فصل 48

CHAPTER 48

THE SHIP WE WANT

GEORGE AND THE OTHER BOYS were hiding amid a cluster of wooden barrels, up a gentle hill from the harbor. As the sun descended, they listened to the bustle of the docks ease into the lazy murmur of evening. As dusk deepened to night, the boys raised their heads and surveyed the scene.

The harbor was shaped like a horseshoe, with five docks sticking out from the rocky shoreline. The docks were crowded with sailboats: some small fishing vessels, and some larger cargo ships. The sails were triangles, with spars connected to masts at odd angles.

“Those are strange-looking boats,” said Prentiss.

“Never seen nothing like ’em,” agreed Thomas.

George frowned. “You mean,” he said, “you’ve never seen anything like them.”

“That’s what I said,” said Thomas.

George sighed. “Those ships are called feluccas,” he said. “Ancient sailing craft. Quite all right for rivers and low seas, but sadly lacking for our needs.”

“Yes,” said Prentiss. “Sadly lacking, those feluccas.” Thomas giggled. George, annoyed, was about to say something when James tugged his robe.

“What about that one?” he said. He was pointing to a tall mast directly below them.

George crept forward between the barrels for a better look. The other boys followed. “Ah,” said George. “Now that’s more like it. Dutch or French built. Square-rigged. Nearing a hundred feet, I’d say. Excellent, James!”

“But it’s not in the water,” Tubby Ted pointed out. He was right: the ship sat atop timbers, its stern aimed toward the sea.

“It’s being repaired,” said George.

“He wants to steal a broken ship,” said Tubby Ted. Prentiss and Thomas snickered.

“We’re not stealing,” said George. “We’re borrowing. And it’s not necessarily broken; it’s under repair. Painting, refitting, that sort of thing. It looks to me as though it’s ready to be launched. But at the moment it has no crew, so we can easily take control.”

“Right,” said Prentiss. “Control of a ship that’s not in the water.” Thomas giggled again.

“Laugh if you want,” said George. “But that’s our ship. That’s the only one that can get us home.”

“But how do we get it into the water?” asked James.

“That’s the problem,” agreed George.

“Will there be food on the ship?” said Tubby Ted.

George ignored him, studying the ship. The sky was quite dark now, but there was light to see by, thanks to the fat moon just starting to peek over the horizon. Tubby Ted began to poke around among the barrels, in case one of them contained food. He noticed that one seemed to be leaking liquid from a seam. He sniffed the liquid, then took some on his finger and licked it.

“Umm,” he said. “Not bad.”

“Ted,” said James. “This isn’t the time to—”

“What is that?” said George, looking at Ted.

“I dunno,” said Ted. “But it’s not bad.”

George dabbed his finger into the seeping liquid, then tasted it. His gaze went from the row of barrels down the hill to the ship. He smiled. “It’s olive oil! Well done, Ted.”

“You mean we can eat it?” said Ted.

“No,” said George. “But we can definitely use it to our advantage.”