Wales. You cannot know how much I miss your sweet company, and I will treasure any letters you might send to me. Please send me news of the girls at the School—I am sure Clarissa Howe is in a state of high rapture over my capture and debasement. Ah, well, let her have her fun. Regards to all my Sisters, both Upstairs and Downstairs, Clarissa included. Tell that Randall to be good—you might give him a peck on the cheek for me. I hope he and Miss Polly Von are getting on well, and I further hope you are being civil to our Mr. Pickering. Hmmm...?
I live in hope of seeing your sweet face yet again,
Your loving Sister,
Jacky
Mr. John Higgins
Onboard the ship Lorelei Lee
Gibraltar, Spain
June 1807
Captain Liam Delaney
Bonnettstown
County Waterford, Ireland
Dear Captain Delaney,
You have perhaps heard that your son Padraic, daughter Mairead, and son-in-law Ian McConnaughey, were arrested in Waterford several weeks ago on the charge of sedition for having attended a meeting of the outlawed Free Irish Society. If not, then it is worrisome news that I bring you, and for that I am sorry. With Mairead's being condemned to Transportation to Australia for seven years, we can only assume that Padraic, Ian, and the rest of the Irish lads received similar sentences and suffer the same confinement.
The only good news I have to tell you is that Mairead is safe and here with us on the Lorelei Lee—yes, the very same ship that Faber Shipping was outfitting for passenger traffic when disaster struck. Miss Faber, too, had been arrested several weeks prior to Mairead's incarceration, and after being charged with too many crimes to enumerate, she was convicted and sentenced to life in the penal colony at New South Wales, and in a twist of irony, her ship was sold to the East India Company for the Transportation of Criminals. I will, of course, lend your daughter what help I can in my capacity as Assistant Purser of the Lorelei Lee. I hope that gives you a measure of comfort as well as the knowledge that Mairead and Jacky are locked in each other's arms in the bonds of mutual friendship.
I know that when you learn the particulars of the most recent unfortunate events concerning your family, you will rant and rave and wish nothing more than to have the satisfaction of wringing the neck of our impulsive Miss Faber for having been, we must admit, the root cause of the current mess. But, Sir, I beg you to put such violent thoughts out of your mind and treat Miss Faber as a wayward but loving daughter, as I know for certain that she considers you to be her temporal father with all her very full, generous, and loving heart. I know that you have looked upon her with great fondness in the past and I hope that affection will continue to abide in your breast.
That said, I would like to inform you of certain particulars. Although the loss of the Lorelei Lee was a grievous blow, Faber Shipping Worldwide still retains some assets. To wit, the Nancy B. Alsop, a two-masted schooner, sixty-five feet in length, with a beam of twenty-five feet. Although I am a landlubber by your standards, Captain Delaney, I have made several crossings of the Atlantic upon her and have found the Nancy B. to be a well-found, sturdy craft. Even though she is such a small ship, she is equipped with a generous amount of armament—both swivel guns and fixed cannons. For a generally peaceable person, Miss Faber does like to go about well armed in the world.
As First Officer and Vice President of Faber Shipping, I offer the Nancy B. Alsop for your use. I have already informed Mr. Ezra Pickering, Clerk of the Faber Shipping Worldwide Corporation, of my instructions in this letter and have requested that he restrain the various hotheaded young men who currently man the ship until he has heard from you.
Though I do not counsel any rash actions, I do want you to know that the schooner is at your disposal, should you desire to use her.
Enclosed you will find a draft on the Bank of the United States in the amount of three hundred dollars to cover your travel expenses, should you decide to avail yourself of this offer. More funds are available in Boston.
I am yr most devoted & etc.,
John Higgins
Jacky Faber, Convict
Onboard the Lorelei Lee
Bound for Botany Bay
June 1807
Mr. Hiram Fletcher
9 Brattle Lane
London, England
My dear Mr. Fletcher,
While I realize that I am not held in great esteem by you and your family, I do hope that you will find it in your heart to inform me of any news regarding your son James Fletcher, as I have absolutely no idea what might have befallen him since my forced departure from England's shore.
You may trouble yourself no more concerning any influence I might wield with Jaimy, since I have been condemned for life at the penal colony at New South Wales, and as a consequence, I shall undoubtedly trouble your family no more.
If Jaimy has been freed from confinement and exonerated of all the false charges brought against him, then I rejoice with you and wish for him a long life and happiness. I hope that he finds love with someone more worthy than I. But if Jaimy has yet to be freed, I despair and share your sorrow.
Either way, I would like to know. If you deign to inform me of this, I can be reached at the penal colony at New South Wales.
Praying for Jaimy's happiness, I am
Jacky Faber
Chapter 30
"Very well, ladies," says Captain Laughton to the various Crews arrayed before him. "The allotment of living spaces will now begin. There are four levels in the hold, the top one being the most desirable, having windows and sunlight, the second good air but no windows, and so on, down to the fourth level."
We are two full days out of Gibraltar and the Captain is seated at his usual table on the quarterdeck, flanked by the Purser and Mr. Higgins. Both Purser and Assistant Purser hold quills in their hands and bend over ledgers, ready to inscribe the amounts pledged. It is noon, the sun is high in the sky, the breeze is light but constant, the sails are full, and there are wineglasses and tankards all around. Although it is Wednesday, all aboard have been issued a double tot of grog in honor of the occasion. And yes, the Captain has a winsome Tartan on his knee. Does the man never tire?
My girls are all in our Newgaters' rigs—no stockings, of course, as it's just too hot, but still looking sharper than ever. We are arrayed up on the foretop, all laughing and chattering. There are only twelve of us, so there's plenty of room for us to sit on the foretop deck, our legs dangling over the side. I always like the superior position in a situation like this, lookin' down on all the others arrayed below. You can spit down, but they cannot spit up.
"And furthermore, there are some cabins available. They will have a flat rate of one full pound a month, each. Do I have any takers on those fine accommodations before we get to the larger auction?"
Hmmm ... Heavy rent, I must say. The Captain may be corrupt, but he doesn't lack for sense; it wouldn't do for the three madams to start feuding amongst themselves, because it could get down and very dirty if one of them got private quarters and the others did not.
At this, the madams Barnsley, Berry, and MacDonald, dressed in their best, advance grandly to the table, like ships in full sail, to snap down their coin, and the amounts are entered in the ledger. Then they are given keys to their rooms, small cabins, which I know to be on the second level, below the officers' quarters, and not adjacent to the officers' mess... and not quite what you fine ladies might be wishing for. We shall see...
I do not advance to the table, though I have enough money to do so. The Captain notices this and calls out, "And nothing for you, Miss Faber, noble leader of the redoubtable Newgaters? No snug little cabin for you, our female Orpheus?"