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No Ship for Tranquebar, Part One

Written by Kevin H. and Karen C. Evans

 

Somewhere in the Bay of Bengal

October 1635

The deck plummeted. Anders Kiersted, captain of the Danish trading vessel Pelican, braced himself behind the helmsman. "Steady as you go, Kris."

The helmsman said nothing, just continued to fight with the rudder in the stormy seas.

Anders closed his eyes briefly in prayer, then said, "Not Ran, not Neptune, not even the Devil is going to keep me from getting this old bucket into port," he ended with a growl.

"Captain! On the bow!"

Anders opened his eyes to see a huge wave that looked higher even than the mast. He brushed the helmsman aside. "Hold onto something!" Driving straight into the wave would flood the ship and sink them for sure. There was just one chance. Anders spun the wheel. Just a couple of points would do it, and they would climb the wave at an angle, instead of driving through it.

With a rush the wave was on them. The stem-post bit into the wave, and then they were climbing, like a shot fired from a cannon. Much faster than he'd expected, they reached the top and the ship fell like a stone.

As they fell down the face of the wave, the main mast itself seemed to shift significantly, up and down. Then they were in the trough that followed the wave, and the ship smashed into the water. The whole ship shook. Something was wrong. He felt it in the helm.

The carpenter came running up from below, "Captain! Captain! We're leaking. I think we've cracked the keel."

 

Bank of Grantville

October 1635

 

"You been flying lately?" Coleman Walker was leaning on the corner of Marlon Pridmore's desk.

The question was definitely not what Marlon was expecting. "Sure, Coleman. Almost every weekend, especially when the weather is good. You want to go up for a ride, or something?"

Coleman grinned. "Now why would I want to do that? No, it's about this thing I have on my desk. Come on."

Together they walked into Coleman's office. There was a packet of parchment, beribboned and stamped with wax. Marlon considered the document. "What is it? Somebody trying to buy us out?"

Coleman sat down in his leather chair and motioned for Marlon to sit. "I'm not really sure. It comes from someone named Cornelius Holgarssen, who represents something called the Merchant Bankers of Copenhagen. They're making noise about some kind of financial agreement with us. But they will negotiate only with you. They want to meet on their own ground, and they want you to bring your airship."

"I haven't really heard any rumors about Denmark lately," Marlon said. "Do you have any idea what they really want?"

Coleman picked up the document and flipped a couple of pages, then found what he was looking for. "They say it's something about establishing common guidelines for financial transactions, but that's just fancy double-talk. It could mean almost anything. It doesn't really sound like enough to drag somebody in person all the way to Copenhagen."

"Coleman, how long do you think this meeting of theirs will run? You know it's going to take a while just to get there."

"I don't know, Marlon. But the bank, and Grantville for that matter, can't afford to alienate any of the parties in Europe right now."

"Are they offering enough to make it worth our while?"

Coleman handed the papers to Marlon. "Yeah, I think so. I really think you should go."

Marlon took a couple of minutes to look over the highlights of the request, and stood up. "Reva'll enjoy the chance to get away for a while. And my trainee, Manfried, seems to be working out pretty well. I was about ready to cut him loose, and let him try it solo. Now's a good time. When do I need to be there?"

"They've requested you to attend a meeting on the first of December. I'd say give yourself three weeks travel time, so that would give you about three weeks or so to get ready and to close up anything you have on your desk here."

"There's no telling how long I might be gone. It seems down-timers can't buy a pair of shoes without haggling for a week."

Coleman laughed. "Take all the time you need, just don't fall out of your balloon and forget to come back."

****

Marlon came out of the office, and went over to his wife's station. "Reva, you busy? Let's go get some lunch."

Reva shook her head. "You know very well that it's a good hour and a half after lunch time. If I let you, Marlon, you'd spend all day at a restaurant wasting time."

"Yeah, I know. But there's things we need to talk about, and I need a cup of coffee."

****

Reva leaned forward and put her elbows on the table. "Now just exactly what was in that fancy message that got you and Coleman tied up in knots?"

"It's a request for a meeting with a bunch of money people in Copenhagen. They want us to come out and do some business. You've been wanting to get away for a vacation anyway, and they asked for us by name. They want us to take the Upwind, but that doesn't surprise me. Everybody wants to see it. Coleman thinks that there's more than to it than that but he's not sure what. You feel like going?"

