Pirates of the Storm (Stranded In Time Book 1)

by Fletcher Best

  “Very well then,” Coxen said turning to the crew. Mr. Crabtree, Mr. Graves, Mr. Stevens, and the other Mr. Stevens, you are with me. Mr. Harrison you shall be in command in our absence.”

  “Aye!” the men agreed in unison.

  The men boarded the longboats and set off for shore. Jeff approached Harrison, “Mr. Harrison, does it seem strange to you that Captain Craig would agree so easily to reducing his share of the profits from the raid?”

  “Aye! It not be in his character,” Harrison replied with suspicion in his voice. “Methinks Craig be up to somethin’ and this be what the Captain’s been intuitin’. Mr. Greene, get ye the spyglass at the helm and keep watch on the activities aboard the Grand Booty. Mr. Robinson, walk the deck and keep eyes on the water around us. I shall gather the long guns and then keep watch on the shore.” Jeff moved quickly to collect the spy glass and found a good vantage point to watch Craig’s ship. It was too dark to see much, but it looked like there were several men up and moving around on deck and they certainly didn’t give the appearance of being sick or impaired in any way.

  He watched intently through the spyglass as it looked like there was some movement near one of the remaining longboats stored on deck. They began lowering the boat over the side at which point Jeff called out quietly to Harrison, “They’re lowering a long boat.”

  Harrison bounded up the steps to the helm and took the spyglass from Jeff. “Aye, and the crew be quite active for havin’ taken ill!” Harrison watched for a few minutes before handing the spyglass back to Jeff. “It looks like they be headed for shore. I’ll watch them from the rail. Ye keep an eye on the ship.”

  The activity on the Grand Booty subsided for a time and Jeff’s attention was suddenly drawn to the shore, from where the faint sounds of gunfire and muzzle flashes were visible. The raid had begun. Jeff turned his spyglass once again to the ship and once again something was happening. The crew was lowering another longboat over the side. “Mr. Harrison,” they’re preparing another longboat!” Before Harrison could make it to the helm, Jeff looked again and corrected himself, “Make it two longboats!” Harrison had brought his own spyglass this time and he and Jeff watched the boats shove off from the Grand Booty.

  One boat headed aft, towards where The Crow was anchored, and the other was headed straight toward the Wandering Wench. “Prepare to defend the ship, Mr. Greene!” The two men quickly made their way to the main deck and notified Jenny of the approaching boat. She took up a position at the rail to watch their approach as Jeff and Harrison moved some barrels and crates into position on the deck to provide cover for the attack.

  As they were finishing their preparations, Jenny ran over to them. “They’re almost here!”

  “You two take cover and prepare to fire on my command,” Harrison said, as he drew his pistol and concealed it behind his back before he cautiously approached the rail.

  From the water below, a voice called out. “Ahoy! Who be in command o’ The Wench?”

  “Harrison. State yer business!”

  “Ah, Harrison, it be me, Tobias Gage from the Grand Booty.”

  “What do ye want, Gage?” Harrison inquired tersely.

  “Now is that any way to treat an old drinkin’ mate? We merely want to ask yer assistance. The Captain no doubt told ye we ha’ several men fallen ill. We was hopin’ ye had some medicine as we run short.”

  “Sorry, no medicine,” Harrison replied.

  “Mind if we come aboard and look for ourselves?”

  “Aye, I do mind,” Harrison replied, “Now be off with ye!”

  “Very well, then. Have it yer way!”

  Several shots rang out as Harrison ducked for cover. He ran and took cover with Jeff and Jenny and picked up a rifle. “There be six o’ ‘em, all with pistols and a couple o’ long guns. Make yer shots count!” Harrison yelled. Jeff’s mind raced. They were outnumbered and he had to imagine that Craig had sent some of his best men to take the ship. The cover of the barrels and crates provided some advantage in a firefight, but not enough for comfort.

  Jeff turned to Harrison, “I’ve got an idea… I can go over the side and swim around. They won’t expect anyone coming from behind.”

  Harrison thought for a moment before nodding, “Aye! Go!”

