Catherine's Cross (10 page)

He say Joseph I got something to tell you and it goin make you real sad. He tell me that Master Preston and his father was killed in Virginia. I can hardly keep tears back but I thank him for telling me and then I go to my cabin to cry. There is a woman with two small children where my famly live and I tell her this is my home but we can share. She suckle the baby and go and sit in one corner. I fight the tears I feel for Master Preston.

Jenks rose from her chair and stretched her muscles. The clock on the kitchen wall read three forty-five, and she knew that Ida Mae and Meta would be finishing their work soon. She walked to the kitchen sink and placed the empty plate and milk glass in the sink. Sitting back down at the table, she looked through the entries until she came to a recording in August.

There been a gale blowing for the last day and I hear the soldiers say the winds been steady around twenty knots and out of the south. The storm come from the tropics. Scipio and me sleep on the wharf underneath a tarp. We in between pallets of cargo bound for the north and we stay real dry. Around mid afternoon we hear two soldiers talking. They don't know we there so they at ease. I hear one of them say that Colonel Hubbard shipping some real nice jewelry to his wife in Boston. The other one says it come from one of the wealthiest plantations in the area on the May River.

After a while they stop and we start to go outside, but we hear a soldier address Colonel Hubbard and he asking them about the readiness of a ship that suppose to be departing the wharf by three. I hear him get mad because a number of soldiers is drunk and asleep on the wharf. He tell everyone of them they should get ready for court martial if they still there in five minutes. We peep from behind the tarp and Colonel Hubbard grab one man by the uniform and pull him up from dock. He slap him and tell him to report to duty. We watch the man stumble from the pier toward a group of soldiers. We close the tarp and move to the back behind the cargo.

After a few minutes I hear Colonel Hubbard tell another soldier to put “it” on board. I don't know what “it” is, but I hear one of the soldiers get excited and tell Colonel Hubbard that Leutenant Jeffrey and General Sherman is on they way to the wharf. The tarp fly open and a soldier place a trunk inside the area where we is hiding. We can hear the soldiers talking and Scipio whisper that he want to see what inside that trunk. I bout scared to death, but Scipio put his hand over my mouth and he say “quiet” real soft like.

There is no lock on the trunk and he open it up. We look inside. There is treasure inside that is probably finer than what the wise men brought Jesus when he stay at the manger. Scipio pick up some of the items and we look close at them. There is silver, gold coins, and jewelry that I never saw the like of. One necklace made of gold with a cross and red stones on it. Scipio say, “This bout the most beautiful thing I ever see.”

“This is it,” Jenks gasped.

We being real quiet but I think I is breathing so hard that those soldiers can hear me. I knows if they catch us they gonna kill us. He hands me the gold cross and I don't want to touch it cause I scared it gonna brand me. I tell him to put it back in the trunk and close it before those soldiers return. He does and I breathe deeply.

After a few minutes, I hear General Sherman and Leutenant Jeffrey take leave of Colonel Hubbard. General Sherman ask, “When this ship gonna get underway?”

Colonel Hubbard say as long as the rain subsides and winds stay below twenty knots the ship will sail at three. As soon as they gone, a soldier reaches into where we hiding and takes the trunk out. There is a sliver of an opening in the tarp. I see Colonel Hubbard lift that trunk lid. He look inside and feel those pieces like he fondling a . . . My mama would whip me if she know what I was thinking. He turns toward us and I think we had it, but then I see he just kind of staring into space. There is a look of want in his eyes like I never see on a man afore. It kind of scary.

He put a lock on the trunk and then the soldiers load it taking it down to the hold. We scared to move, but some time later we hear a soldier say that ship is getting ready to sail. There is commotion on the dock and we think we can slip out the back and mix in with the soldiers. Just as we about to leave, Scipio part the tarp and we can see down at the other end of the wharf. There is one soldier standing down there and he kind of hiding. We can see him, but from where he is, I don't think the soldiers launching the ship can see him. The ship gets underway toward Port Royal Sound and we see that soldier throw some lit smoking material into the boat as it go by. As he leave his hiding place he have a look of satisfaction kinda like the cat that ate the canary. He the drunk soldier that Colonel Hubbard slap. After he gone, we lift the tarp and go out between cargo pallets.

