Winds of Fury

by Peter Duysings

  “That’s right. Make sure they all know the consequences of that sort of mischief. That reminds me; first thing in the morning I want to deal with the two culprits held in the brig. I plan to make an example of those two, so every sailor onboard knows that we mean business for anyone that conducts themselves inappropriately. We cannot have bad blood in our midst that breaches the trust we have in each other. We must purge the remaining foul elements amongst us to build a solid reputation as a merchant ship. I want this done with urgency. I already have an idea how to handle that.”

  “So, you want all the men present I take it?”

  “Yes, all of them. You know last night’s incident could have turned out much different had we not come across Klaus and his girl. There would have been bloodshed for sure. And I still think about how Klaus handled the situation. You should have seen him, Otto. The lad was very cool under stress. He’s got such a hard crush on the girl; he was not going to allow those sailors to get anywhere near her without a fight. He was more than ready with his knife. I sensed and almost felt his anger; his determination.”

  “The lad has learned a lot since he’s been on board. He’s grown up fast in the short time since we’ve sailed from Germany. I think he will become a fine sailor over time,” Otto reflected out loud.

  “Now, about the sailor thing, Otto. I want the lad to get an education and become something more than living a life as a mere sailor. It’s a rough life on the seas as we both well know.”

  “What if that’s what he wants to do, Heinrich? He’s truly taken to it. So far this is all he knows and will know unless you send him off to a formal school after Siegfried is through teaching him.”

  “Yeah, I realize that. And even though he doesn’t know it yet, I must make plans soon to send him to an institution where he will be taught a higher education and make something of himself in society. This type of life is a dead end as far as I see it for someone to have a normal family life. That thought is, even more, pressing, now that he has taken up with the girl.”

  “Well, good luck with trying to convince the lad, because it won’t be easy. Besides being in an orphanage, this is all he’s been exposed to. To him, this is home and more freedom he has ever known.”

  Heinrich didn’t reply. He let the subject lie. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy breaking the news to Klaus that he would be sent off to a more formal educational institution in the future. Exactly when and where was not decided yet. There was still so much to accomplish before his future could be fully considered. The British dilemma now made matters more difficult. Their business endeavor was contingent upon avoiding the British navy wherever they sailed, for their navy was present upon every waterway throughout the entire globe. It was a dreadful burden to sail under.

  Once the British had time to circulate the news of the outlaw schooner, Heinrich knew he and his crew would have their hands full in avoiding British warships in these waters. The coin had been already tossed, called and decided. All that awaited them was for the formal notices to be sent out throughout these islands labeling them as outlaws of the seas. Even though there was no possible way for the British to have communicated the incident throughout the region until many days afterward, it was best to play the avoidance game. And once the news of the attack would become common knowledge, the See Wolf would be forced to sail as stealthily as she could to try to avoid any contact with any ship to play it safe. It was not just the British threat; some privateers sailed these waters as well. These blood hunters were every bit as dangerous as any pirate ship. Perhaps they were even more dangerous because they were contracted by the British and had no need to fear their navy; thus, they plied their trade with much freedom.

  Being overly cautious also meant they had to find out which ports were safer to sail to more than others. Jamaica was out of the question with the British having made the island their Caribbean capital and military headquarters. Most of the time the British navy ships made regular port visits throughout the Caribbean according to a standard sailing schedule. Unfortunately, the British were not in the habit to post the schedule for everyone to know. It would take months to gather the information from port contacts to learn enough about their schedule. Until then the schooner had to be extra cautious to avoid contact. Knowing that their merchant business was this volatile to British intentions, the See Wolf would now do everything humanly possible to defend herself. Her passage to all ports would soon become a cunning game of cat and mouse. It was the price they had to pay to maintain self-determination.

  Unless one could see hundreds of miles over the horizon to gauge their safety, sending in the See Fuchs into the harbor to reconnoiter the port for any threats, while the See Wolf was miles outside of the harbor in case she had to run, was now the standard procedure. Although the crew was becoming relatively well trained in the art of armed defense and attack, the preferred method was to run in the event of encountering a threat. Foremost, the schooner was built to run. And the See Wolf when choosing to billow her sails, could run magnificently. She was a fine racehorse of a ship with no equals. Heinrich knew well that no British naval vessel built could match the See Wolf’s speed and maneuverability. It was therefore crucial that she could identify a threat long before the enemy ship could come into cannon firing range.

  Heinrich reasoned the only way to begin countering the despondency the crew had due to the disastrous incident was to procure a load of cargo and selling it successfully. Each cargo load sold would do wonders to get the crew back on track and boost their morale again. For now, while they lay at anchor, Heinrich needed his men to have the opportunity to relax their wearied minds on the sun-soaked shores of this tranquil cove hoping to settle down their stressful mental states a certain degree.

