Part 30 (1/2)
All the people who could safely fit-plus the supplies they would need-were loaded aboard the carac. The procedure was a ponderous one: They were forced to descend a narrow trail with their burdens, moving women, children, and old folks past the suspicious gaze of the Spanish sailors. Neriahs letters of transit-and the well-greased palm of the venal naval captain-kept the loading peaceful until midnight.
Now began the part they all feared.
”This is where we part company, Im afraid, senchoo,” Gonji had told Salguero. ”You and the rest of the family men will have to take the wars.h.i.+p and escort the carac to Genoa. Ill take the galley.”
”The galley has only five guns,” Salguero had noted. ”Youre certainly more likely to see action, if youre still bound for Africa.”
”But all the pilgrims will be with you. And if there is trouble, the carac looks defenseless.”
Salguero had finally accepted it resignedly, and they had shaken hands and bowed before finalizing the desperate plan to commandeer the Spanish galleon.
The worst of it was that half the refugees had to be held back, along with the fighting men and the Moriscos-whose presence here would surely arouse suspicions. They gathered now on the ledges, hunkering down and huddling against the impending action. Its outcome would determine their fate.
Jacob Neriah approached the covered dray Gonji had reserved for personal use. Tossing open the flap, he was embarra.s.sed to find Valentina changing her clothes and arming herself, still in her nether garments.
She smiled and c.o.c.ked an eyebrow as the old merchant gasped. ”Never would have suspected you of something like this, senor!”
”Vixen! My intent was-was-only to find Gonji-”
”Come now,” she teased the blus.h.i.+ng old man, ”I know your ploy-the innocent old dotard.” She chuckled to see him go a-twitter.
”Hsst!” Neriah cautioned as the samurai approached. ”Gonji-Gonji, they tell me weve got to jettison part of my cargo!”
”Im sorry, my friend, but the people will have to be rushed aboard the wars.h.i.+p, a.s.suming were successful.” He strapped his swords to his back and thrust a pistol into his belt. ”There simply wont be time for-”
He was forced to fend off the merchants tirade, mollifying him at last with the reminder of the small fortune granted them by the Knights Templars.
”But let me remind you, friend samurai,” Jacob countered with a sly smile, ”that the gold Ive given you to make your way in Africa is out of my own humble purse.”
They exchanged bows, and Jacob p.r.o.nounced a blessing on the separate paths they had to take.
”We all must make our sacrifices,” were the last words Gonji would remember hearing from his friend Jacob Neriah.
The majority of the Spanish sailors from the naval galleon, who had come ash.o.r.e, lounged around a blazing fire near the beach. Slumped in the sand or seated on kegs, they sloshed rum and guffawed as the seemingly endless entourage of the rich Jew gathered below the cliffs, the comedians and rakes among them telling ribald tales or rating the women who came into view. They wondered dimly where room would be found on the two small s.h.i.+ps for all these people.
As midnight approached, an inventive seaman began to describe his rambling scenario of how the Venetian galleys small hold would be piled high with squirming bodies-”a sardine orgy,” he concluded, vulgar laughter and additional remarks being cast toward the refugee party.
Then the fight broke out.
Two big men from the entourage separated from the others. One ran toward the Spanish sailors, only to be tackled from behind by the other, and the slugfest was on. The Spaniards roared with delight to witness this spontaneous exhibition of their favorite sport, as the pair of burly combatants blasted each other with prodigious blows and mighty kicks.
They chose sides and rooted l.u.s.tily for their champions, taking no notice of the gathering band of men from the caravan who circled about them, shouting for the battlers to stop. Other disguised renegades and mercenaries casually dispersed through the village, taking up strategic positions.
On a prearranged signal, all the noncombatants-both on the sh.o.r.e and aboard the loaded Portuguese carac-dropped to the ground and covered their heads. Pistols and blades appeared with a concerted rasping din, and the surprised sailors were overtaken without a shot or a sword crossing. Their weapons were confiscated, and they were hastily huddled into a makes.h.i.+ft prisoner compound.
Gonji came forward. ”Yoi!” he said, beaming and clapping both Buey and Corsini on the backs. Blood streamed from a dozen facial wounds on the pair as they bellowed a joint laugh and gripped arms.
”One h.e.l.luva belter, you are,” Corsini praised, spitting out a b.l.o.o.d.y tooth.
