CHAPTER FIFTEEN

My Big Plan

I sat and thought for some time. I wanted to trick the men on the ship into a trap. I wanted to stop them from taking and killing us all. Suddenly I thought that when their friends on the beach did not return, they would send a boat to the island to see what had happened.

When I told the captain my thoughts, he agreed with me.

"So captain," I said, "We must hide the boat Friday and your friend tied up, so they don't see it. We should take anything inside that boat with us."

We ran back to the beach. When we reached the boat, we took all the guns and supplies we found in it. Everything was very useful to me, especially some brandy and pieces of sugar that we found. I had not tasted these things in many years.

When all these things had been hidden away, we made a very large hole in the bottom of the boat. When the men from the ship came to the island, they could not take it back with them. Then we could use it later. Truthfully, it did seem impossible for us to rescue his ship from so many men. But I would never tell the captain that. At least, we could easily fix the boat with the hole, and sail it to the Leeward Islands. On the way there, we could pick up Friday's father and all the Spanish men. They were probably all in Friday's country by now.

While we were working on the beach, we heard a gun being fired from the ship. When we turned around, we saw a flag waving in the wind. The captain said that the flag was a sign for the men who had taken the captain and his friends to the island. They were supposed to return to the ship now.

Soon we saw another little boat being put into the water. Because the men did not answer the signal, some of the others were coming to see what was wrong.

We ran and hid in the forest. When the boat came close, we saw that there were men in the boat. They were strong looking and had many guns.

"I think that a few of the men were forced to disobey me," the captain said, looking at the boat. "But all the rest are guilty!" He looked very serious. "I don't think we can beat them."

I smiled at him. "What are you so afraid of? Earlier, you thought you were going to die. But then I came along and saved you. Anything can happen. You have nothing to lose by trying to fight them!"

On our side of the battle, we had almost as many men as they did. We had seven men, and they had ten. There were me, Friday, the captain, his friend, the passenger, and two others we had caught. The captain was sure the two men would help us.

The captain told me that Friday had taken three of the other men we caught to my house. These were very bad men, with cruel hearts. They could not be allowed to escape. Friday had tied them up, but had left food and drink for them. Friday told them that if they were quiet, we would let them go in a day or two. But if they tried to escape, we would kill them immediately. All the rest of the men were tied up in my garden. I thought we should keep our prisoners in different places.

Finally the men from the ship arrived at the beach and pulled their boat onto the sand. They left no one watching their boat, which made me excited.

The men from the ship ran to the boat with the hole in it. From where we were hiding we could hear them asking why the boat had a hole.

Then they called their friends' names. When no one answered them, they started shooting their guns in the air.

I am sure that the prisoners in my house must have heard these guns. But Friday scared them so much that they did not answer their friends.

A minute or two later, this group of men got back in their boat and went back to the large ship in the water. I am sure they thought that everyone had been killed mysteriously.

After a while, seven of the men came back to the beach. They left three waiting in the boat. This was a problem. Even if we were able to beat the seven men, the other three could return to the ship.

We watched the seven as they quickly walked along the beach and climbed the hill, calling for their friends.

The captain said to me, "We can attack them when they are about to add more powder to their guns."

"That's a good idea." I said.

But no one shot again, so I was not sure what to do.

Suddenly I had an idea. I told Friday and the captain's friend to go to a place near where I had first met Friday, many years ago.

"When you get there," I said, "start shouting. When the men answer you, run further into the woods. Then shout again and again. They will think you are their friends, and follow you into the forest and away from the beach."

Friday and the captain's friend ran off. Soon I heard Friday and the man shouting. The three men that had waited in the boat took the boat onto the beach. One of the men said to the others, "Stay here!" and ran along the beach calling for his friends. We watched the man getting smaller and smaller, as Friday's calls drew them into the forest.

Quickly, we caught the two men who were still waiting. They did not give us any trouble.

Then we sat down to wait.

(end of section)