The Beothuk Expedition (15 page)

Our progress that day was not as rapid as either Mr. Cartwright or I would have preferred. Our companions were still having difficulty on the south bank, and we were obliged to wait for them on several occasions. During these delays the two furriers would walk into the forest to explore the many brooks and streams that flowed into the river. They were plainly in search of a new source of pelts and on their return they would scratch little maps on birch bark with the points of their knives. The prospect of profit had done much for their courage, for they no longer seemed nervous of the forest. It was early evidence of a greed that would become much bolder in the days to come.

All that day we passed abandoned huts as well as a cleverly constructed raft and two partially built canoes. What we did not discover were signs that the Indians had been there in recent weeks. Cooper went so far as to say they hadn't been there in many months. Our second night on the river was passed in one of the
mamateeks
, as partial protection from the mosquitoes and blackflies, and by dawn we were walking again. Lieutenant Cartwright was convinced that we would find the Red Indians farther inland, near the great lake that Tom June had described. He became more convinced of this when, on the third day, Grimes claimed to have seen a canoe full of men in the distance. They had been armed and war-like, he said, and I listened to this with more than a little suspicion. No one else had seen them and Grimes was forever complaining of the walking, the flies and the heat. Nothing would have suited him more than to have us turn around and return to the relative comfort of the
Dove
.

Unfortunately for him, his claim had the opposite effect upon the first lieutenant. He became more eager than ever to push on and he drove us hard on the fourth day. The other party was pressed to keep up and twice we lost sight of them for hours at a time. We had been without communication, save for the most rudimentary kind, since the start of the journey. In places where the river had been narrow enough to shout across, the rush and splash of the water had all but drowned our voices.

When I awoke on the fifth morning I looked across the river and suspected that something was amiss. Rain had started during the night and although we were dry inside a large hut the others had not been so fortunate. They had slept under the trees around a campfire that now smouldered in the rain. There was no sign of activity but a scan through my glass found the seven men sitting in the undergrowth, and a sorry-looking lot they were. Some were attempting to repair their shoes, others lay motionless except for listless slapping at the mosquitoes, and all were as wet as seals.

The lieutenant asked my opinion and I said that we ought to establish their condition, which did not look promising. How this was to be done was another matter, for while the river ran smoothly between us, it was at least a hundred yards wide. I said that I would try to find a way across, and leaving my pistol with Froggat, I walked upstream to investigate. Before long I discovered two large tree trunks that had washed ashore. By observing the flow of the river, I concluded that any object launched from this point would make its way to the other bank in the general vicinity of our companions. I therefore placed the two logs side-by-side in the water, straddled them as I would a horse and then pushed myself into the stream. The soundness of my idea was quickly put to the test, and it was not the verdict I had hoped for. The current took hold of my little raft and spun it around like a leaf, propelling me downriver at an alarming speed.

I was clearly in trouble, and I believe I would have drowned if not for some quick action on the part of Greening. Seeing my predicament he grabbed a hatchet and sprang into action. At a stroke or two he toppled a long pole of birch and thrust it into my path as the current pushed me past the south bank. I had the good sense to grab it as I was swept along, losing my seat and tumbling into the water. Others lent a hand and the pole was drawn in to bring me safely to shore. I was soaked to the skin but no worse off than the men who helped me to my feet. They had been lying in the rain all night and to make their misery more complete, most of them were crippled for want of a decent pair of shoes. For all that, Frost and Greening found my antics on the river quite amusing. Greening tried to hide a smile but Frost laughed outright at my sodden appearance, reciting: “
Mother, may I go out to swim? Why yes, my darling daughter, fold your clothes up neat and trim, but don't go near the water!
”

I ignored the jest and turned my attention to the state of their footwear. George Cartwright and Reverend Stow had been well shod to begin with and their boots had stood up to the sharp rocks. The sailors' shoes were another matter. Frost and Jenkins had not a sole between them and they'd walked the last mile in their bare feet. The cuts and abrasions were ugly enough but Frost had also twisted an ankle and was favouring it. Greening, Rundle and Atkinson were not much better equipped, with mere flaps of leather hanging from their uppers.

