Finally, he found what he was looking for, a coil of rope. He walked over to the rail where the cargo net hung and dropped the end of the rope over the side to get the right length before pulling it back up. He then tied one end of the rope to the rail and tied the other end around his chest. He climbed down the cargo net and eased into the water. The ship was moving at a pretty good speed, and as his body entered the water, he was immediately being dragged alongside. He was careful to keep hold of the rope with one hand so that it did not slide off and he grasped the end of the cargo net with his other hand to keep from getting banged against the hull. Jenny peered over the rail at him and shouted down, “Looks like fun. I shall have to try that sometime!” Jeff opened his mouth to reply, just as the ship broke a wave and he got a big gulp of seawater. He choked as he pulled himself back on the cargo net. He held himself in place at the bottom of the net until the coughing subsided and then climbed back over the rail. Jenny stepped up and took a big sniff of him. “Much better! You have my permission to sleep in your bunk tonight.”
“Thank… you,” Jeff replied, still coughing and gasping slightly.
“But now you are all wet, Mr. Greene. You should change out of those wet clothes. Don’t want to sleep in them or you’ll get the rot.” Jenny said, as she helped Jeff remove the rope from around his chest. “I believe you left the spare clothes you bought in Port Royal down in the cargo hold when we were stocking the ship. I can show you right where they are if you don’t recall,” she said with a wink.
“That would be very helpful. Thank you Mr. Robinson,” Jeff replied just in case any of the other crew members were paying attention, although from the looks of things they were all more interested in drinking their rum or in the games of chance taking place at the far end of the deck.
Jenny led him down to the cargo hold. As they entered, she poked her head back out in the passageway to see if anyone was around. “In the back there, Mr. Greene. Behind those crates.” As it turned out, Jeff had actually left his clothes at the back of the cargo hold, but he knew very well that was not the reason Jenny was directing him there. A few rats squeaked and scuttled away as the pair made their way through the crates and sacks of cargo and supplies to a makeshift bed of empty sacks that Jenny had arranged previously for just such an opportunity.
“Did you do this?” Jeff asked, gesturing at the sacks.
“I thought it might make things more comfortable. Burlap is not silk, but it is better than the hard floor.”
“Good thinking,” Jeff smiled, as he slid off his shirt.
“I thought so,” she replied softly as she untied her rope belt, slid her pants down her legs and stepped out of them.
The two enjoyed each other’s bodies for quite some time before the roughness of the burlap bedding left them somewhere between pleasure and pain. “I can’t do this anymore, my knees are on fire!” Jeff whispered.
“Thank God!” Jenny whispered back, “I think the curve of my arse is getting ground away!”
“Can’t have that. It’s too lovely an arse,” Jeff said as he rolled off of her.
Jenny turned on her side and kissed him. “We should probably get dressed and get to our bunks,” she said with a hint of disappointment, “Perhaps we can do this again after Diento Malo?”
“I would like that very much. But maybe we can figure out something better than burlap to lie on,” Jeff smiled, “It seems that there’s always some pain mixed with the pleasure when I’m with you.”
“Yes, but it doesn’t seem to be putting you off,” she said as she slid on her shirt and adjusted her chest wrap.
“Definitely not,” Jeff agreed, as he located his stack of new clothes and pulled out a pair of pants. “I’m just glad there were no crabs this time!”
The two finished dressing and they made sure Jenny’s disguise was still passable before she slipped out of the cargo hold and made her way to her bunk. Jeff waited a few minutes before departing the hold and then he too slipped into his bunk. Jenny was already sleeping soundly and Jeff laughed to himself, “Just like a man – right after sex, he falls asleep!” Soon, he too was drifting off into a deep sleep.
The next day began pretty much as the day before. Harrison was waiting for Jeff on deck at sunrise and the next few hours were filled with hard training and pain. But the previous day’s lessons had paid off and early in the day Jeff was already besting most of his sparring partners, even when they came in groups of twos and threes. Harrison was quite pleased with his progress and by early afternoon, Jeff was actually as much an instructor for the other men as he was a trainee himself. Captain Coxen too had taken notice of Jeff’s progress and he called Jeff up to the helm to congratulate him. “You have done well, Mr. Greene. Far better in fact than I had hoped.”
“Thank you sir!” Jeff smiled.
The Captain’s expression turned serious, “The question is, do you believe you can take a man’s life if you must?”
Jeff thought for a moment, before nodding solemnly, “Yes, Captain. While it is something I hope to never do, I believe I can if I must.”
“Good,” Coxen replied, “For I fear that the time may be coming soon when you shall have to fight for your life.”
“What do you mean, Captain?” Jeff asked with concern.
“Just a feeling, Mr. Greene. But I have learned to trust my feelings. Be on your guard.”
“I will,” Jeff acknowledged.
“Now, we shall be making anchorage off Diente Malo by sundown and the raid will proceed when darkness will cover our approach. You, Robinson, Harrison, the two Stevens, and Graves shall stand watch on the ship with Mr. Crabtree in command while the rest of the crew accompanies me on the raid. Look alive and be ready for anything.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Now, be off with you. You should get something to eat.”
“Yes, Captain,” Jeff replied as he headed back down to the main deck.
