Corsair Read Online Free Page A

hair, to prevent it blowing in their faces and also to catch the perspiration before it went into their eyes.
    Ned looked round at them. “You’ll have heard Leclerc’s news,” he said. “The Dons have taken Coles and Gottlieb at Riohacha, and captured or massacred their crews. Both ships, the Dolphyn and Argonauta , are at anchor in Riohacha flying Spanish flags. That’s all Leclerc knows: he saw the ships at anchor and very sensibly cleared out.
    “I’m planning to rescue Coles and Gottlieb and their men. Apart from anything else we have to show the Dons they can’t get away with this sort of thing. In the meantime, until we find out why the Dons have suddenly turned on smugglers, be warned.
    “Now, who’s coming to Riohacha with me? Hands up those not coming.”
    One of the two Portuguese held up his arm, explaining apologetically in halting English that all his running and most of his standing rigging was now down on the deck: the ship could not be ready for sea in under a couple of days.
    “Very well,” Ned said. “I make it fifteen of you are coming. I want you under way in a couple of hours. The weather seems set fair, and Riohacha is about 475 miles away to the south-east. All of you are familiar with it. With this wind we should take four days. So provisionally we meet five miles off Riohacha at midnight in five days’ time. That gives a day to spare for calms. Then we go in with boats and attack the fort – that’s where they’ll be holding prisoners.”
    “Just muskets and pikes?” asked Brace.
    “And swords and pistols,” Ned said. “I’ll be responsible for the petards. I don’t know how many gates and doors the fort has, but better go through a door than have to climb over a wall. We don’t want to have to carry scaling ladders in the boats. And remember – we have to rely on surprise. No talking and coughing as we approach. Muffled oars. Once we’re all ashore, rendezvous at the fort.”
     
    The woman waiting for Ned on board the Griffin had fine ash-blonde hair, grey eyes flecked with gold, and was heavily suntanned. Her nose was small, the cheekbones were high and her mouth was generous. She wore a cream-coloured smock and her skirt, of faded blue, was split and divided, like very long breeches.
    “The guns – what is the trouble?” she asked Ned in a voice which had a distinct and very attractive French accent.
    Ned wiped the perspiration from his brow and told her Leclerc’s news. She nodded and said: “I saw all the boats going to the Perdrix : what have you decided to do?”
    “We sail at once for Riohacha.”
    She nodded again: Aurelia had been Ned’s mistress from the days when they had both fled from Barbados, hunted by Cromwell’s men. She had been on every raid in which Ned had led the buccaneers.
    “Leclerc’s guns interrupted the legislative council, then?”
    “Probably, but Thomas and I had already walked out.”
    “Walked out? You didn’t let the governor…?”
    “No, we weren’t rude to him. He’s going to shut down all the brothels and doesn’t give a damn that the buccaneers will leave and go to Tortuga.”
    She shrugged her shoulders. “I hate Tortuga.”
    “Aurelia, my dear,” Ned said patiently, “so do I. But the buccaneers aren’t monks, and if old Luce is going to shut down the brothels here, then the buccaneers are going to take the women on board and go to Tortuga.”
    “After they’ve been to Riohacha.”
    Ned grinned. “Yes,” he agreed, “after they’ve been to Riohacha and rescued Coles and Gottlieb.”
    “Let’s go below,” Aurelia said, “it’s scorching in the sun. Diana was here.”
    “And what has Lady Diana Gilbert-Manners got to say?”
    “Oh, Thomas got drunk last night and was nasty to her.”
    “What did Diana do, stamp her foot?”
    “No, she poured the rest of the bottle of rum over his head. He didn’t mention it?”
    “No, but I’d hardly expect him to. Though he did smell of stale rum, come to