Paul was laughing at something Skeeter had said when suddenly he looked up and the smile disappeared from his face. “Monnonk,” he muttered. He looked frightened.
The others looked up, as well, and saw a man striding toward them. He was big and angry-looking, and his eyes were fixed on Paul.
“Monnonk,” Paul said again. “My uncle.”
The man began yelling at Paul before he’d even reached them. They couldn’t understand what he was saying for he spoke in the patois of the island. Paul was trying to respond, but his uncle wouldn’t let him speak. Finally Paul held up the money Steve had given him. A greedy look came over the uncle’s face and he snatched the bills from Paul’s hand. He grabbed the boy by the arm then, and began dragging him away from the stunned group of Americans.
“Hey, you can’t—”Steve began to call out.
Paul looked back at Steve and the others and desperately shook his head no. “It is monnonk, my uncle. I must go with him. It is okay.” They could see by the look on his face, though, that it wasn’t, but there was nothing they could do. They watched Paul’s uncle roughly drag the boy down the beach.
“Dad, we have to do something,” Skeeter said.
“We can’t, Skeeter. There’s nothing more we can do for Paul now, I’m afraid.”
Skeeter watched his friend disappear over a hill and shook his head. “Except pray,” he murmured.
___________
CHAPTER SEVEN
___________
Fishing for Trouble
Steve woke them all early the next morning. “Five o’clock—two mornings in a row?” Kristi groaned. She covered her head with her pillow. “I know, I know—the early bird catches the worm, but this is ridiculous! We caught the early bird yesterday!”
“And today we’re going to catch the early fish!” her father said from the doorway of the girls’ treetop room. “Come on, girls! We have the use of a yacht today and I want to get an early start. We’re going to do some deep-sea fishing, and if we’re lucky we may see some whales and dolphins, too!”
That got them out of bed in a hurry. For once Kristi was the first one dressed and at the breakfast table. She waited impatiently for the others. She had her eye on a chocolate éclair and a blueberry muffin and her mouth was watering.
At last they were all at the table and Steve asked the Lord’s blessing on their food and their day. Kristi reached for the éclair just as her dad said amen and beat Skeeter to it—barely. “Can’t win ‘em all, bro!” she grinned at her brother. Skeeter frowned, and instead took the blueberry muffin Kristi had planned to eat next. That wiped the grin right off of her face!
“A friend of mine is lending us his yacht for the day,” Steve told them. “It’s not a huge yacht, so don’t get any big ideas, but it’s fast and can move by its engines or by its sails. It should be fun! We’ll have a skipper to go with us to help with the sailing, and the fishing.”
“That is so great, Dad!” Dan said. “Can I sail her, too?”
“I’m sure you’ll all get your chance, if you want it. Let’s get going, though. The weather is beautiful now, but we may be in for a storm later this afternoon or evening, so I want to be back by then. We don’t want to be caught at sea in a storm.”
Pete frowned. “I thought we were supposed to have perfect weather while we’re here.”
“Normally December is beautiful in the Caribbean. June through November are hurricane and tropical storm season. But once every few years there will be a tropical storm or hurricane in May or December, and I guess this is the year for a December storm. But don’t worry, it’s not supposed to hit St. Lucia, so unless it suddenly veers this way, we should be fine. Still, I don’t want to be out on the ocean in any kind of a storm, so let’s get going!”
The yacht was harbored in Rodney Bay, near Pigeon Island. The teens climbed aboard with their eyes shining. It was beautiful, sleek and white, with red and blue stripes along the side. Everything on deck sparkled. They went inside the cabin, and their jaws dropped at the beautiful teak and white leather interior. Even Rachel was speechless for a moment. Finally she said, “Uh-huh. Oh, yeah! I could get used to this real fast! We can do some serious whale-watching inside this baby!”
The teens laughed. “Wow, Dad, I didn’t know you had such rich friends! The guy who owns this must be a millionaire!” Skeeter said.
