Voyage of Slaves

30

THE RIZZOLIS’ CART STOOD IN A QUIET woodland glade, surrounded by armed men. But for the presence of the black-burnoosed guards with their jezzails and spears, it would have been an idyllic setting. Poppea, the troupe’s mare, had been hobbled, so that she could crop the greenery or drink from a nearby stream. The only view which the passengers in the cart had of the outside was through a small, circular window in the upper half of the rear door. Augusto Rizzoli peered through it, trying to estimate the number of their captors.

“I can see six guards from here, but that’s only about half of them.”

Otto pointed a thumb over his shoulder. “Ja, the others are out there, I can hear them.”

The normally happy Mummo was very down in the mouth. “Six or twenty-six, what can we do against armed men? This will probably be the last chance we have to escape!”

Mamma berated him sternly. “Shame on you, how can you even think of escaping without Serafina? We go nowhere without that girl!”

Buffo intervened on his brother’s behalf. “We’re all agreed on that, but Mummo was only expressing a fact. This time tomorrow we may all be whisked off to someplace unknown, sold off to some other villain.”

La Lindi stood on tiptoe, looking over Signore Rizzoli’s head at the two horses approaching the cart. “They’re bringing our Serafina back, see, it’s Misurata and Ghigno!”

Still dressed as she had been for Ferenc Kuvan’s inspection, the girl was thrust into the cart.

Mamma kissed her cheek. “Che bella,³⁴ what finery! Are you well, cara mia?”

Al Misurata interrupted from where he stood in the open doorway. “No harm has befallen her. Stay inside this cart, all of you. I don’t want to leave any graves behind when you move out tomorrow. My guards have orders to shoot if you so much as poke a finger outside. You have the girl back now, so sleep.”

Pink spots of anger showed on Signore Rizzoli’s cheeks. “Where are you sending us, and who have you sold us to, flesh peddler?”

The pirate grasped his sword handle. “Old fool, I am running out of patience with you! I could have cast you and your wife overboard and saved myself some trouble. Instead I insisted that you were all sold together, even you and her, as useless as you are. So shut your mouth and be grateful!”

He slammed the door shut and bolted it, then began issuing orders to Ghigno. “Count Dreskar’s aide will come for them before dawn. It is too late for us to travel back to the Sea Djinn, so we’ll camp here for the night. See to it!”

La Lindi, who had heard the pirate, scowled. “A pity the rain has stopped. I hope it starts again heavily and soaks the evil scum to the bone. Serafina, did you see the one who has bought us?”

The beautiful girl called them together and spoke in a whisper. “I saw a man, but I think he is in the service of someone more powerful. But listen, I saw Ben, too, and Ned, only for a moment. I think he means to help us, he smiled at me and winked, as if he had some kind of plan.”

Signore Rizzoli felt hope for the first time in awhile. “Ah, Benno, I know that good boy will help us if he can!”

Shortly before that, Ben and Ned were having to endure a sound telling off from the proprietor of the Grey Swan. The finger of Annalisa was wagging back and forth under their noses like a metronome—the old lady was in full spate. “And where, may I ask, have you two been, eh? Just look at you both, have you been wrestling with one another in that mud? You deliberately disobeyed Janos Cabar, what did she tell you? Stay inside, and don’t dare go out wandering. Now look at you, you . . .”

“Old one, give your jaw a rest before it seizes up!” The leader of the smugglers entered the room. She lifted the old lady off her feet and hugged her, frowning at the mud-coated boy and dog. “So, you’ve been out, eh?”

Ben explained, the words tumbling from him in a rush. “We saw the ship, it docked this afternoon. Misurata has sold my friends to the agent of some count. The cart is in the forest outside of town, Ned, I mean I, saw it, we can take you there, but we’ll have to be quick, they might be gone before long—”

Janos silenced the boy’s deluge of words with a wave. “Whoa, not so fast! Annalisa, run a bath, get some dry clothes for this muddy urchin and clean his knee up, he’s dripping mud and blood everywhere.”

Ben protested, “But there’s no time, they may be taken away over the border someplace, we’ve got to—”

Snaaap! The bullwhip cracked an inch from his lips as Janos interrupted, “You two would frighten the horses, looking like that. Now go and get cleaned and changed, then I’ll decide what to do. Don’t argue with me. Go!”

As they went, Ned made sure he brushed his mud-plastered coat up against Pandora, commenting maliciously,“This is all the fashion. Here, try some, everyone’s wearing it out there today!”

Spitting and yowling, the white Persian cat arched her muddied back.

Half an hour later, Ben, with a freshly bandaged knee, sat down beside the smuggler in the dining room. Annalisa had rigged him up from her slop chest, with some sailors’ clothes and a pair of cut-down sea boots. Ned’s fur was still glossy from the soap and water he had been rolling about in. They wolfed down cheese, bread and soup as they outlined the situation to Janos. She listened intently, then outlined a swift plan.

“Right, here’s what we’ll do! I’ll take just two wagons, six horses to each wagon, and an extra six for the cart. No fancy schemes, we’ll just hit them as hard and as fast as we can. That’s the best thing to do in a situation like this. Ben, you and your dog will be at the rear of the back wagon again, with Magda and Katya. It’ll be your job to pelt them with the bombs, create as much confusion as you can. I’ll get the six horses hitched up to the cart, it’ll go like lightning.”

Ned sent his master a thought. “What about Poppea?”

Ben explained about the troupe’s mare. Janos had the answer immediately. “I’ll cut her loose and tie her to the back of the cart, but she’ll have to keep up. Once we’re on the road, we’ll head northeast, for the convent at Muggia. That place is like a fort, I’m sure you and your friends will get sanctuary there. Well, how does that sound to you, boy?”

Ben’s clouded eyes began to gleam with the prospect of the daredevil idea. He handed over the pouch of gold coins to Janos. “It sounds great, friend, here’s my part of the bargain!”

She opened the pouch, extracting four more coins, and handed the rest back to him. “This is quite enough, you may need more gold before you’re all safe away. I’ll be leaving you at Muggia. Once you go into the convent, I’m off. The idea of being cooped up with a pile of nuns doesn’t sit too easy to me!”

Annalisa cleared away the dishes, chuckling drily. “On your way then, Sister Janos!”

The smuggler grinned. “I’ll see you when I return for the rest of my wagons and stock, Grandma!”

Outside, the drizzle had ended; it was a quiet, clear night. The Istrani Wolves saw to the harnessing of the extra horses, then piled into the two carts. Katya patted Ned and winked at Ben. “Well, what’s the orders?”

The strange boy laughed. “You’ll be smoking your mother’s pipe again, mate. We’re planning on attacking some Barbary slavers and freeing my friends.”

The big girl narrowed her eyes fiercely. “There should be more than just powder and smoke in those bombs, a load of musket balls and scrap iron, maybe. That’d put a stop to their slaving.”

Ned agreed mentally. “What a savage young creature— splendid idea, though. Blow old Miseryguts to smithereens, wouldn’t the world be a better place without him!”

There was no time for further discussion, as Janos Cabar leaped onto her black stallion and cracked the bullwhip. Reinforced by the extra horses, both wagons whirled off into the night.