The Ransom: Legacy of the King's Pirates
Page 37
Footsteps and a horrified gasp brought both their gazes to Jonas, bursting up the hatch and rushing toward them. “What’s happening?” His eyes shot to the coast and his mouth went slack. He started to stumble.
“Earthquake,” Alex replied, leaving Juliana’s side to grab his friend’s arm.
“Are the children all right?” Juliana asked.
“Everyone is still asleep,” Jonas stuttered as he stared at Port Royal. “Nothing would wake them after last night.”
“Go get Isaac,” Alex said. “We’ll take the boat into town and search for survivors. Bring your medical supplies.”
Jonas nodded but remained in place. “God in heaven help us,” he mumbled as he approached the railing. “God have mercy. Sweet Jesus.”
“I’m coming with you.” Juliana clutched her skirts and started across the deck.
“Nay.” Alex stayed her. “Remain with the children. They will need you.”
She frowned, and he brushed a thumb over her cheek and kissed her, disarming her protest instantly. “We’ll bring back those in need.”
“A brig,” Jonas announced. “Coming around the point. Lowering sails.”
Alex squinted into the sun. A flicker of excitement—or was it joy—crossed his eyes.
“You know the ship?” Juliana asked.
Alex grinned. “’Tis my father’s brig, the Redemption.”
Author’s Historical Note
On June 7th, 1692, at around 11:40 a.m., a jolt struck the town that one preacher had deemed the wickedest city in the world, Port Royal, Jamaica. Anglican rector, Dr. Emmanuel Heath was having a glass of wormwood wine at a local tavern with his friend John White when the ground began to shake. White assured Dr. Heath that it was only another earthquake and there was nothing to fear, but then another shock struck and then another, until entire buildings began to crash down around them. The wharves and rows of homes behind them slid into the deep water of the harbor as Dr. Heath fled for his life. An eyewitness describes the scene:
The sand in the street rose like the waves of the sea, lifting up all persons that stood upon it, and immediately dropping down into pits; and at the same instant a flood of water rushed in, throwing down all who were in its way; some were seen catching hold of beams and rafters of houses, others were found in the sand that appeared when the water was drained away, with their legs and arms out.
More quakes struck as Dr. Heath made his way toward Morgan’s Fort, but the building crumbled before his eyes, along with his church, the tower of which toppled to the ground. In a panic, he made his way toward his home as a wall of seawater came crashing in from the south, flooding the fort and the houses in its path and drowning those trapped in the falling debris. Finding his home still standing, he knelt on the street and, along with many neighbors, began to pray.
The earthquake lasted two minutes and during that time two-thirds of the town sank into the sea. Ships docked at the wharves capsized. HMS Swan broke its moorings and plowed through the city. The ground opened up and swallowed people and houses whole. A young Mrs. Akers was swallowed up in a gap on land and then was somehow ejected into the harbor where she was later rescued. A French Huguenot named Lewis Galdy was sucked out to sea by the first seismic wave and then miraculously returned to land by the second. In an instant, the peninsula on which Port Royal stood became an island.
Over 2,000 of the 6,500 inhabitants died in the earthquake itself and another 2,000 in the looting, violence, disease, and starvation that followed. Though many tried to rebuild Port Royal, it never returned to its former glory, and most of the merchant business that had made it great transferred to Kingston. History lovers and treasure hunters diving at Port Royal for years have found many fascinating artifacts. One item of particular interest was a watch that had stopped at seventeen minutes before twelve: the time of the third and greatest shock.
Natural calamity or act of God? Only the Almighty knows.
♥♥♥
Other books in the Legacy of the King’s Pirates Series!
The Redemption, The Reliance, The Restitution
Best-selling author MaryLu Tyndall dreamed of pirates and sea-faring adventures during her childhood days on Florida's Coast. With more than fourteen books published, she makes no excuses for the deep spiritual themes embedded within her romantic adventures. Her hope is that readers will not only be entertained but will be brought closer to the Creator who loves them beyond measure. In a culture that accepts the occult, wizards, zombies, and vampires without batting an eye, MaryLu hopes to show the awesome present and powerful acts of God in a dying world. A Christy award nominee, MaryLu makes her home with her husband, six children, and several stray cats on the California coast.
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Other books by MaryLu Tyndall
The Redemption
The Reliance
The Restitution
The Falcon and the Sparrow
The Red Siren
The Blue Enchantress
The Raven Saint
Charles Towne Belles Trilogy
Surrender the Heart
Surrender the Night
Surrender the Dawn
Surrender to Destiny Trilogy
Veil of Pearls
Forsaken Dreams
Elusive Hope
Abandoned Memories – coming summer 2014!
Pearls from the Sea Devotional
Central Park Rendezvous