  * * *

  The morning sun was up. Heinrich was prepared for its hot irradiation and had outfitted himself with his latest addition to his wardrobe; a sleeveless and collarless white shirt. His trousers were shortened to an inch below his knees. It was not a fashion statement he was making; rather his idea of practicality having seen many who lived in these southern regions of the Americas lightly clothed. It was all about the weather conditions. While in Savannah, he had taken the advice of the clothing store proprietor and bought several garments conducive to the high temperatures and humidity they lived in. His clothing made from wool was much too uncomfortable in the heat. Although the residents of the village wore mostly scanty outfits because their clothing supply was limited due to their remote location, they seemed much more comfortable.

  If it weren’t for the fact that he was captain of the ship, the others onboard would have had a field day harassing a brother sailor if dressed this way. As absurd as it looked to the others, Heinrich really didn’t care what they thought. Otto cast him a peculiar expression when he spotted the outfit.

  “Going for a swim, Heinrich?” Otto mused.

  “Maybe later; it’s a little too early for that. Right now, I am just thinking about the day’s activities,” he replied ignoring Otto’s little jibe. “Surprised that you’re up this early, Otto. Figured you’d be still snoring away the hours.”

  “At eight in the morning? Don’t be poking fun at me this early. You darn well know this first officer is always up and around by now if you woke up regularly at this time in the morning.”

  “Oh, I always thought that you were served your breakfast in bed. At least that is what the rumor has it, and I just assumed that’s where you’d be right now,” Heinrich said with a straight face.

  “Bah! You are sassy today. Must be that new outfit or did you forget to change out of your sleepwear?” Otto tossed right back at him.

  “I am hurt by your irreverent tongue,” exaggerating a painful expression. “You must be wishing you had attire like this to keep you cooler during the day.”

  “I wouldn’t wear something so outlandish if someone paid me to do so.”

  “Sounds to me that you’re just jealous that you didn’t think of something
so suitable to the conditions around us.”

  Otto shook his head in annoyance and thought better of continuing with this discourse that was going nowhere fast. He came to stand near Heinrich and got down to more pressing matters.

  “When do you want the crew to assemble?”

  “Right after their morning meal. How are our two weasels doing this morning?” Heinrich asked.

  “Sour pusses those two. They know they’re in for a punishment today, but don’t know it’s going to be an hour from now. What do you have in mind for them anyway?”

  “You know I was thinking late last night about several different things, and I am wondering what you think of this particular idea.”

  Otto was now deeply curious especially when Heinrich would start by saying he had been thinking. Must be another wild and lunatic idea he’s got in his head, Otto thought.

  “What is it now? Do you want to toss them to the sharks? Or perhaps keelhauling them and get a sense how the British perform their grandiose methods?” Otto asked with contempt in his voice.

  “Not at all, Otto. Just listen for a moment. What would you think if we let Klaus fight the two of them?”

  Otto’s expression immediately turned into a prune-face at the suggestion. “What in hell’s blazes are you talking about? Are you suggesting for a seventeen-year-old young wet-behind-the-ears lad actually to take on two grown sailors by himself? That is absurd! How do you expect Klaus to fight both of those men and expect it to be a punishment to those two scoundrels? They will corner him together and pounce on him and tear him to shreds.” Otto was beside himself in hearing Heinrich’s plan.

  “Now wait a minute, Otto. I don’t mean for Klaus to fight both of them at once; just one at a time. He’s no boy anymore. The lad’s a young man, and he is in fine physical shape, strong as a bull. Have you seen him lately during the training sessions the way he performs? You said yourself he has come a long way since we left Germany in being this young mousy kind of boy. He is changing rapidly into a man. His fighting skills have improved dramatically, and he is at the top of his group according to Reiner.”

  He had Otto thinking hard on this now. Otto had indeed seen Klaus in action in some of the training sessions and had been personally impressed with the lad. Maybe Heinrich’s idea wasn’t so bad after all. Was it sound thinking though? And what would it proof anyhow?

  “What do you have in mind in accomplishing with Klaus brawling with these two brainless lanyards, Heinrich?”

  “For one thing, Klaus and his village girl had been assaulted by these two, and he was extremely infuriated by their menacing intrusion to the point he was ready to face off with both of them with knives. You should have seen the anger in him last night. I told you he was not backing up for anything; in fact, he was bracing himself to take them down. He was determined to prevent any harm to the girl. I was merely thinking of letting him have his shot at them one at a time. Perhaps it would do him good and help get him out of his melancholy mood. The two sailors aren’t necessarily physically superior compared to Klaus one at a time. It would be at best an even contest in my estimation. No weapons involved; a straight-on hand-to-hand fight. It wouldn’t even the score of what they did last night, but it can help get the anger out of his system.”

  “Hmmm, maybe it’s not such a bad idea after all. This way we will not be seen as settling his issues for him as if he was still a child. Even if he takes a thumping, he will have been provided a fair opportunity to settle a personal offense. In either case, the crew would see that he is not being mothered. That in itself will go a long way for the men in respecting the lad more as a fellow crewmember. What will you do with the two scoundrels afterward?”

