The port of London was large and bustling with activity. Few Cargo ships were docked and the workers were unloading all the shipments from all over the world.
The whole Norton Family was standing before a gigantic ship that was ready to sail. The porters could be seen carrying people's luggage everywhere. A few porters were also loading the luggage into the ship named 'Ironclad'. This was also the ship on which Evan and his companions would be traveling.
The boarding process of the ship was already done beforehand so there was no long documentation process for the boarding. All Evan had to do was show his military badge and he would get the entry without any hitch.
All of Evan's luggage was boarded on the ship already and it was now being transported into his room. Evan only had a small suitcase with him at this moment which had all the very important stuff stored. For example, his gun and other important documents.
Evan looked at his family as he stood in front of the dock where the ship was. His younger brothers looked as if they did not care whether he was in London or not but Evan knew that in their hearts they loved him dearly. The older of the two of his brothers made a fist and extended it toward Evan as he said,
"Don't get yourself killed out there brother."
Evan smiled and just nodded. His younger sister was more honest with herself and burst into sobs. It would be many years before Evan would return to his homeland and therefore her behavior was justifiable.
"Eva... Behave!" Evan's mother said in a strict tone.
"It's fine mother," Evan said and hugged his sister. He patted her back and tried to console her.
"Don't cry now otherwise no jewelry for you." He whispered in her ear.
Eva's whining stopped gradually as she nodded at Evan and freed herself from the hug.
Evan's youngest brother was very shy and did not talk much. Evan walked toward him and held him by his shoulders.
"Be good Willson, study well." He said. Willson nodded.
Evan's mother was a religious catholic lady who was beautiful, she had brown hair and blue eyes. She wore the women's outfit which was popular with the Noblewomen of the Victorian Era - a tightly laced brownish corset over a bodice or chemisette, and paired them with a red skirt adorned with numerous embroideries and trims, over layers of petticoats.
His mother had a rather 'extravagant' cross as her necklace which showed how religious she was.
Evan's mother - Marian Norton, caressed Evan's cheeks and kissed him on the forehead. Her husband was also out of the country for many years and now it was her son's turn. Any mother would always be anxious for her son if he was going beyond the seven seas where anything unexpected could happen.
Marian clasped the cross with both her hands and closed her eyes as she muttered,
"May the holy Father shine the light upon my son and keep him safe."
"Amen," Everyone said in unison.
Evan embraced his mother for the last time before leaving. A few moments later he freed himself from the embrace and finally looked at his father.
"Remember what I told you!" Hudson said with a stoic face.
"Yes, Father" Evan replied while nodding.
'TIN TIN TIN TIN TIN'
The loud sound of the bell rang in the surroundings. The sound signified that the ship was ready for departure and it would leave in one hour. The boarding usually stopped before fifteen minutes were remaining for the departure.
Evan stepped back from his family and looked at them for a final time.
"Everyone take care of yourselves. I will send letters regularly. Don't worry and Farewell." Evan said and turned back. With the small suitcase in hand, he began walking up the gangway.
Two cruise guards were standing at the entrance of the ship. Evan once again looked back and weaved at his family and proceeded to walk up to the entrance.
"Your ticket sir." The guard said.
Evan was ready and had already brought out his Military batch from the pocket of his coat.
"Sir!" The two guards straightened up and saluted after seeing Evan's batch.
Evan also saluted and walked into the ship. The ship was far from luxurious. The passageway was very narrow and cramped. The whole ship was made from high-quality wood. The ship Evan was boarding was still in the better ones at that time.
The ship had a medium-sized dining hall where there were two long tables and chairs placed where the passengers could have their meals during the voyage.
The ship also had many rooms which were incredibly cramped and rather suffocating as well. The rooms were shared between a lot of people who had only enough space to stand. There was a small slide on some height nailed to the wall. It was generally used to keep some minor things for conveniences like shoes or newspapers.
Evan's assisting officer who was already on the ship waiting for him was giving him a tour of the ship. His name was James.
Evan as a military officer of higher grade had his cabin for the long voyage. Although it was a lot better addition than the other passengers it was still pretty cramped and there wasn't much space to move around either.
Evan placed his suitcase under the bed and sat down as he drew his breath. For the next four months, he would be traveling in the middle of the ocean in endless waters. No matter how strong a person is, the thought of sailing was still unnerving to people as it was very dangerous to travel by sea. Countless things could go wrong.
Only after getting on the ship did he realize the predicament he was in. But he recovered quickly as one way or another he would have to do it anyway.
Evan looked around the cabin as he followed his militant instincts to first any place he was in.
The cabin had a small table, a bed, and hangers on the wall for keeping the clothes and the coat. It also had a small window from which the sea view could be seen. The window had a glass that was movable to keep the window shut or open. To restrict light, the window also had curtains.
Evan once again drew a long breath and brought out his cigar from his pocket. With the lighter which was only recently invented, he lit the cigar.
The sound of the bell again rang in the air which signified that the ship would soon sail in a few moments. As the sound of the bell come to an end, Evan exhaled a puff of smoke which drifted for a while and then disintegrated in the air.