Hunter carefully led Rita up on deck, to the side of the ship that was away from the shore. Hunter could see a few buccaneers on some f the other ships walking around on deck, but none was paying any attention to the Old Laughing Lady. The buccaneers on the Lady were still either napping or watching the shore. Over their heads, signal flags snapped in the breeze, creating enough sound to camouflage Hunter’s voice.
“Can you swim fifty meters?” Hunter whispered.
“Yes. But my clothes will weigh me down and I can’t discard anything. I’ll need them all when I get to the other ship. So I won’t be able to keep up with you.”
“I will stay right with you, of course,” said Hunter. “If you tire, I will carry you back.”
“I see a little dinghy still on board here,” said Rita. “We could row.”
“We must avoid notice if possible,” Hunter. “We will swim.”
“What about, uh, sharks?”
“I saw none. Do you trust my judgment regarding the First Law of Robotics?”
“Yes.”
“Then we should swim.”
“All right.”
Steve sat on a crate next to Jane, who was sitting on a keg. While they had been waiting, they had stacked up some empty crates to block the buccaneers’ view of the rail where Hunter would come aboard, placing them near a rope ladder attached to the side with belaying pins. Then they watched Hunter swim toward them on his back while holding Rita in the lifeguard’s across-chest carry. Some of the buccaneers on board were napping in the shade of the sails; others were still watching the shoreline from the opposite rail. None were looking toward Hunter; nor were they concerned with Steve and Jane.
When Hunter and Rita reached the ship, Steve quietly let down the rope ladder. He moved it hand over hand, making sure that the slight thumping of the ladder against the side of the ship attracted no attention. Rita came up first, breathing hard from exertion, and gave him a self-conscious smile. He nodded coolly and held up a hand for her to wait.
Jane looked around to see if anyone was watching. Then she motioned for Rita to come over the rail. Steve helped her.
“Squat down out of sight for a moment and get your breath back,” said Steve.
Rita ducked down by the pile of crates.
Hunter climbed over the rail, slowly and silently, and joined them. He kept his voice low. “Did anyone miss me?”
“No,” said Jane. “They’re all too busy waiting to see if their friends come back with fresh water and good food.”
“The sun and wind will dry our clothes quickly,” said Hunter. “Rita, we will keep you close to us and hidden from the others as much as possible.”
Rita nodded.
“Someone is going to notice her sooner or later,” said Steve. “We should say that she came back from shore on the wrong longboat. I don’t think anybody will care. These buccaneers just want everyone to take a turn at the chores and to divide the loot fairly after a raid.”
“That is reasonable,” said Hunter. “Rita, what do you think of that?”
“It sounds plausible. But they better not see me till these clinging clothes dry out and get baggy again.”
The ship captains came up on deck, holding rolled maps in their hands. They were talking and laughing among themselves. Steve stood up to watch. The napping buccaneers woke up, and those at the rail also turned.
“Gather ‘round, mates,” called Captain Morgan, waving to everyone. “We’re off for Portobelo in Panama, the richest city in New Spain!”
The buccaneers looked at each other in surprise and cheered, but Steve felt they were less than truly enthusiastic. Captain Morgan began telling them all about the wealth to be found there. Steve knelt next to Rita.
“What’s wrong with everybody? Why aren’t they more excited about all the booty in Portobelo?”
“The trouble is, Portobelo is also the most strongly fortified and defended city in the Americas right now,” said Rita.
“Really? What’s it like?”
“It’s situated on a river, a short distance inland from the river mouth. Every man in the fleet has probably heard about it.”
“Strongly fortified? In what way?”
“The harbor to Portobelo is guarded by three forts, one on each side of the entrance and one on a cliff overlooking the city. Any ships that sail within range of their cannons to attack will get smashed to pieces long before they can land;’
“Quiet,” said Jane. “They’re coming this way.”
