My name is James Tully, I am one of fourteen convict children on board the first fleet. I was arrested in England for the crime of stealing a loaf of bread. I was driven to commit this crime because my father had long ago died in prison, and it was just me and my mother and four other siblings. Without that bread we would have starved. The judge didnt care though. "The colony shall have need of strong young men in the near future, sentence is deportation." I was only 9. My voyage was harsh and cruel. After reaching the equator, many of us convicts fell sick and the ships began to stink as the weather became hot and humid. The stench was awful and we were not allowed on deck to get fresh air. Sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, we ran into ferocious storms and seas. I was terrified of thunder and the lightning. I wanted my mother to comfort me and tell me it would be alright, but I was all alone. Everyone on this ship is mean and scary I dare not tell of the shadowy figure I saw lurking by the galley. Perhaps it was just my imagination, I am so hungry sir. |