Marlon knew that Reva always loved travel, even with the uncomfortable carriages and bad road conditions. She'd loved new places all of her life.

"When do we have to be there?"

Marlon loved watching her eyes light up at the thought of going somewhere. "The papers request my presence on December first. Coleman thinks it will take about three weeks to get there. We'll have to figure out how to bring the Upwind along. And I haven't got all of that thought through yet. Heck, I haven't even really got a finalized hauler arrangement."

The food arrived, and they took a moment to eat a bit before continuing. Marlon said, "Coleman thinks it may all be just an excuse to see one of them newfangled flying machines. Still, they're talking about a lot of money, and some agreements we could really use. Seems like a lot just to see some flying thing. What do you think we need for the trip?"

Reva considered. She was always the one to organize their various excursions in the past. "Well, I don't want to sleep in the dirt this time, so you better find some way to get us off the ground while we're traveling. And I don't want to walk the whole way either."

"Well, I got an idea about that. I think I can cobble together a small trailer house for you. We could take that old gooseneck pole trailer and put that little 8 x 12 shed out back on it. I'll build a rope bed, and we can put our mattress on that. We'll have room for your foot locker, and food and everything. Then we can get that friend of Bernard's with his short wagon and horses. We put a fifth wheel connection in the bed of the wagon and we have our fifth wheel. You might even be able to nap as we go. And it will save us setting up camp every day."

"That sounds good. We could take a gas camp stove too. Why do you think they want you to take your toy?"

"Funny thing, they asked for it specifically. Seems it's a bigger celebrity than we are. We'll probably need to take a five hundred gallon propane tank too. Especially if we need to fly that thing more than one or two times. But if it helps to sell the deal, I don't mind flying around with them."

 

Merchant Bankers of Copenhagen Offices

October 1635

 

Cornelius Holgarssen looked up from his desk as the door to his office opened. It was Eric, his secretary. "Yes, Eric?"

The young man appeared definitely nervous. "Sir, you have a visitor on his way up. I know you're very busy, but I'm certain you want to see him."

"Really? Who is it?" Cornelius was already straightening papers and removing his teacup. Eddie Cantrell called it "conspicuous consumption" to import tea, but what was the point of becoming wealthy if one didn't display that wealth.

"His Majesty, King Christian." Eric was practically vibrating. He was new to the office, and had not really been near royalty before.

"Nothing to worry about, son. His Majesty and I often consult. Please show him in, and then go get some tea. And make sure that we have those little berry tarts. I'm sure he would love those."

Eric hurried away. Cornelius arranged some chairs near a small table, and smoothed his doublet.

Eric opened the door, and bowed as Christian stepped past him. "Cornelius, how nice to see you," the king said.

Cornelius bowed, and then gestured toward the chairs. "Thank you, Your Majesty. Won't you sit?"

As they made themselves comfortable, Cornelius asked, "Your Majesty, what brings you out on such a beautiful day?"

"I'm concerned about this venture that you and your bankers have been involved in. I know you've already spent more money than you expected. And now you've invited that American pilot . . . ?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. We have been working on this idea for some time. You'll remember Rikard the shipwright? We inherited him from your flights project. He's in charge of the logistics. He's gathered a significant amount of material to build the airship, and has many versions of plans underway. Also we have started clearing for the foundation of the workspace, the hangar. Rikard has many serious questions, though, concerning airships. And we feel that only somebody with more experience can answer them. We believe that person is Marlon Pridmore from Grantville."

King Christian nibbled on his moustache, deep in thought. "So what exactly are your plans? And how old is this fellow?"

"Herr Pridmore is reported to be in his late fifties or early sixties. And I think you already know most of our plans, Your Majesty. We want to bring Denmark back to prominence in trade. We have the Baltic, and the North Sea, but we need to get goods overland to the markets of Europe, and we need to do it faster than overland travel can accomplish right now."

The king leaned forward. "But Cornelius, are you sure this is the best method? I already have an airplane. Can't it carry what you need?"

"Your Majesty, how much cargo can your plane carry?"

Christian shrugged. "I don't know, maybe a half ton. Maybe more. I'd have to ask the experts."

"I've read about airships in your encyclopedia, Your Majesty. Even the relatively small one that Herr Pridmore has constructed can carry two tons, maybe more."

