Skulls, Bones and Flowers 7

When she and Nyala were dragged down into the ship’s hull, Daisy shuddered. For obvious reasons, she had studied the history of slavery in the West Indies, and she was haunted by depictions of between decks, where dozens or hundreds of blacks had been chained close to each other, forced to suffer on half a square meter each. She tried to break free, but the two men grabbing her arms were no weaklings, and when she staggered along a dark passage, her throat felt like sandpaper.

Her worst nightmares didn’t come true, though. Before the pirates had taken over the vessel, it had been an ordinary salesman’s ship, and in the load, it had an open box where up to two horses could be transported, secured by ropes, so they wouldn’t slip when the ship swayed. The men pushed Daisy and Nyala inside the boxes, and one of them even brought some old sacks and placed them on the planks whilst the girls had to sit down, leaning against opposite walls. With ropes, their crossed wrists were tied to rings above their heads. When Daisy couldn’t oppress a whimper, one of the men produced a rag and stuffed it into her mouth. Then, he produced a stick with two straps tied to it. It was forced between her teeth and knotted tightly at her nape, so the stick prevented her from spitting out her gag. Daisy grunted angrily, but the men now produced a longer stick. One let it swish through the air and chuckled when Nyala twitched. Then, it was placed between the girls who were sitting some two yards apart from each other. Daisy’s left foot was crossed with Fleur’s right and tied together, then fixed to one end of the stick. The procedure was repeated to their other ankles, and now, the two had to sit with their legs open. Daisy knew that now, only the thin layer of her white panties lay between her womanhood and the men’s eyes (and hands). In addition, they now could no longer raise.

She forced herself not to squirm and moan when two of the pirates bent over her, fondling her breast and feeling between her legs. However, they seemed to have orders not to go too far, for after some groping, they left. Daisy, her cheeks burning from hate and embarrassment, panted, looking at Nyala who still had her pants and shirt, and who stared at her over her gag.

»Mph!«

The girl answered with a tremble, and then, tears ran down Nyala’s cheeks. Daisy could only guess what she felt, with her sister just having stepped back into her life, only to be overpowered minutes later. She thought of mumbling something soothing through her gag, but instead, she moved her foot a bit, so it brushed over Nyala’s. The girl, obviously a bit ticklish, twitched, but then, she seemed to notice it was meant kind, for she calmed down a bit, and in her eyes, Daisy could see gratefulness.

»Seems I am the big sister now!«, Daisy thought, »And like Sayana, I can’t do anything to protect you from things to come!«

***

In their tiny cabin, Lilly, Nesrin and Marguerite were trying to cope with their situation the best they could. The pirates left them alone, though two of them were somewhere in the corridor, guarding the door whilst gambling, and the narrow window would be too small to allow them escaping either. Not that they would have gotten very far, with nothing on them but two pairs of panties for three girls, and no boat.

Lilly nevertheless looked out of the window, watching the glistering waves and the clouds. It wasn’t the hope for rescue in a century where all her friends were on this ship, but her buttocks still tingled and so, she didn’t want to sit down on the bunk bed.

Behind her back, Nesrin and Marguerite stood face to face, still holding each other’s hands. Just to break the silence that felt exciting and awkward at the same time, Nesrin said:

»At least, you can cover yourself a bit!«

She reached for Marguerite’s head and brushed through her long golden curls, draping her tresses over her breasts. Marguerite’s hair almost reached her hips, and indeed, it protected her boobs from view, though it wasn’t long enough to cover everything. Nesrin had to force herself not to glimpse at the thatch of light brown hair between Marguerite’s legs. The blonde showed a shy smile.

»Your hair’s too short to cover anything!«

Actually, Nesrin’s black curls reached to her shoulders, and she had always been considered long-haired. However, in this time, it would have been a short haircut for a woman. She noticed that Marguerite looked at her breasts, and she blushed slightly, but resisted the urge to cover them with her hands.

