Chapter 209 - Paralysis (2/2)
However, the frigate wasn’t holding up any longer, as the captain had already started sending desperate signals for help to the commander of their mothership.
The Spanish commander looked at the swaying Swordfish in the distance with a bitter look in his eyes. That ship was at the very end of her tether. Two more volleys and she would be done for. After that, they could go on and attack the other pirate ship, thus completely wiping out this gang of wicked robbers, once and for all.
There was nothing wrong with the plan itself, except that the Spanish commander did not expect the Jackdaw to be so potent. If this went on, and even if he exterminated the two pirate ships, it might just cost him an entire frigate, a price he wasn’t willing to pay. In frustration, he signaled to the other two in his fleet, instructing them to switch targets. He would have them give up on the Swordfish and take it all out on the Jackdaw instead.
Despite everything, Zhang Heng’s objective had been achieved, and he was already turning around to leave the battlefield. Then, out of the blue, at the very last minute, he decided to change direction abruptly. Now, they weren’t heading to Parrot Island as initially planned!
“Captain?” asked a very puzzled Billy.
“Our opponent’s commander is no slouch. We only have two ships, and yet, we had the nerve to attack them. If we head for Parrot Island, wouldn’t he grow suspicious?”
“But what if they all decide to come after us?”
“The probability of that happening is minuscule. The Swordfish is practically in a critical condition, and with two of her masts gone, she’s now very slow. If you were to be them, which ship would you choose to go after?”
As if confirmation of Zhang Heng’s conjecture, all three Spanish ships gave up chasing the Jackdaw and turned around to pursue Swordfish again.
The Spanish commander, looking down with indignant disgruntlement. He had been in charge of this route for ten years, and through that period, never once had pirates dared provoke them. If he’d allow those infernal pirates to get away without paying a hefty price, it would be too good to be true for them.
The Swordfish was once the fastest three-masted vessel in all of the oceans. However, at the current state of her hull, she was half as fast as what she used to be. Moreover, they were still some distance away from Parrot Island. In the past, such a small distance would not have bothered Brook, but right now, every minute felt like an hour.
Seeing how close the three Spanish ships had come, and having no way getting rid of them, Brook’s forehead broke out with streams of cold sweat. All too soon, the bow of a Spanish frigate was almost touching the stern of the crippled Swordfish! But then, the Jackdaw, well on her way to the other side, turned around again! With their chief gunner manning the ship’s main cannon, they began harassing the warship dead ahead of the Swordfish, giving Brook and his battered ship a much-needed chance for a breather.
Brook had his men tried desperately to lighten their ailing boat, throwing away every heavy object they did not need. The weight-loss exercise helped it inch faster by half a knot. Nonetheless, it was this half a knot that saved the Swordfish in this pivotal moment.
The Spanish commander became inconsolably outraged by his opponent’s constant outmaneuvering. Zhang Heng’s earlier escape in the other direction had debilitated him. In the past, whenever he encountered islands or terrain that hindered his field of vision, he would instinctively be on high alert. Right now, though, he was overcome by a crazed urge. Seeing that he was so very close to sinking the Swordfish, he had lost all means to think clearly.