25
Claire and Jamie are on a small boat sailing south in the Caribbean. The sky is just beginning to turn blue as the sun rises on the horizon peering through thin clouds. We see a few familiar crew men manning the small sails and Jamie is consulting a map while looking a little green around the gills.
"So the governor just loaned you this boat? Isn't it actually the property of the British navy?" Claire asks as she rubs her arms to warm herself. It's a windy day with lots of cloud coverage.
"Not exactly... he let me ken where it was and when it wouldn't be watched," he replies with a smile.
"Well its best we find our new home quick then," Claire says now shading her eyes as the sun peeks out from behind a cloud.
"Aye, I am at least eager to be away from this island," he says looking back over his shoulder at the receding coast of Jamaica. He turns and watches Claire as she squints into the vast nothingness of the sea around them and adds, "But aye, I'm ready to find our home Sassenach."
His voice is so sincere it catches Claire's attention and she turns. It takes a moment for her to realize she is holding her breathe and exhales smiling at her husband her heart in her throat.
They sail peacefully for a long time but the crew can't help but keep their eyes on the sky as the clouds grow darker. As the day sets they begin to see the island of Hispaniola in the distance. Jamie and Claire are sharing a bannock and a cup of water as they sit by the rail. Ian roams examining all the workings of the ship trying to get the captain to let him climb a mast.
"Ship hoy!" a sailor yells. They are all on their feet in an instant running to the other rail to peer into the distance. Jamie starts pacing and constantly glancing over the shoulder as one of his smugglers, a former fisher made captain by Jamie for the trip, peers through an eye glass. It's a few minutes before he makes an assessment and hands the telescope off to Jamie.
"I ken it's a pirate ship, no flag and the sails are all wrong. She's not going very far or fast rigged up like that," the mate tells Claire as Jamie looks making his own conclusions.
"He's right she looks like she is headed for the beach."
As they all stand looking we see the ship make a sharp turn inland. At the same instance, we see a larger ship at full sails come into view from behind the pirate ship and we hear a cannon boom.
"Och!" Jamie yells as he goes to Claire's side thrusting her behind him as if he can save her from a cannon blast.
"British she's British Navy!" a sailor that shimmied up the mast informs them. Ian's eyes grow large and he stares at Jamie open mouthed.
"I canna get rid of that damn ship, it's the Porpoise," Jamie says peering through the scope he now has in hand. "Canna we outrun her?" Jamie asks.
"We can maybe keep the other ship between us as much as possible," the captain replies. We see the small skiff turn towards the island and tries keeping the pirate ship in between the Porpoise and herself. There isn't a clear shot but Claire sees the British warship train her portside guns in their direction and takes a large breath in.
"Christ, I should have kept the British flag up!" Jamie cries.
"I don't think it would make a difference Jamie we are getting so close. I can almost see the outline of Captain Leonard they'll know this ship was stolen," Claire says ducking below the rail and peering through a slit covering her ears as a cannon ball crashes 20 yards to the side of the ship.
"Now," Jamie yells and goes to the railing to put one arm around Claire and grab the rail with the other. Suddenly the ship takes a sharp turn leaning hard to the side. Claire peers over and can see the faces of the British sailors as they slide so close they are not in cannon range. The sailors on the Porpoise look back at her in surprise. Soon the governors boat is sailing away from the other two ships.
"Will they follow the pirates or turn?" Claire asks standing up now that Jamie has let go of her.
"Aye they'll stay on the other ship and they are no pirates, the ship was full of slaves," Jamie replies.
"Slaves?" Claire asks confused. She was so focused on the warship she'd barely registered who was aboard what she thought was a pirate ship.
"Aye, runaway slaves likely the ones that attacked the plantations on Jamaica. I recognized some of the maroons, are large friend was among them," Jamie looks back at the beach and Claire follows his gaze.
They can see the maroon ship is close to the beach and has a large hole in her side. The warship has all cannons trained on the other vessel now as they watch slaves climb down ropes from the deck wading to reach the land. It takes a few practices with the guns but the Porpoise's shots finally hit beach and they see runaway slaves mowed down by cannon balls. Claire turns her head she can't watch anymore. Jamie mutters a prayer under his breath.
Time goes by and they sit in silence. The ship hands release all sails and they head out to sea. Jamie holds Claire and motions for Ian. "It's our only chance heading out to sea and hoping the Porpoise passes us in the night then we can turn back later ration yer food." They nod in understanding and look gloomily out into the now darkness.
We return to the ship in the morning. Claire, Jamie and Ian are huddled together being pelted by rain and the boat rocks violently. "Do you think we've lost the Porpoise? We can't keep heading into this storm?" Claire screams over the wind. Jamie just shrugs his shoulder then raises and with great effort fighting the tilting of the boat pulls himself to the wheel and confers with the captain.
Its early morning and the sky is slightly lightening though the dark clouds keep visibility low. Ian who apparently has the eyes of a hawk like his uncle is leaning over the rail reliving himself behind Claire's back when he falls unto his backside.
"Are you alright?" Claire asks holding out her hand. Jamie heads in their direction as Ian scrambles to his knees Claire is on hers by his side white knuckling a rope tied to the rail.