“Well, as a matter of fact he is, but he’s also a real nice guy. I’ve flown him around the country a few times, so he’s just returning the favor in letting us borrow his yacht. Oh, and here is Stanley, our skipper for the day! He’s going to navigate the yacht out of the harbor and away from the reefs, and then show us the best places to fish.”
An islander had come up behind them. They turned and greeted the young fellow. He hardly seemed more than a teenager himself, but as he went about his work, he was confident and quickly got the boat underway.
The water was calm as they sailed into the Caribbean, but when they rounded the northern tip of the island it got choppier as the tranquil sea met the heavier waves of the Atlantic. Kristi felt a little nauseous as the yacht surged over the waves. Oh, please don’t let me throw up! she prayed as they hit the edge of yet another large swell. As they moved a little further from the island, though, she began to feel better. The sun was shining brightly. There were billows of clouds on the horizon, but it certainly looked like they were going to have a good day!
Once they got out into the ocean Stanley let the teens each take a turn at the wheel. They could feel the power of the engines as the yacht surged forward across the water. They were only ten or fifteen miles out from St. Lucia when Stanley finally stopped the boat. “Good fishin’ here!” he grinned. The girls were more into sunbathing on the upper deck than fishing, but they watched with interest as the guys strapped themselves into their chairs and threw their lines out into the water.
“Why do you have to wear that harness, Dad?” Kristi called down from the upper deck.
“These are big fish we’re after, Kristi. Some of them are big enough to pull us right off the boat! I really don’t want to become shark bait, today!”
“What kind of fish are you after, Mr. Cameron?” Anna asked.
“Oh, marlin, tuna, wahoo, snapper, sea bass, barracuda…”
“Barracuda? As in barracuda shark?” Robyn asked, her eyes wide.
“Yep. We’re not keeping what we catch, though. We’ll release the fish back into the ocean. We don’t need them for food, and I don’t think Rachel will want any fish mounted on our walls at home!”
“You got that right, honey!” Rachel said. “Thanks!” The girls laughed and went back to their tanning.
Stanley was right. It wasn’t long before Pete caught the first fish, a large marlin. It fought long and hard, but Pete finally got it on board with Stanley’s help. There was a lot of excited backslapping and high fives among the guys. Rachel took a picture of Pete and his fish, and then of all the fellows with the fish. They released it finally and watched it disappear into the depths of the ocean.
The guys pulled in several more fish after that. “Ya-hoo! I caught a wahoo!” Skeeter yelled when he pulled his fish in over the side.
Kristi shook her head and said, “Somehow I just knew he’d say that!”
Dan was thrilled to reel in a barracuda. It was almost four feet long with a sharp snout and strong jaws. “Keep your hands away from his mouth,” his father warned. “Those teeth are razor-sharp.”
Steve had just pulled in a good-sized tuna when Kristi jumped up and said, “Look! What’s that?”
A large dark shape had risen from the water. It moved along rapidly, cutting a path of frothy white foam in its wake. Suddenly it dived, leaving its split tail hanging in the air for a moment, before it hit the water with a mighty splash, and it, too, disappeared from view.
“A whale! That was a whale!” the teens cried excitedly. “I think it was a humpback whale,” Pete added. “Did you notice its fin and back?” They ke
pt watching, but it didn’t surface again.
They were disappointed—but not for long. Only a few minutes later several smaller, dark, sleek shapes appeared, leaping and jumping over the water.
“Dolphins! Dolphins!” The boys forgot about their fishing poles. The girls were clapping their hands and jumping up and down on the upper deck. A few more of the mammals joined the first ones and soon the dolphins were putting on quite a show for their audience. They seemed to be enjoying it as much as the humans were!
They disappeared as quickly as they had come. The water seemed empty now without the playful creatures. They watched, holding their breath, hoping they’d come back, but they didn’t. At last Rachel said, “Isn’t God good? I think He whispered in those dolphins ears, and in the ear of that whale, too, to give us a little show! Seeing it in the wild is even better than going to Sea World!”
They started to turn away from the rail at last when suddenly they noticed the wind had kicked up a bit and the water was getting choppier. Kristi started feeling a little queasy again.
“Time to go, kids,” Steve said. “Those clouds are coming in fast now. We may be on the edge of the storm after all. Stanley, thanks for the help with the fishing. It was great! But let’s turn back now, okay? The water’s getting rough, and my daughter is looking a bit green. We’d better get back to calmer water.”
Stanley hoisted the anchor and took the wheel. He brought the yacht around and headed west once more. Kristi sat with her head in her hands, staring at one spot on the deck. Of all the times to get sick! She couldn’t even enjoy this beautiful yacht, she was so miserable!
Her father sat down next to her. “I’m sorry you feel so bad, Kristi. I promise you, you’ll feel better the minute we get back to shore. It won’t be long.” All Kristi could do was moan.
They were skimming over the water as fast as they could go, but the waves were getting higher and spray hit the deck in sheets. It was cozy in the cabin, but they watched the clouds blowing in, and the sky becoming a sickly shade of greenish-gray.
Stanley suddenly cut the engines and pointed. “A boat out dere. Look like dey need help maybe,” he said and pointed at a boat floating in the distance. Someone was waving a white cloth at them, as if he needed help. Another person next to him was waving his arms wildly. They both were yelling something, although they couldn’t hear what it was over the wind and waves.
Steve peered through the windshield. “We’d better stop and see what the problem is. We can’t leave them out here with a storm brewing. Let’s check it out, Stanley. Pull the yacht up close and I’ll go out and talk to them. Their radio must be broken, or they’d be trying to call us.” He went out the door and out onto the deck. Dan, Pete and Skeeter followed.
The girls watched the yacht pull closer to the other boat. Steve and the boys were hunched up against the spray that was hitting them. The men on the other boat were still waving and shouting. Now that they were closer they could see that it was an old rickety fishing boat. By the looks of it, they wondered how it could even stay afloat in the water. Stanley eased the yacht gently toward the smaller boat.
Kristi had forgotten about her queasy stomach and was watching with concern when suddenly a terrible thought crossed her mind. “Wait!” she shouted at Stanley. “Don’t stop!”
Too late. Stanley had turned the engines off. The yacht drifted closer to the old fishing boat until they were almost touching. They could see the faces of the men on the wreck. Kristi looked into a pair of dark eyes and realized she had seen them before. Suddenly she knew she was right. They were in trouble.
___________
CHAPTER EIGHT
___________
Pirates of the Caribbean
Kristi rushed for the door of the cabin. “De boat, she break down. You help us, mon?” one of the men was saying to her dad.
“Sure,” Steve said. “We’ll radio for help for you.”
Kristi grabbed her father’s arm and tugged on it. “Dad!” she hissed. “Wait!” She looked up to see that familiar pair of eyes staring at her. They narrowed, and she saw them become hard and cold. She shivered, and shook her dad’s arm again.
“What is it, Kristi?” Steve asked. “We need to help these men before the weather gets any worse.”
“But Dad, don’t you remember what Mom told us about modern day pirates?” she whispered. “How they pretend to be in trouble and then they—” Before she could finish her sentence, a bit of movement on the deck of the other boat caught her eye. She and Steve looked up.
Where there had been only two helpless fishermen a minute before, there were now four evil-looking men pointing guns at them. Kristi gasped and drew back against her father. Chills ran down her spine. Steve stiffened and stood still. For a moment there was dead silence. The people on both the vessels stared at one another.
“You have a very smart pitit fi, Misyè. A very smart daughter. Maybe too smart.”
It was Paul’s uncle. Kristi was sure of it. She whispered to her dad, “I know who—“
“Shh!” her father stopped her. He had recognized the man, too, finally, but he didn’t want him to know that. He hoped none of the other young people would speak up. Dan, Pete and Skeeter were now crowded up behind him, as well. Rachel and the other girls were still in the cabin with Stanley. He prayed they would stay out of sight.
