Miss Whittier Makes a List (26 page)

You dear man, she thought, looking up at him. You think nothing of staring into French guns and pounding away at close range until you sink a ship, but you cannot bring yourself to talk about your sister. How sad.

“
William, who is a student at
Harvard
College
.
”
She leaned closer and whispered.
“
Mam
a thinks he is getting much t
o
o worldly.
”

The captain looked around at the deck, empty except for the helmsman.
“
I won
’
t tell a soul, you si
ll
y
nod
.
”

Hannah blushed and straightened up.
“
It is a matter of some concern to my mother. Hosea comes before William, and he is a merchant like Papa. He has made it his business to find me a husband in
Charleston
among the other Friends there. I suppose
that
is why I saved him for last. He may prove the most vexatious.
”

The captain leaned over suddenly and kissed the top of her head.
“
Poor Hannah! Someone is always trying to te
ll
you what to do. Do you get tired of it?
”

e="+0">nt>
Isn
’
t there always someone telling us what to do?
”
she countered.

He released her then and turned his back to her, staring out at the water again.
“
I suppose there is. Sometimes I think
I
have been working for Napoleon and
France
these past twenty years.
”
He turned to her, his hands spread out.
“
I mean, they move, and I jump to the blockade, or sail the
Caribbean
, frightened right down to my toes.
”

She was silent a long moment.
“
At least thee is honest
,
”
she said at last.

“
Only a fool would not be afraid, Hannah, or a madman like Lease. He can
’
t wait to get killed in the lin
e of duty. I, on the other hand,
would like to live a long time yet. At least, long enough to convince you that I am not too old for you.
”

She could think of nothing to say.
“
Thee knows it would never work, Captain Spark,
”
she said softly.

“
Why not?
”
he asked, his voice just as gentle.
“
I can bend and you can bend. I am sure ...
.
”

What he was sure of,
she never knew. With a cry, the helmsman let go of the wheel and dropped to the deck.
Captain Spark rushed to the wheel, which was spinning wildly. His eyes on the sails, he corrected the course and called to Hannah.
“
See to that
poor
sod!
”

She hurried to the sailor, who was lying on his back,
arms
outstretched. She gathered him into h
er
ar
ms, al
ar
med that he was dead, and then relieved to discover that he merely slept. When she pulled him in closer to her, he opened his eyes in surprise, startled to find himself in the embrace of a woman. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, to see his captain manning the
helm. He staggered to his feet,
only to drop to his knees again and then his hands. He swayed back and forth on the deck.

“
God, Captain, I am so sorry!
”

“
Belay it!
”
Spark snapped.
“
You
’
ll he more use to me if you sleep.
”
He turn
ed around, his eyes fierce.
“
And that is an order, Mitchell.
”

“
Aye, aye, sir,
”
said the helmsman, his voice scarcely audible. He crashed to the deck again and in less than a minute, he was snoring, as though he slept on a feather bed. Hannah stared at him, then covered him with Mr.
Lansing
’
s cloak.

“
Should ... should I call someone?
”
she asked.

The captain shook his head.
“
No, my dear. Just sit on the deck close to me and tell me everything you know.
”
He looked at the slumbering helmsman.
“
Sleep
—what an innovation. I am resolved to try it sometime.
”
He took a fi
rmer stance behind the wheel.
“
Talk about the weather, your brothers, your church, every Bible verse you ever memorized, what you want in life. Keep talking. Keep me awake.
”

She kept him awake through that watch, and through the next night, telling him the same stories over and over until she wanted to cry at his exhaustion. The pumps clanged and sucked, and the seamen dragged themselves from pumps to sails, and then to the carpenter to co
n
tinue their puny efforts below decks to keep out the rest of the
Atlantic
.

And then there was no more use in trying. Mr. Futtre
ll
burst into her cabin one foggy morning and shook her awake.
“
Miss Whittier!
”
he hollered as though she stood half a ship
’
s length away.
“
We must get into the boats! Captain
’
s orders!
”

She grabbed
Lansing
’
s cloak and ran topside. They sti
ll
floated, but as she watched, the Marines carried the wounded onto the deck and lowered them over the side with ropes. Her hand to her mouth, Hannah ran to the ship
’
s railing and looked down at the water, which was so much closer. Two little boats bobbed there, tied fast to the
Dissuade
.
The surgeon balanced himself in one of them, receiving the wounded.
“
Come down the rope, Hannah,
”
be called.
“
I want you in this other gig.
”

She looked at the quarterdeck, where Captain Spark watched her.
“
No,
”
she said.
“
I won
’
t, and thee cannot make me.
”

“
Do it, Hannah,
”
Spark said, nothing in his voice of compromise.
“
I want the wounded and you and Adam in the boats. We
’
re lowering the launch and the dinghy, too, and you will all be tied to the ship. We wi
ll
stay together as long as the ship floats, but it
’
s safer this way.
”

Then Adam was at her side.
“
It
’
s the wisest thing, Hannah. This way, when the ship sinks, we can just cut loose.
”
He pa
tted
her shoulder.
“
Besides all that, Captain Spark thinks we will raise the
Azores
when this fog lifts.
”

‘
Thank God,
”
she murmured, and grasped the rope that the bosun held for her. She was swung down into the other boat with the wounded and settled herself into the bottom, taking one of the men in her
ar
ms. He looked at her through eyes cloudy with pain, then closed them again and relaxed against her. Adam was soon beside her in the launch.

