Pirates and Prejudice (20 page)

“Jest a small
slice, Cap’n. I feel a bit dizzy. Need a moment.”

Darcy lifted the
man’s hand and saw the blood ooze from his wound. “Get yourself below. Go to
the hold and announce to the passengers it is you. Someone there should be able
to tend to you.”

“But the fight…”

“Do not worry
about the fight!” Darcy took his pistol out of his belt and handed it to the
young man. “Take this and use it if you have to! I need you to stay down there
and guard the passengers. Do not let anyone get past you!”

“Aye, aye,
Cap’n.”

The two walked
back towards the bow of the ship, with Webber slipping down the stairway as
they passed.

*~*~*

The activity in
the hold came to an abrupt halt when footsteps were heard, followed by a knock
at the door.

Mr. Dillard
pressed his fingers to his lips to silence everyone. They were not sure whether
they should say anything, in case it was Lockerly or one of his pirates.

“It is Webber,”
came the voice at the door. “Ken ye open the door? I’m hurt.”

The door was
unlocked and opened just enough for Mr. Dillard to cautiously peer out. When he
saw it was indeed Webber, he slowly opened the door. The young man walked in.
Blood trailed down his shirt, as well as his fingers and hand. They quickly
locked the door once he was inside.

“’Tis not much,
but...”

“What happened?”
Mr. Dillard asked, helping him in.

“Lockerly’s
pirates come aboard and we be fighting ’em, but I…” He face turned white, and
his eyes rolled back. “I…” Mr. Dillard caught him as the young man collapsed
onto the floor.

Mr. Dillard tore
open the young man’s shirt and saw a gash across the top of Webber’s shoulder.
He pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it to the wound. Turning to his fellow
passengers, he said, “It is only a slight wound. It has been bleeding, but I
doubt that he lost enough blood to cause him to pass out.”

“Then what did
he pass out from, dear?” his wife asked.

Mr. Dillard
glanced up and said, “My guess would be fear. I think the poor lad is plain
frightened!”

Webber began to
stir, and his eyes slowly opened. Then he bolted up. “What ’appened?” he asked,
looking around him. The colour began returning to his face.

“You were injured,”
Mr. Dillard said. “Rest a little and tell us more about the fighting up on
deck.”

Webber nodded.
“Pirates… I’ve never ’ad to fight like that before.”

“Are there
many?”

“Seems like a
lot.” Webber winced. “Me thinks they ’ave as many as we ’ave.”

Mr. Dillard
nodded. “You just rest a little, lad.”

Webber began to
sit up. “Cap’n Smith gave me the pistol to protect ye down here, but me thinks
I should go back up an’ ’elp.”

“But you
yourself said you have never fought before.”

Webber sadly
shook his head. “I know Cap’n Smith is dependin’ on me. I ken’t let ’im down.”

Elizabeth
stepped forward. “Mr. Webber, I believe I saw you climbing the ropes and masts
like you had done it all your life. Am I correct?”

Webber nodded.
“Aye. Me brothers used to call me Monkey ’cause I loved to climb.”

“I think I have
an idea of how you can be a big help to Captain Smith,” Elizabeth said. “Do you
think you can slip out carrying a bag and climb up one of the masts quickly
without anyone seeing you?”

Webber nodded.
“I know I ken do it quickly. I ken certainly try to do it without them seein’
me.”

“What do you
have in mind, Lizzy?” Mr. Bennet asked.

“Hand me the
bag,” she said to Mr. Keller, who had a tight grip on it. As she looked back at
Webber, she said, “And I also recall that you have a fairly loud voice, which
could easily be heard from up on the mast?”

“Yes, me ma
always had me call me brothers when she needed ’em.”

As the bag was
passed to her, she explained to Webber what they had found. The young man’s
eyes grew wide as Mr. Keller opened the bag and he saw all the jewels.

“I think
Lockerly has come back for this, and it probably is worth a great deal more
than this ship!” Elizabeth pointed to some of the jewels. “It appears there are
diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and other gems that I could only guess
at.”

