CHAPTER TWENTY
Something very strange happened on the day the Princess made harbor at Bermuda. It was a beautiful morning.
Lane was called to the Captain’s cabin. He had watched a launch arrive from the Fabien and, strangely, the men sent over were not from the Princess.
Coming into the cabin, Lane addressed the Captain. “You wanted me, Sir?”
Captain Matthew told Lane to relax and he began to explain what was going on.
It turned out that Tiger had a very large impact on the crew of the Fabien. He had told them about Jesus and discovered many willing to listen.
There had been a change of command at the point of Captain Douglas going into custody. And, there was a problem now. It had to do with their duties to deliver cargo here in the Bermuda Islands.
Captain Matthew took his task seriously. He had carried a letter of introduction from the Governor of the Canary Islands. It would explain how he had gained the Fabien, nor the human cargo aboard.
Everybody in the room was listening to what was planned aboard the Fabien, and it was a good idea.
Tiger had started a rather strange kind of mutiny. With just a few days sailing alongside the Princess, he had convinced some of the crew to overthrow those aboard to see to the slaves.
There were now no actual slaves on the Fabien, not if the reports were true.
The Captain began to suggest a course of action, but the men sent to him by Tiger came up with something completely new.
It appeared that the island they were now harbored in was not the island that expected slaves. The Captain had actually followed the Fabien in and, because he had never been near Bermuda, he had not been able to choose one island from another.
He took the time to look over the charts he had gained in the Canary Islands, and he learned that these men were correct.
The island they now saw was but one of over a hundred. But, it was the Bermuda they sought. These were the right islands. They were part of something called the West Indies.
With the Captain’s permission, they meant to spend the time needed to offload every person now on the Fabien for any reason beyond their choosing.
These men and women would be settled on this present island, temporarily if need be, and the Captain could then deliver the Fabien to the island expecting the rest of her cargo.
It would also mean bringing some of the crew from the Fabien, men who had not yet come around to thinking Christian and, therefore, merciful thoughts.
None of these men had shown themselves to be violent, not up to the present time. But, it was safer to put them into a situation lacking access to outside contacts.
Tiger’s plan was to bring the Fabien in and point out her lack of Captain Douglas, and the run-in with both pirates known to Captain Douglas and the British authorities.
Those waiting for the Fabien’s cargo would be left with very little information, but they would receive the gold and the spices they were waiting for.
Captain Matthew would look every bit the part of a good Samaritan; nobody would be around to ask unwanted questions.
With the Lord’s help, this plan had every chance of working. And, when the men finished speaking, Lane added something else to their thoughts.
“Captain.” Lane began. “I think we ought to pray over this plan before we do anything, but there’s good reason to believe the Lord will make it better.”
There wasn’t anybody in the cabin objecting to Lane’s proposal, so the Captain made another suggestion. “I think you should pray for all of us, Lane. The Lord has been listening to you from the day we met.”
“The Lord listens to everything.” Lane countered, but then he began. “Lord. We give you thanks because you are worthy. There’s not a man on this boat, or on the island we’re visiting, who is not the work of your hands. You are God!!!!”
The new men, the crewmen from the Fabien, listened to what Lane prayed. He seemed so young to them, but it couldn’t be doubted that he believed what he said to the Lord.
“We need your help, Lord, as you already know. The slaves on the Fabien were set free. Thank you for showing them mercy, Lord. But, there’s more work to do. This plan of Tiger’s can’t work without some kind of help from you.” Lane took a moment to look around the room, then continued.
“In truth, we don’t even know what to ask for, Lord. We can’t see like you can. We don’t know everybody involved here. But, Captain Matthew has to bring the Fabien on to another island. There are lives on the line. And, we want to get off this island.” Lane ended this prayer with more thanks giving.
Thunderheads were moving into the area, and the men in the Captain’s cabin moving out onto the main deck. A lot of wind shifted their position on the sea.
Lane could see the Fabien. She, too, was dancing on the waves.
“Thank you, Lord.” He finished his prayer, while thinking about the last time the storm clouds interacted with their voyage.
“I want to start moving the people we can to the shore.” The Captain gave the order. “We’re going to do the same thing on the Fabien.”
There really wasn’t a very big crew on the Princess, and the Captain didn’t ask for opinions. The men just went about the business of getting the job done.
Stephan stepped with Lane and asked. “What’s going on?”
“We’re going ashore.” Lane answered.
“Are you certain?” Stephan was doubtful. It seemed like such a long while, since he had been pulled from the cold sea water. He had gotten used to the idea of staying on the boat.
Lane nodded. “The Captain’s going to take the Fabien to another island. Most of the people over there are going ashore, too. The Captain’s coming back.”
“The Captain’s going to leave us here?” Stephan was concerned now.
Smiling, Lane tried to change the subject. “You’re a free man, Stephan. There’s got to be a lot of opportunities on this island.”
Stephan inhaled and then spoke. “Will you help me?”
Lane saw the serious look on Stephan’s face, and he asked the question. “What’s going on?”
The two men were moving toward the launch, but it wasn’t yet their turn to go ashore.
“I’ve never been free. Not really. I don’t know what to do.” Stephan’s response was honest.
That stopped Lane. “What do you mean you have never been free?”
They’re standing near the railing. And, it’s clear they’ll have to wait a while for the launch. “Even when I was a child. My parents were not free. We’ve always worked for somebody else. I’ve always been a servant.”
Lane didn’t know what to say, so he said so. “I’m not sure what to tell you, Stephan. Maybe I’ve always been a servant, too.”
“You?” Stephan didn’t believe it.
Lane tried to make sense of what he had just told his friend. “Sure. I lives with my parents. And, nobody owned any of us.” He paused. “We worked, too.”
This was a little difficult to understand, and Stephan said so. “I don’t get you. You say you’ve been a servant, but you have memories of this wonderful life, a life with parents and a place of your own.”
The boys were interrupted by Captain Matthew. “Can I speak with you boys?”
“What is it, Sir?” Lane didn’t wait for Stephan to respond.
The Captain handed Lane a letter, and he asked. “I’ve heard you talking. And, I want you boys to watch after the Princess.”
Stephan is fast to react. “The Princess?”
The Captain nodded. “That’s right. I’m going to leave the Princess here in the harbor. We will take the Fabien and come back later. We will come back when the Lord decides.”
Lane had not thought about that. “You think it could be a while, Sir? I mean, will I be here waiting a long time?”
“I can’t say for certain, Lane. It could be some time. It’s difficult to say what will happen. People leave home, like you did, and they may never see their home port again.” The Captain’s words were matter of fact.