Then, as he watched, Jane ran to a hanging dinghy swaying horizontally over the edge of the ship. It was suspended from wooden arms by rope. She fumbled with a knotted rope for a moment, then jumped back as the rope came free. The heavy dinghy fell all the way to the water with a tremendous splash.
Steve struck out for the boat, swimming clumsily in his clothes, but he kept his head above water $0 that he could see. Ahead of him, Jane took a deep breath and jumped feet-first into the water near the boat. When she surfaced, she swam to the boat and pulled herself up and over the edge.
As Steve neared the boat, Jane extended an oar for him to grab. He took it with relief, finding that he was exhausted from the effort of fighting and swimming. After pulling himself hand over hand along the oar, he grabbed the edge of the boat and rolled over the edge to fall inside.
“You okay?” Jane took his hand and helped pull him up into a sitting position.
“Yeah.” Steve looked up toward the deck of the ship. He couldn’t see much from the dinghy, but the sounds of the fight were continuing. “Anybody notice?”
“If they did, they didn’t care. Besides, as soon as we went over the rail, we were out of sight.” She looked at him. “Now what?”
“Well…” Steve pointed to the green coast of Jamaica. “I think we’d better row for shore. It’s not too far. And I think the current will help us.”
“Okay.”
They sat next to each other on the center bench, each taking an oar. At first they had trouble coordinating their strokes, and the dinghy banged against the side of the ship several times. Finally they got into a steady rhythm and slowly began to move toward the shore.
Rita stayed with MC 2 at the rail of the Hungry Hawk as it approached the Sidonia from the side opposite the Cadiz. Roland had joined the buccaneer attack while Rita and MC 2 watched from safety. MC 2, however, was becoming more agitated as he watched.
“Don’t interfere,” said Rita. “These buccaneers belong to this time. Take care of me, and of Roland if you can.”
“You are safe here,” said MC 2.
Rita strained to follow Roland’s movements as he darted about on the Sidonia. Sails, masts, and the crowd of fighting men all obscured her vision. MC 2 watched intently, however, with his robotic concentration. Suddenly he jumped on the rail and ran across the gangplank.
“Hey, wait! MC 2! Stop!” Rita shouted in surprise. When the robot ignored her instructions, she realized that the First Law was requiring MC 2 to act. She watched him as long as she could, but soon he, too, was lost in the crowd on board the other ship.
Even on the sidelines, Rita was thrilled. Nothing could match seeing the history she had studied for so long being made right in front of her. The clanging of the swords and occasional bang of flintlock pistols scared her a little, but she reminded herself that this was the buccaneer life-style.
Wayne was standing by the helm of the Old Laughing Lady with Captain Tomann, watching the other two ships attack their prey up ahead. They were drawing very close now. The previous night, Wayne had begun to make friends with the short-tempered buccaneer captain. He had not yet sought his help. First he had wanted to establish some rapport.
He had also known that he would have to tell Captain Tomann some kind of phony story. Thinking of one had taken a little time. Now, however, he decided the time to approach the captain had arrived.
“Captain,” said Wayne. “I have another business proposition for you.”
“Eh? Now? What would that be?”
“It appears to me that we are arriving a little late this time. That is, we might not get a full share of the booty. Don’t you agree?”
Captain Tomann glowered, resting one hand on his sword hilt. “If we board before the fighting ends, we’ll take our share in any way we must.”
“Of course. But, uh…” Wayne glanced around suspiciously and motioned for the captain to step away from the man at the helm. “Maybe you and I can make a special profit from all this, if you’re willing.”
“Well, now. What’s all this, then?”
“A short, slender man is on board the Hungry Hawk. I want him.”
“To kill him?”
“No, no. As my prisoner.”
“What’s in it for me, then?”
“Ransom,” said Wayne.
“Ransom?” Captain Tomann looked at him sharply, truly interested for the first time.
“You and I can split it evenly. No need to inform anyone else, though, is there?”
“Who is he?”
“His name is MC 2, but don’t say it aloud. Someone else might overhear and figure out who he is.”
“Goes by his initials, eh? So that’s his name-but who is he, that someone’s going to pay ransom to get him back?”
“The younger son of a colonial, up on the mainland.”
“A rich man’s son, is he? Who’s his father?”
“No, no. If I tell you everything, then you don’t need me anymore.”
Captain Tomann grinned at him, showing broken teeth. “Aye, you’re a sharper fellow than you look. Well, then, how much ransom can we get for this fellow?”
Wayne thought quickly. He decided to err on the side of generosity. “What would you say to one full chest of gold coin?”
“I would say, two are better.”
“We’ll get it.”
“Ah! So what’s the proposition, exactly?”
“You help me snatch him and hold him. In the meantime, I’ll arrange the ransom.”
“I think you need me more than I need you. I’ll take more than half the share.”
“Well…” Wayne shrugged.
“I can find out who his father is when I get my hands on him. But without me, you have no way to catch him and no place to keep him.”
“That’s right,” said Wayne.
Captain Tomann, who had expected an argument, blinked at him in surprise. “You agree?”
“Sure. You take two shares to my one, whatever the ransom turns out to be.”
“Why?” Captain Tomann scowled and leaned his wild-eyed face close to Wayne’s. “Why would you give up so much of the ransom so easy?”
“Call it a…grudge,” Wayne said quickly.
“Eh?” Captain Tomann cocked his head and grinned slowly. “A grudge, you say.”
“That’s right,” said Wayne, seeing that his companion accepted the explanation. “ A personal matter.”
“Aye, a personal matter. Now, that I can understand. All right, mate. We have a bargain, then.” He pounded Wayne on the back.
“And like I said before, there’s no need to tell anyone else, right?”
“Right you are, mate. It wouldn’t do for my crew to know I was getting more than my normal captain’s share. Now let’s find this fellow. We’re almost in position.” He turned and waved toward the man at the helm. “Hard to port, there! Hard to port!”
The buccaneer at the helm suddenly turned the wheel. He strained to hold it in position. Slowly, the ship began to turn.
The prow of the Old Laughing Lady came up closely on the three grappled ships. Some buccaneers were ready with grappling hooks. Others were hanging in the ropes above them with their weapons. The ship angled carefully toward the free side of the Hungry Hawk, opposite where it was grappled to the Sidonia. When the old Laughing Lady came alongside, the buccaneers grappled the Hungry Hawk.
“Come on, then!” Captain Tomann punched Wayne in the arm and strode forward.
Wayne followed carefully. He was concerned about getting into the fight, but was a little more confident now that he had an ally in the fierce buccaneer captain. Besides, this might be his best chance just to grab MC 2 and go home with him.