The Whaler by Ines Thorn

Author:Ines Thorn [Thorn, Ines]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781611099249
Publisher: Amazon Crossing
Published: 2017-09-01T03:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

The next morning at first light of dawn, the wind changed. Captain Boyse gave the order to weigh anchor. Maren woke dead tired and feeling as though she’d been beaten. All of her limbs hurt, and she had no idea how she would be able to survive working in the galley again. The lumbering brig turned northward, and as exhausted as Maren was, she still found it impressive to see the heavy ship slowly set in motion with its sails snapping and its rigging creaking.

Raik was standing next to her.

“How does the helmsman know which direction to go?” she asked him.

“Shhh,” he whispered. “You shouldn’t ask questions like that when anyone else is listening, unless you want to be the laughingstock of the entire crew.”

“I already am,” Maren answered, and she pointed at the pants.

“The sailors know the direction by the position of the sun, by their nautical charts, and by using their instruments. With compass, octant, and plumb line, they can find out where they are and where they need to go. When you have a little time, you can go ask an officer if you can look at his chart.”

Maren snorted indignantly. “I live on Sylt. I’ve seen more than enough nautical charts.” She was about to add something, but just then, the men tossed their hats and caps into the air.

“Greenland, ho!” they cried. “Off to the whaling grounds!” Then they all cheered, and Maren got carried away by their enthusiasm and cheered along with them.

A little later, everyone dispersed and went about their work, and Maren was just about to join Jakob in the galley when Zelda suddenly appeared.

“So,” the older woman asked, “did you sleep well?” Then she yawned loudly and stretched, like someone who’d just slept in a soft feather bed and had good dreams.

“Thank you for asking,” Maren replied curtly. But then her curiosity got the better of her. “And where did you sleep, madam?” she inquired formally.

Zelda smiled at her. “Call me Zelda. We’ll be spending months together, and as the only women on this goddamn brig, we’ll have to stick together.”

Maren was taken aback at the crudeness of her words, and she decided Zelda was a vulgar creature, whether she was the only other woman on the ship or not.

“Why do you ask? I slept in the captain’s cabin, of course. Where else would I sleep?”

“In the captain’s cabin? But then, where was the captain?” The thought that Zelda had slept in a proper bed, undisturbed, while she herself had had to share the space below deck with a hundred men made her scowl.

Zelda shook her head in amazement at Maren’s question. “The captain slept with me, of course.” She laughed. “Where else should he stretch out his weary limbs?”

Maren’s mouth fell open. “But . . . but . . . ,” she stammered. “You aren’t married. Or are you? Or at least engaged?”

“Heavens, no!” Zelda laughed again. “We’re not a couple. At least, not the sort of couple that set up a home together and have children.

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