Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Bad News, Good News
It’s a pity we cannot be on our way directly,” sighed Captain White. The Earl of Oxford had left the safety of the River Thames an hour before and was now sailing in the open waters of the North Sea. William and Dr. Thomas stood next to the captain on the aft deck. “With the French at war with us, it’s just too dangerous,” he continued. “I’ve seen their ships on the horizon, and I fear we would never make it out into the Atlantic Ocean.”
William nodded. He’d seen the sails of the French privateers on the horizon. The ships seemed to sit there daring British ships to come within their reach.
“We will be much better off sailing in a convoy. I’ve ordered the first mate to hug the coast until we get to the Isle of Wight. We’ll anchor off Portsmouth until there are enough other ships to run the gauntlet.”
“How long will that be?” Dr. Thomas nervously asked Captain White.
“It all depends on what other ships are already in port. I would hope it won’t be more than a day or two, a week at the most.”
“A week!” echoed Dr. Thomas.
William frowned. His companion seemed unusually worried about the loss of a few days.
When the ship arrived off the Isle of Wight, the news was not encouraging. A convoy had left the day before, and it could be a month or more before enough ships gathered to form another one.
Captain White suggested that the group would be much more comfortable in the town of Portsmouth. William went ashore and found a cheap boardinghouse where they could all stay while they waited for the other ships to gather. The group left most of their luggage on board, taking only a few clothes with them.
William wrote to Dolly explaining the delay and inquiring whether the baby had been born yet. In the letter he wrote:
If I had all the world, I would freely give it all to have you and my dear children with me; but the sense of duty is so strong as to overpower all other considerations; I could not turn back without guilt on my soul…. Let me know the dear little child’s name—I am, forever, your faithful and affectionate husband,
William Carey
While William busied himself teaching Felix, writing letters, and visiting local churches, he noticed that Dr. Thomas had begun acting very strangely. Whenever there was a knock at the door, Dr. Thomas would hurry into the back room and peer out at the visitor through a crack in the wall. He would also ask the landlord three or four times a day whether there was any mail for him. When he did receive a letter, he seemed afraid to open it.
William wondered what was going on. Why was his partner acting like this? He didn’t have to wait long to find out. During the third week of their stay in Portsmouth, Dr. Thomas insisted he had to go to London on some urgent business. While he was gone, the others had a visitor, one Dr. Thomas had every right to be worried about. It was a merchant from Brighton who had come to collect the hundred pounds he claimed Dr. Thomas owed him.
William was shocked. Dr. Thomas had told him he had a few overdue bills to pay off, but surely he hadn’t intended leaving England still owing a hundred pounds. It must have been a mistake.
William waited for the doctor to arrive back from London to explain the situation. But Dr. Thomas could not. It was all true. Dr. Thomas did owe the merchant from Brighton a hundred pounds, and worse, he had other debts that together totaled five hundred pounds. William was worried. If only the Earl of Oxford had left a day earlier and caught the departing convoy, he wouldn’t have had to know about any of this. Now the situation weighed heavily on his mind. Was it right to go to India with a missionary partner who was in so much debt?
The question seemed to be answered for him in a most depressing way. Three days later, a note arrived from Captain White. The captain had received an anonymous letter saying that the East India Company knew he had male passengers on board who were trying to enter India without a permit and that he would lose his captain’s license if he took the men any farther.
William showed the note to Dr. Thomas. “It looks as if we cannot sail after all,” he sighed.
“I think this is the work of one of my creditors,” replied Dr. Thomas. “I will go back to London to see what can be done.”
It was too late, however. When William went to the waterfront with Felix, Mrs. Thomas, and Eliza, the Earl of Oxford was moored alongside the dock where Captain White had already unloaded their baggage. Sailors were scurrying up the rigging, and it was obvious the ship was preparing to set sail. William begged Captain White to reconsider, but he would not. It was simply not worth his career to take a couple of missionaries on board. However, he did agree to take Mrs. Thomas and Eliza with him, since the note specifically mentioned only men.
An hour later, William and Felix, surrounded by wooden crates and leather trunks, watched the Earl of Oxford hoist her sails. Although William felt sad that he was not aboard, it was a magnificent sight to see. There were six sailing ships headed together out into the English Channel on a fresh spring afternoon. Mrs. Thomas and Eliza waved at them from the stern of the Earl of Oxford.
As the ships sailed toward the horizon, William wondered what would happen now. Had he done the right thing allowing Mrs. Thomas and Eliza to go on alone? What if Dr. Thomas never made it to India? William turned his back on the ships and picked up one of the smaller crates lying beside him on the dock. There were more questions than answers, but for now he had to store their baggage and find Dr. Thomas and tell him what had happened.
William hired a small cart to take their belongings back to the boardinghouse. Then he and Felix boarded a coach for London. Besides finding Dr. Thomas, William knew he had to write a letter to Andrew Fuller and the missionary society committee. The trouble was, he wasn’t sure what to say in the letter.
