Port of Errors (22 page)

“Let the lady go!” demanded Scurvy.

“No, I’m not doing that. I’d rather stay alive if that’s alright with you. I’m walking out of here with the wench.”

“No you’re not, Mate,” replied Scurvy, with a taunting and teasing laugh. Sarcastically, he reminded the wretched fellow, “I told you you’d get your
reward
if you done what you did.”

Suddenly, he took a quick aim and with complete confidence, pulled the trigger, tagging him directly between the eyes. Shaken up and not knowing what to say, Lady Stirvin began to sob sadly, yet thankfully. Unable to contain herself, she ran to Scurvy and threw her arms around him.

“My name is Captain Scurvy Shaw, Royal Privateer, me Lady. I come, calling on behalf of Captain Stirvin.”

As Katherine took a quick seat, Scurvy and the others did not.

“I am sorry, Me Lady. But we must ask that you accompany us for your own safety and protection. I don’t wish to alarm you more, but a pirate by the name of Black-Hearted intends to make a hostage of you and we cannot afford any mistakes. These attacks do come in waves – it’s the way of war, you see. But Black-Hearted will never suspect that Captain Stirvin would place you aboard a pirate ship. ‘Tis the perfect escape until Black-Hearted is hanging in irons.”

“Why hasn’t Daniel come himself or bothered to write?”

“You should put your trust in me.” Scurvy showed her the letter of commission signed by Queen Anne and Captain Stirvin, assuring her of his authenticity. “Queen Anne has commissioned me a privateer; the only privateer with legal accountability. If she trusts in me, I think you should as well.”

“Where do you intend on taking me and how much time do I have?”

“I am sorry, but you have no time at all. We must leave at once,” stated Scurvy in a nervous tone, “We’ll be going to my ship and from there, well,
elsewhere
. I was instructed to share this information with no one, including you, Me Lady. Word travels fast and we cannot compromise your safety.” Scurvy put forth his hand, “Come, we must leave at once.”

“I cannot go right now,” stated Katherine. “I need to gather my things.” She wrote a quick letter to Captain Stirvin, packed a few items and innocently placed her trust in the men before her.

“May we appropriate your carriage?” asked Scurvy, ever so kindly. “It’ll save us a long walk as well as conceal your departure.”

Katherine innocently yet aptly agreed.

As they progressed forward to the Weeping Lady, Stephen rode on the carriage top with Bones at the reigns. Edward followed on Duke, Katherine’s prize-winning horse.

The evening grew dark and a deep anxiety filled the air. Although things did not seem right to Katherine, she did as she was asked. As they continued toward the harbor, Stephen noticed around a dozen men on horseback, blocking the path up ahead.

“Gunner, Eric, ready yourselves,” ordered Scurvy, as they cocked their pistol. A shot was heard from without the carriage. Scurvy, Eric and Gunner leaped from the carriage and found Stephen lying on the ground, shot in the side. Bones jumped off his seat, as Edward and Gunner came around, joining Scurvy, who was crouched low to the ground by the carriage door. Soon Edward was able to join them as well. Being nothing more than a show pony, Duke ran off, spooked by the gunshot.

“I’m Captain Benjamin Hornigold. What business have you here?” he hollered, pointing his firearm toward the carriage.

“We’re on official business!” shouted Scurvy in reply. “And what sort of business have you? Privateers are banned – all but for me. And, my apologies, but I hereby arrest you in the name of Queen Anne. Throw down your weapons and give yourselves up!”

“I’ll have you know, Scurvy, that Admiral Flynn is a longtime friend to me and trusted officer to the crown; the highest ranking, in the navy. You’re not the only legal privateer in these parts, Mate. So, I’ll ask you again – what sort of business brings you to these parts? You wouldn’t happen to have Lady Stirvin with you now, would you?”

Speaking very rapidly, Scurvy whispered to Lady Stirvin, “I’m sorry, Lady Stirvin, but there is no way out of this tonight. When they take you, do not fret, I promise I will come for you. Hornigold will not risk killing you; you are his ransom and your death would cost him a lot of money. You must do all you can to struggle free from him and cause him much trouble. Remember that it was I who saved your life. He would have you believe otherwise. You cannot trust this man.”

