The Noble Pirates by Rima Jean

Author:Rima Jean [Jean, Rima]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Science Fiction, Adventure, Young Adult
Amazon: B0045JLQIM
Goodreads: 9440162
Publisher: Rima Jean
Published: 2010-09-30T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Five

Howel drew up Articles of Agreement the following morning, and had all thirty members of the crew swear an oath of allegiance over crossed pistols. I swore as well, avoiding Howel’s eyes as I did so, forcing my voice to sound masculine, if boyish. The Articles were written in Howel’s hand and posted on the door of the cabin for all to see. I read them with interest, as this was a fascinating document. Every man had a vote in “affairs of the moment, and had equal title to fresh provisions and strong liquors as seized,” although prizes would be divided among the men according to rank. The men were to keep their weapons in good condition, and no stealing or fighting amongst themselves would be tolerated. The best set of pistols found aboard a prize was to be awarded to the lookout who first spotted that prize. I chuckled to myself: the pirates even got workers’ compensation and a retirement plan, which was far more than an ordinary sailor, who was no better than a slave, could ever hope for. I scanned the Articles for a clause about women, and only found this:

If at any time you meet with a prudent Woman, that Man that offers to meddle with her, without her Consent, shall suffer present Death.

Good deal. I wondered if Howel had me in mind when he wrote that particular clause. I hoped so.

He’d been a busy man of late, Howel had. He hadn’t glanced at me twice since he’d become rogue captain of the Buck. I chalked it up to his being busy, but I also sensed he was avoiding me. I told myself it didn’t matter – I was able to look after him, or simply be with him, and that was enough.

But it wasn’t.

When, a few days later, a French ship was spotted off the coast of Cuba, I was ready to do pretty much anything to get Howel’s attention. Including hand-to-hand combat. Sure, I still couldn’t handle a cutlass to save my life, but I couldn’t stand the fact that, as far as Howel was concerned, I did not exist. Risking my life would have been well worth the effort, even if he became angry with me.

The French ship had twenty-four guns and was considerably larger than the twelve-gun Buck, which wasn’t much bigger than a large periagua, or a dugout. When Howel decided to pursue the vessel, his crew, understandably, wondered about his sanity. Hell, I know I sure did. How was this little sloop, with all of thirty pirates, going to capture a 250-ton, three-masted ship, with probably no fewer than eighty men aboard it?

When asked this question by several of his crew, Howel grinned and dismissed it with a wave of his hand. “Mere details,” he scoffed, his eyes fervid. “If we cain’t use brute force, then we’ll have to use cunning, now, won’t we?”

The crew stared blankly, hesitantly. Even the daring Walter Kennedy eyed his captain with uncertainty. But Howel wasted no time before giving orders.

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