“The greenhorn is right,” Harry said. “I just had a look into the cave. Practically, you can see nothing. They will note us, even before we are in their range. Then we could also yelling out loud and commit suicide!”
“Hey, don't call me a greenhorn, old man!”
Archie didn't like it, if someone called him like that in such a way, even if he was the youngest in the team.
“If you call me old once again, you will not experience your eighteenth birthday anymore. Believe that!”
“You won't do this, "old man"!”
Harry rushed towards the boy, but Little Sunshine held him back, positioned herself between the angry men and lifted her arms.
“Stop it. Both of you. At the moment, we all need a cool head, and such things don't help us to save my father. Harry, you are the most experienced of us and should know it better. So let it be.”
She used her words consciously. Already, since she was a baby she knew Harry and knew, what she had to say to him, so that he calmed down again. And so it was.
“Well, forget it. For the moment there is something more important to do. Let's rescue the Captain.”
Little Sunshine relaxed and sank her arms.
“All right. What concerns the light of the torch, Archie is right. But we don't have another possibility. We could try to cushion it. Two of us could go in a small distance before the torch. It would limit our view field in such a way that we make headway even more slowly, but this is the only possibility we have, in my opinion. However, the chances of the surprise effect are very low. Who still wants to take no risk, can stay here, I wouldn't take amiss of nobody.”
Silence. Only the animals in the jungle were to be heard, otherwise nothing. Little Sunshine nodded, after some seconds, which seemed to an hour had passed and gave a sign to the man, who held the burning torch.
“All right. Let us waste no time.”
“We are there!”
One of the pirates said this and swung the torch to show that it didn't go on anymore. The cave only had one entrance and one exit. Should the entrance be filled up, there would be no more escape and one would be lost.
“Then the treasure must be somewhere here!”
Garvinger could hear the avarice in Willthorns voice. He took away the torch from one of his men and moved from one end of the cave to the other. First, it seemed as if he despaired, because there were no signs for a treasure, but then his face brightened, and Willthorn pointed to a corner of the cave.
“There!”
Quick, he ran to the place. The others, also William Garvinger, had discover nothing, but shortly after Albert Willthorn pulled out a blanket box, which obviously seemed to be difficult. After Willthorn had brought it out, he waved over a man with a big hammer. With one hit the lock was destroyed, and Willthorn opened the chest greedily and unthinkingly. His face seemed to shine, as the light of the torch hit on many golden coins and the golden objects inside of the blanket box. Everybody stared fascinated at it. No one of them had ever seen such a thing. Scott really had carried off a lot as a pirate during the years.
“Behind are even more of them!” Willthorn shouted, and his men rushed at it, while Garvinger didn't move and stared at the gold. Willthorn came up to him.
“I have found it. All this gold. I have found it! And you have thought that it doesn't exist or is here.”
“Congratulation. You have what you wanted. Then I can go now!”
Willthorn laughed.
“Yes, you can.”
He pulled out a gun and aimed at the head of the tied up pirate.
“But differently than you think!”
A shot sounded and resounded from the walls so loud, that it hurt the men in their ears and had to keep them closed to themselves. But it wasn't Willthorn, who pulled the trigger. He shouted and held his hand, which had held before the weapon and lay on the ground now. Captain Little Sunshine and the other pirates appeared at different places, and they were only hard to be recognized in the darkness. She held a gun in the hands from which came smoke. Still she had point it at Willthorn, who was concentrated at his hand, but then looked to Little Sunshine.
“You!” Willthorn shouted.
“Yes, me. Captain Little Sunshine!”
She tried to banish the fear from her voice. With the darkness, she wasn't sure whether it was able to hit generally as she also didn't work particularly a lot with the gun. Little Sunshine rather liked the saber, with which she had more practice. And a saber also doesn't need to be reloaded. But the situation admitted no other weapon.
Garvinger twisted the eyes. What did the girl only find so great on this nickname? Already as a child he didn't like it that she was called so. It sounded so stupid. But at the moment he was glad that she was here.
“Father”, Little Sunshine shouted, are you all right?”
“If you could cut me loose, I would feel better!”
“I'm on my way!”
“Not, if I still have to say a word to this. KILL THEM, MEN!”
Without hesitation these attacked, but Captain Little Sunshine pulled out the second gun, which she had taken from one of the men at the entrance, and fired. This time she didn't need to aim largely, her opponent stood almost in front of her. Again, a big bang sounded, and once more the noise was hardly to be bearable for everybody. However, the bullet didn't miss the target, and the hostile pirate fell to the ground.
“Maybe we should put the guns away and let the sabers allow to speak!”
Harry said that loud, so everybody could hear it.
Captain Little Sunshine pulled out her saber.
“A good idea!”
They moved forward. Now, the relation to the opponents was the same, everybody could concentrate upon one. The sound of the blades resounded from the walls, from time to time a shout joined to it, if one of Willthorns men was defeated during the fight.
Archie dealt it with the man, who held the hammer. Both stood face to face. Archie was more of slight build and looked more in such a way as if he wouldn't survive a longer fight with a saber. With an oar it still seemed to be more unlikely. His opponent was littered with muscles. He carried only one waistcoat, because a normal shirt wouldn't have fitted him.
