The Oceanic Voyage of Silver Dollar

There once was a horse named Silver Dollar, who inhabited the city of Belfast on the Emerald Isle in the year 1912. The finest specimen of Irish Draft Horse in the country, he was of great stamina, sheer size, and beautiful anatomical design of muscle, bone, and sinew clothed in a bright fur of shining silver dapples. A local legend, he could haul large stocks of timber, pull carriages full of his family, and tout his owner and saddle of packs for longer than any other horse. The farmer who owned him said he had been blessed with ownership of this fine horse and owed the horse's honorable personality to grand breeding, near perfect confirmation, and good training. Along with a naturally business-like disposition for farm horse work, he possessed an affinity for all people and animals, children and adults alike, domesticated predatory animals and fellow herd prey members both. 

   Hardships fell upon his owner’s family that year, 1912. He had to be sold at a local stock fair to the highest bidder. Having the need for a fine and hardy plow horse, a foreigner across the pond from America who had Irish roots, planning to return home onboard the Titanic, was the lucky winner. When the Titanic's lifeboats were being tested in the very same coastal city to verify how heavy a load of people they could carry, Silver Dollar and his new owner boarded the ship as it made it’s way down the European coastline where it stopped last in London, before continuing its voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.

   Having never been onboard a ship before, Silver Dollar took to his new journey in a lightly startled manner. The smooth rolling motion of the ship upon the water, the feeling of still moving even while standing still in his box stall on board, gave the horse a slightly unsteady feeling. Used to being a plow-puller and mover of earth, this was a situational turnaround. The motion of the oceanic vessel , moved him, instead. Not only this, but his keeping was within earshot of the ship's coal-furnace powered engines, whose whistling and crackling noises took some getting used to. 

   Silver Dollar, who had taken to sleeping lying down, to avoid being rocked out of sleep by the sometimes uncertain motion chartered by the Titanic’s course, awoke one night to the sound of music. Classical music. 

   Apparently the ship's band for the First Class passengers was ordered to board and practice and tune their instruments in the same hull compartment as the draft horse’s stall. First Class employees receiving one-star hospitality treatment. Such was the way of the social classes at times. One musician, wrinkling his nose in disgust, said in a faded Irish brogue, “Aye, lads, we’d better be careful we don’t step in any horse shite down here. Ain’t it grand, us practicing live classical music for a pony before tuning up for a bunch of snobs.”

   To which a companion replied, “That’s no pony, that there’s a big ole draft HORSE. An Irish breed from the looks of it, right from the same country as your ancestors hailed from. Don’t go insulting your country.”

    “Still just a smelly pony, to me. I've nothing to do with countryside. Grew up in the city, I did.”

   “Would both of you be quiet and finish tuning up so we can get used to playing aboard?” The third of the band warned, taking up his violin between his chin and shoulder. 

   The horse nickered softly to the band of players in greeting, and the violinist gave him a pat. Having read the plaque attached to the stall, he greeted the steed by name and gave a friendly smile. The horse curiously lifted his muzzle to the musician's head and breathed in deep, then out. 

   “See that, fellows? He likes me!” The player delighted and marveled at the horse's friendliness. The brief love affair ended when Silver Dollar boldly tried to explore and lip and grasp the violin's bow in his teeth. “Hey, now!” The man said, reprimanding, “this here is for music playing, not horse eating!” 

Giving the horse a stern look and a light slap on the nose, he turned away to practice. 

   As the band started to play, the horse seemingly enchanted and charmed by sound, Silver Dollar began nodding his head to the beat created by the harmonic melody. The musical trio smiled wide in unison at acknowledgement of the horse’s fandom as they continued to tune the air with their aerosmith tools. Finally the horse’s excitement subsided into calm, and he was lulled into a fitful sleep. Upon finishing practice, the band packed away their instruments into each units respective parcels, and scurried away to sleep the remainder of the night.