"And what of the expense, Cornelius? Look what's already been spent in your failed attempts." Christian stood and paced toward the windows and back. "I can offer you a Royal charter and access to my workshop, nothing more. The clerks are already complaining about my extravagance. I don't want to risk it on something that won't pay off. Your Danish East India Company is already enough of an embarrassment. Five ships! In more than fifteen years, all we ever got back is five ships! I don't care that you're transporting items on other ships from England or France. We don't get any taxes on those. We need the money that trade brings in, we need it here, and your ships need to make port. The royal coffers will not be able to sustain that sort of project again, you know that."

"Of course, Your Majesty. We had not planned to request assistance. That's why we're operating through the Merchant Bankers of Copenhagen. This is not a Danish project, but speculative spending by the bankers."

King Christian strode across the room again. It was clear that the problems of state weighed heavily on him today. "I hold you responsible for the whole thing, Cornelius." With that, he opened the heavy doors himself.

He turned and shook his finger at Cornelius. "Don't mention any of this to that American until we have him safely here. I don't want to start a bidding war over his expertise. The French would love to get this kind of advance over the Germanies. And let me know when he's going to fly that thing. That will be really something to see."

 

Grantville

November 1635

Bernard Brenner was frowning. He was standing on the front porch of the home his family shared with the Pridmores. The late afternoon sun turned the front yard a deep golden brown, and two young people were at the gate, hand in hand. He couldn't keep silent any longer. "Hanna, it's time for you to help your mother with dinner. Herr Pridmore and his wife will be home soon."

Even that didn't break the two young people apart. Bernard could see his daughter look up into the eyes of Ulrich, the young man with her. He could see her adoring glance, and knew that his troubles were even more serious than he had believed.

Another moment of Hanna and Ulrich murmuring to each other, and Bernard cleared his throat more loudly than necessary. Hanna threw a worried glance at her father, then dropped Ulrich's hand, and hurried past Bernard, and into the house without a word.

Bernard looked at Ulrich for a moment. "Young man, I think it's time you and I had a talk."

Ulrich's face betrayed his worry. Silently he followed Bernard, sat when directed, and waited.

"I have noticed lately that when Hanna attends group activities, these are the same activities you choose to attend. And I have noticed that you walk her home as often as four or five days a week. I need to know your intentions, and your capability to take care of my daughter."

Ulrich gulped. "Herr Brenner, I love your daughter. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I have been released from the Army, and I have been working as an apprentice in Nat Davis' shop for a couple of months now. They all think I have good prospects down there. And right now, machinists are in demand all over Europe. When I finish my training, I'll have more opportunities than you can imagine."

"You have no idea what I can imagine. As a matter of fact, right now I'm imagining a lot of things that are not beneficial to your well-being. Hanna is only just turned nineteen, and I don't want you interfering with her future. Neither of you is old enough, yet, to be thinking of marriage."

Ulrich had nothing to say to this statement. He just frowned miserably at the floor.

After a moment of silence, Bernard took pity on the young man, and continued in a more friendly voice. "I have an idea that may get you ahead faster than you think. You know that Herr Pridmore is preparing to take his airship to Denmark. And there is nobody besides Herr Pridmore that knows more about the airship than you."

Ulrich looked up from the floor, and his eyes were alight with possibilities. Still he said nothing, letting Bernard continue.

"I think it would be wise for you to accompany Herr Pridmore to Copenhagen. You can use the money he'll pay for driver and assistant. I know he'll need one, and hasn't hired anyone else yet. What do you think?"

Ulrich was silent no longer. He sprang to his feet, and shoved his hand at Herr Brenner. "Oh, sir. I think this is the best of all possibilities. I was speaking with Herr Lawler this morning, and he said his friend Arie De Vries is there already. Maybe he can pick up my apprenticeship, and I can continue to learn everything I can about airships. I will be able to afford a home and family so much quicker this way."

Bernard stood and shook Ulrich's hand, and before he could say another word, the young man had vacated the porch. Well, at least he will be far away from Hanna. Perhaps he will meet someone else.

****

Marlon hadn't been this busy since the days just before the first flight of the Upwind. He wanted to make sure he had whatever he might need, so he was sorting his Hot Air Enthusiast magazines and any technical papers needed to describe how the Upwind worked.

Just now, though, he was not sorting or packing. He was reading. He had come across one of the books that Reva had given him for Christmas many years ago. It was a coffee table book with photographs of hot air balloons and airships. He always enjoyed it, but it was still almost like new with the original dust cover.

