Cadence

Five

Five

The first important lesson Cadence learned living aboard ship was that sailors were a damned superstitious lot. No, make that the second important lesson. The first lesson was an acute awareness of the abominable hygiene practices entertained aboard ship. She shuddered to think of the stench permeating the lower decks. The first mate had been assigned the task of teaching the new cabin boy the ways and mores of shipboard life. The majority of their hours together consisted of the mate instructing her of the overall jinxes of seafaring. It was a known fact that sailors embraced superstition as no other culture throughout history, but really this was ridiculous. It wasn’t so much the superstition that was ridiculous as what they chose to be superstitious about.

“So let me get this straight.” Cadence lifted a heavy coil of line over her shoulder, nearly staggering under its weight. “It is bad luck to have a woman on board, but good luck to have a baby born while at sea.”

“Aye,” Mr. Bowen nodded.

“Doesn’t a woman have to be on board for a baby to be born?”

The mate didn’t miss a beat. “Right you are, but the good luck of having a baby on board counters the bad luck of the woman. You see?”

“But would that be no luck at all since one count of good luck and one count of bad luck cancel each other out?”

“Aye, now you’re seein’ the way of it.” The mate grinned. “But no luck at all is better than bad luck.”

Her head spun around what seemed a never ending and unsolvable riddle. “What about when there is a woman on board, but no baby?”

“You’re sharp as a whip, Cam, sharp as a whip,” the man chortled. “You see having a naked woman on the vessel will counter the bad luck of having a woman on board.”

Cadence blinked at least twice before her eyes widened into saucers. “Naked?”

“You know the lady adorning the bow?”

“Er, the one shaped like a mermaid?”

“Aye, well,” Mr. Bowen leaned in as though revealing a big secret. “She is our naked lady to keep misfortunes at bay.”

“Are you filling the cabin boy’s head with all of your nonsense?” Curtis strode up behind them.

“I’m sure I don’t know what nonsense you’d be speakin’ of Cap'n.” Mr. Bowen winked toward Cadence. “We were just about to be makin’ the rounds, sir. Did Cam clean your cabin satisfactorily this morning, and deliver you breakfast in good time?”

“He’s learning well. Carry on.” Curtis nodded dismissively.

“Come along, Cam.” Mr. Bowen heaved a coil of line over his shoulder waiting for her to follow him across the gently rolling deck.