6
May 6, 1624
Manuel had a bit of a fever today and we were really frightened, but the medicine woman assured us not to worry and gave us some powder to feed him. He is a strong boy, already opening his eyes and watching the world go by.
Cisco is a joy to watch as he carries the infant from room to room. Rosa-Lee is always close by to see when she can have the opportunity to hold her brother. I normally have to fight for time between the two. But it does not bother me at the least. To see Cisco this happy is more than worth it.
I remember other babies we buried in the heart of Africa, along with their parents, due to fever, babies that never had the chance to grow and experience life. This is what makes Manuel so special, to experience life through him in a greater measure.
We remember those frightful days as if it was yesterday. The heat, the insect-infested time, coupled with the fever and constant rains. I felt it would never stop. Through it all we had to hope that help would come or that we would find a safe haven. But it took us some time to come to that place.
Help never came and we were on our own. We wandered through that wilderness in a daze. I can barely remember the sights around me. All I remember was the continued effort to survive in an unkind and untamed wilderness.
No more. I would never return to that place.
†††
“Sails ahoy!” the call from the crow master resounded from the main mast four days later. Sails appeared on the horizon, coming closer with each passing hour.
Rosa-Lee was excited about the prospect of seeing another ship. Maybe she could send a word or get some help. When she ran onto the deck, the ship, named the Heerengardt was closer, and she saw the ensign of the D.E.I.C. fluttering in the soft wind. The Heerengardt was much larger in build carrying two hundred soldiers and crew, canons, merchandise and coins than the Contra O Vento, a frigate built for speed and manoeuvrability with only eighty crew members.
Roberto and his men’s faces were tense as they scurried around to change the flags from pirate to her father’s crest ensign.
“They want permission to come on board,” the crow master yelled down.
“They can come,” Roberto yelled back and he signalled back with the burgee.
The Contra O Vento was prepared to accept the visit, making sure all signs of piracy were gone. All the men knew what was expected from them, to act like regular sailors on a ship of this size. When the long boat came closer, an idea filled Rosa-Lee and she descended to her cabin below, unnoticed.
A while later, the captain of the D.E.I.C vessel, a man of impressive frame, stepped on deck. His fierce look pierced through everyone and everything. However Roberto was not intimidated by the man and met his fierce gaze only with a slight of humbleness. Both men assessing each other as both bowed in chivalry.
A young sailor moved closer to the captain and his men. With his hat pulled low over his face, he moved forward unnoticed until he mingled with the strangers. It seemed that he was a part of the crew, staring at his shoes. He made no sound and no eye contact.
“Captain Peek du Toit at your service.” The deep voice of the captain filled the air. He looked around him with piercing grey eyes, missing nothing
“Where are you going?” he demanded
“Captain Roberto of the Contra O Vento. We are going to India to meet one of our ships and escort it back to Portugal,” Roberto replied in a confident voice.
“Can I see the papers?”
“Yes.” Roberto handed him their manifesto. The tall man took the papers and inspected them, fingering the names listed.
“All seems in order. May I walk around?”
“Yes, please do. We always welcome the D.E.I.C visits.”
“How is Almaida?”
“At home and well.”
“What is wrong with the ship you plan to escort?”
“It ran into trouble after a storm. We are on our way to help.”
Roberto only answered the necessary questions and did not offer any further details. From a distance, his crew watched everything in silence. They were alert, their gaze fixed on the ship in front of them.
When the inspection was completed, the men exchanged a few words and then walked back to where Roberto was standing.
“Is everything in order?” Roberto asked.
“Everything seems fine. We have received numerous reports of piracy in these waters so we must be careful to inspect each one.”
“I understand. We will be on the lookout for any pirates. Thanks for warning us.”
“Good, then. We will be off so that you can continue with your voyage.”
“Thank you, Sir, and goodbye.” They watched the men very carefully as they descended the Jacob’s ladder, entered their long boat, and rowed back to their ship. His men were highly alert, looking for any trouble.
However, he could swear that there were six men on the rowboat before, and now there were seven. “How did I miss one?” Everything seemed in order. All his men were accounted for. Slowly he relaxed and Pierre gave the signal that they could continue.
