The Mark of the Golden Dragon (15 page)

"What about the Lawson Peabody? Mistress Pimm?"

"It was all right, the school and all ... They'll get along without me for a while. 'Specially Mistress ... who ain't got a whole lot of use for me..."

I certainly know that feeling, but...
grrr...

The door opens and Higgins enters with fresh linen for the table and for me.

"Ah, you've met our little stowaway, have you? Well, if you want me to pitch her overboard, I would be glad to accomplish that task," he says, with gimlet eye fixed upon Joannie.

She does not seem unduly worried about a watery fate.

"Stowaway?" she says. "Yes, I did stow away ... hid down in the bilges for a whole night after Liam come aboard with the news that you was in jail again. Didn't surprise me none, you and your Cheapside ways. Didn't pop up till we were three days out. Damn hungry by then, I can tell you."

"What about Daniel Prescott? What did he think about all this, Miss Contrary-Who-Doesn't-Know-What's-Best-for-Her?" I say, placing an accusing finger on her nose.

"He was in bed. Broke his fool leg fallin' from the masthead. Doctor fixed him up," she says, her face softening. "But I didn't tell him I was goin'...just covered his face with kisses the night before I left."
Sniff.
"He'll be all right."

"Well, I am
not
pleased," I announce in my stern Mistress Pimm voice, with full Lawson Peabody Look in place.

"That's all very well, Jacky," she replies, a sly look on her face. "And probably you'd like me to leave ... But then again, maybe you'd like some news of the School ... and that Clarissa ... hmmmm? And Martha ... and, oh my, Dorothea and Mr. Sackett! Oh, what a scandal ... and Rebecca and I got in just the worst trouble ... And wait'll you hear about Dolley. You definitely want to hear about her! Oh, yes, Dolley got married and—"

"Just you come sit down here with me, you little devil," I say, making room. "Let's hear it."

I mean, what girl could resist the delicious promise of something like that, really? Not me, that's for sure. I do like my news!

"Seabrook seems a good steady man and he fits well as Captain of the
Lorelei Lee.
I could have forced Padraic on as Captain of that ship," Liam Delaney is saying, "but he lacks experience. Seabrook has announced that he will leave her upon arrival in Boston. We shall have to see what happens. If I am back by then, I shall be honored to take the post. Mr. Gibson will stay on as Second, mainly, I think, in the vain hope of seeing you again, but then again he is young and stupid and of a romantic nature. He is a thoroughgoing seaman, as well, so it is good that he stays on. That boyo Arthur McBride is Third Mate, and that is fine with me so long as he does not stand on the same deck as do I. As soon as I take command, he goes."

Arthur McBride has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way in his journey through the world,
I reflect.
But I rather like him—he has always brought me cheer.

"Yes, Father, that shall be the way of it, and the
Lee
shall begin her transatlantic passenger service, as she was originally intended ... before the last mess."

"The last mess, Daughter, that I believe you helped create."

"Yes, but I am more settled now, Liam, and I resolve to be good."

He looks up at my bald pate, which is surely glistening in the morning light, and snorts. "Right..."

"Ah," I say. "I hear the others arriving. Let us turn to dinner."

In troops Davy Jones, John Tinker, now Second and Third Mates of the
Nancy B.
I had been told that Jim Tanner, my usual helmsman and First Mate when I was on the little Gloucester schooner, had to remain in Boston, his wife, Clementine, being great with child and ready to give birth. "It killed him not to come, Jacky," Tink said. "But Annie and Betsey and the rest of us made him see the wisdom of it. He needs to be by his wife's side when she delivers him of a daughter or son."

John Higgins follows them into my cabin, trailed by Joannie Nichols in serving gear.

Higgins directs, and Joannie serves and does a good job of it, knowing full well that I'm watching her closely and standing ready to pounce upon any mistake. She knows how fast one can fall from being Lady-in-Training at the Lawson Peabody to lowly Cabin Girl on a small schooner—especially if she foolishly stows away on said little barky.

That was last night and now it is morning. I awaken and kick Joannie out of my bed, telling her to attend to her chores, which she does without too much complaint.

As I wash up and slip into my simple sailor's gear, I reflect on last night's dinner...

***

After we were done with the dinner and well in to the Madeira, I recounted the horror of the earthquake and the tsunami that followed it, and Sidrah's courage and concern for the poor villagers. Then I told about the crimes committed in the aftermath of that disaster by the scurvy crew of the pirate ship that we are now pursuing.
Yes, Liam ... Higgins ... back in the Caribbean we did plunder a few Spanish towns in company with Flaco Jimenez, but we were not nearly as vicious as these curs.

All agreed that these pirates deserve punishment and are firmly resolved to see the job done ... no quarter asked, nor given ... no mercy, if it comes to it.

Grim thoughts of vengeance were put aside and we turned to song and dance, very, very happy with our lot. Me, for damn sure, considering my recent trials.

Presently Higgins comes in bearing a breakfast tray and places it on my table.

I avidly dig in.

"Oh, Higgins, you cannot know just how good this is!" I exclaim, my mouth full of eggs and bacon and biscuit.

"I am glad you enjoy it, Miss," says he. "I trust you slept well?"

"Like a baby, Higgins, like a baby in her mother's arms."

"Miss!" comes the call from above. "We have him in sight! Black flag, two crossed swords with a star above!"

I leap to my feet.

"Let's go! Hold course! Battle stations!"

"What shall you wear, Miss?"

"I think I'll go with my Chinese gear, Higgins, if you would."

Although Higgins had brought my seabag from the
Lorelei Lee
to the
Nancy B.
in the faint hope of finding me alive—and I bless him for it—I feel it best to go Oriental in this action.

