The Emerald Key

CHAPTER 5





Jamie ignored the black quarantine ribbon hanging from the latch of his cabin. He lifted the brass handle as he pulled up the handkerchief that hung around his neck until it covered both his nose and mouth. The oils in which he had soaked the cloth were herb derivatives known by the ancients to stop infection. Jamie would have to trust his health to the old Irish texts he had studied under the watchful gaze of the Brotherhood. He stepped quietly through the door.

Erin O’Connor lay under the covers of the bed. Her body was shivering beneath the single sheet. Her youngest son, Colin, was sleeping peacefully on the floor beside her. Hearing the door creak, she opened her eyes and managed to prop herself up on her elbow. She smiled weakly as Jamie presented a plate of bread, a slice of cheese, and a tumbler of water. Jamie tried to hide his shock at the worsening state of her appearance. In just hours, her skin had become milky white. Her voice was dry and raspy.

“You are an angel, Jamie Galway, even if you look like you are about to rob me.”

He laughed, placed the food on the desk beside her, and pulled out the chair.

“Sorry for my appearance, but the cloth has to stay,” said Jamie, sitting down beside her. “How are you feeling?”

“My head feels like it’s swelling to the size of a watermelon and every single joint in my body is on fire. Other than that … I’m as healthy as a horse.”

Jamie admired her courage. “And Colin?”

Her voice quivered. “He seems fine, God bless him. I don’t want him to go through what we went through. My heart simply couldn’t take it, Jamie. Thanks to you, he might survive the crossing.”

Jamie pointed to the porthole. “I’m happy to tell you that we are now officially in Canadian waters. We are only four days away from Quebec City.”

“I don’t know how I’m going to do it, Jamie,” whispered Erin. “My husband and two children … gone. How am I going to survive?”

“You’ll do it for Colin,” he said, looking down at the young boy still sound asleep at the foot of the bed. “When I was young, my uncle helped raise my brother and me. And our extended family helped him, just as yours will in Canada when you arrive.”

She nodded as she wiped her cheek. “And you will find your brother. I know you will. Can I ask one last request, Jamie? It would mean the world to me.”

“Anything.”

“I’m so weak. I barely have the strength … to talk anymore. If something should happen to me, can you make sure Colin finds his way to my sister Sharon’s home? She lives in the town of Dundas, Canada West.”

Jamie placed a gentle hand on her feverish forehead. “You can do it yourself, Erin.”

He stroked the matted hair from her eyes, but her distant, hollow gaze confirmed that she was losing the battle with the disease. With a tremendous effort, she raised her head from her pillow. Her reddened eyes refocused on him in a desperate plea for help.

“Just … promise me. I need to know someone will look after my little Colin if I should die.”

Jamie took her hand. “Of course. Colin will make it to his aunt’s home. You have my word.”

Grimacing in pain, she lowered her head back onto the pillow. “This is selfish of me to ask, but would you have another one of those special handkerchiefs?”

Jamie touched the cloth covering his face. “These medicines won’t help you get better. It only helps those who haven’t been infected. Otherwise I would have given one to you a long time ago.”

“It’s not for me,” she whispered, out of breath. “It’s for Colin. I would do anything to keep him from catching this sickness. Do you think your handkerchief might help him too?”

Jamie looked to the sleeping boy. He berated himself for not thinking of it sooner. “It might. I’ll prepare one for him right away.”

“You are an angel,” she said softly, then drifted off into a feverish sleep.


The crew murmured with excitement as the ship pushed deeper into the narrowing valley of the St. Lawrence River. The end of the voyage was near and everyone was itching to get off the disease-ridden ship. Officer Keates told Jamie that Quebec City lay just a few hours ahead. He also said the crossing had been one of the worst in recent memory. Sixty-two passengers had succumbed to typhoid. A third of the crew was bedridden. Without the help of Jamie and several other willing passengers acting as crew, the ship could have found itself in serious peril during the dangerous final leg of the Atlantic crossing. Jamie stared over the railing at the distant shores on either side of the ship. He couldn’t convince himself that they were actually sailing up a river. It was an absolutely enormous river, much larger than any river he’d ever crossed in Ireland. He would not have believed it had Officer Keates not lowered a bucket and offered him a drink of the gloriously cool, fresh water. Jamie surmised that Canada was indeed immense, in every sense of the word.

