Isle of Swords Read Online Free PDF Page A

range, but drifted behind them, waiting.
    â€œHe’s not as dumb as I thought,” Ross said. “We’ve got to get the Wallace off this shore, or we’re all done.” Holding Anne at arm’s length, he asked, “Anne, where’s Jules? We need his strength.”
    After Anne explained about the wounded man, Ross turned and looked at the tree line. Jules was nowhere to be seen. He looked back to see his daughter’s tears. “You did the right thing, daughter,” he said. “No crewman on the Wallace should leave another pirate behind.”
    She nodded, her bottom lip quivering, and joined the others who were lining up on both sides of the bow.
    Except for Nubby, who was unaware of the problems and still back in the forest looking for iguanas, the crew of the Wallace tried to push the ship back into the sea. Grunts and yells arose as they strained against the massive weight. Unscraped barnacles cut deep into their hands, but they did not stop. They knew that pirates caught on land . . . were dead pirates.
    â€œYou look like you could use a little more brawn,” said a deep voice from behind. And there was Jules, carrying the wounded man.
    Ross spun around and grimaced when he saw the bloody mess in Jules’s arms. Anne turned as well. Her eyes pleaded, and her shoulders sagged.
    â€œMidge!” Ross commanded. “Get up there and lower the gangplank. After Jules gets this guy down in the hold, pull it back up!”
    â€œAye, Cap’n!” And like a spider, Midge climbed up one of the mast lines and disappeared over the rail. Once the wounded man was safely aboard, the crew went to work with renewed vigor.
    Again, grunts and groans. Sweat and blood flowed. “Chevillard comin’ round, Declan!” Stede yelled from the other side of the Wallace . Ross stepped away from the bow. Chevillard’s corvette had turned and drove toward them. He’s tired of waiting, thought Ross.
    He knows we’re stuck, and he’s coming to get us.
    â€œMen!” Ross bellowed. “We need an inch, and the tide will do the rest. Now go for it! All you’ve got!” This time the effort was eerily silent. They stifled their pain and, with grim determination, laid into the Wallace . Breaths escaped in hisses, muscles trembled on the verge of spasming, and hearts pounded so hard the men could feel it in their eardrums. Then they felt it. A shift . . . a subtle bit of motion, but still, the Wallace did not break free. “Come ONNN!!!” Ross yelled.
    Then Ross spotted Nubby coming out of the forest with a basket of iguanas.
    â€œNubs, you land-loving lout! Get in here and push!” Ross yelled.
    Still not realizing the danger, Nubby argued, “Blast it, Captain, I’m a cook, not a strongman!”
    â€œGet over here now!” Ross bellowed, dizzy with the strain.
    Nubby looked beyond the landlocked Wallace and saw the looming corvette. The basket of iguanas went flying, and Nubby hit the Wallace like he’d been shot out of a cannon. The shift was more pronounced this time. The Wallace moved. The salt water flooded into the small crevice that had opened around the ship’s hull. And suddenly, the ship was afloat. The Wallace slid backward into the surf. “Well done, lads!” Ross shouted. “Now, all aboard! We have a Frenchman to send to Davy Jones’s locker!”
    As the crew scaled the rope ladders and shimmied up the mast lines, they wondered how they could defeat the Butcher with no gunpowder and no cannonballs.

6
A DESPERATE PLAN
    T he red flag and black sails of their opponent loomed on the seas before the William Wallace . Captain Ross launched a string of commands. “Nubby, get below and see to the wounded man! Anne, you go with him.” She nodded and disappeared with Nubby belowdecks.
    â€œMidge, Cromwell, Henrik, Smitty, and Red Eye—meet me by the mainmast!” Ross raised his voice. “Lads,