“Well, Ashby? Where are we, exactly?” Captain Selton and Mr. Hull asked simultaneously. They had been there while we worked, trying to get an answer before he knew.
“It seems we were blown in the right direction, and very quickly.” He let out a long breath and nodded, then pointed toward the spotted land. “That must be Nevis, or St. Kitts.”
Mr. Hull looked over the forecastle at the crew below. “We’re headed to Nevis or St. Kitts, lads! That’s the land over yonder!” He pointed to the land again on the starboard side, and the crew cheered. It was such good news after weeks and weeks of dismal happenings.
I thought I could breathe a sigh of relief, finally. But after a few moments of celebration, a sailor announced a large ship coming toward us on the portside. The flying flag had French colors.
Mr. Ashby tensed and spoke to us low. “A French ship in these waters could only mean one thing.” His face had blanched. “Pirates.”
I didn’t know what to say,so I just stared at him.
He looked around us before going on. “These men don’t recognize that ship, but I do. It’s the same pirates Graham and I lost everything to.L’Audacieux,captained by Jacque Cosaire.”
I couldn’t believe this was happening, after everything else. “What do we do?”
“The pirates will either blast us to oblivion or take us captive. Either way, we’re as good as dead if we stay aboard theKatarina.”
“What about the crew?”
“It will be a fight for the boats on the starboard side, so I have to get you out before they discover the truth. We have to leave. Now.”
It didn’t take long before Patrice and I were packed and ready to depart, making sure to secure our loaded pistols in our pockets. Mr. Ashby took the lead and ushered us to a dinghy, but I just stared at the small boat, not moving. “I’m not getting on that,” I said. Surely there was a bigger boat. Patrice made a noise as if she agreed with me, but Mr. Ashby looked at me with fierce determination, holding out a hand for either of us to take.
I had said I trusted him. Swallowing, I took his hand and got into the boat. Patrice followed suit. Mr. Ashby worked quickly untying and securing ropes to lower the boat. Once preparations were made, we quickly dropped down, splashing into the water. The rapid descent made me question that perhaps my stomach left my body entirely.
He began rowing. Once we got out of the ship’s shadow, some of the crew caught sight of us. They yelled to us and each other, but I couldn’t hear what they said. At this point, I certainly did not feel any loss at leaving the crew behind. The two crewmembers I cared for had perished, and I owed them nothing. Perhaps my perspective was uncharitable, but under the circumstances, I believed God would forgive me.
From our vantage point, I gasped at the damage the storm had done to the ship. Would it even last long enough for the pirates to overtake it?
“Most ships make it across the sea without any problems at all.” Mr. Ashby frowned as he continued to row. “I’m sorry.”
“You’ve apologized enough,” I said. “None of these things were preventable. Especially not the storm.”
“Perhaps ye might ’ave taken a closer look at the captain’s books before we set sail…” Patrice grumbled.
I sighed at her. “We’ve decidednotto blame Mr. Ashby, Patrice.”
I smiled sheepishly at him again. He laughed, shaking his head. As we sat in the boat, I looked around us, noticing the water for the first time. It was crystal clear. If the sun had shone to the bottom, I would have seen everything. Still, it was the most beautiful turquoise water I’d ever seen. I watched schools of fish dance below us and I might have felt peaceful…if we weren’t in the middle of the ocean in a dinghy. Eventually, theKatarinabecame small enough in the distance that it reminded me of Cameron’s Royal Navy sets he used to play with as a child.
Several minutes—though it could have been an hour—of silence passed as Mr. Ashby’s breathing increased and I saw his muscles shaking. I held out my hands. “Let me try for a while,” I offered.
He simply continued rowing.
“Please, Mr. Ashby. You will wear yourself out.”
At that, he stopped and caught his breath. “I am just trying…to hurry…to…land.”
We all looked toward the sliver of land we’d seen before, but it seemed to have disappeared. I stood without thinking, trying to catch a glimpse of it, and nearly toppled into the water. Mr. Ashby took hold of my hand and pulled me down. I fell onto him, and he let go of theoars to catch me. His arms held me tightly and I looked up into his face before we both began laughing—either at my poor decisions or his innate ability to catch me; I wasn’t sure which.
Patrice screamed.
Our laughing ceased quickly as we realized what horror had caused such a reaction. The oars were no longer attached to the dinghy.
I squirmed out of Mr. Ashby’s arms and sat squarely in the center of the boat. “Oh, no,” I breathed.
Mr. Ashby began reaching to the closest oar, tilting the boat a little too far. He pulled back and it swayed. His sigh sounded heavier than any I’d ever heard.
“I’m sorry,” I squeaked out to my companions.
