and the town is under attack. Obviously it is under attack by Mountjoy and the
English.”
He paused. “Do you speak the Dutch tongue, Barnabas?”
“A few words. I fished once with a Dutch sailor who lived briefly among us.”
“I speak it,” Jublain said. “Tongues are as easy to me as blades, and when a man
fights on the continent he speaks many tongues.”
“Then we must convince the Spanish we are Dutch, until such a time as we can
escape.”
There was a shout from the bow: “A boat is coming!”
We were abreast of the Upper Cove, and the marking on my chart was for four
fathoms. “Let’s go forward,” I said to Tilly, “and drop a rope ladder for the
boat.”
The officer who came aboard was elegantly dressed, but one glance at his
cleancut jaw and his quick steps assured me that this was no perfumed popinjay.
“Captain Alonzo de Valdez,” he said “What is your ship? And what do you do
here?”
Jublain introduced himself, then said, “Our captain and owner is Barnabas de
Sacketi. We were bound for La Rochelle and heard the Spanish fleet were needing
supplies and spars. We directed our course to this place.”
He looked from one to the other of us, his eye sharp and curious.
“The name of your vessel is what?”
“Abigail,” I said, speaking in the Welsh I had from my mother. “It is named for
my wife.”
Abigail, looking lovelier than I’d seen her of late, came from the cabin. She
held out a slender, white hand to Valdez, who bent above it gracefully.
After a few minutes of polite conversation, he said to Jublain. “Inform your
captain that he comes at a bad time. Kinsale is beseiged by Lord Mounrjoy and
the British.”
“And the Irish?”
“Coming up behind him. There will be a battle shortly.” He shrugged a shoulder.
“It does not look well. The Irish have won many battles, but their style is not
ours, and at formal warfare … I am not sure. Lord Mountjoy is formidable.”
“Ask him about the timbers,” I murmured to Jublain.
Jublain spoke to him and Valdez nodded. “Yes, I believe so.” I understood enough
to know what he was saying even before Jublain translated for me. I had been
observing some of the vessels at anchor, three with damaged spars.
“It is possible we might purchase them,” concluded Valdez.
When he was gone, we looked at each other and Jublain shrugged. “A fine young
gentleman, and were it only up to him … well, we might manage it. However,
there is this in our favor. I think they wish no more trouble than they already
have.”
“We are armed,” I said. “I saw him looking at the guns. He also noticed our
position. If there is trouble with us, we could do much damage before they sank
us.” I hoped I was right.
Some of the noise of the guns was smothered by the bulk of Compass Hill.
What we could see of the town was much damaged. One street seemed to run around
the hill, with steep, slippery lanes going up its side. Many of the houses were
built with large balcony windows overlooking the harbor. On the opposite shore
were two other villages which, Jeremy told me, were Cove and Scilly.
Actually, despite its approach, the harbor was large, commodious, and capable of
handling a considerable number of ships.
Standing by the rail I studied the town and our situation. If the Spanish chose
to take our ship and ourselves as prisoners, there was little we could do. We
might run for the harbor entrance, but the guns of the ships … warships all of
them … would surely do us damage beyond recovery.
Jublain had learned from Valdez that the force was under the command of Don Juan
D’Aquila, and numbered 4,000 men.
We waited, a long, slow afternoon, for permission to go ashore, well aware of
how delicate was the balance.
As it was obvious the Spanish ships themselves needed replacements for spars
smashed in battle, our cargo might be timely. Yet what I feared was that they
would simply take the ship, the cargo, and ourselves, throwing us all into
irons.
It was dusk when Valdez returned. Obviously, he was disturbed, but not by us, as
I first assumed.
“The timbers? May I see them?”
With him was a sturdy Basque, a craftsman, without doubt. And so he proved, for
when we unbattened the hatches and took him below his manner was brusque, and no
foolishness about him. He looked over the timbers, climbed down upon them,
walked along them, and muttered to himself.
His report to Valdez was stated flatly, in a very few words.
Valdez was obviously pleased. He turned quickly to us. “He says your timbers are
excellent! Just exactly what we need.” Then his smile vanished. “The price?”
Aristocrats, I knew, did not like to bargain, yet our position was uncertain,
and what we needed was good will if we expected to get out alive and with our
fluyt.
I spoke briefly with Tilly, who knew better the price than I, and then I had
Jublain tell him: “We appreciate your situation, but we would not wish to profit
by it. Pay us what they would cost in Spain.”
Unwittingly, I had not only said the right thing but had raised the price on the
timbers, for they were at this time much more in demand in Spain than in
England.
At our table I received an order from him. “For the money,” he told me, “you
must go ashore.” He wrote down the directions. “Present this order at the ship
chandler’s shop and you will be paid at once.”
He turned to go, then stopped and looked back. “Your wife is very lovely.” He
spoke in English, looking directly at me. “I would not have her life endangered.
When you have your money … go. Go at once.”
He went over the side and down the ladder to his boat, and they pulled away. He
seemed in a very great hurry.
Our hatches open, we rigged our gear to get out the timbers and drop them in the
water overside, where they would be towed to the ships needing them. We worked
swiftly.
“Tilly,” I said, “stand by to get under way immediately on my return. Get all
the timbers they bought into the water as quickly as possible. We will heave in
the anchor if there is time, and if there is not we’ll simply cut loose. I have
an idea Valdez was trying to tell us they are through here.”
“The guns now are louder,” Pim said. “You wish me to go with you?”
“No. I shall take Jeremy.” Turning to Jublain, I suggested, “Tilly will work the
ship, you will handle the direction of the fighting, if any. If I am not back by
an hour after dusk, cut your anchor and get out … fast. Do not worry about
me.”
I turned back to Ring. “Jeremy, bring two pistols as well as your blade.”
He grinned under his moustache. “I have four tucked behind my sash, and a dagger
as well.”
Hurriedly, I went below. Abby was waiting, her eyes wide, her cheeks ashen. “Do
not be afraid. And if I am not back by an hour after dusk, Jublain is to take
the ship to sea. Do you understand?”
“We will wait.”
“No.” For the first time I spoke harshly to her. “You will go. It is you, and
not only you, for now there is our son.” I paused for a moment. “Get out … get
away. I will join you somehow.”
For a moment I held her, then tore myself loose lest I should weaken.
Jeremy was already in the boat. I swung over the side and dropped in beside him.
We pushed off. While we went ashore, Blue was to remain with the boat, hiding
deep in the shadows.
“How far have we to go?” Jeremy asked.
“Almost an English mile,” I said.
Suddenly, there was a heavy boom from seaward. Turning, aghast, we stared back
toward the harbor entrance. Slowly but surely, a great ship was coming down the
harbor … and she flew the flag of England.
There was another boom, and the explosion of a shell scattered fragments and
flame aboard the Spanish ship nearest to her.
“Come … we’ll have to hurry now,” I said, refusing to look back again, or turn
my head. Blue left us ashore.
The sun was gone behind the hill, a cool wind blew along the waterfront, and we
hurried, running and walking toward the street named on the order. A native had
given us directions.
“You’re going through with it?” Ring asked. “Why not? We delivered the timbers,
and we need the money.”
“And if he will not pay?”
Suddenly, before I could answer, there was an explosion within the town. A great