Snippet #1933840

James could feel the ship picking up speed. From the porthole in his cabin, he could see the headlands outside Glendamn Bay crawling past. They must have passed the breakwater and the shoals along the coast; and were letting out full sail. Time to head back out to take a speed reading. It felt rather wierd not being present on deck for departure, but James was now a member of the crew, not an officer anymore. Taking his rope and one of the hour glasses, he headed topside. Now where is that cute cabin girl. I'm in need of her services...

Outside, James was hit by the crisp smell of the salt air and the wind whipping in his face. Sailors were unfurling the sails and adjusting the ropes. The ship was picking up speed as more sails were deployed. As James headed over toward the stern of the ship, he was almost run over by the captain, who was moving like a hurricane across the deck. James stumbled back, almost dropping his hour glass. He could tell something wasn't right. The way the captain was moving suggested a sense of urgency, and unless she was over-anxious to go after this Jewel thing, there should have been no reason for her to be in such a rush to get out of port.

"Captain!" he gasped, forgetting for a moment he wasn't an officer. "What in God's name is going on? First we hit something, and now you're running around like we've got to get somewhere in a hurry. And we're barely even a league outside the breakwater. Is everything okay?"