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Now he stood on the deck of the Larsen, the sails full of a gentle Pacific breeze as the ship kept a steady course ard, away from the California coast--away from ho for his return, and the financial salvation they would be praying he had found in the Yukon In a single night he had seen blood dripping frohs of innocents, witnessed the brutal abduction of fellow passengers, and been savagely assaulted by so that far worse horrors yet awaited hi boy, an i to thwart the Fish Patrol and escape arrest Here, now … these were pirates They lived by the law of blade and club Bloodletting seehteous to them, violence the solution to all riddles And until he could divine some manner of escape, which at this le principle: survival It was a fary winter stranded on the banks of a frozen river, the cruelty of slavers, the obsession of an insane forest spirit, and the wild fury of the dreadful Wendigo This was a new challenge, but Jack would endure

Finn, however, ht well be dead in the next fewto draw attention to hi ht attempt escape The ship measured perhaps one hundred feet from bow to stern, and its beam couldn’t have been wider than twenty-five feet This was the extent of his world, at least for now There were four s ashore froe--but it wasn’t as if he could lower one into the water and paddle away unnoticed

Ghost, too, seeotten about Jack’s presence

Johansen barked orders and twoFinn to the front of the ship and held him still as others tied ropes to his wrists and ankles

"You bastards!" Finn screa to shake free as they stripped hirabbed hireed? We should challenge ’i"

Jack stood on the raised foredeck slightly away frootten as he watched the --had read about it as a boy and included it in the pirate tales he shared with his chums--and so he kneas to co hi the keel, where the hull would be caked with barnacles that would shred his skin to ribbons The faster they dragged hiainst the keel, and the worse his injuries But if they went slowly, giving hi, he could well drown

"I don’t understand," Jack said, stepping up between the ogre and Louis, the short black ed hiht a ed to the other If they haul hilanced at thee head But Louis sed as a shark’s, and that single upper canine old

"It’ll hurt, c’est vrai," Louis said, in an island-lilted French accent "But if he dies … c’est sa bonne fortune"

Jack frowned in confusion "I don’t--"

The ogre grunted and cleared his throat, tugging at his filthy beard "If the captain lets him die, Finn’ll be lucky," he said, his voice a deep rue Ghost, but he’s no e Ghost and lose … better off in hell"

Then there was shouting and the pounding of feet on the deck, and Jack whipped round to see he had missed the moment when they hurled Finn off the bow Vukovich and Kelly and two other s, ropes held taut, slowing only to feed the ropes around rigging, and Jack tried not to visualize Finn beneath the ship, holding his breath as barnacles ripped his skin Sickened, he watched the men run as the rest of the srabbed his arently

"Corowled in his ear "This is for all to see"

Not quite all, Jack thought, re the others abducted froht it best to hold his tongue for now That was a question for another time

With Ghost as his escort, he walked aft, watching as the crew gathered along the stern railing Together, the fourFinn from the water Jack watched with dreadful anticipation, because he knew that what he was about to see would be awful

What they dragged aboard was not at first recognizable as human The skin had been flayed open on Finn’s back, ars, flesh ripped way, so that he resembled little more than a pile of bloody meat Only when he vomited seawater onto the blood-smeared deck, and tried to rise to his knees, could Jack be certain the creature before hi freely fro across the deck

The first mate, Johansen, turned expectantly to the captain, and the creatched impatiently For a moment, Jack felt sure they weren’t done with him Their captain had inflicted punishment, but the crew seeined that atte to keep a secret stash of one’s ownpirates Ghost’s oords had suggested that he divided up their ill-gotten gains by soreed was fair For Finn to keep even so sold for himself was for hih violence rely at Finn, none of them attacked It was as if they awaited some word from their captain, but the word had not come

"Take him below," Ghost commanded at last "Louis, doctor him as best you can Then leave him Everyone else, back to work Mr Johansen, check our course If we lag, we’ll miss our chance"

"Aye, sir!" Johansen snapped, and hurried off to obey

Denied further retribution, the crew ht have balked, but it was plain to see that none would challenge the commands of their captain After the example Ghost had set with Finn, Jack could see why They were loyal to Ghost, perhaps, but they feared him as well

The crew busied theh it seemed to Jack that in fair weather the Larsen practically sailed herself Vukovich cla, and the others rushed about, and soon the onlywas the captain

Ghost did not look at hi Jack," the captain said, the di "Can you cook?"