“Have a look, mates,” called Captain Morgan, striding across the deck to the shoreward side of the ship. His captains and the buccaneers followed him. “Look down the coast to the south from here. Portobelo lies less than two days’ sail from here. When the men return from foraging this evening, we’ll have a fine supper. Then we’ll sail!”
Another chorus of cheers rose up, no stronger than before. Captain Morgan dismissed the captains, who boarded their longboats again to return to their ships. Then he saw Steve, Jane, and Hunter watching him. Rita had slipped around to the other side of the crates.
“So, Hunter,” said Captain Morgan with a challenging grin. “Are you as fainthearted as my other men?”
“I have every confidence in you,” said Hunter.
“Ah! That’s what I like to hear. Steve, what about you, then? What do you say?”
“I say that you know more about this than any other man afloat,” Steve said carefully. “But Portobelo will be tough to crack, won’t it?”
“Not so tough, mate. Well, I’ve told my captains what we’ll do, so it’s no secret now. We’re going to sail down to a creek I know of about twenty miles south of Portobelo. We’ll anchor our ships there, and sneak up on Portobelo inland.”
Steve glanced at Rita around the corner of the crates, out of Captain Morgan’s sight. She gave him a slight nod. He turned back to Captain Morgan.
“Inland, huh?” Steve said.
“Aye, mate. We’ll visit their back door.” Captain Morgan winked and strolled away.
Rita moved again, to remain out of his sight.
“Rita,” Hunter said quietly. “Do you know where MC 2 is now? Is he with the fleet at all?”
“I don’t know for sure,” said Rita. “But Wayne said I was a hostage. I asked him what he wanted with me and he said he would trade me to you in exchange for MC 2 and a promise not to interfere with him. He kept saying he didn’t want to hurt me. He only wanted his robot back.” She hesitated. “You know, when he and Captain Tomann first locked me up, Wayne was very forceful-he seemed to know what he was doing. The last time he talked to me, I got the feeling he wasn’t too sure anymore.”
Steve looked at Hunter. “So Wayne doesn’t have MC 2 yet. But MC 2 could be anywhere.”
“Maybe Roland has him again,” said Hunter. “Roland knows that MC 2 will follow his instructions. Maybe they are together on a ship in the fleet.”
“Rita, how well does this voyage go?” Steve asked. “Does Morgan do okay?”
“Yes, he does very well.”
“I am continuing to radio MC 2 occasionally,” said Hunter. “No response, of course, or I would have told you about it. Still, we should turn our attention to the Hungry Hawk again.”
“Do you want to swim over there and look for him?” Steve asked.
“No. The captains will be back on their ships soon. So will the foraging crews and I do not want to be caught sneaking around over there while you three are still on board here. We could all row there, but we might not find MC 2 on the ship after all. Then we would still have to answer to the buccaneers for our presence if they found us there.”
“They wouldn’t take kindly to that,” said Rita. “Treachery is common among buccaneers and they aren’t too patient when they believe they’ve found it.”
“I understand,” said Hunter. “For now, I will have to wait. I believe that my next opportunity will arrive when we anchor south of Portobelo.”
The foraging crews brought back
as many birds and bananas as they could carry on the longboats, along with the kegs refilled with fresh water. On land, it would not have been a remarkable meal, but after a week on shipboard, the buccaneers considered it a welcome change. As the sun went down, they roasted the birds on deck. Captain Morgan broke out some carefully measured rations of the rum that had been kept in reserve. They ate and drank and sang, preparing themselves for the fight that would be coming soon.
Hunter, Steve, and Jane kept Rita away from the buccaneers at first. As twilight fell, and the buccaneers drank more, the team brought Rita closer to them. They shared quietly in the meal and none of the buccaneers took any special notice of Rita.
Hunter observed that Captain Morgan drank little himself and had served rum rations that were quite modest. The reason became clear later that night, when the captain used signal lanterns to order the fleet to sail on the night tide. The crew was in condition to respond, and Hunter saw the lights of the other ships follow them.
