Chapter 20

"How did it go?" Ishmael asked as Pedro came ashore.

It had been midday at the very least when the Hawk had slipped into the sheltered cove that had only recently served as the anchorage for the pirate raiders to which Hawk and the rest of Pedro's small armada had dealt a deadly blow. Upon dropping her anchor a small boat had been lowered over the side and set afloat beside the ship. Pedro had gotten into it with Hector close at his heels leaving the Hawk in the charge of Hans van Holien and his ever faithful coxswain. With a small party of men from the Hawk, Pedro had been rowed ashore. He had been met there by Ishmael and another guard.

"It went well my old friend," Pedro said in reply, reaching out and clasping forearms with his Captain of the Guards. "How did it go with you?"

Ishmael was standing at the shore with two of his men. All of them were wrapped up in their heavy travelling cloaks. The wind was whipping about them, tugging at their garments and flushing their cheeks. Still all three men broke into broad smiles in response to Pedro's question.

"It went better than planned, Dom Pedro," Ishmael replied enthusiastically. "We suffered no casualties at all."

"Excellent," Pedro exclaimed with pleasure, a smile now crossing his lips. "I am glad to hear that more than anything else. I'm even happier to know that you ran into no problems during your raid."

"Well, if truth be told," Ishmael said with a shrug of his shoulders, "there really weren't that many pirates here at the settlement and almost all of them were in bed when we struck. It made for a very easy raid. In fact the only thing that caused us any worry was the sight of your ships turning out to sea."

"Ah," Pedro muttered in reply, looking a little embarrassed as he did. "I am sorry for that my friend. It was unavoidable and I hope it didn't cause you any difficulties with your men. We were about to turn into the mouth of that cove just as we had planned it when Bartholomew and the Cadiz spotted the pirates at sea. The brigands were attacking a pair of Portuguese traders bound for the port at Santiago."

"So I surmised later once we had taken this place and explored the ships at anchor here," Ishmael responded in a manner that reassured Pedro that there were no ill feelings. "It became rapidly clear to all of us that the bulk of the pirates were at sea. A quick chat with a prisoner or two revealed that their fellows were at sea. I quickly put two and two together and realized that you and the armada must have spotted them. After that I had no more worries."

"Well that is good to hear, my friend," Pedro muttered with a sigh of relief, "for I had no desire to cause you any difficulties due to our sudden change of plans."

"You didn't, my lord," Ishmael reassured Pedro once again, smiling warmly as he did. Then wishing to change the topic he pressed his original question once again demanding to know more. "You say it went well, my lord. Tell us all about it."

"I will, good Captain," Pedro stated firmly, "but not here and not now. The wind is brisk and while the sky is clear the air is damp and cold. I'd like to get out of the elements and into somewhere warm and comfortable. Then we can both have a drink and tell each other what has happened to them this morning. What do you say to that?"

"A good plan, my lord," Ishmael readily agreed, smiling as he did, "though I fear finding a comfortable place here will be an adventure in itself. Still there is a bordello here that I've taken over as my headquarters that might serve the purpose if you can stand the smell."

"Is the smell that bad?" Pedro asked, looking questioningly at his man.

"It is my lord," Ishmael stated with a sigh. "These men lived like pigs."

The bordello was one of the three buildings that Ishmael and his men had raided while Pedro and the small armada had been out to sea dealing with the pirate raiders. It was built in a similar manner as the building that Ishmael had stormed. The only real difference in it was the fact that the main room didn't have any bunk beds in it. Instead the area where the beds would have been had been converted into a taproom. Three large barrels stood on end on the bare earthen floor with a long plank of wood placed over it to serve as a bar top. Behind the improvised bar stood a shelf upon which stood bottles of wine and kegs of Madeira. A chandelier of four candles hung over it to provide ample light.

The room had been tidied up a bit in the short time that Ishmael and his men had been there. The door to the building had been left open for most of the morning and the chamber pots had been disposed of. By the time Ishmael led Pedro into the place the harlots who had lived there had scrubbed down the surfaces and they had cleaned what dishes and utensils that had been there. More significantly the air in the building was breathable. There was also a new fire blazing in the hearth. Once into it Ishmael directed Pedro to a seat. Hector who was still dogging after Pedro took up a silent watch from across the room. Ishmael simply nodded at the man, acknowledging his presence and then turned his attention back to his young master.

"Not much," Ishmael noted apologetically once both Pedro and he had settled, "but it is out of the wind and cold."

"True enough, my good Captain," Pedro acknowledged as he glanced about the place, wrinkling his nose as he did, "and we will not be here that long. Once the other ships of the armada have anchored here and we've sorted out what is what, we will be weighing anchor once more and setting sail for Portugal. Within a week or so we will be home. After that the hunt will begin for the bastard Don Hugo and his minions. With luck we will fall upon them as unexpected as we did this place and his ships at sea. It would make matters that much easier."

