Chapter 14: Into The Storm
The Wandering Wench and The Crow set out for Cuba and the ships were within sight of land just as the sun started to sink in the sky. After checking his charts and positioning and some signaling back and forth with Captain Jamison, the ships set a course for their first intended target, a village called Pueblo Carcel. Jeff had just finished cleaning the infirmary again for lack of anything better to do when Mr. Graves came for him, “The Captain sent me to fetch ye, Mr. Greene.”
“Thank you, Mr. Graves.” Jeff headed out on deck with growing excitement, hoping that the Captain was going to include him in the raid.
As he stepped onto the navigation deck, the Captain was standing at the wheel and waved him over. “Mr. Greene, I have considered your interest in joining the raid, and I think I can accommodate you – on one condition.”
“Yes, Captain, what’s your condition?”
“You must promise me that you will not get yourself hurt or killed.”
Jeff smiled, “I will do my best, Captain.”
“Very well then, Mr. Greene. We shall be anchoring soon. Be sure to eat a good supper and then prepare yourself for the raid. See Mr. Harrison about a pistol and the necessary ammunition and be sure your sword is sharp.”
“Yes Captain, and thank you!”
“You are welcome Mr. Greene, but remember, if you get yourself killed, the punishment will be most severe!”
“Yes, Captain, I will keep that in mind!”
Jeff found Mr. Harrison who supplied him with a pistol and a supply of powder and ammunition. The two men then joined the rest of the crew in line for dinner in the galley. As Jenny served him a plate, she noticed the pistol stuck in his belt. “Are you to join the raiding party, Mr. Greene?”
“Yes, the Captain is permitting me to go along on this one.”
“Good for you! Do try to not get yourself killed,” she said with a slight smile.
“As I told the Captain, I will do my best!” he replied.
Jeff and several of the other men ate quickly on deck by the fading light of sunset. When he finished eating, Jeff set about sharpening his sword and anxiously awaited the raid. Shortly after darkness fell, the ships reached Pueblo Carcel and dropped anchor. Jeff was already waiting at the rail when the Captain gathered the rest of the raiding party and placed Crabtree in command of the ship. Coxen, Jeff, and several other men loaded into the longboats. They met up with the longboats from The Crow before heading toward the village. Although the distance to shore was not that far, a strong headwind had come up from out of the North which stirred up the waves and made for a slow, rough, wet row to the beach.
The longboats finally made it to shore and Jeff and the others jumped out and pulled them up onto the sand. So far, it seemed as though they had not been detected and the men quietly assembled before Captains Coxen and Jamison led them up a narrow path toward the faint lights visible through the trees. Coxen took the lead and after a short walk, he held up his hand to signal the others to stop. The trail had ended in a clearing where there were several small huts with the flickering glow of firelight emanating from within. A small group of men could be seen sitting around a ground fire, but otherwise the village was quiet.
Captain Coxen pointed at Harrison and the two Stevens and motioned for them to advance on the group while the rest of the raiding party remained cloaked in the shadows. Jeff watched as the three men silently crept up on the group around the fire. Their presence was only noticed when Harrison stepped forward into the firelight and cocked his pistol. The villagers immediately raised their hands and all started talking at once. Jeff couldn’t make out what they were saying, but he guessed it was probably Spanish for “Don’t shoot!” Harrison and the two Stevens were holding their guns on them but also appeared to be trying to settle the men down.
Harrison waved to the Captain and the rest of the raiding party advanced. As they approached, Jeff heard one of the villagers say, “…en la Colina.”
Harrison spoke, “Captain, I do not think the villagers be givin’ us any trouble. They not be havin’ much fondness fer the governor. They say the governor’s house and the barracks for the Spanish soldiers be up the trail atop the hill.”
“Cuantas soldadas?” Coxen asked of the men.
“Seis,” one spoke up.
“Good, only six soldiers. Hopefully this shall be as easy as it would seem. Captain Jamison, what say you to leaving a few men here to keep an eye on the villagers and the rest of us can take the governor’s house?”
Jamison agreed, “Aye, Captain Coxen, it shall be done. Scarborough, Givens, Wesley, and Smith, you men shall stay here and make sure the villagers do not interfere. And Smith, if there are any women about, you stay away from them!”
“But Captain…” Smith began.
“That’s an order Mr. Smith!”
“Aye, Captain,” Smith replied dejectedly.
Jamison continued, “Mr. Scarborough, let these men know that as long as the villagers cooperate, they and their possessions will be left untouched.”
“Aye, Captain,” Scarborough acknowledged before relaying the Captain’s words to the men.
