The Wreck of the Ten Sail Read online

  “The fender. There’s a line tied to it!” I yelled, but I knew they didn’t understand. “Paddle harder,” I yelled, trying to encourage them.

  Blue threw up his hands, but just as I was about to give up, I saw Lucy point to the fender and yell at the men. The women were dog-paddling, aiding the men. It was going to be close.

  “Raise the mains,” I heard Mason yell at the men.

  “We’ll lose them for sure,” I pleaded. “We can’t.”

  “Just watch.”

  Swift and Red climbed the main mast and unfurled the sail. Rhames untied the slack line from a pin on the rail and wound it around a block. The sail rose as he pulled. It fluttered, and for a brief minute before it caught the wind, the boat stalled. I looked back at the canoe, at the four all paddling frantically towards the line. I held my breath. If the sail caught before they reached the line, it would be pulled away from them. I could only hope Mason was right.

  Another puff caught the sail, and it fluttered again, stalling us more, but we had only seconds before the ship would react and increase her speed. I ran back to the stern just in time to see Blue reach into the water and grab the fender.

  Now I had to hope the thin line would hold while he pulled them towards us. But Blue was careful and pulled slowly and evenly, minimizing the stress to the line until they were within a rope’s throw from the ship. I tossed a cable to the old man in the bow. He caught it and tied it off before the four collapsed in exhaustion.

  The mouth of the bay was close and we had little time to secure the canoe and get the group aboard before we hit open water. I pulled at the cable, then called down to Blue to draw the canoe close enough to the hull to reach the ladder. The wind was up now, blowing at ten knots, and though it would benefit us once we were out of the bay, I cursed it for impeding our effort. As the canoe approached the stern of the boat, the water churned where the outgoing tide from the bay met the ocean. The proximity of the boats was now dangerous. One wave could pitch the Panther forward, raising the stern enough to crush the canoe and all those in it. We would have to act quickly.

  The chop increased, but Lucy managed to grab hold of the ladder and help the old man and his daughter to climb ahead of her. Last up the ladder was Blue, and finally all four were aboard.

  Before we could exchange greetings, the old man left us and went to Mason, pointing at what I could only assume was an unseen obstacle in the water ahead. Reacting quickly, Mason made the appropriate course correction. It might have saved us to have rescued the old man after all.

  We were now on the verge of entering the darker open water. There was no time to bring the canoe aboard, so I released enough line to allow it to coast on a wave behind us and called for help to retrieve the sea anchor. Blue assisted me as we released the first two lines and let the water spill from the home-made drogue before hauling the sail in.

  Without the additional drag, the Panther rose in the water, and soon we were in blue water under full sail. I dropped to the deck. It wasn’t an hour past dawn and I was exhausted.

  Shayla, standing at the starboard rail, gave me a weak smile, looking equally taxed. But before I could respond, I saw Rhames, Swift, and Red coming towards me. This was the pirate faction, and I knew I had wronged them with the decisions I had made on behalf of the group. It appeared there was one more battle to fight before I could rest. Reluctantly, I rose to my feet and met them amidships.

  Rhames spoke for the group. “We need to talk.”

  He had always been my ally and had helped me gain control of our small band after the Navy had sunk the Floridablanca. I hoped this was more for show than real dissension.

  “You know our way,” he started. “We decides together where we’re headed and what we’re to do there.”

  I nodded. This was the democracy of a pirate crew. The captain was voted and served at the whim of his men, having sole authority only under arms.

  “There was no time,” I pleaded.

  “We knows, and it was me who started some of the trouble with the dice, but we need to agree now on a plan.”

  He had let me off the hook by taking ownership of the trouble his gambling had caused, but I still needed them to come around to my plans. I thought back to Gasparilla, suddenly wishing I had his savvy for manipulating a crew. But there was no need. There was no aggression visible on their faces. Red and Swift only stood quietly while Rhames waited for my response. I decided on honesty.

  “I aim to get the treasure back,” I said.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  I knew from the look on the men’s faces they had their doubts.

  “And how do you propose to do that?” Rhames asked. “It’s all fine and good, but the governor and that red-headed witch you’re so fond of aren’t likely to let us walk in and take it. Maybe you can get my hundred pounds back from those crooks with the loaded dice while you’re at it.”

  Red and Swift nodded in agreement.

  The tide had turned against me and I thought for a second, trying to play it calm while I searched frantically for an idea. “We give him something he wants more,” I said. It sounded good, but I had no idea what that might be.

  “Give him more treasure,” Mason said from the helm.

  “This isn’t your concern,” Red returned over his shoulder.

  “Give him a say,” I said. “He’s proven himself to be a full member of the crew.” I had been meaning to have Mason voted a full share and this seemed to be a good time. “I say he’s got a full stake.”

  The three men talked amongst themselves for a minute and agreed. This evened the odds slightly, but if push came to shove, I was still outvoted three to two.

  “What are you speaking of?” Rhames asked, turning the crew’s attention to Mason.

