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Cly replied, “Sure, that’s where I’m going first. Got to pick up a few things. ”
“Ooh,” she exclaimed. And in a low, conspiratorial tone, she added, “I suppose I ought to pass along a little warning to you, then, in the spirit of friendliness. ” The operator leaned forward and crossed her arms, the veritable picture of a woman who was thrilled by the opportunity to gossip with a real live person, and not a faceless set of dots and dashes over the taps. “You know how Texas occupies the city, don’t you?”
Cly nodded. “Sure, I know. ”
She lowered her voice even further, as if anyone but Houjin were within overhearing range. “All right, then. Something happened to a couple of officers down there—something that no one wants to talk about. They disappeared or died, that’s my guess. Anyhow,” she continued, “a new officer went in to replace the colonel a couple of days ago. And the first thing he does when he takes post … oh, Lordy. Just guess!”
“I’m a terrible guesser. Just tell me. ”
“Well!” she went on, downright breathless. “First thing he does is, he comes down on the bay with a full brigade of soldiers, and they wipe Barataria clean off the earth!”
Stunned, the captain exclaimed, “You can’t be serious!”
She settled back and leaned in her chair. “I don’t know how bad the damage is, ’cause I ain’t seen it in person, you know. But it’s all anyone’s been talking about on the lines. And if you don’t mind my bringing it up, a lot of the men like yourself who are passing through … they’re the kind to stop by the bay, if they’re headed that far south. ”
“I don’t mind,” he all but mumbled, but not because her observation bothered him. He pressed for more. “But surely the bay’s not … I mean, it wasn’t destroyed? It’s been … what it is … for seventy years or more. It’s practically an institution! And Texas hadn’t bothered it yet, occupation or none. ” The great pirate Jean Lafitte had established the bay as his own personal kingdom, back in 1810 or thereabouts. It’d come and gone, changed hands, changed allegiances, and changed flags with the rest of Louisiana … but it’d always been held by pirates. Lafitte’s sons, after he’d died. And after them, his grandchildren.
She sighed heavily and shook her head with great drama. “I’m sure I couldn’t say, sir. All I know is that the new man made it his mission to stomp the place flat, and he got his plan under way just the other night. I don’t know if there’s anything left standing but the fort, and I’m none too sure about that. ”
“Captain?” Houjin started to ask something, but Cly waved him into silence.
“Now, how much of what you’re telling me is gossip, and how much do you know for sure?” he asked the small woman with the big hair.
“I told you, I haven’t seen it myself. But I’ve heard the story from more than one tapper along the lines, so there’s some truth to it. You’d best be careful, if you’re thinking of docking down that way. Or skip it altogether, that’s my advice. ”
“Thank you,” he said to her, and he reached for his money. “I might skip it, like you said. There’s nothing over there that’s so important I can’t pick it up someplace else. ”
He paid for his telegram and ushered Houjin out of the office, back into the street, before the boy could unleash his insatiable questioning upon the woman. It worked, but that meant Cly had to answer all the questions himself.
“Do you think she’s right? Do you think the docks are all gone? I wanted to see the pirate bay. ”
“I don’t know if she’s right. I don’t know if the docks are all gone. And I wanted to see it, too, for the rum and absinthe moves cheaper over there—without the city, the state, and the Confederacy all taking their taxes on it. Now I’m not so sure. ”
“Are we going to stop there anyway?”
“Let me think about it. ”
Back at the docks, the excavation and return to order were under way, and Fang was helping someone beneath an overhang. His head and hands were buried under a tank, and two other men were bracing it up on a set of jacks. One of them turned to Cly and said, “Lines are all clogged up, but we’re clearing them out now. We’ll have these ready to start fueling again in a few minutes. ”
“Thanks, Fred,” Cly told him.
“You know these guys?” Houjin pounced into the conversation.
“Sure. That’s Fred Evans, and underneath with Fang—that’s Dale Winter, isn’t it?”
From under the tank, someone called, “Cly, that you?”
“Yeah, it’s me. ”
“What are these tanks for? Is this where you make the hydrogen? How do you do it? How did the lines get clogged? Do sandstorms always do this? Do—”
“And who’s this?” Fred Evans looked quizzically at the boy.
Cly sighed. “Th
is is Houjin. Call him Huey if that’s easier. He’s learning to fly with us, and this is his first big trip away from home. ”
“You’re a more patient man than I am. ”