Captain Coxen took the lead and the rest of the raiding party moved quickly up the path. As they approached the top of the hill, Coxen slowed their advance. Ahead Jeff could see a dim light shining through a second-floor window in what he guessed to be the governor’s house. The light colored stone wall around it stood out from the surrounding darkness and there was a large wooden gate in the center.
Coxen instructed Harrison and the two Stevens to take to the trees and advance to the far side of the gate, while Jamison sent his men around to take positions on the near side and back wall. Coxen, Jeff and the remaining members of the raiding party cautiously moved toward the gate. The soldiers were apparently not watching the perimeter as the raiding party walked right up to the gate without any noise from within nor any other sign that they had been spotted. Coxen pushed against the gate, and to his surprise, it swung open, but in so doing, let out a loud creaking noise. From somewhere within the compound, muffled voices could be heard. The raiding party quickly moved through the gate and spread out to hide in the shadows. Jeff was at Captain Coxen’s side when light poured out from an opening door on an outbuilding near the gate and a Spanish soldier walked out with a pistol in his hand.
The soldier was still night-blind and squinted against the darkness as he slowly approached their hiding place in the shadows next to a small tree inside the gate. The man’s night vision was developing just as he came face to barrel with Coxen’s gun. “Silencio,” Coxen whispered as he raised a finger to his mouth. Jeff stepped up and relieved the man of his gun. “Si coopera, no matarle. Comprendo?” Coxen said quietly to the soldier, who nodded in agreement. “Regreso,” the Captain said as he motioned for the man to head back to the building.
The man hesitated for a moment, but with both Coxen and Jeff now holding pistols on him, he decided to comply. As they walked toward the building, Coxen waved for the others inside the gate to follow. As they reached the door to the building, Coxen grabbed the man by the shoulder and whispered, “Alto!” As the other pirates gathered behind them at the door, the Captain whispered to the soldier, “Abierto!” As the man opened the door, Captain Coxen shoved him through it and burst through the door with Jeff, Captain Jamison and several other men right behind him. The three other soldiers in the building were taken completely by surprise and put up no resistance when faced with the multiple pistols aimed at them.
“Tie them up and gag them, men. There are still two unaccounted for, so look alive,” Jamison ordered.
Coxen stepped up to the man who they had ambushed by the gate and asked, “Donde los otros?” The man looked over at his comrades who were being bound and gagged before looking up at Coxen with silent defiance. “Blindfold them and
we’ll find the others on our own!” the Captain ordered. Once the three other men were blindfolded, Coxen leaned in, and whispered in the man’s ear, “Donde los otros?” he asked again with a menacing tone.
The man mouthed back the words, “En la casa,” as he gestured with his head toward the main house.
Captain Coxen stepped back. “Mr. Pike, gag and blindfold this man and remain here on guard.”
“Aye, Captain!”
“Captain Jamison, shall we take the house?” Coxen inquired.
“By all means,” Jamison nodded, “You lead the way, John.” The men quickly filed out of the guard house behind Captain Coxen. The flickering firelight within the main house made it clearly visible through the darkness. On Coxen’s signal, the men fanned out to surround the house and slowly closed in. As they moved closer, a lone sentry illuminated by the moonlight could be seen on the second floor.
The ground floor was cloaked in shadows, and although they knew there was probably a sentry patrolling there, he could not be seen. In a moment, any doubts about the presence of a guard on the ground floor were eliminated when a voice from out of the darkness shouted, “Alto!” and a muzzle flash briefly revealed the position of the soldier near the front door of the house. There was a brief exchange of gunfire between the pirates and the two guards, but the Spanish soldiers quickly succumbed to the superior numbers and better aim of the raiding party.
After the men had time to reload their guns, Coxen carefully advanced through the front door of the house with Captain Jamison and Jeff and several other men right behind. They moved quickly through the first floor of the house and found only a maid from the village hiding in terror beneath the dining table. Although she did not appear to be a threat, Coxen ordered her bound to a chair until the raid was complete.
Just as they had finished securing the first floor, one of Jamison’s men dragged in a shirtless man who was limping badly. “I found me this bloke after ‘e jump out the back window. Think ‘e broke him leg.”
Jamison walked over and grabbed ahold of the man’s hand and held it to the light to reveal large gold rings on each finger. “Ah, the governor no doubt!” exclaimed Captain Jamison, as he proceeded to yank the rings from the man’s fingers.
“Aye,” Coxen agreed, “Shall we see if there are any more occupants on the second floor?”
