6 Reunion

Chapter 6 Reunion Although desperate to see her husband and son, Abigail dreaded the trip across the ocean. "I am so much of a coward upon the water," she said. She would be leaving behind friends and family whom she might never see again. She put Charles and young Thomas in the care of her sister. Her nineteen-year-old daughter, Nabby, was going with her.

In June 1784, Nabby and Abigail boarded the ship, the Active, with trunks of clothes, two servants, and a cow. The ship's name was appropriate. It tossed around on the sea. Abigail and Nabby were seasick for days. They couldn't even get out of bed. They were cooped up in a

tiny, stuffy, dark cabin. It didn't help that the ship was dirty. Its cargo of whale oil and potash smelled terrible. The dampness made Abigail's bones and joints hurt. The food was awful. Once she was well enough, Abigail tried to help the cook make better meals. She also got the crew to scrub the floors until they could finally see the boards under the dirt. Abigail wrote, "I am more and more of the mind that a Lady ought Not to go to sea!" After a month, the ship reached the coast of

England. Even then, the trip wasn't over. The passengers were lowered from the ship into a small boat. The waves were six feet high! The small boat was washed up sideways through the roaring surf onto a beach. After that, it took an entire day by carriage to reach London.

ON THE SHIP IF YOU SAW THE ACTIVE TODAY, YOU WOULD THINK IT WAS A VERY SMALL BOAT TO BE CROSSING THE OCEAN. IT WAS A SAILING SHIP BUILT TO CARRY CARGO AND NOT PASSENGERS. THERE WERE ONLY TWO TINY PASSENGER CABINS, BOTH USED BY THE WOMEN. THE MALE PASSENGERS SLEPT IN THE MAIN CABIN, WHERE EVERYONE ALSO SAT OR ATE. THE PASSENGER CABIN DOORS OPENED RIGHT ONTO THE MAIN CABIN. EVEN WITH THE WINDOWS OPEN, IT WAS TOO STUFFY TO CLOSE THE DOORS. A CURTAIN GAVE THE WOMEN SOME PRIVACY, BUT THEY WAITED TO CHANGE THEIR CLOTHES UNTIL NO ONE WAS IN THE MAIN CABIN. THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN OFTEN! THE CARGO ON THE ACTIVE WAS SMELLY ENOUGH TO MAKE ANYONE SEASICK, EVEN WITHOUT THE ROCKING OF THE WAVES. WHEN ABIGAIL WANTED TO GO UP ON DECK TO GET SOME FRESH AIR, SHE HAD TO BE HELPED BY TWO MEN, BECAUSE THE BOAT ROCKED SO VIOLENTLY. THEN, ON DECK, THEY HAD TO TIE HER TO A CHAIR!

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