There had been no time to think, no time to move. All Captain Jack Aubrey of the Royal Navy remembered was being swept away by the powerful current when his cabin exploded around him as a cannonball streaked through the Surprise's woodwork. He lay on the beach, too tired to move or think, and let the rain pound him. He had fought the waves all night and had washed up here, where ever here was. A surprised shout caused him to jerk his head out of the wet sand.
Tom Pullings was jogging towards him. "Captain!" he called again. "Are you all right, sir?"
Jack somehow found the strength to sit upright. Wondering if he was hallucinating, he blinked several times, but his First Officer was still there. "Is that you, Tom?"
The man knelt beside him and helped him sit up. "Yes sir. Are you all right?"
Jack looked himself over. "I think so. Where the devil are we?"
Tom shrugged. "I'm not sure, sir. Somewhere off the coast of Brazil, I think."
Confusion swamped Jack's mind. "But why are we on land off the coast of Brazil? I thought I told you we wouldn't be putting in...."And then it all came back to him-the explosion and the cannonball. He sat up rigidly and grabbed Pullings' arm. "What happened?" he coughed, spewing the last of the seawater onto his soaked jacket.
Tom sighed. "I really don't know, sir. I'm sure we were attacked, but I was thrown overboard at the first explosion. I heard cannons in the fog, but it was too late to shout."
Jack lay back in the sand dejectedly. "Damn," he gasped. "I don't see how they possibly.....have you found anyone else?"
Pullings shook his head. "No. You're the first I've found. We should go and look together, if you're well enough, sir."
Jack managed a wry grin. "The day I can't look after my crew is when I'm dead," he said, and managed to stand with Tom's help. Together, they walked down the beach. Pullings glanced up at the sky. "We should get inside the forest, sir. This storm looks bad."
Jack nodded, and they walked into the deep jungle.