Birds of Prey - Smith Wilbur (версия книг TXT) 📗
From the corner of his eye he saw Sabah break and run, throwing aside his sword and scurrying for the hatch to hide below decks. Hal hated him for it. It takes but one coward to start a rout. But Sabah never reached the hatch. A tall black-bearded pirate sent a thrust through the small of his back that came out through his belly-button.
Another hour on the practice field might have saved him, Hal thought fleetingly, then concentrated all his mind and strength on the four men who crowded forward, yammering like hyenas around their bleeding prey, to engage him.
Hal killed one with a thrust under his raised arm into his heart and disarmed another with a neat slash across his wrist that severed his straining sinews. The sword dropped from the man's fingers and he ran screaming across the deck and threw himself, bleeding, overboard. Hal's other two attackers drew back in fear, and in the respite he looked around for Sam Bowles.
He saw him in the back of the horde, keeping carefully out of the worst of it, screaming orders and threats at his men, his ferrety features twisted with malice.
"Sam Bowles!" Hal shouted at him. "I have you in my eye." Over the heads of the men between them, Sam looked across at him and there was sudden terror in his pale, close set eyes.
"I am coming for you now!" Hal roared, and bounded forward, but three men were in his way. In the seconds it took him to beat them aside and clear a path for himself, Sam had darted away and hidden himself in the throng.
Now the pirates clamoured about Hal like jackals around a lion. For a moment he fought side by side with Daniel and saw with amazement that the big man was wounded in a dozen places. Then he felt the hilt of the cutlass sticky in his hand as though he had scooped honey from a jar with his fingers. He realized that it was not honey but his own blood. He, too, was wounded, but in the heat of it all he felt no pain and fought on.
"Beware, Sir Hal!" Big Daniel roared, close beside him in the confusion. "The stern!"
Hal jumped back, disengaging from the fight, and looked back. Daniel's warning had come just in time to save him. Sam Bowles was at the rail of the stern overlooking the lower deck. There was a heavy bronze murderer in the slot of the rail and Sam had a lighted match in his hand as he swivelled and aimed the small hand cannon. He had picked out Hal from the press of fighting men and the murderer was aimed at him. Sam touched the match to the pan of the cannon.
In the instant before it fired Hal leaped forward, seized the pirate in front of him around his waist and lifted him off his feet. The man yelled with surprise as Hal held him like a shield, just as the murderer fired and a gale of lead shot swept the deck. Hal felt the body of the man in his arms jump as half a dozen heavy pellets smashed into him. He was dead even before Hal dropped him to the deck.
But the shot had done fearful slaughter among the crew of the Golden Bough, who were grouped close around where Hal stood. Three were down and kicking in their own blood while another two or three had been struck and were struggling to stay on their feet.
The pirates saw that this sudden onslaught had tipped the balance in their favour and surged forward in a pack, Sam urging them on with excited cries. Like a cracked dam Hal's men started to give way. They were seconds from total rout when from over the rail behind the raging rabble of pirates rose a great black tattooed face.
Aboli let out a bellow that froze them all where they stood, and ashe sprang over the rail he was followed closely by three other huge shapes, each with cutlass in hand. They had killed five men before the pirates had gathered themselves to face this fresh onslaught.
Those around Hal were given new heart. they rallied to Hal's hoarse shouts and, with Big Daniel leading them, rushed back into the fight. Caught between Aboli with his savages and the rejuvenated seamen, the pirates wailed with despair and fled. Those unable to swim scuttled down the hatchways into the bowels of the frigate while the others rushed to the rail and jumped overboard.
The fight was over and the frigate was theirs. "Where is Sam Bowles?"Hal shouted across at Daniel.
"I saw him run below."
Hal hesitated a moment, fighting the temptation to rush after him and have his revenge. Then, with an effort, he thrust it aside and turned to his duty.
"There will be time for him later." He strode to the captain's place on the quarterdeck and surveyed his ship. Some of his men were firing their pistols over the side at the men splashing and swimming towards the beach. "Avast that nonsense!" he shouted at them. "Stand by to get the ship under way. The Buzzard will be upon us at any moment now."
Even the strangers he had released from the hold rushed to obey his command, for they recognized the tone of authority.
Then Hal dropped his voice. "Aboli and Master Daniel, get the women on board. As quick as you can." While they ran to the entry port he turned his full attention to the management of the frigate.
The topmast men were already half-way up the shrouds, and another gang was manning the capstan to weigh the anchor.
"No time for that," Hal told them. "Take an axe to the anchor cable and cut us free." He heard the clunk of the axe into the timbers at the bows, and felt the ship pay off and swing to the ebb.
He glanced towards the entry port and saw Aboli lift Sukeena onto the deck. Big Daniel had little Bobby weeping on his chest and Zwaantie on his other arm.
The main sail blossomed out high above Hal's head, flapped lazily and filled with the gentle night breeze. Hal turned to the helm and felt another great lift of his heart as he saw that Ned Tyler was already at the whipstall.
"Full and by, Mister Tyler,"he said. "Full and by it is, Captain." "Steer for the main channel!" "Aye, Captain!" Ned could not suppress his grin, and Hal grinned back at him.