Once in London, William and Felix went straight to the house where Dr. Thomas was staying to break the news to him. The doctor apologized many times for what had happened and vowed to find another way to get them to India. William wondered about going to the East India Company and begging for entry permits, but he knew his chances of getting them were almost impossible. Then he thought about traveling overland from Holland to Calcutta, India, but that would be a very long and dangerous journey. Finally, Dr. Thomas had an idea, though he would not say what it was. Instead, he grabbed his hat and coat and raced out the door. He returned an hour later, out of breath but waving a piece of paper. “I think I’m onto something here,” he said, thrusting the paper at William. The paper read: “A Danish East Indiaman, no. 10 Cannon St.”
“It’s the address of a Danish seaman,” Dr. Thomas went on. “I got the address from a pub owner down by the docks. He is waiting for his ship to dock in England on its way from Copenhagen to India. If God is with us, there may be room aboard for three passengers. Come, we must hurry.”
William grabbed his hat and coat and followed Dr. Thomas out the door, with Felix trailing along behind. As they hurried along the cobbled streets to Cannon Street, William and Dr. Thomas talked excitedly. A foreign ship going to India would not be under the control of the East India Company, so they would not need permits to travel. Even better, a Danish ship would be headed for the Danish-controlled city of Serampore and not to one of the cities under East India Company control. William could feel hope rising within. Was it possible they had found a legal way to get into India?
When they arrived at number 10 Cannon Street, the news was exciting. The Danish seaman was waiting for his ship, the Kron Princessa Maria, which was expected to dock within the next few days at Dover, sixty miles away on the south coast of England. The seaman said that as far as he knew, there were passenger cabins available aboard the ship.
“How much does a passage cost?” William asked.
“One hundred pounds for each adult, fifty pounds for a child, and twenty-five pounds for a servant,” replied the Danish seaman, who then gave them the name of the ship’s agent in London where passage could be arranged and paid for.
William quickly thanked the man for the information and stepped outside into the early evening. It would cost the three of them two hundred fifty pounds to get to India, but all they had was the one hundred fifty pounds Captain White had refunded to them. What were they to do?
Dr. Thomas was all for William and Felix going on alone, but William would not hear of it. By now he was convinced that Dr. Thomas was a good man and really would try his best to pay back the money he owed. Since they had set out to go to India together, William decided they would just have to find a way to get there together.
They still didn’t know what to do when they got back to the house where Dr. Thomas was staying. There on the sidetable in the hallway was a letter addressed to the Reverend William Carey. William picked up the letter, which was written in the clumsy handwriting his wife wrote in since he’d taught her to read and write. He opened it eagerly.
The news was wonderful. He had a new baby son, whom Dolly had named Jabez. William knew that Jabez was Hebrew for “in sorrow,” and at that moment, he felt very far away from his beloved wife and children. What I would not give to see the new baby, he thought. Then suddenly, he clapped his hands together. “There is time. Yes, there is time,” he yelled at Dr. Thomas.
Dr. Thomas looked back at him with wondering eyes.
“Of course, we can do it,” said William, pushing his chair back and pacing around the room.
“Do what?” asked the doctor.
“If we take the coach tonight, we will be in Piddington by morning. Maybe God meant this delay so that the baby could be born and my wife would be ready to come with us.”
Within half an hour, the two men and Felix had thrown a few items into a leather bag and were rushing off to catch the next coach headed for Northamptonshire. By daybreak, they had been dropped off within a mile of Piddington, where Dolly now lived with her sister Kitty.
Dolly Carey’s mouth dropped open when she unlatched the cottage door and found her husband, oldest son, and Dr. Thomas waiting outside. Dolly quickly welcomed them in, and soon William was sitting and holding baby Jabez. He did not waste any time in telling his wife that he’d come back to get her. He begged and pleaded with her, but still she would not change her mind. Yes, the baby was now safely born, she told William, but still there would be many dangers for her and the boys. She would not go with him.
Kitty prepared breakfast for the men while Dolly and William talked. The men ate the meal gratefully, and once they were finished, William knew they must be on their way again. They needed to walk to Northampton to meet with John Ryland, in the hope that he had collected some more money for their passage to India.
William hugged his two sons and new baby good-bye and kissed his wife. This time it seemed harder to leave. With a heavy heart, William set a fast walking pace for Northampton, but the pace did not last. William was simply too upset about leaving his wife and family. He was sure that God had delayed their trip so that they would come with him, but Dolly would not budge. Finally, William sat down by the side of the road and wept.
Dr. Thomas could not bear to see his friend so sad. Something had to be done. “Come on, William, we’re going back,” he said, gently pulling William to his feet. “It is not right to separate a family like this.”
William quietly followed Dr. Thomas as the two men retraced their steps. Soon they were outside the cottage. The door was open, and inside they could see Dolly sitting by the hearth sobbing. When she saw them, she wiped her eyes on her apron and stood up. “What is it?” she asked, her tears replaced by a surprised look.
