CHAPTER FIFTEEN
It’s a good thing Lane spent time since landing in Tunis learning how to swim, because that’s what he found himself doing. And, it was night.
Tiger had come up with this idea. It had to do with the way the Princess had came into port.
Lane recalled how they had stood on the shore just a few hours ago. It had been sunny and pleasant.
Captain Matthew had brought his ship in and, as they had done nearly every second day since arriving in Tunis, Lane and Tiger stripped and entered the water. Lane thought they’d simply swim to the Princess and board her.
That’s not what happened.
As they got within a few meters of the Princess, Tiger whistled to another man on the deck, and he had spoken softly to Lane. “Let’s keep going.”
“Keep going?” Lane asked the question, for this confused him.
“So the Fabien doesn’t notice what we’re doing.” Tiger explained it.
That made some sense, and Lane had kept swimming. He had no idea they would be swimming out beyond the breakers. It was getting scary now, and Lane wondered how the Princess was going to see them. How would they ever be picked up?
“Relax!!!!” Tiger told him. “You’re stronger than you think. We can swim in this salt water all night long.”
Alarmed now, Lane complained. “All night?” Tiger was laughing. “We won’t have to.”
Just then, Lane could hear a soft whistling coming from the direction he knew to be shore.
Tiger answered the whistle with his own.
The other whistler repeated the sound made before. This time it was clearer. Not because the sound was close, but Lane was listening for it.
Tiger started toward the sound, and Lane went with him. There wasn’t any reason to speak. The answer was plain. That whistle was being used to locate them.
It was some time later before Lane could hear the oars in the water, and he guessed that the Princess had sent the launch for them.
Nobody spoke a word, but a whistle was given every now and then, both from the launch and then from Tiger.
Lane was focused on the task of swimming, and he surprised himself by keeping up to Tiger.
The men in the launch lifted Tiger first and then Lane was hoisted over the railing, too. It was good to be back aboard something more solid, but what followed surprised him.
“Take us as close to the Fabien as you can, but don’t let her spot us.”
These words came from Tiger.
The men on the launch did not argue. They turned the launch in the direction of the shore and began to work the oars. Lane only knew they were going for the shoreline due to the lights from the oil lamps. He could see the way to town.
It was not certain where the Fabien might be, at least not from this angle. Lane couldn’t tell, but he took note that those manning the oars didn’t speak. They had turned the launch in a particular direction, and they seemed sure of where to go.
Another thing. Tiger did not seem doubtful that they could find the Fabien from this angle.
Lane couldn’t stand it any longer. “What’s the plan?” He had the sense to speak softly.
Tiger answered softly, too. “We’re not going to talk anymore, not until we’re on the Princess. But, I’m going back into the water. I want to visit the Fabien.” Then, he addressed those in the launch. “I’m going to need somebody’s knife.”
The man closest to Tiger handed over some sort of a blade. Lane saw the flash of metal.
It wasn’t really that long until they were close enough to the Fabien. Tiger slipped over the side, and he moved away toward the stern of the Fabien.
All three of the men still on the launch watched Tiger, but only Lane noticed something else. There was fog moving into the bay area.
And, Lane said a silent prayer to the Lord: “THANK YOU FOR WATCHING OVER US.”
He realized that the fog would block the view from the Fabien, so they could not see the launch. There was another problem, though. It could hamper Tiger’s return to the launch.
Just as he was thinking this, he noticed that Tiger was coming back.
Lane watched his friend, and it wasn’t long before Tiger was back in the launch. Those manning the oars simply took them in another direction.
All directions were equally wrong for Lane, because he could no longer see. There were no good sources for light, and the fog moved in.
Sometime later, the sound of a whistler came through the darkness.
And Lane’s attention was drawn to the noise from the whistle and the direction from which it came. He knew then, that it would be easy to find the Princess. It did not surprise him to hear the sound repeated several times before seeing the familiar silhouette he had come to think of as home.
Even in the harbor area, the Princess rode the gentle waves. It was more side to side here, rather than up and down like she would do beyond the local bay area.
Lane was very happy to see the Princess, and he hoped to see some friendly faces there, people like Captain Matthew and his new companion Stephan.
A few minutes more and Lane stood on the deck, but he was a little unprepared for what he saw.
There weren’t any welcoming faces; rather, everybody seemed busy.
They were making ready to leave the port and put out to sea.
When Tiger went directly to work, Lane decided that he’d do the same. He helped make the launch secure and then went looking for something else to do.
The order came quickly, and it was the Captain himself standing at the helm.
The sails were hoisted in quick order, and the harbor city of Tunis was a matter for the history books. Lane went to see the Captain.
There were many sailors standing there ahead of Lane, and he listened to Tiger explaining to the Captain what he’d learned about the plans of the Fabien.
“They’ll be leaving for America directly. But, they’re going to pass right past the Canary Islands. We can wait for them there.” Tiger explained it.
The Captain was already making his plans. “That means Las Palmas would be a place for us to resupply and get ourselves ready for the crossing.”
Lane felt better listening at this point. He didn’t know much more about the larger world today that he’d learned before leaving his home. But, while listening to the others talk, he was seeing his life take on new meaning.
Tiger questioned the Captain. “So we’re going to follow the Fabien?”
Captain Matthew nodded, and he gave orders to the men around him. “We’re on our way to the Canary Islands, Gentlemen. Lets head north throughout the night and see if we can get there before the Fabien.”
Tiger motioned to the Captain, “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem, Sir.”
The Captain looked toward his friend. “What makes you say such a thing?”
Tiger smiled. “Let’s just say I modified the rudder on the Fabien. She’d make it out of this harbor, and she might even make it to the Canary Islands. Her rudder is going to give out shortly after that.”
“You tampered with her rudder?” The Captain wanted to know.