Nov. 3rd, 187-. Brig “James and Maria”: J. D., fair-haired,
height 5 ft. 8 in., marked on chest with initials and cross
swords, tattooed, also anchor and coil of rope on right
fore-arm: large brown mole on right shoulder-blade.
Striped flannel drawers: otherwise naked: no property of any
kind.
Ditto. Grown man, age 40 or thereabouts: dark; iron grey beard:
lovers’ knot tattooed on right forearm, with initials R. L.,
E. W., in the loops: clad in flannel shirt, guernsey, trousers
(blue sea-cloth), socks (heather-mixture), all unmarked.
Silver chain in pocket, with Freemason’s token: a half-crown, a
florin, and fourpence--
And so on. On the opposite page were entered the full names and
details afterwards discovered, with notes of the Vicar’s
correspondence, and position of the grave.
“They ought to have gravestones,” said Mr. Raymond. “But as it is, I
can only get about thirty shillings for the funeral from the county
rate. The balance has come out of my pocket--from two to three
pounds for each. From the beginning the Squire refused to help to
bury sailors. He took the ground that it wasn’t a local claim.”
“Hullo!” said Taffy, for as he turned the leaves his eye fell on this
entry:--
Jan 30th, 187-. S.S. “Rifleman” (all hands). Cargo, China
clay: W. P., age about eighteen, fair skin, reddish hair, short
and curled, height 5ft. 10 and 3/4 in. Initials tattooed on
chest under a three-masted ship and semicircle of seven stars;
clad in flannel singlet and trousers (cloth): singlet marked
with same initials in red cotton: pockets empty--
“But he was in the Navy!” cried Taffy, with his finger on the entry.
“Which one? Yes, he was in the Navy. You’ll see it on the opposite
page. He deserted, poor boy, in Cork Harbour, and shipped on board a
tramp steamer as donkey-man. She loaded at Fowey and was wrecked on
the voyage back. William Pellow he was called: his mother lives but
ten miles up the coast: she never heard of it until six weeks after.”
“But we--I, I mean--knew him. He was one of the sailor boys on
Joby’s van. You remember their helping us with the luggage at
_Indian Queens’?_ He showed me his tattoo marks that day.”
And again he saw his childhood as it were set about with an enchanted
hedge, across which many voices would have called to him, and some
from near, but all had hung muted and arrested.
The inquest on the two drowned sailors was held next day at the
_Fifteen Balls_, down in Innis village. Later in the afternoon, the
four survivors walked up to the church, headed by the Captain.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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