The voyage remained uneventful until the fleet anchored once again, two days later. They stopped off a jungle-covered coast that was little different from that of Costa Rica. As before, Hunter compared his internal map with the direction and speed of the ship and confirmed that they were off the coast of Panama.
The sun blazed low in the west. Captain Morgan gave orders to row supplies and crew members ashore in the longboats. Some buccaneers on every ship eagerly began lowering the boats. Others ran to fetch crates of weapons or kegs of gunpowder and shot.
“Hunter,” said Steve, quietly. “What shall we do?”
“I am radioing MC 2 again, but he is still not answering. I am not sure what to do. Rita, what will happen next?”
“Unloading all the ships will take several hours. Then Captain Morgan will leave a substantial rear guard camped on shore to protect the ships from any unforeseen threat. He will take the majority of the buccaneers north up the coast, to the mouth of a river. Portobelo is a short distance upstream on the river.”
“Our best move will depend on MC 2,” said Hunter. “If he remains on the Hungry Hawk, then we will have to go there. If he goes ashore, then we should too. Or maybe he is not with the fleet at all.”
“The Hungry Hawk is lowering its longboat,” said Jane, pointing. “Hunter, can you make out any individuals on deck over there?”
Hunter looked, magnifying his vision. Most of the crew was on deck, and two of the small figures by the rail were familiar. “Yes! I can see both Roland and MC 2. They are preparing to go ashore. We will do so too.”
“Let’s get to work, then,” said Steve. “I think our best chance to get MC 2 is coming up.”
The team joined the buccaneers who were loading supplies into longboats. As each longboat was filled, a buccaneer would sit down with each oar and begin rowing away. By then, longboats from all the anchored ships were heading for land.
Hunter and his team eventually took their turn joining buccaneers in the crew of a longboat. Hunter sat in the stern, with Rita next to him and Steve and Jane behind them. The waves were moderate, and the wind helped carry them as they rowed.
While Hunter drew on his oar, he kept an eye on Roland and MC 2 in the distance. He had not yet seen Wayne leave the Old Laughing Lady. Wayne, of course, might remain on board during the entire raid on Portobelo.
Soon Roland and MC 2 were also rowing toward shore as part of a longboat crew. Hunter saw that they would not arrive for several minutes after his own boat. Other buccaneers had already landed, beaching their boats and unloading them again.
When Hunter felt the bottom of the boat scrape the sand, he and the others jumped out into the surf to lighten the load. The buccaneers in the front took the bowline and pulled; Hunter and his team pushed the stern until the longboat ran aground again, this time in the breaking surf. As the water splashed all around them, they began to unload the crates and kegs.
When the longboat was empty, the crew pulled it completely out of the water and tied it securely to a tree with the others. Most of the buccaneers had broken into the kegs and were taking shares of gunpowder and shot for themselves. Hunter drew his team aside, unnoticed.
“Rita, I want your opinion about buccaneer values,” said Hunter.
“What do you mean?”
“Suppose that all four of us were to jump on MC 2, so that I can trigger our immediate return to our own time. Would the buccaneers join the brawl? If so, I would not be able to return us without the danger of taking some of the buccaneers, too. I cannot risk that.”
“I can’t tell,” said Rita. “They’re just too unpredictable. No ship captains have come ashore yet, so they aren’t here to give orders. And they’ve known Roland longer than they’ve known any of us.”
“Then we cannot risk rushing MC 2,” said Hunter.
“Hasn’t MC 2 seen you already?” Steve asked. “Won’t he just take off into the jungle when he lands?”
“I do not believe he has that choice,” said Hunter. “I am certain that Roland has once again taken over control of MC 2 under Second Law instructions. Since those override the Third Law imperative for MC 2 to save himself, he has to obey Roland rather than flee from us.”
“Wait a minute,” said Jane. “What if Roland hasn’t told him he can’ t run away?”
“If he runs, I can catch him,” said Hunter. “It may be best for us if he does. In that event, you three should follow us as best you can. I do not expect a problem with your safety if you do not participate in assaulting Roland; in any event, I will be very close. Rita, turn on your lapel pin now so that I can hear whatever takes place around you. I will return if the First Law requires it.”
“All right,” said Steve. “Suppose you chase MC 2 into the trees and catch him. Then we have to catch up before the others do?”
“Yes. If we can accomplish this, then I will take all of us back to our time before the buccaneers come within the range of the belt device.”
“Roland just saw us all,” said Rita, switching on her pin. “He looked over this way.”
Hunter turned to look. Roland and MC 2 were now helping push their longboat through the surf to beach it. They were landing about twenty yards down the shore, on the other end of the growing line of longboats.
“We cannot surprise him now,” said Hunter. “Maybe I can distract Roland,” said Rita. “With your permission, Hunter.”
“Come on, Hunter,” said Steve. “Let’s go confront them.”
22
Steve plunged first through the crowd of buccaneers who were preparing their weapons for the attack on Portobelo. A few of them glanced up, but paid no real attention to him as he passed. He didn’t know exactly what he was going to do, but he had worked with Hunter long enough to know that Hunter preferred to operate with a fixed plan, and they didn’t have one. Steve didn’t want to miss the chance to get MC 2 somehow.
Steve stopped on the edge of the water just in front of the longboat that was being pulled up. He stood with his hands on his hips, striking as belligerent a pose as he could. Roland looked up at him.
“Stay close,” Roland said to MC 2. He left the longboat, followed by MC 2, and waded toward Steve. The rest of the crew stopped struggling with the longboat to watch.
“Steve, what are you doing?” Jane whispered, coming up behind him.
“I’m not sure.” Steve spoke without taking his eyes off Roland. “Just tell Hunter to focus on MC 2.”
“I heard you,” Hunter said quietly, on Steve’s left. “You are not in danger?”
“You’ll be close, if I am,” said Steve. “Just get MC 2, will you? First things first.”
“And what do you gentlemen want?” Roland demanded. He waded out of the surf and stopped a short distance from Steve. Behind him, the rest of the longboat crew remained in the water, watching warily. “Something from me, may hap?”
Steve couldn’t think of anything to say.
“Roland,” said Rita, stepping forward. “We’ve been friends. Let’s
talk about this.”
Hunter walked slowly around Roland, toward MC 2, who was still standing in the breaking surf.
“This is between us and your friend, there,” Steve said finally. “We aren’t concerned with you.”
“I happen to like Shorty, here,” said Roland, with a mocking grin. “He’s quite a friend. Very loyal and uncommonly strong for his size. Funny-he just loves doing whatever I tell him. Now what’s your business with him?”
Steve watched as Hunter suddenly leaped into the surf toward MC 2 and took hold of his arm. Roland saw the move belatedly and jumped away, toward Rita. Before Steve could react, Roland slipped an arm around her throat and whipped a dagger out of his sash with his other hand.
“None of you make a move!” Roland backed to one side, so that he could see Hunter as well as Steve.
“Stand back, Hunter.” Steve drew his sword. “The First Law says you can’t risk making him mad.”
Hunter hesitated, studying Roland carefully.
In the same moment, however, the other buccaneers from Roland’s longboat shouted and ran forward, drawing their swords or daggers. Hunter released MC 2, but both flung themselves at the buccaneers; they clearly had to save Steve and Rita from immediate harm, ignoring all other considerations.
“Roland!” Rita struggled to get free. “How can you do this to me?”
“Face me, coward,” Steve yelled. “Stop hiding behind her!” As he had hoped, Roland flung Rita aside, dropped his dagger, and drew his rapier. Behind Roland, Hunter and MC 2 had managed to trip or wrestle the buccaneers into the crashing surf, delaying them all without harming any of them. They had their hands full, however; Steve could not expect any help from them.
“Hah! Avast, then!” Roland sneered angrily, twirling his blade toward Steve.
The buccaneers from the other longboats had stopped their preparations to watch, but did not interfere.
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