My simple morning outfit is quickly stripped and replaced with the green silk trousers and tunic given to me by Cheng Shih, the back of which bears the sign of the Golden Dragon. Also on my back is strapped my two-handed Chinese sword in its sheath.

Thus armed, I run barefoot to the door and call out, "Execute Plan A!"

"Someday I'm going to get you for this, Jacky, mark me on that," growls Davy, as he pretends to swab the deck. The lad is clad in one of my bonnets, with gingham dress below.

"I think you are quite becoming, Davida, dear." I giggle. "Wait'll I tell all the folks down at the Pig and Whistle."

"
Grrrrrr...
"

"What, Davy? Are you saying it is all right for me to parade around dressed up as a boy, but not for you to don girl's clothing? I should think turnabout is fair play."

"It's different," snarls Davy. "It goes against my nature ... and the nature of any man."

I, too, have a bonnet on, as does Tink, who wears one of my wigs, as well. He is red in the face but does not complain so much.

So, to any onlooker's eye, we appear to be a badly sailed, poorly rigged schooner, with an assortment of helpless females aboard. This old trick had been tried on us by the Brothers Lafitte last year off Charleston, back in the States. Didn't work for them, but it just might work for us.

The pirate craft lies off to our portside and it quickly becomes plain that he is interested ... very interested. He has slowly decreased his speed and has altered course to close the distance between us. I have had our American colors hauled down, leaving only our little Faber Shipping blue anchor flag fluttering above. Our guns are loaded with grapeshot and covered. Liam is at the wheel, while John Thomas and Smasher McGee crouch hidden behind the rail, cutlasses drawn, many loaded pistols in their belts. The pirates are now about two hundred yards off...

Steady, boys, steady ... Get close to your gun...

We can see them there, most on deck, some in the rigging, grinning down on us and thinking us easy prey.

...now about one hundred ... now fifty ... now twenty-five ... now, scum, we shall see...

"Fire!" I shout. "Rake their decks!"

The canvas covers are ripped off the guns and the lanyards are pulled and...

Crrraaak!

All four cannons spit forth their deadly charges, raking the deck of the pirate. There are screams of pain from the enemy, and shouts of pure fury from my men.

"Reload with ball," I cry. "Fire when ready! Crush them!"

John Thomas gets his loaded first and...

Crash!

His shot is true, and a nine-pound ball of iron slams into the pirate's side, right at the waterline, and the sea begins to pour in.

Crash!

That is Finn McGee's gun, doing even more damage.

"That's enough!" I shout. "Cease fire!"

I can see still forms lying about the deck of the other ship.

"Bring us next to him, Liam! Pepper them, boys! Prepare to board!"

Davy and Tink lift their very accurate Kentucky squirrel rifles and drop two of the pirates from the rigging. The two ships come together and I leap over the rail, followed by my bully boys.

Thomas and McGee use their pistols to knock down several more pirates, then whip out their cutlasses and set about their grim, bloody work.

I go for the Captain, who stands at his wheel, shocked at seeing my return and at the turn of events. He looks up at my masthead, where I had directed Joannie, at the first sound of conflict, to raise the Golden Dragon pennant, such that the dogs would know their doom and just who was dealing it to them and strike mortal fear into the hearts of any who remain alive.

The flag twists and turns in the wind over our heads.

"So, piece of filth, you would scorn the Mark of the Dragon, eh?"

He lets go of his helm and, in desperation, pulls out his sword and raises it overhead, to bring it down upon me.

He does not get the chance. I reach back with both hands and whip out my own, and with one fluid motion, I swing it around and slash him across the belly. I have my sword back in my scabbard before he can survey the damage.

He looks down in wonder at his middle. The tip of my sword had cut the waistcord of his pants, causing them to fall to his ankles. He is aghast. Not only is his male pride wounded, as he stands there exposed to the laughter of my crew, but he's so amazed at my skill that he drops his own sword and cries out, "
Rehem!
"

I expect that means "Mercy!" but I shall give him very little.

I again whip out my sword and this time lay the razor-sharp blade right against his neck. His eyes widen and he mews and makes begging sounds.

No, I do not take his head, nor cut his throat, though I am sorely tempted. Actually, he was mistaken in his assessment of my skill with the sword, for I really was trying to disembowel him on my first swing. I just miscalculated, is all. Oh, well, all to the good, I figure, as I really don't like killing people, even curs like the one who cowers before me.

I cut my eyes to the side and see that the rest of the pirates—those who are still alive, anyway—are being herded on the fantail and stripped of their weapons.

Then I turn back to the former leader of this pirate gang and say, "So, Captain ... Try to drown Jacky Faber, will you?"

He stares at me, uncomprehending, as I take my sword from his neck and put the point of it on his fat hairy belly and give him a poke, such that he falls back, stepping away from his fallen trousers.

"Get with the others, you scurvy dog. Now!" I shout, jerking my head in the direction of his former crewmates huddling on the stern of the sinking ship. He does not understand my words, but he surely takes my meaning as he scurries off,
sans culottes,
as it were, his flaccid buttocks jiggling in a most unmanly way.

"John Thomas!" I cry, pointing to the hatchway. "Break that lock and let's get the captives out! This thing is sinking fast!"

He lunges forward and slams the hilt of his heavy cutlass down on the lock and it gives way. He pulls open the door and I scream down into the darkness, "Sidrah! It's me! Bring up the people! Tell them the ship is sinking and we're going to take them back to their village! Quickly, now!"

Sidrah, her dark eyes blinking, comes up into the light.

"Jah-kee? Thank God!"

"My sentiments exactly, Sister. Now get these people onto my ship! The deck's almost awash!"

She shouts down into the hold and the people pour out, some of them already very wet. Davy and Tink guide them over the rail and onto the
Nancy B.