An Ocean Voyage
"Not a single bone broken, I assure you," declared Dr. Tanner, when he
had thoroughly examined the stranger, to whose help Joe had so
opportunely come. "Bruises, of course; plenty of them. There's a
swelling here on the back of your head almost as big as a turnip.
You'd better rest quietly for the night."
"But--but I have business to attend to," declared the stranger, who we
will at once introduce by his correct name of Hubbard. "I'm due in
Manchester to-morrow, then in Birmingham, and later in Coventry. I
can't sit down and rest."
"You must, or take the consequences," answered Dr. Tanner, smiling.
"Come and have some tea. Joe, you join us; I've that yarn to have with
you about Canada. Now, Mr. Hubbard, what do you advise a young fellow
like this to do? He's not on his beam ends; far from it. He has a
little capital; but he's adrift as it were. Has no occupation, and no
means at present of earning a living."
"Then I'll offer him work at once, work to last a week," declared Mr.
Hubbard. "Only a week, though, mind that, my young friend and rescuer.
I'm no great hand at driving a car, and after this accident I feel that
my nerve is shaken. Come along and drive the car. You managed
beautifully this afternoon. Come as a friend; I'll pay all expenses,
and give you three pounds into the bargain."
"Done, sir!" It was characteristic of Joe that he accepted the post at
once. In fact, he leaped at it; for it was exactly to his liking.
"But don't forget it's not a permanency, Joe," sang out the doctor,
lifting a warning finger and shaking it at him. "Permanent jobs are
the only posts for young fellows. They learn then to be useful, to
manage things. Temporary jobs lead to unsettlement. Besides, you know
the old adage, "a rolling stone gathers no moss". Moss is wealth and
position, all that makes for happiness, and you want to gather it with
both hands. Eh, Mr. Hubbard?"
"Spoken like a wise counsellor," came the laughing rejoinder. "But you
began to speak of our young friend."
"Well, there he is," said the doctor, pausing in the act of pouring out
a cup of tea, and pointing to Joe with the spout of the teapot, "there
he is, employed at this moment as chauffeur to yourself, but likely to
be without a job in the course of a week. What are his prospects in
this country? Fair, we will say; for he is one of the steady lads.
What are his prospects in Canada or Australia?"
"Depends; he's a worker, you say?"
Joe flushed as he listened to this conversation that reflected on
himself, then he laughed good-humouredly.
"A worker, yes; steady, certainly," replied the doctor.
"Then Canada will brighten his prospects. I know the country; I'm
doing business for a firm out there, and so can speak with some
knowledge. Certainly Canada will improve his prospects. He's got
capital?"
"Sixty pounds," said Joe, who was listening eagerly.
"Then forget it. Buy your ticket for the crossing, and then earn your
way. Forget the dollars till you've learned experience, then invest
them as you'll soon ascertain how to do. Bless us, but I wish I was in
his shoes! Think of the interest of such a life; think of the
enjoyment of working one's way up, of climbing higher! This humdrum
existence we most of us lead is tame beside such an opportunity for
flattering one's ambition."
"In fact," asked the doctor, "you advise emigration?"
"Indeed I do," came the prompt answer, while Mr. Hubbard stirred his
tea. "Mind you, I don't say that there is no opportunity in this
country for youth and ambition. What I do say is this. Where a man
has no ties, where a young fellow has lost his parents, and has little
or no influence to start his career, then Canada calls loudly to him.
There he will make new ties, new friends, new hopes. There he can have
land for the asking, if farming is what he wants; and success is
assured, one way or the other, if only he will put his back into the
work. Of course, I know what you're going to say, Doctor," he went on,
arresting the latter's interruption with uplifted teaspoon. "Men come
back again; men fail. Of course they do; the lonesomeness of the long
winter gives the half-hearted the blues. Others attempt to follow a
vocation for which they were never suited. Weak men break down under
the strain. Slackers get deported; but young active fellows, with
pluck behind them, and with grit and strength and health, they make
good every time, sir. They help to form the backbone of Canada."
Joe's eyes glowed as he listened. His cheeks took on a colour to which
they had been a stranger of late, since trouble had come upon him. He
began to wonder what life in Canada would be like. He leaned forward,
one hand at his cup, his eyes shifting from the doctor to this voluble
stranger. Moreover, Mr. Hubbard was no ill-looking man to watch; there
was eagerness and keenness written on every feature of his face.
Perhaps he was thirty-five years of age, perhaps even younger. But he
was shrewd and level-headed without a doubt, also he gave one the
impression that he was a man who had travelled far and seen much, and
who ventured his opinions only when he knew his subject. It was plain
that Canada was an open book to him.
