Chapter six
Nassau, BahamasA tall, muscular, black man waited for the skipper at the end of the gangplank. “Captain Denning, suh?”
“Yes. I’m Captain Denning.”
“I have a message for yuh, suh.”
Denning snatched the envelope, read the contents, and frowned.
As instructed in the note, he found his way to the White Light Tavern, an all-green, gabled establishment hastily built during the war. On entering through the elbow-to-elbow crowd near the door, Denning caught the strong whiff of fresh liquor. They were starting early. Some of his crew were mixing with the bar women. A group of British speculators at the counter were engaged in some chatter. Another cluster, this one British and Southern naval officers, were proposing toasts in the corner.
An Englishwoman approached Denning from beh
