True Treasure: Real - Life History Mystery by Lisa Grace Read Free Book Online

attack!” Magdela crossed herself and began to pray.
    Just then another volley of cannon fire sounded, one after the other, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom! Magdela screamed, which was followed by another series of boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!
    Mary angled herself at the window vainly looking for a clear view of the pirates, but could not see a thing. As the ship rose on a wave she saw one of the skiffs in pursuit with its nose up in the air sinking below the waves.
    The calls above slowed while sailors footsteps could be heard running on the deck above and up and down the stairs outside their door. Mary looked out her window once again and saw a small boat splash down from above, and six sailors climbed over the rail by way of a rope ladder into its bow. Four rowed toward the floundering pirates, pulling one after the other out of the water. Only five, Mary counted. Five out of the twenty or so pirates on the attacking skiff. Maybe the rest could not swim or met their end when one or more of the cannonballs had found their target.
    The small skiff rowed back, and Mary could hear the sailors bump against the side of the ship climbing the rope ladder along with their captives. Lots of sounds from above told Mary all was not finished above decks. She wanted to go above to see the pirates up close. She grabbed the handle, but the door wouldn't budge. She jiggled it harder, the door knob still wouldn't move. She said out loud, “They locked us in! I cannot believe they locked us in!” She peered through the hole, but it was blocked. She went to the trunk which held her hair things and took out a hatpin.
    Magdela said, “Senorita, I do not feel—” Magdela went into the little room that contained the chair over the chamber pot, and closed the door.
    Mary stopped her endeavors at the door to see about Magdela. She knocked, “Magdela!”
    “It's the seasick. Go! You cannot stop the sea from rolling,” Magdela said back through the door.
    Mary went back to the door and thrust her hatpin in, knocking the key out on the other side. She jiggled the handle again, but the door still would not budge. She let out a small scream of frustration.
    Yelling from below decks got louder. Mary surmised the pirates must have been taken to holding cells somewhere in the bowels of the ship.
    She went back to sticking the hairpin in, feeling around trying hard to trip the lever to unlock the door. As she was trying, she heard a brief knock followed by the door swinging open which pushed her onto her backside. Captain Graham stuck his head in, “Hello? Ms. Welch?” His head slowly turned around and down, as a smile crept onto his face. “Can I help you with something?” Mary quickly stood up. “You had them lock me in!”
    “It is standard protocol when we are under attack to lock the passengers in their staterooms. To keep you out of danger, and from being a distraction.” He took his hand from behind his back. He held her sketchbook. She reached out, “Thank you.”
    “They are quite good.”
    “Thank you, they are just rough, very rough sketches of course, but when they are finished...”
    The Captain interrupted, “And what were you thinking? Sketching the pirates as they were aiming at the ship? Did it not occur to you, you could be shot?”
    Mary looked surprised, “I wanted to capture the moment. I would have moved. My intention was not to be in the way or to get hurt. Or to serve as a distraction.” She smiled.
    He clasped his hands behind him. “It did not work.”
    “Pardon?”
    “Locking you in your room. You were still very much a distraction even when not on the deck.”
    “Oh.” Mary blushed and lowered head, then lifted it quickly and looked him in the eyes smiling. “Good. Will you please keep me on then to finish my work? If I am to be a distraction even when I am out of your sight, what harm is there in letting me stay?”
    He took a step closer, “We blew one ship out of pursuit, but the others are between us