“Benjamin Hornigold killed my brother for a small ransom,” replied Lady Stirvin, “I’ll never trust him.”

“Good,” said Scurvy. He then replied to Captain Hornigold, shouting, “The official sort of business brings me here. What would give you the idea I would have such a woman?”

Speaking to his men, Captain Hornigold was done playing around with meaningless gibberish. “Bring them to me!”

“Aye Sir,” replied Bones and Edward simultaneously, as they pointed their pistols at Scurvy and the others, who were still crouched with their backs to the carriage.

Scurvy was in complete shock. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“You might call it official business,” said Bones. “Now, shut your mouth and stand up!” Bones kicked Scurvy to his feet as Eric, Gunner and Katherine followed with their hands up, free of weapons. Stephen was lying on the ground with his face down in the dirt, apparently lifeless from the shot.

Captain Hornigold ordered his men to snatch Lady Stirvin from Gunner’s side. Scurvy, Gunner and Eric were tied up and placed into the carriage.

While Captain Hornigold departed with Lady Stirvin, the smell of smoke slowly filled the inside of the carriage, where Scurvy, Gunner and Eric sat. As the flames shot through the frame, they struggled ferociously to free themselves. The carriage began to move when the horses became spooked from the flames and the faster they ran the more intense the fire grew. After several minutes the heat and smoke completely engulfed the carriage. Each man was sweating profusely, due to the consuming heat and anxious situation; they could hardly breathe. As they shouted for help they were overtaken and began to pass out.

Suddenly a voice could be heard without the carriage as it sped aimlessly about. “Woe!” yelled Stephen as he pulled back on the reins of the coach, “Woe!” Stephen had found Duke, not far from the ambush and used him to catch up to the carriage. Looking around in a panic through the darkness, he spotted a sizable pond and he raced toward the water, slowly steering the horses in. The freezing water quickly flooded the cabin midway. Stephen then hurried to the side door prying it open with a large tree branch.

Promptly untying each person, Stephen explained what happened. As he persisted in his narration, they noticed his sleeve soaked through and dripping with blood. Using the horses from the carriage, they quickly rode off to the Weeping Lady, where Stephen’s wound was directly treated upon their boarding.

Scurvy gathered his crew, “We’ll have to wait here ‘til Stirvin arrives tomorrow eve. Rest up me hearties, we have a long day ahead of us.”

Black-hearted continued to sail toward Port Lorne. Knowing that the Crimson Reef and the Sentry would both be docked there, he ordered the helm to sail to North Cove, where he ordered a longboat prepared and lowered into the water. As the evening sky fell upon the two ships Black-Hearted made his thoughts known. He, Darby O’Dell and four others entered the longboat and rowed toward Port Lorne. Several large barrels labeled
salt
were centered in the longboat with them.

The trip would take half a day with four men rowing at all times. The sea was calm and the wind was in their favor, as they stuck tight to the shore, pushing themselves slowly along over the shallow reef. As Black-Hearted rounded the corner of the last protruding rock, Port Lorne and the harbor, on which the Crimson Reef sat, came into view. Beaching their longboat, they left their
salt
-labeled barrels by the water’s edge. They then pulled their longboat over the soft and sandy shore, into a nearby grouping of brush and trees, leaving their boots within the boat. Black-Hearted was not going to risk being caught by the knocking sound of boots against the wooden deck of an enemy ship. Now completely barefoot, they returned to their barrels and pushed them into the water until they began to float. They then commenced their precarious advance toward the Crimson Reef.

Thinking Black-Hearted might come for Isabel on any given night, Captain Stirvin wished to be prepared and made sure his lookouts stood watch over the broad sea. He felt that if Black-Hearted was to come, he would arrive boldly and in plain view so the main focus was the distant horizon. But, unbeknownst to those stationed there, Black-Hearted and his men waded through the water toward them, under the guise of early morning darkness. Knowing most of the crew would be asleep, Black-Hearted was confident his plan could work.

Continuing deeper on into the water, they soon had to swim. To save their much needed energy, the barrels labeled
salt
, being very heavy but air-tight, helped to buoy them up in the cold ocean tide. Unable to keep their pistols dry, their blades would have to suffice if they were to be discovered.