»One thing«, Marguerite began, her voice sounding hoarse, and her fingers that had reached for Nesrin’s hands again now feeling cold and sweaty, »what’s the matter with these numbers and letters the men red from your-«

She didn’t know the word »bra«, but Nesrin understood. Not turning around to them, Lilly scoffed, and though she felt her cheeks turn crimson, she stammered:

»I-it’s for m-measurement! The-the n-number is – is th-that area!«

She loosened her fingers and encircled her upper body, just below her breasts. Then, she let out a fluttering breath as Marguerite traced a line around her, too. Then, her hands almost touching her boobs, she whispered:

»And the letters?«

»It’s the cup’s size!«, Lilly said over her shoulder, her voice trembling from oppressed laughter. Marguerite raised an eyebrow and looked questioningly, and Nesrin forced herself to explain:

»The cups are the – things covering the breasts! The-the higher the letter, the bigger!«

Marguerite seemed to understand, but now, they heard a chortle, as Lilly no longer could hold back her giggle. She turned around, wiping her eyes.

»Sorry, but this is too absurd?«

Nesrin tried to look angry, but a second later, both girls burst out laughing. Marguerite didn’t seem to get the pun, but since she was in an equally mental state, she also joined in, letting out some of the tension of the last day. For the moment, they were just three girls who were laughing at a funny situation.

They were interrupted by one of the pirates, but though he of course looked at their bodies, he just handed them a basket. Lilly opened it, finding some bread, cheese and salted meat, together with a bottle that contained wine. When Lilly asked for some water, too, he looked at her as if she had lost her marbles, but after some time, he brought them a bucket with water that didn’t look too dirty, too.

»If we also had some clothes and some very soft pillows to sit upon, it could almost be called decent!«, Lilly constated, and Nesrin scoffed whilst trying to get a bite from the relatively hard bread. Marguerite broke some of it, soaked it into the wine, and held it to her lips.

Lilly suddenly felt a sting of jealousy; not because she was interested in Nesrin, but these two seemed to develop a more cordial relationship whilst she was left apart. So, just to dampen the mood, she sighed:

»I hope they show some kindness to Daisy and Nyala, too!«

***

In the load, Nyala had stopped sobbing, but now, she was suffering from a hiccup, forcing her to repeatedly send funny noises through her gag. Under other circumstances, it would have been ridiculous, but Daisy just felt pity for the girl, though she was little better off. Her fingers felt numb, and despite her efforts, she hadn’t been able to loosen a single knot. The stick pressed against the corners of her mouth, and the cloth she had been gagged with had obviously been used to wipe off the previous owner’s sweat.

Suddenly, they heard steps, and then, a man stepped into the box. It was the bulky pirate, the one nicknamed »Little John«, and he had to crouch as he entered the box. Nyala looked up at him, and she chortled and twitched as yet another hiccup shook her. The man chuckled.

»Too much rum, little flower, eh?«

He spoke English, and Daisy was sure that Nyala didn’t understand his words, but she obviously noticed his friendly tone. Once again, she produced a funny sound, and, still chuckling, he bent down to the girl, brushing over her cheek.

»You promise not to scream?«

Obviously, he took Nyala’s look as a »yes«, for he loosened the knot of her cleave gag and then plucked the rag from her mouth. Nyala panted, and she obviously wanted to thank him, but instead, all that came out was »Hick!«. When Little John laughed, she complained:

»That isn’t funny!«

However, Daisy could hear that she was rather pouting than feeling scared or angry. To her surprise, Little John now produced a ladle and let her drink some water from a nearby bucket. Daisy mewed, but the man ignored her and looked at Nyala instead. She once again hiccupped, followed by a chuckle that showed she was feeling slightly embarrassed.

»These guys want to sell us to the highest bidder! Don’t bond too much with them!«, Daisy thought, but Nyala just looked at Little John who now, surprisingly gentle for such a large and athletic man, brushed over the girl’s cheek. Then, he suddenly raised his hands.

»Booo!«

Nyala shrieked, and Daisy also gasped, but then, Nyala giggled, though it turned out that scaring the girl also hadn’t worked.

»Seems that I only know one last cure!«

Nyala looked questioningly, and daisy could see her eyes widen before the girl disappeared from view as Little John bent forward. There was some oppressed mewing, followed by chortling, and Daisy, though she could only see the back of the man’s head, knew that he was kissing her. She pulled on the stick their legs were tied to, but the man ignored her and continued his kiss.

»Poor girl!«, Daisy thought, but then, as the kiss continued, she could tell from the sounds Nyala made that she was no longer trying to fight Little John off. Instead, she obviously responded to his kiss, and when he withdrew from her, Daisy spotted her moist lips and the excited expression on her face.

