19/02/2026 18:42

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As the cannon boomed out and a tall plume of spray eruptedfrom the water half a cable's length ahead of the leading boat, Halstood up in the bows and waved the croix pott6e. A man would be crushed like a cockroach ifhe were caught between them. Instead he reached down and lockedboth hands around his throat. Remember all that I have toldyou.

It is the wedding songof my mother's people, she answered. Then each man seized thereins of his own mount and swung up into the saddle. He paused, and looked at their honest, weatherbeatenfaces. Most of the men were hustled below by Ned and theother boatswains, while the rest were ordered to lie flat on the deckconcealed below the bulwarks.