The Delfe Treasure

32. Decisions

By two bells of the forenoon watch, the crew aboard Elizabeth had been organised into three lines, passing ingots from hand to hand up from the hold and tossing them overboard. Elizabeth came up the ladder from the great cabin, and as she joined Aldrick at the forward rail, she asked. "What are those?"

"Lead we took on in London. Twenty-five tons destined for Bordeaux to be offloaded and replaced by a hundred barrels of wine."

Elizabeth nodded. "The need to always carry cargo. Both for the ship's stability and for commerce." She pointed to the hands throwing the ingots overboard. "Do these not have worth?"

"Only a tiny fraction of that of silver. We must discharge the weight so we may take on a far more valuable cargo." He smiled as he pointed to the two longboats at the wreck. "They are now loading."

"How long will it take?"

"This should all be aboard and stowed by midday of the morrow. The sailmakers have been put to stitching stout canvas bags so it can be slung aboard and down into the hold."

"Then we sail. I do not feel comfortable here."

"I must talk with Jimmy to get details of the remaining treasure."

"Remaining treasure?"

"The first young lad we met, DeDavis, said about two weeks is needed to recover the last of it."

"Would it not be dangerous to delay? What of Peters returning?"

"I will get details on what remains."

"Aldi?" She shook her head. "Think about safety. About us. They have recovered four months worth. Seventeen, eighteen weeks. Be satisfied with nine parts in ten. The longer we remain, the more dangerous."

"He will not quickly find a ship."

Elizabeth pointed to the high, thin clouds. "At home, those mean the weather will change to stormy. I would think it is the same here. What if there is another hurricane?" She tilted her head toward the wreck of Avenger.

He nodded. "I will bear these in mind."

"Humff." She turned and strutted away across the quarterdeck toward the hatch coaming.

"Beth?" He followed her until he was interrupted by a voice.

"Captain, Sir," said Charles as he climbed the final steps from the main deck.

"Yes?"

"Sir, the first two bags are made. Should we use them to sling the lead up? Or keep them for the boats as was ordered?"

"What do you think is best?"

"Sling here, Sir. The first boat will still be a while, and there will be more bags finished by then."

"Fine, Mister Charles. Do that."

"Aye, Sir."

As soon as Charles had headed back down the ladder, Aldrick turned to see Elizabeth had disappeared. He paused to think, then he shrugged and descended to the main deck and then down the ladder to the cabin flats where he knocked on the Surgeon's door. 

Doc Haines opened it and greeted him with, "He will keep it. The blood is now flowing again on its own. This is the danger of a tourniquet. It needs to be released from time to time, else the limb dies." 

"What about Roberts?"

"We have had to restrain him. Lashed him to the cot."

"Will he be well enough to be left on the island to-morrow noon?"

Doc pursed his lips, then nodded. "If the lads can resist tossing him overboard before then. I will change his dressing just before."

"Fine. Is Jimmy able to talk with me now?"

"He is, though he may be a bit odd with the laudanum. I will show you where he is."

A short while later, forward in the sick-bay, Aldrick asked, "How are you feeling, Jimmy?"

"Pain's numbed now, Sir. Doc says I won't lose it. I was sure I would."

"I am told you tried to stop Roberts from shooting."

"Me and Tim."

"What do you know about the treasure still in the wrecks?"

"All's left now is the small bits in the two deep wrecks. Tough to find and bring up from thirty and forty feet down."

"Who was diving?"

"Shallow, 'twas most of us. But deep, only a few could hold air long enough to find anything small. Afore the storm, we was down to less than twenty on a day."

"Bars or coins?" 

Only coins now. Smaller and tougher to see. We should'a stopped long ago, but Captain said two weeks more. Get it all. Now, look it." 

"Thank you, Lad. Now, tell me, what was your position in Avenger?"

"A shipwright, Sir. Working to keep the ship afloat, and that took a lot. Tim and me and Mick was idled by the shipyard in Deptford."

"And the other three? Willm and Henk and Tom?"

"The cook and his two hands."

"Why were you left here?" 

"Only so much room in the longboat. They wanted sailors to bring a ship back to here, not cooks and carpenters. The Captain wanted to stay here with the treasure, and Peters was happy for that." 

"The cooks? Are they good men?"

"Henk and Tom's got brands on their hands. Not burns from a kettle, neither. Heard they met the Captain in Newgate."

"Do you wish to remain on the island to recover the rest of the treasure, or come with us back to London?"

"London, Sir. Get away from this lot." He grimaced. "And I's sure Tim and Mick would want the same."

"Thank you, Lad. We will arrange that."