The wizard's revenge 4/11

Next morning Fern was given a pair of thick leather gloves and told to help load the empty barge with it's new cargo of sawn planks for Smallport. She and Bob had to stow the planks neatly in the hold, while the Skipper directed the woodyard workmen and their crane. By the end of the day she felt worn out, although she felt pleased with herself when she heard Bob telling the Skipper how good a worker 'granny' was.

"Leave early on the top of the tide tomorrow morning," said the Skipper, "then we'll have the ebb under us to Smallport."

He was quite right. High tide was very early and Fern had to force her aching muscles to get out of her bunk and up on deck. Once through the fog and in the next world, the weather changed. Fern was sent below to get into her oilskins and then went back onto the foredeck to tend the bowlines. The loaded barge was shouldering aside quite large waves. There was only about a foot of freeboard and spray was flying over the bows almost continually and even with her 'oilies' she soon became soaked. Once again she contrasted barge sailing with her experiences in the Black Cat. After an hour Bob came forward.

"I'll take over for a bit granny, you go below and get a cup of something hot. Still enjoying your holiday?"

Fern thanked him with a grin and went below. The barge was surprisingly stable but the noise made as the bluff bow hit each wave was considerable. Thank goodness they weren't on a night passage, she was quite sure she wouldn't have been able to sleep.

The Skipper banged on the companion hatch and Fern went back on deck to find Prudence entering a small harbour. They tied up on the outside of another barge lying against the harbour wall.

"Will you go and find the Harbour Master and ask him when our steamer's due in and where he wants us to moor?"

Fern walked across their neighbour’s deck onto the quayside and went off in search of the port official as instructed. It was getting dark and beginning to rain and the quayside lights were coming on. Even so she found the port fascinating. It held examples of all the boat types she had ever heard of and some that she didn't know at all. Quite a large proportion were steam ships, some of which were dirty and practical looking with tall masts and sails, while others were bigger and very modern in appearance, similar to the ships she'd seen in Jennifer Jane's world during her voyage in the Black Cat.

At last she spotted a small building with an illuminated sign, 'Harbour Master', over the door. Once inside, an official gave her a printed list of instructions to give her captain and she was soon outside again in the dark rainy night.

There were a lot more puddles as she returned to Prudence, so she took more care looking at the ground to avoid the worst of them. She was just passing a lamp, when she noticed a gleam of light reflected from something shiny down by her feet. She bent down and picked it up. It was a rather muddy little charm bracelet and it looked vaguely familiar. She put it in her pocket and reported back to the Skipper. They were expected to move at once alongside a steamer moored nearer the harbour entrance and in the ensuing flurry of work she forgot all about it.

First thing in the morning they had to start unloading their cargo. The steamer had power winches and made short work of the job.
"Back to Timber Creek for another load," said the Skipper, while his crew went through the familiar routine of getting under way. The wind was behind them on the return journey so Fern had little to do. She remembered the trinket she'd found the previous night and went below to have a closer look. She wiped off most of the dirt and found that she was holding a 'Jumping Jim'. She only knew of one person who owned one. 'Jennifer Jane really does get around,' she thought to herself, 'I wonder why she's been to Smallport?'

The following wind brought Prudence back to Timber Creek in the early afternoon. There was already a barge loading at the pier end, so the Skipper anchored slightly upstream from a loaded schooner.

"He's waiting for the tide to turn and we can't load until the other barge has sailed and that'll be early tomorrow morning. Who's coming ashore for a drink at the George and Dragons?"

They all piled enthusiastically into the dinghy. Bob steered, the skipper rowed, while Fern sat in the bow and hopped ashore with the painter as they reached the quayside. They marched off along the river road towards the Inn, Bob and the Skipper singing lustily and teaching Fern the words to a song called, 'When the wind blows the barge will go'. A murmur of voices reached them as they entered the public bar.

To Fern's surprise, Abigail was standing on the bar addressing the patrons.

"Come in and be quiet for a moment please," she asked as they stood in the doorway, "I want anyone who has some time to spare, to help us look for Jennifer Jane. I'm afraid it's happening rather frequently nowadays but she seems to have gone missing again. We can't find her....yes Fern."

Fern put her hand in the air and was waving it about to attract Abigail’s attention.

“I’m having a holiday in the barge Prudence,” Bob and the skipper chuckled quietly behind their hands; “we’ve just returned from Small port and I think she might have been there recently.”

She held up the ‘Jumping Jim’ and making her way through the crowd to the bar, she handed it up.

“It has to be hers,” said Abigail, “whatever possessed to go to a place like that?”