Chapter 10: No Honor Among Thieves
Just as the sun was starting to slip below the horizon, Captain Coxen gave the order to furl the sails and drop anchor. In a few hours, they and the other ships would sail the remaining distance to Diente Malo and launch the longboats for the raid. In the meantime, the crew filed into the galley for the evening meal. Stepping down from the helm, the Captain called to Jeff and invited him to join him for dinner in his cabin. Jeff followed the Captain inside and sat at the table as Coxen poured them each a mug of rum. “Well, Mr. Greene, I hope that my earlier words have not weighed too heavily upon you.”
“Uh, no, not at all, Captain. I am just trying to stay sharp and be prepared as you said,” Jeff said as calmly as possible in an attempt to hide his anxiety.
“You are a poor liar, Mr. Greene. I am sorry to have burdened you. I just can’t shake the feeling that trouble is soon to find us.”
“May I ask what sort of trouble you are expecting, Captain?” Jeff asked.
“That’s the problem, Mr. Greene, I don’t really know. Perhaps the events of Cabra Cachonda simply have me on edge. All I can tell you is to trust your instincts and be wary of anything that does not seem as it should be.”
“I will, Captain,” Jeff assured him.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. “Enter!” the Captain beckoned. Jenny brought in their dinner and set it on the table between them before turning to depart. “Mr. Robinson, a moment please,” the Captain spoke up.
“Aye Captain?” Jenny said as she turned back to the table.
“No doubt Mr. Greene has shared with you my concern of impending trouble. I felt you should hear it from me directly. As I have told Mr. Greene, I know not of any particular danger, but I have an intuition that trouble is about to find us, possibly on this very night. I need you to be on your guard at all times.”
“Aye, Captain! I have already made ready my pistol and I will make sure my steel is sharp.”
“Very good, Mr. Robinson. When you return for the dishes, please bring Mr. Harrison, Mr. Graves, Mr. Stevens, and the other Mr. Stevens with you, as I feel I should inform them directly as well.”
“Aye, Captain,” Jenny said as she turned to leave.
Turning his attention to the meal in front of them, the Captain said, “Eat well, Mr. Greene!” The two men ate in silence, both lost in thought. As they finished eating, the Captain rose and brought out the pipes and handed one to Jeff. As they lit up, the Captain clapped Jeff on the shoulder. “Mr. Greene, you have done remarkably well in the few days you have been with us.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Jeff replied.
The Captain continued, “I should hope that this not be our last meal together, but if that is our fate, I must say that I have enjoyed your company considerably.”
“The feeling is mutual, Captain,” Jeff said, forcing a smile through his anxiety.
A short time later, the knock on the door signaled the arrival of Jenny and the men. “Come in,” the Captain beckoned. As they filed into the room, Jenny quickly collected the dishes and exited. “Gentlemen, as you probably already know, I have an intuition that something is amiss and I wanted to tell all of you in person that I will have you remain aboard the ship during tonight’s raid. I cannot be specific, but I have the feeling that the ship is in some sort of danger and I wish to have you trusted men aboard along with Robinson and Mr. Greene to guard her this night under Mr. Crabtree’s command.”
“Aye, Captain!” the men responded in unison.
“Very good! You men are dismissed.” “Aye, Captain,” the men once again said in chorus as they filed out of the cabin and closed the door.
Coxen and Jeff resumed smoking, each lost in their own thoughts. As the last traces of tobacco burned in their pipes, the Captain said, “Now I must take my leave of you, Mr. Greene and prepare to set sail for the raid.” The Captain bowed and extended his hand to Jeff.
As Jeff returned the bow and shook Coxen’s hand, he said, “Whatever happens tonight, it has been my honor to have met you Captain.”
“And mine to have met you, Mr. Greene. I shall hope to see you after the raid.”
Jeff departed the cabin and stepped out on deck. The sky was now dark and the moon was just visible rising on the horizon. A short time later, the Captain took the helm and had Crabtree signal the other ships to make ready to depart for the final run to Diente Malo. Soon they were underway and Jeff stood on deck alone with his thoughts. It was hard to be prepared for an unknown threat. He scanned the darkness in all directions looking for foreign ships. He could see nothing, but in the darkness, an entire armada could be within striking distance and he would not see them coming until it was too late. An hour or so later, the Captain signaled the other ships to set anchor and the crew gathered on deck to prepare for the raid.
Coxen and the rest of the raiding party were about to board the Wench’s longboats when the boats from Jamison and Craig’s ships arrived. “A small change o’ plans, Captain Coxen,” Jeff heard Captain Craig say as the boats pulled alongside.
