CHAPTER 29 “That infamous devil Renato!”
“Ahoy the ship!” The call, made tinny by a speaking trumpet, rang clearly across the waves.
Renato fought back a grin. A small victory. The American captain had chosen to talk rather than shoot.
“God be praised!” Renato used his best New England accent. “Our deliverance is at hand!”
“You will please identify yourself. What ship are you?”
“Help! They’ve murdered my crew!” Renato did not want to sound too coherent. A ready answer would arouse more suspicion than a frenzied one.
“We’ll be pleased to aid you, but you must first identify yourself.”
As the ships drifted closer, Renato got his first clear look at his adversary. Medusa’s captain was tall, towering above his crewmen, with wide shoulders and a narrow waist. Blond mutton-chop whiskers h