  Jeff tucked his pistol in the waistband of his pants and secured his sword before grabbing a rope and tying it to the rail and throwing the free end over. He took a good hold of the rope and lowered himself down the side of the ship. As his feet touched the water, he wound the rope around his leg and held on with his left hand as he drew the pistol with his right. He held the weapon high out of the water as he lowered his body in. He swam slowly to make as little splash as possible. As he made his way along the hull, he could hear shots being fired on deck, as well as a short distance away, where similar events were taking place on The Crow.

  As he rounded the stern of the ship, he could see two men halfway up the cargo net and a third still in the longboat looking up and waiting to start his climb. Jeff realized that this meant three had already made it on board and that Harrison and Jenny were already outnumbered. As the men were otherwise focused, Jeff easily made it to the longboat without being seen. The two men on the net had reached the top and were ducking down below the rail waiting for a chance to rush the deck. The man in the longboat stepped up onto the cargo net to begin his climb. Jeff knew he couldn’t waste his one shot, so he quietly placed his pistol in the longboat before moving between the boat and the cargo net. The three men were still holding their positions when Jeff decided to make his move.

  He grabbed hold of the cargo net and heaved himself upward just high enough to grab the ankle of the man above him. The man was so startled that he barely made a sound as he lost his grip on the net and Jeff pulled him under water. A brief struggle ensued, but fortunately for Jeff the man could not swim and had not even had a full breath of air when he was pulled under. Jeff only had to hold on and soon the man stopped struggling as he lost consciousness. Jeff cautiously peeked his head out of the water. There was now only one man at the top of the net who was waiting for the opportunity to jump on deck.

  Above, Harrison and Jenny were managing to hold off the attack with several guns that Jenny would load as Harrison took his shots, but the boarding party was gradually fanning out and surrounding them. Jeff quickly located his pistol in the longboat and tucked it in his waistband once more as he started climbing up the net. He froze for a moment as the man at the top of the net looked down at him. Fortunately the darkness hid his identity as the man simply gestured for him to get up the net. Jeff quickly resumed his climb, and was beside the man just as he made his attempt to leap over the deck rail. Jeff shot his arm out just as the man made his move and yanked him down hard by the collar of his shirt. His timing couldn’t have been better, as the man’s leap was cut short and his head slammed hard into the rail before he fell down the side of the ship, striking his head again on the bow of the longboat below.

  Jeff felt a twinge of guilt as he watched the lifeless man’s body floating face down in the water. But it had been necessary and he knew he didn’t have time to think too much about it. He made his way to the top of the cargo net and peered over the rail. Right in front of him was a man lying on the deck with a rifle trained on the bunker of barrels and crates. Another man had taken cover behind the main mast about 10 feet away and he stepped out momentarily to fire off a shot from his pistol at Harrison and Jenny before quickly taking cover again. Jeff could not see the other two men, and guessed that they were hiding somewhere in the shadows. Then he saw a muzzle flash from the rail of the navigation deck as the third man took a shot that sent up a shower of splinters from the wood bunker.

  From somewhere in the darkness off to Jeff’s left, Tobias Gage spoke up, “Come now, Mr. Harrison. Ye must be short on ammunition by now as we be. Soon it will come to swords and we have ye outnumbered six to two. If ye surrender now and swear an oath of loyalty to Captain Craig, he may see
fit to spare ye and ye can join our crew and have a share o’ the spoils.” Jeff stuck his head over the rail and managed to catch Harrison’s eye. Jeff held up two fingers and then made the finger across the throat sign.

  Harrison spoke up, “Ye say ye have us outnumbered six to two? By my count it be four to two. Not the best odds, but I’ve had worse many times and am here to tell the tale.”

  Gage yelled back, “There be two more over the rail. If ye promise to hold yer fire, I shall have them prove it to ye.”

  “Very well, I shall not shoot, show me yer other two men,” Harrison replied.

  “Ye heard him,” Gage called out, “Show yerselves.”