When they arrived outside the Crimson Reef, a rustle was heard against the ship in the water by one of the lookouts. Peeking over the side, he could see nothing passed the bulging hull. However, treading water with their backs to the ship and barrels to their sides, Black-Hearted and his men, kept just out of sight by the protruding belly of the massive hull. Darby noticed a small latter extending down from the dock to the water a few yards away. Black-Hearted and two of his men cautiously ascended the latter to the floor of the dock adjacent to the Crimson Reef. Two lookouts could be heard pacing about on the forecastle deck just above them at the front of the ship. Darby and the other two men stayed in the water with the barrels. Upon hearing the captain speak to his lookouts on the forecastle, Black-Hearted and his two men quickly dropped to their bellies on the dock and snuck as close to the ship as possible.

“You men keep watch!” ordered Captain Stirvin. “I’m going to turn in for a few hours. Wake me the very moment you see anything suspicious.”

When Captain Stirvin closed the door to his quarters, it was time for Black-Hearted and his men to complete their task. Black-Hearted rose from his belly to a crouching position and spotted a rope hanging over the gunwale. The end of it was nearly touching the dock upon which they stood. Standing below the bow, they were careful to keep their steps soft on the creaking old planks of wood, as they made their way to the rope at the rear end of the ship. When Black-Hearted gripped it tight with both hands, placing one foot against the broad hull and proceeded to walk upward, followed by his two men. Placing hand over hand and foot over foot they slowly continued upward. Without the boot tread, having left their boots with the longboat, it made for a slippery climb, but they managed it quite well. A few subtle creaks on the wooden hull created an anxious worry within each man. But not a single sound was noticed by the lookouts. As they reached the gunwale, they carefully slid over the top and stepped onto the main deck undetected. Rushing over to a bulk of supplies bunched up against the quarterdeck wall, they quickly hid between the wall and the supplies. While they sat in wait for an opportunity to act, several large and diseased rats scurried about their feet.

“We have to hoist the barrels up,” whispered Black-Hearted. “Be careful. Be silent.”

Creating a plan to hoist their salt-labeled barrels up to the main deck, they crept nervously out to a position against the gunwale just over Darby. Black-Hearted lowered a rope down, while the other two kept watch on the main deck, hidden within the shadows. Darby and the men in the water with him then tied the end of the rope around one of their barrels. As Black-Hearted, now assisted by his two men, began to hoist the barrel up, a rumbling reverberation of the rope against the gunwale was heard by one of the lookouts. As he walked over to investigate, the intruders stopped what they were doing and pulled out a few small blades ready for a confrontation. Unable to pinpoint the sound, which had now stopped, the lookout walked back to his post with only a slight suspicion. Placing a rag between the taught rope and the ridged gunwale, the sound became muffled enough for Black-Hearted to proceed. As the barrel was dropped on to the main deck, a scratching thud alerted the two lookouts still pacing about the quarterdeck. The two lookouts curiously, yet cautiously, raced back down to the area of the sound, as Black-Hearted and his men hurried back to their hiding spot behind the bulk of supplies. As the lookouts shuffled things around, looking for the origin of the sound, Black-Hearted grabbed two really sizeable rats by the tail ends and flung them out into the open. As they raced off in separate directions, they created their own commotion, similar to anything the lookouts thought they may have heard.

“I’m getting way too jumpy,” said one of the lookouts. “Everything sounds like a pirate to me!”

“Just keep to your task ‘til it’s time to change out our post for a hammock,” stated the other in a calming tone. “It’s only minutes more.”

As they talked themselves back to their post, Black-Hearted and his men placed the barrel behind the supplies at the quarterdeck wall, where they rested for a moment.

“Alright mates,” whispered Black-Hearted, “let’s finish the task before it’s too late. If they even suspect we’ve been here before they ship off, this will all be for naught.”

Black-Hearted and his two men then hoisted the second salt-labeled barrel to the main deck with greater efficiency, setting it by the first. But, as the third and last barrel ascended, it softly tapped the side of the ship, making barely a sound. Black-Hearted and his men stopped pulling for a moment, listening for movement from the lookouts in response to the sound. With nervous tension they waited, but the lookouts somehow gave no notice. Black-Hearted continued until all three barrels were sitting against the quarterdeck wall.