In the Land of the Long White Cloud

for vermin. Dolphins had begun accompanying the ship, and big fish, even sharks, could be seen. The men in steerage tried to get their hands on them by means of fishing or harpooning but were rarely successful. The women yearned for even a modicum of hygiene and had resorted to collecting rainwater to wash their children and clothing. Helen found the results unsatisfying, however.
    “In that broth the clothes only get dirtier,” she complained, eyeing the water that had collected in the bottom of one of the lifeboats.
    Gwyneira shrugged. “At least you don’t have to drink it. And we’re in luck with regard to water, says the captain. Although we’ve been making our way slowly through the…the calm belt, thus far there have been no lulls. The wind doesn’t always blow here as it should, and sometimes ships run out of water.”
    Helen nodded. “The sailors say this place is also called the ‘horse latitudes’ because people used to have to slaughter the horses on board to keep from starving.”
    Gwyneira snorted. “I’ll eat the sailors before I slaughter Igraine,” she declared. “But like I said, we seem to have been lucky.”

    Unfortunately, the
Dublin
’s luck soon ran out. Although the wind continued to blow, a pernicious malady suddenly threatened the lives of the passengers. At first, only one sailor complained of fever, but the ship’s doctor recognized the danger when several children were brought to him with fevers and breakouts. The disease spread like wildfire throughout steerage.
    At first Helen hoped her girls would remain unscathed since they had little contact with the other children outside of the daily school lessons. Thanks to Gwyneira’s generosity and Daphne’s regular forays into the cow stalls and chicken coops, they were also in considerably better health than the other immigrant children. Then, however, Elizabeth broke out in a fever. Laurie and Rosemary followed suit shortly thereafter, and Daphne and Dorothy became mildly ill. Surprisingly, Mary did not catch it at all, despite the fact that she shared the berth with her twin the whole time, her arms tight around Laurie, mourning her ahead of time. Laurie’s fever passed without doing much harm, but Elizabeth and Rosemary hung between life and death for several days. The ship’s doctor treated them with the same medicine as he did every other illness—gin—and the parents of the affected children could not make up their minds whether it was to be taken internally or applied externally. Helen decided on baths and compresses, and actually managed to cool her patients somewhat. For most of the families, however, the booze ended up in the patriarch’s belly, and the already tense atmosphere became even more explosive.
    In the end, twelve children died of the contagion, and weeping and moaning once more dominated in steerage. The captain held a very moving funeral service on the main deck, which all passengers attended. Gwyneira played the piano, tears streaming down her face, her good intentions clearly greater than her talent. Without sheet music, she was helpless. Finally, Helen took over, and a few of the passengers in steerage fetched their instruments too. The music and wailing of the people sounded far over the ocean, and for the firsttime, rich and poor came together as one. They mourned together, and for days after the service, the mood was somber and peaceful. The captain, a quiet man wise in the ways of the world, held the remaining Sunday services for all the passengers on the main deck. The weather no longer presented any obstacle; if anything, it was too hot rather than too cold and rainy. Only when they rounded the Cape of Good Hope did the seas become stormy again; after that the journey continued without incident.

    Meanwhile Helen rehearsed church songs with her schoolchildren. When the choir’s singing one Sunday morning had been particularly successful, the Brewsters drew her into their conversation with Gerald and Gwyneira. They praised the young woman at length on her students, and Gwyneira used this opportunity to formally introduce her friend to her future father-in-law.
    She only hoped that Gerald wouldn’t blow up again. However, he did not lose his temper this time and instead proved rather charming. He calmly exchanged the usual pleasantries with the young woman, even commending her for the children’s singing.
    “So you want to marry, then,” he continued when there was nothing left to