There was only one course to follow, and there and then I ordered the four sailors to make their way back to Start Rattle. Greening began to voice an objection but I silenced him quickly enough. I heard no word of complaint from Rundle or Jenkins, though Frost alone made up for that. The boatswain was determined to argue the point, even after I had hardened my tone and said the decision was final.

“But sir,” he protested, “this here is a naval expedition. With me and the lads turned back, there'll be more lubbers than seamen. Now that can't be right, can it, sir?”

“I believe we can uphold the honour of the Navy in your absence, Mister Frost,” I replied.

The grey pigtail hung wet and limp as his small eyes peered across the river and then back at me. I knew what was really on his mind, and it was not the honour of the Navy. “You don't take my meaning, sir. Some of them you're left with can't be relied on. Why, I wouldn't trust 'em—”

“I am aware of their shortcomings, Mister Frost. That is my duty, is it not?”

My tone quieted him but he gave me a seething look. I took him by the sleeve and drew him away from the others. “Listen to me, Frost,” I hissed. “With that ankle, you are as useless as a hulk on a lee shore. At least Grimes and the furriers can walk and fire a musket if need be. Now these men must return to the
Dove
while they can. I have my doubts whether they can manage it alone. You must go with them. There is no one else.”

He heard me out and nodded his head in resignation, realizing that what I said was true. He would only slow our progress or worse still, force us to abandon him or give up the expedition entirely. Having put the matter to rest, I informed our two gentlemen that they were free to return to the shallop, if they chose to do so. They were volunteers and could not be expected to bear the difficulties that were already multiplying upon us. I had anticipated a particular response from each of them but their reactions were, I have to say, the complete opposite of my expectations. I had scolded Frost not five minutes earlier about knowing the shortcomings of those around me. It now became clear how little I really knew of these people.

Mr. George Cartwright, the bold young army captain, fairly jumped at the chance to retreat. He invented no excuses, I will give him that, other than to say he'd had enough. And yet, the speed with which he gathered his things was remarkable. Without a trace of embarrassment he asked that I convey his regrets to his brother.

I was not fully recovered from this when a second surprise came in the response of Reverend Stow, who declared his absolute determination to stay the course. He spoke emphatically of fulfilling his mission, of finding, as he put it, “those savages who have yet to receive the glad tidings of salvation.” Oh, but the poor chaplain was a sorry sight, standing there in the streaming rain with his wig plastered to his skull. He looked at me defiantly, as if I might order him away. The thought hadn't even entered my mind, for how could I deny a man who would endure so much for his convictions?

I suppose I must have looked a sight as well, listening incredulously to this reversal of my expectations. I regained my wits in time to stop George Cartwright as he set off with faithful old Atkinson at his heels. I asked him if he would not give up his boots so that another man might carry on. I think he would have told me to go to hell had the others not been watching. Instead, he sat on a rock and his servant pulled the boots off with difficulty. I picked them up and gave them to Greening, who grinned with delight as he handed the gentleman his battered shoes with their flapping soles.

Friday Froggat

It was the sight of poor Jonah struggling in the river that marked the change. I came to my senses just after that, though at the time it felt like I was watching myself fighting that mighty current, trying to survive a force that was far greater than any I could overcome. But just as deliverance and solid ground came to Jonah that morning, so it came to me.

The Lord knows I've had sickness and injury aplenty in my time, but never the torture of mind that had hold of me in those weeks. There were moments when I could think clearly enough, and only then did I know that I was surely going mad. I plainly recollect falling ill on board the
Liverpool
, and being told it was the scurvy. From there it was naught but a hellish nightmare of demons who came to claw at my reason and to tear at my soul. They brought hideous thoughts that were not my own and unspeakable cravings that took possession of my very being. I had fallen into an abyss without hope and was allowed to live only to prolong my suffering.

