The Dancing Pirates
The _Swift Arrow_ rode at anchor in the gathering dusk, inside a snug
bay formed by a U-shaped island of the Kinapusan Group. The island was
very small, and uninhabited. It was surrounded by larger islands that
formed a kind of screen.
"Let's hope we can spend the night undisturbed," Zircon boomed as he
finished the last of his coffee. "I could use a good night's sleep."
"We all could," Rick agreed. He helped himself to more of the stew
Scotty had concocted. "Funny about a fight. That one was over in a few
minutes, but I feel as though I'd done a day's work at hard labor."
"A perfectly normal reaction," Zircon replied. "Our minds and bodies are
wonderful things. When we face danger our whole system goes into high
gear, our endocrines pumping fluids that get our bodies ready for fast
action, or for wounds. We operate at top physical efficiency. Then, when
the danger is past and our minds signal that it's time to get back to
normal, we show the effects of our overstimulation by a kind of
lassitude."
That was true, Rick knew from his own experience. It seemed that he was
always scared stiff before a fight, cool as could be during it, and limp
as boiled lettuce when it was over.
Zircon changed the subject. "Scotty, when you first spotted the pirates,
from what direction were they coming?"
The boy thought it over. "From about due south," he said at last. "But
when they spotted us the line shifted to the east, on an interception
course. They came from south originally, though."
"Not from southwest?" Zircon persisted.
"No. If anything, it was a little east of south, not west."
"Uhuh. That was my impression, but I wanted to be sure. Now, according
to the chart, most of the scattered islands of the Tawi Tawi Group lie
more westerly than south of here. If the pirates came from due south, it
means they swung wide to miss the inhabited islands."
Chahda asked, "What means this to you, sir?"
"I'm not sure. I think it means we had better search the seas to the
eastward of the main Tawi Tawi chain. The pirates would certainly have
come from a westerly direction if their headquarters were anywhere near
Tawi Tawi."
The big scientist rose. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm for
bed. Who has the first watch?"
"I'm on the eight-to-midnight," Rick replied. "It's after eight now, so
I'll stand by. Chahda relieves me at twelve, you come on at four, and
Scotty finishes the night."
They had arranged the anchor watches that way because a single guard
would be enough while at anchor, and it would allow each of them a good
night's sleep.
Zircon and Chahda retired at once, but Scotty lingered. The two sat on
the afterdeck and watched the stars for a few moments.
"How are we doing?" Scotty asked quietly.
Rick knew what he meant. "I'm scared," he said. "It's a big ocean, and
we could miss easily. Also, I'm thinking about what Chahda said. Even if
we find Shan, we won't get Tony and Shannon back without a fight. There
must be hundreds of pirates, if the fleets we've seen are a sample." He
was sure that the northern attack had been made by a different group
than the one that attacked earlier in the day.
"Do you think they're still alive?" Scotty asked.
"We have to assume they are. What else can we do?"
"Nothing," Scotty replied sensibly. "Except say our prayers faithfully."
"Amen," Rick said. "Go on to bed. You must be tired."
"I am. See you in the morning."
After Scotty had gone below, Rick sat quietly, depending more on ears
than eyes to keep watch. Again and again he reviewed every bit of
information they had obtained, re-examining it to see if any nugget of
value might have been overlooked. At last he decided they had done
everything possible. The rest would be persistence, and luck.
His thoughts turned to home, and he wondered what his folks were doing.
It was nine o'clock, Manila time. At Spindrift it was eight this
morning. The family would be gathering for breakfast, and Barby would be
slipping Dismal, the family pup, scraps of bacon under the table.
Rick resolved to send a cable from Tawi Tawi, if they should stop there.
He knew the family would be anxious to know how things were going.
The watch ticked away without incident. A few minutes before midnight
Rick woke Chahda and joined the Hindu boy in a glass of cold coke. Then
he went to bed and drifted off to sleep immediately.
Some inner instinct awakened him. For a moment he lay quietly, his heart
pounding, eyes blinking in the darkness. Then he heard the pad of bare
feet as Scotty got to his feet.
"What's up?" Rick whispered.
"Just restless, I guess," Scotty whispered back.
Rick was wide awake now. He slipped into shoes and trousers while Scotty
did the same. A few minutes in the cool air on deck would make him
sleepy again, he thought.
"On deck!" Chahda gave a wild yell. "Come quick!" The words were
punctuated by gunfire.
Instantly Zircon leaped to his feet and ran for the door.
Rick emerged into the lesser darkness of the deck in time to see Chahda
fire at moving shapes on the water. The Hindu boy's shot was answered by
a dozen rifles, and Rick heard Chahda gasp.
"Pirates!" Chahda yelled. "Where is light?"
For answer, Scotty switched on the boat's searchlight and swiveled it.
Rick shouted. A dozen vintas were closing rapidly, propelled by paddles.
Fleetingly he thought that some sound or sense of danger must have
awakened him, then he grabbed for Shannon's bow, realized in the same
instant that it would do little good in the darkness, and put it back.
Zircon took the pistol from Chahda while Scotty found his rifle. The two
started a steady fire that was returned in ragged volleys as the pirates
tried to shoot out the light. They came close, but the light stood
undamaged. Rick thanked his guardian angel that they were poor shots.
It was obvious that even pistol and rifle fire could not keep the
pirates from boarding. Rick jumped to the controls and started the
engines. If they could only slip the anchor, it might be possible to ram
through the pirate craft and find safety in the open water. But even as
he borrowed Chahda's kris and started to run to the bow to cut the
anchor rope, the first vinta slammed into the torpedo boat.
Dark figures swarmed up the sides with piercing yells. Rick ran to meet
them, swinging the kris.
