Winds of Fury

by Peter Duysings

  “Vielen dank, Herr Weber for understanding,” Otto said for the both of them.

  “It’s quite alright. Let us depart for the night as it is getting late.”

  All three left the warehouse together. Herr Weber bid them farewell and strode around the corner of the building where his horse and carriage were tied up. Otto and Heinrich just had started to walk off when they heard a high-pitched shriek that seemed to come from around the same corner where the old man headed. Their heads swung around, and both stood silently as they listened intently for more sounds. They only heard the whinny of the horse. Heinrich glanced at Otto with a furrowed brow indicating an expression of urgent concern. As one entity, they raced back to the building and around the corner.

  There before them, no more than thirty feet distance, three dark figures were crowded around the carriage, holding down old man Weber and going through his pockets. Otto and Heinrich dashed to the carriage. Once there they lunged forward and with powerful arms strengthened by years of lifting cargo grabbed the three thugs, pulled them away from the carriage, and then roughly threw them onto the gravelly ground. Otto went after the closest man, pulled him to his feet and launched a fist into the hoodlum’s noggin that sent him back down to the ground in a heap. Meanwhile, Heinrich quickly made sure Herr Weber was not injured.

  “Mein Herr, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”

  “Just a bit of a bruise on my shoulder from when they pulled me from the carriage. I slashed at him with the whip and stopped one …”

  Heinrich had already turned around after hearing Weber was all right and sprang forward coming alongside Otto who stood solidly in place, waiting for more nonsense from these foul-smelling varmints. He recognized the type; this caliber of man regularly loitered on the docks looking for easy prey in the dark evening hours. All three hoodlums had gotten to their feet, ready to face the two rescuers. Both Otto and Heinrich were furious, seeing their kind benefactor as the target of such devils. They were more than prepared to settle the score.

  In the background, Heinrich faintly heard Herr Weber, who still seemed to be in somewhat of a daze at what was happening and kept talking out loud as if he had an audience. “As I was explaining … with my whip I stopped one, but then the other two grabbed me and held me down while they started going through my pockets …”

  No one was listening to the older man’s oration.

  “Was willst du? Raus! – Wad da ya two want? – Get on outa here now!” a gruff voice bellowed out from one of the thugs. “Na one is around’ ta help ya at dis hour at night.”

  “Help is not exactly what we figured on,” stated Heinrich. “We mean to teach you three loathsome rats a lesson that your fathers should have taught you long ago.”

  The same thug spat on the ground and flashed a knife in one hand, the moonlight glinting off the blade. Another produced a wooden truncheon similar to a belaying pin used to secure a rope aboard a ship and held it up, just above shoulder height in a menacing display, hoping to strike fear into the two rescuers. Heinrich and Otto did not act fearful. Instead, they held their ground and waited for the ruffians to make their move. The one without a weapon stepped to his left as all three spread out to encircle Otto and Heinrich.

  Otto was of average height, but rotund, barrel-chested, and had hulking shoulders with bulging forearms forged by years of heavy lifting. He easily outmatched most of his opponents and could brawl with a stubbornness of a mule. Heinrich, on the other hand, was several inches taller, superbly athletic with a lithe, muscular body. What wasn’t apparent until he actually sprang into action was his quickness and wit about fighting, but by then it was too late for his adversaries to assess.

  “Let me at them … I’ll teach them a lesson or two!” Weber barked out with fury still in the middle of his tirade. “I’ll teach those thugs not to molest elderly Herren.”