“You think he
can use them to distract Lockerly?” Mr. Dillard asked.

Elizabeth
nodded. “I also wonder if his crew, who apparently he only recently engaged,
even know about it. We could use this to turn his crew against him.” Elizabeth
leaned in to Webber. “I have no idea if this will work, but I have a plan!”

Chapter 20

Darcy shook his head in frustration. Webber had been
scared to death and should not have been forced into a situation like this! He
was as unprepared as anyone but was younger than them all! He was grateful he
had received only a minor wound, and he hoped that sending him down to the hold
would spare him from being injured even more!

Darcy searched
for any sign of Lockerly, as well as any crewman who might need help. It was
difficult, in the confusion and action, to even differentiate between his and
Lockerly’s men. The blades of their weapons crashed between the crewmen, but he
could see no skill exhibited in their manoeuvres. In their faces he could see
no real thirst to do their opponent harm. He felt he was watching a sparring
match, where injuries would be unlikely. For now he was satisfied with that.

He saw smudges
of blood everywhere, but fortunately, no one was down. He saw that young
Jenkins had taken a fall and a pirate stood menacingly over him brandishing his
sword high enough above him not to pose a real threat. Darcy rushed over,
however, and sliced through the air with his sword, knocking the pirate off
balance. Darcy and Jenkins quickly subdued and bound him.

As Darcy scanned
the ship, he noticed someone moving stealthily towards the stairs. His heart
pounded thunderously as he feared that whoever it was might reach the
passengers in the hold. He ran up behind the man with his sword drawn and
hollered, “Halt!”

The figure spun
around. In a blur, he came at him with his sword swinging, knocking Darcy
backwards. The man came at him again, swinging his sword high and low. Darcy’s
jaw tightened in anger as he stared back into the face of Lockerly!

Lockerly lunged
back at Darcy. “How dare ye hornswaggle me out of what be rightfully mine!”
Lockerly yelled.

The two danced
around each other as their swords clashed between them. “You own nothing,
Lockerly!” Darcy countered. “You ought to be dead like your former shipmates. A
dead man owns nothing!”

Lockerly’s face
twisted with rage, and the two men continued their fight at a much greater
intensity than before. The stature of the two men, and their proficiency at
fencing were equal. Darcy was determined to keep the ruthless pirate at bay and
not allow him any sort of advantage. The thought of protecting Elizabeth from
this vile monster gave him added strength and endurance. He would not allow
Lockerly anywhere near the hold and especially nowhere near Elizabeth. In that
moment when he thought of her, he vowed that he would even give his life to
save hers.

The two men
battled ferociously, steel meeting steel with a resounding clank. Their swords
met high and low as each man attempted to successfully thrust, parry, and
outwit the other.

Lockerly
suddenly lunged at Darcy with his sword pointed at him. As Darcy quickly swung
his sword to ward off the blow, he jumped back and stumbled over the grappling
hook that had been thrown earlier from Lockerly’s ship. He struggled to keep
himself upright, but could not, and fell to the ground. Lockerly slowly
approached him, a sinister sneer etched on his face.

Darcy inwardly
chastised himself for not paying attention to his surroundings, a vital element
in fencing. He surmised that Lockerly expertly planned and executed the
manoeuvre that unknowingly directed his own movements towards the hook, which
consequently brought him down.

He looked around
for Bellows and finally saw him cornered at the bow of the ship by two of
Lockerly’s men. He would be of no help to him now, but he seemed perfectly
capable of holding off the two men.

Lockerly let out
a vile laugh as he hovered over him. “So, me inferior impersonator, me thinks
you’ll be visitin’ Davy Jones’ Locker by day’s end!”

“I would not
count on that, Lockerly!”

Darcy was
grateful for his years of fencing lessons. Despite his one misstep, he was
confident he could hold off Lockerly, even though the pirate now had the
advantage over him.

Darcy kept his
eyes fixed on his adversary. He fought him off as he watched and anticipated
every move Lockerly made so he could quickly respond with the best defensive
tactic. He was getting weary, the sword held up in his arm feeling heavier with
each passing moment. He only needed to wait with patience for the precise
moment when he could knock Lockerly off balance and leap back up to his feet.