  “The Wreck of the Ten Sail; that’s what we offer him. There’s a rumor that one of the ships went down with a ton of silver in its hold. The islanders saved most of the men, but the silver was never recovered. That man, Phillip,” Mason said, gesturing to the old man now standing at the bow with his daughter, “he says he was one of the men that loaded it in Port Royal.”

  Rhames was unimpressed.

  “There’s enough booty spread on the bottom of the sea for every man she’s claimed to spend in hell,” he said. “What’s so bloody important about this lot?”

  “If Bodden is as corrupt as most,” I said, “he’s waiting out his term here, cursing the sun and heat and accumulating as much money as he can to retire when the Crown calls him home. They’re all the same. That Spanish haul he took from us is too easy to identify and would need to be brokered if he wants to skim some for himself. King George would have his head if he found out.” I paused to let this sink in.

  “So what?” Red asked.

  “So we parlay,” I responded.

  All eyes were on me now and a plan started to form in my head. Hopefully it would make sense when it came out of my mouth. “We offer him the silver in exchange for the treasure. That he can hoard and spend. It’ll cost him a bit to recast it, but it won’t have the taint of pirates.”

  “And how are you going to trust him?” Rhames asked.

  “We just need to stay valuable enough to him that he has no choice but to remain trustworthy.”

  The three smirked at that and, content for the moment, returned to their duties, Swift replacing Mason at the wheel.

  “You almost lost them there,” Mason said when we were alone.

  He was right. Pirate law is a fickle thing. What I needed was enough money to buy my own ship, or buy them out of this one. Maybe a partnership with Mason was in the cards when this was over.

  We were beating into the wind, working our way around the east end of the island. I planned to anchor off Bodden Town on the ocean side this time. It was a better mooring in case we needed a quick escape.

  All hands were on the starboard rail as we cleared the point of the east end and looked on the breakers marking the Wreck of the Ten Sail. There was nothing visible.
Over the thirty years, the rough seas had destroyed anything above the waterline. With the wind at our back, our speed picked up and I gathered the men to explain my plan to ensure our safety.

  Our four main guns were thirty-five-pound carronades, but we had no proper ammunition. Still, Rhames and I moved one of the starboard guns over to the port side, and I sent Swift and Red into the hold for anything we could fire. A pile of chain and rocks soon appeared on deck.

  I was betting the prevailing winds would remain and allow us to anchor with our starboard side to land. “Bring up some cotton as well,” I called. “There’ll be a lot of windage shooting this lot.”

  None of the projectiles were the proper size, meaning unwanted gaps between the barrel and the round, but we were in need of any advantage that could be gained with only four guns. After some final adjustments, I felt better about our defenses.

  Although it would be dangerous, I sought to reach the harbor under the cover of darkness, giving us the advantage of surprise and the opportunity to choose our anchorage and adjust our defenses. But now, it was only noon and we had hours to kill.

  “Someone go below and ask the man where we can get fresh water. We could use his help to navigate as well.”

  ***

  We anchored a safe distance from the coast several miles from the town. Rhames led an excursion for meat, returning with two turtles that we quartered and set out to dry. Fresh water wasn’t as easy to come by. There was no easy source on the island. Blue had reported as much after his reconnaissance the day we arrived, and Phillip confirmed his assessment. Every drop of drinking water on Grand Cayman came from the sky, which was now a vibrant blue, without a cloud in sight. Another month and we would be in the rainy season, but for now we would have to keep an eye on our supply.

  It was getting dark. We pulled anchor and made for Bodden Town. Less than an hour later, with Mason at the wheel and the men in the rigging, we coasted past the last ship in the anchorage. I wanted to be to the west, in order to benefit from the trade winds if a quick departure was needed. With a plan this thin, I suspected it might be. We were running dark, and orders were whispered so as not to alert the other ships, though many looked empty. Swift called out six fathoms from the bow and I gave a hand signal to the men in the rigging to drop sail. Slowly, without the benefit of canvas, we coasted to a crawl, and I went forward to inspect our anchorage.

  A foot at a time, the ink-black water swallowed the anchor chain as Swift and I eased it out. Finally, when my hands were raw from the rusty iron links, it hit bottom and the ship stopped and swung. I gave orders to prepare her for both battle and escape, just in case things went badly while I was ashore.

  ***

  Mason and I were rowed to the beach at dawn. It was my intention to see the governor before he had time to prepare. Of course, there was a good chance he already knew we were here, but we had heard no alarms during the night to indicate anyone had spied our entry to the harbor.

  “Wait here,” I told the men as we waded ashore.

  The streets were deserted and we reached the governor’s house without incident. It felt odd walking to his door after everything that had occurred, but here we were. If I was to keep control of the ship and her crew, I needed a deal. I breathed in and knocked on the hardwood.

  The surprised look on the servant’s face when he let us in told me my plan had worked. Mason and I were shown to the foyer and told to wait. A long quarter of an hour later, the governor appeared, still dressed in his bed robe.

  “Look what we have here,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting company for breakfast.” He gave an order to the servant waiting nearby to set a place for us and we followed him into the dining room.

  I was startled to see Rory when I entered. She was dressed in finery and merely nodded to us as if we were acquaintances. A pit formed in my stomach.