Captain O’Malley approached the two men at the railing. Jamie was surprised the captain wasn’t at the wheel during their upstream sail, and from the lined expression on the captain’s face, he sensed there was something wrong.

“I’m sorry, Jamie.”

“Sir?”

“Erin O’Connor. We heard her son crying in your cabin. When a crewman went in to investigate, she was dead. I know you two had become friends. Again, I’m sorry.”

Jamie hung his head in guilt. “I should have been there for her.”

Officer Keates put a hand on his shoulder. “You did everything you could for her. There was nothing else you could have done, even if you had been there by her side. The ship needed you, too.”

“Captain, I would like the honour of helping to carry her to the railing.”

O’Malley shook his head. “We won’t be performing an ‘at sea’ burial now that we’re sailing up the St. Lawrence River. The recent dead will be unloaded with any passengers heading to quarantine at Grosse Isle. She will be properly buried there. And don’t worry about Colin. He seems healthy enough. Our chaplain is currently looking after him.”

“Thank you.”

“There is one more thing. This note was found lying next to the deceased. I believe it was for you.”

Jamie carefully took the folded note from the captain. Not wanting to read it in front of company, he stowed it away in his shirt pocket. Captain O’Malley nodded, then walked back to the bridge.

Jamie turned to Keates. “Grosse Isle?” Jamie asked. “Is that part of Quebec City?”

“No. Grosse Isle is a quarantine station. It’s an island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River where passengers suspected of harbouring infectious diseases have to wait before being allowed to step onto Canadian soil. With all of the sickness we’ve experienced on board, there will no doubt be some who will be asked to unload there.”

“And it’s supposed to help stop the spread of disease to the Canadian people?”

Keates shrugged. “From what I’ve seen, it doesn’t work very well. If too many boats arrive at the same time, the facilities at Grosse Isle become overwhelmed and they simply send the surplus boats on to Quebec City or Montreal without proper quarantine. Because of this oversight, thousands of Canadian people have already died from typhoid or dysentery.”

“I guess we Irish are not well-liked, then.”

“Some understand that it’s not the Irish immigrant’s fault. But others are trying to keep new immigrants out of the cities — for fear that an infected newcomer might start a new wave of infection.”

Jamie shook his head. “It seems that one can’t escape disease or starvation on land or at sea.”

“They go hand in hand, don’t they? Starvation and disease are the Grim Reaper’s two best mates.”

“And how am I going to fit into all of this? I can’t stay in quarantine for three weeks. I need to find my brother.”

“Don’t worry about Grosse Isle, Jamie. I’ll get your name put on the crew manifest. That way, the captain can give you permission to stay on with us and sail to Quebec City after the identified passengers have disembarked.” Jamie sighed in relief. “Thank you. That would be extremely helpful.”

“After saving the ship a number of times, it’s the least we could do for you.”

A thought suddenly struck Jamie.

“But what of the Carpathia? Would it not also have to send some of its passengers to Grosse Isle for quarantine?”

Officer Keates thought for a moment and smiled. “Possibly. That means there is a chance you might see you brother today.”

Keates slapped Jamie on the back then returned to his duties. Jamie was momentarily overwhelmed at the prospect of finding his brother in only a few hours. Then he remembered the note he had stuffed in his pocket. He walked over to the railing. A beautiful emerald shoreline floated past the ship, a land that Erin and her husband should have had the chance to see themselves, but never would. He unfolded the note. Her handwriting was faint and shaky.


Dearest Jamie, I know I do not have long to live. I can see Brendan, Neil and Patricia waiting for me. You have done everything you could to help us during the crossing. I thank you with all of my heart. Please, help Colin find Sharon and Robson…




It was there the note ended.

Tucking the note back inside his shirt pocket, Jamie marched down the deck and opened the door to the chaplain’s quarters. He found Colin sitting quietly on the side of the bunk while the chaplain filled out another death certificate at his desk.

“May I come in?”

“Yes. Please do,” replied the young priest, standing up. “In fact, I’ll go get some fresh air and give you two a little privacy.”

The priest shut the cabin door behind him. Colin stared at the floor. Jamie crossed the room and sat down next to him on the bed.

“How are you doing?”

Colin sniffed and wiped a tear from his face with a dirty sleeve. Jamie put an arm around his shoulders, just as Ryan had done to him after the horrendous fire that took the lives of his parents.