»I hope it helped, Fleur!«

Little John was grinning, and his smile told daisy that, despite him being at least 6’4’’ and looking as if he could single-handedly carry a cannon, he was little more than a boy, maybe just 19 or 20. And obviously, he did see more than a pair of breasts in Nyala – or Fleur, as the Whites called her.

The girl didn’t protest as he kissed her again, and then, she reared up and mewed as Little John’s hand wandered into her shirt. Daisy had to watch as he opened her shirt and began massaging Nyala’s boobs whilst still kissing her. His lower legs brushed over Daisy’s calves, but she couldn’t help it, even if the touch tickled her and caused her to twitch.

»Great! Soon, I will have his hairy white ass moving up and down right in front of me!«

Again, Daisy groaned angrily, but the two ignored her, and she watched Little John shift his position as he pushed his giant hand between Nyala’s legs. Then, the faint sound of a bell could be heard from above.

»Fuck!«, John complained when the sound had found a way into his ears and to his brain that was currently only badly supplied with blood. He withdrew and mumbled an excuse before he tried to show a clumsy gentleness whilst gagging the girl again. As he got up and left, Daisy could see that Nyala’s shirt gaped open, and her nipples seemed to point directly at her. She seemed to feel embarrassed when she caught Daisy’s look, and she lowered her head.

»If he comes back, don’t forget to think of me, too!«, she thought as she tried to listen what had caused the sound of the bell.

»Maybe, it’s the Royal Navy, or the French Navy, hunting for pirates!«

However, it would be of no big help for them, even if the ship got conquered by some representatives of the authorities. According to these, she and Nyala would still be slaves, and the best she could hope for was that when Nyala was given back to her Mistress, she would be able to persuade her to buy her, too.

***

 Two decks above, the three captives had quenched their thirst and stilled their hunger and thus, they felt more confident that they would figure out something to at least get from the ship. Then, they had heard the bell, followed by shouting and the sound of feet on the planks.

Nesrin looked out of the window, only to see an approaching ship, looking considerably bigger than the one they were on. Before she could tell her friends, however, the door burst open, and three or four pirates led them to the Captain’s cabin. The man awaited them, together with the Quartermaster, and Lilly noticed that both men now wore coloured coats and had put on bandeliers with pistols and a cutlass. With the arm that was not held by one of the pirates, she covered her breasts, though the men had seen them already.

»Seems we are getting company – so, things could get a bit rough!«

At that moment, another man stumbled inside. He looked at the girls; then, he went for the Captain and the Quartermaster and whispered something. The Quartermaster cursed, and the Captain also didn’t seem pleased by the latest news.

»Well, we can’t act other than like Gentlemen! Dip the Jolly Roger, so they know who we are!«

Marguerite, who hadn’t understood the English conversation, now asked what was going on, and Lilly also forced herself to speak up.

»I-Is it the R-Royal Navy?«

She had seen a few pirate movies, and she definitely didn’t want to be present when the ships fired broadsides on each other. The Captain scoffed before he showed a forced grin.

»Royal it is, but it’s the ›Royal Fortune‹!«

Lilly just blinked, but Nesrin, who had done more research on Caribbean piracy, whispered:

»The ship of Bartholomew Roberts!«

»Right! Black fucking Bart! Scourge of the Seas!«

Now, Lilly remembered to have heard about the most infamous pirate of this time. However, wasn’t the Captain a colleague of Roberts, so to say?

As on keyword, a cannon shot could be heard, and the girls gasped, but the Captain chuckled grimly.

»Just a salute from our – friends!«

He spat the last word; then, he obviously decided to explain his dilemma to his captives:

»The ›Royal Fortune‹ has got three times as many men and twice as many guns as we do! So, if Black Bart decides that we should join in his plans, we better don’t hesitate too long! However, the plan of abducting Comte de Rey’s daughter was my plan alone – and I won’t share the profit with anyone but my crew!«

He made a gesture, and now, the men quickly sprang to action. Before Lilly or Nesrin could react, a man had slung an arm around their lower faces from behind, whilst two others forced Marguerite onto the Captain’s bed. The blonde squealed, and Nesrin screamed into the crook of the arm of the man holding her, but they had to watch helplessly as Marguerite was tied into a tight bundle.

Her wrists were tied palm to palm; then, a rope was tied to her left elbow, and the pirate threaded it under her right upper arm then. The rope went above Marguerite’s breasts, under her left upper arm, and over her left elbow. When the man now pulled, the girl’s elbows were forced together, and her bare breasts thrust out. Marguerite groaned from pain, but the man led the rope under her breasts and then pulled again, until her elbow joints met. Only then, he tied it off, and then, the two men tied Marguerite’s legs.