Just before dark we sit near Leutenat Jeffrey in his tent. He writing a letter to his wife. All of a sudden there a great commotion at the wharf. A sloop done arrived and say they witness a ship burn near St. Helena Sound. The sails on fire and by the time they get to it the ship done sank and they can't find no survivors. Colonel Hubbard look like he about to have heart failure. His face is gray and he want to know the name of the ship. One of the crew hand him a piece of the hull that has part of the name of the ship on it—it say
Defi
—the ship that sailed with Colonel Hubbards loot was the
Defiance
. Scipio and I make a pact not to tell anyone about this. If we say anything we make an enemy out of someone. Why would they believe us anyway? They thinks of us as niggers.

Jenks took out her notepad from her purse and wrote down the following notes:

“The winds were steady at 20 knots out of the south. The ship left the dock at 3 p.m. The month is August, but does not mention the date. A sloop arrives and brings news of a ship that burned near St. Helena Sound. Does not reference the tides—only sails mentioned as the type of propulsion—all souls lost. The name of the ship—
Defiance
.”

She closed the journal and breathed deeply. As she started to rise from the table, Ida Mae and Meta came into the kitchen from the back room. “How did you do today, Jenkins?”

“I think I found what I was looking for.”

“Good—good, I's glad to hear it,” Meta said.

“I have enjoyed reading your ancestor's journals.” Jenks paused as she glanced at the books. “Why don't you donate a copy of the writings to the Beaufort Library?”

“It was very unusual for a slave to read and write. We plan to donate de original journals to de Beaufort County Preservation Society when we pass. Dese writings of our ancestor are part of us. We had plenty of scholars come here to read de journals. We never turn anyone down.”

“The General Sherman in the journal?”

“Dat is General Thomas Sherman who in charge of de Federal Navy when dey invade Beaufort—not de General Sherman who like to burn everything down.”

“I see. What happened to Joseph and Scipio?”

“The Federals stay in Beaufort for the duration of the War. Joseph and Scipio, dey cousins—dey work around de wharves and earn wages from de officers. De white property owners can't come to pay dere taxes 'cause de enemy hold de town. I's not saying dat was fair . . . I's just saying dat what happen. So many of dem default, and some of de land and houses 'round Beaufort go up for sale due to unpaid taxes. Joseph and Scipio go in together and buy a tract on de May River near Bluffton. Dey know how to farm and dey plant cotton and raise dere families. Over de years, de property pass down through generations by what is called a tenancy in common. Dey all owns a part of de land, but it ain't divided by no survey or deed. It what came to be known as heirs' property.”

“Do you still own the land?”

Meta smiled slightly and then said, “No, Miss Jenkins—one of de problems with heirs' property was dat one owner could call for sale of de land to get dere share and dere ain't anyting de other owners could do 'bout it. Developers could get dere hands on property real easy dat way. Dey bribe one person to force de sale of de land and de highest bidder comes in and buys it.”

“I'm so sorry. I think that's terrible.”

“Yes um. Back in the 1960s, we was still living on dat property. Dere was de most beautiful view of de May River you ever see in your life. Dey tells me water frontage real important to developers and dis property had plenty of it. One of my daddy's cousins, he my cousin too—call for de sale of de entire tract—he say he want his share. No amount of pleading stop him from going through with dis. De sale of de land goes to a Mr. Thurston Harrington III from Princeton, New Jersey.”

“Oh, no,” Jenks said.

“De family was devastated. About two weeks later, de boy who force de sale of our family land show up in de most beautiful Cadillac I ever see in my life. It about de color of sapphires. All weekend, he go 'round de town showing off and bragging.”

“That's terrible.”

