Chapter 4

The men of the Robin encircled Shane and the Latina woman. Most with looks of pure excitement on their face… But not in anticipation of beating the leaving hell out of Shane… but because of the new female presence aboard the ship.

Shane had seen that look many times before. When she was young she had run away from home and signed on board a man-of-war heading for the West Indies. A few peasants had bought passage aboard the vessel, some wealthy men from England and from Whales, bringing along their wives and daughters to make new lives in the New World. The Navy men, so deprived of a woman’s touch at sea, always had that look in their eye.

That had been the first time Shane had ever seen a man keelhauled. He had gotten to fresh with a wealthy man’s daughter and the Admiral had him strung up by his feet off a yard arm, tied an oiled rag around his mouth so he would not drown and then lowered the man into the water and drug him under the ship three times. He had nearly drowned when they finally pulled the man back onto the deck, and his back had been torn open from being dragged against the barnacles and molluscs along the hull of the massive vessel.

That was a very rare occurrence on a pirate ship however. Most things were either sorted out by the captain, or by some form of duel.

Shane shook her head and took in a big breath of air, knowing that in a moment it would again be knocked out of her. She pushed the Latina back farther towards the bulwark while she herself took a few steps forward, proving herself to be one of the braver pirates.

She braced her jaw and not a second later a hard fist landed against it knocking her to the side but not quite down. She stood back again and with composure spit the blood in her mouth onto the deck of the ship.

Gomey shook his fist in pain and swore under his breath. Some men laughed at the spectacle which did nothing but make the man angrier. He shook his hand once more to rid away the pain and Shane motioned with her hand for him to go again.