As he walked to his grand cabin Roberto was deep in thought. Something was not right. He could feel it, but he could not put his finger on it yet. Sitting at his mahogany desk, he pored over the charts, making sure they were still on course. With the manifest open before him, he wrote down the time and date of Captain Peek du Toit’s visit.
At suppertime Rosa-Lee did not come. He sent word to Enrico.
“Where is Señorita Almaida?”
“Not in her cabin, Captain,” Enrico replied cautiously. “I have looked everywhere but I cannot find her.” He tried to appease Roberto. Enrico was clearly distracted and fearful fidgeting with his pants, his eyes down cast. The man in front of him was not easily fooled. Enrico had warned the señorita, after he had found her in her cabin dressed in men’s clothing, of the foolishness of she was about to do. But she would not listen to him and he could not lie to this man.
“Did you look on every deck?”
“Yes, Captain.” Sweat formed on the boy’s forehead and upper lip.
“What are you not telling me, Enrico?” Roberto barked; all his usual brusque sternness back. Then it dawned on Roberto who the seventh person was. He cursed as he turned to Pierre with a quick move causing the chair to be unbalanced for a brief moment.
“She is on the other ship!” He slammed his fist down on the table. The plates and glasses rattled and a bottle of wine toppled over. Pierre caught it just in time.
“We will have to go and get her. For this she will pay,” he said, seething and pacing the floor. “She was disguised as one of the men. She has put us all in danger with her game. We will have to get her back”
“That will be a daring feat,” Pierre said.
“I realize that, but we have no choice. If she talks we are all dead.”
“Who says she didn’t talk already?” The situation was critical.
“Then the ship would have returned. We are not that far from the Heerengardt that it cannot catch up with us. We will have to follow and devise a plan to reclaim her without them noticing it. It is a good thing that the moon is not shining tonight.”
“Roberto! You are mad to suggest this. We will be going into the heart of the D.E.I.C and if they catch us, we would be immediately hanged.”
“I will go alone,” Roberto said. This undertaking was of the highest risk.
With the order given they turned, following the ship with speed and in absolute dark silence. All the pirates were on the lookout for any sudden movement, eyes darting over the black calm waters, searching for the Heerengardt.
It took them six hours to intercept the Heerengardt. By then the sun was already dawning in rich amber colours and Roberto realized they could not get closer without being noticed. They fell back, keeping their distance with the crow master giving feedback every hour.
†††
June 11, 1624
Kayla came for a short visit. She rea
lly looked well considering she was five months pregnant. Derek was overwhelmed, keeping a tight hold on her hands.
She in turn could not get enough of little Manuel. Not that I could blame her. He was growing strong and healthy. Every day he looked more and more like me with the exception that he had his mother’s dark brooding eyes. He was big for his two months but it was normal, the medicine woman assured me.
Today we relived many of the moments we shared with them in the wilderness of Africa. Kayla remembered the time that one of the chiefs hunted us and we had to hide. He wanted Qonchita as his woman and I was not willing to let her go; under no circumstances. We had to flee late at night. The rest of the group scattered in a different direction.
Then when we finally came back to the group, I was accused of abandoning the group and punished accordingly. Both Qonchita and Kayla were angry at the captain. But I took my punishment and made the best of it. Qonchita forgot all about propriety and rebuked me because I was so calm about it. I explained to her that the Captain had rules, and it did look as if I was running away.
For days she did not speak to me and today I can admit that it brought my heart much happiness. I knew she loved me but she never showed it openly. That only revealed her real feelings. Faro of course was angry with her for openly choosing me over him and he shunned her for a few days.
Then came the event that changed everything between Qonchita and Kayla. Two weeks later we were again facing a stubborn chief who helped as at first but in the end demanded to have the women for himself. I never had to think so quickly as on that day. I stripped Qonchita and Kayla before him and showed their state. Since all four of his women were overweight, I pointed out how skinny Qonchita and Kayla were. This displeased him greatly.
Two slave woman that still had enough fat on them said they would stay and this pleased the chief. In Africa you learn to think on your feet and use the tools you have. All finesse and veneer is stripped away and all that is left is survival. You don’t think, you just act and hope it was the best thing. Sometimes all you have left is your instincts to act on.
That means live or die. For Qonchita and Rosa-Lee I would do anything as long as it meant they were safe.
A Pirate's Wife Page 4