It was a bold island to which we had come, and there were bold men about, ships fitting for the sea. And boats came in to dry their fish or to replenish supplies for another spell upon the dark water.
An eagerness was upon me now. I had come far upon my way, and I thought only of Abigail and our ship and my friends. Always the blue mountains hung like a mist at the back of my dreams, and there was no challenge that called to me as they did.
We went ashore and moved among the fishermen, Thorvald, Lila, and I, buying what things we needed, for it was a goodly port of supply.
Suddenly a huge man stood before me. He was bigger than I by breadth and height.
A strong man he looked, and certainly he felt himself so.
'The wench, there,' he gestured at Lila. 'Fifty English pounds for her!'
'She's a free woman,' I said.
'Bah!' he sneered. 'What woman is free when money is offered? I want her! A hundred pounds, then!' His eyes bulged a little as he leaned toward me. His face was red with drinking.
'No,' I said. 'Now stand aside.'
'Stand aside!' he shouted. 'You say that to me?'
He was a big man and drinking. A dangerous man, I thought, and I was of no mind to fight with him then. I was impatient to be off to the south, hungry for a ship to take me there, and irritated by this great oaf who stood there, breathing his foulness upon me.
He reached for his sword, so I dropped one hand to stay the drawing of it, and with the fist of the other I smashed him in the wind.
It hit him hard and his breath left him with a gasp. But knowing a hurt man is not a whipped man, I spread my legs and swung both fists to his jaw.
Both landed ... and as I have said, I am strong as two men ... or three.
He sat down hard in the mud, blood streaming from his smashed nose and mouth. He was stunned by my blows. So I walked by him and went on. Thorvald stared at me.
'There is power in you,' he said. 'But do you know who he is?'
'No.'
'Nor I ... but he comes from yon ship,' he pointed to a Dutch fluyt that lay in the land-locked harbor, 'and he is a pirate.'
'No matter,' I said, but I lied. For suddenly there was a great envy upon me.
The fluyt was a neat, compact, and handsome vessel, every line of her speaking of speed and good handling.
'He comes,' Lila said quietly.
Turning, I saw the big man had gained his feet. A half dozen were gathered about him, all looking toward me. He pointed, then took a step toward me but staggered and almost fell again.
A lean-faced man with dark, pleasant eyes stepped up to us. 'Yon's a quarrelsome, trouble-making man. We'll be well rid of him when he goes.'
'Is that truly his ship?' I asked.
'It is.'
'And is he truly a pirate?'
'He is ... and fresh from robbing good fishermen upon the Banks, and making ready to sail for the Antilles when he is finished with his drinking.'
'I am Barnabas Sackett,' I said, 'from England, and this is my good friend Thorvald.'
'I know him,' the lean man said. 'You travel in good company.'
Now the pirate's men were approaching.
'I will stand with you,' said Thorvald.
'Lila,' I said, 'when this is over we must move your goods. Now we shall have a ship.'
'A ship?'
'Aye.'
They were coming up to me now, rough-looking men, at least two of them rascals.
They started to draw their swords, but I lifted a hand.
'If you draw on me, it will be mutiny. When did a good crew mutiny against their captain?'
'Captain!' They stared at me, startled.
'Had you rather sail with that great, drunken booby yonder?' I gestured at him.
'If you like him, keep him. I want no part of him. But if you sail with me there'll be no brawling ashore.'
'Why should we sail with you? Do you have a ship?'
'The fluyt,' I said, 'is now my ship. I say we leave him to his drink and go aboard of her and make ready for the sea. If he is no better a master than he is a fighter, she'll need work.'
One of the men, who appeared to be a fisherman, laughed. 'He has courage, this one!'
'If I go aboard,' I said, 'you'll obey me.'
They knew not what to think of me, looking from me to Lila and then to Thorvald.
'Come!' I said abruptly. 'That one is finished. You can see it for yourself.
He'll lead you to your death, or capture and a Spanish prison.'
'And where would you take us?'
'To rich prizes, and an even division all around with no giant share for the master. And then I'll go ashore in Virginia and the fluyt is yours.'
Oh, I had properly guessed my men! I was not speaking into the wind, for they were men who appreciated courage and little else. They wanted profit, but it was the game, too, and they had just seen their master put down in the mud by a man a third smaller, and easily at that.
Some of whatever fear they had felt of him had gone with his fall. Now he fell again, and had stumbled up again, whether from drink or the effects of my blow I neither knew nor cared. He was hauling at his sword hilt.
To be a leader of pirates demanded not only courage but gall, the daring to challenge anything, and these were the men for it.
'He will kill you,' one of them said. 'He comes now.'
He was coming, with a naked blade, but I waited, barehanded, measuring his movements. There was ugliness in him, and fury. He would be rash and overly confident, because I stood with no weapon in my hand.
My father had little to leave me in goods of this world, but he had what he had learned of men and weapons, of horses and women and ships and towns. He taught me well, and I knew what I could do.
'He means to kill you,' Thorvald warned. 'Do not mistake him. He will be quick.'
They drew a little aside, knowing this was between us, for this is the way of men. One fights one's battles alone, not asking mercy nor expecting help.
The giant lifted the point of his sword toward my belly, and he was steadier than I had expected. My blows had jolted some of the drunkenness from him, but I knew the memory of it was in his muscles yet.
His was a flat, single-edged blade, the cutting edge down. His grip would be strong upon the sword, his concentration hard upon it. He was thinking now of what he would do to me. He was already tasting his revenge for the blows I had struck him.
Suddenly, he lunged. It was perfect-the move, the lunge. How many times had I done this in practice?
With a quick slap of my palm I knocked the blade over, out of line with my body.
Then I took a quick step in with my left foot, my right leg hooked behind his, and my right hand smashed up, the butt of my palm under his chin.
His head snapped back and my leg tripped him. He half-turned and fell again into the mud, his grip loosening on the sword. As he hit the mud I kicked it from his hand, then took it up. He lay staring ... shocked ... expecting death.
I broke the blade over my knee and threw the pieces to the earth.
'Come, Lila,' I said, 'we will go to our ship.'
Chapter 11
'You are a bold man,' Lila said. 'I begin to see what she sees in you.'
The closer we came to the fluyt the better I liked her-a neat three-master with nice lines. Yet when we went