“I miss her too. She was a good friend and an even better mother. She asked me to help you get to your aunt and uncle’s farm in Canada West. How old are you, Colin?”

“Five.”

“Colin, you need to listen to me very carefully. Somewhere out there, in this new land, you have a family that loves you and is waiting for you. You are not alone. You will be with your aunt and uncle very soon. Do you understand?”

Colin looked up, tears rolling down his cheek. “Can I go there now … to my new family?”

“You’ll have to be patient. It’s a long journey to where your aunt and uncle live. There are also people who govern this country that want to make sure you are not sick before they let you join your new family.”

“I have to wait?” sniffed Colin.

“I’m afraid so.”

“How long?”

“I don’t know.”

“Will you wait with me?”

Jamie hesitated. He couldn’t make a promise to this young boy that he couldn’t keep. It would only break his heart even more. But if he told him the truth, that he had to leave him to go find his own brother, then that would surely shatter Colin as well. In the end, he said the only thing he could say.

“Yes, I will wait with you … for a bit.”


The ship anchored amongst a handful of wooded, picturesque islands. The crescent moon shape of the islands made natural harbours for the handful of anchored passenger ships as they waited for the arrival of the Grosse Isle medical inspection team. Grosse Isle was the largest of the river islands. From the port railing of the Independence, Grosse Isle dominated the view with rows of clean white tents and large wooden buildings decorating the length of the island’s east peninsula. Jamie knew why Grosse Isle was the perfect location for a quarantine station. The river current here was so strong and the distance to shore so great that no one in their right mind would ever consider attempting a swim to the mainland.

Jamie, however, wasn’t as interested in the islands as he was in the other five ships anchored nearby. He found Officer Keates on deck, barking out orders as the Independence prepared to disembark any identified passengers for quarantine.

“Is there anything I can do to help, sir?”

He smiled at Jamie behind his thick moustache. “No, lad. You’ve done more than enough for this ship.”

Jamie pointed beyond the bow. “Do you recognize any of these ships as the Carpathia?”

Officer Keates shook his head. “No. The Carpathia is a smaller ship than any of those. It must have already sailed on to Montreal. But that doesn’t mean that your brother is not on the island. If he was found to be sick by the station doctor, the doctor would have your brother disembark before the ship sailed on. Either way, they should have a record of the ships’ passenger manifest on Grosse Isle, and your brother’s name should be on it.”

Jamie and Officer Keates turned to the port rail as a rowboat left the quarantine station. They watched its oars rhythmically propel it towards the Independence. Meanwhile, the ship’s crew prepared a long line of wrapped bodies for transportation to the island. Captain O’Malley was wasting no time in his effort to rid himself of the recently deceased.

Jamie decided to check in on Colin. He found the boy sitting at Jamie’s desk, busy drawing pictures with Jamie’s pencil. Colin smiled and held up the drawing for Jamie to see. Jamie walked over and ruffled the little boy’s hair as he admired the piece of art. He could make out four stick people with wings on their backs. All four were standing on a cloud.

“Is this your family?” Jamie asked.

Colin nodded. “They’re in heaven now.”

“That’s a beautiful picture, Colin. Can I fold up your art and put it in your bag for safekeeping?”

Colin nodded. Jamie had kept the best of the family’s worn bags for Colin to use before the other contaminated belongings were disposed of at sea. Jamie had made sure that any of the meagre personal effects of Colin’s parents, such as his mother’s hair brush and his father’s Bible, had been saved and stored. He also hung on to the family’s travel papers. If he was to keep Colin out of an orphanage, he would need all of the required documents for the Canadian government, including the letter from his aunt and uncle that invited the family to stay with them in Canada West.

“Is it time to go?” Colin asked.

“Just a minute,” Jamie replied. He wanted the body of Colin’s mother to be well away from the ship before he took the lad out on deck. “Let me take a look at you first. I think we need to give your collar a fix. And now just a quick brush of your hair. There. Now you should be more presentable for the Canadian authorities.”

Jamie opened the cabin door and led the small boy to the end of a growing line of passengers. Jamie was relieved to see that the bodies had already been removed from the ship’s deck. The first to line the deck for inspection were the passengers with enough money to afford a cabin in first or second class. Colin looked completely out of place among the wealthy travellers. His filthy clothes hung from his thin frame and a tattered sack lay at his feet.