"The long and the short of the matter then is this," smiled the doctor,
vastly interested in his visitor, "you advise Joe to go."
"I advise him to go, and I'll put him up to the ropes. There!"
Mr. Hubbard helped himself to cake, fixing his eyes sharply on our
hero; and Joe returned the glance unflinchingly. "You'll make good, or
I'm right out of my calculations," declared Mr. Hubbard, after quite a
long scrutiny of his features. "Then's the time when a man finds life
enjoyable, for he knows he's done well; he ain't got much to regret."
That evening Joe heard more of Canada from his friend the constable.
He supped at the local hotel with his employer, and turned in early.
The following morning, after bidding farewell to the doctor and a few
others, he brought the car out of the yard, ran to the station, there
to pick up his box, and then came to a halt opposite the hotel door.
"Been at work, I see," said Mr. Hubbard, surveying the car. "You've
straightened those mud guards and cleaned her. That's push; some
fellows wouldn't have thought of it. Others would have been too proud
to do the cleaning. Now let her hum."
It does not require that we should follow the two on their trip about
the country. Suffice it to say that, thanks to previous experience,
Joe drove the car with ease and dexterity, a fact which his employer
had already noted.
"And mighty lucky I am to have hit upon you," he laughed, as they
buzzed on their way to Manchester. "First, for the fact that you
dragged me out of my prison after that upset, and now because you were
free to come with me. I'm so stiff to-day that I couldn't have driven
had I wished, and I rather expect it will be a few days before I am
quite fit again. So it's a huge convenience, for my business wouldn't
wait."
A week later the two ended their trip at Liverpool.
"Where we see to this passage of yours to Canada," said Mr. Hubbard.
"Now, if you'll be advised, you'll go steerage. As you're emigrating,
best start in right at the beginning with the people who'll be
alongside you. I shall pay for your passage."
In spite of Joe's protests, Mr. Hubbard insisted on doing this, and did
not finally say goodbye to our hero till he had seen him aboard the
Canadian Pacific liner which was to bear him to his destination.
Moreover, his gratitude to Joe took the form of an outfit as well as a
passage.
"Clothes of every description are very dear out there," he said, "so
you'll want a kit with you. Everything warm, mind. That's the way.
In the hot weather you can leave off what you don't need; but in the
winter warm things are wanted."
In the end Joe found himself with a strong box containing several
flannel shirts and underwear, a pair of high boots and two pairs of
strong nailed ones, socks in abundance, a suit of corduroy and one of
strong tweed, two neck handkerchiefs, a slouch hat, and various other
articles, not to mention a kettle, a teapot, a tin mug, basin, and
plate, with the necessary portable knives, forks, and spoons, and a
canteen containing tea and sugar and a tin of condensed milk.
"Looks stupid to be taking all that rig, don't it?" asked Mr. Hubbard,
with a quizzical smile. "But then, you see, I've been through the
mill. You'll get to Quebec and then go aboard the train. Well, food
doesn't grow by the wayside nor on the cars. You've got to take it
along with you and cook whatever you want; so don't forget to buy up a
tin or so of sausages and such things. With those and the kit you've
got here you'll be in clover. Now, lad, there's the bell for
landlubbers to get ashore. Don't forget to give me a call one of these
days when you're round by Ottawa; and always remember to make good.
Goodbye!"
Their hands met, they looked keenly into one another's eyes, and then
he was gone. Joe was alone again, alone upon the deck of a ship
swarming with people, but alone for all that; for everyone about him
seemed to have friends. He plunged his hands deep into his pockets and
whistled a merry tune; for if he were alone, Joe felt happy. The
fingers of his right hand nursed the banker's draft for those sixty
pounds he had banked; the fingers of his left handled the cash which
his liberal employer had paid him. His coat bulged to the right where
his father's letter was secreted, and somewhere on the ship was the
steel trunk which contained his kit. Alone! Joe scoffed at the
thought, and went on whistling merrily.
"All ashore!" someone bellowed, while sailors ran past him on some
errand. The steam siren of the ship sent a wide spray of water over
the passengers, and then, as if thereby it had cleared its throat, it
set up a deep, reverberating roar that deafened all other sounds. The
deck thrilled and throbbed; the water right astern was churned into
milk-white foam, while the shore seemed to be moving. Joe leaned over
the side and waved frantically to Mr. Hubbard. Down below, he could
see a thousand faces. A thousand handkerchiefs waved frantically up at
him. Alone! Why, they all seemed to be friends; they all seemed to be
wishing him good fortune. Even the tall, stern waterside policemen
seemed to unbend and smile.
