Interrupted Voyage
Captain Abel Pennock sat in a Southampton pub, warming himself by the fire and enjoying a pint of ale and a hot meal. In the morning, he would set sail with the tide, and it would be weeks before he set foot on dry land again. As he dipped his bread in the fat of his roasted beef, Abel saw the harbormaster enter the pub and head in his direction.
"Captain Pennock, I'm sorry to bother you during your supper," the man apologized.
"Is there a problem?" the seaman inquired, inviting the harbormaster to sit down with a nod of his head toward the opposite chair.
"No. I've come to ask you a favor."
"What favor can I do for you?"
"There's a man in my office, one of some wealth and importance."
The captain, who was a man of considerable fortune himself, was not impressed.
"This man has urgent business in America. He needs to book passage on a ship, but I'm afraid there are none ...."
"I don't carry passengers," Abel interrupted. "The Maid of Nantucket is a merchant vessel, not a passenger ship."
"I realize that, sir, but the man is willing to pay handsomely for transportation."
"I'm sure he is. Nevertheless, with the war going on in America, I won't risk anyone's life by carrying a passenger."
The harbormaster took a handkerchief out of his pocket and nervously wiped the perspiration from his brow.
"If you could make an exception this one time, I would ...."
"My answer is no," Abel thundered. "Now, if you don't mind, my good man, I prefer to eat my meal without any further ...."
Another gentleman walked into the pub, this one was tall, aristocratic and commanding. He arrogantly strode up to the table where the two men were arguing.
"Are you the captain of the Maid of Nantucket?" the stranger demanded to know.
"Yes, I am, and I assume you are the man looking for passage to America. As I've already told the harbormaster, I make it a point never to carry travelers on my ship."
The stranger reached inside his jacket pocket.
"I don't want your money," Abel said. "It won't change my mind."
It was not a wallet the man sought but a miniature portrait of a beautiful woman. He handed the likeness to the captain.
"That woman is my wife," he explained. "I've received word she hasn't long to live. I must get home as soon as possible. Every day, nay every hour, could be her last."
Abel gazed at the portrait and was stunned by the young woman's resemblance to his own beloved wife, who had been dead more than ten years.
"I am at your mercy, sir," the stranger said, with not the slightest trace of superbity.
The captain stared at the face in the portrait. The woman's eyes seemed to plead with him. They made a case far stronger than her husband's.
"All right," Pennock agreed with a heavy sigh, "but you'll have to sleep below deck with the men. There are no spare cabins aboard my ship."
"I've slept in worse places," the stranger claimed, his arrogance returning. "I dare say I'll survive."
* * *
Captain Pennock went aboard the Maid of Nantucket before dawn, eager to set sail with the morning tide.
Dying wife or not, if that man doesn't get to the ship when I'm ready to cast off, he can find someone else to take him across the Atlantic.
Surprisingly, the American was already aboard.
"Greetings, Captain. It occurs to me we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Elias Drumm."
Abel shook the man's extended hand.
"You'll have to excuse me. I have a great deal to do at the moment."
"Naturally. Perhaps once we're at sea, you'll have some spare time, and we can talk."
With a nod of his head, the captain walked away.
"I see we are making the crossing with a passenger," First Mate Caleb Meriden observed when Pennock joined him on the bridge.
"Yes. Against my better judgment, I agreed to his request. His wife is dying, and he wants to be with her."
"Are you sure he's not a Southern sympathizer, telling you a sob story so he can get aboard the ship?"
"No, I'm not sure. But if he is a Confederate, why would he want to sail into Boston harbor, hundreds of miles behind enemy lines?"
"He could be a spy."
"Then I suggest we keep an eye on him. Once we're at sea, spread the word to the men to report any suspicious behavior they observe," the captain ordered. "Now let's concentrate more on raising the sails and less on our unexpected guest."
* * *
The first day at sea proved uneventful. Abel crossed paths with his passenger only once, when Drumm was taking the air on the starboard deck.
"I trust you find your accommodations adequate?" the captain asked.
"They'll do," the man replied.
"Good. Should you get bored, I have some books in my cabin, including Emerson, Hawthorne and, my favorite, Melville."
"Any Shakespeare?"
"A volume of his sonnets."
"Good. I'll borrow that one if you don't mind."
"I'll have my first mate bring it to you," Abel said and began to walk away.
"Oh, Captain," Elias called. "I was serious about our having a talk sometime."
"It will be a long voyage, Mr. Drumm. I'm sure we'll be able to spend at least one evening enjoying food, drink and conversation."
