JOHN FLANERY

JOHN FLANERY

Paul J. McCall


My carriage arrived at the dock and came to an abrupt halt practically throwing me to the floor of the carriage. I had attempted to get some sleep during the journey but bad roads and the aged coach were against me. I remounted my seat to gather my things. The door opened so quickly it startled me.
“Watch your step Sir” the coachman said as he unfolded the steps. I passed him my bag and stepped down to the wet cobble-stones. The foggy early morning mist filtered the Sun which was just beginning to peek above the horizon far out to sea.
Still quite dark, the dimly lit docks were soaked from the night's rain and the warm, damp air had an obvious pong of decomposing fish assaulting my nostrils. An old man who was crouched in a dark doorway hurried over. The light was enough that I could see the old man was disgustingly grubby and looked like he had been a sailor in his better years.

“May I carry your bags for you sir?”
“No thank you sir I can manage” I said. He was a man I would hardly trust with my belongings. I gave the coachman a coin for his trouble and was surprised to see him hand it over to the old man. The coachman dragged my trunk from the back of the carriage and said,
“He needs it more than I do.”

Referring to the dock I asked the old man,
“How can you stand that god-awful smell?”
He smiled with a mouth vacant of teeth, “What smell is that sir?”
“You can’t smell that?” I said.
“I don’t smell a thing sir.”

I lugged my large canvas bag and the coachman grabbed a hand truck for my trunk. He loaded it and followed me and we made our way to the Harmony.

I was impressed when I saw her for the first time. She was a three-mast, well-kept handsome vessel. I admit I had been apprehensive about this voyage; I had never been aboard a ship.

The Harmony was to cast off the following morning. I was both anxious and excited. I deliberately arrived early to board and settle in for this, my first sea voyage. As I crossed the gangplank, I stopped to look up at the rigging. A gust of wind forced me to grab my hat with my free hand and I almost lost my canvas bag. I was in awe at what seemed like thousands of lines of rope all crisscrossing the towering masts.

"Coming aboard sir?" A gravelly voice said breaking my focus, when I looked; a sailor stood waiting to use the narrow gangplank.

"Oh… why, yes" I said as I stepped on board for the first time. “How in god's name can you fellows keep track of all that maze of lines?" I said as I made my way past him.

"It's an acquired process, sir." He pointed toward the rear of the ship, "If you go that way, sir, you can find someone who will show you to your cabin". Before I could thank him, he turned and hurried down the gangplank.

I went in the direction the sailor had indicated and was still looking up at the web of lines when I heard the voice of a young woman, “Can I be of service, Sir?” I spun around and a young boy dressed in a midshipman's uniform stood with all seriousness. I said,
"Why, yes, yes you may. I am to be a passenger on this voyage."

"May I have your name sir?" The boy asked as he looked at a folder he had removed from under his right arm.

"John Flannery," I said. He studied his list a moment.
"Oh yes, Sir Mr. Flannery there you are sir.” Tucking the folder back under his arm he said, “If you would follow me, sir."
He led me down a ladder to the next deck and toward the back of the ship. When he stopped, opened and held a door for me.

"Here you are, sir."

"Thank you, young man".

"Midshipmen, Benes, sir." The boy corrected.

“Yes, of course, Mr. Benes, my opolgies” I said.

I was surprised to find my quarters about equal to the size of a cell at the city jail. Once I stowed my belongings, I left the cabin to venture about the ship and take in what was happening on board and about the docks.

Sailors were busy loading cargo and supplies such as barrels of water some crates of chickens and even some cattle and Goats.

All hands were trimming the ship for the long crossing to America. The sails were tied up and were extra heavy due to trapped water from the rain the night before. One had to be watchful for a drenching as the sailors wrestled with the canvas; occasionally freeing trapped water that fell to the deck with such force in some cases it was as if the water were a solid object. A sailor saw me, “Sir” he shouted, “You should go below until we finish working up here.”

I had had no sleep the night before; a result of all the tossing and turning I suffered from my anxiety over my pending maiden sea voyage. I took the sailors advice and found my way back to my cabin to lie down.

I did not wake until the following morning. I was surprised how long I slept and relieved to see we had not left port. I would have been extremely disappointed had I missed cast off. We should have been on our way by now and the delay puzzled me so when I saw Captain Nixon, I approached him and respectfully inquired,

“Pardon me, Captain, may I have a word, sir?”
“Of course, Mr. Flannery?”
“Yes, Sir that’s right Sir.” I said.

“May I inquire the cause of our delayed, sir?”
I could see the Captain was obviously unhappy about the situation. He directed his attention back to his busy men who were taking the opportunity to substantiate the readying of the ship for departure.

"It may be days before we leave Mr. Flannery, thanks to a single late-comer who has plenty of influence."

Although angered about our delay the captain also had a reputation for insisting on sailing with a full ship. I was excited about our departure and looking forward to the long sea voyage.

Agitated as Captain Nixon was, I dare not inquire any further.
“Thank you, Captain,” I said and backed away.
We would be bound for New York. Like myself, most of the passengers had never been aboard a ship before but a ship of this size somehow made me feel at ease about the voyage.

Roaming about I managed to find a quiet spot on deck. Some canvas that had been laid out and had dried looked very inviting and I took the moment to lie down and stretched out on my back. Gazing up I watched as sailors at the extreme top of the mainmast running about the rigging and even jumping from one spot to another and though I was looking up and not down I found that often could not bear to watch the way they pranced about up there.