“Is this your weapon you want to fight against me?” his opponent asked and swung grinning menacingly his big hammer.
“If I look at you, I am not sure anymore,” Archie said,whose face showed the naked fear. His opponent pleased it.
“Now it's too late to drawback. I will squash you like a bug!”
With a laugh he lifted the hammer over his head and let this fall down. Archie could make way and hit with full force with the oar on the back of the head of his opponent. The men fell forwards and banged against the cliff face. Unconscious, he fell to the ground.
“I don't know at all, what everybody has against my oar,” Archie said surprised.
Captain Little Sunshine had moved in the direction of Willthorn, who got a kick of her father when he tried to pierce him with a saber. When she was with her father, she cut him loose and embraced him then.
“Nice that you are still alive!”
“We have no time for this. Look out!”
Garvinger pushed his daughter aside and got a hit from Willthorn with the saber. A red line adorned his shirt on the shoulder. He fell against the cliff, where he kept the injured shoulder, because of pains. Blood ran on his hand.
“Father!”
Little Sunshine wanted to run to him, but he declined.
“I'm fine! Don't worry!”
“Not long anymore!”
Willthorn swung the saber, but Little Sunshine opposed to him and could repel the deadly hit. With a jolt she pushed back her opponent with her saber and positioned herself between both men, the saber ready for battle in the hand and pointed at her opponent.
“Ah. The daughter, who plays pirate and has given herself a ridiculous nickname.”
“The name is not ridiculous!”
Captain Little Sunshine attacked, and both crossed the sabers. First, she could force him back, then it seemed as if Willthorn got the upper hand. Garvinger sat on the ground and kept furthermore the bleeding shoulder, while he watched the fight.
“Surrender, little one. You cannot win!”
Willthorn forced her back further and swung to a hit, but Little Sunshine ducked and moved aside. Besides, she streaked her opponent on the hip. In sure distance she stopped and took a fight position. Captain Willthorn felt himself to the side and discovered blood in his hand. She got him. Since decades, no one had added a wound to him. And this small beast has wounded him!
“You bitch! I will kill you!”
“What is wrong, Willthorn? A small scratch and you shout like a small child!”
Furiously, he clenched the teeth and enclosed his saber more firmly.
“I should have killed you on St. Andrews, when I had the chance!”
Little Sunshine remembered this meeting. There, Willthorn had attacked her father for the first time. First, he feigned friendship, then he became annoyed, when her father refused to debouch a part of a map, which he owned. It came to the fight, and Willthorn nearly killed her. If the soldiers of the governor on the island hadn't come, she would be really dead now. Garvinger, Little Sunshine and her men could just still escape on time, otherwise they would have got in captivity of the soldiers. Willthorn had also succeeded the escape, and Little Sunshine wished now, that this wouldn't had happened. Then they would not be in this awkward situation now.
“Chance wasted, I would say.”
“I am surprised that you are still alive. I would have thought that my first officer sends you and everybody else of your pirates to hell. The cannons wasn't be failed to hear, when we moved through the jungle. Otherwise, nevertheless, Taylor understands his craft.”
“It is Taylor and your people, who stew in the hell now, together with your ship, which is now on the ground of the sea! Your first officer hasn't been well so good as you have thought!”
Furiously, Willthorn attacked, and Little Sunshine had trouble to stand up to the attacks. The pirate put all his strength in his attacks. At an unprotected moment his left fist shot up forwards and hit Little Sunshine in the face. She took steps back, however, remained steadfast, what impressed Willthorn.
“Not bad, my respect.”
“Allison, are you all right?” her father shouted.
“I am fine, father. Stay where you are!”
Now, it was Little Sunshine, who attacked. Several times, she tried to hit Willthorn with her weapon, but over and over again he repelled the attack. Partly, she got the feeling as if it made no difference to him. Little Sunshine simulated an attack, then ducked, however, and left Willthorn a long cut in the left thigh. But she hadn't calculated on the fact that Willthorn cluster himself fast and hit her with the elbow on the back of the head. She fell forwards, while Willthorn shouted once more.
“Now I am going to kill you!”
Little Sunshine lifted slowly the saber, but Willthorn only laughed.
“You can't stop me!”
Willthorn rushed towards, but then his blade was repulsed. Garvinger had taken the saber from a dead pirate and wanted to finish the whole thing now.
“But I can!”
Ignoring the aching shoulder, he pressed his opponent from himself with both hands on his weapon and also attacked immediately. Several times, the blades, whose sound resounded from the walls, crossed. Little Sunshine, Harry, Archie and two other men from Garvingers team looked at the fight. They had already looked after the other opponents. Now, they looked with full interest at the fight of both pirates, who had been friends once. Blade hit on blade, and there were occasionally also a few exchanges. Both seemed to bring to light an infinite energy and were of full determination to put an end to her opponent. But, finally, Garvinger succeeded in hitting Willthorn the saber out from the hand. A hit let him reel against a cliff face.
“You have lost,” Garvinger said, without any emotion in his voice. Willthorn cursed internally, but didn't want to give up.