Abel was not by nature a sociable person, preferring comfortable solitude and his books to the company of other men. Still, he sympathized with his passenger. He knew all too well what it was like to lose a wife. There wasn't a day that passed that he didn't think about his beloved Deborah.
The captain looked out at the North Atlantic and noticed the sun was hanging low over the western horizon.
It will be dark soon. I'd best get back to the bridge. I have work to do.
By the time Captain Pennock finished his duties for the day, the sun was gone from the sky, and the only light was from the crescent moon above.
No stars. Hope that doesn't mean we're in for a storm.
Should the weather turn foul, however, Abel had little doubt that the Maid of Nantucket would hold up admirably. This was his twenty-third transatlantic crossing, and he had the utmost faith in both the ship and its crew. Thus, when he crossed the threshold of his cabin, Pennock had no premonition of the tragedy that awaited them.
His cabin boy immediately brought his supper and poured him a drink. He ate in silence, and once he was finished with his meal, the lad came back for the dirty dishware.
"Will you be wanting anything else, Captain?" the boy inquired.
"I think that's all for tonight, lad. Why don't you go off to bed now and get some sleep? We might be in for bad weather tomorrow."
"Aye, aye, sir."
When the cabin boy departed, Abel poured himself another glass of brandy. Then he relaxed in his bunk, sipping his drink and reading Moby-Dick until his eyelids were so heavy he could no longer keep them open.
* * *
Although it rained steadily the following morning, the seas remained fairly calm.
When the captain reported to the bridge, the ever-efficient first mate was barking orders as to which sail to raise and which one to lower.
"Morning, Captain," Caleb called.
A man of few words, Abel nodded his head in acknowledgment.
"Something has come up that I want to bring to your attention," the mate began.
The captain turned to him and raised his eyebrows inquisitively.
"We haven't been able to locate crewman Bines, sir."
"Are you sure he came aboard?" Abel asked, breaking his silence.
"One of the men saw him in the hold loading cargo before we set sail. Of course, it's possible he jumped ship before we cast off."
"Note the facts in the log," Pennock commanded.
With the matter of the missing crewman settled, the first mate returned to the business of running the ship, and the captain bent his head over the charts.
* * *
In four days, a similar scene unfolded on the bridge. This time, it was crewman Miller who was missing.
"There's no doubt this time that the man was on board," Meriden insisted.
"I assume the crew checked every inch of the ship," the captain stated, having complete faith in his second in command.
"I looked for him myself."
"Put it in the log," the captain ordered.
"Sir," Caleb said, as Abel headed toward his charts to plot the ship's progress. "I'm concerned about this second disappearance."
Pennock's eyebrows went up.
"I believe Bines was onboard when we set sail. I think whatever happened to Miller happened to him, too."
"And do you have any theories as to what happened to the men?"
"No," the mate admitted.
"Then until we have more information, we will assume that Bines is back in England and that Miller went overboard, either by accident or design."
"Or by foul play?"
The captain ignored the question, and the first mate dared not press the issue.
* * *
When crewman Wilkins went missing three days later, the captain was forced to agree with his mate.
"Two men don't accidentally fall overboard—three if Bines isn't back in Southampton," Abel declared. "And it's doubtful they all decided to jump. That means someone on this ship is a murderer. I want you to question each of the crewmen. Someone may have seen or heard something."
"Sir, if I may be so bold," Caleb began, waiting for the nod of his captain's head before continuing. "We've made previous voyages with this crew, all without incident."
The captain knew what the first mate was about to say since the thought had occurred to him as well.
"I think I should question the passenger. We know nothing about ...."
"I'll talk to Mr. Drumm," Abel offered.
"Aye, aye, sir. Unless you require my assistance, I'll begin questioning the men at once."
Pennock nodded his head in dismissal and told his second in command to carry on.
As First Mate Meriden had feared, the remaining crewmen were understandably upset about the mysterious disappearance of three of their number. Unlike their commanding officer, they were not reluctant to express their suspicions.
"It's that Drumm fellow," one seaman grumbled. "I knew the minute I saw him come aboard, there would be trouble."
The first mate got the same sentiment from all the men onboard. But not one of them had information that could attest that Elias Drumm had harmed anyone. All they had were suspicions and unfounded accusations.
"What's the word from the men?" the captain inquired when Caleb returned to the bridge several hours later.
"They're upset."
"Naturally."
"I'm afraid they all suspect our passenger had a hand in the disappearances."
