Off To See The Wild West Show Part 1, Chapter 13 (4/6) By Frank Beill 1886: Hull, Yorkshire

(1/6), (2/6), (3/6), (4/6), (5/6), (6/6). Part 1 Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. Part 2 Prologue, Chapter 1, 2, 3.

'Say nothing!' she whispered. For someone deemed to be a savage and a girl too, she was smart. A Sioux child speaking English with a Hull accent would have been noticeable. During the meal I restricted myself to grunting in reply to any whispered words from her. My two smaller sisters giggled all the way through the meal to be admonished frequently by my family's two older females. Dog That Stands didn't eat with us but ate with the other Lakota men up on deck.

While my meal was unusual, it was also filling. I'd never eaten two such enormous meals in one day, not even when Mrs G. produced the opportunity of seconds. Why did George run off? There was so much to eat.

We returned to the cabin. The thought of the bunk was even more inviting after all the food. I wanted to wrap myself in a blanket and go to sleep but there was to be no rest for a while yet. 'We all go on deck soon. There will be a roll call.' Laughing Waters nodded firmly. 'Wrap your blanket around you. It is cold. Do not worry.' I was naïve and unaware how efficiently the company was organised.

Everyone who should be travelling back to the United States was listed. If stowaways were discovered on board when the ship arrived at its destination the American authorities would fine the captain. Worry, why did she say 'do not worry'? I began to worry. My mind was filled with visions of being forced to walk the plank like an unwanted passenger in a pirate story. Worse still a Hull constable might come aboard and accompany me back to the orphanage.

'Do not worry!' She smiled her reassuring smile from beneath a grey woollen blanket wrapped around her head and shoulders. She clasped my hand to lead me back up onto the deck but before we left the cabin she stopped and pointed at my feet. 'Take off your boots! Lakota do not wear boots.' I pulled off the offending footwear to reveal a pair of heavily darned black socks. 'And the socks!' The deck felt cold and hard on my bare feet. 'We will have to get you moccasins.' Her words made me wonder as to who might still be wearing this footwear. 'But for now come like that. It is cold. Pull a blanket around you.'

Once I ran in the streets without shoes but my feet were soft from more than two years of wearing orphanage boots. I felt awkward walking up the flights of wooden stairs. Needless to say the two little ones followed close on our heels. The giggling behind us made me feel even more self-conscious.

Continued... Next Page (5/6)

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