He knew the island’s climate was always quite dry, but the more humid air over the surrounding sea had produced an almost surreal ring of haze which framed the scene before him in a curtain of gray-white. As the master of the Phoebus stood beside the rail he peered through the wispy vapors toward the low sandy coastline. There he saw the last of the lighters being loaded with sacks for return to his vessel. The gangs of laborers would begin embarking soon after that. He had made this same journey for salt between Bermuda and Grand Turk Island several times in the past, each one seemingly more profitable than the last. However, it was certain that nothing he had done before would be able to compare with the success of the current voyage. It was almost too good to be true.With his new larger ship, built of sturdy durable Bermuda cedar, he was able to haul more of the precious crystalline commodity back to his home port. Obtaining enough of the ‘white gold’, as he loved to call it, to f

“I’m fortunate enough to have a first lieutenant with extensive knowledge of encryption methods who completed the task quite admirably, yes.”“Well then, let me begin with our friend, the Frenchman Monsieur LaTour. I trust you’ve heard a great deal about him and his exploits?”“Perhaps more than I ever could have wanted to hear,” Allison answered. “To think, one man has managed to cow the citizens of New Providence so deeply when the war itself harbors the promise of so many more and greater dangers.”“Believe me, Captain,” Gambles said, looking more serious than he had up until now, “what you’ve just described goes perhaps two or threefold for the people of this island. As anyone knows, there are many, many more corsairs - as the damnable French governor of Martinique is fond of calling them - employed by France than just Gaston LaTour. However, he’s certainly the most popular by far, due in great part to what he’s done in these waters.”“I take it from your comment that LaTour was

Bidding his host a respectful good-bye and thanking him once more, Allison stepped outside and into the waiting vehicle, which began to roll forward at the crack of the driver’s whip. Looking out the open window back toward the Gambles residence, he watched the lights at the front door shrink and recede into the nighttime darkness, once again becoming a single point of light, before the carriage regained the main road and turned westward.It had been an enjoyably cordial means of bringing the evening to a close, even if his storytelling had caused him to lose his sense of time. However, now that it was over and he sat alone in the dimly-lit interior of the carriage, the less than desirable feelings which had begun to assault him upon learning of Thorpe’s demise started to resurface. The growing frustration, blended with genuine anger, fought with his sense of reason and rapidly consumed his every thought. He knew that Thorpe’s death had nothing to do with him or the efforts of his ha

After another minute or two, it seemed as though he had moved beyond the area on which his attackers were concentrating their use of the grenades, since the explosions seemed to be going off well behind him. At any rate, their supply could not be inexhaustible and by this time nearly a dozen had to have been expended. That was only half the concern, however, as he knew he was probably obliging their assumed purpose of forcibly expelling him from the dense plant growth. As if confirming that very thought, the thick clouds which had blanketed the night sky slowly drifted apart to reveal a bright half moon. This gave off just enough illumination for him to see that he was reaching what appeared to be the field’s edge. Instinctively, he dropped down to crawl the remainder of the way toward where the moonlight looked to be brighter while doing his best to keep quiet and not rustle the stalks in any indicative manner. As he did so, the explosions appeared to stop.Nearing the edge, he found

“Given my experience, I wouldn’t deem it truly safe for anyone wearing these blue uniforms to travel alone on the island right now. Sergeant White is a decent horseman; we’ll see if William might have another two or three amongst his detail. Then I’ll provide you with some coin from what we’ve been given to hire mounts so you can ride, escorted, to the Blevins’ plantation.”Caldwell suddenly blanched.“What... what name did you... I’m sorry Captain, what was that name again?”“The Blevins family, Henry. Gambles did mention them didn’t he?” Allison asked, though neither he nor Deakins really noticed Caldwell’s reaction.“Um... no sir. I think he neglected to mention their actual name,” he answered truthfully enough, though something was definitely agitating him.Still neither of his companions took note of his perturbed state.“Their lands are close by, not far south of town,” Allison went on. “Still, I think you’ll be grateful for not having to make the trip on foot. In the meantime