"It would Dom Pedro," Ishmael sighed in agreement, "and I will pray to Allah that it will happen. Unfortunately, it is something for which we will have to wait and see. If Allah is willing, then it will be so. We can only hope."

Pedro opened his mouth and then he shut it. He shut it because a young woman had come forward carrying a platter with two wooden cups upon it. She placed one cup in front of Pedro and then one in front of Ishmael. When she was done, the young woman retired back towards the hearth where she had been tending a pot simmering over an open fire. The woman was young and obviously a Moor. She was dressed in rags that were soiled and a torn blanket that she wore as a shawl over her head. The action of the woman and her presence in the room had been enough to cause Pedro to pause in his thoughts and to think about other matters.

"Tell me about this place," Pedro said in a low voice to Ishmael, speaking in a manner that was more command than a request, "and about the women here. I want to know everything."

"There is not much to tell you, my lord," Ishmael said with a sigh and a shrug of his shoulders. "The women here were kept as whores by the men who lived and visited here. That girl is a Moor as are several others. There are twelve of them in total. A couple are blacks who were taken from fishing villages down the coast. None of them came here of their own free will."

"Is that so?" Pedro murmured softly in reply, picking up his cup as he spoke. The drink in it was mulled wine that had been over spiced. It certainly wasn't the best that Pedro had ever tasted but it was hot. It also provided Pedro with a distraction. He was feeling a sense of rage at what he had just learned.

"It is my lord," Ishmael acknowledged sensing his young master's change of mood. "From what I have learned, these pirates did not just raid the occasional Portuguese trader or fishing boat. They also raided villages up and down the African coast. For the most part they struck Moorish fishing villages taking what plunder they could find. I've been told it has been profitable for them as the Moors understand the value of gold and silver where the blacks do not. From time to time they also took young women. Not all of them have survived."

"I see," Pedro sighed heavily, taking another sip of his wine. Then changing the topic, Pedro asked, "Tell me about the buildings here and what you've found. Did you take many prisoners?"

"I took no more than a dozen men," Ishmael admitted in reply, "though we also ended up killing about eight other men in the process. If the men did not surrender immediately, we got rid of them."

"Understood," Pedro interjected, nodding his head as he did. "I wouldn't have expected anything else. Did you find anything else?"

"We did," Ishmael acknowledged with a smile. "The three large buildings here are warehouses of a sort. It appears that Don Hugo has been stockpiling loot and setting it aside. Some of it was plunder from the ships his pirates captured at sea and some of it was wealth taken from the Moorish villages that the pirates have raided. There are even more diamonds here collected from his secret mine in Africa. In all there is quite a fortune. I'm certain that we've struck the man a grievous blow."

"Indeed it does, my good Captain," Pedro replied enthusiastically, "and I must thank you for doing your duty so well. With this wealth and the ships we now have at our disposal I am certain that we can strike down the Condor once and for all."

"I agree my lord," Ishmael declared firmly with a grin, "and more so because I have something else to reveal. It appears that the Condor has not just plundered Portuguese or Moorish vessels. Amongst his many sins I have discovered that he has made war against his own countrymen. The two ships lying at anchor below us in the cove are Spanish vessels. They were part of an expedition to the new world that was intercepted by the Condor's band of brigands and pirates. More importantly the brigands in their quest to squeeze every florin out of their adventures kept hostages from the vessel. While they killed most of the officers and crew of the ships they took, keeping only men who they could trust and who were of a like mind to them, they also kept two men as prisoners. They intended to ransom these men back to their families in return for gold and silver. At the moment they are in another of these buildings waiting to meet you. I'm certain that they will be willing to sail with us once we weigh anchor to bear witness before the king in Lisbon against the Condor. Now what do you think about that?"

"I think my friend," Pedro exclaimed loudly and enthusiastically, "that you have earned your pay for the day and for the rest of this year. Send for those men immediately. I want to speak to them."

"Dom Pedro de la Vega," Ishmael intoned a short while later, as he stood beside where Pedro had stayed sitting, "may I have the honour of presenting Don Eduardo de Bolero and Don Manuel de la Mancha. Gentlemen, with all due respect his Excellency Count de Alvarez, Dom Pedro de la Vega."

"Your Excellency," both men murmured courteously in response, bowing solemnly as they spoke as one.

It was clear to Pedro that both men had suffered grievously during their captivity. Both men were rake thin in appearance and they both had sunken shadows beneath their eyes. Their clothing and finery was soiled and torn and in places threadbare. Don Eduardo was the older of the two men. Pedro was certain that he wasn't ancient but he certainly looked it. His head was bald and his beard was filled with silver. The man had a very tired look to him. Don Manuel was a younger version of Don Eduardo. He had more hair on his head and he was slightly shorter but he too had a look upon his face like a man who was bound for the grave. It was a piteous sight.