»Mmhrrmm!«

In a fit of rage, Nesrin bit the arm of the man holding her, and she wanted to get to Marguerite, but was pulled back. Then, she was pushed against the banister. Nesrin gasped when her sore buttocks touched the wood, but before she could do anything, the pirate tied her wrists behind the post.

»Marguerite, I-oouuhhmmph!«

A rag was forced into Nesrin’s mouth, and then, another one with a knot in it was tied between her jaws. Obviously thinking to make sure Lilly wouldn’t try anything, she was tied to the other side of the post. It felt strange as Nesrin’s bound wrists touched her butt, and when her hands had been bound, her fingers brushed over Nesrin’s panty-clad pubic mound.

A rope was wound around their upper bodies several times and knotted off. Then, Lilly was gagged with a rag and a knotted cloth, too. So, she could only hear what was going on.

The men had tied Marguerite’s legs above and below the knees and at her ankles. Now, one of the pirates tied her ankle tie off to her elbows, forcing her into a hogtie. Marguerite, her blue eyes filled with tears, looked at Nesrin and croaked her name. The Captain, suddenly grinning, asked:

»You want to stay with your friends?«

When Marguerite just stared at him, he pointed at Nesrin and asked:

»Tu amie?«

Despite his terrible French, she seemed to understand, for Marguerite nodded slightly. The Captain now laughed, and his men joined in. Lilly could not see what was going on, but suddenly, Nesrin moaned and squirmed in her bonds. After a few seconds, Lilly could feel a terrible change: her fingers no longer felt cotton, but warm skin and curly hair. The Captain had taken off Nesrin’s panties!

»Uuhhmmph! Nnngggg!«

She protested helplessly when now, her own ankles were grabbed by one of the pirates, and then, the Captain slowly peeled down her own panties, too. His eyebrows raised, and Lilly couldn’t help blushing all over. During their ordeal on deck, no one had noticed the fact that she had shaved off her pubic hair, except for a narrow strip of dark hair. The Captain looked down on it, and he chuckled as he took off her panties.

»For her own safety, we will put Marguerite somewhere where she can’t be seen or heard! However, we will make sure that she will think of you two!«

»No! No! Noouuhhmmph!«

Nesrin watched with horror as a giant ball, consisting of her own white and purple panties, and Lilly’s black ones, was forced deeply into Marguerite’s oral cavity. One of the men had grabbed her hair and forced her head backwards, so she had to open her mouth and to accept the vile-tasting gag. The girl retched and groaned, but the pirate shoved the panties as far as he could. Then, a thin rag was tied tightly between her lips. Obviously taking the fact of Marguerite not being able to be heard seriously, another rag, with a knot in it, was tied above the cleave gag, followed by a broader band tied over her mouth. A scarf was then tied over her mouth and nose, and the pirate tied that off to the helpless girl’s big toes. Nesrin whimpered when now, Marguerite was carried away by two of the men. The Captain positioned himself so both she and Lilly could see him.

»Now, I will bid a friendly welcome to Captain Roberts! With a little bit of luck, none of his men will get here! So, staying quiet is also of your interest!«

***

Daisy and Nyala had gasped when they had heard the cannon shot: the cargo load was below the water line, and one accidental hit could cause them to drown. However, no second shot had followed, and soon, there had been distant shouting and laughing. Whoever had come alongside, it wasn’t an attacker.

Once more, Daisy flexed her fingers, trying to reach for the knots tying her to the ring above her head. The rope felt hard, being pulled so tight it almost cut off her circulation. She felt a tingle in her fingers, and she knew that soon, they would get numb.

Daisy forced herself to stop for a moment, to think what chances she stood. With her wrists free, she could remove her other bonds and the gag, and she would most likely also be able to free Nyala. She looked at the other girl she could barely make out in the dark, as now, the night had fallen. Only the white cloth of Nyala’s gag and her shirt were still visible.

»Mph! Uuuhmm!«

She gave the stick their feet were tied to a tug, but Nyala still didn’t react. Instead, she was still staring at the direction to which Little John had left.

