When the Heavens Fall (31 page)

“Yes, sir. Sit down and let me explain it to you.”

The two men sat down at the plain table they used for writing and for meals, and Philemon said with excitement, “The problem, sir, is that Mendoza knows the country. He knows that you landed at San Sebastián, and if he chased you, he would probably head for there. What has to happen is we get the woman, tear our way to the harbor, and as soon as we get there, board a ship that leaves immediately.”

“How can I find a ship like that?”

“First you buy the horses from Mendoza. It'll take twenty of them.”

“Why twenty?”

“Because we're not taking the horses all the way to the ship. Here's the plan. We'll station these horses at intervals, two of them at each place. Then you'll get Miss Dolores at midnight. That will give you most of the night to travel, and hopefully she won't be missed until nearly noon. So you ride twenty miles, change to fresh horses, do another twenty, and so forth all the way to the sea. In other words, you'll make the journey nonstop.”

“Well, that just leaves two problems. One, how do we know a ship will be leaving just at that moment?”

“As I say, sir, you buy the horses, and we'll leave with them. We'll make the trip to San Sebastián, leaving the horses at different places along the way, and when we get there, we'll find a ship. You will have to pay the captain whatever he wants in order to wait for us. As soon as that's settled, you return to retrieve Miss Dolores, while I wait at the harbor to be sure the captain keeps his promises. Don't you see? You get the lady out, then you and she ride those horses as fast as possible. You get to the coast, jump on the ship, and where is Mendoza then? Miles and miles behind you.”

Brandon stared at Philemon in wonder. “You think this comes from God, this crazy idea?”

“Why, it's not crazy at all, sir. You'll have fresh horses all the way. You can travel all the way there, and even if Mendoza figures out that you've taken the girl, it'll be too late. You'll be safe aboard a ship.”

“Yes, if there is a ship.”

“Why, the Lord Jesus had to say more than once to his disciples. ‘Where is your faith?'” Philemon smiled. “You'll see, sir. This is too clever for me to think of. It has to be of the Lord.”

“Well, it'll probably get us both killed, but I don't have any better plan. I'll deal with Mendoza for the horses, and we'll depart tomorrow for San Sebastián.”

Brandon rode directly to the Mendoza villa. He asked to see Mendoza, who fortunately was home. “I have decided on the horses I want, Señor Mendoza. I'll take twenty of them.”

“Excellent! They are the finest horses in Spain.” Mendoza's eyes gleamed. “When will you leave?”

“As soon as I can. I'm anxious to get home.”

“Come along. You can show me which horses you want, and then we'll settle up.”

Brandon had examined the horses more than once, and he had a good eye for horseflesh. He picked out twenty of the finest that Mendoza had and haggled with him over the price. They arrived at something that was close to being fair, and Mendoza said, “Will you need help getting them to the ship?”

“No, my man and I can take care of that. We'll go slowly. I think I'll look them over a little more if you don't mind.”

“Of course. They're your horses now.”

As soon as Mendoza left, Brandon went back to the corral. As he suspected, Dolores knew he was there and slipped out to meet him. It was not long before she came out. She came to stand beside. He whispered, “Dolores, we must leave at once.”

“You mean today?”

“No, not today. You know that old dead tree that you can see from your bedroom window?”

“Yes, of course. We pass it every time we go to the river.”

“I'll be leaving with the horses, but I'll be back for you as soon as I make arrangements. Here's what you do. Every day you look at that tree. One day you'll see a piece of white cloth tied to a small branch. When you do, that's the signal that I'm back, and we'll get you away from here.”

“But how can we do it, Brandon?”

“When you see the flag, tell your parents you need to go see that friend of yours, Damita. Pretend to spend the night with her. You've done it often enough. That night, after everyone is asleep, you slip out. I'll be waiting near the outside gate.”

“What about the guards?”

“I'll take care of that. I'll be there waiting for you.”

“Oh, it's going to be wonderful, Brandon!” Dolores reached out, then quickly drew back her hand and nervously glanced around. “Just think. Soon we will be out of here and we'll be free to marry.”

Brandon managed a smile, but that was all he could do. “Remember. Watch for that flag. I must go now.” He turned and left quickly.

Philemon was waiting for him. “Will the girl be ready?”

“She'll be ready. Now, let's get these horses out of here. The quicker we get to the sea and find a ship, the better I'll feel about it.”

Obtaining the horses took little time. Brandon had them roped together nine to a group. The plan was he would lead half the horses, and Philemon the other half. They were getting ready to leave when Mendoza came out.

