Chapter 9: Boarding the Peregrine Part 1

Cal woke in the hotel room and stretched. She reached out and touched the log which lay on the table beside her bed. It was real. Today was the final day before they boarded the Peregrine and set sail to the west.

Over the past week, Sir Shillingsworth had been training her how to keep the log to his exacting standards. The task delighted her; it gave her reason to talk to everyone on the team about what they'd been doing. The endless penmanship lessons with Miss DeBantiche were finally paying off.

After breakfast with Sir Shillingsworth, Cal headed down to the dock. She'd packed one decent dress for any events which might call for more formality. The rest were dresses she'd added pockets to in order to keep her various supplies at hand. None of the men, neither scientists nor their assistants, made any comment, except Dan, Lahdin's assistant, who asked her to sew extra pockets on his shirts. She found a tailor for him instead, but took the request as a compliment.

The dock bustled with organized mayhem. Men carried boxes and barrels onto the ship. A group rolled two immense glass jars up the gangplank to the deck. Somewhere on the ship or the dock was the crate holding a ridiculous amount of paper, pencils, charcoal, even pens and ink. Lord Carroway had taken her list and added to it. Cal had been afraid there wouldn't be room on board for it all.

The HMSV Peregrine struck Cal as an odd name for a seafaring vessel, but she kept her opinion to herself. The Peregrine wasn't as large as she'd imagined. When she'd looked in the library to learn about ships, they all were huge things with crews of dozens of men.

Cal pulled out sketchbook and pencil and began to record the chaos on the dock. By the time her stomach informed her it was time for lunch, the movement on the dock had slowed to a crawl, but the ship still bustled with activity. She put away her materials and headed up to the hotel for lunch.

"Ah, there you are." Pentam waved at her. "Have your lunch, then we're going to meet at the dock."

"I'll make it quick." Cal ordered a light meal and sat with Dan. He wore one of his pocketed shirts.

"Each pocket has a different item I need to collect and preserve what insects we find." He took out and replaced a bewildering number of things.

"We'd better get on our way." Cal wiped her lips with the napkin. They went outside and joined the group walking down to the dock. Pentam met them there with the camera set up.

"I thought we could record the start of our journey." He pointed toward the Peregrine. "If you'll line up there with the ship in the background."

Dr. Franklyn looked uncertainly at Cal.

"Come on." She went to stand where Pentam pointed. "I've never been photographed before."

The others joined her and formed a ragged line. Sir Shillingsworth stood in the back, head and shoulders over Cal. Pentam moved them around until he was content with their arrangement.

"You need to hold as still as you can while I count to thirty." Pentam took something off the front of the camera and ran around to join the end of the line, counting slowly and steadily. He ran around as he reached thirty and replaced the cap on the lens.

"Thank you. I'll have a print for you later."

They wandered off in different directions. Cal headed toward the ship. A crewman stood at the dock end of the gangplank, wearing white clothes and looking not much older than Cal. His shoulders and arms bulged against the cloth of his shirt.

"Is it alright if I go look on board?"

"Henrichs," the crewman shouted, "expedition member asking permission to board."

"Send her up." The response came from above.

Cal walked nervously up the gangplank, adjusting for the slight movement of the ship. Huge rope bumpers kept the Peregrine from rubbing on the dock.

"Welcome aboard." A woman in a sharp looking blue jacket came up and put her hand out. Cal shook it; the woman's grip was firmer than most men's.

"Thanks." Cal looked around. "I'm Calliope."

"I'm Henrichs. First Mate of the Peregrine. Let me show you around. It will be a pleasure to have another woman aboard. I'd thought at first to put you in with me, but I'm in and out of my berth at all hours. I have a spot for you under the bow which should suit. Watch your step." They stepped over a raised sill and walked along a short hall to a staircase which might as well have been a ladder. Cal followed her down and along another passageway.

Henrichs kept up a running commentary on the ship and what they were passing. The staircase was called a ladder, the hall a passageway. Cal had looked up the onboard directions, but Henrichs reminded her. At the end of the passageway, Henrichs opened a door into a room hardly bigger than Cal's closet at home.

"The bunk folds down at night, up during the day to give you some space to move. There's a press here for your clothes and space for your supplies. When we're underway, I'll show you how to find them."

"It looks delightful."

"You may change your mind after a month at sea." Henrichs led the way back up to the deck. "If you have any questions, or problems, talk to me."

"Thank you." Cal walked back down the gangplank, the sailor at the bottom taking her hand for the last few steps.

"You coming on this cruise?"

"That's right. Cal." She put out her hand. He wiped his hand on his pants as if he hadn't been just holding it.