“
When this fog lifts, I think the wind will freshen,
”
he told her, his eyes on the deck above them.
“
And then I think Captain Spark will finally crowd on all sail.
”
He grinned at Hannah.
“
We could be in for a
Nantucket
sleigh ride. Is thee ready?
”

She nodded, thinking of her brother Matthew and his tales of racing in small boats alongside a harpooned whale. She pulled the wounded sailor closer to her and tucked the blanket around his still form.
“
Adam, I thought to live a quiet life on
Nantucket
.
”

Adam laughed.
“
I never thought thee would, Hannah. Not once. There is something about thee ...
.”
He
paused as Captain Spark
’
s head appeared over the railing, a pouch in his hand.

“
Andrew, take this,
”
he called to the surgeon busy in the other boat.
“
Put it in your medicine satchel.
”
He tossed the captured dispatch in its bag to the surgeon.
“
If you can keep it, fine, but if it is i
n
dan
g
er of discovery,
you must destroy it.
”

‘
I’l
l not fail you this time. Daniel,
”
the surgeon said quietly as he put away the dispatch.

“
You
’
ve never failed me, Andrew,
”
said the captain.
“
I
wish to God you would not speak so.
”
He leaned on the railing as thoug
h he wanted to say more,
but suddenly he raised his head, sniffing the air.
“
By God, the fog is lifting, and damned if I don
’/span>
t feel a breeze.
”
He blew a kiss to Hannah.
“
Tally-ho, Lady Amber. I
’
ll
see
you in Terceira, or be damned
.
”

Ha
nnah looked at Adam,
a question in her eyes.

“
It
’
s the largest island in t
he
Azores
,
”
he explained,
his eyes on the sails for a sign of the wind Spark prophesied.
“
Captain Spark
’
s been moving through this fog by dead reckoning. Hannah, he
’
s quite a navigator.
”

“
Then what?
”
she asked.
“
I know you have been planning something.
”

He scooted closer to her.
“
We
’
ll surrender with the wounded, and ask to be taken to the commandant in charge, French or Portuguese.
”

She looked behind her at the other two launches, which were still empty and tied to the stem of the
Dissuade.
“
Who goes in those?
”

“
As many sailors and Marines as they ca
n
carry, and they won
’
t be heading for the harbor, but somewhere else on the island.
”
He looked at the quarterdeck, and the captain who was no longer in sight
.
“
Captain Spark means to give them a merry chase.
”

Hannah sighed.
“
I wish I were not afraid.
”

They sat another half hour, bobbing on a calm sea, and then the fog lifted as though raised all at once by a giant hand. Hannah gasped at the sight before them. It was Terceira, rising out of the
Atlantic
like the welcome beacon it was.
Adam couldn
’
t hide his admiration.
“
He may be an Englishman and a damned rascal, but I defy any Yankee skipper to call that landfall any better!
”
He touched Hannah
’
s shoulder.
“
But is
Terceira
friend of foe?
”

At a sharp command from Mr. Futtrell, the sailors raced into the rigging as the wind picked up, stationing themselves along the footropes for his command. At a signal from Captain Spark, who manned the helm
,
the sails in the upper yards dropped with a boom, and the
Dissuade
perked up for one last attempt. The little boats tied alongside jerked forward and Hannah grabbed for the gunwhale and took a firm grip. Adam stuck his hand in the back of her trousers and braced his feet against the floorboards.

It was a gallant effort by the
Dissuade.
The sinking ship
crowned
on all sail and beat its way to the harbor
’
s entrance, picking up speed until they were skimming over the water. Adam looked up at the sleek commerce raider, wounded but gallant to the end, struggling through the sea.
“
Thank God the t
ide runs in our favor,
”
he said, shouting over the slap of the water.
“
What a ship, Hannah!
”

They reached the harbor entrance, and Hannah stared at the stone fort, trying to determine what flag flew from the pole. She could not tell; they were too far away.

“
Ahoy all boats!
”

Mr. Futtrell hung in the riggings of the
Dissuade,
the speaking trumpet to his lips.
“
Cut all cables! Good luck and good hunting!
”

Adam reached over and cut through the cable that tethered their small boat to the
Dissuade.
Pi
cking his way among the wounded,
he hurried forward
to the small sail and raised it,
calling to Ha
nna
h over his shoulder.
“
Take the tiller!
”

She scrambled to do as he said, grateful down to her bare feet that Papaad insisted that his only daughter, the child of an island, knew how to handle a small b
oat. And thee taught me to swim,
she thought, as the wind caught the sail and she leaned against the tiller. They rocketed past the final pit of land that spared
Terceira
’
s harbor from the brunt of the Atlantic swe
ll
s. Hannah looked behind her to see the two launches in the stem of the
Dissuade
cut across to the Atlantic side.