He was about to return the book to the bookshelf of his den, when he had a thought. This book certainly contained more information than any encyclopedia he'd ever seen. So he packed it in his luggage on the off chance that he needed to present anything at court. The letter didn't mention the king, but Marlon liked to be prepared.

****

Reva was at her best organizing the trip. Right now she stood in the kitchen, surrounded by everything she thought she needed. "Hanna, I can't think of anything else I could need for the couple of months we'll be there."

Agnes put her hands on her hips. "No, Frau Pridmore, but what about Christmas? Next week on the calendar, we were supposed to start baking. What do we do now?"

"Well, it's late enough in the year, that I won't be here for the holiday. I'll send gifts home from Copenhagen, and depend on you to make what's needed. I've looked over my reserves, and I'm practically out of chocolate. I don't know what I'll do for that, but I'll worry about it later. You have the recipes we used last Christmas. Just be sure that my brother's kids get something special."

Agnes turned toward the sink, and surreptitiously dabbed her eyes. They had been living in the same house for almost four years, and this sudden departure was a little hard for her to take.

Hanna saw her mother trying to get herself under control, and began to cry as well. "Oh, Frau Pridmore. I will miss you so much."

"Well, for heaven's sake." Reva pulled a hanky out of her pocket, and sniffled for a moment. "You two are going to make me cry too. It's not like I'll be gone forever. We're just going to Copenhagen for a little while. We'll be back."

Agnes took a deep breath, and turned back from the sink. "Of course you will. It's not like there are marauding armies roaming the countryside. It's perfectly safe. And you will be able to write letters, won't you?"

"Of course I'll write. And I look forward to hearing from you as well."

Finally, once they were in control again, Reva said, "We better get all this out on the porch so that Ulrich can load it into the wagon. I just hope there's room for us to sleep. I might have packed a little more heavily than I should have."

****

Coleman looked worried. "Now Marlon, make sure that you have all the papers in order. Did you get another formal doublet made? We don't know how many high-power meetings you'll have to attend. We don't want them to think we're a bunch of hillbillies out here."

Marlon stifled a grin. Coleman was the kind of boss that liked to worry about the details. Marlon's briefcase included a large packet containing the bank's proposals and positions. The inner envelope had stamps and ribbons galore.

Coleman continued. "You know what we need. Don't let them pull a fast one on us. You have the bank's power of attorney. And if you need it, get on the radio and talk to me. If we have to, I'll pull the Federal Reserve card out of our hat."

Marlon offered his hand to his friend. "You got it, Coleman. I'll get the best deal we can."

 

Tranquebar, Southeastern India

November 25, 1635

 

Roelant Crappé, Governor of the Danish Colony of Tranquebar, sat back at his desk, and sipped his tea. Roelant had been gathering cargo for years, and this batch looked particularly interesting. Aside from the normal stuff, cotton cloth and things like that, Nicholas had acquired a truly massive shipment of nutmeg.

For many years, the Portuguese would not tell anybody where nutmeg was coming from. But now, even though it was an open secret, it was difficult but not impossible to find. Roelant had made a few deals, bribed several captains, and obtained more than five tons of the valuable spice.

"The ship has just arrived in the harbor, sir." Roelant looked up. His assistant, Chander, was standing in his doorway.

"Very well let's walk over and see what's going on."

When they reached the docks, Roelant was astounded. He had seen many ships arrive, but none in such a truly appalling condition. The main mast was askew, the railings battered beyond recognition, and the sails were in shreds.

Roelant stepped up, ready to greet Captain Kiersted and welcome him to India. Just as the gang plank was dropped, a groan shook the ship stem to stern. Roelant was afraid for his life as the mainmast shuddered back and forth for a moment. It looked as though the tall wooden spar would tumble down on top of them, but it plunged through the bottom of the keel, and into the harbor below.

Captain Kiersted, standing on the quarterdeck, threw his hands in the air then started to shout. Sailors scurried trying to save the ship, but it was too much for them. Slowly but surely, the ship sank into the water. Just before it settled into the mud, sailors jumped over the edge like escaping rats.

Captain Kiersted climbed up onto the dock and shook the water out of his hair, then stood before Roelant. "I've got men already going for the money chest. We'll haul it up momentarily. At least the only cargo we were hauling was ballast, and those rocks won't be hurt by the water. I am afraid however that the Pelican is never sailing anywhere again."

"Captain, how did this happen?" Roelant asked.

