Last week, Joe's saw a case of booze exchange hands.
Joe and the other deck-hands, Wilfred, George, Anthony and Carl, took all of their orders from Walt Hastings, the ship's boatswain. Walt had been employed on both the S.S. Quesnel and the B.X., two steamships that had worked the Fraser River in recent years from Soda Creek to Quesnel on up to South Fort George.
Walt took all his orders from the captain and in turn gave out orders to the crew. The most important order of all had always been, 'FORE AND AFT.' This phrase was always spoken just before the arrival or departure of the ship. When the order came, half the deck-crew would go aft to the poop-deck and the other men would move to the front of the ship. After the 'Fore and Aft' order was given, the captain would be standing in the wheel-house with the 3rd mate. The 2nd mate, along with the old Carpenter, and two deck-hands, would be stationed on the poop-deck. The 1st mate, the Boatswain, and the two other deck-hands would be standing by on the forward deck. The Boatswain and the 1st mate would listen for directions from the captain, and relay them to the men. These additional commands were usually yelled down to the crew from the wheel-house and were accompanied by hand and arm signals. The procedures involved in Fore and Aft resulted in either untying the ship or mooring the vessel to the dock. Joe helped out on the poop-deck and had on-the-job training. He was told to watch what was going on and try to remember the procedures for future departures and landings.
The mooring ropes for most paddle-wheelers were two inches in diameter and always had a spliced 'eye' at both ends. Two steam-powered donkey winches on the forward deck were used for winching the mooring ropes once they were secure to the dock. Everyone worked together as a team following the orders the Captain gave.
In about two hours the dock-workers and crew had loaded some firewood and a small amount of cargo from the warehouse at Mile 53 and had stowed it below decks. The cord-wood had been cut locally into four foot lengths and was soon piled neatly on the fore deck. From here it would later be carried to the ship's firebox in the engine room where a continual fire would heat the water in the ship's boiler.
By four o'clock in the afternoon the crew gathered on the poop-deck for a meal of beef stew and fresh bread. After the supper Mr. Hastings asked Joe how he liked his new job. Joe said he liked the job fine but found he was completely exhausted. Walt suggested that Joe retire to the deck-hand's cabin and have a nap. And, that's exactly what Joe did. As Joe was retiring, Hastings and the rest of the crew went ashore for an evening on the town at Mile 52.
When he returned to his cabin, Joe lay down on his bunk, not even bothering to remove his boots, and he was soon fast asleep. In his hurry to 'hit the sack' and because the room was almost in complete darkness, Joe hadn't noticed a young girl also sleeping in the bunk opposite his.
In the next episode, A STRANGE VISION, Joe once again has a mysterious dream. This vision comes to Joe as he has his late afternoon nap. Then, it becomes all too real!
