Pirate

“You drive a hard bargain, but as long as you’re not wastin’ my time, I’ll take it.” He grabbed the two coins off the desk. “If you have a list, I’ll take care of it for you.”

I assumed it was another ploy to separate me from whatever money I had left and shook my head. “I’d prefer to look around for myself.”

He nodded. “As for the lady. Who will be paying her passage?”

I needed his help here. “You help negotiate a fair price, and I’ll pay you a guinea for your time.”

“Now you’re thinking, son.” He looked at Rory and smiled again, revealing a mouth full of yellow, rotten teeth. “Your timing couldn’t be better. That ship at the dock is scheduled to leave in a few hours on the outgoing tide.” He rose and went out the door.

I stumbled behind him, thinking this was moving too fast. We walked past several open dories unloading turtles onto the docks, where workers loaded the huge, shelled amphibians into wheelbarrows and carted them away. As we approached the larger ship, I noticed it was rigged as ours, but was at least one hundred feet in length and had a beam almost twice ours. Derricks mounted on the pier with a block and tackle hanging from a boom were loading turtles and bales into the hold. A man of mixed blood stood watching, a cigar stuck in his mouth. He sensed our presence and turned after a long pause while a crate was loaded.

“And what have we here?”

I started to speak, but the harbormaster cut me off. “Girl’ll need passage. Can you accommodate her?”

“I suspect she’ll be needing a cabin,” he squinted at her.

“I don’t need anything fancy, just a bit of privacy,” she said.

“A bit of privacy, is it?” He turned to me, “And you?”

“I’m a cousin just arranging for her passage. What kind of fare are you asking?”

He rubbed the stubble on his chin and blew a large puff of smoke toward the water. “Be a dozen pounds, and that’ll feed her as well.”

It was more than I anticipated, but with a fortune in treasure back at the island and his the only boat leaving, I felt no need to negotiate. I looked at Rory and she nodded. “We have a deal, then.” I reached into my pocket and removed the coins, but was unable to hide the remaining gold from the harbormaster. I handed him the coins, and he took her shoulder as if she were chattel. She instinctively fought back and he kept his grasp, a smile crossing his face again.

“Just follow me, luv, and I’ll show you to your cabin.”

Without a glimpse backwards, she walked the gangway set between the dock and the boat. I stood on tiptoes, anxious for a last look at her, but the captain caught my eye and leered back. As I turned to the harbormaster, I heard what I thought was a woman’s scream. But the captain ordered the crew to pull the plank and let lose the lines before I could react. Within seconds, as I stood there dumfounded, poles emerged from the deck and pushed the boat into the harbor. Several other men in the rigging raised the sails.

My jaw dropped as I heard the sound again, but the wind had her sails and the boat moved away.

32

“So, about those provisions?” the man asked.

I ignored him as I stared after the boat, listening, as once more I thought I heard her scream. He asked again, his rotten teeth showing in a vague smile, and I turned to him.

“Never mind,” I said, and walked to an open fishing boat pulling to the dock.

The man standing in the bow cocked his head at me, and I acknowledged that I would receive the line he was about to toss. As I grabbed it, I noticed the harbormaster looking out to sea, as if expecting something.

“I can get some good deals for you. Maybe a meal and a woman.”

He had seen my gold and I knew his aim. I followed his gaze to the harbor entrance and saw a frigate on the horizon. It was still a ways out and, with the sun setting behind it, I couldn’t see any detail, but it looked familiar.

I still held the line in my hand and ignored the fisherman calling to me. I turned to the harbormaster. “You know that ship?”

The fisherman yelled to me as his boat slammed against a pile. I tied off the bow and went to the stern to help with the other line. I looked back at the harbormaster, who was still watching the frigate as it closed on us, a large smile on his face. The man had seen my gold, and might have suspected our profession. Another look at the boat, and I knew where I had seen it before. I could not be positive from this distance, but it appeared to be the Navy ship that had sunk the Floridablanca.

“I’ll take your gold and say nothing to them,” the harbormaster said.

He confirmed my suspicion. Without a word, I tossed the stern line, which was still in my hand, back to the boat, ran to the bow, and untied the line. With the line in my hand, I jumped into the boat. The three men stared at me until I reached into my pocket and withdrew a handful of coins.

“A ride to the ship and your cargo,” I said, as I extended my hand with the coins.