Morning of Fire by Scott Ridley

Author:Scott Ridley [Ridley, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-06-202019-2
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2010-01-28T16:00:00+00:00

AS KENDRICK’S BOAT DREW ALONGSIDE, the Columbia fired another salute, and the men gave three cheers. Here was the captain who had remained on the unknown side of the world and given the expedition its mystique, the man who was the reason all Americans here werecalled “Boston men,” and who was becoming part of the legend of this coast, a captain they recognized as of a different order than Robert Gray. Still, despite the glowing welcome, Kendrick’s status as the commander of the Columbia was anything but clear. As usual, Gray and Haswell concealed their animosity under a polite veneer. Having no idea what Kendrick was accomplishing, Haswell railed privately in his journal against his “former commander,” depicting Kendrick as having done nothing during the last two years, while they had sailed around the world and returned.

Kendrick’s joy at finding men he knew from home, including crewmen, on this far side of the world made up for long months of isolation. Gray’s insubordination and Haswell’s arrogance might have seemed insignificant at the moment, especially in light of the fact that he held title to this sound they were about to enter. There would be time to sort things out.

Kendrick spent the evening with Hoskins and the Columbia’s officers. Over dinner he gave a full narrative of what had happened since the Columbia had sailed from Clayoquot two years earlier. He talked of his travails at Macao and of entering Japan, and in answer to Hoskins’s questions, he described in gory detail the attack by Coyah’s people. Violence was increasing on the coast, especially as more ships arrived. Three other Boston ships were now cruising these waters: the Hope under Joseph Ingraham, the Hancock under Samuel Crowell, and the Margaret under James Magee. There were also five British traders, as well as the British ship Mercury sailing under the Swedish flag as the Gustavus. Most were avoiding Nootka Sound, out of fear of the Spanish, and focusing on the waters of the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Kendrick was doing well amid the growing competition. Haswell noted that after trading in the north and at Nootka and Clayoquot for two months, the Washington had about twelve hundred otter skins in her hold. By comparison, after cruising up and down the coast, the Columbia had gathered only five or six hundred, and Captain Crowell of the Hancock had about seven hundred skins and was planning tohead to Macao in two or three weeks. Gray would not find many more furs here at Clayoquot. The natives told Hoskins they had few skins, having sold them all to Kendrick. Although he would not have spoken of it, Kendrick’s status was more than just a formal holder to title of the land. During his stay at native villages, he had negotiated advance payments to local chiefs for furs yet to be gathered. A significant portion of next year’s harvest of sea otters at Nootka, Clayoquot, and to the south already belonged to him. This was another benefit of the careful alliances he was taking time to build.

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