Free A Pirate’s Wife by Lynelle Clark

us some time to
    come to that place.
    Help never came and we were on our own. We
    wandered through that wilderness in a daze. I can barely
    remember the sights around me. All I remember was the
    continued effort to survive in an unkind and untamed
    wilderness.
    No more. I would never return to that place.
    †††
    'Sails ahoy!' the call from the crow master
    resounded from the main mast four days later. Sails
    appeared on the horizon, coming closer with each passing
    hour.
    Rosa-Lee was excited about the prospect of seeing
    another ship. Maybe she could send a word or get some
    help. When she ran onto the deck, the ship, named the
    Heerengardt was closer, and she saw the ensign of the
    D.E.I.C. fluttering in the soft wind. The Heerengardt was much larger in build carrying two hundred soldiers and
    crew, canons, merchandise and coins than the Contra O
    Vento , a frigate build for speed and manoeuvrability with
    only eighty crew members.
    Roberto and his men's faces were tense as they
    scurried around to change the flags from pirate to her
    father's crest ensign.
    'They want permission to come on board,' the crow
    master yelled down.
    'They can come,' Roberto yelled back and he
    signalled back with the burgee.
    The Contra O Vento was prepared to accept the
    visit, making sure all signs of piracy were gone. All the
    men knew what was expected from them, to act like regular
    sailors on a ship of this size. When the long boat came
    closer, an idea filled Rosa-Lee and she descended to her
    cabin below, unnoticed.
    A while later, the captain of the D.E.I.C vessel, a
    man of impressive frame, stepped on deck. His fierce look
    pierced through everyone and everything. However
    Roberto was not intimidated by the man and met his fierce
    gaze only with a slight of humbleness. Both men accessing
    each other as both bowed in chivalry.
    A young sailor moved closer to the captain and his
    men. With his hat pulled low over his face, he moved
    forward unnoticed until he mingled with the strangers. It
    seemed that he was a part of the crew, staring at his shoes.
    He made no sound and no eye contact.
    'Captain Peek du Toit at your service.' The deep
    voice of the captain filled the air. He looked around him
    with piercing grey eyes, missing nothing
    'Where are you going?' he demanded
    'Captain Roberto of the Contra O Vento. We are
    going to India to meet one of our ships and escort it back to
    Portugal,' Roberto replied in a confident voice.
    'Can I see the papers?'
    'Yes.' Roberto handed him their manifesto. The tall
    man took the papers and inspected them, fingering the
    names listed.
    'All seems in order. May I walk around?'
    'Yes, please do. We always welcome the D.E.I.C
    visits.'
    'How is Almaida?'
    'At home and well.'
    'What is wrong with the ship you plan to escort?'
    'It ran into trouble after a storm. We are on our way
    to help.'
    Roberto only answered the necessary questions and
    did not offer any further details. From a distance, his crew
    watched everything in silence. They were alert, their gaze
    fixed on the ship in front of them.
    When the inspection was completed, the men
    exchanged a few words and then walked back to where
    Roberto was standing.
    'Is everything in order?' Roberto asked.
    'Everything seems fine. We have received numerous
    reports of piracy in these waters so we must be careful to
    inspect each one.'
    'I understand. We will be on the lookout for any
    pirates. Thanks for warning us.'
    'Good, then. We will be off so that you can continue
    with your voyage.'
    'Thank you, Sir, and goodbye.' They watched the
    men very carefully as they descended the Jacob's ladder,
    entered their long boat, and rowed back to their ship. His
    men were highly alert, looking for any trouble.
    However, he could swear that there were six men on
    the rowboat before, and now there were seven. 'How did I
    miss one?' Everything seemed in order. All his men were
    accounted for. Slowly he relaxed and Pierre gave the signal
    that they could