"Hooray! Hooray!" shouted Joe, unable longer to restrain his
enthusiasm. "We're off."
"Hooray!" came back from the throng on the landing stage. Then, as the
ship's head paid off to the pull of a tug, and another thrill went
through her as her turbines turned, the blaring notes of a trombone
came to the passengers. It was "Auld Lang Syne", and the tune sent
people sobbing. Joe watched a big fellow close beside him, and saw the
tears stream down his face. But the scene changed with the tune, and
that in an instant. It was "Rule Britannia" now, and the man was
standing erect and as stiff as a poker.
"Old soldier," thought Joe. "Going out?" he asked.
"To Canidy, yessir," came the answer. "Going out along with the missus
and the youngsters. Couldn't get work here in the old country. I
don't grumble, mind you. I'm not the one to shout out about aliens
crowding the likes of me out. It's the training that's wrong. I've
none; I'm good only for casual work and unskilled jobs, and there's
thousands more for 'em. But Jim--he's my brother--he went out this
five years ago, and he's made a pile already--a pile, sir, enough to
pay a passage for me and the missus and the children."
There was hope in the honest fellow's face; he was looking with a glad
heart to the future, and no doubt at that moment was bidding farewell
to a past which, if not too pleasant and uncrowded with thoughts of
plenty and of enjoyment, at least had its touches of colour, its
memories, and its faces.
By now the steamer was well in midstream, and the throb of the engines
was better felt. Not that your turbine leads to much vibration; but
still, with the horse-power possessed by these leviathans, it is only
reasonable that there should be some commotion. Joe walked to and fro
along the deck, and then began to feel hungry. He went to the
companion, a wide gap leading to the lower deck, and descended. There
was a woman halfway down vainly attempting to escort four children, all
of small stature.
"Allow me," said Joe, and promptly picked up two of them. "Going out
to Canada?" he asked, though the question was hardly necessary, seeing
that that was the ship's only destination.
"Winnipeg, sir," came the answer. "Husband went out a year ago; I'm
going to join him. Thank ye, sir!"
Joe dived still lower into the depths of this monster ship, and found
himself in a huge hall with long tables set along the length of it.
Cloths were already laid, and there were mugs and plates in unending
rows, while dishes containing sliced cold meat were placed at
intervals. Already a number of people were seated, and Joe at once
took a place close to a respectable-looking couple.
"Pardon," he asked, bumping the man as he sat down.
"Eh?"
"I apologized for knocking your arm," said Joe, flushing at the
bluntness of this individual.
"Ah, me lad, thank ye," came the hearty answer. "Only it sort of took
me by surprise. I ain't used to overmuch politeness; we don't seem to
get much time where I come from. Been out before?"
Joe shook his head, and asked for the plate of meat and bread and
butter.
"Then you're green?"
Joe smiled. "As grass," he said briskly.
"Going to work or to play?" asked this stranger, as he stuffed a huge
piece of cake into his mouth.
"Work--got to; I'd rather, any day."
"Farming?"
"That's my intention," declared Joe, helping himself liberally.
"Then you'll like it. I'll be able to put you up to the ropes. You're
going out just at the right time, too, for it'll be fine weather. Tea,
me lad?"
Joe accepted with pleasure, and began to look about him. People were
beginning to swarm down into this species of dining-hall, and they
presented all sorts and descriptions. There was a party of men
shepherded by an official of the Salvation Army, a dozen or more young
married couples, and as many women going out to join their husbands. A
small regiment of Scandinavians passed by, and were followed by a crew
of Russians.
"Don't look as if they'd had so much as a bath between 'em, do they?"
grinned his neighbour. "But they've been travelling these many days,
and most like have crossed over from the continent during the night.
They're the boys fer work. Give me a Russian or a Scandinavian on the
farm. They earn their dollars and don't grumble. Now, lad, if you've
not been aboard one of these ships afore, you'd do well to settle your
bunk and take possession of it. There's a couple of likely youngsters
along here that we know of. They've come from our part of the world in
England, and they're decent fellows. Maybe you could pitch upon a
cabin fer three. If not, you'll have to sleep in the bunks out in the
open. Jim and Claude," he called, "here's a mate fer ye; get right
along and fix your bunks."
Joe liked the look of the two young fellows instantly. They were about
his own age, and better dressed than many. He exchanged a smile with
them, then, having finished a meal which was excellent, to say the
least of it, and undoubtedly plentiful, he accompanied his two new
friends to the sleeping deck. Here were rows of canvas bunks suspended
on steel uprights and cross pieces, the whole looking clean and compact
and comfortable. At the vessel's sides were cabins of considerable
size, and, since they were amongst the first on the scene, they had no
difficulty in securing one to accommodate the three.
