The Pirate Raiders (10 page)

  “Redd, my old friend,” he began.  “I’m afraid my news is both good and bad.”

I cringed at that.

  “Okay, give me the good news first,” I said.

  “They are all behind you in your quest to stop Captain Trimble.  There was a boisterous sound of unity among the men and I was proud to see that they all were willing to shoulder such a burden for the fate of the world.”

  “And the bad news?” I asked reluctantly.

Ricardo pulled his hat from his head and laid it on the table before him; he drummed his fingers on the table.

  “It seems that most of my crew
is unwilling to help in your efforts to rescue Mr. Littleton.”

I closed my eyes and turned my head in a pitiful attempt to hide my disappointment. 

  “Very well,” I said, rising from the table.  “You did what you could and I am quite pleased that you are all so willing to help with Captain Trimble.”

Ricardo rose from the table, a shameful look upon his face.

  “Redd, I consider Gordon a personal friend of mine,” he said.

I held up a hand in what could only be construed as a rude attempt to silence him.

  “Ricardo, it is alright and there is no reason to apologize.  A captain must listen to the concerns of his crew and heed them as well.”

  “Yes,” he replied.  “But I am apologizing for nothing.”

The comment struck me as if it were a slap on the face.  I stared at him, with wide-eyed surprise.

  “Calm yourself,” Ricardo said, sensing my building anger.  “I
said that
most
of my crew is unwilling to help, not
all
of them.”

  “Please get to the point,” I said impatiently.

  “You will have my sword, and the swords of all on my crew that are willing,” he said, smiling.  “We will probably be outmanned, but as you said earlier, it is not only my muscle that you need, but my wits as well.”

  “Aye, I did,” I replied.

  “Well, señor, I’ve already come up with a plan that I think will work so that we may save Gordon, and make
Neptune’s Castle
yours.”

Ricardo
commanded a fleet of ships, but the prize of the lot was a Spanish galleon affectionately named
Jane
.  She was quite a large ship, armed with fifty guns and usually crewed by close to 200 pirates.  Her fearsome size sometimes proved to be problematic during battle, for a ship that size is not endowed with the maneuverability of a sloop or brig.  Intimidation seemed to do the trick where smaller ships were concerned and, more times than not, Ricardo managed to overtake a foe without firing a single cannon.  Most captains that piloted smaller ships were content to surrender and embrace their lives instead of fighting or running and therefore chancing a trip to Davy Jones’s locker.

Ricardo chose
Jane
for our well-planned confrontation with Captain Edward Sutton and
Neptune’s Castle
; the former ship being slightly larger than the latter.  It was his hope that the sheer size of the ship would give us a little added insurance when it came time to execute the devious plan we’d concocted on the balcony a short time ago. 

Unfortunately, there would be no crew of 200 pirates, as it seemed only fifty of Ricardo’s men decided to join
my own crew of thirty-nine.  Nevertheless, it would be enough men to pilot both
Jane
and
Henrietta. 

We spent what little o
f the afternoon remained loading
Jane
with food and water needed to continue onward to New Providence directly after our mission to acquire Gordon and
Neptune’s Castle
. 

That evening, when the ships were nearly ready to set sail, I returned to
Jane’s Kitchen
and said goodbye to the establishment’s namesake (as I’d promised).  I would have liked a moment alone with her, but Ricardo accompanied me.   I suppose it was his right to do so since Jane was his mate and not mine.  However, his presence made me uncomfortable and made me feel as if I had to harness my emotions when I spoke to her.  I admitted to myself that it was wrong of me to feel that way about my friend’s lover, but it was not something within my control.

When we arrived, Jane was already hard at work in the kitchen, so much so that she did not even notice our presence.  Ricardo tip-toed behind her and slipped his arms around her waist.  She was obviously familiar with his touch, or maybe even the smell of him, because she smiled
without even looking back.  She knew it was him.  Jane tilted her head back and kissed Ricardo on the lips.  The gesture turned my insides in to knots, but no one would be able to tell by looking at me.  I made sure of it. 

