“This place is still empty,” said Steve, looking around the tavern. “When we first came in, I thought we had just beaten the dinner rush. But no one’s coming in at all.”
“I guess the loading is still going on,” said Jane. “But’s it’s dark now.”
Steve nodded. “I can see men carrying torches pass by from time to time. And there is some moonlight.”
“I suppose we need a new plan of action,” said Jane. “Maybe we can discuss what to do tonight, get some rest, and put it into practice tomorrow.”
“Sure,” said Steve, with forced cheer. “Well-at least we don’t have to worry about being run down by a dinosaur stampede.”
Jane laughed.
Hunter suddenly received a call on his internal receiver.
“Rita calling Hunter. Are you there?” Her voice was low and hurried.
“Hunter here,” he radioed back. “Where are you?”
“I’m a prisoner on a ship called the Old Laughing Lady. I need help. Wayne Nystrom has this Captain Tomann guy working with him. They’re keeping me here.”
“I saw the ship in the harbor today. You are in Port Royal. We are not far.”
“But we’re leaving.”
“You are?”
“Wayne just told me we’re about to set sail. I’m in one of the officer’s quarters.”
“Are you in danger of immediate harm?”
“Uh-no, except for being taken out of port. I would have called earlier today, but I was sure they would take me ashore again.”
“I want to remain in radio contact with you. How often are you alone?”
“Well, I was alone most of today, but we were anchored. I don’t know what will happen now.”
“All right. As you know, I cannot risk exposing Captain Tomann or other buccaneers to radio. Please contact me every hour if you can. I will not call you. We will follow you, however, if we can.”
“Hunter?”
“Yes.”
“I…apologize. I made a big mistake.”
“Accepted. Hunter out.”
“What is it, Hunter?” Jane was looking closely at him. “For a minute there, I thought you were freezing up or something.”
“Rita just contacted me by radio,” said Hunter, rising from his chair. “She is Wayne Nystrom’s prisoner on board the Old Laughing Lady- and the fleet is setting sail.”
“Wow!” Steve leaped up. “We have to join them somehow.”
“Come.” Hunter walked briskly out of the tavern, leaving payment for dinner on the bar without breaking stride. Steve and Jane hurried after him.
Outside, Hunter crossed the wide thoroughfare to walk down one of the long piers. Now, for the first time that day, all the docks were empty of barrels and crates, enabling him to see clearly in all directions. On each side, the surf broke with a steady, rhythmic crashing. In the harbor, many of the ships showed small, yellowish lights on deck and sometimes in the windows of the officers’ quarters astern.
“Can we sign on the Old Laughing Lady, too?” Jane wondered. “Or would that be a mistake?”
“Maybe we can try,” said Hunter. He looked out across the harbor, enhancing his vision to make the most of the pale moonlight. Many of the ships were of the same type and design, but no two were exactly alike, especially in their rigging. By accessing his memory of the Old Laughing Lady, Hunter was able to pick it out now in the distance. “It is a long way out into the harbor. By the time we find a longboat to reach it, I expect it will have set sail.”
“Where’s the Hungry Hawk?” Steve asked. “Maybe we can sign on with Captain Quinn. I bet he’s going, too.”
“We have the same problem with him,” said Hunter. “Captain Quinn also anchored well away from shore. We may have to build another version of the Jamaica Jane to follow them.”
“Oh, no,” said Steve. “I hope not.” He looked around frantically, and pointed to another ship, showing some lights nearby. “That ship hasn’t weighed anchor yet. And it’s a lot closer to the docks. I can even spot some of the guys on board-you see them, when they walk within the range of lamps on the deck?”
“Maybe it’s not part of the fleet,” said Jane.
“It is riding low in the water,” said Hunter. “It was probably loaded today for the voyage, like so many others.”
“Steve,” Jane said anxiously. “I think that’s Captain Morgan.” She pointed. “Look next to that lamp right by the rail, in the big plumed hat.”
“Yes!” Steve took a deep breath and shouted. “Captain Morgan! Captain Morgan!”
Hunter watched the man in the plumed hat. He showed no sign of hearing Steve. “The breaking of the surf is drowning you out. I could shout loud enough for him to hear, but it would be humanly impossible and someone might notice.”
Steve turned to look up and down the waterfront. “There!” He pointed and ran back down the length of the dock.
Hunter jogged after him, trying to figure out what Steve had seen. Jane ran with him. At the end of the pier, Steve turned to his left and kept running.
“You there! You guys!” Steve was yelling and waving as he ran.
Hunter saw a couple of buccaneers sitting on the near end of another pier, leaning against a discarded pile of rotted canvas as they drank out of tankards. A dinghy tied to the pier swayed gently on the waves near them. The two buccaneers looked up over their tankards in surprise at Steve.
“Is that your boat?” Steve demanded, slowing down.
“Who wants to know?” One buccaneer, sporting a large, gold hoop earring, grinned at him with broken teeth, then took another drink.
“I’ll buy it from you.” Steve pulled up in front of them, breathing hard.
“He wants to buy it from us,” said the other buccaneer mockingly, closing one eye to look at Steve. He tugged thoughtfully on a thin, scraggly beard.
Hunter slowed down as he came up behind Steve. Jane stopped with him. The two buccaneers glanced at them cautiously.
“How much do you want for the dinghy?” Steve asked.
“A handful of gold coin,” said the man with broken teeth belligerently. “If you want it so bad.”
“We’ll give you one gold coin for it,” said Steve. “And it’s not worth that much.”
“Nay, nothing doing,” said the buccaneer. “Prices went up all over town when that Spanish treasure came into port this morning. And you sound awful anxious.”
“Aren’t you missing your ship?” Steve jerked a thumb toward the harbor. “You’re being left behind too.”
“Maybe we don’t care. Or maybe we just don’t plan to go to sea tonight.”
“All right. Two gold pieces. You can buy a lot of rum for that.”
“I got this feeling that your ship is about to weigh anchor too. Maybe you three are the ones in a hurry, eh?”
Steve glanced out toward Captain Morgan’s ship. Then he turned to Hunter. “He has a point. What do you think?”
Hunter untied the scarf holding his share of loot and poured a modest handful of coins into his palm. Then he walked over to the buccaneer who had done most of the talking and looked down at him. The buccaneer’s eyes widened as he looked up at Hunter’s immense body towering over him.
“Is this enough?” Hunter spoke in a cold, firm, authoritative voice as he dropped the coins into the buccaneer’s tankard, where they splashed into his rum.
“Aye,” said the buccaneer hoarsely, his throat suddenly gone dry.
“Hurry,” Hunter said to Steve and Jane, moving quickly toward the dinghy. He untied the line and held it as they carefully climbed down and sat in the stem. Then he joined them in the boat and pushed off, hard. As the dinghy angled away from the dock, Hunter took the center seat facing the stem and grabbed two oars. He positioned them carefully and then began to row.