Forever Young The Beginning (3 page)

He saw that preparations to tow their
prize were well underway. Calling out for Armando he beckoned for
him to come aboard. Soon Armando made his way to Ian and quickly
learned of the situation below deck. Taking a moment to oversee the
towing preparations, Ian called out “Let ‘er drift to stern,
straighten the rudder and tie down the helm.” He joined Armando and
led him below where he made a crude introduction to the two ladies
with a slight bow and a smile.

Ian then stood aside as
Armando courteously asked Alandra a series of questions. At one
point he erupted in laughter, causing Alandra to blush. Ian asked
“What’s that all about?” Armando said “They thought you were a
pirate when you kicked in the door until they saw your blue eyes.”
Ian tipped back his head and laughed, as Alandra’s blush deepened,
even as she thought
he’s even more
handsome when he laughs.

He tried to courteously excuse
himself, bowing slightly with a friendly smile. Turning, he left
Armando and went back on deck to see to the repairs and also to
begin a search for tools to repair the damage to the mast and sails
of their prize. The first pirate craft was as good as lost as the
fire burned out of control.

Elsie’s Cloud
and her towed companion ship
Tico
made headway to the northeast,
widening the distance between themselves and the burning ship as
rapidly as they could. They all knew it was best to be well away
from there before other pirates in the area might see the smoke and
investigate.

They had been making headway for some
seven hours since getting underway. It was maybe three hours before
sundown, and the afternoon sun sparkled off of the waves of the
Mediterranean. The sea was an azure color, but the puffy cumulus
clouds scattered from horizon to horizon had vanished, leaving an
empty blue sky. Within minutes the seas calmed and the wind
slackened to a whisper. They were becalmed, but were well away from
the Moroccan coast, on course for Marseille. Angus ordered everyone
aboard Elsie to attend a trial for the pirates. He stood on the aft
deck overlooking the main deck, the two ladies and Armando beside
him.

Evidence consisting of an engraved
pistol and watch, gifts from Alandra’s father to her uncle were
found in the possession of the captain of the prize ship. After
hearing the pirate’s unbelievable version of the story that the two
women were whores whom they had bought in Spain, Angus pronounced a
sentence of death.

“
I find you guilty of the
crimes of piracy and murder on the high seas. You are sentenced to
death by hanging, and may God have mercy on your blighted
souls.”

The surviving crew of eight was taken
to be hanged. Ian spoke and said “Cap’n McCloud” (using a more
formal term of addressing his uncle in deference to his rank since
this was a proceeding in law at sea with the whole crew
witnessing.) “I’ve noticed that one of these pirates is only a lad
of twelve years. I think that Lady Alandra and Celita might have
something to say about him.” Alandra emphatically nodded her
understanding. She attempted to speak in English, saying as she
pointed, “That Arab…boy…helps us. He…very…nice. Bring us water and
food…fruits too…. at times. He… beaten…by others…treat him …bad.”
Then Alandra turned to Armando and gestured for him to
speak.

Angus signed to Armando to speak, and
he replied “The boy was taken by force after his family was killed
in a tribal feud. I fear that he may even have suffered buggery at
the hands of these villains.” At that, there arose an angry
murmuring from the crew assembled on deck. Angus looked inquiringly
at Ian who nodded assent. “Then that settles the matter. The lad
shall not be hung. Separate him from the others and take him to be
fed now. He’ll work with Li Hong in the galley. Hang the rest of
this scurvy lot now.”

With that the remaining seven were
hoisted and hanged while shouting curses. Their feet jerked and
danced a macabre dance of death in the near-still Mediterranean
air. Celita looked away, but Alandra watched in grim satisfaction.
Ian joined Mustafa and gave him a manly hug and a warm smile,
tousling his hair. Mustafa smiled back and hugged Ian as well.
Alandra noted that and it had a profound effect on her regard for
the tall Scot.