It was at this moment that Jane peered over at me.  As my eyes met her sparkling green
ones, it was all I could do to keep myself from smiling a boyish grin.  It seemed my only defense was to simply look away from her.  She took Ricardo to a private corner of the kitchen and out of the corner of my eye I could see them whispering.  From the look upon Jane’s face, I figured out that Ricardo was telling her of our plan to hunt down Captain Trimble and the
Sea Witch
.  When they finished speaking the two of them suddenly embraced as if it would be the last time they would ever see each other again.  The thought of Jane never seeing Ricardo again gave my heart a flutter of hope—I suddenly shook my head and found myself feeling shame for even allowing a thought like that to enter my head. 

The two of them finally strolled back in my direction, arm in arm.  Once they were within an arms-reach of me, Jane pulled away from Ricardo and put her arms around my neck, pulling me down toward her.
She kissed me on the cheek.

  “I’ll look after Ricardo,” I said to her softly. 

  “I know that you will,” she replied and then she pulled my ear close to her lips.

  “If anything should happen to him, I want you to be the one to tell me,” she whispered.

I drew back from her and nodded in acknowledgement. 

  “Everything is going to b
e just fine, don’t you worry,” I assured her.

She nodded, but her somber expression told me she didn’
t believe me.  Jane returned to her work and we reluctantly left her to it.

Ricardo returned to his ship as I boarded
Henrietta
, both of us said nothing as we parted ways, for we were focused on the mission.  Upon my boarding, I was soon greeted by my anxious crew, all of them eager to hear my plans.  I stepped upon the quarterdeck with Andrea to my right and Oliver Langley to my left.  The rest of the men gathered down below on the waist, Robert Lynch stood attentively at the point. 

I told them the plan that Ricardo and I had concocted on the upper balcony behind
Jane’s Kitchen
and as I concluded the last detail, the men rallied together in a cry of support that made my heart swell with pride.  Robert then began barking instructions to the crew as I instructed Langley to set a north-easterly course into the Windward Passage.  Our heading was a tiny collection of islands due north of Tortuga and the south-western most land masses of the Bahaman Islands.

It was common for the Royal Navy and other ships traveling to Europe to pass in close proximity to these islands
.  It was there that we planned to intercept Captain Sutton and
Neptune’s Castle
before they disappeared into the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean.

I was thankful for the overwhelming support of my men, but that moment was short-lived as I was soon reminded that there was a
certain woman on board also.

  “I do not like this plan, it’s foolish
and dangerous,” Andrea snapped.

She was on my heels as I entered my cabin, and I was glad she at least waited to express her displeasure in private.

  “Yes, sweetling, I suppose it is,” I replied, taking a seat at the table.  “Gordon said the same thing when I shared my plan with him to break you out of that prison carriage.”

She couldn’
t help but smile at that, however she quickly regained her composure.  I snatched up a bottle of rum off the table and yanked the cork free with my teeth.  Andrea sat across from me and I poured us both a mug full of the dark liquid.

  “Captain, I suppose I have to admit that there is more courage in you than there is foolishness,” she said, pausing to take a drink.  She closed her eyes tightly and seemed to wince as
she swallowed the mouthful of rum. 

  “That hit the spot, did it?” I asked, chuckling. 

She held the back of her hand to her mouth and I could make out the corners of a wide smile behind it. 

  “I bet your father
never made it like
that,
now did he?” I said.  Then I took a big gulp of my own.  It never tasted better to me.

  “No, he didn’t,” she said, once the initial shock subsided.  “It should take me some time to become accustomed to that…,” she paused, searching for a word.  “…flavor,” she said finally.

  “You stay with this crew of scallywags and it shouldn’t take long at all,” I said.  “Now, what of my plan?  What don’t you like about it?”

She cocked her head and stared doe-eyed.  She seemed genuinely confused by my question.

  “Oh, I don’t know, maybe the part about the giant—

  “Captain!”
Langley exclaimed as he barged in, interrupting the exchange.  “Do I smell the sweet aroma of rum in here?”

  “Aye, you do mate,” I replied, tossing him the bottle. 

He caught it and immediately put the opening to his lips, then began to chug away.  Andrea looked on in stunned disbelief.  When he finally pulled the bottle from his mouth, he wiped the moisture from his lips and sighed with pleasure.

  “Do you mind if scurry along with this, Cap’n?” he asked, pointing to the bottle.

  “Not at all,” I answered cheerfully.  “I’ve got plenty more.”

With that answer, Langley spun on his heel and retreated back toward the quarterdeck.

