"If they demast the Lady, thet'll be the end fer us all!" thought Captain Jim as he saw another blast from the field mortar heading directly towards the Lady Jane's mast. Jim closed his eyes, feeling that this was the end of it all. Surely now he would be imprisoned in England, and would never see the light of day again.
"Ay suppose Ay would deserve it." Jim's conscience pricked him as he looked on the future. "But Ay never woulda been happy as a sheep-shearer in Allerdale! Ay had ta find me an adventure. Well, Ay guess Ay did, but this might be the end 'o it!"
As these gloomy thoughts plagued Jim's mind, the field mortar blast whizzed nearer and nearer to the mast, but by some twist of fate, instead of hitting the mast, the shell ripped through starboard side of the main sail. Now, a two foot hole in the sail of a ship is definitely a problem, but when one must choose between a hole in the sail and a demasted ship, the sail trouble is the preferred option.
Jim heard the ripping sound of the sail and looked up. Then, just as suddenly as the gloomy thoughts had come, they left without a trace.
"See, me boys!" Jim shouted enthusiastically as he jumped up, "they'll never take me Lady!" The deck swarmed with cheering pirates waiving their swords and guns in defiance to the shore patrol.
"Hooray! Hooray for the Lady Jane!" they all shouted.
The officers from the shore patrol were downcast as they watched the pirates sail off unscathed.
"Captain Balfour and the Governor will have our hides!" said the man who seemed to be their leader. So they turned around and headed back to a certain reprimand.
To be continued...
"Ay suppose Ay would deserve it." Jim's conscience pricked him as he looked on the future. "But Ay never woulda been happy as a sheep-shearer in Allerdale! Ay had ta find me an adventure. Well, Ay guess Ay did, but this might be the end 'o it!"
As these gloomy thoughts plagued Jim's mind, the field mortar blast whizzed nearer and nearer to the mast, but by some twist of fate, instead of hitting the mast, the shell ripped through starboard side of the main sail. Now, a two foot hole in the sail of a ship is definitely a problem, but when one must choose between a hole in the sail and a demasted ship, the sail trouble is the preferred option.
Jim heard the ripping sound of the sail and looked up. Then, just as suddenly as the gloomy thoughts had come, they left without a trace.
"See, me boys!" Jim shouted enthusiastically as he jumped up, "they'll never take me Lady!" The deck swarmed with cheering pirates waiving their swords and guns in defiance to the shore patrol.
"Hooray! Hooray for the Lady Jane!" they all shouted.
The officers from the shore patrol were downcast as they watched the pirates sail off unscathed.
"Captain Balfour and the Governor will have our hides!" said the man who seemed to be their leader. So they turned around and headed back to a certain reprimand.
To be continued...
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