“Boy! Am I glad to see you two! Quick, throw those keys over here!” the boy said, as if he had been expecting Sarah, and Little Bear. He was dressed all in black, which was not unusual For Massachusetts, but his collar wasn’t fastened all the way to the top, giving him a cavalier appearance. He was lean and tan, and his blond hair fell around his face unkempt. “Do you want those pirates to throw me to the sharks?” he asked. This brought Sarah out of her reverie. It was counter to her upbringing to free a prisoner on his command, but this wasn’t a town drunk in the stockade, he was imprisoned by people who aught to be in prison themselves; ergo, he should be set free, right? She moved to the cell door and unlocked it. “Many thanks. Name’s Mellvill. Tommy Melvill.” He bowed.
“Sarah Good.” Sarah said with a curtsy. “This is my friend, Little Bear.”
Tommy said something to Little Bear in Wampanoag that Sarah couldn’t make out. Little Bear grunted in return. “Let’s get out of here before they come back, eh?” suggested Tommy.
Sarah & Little Bear didn’t need to be told twice. They were up on deck & ready to jump into the water when they heard a drunken shout, “What in the name of the Devil’s tale is going on up here?” As Sarah turned, she saw a pirate coming forward from the stern with a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other. She froze and felt the blood drain from her face. What had been a lark was suddenly deadly serious.
“A savage and a towny?” said the pirate assessing the situation. A lecherous smile came across his face. “Well, let’s have some fun, eh? Come here missy, let’s have a look at ye!” Sarah was close enough to the rail to disappear overboard, but she froze at the sight of the pistol. Little Bear moved between the man and Sarah, and the scalawag lifted his gun and aimed waveringly at them. He fired.
The shot was loud and blinding. There was an instantaneous following thunder as the ball sundered the deck to Sarah’s right about two feet from where she stood, leaving a hole about two inches around. She looked up to see that Tommy had spoiled the pirate’s aim by pulling his arm from behind with a deck mop. The same motion had spun the buccaneer around to face Tommy and he was now swinging his cutlass at the lad with ferocity. Instead of dodging, Tommy leaned into the pirate, jabbing him with the mop handle in the gut.
Little Bear had taken this moment to close the distance to come to Tommy’s aid. The native leaped onto the scalawag’s back, and got him in a headlock. Tommy punched the pirate in the face, and he lost his balance falling backward. Little Bear leaped free before the pirate fell on him. As he hit the deck, he lost his sword, and Tommy scooped it up.
Tommy pointed the cutlass in the pirate’s face. “I’ll have that, Matey.” he said of the empty pistol, which the scalawag dropped onto the deck near Little Bear’s feet. Little Bear picked it up.
“Let’s get out of here!” Sarah said.
“That,” said Tommy, “is the best idea I have heard all day!” and the three of them plunged into the sea.