“It is over when it is over, old friend!”
Without being aware of the fact that Willthorn had this with himself, he pulled out a gun behind his back. Garvinger ran forwards and could just still got the hand with the gun and pressed it upwards. The shot freed itself and hit the cave cover. Rumbling fulfilled the cave and interrupted the mainly available silence. Both pirate's captains looked upwards and saw, how an amount of stones came down to them. Garvinger let go of Willthorn and ran, as fast as his legs admitted, while Willthorn looked stiffly upwards. So fast his shout sounded, so fast this had also fallen silent again, when the stones had reached him. Garvinger stopped and looked back. Luckily, only a small part of the cave had collapsed and not the whole, otherwise it also would have got him.
“Now it is over,” Garvinger said with a made relieved sigh.
Little Sunshine ran to him and considered herself, as far as the light of the torches admitted it, the injury, Willthorn had added to her father.
“It's only a flesh wound. I'm okay. Thanks that you have saved me.”
Then he looked at his daughter, like a father, who is proud on his child.
“Thanks for your rescue.”
Garvinger turned to the others and also pronounced his thanks. After he had said this, the treasure occurred to him again. Quick, he turned the head. He had the fear that the the gold would be buried, but it was not. The chests stood up in the corner, except the one, Willthorn had brought out, and were unscathed.
“Looks like our cash had filled just substantially,” Harry said, when he interpreted the look of his Captain properly.
“I think we have deserved it after all annoyance which we had during the last days,” the Captain said.
“What should we do with the survivors of Willthorns crew?” Archie asked, who stood near the muscleman, the oar ready in his hands.
“First, tie them up, we will see later.”
Little Sunshine turned to one of the other pirates, whom they had accompanied.
“Do we still have enough rope for the rest?”
“Not much, but it should be still enough.”
“However, with this guy here, we will need a lot of rope,” Archie said and pointed at the unconscious person before him.
Harry looked at him.
“Then it will be your job to guard him. Finally, you have defeated him.”
Archie wasn't sure, but Harry seemed to enjoy this. Probably he hoped that the big guy would wake up and fight against Archie once more.
“No problem,” he said and kept his voice quiet, because he didn't want to show anything in front of the others. Since internally, the fear climbed up in him, he had won the fight with a lot of luck. But he didn't want to show this to Harry, otherwise he would make fun about it to him the next days.
Garvinger came the cannon shots in mind, which he had heard, when he was on the move with Willthorn and the others on the island.
“How is my ship?” he asked curiously.
Nobody seemed to want to answer his question, because silence ruled in the cave.
“Well?” he asked once more.
“Your ship,” Little Sunshine said finally. “Well, it has well got over the battle. It will take some time, until it is seaworthy again, but it still swims.”
She tried to smile, but it was more agonized. Her father remained quiet, but the worry was written in his face. The ship meant a lot to him. Finally, he said something.
“Let's go. I want to know what is with the ship.”
They tied up the surviving pirates and carried them to the others outside. From the men outdoors one seemed to get conscious again, but Archie let his oar speak and sent the man again to the land of dreams. While Captain Little Sunshine, her father and Harry went to the beach, the others remained with the prisoners. It was only right for Harry that Archie remained there, because he had taken the oar from him, so that th
ey were able to get to the ship. Archie covered him with a lot of insults, but a bad look of Harry and the young man was silent. The old grumbler still got it.
When they reached the beach, Garvinger stopped, because of horrify.
“What happened to my ship?”
Before the island, his ship lay at anchor, but a part of it was destroyed. In front of the ship, where a female figure had been before, was a big hole. One side was mainly destroyed, and the main sail had several holes. Some of his crew were to be recognized, they tried to save, what was left of the ship.
“It was inevitable. Willthorns crew didn't want to surrender. Their ship does lie on the seabed, not ours. For that we had to take a lot. But it keeps about water, and this is what counts.”
Harry remained quiet, when he said this, even if in his head the whole battle ran off once again. The bombardment, the explosions, the shouts of the injured persons. But this wasn't the first battle in which he had taken part and won. And probably it also wouldn't have been the last, because Harry didn't even think to retire. And he knew that this wouldn't be also possible for his Captain to which he held already the loyalty for nearly thirty years.
“I don't want to imagine, what all this will gonna cost!”
“Now, it shouldn't lack on money. There is enough gold that we can have a whole fleet of ships.”
Little Sunshine said this with a smile, what her father didn't answer. It wasn't the first time that the ship had to be repaired, but up to now it had never carried off such a big damage. And it wasn't a question of the costs. Captain Garvinger hung on the ship, it meant to him a lot, nevertheless, it had often enough helped him in dangerous situations. For him it wasn't any ship. It was his companion.
His thoughts turned again to the treasure. The gold had to be taken away, however, in addition they needed more men, who they would get of the ship. Willthorns men, who had survived, would leave behind them on the island. These men didn't earn another destiny. But Garvinger was still occupied with another thought at the moment, which didn't let go of him, when he considered himself his damaged ship, which moved by the waves to and fro.
Captain Little Sunshine--Female Pirate Page 2