“Lead on, Captain Coxen,” Jamison said, gesturing toward the stairs. Jeff followed Jamison and Coxen as they crept up the stairs with several men behind them. On the second floor, they fanned out to search the rooms.
Jeff was first in the door of what turned out to be the bedroom. There, tied spread-eagled on the bed was a naked woman. As he moved closer, Jeff could see the fear in her eyes and he tried to reassure her with what broken Spanish he could remember, “Esta bien. No esta… en peligro. Tranquilo.” When he got next to the bed, he pulled out his knife to cut her loose, and she started screaming. “No, no! Tranquilo! Cuchillo es por la cuello!”
“I think you mean por la cuerda, not la cuello. Unless you intended to tell this poor woman the knife was for her neck and not for the rope!” Captain Coxen corrected as he entered the room. “Perhaps I should handle this, Mr. Greene,” the Captain said, trying to speak over the woman’s screams.
“Please do, Captain,” Jeff said as he stepped back from the bed. Coxen quickly managed to calm the woman down. By now, Captain Jamison and several other men were filing into the room, which set the frightened woman off again. Jamison quickly ordered everyone out of the room while Captain Coxen reassured the woman that no harm would come to her.
Jeff joined Captain Jamison and the others in searching the rooms for valuables. Jeff entered what he figured to be the governor’s office and made his way to the large ornate desk that sat in the middle of the room. He rummaged through the drawers and found a small assortment of rings and other jewelry. When he got to the left side bottom drawer, it appeared to be either locked or stuck, and Jeff pulled his knife to try to jimmy it open. He soon realized that the drawer was neither locked nor stuck, it was just difficult to slide open because it was so heavy.
In addition to miscellaneous papers, there were several small sacks. Jeff picked one up and his heart raced as he immediately recognized the heft and jingle of coins. He untied the strap at the top of the sack and carefully poured the contents out on the desktop. It was even better than he had imagined – the coins were all gold! He pulled the other sacks from the drawer and peeked inside each one. They all appeared to be filled with gold coins. In all, there were a dozen bags, each holding 15 to 20 large coins. He collected the coin sacks together and placed them into the burlap sack he had been issued for the raid. He was so excited by his find that he almost forgot to check the bottom drawer on the right side of the desk. Once again the drawer was heavy, and Jeff’s excitement grew. This drawer had even more coin purses in it, and again all of them appeared to be filled with gold coins. Just as Jeff finished loading the purses into his sack, Captain Coxen called out, “Mr. Greene, come here, you need to see this!” Jeff tied the sack closed and threw it over his shoulder and only then noticed the first sack of coins was still poured out on the desk. He quickly scooped them back into their sack and shoved it in his pocket as Coxen yelled for him again.
Jeff returned to the bedroom, where the woman was now wrapped up in a blanket and sitting quietly on the bed with a glass of wine. Captain Coxen urgently waved him over to the window. “Mr. Greene, look!” From the second story window, there was a clear view out over the water. In the distance a storm was moving through… a storm with rapid bursts of pink and blue lightning that crackled instead of thundered!
Jeff dropped the sack in astonishment. “Captain, I need one of the longboats!”
“No, Mr. Greene, you’ll never make it on your own in a longboat. The storm is too far out for you to reach it in time. Come on!” Coxen ran to the stairs with Jeff right behind him.
They met Captain Jamison at the foot of the stairs. “John, what the devil…”
“No time, Jamison. I have to get Mr. Greene to the Wench. I’ll return within the hour and will explain everything then!” As they ran out the front of the house, they nearly knocked over Stevens and the other Stevens entering the house. Coxen yelled to them as he passed, “You men, you’re with us!” The two Stevens looked at each other for a moment and then turned and ran after Jeff and the Captain.
As Jeff and Coxen reached the village, Jamison’s men who were keeping watch on the villagers jumped up in alarm. “What be the matter, Captain Coxen?!” one yelled as they ran past.
“Not..to…worry. Be… as… you… were!” the Captain gasped back, winded from the exertion. When they finally reached the shore, the Captain was about to collapse. He and Jeff started to push one of the longboats into the water, but the Captain’s legs gave out and he collapsed on the sand.
In a moment, the two Stevens arrived and they helped Jeff shove the boat into the water before helping the Captain aboard. Jeff grabbed one of the oars and the other Stevens took the other. The storm was a good distance off, but still within reach and it appeared to be moving slowly. Jeff and the other Stevens rowed hard as Stevens steered toward the ships. Captain Coxen was still breathing too hard to talk, but he was now sitting up and watching the storm intently. Within minutes, they were approaching the ship and the Captain had now recovered enough to yell to the crew onboard. “Mr. Crabtree, begin hauling anchor and prepare to set sail for that storm!”