The ladies were invited by Angus to
join him and the officers for supper. Captain McCloud then raised
his voice and said “We now have a funeral for our shipmate to
attend to.” Signaling to two crewmen he made his way to the
starboard main deck where the body of the young man waited.
MacGregor had already sewn it into sailcloth along with several
ballast stones.

Angus signed for silence as the crew
removed their hats. He read the 23rd Psalm and finished with
“Father may you receive this man, our faithful companion Rob
Macrae, a member of your flock in this his final resting place. We
commit his body to the deep in the knowledge of the sure and
certain hope of the great resurrection day; when the seas shall
give up their dead to be raised to eternal life, in the name of our
sovereign Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.” The assembled crew replied with
an echoing “Amen.” Then the body was raised and poised on the rail,
secured to a plank balanced there. Angus then said “Guard of Honor
step forward!” Three sailors stepped forward and aiming muskets out
to sea they fired them. The body was then allowed to slip into the
sea.

There was silence for a bit,
and then Angus ordered the crew excepting for Gunny’s and MacCarr’s
men to take advantage of the calm seas and bathe as soon as the
ladies were back aboard
Tico
.

“
Ian, take a detail of
MacCarr and 12 men and see if that broken mast can be rigged to
hold a sail of sorts. Use the cargo boom extensions.”

“
Aye-aye, Cap’n.”

“
Leon, see to cleaning and
securing the cannon on
Tico
. I want all muskets cleaned and
secured as well. When that is done, you and your men will bathe as
well. We might just as well make use of these calm
seas.”

The well trained crew went about their
tasks and had completed most by dusk.

It took until evening using both
starboard cargo booms to get the mast to where it would function in
normal winds. The sun set as a giant red ball, and the water looked
to be on fire.

Supper was delicious as Li Hong had
caught a marlin and a grouper and had prepared them well. Fruit
that they had taken aboard in Africa was served with steaming hot
yams prepared with a special sauce of Li’s concoction. Angus asked
a blessing and everyone ate ravenously as there had been little
time for a proper meal during the hectic day and the anxious hours
after separating from the burning pirate ship.

Conversation was mostly
between Angus, Armando, and the two ladies as Ian and the others
said little. Ian asked that full supplies be loaded aboard
Tico
as early as possible
just in case they became separated, and MacCarr spoke concerning
the current state of repairs.

Alandra noticed that although these
men were a rugged group, nonetheless they were courteous Christian
men, well-mannered, with whom she felt safe and secure. She had
looked from time to time at Ian and had thought how handsome he was
with his black waistcoat, red shirt, and white cotton
trousers.

Alandra then piqued everyone’s
interest with a suggestion that she and Celita be taken directly to
Spain at the port of Barcelona. After some translation involving
Armando, it was disclosed that Alandra’s father was an ambassador
to King Louis court in Versailles, and that she had two uncles who
were ministers of King Charles III’s government in
Madrid.

Ian spoke then, saying “Uncle Angus,
the pirates took the flag of the ship they sunk in the battle as a
souvenier. I found it in the captain’s cabin of the prize ship. We
could fly it along with our own as we approach Spanish waters. With
our cannon ports closed and these two fine ladies on deck next to
you the Spaniards will surely not fire upon us.”

“
By Heaven, we’ll try it.
Lady Alandra, you and Celita are to be taken to Barcelona.” After
Armando translated, both ladies smiled and hugged one
another.

Supper being ended and no
further business to discuss, MacCarr then offered to give Ian the
chance at becoming the arm-wrestling champion of
Elsie
.
“Ye did so
well with those pirates that I thought to give ye a chance to beat
me Ian.” Ian shook his head laughing and accepted the challenge.
Exclamations of “Oho!” echoed about the room even while wagers were
made. Angus thought it a good thing to help relieve the tensions of
the day, so he didn’t object.

