On The Island With Charles Darwin

By Dr. Barbara Ten Brink

On the Island with Charles Darwin is a work of fiction. While we know lots and lots about the life and work of Charles Darwin through preserved documents, notebooks, publications, letters, correspondence, membership in The Royal Society, we know nothing about the fictional characters I have created around him. The characters, their names, and ev

• Language: English
• Publisher: Authors Press
• Release date: Jan 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781643144726

Dr. Barbara Ten Brink

Dr. ten Brink is a science educator of 49 years. Her novel, On the Island with Charles Darwin, is the culmination of her teaching of science and love of nature. She traveled to Galápagos and experienced many of the events in this fictional account, including hiring the young island naturalist guides who thought it great fun to take her swimming with sharks. The City of Austin presented Dr. ten Brink the distinguished service award in 2000. In 2008, she received the Conservator of the Colorado River Award which she shared with Lady Bird Johnson, posthumously. Find her other books at https://barbaratenbrinkbooks.com

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On the Island with

Charles Darwin

Barbara ten Brink

Copyright © 2021 by Barbara Ten Brink

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN: 978-1-64314-470-2 (Paperback)

978-1-64314-471-9 (Hardback)

978-1-64314-472-6 (E-book)

AuthorsPress

California, USA

www.authorspress.com

Dedication

To my mother, Irene Sugar Hamilton Rieck,

who encouraged my love of science

and taught me to reconcile life’s mysteries.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Author’s Notes 65

Chapter 1

An Island Interrupted

Ships are not frequent occurrences to our island. But every ship crossing the Pacific Ocean has to stop at one or more islands of the Galápagos Archipelago to pick up supplies. And every ship that stops at our island is met with great celebration and anticipation. Whether it is off loading convicts or horses or stores, everyone on the island meets the ship. Some people just come to gape. Señoras set up food stands with carne or fish and pico wrapped in lettuce or banana leaves or pan. All the señors carry planks of wood to bridge the pier to the ship and assist the crew in disembarking cargo. Young people launch dories from which to watch the activities. Every ship is met with singing, panpipes or rondadors, flutes, drums or bombas, shekere, and flag waving.

In my young life, I had met probably ten ships, maybe one or two per year. We islanders did not care if the ships sailed under a British flag, a Dutch flag, Spanish, or Portuguese, or even one time, a Japanese whaling ship. It did not matter to us. Every ship came with a purpose and a purse. Some paid with money. Some paid in bartered goods. Either way, every islander who met the ship came away with his or her pockets lined with enough shillings, guilders, dinero, or escudos to sustain their entire family with our meager wants and needs until the next ship.

Before one person had touched shore, señoritas were giggling about a new shawl or hair comb, señors slapped each other on the back and teased about all the cerveza they would consume. Mi madre wanted a new cook pot. Mi padre wanted glass beads from Italy for the new gourd shekere he was making. I kept my wish to myself. It was too ambitious. I had saved every dinero from the last two ships. I had hidden my money in a clay jar at the very top shelf and back of Mama’s pantry. All my family teased me about my great secret and hidden wealth, but I was just too worried something would go wrong if I shared my dream with anyone.

When the news arrived from the islands east of us that a ship was in port at Isla de San Cristóbal, I could barely contain my excitement. If I did as well with these passengers as I had with the last ship, I would realize my dream to buy my own dory! Not a new one, a used one from Juan Diego. J.D. was going to sell his and buy a new one. Can you imagine? J.D. was 15 years old and already had enough money to buy a brand new boat. Part of our deal was that he would help me repair