CHAPTER 6
A BETTER WAY TO STOP PIRATES
Harry surveyed the contents of the Windrush. He was looking for anything that might be useful to stop a six-gun frigate full of pirates. There were oars that might be good as clubs. A rusty harpoon, which had clearly seen better days, was jammed underneath a spare sail, folded neatly. Under the helm seat were two large wax-coated cheese wheels as big as pumpkins. Assam had said the boat was provisioned but here was enough cheese to keep alive a bevy of stranded sailors for year provided they could catch the occasional fish and it rained from time to time. Also under the seat was: a watertight box containing a canvas bag, a compass, a well-oiled sextant and a map of the Gulf showing the coastline for a hundred miles either side of Port Isabel—icebergs made navigation beyond this distance difficult and dangerous. Two fishing rods, complete with tackle, were tied securely to the mast. One of the hooks still held the desiccated remains of an oyster. Apart from the young chimp, who would probably be more trouble than help, there was also the Windrush herself. The little skiff would be useful as a battering ram if push came to shove. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that but desperate times sometimes called for desperate measures.
Larry still stood at the prow watching out for the Interloper. There was no doubting his resolve. Harry had told him to go home and when that hadn’t worked, tried discouraging him with horror stories about pirate dogs with an appetite for chimps. But Larry had stayed.
He wondered what had happened to Larry’s parents. What did their absence have to do with pirates? Perhaps he thought by coming he might find them. But pirates rarely kept prisoners so if they’d been taken by pirates it seemed unlikely they’d still be alive. Why was he silent? He hadn’t heard Larry speak once. Did his silence have something to do with his missing parents or the pirates? There was no way to know. It was obvious that no amount of badgering would induce Larry to speak. For now, he would have to content himself with the little he knew and turn his attention to the more pressing matter of what they would do when they caught up with the Interloper.
Without a word, Larry turned and climbed the mast, gripping capably with hands and feet.
‘Where are you going? Ah, you’ll see better from up there. Good idea, Larry.’
Perched high on the swaying mast Larry looked out, one hand shading his eyes from the glare. They were a tiny speck on an enormous ocean looking for another tiny speck well ahead.
For some time, they sailed in silence. Harry used the time to think, Larry to search.
The sun soon reached its zenith; it was noon. Clouds were gathering in the East and it looked like there might be rain. The waters were rougher now. The prow was slamming down with force as the wind hurled the little skiff forward.
After an hour Larry signalled with a wave and Harry knew that he had spotted the Interloper.
It was time to put his plan into action.
The Windrush soon caught up with the much larger ship and Harry waved a friendly paw as he flew by. So close did he pass that he could easily see the dog’s skull on the pirate’s flag was missing a tooth; that there were at least thirty pirate dogs on deck, every one looking like they could use a decent bath; that the hull of the Interloper hadn’t been cleaned of barnacles for a very long time; that if he timed his pass badly, three deadly cannons were perfectly positioned to blow the Windrush out of the water. But just close enough that Larry was able to cast the Windrush’s rusty harpoon without being seen. The harpoon penetrated the stern and held fast exactly where the rudder ropes protruded from the hull.
Harry was counting on the element of surprise and distraction to pull of his audacious plan. Pirates, he believed, were not used to being attacked mid-ocean by weapon-less possums riding tiny, high-speed skiffs and waving cheerfully. Pirates were, he believed, an unruly and undisciplined pack of dogs. What pirate could resist gawking at a little skiff challenging his mastery of the ocean and in so doing abandon his station? None, he hoped. The distraction would create a window of opportunity just big enough for stage two of his plan.
Every pirate dog did exactly as Harry expected. They ran from all over the deck to portside, some colliding, to watch the Windrush fly past. Harry was travelling so fast that he passed by before the pirates were able to open the portside gun hatches. By the time they had, he was in front of the Interloper, well out of range, and was beginning a turn that would take him past the lumbering ship’s starboard side. When they finally realised the portside guns wouldn’t be needed after all, the pirates hastened to make ready the starboard guns. They needn’t have bothered. Harry’s skiff was already passing before they had finished opening the gun hatches.
Again he waved good-naturedly and smiled at the confusion he had created. This further incensed the pirates who would stand nothing less than a cowering possum begging for his life. A grinning possum would not be tolerated! They barked and howled so much that one clumsy pirate-dog set off a charge before the cannon ball was even loaded. Harry laughed as he watched the cannon roar harmlessly, hurling three unprepared pirates across the deck and into an open manhole.
He quickly fell in behind the big ship and out of range of her cannons. He reefed the sails to slow the Windrush and dropped the sea anchor to slow further. The skiff was now safely behind the Interloper, which continued on an easterly tack before the strong breeze.
He watched the heaving ocean carefully. Ah, there he was!
Larry waved. He was holding on to a long rope still attached to the harpoon jammed into the frigate’s stern. The chimp was bumping along the top of the water like a skimming stone.
As Harry watched, he saw something he didn’t expect. It looked like another monkey, but with long golden fur on its head and a flat, bald face. It was wearing clothes and holding on tightly behind Larry. He couldn’t tell if it was male or female, child or adult. He couldn’t even be sure which House it belonged to.
Harry heaved both animals aboard. First the bald-faced monkey dressed in soaking pirate clothes, then Larry, fur dripping but clearly in good spirits. Larry was smiling, grinning even. This was the first time Harry had seen the black chimp smile.
‘I presume it all went well then?’ Harry asked without taking his eyes off the bald-faced monkey. It wasn’t making any threatening moves. It just sat, dripping wet as it caught its breath.
Larry nodded vigorously.
‘The cheeses fitted then?’
Larry nodded.
Harry matched Larry’s smile. There was something infectious about cheesy monkey-grins. This was especially true now, where the grin of this particular monkey was a rare event indeed.
The bald-faced monkey stood up. It was taller than Larry and only had fur on top of its head, which made it look sickly. One of its stick-fingered hands rested on the pommel of a sword it wore, the other held a dripping tricorne; the three pointed hat worn by pirates. The wind was already shaking loose its long, blond and curly head fur. It was fair skinned and looked vaguely female, though Harry couldn’t say why.
‘You must be my heroic rescuer, then?’ the bald-faced monkey asked, making Harry realise he was staring. Its voice was high pitched and its movements were jerky and birdlike.
‘Rescuer? So you’re not a pirate? I was wondering whether I should jump overboard or take up an oar to protect myself from your deadly looking sword.’
‘No, I’m not a pirate,’ it said, hand dropping away from the sword. ‘My name’s Flossy Fairweather and I am a hostage. Or rather, was a hostage and security for a king’s ransom.’
Harry was impressed. ‘So, we’re in the presence of royalty? If you don’t mind I’ll just bow before you as it’s a bit hard to kneel in a boat.’
Larry sniggered.
Flossy hesitated as if she wasn’t sure he was joking. ‘No, I meant the pirates intended demanding gold for my return on threat of taking my life. I was taken from my parents, kidnapped at sea. I have been the slave-servant of the Interloper for the past six months. You rescu
ed me.’
‘So there will be a reward for your return?’
Flossy went rigid. ‘Yes, more gold than you could possibly imagine.’ Her face was serious.
‘Hear that, Larry? We’re rich!’ said Harry, grinning.
Larry nodded, bright eyes gleaming with amusement then made his way forward to the prow.
‘We won’t need a reward, Flossy Fairweather,’ said Harry. ‘We’re glad to help. Any enemy of pirates is a friend to us.’
Flossy relaxed. ‘Thank you. I owe you my life.’ She bowed formally.
‘Consider your debt cancelled,’ said Harry magnanimously. ‘I’m Harry Possum and this is Larry Monkey. Welcome aboard the good-ship Windrush, Flossy Fairweather.’
Flossy’s face beamed with gratitude. ‘Thank you, Harry. Thank you, Larry,’ she said, wiping a tear from her eye. Her relief to once again be amongst friends was obvious. He could only imagine what horrors she had suffered aboard the Interloper.
Harry moved to the stern and unhooked the tiller. ‘What kind of monkey is a Fairweather, anyway?’ he asked.
Flossy laughed. ‘I’m not “a Fairweather” and I’m definitely not a monkey. I’m a human, a human girl. Fairweather’s my surname.’
