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Voyager Chapter 63

Out of the Depths

Voyager © Diana Gabaldon 1994



When Jamie, Claire, Ian and Lawrence reach the shore they can see that the Bruja lies on its side surrounded by agitated slaves from the plantation. Glancing to the horizon another large ship looms visible, which alarms Jamie, and even as he encourages the others to make a run for it, they see, a further smaller boat which belongs to the Governor of Jamaica. By the time they get to the edge of the beach, a rowing boat is headed towards them, and with musket shot fired at them, they make a dash for the boat. Duncan Innes is at the helm of this small craft, and with some skill negotiates the boat through the wake of the ship Porpoise, which is headed for the shore and the slave ship. However, it soon becomes obvious that the Porpoise has changed tactics, and their small craft becomes the target, but with Innes at the helm, and an erratic set of manoeuvres, the gunfire fails to hit them. Suddenly a loud boom renders the air and the Bruja is blown up, with severe loss of life.

“Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death”Ian finishes his prayer in a whisper, and crossed himself again.


The threat of the man of war is always present as they set course for Eleuthera, but with no sight of land, they have little choice but to keep going, however, as the Porpoise gains ground, it becomes obvious that a storm is brewing, and with the sea raging the Porpoise takes a hit, which splits her main mast, and sinks her into the maelstrom. And even as they see the horror of the drowned men on board the Porpoise, another huge wave engulfs the smaller boat, and Claire finds herself under water. With speech impossible the few members of the crew huddle together for protection, and with the eerie light of St Elmo’s fire surrounding them, and with no clue as to their geographical position, they prepare to sit out the storm.....

Five days pass, and with some excitement land is spotted, but they have no idea where they are – and then Claire suddenly finds herself falling through the water, and with a searing pain in her leg she drifts in and out of consciousness......but is always aware of Jamie presence.

Waking up, Claire finds, to her astonishment that she is laying in a clean bed with Jamie sitting at her bed-side. Her leg is still painful, and may even be broken, but when told she was hit by a broken topmast, and that Jamie had dived into the sea to save her, she realises she is lucky to have escaped death. She is further dismayed when Jamie explains in order to save them both, some items of clothing had to be left behind in the water. This included Jamie’s coat which contained the precious photographs of Brianna, and the miniature portrait of Willie. “Aye well” he said softly “I expect I will remember them”.
Fortunately, Jamie didn’t relinquish his hold on their precious haul of gemstones – an emerald, a ruby, a fiery opal and Geillis Duncan’s black diamond, which now glitter in his palm...

Interrupting Jamie and Claire’s quiet conversation, a door opens and a young woman enters the room, initially shy and slightly unsure she is able to assure Jamie that his crew men are safe and being fed in her kitchen. She introduces herself as Patsy Olivier, wife to Mr Joseph Olivier of Les Perles. Jamie and Claire look puzzled, and unsure of his location, Jamie finally asks Mrs Olivier.. “But what we mean is – what island is this?

Mrs Olivier smiled indulgently “You are not on an island at all. You are on the mainland in the Colony of Georgia.”
Blown almost 600 miles off course, the Frasers are stunned to contemplate that they have been reprieved. A new world.

Refuge. Freedom. America.

“In that case ma’am” he said “my name is James Fraser” He looked then at me, eyes blue and brilliant as the sky behind him, and his heart beat strong in the palm of my heart.
“And this is Claire” he said “my wife”



The title of this last chapter comes from De Profundis: Psalm 29 (Out of the Depths)

Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord; Lord hear my voice. Let Thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. If Thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities, Lord, who shall stand it? For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness, and by reason of Thy law, I have waited for Thee, O Lord. My soul has relied on His word, my soul hath hoped in the Lord. From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord. Because with the Lord there is mercy; and with Him plentiful redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.







What a journey it has been:

• The debris of the battle of Culloden, and a lone survivor hiding in the Highlands of Scotland..
• Traitor to the crown, and life as a groom in the English Lake District - obscurity is not without its distractions..
• A search for a husband, and a father amongst the dusty pages of history..
• From the danger of passing through the standing stones at Craigh na dun, to the print shop in Edinburgh, and a love story reunion..
• With smugglers and contraband, and a whole company of ladies of easy virtue..
• Lallybroch – and a prodigal returns – but with family ties, vital secrets are exposed...
• Kidnap - and a journey into the unknown..
• Seasickness, acupuncture and exotic birds...
• Abandonment, disease, and Claire’s meeting with the new governor of Jamaica..
• Photographs, miniatures and a pocket to put the bairns in..
• A wedding, a priest and a flock of goats..
• Murderers, mayhem, and a witch with a Jacobite curse..
• Slavery, prophecies, and the scent of gemstones...
• Gunships, shipwrecks, and St Elmo’s Fire..
• Sea storms, safety and refuge in America..


Out of the depths I have cried to thee ...Forgiveness: Redemption: Hope for a future together in America..



