Pirates of the Storm (Stranded In Time Book 1) (18 page)

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
.”