After the ship was unloaded, the pirates towed The Morning Star and her crew out to sea. The pirates tied the crew"s hands and moved them to a cabin, just above the hold that held the scuttling charges. Then they bolted the door, cut The Morning Star adrift, and sailed away.
First Mate Percy had been working at the rope binding his wrists, now bloody from his effort. But finally, his narrow hand, slick with blood, slipped through and he was free. He reached under his shirt and from a scabbard hanging from a thong around his neck; he pulled a small thin-bladed knife. He cut the rope of the man next to him then handed the knife to him so he could free the others.
Percy moved to a cupboard attached to the bulkhead and wedged his fingers between the bulkhead and the cupboard. He gave a great
