Sackett's Land (1974) (9 page)

In the middle of the night watch, the Moor came close. "Rufisco will chance it ashore."

"The first time then. There may not be another."

"They will kill us," he said.

"My friend," I said quietly, "this rascal owes me, and when we go ashore, I'll have what belongs to me and whatever the passage was worth. Some damages, too."

"I like a confident man," Sakim said dryly. "Especially if he lives."

"I shall," I said. "At least to get a foot on shore."

Berryman hove up alongside. "Belay that!" he growled. "We have no time for gamming here. Be about your work."

"Aye," I said agreeably. "There's a bit to do."

Our watch ended and I went below, but not to sleep. I lay quiet until the others snored and then slipped from my bunk and to the sail locker. Crawling over the sails I found what I had seen before, a loose board that opened into the hold.

No doubt some sailor had arranged it so for pilfering a bit of cargo, but I had no wish for aught but my due, and I went through and into the dark hold. It took me a time longer than I wished to find my own things, but once there I opened a bale and felt about within.

Two pistols, powder and shot. A dozen loads for each. Three cutlasses of the four I'd brought along, and a fowling piece which I charged with shot as soon as I'd come back to the light of the sail locker.

Keeping one pistol in hand, I tucked the other in my belt. My own good blade had been taken by the captain when I came aboard, but I'd see to that. In the meantime the cutlasses were excellent weapons.

No man saw me move across the dark, wet deck. No man saw me re-enter the sleeping quarters. I shook awake Sakim and Rufisco and handed each a cutlass.

"Come!" I whispered. "This night we take a ship!"

We went out upon the deck and I pointed to a swivel gun on the bulwark. "Charge it," I said, "and when given the word, choose your best target."

Darkling was at the helm, a man for whom I'd no liking at all. As I came along the deck toward him. he saw me. "What er you a-doin' on deck?"

"Taking a ship," I said. "Put your wheel over four degrees."

"I'll do no such thing," he said.

I aimed the fowling piece at his belt buckle.

"Have it your way," I said. "The next man can do it standing over your body."

He eyed me a moment, sullen and furious, but he put the wheel over as I watched him. The wind was right, and we moved in toward the coast. I was sure there would be an action resulting, and there was. Berryman burst out upon the deck.

"What--"

"Lie down on the hatch," I said.

He looked at me, and at the fowling piece and at the pistols in my belt. He was a thinking man and he did as suggested.

"You," I said to Rufisco, "take the wheel and keep her in toward the coast. Darkling," I said, "lie down beside Berryman. With this fowling piece I can take two as well as one, be they close together."

All was still. Our speed was not great, but we were not far offshore. Until I had seen that dark finger of land, it had been no part of my plan to move so soon. There was on my chart a place such as that, and south of it some long, sandy islets. If I had been fortunate, if I had guessed right--for it was only a guess--those islands would be showing up.

"You're a great fool!" Berryman shouted from the deck. "You will swing for this!"

"When I tell all I know," I said pleasantly, "you will all swing."

The shore was nearing. I could smell it, and I could hear the surf upon the shore. We were moving on an oblique course but I had no intention of putting the ship aground, for to endanger the others was no part of my plan. They were rascals, no question of that, and a dirty, poisonous lot, enough to kill the fish for miles if dumped into the water.

We were moving slowly, making barely enough speed for proper handling. I went aft and pulled in the gig we had been towing astern.

My mouth was dry and I was scared, yet saw no alternative to what I intended. Darkling had started to rise when I turned the gun on him again. He slid back down and lay still.

"Nick will come," he threatened, "then you'll see!"

"Sakim," I said, "get the top off that hatch."

They had no idea what I intended, Berryman and Darkling, and, as they were ordered off the hatch, must have been wondering hard. With a sign I motioned Rufisco to put the lashings on the wheel, then to go forward and cut loose the anchor.

With Sakim holding the fowling piece, I went down into the hatch and retrieved my merchandise. Pulling the gig close in alongside, I lowered my gear into it. Working swiftly then, we bound and gagged Berryman and Darkling, then got into the ship's stores, taking out ship's biscuit, salt meat and a side of beef the captain had in keeping for himself.

"Stand by," I told them, "and keep a wary eye. I shall speak to the captain."

"What?" Rufisco stared at me. "He sleeps with a loaded pistol by him."

"Then he had better be quick with it," I said, "for I've a matter to discuss with him."

I went along aft, down the ladder's three steps to the after cabin, and there he lay, sprawled on his bunk with an empty bottle by him and the smell of rum strong upon the air. My sword lay across the room and I walked over and took it up.

He had a pistol by him, all right, but I took it rudely from under his hand. Then I nudged him a toe.

"Come alive," I said. "You've to settle accounts now."

He stirred, opened his eyes, then seeming to sense the stillness of the ship he suddenly woke up, threw back the covers and put a foot to the deck. Then he saw me, standing wide-legged to the roll of the vessel, slight though it was, with a sword in my hand and a pistol in my belt.

"You." He started to rise and I tilted the point of the blade at him. "Is it mutiny then?" he asked.

"Not mutiny, Captain, for I'm no sworn member of your crew, nor legally taken on. The coast lies yonder, and I am taking my freedom."

"The savages will roast you," he warned.

"Me, at least, not you," I said. "Now, Captain, there's a matter between us, a matter of money taken from me, and a matter of payment for my work as a crew member. As well as damages."

"Damages! I'll damage you!" He lunged up, and I put my blade against his chest and pressed, just enough.

He cried out and fell back, a spot of blood on his shirt front. "The money taken from me, Captain. I'll take the rest in goods."

From his shirt he took my sack of money and threw it to me. Deftly I picked it from the air, hefting the weight. It felt right.