The table was cleared and the two sat
down opposite each other and began. Alandra and Celita watched,
confused but interested. The chief boatswain was a big man weighing
easily fifty pounds more than Ian. He had thick muscular arms by
comparison to Ian’s muscular but lean arms. The two were locked arm
to arm and neither budged. That only changed after three or four
minutes when burly MacCarr began to press Ian’s arm down.
Eventually he forced it to the table to an accompanying chorus of
“Ohhh!”

“
Well laddie, too bad you
had a bath already tonight, because you are getting another one.”
At that everyone laughed even including Ian who was shaking his
head. The ladies were puzzled but followed the whole group on deck.
The cargo net was lowered and four torches lit and brought over to
the side. Ian took off his boots and coat. MacCarr picked him up
then and threw him into the sea to accompanying laughter and
cheers.

Alandra saw that Ian climbed
up the cargo net laughing as hard as the others. The torches were
extinguished immediately so she asked why. Armando explained to her
that no lights were to be allowed due to their having a crippled
prize ship in tow. Then he went on to explain that Ian was the only
one who would challenge MacCarr for the title of arm-wrestling
champion of
Elsie’s
Cloud
, and that MacCarr had never been
beaten. She and Celita had been laughing with the rest of the men
but were puzzled by it all until then. They were favorably
impressed by the unusual but good-natured behavior, sensing that
this crew was a close-knit family as much as they were a ship’s
crew.

Sometime later aboard
Tico, Ian stood at the helm and tried to explain
to a crewman about navigation as he had been taught by Armando. He
had been teaching both of the crewmen how to find some of the
constellations. There was a slight noise below Ian and he stepped
forward. Someone was coming up the stairs from the cabins below the
stern deck. He strained to make out who it was, and then
spoke.

“
Lady Alandra, are we too
noisy?”

“
No. I come….speak …
you…Ian.” She made the main deck then climbed the steps to the
stern deck and made her way towards Ian and the two men. The two
sailors with Ian took their leave and made their way to the
foredeck at the opposite end of the vessel.

“
I am so…grateful....you…and
uncle…yours….help us….so kind….You not speak much
…table…supper...tonight.”

“
You are welcome, Lady
Alandra. I’m never in the company of ladies very much.”

“
You…behave…as good…as any
men I have … met. You are….what is word…sincere. That means much to
me.”

“
You are too kind, Lady
Alandra.”

“
Ian, please to….call me
Alandra. Ian, tell me….battle today…how you win…hardly any crew…
die….only one.” He slowly tried to tell a simple version of it and
offered to show her in daylight how Elsie had been able to turn so
sharply, describing the deception as best he could. She was nodding
her understanding in the dark. He couldn’t escape noticing how
lovely she was, even by the limited light of the moon.

“
Tell me…your country….your
family.”

“
Very well.” Ian slowly gave
a simple description of his family.

“
Tell me more.” He slowly
described Scotland and gave a bit of family history.

“
Ian, tell me…places…you
go….China?” He slowly gave her a description of some of the places
they had seen and of the two sea battles they had fought with
pirates near Madagascar and China. She asked him about the four
fake gun ports she had noticed that were painted on each side of
Elsie.

After explaining that they were to
deter attacks by making it seem like they had more cannons, he told
her that she constantly surprised him with her thirst for knowledge
about so many things. She replied that she had always been that way
and had insisted on learning Latin and French, as well as
mathematics and general science. She had worn her father down and
had always gotten the teaching she desired.

“
Lady Alandra, I find that I
can talk with you. I, um…I’m…amazed. I’m just a seaman and I’m
surprised that you would want to talk with me at all. I
am…humbled.” She gave that delighted laugh again and Ian again
laughed with her. “Oh Ian, I very much…like…talk with
you.”

She spoke slowly in her halting
English and told of her childhood and her family and about Spain in
general and Barcelona in particular. She told Ian that she was
being taken to meet the family of a man she was betrothed to. It
was part of a very formal courtship that would take over a year to
finish. Ian said “Are marriages always arranged so in
Spain?