Page 127 of Storm over the Caribbean
“Mr Karim, Sir. How may my men and I be of assistance?”
“Come with me and search every single inch below deck. Don’t let your guard down. There may still be pirates down there. Keep your eyes peeled for any sign of AmbroseSahiband his wife.”
“You have reason to think they are here?”
“I have reason to look for themeverywhere. Now move! And be careful. Their safety takes top priority, understood?”
“Understood, Mr Karim, Sir!”
The commander saluted and, together, the two men descended into the belly of the pirate ship. A long line of men followed after them, their faces tense, weapons clutched in their hands.
It didn’t take long to search the ship. They did not find who they were looking for. They did however find something else.
“Dojakhan agg!”29 Karim cursed as he slammed his sabre down, striking the restraints off the cowering figure in the corner. The emaciated man was so drained by hunger andexhaustion that he didn’t even budge an inch when he was freed. “Slaves!”
“And hostages,” the fleet commander growled, scowling at the stench in the hold. “In one of the cabins, I found a child that I swear I recognized from a ball in Port-au-Prince. He’s a wealthy merchant’s son. If we hadn’t come across this ship, his father would have had to pay through the nose for him, and probably still would have only received a corpse in return.”
“And if they have one hostage,” the bodyguard growled, “they might have more.”
The two men’s eyes met in silent understanding.
“Mr and Mrs Ambrose?”
The bodyguard’s face darkened. “Quite possibly.”
“So, what now?”
Karim didn’t reply. Instead, he turned around and climbed out of the hold, back onto the deck. There, he marched to the railing and gazed out onto the ocean. Time ticked by. One minute. Two minutes. Three.
Finally, he turned around.
“I have decided. Now that we know the pirates take hostages, it is clear that the danger to AmbroseSahiband theSahibais much greater than we thought before. So we will do the following: the fleet will fan out and sweep the ocean. If we find any pirates…” His eyes hardened. “…thosekutteare to be exterminated to the last man!”
There was a moment of awkward silence. Karim’s eyes narrowed. “Any objections?”
“Well, ehem, Sir…” The first mate cleared his throat. “Aren’t we supposed to be looking for Mr and Mrs Ambrose? Why would we suddenly go on a pirate hunt?”
“How many pirates are currently in this area?”
“Err…quite a few?” The first mate scratched his head. “Isn’t that why the big boss came out here in the first place?”
“It is. So, tell me, what do you think would happen if, instead of us, those pirates would find Mr Ambrose first? Or, may Allah in his mercy prevent it, hispregnant wife.”
The sailors paled. Some at the thought of the horrible fate that might await the young woman. Most at the horrible fate that would await them if Mr Rikkard Ambrose ever found out about this and got his hands on the men who failed to prevent it.
“Excellent point, Sir!” The first mate nodded quickly. “We should definitely hunt down the pirates in the hope of finding Mr and Mrs Ambrose faster. Or, failing that, at least prevent them from falling into the hands of those scumbags!”
“Hear, hear!”
“Down with those rat bastards!”
“Death to pirates!”
The entire crew cheered. That is, until one of them cleared his throat loudly, interrupting them. Everyone’s gaze focused on him.
“Speaking of pirates…”
Trailing off, the man pointed to the south. Everyone followed his outstretched arm with their eyes. It didn’t take long before they spotted the single ship with a black flag on the horizon.
