Chapter Five

The sails took to the wind nicely, filling up with air almost immediately after they set sail. The smell of the ocean was fresh, and its color was especially brilliant today.

Corinne watched in fascination as the crew worked aboard, pulling ropes and changing pulleys and climbing the rigging. It was amazing to stare at them as they did their jobs – and quite well, too. In spite of the typical English demeanor – which she was beginning to recognize easily, and without helping herself, abhor – it was a remarkable sight.

Then, as she looked out over the watched the white fluffy clouds slowly creep by, Corinne suddenly wondered if she was stuffy like that. Was she? She had no idea – except when she thought about the voyage over from England. She had been extremely uncouth to the captain and the crew – lesser breeding or not. And what about the pirates? She almost laughed when she thought of that. They were pirates. And yet...they hadn't killed her. She'd only had what they had to eat. She had not been kept prisoner more than one night, and they had let her take one of their lifeboats and go to her British friends.

Now that she'd been with her English consorts for longer than the three days she'd spent on the Black Pearl, she found that she didn't enjoy their company in the least. It was...uninteresting to talk about the weather, or the size of the ship's hold. These were two of the most familiar subjects of her conversations with the first mate. There was something strange about him...not quite right. She wasn't sure what it was, though.

But the first mate was driven from her mind by another thought; she realized that she did not enjoy being a noblewoman anymore. She also apprehended the fact that the clothing she wore was painful. Before she hadn't minded at all...it had been fashionable, and proper, and that was that. But now, after being out in the sun far much more than she was used to, it seemed hot and close, the many layers under her top skirt making the heat almost unbearable. She wished she could wear something perhaps more cool and comfortable. True, the dresses were made out of cotton, but wearing twenty layers of cotton defeated the entire point, really.

Then it all came together in one horrible thought – Corinne hated being British!

Captain Jack Sparrow leaned on his helm, breathing in the air and grinning. Being a wanted man was most definitely worth the freedom of piracy. He watched his crew as they slung themselves into the rigging, as they always did on the first day after leave, to watch the land disappear from sight. The Pearl needed nothing but a steady hand on the wheel for a few hours, now that she was headed in the right direction.

And so Jack grabbed a stool from nearby and sat on it, putting his feet lackadaisily between two of the handles. There was to be no plundering of ships today – only the wind, the waves, and the bright tropical sun. In a week or so they'd find some unsuspecting English vessel – perhaps the Jupiter, fresh from Port Royale and ripe for the picking. Or another ship might be better...one that hadn't had a recent encounter. The ship Miss Young had arrived in the sea with would most likely be over-manned, bristling with ammunition and extra troops to protect them from the threat of return Jack had hinted at.

But Jack would not be returning...well, at least, not to Port Royale or its proximity, for a long time.

He looked out over the horizon, and saw a storm brewing. It would be coming this way, or perhaps heading west. Either way, the sea would be restless tonight.

Corinne obeyed the crewman's sharp order to get below deck. She felt the cold wind on her exposed skin and needed no further urging. It was getting nasty out there.

Once in her cabin, she looked out the porthole at the rollicking sea, and wondered what it would be like to be up on deck with the sailors, working hard and ignoring the tempest that raged about them. She wasn't sure that she would choose that, but it might be better than sitting down here wondering what was going on.

The seasickness hadn't returned yet, and she was hoping that the storm would not bring another bout of it. That had been awful...attempting to eat and then not being able to keep more than a tiny bit down.

But it did not bother her now. She sat down at the table, lighting the candle that was securely anchored to the wall, and began to read her book. It was not fascinating, by any means, and she couldn't concentrate on it. So she blew out the candle, grabbed the lit lamp, and left the cabin. Perhaps there was something she could do.

The rain was coming down in sheets, and lightning split the sky in two. Corinne covered her ears against the crack of thunder that threatened to bring down the heavens.

She approached the captain and was about to ask him if she could help when his eyes got a look of realization. Then she could say nothing, because there was a tremendous crash and the ship lurched beneath her feet. She nearly lost her balance and fell over the side, but at the last moment she caught herself.

"Sir, we've hit a sandbar!" came a single cry in response to the din that ensued. The captain swore violently and took another look at Corinne.

"Miss, you get to the lifeboats, now!" and he struggled back to the other end of the ship. Corinne did not know what to do except obey, so she headed toward the side where she'd seen the small boats that hung over the side. There, between the brightly painted boats that all bore the mark of His Majesty, was a little dinghy with worn sides and only one paddle. She leapt into that one, careful to grab a rope beforehand. Then she was inside. She called up to the men.

"Hey!"

One of them peered over the side at her.

"Are there more passengers for this boat?" she wondered, and he nodded his head, apparently understanding. But he loosed the ropes that held the lifeboat in place, and she dropped to the angrily frothing waves.

For a moment, she thought in horror that she would be swept under the massive keel of the ship, but then the waves caught her away, and she watched the lights of the British vessel as they grew farther and farther away...