The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

“Our little parade reached dockside in good order. There I became instantly agog at the mass of ships that lay before us, masts and spars thick as the bristles on a brush. Everywhere I looked I saw mountains of rare goods piled high. Bales of silk and tobacco! Chests of tea! A parrot! A monkey! Oh yes, the smell of the sea was intoxicating to one who knew little more than the smell of the trim cut lawns and the fields of the Barrington School. Then too, the surging crowds of workers, sailors, and merchants—all rough-hewn, brawny men—created an exotic late afternoon hubbub. All in all it was a most delicious chaos, which, while mildly menacing, was no less exciting because of that. Indeed, in some vague way I had the feeling that it was all there for me.”

Charlotte, though a well-brought-up and proper girl, still feels thrilled by the excitement of the great English port of Liverpool, where her ship for America awaits. She shows a wide-eyed curiosity and intelligence, traits that will serve her well in the weeks to come. Her joy stems from a sense of adventure, a feeling that will be tested thoroughly during the ocean crossing. 

Charlotte, though a well-brought-up and proper girl, still feels thrilled by the excitement of the great English port of Liverpool, where her ship for America awaits. She shows a wide-eyed curiosity and intelligence, traits that will serve her well in the weeks to come. Her joy stems from a sense of adventure, a feeling that will be tested thoroughly during the ocean crossing. 

Charlotte notices nothing particularly interesting about the ship she will take home to America beyond the figurehead, which gives her the first hint that dark tidings await her. Trouble is brewing; it’s as if even the carved seahawk can feel it. The screaming-bird figurehead symbolizes the tension and anger between this ship’s captain and crew, men who may come to blows on this voyage. 

“What could I do? All my life I had been trained to obey, educated to accept. I could hardly change in a moment. ‘Please lead me,’ I mumbled, as near to fainting as one could be without actually succumbing.”

The families she expects to join her aboard the Seahawk don’t arrive; trapped aboard the ship with no chaperone, Charlotte allows Mr. Keetch, the second mate, to escort her to her rooms below deck. She’s over her head and knows it. With no reliable adult to guide her, she must navigate the coming weeks entirely on her own.