”Youre not too bad yourself, Napoli,” the Ox replied. He rubbed his aching jaw, working it around gently. ”I bear you no more grudge, Ill say that.”
The skeleton crew aboard the wars.h.i.+p took note, though they were unsure exactly what had happened. The s.h.i.+ps port guns were quickly loaded and trained on the cliff face, where the remaining fighting men and supplies were rushed down toward the beach.
”Keep your heads down!” Gonji commanded.
A whistling volley of arrows and bolts launched out from the crags to bristle the wars.h.i.+p. At least one sailor had been hit. The crew rea.s.sembled at their gun ports as the second volley swept aboard, fortified now by fire from the beach, the planks chattering with the staccato sound of biting arrowheads.
The silent form of the werewolf glided up on the unattended, starboard side of the galleon. Clawing up the hull, he unfurled to his full, towering height, displaying his talons on the rail like some night-demon, emitting a blood-chilling howl. Sailors screamed and lost their nerve in the face of this seven-and-a-half-foot apparition, the dripping golden beast posing in bipedal animal fury.
Pistols came out of the belts of the more courageous souls, but the beast was on the move at once, barreling into a frenzied knot of sailors and driving them toward their fellows. Two pistols cracked off errant shots-blades were drawn and quickly discarded-men began to leap overboard for their lives, their panic infecting their mates.
On sh.o.r.e, renegades and sailors alike observed the eerie event through the s.h.i.+mmering haze cast by the beach blazes. When the last sailor had thrown himself overboard, Simon stood alone in the prow, howling piercingly into the sky before dropping to all fours and shuddering the seawater from his moon-bronzed fur.
The wars.h.i.+ps pilot was brought before Gonji and Salguero. Shucking the mercenarys grip on his arms with a ground-out curse, he eyed them in turn.
”Filthy traitor!” he shot at the captain. ”What is all this about? Are you brigands or just escaped lunatics?”
”Calm yourself, pilot. Im afraid this was necessary. You see, we need your s.h.i.+p.” Salguero broke away from them and began loading the people and supplies into rowboats and dinghies, moving them out to the galleon. The sodden watch from the s.h.i.+p dragged themselves fearfully onto the sh.o.r.e, held at bay by pistol-armed mercenaries. Most of them still craned their necks back to where the monstrous form of the werewolf loomed over the deck, certain that it would pursue them.
”You-” the pilot said to Gonji, his face contorting with sudden recognition. ”You can only be the notorious barbarian from the East. And that monster-its your friend, isnt it?”
Gonji looked out to the s.h.i.+p. ”Just a man who suffers under a curse he didnt invite. Both of us, actually. None of your men will be harmed as long as you dont resist. So sorry. We have to get all these people to safe harbor. We have horses and wagons on the cliffs up there. Theyre yours, if you want them.”
”I heard they torched you,” the pilot said.
”I came back,” Gonji answered absently.
Villagers began streaming toward the sh.o.r.e, reacting in horror to see the beast on the wars.h.i.+p, casting about in confusion to see the captive crew.
”Heyyyyyy!” Orozcos voice called out from the crags. ”Theyre coming! The knights!”
Gonjis eyes went from the sergeant to the scrabbling forms descending the trail. Cardenas was bellowing at him, his face livid in the dancing firelight.
”b.a.s.t.a.r.d! he was shouting at Gonji. ”I told you to let me go-now I cant even get away from here without being murdered as one of you!”
They rushed the people aboard the galleon. The crew of Jacobs Venetian galley were transferred to the captured wars.h.i.+p, Neriah and Salguero joining them as the captain and half his remaining renegade lancers-those who were with families-rea.s.sembled in accordance with the boarding plan.
”Hurry, Gonji,” Salguero called from the wave-slapped s.h.i.+p. ”I dont want to fire on those knights.”
Gonji brought his fighting party together and began ordering them into the returning rowboats along with the supplies.
One of Corsinis band was holding Cardenas back from engaging Gonji. The solicitor had lost all control now, his tirade-half-directed against Gonji, half lamenting his ever-widening separation from his family-breaking down into angry, frustrated sobbing.
”Take him aboard the galley,” Gonji said distractedly, watching the last of the entourage running down the trail, Orozco bringing up the rear.