Jack: Book 3 in the Trilogy

Red, White & Blue Part 10

It was flying the American flag - it had to be a merchant ship, a slaver which also is a merchant ship of sorts or it had to be an American warship. It was about four miles away so we couldn't tell yet. A sailor with a good eye can spot a ship on a horizon at a bit above sea level at seven miles away. The curvature of the earth prevents seeing beyond that unless the sailor is high above the ship in a lookout station on the main mast. Then I guess he might see for eight or nine miles, don't really know. But he can see farther than from the ship's deck, that I do know. Jack told me this and it sounded reasonable. So I always used the information when it came to judging distances at sea when we saw land or ships on the horizon and nearer to us. So this ship, like I said, was four miles away. We had little time because two ships traveling toward one another at a combined 25 knots - I figured the other ship had a headwind so I estimated it going slower - would meet in less than three minutes if, as Jack claimed, a 'nautical knot' was equal to 1.2 miles per hour. At 15 knots we'd be sailing at about 18 miles per hour - not all that fast. And that's with all sails unfurled. I figured it was about 4000 miles - if we kept a straight course which was doubtful - from Cuba where we set off to Cape Verde Islands and then 500 more miles to the African coast. I figured we had been sailing for nine days since Cuba so, at about 18 miles per hour at best, we had traveled now about 3800 miles. Fine sailing, sun every day and a good trade wind behind us - the captain - Captain Pendleton that is - knew these waters well, that was becoming crystal clear to us. So this oncoming ship probably left Cape Verde today or yesterday. We were close to 'the dark continent' and didn't need a problem right now.

And yet, I had a bad feeling about this approaching ship.