If they had told me surely I had not heard. Then, years ago when I was just a small thing hooded, shawled and bundled in whatever woven fibers the city spat upon her streets. Those days people talked in terms of opportunity, and I would drag my way past puddles, through crumbling brick alleys, I could hear the sounds of clinking and the goldened blackened silhouettes: America on everyone's lips. It was in those days that the city was emptying, like a jug of water pouring out around me, the deep abandons and tenements, faces disappeared across the sea and replacing them came posters, flyers, "Free passage! Wages! Land! Seek fortune in the New World!" there was a current and before it swept me up I remember the rain. Archie and I and my kid brother we huddled, under in our meeting spot beneath the stretched canvas on 5th, I remember listening while Archie spoke, He was leaving sure enough,"Nah I've heard it's right gold!" And my kid brother just shivering; pickings not so good that day. Our stomachs left wanting of substance were so filled by Archie, his face beaming like apple tart. He was boarding the morrow, paid up, food and cabin, work upon arrival, the recruiters given him a shiny card, "Virginia Company." which proud he flashed before us, carefully pocketing it again. Specially my brother, I remember his eyes like pale palms, my brother never had nothing of good stuff his whole life. Least as I could remember a time. But the night - city rain shimmered and collected, that night we two, we too, caught up in that current. The next day Archie was gone and I signed up for passage.It was morning in the cabin of an office, strange stuff on the walls, some nets, some picture of a gentlesir in an admiral suit looking sharp and dignified and gold buttoned. The guy behind the counter weren't no big deal though I knew this much, his breath was something rank, and beady eyes, didn't trust him worth nothing. All the same though we hacked out this bargain, my kid brother he said was too young but I haggled him; he agreed we go together, I says, "Us together, we can do what the work of a man and a half and eat the food of just one anyways."So as I remember this last day. Ourselves in London walking about, and my brother flashing out his little white card like the one he'd seen on Archie the night before. We made our goodbyes to any of us gang that were staying, but these days our numbers were small. Even the 'ole Roger had gone disappearing, but twern't none of us knew if it be the sea or gambling debts. Still, about noon we visited the graves again, and for the first in a long while I realized Mami's headstone was turned all white, like a rope frayed, up in the corner all these scratches. Brother never really knew them, so he wasn't bad shook up as I, instead he sorts idly looked around scuffing his feet on the loose dirt, kicking pebbles. Me, I had myself a few tears really, specially at Pap's but I stepped on them as no one could see, right there in the mud, and we left. Very last person we visited was preacher, he was home; invited us in as always. I figured as much I would miss this place because the air was so quiet here and preacher fed us a bit. Lord knew he hadn't much himself. We did get help reading our boarding slips though, "New Jersey". He rattled at us for a bit too in his old way. "You boys, you know I don't have to tell you. Your father... a good man, god help him, you boys be safe! I don't know what I trust this business, but there's so many going, I'll have you boys off safe!" And my kid brother always calling him father still,"Yes father." And I gave him a single nod and set my jaw like what I had seen grown men do when determination is the outward and a fearful little boy cries inside. I was scared, so sure as I hid it, but death white frightened, not so much for me mind you. Though if I remember I have to concede that a good deal of it was mine after all. Mostly though t'were for the little one. I wasn't sure he had enough sense to be scared, this bein' what choked me so. From the father though, before we left, I had gotten some comfort in fact what he seemed jovial enough about our trip. So with this all being done we were off to the strange sounded city of New Jersey.It was the cold damp of the day we left, I having stayed up the whole night previous, shivering again under the stretched canvas on 5th. When the city had gone all quiet save for scratching and distant hooves, and then day started breaking over the building tops, by this time the sun was a thin orange line tracing both horizon and steeples and I woke my brother. There weren't no things to pack, save we bundled tight with what we could find and ate the bread I'd pilfered night before off the bakery. Not so many at all awake this hour, just passing carriages and mumbling drunks who stumbled their bearded ways by us or around corners, arms flung out and grasping bottles. Slowly the streets were filled though, and specially closer we got to port. Blocks from it a crowd was surged through the city veins up to the docks, we bustled. Screams and shouts and crying ladies, dogs, scurrying men calling in dusky voices, and my brother, clinging tight against my side. I remember these things and the sea where the dock sprawled sideways across before us and gulls flocked to post tops and roof tops white and grey tipped. Oh their wings were an envy in me, but not their beaks. There were a woman I remember too, stumbled funny on her side and she was reaching up for whatever this pressing crowd would lend her. I remember the little blessed soul my brother handing her which was left of his bread, and that’s the last I recall of the place and of the years there. In those next instants we were swirled into gruff men and suited men, and men throwing bags and stacking boxes on ships. And so many ships lined like statues, under a mooring dawn, tethered against the water where curling blue licked their bellies. "Ay you two lads!" A man waved a quick palm, turned up, and I threw my brother an elbow. We took out our slips which the man snapped, serpentine, from us. He eyed my brother down the long rocky bridge of his nose and my brother looked off. Motioned behind himself without turning, "Two ships rear boys, be quick!" I grabbed my brother's hand while we pulled ourselves from the maw of that crowd, trickling, moved to a shouting man in blue at the head of a walk. The man gave me a single nod, set jaw and stern eyed where we stepped light cross the beam and were boarded.T’were during the rest of that morn which the ship started filling up pretty quick and people were jumping on board, mostly men, few women, from what I could tell though it was us who was the youngest by far. Most of them were dressed drab, though our rags sure remained some of the most tattered. I never let my brother’s hand go all this time and, mayhap, for the first few days of voyage as I can remember, I never let it go. But we set ourselves right off to exploring the ship and finding some quarters. Though in summation ended both shoved to one room. I didn’t care however seeing as it would keep the nights warmer. Our captain, finally as the day neared noon clomped up on the deck and all were called and assembled. He was an older man, and his face looked like that of one spent long days and nights upon a sea where salt water and sun bleached out and leathered his skin, and where his eyes seemed dug back into his face making the brow protrude even coarser. He had a moustache and white beard: white hair that flowed down the edges of a flea bit sailor hat and he wore a blue uniform, though certainly graying with age like he.