Thank you for staying with us, and for being part of our combined journey through this epic book. We have loved reading your thoughts and insights into this amazing story, and look forward to starting Drums of Autumn, at a date to be arranged.
A huge thank you to all those who have prepared chapter summaries – we couldn’t have done this without you all....and our eternal gratitude to Diana Gabaldon for giving us the words....and firing our imagination.

Wonderful summary and wrap-up, Sassenach! And, I'd like to join in your thanks to everyone who has written summaries and/or participated in discussions. It's been lots of fun.

I happened to have flipped to the first chapter in the middle of this one and for the first time noticed an interesting parallel. The first sentence of the first chapter is "He was dead." The first sentence of the last section within this last chapter (page1053 in my paperback edition) is "I was dead." So it started with Jamie injured severely enough, at Culloden, that he believed himself dead and (just about) ends with Claire injured severely enough, after the storm at sea and being tossed overboard, that she believes herself dead. But, a few pages later when it really ends, things are far more hopeful of a new life in the New World.

I just looked at Google maps to figure out where they were and where they ended up (my geography is not great and I didn't know where Eleuthera was). Interesting. And, amazing that the storm tossed them so far (and that Jamie and Claire and the rest of the crew landed so near one another - I think they could have been separated much more widely if J&C were in the water for a decent amount of time).

I had a moment of wondering why the Porpoise was so intent on getting them. Clearly the escaped slaves were a higher priority (which makes sense), but they didn't seem to go ashore to try to catch those who had escaped inland before the Bruja was destroyed. But, then I remembered that even if they might have been willing to give up on catching Jamie (is one smuggler really that important?), they had stolen the governor of Jamaica's boat, so that would be more reason to go after them. Not that the governor would have desired it, but they don't realize that.

I was a little surprised that Jamie was so calm about Ian being OK and not far away. I know he was mostly concerned about Claire, but considering all they went through to rescue Ian - and how close they came to being too late - I thought there'd be a bit more concern since they couldn't actually see what happened to the boat and its crew.

I know I always get confused with the gemstones: how many they have, where they end up going. At times, I've thought that changes/is inconsistent. I think I'll try to pay attention to it as we work our way through Drums (and beyond). Right now, I think they have six: an emerald, a ruby, a fiery opal, a blue turquoise, a "golden stone like sun trapped in honey" (what is that?), and the black diamond/adamant.

I've really enjoyed these detailed discussions. So much I had missed or forgotten has been brought up again. Thanks everyone!

Thanks to everyone for this rereading of Voyager. For me the end of this book is confusing. This reread has helped! Parts of the last chapters seem a bit far fetched. But Hey! That's why we call it fiction. I am somewhat familiar with the Caribbean and the boat was indeed washed a very far off shore. To make it all the way up the coast of Florida to Georgia is amazing. The "golden stone like sun trapped in honey" must be amber. I am looking forward to our next read.

Wonderful wrap-up! Thank you for this!

I assumed the golden stone was a topaz, but maybe we'll find out in the next book.

I love how the book ended with Jamie finally being able to claim his own name, with Claire there beside him. A new land, a new beginning! So beautiful.

When do we start Drums??? Can't wait!

Sassenach, what a nice ending to Voyager! Your journey summary is great and I loved the reference to the title and the Psalm; very fitting to the theme of the entire book, really.

What a lovely thought!!!

Thank you - it was a pleasure to be able to share this book with so many of you and I love wrapping up a good book .....

This morning I was thinking that in addition to getting away from various authorities who are after Jamie, starting over in the New World makes things a little more even for him and Claire. Claire has been completely displaced from her time and place and friends and all. Now, Jamie has been displaced from his home country and continent and most of his friends, (though he does have Ian and a few of his men), so they get to make a fresh start together. It's not quite as extreme for Jamie - no change in time, for example - but it's still a big change.

This fresh start really does level the playing field for Jamie and Claire. She's no longer trying to fit into his already established life; now they're moving forward together. What a fantastic adventure for them, to be starting with nothing but the clothes on their backs (and a pocketful of jewels!). For ordinary people, we might worry how they'd survive... but given their strength and talents, there's no doubt of their success!

Wonderful chapter summary and overview of the adventure in Voyager, Sassenach. I agree with everyone's comments about the ending. Jamie and Claire have come full circle and are ready to start anew with barely any clothes on their back.

ABL, nice observation on the similiarities between the beginning and ending of Voyager. It seems that Claire has cheated death almost as many times as Jamie and they both owe their survival to one another to a large extent.

I had assumed that Captain Leonard was pursuing the ship, knowing somehow that Jamie was aboard. Given the whirlwind turn of events, I gather Jamie had little time to worry about leaving Ian, Fergus or Marsali behind. His attention was focused solely on Claire, who had only resumed consciousness.

I'm sad that this is all ready over (seeing as how I only discovered you all a month or so ago)! I'm looking forward to starting Drums of Autumn!