A stocky man with a handlebar moustache and high-collared coat climbed over the ship’s railing and spoke briefly to Captain O’Malley. The captain pointed to the line of waiting passengers. The stern stranger stepped forward and addressed them.

“My name is Dr. George Douglas, and I am the medical superintendent for the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station. According to Canadian law, anyone who appears to be sick or is at high risk for sickness must disembark here and remain in quarantine before being allowed further travel. It is for the health and safety not only of the passengers on this ship but also for the citizens of Canada. If I deem it is necessary for you to disembark, you must immediately move to the ladder and be taken to Grosse Isle, where you will be processed and then have to fulfill a minimum quarantine period of three weeks.”

The doctor moved down the line and quickly examined each passenger. Several men and a woman were pulled from the line and sent to the ladder. Those remaining gave a sigh of relief as they were given stamped permission on their travel documents to sail on to Quebec City. Dr. Douglas stopped at the couple next to Jamie. He peered into the eyes of the wife and examined her face closely.

“No discolouration. Good. Extend your arm, please.”

She held out her hand. He manipulated the joints of her fingers. “Does that hurt?”

“No, doctor.”

“Fine. Now let’s have a look at your husband, shall we? Hmm, your eyes seem to be slightly sunken and your complexion is somewhat chalky. Hold out your hand, please. Now make a fist and squeeze.”

The man’s face contorted with pain.

“Yes, he is most definitely experiencing first stage symptoms. You will have to remain on the island.”

Shocked, the couple looked at each other.

“But how can you separate us?” exclaimed the husband. “We are both expected in Montreal!”

“Your wife will have to make arrangements to meet you in Montreal after your three week quarantine period has ended. I’m sorry, but I must move on.”

The husband was led away by quarantine staff. The doctor stepped up to Colin.

“Is this the one whose family all perished from dysentery?”

“Typhoid, sir,” answered the assistant, looking through the thick pile of notes.

“He does look healthy, but he better have a stay on the island, just in case.”

Jamie, standing behind Colin, couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “But he’s fine! Just look at him. He doesn’t need to be quarantined. What he needs is to get to his family in Canada West. He’s lost everyone else on the crossing.”

Dr. Douglas looked up at Jamie. “And you are who, exactly?”

“Jamie Galway. I am a friend of the family, and I can firmly state that the boy is not sick.”

“So you were in close proximity to the family during their illness?”

“Yes, I looked after them as I know a little bit about medicine, but I took care not to …”

“Then quarantine Mr. Galway, too.”

Jamie was horrified. “Wait, you can’t! I need to get to Quebec City as quickly as possible myself! Look! I can open and close my hands. No pain!”

Officer Keates overheard the heated conversation and pulled Jamie aside. The doctor ignored Jamie and moved on.

Officer Keates lowered his voice to a whisper. “Don’t argue with the man. He has the power to put you on the next ship back to Ireland if you do not cooperate. I think I can help get you out of this mess. Tell the quarantine officers on the island that there was a mistake and you are a crew member of the Independence. I’ll look after the paperwork at this end.”

Jamie took a deep breath and tried to calm down as Dr. Douglas continued his examinations. It only took a second for Jamie to put his trust in his friend. Jamie took Colin’s hand and led him to a long wooden ladder descending over the side of the ship. Climbing down, he helped Colin into one of the rowboats bobbing along the side of the hull. One of the sailors from the Independence sat at the oars and grinned at Jamie as he and Colin took their place on the bench.

“Hey, crewman,” he said cheekily to Jamie. “Slacking off on your duties again? Sit yourself down over here and grab an oar.”

Jamie smiled as he patted Colin reassuringly. “Sorry. Off duty, mate. I’m just here for the ride.”


Jonathon Wilkes was shocked when he looked down the line and saw Jamie Galway ordered to quarantine. Even he could see the lad was as healthy as a horse. What was the doctor thinking? For a second, he had considered faking an illness himself in order to follow the lad onto the island. Thank goodness, common sense took over before the doctor arrived to examine him. He had been quietly keeping tabs on Jamie’s conversations and had overheard that his brother had sailed on to Montreal. Why should he risk death at the quarantine station, surrounded by all those sick Irish peasants for three weeks, when he could just as easily wait in comfort for Galway to arrive in Montreal? Satisfied with his solution, he opened his mouth to the doctor and let him look into his eyes.