“Leaving so soon, señor?”

“Yes, Señor Mendoza. I'm very proud of these horses and eager to get them home to England.”

“It will be quite a way to San Sebastián.”

“We plan to leave from Corunna.”

“Well, they have a fine harbor there. You come back any time you need some fine horses.”

“I'll do that, señor. Farewell.”

Brandon took the lead rope of one group of horses and led them out of the compound. Philemon did the same, and as soon as they were clear, they picked up the pace. They rode hard all day, and by dark they had reached Brihuega. Brandon had no trouble in finding someone to board two of the horses for a few
days. Then he found a room for himself and Philemon. They ate and then went to bed at once.

As he lay there on his pad, Brandon was gloomy. “I don't think this is going to work. It's too complicated.”

“You just wait and see, sir,” Philemon assured him. “God never fails. His ways always come to pass.”

“Well, there it is,” Philemon said, “San Sebastián.”

They were down to the last two horses now, for the rest had all been stabled along the way. Finding proper places had been troublesome, and it was a complicated plan. If just one thing went wrong, all would be lost. Brandon nodded in a gesture at the harbor. “I'm going down to see if there's a ship. You find a place to stay.”

There were several ships in the harbor, but none of them was bound for England. He spent all morning and part of the afternoon trying to find a ship. He even offered to pay a captain to go back to England, but the captain was adamantly opposed.

That night Brandon was disgusted. “This plan won't ever work. We'll have to take the herd to some other harbor.”

“Don't give up too quickly,” Philemon said. “Get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow is a new day.”

Brandon was so discouraged and filled with tension that he slept very little until the early hours of morning. He woke up when Philemon came in and said, “Sir, a ship came in today. It's a Dutch ship, the
Flower,
and I've talked to one of the sailors going back to Holland. They have to pass right by England.

Brandon dressed quickly and went down to the harbor. Sure enough, there was a three-masted ship. He went aboard at once and asked one of the sailors, “Is the captain here?”

“That's him on the quarterdeck there.”

Brandon made his way to the quarterdeck. “My name is Brandon Winslow. You are the captain, sir?”

The sailor was a short and rather bulky individual. He looked Dutch: guileless blue eyes, blond hair, and a florid complexion. “My name is Jan Kirkegard. What may I do for you?”

“I have a rather unusual request, Captain.”

“Well, let's hear it.”

“Where are you headed?”

“We are headed for Portugal. We unloaded all our goods here, and now we're going south to pick up cargo destined for Holland.”

Brandon hesitated. “This may sound mad, but I'd like to persuade you to take me and my two companions to England.”

“With what cargo?”

“None, and we'd be the only passengers.”

“I can't afford a trip with only three passengers. I have to have a cargo.”

“What sum would you need to be able to take us there?”

“Including making up for my losses if I don't import Portuguese goods?”

“Yes.”

Kirkegard stared hard at him. “Are these criminals you're talking about? I won't have anything to do with that.”

“No. It's my manservant and a young woman. We have to get away from Spain.” He hesitated and then said, “We're hoping to steal away to be married, Captain. Her father is an important man, so the young lady and I need to get as far away from him as we can.”

The captain's stern face broke into a sly smile. “What's his name—the father, I mean?”

Reluctantly Brandon said, “His name is Jaspar Mendoza.”

“Jaspar Mendoza? He was a pirate in his younger days. He raided a ship that my father was on. Killed most of the crew. Is he still a pirate?”

“From what I can gather, he's interested primarily in landlocked opportunities of late. What do you say? Can you wait
until I get the young lady and then leave as soon as we get back? I'll pay your price.”

“You must be a rich man.”

“If it is fair, I will pay it.”

“All right. Let's go down to my cabin, and you can tell me more about this plan.”

Brandon knew after a moment that his one chance was to tell the absolute truth. Captain Kirkegard had penetrating blue eyes and a look of experience. He was likely to see through lies. Brandon decided to lay the whole truth before him, and he did so. He ended by saying, “So we'll have fresh mounts all the way to the end, and as soon as we get here, you'll cast off and take us to England.”

“That would take a miracle, sir.”

“I suppose it will, but I must try.”

Kirkegard leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought. Finally he gazed at Brandon and said, “Well, sir, I am a young man, and on behalf of all those men who forfeited their lives in his attacks, I would like the opportunity to rob a pirate of his stolen booty. Get your sweetheart.”