Summary

Chapter 9 (The Farewell). When the Sommers family goes to town, several of them are planning to leave. John Sommers meets with the Santa Cruz couple, who ask him to be the captain on their new steamboat enterprise. They catch up on old times, including an update on Jacob Todd. Meanwhile, Eliza, unwillingly accompanied by Mama Fresia attempts to find passage on a ship to California. She follows another woman into a saloon, only to be accosted by drunken men who mistake her for a prostitute. She is rescued by Tao Chi’en, who reluctantly agrees to help her sneak on board a ship. That night he smuggles Eliza onto The Emilia, whose crew he has joined as a cook. He secures her in a storage hold for the duration of the voyage. He will have access to her in order to bring her food and...