“Good colour. Eyes clear. Do you feel well enough to continue on to Quebec City Mr. … er, Wilkes?

“I have never felt better, sir. It must have been all of the fresh sea air from the crossing.”

The doctor scribbled a note on his clipboard. “All right. That completes the first- and second-class passenger list. Now let’s bring the other passengers up on deck!”


After fighting through the strong river current to the quarantine station’s dock, the oarsmen tied the rowboat to the dock and helped many of the weakened passengers disembark. Jamie was surprised to see that the island was a bustling hive of activity. Dozens of families were spread out in little clusters along the rocky shoreline. Some were cooking over small campfires; others were washing their clothes in the cold waters of the river. Some of the children stopped their playing along the shore to eye the passengers from the Independence curiously as they made their way towards the wooden buildings. Several nurses dressed in the long white habit of a Catholic nun met the passengers at the end of the dock. One stepped forward and greeted the new arrivals.

“Welcome to Canada! Please stay in your family groupings and follow me to the immigration building where you will be processed.”

Jamie and Colin followed the crowd into one of the smaller buildings and waited in queue for their turn to be processed. Finally, a man with spectacles and a long nose called them forward.

“Papers?”

Jamie handed him their travel documents. He also passed over the paper that Officer Keates had quickly created before he had left the ship. It was signed by Captain O’Malley himself.

“I’m a crew member on board the Independence and a friend to this boy,” explained Jamie. “His family died during the voyage, but he has extended family living in Canada West. I was to arrange a meeting in Montreal in order to return him to his relatives.”

The official glanced wearily over his spectacles. “I see from the list that his entire family died of contagious typhoid. He will have to stay here in quarantine for three weeks before he will be permitted to sail on to Montreal.”

Jamie pushed Colin forward until he was on full display before the desk clerk. “Why quarantine? Just look at him. He’s a healthy boy! There’s no reason why he can’t continue to travel on with me to Montreal.”

The man shuffled through the papers. “I don’t see a note among the papers that states that you, Mr. Galway, are a certified physician. This quarantine order was signed by Dr. Douglas himself. Neither you nor I have the power to change the order.”

“He obviously made a mistake. Why do I need to be a physician to see that he’s a healthy lad? You can see that for yourself.”

The official gave Jamie an icy stare. “I’m a very busy man, Mr. Galway. You may go back to the ship, but he stays.”

“But who will look after him if I leave?” Jamie demanded.

The official sighed. “We are not an orphanage or a babysitting service. He will have to stay in the quarantine building, where the nurses will feed him and keep an eye on him as best they can.”

Jamie looked at him with disbelief. “Keep an eye on him? He just lost his entire family!”

The officer didn’t bother looking up from the paperwork. At the top of Colin O’Connor’s papers he slammed down a rubber stamp that stated family deceased.

“Mr. Galway, we’ve just had three large passenger ships dock within ten hours of one another. As you can see, we’re a little overwhelmed at the moment. But don’t worry, we will not lose the boy. Please drop him off with his papers at the quarantine building. It’s the large building at the top of the hill. Next!”

Jamie stepped forward and placed his hands on the large oak desk. “Please, sir, just one more thing. I’m also looking for my brother who might have arrived here a few days ago. His name is Ryan Galway. Do you know if he is here in quarantine on Grosse Isle?”

“I’m a simple immigration officer, Mr. Galway. I don’t have access to such information. Ask for him up in quarantine. Next!”

Jamie shook his head in frustration, grabbed the papers, and took Colin’s hand.

“Come on, Colin. Let’s go find the next building.”

They left the office and climbed the low hill to a much larger building. Its two storeys stretched out across

the island with its many windows facing out towards the St. Lawrence River. They climbed up the steps to the wooden veranda that ran along the face of the building, crossed the creaky planks, but froze as they stepped through the open double doorway. The nightmarish sight before them brought Jamie right back to the fourth-class compartment on the Independence. It seemed that every square inch of floor space within the building was covered in a carpet of humanity. Men, women, and children were huddled together, sick and shivering on the floor. Weaving in and out of the sick were a half-dozen nuns carrying either trays of medicines or mops. Jamie’s nose twitched in disgust. The stench of the sickness simply poured out through the open door. Stepping over several patients, a nurse made her way towards them.

“Excuse me, but I have a small boy who … “

She glided past them in her long white habit as if she had not heard a word he had said. Jamie thought for a moment, then switched to French.