"Has anyone actually seen or heard something out of the ordinary?"
"No. What has Mr. Drumm to say for himself?"
"I haven't spoken to him yet. I wanted to know what the men had to say before I confronted him."
"I assume you'll speak to him soon, sir?"
"Yes. It's getting late. I'll speak to him first thing in the morning."
* * *
With the disappearance of crewman Lewis, the men were on the verge of mutiny. Their anger was not directed at the captain or the first mate but at the passenger.
"I say the hell with the captain's orders!" one of the more experienced seamen contended. "We should band together and throw that passenger in irons before he does another one of us in."
It was only their respect and confidence in the first mate that stayed their hands.
"The captain is going to question Mr. Drumm today," Caleb told them.
"What good is questioning him going to do? You don't think he'll admit anything, do you?"
"I don't know. But I promise you, I intend to have the passenger closely watched for the remainder of the voyage."
* * *
At noon, the captain observed the passenger walking along the deck. Abel realized he could not put off the unpleasant but necessary task of questioning the man any longer.
"Mr. Drumm," he called.
"Ah, Captain Pennock. I haven't seen you for at least a week. You must be kept very busy because this is a small boat, after all."
"I'd like to have a word with you, sir, if you don't mind," Abel announced.
"Splendid! I've been wanting to talk to you since I boarded the ship."
"Why don't we meet in my cabin in, say, fifteen minutes?"
"I'll be there," Drumm promised and continued his constitutional.
"Would you like me to attend, sir?" Meriden asked. "It might not be safe to be alone with him."
"I doubt I'll be in any danger," Abel insisted, feeling less confident than he sounded. "It's broad daylight. Haven't all the men disappeared during the night?"
"Yes," the first mate conceded, "but I'll keep my ears open, so yell if you need me."
"I'll do that, Caleb. Now, let me go question our passenger and see what he has to say for himself."
* * *
Captain Pennock was on his guard when he opened the door to his cabin and invited Elias Drumm inside.
"The cook has prepared my lunch. Will you join me?" he invited the passenger, who then took a seat at the table.
"No, thank you. I'm not hungry at the moment, but don't let me stop you."
Abel took a bite of his salted beef and washed it down with a drink of ale.
"Are you aware of what's been happening aboard my ship?"
"No. Is something going on?"
Was there a smile on the passenger's face, or was it only the captain's imagination?
"Four members of my crew are missing."
"And why are you telling me this?"
It seemed to Pennock that Drum was deliberately baiting him.
"I was hoping you knew something that might help us unravel this mystery."
The passenger's eyes flashed in anger.
"Are you accusing me of harming those men?"
"No. I'm simply wondering if you have seen or heard something out of the ordinary."
"I might have, but then, since I've never been on your ship before, I'm not sure what is ordinary and what isn't. So how could I tell if what I've seen or heard is out of the ordinary?"
This time, the captain was sure there was a smirk on the passenger's face, and it angered him.
"You may find this situation amusing, sir, but I assure you that I do not. I've lost four men, good men with families back in New England. I fully intend to get to the bottom of this matter."
Rather than be offended, Drum seemed to actually enjoy the captain's outburst.
"How like your father you are," he observed.
"My father?" Abel repeated with confusion.
"Your father, John Pennock, captain of the Athena. I sailed with him once."
The captain paled at his passenger's revelation.
"The Athena was believed to have sunk on its way back from Jamaica."
"Such a shame. Your father was a good man, like his father before him."
"How could you have known either of them? Even I was too young to remember ...."
"Oh, I'm older than I appear."
Elias Drumm looked him in the eyes, and Abel felt his knees go weak with fear.
"Who are you? Or should I ask what are you?"
"I am simply a traveler."
Despite his unruffled response, Elias reached across the table, grabbed the captain's arm and tightened his grasp.
"Don't be afraid. I won't kill you—yet. I just want to make you more susceptible to my will."
With immense physical strength, the American began to effortlessly lift Abel from his seat when, suddenly, there was a knock on the cabin door.
"Captain Pennock?" Caleb shouted.
"Come in," Abel replied in a quivering voice.
"Could I have a word ...?"
The first mate saw the passenger attempting to restrain the captain and quickly assessed the situation.
"Are you all right, sir? Has this man tried to harm you?"
"I want Mr. Drumm taken below and put in irons," the commanding officer ordered.
The first mate shouted for assistance from the crew.
"There's no need to get your men up here," Drumm said. "I won't put up any resistance."
