Chance the Winds of Fortune Read Online Free Page B

“And what will yew be doin’ with yours, Mr. Fitzsimmons? Buying yeself the Blarney stone?”
    Fitzsimmons returned his barb with a mocking glance. “No,” he replied. Then for once he turned serious. “I’ll be purchasin’ meself a schooner, and outfittin’ her as a privateer. I’ve got a feeling that it’ll be coming to a raisin’ of arms soon, what with them damned redcoats being sent over from the mother country, and, I might be addin’, causing nothing but trouble.”
    â€œHere now, watch that tone of voice,” someone growled. “I don’t have much love for them redcoats, but I’ll not ’ear nothin’ bad said about England.”
    MacDonald sent a cloud of bluish smoke over the group. “Aye, though, ’tis the truth, that. There’s war coming. Reckon ye’ll be needin’ a good sailmaker tae make your sails strong, Mr. Fitzsimmons. Been thinkin’ of late, I have, of opening myself a shipyard along the Chesapeake Bay. Thinkin’ there’ll be a need for good ships soon. Nothing in the Highlands for me since I fled after the ’45,” he said, his light blue eyes darkening with remembered anguish. “Aye, Culloden finished it for us. My home is in the colonies now.”
    Conny Brady stared with openmouthed amazement at his fellow shipmates. “You’d abandon the cap’n?” he exclaimed. “Who’ll man the Sea Dragon ?”
    â€œWell now, if I’m not mistaken,” Fitzsimmons said thoughtfully, his dark eyes twinkling, “and I’m remembering me legends proper like, lad. Then, it seems to me that dragons have always had a soft spot for gold, and I’m thinkin’ the Sea Dragon and her captain might be finding a safe harbor to be anchoring in with that treasure. Besides,” the Irishman continued, “the cap’n’s no colonial. He’s a blue-blooded gentleman if there ever was one, not that I’m holdin’ that against him,” he added quickly. “He’s a fine man. As good as any Irishman I’d care to be liftin’ a glass with, but he is a gentleman born and bred, and despite his dislike of King George’s edicts, I’m not seeing the cap’n raisin’ arms against him. From what little Kirby has let slip, I’m thinkin’ the cap’n has more titles to his name than captain.”
    â€œAye, ye’re right there, but he’s got more on his mind than that. Strange, a man like ’e bein’ out here. Maybe with his fortune found ’e’ll go home and settle his affairs,” stated Trevelawny, to everyone’s amazement, for the carpenter seldom offered an opinion.
    â€œCould be. How about yeself, Trevelawny? Goin’ home?” Fitzsimmons asked.
    â€œAye, I’m a Cornishman. I’ll be with the Sea Dragon when she heads home. I’ll be with the cap’n until he needs me no more. Got a brother workin’ a copper mine near Truro. Might just invest in it.”
    â€œWell, to be sure, we’ve all got our shares invested in somethin’,” Fitzsimmons said with a comical look toward the darkening skies. “Now let’s just hope we can be findin’ this treasure, and that storm coming ain’t a warnin’ to us to be leaving well enough alone, and the dead in peace.”
    â€œD’ye think the sunken treasure ship is haunted?” Conny Brady demanded, his eyes widening with fearful excitement.
    â€œAye, and they be after your blood, young Conny,” one of the mates growled, “unless ye get yeself below. Mr. Kirby wants ye to help him with the cap’n’s meal. So get!”
    Conny Brady scrambled below, leaving the other hands to enjoy the last few peaceful minutes of the sunset while they smoked their pipes, did their mending chores and gossiped. Soon the new watch would be set, and with the oncoming storm now a