“What sort of change of plans, Craig?” Coxen demanded leaning over the rail.
“I fear that several members o’ me crew ha’ fallen sick and not be fit for the raid.”
“Why did you not signal me of this news and only now see fit to tell me?” Coxen asked testily.”
“The sickness come on fast after the evenin’ meal. I only now were able to determine which men be fit fer duty. But the raid can still take place. Captain Jamison ha’ provided four additional men and if ye can see fit to provide another four, we shall have full strength for the raid. What say ye?”
“This be very much out of the ordinary,” Coxen replied, looking pointedly back over his shoulder at Jeff as he said it. He turned back to stare down at Craig, “I agree, just so long as you agree to an accord on the distribution of the booty. Since you are only providing half the men as usual, you shall only receive half of your usual share.”
“Agreed,” Craig quickly acknowledged.
Captain Jamison spoke up, “We have already discussed the division of profits and James has been very reasonable about it. It is in all of our best interests if you supply some additional men, John.”
“Very well then,” Coxen said turning to the crew. Mr. Crabtree, Mr. Graves, Mr. Stevens, and the other Mr. Stevens, you are with me. Mr. Harrison you shall be in command in our absence.”
“Aye!” the men agreed in unison.
The men boarded the longboats and set off for shore. Jeff approached Harrison, “Mr. Harrison, does it seem strange to you that Captain Craig would agree so easily to reducing his share of the profits from the raid?”
“Aye! It not be in his character,” Harrison replied with suspicion in his voice. “Methinks Craig be up to somethin’ and this be what the Captain’s been intuitin’. Mr. Greene, get ye the spyglass at the helm and keep watch on the activities aboard the Grand Booty. Mr. Robinson, walk the deck and keep eyes on the water around us. I shall gather the long guns and then keep watch on the shore.” Jeff moved quickly to collect the spy glass and found a good vantage point to watch Craig’s ship. It was too dark to see much, but it looked like there were several men up and moving around on deck and they certainly didn’t give the appearance of being sick or impaired in any way.
He watched intently through the spyglass as it looked like there was some movement near one of the remaining longboats stored on deck. They began lowering the boat over the side at which point Jeff called out quietly to Harrison, “They’re lowering a long boat.”
Harrison bounded up the steps to the helm and took the spyglass from Jeff. “Aye, and the crew be quite active for havin’ taken ill!” Harrison watched for a few minutes before handing the spyglass back to Jeff. “It looks like they be headed for shore. I’ll watch them from the rail. Ye keep an eye on the ship.??
?
The activity on the Grand Booty subsided for a time and Jeff’s attention was suddenly drawn to the shore, from where the faint sounds of gunfire and muzzle flashes were visible. The raid had begun. Jeff turned his spyglass once again to the ship and once again something was happening. The crew was lowering another longboat over the side. “Mr. Harrison,” they’re preparing another longboat!” Before Harrison could make it to the helm, Jeff looked again and corrected himself, “Make it two longboats!” Harrison had brought his own spyglass this time and he and Jeff watched the boats shove off from the Grand Booty.
One boat headed aft, towards where The Crow was anchored, and the other was headed straight toward the Wandering Wench. “Prepare to defend the ship, Mr. Greene!” The two men quickly made their way to the main deck and notified Jenny of the approaching boat. She took up a position at the rail to watch their approach as Jeff and Harrison moved some barrels and crates into position on the deck to provide cover for the attack.
As they were finishing their preparations, Jenny ran over to them. “They’re almost here!”
“You two take cover and prepare to fire on my command,” Harrison said, as he drew his pistol and concealed it behind his back before he cautiously approached the rail.
From the water below, a voice called out. “Ahoy! Who be in command o’ The Wench?”
“Harrison. State yer business!”
“Ah, Harrison, it be me, Tobias Gage from the Grand Booty.”
“What do ye want, Gage?” Harrison inquired tersely.
“Now is that any way to treat an old drinkin’ mate? We merely want to ask yer assistance. The Captain no doubt told ye we ha’ several men fallen ill. We was hopin’ ye had some medicine as we run short.”
“Sorry, no medicine,” Harrison replied.
“Mind if we come aboard and look for ourselves?”
“Aye, I do mind,” Harrison replied, “Now be off with ye!”
“Very well, then. Have it yer way!”
Several shots rang out as Harrison ducked for cover. He ran and took cover with Jeff and Jenny and picked up a rifle. “There be six o’ ‘em, all with pistols and a couple o’ long guns. Make yer shots count!” Harrison yelled. Jeff’s mind raced. They were outnumbered and he had to imagine that Craig had sent some of his best men to take the ship. The cover of the barrels and crates provided some advantage in a firefight, but not enough for comfort.
Jeff turned to Harrison, “I’ve got an idea… I can go over the side and swim around. They won’t expect anyone coming from behind.”
Harrison thought for a moment before nodding, “Aye! Go!”
Jeff tucked his pistol in the waistband of his pants and secured his sword before grabbing a rope and tying it to the rail and throwing the free end over. He took a good hold of the rope and lowered himself down the side of the ship. As his feet touched the water, he wound the rope around his leg and held on with his left hand as he drew the pistol with his right. He held the weapon high out of the water as he lowered his body in. He swam slowly to make as little splash as possible. As he made his way along the hull, he could hear shots being fired on deck, as well as a short distance away, where similar events were taking place on The Crow.
As he rounded the stern of the ship, he could see two men halfway up the cargo net and a third still in the longboat looking up and waiting to start his climb. Jeff realized that this meant three had already made it on board and that Harrison and Jenny were already outnumbered. As the men were otherwise focused, Jeff easily made it to the longboat without being seen. The two men on the net had reached the top and were ducking down below the rail waiting for a chance to rush the deck. The man in the longboat stepped up onto the cargo net to begin his climb. Jeff knew he couldn’t waste his one shot, so he quietly placed his pistol in the longboat before moving between the boat and the cargo net. The three men were still holding their positions when Jeff decided to make his move.
He grabbed hold of the cargo net and heaved himself upward just high enough to grab the ankle of the man above him. The man was so startled that he barely made a sound as he lost his grip on the net and Jeff pulled him under water. A brief struggle ensued, but fortunately for Jeff the man could not swim and had not even had a full breath of air when he was pulled under. Jeff only had to hold on and soon the man stopped struggling as he lost consciousness. Jeff cautiously peeked his head out of the water. There was now only one man at the top of the net who was waiting for the opportunity to jump on deck.
Above, Harrison and Jenny were managing to hold off the attack with several guns that Jenny would load as Harrison took his shots, but the boarding party was gradually fanning out and surrounding them. Jeff quickly located his pistol in the longboat and tucked it in his waistband once more as he started climbing up the net. He froze for a moment as the man at the top of the net looked down at him. Fortunately the darkness hid his identity as the man simply gestured for him to get up the net. Jeff quickly resumed his climb, and was beside the man just as he made his attempt to leap over the deck rail. Jeff shot his arm out just as the man made his move and yanked him down hard by the collar of his shirt. His timing couldn’t have been better, as the man’s leap was cut short and his head slammed hard into the rail before he fell down the side of the ship, striking his head again on the bow of the longboat below.
Jeff felt a twinge of guilt as he watched the lifeless man’s body floating face down in the water. But it had been necessary and he knew he didn’t have time to think too much about it. He made his way to the top of the cargo net and peered over the rail. Right in front of him was a man lying on the deck with a rifle trained on the bunker of barrels and crates. Another man had taken cover behind the main mast about 10 feet away and he stepped out momentarily to fire off a shot from his pistol at Harrison and Jenny before quickly taking cover again. Jeff could not see the other two men, and guessed that they were hiding somewhere in the shadows. Then he saw a muzzle flash from the rail of the navigation deck as the third man took a shot that sent up a shower of splinters from the wood bunker.
From somewhere in the darkness off to Jeff’s left, Tobias Gage spoke up, “Come now, Mr. Harrison. Ye must be short on ammunition by now as we be. Soon it will come to swords and we have ye outnumbered six to two. If ye surrender now and swear an oath of loyalty to Captain Craig, he may see fit to spare ye and ye can join our crew and have a share o’ the spoils.” Jeff stuck his head over the rail and managed to catch Harrison’s eye. Jeff held up two fingers and then made the finger across the throat sign.
Harrison spoke up, “Ye say ye have us outnumbered six to two? By my count it be four to two. Not the best odds, but I’ve had worse many times and am here to tell the tale.”
Gage yelled back, “There be two more over the rail. If ye promise to hold yer fire, I shall have them prove it to ye.”
“Very well, I shall not shoot, show me yer other two men,” Harrison replied.
“Ye heard him,” Gage called out, “Show yerselves.”
With that, Jeff jumped over the rail with his pistol aimed at the man with the rifle. He looked up with an evil smile that immediately vanished when he realized that it was not one of his mates beside him. The man rolled to the side and swung the rifle barrel around, but he was too late. Jeff fired his pistol and the round ripped through the man’s chest. The man behind the mast was just finishing the reloading process, but Jeff drew his sword and was upon him before he could fire. Jeff knocked the pistol from his hand and made a deep slice in the man’s neck. As the man staggered forward and collapsed on the deck, Jeff picked up his pistol and took his cover position behind the mast.
Harrison called out, “It appears that me count be wrong as well. Tis not four to two. Tis three to two – on our side! What say ye, Gage? Be ye an’ yer man be in the mood fer surrender?” In answer, the man on the navigation deck fired on
the bunker, but in so doing had lingered out of cover for just long enough that Jenny was able to get a clear shot at him. She fired back and the man staggered backwards before falling over the rail, disappearing in the darkness with a loud splash as his body hit the water. “Three to one, Gage,” Harrison called out. “What say ye?”
Out of the shadows, Gage appeared with his rifle held above his head, “I surrender and I beg yer mercy.”
Jeff didn’t really trust him and it quickly became apparent that Harrison didn’t either. “Lay your rifle down, Mr. Gage,” Harrison commanded. Gage leaned forward and gently set the rifle on the deck. “Now, step forward five paces and get on yer knees.” Gage moved forward as directed and got down on his knees. Harrison stepped out from behind the bunker with a rifle aimed at Gage and approached him cautiously. When Harrison was a few feet away, Gage suddenly reached for the pistol he had hidden in his back waistband, but it was to no avail. Harrison fired before the man could draw the gun and he was hit square in the chest. Harrison stepped forward and looked down at the dead man shaking his head. “Tis a shame he dies as a traitor, but at least he dies fighting.”
Harrison, Jeff and Jenny assembled at the center of the deck. “Well done, both of ye,” Harrison said, “But our problems are far from over.”
Jeff nodded, “I think we have to assume that they’ve taken The Crow.
“Aye,” Harrison nodded, “From the sound o’ things, the battle there be short. Jamison’s men most likely be taken by surprise.”
Jenny pointed off in the direction of Jamison’s ship and said, “Aye, there is our proof.” A lantern was being used to signal from the deck of The Crow. “Ship ours. Awaiting orders,” she said, interpreting the signals.
Harrison ran up to the navigation deck and grabbed a lantern to signal back. A few moments later he returned, “I tell them to await the Captain’s return, so that should keep them where they be fer now. But we ha’ a bigger concern. A boat o’ Craig’s men left fer shore. No doubt they be plannin’ an ambush on the Captain and Jamison. We should head fer shore to help the Captain.”
“Mr. Harrison, it seems to me like they’d wait for the boats to be loaded before they staged the ambush. That way ours and Jamison’s men will be tired and easier to overcome.”
“Aye, yer thoughts are sound,” Harrison nodded.
Jeff continued, “If that’s the case, we can’t really go in a boat since they’d probably see us coming and pick us off before we hit the beach.”
“Aye, but ‘tis a chance we must take,” Harrison replied grimly.
“Not really. Robinson and I could swim to shore to help the Captain. Someone needs to be here in case they try to take the ship again, and you’re a lot more capable of holding the ship by yourself than either of us would be.”
Harrison thought for a moment before reluctantly agreeing, “Aye. Make haste, before I change me mind!”
As Jeff and Jenny gathered their weapons, Jenny spoke up, “Would it not be better to take the boat part of the way and then swim to shore before we get too close?”
“That is a good idea,” Jeff replied. It will be a lot easier than swimming the whole way with a sword and holding a pistol out of the water.”
The two quickly gathered their weapons and made their way down the cargo net to the longboat. As they cast off, each took an oar and they headed toward the dim lights on shore. At first they had difficulty staying on course without anyone to steer, but they eventually managed to develop a rhythm that kept them heading relatively straight to their intended destination. As they started to get close, Jeff had an idea. “Jenny, I’m thinking we can use the boat to our advantage. If I swim the boat in close to shore, that should draw the attention of anyone on the beach. That way you can swim in with less chance of being seen and get in behind them. I can either swim back out and around and flank them on the other side, or possibly take out anyone who comes into the water to check out the boat.”
“A sound plan,” Jenny agreed. When they were as close to shore as they dared, the two eased themselves into the water. Jenny retrieved her pistol from the boat and held it just out of the water as she slowly swam toward shore.
Jeff swam behind the boat and started pushing it directly towards the lights on shore. He quickly lost sight of Jenny in the darkness as he moved the boat forward. Soon he was able to make out the dark shapes of the raiding party longboats on the sandy beach ahead and he headed straight toward them. The water was beginning to get shallow and his feet would occasionally touch bottom as he kicked his legs. He was just beginning to question how close he should get when he heard hushed voices on the shore. Unless he missed his guess, the boat had been spotted – he was close enough! Jeff held his position waiting to see what would happen.
He could hear splashing sounds approaching him as someone was coming to investigate the boat. At that moment, he realized that his flintlock was still in the boat and if he reached for it now, he’d no doubt be seen. His position was still well-hidden by the hull of the boat and the darkness, so he opted for the advantage of surprise and slowly drew his sword. Jeff could tell that there were two men approaching and they were now within about 20 feet. He needed to be sure they were Craig’s men before he attacked, and given the darkness and his unfamiliarity with Craig and Jamison’s crews, he was beginning to wonder how to do that. Fortunately his question was quickly answered. As the men reached the other end of the boat from where Jeff was concealed, one of them called back toward shore, “Somethin’ be wrong. This be our boat, the one Gage took to the Wench.”
“Bring it in,” called back a voice on shore.
Jeff was debating the merits of trying to take on two men in the water and reveal his presence to the others on shore versus trying to swim to shore without being detected when a plan came to mind. He took a deep breath and ducked under the water, swimming toward the man closest to him. In the dim moonlight and through the blur of the water, he could just make out the man’s form ahead of him. He closed the distance quickly and lashed out at the man’s leg with his sword. “Ahhhh!” the man screamed out as he struggled to remain upright. Jeff slashed again, this time at the man’s midsection, before retreating to the cover of the boat to take a breath.
The man clutched at the boat to hold himself up. “What be yer problem?” Jeff heard the other man ask.
“I… be bit…shark!” the man gasped with horror. Jeff took another deep breath and swam toward the second man who was now frozen with fear.
“I’m getting’ in the boat,” he said as he turned to try to get a grip on the hull to pull himself in. But before he could leap for the safety of the boat, Jeff slashed him across the legs and then ran him through. The man gasped as he staggered forward and then fell face first into the water. Jeff swam back once again to conceal himself behind the longboat.
“What be happenin’?” called out a voice from shore.
“Sh… Shark!” the man at the boat managed to yell back. The man struggled to try to pull himself into the boat, but he was too late. Once again, Jeff submerged and delivered two more deep cuts to the man’s legs before thrusting his sword through the man’s abdomen. The man lost his grip on the boat and collapsed into the water.
Realizing that the large amount of blood in the water might soon attract a real shark, Jeff cautiously retrieved his pistol from the boat and decided to make his way up the shore to be able to flank the remaining would-be ambushers. Further inland, he could hear gunfire and the screams of men and women as the raid was still in progress. From the sounds of things, Craig and his crew were repeating their atrocities of Cabra Cachonda. Jeff swam parallel to the shore until he figured it was safe enough to try to make land. As the water grew thin, he crawled toward land staying as low as possible while scanning the shore for any movement. Satisfied that there was nobody waiting for him, he rose to his feet and as quietly as possible sl
ogged the remaining way to the beach.
By now, things in the town appeared to be quieting down. Jeff figured that soon the raiding party would be hauling their spoils back to the longboats. When he had spotted the ambush boat leaving for shore, it looked like there were eight men in it. Those eight plus three others including Craig himself in the raiding party would not be enough to safely take on both of the other crews. Jeff guessed that they must be planning to ambush them one by one as they carried the loot to the boats and he quickly realized his best bet was to ambush the ambushers and try to alert the crews of the Wench and The Crow as to what was happening. Jeff was hopeful that Jenny was safely ashore and she too had figured out Captain Craig’s plan.
Jeff made his way slowly through the trees, following the lights and sounds coming from the town a short distance ahead. Somewhere here he expected to find one or more of Craig’s men lying in wait for the raiding party to pass by. Then he saw him. Crouched down in the shadows just inside the trees along the path to the beach was a man with his sword drawn. Jeff scanned the area carefully looking for others. With no other men in sight, Jeff slowly crept forward and took a position behind a tree about 20 feet from the man. Jeff peeked out from behind the tree and watched the man intently. Voices from the path made Jeff and his quarry both sink back into the shadows.
Craig and Coxen were once again arguing loudly. “Ye have gone soft, Coxen! Me men just be havin’ a little fun and ye want to be guardian o’ the peasants.”
“Craig, your men are as reckless and stupid as you are. We had to fight much longer and harder tonight than we should have because you and your men couldn’t leave the villagers alone. Instead of a handful of drunk soldiers, we wound up fighting the whole town!”