  Bodden laughed at my obvious surprise. “I’ll spare the introductions,” he said as he sat at the head of the table.

  I started to open my mouth to plead our case, but he put a finger to his lips and waved for the food to be brought in. It was clear he intended to extend my agony.

  For me, eating seemed impossible, and when I wasn’t under the watchful gaze of the governor, I stole glances at Rory. She continued ignoring me, smiling at the governor as she played at being the lady. I still held out hope that she would help us and that this was a ruse for the governor’s benefit.

  Despite my weak appetite, I managed to finish my meal, as did Mason. Bodden on the other hand took his time. Finally, when I could stand it no longer, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve and addressed us.

  “I’m thinking you have a proposal to present,” he said.

  I glanced at Rory, but she was looking down.

  “You know why we’re here,” I said.

  “I do. But…” He put out his hands and shrugged. “Why don’t you amuse me?”

  “We have come for our treasure,” I started. “We have something to exchange for it.” He nodded for me to continue. “We intend to mount an operation to retrieve silver from one of the ships lost in the wreck on the east end.”

  “Ah, the Ten Sail,” he said and sat straighter in his chair.

  I knew I had his attention now. “The treasure you stole from us is of little value to you personally. The silver, though, would make you a wealthy man.”

  The governor leaned forward. “Go on.”

  “We will trade equal weights of the silver for the treasure… and the girl.” I threw out the last bit to gauge her reaction. There was none.

  Bodden laughed. “The girl can make up her own mind when this affair is settled. Go ahead, boy, see if the seas will yield your dreams.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  With the seas on our starboard quarter and our sails on a beam reach, the wind remained brisk, and soon the island blended into the horizon. Something had finally gone right and there was no sign of pursuit. I slept the rest of the day and was shaken awake around midnight to take the second watch.

  “Come on, you can’t sleep all night.” Rhames prodded me again.

  Despite my body’s objections, I rose and went to the helm to relieve Mason, who gave me our course. With no hazards near, and the wind behaving, I lashed the wheel and went below. Mason, Rhames, and I sat around the table in the galley with the chart spread out in front of us.

  “I’m figuring we’re here,” Mason said, pointing a stubby finger at the chart at a point halfway through the passage from Grand Cayman to Cuba.

  “Where do you expect to make landfall?” I asked.

  He pointed to a bay near the western tip of the island. “We’ll be safe there,” he said. “Pirates’ll be in the south end, and the Spanish fleet will be in Havana. Nothing to worry about on the east end, just sugarcane plantations.”

  I had a working knowledge of the currents and knew he was right. The Gulf Stream curved around the western end of the island before it followed the northern coast to the east. “So, we go on foot to Havana?”

  “Reckon that’s the safest way,” Mason said.

  Rhames frowned. “That looks like a week’s walk there and back.”

  “We’ll need horses,” I said.

  His frown deepened, but I’d already decided to leave him on the ship. Mason and I would go with Blue. We might not blend in, but we didn’t look like pirates. Mason was about to roll up the chart when the old man emerged from the companionway.

  “You might want to reconsider,” he said.

  “And how’s that, Phillip?” I asked suspiciously.

  Phillip had helped us clear the coral heads blocking the bay at Grand Cayman, but to me he was still an unknown. I had no idea about the extent of his travels.

  “I’ve been around these waters a few times. I was born in Port Royal after my father, a seafaring man from England, escaped there after freeing my mum from slavery in Jamaica. With mixed blood I had limited options, so I signed on with a merchant ship. Gave up my sea legs when the ship
wrecked in the Ten Sail,” he said.

  “What would your course be?” I asked.

  “To cross by land from the south is a bit tricky. I wouldn’t say it’s a regular mountain range, but I wouldn’t want to take that route. There’s an anchorage on the northern coast that’d save you days of travel.”

  Rhames snorted. “Less time we’re there the better. If it wasn’t for the Spanish fleet, I’d sail right into Havana.”

  We laughed at his bravado.

  Our course decided, I left for the helm to take the dog watch. Before I climbed the ladder, I turned to Phillip.

  “Is your daughter settling in all right?” I asked him. “I haven’t seen her since you came aboard.”

  “I’d be fine,” Shayla said, coming up behind me. She was just out of one of the cabins and rubbing sleep from her eyes.

  She was stunning, even in this state, her ivory skin a stark contrast to the dark mahogany fittings of the cabin. I nodded to her cordially, trying to ignore her beauty, and headed above deck. Even though, by all appearances, Rory had turned on us, the feisty Englishwoman still weighed heavily on my mind.

  I stood at the helm trying to sort through all that had happened when I heard someone approach.

  “Ya mind a bit of company?” Shayla asked. She’d followed me.

  I turned to her. Her beauty unsettled me. I decided to distract myself by pressing her for information.

  “Back at the pub. Why did you help me?” I asked.

  “It was good to see someone take an interest in my father. Too many back there think he’s crazy with his talk of treasure.”

  Her explanation seemed sound, but I wanted more. “Tell me about him.”

  “You and your lot put the sparkle back in his eye,” she explained before turning and gazing out to sea.