It then occurred to me, what if one of them drops a tool or something and here I am lying below? Quickly I hopped up and hurried to the safety of my cabin to keep out of the way. As I lay quietly in my hammock, the ship gently rolled with the incoming tide. I pondered over how a ship of this tonnage could float at all.

I felt hungry and decided to ask Captain Nixon if there was time for me to go ashore and get a bite at a restaurant I saw very near the dock when I was getting out of my carriage.

The Captain was up on the quarter deck scanning the dock - I assumed for our tardy passenger.

“Excuse me, Captain Nixon, Sir!” I shouted from the main deck. “Might there be time for me to go ashore for a bite to eat, sir?”

He approached the railing as he looked down upon me, “Take the time you need Mr. Flannery. If I must wait for Lady Gabrielson, I can wait for you.”

I dared not seem amused by the Captain's comment.
“I thank you, Sir.” I quickly replayed and went straight for the gangplank.

After a fine meal of fresh fish and chips, I returned to find the ship was abuzz with activity and as I boarded I asked one of the sailors, "What's going on?"

"Lady Gabrielson has just boarded. “She’s the one we were ordered to wait for, you know". Hearing this I was eager to see the woman who keeps a ship from sailing as easily as Helen of Tory could have them make sail.

With things, so busy on the deck and recalling Captain Nixon's previous warning for my own safety, I went to my cabin to keep out of the way. I had purchased a book of blank pages to keep a journal of my first sea voyage and decided to take this opportunity to light a candle and get to work on my first entry.

“September 21, 1789: I am aboard the Harmony. Last night was my first time sleeping aboard ship and I slept rather well, to be honest, of course, we are still at the dock and not out to sea. Captain Nixon seems a quite pleasant and extremely helpful gentleman, especially with the passengers.

A woman, Lady Gabrielson, came on board today. She must be very important. Captain Nixon was ordered to hold the ship for her. I can hardly wait to see what manner of woman she is that she can keep the ship from sailing on time.”

I was interrupted by a noise outside my bulkhead, all sorts of bumping about along with a loud voice that seemed to be directing others struggling with something heavy through the narrow passageway. I waited for them to pass my door as it opened outward. Moments later I poked my head out to see what the commotion had been but the passageway was now void. Once I had secured my book and writing material I checked my watch it was three o’clock or fifteen hundred according to Captain Nixon. I decided to go up on deck.
Upon hearing of the nature of sailors, I placed a straw I had plucked from a broom into the jam of the cabin door to my quarters so that I would know if someone had been in my room. I then went through the narrow passageway and climbed the steps up and out into the bright sunlight.
The bright of day forced me to squint my eyes and once I had a hand free I used it to shade my eyes until they became adjusted to the brilliant day’s light. I then scanned the decks. There she was, my first sight of Lady Gabrielson. She was up on the quarter deck speaking with Captain Nixon. I could not hear what they were saying for the wind and the clatter it created along with the sailors moving about prepared the ship to depart. As I worked my way closer in hopes to eve drop Captain Nixon spotted me and motioned to me to come and join them.
“Mr. Flannery” he shouted, “could you come here for a moment Sir?” When I got there the Captain said,
“Mr. Flannery, may I present Lady Gabrielson.”
“An extreme pleasure my lady,” I said.
“Lady Gabrielson’s father is the owner of the Harmony and most of her cargo I might add,” The Captain said with a slight chuckle. I bowed slightly to the lady. Lady Gabrielson was holding her bonnet upon her head against the wind so I could not get a good look at her face until the wind shifted and flipped the brim of her bonnet back up and against the top of her head covering her hand that was keeping it in place. The sudden reveal stopped my heart. Never had I seen such delicate features. To my embarrassment, my speech became hesitant as I struggled to present myself.
“My Lady you are as beautiful as Helen of Tory herself. It is my extreme honor, Lady Gabrielson”
“As is mine Mr. Flannery, I was just apologizing to Captain Nixon for my tardiness”
“An apology accepted but not at all necessary I assure you, my Lady.” The Captain replied, looking into the Captain’s eyes as if to insist, Lady Gabrielson then said,
“Perhaps the Captain will invite Mr. Flannery to join us for dinner this evening?” without any hesitation the Captain said,
“Yes, of Corse, Mr. Flannery please do join us this evening, I am interested in learning your purpose for going to America.”
“As am I, Mr. Flannery” Said Lady Gabrielson.
“Why… thank you, Captain and my Lady it would be a great privilege indeed. I shall look forward to our conversation.”
I felt a strong urgency to return to my cabin, it provided me with a sense of security and I was experiencing some anxiety. “If I may be excused I will return to my cabin, I have some things to do before I join you this evening.”
“of course, Mr. Flannery we will look forward to seeing you tonight, nineteen hundred we will be served.”
I returned to my cabin and I laid down to calm myself. Now that Lady Gabrielson was aboard I found I was becoming anxious with the renewed knowledge our ship would now soon push away from the dock and we would be on our way upon the vast sea. Getting some rest before dinner I thought would be a good thing to do so I got in my rack and tugged my blanket up over my shoulder and took a nap. When I awoke, I found I had slept just short of two hours but I felt much better. I got up and though I had three and a half hours before dinner I began preparing myself. I wanted to make as good an impression on both Captain Nixon and Lady Gabrielson.