“Aye! And we won and now be takin’ all of value this shithole has, not settling for merely a bit o’ Spanish payroll and a silver tea set from the Governor’s house.”
“What of value did you steal from those people? A bit of rum, some worthless jewelry?” Coxen demanded.
“Aye, and the wenches be most entertainin’, or at least would ha’ been if ye an yer men had not interfered!” Craig answered.
“You and your men are barbarians, Craig!”
“Aye, but we be FUN barbarians! When did ye become such an old wench, Coxen?”
Jeff watched the men through the trees. As the Captains’ voices faded down the path, a line of men loaded down with crates and sacks followed them. Jeff could see the man in the trees shifting his weight, apparently to ready himself to pick off the last man in line. Jeff crept forward slightly and prepared himself to close the distance quickly when the man made his move. As Jeff saw the last man in the line pass by, the man in the trees slipped out onto the path and Jeff quickly followed. The would-be ambusher crept forward with his sword poised to attack, but Jeff struck first, grabbing the man by the hair and ripping his sword across his throat from behind. The man made a slight gurgling noise as he fell to the ground. The other Stevens, who had been the target of the ambush, continued down the path toward the beach, apparently none the wiser.
Just then, another of Craig’s ambush party emerged from the trees on the other side of the path and charged at Jeff. Jeff raised his sword to defend himself, but the man suddenly lurched forward and fell face-first at his feet. A large knife protruded from between the man’s shoulder blades and Jeff looked up to see Jenny smiling at him from the trees. “Nice shot!” he whispered to her as she stepped forward and retrieved her knife. “Come on, we need to catch up to the line!” Jeff said. He and Jenny took off running down the path. As they rounded a curve, they could see another of Craig’s men stepping out of the trees behind the other Stevens. “Snap!” the sound rang out as Jeff stepped on a small branch lying on the path and the would-be ambusher spun around with his sword at the ready. “I’ll take him. You stay with the line!” Jeff said as he raised his sword and ran directly at the man. Jenny ran past them as the two men’s swords clanged together between them.
Jeff and his opponent circled each other. Down the path, there was shouting followed by an exchange of several gunshots. “Jenny!” Jeff screamed to himself. But his worry over her safety would have to wait. His opponent suddenly advanced on him, slicing hard at him repeatedly, but Jeff’s training served him well and he was able to parry the blows.
His opponent stepped back, apparently surprised by Jeff’s skill. “Not bad, mate. I should like to test ye some more, but I’m afraid I haven’t the time,” he said as he pulled his flintlock and leveled it at Jeff.
Jeff flinched as the shot rang in his ears, and he searched his body for the pain of the wound, but there was none. The man in front of him collapsed on the ground and Jeff looked up to see the other Stevens standing just down the path holding a smoking flintlock. “Thanks!” Jeff exclaimed with relief.
“Think nothing o’ it Mr. Greene. I owe ye a debt of thanks fer havin’ me back up the path.”
“You knew?” “Aye, the Captain had warned us to be on guard. I seen ‘im comin’ but then I seen ye comin’ up behind that first one and knew ye ‘ad ‘im. I plays like I be unawares so they stick to their plan an’ not attack all at once. Less chance o’ anyone o’ us getting hurt.”
“Good thinking,” Jeff nodded with approval.
“Now, come wit’ me, Mr. Greene, the Captain’s waitin’.”
Jeff walked toward the other Stevens and the two men made their way down the path to the beach. Along the way, they passed three lifeless bodies, who the other Stevens identified as all being Captain Craig’s men. When they reached the beach, there stood a half-circle of the men from the Wandering Wench and the Crow. In front of them were Captain Craig and his two remaining men, now on their knees with their hands behind their heads with several guns pointed at them. Captain Coxen turned to greet Jeff, “Ah Mr. Greene, very good work! Mr. Robinson tells me that the Wench is safe.
“Yes, Captain. We left her in Mr. Harrison’s capable hands. Captain Jamison, I regret to inform you that it appears that The Crow was taken over by Craig’s men.”
Jamison took a step toward Craig and kicked him in the chest, knocking him onto his back, “Craig, you scalawag! I’ll see that you hang for your treachery!”
Coxen spoke up, “Aye, we can take him and his men to the Wench and hang them there for his crew aboard The Crow and the Booty to see.”
As men stepped forward to bind the hands of Captain Craig and his men, Jeff spoke up, “If I may make a couple of suggestions, Captains...”
“Aye, Mr. Greene?” Coxen replied. “Captain Craig’s crew doesn’t strike me as the types who are going to give up without a fight, so rather than tip our hand, it might be best to let them think everything is going according to their plan.”