   The next day, Silver Dollar greeted his owner with a bright loud whinny and curt head nod. Approaching the massive animal, the owner wrapped one arm around the horse’s muscular neck and Silver Dollar reciprocated by tucking his head affectionately around his owner’s body, in a horse version of a hug. Haltering and shanking the horse led to hot-walking up and down the aisle. He needed the exercise. Deciding to take a risk, he led the horse to an upper deck onboard the ship, to really get some fresh air. The animal gazed calmly and serenely at the translucent turquoise waves churning around and over each other in a tumultuous pattern. The awe was short-lived as a crew member soon called out, “Hey, there! What’s this now, we can’t have the livestock up on deck!” 

   “He needs to stretch his legs.”

   “Well, I don’t need to be picking up any manure. Get him back to the hold!” The sailor retorted.

   Upon returning Silver Dollar to his stall, his owner apologized with a comforting pat and said, “there’s a boy. Don’t worry. Soon we will be off the Titanic and in America. You’re gonna love it there!” 

   Silver Dollar turned away to lay down on the straw covered wooden flooring of the box stall. He gave a sigh and blew out through his large, delicate nostrils. Closing his eyes, he drifted to sleep for a brief nap as his owner departed. 

   Suddenly the whole boat shuddered, shaking the horse from a calm and fitful rest. Dusk had fallen to twilight. His owner approached the stall at a run, and the horse started to rear in the roomy high-ceilinged stall. Attempts to comfort were to of no avail. Crew members bustled by in every direction, someone saying something about the ship striking an iceberg. The ship was going to sink. 

   Entering the stall, Silver Dollar's owner somehow managed to wrangle him into his leading gear, speaking in firm hushed tones. “Won’t be a complaint about you being up on deck, now, with everyone worrying about there own arses. Hmm?” 

   The horse caught the nervous panicky excitement up on the deck in the waves of people shifting about, being shuffled into lifeboats. A crew member was lighting off fireworks to signal distress from any ship that may be nearby enough to help. Silver Dollar’s calm and patient demeanor was tested to it’s very limits. The horse stood there shuddering nervously from stress and empathy for the people and animals aboard who were in a fight for their survival in a race against the inevitable sinking time of the ship into the icy dark waters below. 

   A few hours later, with the ship about to split into two halves, and sink to its watery grave below, another oceanic vessel arrived on the scene. The ship's crew had seen the flares from afar and changed course to offer aid. Upon aligning close enough with the sinking ship to tie up a binding bridge between the two boats, Silver Dollar and his owner carefully walked across the rafted rickety structure to safety above the chasm bottomed with the ocean's surface below. 

   Shuffling across more people to get them off the failing ship to safety, they could not save them all. Many people leapt overboard in a crazy panic already at the potential prospect of dying. Others were huddled in lifeboats aglide on the water nearby. Titanic was at least three times the size of the oil and shipment barge turned rescue ship, and could not accommodate them all. Captain’s orders, the richest and the youngest as well as the women gained space first. A few men charged aboard in rebellious desperation. Finally, the ship reached maximum passenger capacity and had to keep going on to America. 

   In a quiet corner on deck, Silver Dollar and his owner watched the image of the magnificent ship finally splitting and sinking to its unfortunate end. They settled in for the rest of the voyage and tried to proceed with bright spirits despite the disaster.

   Days later, the rescue ship neared land in a bay of New York City, New York. Word of the disaster had already reached the country and been written of in the newspaper. Applause roared and could be heard miles away, as the ship passed the Statue of Liberty, even. As the ship made port, and was tethered into place, ladders and ramps set in place, to disembark the vessel, Silver Dollar and his owner calmly strolled through the crowded deck area and made way for land. The horse had uplifted many a spirit with his mere presence and delighted the children on deck who tried to feed him numerous treats. In light of the disaster, the novelty of the horse and of being one with such a pleasant disposition, sparked a quiet glow of happiness upon sight to those who glimpsed him, even briefly. 

   The applause at the survivors reached a crescendo as the horse and owner descended the ramp into the dock's crowds. The horse Silver Dollar assumed it was for him, and set in a special proud stance at the joyous sound of it. He lowered his head as his owner tugged at the line and calmly followed him into the bustling buzz of this new city.