“Aye, Captain,” came the reply from the shadows of the ship. Jeff could hear Crabtree barking orders and the noise of the crew pulling the anchor. As they pulled the longboat alongside the Wandering Wench, Jeff scrambled up the cargo net as the two Stevens helped the still-gasping Captain to his feet .
Jeff ran to the cargo hold and began clearing a path to get his kayak out. As he moved crates and sacks out of the w
ay, he could hear the Captain giving the order to set sail and he felt the sudden shift of the ship as the sails were unfurled. A moment later, Jenny appeared in the doorway of the cargo hold. Without a word, she started helping Jeff move cargo out of the way so he could get to the kayak. Jeff finally was able to yank the kayak out from behind some crates and Jenny helped him carry it to the doorway. They started to maneuver it through the doorway when Jeff stopped. “Wait! The paddle!” he said as he retreated to the back of the hold once more. Fortunately, the paddle was easy to find and he quickly retrieved it and headed for the doorway.
Jenny was poised to pick up her end of the kayak when Jeff stopped her. “You can still come with me…” he started.
Jenny sighed, “I will miss you, but my place is here.”
“In that case, before we go out on deck, there’s something I need to do,” Jeff said as he stepped forward and kissed her passionately.
“What the devil?!” they heard Crabtree exclaim from behind them.
“Oh, Mr. Crabtree… I, uh, well… It is, uh… It is customary in my time when you take your leave of someone forever that you give them a kiss goodbye.
In fact, I’m glad you’re here, because,” Jeff said as he stepped up to the big man and pulled Crabtree’s mouth to his and planted a big, wet kiss on his lips, before Crabtree pushed him away, sputtering, “Bloody hell, Mr. Greene!”
“I shall miss you, Mr. Crabtree.” Jenny could barely keep from laughing as Crabtree wiped his hand across his mouth before saying,
“Uh, likewise, Mr. Greene, but I could ha’ done without the kiss!”
“Sorry, it is just a custom,” Jeff said as he and Jenny started to lift the kayak.
“A moment, Mr. Robinson,” Crabtree said.
“Take your time, I can handle this myself,” Jeff said hefting the kayak onto his shoulder and grabbing the paddle in his free hand before making his way towards the deck.
Crabtree turned toward Jenny and said, “Not a word o’ this to anyone, Mr. Robinson!”
Jenny was still fighting back laughter when she answered, “I won’t say anything if you don’t Mr. Crabtree.”
“See that ye do not!” Crabtree said before turning to head out on deck with Jenny behind him.
As Jeff reached the deck, he could see the storm ahead of them and they had definitely closed some distance on it. He set the kayak down at the rail and tied the paddle to it with a length of rope to make sure he didn’t lose it when he put the kayak over the side. Captain Coxen called to him from the navigation deck and Jeff quickly made his way up the steps to the wheel. “Mr. Greene, we should be within range of the storm in a few minutes. I will get you as close as I dare take the ship and then it shall be up to you to get your canoe the rest of the way.”
“Thank you Captain,” Jeff replied.
The Captain continued, “Mr. Greene, words cannot express how much I have valued you as a friend and as a member of my crew. I am happy for you that you have this opportunity to return to your own time, but you shall be sorely missed – especially since I suppose we will have to reinstate Mr. Graves as the ship’s surgeon!”
Jeff laughed, “God help you! But in all seriousness, Captain, there’s no guarantee this is going to work, but if I do leave you tonight, I want you to know that I too have valued our friendship greatly. If I am not able to catch the storm, I could certainly do much worse than to continue my life here with you and the crew.”
“Thank you, Mr. Greene. I trust you have said your goodbyes to Robinson.”
“Yes Captain. Mr. Crabtree caught us in a kiss, but I told him it was a custom from my time – right before I kissed him!”
“You kissed Mr. Crabtree!” the Captain exclaimed laughing, “I wish I had been there to see that! So, then he does not suspect Mr. Robinson’s secret?”
“I don’t think so. He seemed a lot more concerned about me kissing him than kissing Jenny,” Jeff explained.
“I suspect that to be true,” the Captain said with a chuckle, “That was quick thinking indeed, Mr. Greene. Bravo!”
“Thank you, Captain.”