  Otto warily eyed the man to his right as the assailant began to step in giving his armed cohorts more of an advantage. With a start, the unarmed thug to his right came within reach of Otto and swung a roundhouse right at his head. Otto, who was already hunched low, simply ducked forward as the punch was swung. It impacted with a sickening thud on the top of his hard head as Otto stood his ground and then stepped forward countering with a balled-up left fist that smashed squarely into the assailant’s chest with a thundering impact that instantly stopped the man in his tracks, jarring him as if hit by an ax. The man was already howling in pain from fractured knuckles from the head punch, and now he was utterly beyond himself to even move. Otto simply grabbed him by both upper arms and lifted him; twisted his body sideways in midair and drove the robber into the ground as if he was unloading a hefty sack of potatoes. The thug’s body thunderously plopped down and appeared to bounce off the hardened dirt. The man was done for.

  Meanwhile, the two other armed men in unison attacked Heinrich. He kicked out his right leg driving it into the chest of the thug with the knife, sending the robber keeling over to the ground. Then with the speed of a cat, Heinrich pivoted on the ball of one foot bringing him to face the other man who held the wooden club high ready to bring it down. Heinrich was quicker and struck out with a right fist that connected to the man’s left ear, splitting it wide open, and it immediately started squirting blood. The man froze momentarily, and before he could recover his wits, Heinrich delivered a pounding blow with his elbow to the nose, which broke the cartilage with a resounding snap heard loudly in the night air. The man went down in a heap and was also out of the fight. Twirling with balanced athleticism, Heinrich faced the man he had kicked and who was still staggering. He felled the hoodlum with a mean right-handed uppercut to the jaw. The punch sounded like a log being split. The thug’s back hit the ground, and he too stayed motionless.

  The entire confrontation was over within a matter of minutes as the miscreants lay peacefully – at least for the time being – knocked out cold. Otto and Heinrich reached down and gathered the knife and club, then stepped back to Herr Weber, who sat in his carriage seat looking at the scene with utter amazement, having watched his men annihilate the robbers.

  He realized he had no chance at his age to have come out of this dilemma with the same results he just witnessed. With a grateful heart, he thanked Otto and Heinrich incessantly for having been rescued.

  “We are very glad we were able to hear the scuffling before having left the premises. It is good you are safe, mein Herr,” Heinrich stated.

  “We will see to it that they will be locked up by the town’s constabulary,” Otto added. They won’t give you any more trouble.”

  “Very sound work, men. I want to see both of you in my office tomorrow morning. You have done me a great service, and you shall be rewarded for saving me from these thugs,” said Herr Weber, having regained his composure.

  “There is no need for that, Herr Weber. We would have done this no matter what,” said Otto.

  “I know you would have, but I will not hear such humbleness. I insist, and I intend to see both of you tomorrow,” old man Weber firmly stated and immediately started down the road homeward bound.

  Otto and Heinrich watched him go and then turned back to the human garbage still sprawled on the ground. Heinrich had a thought and said to his friend, “I will stay here and keep watch over these scoundrels. Why don’t you go and fetch the Harbor Master and his assistants; they have a lockup facility at the office, and we can take these guys there for the time being until they contact the authorities.”

  “Great idea, lad. You sure you’ll be all right by yourself with all three of them? You probably need me to keep them in check,” Otto said with a wide grin jesting with his young friend.

  “Come on, Otto. Get out of here. If they so much make a move, I’ll knock them on the head with their own club. Now go on … I’ve got this under control.”

  As Otto began walking, he looked back and had to make at least one more quirk, “I hope I don’t find them gone and you laid out cold when I return.”


  Heinrich picked up a stone and threw it in Otto’s direction without saying anything more. He heard Otto snickering as he faded into the darkness.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  GRATEFUL COUNTENANCE

  The very next morning found Otto and Heinrich once again in Weber’s office sitting in cushy chairs and as always fidgeting when their hands weren’t busy with work. The story of Herr Weber’s rescue had spread across the harbor. Herr Becker was partly responsible, he told what had transpired the night before at a favorite restaurant near the docks when he and his wife went out to eat due to his late arrival home. As human nature had its way, the story was recounted many times over with bits of embellishment. Otto and Heinrich were not so keen about their overnight celebrity status. They had been complimented with accompanying pats on their backs by so many work colleagues they felt their shoulders would be bruised forever.

