A New Day by Beryl Matthews Read Free Book Online Page A

India?’
    ‘Yes, sir. He’s anxious to see another country.’
    ‘Keep an eye on him. He’s a good kid, eager to please and do well.’
    ‘I will, sir. Cook and me have taken him under our wing and we’ll watch over him for the entire voyage. We won’t let him go ashore on his own. He’s very young and could be taken advantage of in some of these ports.’
    ‘Good. If you have any problems at all you are to come straight to me. I’d swear he’s only as old as my son.’
    ‘He certainly doesn’t look his age, sir.’
    The captain gave a dry laugh. ‘You could say that.’
    Bill watched him walk away. Captain Stevenson was a good man, one who cared about his crew, knowing them all by name. That wasn’t always the way, as Bill well knew from his years at sea.
    The sound of running feet caught his attention as Jack erupted back on deck again, eager not to miss anything.
    ‘Quite something, isn’t it?’ Bill remarked.
    Jack nodded, never taking his eyes off the passing scenery. He was fascinated with every sight and sound. ‘I never thought I’d ever see anything like this!’
    ‘I know. I felt just the same the first time I came through the canal.’ Bill grinned at the excited boy. ‘But we still have work to do, so we had better get some breakfast.’
    ‘Yes, of course.’ Jack made himself turn away from the fascinating sights. He was reluctant to go below decks, but there was a busy day ahead of them, and they would probably be coming back this way, so he would have a chance to see it again.
    Later that day Frank and Bill had managed to grab a quiet cup of tea for themselves, and Bill said, ‘That boy was so excited, it was a pleasure to see, but I do wonder what kind of a life him and his sister have had.’
    ‘Pretty grim, I would guess. Poor little devils! But Jack needs looking after, or he could find himself in trouble. He knows nothing about life.’
    Bill nodded. ‘I saw that straight away, but if the two of us work together we can see he comes to no harm.’
    ‘Good idea, we’ll do that. You should have seen them standing on the dock that morning. They looked like a pair of scruffy kids, until you saw the expressions in their eyes – desperation. It fair tore me apart.’ Frank sighed deeply and stood up. ‘Now, I’d better start cooking, or the crew will be complaining.’
    ‘And that would never do,’ Bill laughed.
    It was late in the evening before Bill saw Jack again. He was in his usual spot on deck, gazing into the distance, deep in thought.
    ‘Time you turned in, isn’t it, lad?’
    ‘Hello, Bill. Just thought I’d take a quiet moment. Some of the men have been talking, and they said there’s probably going to be a war. I’ve heard about the fascists in Germany, of course, but do you think they are that dangerous?’
    ‘It’s impossible to say, but I do believe Hitler has ambitions. He’s re-arming and building up his forces, and I wouldn’t trust him, but at the moment we can only hope it will come to nothing.’
    ‘But you don’t think it will?’
    Bill shook his head. ‘If the worst does happen our country is going to need the merchant navy. You might not have joined at the right time, lad.’
    ‘Oh, no,’ Jack said firmly. ‘I joined at the right time, and whatever happens in the future we’ll face it when it comes.’
    ‘Exactly, so there’s no point worrying about it now. Let’s enjoy the voyage and let the world take care of itself for a while. Our next stop will be India and that is an extraordinary country. We’ll have a bit of free time there, and there should also be some post waiting for us with the Port Agent.’
    The worried expression cleared from Jack’s face and he was smiling again. ‘I hope there’s something from Hanna.’
    ‘I’ll take you ashore and show you the sights.’
    ‘Oh, thanks, Bill. It’s kind of you to take the trouble.’
    ‘It’s no trouble, lad. Now you had better get some sleep.’
    ‘Of course.’ Jack