  “I still plan to boot their hides off the ship. They have shown their true colors in their intentions of crossing the line last night on the beach. None of the crew I believe if I read them correctly will side with those two for what they had planned to do with the girl. The men have their needs, but none of them are willing to support such a grievous assault on a young girl.”

  “I fully agree with that. Have you discussed this with Klaus?”

  “No, not yet. But I have no doubt he will be more than glad to settle the score with these two.”

  “All right, I will assemble all the men together on the main deck. I highly suggest you get with Klaus immediately and explain the plan. I would also recommend you include Reiner and Diego in your talk with Klaus, for their tactical assessment and also a bit of advice on how to engage them,” Otto offered.

  Then he left to find each section heads to have them gather their contingent of men to have them meet on the main deck. Heinrich went in haste to find Reiner and Diego and of course Klaus. The fight was on.

  Although the main deck was large it quickly became apparent it was packed way too full with sailors, so Otto had instructed for at least a third of them to move to other decks. Now sailors could be seen on almost every place onboard ship that provided a view of the main deck; the forward house flat roof, the afterdeck house, and both stairs leading up to it. Sailors had even climbed amidst the rigging to get a bird’s eye view. Rumors were flying around the ship on what this assembly was all about. Even some of the section leaders had no clue other than that the captain wanted their attention as one collective crew. The ill-imposing thought on most of their minds was it most likely had to do with the run-in with the British the other day and that more bad news was about to be announced.

  Shortly, Heinrich was spotted making his way aft through the lines of sailors, up the stairs to the afterdeck house and stepping into the pulpit, the small addressing stand facing the deck. Once he was positioned at the rail’s edge overlooking the massed crew on the main deck, section leaders blew their whistles and the crew began quieting down anticipating their captain to make an announcement.

  With a husky voice Heinrich began, “Men, I have asked you to assemble this morning for important reasons. The first is that we will be at anchor for a couple more days here to square away several critical tasks before we sail to Puerto Rico.”

  Instantly, many men began to murmur their disapproval. Men responded with comments, some barely audible snide remarks. Heinrich had done the same as a sailor onboard other ships at unhappy news. No harm done; it was their way to voice their opinion either way in a group setting. Section heads blew whistles and were heard across the decks calling for silence. Heinrich raised both hands up with palms outward to quiet down the crew.

  “There are certain preparations still being finalized before we sail on these perilous waters in light of our current circumstance. This is for our own good. Our safety is critical for our business to succeed; you all know this. We are sailors who know too well the life we have chosen. The sea has always held the upper hand and always will, but we have fared years of voyages to find ourselves still here. Look at us; many of us have known each other for years; years of forging friendships and trust. We know each other’s families.”

  Heads began nodding assent at the words spoken.

  “Together we can achieve what we came here for. I know you not to despair easily. It is one of the reasons I made each one of you shareholders in our profits as a means to earn much more than standard wages. And now we are so close to the beginning of that venture. We have not come this far to be forced to abandon our plans. Are you willing to allow others to kick us to the wayside now that we are on the very doorstep of that business endeavor?”

  Heads began to shake vigorously their response to stand firm along with Drope. Loud muttering across the decks joined the wave of nodding heads agreeing with their captain’s words.

  “All of you men have toiled hard, and I must say very dutiful since we left Bremerhaven. You have shown that we picked the right crew for our voyage. You have shown and proven to me that you are taking seriously the training which you have thrown yourself into with stout character and deliberate focus to learn to engage a foe at sea if required. I promise you we will make every effort to avo
id a confrontation. Let me be extra clear. Your new fighting skills are meant for defense at sea. It is strictly to defend ourselves from harm, which we would do in any circumstance if attacked no matter what transpired days ago. I want all of you over the next few days to take advantage of the safety of this island cove and be given time off from your normal duties to get off the ship and do some relaxing on the island, and includes a hefty portion of spirits to consume from the ship’s stores.”

  Louder murmurs and jabbering now commenced with more gleeful faces at the last statement. Heinrich waited for the noise to cede as once again the section heads were trying to quiet the men down.

  “You’ve earned it; all of you. I am proud of this crew. Men … hear me out,” Heinrich shouted trying to get their attention back holding his arms up to quell the noise. After a moment they settled down. “If you will just calm down and let me finish the faster we can let you get off the ship. Now, I realize we are not in any port, so that means there isn’t much for you men to do on the island other than relaxing and strolling the beach for you romantic types.”

  A brief round of laughter sounded.

  “There is but one rule I must trust you to abide by. That is to leave the villagers alone. This is their home, and I will trust all of you to respect that. Leave them their privacy, after all, they own this place and have been extremely courteous and generous to us. Besides, there are no acceptable wenches of questionable regards as you prefer them there anyways so you’ll just have to use your creativity to find ways to enjoy being off the ship. We want to ensure we are welcome here again to allow us secluded safety. So, behave yourselves. Now, there is just one more very important item that we are all gathered here for.”

  As if sailors were all born with the predilection to complain or suffered from an ailment that opposed everything that was said by superiors, again the men murmured their displeasure for having to listen to more words.