The crystalline silence of New Providence shattered into a million fragments and the world was thrown into instant chaos. The cannon fire sent panicked citizens rushing from their homes and soon we were engulfed in a swarm of bodies as we fought our way forward. The clarion call of the hillside fort sounded out over the town and we could hear the trampling of boots of gravel as the soldiers rushed towards us. Our subterfuge had not lasted long and it would only be seconds before we would be locked in a bloody battle with them.
“Why did the Captain give the order for the ship’s cannons to fire? We could have made it to the Governor’s mansion before anyone knew we were here.” The thought stuck in my mind as I lowered my shoulder and pushed through the panic stricken crowd. I quickly caught up with De La Roca and the rest of the crew in the town’s market square. They were already throwing over carts and stalls and setting up a barricade.
“The mansion’s too far. We will hold them here. St Michelle, I want musket fire on the chokepoints leading in. Concentrate your fire on the alleyways and do not let them in. Tell the men to stagger their fire, one half reloads while the rest take aim. I want the rest to pile on as much wood and debris as possible to our rear and I do not want them to flank us and take us from the back. Move, quick as you can.” The captain’s orders were brisk and to the point and we scurried to get everything ready. We had mere minutes to set up our defenses before the soldiers arrived. The pirate crew took their places on the make shift stands, trigger fingers itching on their muskets.
“Watch the rear defenses child.” De La Roca silenced me when I tried to protest but I realized he was right. I was still too small to handle the heavy muskets and would only get in the way. Glumly, I stepped away from the barricade and rubbed my hand over Adelmar’s furry head. He was shaking with anticipation, ready to protect his mistress till the bitter end.
“Easy boy, we’ll get through this.” I tried to keep him calm but inside I knew we were facing impossible odds. We had pushed our luck too far and after the events of St Bernadino, we should have run. Run as far as the oceans could take us. Yet greed for more gold and one last score got the better of us. It was a mixture of resent and grim acceptance as I stood on that lonely market place square, hearing the thumping of boots and the call of the captain as he shouted his final orders.
“Hold! Hold…hold!” The first red shirts emerged from the narrow confines of the alley and was met by a murderous volley of musket fire. The first line of soldiers crumbled like ragdolls with barely enough time to scream. The second lot of soldiers behind them had to climb over the bodies of their fallen comrades and it gave the second group of pirates a chance to take aim and fire.
“Aim for their hearts!” Shouted the captain, leaning over the railing and letting fly with a shot that struck the soldier in the chest. But they kept on coming like a swarm of reds ants and soon I saw my pirate brothers start to drop from the barricades. They were overrunning us and the end was imminent.
“Draw cutlass!” De La Roca stood mountain like before the tidal wave, brandishing his sword and daring the soldiers to take him down. Our flimsy defenses finally gave way and the soldiers flooded over us. Fighting broke out all over the market square as we desperately held on, fighting for our very lives. One by one the pirates, St Michelle, De La Roca and the others keeled over and became deadly still. Bodies littered the cobblestone floor and there was only a handful of us left. I saw the charging soldier a split second to late, as he came at me from my blind spot. The brute cracked me on the jaw with the butt of his musket and sent me spinning to the ground. In the haze, I saw Adelmar jumping at his throat, jaws flashing. The soldier swatted him away with callous ease and advanced on me.
“The pistol.” In my fractured mind, I remembered the pistol on my belt. With shaking hands, I grabbed for it, took aim and fired at the soldier. It was point blank and I couldn’t miss. It was a sure kill. He paused, held his hand to his chest, looked up at me and started laughing deliriously.
