15
When he closed his eyes and set his head into the wind, Duncan was back in his beloved Hebrides, cruising with his grandfather. He had not realized how much he missed being on the open water, had never imagined that he would feel the pleasure of deepwater sailing again. The wind and spray slowly scoured away his despair, and he jumped so thoroughly into the work of sailing the ship with Munro that it was dawn before he collected himself enough to ask about the unlikely events that had allowed his escape.
The small sailing crew of the sloop, named the Osprey, were all Scots, and Munro had made a point of befriending them from the first hour they had reached the pier. He had been generous in buying them ale at the tavern near the fort’s gate, and they soon wanted to show off their sloop
