Forever Young The Beginning Read Free Page A

a second
one in the groin as he raised his saber to strike. He caught that
man with a vicious knee to his face and followed by a front kick to
his chest that sprawled him back on his shipmates. By then three of
Ian’s shipmates had joined him and the bloody hand to hand fighting
was in full swing. Elsie’s crew began to swarm over the two cargo
booms to drop onto the deck of the stricken craft with a great
cry.
    Dispatching the fallen pirate in front
of him with a thrust of his sabre, Ian leaped over him towards a
knot of men who were advancing with cutlasses drawn and raised. He
ducked as one of them leveled a pistol and fired a round that sang
past his right ear. Aiming his second pistol he shot that one in
the face and kicked his falling body back onto the others. Moving
toward the last of the pirates he and his shipmates engaged them.
The sounds changed from gunfire to those of ringing steel as the
last pistols had been discharged. The last group of pirates was cut
down, but not before inflicting a mortal pistol wound on one of
Ian’s companions.
    It was over. Ian and the others warily
ran about, looking for anyone else who might be hiding with a
loaded pistol or musket. No more combatants were found and after
confirming that with the twenty seven men from Elsie now on board
the pirate craft, Ian turned and shouted “She’s ours!”
    A loud cheer erupted. Then someone
shouted “Three cheers for Cap’n McCloud!” Then the whole crew
shouted “Hip-hip huzzah! Hip-hip-Huzzah!
Hip-hip-Huzzah!”
    Angus McCloud shouted “Silence!” and
rang the ship’s bell repeatedly until the cheering died down. “Now
listen, ye men! We’ve beaten the odds by God’s grace. Let’s not be
congratulating ourselves on this victory. Let us instead offer up a
prayer of thanksgiving to Almighty God for our deliverance! Bow
your heads now, and we’ll pray.”
    Angus offered up a prayer of
thanksgiving and all the crew echoed his “Amen.” Then he said “I’m
pleased with every one of you this day. We’ve lost one of our own
and we will see to it that his family receives his share and a
widow’s share when we return home. We only have six wounded, which
is a miracle. When you tell this story to others, don’t forget
God’s great blessing this day. Get all of our wounded aboard Elsie
now and rig the prize for towing.”

Chapter 3
    After heaving the pirate dead
overboard the crew assisted Ian in rounding up the remaining
pirates, numbering eight. He then ordered four shipmates to bind
them and set them to be hauled aboard Elsie with the two starboard
cargo booms. Three of his crewmates who were wounded were lifted
back on board Elsie first though, for the ship’s surgeon,
shipwright, and carpenter Mark MacCarr to look after.
    After reloading both of his pistols,
Ian took two of his crew mates with him and began a search of the
ship. Coming to the stern castle cabins, he stopped. Listening
intently, he thought he heard a stifled sob. He gestured to the
door on the left and then he kicked open the door on the right. A
loud scream came from a woman who ran and hid behind another woman.
Ian looked and made sure that no one else was in the room. First
uncocking, and then sticking both pistols back in his sash, he
smiled reassuringly at the two women and raised his right hand palm
outward as a sign of peace.
    “ I have two women in here,
no arms. See to the other cabin now.” There followed a sound of
splintering wood as the door was kicked in and only a few seconds
later “No one in here, Ian”
    McCloud hadn’t taken his
eyes off of the two since entering. The one in front was a
beautiful young lady, appearing to be Spanish. Ian noticed her
strikingly beautiful large hazel-green eyes, thinking Lord but they look like I could fall into
them! He was stunned by her beauty. She
shielded the other one who was about her age, but from her
clothing, likely a handmaiden, also Spanish and quite lovely. Ian
smiled again and using a crude