Not a minute later, Will Pengelly makes the same observation and Jack calls out, “Rafts it’ll be! Get to it, men! Coffee and brandy only!” His command sets in motion a dance of activity. Men run about carrying ropes, others bring up kegs of brandy and boxes of coffee from the hold and place them side by side on the top deck.
Isabel asks Jack, “What are you doing? Shouldn’t we try to sail away?”
“We will,” he says. “But we can’t outrun theSwallowwith the cargo we’re carrying. We’re lashing together the kegs and boxes. Then we’ll drop them to the seabed with a marker attached, a small one; theSwallowis far enough behind they won’t spot it, I hope. They’ll have all eyes on us as they try to catch us. Without the weight of those kegs, we should be able to get away.”
“But what of the goods?” she says.
“We’re close enough to shore that it’s not too deep here. We’ll retrieve them with a grappling hook in a couple of days.”
“We’ll go creeping,” Harry Tremayne says with a grin. He wriggles his fingers. “Like little mice, across the ocean floor.”
“So we will.” Jack puts the spyglass to his eye again. “Make haste, there!”
The men sweat under the weight of the kegs as they lift the raft over the bow of the ship, where the crew of theSwallowwon’t be able to see the splash it causes. The moment the kegs and boxes go over the side,theRapideleaps forward. A cheer goes up and Jack points the spyglass at the pursuing revenue cutter again.
“Is it enough, Captain?” says Oppy.
Jack watches theSwallowanother minute, then lowers the spyglass. “Let’s hope so. If need be, we’ll dump some of the cargo.”
“Dump?” Harry says. “Captain, you’ll run a loss.”
“I prefer a lack of profit to another skirmish or the noose,” Jack says. His eyes are on Isabel as he says it. “With that madman Sowerby about, we’re as like to be taken for traitors as we are for free traders. But let’s not despair yet. We’ve just gained ourselves—how many knots, Dick?”
“About three knots, Captain.”
“Good,” Jack says, handing Isabel the spyglass. “Have a look. Tell me what you think of her.”
It’s startling how much closer the spyglass brings the revenue ship. She watches for a moment, then says quietly, “It looks like she’s still gaining.”
Jack takes another look and swears. “So she is. Very well. Harry, lose the Swedish iron. We haven’t got time to make another raft.”
“Are you certain, Captain?”
“Yes, damn it. And be quick about it.”
More crates go overboard; again theRapidejumps like a startled horse. They’re not flying as they did during the storm, but they’re fast. Spray flies across the bowsprit and Isabel leans over to watch the hull cut the sea, making a path lined in foam. After a moment, she runs back to the stern of the ship. Every man is on deck, watching theSwallow.The revenue cutter is keeping up. Her heart wants to hammer its way through her skin. Is Lieutenant Sowerby on board? Or his friend Lieutenant Sullivan, who shot Jack a month ago?
If the revenue cutter catches up with them, will the ship open fire? How many guns does theSwallowhave? TheRapidehas only six, all carriage guns, nothing like the thirty-two pounders George had on HMSNeptune. As if he guesses her thoughts, Jack says, “She’s got four twelve-pounders on each side, plus guns fore and aft—twelve in total.”
Without thinking, she reaches for his hand and he takes it, squeezing it briefly before putting both hands around the spyglass, steadying the instrument. They watch as theSwallowkeeps coming on and she’s holding her breath, then puffing for air, then holding her breath again,until, after the longest wait, the revenue ship appears to be getting smaller.
“She’s falling behind,” Jack says, handing the spyglass to Dick, who agrees. Still nobody speaks until at last the revenue cutter drops beyond the horizon. A cheer goes up and Isabel finds herself cheering with the rest of the crew.
“Three hurrahs for the captain!” calls Thomas Moyle, veins popping in his neck.
Another of Jack’s tenants, John Spargo, calls, “And one for the Bucca’s daughter!” which makes her want to hide behind Jack.
He chuckles, saying, “You can take a Cornishman out of Cornwall, but you can’t take Cornwall out of him. They’ll believe it until the Bucca himself comes up from the depths to disown you.” Peering at the mercifully empty horizon, he says, “It’s a shame about the iron.” Turning to the men, he calls, “Once we’ve landed the cargo, how about we open up one of the kegs and enjoy its contents to celebrate?”
More cheers follow this announcement. “Take her along the coast, Oppy,” Jack says. “We’ll stand out until nightfall.”
“Where to, Captain?”
“The Helford River.”
Chapter Fourteen
The only sail they see the rest of the day is a small fishing boat, whose crew of two raises their caps to them as they pass. Just after nightfall, they sail up the wide expanse of river, the wind to their stern. The ship is like a shadow, all lanterns doused as a precaution. It slides past the headland on the south side of the river where Isabel has walked the coastal path. “Another twenty minutes and we’ll drop anchor at Helford, provided Tom Holder gives us the signal to proceed,” Jack says.
