AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
![]() The twenty-year-old Irish drifter fished out his last clump of tobacco. His fingers brushed a change of socks, long johns, four pennies, a nearly empty powder horn, a compass, a pocket watch, and a tinderbox-until he found a buckskin pouch. John rummaged through his worn leather satchel. I always have use for a skilled river pilot.” The wagon’s two Andalusian horses grazed on grass between wheel tracks. He packed tobacco into a pipe while he waited. “But it’s not forever.”īorrego, one of Pavia’s lieutenants, scoffed from the driver seat. Being the leader of Basque mercenaries and smugglers, Pavia preferred not to lodge in Philadelphia proper. The Comandante hailed from Spain’s Basque Country. He might have looked aristocratic with his long-bow mustache and clean-cut features, but the scar tugging down on his left eyelid suggested otherwise. Words rolled off his tongue like musical notes. “Are you certain you want to return?” asked Pavia. “Can’t sleep anywhere else.” He jumped out of the wagon. “I took my first steps at sea-below the waterline,” he said. Sensing the mercenary’s impatience, John stretched his legs. He sauntered up close to his former student and drummed his fingers on the wagon rail. “How you manage to sleep in such small places will always confound me,” Pavia added as he jumped out of the box seat. John threw a hand up against the blinding noon sun. Comandante Fernando Pavia jerked away the tarpaulin in one motion. Bottles of rum jingled as the wheels came to a stop. John Hotspur Sullivan awoke in the corner of a wagon under a canvas tarpaulin. Before the last plank snapped home, she could hear Kaitlin whispering. One board at a time, she sealed her children into darkness. Nora slid the loose deck planks over the hidden space. “It’s all right, Katie,” John said softly. Kaitlin held the watch while John held her hand. John and Kaitlin lay down in the tiny compartment. Nora knew her son didn’t want to hide, but Kaitlin needed him. His eyes reddened as he fought back tears. “Johnny, you look after your sister, all right?” She opened the case, revealing Roman numerals under stately black tines. Tears flooded Kaitlin’s cheeks as she accepted the watch. When I come back, I’ll ask how long it’s been, and you’ll see it was no time at all. “Remember when we learned to tell time? I want you to count the ticks. “Here.” Nora reached into the pocket of her trousers and produced a silver hunter-case watch. On the deck above, there were shouts coming from the officers’ wardroom. ![]() Kaitlin nodded, but the strain was too much. Her fifteen-year-old’s eyes were hard and determined, but a crease in his brow betrayed his fear. I want you to mind Johnny and do as he says, okay?” But right now, I need you to be brave and stay here with your brother. ![]() When they have what they want, they’ll be gone. “Oh, love,” Nora said as she embraced her children. “Your big brother is on deck helping your father. ![]() John held his eight-year-old sister close, her cheek pressed against his chest. “What about Isaac?” Kaitlin wept, her red curls disheveled. ![]() The pirates barked threats and insults in a foreign language. Wait for me to return.”įootfalls thudded overhead. They would have enough room to lie down and stretch their legs, but little else. Her children huddled in a rectangular hole in the floor, where the natural slope of the ship allowed their father Declan to create a secret space between the cross beams. On the lower deck, behind piles of crates, bundles, and barrels, only a single lantern lit their faces. She held back tears as she kneeled with her children, Kaitlin and John. “No matter what you hear, my darlings, don’t move,” Nora whispered. ![]()
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |