Cullen - Bartlett Dynasty Collection

Chapter 9

“With the entire squadron having arrived safely, this endeavour could, without question, go down in maritime history as one of the great voyages of all time. Eleven vessels carrying some 1400 people had crossed more than 17,000 nautical miles of ocean, much of that distance through hostile and little-known waters. The duration of the passage was 252 days, and while there had been loss of life, the death toll…could be considered extraordinarily low for the era…The deaths included thirty-six male convicts, four female convicts, five children of convicts, one marine, one wife of a marine and one marine’s child. In short, Arthur Phillip had every reason to feel supremely proud of what he had achieved.”1

“With the entire squadron having arrived safely, this endeavour could, without question, go down in maritime history as one of the great voyages of all time. Eleven vessels carrying some 1400 people had crossed more than 17,000 nautical miles of ocean, much of that distance through hostile and little-known waters. The duration of the passage was 252 days, and while there had been loss of life, the death toll…could be considered extraordinarily low for the era…The deaths included thirty-six male convicts, four female convicts, five children of convicts, one marine, one wife of a marine and one marine’s child. In short, Arthur Phillip had every reason to feel supremely proud of what he had achieved.”‘The hatches will stay open to let in air, but none of you vagabonds will get on the steps or even attempt to make your way to the upper deck. You do, and you’ll walk on this new land in chains.’ The marine’s gravelly voice echoed through the prison.

Cullen winked at Carney, ‘We’ve arrived lad.’

Allowed on deck for a few minutes to look at the shore they wouldn’t walk on, Cullen again felt his legs wobble and twitch. ‘My legs want to walk on firm ground again John,’ he said, looking at Carney whose skin still had a yellow tinge.

‘I’m not going to ask when that will be, James. One of the others yelled at a marine demanding to know when we are getting off, and he got a swipe across the face with a closed fist. Knocked him out. The marine shackled him.’

‘I’m telling my legs we can wait a bit longer.’

‘There’s natives on the shore, James. You can see them waving lances at us. Do you think we’ll be safe?’

Cullen had hoped with John surviving the ten-month journey he would be less like a jack-in-the-box waiting to pop, and more prepared to take on the new world. Now that sailing treacherous waters was no longer a problem, John appeared to focus on other things he couldn’t control, like the natives.

‘After what we’ve been through, I think Arthur Phillip will take care of the natives,’ Cullen said as he settled on his bunk for the night.

‘Be ready for sailing on the morrow,’ a marine shouted as the cell doors closed on the men. ‘Fleet is moving to another harbour, the Commodore said this one’s no good.’

Cicadas chirping, a cacophony of different bird sounds and the spectacular scenery of the newly named Sydney Cove, greeted the convicts on Scarborough as they gathered on the deck to see and hear their new home.

ScarboroughAnxious to curtail his impatience, Cullen clenched his fists and tightened his jaw while he watched Governor Phillip and a contingent of marines and convicts walk on the shores of the new land. ‘How long are they going to leave us here, watching them?’ Cullen muttered to Carney.

‘I don’t think it will be long, James. Phillip will want us off the ships to get to work soon. Can you see the Union Jack flying near the edges of the trees?’

‘Yes, I see it. Makes me crave land under my feet even more. I’m afraid my legs will take off without my permission and get me flogged.’

‘Carney, Cullen,’ a marine yelled through the darkness of the below deck prison. ‘Get your arses to the cell door so I can see where you are.’

Leaning in close to James Cullen’s ear, Carney said, ‘It’s not even light outside. What do they want with us?’

‘Let’s just do as he says, then find out.’ Cullen sounded more confident than the pit of his stomach indicated. Trying to stop his hands from shaking while he pulled his ragged breeches on, Cullen smoothed his hair, wiped the sleep out of his eyes, and patted Carney on the back.

Standing at the cell door as instructed, both swallowed hard as the marine put the key in the lock. ‘Collect any belongings you have, you got 30 seconds.’ Looking back at the bunk, Cullen couldn’t see anything worthy of the effort. On deck, the two of you. Hurry up about it.’

As the cell door banged shut behind them, the two men climbed the steps to the upper deck of the Scarborough. James Cullen took in the biggest breath he had for a few days. The fresh air filled his lungs with life and his heart with hope.

Scarborough‘Look at the sunrise, John. It’s magnificent. I’ve seen nothing as amazing. No sunrise in England ever looked like this.’ The sun rose above the horizon, spreading its bright orange and yellow hues out like wings. ‘Listen to the birds.’

‘You haven’t got time to stand and watch the sunrise and listen to birds, convict,’ the marine spat in Cullen’s face, ‘Over to the side, you’re getting on the cutter and going ashore. Governor Phillip wants convicts he can trust to get to work. Seems you two fit that description.’

Cullen struggled to keep the grin from spreading across his face, but Carney let his face break into the first smile he had shown since his arrest. Settling into the cutter without chains attached to their feet or wrists, the two men, along with three other prisoners they didn’t know, headed to the shores of Sydney Cove.

‘When you get out, support each other until you get to the shoreline. Your head will be spinning. You’ve been on the water for a long time, you’ll need to get your land legs,’ a marine instructed the men. Holding on to each other for support, Cullen and Carney wobbled from the shallow water to the sand.

‘My legs are finally getting their wish,’ Cullen told Carney. ‘But I think it’ll be some time before they can carry me anywhere.’