  The office door opened and Otto and Heinrich impulsively jumped to their feet to respectfully greet their boss. To their surprise, an attractive middle-aged woman wearing fine garments stepped through the door followed by Herr Weber. Otto immediately recognized the woman. Heinrich did not. Weber proceeded to introduce his wife to both men using proper etiquette.

  “My dear, you remember Otto Kleist, don’t you?”

  “Ja, of course, I do. How are you, dear Otto? It has been a long time. I don’t get to the docks often enough,” she said in a soft, easy tone which included a friendly smile. “Herr Weber mentions you often with such fondness.”

  Weber rolled his eyes; clearly embarrassed by his wife’s words.

  “Guten morgen, Frau Weber. It has indeed been a long time since you have graced these work premises. May I say it is a pleasure to see you again,” Otto laid it on thickly while he performed a small bow of the head.

  Frau Weber’s smile beamed with delight at the gesture. Then she cast her eyes on Heinrich, taking in the handsome man as her eyebrows rose in stark interest.

  “And, my dear, this young lad is -”

  “Heinrich Drope of course. What a regal young man,” Frau Weber said as her gaze locked onto Heinrich along with a twinkle in her eyes. Heinrich felt her intense stare fixated on him. He was quite flustered and turned a deep shade of crimson not knowing exactly how to take her words and attitude. No one could possibly remain so calm and collective when being checked out so thoroughly by a female, especially one with her imposing interest. He squirmed, wanting to hide behind anything that could conceal his uneasiness. Frau Weber was apparently quite taken by the good-looking young sailor as her stare didn’t let up.

  “Ah … ahem! Could we please all have a seat and get started,” Herr Weber said breaking up the impasse, much to the relief of Heinrich. He noticed from the corner of his eye that Otto was grinning from ear to ear. Heinrich felt like kicking him in the shin.

  “Why of course, dear. Please, you two; do take a seat,” Frau Weber said with a syrupy voice, still casting fanciful looks at Heinrich.

  Weber dove straight into the subject. “Now, to cut to the chase in this matter, I have thought long and hard regarding some sort of reward for both of you in light of … of literally saving my bacon last night. I have spoken this morning with the Chief Constable, and it seems those three thugs have been identified as suspects the authorities have been looking for. They have worked their filthy practice on numerous occasions around the harbor over the last several months, and … and purportedly murdered two people in the process. They are not just petty thieves as you could tell by last night’s incident. They are extremely hard-core criminals. Who knows what they would have done to me if I …if I …”

  “Now, now, dear. There is no need to think about the horrible consequence that might have happened if these two brave gentlemen had not come along at the right time. Could we not relive the details of last evening; it is so terribly frightening to hear it again. Let us instead go on to much happier subjects,” Frau Weber remarked. The incident obviously made her quite upset.

  “Ja, ja, all right my dear,” Weber relented. “If I were a few years younger, I would have been able to defend myself all -”

  “All by yourself. Ja, ja, my dear. I know all that quite well mind you. It was one of the attributes that so attracted me to you; a man who could stand up to society’s malefactors. I felt so safe in your presence.”

  Taking the words his wife said as a deserving compliment, Weber sat up straighter and pushed his chest out and continued.

  “The police have told me that there is a good size bounty on those men that you both will receive shortly. I have already started the paperwork process. What I have in mind is tripling the amount of the reward for you two to split as profound thanks for the courage you displayed in saving me from that bunch of scum. I am most grateful for your courageous action. I am extremely proud of you both. Now that this is settled –”

  “My dear, as much as the monetary reward is a generous one, I believe you forget one significant aspect in all this, are you not?” offered Frau Weber.

  “Well, I … ah … don’t know if anything else is necessary.”

  Frau Weber looked at her husband with a sour expression. Weber swallowed hard and looked as if he wouldn’t be going home to a supportive wife this evening if he didn’t offer these men more of a reward.