As Darcy
continued to fight from a prone position on the deck, watching for the right
opportunity to present itself, a sudden cry from up in the main mast caught
everyone by surprise.

“Lockerly!” the
booming voice called out.

Darcy glanced up
at the mast and narrowed his eyes, realizing it was Webber.

“Is this what
you ’ave come aboard fer?” Webber called out as he walked out across the
yardarm to the edge. He held out a white bag, dangling it precariously out over
the water.

“Where’d ye git
that?” Lockerly demanded.

“I bet ye would
like to know!”

“What ye got in there?”
one of Lockerly’s pirates asked.

Webber smiled
triumphantly. “So Lockerly did not tell ye, eh? ’Tis jewels. Lots of ’em. They
was ’idden in the ship’s hold! There be diamonds, rubies…”

“Don’t ye dare
drop that!” Lockerly yelled, glancing from Darcy to Webber, and then to his
men. “An’ I
was
gonna tell ’em!”

“When?” demanded
another. “When ye took most of ’em fer yerself?”

Webber smiled.
“Ye give yerself up, Lockerly, an’ I won’t drop these.” He peered over the edge
of the ship. “Looks to be perty deep down there.” He raised and lowered the bag
a few times. “An’ it seems perty heavy. Me thinks it’ll sink straight to the
bottom!”

Lockerly’s face
grew red with anger. “You bring me that bag right now or I run this imposter
through wi’ me sword!” He moved closer to Darcy with a threatening glare.

Webber slowly
shook his head. “No, Lockerly. Ye put yer sword down an’ give yerself up, an’
I’ll
think
about comin’ down wi’ ’em!’

Lockerly let out
a string of curses and pointed his sword up to the sailor. “Ye and yer cap’n
will both meet your maker t’night if ye don’t drop it! Now!”

Darcy quickly
jumped up when Lockerly was distracted by Webber. Lockerly noticed and swung
his sword back around. Darcy held him off with a swing in the opposite
direction.

Webber’s eyes
widened. “Ye really want me to drop it?”

“Right now!
Throw it to me! I’ve only been playin’ games wi’ yer cap’n. He’ll not live to
see another day if ye don’t do as I say!”

Webber looked
from Lockerly to the bag, and then back to Lockerly.

“As ye say!”
With that, he heaved the bag over the heads of the pirates, the crew, and
Lockerly. As it sailed over his head, Lockerly yelled and dropped his sword.
Sprinting to the rail of the ship, he jumped up to try to catch it as it went
over, but it was too high for him to reach. As it hit the water with an
impressive splash, Lockerly quickly hopped over the railing of the ship and
crashed into the water, just as the bag began to sink.

Darcy rushed to
the rail and looked out. Lockerly held onto the bag with one hand, and was
struggling to keep himself afloat. His arms flailed about, in an unsuccessful
attempt at staying above water.

Lockerly’s men
looked about sheepishly, unsure what to do. They began grumbling amongst
themselves how their captain had not been honest with them about this valuable
treasure, and now they did not know whether he would even be pulled from the
waters alive. They reasoned their best course of action was to surrender, and
they all despondently dropped their weapons and raised their hands.

Darcy issued the
order to tie the men up. He watched as Lockerly struggled for a while, and then
he finally threw a rope over.

As much as he
was curious about what was in the bag, Darcy hollered out, “Let go of the bag
if you want me to pull you up.”

“No!” ’Tis mine!
All of it belongs to me!”

Bellows rushed
over to the railing. “Then ye ken go down to the bottom of the sea wi’ it!” He
let out a laugh. “If ye think
we
won’t take it from ye,
yer men
certainly will! They ain’t too happy wi’ ye right now!”

Darcy almost
laughed as he watched Lockerly weigh his options, as if he really was
considering whether or not to go down to the bottom of the sea just to be in
possession of his precious jewels. He went underwater a couple more times,
spitting out water each time he came up.