In the ship's hold, Captain Pennock's eyes never left the passenger's face as two crewmen put the manacles on Elias Drumm's ankles and wrists. The mysterious American, apparently unperturbed by his incarceration, never ceased to smile.
* * *
"Has the prisoner eaten anything yet?" the captain inquired two days later when he went up to the bridge.
"Not a thing," the first mate answered. "Nor has he had a drop to drink. Do you think he's trying to starve himself?"
Abel shook his head.
"It may be he doesn't like what's on our menu."
"I don't think he's in any position to be ...."
Caleb stopped speaking midsentence when the second mate came running up to the bridge.
"Captain," he cried, "no one's seen Jim Osborne. He didn't report for duty this morning, so we searched the ship for him. He's nowhere to be found."
"Drumm?" Caleb asked.
"He's still in chains, right where we left him."
"Damn it!" the first mate swore. "I really thought he was the culprit. I suppose this means we ought to release him."
"Leave him right where he is," the captain instructed.
"But he obviously is not responsible for the loss of the men," the second mate argued.
"I gave you an order. Elias Drumm is to be kept prisoner until we put into port. Is that clear?"
"Aye, aye, sir."
"Furthermore, I want two men to stand guard over him at all times, night and day."
"Sir," Caleb hesitantly objected, "the crew's already down by five men."
"I don't care. I want someone to keep an eye on the passenger. I'll go down there myself, if necessary."
* * *
The next morning, when the two men assigned to guard the prisoner during the day reported for duty, they noticed one of the night guards was missing, and the other was lying unconscious on the deck. They immediately informed the first mate, who in turn notified the captain.
Meriden questioned the remaining night guard when he regained consciousness.
"What happened to Sayers?"
The man's eyes grew wide with terror.
"He ... he's gone, sir. That ... that thing devoured him."
"Drumm ate Sayers?" Caleb asked incredulously. "Bones and all?"
"It wasn't like you and I eat, sir. The passenger put his arms around Sayers and pulled him close, like he was gonna kiss him. Sayers tried to resist at first, but then he went limp in Drumm's arms."
The guard momentarily stopped his narrative to vomit over the side of the ship. After wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he resumed his tale.
"Sayers turned blue—hair and all. He got darker and darker until he was all black. Then he seemed to fade away until there was nothing left of him, nothing at all!"
"Didn't you try to help him?" Caleb asked.
"I couldn't move, sir. It was as though every muscle in my body was frozen. When he was done with Sayers, he turned his gaze toward me. I thought I was a dead man, but the bastard only smiled and said he'd save me for later. Then he ... he reshaped his hands and feet as if they were made out of clay and slid them back into the manacles. That was the last thing I remember."
Upon hearing the horrific story, Captain Pennock decided it was time to take action. He unlocked his sea chest and removed his pistol.
"What are you going to do?" Caleb inquired.
"I'm going to execute that monster."
"Without a proper trial?"
The captain gave the matter a second thought and returned the pistol to his chest.
"Have all the men assemble on deck. We'll take a vote on the passenger's guilt or innocence. But if the majority of the men believe he's guilty, I will execute him regardless of the consequences."
To no one's surprise, the vote was unanimous, and Elias Drumm was sentenced to death. The passenger was brought on deck, and the captain pointed a pistol at his head. Abel pulled the trigger, but the gun refused to fire. After several more attempts, the captain called for a length of rope.
"We'll hang him from the yardarm instead."
"Save yourself the trouble, captain," Drumm laughed. "You can't kill me. I'm a traveler; I'm immortal."
Abel ignored him and ordered a noose fashioned and placed around the passenger's neck.
When the second mate hoisted the American into the air, the rope abruptly went slack. The men were amazed to see that the noose was empty and that Elias Drumm was not to be seen.
"Where's he gone to?" the cook cried.
"I don't know, and frankly, I don't care," Caleb replied. "I'm just glad we've seen the last of him."
"Don't be so sure," the captain warned.
An hour later, Able looked down from the bridge and saw the passenger walking on the starboard deck. Drumm looked up, smiled and waved.
"There must be a way to kill him," Meriden supposed.
"Until we find a way, we must hold our position. We can't return to Boston with that thing aboard our ship."
* * *
It has often been said throughout the course of history that desperate times require desperate measures. Captain Abel Pennock considered this one of those desperate times. While he had duties that needed to be performed, he shut himself up in his cabin without instructions to his first mate.
"What's going on?" the second mate asked. "It ain't like the captain to leave the bridge this time of day."
