Johanna glared at the older, prettier, pregnant girl a moment, then turned away and started running. Jack raced after her and found her lying on the ground, sobbing. Jack sat beside her and said, “This is not the best of circumstances, but we’ll get through it. Right now we’ve some men to save, and I’ll ask you to be civil for the time being. Too much noise at the wrong time could get us all killed.”
Johanna looked him in the eyes. “You coupled with her this very morning? How could you, Jack?”
“I’m sorry I’ve hurt you. That’s all I can say.”
When they got back to the camp, Rose was grinning at him.
“Don’t say a word,” Jack warned.
Surprisingly, Hester had not spoken throughout the ordeal. She’d been treated far worse by men than what she’d seen between Jack and her daughter, and seemed content to stay out of it. When the camp had quieted down to an uneasy truce, Pim gave Jack his scouting report.
“There’s eight soldiers guardin’ the Blue Dog,” he said, “and I don’t know how many inside. Maybe ten, maybe twice that. Some’re whorin’, some’re waitin’ for the hangin’. Like you said, the men are all upstairs, so there must be guards on the steps as well. There were two guardin’ the road on this side and two on the other, but they’re arguin’ for their souls with St. Peter at present. You formed a plan yet?”
“Has
“Aye, she’s backed out to deeper water, so she must’ve seen your signal. But she’ll be a sittin’ duck out there against
“And the shore boats? Have the soldiers burned them?”
“Nay, they be right where they was.”
“They must think they got all the pirates bottled up in one place.”
“Aye, and most of ’em drunk or drugged half way to Hades.”
“In your experience, Pim, how superstitious are our mates?”
“This lot what’s holed up in the Blue Dog? Worst I’ve seen.”
“I agree. And what of soldiers in general, what do they fear most?”
Pim rubbed his beard. “I couldn’t say for certain. But witches and faeries would scare any man, ’specially if they was comin’ for their souls, I guess.” He paused a minute and then said, “Why, you thinkin’ of scarin’ ‘em somehow?”
Jack smiled.
“Then what’re we waitin’ for?” Pim said.
“Dark.”
Chapter 19
They had eight muskets between them, and a number of pistols and knives. Of the women, only Hester had fired a weapon before, and her experience was limited to pistols. They’d be going up against at least eight soldiers, two of whom stood behind the back of the building. There were at least twenty more inside, maybe more.
A sudden shriek pierced the night air, from inside the Blue Dog. Then, several more followed. A gun fired, and things went quiet. Five minutes later, wild cheering erupted.
“What d’you think, Cap’n?” Pim said.
Jack set his jaw. “I think they’ve hung the first one.”
Jack explained the plan twice, then arranged the participants and had them act it out. He offered several possible variations, and reviewed how they should react. By the time he felt comfortable with the details, it was dark. By then, if Jack was right about the screams and cheering, three more of his crew had been hung.
Since the Blue Dog was on a corner lot, there was nothing to prevent the soldiers from guarding the side, or going around the building to chat or drink with the guards in back. So Pim worked his way through the woods until he had a clear view of the far side. George and Rose worked their way to the edge of the woods on the near side, and got as close as they could to the Blue Dog while avoiding detection. At that point, Jack and Hester left the safety of the woods, followed by Abby and Johanna, trying to look like a regular colonial family that had wandered into the wrong area.
There were fifty yards of open space between the center of the woods and the back of the Blue Dog. The soldiers had set two sets of lamps on each corner behind the saloon, figuring to track any movement that blocked the light. But they’d grown lax in their duty, figuring all the pirates were caught and secured on the second floor, and the hanging had begun more than an hour ago and continued without interruption. So when Jack and his new “family” approached the soldiers and Hester cried out, “Sirs!” the guards were so startled they nearly shot each other.
Had Jack realized how carelessly they were guarding the back, he would have simply walked up and killed them. But that opportunity had passed, and now the soldiers were aiming muskets at them. The two girls peeked out from behind.
“Who are you?” one said, “And what are you doing out here without a lamp?”
The soldier’s breath was heavy with liquor.
“We came down the beach some time ago, headed for St. Alban’s,” Jack said. My wife had a pain in her chest and we went to the woods to seek an herb. Then we got lost and stayed that way until we seen your lights. Can you say if there be a doctor nearby?”
The other soldier walked to the corner, picked up one of the lamps, and brought it back. He held it up to Hester’s face and cursed, almost dropping it.
“What the hell is wrong with your woman?”
“As I say, she’s sufferin’.”
