Page 158 of Storm over the Caribbean
“Well, well. Looks like we’re almost done, doesn’t it?” Rubbing his hands, the foreman strode back onto the ship, his gaze landing on the tarp. “Come on, boys! Let’s take care of that!”
“Aye aye, boss!”
With two of his co-workers in tow, the foreman marched towards the tarpaulin. “So, where’s this supposed to go? That part of the cargo wasn’t on the ship manifest, was it?”
The captain cleared his throat. “Well, ehem…probably not, because…”
Just then, a loud snore came from beneath the tarpaulin. The foreman blinked in surprise—then spotted something black and furry sticking out from under the tarp, and a look of comprehension spread over his face.
“Never mind. Animals, right? I’ll stack the cages with the chickens and ducks east of the pier.” Stepping forward, the man licked his lips. “If there’s something nice and juicy, I might even buy it myself. It’s been a while since I had a good stew.”
The captain abruptly went pale. “Um, I don’t think that’s a very good ide—”
“Oomph!”
The foreman winced, having unsuccessfully attempted to grab whatever was underneath the tarpaulin. “What do you have under there? A bloody grizzly bear?”
“Err…well…”
Just then, a growl erupted from beneath the tarp, followed by the soft sound of a sabre being drawn from its sheath.
***
Beside Mr Ambrose, I stood on the beach, watching the dinghy from the newly arrived ship slowly draw closer. Or not so slowly, rather. Seems like whoever was coming was in a hurry.
“Finally, Captain!” The moment the dinghy touched the sand, the young man at the prow leapt ashore and strode towards Mr Ambrose. “Thank God, I’ve finally reached you! I’ve come with an important message and I—wait a minute, you’re not Captain Briggs! What happened to him?”
“Retired,” came Mr Ambrose’s curt reply. “I was fortunate enough to take his place. Now, the message?”
“Yes, the message! We’re facing quite the situation. Our employer…you know, the one who graciously provided some financial aid to your old captain in exchange for focusing on certain targets? Someone has been attacking and sinking all his ships!”
“You don’t say.” I watched closely. Mr Rikkard Ambrose’s face remained absolutely one hundred percent expressionless. “How terrible.”
My God he was good.
“Yes! We’ve got to do something about it!”
“Oh? Why?”
“We’ll leave immediately and—wait a minute!Whatdid you say?”
“I said,why?” Mr Ambrose cocked his head. “Why should I care? I am being paid to focus my raiding on certain ships—not to ensure the safety of any others. So, why would I care about other pirates attacking your employer?”
“Why? Naturally, because you—”
Abruptly, the young man cut off, his mouth remaining open. Apparently, on his way here, it had not occurred to him that pirates weren’t friendly, helpful people who happily risked their lives for free in the service of their fellow men.
“Well, um…well, because…” Suddenly, the young man’s eyes lit up as inspiration struck. “Because they’re your competition, and you should eliminate them so they don’t get in your way!”
“Wrong.”
“So you see you have to—huh?”
“I. Said. Wrong. You do remember that these new pirates seem to target your employer’s ships, while we arespecifically forbiddenfrom doing so, yes? Meaning our paths will hardly cross.”
“But…but…he’s alsoyouremployer!”
“Your point being?”
