CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The Princess left the harbor of St. George at the same time as the Fabien. It was now later in the autumn, and the stormy season was over.
A few changes were noted.
In the first place, David was back at the helm. He had been on the Fabien with the Captain for these last twenty years. They had seen plenty, too.
David was part of the plan to rescue Lane’s father. In a lot of ways, he was their plan.
Tiger was also back aboard. Lane found his presence comforting.
Captain Matthew had stayed on the Fabien. He was going to sail straight for Mexico, bringing Lane’s mother, his uncle, and his uncle’s family.
There were maps. David knew where the Captain meant to land, and it would be easy enough to find him after their business in Cuba.
Joseph had come back on board just before departure. He was also needed, for he knew which part of the island to search.
Sugarcane was all over this island, Cuba. It was sold back in the European states. And, David was going to go up to the plantation and offer to buy Lane’s father.
He would pretend to be on his way to Joppa. David spoke both English and Spanish, but he would act as if he needed somebody with the ability to speak Hebrew.
There wasn’t a man on the Princess right now lacking motivation to rescue Lane’s father.
Nathan was also on board, as were Lane’s cousins ZIBA and Lane.
In fact, ZIBA and Lane’s namesake stood on the bow of the Princess. They were looking through the Captain’s old telescopic lens, the Captain’s eye.
Lane stood near David and Tiger near the helm. He was aware that the Fabien was falling behind, but that was part of their plan.
The Fabien would never be able to sail with the Princess. She just wasn’t built for that kind of speed.
“How long until we make this Cuba?” Tiger asked David. The two men worked so well together.
Lane paid attention to David’s answer and discovered that, though Cuba was some distance from them, they would make their port in just a few days. It might take them a week.
“Lord!” Lane remembered the Lord. “You’ve brought us this far, and we thank you. Please make our mission a success. Please keep my father safe. Thank you.”
Hours passed by, and it was impossible to see the Fabien anymore. Lane called Joseph to speak with him a little.
“Can you tell me where on the island, or at least give me some idea where my father’s being kept?” Lane asked the older man.
It turned out that Joseph was a ship hand from the old days. He knew about charts and navigation equipment. There was no trouble understanding him.
The problem came only in the fact that they’d probably have to sail almost to the other side of the island called Cuba.
Lane’s father would probably be found on a plantation on the southwest end of the island.
Going to the other side of the island presented no challenge, not really. But, Joseph spoke about a second possible location.
At this time of the year, Lane’s father ought to be on the big island. “Tell me about the snakes!” Lane told him.
Joseph had lived on the islands of the area, and he knew which snakes could kill and which would merely run away.
Lane explained that, as a backup plan, they might need to sneak his father away from the owner.
Going into the area, especially if they did it after dark, could mean risking a confrontation with wildlife. That could mean snakes.
Joseph told him that there were no snakes on the Cuban soil that weren’t in Bermuda. He encouraged Lane to relax.
“It’s not easy to calm down.” Lane told him. “We’re so close. It’s hard to think clearly.”
Joseph came with the best advice. “Do like your father would and trust in the Lord! He will either make this rescue work, or he won’t.”
Lane looked at him. “You’re right. My emotions were getting the best of me.”
The old man pointed at some dolphins swimming alongside the Princess. “You see those animals?”
Lane confirmed it. “Dolphins have often swam with the Princess. I like them.”
Joseph nodded. “I’ve seen them since leaving Joppa. Every time I go to the sea. They stir up my emotions, but it’s a good feeling.”
“It feels like home?” Lane asked the question, but he was certain about Joseph’s point of view.
Smiling now, Joseph didn’t argue. “Yeah. They give me a sense of home, a sort of constant need.”
They watched the horizon to the west, for that’s where the Princess was taking them. It look like about two more hours before the sun went down.
It’s really difficult to say how long it was before Lane’s namesake sounded the alert from the bow. He had been up there all day long.
Lane and Joseph moved toward the commotion, but they didn’t get there before Tiger.
“What’s going on?” Tiger asked the young man.
Pointing in the direction they traveled, Lane’s cousin indicated the mast from a ship. There was too much distance between them and the other vessel to say which direction it traveled.
Tiger asked to use the Captain’s telescopic lens, and he looked out at the distant travelers.
“What do you see?” Lane asked Tiger.
There were a few moments, then Tiger handed the lens back to Lane’s cousin. “Keep an eye on her!” He told the young man.
Tiger turned to Lane. “I don’t recognize her banner, and it’ll be dark soon. I vote we stay clear.”
Lane didn’t argue the point. That ship could be some harmless travelers, but it could also be more pirates. He wasn’t certain what he was facing.
“Did you get enough to determine what sort of vessel it is?” Lane asked Tiger.
Tiger shook his head. “That’s just it. We can run just about anything by a smaller boat. I only know what I’ve seen. That banner is one I’ve never encountered, not in the seas I’ve sailed.
Lane was interested, because he heard the concern in Tiger’s voice. He also wanted to distract himself from thoughts of his father, so he asked. “Is that all that’s bothering you, the banner I mean?”
Tiger shook his head. “No. That’s not everything. It’s hard to say from this distance, but the vessel’s built differently, too.”
“What do you mean by different?” Lane was very interested now.
Tiger paused as a person does when collecting their thoughts. “I can’t really say more without seeing her up close. I recommend we steer clear.”
That was good enough for Lane; besides, it was getting darker. The day would turn to night soon.
Both Lane and Tiger stopped at the helm to speak with David.
“What did you see up there?” David asked Tiger.
Tiger took the time to explain it to David. “I think Tiger’s judgment is good on this. Keep your course until the sun goes down!!!! Mark the position of that other vessel, and we will change course after dark.”
That settled the matter, and Lane went to find a place to sleep. It would be a long voyage to this place called Cuba.