Jeff headed down to the galley. Harrison and several others were crowded around the table and Jenny was busy serving up plates of food. She looked up and gave him a quick smile as she handed him a plate. Harrison spoke up between gulps of food, “Eat quickly, Mr. Greene, there be still much to do before we reach Diente Malo.” Jeff didn’t really need to be prodded. The intense exercise had left him very hungry and as usual, Jenny’s food was quite tasty. Harrison finished his meal and announced to no one in particular, “I’ll await ye on deck.” Several other men finished up at the table just ahead of Jeff and they filed out of the galley. Jeff swallowed his last bite, winked at Jenny and made his way back out on deck.
As he had promised, Harrison was there waiting for him, and he tossed Jeff his practice sword. For the next few hours, Harrison ran Jeff and several other crew members through sword fighting drills. Jeff was getting tired, but he wasn’t nearly as battered by the day’s practice as he was the day before. He was now skilled enough that he rarely took a strike to his body at all, and when he did, it was usually a glancing blow at worst. Harrison finally called an end to the sword drills and switched to shooting practice. Jeff was not nearly as effective with a flintlock as he now was with his sword, but based on the accuracy of most of the men, he realized that the guns of this era were not nearly as reliable as a sword anyway. Although Harrison was a pretty good shot, there were times when even his shots missed their mark by quite a distance. The pistols were actually only good for shots of about 10 to 15 feet at the most. The rifles were better, but even then, Harrison had advised to hold fire until the target was within 50 feet, and the closer the better.
The sun was still relatively high in the sky when Harrison called a halt to training for the day. The men cleaned and prepped the weapons so they would be ready when needed before Harrison advised them, “Get ye some rest, men. Ye shall need it for tonight.” He and Jeff collected the weapons and returned them to their place in the cargo hold. As he closed the weapons armoire, Harrison turned to Jeff, “Mr. Greene, it is not me place to question
the Captain, but he told me I be stayin’ on the ship an’ not goin’ on the raid tonight. I ‘ave ne’er not gone on a raid the entire time I be a part o’ this crew. Ye seem to ‘ave the Captain’s confidence. Did he mention to ye why that be?”
“Um, no, he only told me that you’d be part of the watch on the ship tonight. I didn’t know that was unusual. He did tell me to be prepared for anything – I think he’s got a feeling that there’s going to be some kind of trouble,” Jeff replied.
“Aye,” Harrison nodded, “That would explain it. The Captain ‘ave him a sixth sense. That eases me thoughts. I be thinkin’ I had offended the Captain somehow.”
“You’re not worried about what the trouble might be that he’s expecting?” Jeff asked with some concern.
“Trouble I can handle, Mr. Greene. Not bein’ in the Captain’s graces is another matter.”
The two men went their separate ways. Harrison retreated to his bunk for some rest and Jeff headed to the galley for some food and to see his favorite member of the crew. Jenny looked up and smiled as he walked into the galley. She was already in the midst of preparing the evening meal and was busily cutting up vegetables and throwing them into a pot heating on the fire. She stopped what she was doing for a moment and walked over to Jeff. She looked past him to make sure nobody was watching before pulling his head to hers and kissing him. As she broke the kiss, she stepped back and said, “I have to get this done. If you’re hungry, help yourself to whatever you like. There are fruits in the boxes next to the table, hardtack, flatbread and breadnuts on the end of the counter.” Jeff grabbed a banana and some breadnuts and sat down at the table.
“Jen…Um, Mr. Robinson,” Jeff said, as he looked around him to make sure nobody was there, “Has the Captain said anything to you about him expecting trouble on the ship tonight?”
“No, but he probably wouldn’t tell me if he did,” Jenny replied. “Has he said something to you?” “Yes, sort of, and he’s having Harrison stay on the ship rather than going on the raid tonight.”
Jenny looked at him with concern on her face, “That sounds serious. Harrison is our best sword and if the Captain wants him on the ship, he’s definitely expecting trouble. I guess after I finish dinner, I need to make sure my sword is sharp and secure a pistol from the armory.”
“Yeah, definitely need to be prepared,” Jeff nodded.
“Now then, Mr. Greene, you must leave me to my work or there will be no dinner for the crew. If there is to be trouble, we must have our bellies full to be ready to face it.”
“Yes, of course,” Jeff replied as he stood up.
Jenny walked over and kissed him once more. “Don’t worry,” Jenny said with a smile, “I won’t let any harm come to you!”
Jeff smiled back despite his worry, “Thanks, it makes me feel much better to know that you have my back!”
Jeff stepped back out on deck. The sun was just starting to sink towards sunset and the crew was taking their positions to make anchorage off Diente Malo. Crabtree was at the wheel as the Captain stood beside him, peering through his spy glass. Close behind them was The Crow and appropriately enough, the Grand Booty was bringing up the rear. Jeff could see the crews on the other ships taking similar positions as the crew of the Wench and he knew they’d soon be anchoring offshore to wait for the cover of darkness for their final approach to Diente Malo. Jeff was tense with anticipation over the still unknown threat that the Captain was expecting. Whatever it was though, his days of intense training had given him considerable confidence that he could hold his own in a man to man fight with just about anyone. He didn’t want to think about the reality of the bloody violence that he might be about to take part in. He only knew that if it were a choice between killing another and dying himself, or worse yet, Jenny dying, he would not hesitate to kill.
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.”
Pirates of the Storm (Stranded In Time Book 1) Page 12