Andrea looked at me and I stared back at her.  Soon we both erupted into laughter.

  “The trip to the Bahama Islands is a short one,” she said
, giggling.  “If all goes according to plan, do you think he will be drunk enough by then to pilot a ship as large as
Neptune’s Castle
?”

  “I truly hope so,” I replied, laughing still.

  “Well, I still don’t like this plan, but I support you none the less,” she said.  “I mean, what choice do I have?”

  “None that I can see,” I answered.  “You will think it’s a
bloody good one when it works.”

  “Aye, and if it works, you’ll receive my humble apology,” she said.

  “Keep your apology,” I quipped.  “That’s too easy—I want you to truly feel remorse for doubting your captain.”

She eyed me suspiciously. 

  “Well what do you have in mind, my captain?”

  “If all goes well, and I reclaim Gordon and that bloody ship, you will reward me with a kiss.”

  “Oh, I will?” she said, taken aback.

  “Aye,” I replied.  “You sound worried lass.  If you’re
so sure I’ll fail, what do you have to fear?”

  “No, captain,” she argued.  “I do not
want
you to fail because it’s obviously in all of our best interests for you to succeed.  But I’ll play your little game, and if you should succeed, I will reward you with a kiss.”

  “Very well,” I said,
satisfied with the arrangement.

  “But don’t you think for a second that I’ll enjoy the bloody moment,” she added quickly.  “As a matter of fact, you
had better go ahead and give me another bottle of that rum so I’ll be in such a condition to go through with it.”

***

We arrived at our destination just as the sun was beginning to rise from the eastern, morning sky.  I stood upon the quarterdeck; the pleasant sensation of the cool morning breeze washed over my face.  I took a deep breath of the fresh, morning air and then set my gaze toward the heavens.  There were still plenty of stars visible, and a sliver of moon accompanied them.  The sea was eerily calm and I regarded that as a good omen.  It seemed as of late that I was becoming more and more among the superstitious type.  The last few days had undoubtedly taken a toll on me, both physically and mentally.  I didn’t feel that I’d gotten a good night’s rest since my last night at sea aboard
Bethany.
  That was days ago, but it felt more like weeks.  The thought forced me into a long yawn.

  “You should take a moment to rest, Cap’n,” a familiar voice called out from the waist below me. 
 

It was Jolly Jack.  Unbeknownst to me, he’d been watching me and could see the obvious fatigue setting in.

  “No time for rest, Jack,” I replied wearily.  “The next few hours are going to be a bit hairy.  When the sails of
Neptune’s Castle
are spotted, the last thing I should be doing is napping.”

  “Aye, Cap’n,” he
said, then paused as if he contemplated arguing the issue further. I decided to give him an order so he wouldn’t have to.

  “Jack, raise the colors,” I said quickly. 

  “Aye,” was the only reply and he disappeared below deck to fetch the Union Flag.

I decided the best way to remain awake and alert would be for me to take a stroll throughout the ship so that I may get an idea of the morale of the crew.  I spotted Joe swabbing the deck along with a few of the other former slaves.
  They scrubbed the timber in such a fashion that gave me an idea about the sort of slave owner they’d been unfortunate enough to serve under.  The deck had quickly become the cleanest I’d ever seen and yet the men polished it further as if they feared some sort of cruel punishment would await them if someone noticed they had stopped.  I strolled to them and stood near Joe.

  “Joe, may I have a moment?” I asked.

Joe stood abruptly, the mop still clutched firmly in his right hand. 

  “Yes sir, what do you need?” he replied without missing a beat.

I gently grabbed his arm and led him to a more private area, near the port-side railing.

  “Joe, you and your men are doing a fine job,” I said.

He smiled.

  “Thank you sir, that’s mighty kind of you to say,” he replied, his teeth gleaming brightly.  “We do our best to earn our keep.”

  “Well you’re certainly doing that,” I assured him.  “However, I must admit that there is a slight problem.”

He frowned at that, and I swear the man looked as if he were on the verge of tears. 

  “Relax, Joe,” I said quickly.  “I said the problem is
slight
.”

That seemed to make him ease up a bit, but I could still feel the tension
radiate from him.

  “Listen closely because the words I’m about to speak have never crossed my lips before and most certainly never will again,” I stated very matter-of-factly. 

Joe’s eyes narrowed and he bit his lip with anticipation.