The Demise of Foxy Jack (Adventures of the X Pirates Book 1) Read Free Page A

swallowed by a giant fish. All anyone knows for sure is that Warren never returned to the island that now bore his name.

II
    The Island of Bronck

    Ship, dead ahead, Captain!
    The panic stricken shout from the lookout at the bow of the side wheeler paddle steamer, Tamasha cut through the darkness quickly.
    There was a full moon, but thick clouds kept it hidden. The wind was brisk and the clouds were moving quickly. Moonlight would appear for a moment and then it would disappear the next. A veteran lookout knows to stay sharp on a night like this. Anything could come out of a flash in the dark.
    In the wheelhouse, Captain Bradley Bemboom reacted calmly, but firmly.
    Full reverse left and right paddle clutches.
    Tamasha was already at full steam. She was avoiding Royal Patrol boats that were rumored to be in the area. The boilers at full pressure would assist the reverse Bemboom had ordered, and bring Tamasha to a stop relatively quickly and well within distance of whatever was out there.
    And blow the warning whistle, Mister Thompson.
    Aye-aye, Captain.
    The first mate immediately pulled back hard on the clutches that controlled the turning mechanisms of the paddle wheels that were affixed to Tamasha at mid-hull on her port and starboard sides. She groaned as the paddle boxes covering her blades above the water line filled with surging ocean water. She lurched back hard as she screamed her warning out into the dark.
    Bemboom was unfazed by all the commotion. His full attention was just ahead of the paddle wheeler. The light of the moon made another appearance. There was indeed a ship directly ahead of them and the Captain made several quick observations in the brief instant he saw her.
    The ship was at rest and there was no one on deck or at the helm. Anchors were in the water at both the bow and the stern. There were eight gun doors at her facing side, and they were all open. She was directly ahead, closing fast, and horizontal to their approach at mid-ship. Tamasha was on a collision course that would destroy them both.
    The Captain turned the wheel hard to starboard. Tamasha began to turn, but her limited rudder control was not going to be enough. Instinctively knowing what his Captain wanted Thompson disengaged the left paddle clutch bringing that wheel to a stop. The turn became much more severe. With her right paddle turning alone at full speed the paddle wheeler became unstable and that was exactly what Bemboom wanted.
    As she turned parallel to the other ship, Tamasha started tipping to her starboard side. As she rolled, she began to expose her hull bottom to the mystery ship. The rolling starboard blades were moving more and more water as she continued to list and slide closer towards the anchored wall of wood and sail beside her.
    The right paddle bucket suddenly shattered under the weight and pressure. With that there was a surge of ocean water between the two ships. A temporary barricade of cresting and rising water came up between them as they drew forcibly side by side.
    Everything and everyone on board Tamasha rocked as she slammed broadside to broadside against the ship in the dark. The impact was bone jarring, but the water wall lessened the destruction. The ocean between them ebbed just as quickly as it came, and pushed the two ships away from one another.
    Having been thrown to the floor of the wheelhouse in the melee, Captain Bemboom rose up and pulled the emergency pressure release valve. Down below on the lower deck the boilers responded by releasing all of their energy in one volatile burst. A fifty-foot blast of steam roared and rose into the dark night sky. Tamasha wailed until her steam was fully exhausted and she came to a quiet rest.
    In juxtaposition to the noise and violence that had just occurred, an eerie silence immediately fell upon the two ships. Moonlight came and went, here and there. The mystery ship was still again and there was still no crew to be seen. Bemboom was transfixed by the