»Does she really think this bastard will return, free her, and ride into the sunset with her?«

Suddenly, Daisy was overwhelmed with pity. Maybe, the girl had experienced her first kiss with that man, and she now thought that it was true love. Maybe, Little John wasn’t even a bad man. However, he sure wouldn’t turn against his comrades, and if he did, he wouldn’t be able to fight them all, despite his strength.

»Maybe, he will yell at his crew mates when they sell you at the slave market – but when they give him his share, he will just drown his grief with a bottle of rum!«

The thought was even more frustrating as it mirrored her own fate. Daisy knew that she was considered pretty, but this would maybe only make things worse: perhaps, her new owner would consider her to be a good concubine, and perhaps, she would end up the target of the man’s jealous wife, to be whipped for no other reason than being around.

»Mmhrrrrmmmm! Uuhhmmmph! Grrrhhrrrmmm!«

She pulled on her bonds and screamed into the rag stuffing her mouth, fighting helplessly until exhaustion forced her to stop. When she lay there, panting, she felt Nyala’s toes tenderly brush over her feet, and this friendly gesture in her dark world of horror finally caused her to sob.

***

Obviously, the pirates either played friendly or they just enjoyed a good party, for shortly after the other ship had come alongside, Lilly and Nesrin could hear talking, laughing and soon, music was played, too.

Lilly stared at the window, but she could hardly see anything. The pirates had left no light, and now, all she could see were a few reflexions of moonlight on the waves. Even if there had been potential rescuers, she wouldn’t have noticed.

»It’s just two dioptres! Damn, I have never felt so helpless without my glasses!«

Not that the girl would have needed a bad eyesight to feel helpless. The ropes tied her to the post, she was stark naked and gagged, and if the door opened, it would not be the cavalry, but some drunk pirates who would consider them two whores. Her butt was pressing against Nesrin’s hands, and whenever her friend moved her fingers, it felt more than awkward. Lilly’s legs were free, but there was nothing within reach that could help her.

On the post’s other side, Nesrin was little better off. She was also naked, bound and gagged, and in addition, she was fearing for Marguerite’s fate. Where had they brought her? Had they just stowed her somewhere in the load, so Roberts and his men wouldn’t see her?

She stared at the door leading to the short corridor that opened to the main deck. Then, her eyes wandered to the Captain’s bed, and she had to remember how the pirates had trussed up Marguerite, in front of her eyes. Nesrin whimpered, and she felt Lilly move. Though she tried to avoid touching her more than necessary, she couldn’t avoid that once again, her fingers brushed through Nesrin’s pubic hair.

Her eyes suddenly focussed on something. It was a knife, lying on the bed. The man who had tied up Marguerite’s legs had used it to cut the ropes. Nesrin stared at the knife, only visible as a dark shadow on the crumpled sheet.

The sheet!

Whilst the knife was clearly out of reach, she could touch the sheet with her toes if she stretched her leg. Nesrin did so, trying to get some of the linen between her toes. She gulped and cringed, for to do so, she had to open her legs, and now, Lilly’s fingers touched her labia, though involuntarily. Nesrin blushed, but she forced herself to continue pulling on the sheet.

Progress was slow, and she had to stop repeatedly to change for the other leg. Whenever she heard a louder yell or some closer steps, she feared that someone might burst inside, but finally, her toes touched the cold steel of the blade. Nesrin let out a fluttering breath; then, she hesitated: she had been able to move the cloth with her toes, and she could perhaps even lift the knife. But there was no chance she could use it to cut the ropes.

»Mhm? Uuhmm!«

Lilly, who had been aware that Nesrin was trying something, now wanted to know why she had stopped moving. When Nesrin felt the touch of her fingers on her most intimate spot, she knew that there was one possibility.

Biting down on her gag, she grabbed the knife with her toes and carefully lifted it. It landed on the floor, but she could grab it again. Now, distorting her leg, she tried to get it closer to Lilly’s fingers. It was terrible to see the other’s hands, but not being able to control them! What if Lilly didn’t understand what she had to do?

»Uuhhmmph! Mmhmmm!«

Nesrin’s toes cramped, and she let the knife go. She whimpered with frustration, but then, when she tried to find it on the floor, she noticed that instead, Lilly was holding it with two fingers. Not daring to breathe, she watched as Lilly managed to grab the handle.

