Free Sebastian Darke: Prince of Pirates by Philip Caveney

lifting his head from the undergrowth. 'I've heard it said that it's a terrible place, packed full of pirates, Brigands and cut-throats.'
     
'You shouldn't believe everything you hear,' Cornelius told him. 'Besides, it's merely a stopping-off place for us. Somewhere to hire a ship that will take us to our true destination . . . and the pirate king's treasure.'
     

C HAPTER 10

     

THE PORT OF RAMALAT
Two days later, a little after midday, they climbed to the top of a ridge and unexpectedly found themselves gazing down on a long stretch of coastline. Immediately below them lay a huge bay, where countless wooden ships of all sizes rode at anchor; and in the curve of that bay, nestled against the hillside, was the port of Ramalat, a large cluster of timber and rough plaster houses, rising steeply from the water's edge and so tightly packed together that they seemed to be piled one on top of the other.
     
But it was the sea itself that caught Sebastian's attention. He had never actually seen it before – only heard about it – and he was stunned by its apparent endlessness; the way it stretched to the horizon from east to west. He remembered Cornelius's wild tales of how he had travelled upon the oceans of the world and his claim that if a man sailed far enough across those waters, he would eventually arrive back at the place from which he had departed. It had all seemed incredibly far-fetched, but looking at the vastness of the sea now, Sebastian thought that anything seemed possible.
     
'It's quite a sight, isn't it?' murmured Cornelius. 'I know the first time I saw it, as a young lad, it quite amazed me.'
     
'My father spoke of the sea many times,' said Sebastian. 'I swam in a big lake once and thought I had the measure of what the sea must be like, but now that it's before me . . . well, it's extraordinary.'
     
'And just breathe in that air! You know, people say that sea air has special healing qualities. Why, I once—'
     
'It looks deep,' interrupted Max apprehensively. 'How deep do you suppose it is?'
     
Cornelius laughed. 'What's the matter, old shaggy? Can't you swim?'
     
'I can swim very well,' Max assured him. 'It's just that I'd rather not if I don't have to. So I ask again, how deep is it? Is it shallow enough to paddle?'
     
Now Cornelius roared with laughter. 'Paddle? Why, it's deep enough out there to cover the peak of the highest mountains!'
     
Max looked uneasy. 'Well then, when we hire a ship, we'd better make sure we get one that's not likely to sink. One with no holes in it.'
     
Cornelius shook his head. 'I'll make especially sure of that,' he said. 'If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a ship with holes in it.' He turned and led the way onwards. 'Come on. We're to look for a place called the Spyglass Inn. Apparently that's where all the ship's captains do their drinking.'
     
The ridge sloped rapidly down out of the woodland and curved round to join a cobbled road that led them through the city gates, where they joined a milling throng of tradesmen, sailors, merchants and nobles moving to and fro along the street. A couple of uniformed soldiers lolled beside a gatehouse but took no notice of who was coming and going.
     
As the three friends strolled through the gates and along the main street of the city, a little weasel-faced man with a shaggy beard sidled up to Sebastian and pointed at Max.
     
'Is that your buffalope?' he asked.
     
Max looked at the man indignantly. 'I'm not anybody's buffalope,' he retorted. 'I am my own free agent.'
     
The man stared at Max. 'A talker, eh? I've been told that some of them can talk.' He looked slyly at Sebastian. 'I'll give you three gold crowns for him,' he said. 'He's a bit old, but I can always use a big lad like him.'
     
Sebastian shook his head. 'He's not for sale,' he said.
     
'Not at that price, anyway,' added Cornelius.
     
'Not at any price!' added Max.
     
'Oh, come along, gentlemen, this is Ramalat. Everything has a price here.' The man