“Aye, there’s some sense in that,” Captain Jamison agreed, “But how do you propose to get my ship back?”
Jeff continued, “Captain Craig has a rather distinctive look. We can use that to our advantage. If one of us were to dress up like him and row out to The Crow, it would be tough for his men to tell that it wasn’t him in the dark. Then our imposter distracts them with unloading cargo while another boat comes from the other side of the ship with a boarding party. By the time they figure out what’s happening, it will be too late.”
“Aye, a good plan,” Jamison agreed as Coxen nodded his approval. “It’s settled then, but who will be posing as Captain Craig?”
Jeff cleared his throat and said with his best Captain Craig impression, “I be thinkin’ I could do it.”
“Well, I’ll be! Ye sounded just like him!” Jamison said as several men chuckled.
“Very good then,” Coxen chimed in, “We should load a long boat with some of the spoils of the raid and get Mr. Greene decked out in Craig’s finery.”
While some of the men set about loading one of the longboats, others set about stripping Craig of his ha
t, eye patch, and clothes. Jeff began putting on his costume as Craig knelt naked in the sand with his hands and feet bound, staring at him in stony silence. Jeff hesitated for a moment when it came time to put on the eye patch as he looked into the dark hole in Craig’s skull where his eye used to be. After killing Craig’s men in the bloody fashion he had, it seemed odd to Jeff that he’d be creeped out by the idea of putting the patch over his eye, but the disguise had been his idea after all, so he pushed his queasiness aside and slid the patch on his head.
“With the shadow from the hat, he be the spittin’ image,” Crabtree commented.
“Aye, except for one thing,” Jenny said as she stepped forward and moved the patch over Jeff’s other eye. “Craig’s men might have noticed that the patch was on the wrong side.”
“Good that you have such an eye for detail, Robinson,” Jeff quipped to the groans and laughter of the group.
Several men helped Jeff shove off and he rowed steadily towards the ships that were silhouetted against the night sky. Not far behind him was one boat filled with Jamison and several of his men, all eager to retake their ship and to punish Craig’s men for their betrayal, and a second boat of crew from the Wench, headed out to reinforce Harrison’s security on their ship.
A short time later, Jeff was within hailing distance of The Crow. “Ahoy! Hold yer fire! It be Captain Craig,” Jeff called out to the ship in his best Captain Craig voice.
From the deck of the ship, a voice called back, “Ahoy, Captain! Yer plan be perfect. The fools ne’er knew what hit ‘em!”
“Aye, and now that Coxen and Jamison be dead, the ships and the spoils o’ the raid be all ours,” Jeff replied, pulling closer and closer to the ship, “Now look alive and ye get this cargo stowed. More be on its way.”
Jeff tied off the longboat alongside The Crow and climbed up the cargo net as two crewmen climbed down and started handing up sacks and crates to the two men on deck. Jeff made sure to stand in the shadows as the men worked. He kept watch on them as the longboat with Jamison and his men approached quietly from the other side of the ship. Craig’s men were so occupied with unloading the longboat that they didn’t see Jamison’s men boarding the ship until it was too late. Some of Jamison’s men quickly surrounded the two men on deck, while two with rifles took positions on the rail with their sites on the men in the longboat. “Surrender now and I’ll give consideration to sparing your lives,” Jamison said quietly so as not to alert any of Craig’s men who might be on the Grand Booty as to what was happening. One of the men on deck reached for his sword and was quickly cut down by one of Jamison’s men. The rest of Craig’s men immediately surrendered.
After Craig’s men were disarmed and bound, gagged, and secured below deck, Captain Jamison turned to Jeff, “Many thanks, Mr. Greene, for returning me my ship! Would you be so good as to employ a similar ruse to allow us to board the Grand Booty to secure her as well?
“Aye,” Jeff replied, still mimicking Captain Craig, “It be me pleasure!”
“Be careful, Mr. Greene,” Jamison cautioned with a chuckle, “If you are too convincing as Captain Craig, a member of my crew is likely to shoot you!”
“Aye… I mean, yes! You’re point is well-taken, Captain,” Jeff replied, breaking character temporarily.
Jamison’s crew re-loaded some of the cargo back into Jeff’s longboat and prepared their guns to board the Grand Booty. Soon Jeff was rowing across to Craig’s ship and once again was back in character pretending to be Craig himself. “Ahoy! It be yer Captain!” he called out. There was no response. “Ahoy!” he called out again as he came closer, but there was still no response. Jeff was uneasy as he tied the longboat alongside the ship. He could not imagine that Craig had left his own ship unattended, but perhaps he had been forced to in order to have enough men to stage the ambush on shore in addition to taking over the other two ships. But then again, it was quite possible that there were men on the ship who were aware of what was happening and were lying in wait on the deck above.
