‘Aye, aye, Bosun,’ the men all chanted, hastily returning to their duties.

During the night, there was a growing uneasiness among the crew. Rumours about samurai and wako had spread like wildfire, and the watch had sighted black shadows moving through the forest.

The next day, all eyes were fixed on the shore and, despite the coastline remaining completely deserted, there was a feverish anxiety to the way the men worked.

It was close to dusk by the time the Alexandria was fit to sail. The Bosun called all hands on deck and Jack waited with the rest of the crew to hear the Captain’s orders.

‘Gentlemen, you have done a fine job,’ announced Captain Wallace. ‘If the wind is fair, we sail in the morning to Nagasaki and our fortune. You’ve all earned yourselves an extra ration of beer!’

The whole crew let out an enthusiastic cheer. It was rare for the Captain to demonstrate such generosity. As the cheering died down, though, the watchman from the crow’s-nest could be heard shouting.

‘Ship ahoy! Ship ahoy!’

They all turned as one and looked out to sea.

There, in the distance, was the ominous outline of a ship… bearing the red flag of the wako.

5

SHADOS IN THE NIGHT

The old moon had waned, leaving the night as black as pitch, and the wako ship was soon swallowed up by the darkness.

Up on deck, the Captain had doubled the watch in case of an attack, while below those off duty whispered their fears to one another. Exhausted, Jack lay silent in his bunk, staring blankly at the spluttering oil lamp, which made the men’s faces appear gaunt and ghostly as they talked.

Jack must have drifted off because when he opened his eyes again the oil lamp had gone out. What had woken him? The night was soundless, apart from the heavy snoring of his fellow crewmembers. Yet he still felt an intense disquiet.

Jack dropped from his bunk and padded up the companionway. It was no lighter up on deck. Not a single star could be seen and Jack found the absolute darkness disturbing. He made his way across the deck, feeling his way as he went. The fact that there appeared to be no one around only served to increase his sense of unease.

Then, without warning, he collided straight into a watchman.

‘Bleeding idiot!’ snarled the sailor. ‘You scared the living daylights out of me.’

‘Sorry, Piper,’ said Jack, glimpsing the little white clay pipe in between the man’s lips, ‘but why are all the lamps out?’

‘So the wako can’t see us, stupid,’ whispered Piper harshly, sucking on his unlit pipe. ‘What are you doing up on deck anyway? I’ve the mind to clip you one.’

‘Er… I couldn’t sleep.’

‘Right. Well, this ain’t the place for a midnight stroll. We’ve been issued with guns and swords in case the wako attack, so you get below. Wouldn’t want to spoil that pretty little face of yours now, would I?’