  With that, Jeff jumped over the rail with his pistol aimed at the man with the rifle. He looked up with an evil smile that immediately vanished when he realized that it was not one of his mates beside him. The man rolled to the side and swung the rifle barrel around, but he was too late. Jeff fired his pistol and the round ripped through the man’s chest. The man behind the mast was just finishing the reloading process, but Jeff drew his sword and was upon him before he could fire. Jeff knocked the pistol from his hand and made a deep slice in the man’s neck. As the man staggered forward and collapsed on the deck, Jeff picked up his pistol and took his cover position behind the mast.

  Harrison called out, “It appears that me count be wrong as well. Tis not four to two. Tis three to two – on our side! What say ye, Gage? Be ye an’ yer man be in the mood fer surrender?” In answer, the man on the navigation deck fired on the bunker, but in so doing had lingered out of cover for just long enough that Jenny was able to get a clear shot at him. She fired back and the man staggered backwards before falling over the rail, disappearing in the darkness with a loud splash as his body hit the water. “Three to one, Gage,” Harrison called out. “What say ye?”

  Out of the shadows, Gage appeared with his rifle held above his head, “I surrender and I beg yer mercy.”

  Jeff didn’t really trust him and it quickly became apparent that Harrison didn’t either. “Lay your rifle down, Mr. Gage,” Harrison commanded. Gage leaned forward and gently set the rifle on the deck. “Now, step forward five paces and get on yer knees.” Gage moved forward as directed and got down on his knees. Harrison stepped out from behind the bunker with a rifle aimed at Gage and approached him cautiously. When Harrison was a few feet away, Gage suddenly reached for the pistol he had hidden in his back waistband, but it was to no avail. Harrison fired before the man could draw the gun and he was hit square in the chest. Harrison stepped forward and looked down at the dead man shaking his head. “Tis a shame he dies as a traitor, but at least he dies fighting.”

  Harrison, Jeff and Jenny assembled at the center of the deck. “Well done, both of ye,” Harrison said, “But our problems are far from over.”

  Jeff nodded, “I think we have to assume that they’ve taken The Crow.

  “Aye,” Harrison nodded, “From the sound o’ things, the battle there be short. Jamison’s men most likely be taken by surprise.”

  Jenny pointed off in the direction of Jamison’s ship and said, “Aye, there is our proof.” A lantern was being used to signal from the deck of The Crow. “Ship ours. Awaiting orders,” she said, interpreting the signals.

  Harrison ran up to the navigation deck and grabbed a lantern to signal back. A few moments later he returned, “I tell them to await the Captain’s return, so that should keep them where they be fer now. But we ha’ a bigger concern. A boat o’ Craig’s men left fer shore. No doubt they be plannin’ an ambush on the Captain and Jamison. We should head fer shore to help the Captain.”

  “Mr. Harrison, it seems to me like they’d wait for the boats to be loaded before they staged the ambush. That way ours and Jamison’s men will be tired and easier to overcome.”

  “Aye, yer thoughts are sound,” Harrison nodded.

  Jeff continued, “If that’s the case, we can’t really go in a boat since they’d probably see us coming and pick us off before we hit the beach.”

  “Aye, but ‘tis a chance we must take,” Harrison replied grimly.

  “Not really. Robinson and I could swim to shore to help the Captain. Someone needs to be here in case they try to take the ship again, and you’re a lot more capable of holding the ship by yourself than either of us would be.”

  Harrison thought for a moment before reluctantly agreeing, “Aye. Make haste, before I change me mind!”

  As Jeff and Jenny gathered their weapons, Jenny spoke up, “Would it not be better to take the boat part of the way and then swim to shore before we get too close?”

  “That is a good idea,” Jeff replied. It will be a lot easier than swimming the whole way with a sword and holding a pistol out of the water.”

  The two quickly gathered their weapons and made their way down the cargo net to the longboat. As they cast off, each took an oar and they headed toward the dim lights on shore. At first they had difficulty staying on course without anyone to steer, but they eventually managed to develop a rhythm that kept them heading relatively straight to their intended destination. As they started to get close, Jeff had an idea. “Jenny, I’m thinking we can use the boat to our advantage. If I swim the boat in close to shore, that should draw the attention of anyone on the beach. That way you can swim in with less chance of being seen and get in behind them. I can either swim back out and around and flank them on the other side, or possibly take out anyone who comes into the water to check out the boat.”