"Nothing has gone as usual since that passenger stepped foot on the ship," Caleb answered.
"Should we go ahead and raise the sails?"
"No. The captain said he wanted us to maintain this position until he decides what to do about our current problem."
"When will that be?"
"God only knows," the first mate sighed.
Meanwhile, Pennock took pen and paper out of his desk drawer and wrote a long, heartfelt letter to his son back home in New Bedford. After sealing the letter, he called for the ship's surgeon.
"What is it, Abel?" asked the doctor, the one member of the crew who spoke to the commanding officer as an equal.
"Please tell me you have chloroform onboard."
"I always carry a supply—just in case."
"Good. I want you to use it on the passenger."
The surgeon, who had witnessed the failed execution firsthand, was reluctant to approach the rapacious monster.
"I'm not sure chloroform will work on him. He's not human."
"I know that, but it's worth a try. Unless you've got a better idea."
The physician, the most educated man aboard the Maid of Nantucket, had no answer.
* * *
Pursuant to a carefully devised plan, Captain Pennock stopped to speak to the passenger, who was taking his daily stroll on the starboard deck.
"The ship seems to have stalled," Elias noted. "I wonder why that is."
"Yes. I've decided to turn around and go back to England, but first I must plot a new course."
"I want this ship to head west to America."
"You're not the captain. I am, and the ship will go where I say it will."
"You do realize the only reason I've spared your life and that of the first mate is that you're both needed to command the ship. However, if you persist in this foolish course of action, I may have to eliminate one or both of you."
"I'm not afraid of you," Abel lied and then bravely antagonized the creature as the ship's surgeon snuck up behind him.
"I insist you raise sail and ...."
The physician moved swiftly for a man of his years. He clamped a chloroform-soaked rag over Elias Drumm's face and held on tightly, praying the anesthetic would work on the creature.
When the passenger's struggling ceased and his eyes fluttered closed, the captain called to his first mate.
"I want all men on deck immediately."
"Aye, aye, sir."
As soon as the entire crew was in attendance, the captain began barking orders.
"Gather as much food and water as you can hold and get to the lifeboats."
"You're going to scuttle the ship!" Caleb exclaimed with disbelief.
"Yes, now follow your orders. We don't have time to waste. I don't know how long Drumm will be unconscious."
Once the men had filled the lifeboats with supplies, the captain handed the first mate his sextant, charts and pistol.
"Here," Abel said, handing him the letter he had written to his son. "When you get back to Boston, I want you to deliver this letter for me."
"But, sir ...."
"I have no time to argue, Caleb. Get in the lifeboat and head back to New England as fast as the men can row."
"What about you?"
"I intend to go down with my ship and take the passenger along with me."
As soon as the two lifeboats hit the water, the ropes were cut, and the men began rowing. Once they were safely out of range, the captain sprinkled oil from the lamps and heaters onto the deck and lit a match.
Moments later, the men in the boats saw the Maid of Nantucket go up in flames, and they momentarily ceased rowing.
"Keep at it, men," the first mate ordered, fearful the passenger would appear on their boat at any moment. "We don't know if fire can destroy that creature."
Only when the burned shell of the Maid of Nantucket finally slipped below the surface of the Atlantic did the ill-fated ship's crew feel some small measure of safety.
First Mate Caleb Meriden, who returned to America and died an old man in his bed at the age of one hundred and two, never got over the fear he experienced during that voyage. In fact, it was the last time he ever went to sea, preferring to find an occupation on land instead.
Thankfully, his eyes closed for the last time without ever having to look upon Elias Drumm again.
* * *
In September 2012, Hurricane Isaac slammed the Gulf Coast of the United States. Along with the usual flotsam and jetsam that appeared in the wake of a hurricane, Isaac washed ashore on the coast of Alabama the burned hull of a Civil War-era merchant vessel.
Television news crews and curious residents flocked to the beach for a closer look, amazed at the piece of history that had washed ashore. No one took notice of the man—or what appeared to be a man—who walked away from the Maid of Nantucket's hull. After one hundred and fifty years of lying dormant at the bottom of the North Atlantic, Elias Drumm, the traveler, was eager to explore his new hunting grounds in America.
This story was inspired by an actual event. In September 2012, Hurricane Isaac uncovered the wreckage of a ship on the beach of Gulf Shores, Alabama, that was initially believed to have been a Civil War blockade runner. It was later determined to be a World War I schooner, the Rachel.
Whenever Salem sees the bow of a ship, he thinks he's Leonardo DiCaprio: "King of the World" Salem.