"Uncle Jamie, Uncle Jamie, a ship I swear I saw a ship," He shouts pointing to the West as he tries to get his pants re-laced. Jamie looks in the same direction and lets out a string of curses in a mixture of languages. He signals to the others and heads turn eyes bulging as the outline of the Porpoise slowly materializes. Jamie pulls his family to their feet and they head to the mainmast where he secures them all about the waist with a rope.
"I dinna ken the sea but I ken clouds I am afraid this ride isn't going to get any easier let us hope the British will turn away from this madness," Jamie shouts in Claire's ear she just nods her head. Their boat heads directly into the center of the storm.
We alternatingly see the storm toss the boat, pound waves onto the deck and the Porpoise getting ever closer to the crew's skiff though no more shots have been fired. Hours pass by and the crew looks hazard and weary and the rain is now mixed with hail. The two boats are almost side by side but no one dares try to board the other has the sea tries its best to pull the vessels under into her depths and its too weight for gun powder. Suddenly the Porpoise tips greatly and a wave turns her over. Jamie stands to his feet still tied about the waist and shouts to his men but at the same moment a rush of water sends their boat to the side to the point where Jamie is looking sideways at fish below the surface of the water but by the grace of God the boat rights itself now several yards away from the wreckage of the warship that is not only upside down but it's being dragged by its weight below the waterline.
"Mary, Michael and Bride," he says crossing himself and muttering prayer under his breath.
Claire just looks at him desolate, too dehydrated to cry to tries closing her eyes but this only seems to bring up the images of the men she knew on the boat and she opens them instead staring into Jamie's steel blue gaze. He holds her close reaching a hand around her to gasp Ian's shoulder. His nephew places a hand on top of his Uncles and squeezes as he swallows the bile in his mouth.
More time passes and we see the boat drifting in a cloudy sky but these clouds are brighter and the water is almost eerily calm. It starts to sprinkle and they raise their mouths to the sky catching what they can in open gapes like baby birds being fed by their mothers. Jamie gets up and cuts the rope binding them crawling on his hands and knees to inquiry something of the other crew. They all have red beaten face from the wind burn and cracking, peeling lips. Suddenly we see a strike of lightening in the far distance. Claire instinctively hunches her shoulders in self-defense she's too tired to get to her feet still sitting by the mast the now cut rope coiled around her. Suddenly her hair stands on its end from an electric charge and a clap and boom so strong they make her teeth rattle and her body bristle in gooseflesh. The mast is struck by lightning splitting in two and falling to each side into the sea. Claire rope now wrapped around her leg is pulled under with a piece of mast.
Her clothes are soaked instantly adding weight as she goes deeper and deeper under water. Her leg is on fire it feels like a shark as her limb in its grip trying to tear it from her body. Suddenly a pale and sleek creature swims past her and there's more pulling and squeezing on her leg then suddenly its free. Her vision blurs and fades until her head breaks the surface and by instinct she gulps in air and begins flaying her arms fighting the current. Jamie wraps his arm around her waist pulling her to floating piece of wood from the mast.
Lying partially on top of her securing their arms around the wood he speaks into her ear, "Hold on Sassenach." She looks up to see the boat cutting through the sea further and further from them.
"Jamie," she croaks.
"Hold on, just hold on Claire."
"But Jamie the…the boat," she manages to squeak out before her eyes close and she becomes unconscious.
"Just hold on mon nighean don," he whispers into her hair.
Sometime later they are on shore. Jamie holds Claire gingerly and staggers down the beach. His hands and arms are bloody and raw from the flesh being torn away as he held them to the splintered piece of wood. They had very slowly made their way to shore. Claire stirs in his grip.
"Are you alright?" he asks and she grunts in reply.
"It's alright now, it's all gonna be fine I see men coming," Jamie says walking towards a far-off dock where men are bustling about.
"Jamie the boat what happened? Ian?" she asks reclosing her eyes from the blazing sun. Some men have spotted them and our jogging towards their way.
"We were in sight of shore they would have made their way inland further down the beach I expect. We were too close to shore and they had no mast or sail to turn right away," he replied sounding anxious but not outright scared.
A few men reach their sides.
"Are you shipwrecked? Are you with the boat that just beached down the way?" one of the younger men asks with a slightly affected British accent.
"Aye and my wife is hurt do ye ken a place I can have her attended to?" Jamie asks in response.
"There's a big house nearby the dock master's, his wife's a real fine lady they'll offer you aid," he replies he offers his arms to take Jamie's load but the latter ignores the other man beelining for the large house on the horizon.
"My name's Henry, I'll be taking you to the Olivier's place," Henry says waiting for a reply trying to keep pace with Jamie.
"Do ye mind telling me where we washed up Mister Henry?" Jamie asks politely.
"Of course sir, why this is the Colony of Georgia," the man beams.
"Georgia?" Jamie states shaking his head as if to clear his ears.
"Yes sir you are in the Americas," Henry offers in response.
Claire opens her eyes and Jamie looks down at her, holding his gaze she states "It's the New World Jamie."
The End