  “A sound plan,” Jenny agreed. When they were as close to shore as they dared, the two eased themselves into the water. Jenny retrieved her pistol from the boat and held it just out of the water as she slowly swam toward shore.

  Jeff swam behind the boat and started pushing it directly towards the lights on shore. He quickly lost sight of Jenny in the darkness as he moved the boat forward. Soon he was able to make out the dark shapes of the raiding party longboats on the sandy beach ahead and he headed straight toward them. The water was beginning to get shallow and his feet would occasionally touch bottom as he kicked his legs. He was just beginning to question how close he should get when he heard hushed voices on the shore. Unless he missed his guess, the boat had been spotted – he was close enough! Jeff held his position waiting to see what would happen.

  He could hear splashing sounds approaching him as someone was coming to investigate the boat. At that moment, he realized that his flintlock was still in the boat and if he reached for it now, he’d no doubt be seen. His position was still well-hidden by the hull of the boat and the darkness, so he opted for the advantage of surprise and slowly drew his sword. Jeff could tell that there were two men approaching and they were now within about 20 feet. He needed to be sure they were Craig’s men before he attacked, and given the darkness and his unfamiliarity with Craig and Jamison’s crews, he was beginning to wonder how to do that. Fortunately his question was quickly answered. As the men reached the other end of the boat from where Jeff was concealed, one of them called back toward shore, “Somethin’ be wrong. This be our boat, the one Gage took to the Wench.”

  “Bring it in,” called back a voice on shore.

  Jeff was debating the merits of trying to take on two men in the water and reveal his presence to the others on shore versus trying to swim to shore without being detected when a plan came to mind. He took a deep breath and ducked under the water, swimming toward the man closest to him. In the dim moonlight and through the blur of the water, he could just make out the man’s form ahead of him. He closed the distance quickly and lashed out at the man’s leg with his sword. “Ahhhh!” the man screamed out as he struggled to remain upright. Jeff slashed again, this time at the man’s midsection, before retreating to the cover of the boat to take a breath.

  The man clutched at the boat to hold himself up. “What be yer problem?” Jeff heard the other man ask.

  “I… be bit…shark!” the man gasped with horror. Jeff took another deep breath and swam toward the second man who w
as now frozen with fear.

  “I’m getting’ in the boat,” he said as he turned to try to get a grip on the hull to pull himself in. But before he could leap for the safety of the boat, Jeff slashed him across the legs and then ran him through. The man gasped as he staggered forward and then fell face first into the water. Jeff swam back once again to conceal himself behind the longboat.

  “What be happenin’?” called out a voice from shore.

  “Sh… Shark!” the man at the boat managed to yell back. The man struggled to try to pull himself into the boat, but he was too late. Once again, Jeff submerged and delivered two more deep cuts to the man’s legs before thrusting his sword through the man’s abdomen. The man lost his grip on the boat and collapsed into the water.

  Realizing that the large amount of blood in the water might soon attract a real shark, Jeff cautiously retrieved his pistol from the boat and decided to make his way up the shore to be able to flank the remaining would-be ambushers. Further inland, he could hear gunfire and the screams of men and women as the raid was still in progress. From the sounds of things, Craig and his crew were repeating their atrocities of Cabra Cachonda. Jeff swam parallel to the shore until he figured it was safe enough to try to make land. As the water grew thin, he crawled toward land staying as low as possible while scanning the shore for any movement. Satisfied that there was nobody waiting for him, he rose to his feet and as quietly as possible slogged the remaining way to the beach.

  By now, things in the town appeared to be quieting down. Jeff figured that soon the raiding party would be hauling their spoils back to the longboats. When he had spotted the ambush boat leaving for shore, it looked like there were eight men in it. Those eight plus three others including Craig himself in the raiding party would not be enough to safely take on both of the other crews. Jeff guessed that they must be planning to ambush them one by one as they carried the loot to the boats and he quickly realized his best bet was to ambush the ambushers and try to alert the crews of the Wench and The Crow as to what was happening. Jeff was hopeful that Jenny was safely ashore and she too had figured out Captain Craig’s plan.