“Excusez-moi. Could I have your assistance, s’il vous plaît?”

She stopped in her tracks and turned around, amused.

“A French-speaking Irish boy?” she replied in French.

“I know a bit,” he continued. “I’m dropping off this boy from the Independence. He has lost his family, and I was told to bring him here to quarantine.”

She sighed and wiped her brow. “He can stay here by the door. After I tend to the other patients, I’ll help settle him in.”

A man leaning up against the doorframe doubled over in a heaving wet cough. His face was as pale as death itself. Jamie quickly moved Colin to the other side of the door.

“Should the boy really be in here? He’s not sick.”

The nurse shrugged. “We’ve brought up that very point with the doctor many times. The sick infect the healthy and that makes our job even more difficult. But the government insists that families stay together in quarantine. Some have chosen to keep away from the sick by living down on the shoreline. To tell you the truth, I cannot blame them. But this little boy is here by himself. He must stay in the building with us so that he can be supervised.”

Jamie could see that she was exhausted. “Your duties seem to be unending. Are there really only six of you?”

“There usually are more nurses, but some have come down with the sickness themselves, and we are severely short-staffed. The only nurses in Canada willing to work here among the sick are other Catholic nuns. All other nurses in Canada refuse to come to our quarantine station for fear of catching disease.”

“Then how do you survive?”

She mustered a smile. “I work all day long, but I try to catch a little sleep when I can. This is what I was meant to do. It’s my calling. I’m sorry, but I must go.”

A calling. Jamie understood. It was a calling from above that had brought him into the priesthood as well. The nun quickly approached a nearby family with eight children, all lying on their sides, writhing in severe pain. Jamie looked down at Colin, who was taking in the whole scene through huge eyes. His face showed no emotion. He had already seen so much death in Ireland and then on the ship as his family slipped away one by one. Jamie guessed he was probably now immune to it. Or perhaps he had decided that he was destined to be next. It wasn’t fair that an innocent child had to see so much horror at such a young age. Jamie had him turn his back to the sickness and walked him across the veranda. Together, they sat down on the steps. The beautiful panoramic view of the sparkling St. Lawrence River stood in stark contrast to the bleak horrors that lay behind.

“I need to go talk to someone about my brother,” said Jamie. “You wait right here on this step for me. The nurse will be back soon. If she arrives before I get back, do what she says and follow her. Don’t worry if she moves you. I’ll come and find you, I promise.”

Jamie started to pull away, but Colin wouldn’t let go of his hand. His eyes started to widen in panic. Jamie knelt down and smiled. “I’ll be back very soon.”

Slowly, Colin released his grip. It broke Jamie’s heart to leave him alone, even if it was for just a few minutes.

Jamie needed to get his bearings on the island before he could start his search for Ryan. He swung behind the quarantine station and climbed up the hill until he reached the summit of Grosse Isle. The view of the huge river stretching east and west was breathtaking, with sailing vessels of all shapes and sizes plying its sparkling waters. He had never seen a valley as thickly wooded and lush as what banked either side of the distant river shores. On the far side of the hill was a scene that stabbed him in the heart. Large swaths of trees had been removed from the base of the hill and a small army of men worked spades into the earth, creating a series of long shallow pits. Other men were reaching into the back of a horse-drawn cart. The cart was full of shroud-covered bodies. The bodies were being carried to the long pits and unceremoniously dropped into the fresh earth. Another crew followed behind the cart and shovelled fresh dirt onto the mass grave. Jamie couldn’t tear his eyes away from the horrific sight, for he knew Erin was among those currently being placed in the grave. He kneeled down and whispered a prayer of peace and deliverance for his friend and her family.

A grey-haired man led the horse and now empty cart back towards the dock. Jamie ran down the hill and intercepted the cart at the path before it reached the quarantine station. He clenched the old man’s arm and pointed back to the graves.

“How many?” he asked, out of breath.

The old man glanced at him. “How many what?”

“How many dead are buried back there?”

He glanced back at the mass graves. “I’d have to say around three thousand are buried there now, but I’m not keeping a close count.”

“Three thousand?” Jamie repeated weakly. His mind couldn’t comprehend such a number.

“Sorry, son, but I need to move on. There are still a few more I need to pick up from the Independence.”

