Caryl Phillips - Crossing the River

Martha Randolph won’t be taking any washing today. No tubs, no ironing. No cooking, either. Martha will simply sleep through the day. The woman, her cold body wrapped in her black coat, left the Denver streets which were now clad in thick snow. She opened the door and looked in upon the small colored woman, who stared back at her with wide eyes. The unsuccessful fire in the pot-bellied stove was dead. The woman gently closed in the door. Martha won’t be taking any washing today. And the woman wondered who or what this woman was. They would have to choose a name for her if she was going to receive a Christian burial.

Officers and Seamen belonging to the Duke of York .

Commenced pay 24th August 1752.

NAMES

QUALITY

James Hamilton

Master

John Pierce

1st Mate

Discharged 21st

Dec. 1752

Fortune

Henry Allen

Surgeon

Francis Foster

2nd Mate

Deceased 26th

April 1753

William Smith

3rd Mate

Joseph Griffith

Carpenter

George Davy

Boatswain

Discharged 15th

Jan.1753

William Barber

Cooper

Thomas Gallagher

Steward

Jonathan Swain

Cook

Deceased 14th

March 1753

Mark Brown

Gunner

Edward White

Carpenter’s Mate

Deceased 23rd

April 1753

Samuel Morgan

Fore the mast

Matthew Pitts

do.

John Lawson

do.

Robert Lewis

do.

Joseph Cropper

do.

Discharged 20th

Nov. 1752

Richard Forrester

do.

Edmund Fellows

do.

Jacob Creed

do.

Discharged 20th

Nov. 1752

George Robinson

do.

Thomas Taylor

Fiddler do.

James Whitaker

do.

Peter Welsh

do.

Owen Thompson

Ship’s Apprentice

Edward Gibson

do.

Matthew Arthur

do.

Deceased 5th

March 1753

John Johnson

do.

Monday 24th August … At 3 p.m. cast from the pier head at Liverpool, run against the flood. At 7 p.m. moored with the sheet anchor. A light breeze and some rain…

Tuesday 25th August … All day cloudy weather, fresh gales. Four of our people, Edmund Fellows, James Whitaker, Edward Gibson and John Johnson, fixed the longboat’s sails. Carpenter mended the channel bend. John Lawson fixed stoppers for the cables. Pilot boat came on board with 3 sheep, and 2 quarters of beef…

*

Thursday 27th August … All day fair weather. A brig informed us of variable winds…

*

Saturday 29th August At daylight this morning unmoored. High water, fresh gales about SW. For Windward and Gold Coast…

*

Wednesday 9th September Thick and fresh gales. Rain in the night, strong and at times very hard. Looking very dirty to the westward. At 2 p.m. came in with the sheet anchor in 10 fathoms. Saw the land of Dublin to the NW and W. In the road, His Majesty’s Ship, the African , 3 Dutch, and another English vessel. Continues very bad weather…

Thursday 10th September All night northern lights flying about the wild sky. Daylight came on thick and the gale increased about WSW and West. At noon let go the starboard anchor under foot…

Friday 11th September … Begin to be sensible of a change of climate. Hazy weather. Some small rain. Indifferent smooth water…

*

Saturday 19th September On this morning discovered William Barber, Cooper, guilty of broaching a cask of ale reserved for cabin use and filling it with water. Put him in irons and, the facts being fully proved, ordered 12 lashes…

*

Tuesday 29th September … At 1 p.m. the land ahead proved to be the island Grand Canaries: soon after saw the peak of Tenerife at a great distance. People at work upon the cables. Carpenter began to raise the gratings of the women’s room…

*

Monday 5th October … The water once again a deep sea colour. Sounded but could get no ground with 60 fathoms of line. A great many flying fish about us. Caught a small dolphin…

Tuesday 6th October … Carpenter fitted up state room to serve as a shop on the coast. Removed most of India cloth from hold into cabin. Got ship’s arms chest aft. Marked off the slaves’ rooms, and Carpenter and Mate set about building the bulkheads. All hands engaged. Gunner making cartridges, etc., for the carriage and swivel guns…

*

Sunday 11th October … Very variable winds and weather. At 9 a.m. sails set with a pretty breeze. Got soundings at about 35 fathoms, white sand and black stones. Caught a small shark. By 2 p.m. a great deal of lightning and thunder. Very strong ripplings…

*

Tuesday 13th October … Saw land, Sierra Leone eastward about 3 miles. At 3 p.m. passed 4 vessels at anchor off the bar. One, Mary , a snow, of Liverpool is known to me. The Halifax of Bristol is almost slaved. The 2 others are schooners from New England. Have 14 fathoms of water, red sand. At sunset anchored in Frenchman’s Bay. Fired 7 guns. The rest of the day was passed in feasting and firing.

Wednesday 14th October Fair weather. Made a trip with the yawl for water. Visited on board with Captain Williams of the Mary . He informed me that the Devon of Bristol was recently run on shore by the slaves in an insurrection and totally lost. There was loss of 11 crew. Upon my return the ship’s company, to a man, complained that in my absence the Boatswain, Mr Davy, had used them ill. I thought it proper to put him in chains lest he might occasion disturbance when we get slaves on board.

Thursday 15th October … Corrected the Carpenter with a dozen stripes of the cat for making a commotion while fetching wood…

Friday 16th October In the morning I went on board Mr Sharp’s shallop to Whiteman’s Bay to view some slaves. Was shown 10, but bought none. Lame, old, or blind. In the afternoon ran up with the flood to the island factory. Got there a handsome dozen, paid the goods for them, and brought them up…

*

Wednesday 21st October … Came up from the Leeward the Virtue , Morris, sloop, of Barbados. He has some 40 slaves on board in 2 months. He gives a disturbing account of trade down below. The price of slaves has run to 125 bars and upwards. Bartered with Captain Morris for 4 hogsheads of rum at 4/- per gallon…

*

Thursday 29th October … When it lies in the desk, the thermometer at 74, but when exposed to the heat of the sun it rose, at noon, to 96. I was much surprised to detect so great a difference…

*

Wednesday 4th November … Variable weather, mostly a land breeze, and in the night thunder and lightning. Discharged the Boatswain from his confinement, upon his promise of amendment…

Thursday 5th November … Last night Captain Morris’s longboat came in with 10 more slaves having been 2 days gone. He pretends that the trade hereabouts is all engaged to him, but I am not an apprentice…

Friday 6th November … Dispatched Mr Pierce in the yawl with a letter for Mr Jones at Whiteman’s Bay. I wish to know whether he can give me any encouragement to stay longer hereabouts. This evening he returned with a half-dozen fine man-boys, but the bars were excessive dear. According to Mr Pierce’s testimony, gleaned from Mr Jones, the resident white men are all exhausted. This parcel of a half-dozen being the last of the present crop…