Jeff cautiously climbed up the net and peeked over the rail. The ship appeared to be deserted, so he jumped onto the deck. He drew his pistol as he scanned the shadows of the ship. “Ahoy, it be the Captain!” he called out again. From his position, he could see the longboat with the boarding party just pulling up to the other side of the ship. Then from the shadows of the far corner of the deck, Jeff heard a sound that made his heart jump. “MMMMNNGH! SNAAHHGHHH!”
Jeff nearly burst out laughing when he realized it was someone snoring. He made his way quietly across the deck towards the noise. There, lying propped against each other was two of Craig’s men passed out with a jug of rum lying next to them. Jeff carefully crept over to the rail where the first of Jamison’s men were just boarding the ship. “They’re asleep,” he whispered, pointing in the direction of the sleeping men.
When Captain Jamison and all of his men were aboard, they quickly searched the rest of the ship to make sure the sleeping men were the only ones on board. When the all clear was given, Jamison’s men surrounded the sleeping pair and Jeff stepped forward and yelled in his best Captain Craig voice, “What be the meanin’ o’ this, ye lazy dogs?!” One of the men opened an eye and immediately jumped to his feet, while the man who was leaning against him crashed onto the deck, still unconscious.
“Captain, sir! I beg yer forgiveness!” Jeff laughed as he pulled off his hat and eye patch, “Don’t worry, I’m not really the Captain. You’re not in trouble.” The man sighed and smiled with relief. “Oh, wait, maybe you are!” Jeff corrected himself as the man suddenly realized that the men surrounding him with their weapons drawn were not from his crew.
“Captain Jamison, I j…j…just be f…f…following C…C…Captain C…C…Craig’s orders, sir,” the man stammered with fear.
“Mr. Pope is it?” Jamison inquired.
“Aye, sir!” “Don’t worry Mr. Pope, you and your mates will all be treated fairly.”
“Thank you sir!”
“Each of you will be given a fair trial before we hang you!” Jamison yelled angrily. “Get these men out of my sight!” Jamison bellowed. Jamison’s men bound Pope’s hands and dragged him below deck along with his still-unconscious crewmate. Jamison assigned four of his men to stay aboard the Booty before announcing, “We should be getting back to shore now. There is still much work to be done tonight.”
Jeff joined Jamison and his crew in the longboat and after stopping off at the Wench to assure that all was secure and to pick up an additional boat for cargo, they quickly made their way back to shore. Captain Coxen greeted them as they came ashore. “I trust that you have retaken The Crow and have secured Craig’s vessel?”
“Aye, Mr.Greene’s plan worked very well. They put up very little resistance, other than the resistance of the two men on the Booty to being awakened!” Jamison exclaimed with a laugh. The men from the Wandering Wench had already loaded the two longboats on the beach and had gathered the remaining spoils from the raid on the beach.
Jamison nodded at Craig and his men, who looked as if they had taken a bit of a beating since last he’d seen them. “Did they cause you trouble?”
“No,” Coxen replied, “But I did have some difficulty restraining the men from having a bit of fun with them.”
“Well, John, do you want to hang them here, or take them back to one of the ships?” Jamison asked.
Coxen replied, “I was thinking that some of Craig’s men may be salvageable as crew, and if we are to sail with all three ships, we shall need them. If we take Craig back and hang him in front of his men, that will give them fair warning of what awaits traitors in our midst and then we can give them an opportunity to swear their loyalty to us.”
Jamison nodded with approval. “So be it. Now, as the night grows short, we should get back to the ships and prepare to be underway before the Spanish fleet shows up”.
The crews loaded up the remaining cargo from the raid and headed out to their ships. By the time the longboats were unloaded and the prisoners were locked away securely, it was nearly dawn. But as tired as the crews were, there was no time for rest. The smoke rising on shore from the fires Craig’s men had set during the raid would be a beacon to any Spanish warships in the area, so it was necessary to set sail as soon as possible. Since time was short, Coxen and Jamison opted to delay the hanging of Captain Craig and instead assigned a skeleton crew to man the Grand Booty until such time as a more permanent arrangement could be made. The weary crews set to work hauling anchor and unfurling the sails and the three ships set out for the island of Utila, where the Brethren of the Coast had a long-established stronghold.