“We all know dat boy ain't made enough on his proceeds from de sale of de land to buy dat Cadillac. Monday morning, he ain't show up for work at de saw mill. His mama real worried. Days go by, but he never show up.” Meta took a breath and then she smiled. “About a year later, some fishermen find dat Cadillac out by Nairne Point. It in several feet of water and if one of de fisherman ain't caught de hood ornament of dat automobile with a fish hook it might still be underwater.” She looked at Jenks and laughed ever so slightly. “Dat boy's body was never found. I like to tink he had a visit with a shark.”

“Whew! I'm sorry about your family land!”

“You young and sweet. Dis kind of wickedness go on all de time.”

“What happened with the land?”

“Dat New Jersey gentleman develop our property and name it some kind of plantation. Plantation life ended about one hundred and fifty years ago, but some white folks still flocking to de plantations. With de proceeds from de sale of de land and his savings, our father bought dis cottage and the de land around it—bout ten acres. He never got over what happened to our family property.” She paused for a moment as she folded a tea cloth. “You know I thought about dis many times. I learn to empat'ize with de white folks dat lost dere lands at tax sales during de Civil War.”

Meta looked keenly into Jenks's eyes and said, “Dat boy sold out his own people—he got what he deserve.”

“Oh, my,” Jenks said, stunned.

Before she left, the sisters told her to come back anytime she wanted to read the journals. “We want you to take some more cookies home with you,” Ida Mae said as she filled a plastic bag.

“Thank you for your help,” Jenks said.

As she started to leave, Meta looked at her closely and said, “You be real careful—especially around water.”

Jenks began the return trip to Beaufort and she thought about Rory Masters. Turning onto Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive she passed large tomato farms on the route to Land's End. She parked her car in front of Rory's home, and walked up the ramp to his door. When she knocked on his door, she heard him call out, “I'll be right there.”

She waited until the door opened, and he sat in his wheelchair before her. “What a nice surprise, Miss Ellington.”

“Please call me Jenks.”

“All right, Jenks it is.”

“Rory, I was out this way doing some research, and I wanted to bring you some cookies. I didn't make them. The ladies I was visiting with did.”

She held the bag up, and he smiled. “That was very thoughtful of you. Can I fix you something to drink?”

“Thank you, but I just finished having refreshments.”

“I'm going to have a beer. I hope you don't mind.”

“No, of course not.”

As he went to the refrigerator, Jenks noticed several photographs on the wall. She moved closer for inspection. Most of the photos were of Rory with other soldiers. In two of them, she noticed Rory beside an attractive woman in a military uniform.

“You had a woman in your unit?” Jenks inquired.

“Yes, Sarah Humphries, along with several other women. She was a special liaison with Afghan villagers.”

“She's very attractive.”

Rory fell silent and his facial expression looked sad. After a moment he said, “You should have heard her voice. She had such a smooth, mellow voice. The village children used to crowd around her to listen to her sing.”

He sat quietly for a few moments before maneuvering his wheelchair onto the deck. “Seth said you were from Raleigh. I've been there a few times. It's a nice town,” Rory said.

“Where are you from?”

“California. I grew up in a small community north of San Francisco.”

“Do you miss living there?”

“I miss the coldness of the Pacific Ocean and riding the surf. My friends and I were regular beach bums growing up.”

“Do you still have family there?”

“Just my mother.”

“Well, I probably should go. I just wanted to bring you the cookies. They're really good.”

“Thank you, Jenks. I'm going to have you and Seth over for dinner soon.” Rory lifted a pocket watch that was attached to his belt by a gold chain. He looked at the time.

“That's a beautiful watch,” Jenks observed.

“It was a wedding gift to a male ancestor of mine from his bride to be.”

Jenks stepped closer observing the beautiful engravings on the watch.

“See . . . written on the back, ‘Forever, Jane.'” A look of sadness crossed his face, and he quietly said, “Only nothing lasts forever.”

Jenks wasn't sure what she should say, and she stood quietly waiting for him to continue. He appeared to be in deep thought, but after a few moments, his gaze returned to her and he said, “Thank you again for stopping by. I look forward to the three of us getting together.”

“I'll look forward to it as well.”

She started down the ramp, and he waved good-bye before entering his house.