Dusty Books, Frontier Librarian

Chapter 3

The Doldrums... Rowing out... Rationing... Divine Intervention... 'Asuncion'... An 'Official Greeting'... A brief stop in port... Bars, Haircuts, Peach Brandy and feminine companionship... A few wild tales... the Aftermath...

The trial was no longer in our memory about 2 weeks later. There were soon to be other things on our minds. We awoke one morning to stillness all around us. We thought perhaps we were riding at anchor due to some hazard encountered while we slept and our crew sailed the vessel. We were in the most feared situation imaginable, and the most loathed by our seafaring lot on board, the doldrums. Not a breath of air for our sails and therefore no motion except currents that moved in erratic ways and were dangerous to navigate. We did drop anchor to prevent drifting off our course. We waited for several hours until after midday.

The Captain called a meeting of all on board. He said we were in a particularly deserted area off the coast of South America, and we would have to ration our water until we could find a friendly spot to stock up. Meanwhile we had to row, those of us able bodied enough to do so. We had a few small skiffs, nominally called lifeboats by the Captain. These were lashed to the bow with a long section of rope and the men rowed, hoping to catch a breeze. This did have its merits from an activity standpoint since it was something to do, and had great purpose.

We were by no means in dire circumstances as yet, but the possibility existed.

For 6 days we rowed. Yes I may have a bad leg, but that didn't prevent me from taking my share of turns. We all did, except for the ships cat, now showing much fatter than usual. We assumed from dining on rats in the hold, but no, according to our 'Doctor' she was VERY with child. This cemented my sentiment that this fellow had a few horses as patients first and then assumed the mantel of human doctor while on board. The cat was a great favorite with the crew and all of us, not a bit wild probably due to her condition, often sleeping in one lap or another, her mouse catching done nocturnally.

Skeptics would call it a coincidence, but I confirmed my belief in a higher power the following Sunday morning at Sunrise. We were preparing for another hard day of rowing, but Anderson led us in a prayer before starting. In a shortened version of his usual Sunday fare. He said all the things out of his little prayer book, and read a few prayers and we all repeated the 'Lord's Prayer'. Then he closed his book, decided to speak from his seasick but nevertheless hopeful heart.

He said he believed the good Lord would rescue us and that he would supply the wind, if we exercised our faith. He requested a brief silent prayer before he was to give the blessing. All of us had our eyes closed, ships cat dozing away.

Then we felt it. A breeze! The crew scampered up the masts to drop the sails and we were off once again under sail and in full power as if there had been no gap in the wind. Anderson was left alone on the deck after a sea of humanity teemed about him. I observed him saying the blessing and making the sign of the cross in the air, with no witness other than myself, unobserved and God who was mightily observed, at least by the two of us.

We still rationed the water, until the Captain announced there was a friendly town with a good harbor where we could take anchor about 12 hours away at our present speed and course. Fresh water being a concern as well as a brief respite from the sea a consideration, no one objected to this, even though we were all itching to get to California and would have rowed the whole distance if necessary, I'm sure. We came up to a little bay. If memory serves me the town facing the bay was called 'Asuncion'. I thought of a play on words at the time and that is the only reason it is still rattling about my thoughts. I called it 'Assumption' in that the place was so tiny it was 'assumed' to be a town.

It was fine for our purposes. The harbor and bay were so small that larger vessels simply didn't bother to disembark, and so the local official who met us at the mouth of the bay in a small skiff where we had dropped anchor seemed happy to see us. He was dressed as if for a military ball, at least from the front view. When he turned around after the customary bribe, or 'port tax' as it was euphemistically called, we realized that the former owner must have been at least 10 sizes smaller. His costume was split up the back seam to show his bare back! He did not lose any dignity from this revelation. He was actually quite grand, looking like one of the doormen at one of the hotels in New York.

It was decided that we would sail at high tide, very late that night, it being a full moon and navigation a true and easy possibility, should it not prove foggy. An impromptu taxi service of local boats was on its way at the behest of our Generalissimo. The Captain set this in motion only after taking an Aye or nay vote on it. After our rowing stint this was seen as a most welcome break by even the most avid gold seekers. We had the option of just spending a few hours while the crew loaded water and fresh fruit, in this case some rather small and more than somewhat sour tangerines or oranges. They were a welcome change and the water was not brackish or muddy, seemingly come from a fresh spring that I never saw.

We could have departed as soon as the transfer was made, at our option. But the Ayes to stay had it by more than a bare majority, some voting nay just to create humor of a sort I didn't reckon as funny, particularly. And so many of us were off the boat in search of amusement, commodities and services not offered on shipboard.

The crew, since their work only took a few hours appreciated the opportunity to go ashore. I saw them crowded into a grog shop, all drinking as one man. I did notice a rather unusual phenomenon when I peered into the bar. All parties from the ship were swaying back and forth in a motion very like the sea. I had to stop looking at it. It was making me seasick. It was all right on the boat, but not on land. I am glad that Anderson didn't see it, or he would have had more distress and ague. He didn't come ashore. My first thought was that he would be the first off the boat, kissing the ground as he did. But in actual fact I think he proved he had a great deal of horse sense as well as piety, since he would have had to go through it all again to adjust to the rest of the voyage. There were temptations of the flesh available, after all it was South America, and it was better for him not to have such things in proximity, not so much from his temptation, but witnessing the temptation and folly of others.

Some came back with trimmed hair; the town barber making a busy time for himself. Many came back with little casks of wine and sprits. The former being a little salty like a Manzanilla, and the latter being a peach brandy concoction that had a mule's kick. I bought some from a person with a hangover at least a foot thick, and used it sparingly. I had taken in the sights walking about easily, the warm climate agreeing with my bad leg. Maybe it was the peach Brandy I had I had taken internally; I assure you I was not using it as liniment. I think it might have been the warm tinge in the weather as well. It seemed an odd juxtaposition. Gentlemen were walking in the same manner as I did normally, I think from the peach brandy mule kick, and it had just the opposite affect upon me. I was walking very nicely with little pain. Some experienced it more than others, but we all had the same hangover afterwards and our ambulatory custom went back to its original state.

Some came back with wild tales, mostly untrue, of Romantic interludes with pretty Señoritas. From the men confessing such conduct there must have been several extremely busy senoritas plying their trade. The alternative would be over 100 raven haired beauties in a village that on market day, which we had triggered by our arrival, including all the surrounding farming community, would attract no more than 50 persons, even counting livestock! Some as it developed were at least telling part of the truth, since they came down with a nasty rash, that the ships doctor had a bit of a time treating. No major afflictions were encountered, but it was serious enough.

And so we pressed on around the tip of South America, and there were even more adventures yet to encounter.

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