‘Don’t sit down,’ ordered the marine. ‘Stand with your feet apart, facing away from the water. When you feel confident, take small steps. Walk up and down the sand until your legs stop wobbling.’

James Cullen and John Carney obeyed the instructions and by the time the sun had moved from the horizon to an angle that beat down on them, they walked without feeling sick, or falling over.

Before being given axes and instructions about which trees were to be cleared, James Bryan Cullen and John Carney sat with about forty other prisoners on the beach, eating dried beef and biscuits.

‘This food must have come from Sirius,’ Cullen lent in to tell Carney, ‘it’s better quality than we got.’

SiriusChewing noisily, Carney nodded at Cullen, a grin peeking through his hard working jaw.

‘Listen up,’ a marine ordered the men. ‘Just because you are considered trustworthy, doesn’t mean the rules don’t apply. Wander off, disobey instructions, slack off your work, you’ll be in chains, and put back in a cell on one of the ships sitting out there in the harbour. Got it?’

The group of recently fed prisoners nodded in compliance. Cullen wondered if they were as happy as he to be off the ship, standing on dry land, and with something useful to do.

Set to work clearing trees along the marked boundary it didn’t take long for John Carney to struggle for breath.

Like a protective mother bear of her cub, Cullen ushered Carney into a break in the trees. ‘Stay there, son, I’ll cover for you. Rest and drink some water.’ Glaring at the prisoners either side of him Cullen challenged them to keep quiet about Carney.

A break for dinner was a welcome reprieve from the physical labour required to fell trees. Sitting on the sand under the shade of trees yet to be cut down, the prisoners were provided with ale, bread, and fish caught and cooked a few days before.

Cullen put his head back, closed his eyes, and felt the sea breeze float across his face. The smells that accompanied the breeze were a collection of random things he hadn’t noticed earlier: the sea had the distinct aroma he had become used to on the voyage, but the trees and the undergrowth smelled like nothing he had experienced. He’d noticed the leaves on the trees had the effect of clearing his head and making breathing in the heat easier, but the ground under the trees had a heavier, dense odour.

‘Back to work,’ bellowed a marine, bringing Cullen back to the present. ‘Clearing as much as you can today, means you won’t have to go back to the ships after tomorrow. You’ll have room to put up some tents.’

Looking at the ships bobbing up and down on the swell in the harbour, Cullen had no longing to be back on board.

John Carney struggled to keep up with the group of prisoners selected to build the storehouse to hold the provisions brought ashore from the transports. Still assigned to felling trees, Cullen kept glancing over to his young friend concerned his strength wasn’t up to those around him. Working in this guarded environment it wasn’t possible for James to cover for the lad.

With the storehouse completed, all prisoners on shore were tasked with removing the provisions from Supply’s boats and packing them in the makeshift building. Picking up a bag of wheat and throwing it on his shoulder, Cullen felt something move down his arm onto his back.

Supply’s‘There’s a rat,’ yelled one of the others.

A range of thoughts raced through Cullen’s mind like fallen leaves in autumn being blown around in the wind. ‘If I drop the bag it will split, and the wheat will spill, and I’ll be flogged. If I keep still the rat might start gnawing on me. If I spin around holding the bag, I’ll likely fall over, and the wheat will burst out of the bag onto the ground.’

Quickly weighing up his options, Cullen stood still while the men around him waved their arms and yelled until the rodent scurried away into the bush.

There were more uninvited travellers revealed with the unloading of other goods.

Two weeks after arrival, Cullen saw Carney doubled over and struggling to pick up the tools required to work. While he’d been busy, Cullen hadn’t noticed that there were several men with the same appearance as his friend. The principal surgeon had ordered a tent to use as a hospital soon after landing, and Cullen carried Carney all the way to the western shore [The Rocks] to accommodate him in the tent. Sitting by the lad’s cot, he overhead the surgeon talking to Governor Phillip about how pitiful the patients looked and there was nothing available to offer comfort.

‘Everyone was healthy on the voyage,’ Phillip lamented ‘what has happened now?’

‘There’s no more fresh fruit and vegetables, Governor,’ the surgeon answered. ‘A lot of the prisoners and the free, have scurvy. And the men are shitting too close to the sleeping quarters. Dysentery is spreading.’

James Cullen wasn’t one to pray often, but as he sat next to his young friend, he prayed for a speedy recovery for John Carney.

Aware of the dire circumstances surrounding the shortage of food, Cullen stood with the other prisoners, marines and sailors while Governor Phillip told them about their weekly rations.

‘7lb of flour, 7lb of pork or beef, 3 pints of peas, 6oz of butter and ½ lb of rice.2. Be a good idea to supplement your diet with fish, and we’ll trade with the natives for food. Better still, try to grow your own food.’

Phillip stood for a few minutes after speaking and Cullen thought he looked as if he wanted to say something else, but he turned and left.

‘There’s talk he’s going to send some folks to a place called Norfolk Island,’ Abraham Hands, another convict from Scarborough said to Cullen.

Scarborough‘Why?’

‘There’s not enough food here to go around. Stuff’s not growing, and we’ll all end up with the scurvy or dead.’

‘Well I won’t be leaving young Carney,’ Cullen said, ‘they better not pick me without John.’

‘Somehow I don’t think they’ll care about you or Carney, James. Best we can hope is that after all this time to get here, we survive.’