"Greetings gentlemen," Pedro said in response, rising from his seat as he spoke. "Please, come and sit with me. I wish to speak to you and to hear the tale of how you came here. Perhaps we could chat a little over a dish of food."

"You are most gracious, Dom Pedro," Don Eduardo murmured gratefully in reply, bowing again out of respect and courtesy. "We thank you very much."

"It is nothing gentlemen but common Christian hospitality," Pedro insisted modestly. "Think nothing of it. Now please take a seat and make yourself comfortable. Ishmael, please see to food and drink for these men."

"At once my lord," Ishmael acknowledged with a bow of his head, before turning aside to see to his master's command. While he did that, Pedro struck up a conversation with the men.

"I must apologize to you gentlemen for the fare I have to offer you," Pedro began. "My ships have been at sea for almost a month and our provisions are low. Unfortunately we've been forced to make use of what we've found here since we took this place this morning and as you already know the larder here is pitiful at best. Still we will do our best to host you in a manner fitting men of noble birth."

"Again Dom Pedro, you are most gracious," Don Manuel stated this time, speaking for himself and for Don Eduardo. "We cannot thank you too much for your kindness."

The meal was a fish stew served with chunks of dark bread and cups of white wine. It was hot and plentiful and that was all that mattered. Ishmael warned the men to eat slowly when one of the women brought the bowls of food to the table. Given the conditions that they had been kept under, he advised them that gorging themselves would not be advisable. Thankfully both men listened to him. While the men sipped the broth of the stew and slowly ate the contents of their bowls, they and Pedro talked. Quickly the story of their capture and their captivity became clear.

"We were bound for Hispaniola in the Caribbean," Don Eduardo informed both Pedro and Ishmael in a solemn voice. "Our expedition consisted of three ships that were laden heavily with supplies for our colony at Santo Domingo. We had sailed from Seville nearly three and some months ago with over two hundred men in our company. As we passed these islands these bastards pounced upon us. Regrettably our ships were lightly armed. We had no expectation of encountering pirates this far from the lands of the Moors and we were taken by surprise. Our lead vessel was sunk within a matter of minutes and the captain of the other vessels chose to strike their colours rather than risk death. They believed that the pirates would plunder them and then let them go on. Unfortunately for most of us in their company they proved wrong. The pirates killed most of the officers aboard the Infanta Maria and the Valencia. Then they segregated the crew and after interrogating them, picked men who chose to swear an oath of allegiance to their leader. The rest of the crew they killed. As for Don Manuel and I, we were spared only because our noble names meant possible wealth to the murdering brigands. We were forced to write letters to our families back in Seville demanding ransom in return for our lives. Since then we have been kept locked in one of these stone buildings slowly starving to death. We have no knowledge if the ransoms were paid or not."

"Are you aware of who commanded these pirates?" Pedro asked, gazing intently from one man to the other as he asked the question.

"We met a man who called himself Captain Luis Delgado," Don Manuel replied with a voice edged with rage. "He was the captain of a ship called the Grand Diablo. The man was exactly that. He was responsible for the death of most of those who had surrendered. He was a cruel and evil person. I hope one day to see the man hang."

"That you might get the chance of doing, Dom Manuel," Pedro told the man with all sincerity. "My men and I have taken many prisoners today and we've yet to question any of them. Perhaps this man is amongst those that we now hold. Regardless of that however is the fact that Captain Luis was not the man commanding the pirates that operated from this island. He was only the agent of another man. That man is even crueller that Captain Luis."

"Who is this man you speak of Dom Pedro?" Don Eduardo asked with unbridled interest. "Do you know his name?"

"Yes Don Eduardo I know his name," Pedro answered, looking coldly at both men as he replied. "The man who commands these brigands and who ordered your capture is the same foul creature that has caused grievous harm to my family. His is the man who has robbed me of my sainted father, who now lies dead these past few weeks, spent long before his time through the cruelty imparted on him by the orders of this man. He is the very same man who murdered my uncle in Lisbon and who has laid his hands upon his daughters, my cousins. This man is a traitor to Spain, a murderer, and a villain."

"And his name Dom Pedro," Don Manuel beseeched Pedro to say. "What is his name?"

"His name is Don Hugo de Cordoba," Pedro answered him with icy bluntness, "the Count de Cordoba and the Spanish ambassador to the Portuguese court of King Manuel. He is the man who calls himself the Condor."

"Where is Alfonso?" Don Hugo shouted loudly down from the balcony that overlooked the inner yard of the ambassadorial residence.

"He is away Excellency," the guard on duty shouted back up to Don Hugo. "He left word that you had sent him on a mission."

Don Hugo said nothing in reply. Instead he turned and walked back into the residence. Once inside he headed quickly towards his study. Just as he reached it, he spotted Don Diego hurrying down the corridor towards him.