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Back The Ring of Wind Save as PDF
Chapters (71)
  1. CHRIS BRADFORD
  2. Contents
  3. Map: The Japans – 17th Century
  4. The Letter
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. Notes on the Sources
  69. Ninja Pirate Ship Competition
  70. Japanese Glossary
  71. Acknowledgements

‘They’ll be no good to you if you’re dead,’ Jack shouted back, before darting up to the stern’s deck and wrestling the tiller from the inept captain.

‘This is my ship!’ he protested, shocked by the apparent mutiny.

‘Then let me save it for you,’ replied Jack, revealing his face to the captain for the first time.

‘Y-y-you’re a gaijin!’

‘I’m also a sailor and a pilot,’ said Jack, leaning hard on the tiller and steering the Golden Tiger on a westerly course.

‘What are you doing?’ cried the captain in alarm. ‘We should be running before the wind, not heading into it!’

‘The Wind Demons have two sails,’ stated Jack. ‘They’d catch up with us in no time. Our only hope is to outsail them. We need to be close-hauled. Now get your men to trim the mainsail.’

The captain looked thoroughly unconvinced by Jack’s plan of action. Nonetheless, still in shock at his foreign appearance and with the pirate ship surging towards them, he ordered his crew to pull in the sheets. The canvas stopped flapping, no longer spilling precious wind power, and the Golden Tiger immediately picked up speed.

Jack realized he was taking a great risk. Close-hauled was the most challenging point of sail and the hardest in which to get the best out of a boat, especially one as battered as the Golden Tiger. The difficulty lay in how close to the wind he could get. Jack had to aim the Golden Tiger’s bow as high as possible, while maintaining the fastest attainable speed. He’d be sailing on a knife’s edge. The brisk breeze meant a sudden gust could capsize them at any moment. If he steered too much into the wind, the Golden Tiger would enter the no-go zone and stop dead in the water. If he angled further away from the wind, the boat would increase speed but have to cover a lot more ground – and this would allow the faster pirate ship to gain on them.

Jack’s sole hope relied upon their enemy being less manoeuvrable and unable to take such an acute angle to the wind. This would force the ninja pirates to tack more often, slowing their progress every time they had to beat a new course.

Miyuki, Yori and Saburo continued to dump cargo into the sea. Whimpers of pain and loss sounded from the captain with each crate thrown overboard. But the Golden Tiger benefited from the reduction in weight and began to fly through the water.

‘They’re still going to hit us!’ wailed one of the crew.

Jack glanced back. The fearsome pirate ship, its black spider sail seeming to swallow the stars behind, crested a wave like a breaching whale. Its exposed hull revealed timbers reinforced for ramming. As its bow came crashing back to the sea, plumes of white spray spurted into the air.