For the first time, a wave of dread washed over Jamie. Could Ryan be one of the three thousand buried here at Grosse Isle? He ran back to the buildings and, after searching the compound, found the clerk’s office. He burst in through the door with such force that the secretary nearly jumped out of her seat.

“Slow down, young man!” she chastised.

“I’m sorry,” said Jamie, trying to calm down, “but I desperately need your help. I am trying to find my brother who should have arrived here in the last week or two. Can you help me?”

“And you are?”

“Jamie Galway. A sailor on the Independence.”

She pushed herself away from the desk. “He’s a recent arrival, then? I think I can be of assistance. Let me check the newest documents.”

She turned to several wooden crates sitting on top of a low bookshelf.

“Name?”

“Ryan Galway.”

She shuffled through a set of papers. The wait was excruciating, and Jamie began to pace. Finally, she turned around.

“We don’t have any record of a Ryan Galway.”

Jamie almost choked on his next words. “Do your records include both the dead and living?”

“Yes, they do.”

Jamie’s head was spinning. “I thought all ships arriving in Canada had to anchor at Grosse Isle.”

“Not all ships do stop at Grosse Isle,” the secretary explained. “If we are overwhelmed with new arrivals, and we have been very busy the past few weeks, the immigration department will send the smaller ships on to a port city. Did your brother have his proper papers?”

Jamie felt a chill run down his spine. “I’m not sure.”

“It’s hard to believe, but we sometimes receive deceased without any papers. With no way to identify the bodies, they are simply lowered into the island graves as unknowns.”

“Do you know of the Carpathia? She likely arrived here last week.”

“Sorry, I don’t keep track of ship names, just the immigration papers.”

Jamie grasped the door handle. “Thank you for your help, and I apologize for my abrupt entrance.”

As Jamie stepped outside, he wasn’t sure if he should feel angry or relieved. At least his brother wasn’t in a mass grave here on the island. Or was he? Perhaps he never revived after the blows he received from the soldiers. Perhaps he died and was buried without proper papers. Perhaps his brother’s ship had run into the same storm they had two weeks ago. Did the Carpathia sink with all hands in the Atlantic? Perhaps that was the reason there was no record of him ever arriving at Grosse Isle. His head was swimming with possibilities, and none of them were very hopeful.

Jamie could see a tender from the Independence bringing more passengers to Grosse Isle. Captaining the small craft was Officer Keates, who was waving to Jamie. Jamie ran to the dock to meet him.

“I brought word of the Carpathia.”

Jamie held his breath. “Please, tell me!”

“The captain of the Nautilus told me that the Carpathia was ordered on to the city of Montreal, its final destination, just over a week ago. Being a smaller ship, a government official decided that the passengers were to go through immigration in Montreal, as Grosse Isle was filled to capacity.”

Jamie paused. “Then my brother is in Montreal?”

“We’re only sailing as far as Quebec City. We can drop you off there if you like. From there, you can catch another boat that will take you upriver to Montreal.”

Jamie was torn. A part of him was screaming yes, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Colin sitting on that step, waiting for him to return. If he didn’t help that boy, who would? There must be a way he could get to Montreal while helping Colin at the same time. With only a moment’s hesitation, Jamie reached forward and shook Officer Keates’s hand.

“Thank you so much for your help, but I also need to make sure Colin O’Connor is well taken care of before I leave. Is there any possible way he can join us on the Independence?”

“Sorry, lad. But a five-year-old listed as crew would look a little suspicious. We also have our government licence to consider. What you are suggesting is called human smuggling. I’m afraid we can only bend the rules to give you a hand, not the boy.”

“Then I will have to stay here at Grosse Isle.”

Officer Keates raised his eyebrows but didn’t seem overly surprised by the news.

“Just one last favour,” asked Jamie, “if you don’t mind.”

“Name it.”

“I noticed all officers on board the ship carry a small knife. Could I have yours? I can pay you for it.”

Keates laughed and reached into his jacket. In his hand materialized a small pocket knife. The blade was stowed safely away within its metal housing. The officer offered it to Jamie.

“Keep this as a memento of your time on the Independence. And don’t worry about the cost, I’ll just dock it from your pay.”

They both laughed. “Thank you.”

The sailors pushed the empty tender away from the dock. Oars dipped into the water, and the small craft began its long trip back to the Independence.

“Sorry we couldn’t help the young lad out,” Keates shouted out over the stern. “The ship leaves in an hour if you change your mind!”