Off To See The Wild West Show Part 1, Chapter 13 (6/6) 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.

We turned to go but something made me pause. Tucked away in a dark corner something large and familiar was lashed to the deck. It was the Deadwood Stage. Without its team of sweating chargers it looked sad and forlorn, as though its lifeblood was drained away. I drifted away from the others to get a closer look at this legendary vehicle but the closer I came the more depressing it looked.

The tied back curtains were ragged and torn, as was the leatherwork. The rails on the roof were broken and held together with string and only a wire held the cabin door with the loose hinge left flapping. Everywhere patches of paint failed to hide repairs to the bodywork. This close inspection removed all the romance I'd associated with the vehicle. If it were an animal it would have been put out of its misery.

A hand tugged at my sleeve. Laughing Water was jerking her head towards the hatch where all the others were disappearing below deck. She wasn't smiling now. When we got back into the throng she spoke. 'Do not draw attention. We have all seen the stagecoach many times.' There were so many novelties to see and to understand, so many things I'd read and dreamed about. I wanted to see them all … experience them all but I'd have to learn to be patient. At last, I was able to lie on my bunk. All the others - I guess there must have been a dozen more in our cabin - snuggled in their blankets on the floor.

They'd probably dream of their homeland to which they were returning at long last. I was tired but I daren't sleep. I was sure I'd wake up in the double bed with George and it would all have been a dream.

Sleep came but it didn't last for long. I was disturbed by vibration coming from below the floor. The light through the small porthole above my bunk began to flicker. I raised myself to look outside. The dockside seemed to be drifting away from us until I realised it was the ship that was moving. Hull disappeared from my life. It would be a long time before I'd see my hometown again.

Copyright © Frank Beill 2005

Continued.. Part 1, Chapter 14

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