He realized vaguely that the pirate yells had turned somehow to screams
that seemed anguished, but his thoughts were occupied only with getting
the Moros off the deck. In the faint scattered light at the side of the
searchlight beam he saw that they were dancing, wildly, like Indians in
a TV horse opera!
Scotty joined him in the wild rush up the deck and the two boys hit the
Moros at the same instant. Rick swung the kris like a flail, while the
butt of Scotty's rifle slammed into bodies and heads.
The Moros turned with one accord and went over the side!
Zircon yelled, "Another boat back here!"
But Rick and Scotty had troubles of their own. Moros were pouring onto
the deck from the bow, where another vinta had tied up to the anchor
rope. They ran to meet the new attack, and were astonished to see the
pirates go into the same screaming dance. Then they were fighting again,
Rick wielding the kris with deadly effect, too frantic even to wonder
why the Moros weren't fighting more fiercely.
From the stern came a wild yell from Zircon, a great bellow that had
overtones of pain. Rick's breath caught. Had the big scientist gone
down?
But the bellowing roar continued and he knew Zircon was still alive.
Rick could do nothing at the moment anyway, except to swing the kris
until his arm felt as though the muscles were on fire. Next to him,
Scotty slammed home a butt stroke that lifted a pirate high off his feet
and threw him outward into the water. It was an instant before Rick
realized the deck was clear, then he turned and ran to the stern while
Scotty reversed his rifle and shot the vinta clear of pirates in the
glare from the searchlight. From the corner of his eye Rick could see
the Moros from the bow vinta scuttling through the water toward other
boats, and toward land.
At the stern Zircon towered like a mighty champion of mythology. Rick
saw him lift a pirate bodily, pluck the barong from his hand, and throw
him against two other pirates. At the scientist's side Chahda fought
valiantly with his left hand, his flying barong glittering in the
scattered back light of the searchlight. By the time Rick reached his
friends the deck was clear.
Chahda ran and swiveled the searchlight, and Rick saw that the vintas
were pulling away, amidst yells of rage from the pirates. Up on the bow,
Scotty was shooting as fast as he could aim and pull trigger, with
pauses only to slap a fresh clip into the rifle. The return fire
continued, but without order or enthusiasm, and in a few moments it
stopped altogether.
"They're gone," Rick said with relief. "Is anyone hurt?"
"Little bit," the Hindu boy answered. "When is time, maybe could use
bandage."
Scotty joined the three on the stern. "I'll get the first-aid kit.
Professor, are you hurt?"
"Like fire," Zircon answered grimly. "I'll never be the same again." He
sank down on a convenient seat and began to examine his feet. "But let's
get out of here and attend to Chahda when we're under way. They may
attack again, if they can find shoes."
The comment baffled Rick, but he didn't stop to question. He hurried
forward to pull in the anchor, and found a vinta still attached to the
rope. For a moment he debated about cutting it loose, then realized that
it would only be picked up by the pirates and used against them. He
untied the vinta line from the anchor rope and temporarily hitched it to
a bitt while he hauled in the anchor.
The vinta was light and easy to tow. He hauled it to the stern of the
MTB and attached the line to a cleat. Scotty was already at the wheel.
"Go!" Rick commanded.
Scotty shot the searchlight beam toward the entrance to the harbor and
put the engines in gear. The MTB moved with gathering speed, following
the clear path indicated by the searchlight. Once the light picked up a
vinta, but off to one side. Scotty gave it a wide berth.
As they cleared the bay, Rick got the first-aid kit and took Chahda down
into the cabin. The Hindu boy's shoulder was covered with blood. Rick
hurriedly cut way the clothes, afraid of what he might find. Zircon
joined him, watching anxiously.
"Is not bad," Chahda said. "Just made me stop fighting for a few
minutes."
Rick saw that the boy was right. A bullet had creased his right
shoulder, digging a deep furrow from which the blood welled. It was
painful, but at least they weren't faced with the problem of getting the
bullet out. He sterilized the wound and bound it tightly with gauze
pads. Then he washed Chahda clean of blood and put him to bed with a
blanket over him in case of shock.
"How about you, Professor?" Rick asked. "You said something about being
wounded, but I don't see any blood."
Zircon chuckled grimly. "Not much blood, anyway. How did you happen to
be wearing shoes?"
Rick explained that he and Scotty had awakened before the attack and had
gotten partially dressed to go on deck.
"Then you don't know," Zircon said. Suddenly he put his head back and
roared with laughter. "Did you ever see anything weirder than those
pirates dancing? I thought they'd gone insane in wholesale lots!"
Rick stared at the scientist. "I noticed," he said. "I wondered about
it, too."
"But you don't know the reason!" Zircon pointed at Chahda, who grinned
weakly from his bunk. "There's the cause of it all. He routed the enemy
with minimum help from us, even after he was wounded."
Rick turned to stare at Chahda. "What's he talking about?"
The Hindu boy shook his head. "I was sleepy, and I afraid maybe fall
asleep, which big disgrace. So what I do? I fix things to hurt pirates,
but also I hurt Professor Zircon, for which I plenty sorry."
"But how?" Rick demanded.
"Oh, I remembered that in Jolo I never see Moros wear shoes. Not very
many, anyway."
Zircon had mentioned shoes, too. Rick groaned with impatience. "What
have shoes to do with it?"
Chahda grinned. "I borrow the professor's cannon ammunition. All around
edge of deck I sprinkled, so when pirates come, they dance, and soon
they have plenty."
Rick got it then. He sat down and laughed until Scotty had to stick his
head in to see what was going on.
Rick pointed at Chahda. "The Hindu wizard!" he roared. "You know what he
did? He sprinkled the deck with tacks! No wonder the pirates danced!"