![]() ![]() If he’d had his hat, he would have doffed it. Cow Tom lagged behind then, against the people tide, in the slaver’s way for precious seconds, hoisting the heavy sack close to his face to block Curly-beard’s view until he saw Amy had hold of both girls and Bella, and they had passed up the gangplank. ![]() The crowd turned unruly, stumbling, some even falling, following suit, all of a body at the gangplank at a pace too chaotic for the slaver to manage. ![]() He put himself on the side closest to the slaver, with Bella farthest away, and began a surge forward, pushing until all around him pushed too. The slaver examined each dark face as best he could, but the night was dark and foul, and the crowd impatient to get out of the storm. There he stood, a lone figure at the base of the gangplank of the Borgne, as if indifferent to the gale, a flash of lightning revealing the path of the rainwater through the curl of his brown beard. ![]() The night had grown darker, the moon encased in clouds, and the constant drizzle of the day turned to rain so heavy, dangerous waves smacked the sides of the Borgne like thunderclaps. They joined hands or grabbed hold of tunics so as not to be separated, and Cow Tom pushed them all toward the gangplank. A military man finally made the assignment, and Yargee’s group was given the Borgne. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |