Chapter Nine
My situation worsened when we took our first prize of the voyage. Oh, I cheered as eagerly as the rest when sail was sighted through the spyglass, but it was in happy ignorance—I knew not yet what my new profession truly meant.
The Captain gave the command, and the good Sappho began to track the unsuspecting galleon. The wind was with us, making the sturdy canvas billow out proudly above the rolling deck, yet despite the sudden rush of activity, our prey was still leagues off. Hurry though we might, we could make the gusts blow no stronger. We closed in with frustrating slowness through most of the morn, riding the wind which our quarry tacked.
Flushed and impatient, the Captain left Smith in command for a few hours and led me below to our cabin. The sight of our prey had f
