Philip Jenkins was fourteen when the Ring of Fire sent Grantville to 1631. By 1633, he had developed an interest in tropical plants, and had grown several - even some trees - indoors. As a result of this, he met Maria Vorst, and became interested in her, even though she was ten years older. In December 1633, his infatuation with her led him to stow away on David de Vries' ship Walvis before it set sail for South America. He want along on the raid on Granada, because the Miskitos who had been tapping rubber all went, and he would have lost status among them if he didn't.