The next minutes were horrifying and exciting at the same time. Nesrin was almost grateful for the spares lighting, as she could not see clearly how Lilly, unable to see what she was doing, was working with a blade so close to her crotch. Every second, she was sure that the knife would pierce her-

»Uuhhmph!«

The groan of frustration was accompanied by that of the knife landing on the floor. Its tip got stuck in the planks, and Nesrin knew she would not be able to pull it with her foot. She wanted to scream through her gag when she noticed that Lilly was twisting and flexing her wrists. This was accompanied by more touching and rubbing of her pubic area, but then, she could see Lilly’s wrists part.

»Mhhmmph! Uuhmm!«

Writhing and squirming against the post, Lilly managed to get her lower arms closer to herself. Her fingers tingled as circulation came back, but she forced herself to feel for any of the knots of the rope tying them to the post. Her butt grinded over Nesrin’s hands, but she persisted and when she felt a knot, she started to pick on it.

When the rope fell, both girls quite unceremoniously collapsed on the floor. After a few moments of catching breath, Lilly felt for the knife and carefully cut Nesrin’s wrist bonds. The girl immediately reached for her gag whilst Lilly undid her own. At the same second, both spat out the sodden rags, and, after some panting, they hugged each other.

»Now, let’s-«

At that moment, they heard the unsteady steps of someone staggering through the corridor, singing a shanty with more enthusiasm than skill. Nesrin stared at the door, petrified, when Lilly pulled on her arm.

»Come! Quick!«

She had opened the window, and the two girls jumped, landing in the water. Nesrin fought herself back to the surface, desperately trying to figure out if the approaching men had seen them. Beside her, she could see Lilly’s head, and she whispered:

»To the rudder!«

They silently swam the short distance to the rudder. It was rough and felt a bit slimy, but it was hidden under the overhanging stern, offering some protection from being seen. They heard some cursing and shouting, and with one hand at the rudder, the two girls cuddled closer to each other.

»Will they send a search party?«

»We’ll soon find out!«

If the pirates would set out a boat, they would stand no chance, for even if they dived, they could not stay below water forever. However, as time passed, they heard nothing but the sounds of the ship and the still partying pirates. Lilly grabbed Nesrin’s shoulder.

»Either he was too drunk to notice – or they think that we drowned!«

However, their situation was far from being rosy. Both were stark naked, and Lilly had not taken the knife with her. They knew that Martinique couldn’t be that far, but without knowing the exact direction, trying to swim two or three miles would be suicide.

»We can’t stay in the water forever, or we will freeze!«

Reflexively, they cuddled closer, but this would also not help for very long. The Caribbean Sea was quite warm, but after some hours, hypothermia could become a thing. Carefully, repeatedly looking up, they swam towards the ship’s side. Here, the bigger »Royal Fortune« was anchored some 100 yards away: since towing the two ships together would have made them unmaneuverable, the pirates had decided to use their yawls to get from one to the other. Two boats were currently towed at the ship’s side, and it seemed that no one was guarding them.

»Maybe, if they are drunk, they won’t even notice before dawn that we took one!«, Lilly began, but she stopped when something else came to her mind:

»Daisy! She’s still aboard!«

»And so’s Marguerite!«, Nesrin added. Lilly scoffed:

»And to get back to our time, we’ll need the help of Sayana!«

They heard some laughing from above, and they swam for the ship’s bow, where they could watch two or three men peeing in the water, accompanied by some comments from their comrades. They passed the bow, and Nesrin pointed at something. Above them, the anchor chain was swaying slightly as the ship moved with the waves.

»Is that our way back aboard?«, Nesrin asked hesitantly. Her climbing skills weren’t the best, if they existed at all. She let her eyes wander over the water when her eyes fell on something black, dumpling on the waves some 40 yards away.

»What’s that? Another boat?«

As if God had heard her question, the moon appeared from between the dark clouds, revealing that the swimming object instead was a raft. According to what Nesrin could see, it consisted of a wooden platform and a few barrels and boxes placed on it.

»What’s that? I mean, don’t you usually only use rafts if you’re shipwrecked?«

Impatiently, they waited until the moon had vanished again before they dared to swim over to the raft. As they approached, they could hear faint creaking, and for some reason, a flag on a post was fluttering in the mild breeze.

»I know what that is!«

Lilly had seen »Master and Commander«, and in one scene, the ship’s crew had used such a raft as a target for cannon training. She gulped. The target for a broadside wasn’t the most inviting place on earth!

»Well, they won’t start shooting before dawn!«, she decided and climbed onto the raft.

***