Coxen eyed the storm and said, “I wish we had a little more time, but we are getting close now, Mr. Greene. You should take your position at the rail. When I am as close as I dare be to the storm, I shall signal you. I will briefly turn into the wind to slow our pace and you may then take your leave of us. I shall look to see if the storm takes you, but it may be difficult to tell in the dark. If the storm passes without you, yell out and we shall come for you. Just to be sure, we shall wait until first light before we depart from Pueblo Carcel, so if you are not taken by the storm, we shall look for you to rejoin us.”
“Thank you, Captain – for everything!” Jeff said extending his hand.
“What, no kiss for me?” the Captain asked in mock offense.
“I thought a handshake would be more fitting,” Jeff said with a smile.
“Indeed,” the Captain agreed as he bowed and shook Jeff’s hand firmly.
Jeff moved down the steps to the main deck and took a position at the rail next to his kayak, where a group of several crew members was waiting. Jenny stepped forward and said, “We shall miss you, Mr. Greene. Fair thee well!”
The crew members each stepped forward to offer well-wishes. Even Crabtree, who was now recovered from the unexpected kiss, stepped forward and shook Jeff’s hand and said, “I be glad we did not hang ye that first day, Mr. Greene.”
“Thank you, Mr. Crabtree. Coming from you, that is high praise.”
Crabtree thought for a moment and replied, “Aye, that it be! Good luck to ye, Mr. Greene.”
A moment later, the Captain called down, “Get ready Mr. Greene!” The crackle of the strange lightning was now getting quite loud and the rapidly shifting winds from the storm were whipping the sea into a heavy chop. The Captain turned into the wind and yelled, “Now!” Jeff, Jenny, and Crabtree lifted the kayak over the rail and dropped it into the churning water. Immediately, the small craft started to drift away. There was no time for Jeff to climb down the cargo net, so he leapt over the rail and dropped into the water feet first. He sank below the waves and quickly swam to the surface. The kayak was already several feet away, so he swam hard for it. He was thankful when he grabbed hold of the plastic hull and he quickly hoisted himself onboard.
Jeff could see that the storm was already moving off and he needed to get after it. He quickly pulled in the rope and untied the paddle and shoved the blade hard into the water to turn the kayak toward the storm. He paddled as hard as he could and started to slowly close the distance. After some minutes of paddling at a frantic pace, his aching muscles forced him to settle into a more even stroke.
To his surprise, he actually started to make better headway at the slower pace. It was then he realized that the storm had changed direction and was now heading straight for him. The flashes of lightning were nearly blinding to Jeff’s night-attuned eyes as the tunnel of clouds approached. Just as with his first experience, Jeff’s hair stood on end as he entered the storm. As the tunnel narrowed and the crackles of lightning intensified, Jeff’s skin tingled with electricity. He willed himself to keep his eyes open as the storm engulfed him, but the intensity of the lightning flashes were quickly too much and soon the tingling transitioned into painful shocks. A moment later, Jeff lost consciousness.
Aboard the Wandering Wench, Captain Coxen was fighting to stay out of the path of the storm. He had allowed what he thought was plenty of room for the ship to escape, but that was before the storm changed direction and was now headed right for them. The flashes and crackles of lightning were now closing in on them and Coxen was trying to coax all the speed he could from the Wench. Just as the cloud tunnel started to close in on them, it suddenly vanished. The lightning was gone and the wind suddenly dropped.
As the ship slowed to a crawl, Coxen picked up
his spyglass and scanned the darkness for Jeff and his kayak. “Mr. Greene!” he shouted out in the direction where he had last seen him. Jenny, Crabtree, and the crew took to the rail to search for signs of Jeff. After some minutes of calling out and searching the waves, Coxen called down to the crew, “I believe he made it, men! Three cheers for Mr. Greene and may he now be safe in his own time!”
In unison the crew cheered, “Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!”
“Now, take your stations and prepare to make anchor at Pueblo Carcel. Captain Jamison is no doubt waiting for us to transport the spoils of the raid.” Coxen took one last look through the spyglass before setting a course for their anchorage.
“Mister, wake up!” the voice penetrated the fog of Jeff’s unconsciousness. “We have to get out of here! Wake up!” Jeff blinked his eyes against the glare of a light. “Come on, get in the boat! We have to go!” Still only half-conscious, Jeff sat up in the kayak and felt a hand tugging at his shoulder. “Hurry!” the voice urged. Jeff turned toward the hand and saw the hull of a small fiberglass boat beside him. He grabbed hold of the side of the boat and struggled to his knees. As he turned his torso toward the boat two sets of hands grabbed him under the arms and yanked him in. A moment later, he heard the boat’s motor rev up and his head banged repeatedly on the deck as they bounced over the waves...
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