“It is you, Mrs. Carey,” replied Dr. Thomas sternly. “We have come back to give you one more chance. It is not right to break up a family. God has sent William to India, and his family should be with him. Have you considered that you might never see him again? That the boys would grow up without knowing their father? How would you ever forgive yourself if this were the last moment you saw your husband alive?”
Dolly Carey was speechless. She looked from Dr. Thomas to her husband and back again. “But I am too scared to go alone,” she finally burst out. “And what about my family? Is it fair that Kitty and I will not see each other again?”
“Perhaps Kitty will agree to come with us,” said Dr. Thomas, calmly looking at Dolly’s sister.
Kitty turned bright red. “I couldn’t—I mean I…” Her sentence trailed off, and she sat down beside her sister and clung to her for support. For a long time, the room was silent except for the little grunting noises Jabez made in his sleep.
Suddenly Kitty stood up. Her whole body was shaking as she spoke. “If it keeps the family together, then I will go.” Then she turned to Dolly and said, “We will go together, and I will help you.”
William watched as Dolly’s eyes grew wider. Then Dolly nodded. “All right. We will go together,” she said quietly.
William rushed to his wife and hugged her. Dolly and the rest of their children were going to India after all!
The rest of the day turned into a crazy race to get two women and three children packed and ready for a five-month sea voyage and whatever lay beyond in India. Five-year-old William Jr. and four-year-old Peter scurried in and out of the cottage. Dr. Thomas stayed behind to help, since he knew what a family would need both on the ship and in India. He collected and packed all their bedding and warm clothes, since they would be headed into midwinter as they sailed into the Southern Hemisphere.
As the day wore on, news traveled quickly around the village. Soon, astonished neighbors were visiting Dolly and Kitty to see for themselves that they were really packing to go to India.
While Dr. Thomas helped with the packing, William set out a second time for Northampton. This time, he sang hymns as he walked. John Ryland was thrilled to hear that the whole family would be going with William to India. However, he had not collected any more money for the group. He did have two hundred pounds of his own in the bank, but it was Saturday, and he would not be able to get the money until ten o’clock Monday morning.
William groaned. The Kron Princessa Maria might have come and gone by then. After much discussion, John Ryland came up with a plan. He had several rich friends in London who he felt sure would have two hundred pounds tucked away between them. Hurriedly, John Ryland wrote letters asking his friends to lend the money to William and promising to repay it before the end of the week.
There was no time to lose. William thanked his friend and half walked and half ran back to Piddington. By the time he arrived, the family was packed. Early the next morning, the whole family and Dr. Thomas boarded a stagecoach bound for London.
Dolly peered out the window as the familiar sights that had surrounded her all her life disappeared from view and were replaced with lanes and villages she had never seen before. Kitty reached out and gave her sister’s hand a reassuring squeeze as the coach rumbled along.
William, with Peter sitting on his knee, looked out the window, too, but he was not thinking of the scene flashing before him. He was doing math—the same math—over and over. He had one hundred fifty pounds in his pocket from Captain White’s refund, and he had two hundred pounds to collect in London. That made a total of three hundred fifty pounds. But there were now four adults sailing to India at one hundred pounds each. That made four hundred pounds, plus four children at fifty pounds each. Altogether their passage to India would cost six hundred pounds, two hundred fifty pounds more than he had!
William took a deep breath as he wondered what to do. How ironic it would be, he thought, if after convincing Dolly to travel to India with him, they could not leave because there wasn’t enough money for her passage. Finally, William prayed a silent prayer. “God, You have brought me this far. You have even got Dolly and the children to come. Surely You will show us a way to get to India.”
The group arrived in London on Sunday evening. William had no difficulty in finding one of John Ryland’s friends who was willing to lend him the two hundred pounds. As soon as he arrived back with the money, Dr. Thomas took it and the refunded one hundred fifty pounds and went to see the ship’s agent. Being Dr. Thomas, he had another plan, a plan that he’d discussed with no one but Kitty. Several hours later he returned, waving eight tickets, one for each of them.
“How did you do it?” asked William, with a broad smile.
“I think the agent was impressed with a whole family traveling together. I asked him if Kitty and I might travel as your servants, and he asked me how much money we actually had for the passages. When I said three hundred fifty pounds, he told me India needed missionaries and that a man should not be separated from his family, so if that was all the money we had, then it was enough to get us there. We are bound for India!”
“When does the ship sail?” asked William, after he had examined each of the tickets.
“We must hurry. She sets sail from Dover tomorrow afternoon on the high tide.”
William gasped. It was impossible for them to make it on time, and what about the luggage they had left in Portsmouth?
Dr. Thomas reached into his pocket and pulled out some more tickets. “I called on an old friend, and he gave me enough money to buy the rest of you ferry tickets to Dover.”
“And what about you?” asked William.
“I intend to leave this very minute for Portsmouth to collect the baggage. If God blesses me, I will meet you in Dover with it tomorrow.”