"We encountered a storm as we were rounding the southern coast. We were doing all right until this really enormous wave tried to swallow us. We crossed it quite handily but as we slid down the other side and hit bottom, the mast rose out of its socket and smashed down into the keel and broke it. Our ship's carpenter had a large screw holding her together long enough for us to get here. But with every movement through the waves, the ship was slowly tearing itself to bits."

Roelant said, "There's an English ship due to leave here sometime this week. We can send a message back with them. Most of the cargo I had for you will last until another of our ships makes it in. But some, I worry, will deteriorate before we can get it back to Denmark."

 

Copenhagen

November 1635

 

Marlon and Reva arrived in Copenhagen earlier than they expected. Ulrich jumped down with ease as Marlon creaked down from the hard wagon seat, and tried to smooth some of the wrinkles from his clothes.

The last couple of days had been a little difficult, and because of the condition of the roads Marlon's back was complaining bitterly. Ulrich went forward to see to the horses. Marlon stretched slightly, and then turned to help Reva down. She whispered. "Heads up, Swordfish. I think we have company."

When he had her safely on the ground, he turned and saw a delegation of men coming from one of the buildings on the square. They all had what he thought of as Van Dyke beards, and were very well dressed.

"Herr Pridmore, I presume?" The speaker was an older man, possibly the same age as Marlon, on the edge of sixty. He was a little shorter, had white hair and beard and piercing blue eyes. "I am Cornelius Holgarssen."

****

The next evening, Marlon and Reva were guests of honor at a reception in Herr Holgarssen's home. Reva was nervous. In truth, she felt more comfortable with the servants than she did with the rich folk that filled the house.

She held tight on Marlon's arm as they stood in the reception line at the door. There was no way she would remember all these names.

Then she saw a familiar face. It was Henny De Vries. "Henny, I didn't know you had moved to Copenhagen. Are there other up-timers here?"

Henny smiled and patted Reva's hand. "You have no idea, dear. Arie and I love it. It's not like America was, but it's not like the Europe we remember either. I'm glad to see you here. I hope you have a wonderful time." She gave Reva a hug, and continued on into the reception.

After that, Reva was more comfortable. There were several expatriate Americans living in Copenhagen, and she never knew. She lost count after about ten, but they seemed to keep coming.

****

Marlon was also amazed at the number of familiar faces he saw here. "Dori, didn't I just finish training you? When did you arrive?"

Dori Grooms laughed. "Oh, Mr. Pridmore. I've been here quite a while. You remember I had twins? They're almost a year old now, and I left them at home with the nanny. I needed a break tonight."

Marlon grinned. "I can see that. Why don't you go in and get a seat."

The rest of the evening was like old home week. After the reception line, Marlon and Reva settled into a parlor and many of the Americans gathered around them. After a while, very little German or Danish was spoken. Everything was comfortably in English.

Dave Caine was laughing just like he did back home in the bar. "Remember the time that Marlon here said he was going fishing, when really he was . . ."

Marlon interrupted. "No need for that story, Dave. We want our hosts to think I'm responsible. Why don't you have another beer instead."

The party broke up late that night. Marlon and Reva felt very welcomed indeed.

****

They were provided with a small but sumptuous townhouse. The Upwind and airship equipment was stored near an open area outside of town. It took Reva a couple of days to get settled, and to become accustomed to the idea of not working. That was a new experience for her. But she soon realized that it freed her to enjoy the city of Copenhagen. She began daily walks and even carriage rides doing sightseeing and buying interesting things in the markets, often accompanied by one or another up-timer.

Marlon let her go. He only had a couple of days to prepare for his first meeting with the Merchant Bankers association.

December first arrived and Marlon, dressed in his new doublet with its lace collar, left the house with the briefcase containing the beribboned agreement.

The first meeting with Cornelius Holgarssen and bankers association was almost as involved as a circus. Marlon was not quite sure how many of the throngs of people around him were bankers, and how many were secretaries and servants. There were formal introductions, formal toasts, formal declarations of friendship and formal handshaking.

 

On an English Ship near the Cape of Good Hope

December 1635

Captain Kiersted stood on the quarterdeck. He made sure to stay out of everybody's way. His position on the quarterdeck was only a courtesy by the English Captain, Niles Henderson.

The English ship had come into port and Governor Roelant had ordered the loading of enormous amounts of cloth on board. It seemed like acres of cotton had come on board, more cloth than Anders had seen in many years. Anders ...