‘A human! Well, doubly welcome then. No one alive has seen a human round these parts. Most of us think your kind died out a thousand years ago; that you’re all extinct.’
‘Really?’ said a surprised Flossy. ‘No, there are lots of us actually, just not in this part of the world.’
Harry checked the compass and map. The Interloper still had the same bearing, just as he’d planned. The wind continued to blow strongly, taking the ship further east. Already it seemed as small as Harry’s paw.
The skiff lurched in the swell.
‘Larry, pull in the sea anchor. There’s a good chimp,’ he said.
Larry pulled it in as Harry raised the mainsail and made once again to follow the Interloper.
‘You might like to sit for the next bit and enjoy the view, Miss Human. It should be entertaining.’
‘Entertaining? No, we need to withdraw and regroup, not chase them. They outnumber us a twenty to one. This skiff’s no match for a frigate with six guns. They’ll turn soon and the chase will be on. Our only chance is to run, that way!’ She pointed west with a long, pink finger. ‘I know what these dogs are like. They’re not domesticated, they’re wild animals. And they love to hunt, on land or sea. They don’t give up. We should go that way, now, if we want to live. We’d need ships and guns to have a chance.’
‘We didn’t come to flee, but to fight. And we have right on our side. Too many run, don’t you think?’ said Harry.
‘In a skiff? Just you and this… monkey? Without weapons! Are you crazy?’
Harry smiled and straightened his whiskers. ‘No, not crazy. You see, we have brains, which is far better than brawn. And we have a strong easterly wind, a map, an agile monkey, a harpoon with rope, and two cheese wheels as big as pumpkins. What else would one need with which to fight pirates?’
Larry sniggered.
The human nodded sagely. ‘I see. So you are crazy!’ she said.
It didn’t take long for the Windrush to catch up again with the Interloper, or rather the wreck of the Interloper, for the pirate ship had run aground a reef. As they sailed by, the pirates howled and barked at them with rage. The Interloper’s hull had been smashed open and the whole ship was listing on such an angle that it would surely capsize when the tide turned. The pirates were frantically transferring what they could into a small rowboat. Harry could see that they would have to choose between their treasure chests and their lives for there was no room for both.
Flossy Fairweather looked upon the scene of destruction agape, her mouth open.
‘But...?’ was all she could manage.
Harry explained. ‘You see, by studying this map, I realised the Interloper would strike Kidney Reef if she failed to change course. The wind was strong and I knew that this time of day the tide would be low. So, all we needed was a distraction. They weren’t to notice the reef until it was too late, you see. That’s where my flyby came in.’
Flossy interrupted. ‘So what was Larry doing? When I saw him out the captain’s window he was busy doing something.’
The Windrush had now rounded Kidney Reef and was passing the wreck from the other side. Realising that the rowboat wouldn’t hold them all, a fight was in progress. They all laughed as the overloaded rowboat began filling with water as more and more dogs piled in, each holding his precious possessions.
The Windrush’s boom swung about and they all ducked.
‘Larry threw our old harpoon with great precision on the first pass,’ Harry explained. ‘The harpoon struck the hull were the rudder ropes protrude and held fast. Pulling himself up on the rope, in a way that would make his parents proud, Larry jammed two big cheese wheels that we happened to have on board into the rudder rope holes thus jamming them tight.’
At the mention of his parent’s being proud, Larry hung his head shyly. Harry could see he was finding it hard not to smile. His eyes twinkled.
‘Then you must have dropped in with your daring escape from the captain’s window ultimately joining Larry at the end of the trailing rope to be rescued by me. And, instead of keeping a lookout for the reef, which is well known in these parts, the pirates were intent on blasting me out of the water. But I was too close and too fast to hit.’
The Windrush had left the Interloper behind and was capably tacking towards home.
‘And when the pirates realised they were nearly upon the reef, they found their steering jammed tight by a couple of well-placed cheeses. The rudder ropes wouldn’t budge. Of course, then it was too late to turn.’
‘Cheese!’ said Flossy, incredulous.
‘No, cheeses,’ said Harry. ‘A much better way to stop pirates, don’t you think?’
All three of them laughed with the pleasure of it until their sides ached.