Darcy was
grateful that the ship Lockerly had been on was on the other side of the
Devil’s
Seamaiden
. Seeing how Lockerly could barely keep himself above water, even
if he considered trying to swim around to his boat, he would not make it.

Finally, in a
moment of desperation, he released the bag and watched it sink. He let out a
howl before grabbing onto the rope with both hands. Darcy and Bellows pulled
him up.

Lockerly coughed
and heaved as he came over the railing. Darcy kept a firm grip on him as
Bellows quickly bound his hands behind his back with rope. They took him over
to the rest of his crew and tied him to one of the masts.

Bellows swiped
his hands against each other in a gesture of success. “Ye shall pay this time,
Lockerly! An’ ye won’t escape!”

It seemed that
Providence knew that evil had been vanquished, for the fog slowly began to burn
away. A few rays of sunlight began to shine down upon the ship. Darcy felt a
great deal of satisfaction, but he also knew that they were not going anywhere
in the condition their boat was in. He was not sure whether Lockerly’s ship was
large enough to carry the crew of both ships and his passengers, but that might
be their only option.

He glanced up at
Webber, who was coming down from the mast, a triumphant smile on his face.

Darcy slapped
him on the back as he came up to him. “You did a good job, Webber! You had a
capital idea!”

“Where did you
find those jewels?” Bellows asked, and then let out a laugh. “And how could you
bring yourself to throw them all overboard?”

“The passengers…
they found ’em hidden in the hold… oh, we must tell ’em their plan worked!”

“
Their
plan?”

Webber nodded.
“Actually, Miss Bennet came up wi’ the idea. She’s very clever.”

“Too bad those
jewels are now at the bottom of the sea, though,” Bellows said.

“Oh, no!” Webber
laughed. “That’s the best part! They took out the jewels an’ replaced it wi’
junk they gathered from down in the hold! The jewels are safe!”

“You are to be
commended for your bravery, Webber,” Darcy said with a broad grin. “Now, if you
will please excuse me, I must go to them!”

Darcy hurried
down the two flights of stairs and rushed through the companionway to the hold.
He tapped at the door and announced himself as he unlocked the door. As it was
opened, he heard a loud sigh of relief.

“All is safe,
you may come out. Webber performed admirably, and the pirates are all bound!”

A cheer went up,
and they hurriedly gathered at the door.

“Be advised, however,
that Lockerly and his pirates are still on deck. They are tied up, but I
suggest the ladies either repair to your cabin or the dining hall. I beg you
not to come up on deck and be subjected to them.”

Mr. Dillard
handed Darcy a bonnet filled with jewels as he walked past. “I hand this over
to you, Captain. Every last jewel is there.” He then laughed. “The bonnet
belongs to Miss Bennet. She willingly gave it up, and I believe she will gladly
receive it back when you find something else in which to store the treasure.”

As Elizabeth
walked past him, he touched her arm to stay her. “I thank you, Miss Bennet. I
understand you were responsible for coming up with Webber’s scheme.”

Elizabeth shook
her head, causing the curls around her face to bounce. “I fear it is likely
from reading too many novels.”

Darcy softly
laughed. “And a level head, I would suspect, as well.” Darcy took in a quick
breath and let it out. “It was a superb plan.”

When the group
came up the stairs to the galley, they were met by Bellows. “Come, Captain
Smith, you must see this!”

Darcy and
Bellows took the stairs up to the deck, followed by the passengers who wanted
to see what was happening.

At the top of
the stairs, the most beautiful sight awaited them. The fog had dissipated, the
sun was shining down on them, and a ship was slowly approaching.

“Please tell me
it is someone who has come to rescue us and not fight us,” Darcy said to
Bellows.

Bellows nodded.
“From the signal flags, it appears to be a small ship belongin’ to the British
Navy.” He smiled triumphantly. “I believe, Cap’n, that our adventure is finally
over an’ has met wi’ success!”

Darcy lifted
Elizabeth’s bonnet filled with the jewels. “And I shall be most grateful to hand
this precious cargo over to someone else!” He stole a glance at Lockerly, who
obviously did not realize his jewels now resided in a green bonnet.