"My time is worth money, more than your ship, but I'll not take that. However," I said, "four hundred weight of trade goods as well as some powder and shot should do for damages."

"Four hundred weight!" He almost screamed it. "You're daft, man!"

"All right. Have it your own way, five hundred weight."

Bardle stared at me hard-eyed. "Ishould have dropped you over the side the first day out," he said. "I was a fool to waste time."

"No doubt," I replied cheerfully. "But you might have found trouble doing it, and you'd still have Tempany to settle with." I smiled at him. "You know, Bardle, you can never go back to England now."

"What's that? What d'you mean?"

"By now, inquiries will have traced me to your ship. You will be waited for when you return."

He did not like that. He tried to stare me down, to not believe what I had said, but he believed.

"Bah!" he sneered. "They'll not notice you! You're nothin' but a farmer from the fens!"

The cabin held little else that I wanted. A compass, which I took, another brace of pistols, which I also placed to one side. He watched me, his eyes bulging. "You're a bloody thief!" he shouted.

"Next time you think to knock some lad in the head, Bardle, remember this. And when I leave you, remember that Tempany is coming along behind you, and he knows your craft and you. He will be looking for you.

"The night after that on which you took me, I was to meet an Earl, Genester's cousin. He had plans in which I was concerned. Captain Tempany was also involved, as were others. Oh, you've done it this time, Bardle! You've fixed yourself nicely!"

Gathering what I needed in one hand and under that arm, I backed to the door. "Don't try coming out, Bardle, and don't try to follow me."

"You think Tempany will find you?" Bardle sneered. "No man knows this coast, not even Gosnold or Newport! Once you leave this vessel you'll not be seen again."

"Hadn't you guessed? I don't intend to be seen, not for a long time, Bardle. Not until after you've been drawn and quartered and hung in chains. You've been the death of many a poor lad. Now you can die for me."

At the steps I paused again. "I plan to trade with the savages, Bardle. I shall live here, gather a cargo of furs. And I shall return in a few years, a rich man.

"When I return to England, I shall go back and see what remains of your body. By then they will probably have thrown your bones into potter's field."

"You're a coldblooded one, Sackett," he stared at me, his eyes sullen, "but the savages will deal with you."

I drew the door shut behind me and went up the ladder. All was quiet. Yet when I drew near the bulwark Sakim stepped out quickly. "Sackett, we'd better be ashore. I think something is stirring down below."

"Aye. Into the boat with you." I was rigging a sling for my additional goods as I spoke. All was dark and still, and there were no stars in the sky. From what talk I'd picked up, it was said this was a coast where terrible storms often struck.

Sakim went down a rope to the boat and stood by to cast off. Rufisco followed.

I had a leg over the railing when they came, and they came with a rush. They had found some opening forward of which I knew nothing, and they had gathered in the darkness there. They were close before I saw them and they came suddenly.

At the same moment, Nick Bardle burst from his cabin door, pistol in hand. Where he had the extra gun I did not know, but I shot at the mob rushing me, then threw my other leg over and slid down the rope.

In an instant, Bardle was there, pistol up, he took careful aim, but I hit the boat and Sakim cast off. Rufisco had stepped to the oars and he gave a terrific pull, backing instead of going forward. And the move saved my life.

The pistol bellowed, and the slug hit the bulwark near me with a thud.

Rufisco was shaking out some canvas, and the wind caught at it. We moved forward swiftly, but I held my fire, watching Bardle. He was no longer attempting to charge his pistol, just staring at me.

Once more only, I turned to look at theJolly Jack. Her bow was swinging slowly toward the sea, for Bardle had no wish to be caught adrift on a lee shore. I looked, and then I turned my eyes away from the ship, away from the sea, away from England and home. Before me lay a continent, a vast sweep of land inhabited by savage men of whom I knew nothing. Nor had I any knowledge of how or when I might escape from this land, nor what awaited us upon landing.

I crawled aft, edging my way, for we were fearfully overloaded with goods. I took the tiller and sank down into place.

Off upon my left I could hear the rustle of surf upon the sand. It was a quiet night.

Sakim looked back from a place in the bow. "What do we do now?" he said.

A moment I hesitated, and then replied, "We find a haven before daylight, some place of concealment where we may hide ourselves and the gig. Then we will look about and see what manner of land we have come to."

It had been in my mind to trade for furs, to return to England a rich man. But now England seemed far, far away, and the land before me, vast, mysterious and unknown. This land was my destiny ...

If I was to establish a family, it would be here in this land. And if they were to prosper here, it would have to be in such a way as the land demanded. I had no doubt those distant sons and grandsons would respond, that we Sacketts would establish a place for ourselveshere, in this land, this America.

Chapter
8

The shore line was faintly visible, a vague white line off to our far right. Yet it was not in my thoughts to go immediately ashore, nor to beach the gig in some place near at hand simply to be soon ashore.

Some inlet, cove or small bay was what we needed, or some small, offshore island where we could conceal ourselves and the gig until we could decide what to do.

The phosphorescent water rolled back from the bow, the rigging of our small sail creaked pleasantly, and we sat still, not talking, filled with wonder at what we had done and were doing. On our right was the strange land, discovered more than one hundred years back, yet even now unknown. My mind was filled with awe as I remembered Tallis speaking of a great river found by Hernando de Soto, a mysterious river from out of nowhere that rushed away again into a vague somewhere ...

"I am somewhat afraid," I spoke quietly, into the blackness. "It is a strange land into which we go."

"It is good to say that you are afraid," Sakim said. "It is not good to be too bold. A little fear makes a man think. It is better to be a little afraid, and yet do what has to be done."