He didn’t sleep very well, at least not at first. There were thoughts of his family. That was just the beginning.
He had gone aboard the Fabien to see his mother at St. George. He was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The last time he had seen her, though it didn’t seem that way at the time, he was just a child.
Twelve years old might be old enough to make some decisions, but some of his were not made with wisdom.
Uncle MAHLI had taken her to Shiloh and treated her as one of his sisters.
It was Uncle MAHLI who had shown the proper amount of compassion. He’d had enough experience in life to know that the journey Lane intended was not something for a woman.
The freedom of being twelve years old had allowed Lane to get on the boat with Captain Matthew.
That friendship turned into a sort of family relationship. It lasted even until this time.
Lane now lived on the Princess. He was on his way to Cuba to rescue his father from a life of slavery. It would be interesting to see whether his father would even recognize him.
There was a better chance that his father would remember ZIBA but only because of their relative age.
Another thing surprised Lane. It had to do with Captain Matthew’s announcement of retiring to this new land.
Twenty years after leaving his family, or rather leaving what he had known as home, he had learned to love the sea.
It was good to be with family. Even now, his young cousin Lane was nearby. Getting to know the newest member of the family would be a lot of fun.
Next thing Lane knew, somebody was tugging on Lane’s shirt. It woke him up.
“Good morning.” Lane said, for he saw early morning light coming into the cabin.
ZIBA picked up as though there had been no time away. He acted just as though they were still boys. “Been watching you sleep.”
Lane stretched out as he stood. “What are you watching me for?”
ZIBA smiled even deeper. “You got a few day’s growth on your chin. And, I want to ask you about this bird. What’s it good for?”
Lane saw that ZIBA had indicated the bird cage used for pigeons. So, he explained it. “We used them on Bermuda to carry messages back and forth. From one island to another.”
“To carry messages?” ZIBA looked puzzled.
Nodding, Lane told him more. “You write something down and put it on the bird’s leg. Then let the bird go. It knows where to go.”
Shaking his head, ZIBA’s still not following. “How would a bird know which way to go? I mean, how could it know to whom you’re sending the information?”
Lane motions for his cousin to follow him outside onto the dock. “I see what you’re saying, ZIBA. But, think about it. As far as the bird knows, you only ever send the information to one person. The bird always goes to that person.”
“What if you wanted to send a message to another person?” ZIBA asked.
“It’s not about messages for the bird, ZIBA. It’s about food. The bird knows it’ll get fed on the other end of the journey, so it flies. The guy on the other end of the partnership will read the message and then give it to the person you would like to talk to.” Lane can see that ZIBA’s not only saw this truth a while back, but his cousin was simply asking many questions. It was just like in his boyhood.
ZIBA admitted it. “I missed you, Lane.”
Lane can see that his namesake is at the bow looking out across the waves. The boy is so much like Lane was in the early days.
“Let’s go see what’s going on with Lane.” He suggested to ZIBA. “He’s watching another ship.” ZIBA informed him.
Lane quickens his step just a little. “Another vessel’s in the water?” It sounded like a reasonable question to Lane.
ZIBA decided to have some fun with his cousin. “There are always a lot of boats in the water.”
Lane smiled. And, they reach the younger man.
Without them asking for an update, Lane’s cousin tells him what’s going on. Tiger asked me to keep an eye on this ship. He says you saw it yesterday.”
“Let me take a look!!!!” Lane says. He is indicating that he wants to use the telescopic lens.
His cousin passes the glass over and stands by watching both his older cousins take turns at the lens. Then, he asks, “What do you think?”
Lane saw the other ship clearly. It was a three-mast vessel, but he didn’t see the sort of structure he was used to with others, like the Fabien. The banner was red. It had some white on it.
“I don’t know what I’m looking at.” Lane admitted to his cousins.
“Could be we’re looking at a ship from this Cuba we’re going to visit.”
Just as Lane finished speaking, Joseph approached and showed some interest. “What are you talking about?”
ZIBA pointed in the direction of the other vessel. “We’re looking over there at the other ship. It looks a little different than what we’re used to.”
Joseph looked in that direction and then to Lane, for Lane still held the role of leader on the Princess. “I’ve seen ones like her. She’s from China, probably running slaves into the islands.”
ZIBA spoke up. “More slave owners?”
Everybody was looking to Joseph to answer the questions they weren’t even asking. He finally spoke to Lane. “They’re not likely to start any trouble here, but I’d keep an eye on that ship. We should steer clear.”
Lane smiled.
“Why are you smiling?” Joseph asked him.
Lane tried to explain it like this. “You’re the second person to say those exact words. Tiger said so last night. I was just thinking how likely it’ll be that the Lord wants us to encounter them.”
ZIBA responded this time. “Why would the Lord want us to run into slavers? That doesn’t make any sense.”
His younger cousin, Lane namesake, spoke up for the first time in a while. “It doesn’t have to make any sense to us. This is the Lord’s world. He will do what he wants.”
“Amen.” That was from Lane. “I’ve found, ZIBA, that just before I come into a new place, and I mean every single time, the Lord will have some person on my path. That has been his way of connecting me to everything I’ll need to be successful.”
Lane had three sets of eyes watching him now. Both his cousins were waiting for more, but Joseph had a different sort of expression.
“You remind me of your father.” Joseph told him.
“Lord.” Lane spoke up in prayer. “The family is very close to coming together again. It’s been a long time. We’ve got a lot of concerned people on the Princess.”
Lane noticed that the other men were watching him and listening to the words he spoke. That didn’t slow him down. “Joseph says that ship out there is probably a slave ship. We believe you already know them and why they’re on our path. Thank you, Lord. Whatever you have in mind, we’re ready to do it. And, we thank you for the results.”