Jared huddled in the bow of the ketch, holding the ties that kept the horses prone on the rough sailcloth bunched and folded on the deck. The sea was 'a happy calm' according to Gaspar, but each jarring thud over the swells contradicted his carefree definition. Above his head, Jared watched warily as the mainmast snapped and strained mightily against a strong breeze. Jak staggered forward from his post beside Gaspar to check on Jared and the horses, his expression less confident than before they left.

"Quite an adventure, isn't it?" His voice bespoke a discomfort they both felt as he patted the horses and whispered calming phrases.

"They are terrified," said Jared. "And so am I. I never thought that sailing could be so difficult."

"He doesn't think it is." Jak tilted his head back at their indifferent captain.

"He wasn't so carefree when we insisted on taking the animal-what's that!" Jared pointed over Jak's shoulder at the pair of white sails approaching from behind.

Jak hurried back along the deck to the stern, pointing out the vessels behind them to Gaspar.

"Sacré bleu! Pirates!" Without warning, he swung the tiller over causing the boat to heel abruptly. Jak sprawled on the deck and the horses made frightened sounds and struggled to stand.

"I'm heading for that point of land," Gaspar shouted. "Get ready to push those animals overboard!"

"What! No, they'll drown!" Jak hauled himself up from the deck, gripping the halyard with both hands.

"If they catch and board us, we'll all drown. The animals are slowing us up. The weight, man the weight!" Gaspar waved his stump angrily. "I'll get close enough for them to swim, they'll make it." The boat tilted again as it rode up the side of a small wave and Jared screamed for help as his pony managed to stagger to its feet and was crashing dangerously about. He held the reins with all his might, pulling at the bridle, trying to get the pony's head down. Jak lurched up next to him and grabbed the pony's ear.

"When we get close enough to that point, we're pushing them over," He yelled over the noise of the snapping sail.

Jared gaped in disbelief. "We'll lose them! They'll drown!"

"Get ready!" Gaspar yelled from the stern. The ketch thudded over the swells, aiming right for the point of land. Behind the two smaller boats gained rapidly, one turning to cut off their route to the shore. "They're strong, they'll make it from here. When I say, now, push them over."

"Jak, we can't just push them over... please..." Jared's plea was barely out before Jak grabbed the reins of the pony, yanked his horse to it's feet and, fighting mightily to control the frightened animals, steered them to the side of the boat. The ketch mounted a rolling swell and crashed down on the back side then veered sharply to port accompanied by Gaspar's shout.

With the boat leaning to starboard, Jak and the horses slid toward the gunwale. He sat abruptly, bracing his feet against the side and jerked both arms forward, sending the wild-eyed animals into the sea. Jared skidded to the rail, watching horrified as both animals disappeared from sight. He turned a hateful stare at his companion in time to see him pointing, and looked back to find both animals, heads high, paddling landward.

"Back here, both of you!"

With a last, worried glance at his pony, Jared followed Jak along the heaving deck to join Gaspar.

With the horses gone, the ketch rode higher in the sea and was less sluggish to handle. Gaspar pulled Jared around behind the wheel and order him to take over, keeping the bow at the same angle into the sea. Terrified, he grasped the wheel as if it would flee and held his arms so tense they immediately began to ache.

"Who are they?" Jak shouted.

"A scurvy lot that prey on honest seamen," Gaspar spat, wrenching open the lid of a wooden box against the stern. He pulled out two long barreled pistols, shoving one in his belt and hefting the other in his good hand. "You take that belayin' pin," he said to Jak. "They'll come along both sides and try to board us. I'll give them each one o' these then it'll be up to the quick and the strong."

"But we have nothing!" Jared called from his post.

"Well maybe you can mention that when they have a dagger to yer throat." Gaspar spat and wrapped his arm about the line, watching the approaching sloops. "Don't be gentle, Captain," Gaspar warned Jak. "We can't outrun them but there's only six or seven. I can lower that to five, guaranteed." He broadly winked a lewd grin.

Jak hefted the club in his hand and shot a look at Jared. The three boats slashed through the rolling sea, the two sloops gaining rapidly, on either flank. Jak could see the faces of the men in the nearest boat and recognized them as the men from the tavern.

"These men are from the town! You must know them." He turned and looked at Gaspar, who was casually pointing the pistol at Jared's back.

The starboard boat pulled alongside and Gaspar signaled for a line. As the man prepared to toss it over, Jak sprang across the deck, knocking Gaspar off balance and giving the tiller a vicious yank to the right. The ketch heeled wildly as its bow rose high above the crest of the swell then came about with a devastating crunch against the sloop's side. There was a roar of surprise and pain as the splintering hull of the sloop dipped low in the water.

Gaspar tumbled down the canted deck, saving himself from falling between the two boats by snagging his wooden hand on a deck cleat. His pistol flew into the sea along with nearly everything else that wasn't fastened down. Jared clung desperately to the tiller, his feet scrabbling for a purchase as the ketch tilted further over, its sails tearing and tangling with those of the sinking sloop. Suddenly the swell moved past and the boat crashed down, righting itself and ripping loose the mainmast.

The sloop sank beneath the rolling wave, its remaining crew clinging helplessly to the wreckage left behind. On the port side, the other sloop was riding the next swell and threatening to drop down on the deck of the Sea Surf. Shouts of anger and fear swept away as the two boats collided, temporarily forcing the bow of the ketch beneath the surface. Water poured down the deck carrying Jak and Jared heavily into the starboard side gunnels.

Bodies flew about, some into the sea, some with bone crunching crashes against the rupturing hulls. As the boat began to rise again, Jak grabbed Jared by the coat and leaped into the sea, paddling furiously away from the battered boats. Gagging and sputtering from the salty water, Jared flailed his arms and legs in a panic, surprised at how easy it seemed to keep his head above water.

"Pull like this," Jak shouted, dragging his arms like oars from behind. "And kick your legs up and down. The waves will carry us landward."