I recall that Jonah was with me much of the time, and without him I would not be on this earthly plane today. Perhaps it was the shock of seeing him in mortal danger that caused the tide to shift, but whatever it was, I began to make sense of what was going on around me. Mind you, I wasn't sure who some of my companions were, though I recognized Nehemiah Grimes from the
Liverpool
. There was something else about him, too, only for the life of me I couldn't remember what it was.

I wasn't sure how I came to be in the Newfoundland wilderness, either. But that and the other gaps were caulked by and by, thanks to Jonah. He told me everything and right happy he was to see me back in my senses, I can tell you. Lieutenant Cartwright didn't seem to care one way or another. Jonah told him he might have lost five men to poor cobbling but he was gaining one who made the trade nearly even. The lieutenant gave him a funny look when he said that, like he thought it might be a fling against his brother leaving the way he did.

I also found something in the pocket of my old uniform coat. It was a tiny figure like a pendant, carved from bone or antler, I suppose. It wasn't more than an inch long but it was cut real fine in the likeness of a child. I couldn't say how it got there until the memory returned to me by degrees. It was our second night on the river, when we were lying in one of them Indian huts. I was awake in the dark, a fair bit dazed but I recall the moonlight coming through a hole in the roof. It was lying right there in that little patch of light, this tiny figure, and I must've picked it up and put it in my pocket, which is where I found it on my resurrection day.

After that I had a good few things to ponder as we beat our way up the river, especially the nature of the sickness or madness that I'd just come through. Jonah said it was more than the scurvy, which made me think about my time in Bonavista. I couldn't recall much, but for some reason I had the notion that Grimes figured into it. I gave it a good bit of thought and after a while it gradually came back to me. Only by then, it was far too late.

Jonah Squibb

We now found ourselves, Reverend Stow, Greening and myself, isolated from our companions on the north bank of the river. Lieutenant Cartwright signalled for us to continue upstream and this we set out to do as best we could. Boulders and sharp stones contrived to slow our progress until late in the morning, when we came upon a chain of rocks that stretched across the torrent to the other side. It was not for the weak of heart but we succeeded in leaping from one slippery knob to the next, arriving safely to the cheers of the other party.

Lieutenant Cartwright received the news of his brother's departure without a word. I am certain that he was disappointed, but he did no more than cast a hard look at the boots on Greening's feet. That the chaplain had volunteered to carry on must have made his brother's choice doubly hard to bear. In any event, he decided that we would remain as one party, our strength of nine men being too small to risk dividing. We therefore continued our trek until late afternoon, when the rain finally ended and the sun appeared, to the great relief of our minds and bodies. I suggested that we make camp early to dry our clothes and to cook a proper meal, and after receiving reluctant consent we took our well-earned rest in the sun.

I was lying awake as the others slept in the last of the day's warmth when I saw Tom Rowsell sit up and look around him. Seeing no sign of wakefulness from anyone, including myself, he rose to his feet, picked up his musket and powder horn and silently walked into the forest. I thought little of this, assuming that he had gone to relieve himself, when to my wonder, Cooper stirred a moment later, took up his weapon and followed. This was more than a little suspicious, but what they were up to I could not guess.

A few minutes later I was following their trail as quietly as a sailor in the forest can manage. Fortunately the trees were well spaced with thin undergrowth, so that I made little noise and was able to glimpse them in the distance from time to time. At intervals they would stop and listen, casting their eyes back along their path and keeping their muskets at the ready. They led me on in this manner for some ten or fifteen minutes until I observed a sudden change in their behaviour. Their attention was drawn to a noise or movement on their left, and they moved cautiously in that direction, now crouching, now stretching to see, all the while as silent and stealthy as cats.