"How about women?" I suggested. "Are any of them sold as indentured servants?"
"Many! Some likely lasses, too! Some of them use themselves wisely and end doing very well for themselves. Most--" He shrugged. "Most do not. Most are mere slatterns, passed on from one to another, ending doing the most menial tasks."
He went on, chattering away, noting the measurements as the slave chanted them to him. He glanced at me several times, stripped to the waist as I was, and then said, "Have you ever engaged in pugilism? You are obviously an extraordinarily powerful man."
Then, hastily, he lifted a hand. "I do not mean to offend! Fisticuffs are often staged here and much money wagered. One of the best we had was a gentleman down on his luck. He did very well, you know. Owns a plantation of his own now."
"I am afraid I know nothing of such things," I said, "but I am flattered to be considered a fighting man. I have come here"--the idea came to me suddenly--"looking for what may be the least marketable item Port Royal may have. I mean, with so many ships being taken... well, there must have been some books aboard some of them. Books of history, of knowledge."
I glanced over my shoulder at him. "It was in my mind to open a school for young gentlemen in Virginia. There is nothing of the kind, and when the chance came to come here, where so many rich prizes are brought--"
He was astonished. "You come to Port Royal for books?" He got quickly to his feet. "I never heard of such a thing! To Port Royal, of all places! Men come here for strange reasons, but certainly none for anything ... I am sorry, Master Sackett. It is not easy for me to grasp."
"Do not worry yourself about it," I said, "but if you hear of any such, please inform me."
He looked at me closely. "Captain Tilly said you were a young gentleman."
I waved a hand. "Of course! I came to Virginia expecting to find a plantation, but after living much in the forest and surveying much land, it seemed to me it would be better... better to own the land and let somebody else work it.
"Besides, she lives--"
" 'She'?" He smiled. "Ah, now I begin to understand."
"You understand nothing!" I said. "She has a younger brother, and there are others about. If I started a school, I could then have access to her home."
He chuckled. "Oh, well! I suppose it does make a kind of sense!" He got to his feet, looking over the measurements he had compiled. "Do you know? I might have clothes that would fit. I might have."
"How could that be?"
"It often happens. Clothes are ordered, then for one reason or another he who ordered them does not appear. It seems I have clothing ... Your shoulders are a little broader, your chest deeper, your waist ... yes, your waist is smaller. With just a little work, a few minutes only, I could have an outfit that would suit admirably, something to make do with until your own are finished." He glanced sharply at me. "That is, if you want them."
"I shall want three complete outfits," I said. "You choose the colors that will suit me. I haven't the time."
"You trust my judgment?"
"I do. You appear to be a man of taste. Ordinarily I would not consider such a thing, but I have much to do and am but lately from the forest and am lacking in awareness of what is being worn.
"One thing only. A little on the conservative side? I am no fop."
"Of course." His vanity was pleased, I could see that, and I felt he would do me well. Yet I had other thoughts. "In such a place as this," I commented, "I expect most of the talk is of piratical ventures, looting, slaving, and the like. Do you hear anything at all of outlying plantations? I would assume life on some of them is very refined."
I was choosing my words with some care. My world in growing up had been one where English of the Elizabethan sort was well spoken, but growing older and in wilder lands, both Yance and I had become careless. Yet here I had another sort of impression to make, and Captain John Tilly was obviously a man of repute.
"On the contrary! Little that happens in the Indies is not known in Port Royal. Information, you know, is the foundation of piracy. I do not approve, but one does not voice such opinions here. I do not approve, and yet the successful pirates do not rely upon chance. They learn to know which vessels carry treasure of easily sold goods, and they seek them out."
"Are they slavers?"
He shrugged. "Very few. A slave ship can be smelled for miles, as a rule. Pirates avoid them. The cargo is difficult to handle, dangerous to carry, and offers far less profit than open piracy or privateering."
"Not even white slaves?"
Was I mistaken, or was there a subtle change in his manner? "I doubt if there are any such," he replied.
"When a man begins to deal in human beings," I commented, "it would seem to me color would be a minor consideration."
"You want three outfits, then?" He stood up and closed his book with a snap. "Come, Charles, we must be off."
He paused. "The one suit I could deliver tomorrow if it is acceptable."
"It would be a favor," I said.
He lingered as Charles left. "Slavery, of whatever color, is not a topic much discussed here. I would suggest avoiding it ... if you will permit."
"Of course. I am a stranger, and I do not know what it is that concerns your citizens. In any event, I shall be here but a few days ... if I can find what I want."
"The name is Jayne." He hesitated. "Augustus Jayne. If you have need of me, please call."
When he was gone, I sat down near the window. Jayne might know something and might not, yet if he did not know, I believe he suspected.
The idea of seeking books to open a school was unusual enough and harmless seeming enough to enable them to pigeonhole me as a mere eccentric. Yet in all the loot taken from vessels of all countries, there must have been books, for many ship's officers carried them, and many brought along whole libraries when going to the colonies. Also, I suspected they were the least marketable of items.
The search might allow me admittance to many places otherwise closed to a stranger, even into homes on some of the outlying plantations.
Yet two days later I had learned nothing. Henry came and went, and several times I saw him with neatly dressed black men, most of them very black indeed, several with bloodshot eyes. They were maroons, down from the hills. They carried themselves proudly and went their own way, having little to do with either whites or the other blacks.
My clothes arrived, and I dressed, then stared at myself in the mirror. Accustomed as I was to the wearing of buckskin leggings and hunting coat, all fringed to let the rain off easier, I was startled to see what a fine spectacle I had become. Pleased yet displeased by the result.
A doublet of forest green, the sleeves slashed to show the linen shirt beneath, knee breeches of a somewhat deeper green that met high boots of Spanish leather. The collar of the doublet was covered with a band of rich lace of white. As I was staring at myself and wondering whether to admire or laugh, Captain Tilly knocked at the door, then entered. He paused a minute, looking me over carefully. "You look quite the young gentleman, Kin. You are a strikingly handsome man, and that can be an advantage at times."
"Thank you, captain. I like myself better in buckskins, but if this is the style, then I shall wear it, and if any laugh, they shall answer for it."
"Aye, you being your father's son, I suspected as much, so I brought this." He lifted the sword case he had by bis side. "It is a good blade, one your father left aboard ship, and I rousted it from an old chest for you. Wear it in good health."
The blade was a good one and came easily from its sheath. I stretched it, moved it, tried the balance. "Aye! A handsome blade, although it has been years since I used one."