The Devil and the Dark Water

36

The rest of the day passed idly, the heat weighing heavy on the ship.

The search had concluded without any sign of the leper’s rags, leaving the crew restless and irritable without anything to show for it.

As the sun grew red and dipped behind the horizon, Crauwels gave the order to drop anchor and furl the sails. Two of the ships in the fleet continued into the dusk. They had lost time and the seas were placid. Evidently, they had decided to carry on through the night.

Crauwels watched them disappear into the red sun.

‘Damn fools,’ he muttered. ‘Those reckless damn fools.’