Part 11 (1/2)

86.

He reminded himself that she had talked more on the beach than he had ever heard her, but that was obviously credited to the fact that she was more comfortable talking about s.h.i.+ps than any other subject.

Dallas hoped that if she were really knowledgeable, he would learn some things from her, but he had no illusions. She was young and timid, and Dallas believed he would learn more from her s.h.i.+p and her men than he would from her.

He wouldn't have admitted it to his family because they all liked her so well, but in the brief time that he had known he would be sailing with theAramis, Dallas had convinced himself that Smokey must be little more than a mascot.

The big man he had seen with her in London was her first mate, a man named Da.r.s.ey Dallas knew he was almost as well known as Smoke. As soon as Dallas remembered who the man was, he realized that he must be the driving force behind Smoke. It was like this with many s.h.i.+p's captains--Smokey owned the s.h.i.+p, Da.r.s.ey did all the work, but as owner and captain, Smokey took the credit.

An hour later, as Da.r.s.ey introduced himself to Dallas and showed him to the crew's quarters, Dallas was more convinced than ever about Smokey's uselessness aboard s.h.i.+p. In his thrill of being on theAramis, he forgot just how much his own first mate did for him on the Zephyr. His mind even went so far as to feel a bit of disgust that Smokey couldn't stay home where she belonged.

She hadn't really struck him as that kind, but she was clearly the type of female who had to have attention. He figured she must have inherited the s.h.i.+p from her father and then gotten it into her foolish, female head to be a captain. He tried to adjust his att.i.tude as he stowed his gear for the voyage.

Dallas would have been amazed to learn that Smokey and Da.r.s.ey had run into sentiment like this before. He would have been surprised beyond speech if he had known that Da.r.s.ey had interpreted most of his thoughts on their first meeting.

87.

As the first mate made his way topside, he hid a smile Mr. Knight would have to find out the hard way that loke Simmons was no figurehead Their first morning at sea, Smokey sat at the desk in her cabin and pored over her maps. She had to be in Savannah by tomorrow morning and then into Florida the morning after.

That would mean their trip to China Island would have to wait until the end of next week A knock on her cabin door interrupted her thoughts.

”Come in,” she called Da.r.s.ey entered and shut the door behind him. The chair he took creaked under his weight as he made himself comfortable in the small s.p.a.ce.

”Did Dallas get settled?” Smokey wanted to know.

”I believe he did”

”What did you think of him?”

Da.r.s.ey grinned. ”I think we've got another one who's giving me more credit than I deserve.”

”Oh, no.” Smokey's look was one of exasperation. ”I really thought better of him than that. Oh, well, we won't be out that long.”

”Long enough for him to learn he's wrong,” Da.r.s.ey said, a mischievous glint appearing in his eye.

'You don't really think we're going to tangle, do you? I mean, he will take orders, won't he?”

”That's up to himvnow, isn't it, la.s.s?” Da.r.s.ey spoke honestly.

Smokey agreed with a nod ”I guess it Is, but you know, since I'm not out to prove anything, you could simply handle all problems on this trip.”

”That's true, but it's unlikely that such a plan would last for more than a day.”

Smokey laughed He was right. It was just as she'd said to

88.

no Dallas, captains did not make good crewmen, and she was exception.

By the time the Aramis pulled into the port of Savannah, Dallas had all but forgotten Smokey's presence on board, which only confirmed his earlier belief that she was quite useless as a captain. With this in mind, he was surprised to hear her greet him as she came onto the deck. He had begun to think she preferred to spend all her time in her cabin.

”Good morning, Dallas/' Smokey said congenially as she moved past him and approached Scully He noticed that she was dressed as she had been in London--baggy clothes, black boots, knit cap, and all. She stopped next to Scully and waited for him to face her. Dallas, without effort, overheard their conversation.

”You've got a few hours, Scully, to make sure you're ready.”

Her voice was a bit stern. ”If you don't have proper food on this trip, I won't be at all happy.”

”Aye, missy,” Scully said with a frown, and Smokey turned away.

Dallas had to duck his head in order to hide his expression. So, she*saprima donna to boot/He didn't knowwhen he had been more repulsed. He watched as she went below. A minute later Da.r.s.ey appeared Da.r.s.ey handled the load and later the casting off, and although Dallas did his Job silently and efficiently, he was beginning to feel a strong aversion to his captain.

malice 2 * P ”” ^^^ Dallas> duties were mini'

mai once they were out at sea, and he found himself feeling a

89.

little bit of heaven on earth. In just a few days' time, he had become adept at ignoring Smokey and at the same time studying her clipper.

Dallas had never been on a s.h.i.+p that could move with such speed. The Aramis was a yare vessel, and he had never seen her equal. She cut through the water with the ease of a sharp blade against tender beef. If he hadn't understood before, it became increasingly clear now why this boat was in and out of port before the Zephyr could even get moving. The cut of her bow, the placement of the sail--in fact everything Dallas could see--contributed to her grace and speed He smiled to himself on more than one occasion as he worked There may he aspects of this job I don't enjoy, but studying this craft more than makes up for every one of them.

The afternoon of the sixth day saw Smokey on the deck more than any other day previous. Quiet as they sailed, she allowed Da.r.s.ey to handle most everything, but her eyes were watchful. Everyone on deck knew that the s.h.i.+p would be in the midst of a storm before the night was through. What remained a mystery was how hard it would hit, and for how long.

The afternoon was swiftly disappearing when they moved into heavy cloud cover. The north wind seemed to pick up as if by magic, but still no rain fell. The wind had begun to whip the craft as though the magnificent clipper were but a toy. Hoping to beat the rain that was sure to come, the crew was lowering the sails as fast as they could They worked fast and hard, but the wind was stronger and trouble came. Smokey had never left the helm, so no one had to summon her when the rigging of the mainsail would not come loose. The sail had to come down or be ripped to shreds.