Betrayal by Lady Grace Cavendish

Author:Lady Grace Cavendish [Cavendish, Lady Grace]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-307-53639-6
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2004-10-10T20:00:00+00:00

Almost instantly, it seemed, it was morning! A bell was clanging, and I felt just awful. I hurt all over. I seemed to have lumps and bumps on every bit of me, and my hands and shoulders ached.

Masou woke then—and he seemed to be in better shape. I suppose he is more used to climbing and brawling than I!

Cook came to make breakfast—which was the most horrible grey salty porridge, with more ale and bread. This time I ate the bread, which was like leather, and gave Masou my porridge. Then there was a clanging and a banging, and all the sailors rushed up the ladder.

Cook pointed at it. “All hands on deck,” he said. “Captain wants to talk to the men. You want to know what we’re doing—now’s your chance to find out. Up you go.”

Masou and I went up to the main deck and stood at the back, behind the tallest sailors we could find, in case the Captain saw me and recognized me. From here, we couldn’t see Drake at all, but Masou was happy just to listen to his speech. I wanted to see Drake so I peered round the sailors and managed to get a glimpse of him.

There he was, standing on the very top, aftmost deck, his handsome face both happy and serious. He should be happy! Probably he was going to marry Lady Sarah now. I scowled at him heavily, even though he couldn’t see me. How dare he do it? What an evil man—and I’d thought he was kind.

“Well, men,” he said, and his Devonshire voice carried the length of the ship without his seeming to shout. “I don’t doubt you’re wondering why we put to sea in such an almighty hurry!”

There was a rumble of answering “Aye, sir”s.

“I’m not sure what’s afoot,” Captain Drake went on, “but I know that Captain Derby put to sea a day early, and I’d like to have a sniff of whatever he’s after. Could be a nice fat Spanish Netherland merchant, could be sea beggars, could even be a Spanish treasure ship gone astray.”

Most of the men cheered.

“So we’re making the same heading as he. I know the places where he likes to cruise and if we keep a sharp lookout, we might see his prize afore he does.” Drake smiled—well, he showed his teeth, really—and smacked his fist in his palm. “Then we’ll snap her up!”

All the men cheered and waved their fists at that.

“I’ve a letter of marque from the Queen—that’s Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her very self!” he shouted, waving a piece of paper. At the Queen’s name everyone cheered again. “So we can take any ship we don’t like the look of, so long as she ain’t English nor Hollander nor Allemayne.”

Really loud cheering.

“Now, I’m telling you what I heard,” Drake added. “I heard there’s a Spanish man-of-war out in the Narrow Seas, carrying the foul Duke of Alva’s letter of marque, and he’s been a-taking of our ships, what’s more.

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