A bastard by birth and orphaned at twelve, Charles has learnt to fend for himself in 1660s London. Homeless, he seeks shelter for the night in some canvas aboard a barge on the Thames. In the morning, he tumbles awake when the sail is hoisted, and t...
Through the afternoon, we prepared for removal to Bessy, Captain first showing me how to wrap small items in his shirts, cravats and silk hose, so he could arrange them into the large boxes – chests, he called them. Everything was so wondrous, and I sought information about most of it. As I took a large, heavy piece from a shelf, I asked, "And what is this one?"
"An elephant, lad. Beautifully rendered from a piece of iada[1] with emeralds for eyes and tusks of ivory. He took it and turned it in his hands. "Also presented to me in Surat, this one by Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of the Shah." He placed it at the edge of a shirt and rolled it into the cloth three times, folded the ends and set the bundle in the chest.
Then I picked up the two purple and white pieces that had been behind the elephant, and I held them out to him. "What are these, sir?"
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"Aha! That is where they hid – I thought they were lost. Those are wampum, the money of the native people of our northern American colonies." He took them and draped them over his fingers. "The last time I was there, the white beads were valued at six to the penny, and the purple ones were worth double that."
"Oh! Then, there's a fortune here."
Captain chuckled. "Nay, lad. Nay, I kept them for their crafting and their naive designs – and for the memory of my experiences there. Their value is less than three pounds."
I nodded, thinking about the different measures. Near what Mother made in a year. Double what my begging brought. But he made more than that with each crossing of the river. And far more with the vegetables and –
My thoughts were interrupted by his voice, "These simple designs are the height of their art. Compare them to the intricate magnificence of these carpets from Persia."
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He ran his hand across the one beneath his knees. "This one from Ardabil is woven with fine threads of wool, silk, gold and silver, while the wampum is crafted from seashells and animal skin. Both require many steps, fine skills and much time, but to make a piece of wampum this size would take longer than to weave the carpet."
"Oh! Then with all the beads, it would truly be worth a fortune."
Captain chuckled. "Aye, lad. I had not looked at it this way." He pursed his lips and bobbed his head for a while, then he continued, "It would amount to more than I had paid for the carpet."
