Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter 10: Boarding the Peregrine Part 2

"Sam." He grinned. "You should've heard Henrichs laying down the law. We were to be friendly and accommodating, but not forward. It will be a pleasure having you on board."

"Thank you, Sam." Cal walked back up the hill to the hotel.


At supper Pentam brought over a stiff piece of paper and showed it to Sir Shillingsworth. He looked at it carefully, then slid it over to Cal. Pentam opened his mouth as if to protest, but stayed silent.

There on the paper stood the expedition, ship in the background. The detail was exquisite, with some blurring in the distance or where something had moved. Pentam looked like he had a ghost around him. Cal stood in the front, a silly grin pasted on her face, hair tangled, and blurred by the breeze. She looked...Cal wasn't sure.

"It's amazing, Pentam. I'd take an eternity to put so much detail into a picture." She held her finger just above the group on the photo.

"It's very expensive." Sir Shillingsworth picked up his utensils again.

"I'd chip in to help." Cal poured herself a glass of water. "After all, my expenses are all covered by Lord Carroway. It's only fair."

Pentam turned red, then looked at Cal gratefully.

"Talk to Henrichs about where you can do the developing. You'll want to get some heavy black cloth." Sir Shillingsworth turned to his meal.

Neither Pentam or her father made a move toward the print. Cal slipped it into her journal.

After supper, Pentam found Cal in the lobby.

"Were you serious about helping to pay for the photography?"

"Of course, what do you need?"

"I have plenty of glass plates and paper, but I could use more chemicals to treat them."

Cal reached into her pocket and pulled out what her father had given her to spend. She hadn't had time to touch it.

"Here, will this be enough?"

Pentam's eyes bulged a bit.

"Y-yes." He took the money. "Thank you."


Pentam ran to the chemist shop, hoping the man was still there. He was in luck.

"Hello again, I'm going to buy some more of the chemicals for photography."

"Very good, Sir." The chemist laid out packages on the counter. "The proportions are the same as the first you bought. Don't mix up more than you need at any one time."

The bundle took most of what Cal had given him, but it meant he'd be able to use the camera a lot more as part of their work. He put the packages in his bag and walked back toward the hotel.

He thought she'd be upset about the camera. After all it would be easy to see how it competed for the work she was doing. Yet, of the whole team, she was the only one to be interested in it. He didn't understand. On the way back, he passed a glassworker's shop. In the window, the man had hung tiny lenses on chains. He knocked on the window.

"Yes?" The man opened the door a crack and peered at Pentam.

"How much are the small lenses in the window?"

"The brass mounts are two and five, the silver ten and five, the gold...."

"I'd like one of the brass. May I have the chain as well?"

"Sure, tell people where you bought it."

"I will." Pentam emptied his pockets of his own money and took the lens and chain, wrapped in soft leather.

He headed up to the hotel, not a penny left to him, but they shipped out tomorrow, money wouldn't be an issue for some time.

Cal sat in the lobby, with pencil and sketchbook, of course. Pentam walked over and sat beside her.

"I have your change," he said. "You won't believe how much this means to me."

"I can imagine what it would be like to run out of paper or pencils." Cal looked at him and smiled. "I'm glad to help out."

"Here's what's left of your money." Pentam handed it to Cal who dropped it into her pocket without looking at it. He wished he could be that casual about money. All through school he'd scraped and saved, making do with second best. Pentam squashed the resentment. She'd given it to him without reservation.

"Um..." Pentam's tongue tangled around the words he wanted to speak. "I saw this and thought you might like it." He handed her the leather package. "It's only brass, I couldn't afford the silver."

"Brass is much more sensible." Cal turned the lens around in her fingers. Used it to look at her sketch. "This is wonderful. Thank you."

"It will help you draw the very small creatures." Pentam relaxed a little. She liked it and wasn't insulted.

"I will keep it close." Cal put the chain over her head and let the lens dangle like a necklace. She put her hand on Pentam's shoulder for an instant. "Thank you. I much prefer to be friends given we're going to be on the same ship for quite some time." Picking up her pencil, she went back to sketching.

Strange things were going on in Pentam's stomach. He went up to his room and lay down to sleep, but the memory of her hand on his shoulder kept him awake.


In the morning, Pentam joined the team for breakfast on shore for the last time. They took a line of taxis down to the docks. Sailors hoisted trunks and bags and hauled them up the gangplank. Captain Cully welcomed them on board, uniform pressed and sharp as if he only just put it on. The sun and wind had browned him. He stood relaxed, but Cal watched his eyes take in everything going on around him.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter