of
Karen St. James
January
January 18, 1865
Kate made me promise to record my journey, so here I am. A lot of the other girls seem to be scribbling away, too. Well, no wonder! This is probably the strangest, most exciting thing any of us will ever do. There are one hundred of us, and we've left Massachusetts to settle in the Pacific Northwest on the word of a charismatic logger who's promised us the moon. And it's going to take almost 6 months to get there!We left New Bedford on Monday afternoon (the 16th). As soon as we boarded the ship, I noticed a strange odour... The mystery was solved when we went down into the hold where we were to sleep, and discovered animal stalls. The last passengers on this ship were mules! This was the only ship that the Bolt brothers could find, since it's wartime. Jonny was pleased: "I always wanted to sleep in a barn!"
After the initial shock, everyone pitched in to scrub every surface, and the place is quite livable now. The whole experience was a much-needed reminder for me that this is real life, not some fairy tale about princesses and castles and magic spells. As Jason Bolt pointed out, life on the frontier will be rougher than this.
But even if it is, I don't regret deciding to go there. Our parents are gone, and New Bedford is a town with too many sad memories. My ittle brother needs a home. Maybe one day I'll marry and have children, and he can be part of a big, happy family again.
As I write this, Jonny is playing with 9-year-old Serena. I was surprised and pleased to learn that another child was onboard. She's a very nice girl, but quite determined to not be put in the same category as a 4-year-old! All it takes is for her to hear one gushing comment from one of the ladies about how "sweet the two little ones are", and she drops whatever she's doing and marches off muttering that she "doesn't like little boys". Jonny is oblivious to any tensions, and finds it all a great adventure. Most of my waking hours are spent making sure he's supervised. Taking care of him keeps me too busy to worry about what lies ahead, and his uncomplicated, sunny outlook helps me to see the possibility of a bright future in our new home.
January 26, 1865
Have been suffering from seasickness for almost a week. Finally feel more or less accustomed to the rise and fall of the ship. Many others have been sick, too.Once, as I lay in my stall somewhere between waking and sleep, I heard far-off voices droning "Nearer My God To Thee". In the confusion caused by my illness I thought I'd died and was at my own funeral. Later learned it was just a Sabbath service...
January 28, 1865
Sunny and warm today - we're getting closer to the Equator. Most of the girls strolled on deck and enjoyed the fresh air; one of the sailors played a concertina, which Jonny enjoyed immensely. He has a new goal: to grow up to play in a band.January 30, 1865
Jonny's napping, after having been awake most of the night. A sailor fell overboard yesterday, and has apparently drowned. The Captain turned the ship around, but it was too late; there was no sign of him. Jonny couldn't understand why the rescue attempt was called off, and only calmed down when one of the girls, Biddie Cloom, told him, "Sailors are very good swimmers. I'm sure he's already safe on shore—after he gets some rest, he'll hop on the very next ship!" Biddie's very nice: one of those people who seem scatterbrained, but can be relied on in a crisis.All of the girls have been very upset since it happened. We thought we'd escaped this when we left New England: Mr. Bolt tells us that Washington Territory is not at war with the South. In the past four years, all of us have lost fathers, brothers, or friends. There's been too much death.
