“Lower away!” commanded the little thief.
The cargo net descended and Knute quickly released it. “Get down here!” he shouted as he spread the large net across the center of the deck. “We’re taking on water fast!”
Four sailors slid down ropes and started moving the heavy cargo chests to the center of the net. “Get the small one first!” instructed Knute. “They’ll be gems. Worth more than gold, pound for pound.”
The sailors were driven by two goals: greed and fear of Bear. The massive captain was smashing through the door above with inhuman strength, and everyone in the crew knew as well as Knute that Bear was becoming more violent by the day. Even his own crew now feared to be noticed by Bear.
One of the men paused to listen to the fiendish shout as Bear finally smashed through the door. A half-dozen pirates, finished with butchering the ship’s crew, descended the ropes from the deck above and looked questioningly at the pilot. Knute said, “The captain said everything else was ours for the taking if he got that damn stone the priests were guarding. You going to let all this sink?”
They shook their heads and set to, working in pairs to move the larger chests and sacks into the nets, although Knute could see the doubt on their faces. But they hurried and got most of the booty in the net and tied it off.
“Haul away!” Knute shouted to the men above.
Pirates grabbed small chests and sacks and attempted to get back to the forward ladder. The ship was now heading down by the bow, picking up speed and rocking slightly from side to side. “Tell them to back water!” shouted Knute, as he negotiated the ladder to the upper deck, clutching the small wooden chest as a mother would a baby. He saw a brilliant light coming through the captain’s cabin door and his eyes widened. Bear stood outlined against the glare, obviously struggling through the water as if engaged with a foe of some kind. “Get out!” shouted Knute. “You’re going to drown!” Not that Knute would shed a tear if that happened, but if Bear somehow came to his senses and made good his escape, Knute wanted to appear convincing in his role as loyal and concerned pilot.
Knute hurried to the gunwale and nimbly leaped atop it. Glancing at those behind him who were sliding across the deck, trying for the boat below, he called, “Hurry!” The galley was backing away, and water rushed quickly into the hull of the Ishapian ship. Knute knew that, had he not given the order to back the galley, the weight of the dying ship might have pulled its bow under the waves.
A longboat bobbed on the water a few yards below and he muttered, “By the gods, I’ve gotta get out of this business.”
He glanced upward and saw the cargo boom with the net loaded with treasure being lowered to the deck of the galley. With a quick prayer to every god he could remember, Knute leaped from the sinking ship, hitting the water while he clutched the small chest with all his might. Weight pulled him downward and he struggled, and finally his head broke the surface as voices echoed across the water. With his free arm he struck out for the longboat, reaching it quickly. Strong hands reached over the side and pulled him aboard.
“The ship sinks!” men yelled as they leaped from the deck into the foam.
“Leave the rest!” shouted a man holding what appeared to be a large sack of gold coins. He hit the water, and after a minute his head broke the surface. He struggled mightily to get the sack aboard Knute’s boat.
. “No! Noooo!” came Bear’s anguished cry from the bowels of the sinking ship as Knute helped the pirate aboard the boat.
“Sounds like the boss is having a problem,” said the drenched pirate.
“Row,” instructed Knute. The sailor complied and Knute looked over his shoulder. “Whatever the boss’s problems, they’re no longer ours.”
“You going to leave him?” said one of Knute’s men.
“Let’s see if that cursed amulet keeps him alive on the bottom of the sea.”
One of the pirates grinned. Like the rest of his brethren he had been obedient out of fear as much as any loyalty to Bear. “If it does, he’s going to kill you, Knute.”
“He’s got to find me first,” said the wily pilot. “I’ve sailed with that murdering lunatic three times, which is two too many. You’ve been his slaves long enough. Now it’s our turn to live the high life!”
The pirates rowed. One of Bear’s crew said, “If he does make it out alive, he’ll find others to follow him, you know that? Why shouldn’t I cut your throat now and gain his favor?”