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Hiswords They would coht So be it He would trust in her And there had been her other coether That, at least, held promise

Very little went to waste aboard a ship Fruit and --but not quite rotten--would still et Ghost’s peralley to the handful of prisoners from the Umatilla ere locked in that roo properly about what the captain would define as "scraps" In the end, the best he could do for those poor souls was a thin stew s off the ends of carrots, a handful of moldy potatoes, two cans of beans he found in what he assu to the former cook, and the bones of the pelican Sohed off as he boiled the stew, but it was barely enough to add a bit of texture to theit a bit of flavor It wasn’t er meal was ready, he tracked down Louis, who already had his orders fro, a knife in a scabbard at his hip

Riding the swells of the sea, Jack followed Louis through that sway belowdecks, carrying the steaer, and see of the ship Jack could not help reeling a bit, staggering right and left, but he ed not to spill ainst the rire ca rash But the true purpose of his presence was to menace the prisoners once the door was open, in case they atteht the precaution foolish These people could not overpower the entire crew, and even if they did, where would they go? He doubted the people Ghost had imprisoned were sailors

"Don’t talk to the as he led the way past the padlocked door, then the hold containing the food stores, and approached the prisoners’ hold

"I’d like them to know they’re not alone," Jack said

Key in the first lock, Louis glanced at Ogre, and then at Jack "You’ve got your orders fro you even this far Don’t push him, Jack"

Jack heard the voices beyond the door, sensed the fear and the hope in that rooht They would know just fro him that they had an ally outside their prison He had wanted to apologize for not bringing the to share the ladle, but he told himself they would see such sy the door He threw it open and stepped back, hand on the hilt of his knife Ogre did the salint in his eye It seeet the chance to draw blood Jack found his expression chilling

The pleas began instantly A thin, balding ray-haired matron demanded to knohat the pirates intended to do with the a burly, bearded trapper, two young men, a pale and lovely woed blackthe pirates ary intelligence, obviously conteirl of perhaps fourteen She still had a bow in her hair

Jack searched their faces They had all been on board the U from Alaska to San Francisco, but none of theers, but they were his fellow captives, and he racked his brain for some way he could help them But on a ship of bloodthirsty pirates, in the middle of the sea--at least for the moment--the steas the best he could do

It seemed so little, but as he carried the pot into the rooerly Some of them seemed to realize that he was not one of the pirates, for they began to question him Jack felt ashamed that he could not respond

"Hurry it up, Cooky," Louis said, though not unkindly

Regretfully, Jack left the pot and retreated to the door As Louis began to haul it shut, the trapper gave a roar and lunged for hi h the trapper ice his size, Louis had knocked hile blow Disoriented, the trapper tried to scrare stepped in and kicked hi into the lady in the torn dress

Jack found hi eyes with the bald man in the broken spectacles "I’m sorry," he said as the door slammed

Some of them cried out, but athered ravenously around the stewpot

He felt sure he would see their faces in his dreaht

As Louis fastened all the locks, Jack began to turn away, headed back along the gangway toward the galley, but Ogre blocked his path

"What?" Jack de his fear of the quiet sailor

It was Louis who answered "You’re not done" He gestured toward the middle door in the hold "Go into the food stores The captain’s got a private stock in there You’ll find it easily enough Make a plate of fruit and cheese, the best there is, and fetch a bottle of the finest wine"

Louis and Ogre waited in the ganghile Jack did as he was told Sabine had said the two of theht, so he presumed this small repast from Ghost’s private reserve ine what the occasionwith the captain’s private stock, he found a stack of china plates and quickly arranged the requested food upon one of theed frore blocked his attempt to leave the hold

"Wait a moment," Louis said, and he went to the triple-padlocked room that had so piqued Jack’s curiosity, unlocked it, and opened the door

The first thing Jack noticed was that there were locks on the inside as well

"Put them on the table," Louis instructed him

Confused, Jack nevertheless complied He entered that room and was stunned by what he found He could y hold was a chamber more richly appointed than any other on the ship, complete with a cot covered in a thick, woven spread, a love seat, oil laleah they had just been cleaned

"What is this?" he asked, turning to Louis "It’s a cabin? But for whom?"