“What do you want?” Steve finally asked.
“Not much, mon. Only dis fine boat! And all de money you are carrying, of course.” One of the other pirates spoke up. He had a smirk on his face. He and another one of the pirates climbed over the edge of the yacht. Paul’s uncle joined them.
“It’s not my boat,” Steve said. “I can’t just hand it over to you. If it were mine I would—”
“Dat is not our problem,” a third man interrupted loudly. He pointed his gun at Steve. “You do not have to give it to us. We will take de boat,” he said in a hard voice. His face was dirty and scarred. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was skinny and frail-looking, but he looked wicked, and the most frightening of them all.
Steve didn’t argue with him. He reached inside his pocket and brought out his wallet. He emptied it and handed the money to the pirate closest to him. He took off his expensive watch and gave that to him, as well.
Kristi looked at her brothers and Pete. Skeeter’s face was white. Every freckle on it seemed to pop out against his pale cheeks. His eyes were big and he looked scared. She had seldom seen Skeeter so still and quiet in all his life. She was sure, though, that she looked just as pale and scared as he did.
Dan caught her eye. He and Pete had their heads together. She was sure they were trying to come up with a plan. She shook her head slightly at him and frowned. No! she mouthed at him. He raised an eyebrow and Kristi said silently again, No! Don’t do it! Guns!
“Bring de others in de cabin out here,” the leader ordered one of his men just then. Steve groaned on the inside. A minute later Stanley, Rachel, Robyn and Anna were shoved out onto the deck. Stanley looked scared. Rachel had her arms around the two girls who were crying. She looked calm.
Steve knew his wife. She was strong, and he knew she was praying at that very moment. Their eyes met and silently, though together in spirit, they cried out to their Heavenly Father, “Lord, help us! Protect our children!” Their children and friends were all silently praying, too.
The fourth man finally stepped forward. He spoke quietly, but there was no doubting that he was the leader of the gang. “We are not going to hurt you,” he said. “We want the yacht, but we are willing to trade you for our boat—such as it is.” He waved his hand at the broken-down fishing vessel. He spoke with a British accent and was obviously more educated than the others. He was clean and well-kempt. Kristi didn’t doubt that he was a dangerous man, though.
“Get on the other boat,” he ordered in a hard voice. They didn’t argue. Dan and Pete jumped over the side and helped the others over. The waves were tossing both the boats and it was no eas
y feat to go from one to the other without falling overboard. Kristi held her breath as one by one they each cautiously leaped down into the small wreck of a boat.
Stanley was about to jump down into the fishing boat when one of the pirates said, “Non! You stay!” Stanley looked scared, but stepped back. The pirate shoved him toward the cabin and he stepped back inside. He cast one more look over his shoulder at the captive group of Americans.
Steve was the last to leave the yacht. He tried one more time to reason with the pirates. “It’s about to storm,” he said. “You can’t just turn my family loose in the ocean in that old wreck! Please, don’t do this!”
“You would rather stay with us? You have pretty girls there. We wouldn’t mind the company of the girls.”
“No! We’ll go on the other boat and take our chances with the storm.” Steve climbed quickly over the side before the men could change their minds.
He was about to push away from the yacht when one of the pirates looked around and suddenly called out, “Gason! Boy! Vini! Come here!” They looked around, fearful that the pirates were going to try to take one of the boys with them. Steve stepped in front of Skeeter, Dan and Pete.
The pirate wasn’t speaking to any of them, though. They heard a slight noise behind them. They turned just as a head appeared from the hatch below. A pair of black eyes gazed at them over the hatch.
Slowly the rest of the head appeared, and they caught their breath. Paul! It was Paul! Paul was one of the pirates!
__________
CHAPTER NINE
__________
In the Midst of the Storm
Skeeter’s mouth dropped open. “Paul! Paul, what are you doing here? Are you with those bad guys?”
The Secret of Buccaneer Bay (Kristi Cameron Book 5) Page 7