Free Sackett's Land (1974) by Louis - Sackett's 0 L'amour Page A

ended and I went below, but not to sleep. I lay quiet until the others snored and then slipped from my bunk and to the sail locker. Crawling over the sails I found what I had seen before, a loose board that opened into the hold.
    No doubt some sailor had arranged it so for pilfering a bit of cargo, but I had no wish for aught but my due, and I went through and into the dark hold. It took me a time longer than I wished to find my own things, but once there I opened a bale and felt about within.
    Two pistols, powder and shot. A dozen loads for each. Three cutlasses of the four I'd brought along, and a fowling piece which I charged with shot as soon as I'd come back to the light of the sail locker.
    Keeping one pistol in hand, I tucked the other in my belt. My own good blade had been taken by the captain when I came aboard, but I'd see to that. In the meantime the cutlasses were excellent weapons.
    No man saw me move across the dark, wet deck. No man saw me re-enter the sleeping quarters. I shook awake Sakim and Rufisco and handed each a cutlass.
    "Come!" I whispered. "This night we take a ship!"
    We went out upon the deck and I pointed to a swivel gun on the bulwark. "Charge it," I said, "and when given the word, choose your best target."
    Darkling was at the helm, a man for whom I'd no liking at all. As I came along the deck toward him. he saw me. "What er you a-doin' on deck?"
    "Taking a ship," I said. "Put your wheel over four degrees."
    "I'll do no such thing," he said.
    I aimed the fowling piece at his belt buckle.
    "Have it your way," I said. "The next man can do it standing over your body."
    He eyed me a moment, sullen and furious, but he put the wheel over as I watched him. The wind was right, and we moved in toward the coast. I was sure there would be an action resulting, and there was. Berryman burst out upon the deck.
    "What--"
    "Lie down on the hatch," I said.
    He looked at me, and at the fowling piece and at the pistols in my belt. He was a thinking man and he did as suggested.
    "You," I said to Rufisco, "take the wheel and keep her in toward the coast. Darkling," I said, "lie down beside Berryman. With this fowling piece I can take two as well as one, be they close together."
    All was still. Our speed was not great, but we were not far offshore. Until I had seen that dark finger of land, it had been no part of my plan to move so soon. There was on my chart a place such as that, and south of it some long, sandy islets. If I had been fortunate, if I had guessed right--for it was only a guess--those islands would be showing up.
    "You're a great fool!" Berryman shouted from the deck. "You will swing for this!"
    "When I tell all I know," I said pleasantly, "you will all swing."
    The shore was nearing. I could smell it, and I could hear the surf upon the shore. We were moving on an oblique course but I had no intention of putting the ship aground, for to endanger the others was no part of my plan. They were rascals, no question of that, and a dirty, poisonous lot, enough to kill the fish for miles if dumped into the water.
    We were moving slowly, making barely enough speed for proper handling. I went aft and pulled in the gig we had been towing astern.
    My mouth was dry and I was scared, yet saw no alternative to what I intended. Darkling had started to rise when I turned the gun on him again. He slid back down and lay still.
    "Nick will come," he threatened, "then you'll see!"
    "Sakim," I said, "get the top off that hatch."
    They had no idea what I intended, Berryman and Darkling, and, as they were ordered off the hatch, must have been wondering hard. With a sign I motioned Rufisco to put the lashings on the wheel, then to go forward and cut loose the anchor.
    With Sakim holding the fowling piece, I went down into the hatch and retrieved my merchandise. Pulling the gig close in alongside, I lowered my gear into it. Working swiftly then, we bound and gagged Berryman and Darkling, then got into the ship's stores, taking