  “Well, ja, of … of course how could I have … ah … forgotten the other part,” the old man sputtered. “There is one more aspect to the reward that you both may or perhaps … ah … may not be all that interested in. It has to do with the new brigantine cargo vessel that the company has recently purchased. She is rather small, one hundred fifty feet long; a two-mast square-rigged ship. You know the type. This one was bought for shipping cargo for short voyages to ports in the Baltic Sea. We are still arranging a crew for her, and I would like to … to know if you would be interested in … at all … in being part of her crew.”

  Frau Weber quickly leaned forward and stated, “And you did not mention at what specific positions, meine liebling?”

  “Oh, ja; in officer capacities.”

  Otto and Heinrich glanced at each other in stunned surprise. They were struggling with the reality if this was really happening, for they couldn’t believe their ears. It was too good to be true. Here was an opportunity, a stepping stone to much bigger things, to the day they would be masters of their own vessel. Herr Weber saw the exchange between the two and wondered what they were thinking.

  He thought about last night, how his wife insisted he offer Otto and Heinrich the chance to be officers on this vessel. Why did it have to get to this point – his wonderful wife demanding he hand over the entire kit and caboodle to Otto and Heinrich in one swift move? She believed these two men had earned this opportunity, by saving her beloved husband’s life. But Herr Weber had thought it a bit too risky business decision given their leadership inexperience. Even though Otto was a respected and experienced seaman, to put them in charge of a ship, even with an experienced captain, was a hard decision to make. Even more, he hated to see these two, who were extremely hard workers and especially trustworthy and loyal, sail off, when he could use them at other vital tasks.

  He thought about whether they were capable of handling their own ship, even a small craft. But he had to face facts; every ship’s captain had started as a junior officer and worked his way up the ladder. So, it wasn’t at all out of the question. Even, in light of Heinrich’s lack of experience, the more he thought about it, the more it seemed the right thing to do. They did save his life the night before, after all. They were deserving. And, there was a way this could work; he would have Captain Fischer oversee Otto and Heinrich and teach them the ropes of command. He looked up from his thoughts and saw Otto and Heinrich waiting for him to speak.

  “I can give you a week or so to think it over, and you can let me know if you are interested. It is entirely up to you and if you do not desire the job it is not a black mark against either of you,” he added providing them an easy way out of this offer.
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  Without any hesitation, Heinrich blurted out, “With all due respect, sir, I cannot speak for Otto, but I am ready for the opportunity right now.”

  “Well, listen here my intrepid friend. I have every intention of taking up this opportunity myself,” Otto exclaimed in a firm tone.

  “Oh, I am so extremely delighted that you both have jumped at the chance to master your very own ship,” Frau Weber excitedly stated. “I have no doubt of your capabilities to do so.”

  As much as it was the right thing to do, Weber ground his teeth together. He was cornered, but he couldn’t back out of the offer if he wanted a peaceful home. And he had his answer in spades, there was no hesitation or subtleness about what they truly wanted, but he wished that they would have at the very least taken the week to ponder the matter.

  “Alright then, here is the plan; you both will work under Captain Fisher’s command ...” Looking at his wife, he said, “This will be somewhat boring, my dear. Why don’t you go and do your callings for the day, while we men discuss the details?”

  “That is a wonderful idea. Just so you do not keep these two brave men under someone for too long, Herr Weber!” Frau Weber said in an almost reprimanding tone.

  “Don’t worry yourself, my dear. I am a man of my word and will lay out a fair and doable plan. Now please be off so tonight I will be home on time.”

  “And please do not make it a habit of encroaching in my business endeavors again,” he thought hopelessly.

  “I will take your word, Heinz,” she said using his first name for extra emphasis. “I will see you tonight … and congratulations to you both, Otto and Heinrich. I look forward to celebrating your first command.”