"We'll be fine and comfortable in there," said one of the young fellows
named Claude. "We'll bring our things along just to prove possession.
Shouldn't leave anything about if I were you; for there might be a
thief aboard."
Joe took the warning to heart, and so that there could be no danger of
a robbery where he was concerned, went to the purser promptly and there
deposited his banker's draft, his father's precious letter, and the
majority of the loose cash he possessed.
"Now let's have a look round, and see if we can do anything to help,"
said Jim, leading the way to the upper deck. Here they found a
seething crowd, for the ship was packed with emigrants, to say nothing
of her complement of first- and second-class passengers. She
presented, in fact, a good-sized township, with facilities for dealing
with every class of business, of which catering was not the least
important. In the centre of the crowds of emigrants our hero was soon
attracted to a railed-in space wherein was a mass of sand, and in this
a number of children were digging. Elsewhere men lounged and smoked,
while women sat on their worldly possessions, many of them looking
forlorn and lost.
"Give them two days to settle down, and all will be happy and
contented," said one of the stewards who happened to be passing.
"We're going to have a smooth crossing, so that will help."
He pushed his way through the throng and dived down below. A
stewardess followed him, and others came bustling after her. Officials
now were engaged in inspecting the tickets of the passengers, while a
summons brought the emigrants in a long waiting queue to a table set in
the dining-hall, where one of the doctors with an assistant took
careful stock of them, particularly to observe whether or no each
person had been recently vaccinated.
Joe was glad to creep into his comfortable bunk that night, as it had
been a day of movement; but a good sleep did wonders for him, and when
he rose on the following morning he was as fresh as paint.
"How do yer like it?" asked the pleasant fellow, close to whom he had
sat on the previous day when he descended for a meal; for, following a
habit on emigrant steamers, he took the same place at table.
"There's something interesting all the time," said Joe. "This sea air
gives one an appetite."
"Then peg in, lad," came the hearty advice. "Here's tea; help yerself.
Here's eggs and bacon, or will you have sausages?"
The meal was an eye opener. No doubt there were many poor fellows
aboard who had not sat down to such a breakfast for many a long day,
for we must recollect that emigrants are not always prosperous when
they set out from the shores of Old England. It made Joe wonder of
what size was the storeroom on this ship, and how it was that the
purser or his assistants managed to gauge what would be required _en
route_.
"Now you jest come along on deck with me and the missus and have a yarn
while I smoke. Do yer smoke?" asked the man who had been so friendly.
"Not yet," was Joe's blushing answer.
"And a good thing too. Not that I'm against it, seeing that I smoke
hard, and most of the day. What's yer name?"
"Joe Bradley."
"Mine's Sam Fennick. Sam's enough, and Joe'll do fer you. You ain't
been out before, you say. Who's sent you?"
Joe was a confiding fellow, and told him his story; for Sam seemed an
excellent friend and listened with interest.
"What'll you do?" he asked. "You'll land up in seven days, or perhaps
eight, at Quebec. There you'll go before the emigration authorities,
and will be examined again by the doctor. If all's well, you can start
right off on your own, providing you've sufficient dollars in your
pocket to make 'em sure you won't be a pauper. Paupers ain't what
Canada wants. She wants men with a little cash, not much--just enough
to keep the wolf away for a few days. But above everything, they must
be workers. And the Government over there won't have slackers. She
deports 'em double quick. Well, what'll you do?"
"Look out for a farm," said Joe; "but where, beats me."
"Then jest you think of New Ontario. It's the coming country. Now,
see here, mate; I'll give yer a piece of advice. You get along down
from Montreal. Accept a job on a farm, and stay there till the winter.
Then have a turn with the forest rangers. They don't do much in the
winter, it's true; but a few are kept going. Or you might go along
with a gang to a lumber camp. It'll keep you from rusting. Next
spring you could work again on a farm, and come the following cold
weather you ought to be able to look to yourself. We're off to seek a
location in this here New Ontario."
"Then why couldn't I come with you?" asked Joe, for he liked the look
of this Sam Fennick.
"And so you shall, but not at first. It'll take us best part of two
months to find a likely location. Then we've to make a heap of
arrangements, so I doubt our getting to at the job till late in the
year. So you'd better fix elsewhere; you can come along when we're
ready."
It may be imagined that Joe spent many an hour discussing matters with
Sam, and soon began to long for Canada to heave in sight. However,
there were many miles of sea stretching between the ship and the Gulf
of St. Laurence, and they were not passed before he was involved in
another adventure.