The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 21, Step Two

Although Catherine was not allowed to touch any nautical instruments such as a compass, she could still tell that the ship was sailing west by using the sun to determine its direction.

In addition, Lin Qian wrote a blackmail letter, and fishing boats and islands gradually appeared around them.

Catherine had already guessed that the Fujian ship had sailed to the vicinity of the Luzon Islands.

However, the Luzon Islands include hundreds of islands of varying sizes, such as Samar, Cebu, Palawan, and Mindanao, so she couldn't distinguish which island the ship was approaching.

The Spanish colonial influence was basically limited to the main island of Luzon and the northern parts of Samar and Cebu.

Other areas were either deserted islands or occupied by natives and pirates. If she rashly fled to an island, her fate would probably be much worse than if she stayed on the ship.

During this time, she kept a close eye on the ship's location, racking her brains for a way to escape.

Meanwhile, she spent almost all day in the sterncastle and rarely went out, creating the illusion for the pirates that she had resigned herself to her fate.

This did have some effect; recently, the pirates have been much more lenient in their watch over her, and she is now free to come and go as she pleases throughout the ship.

Although she was unwilling to admit it, the pirates were indeed much more civilized than she had imagined. She was not only not bullied or mistreated on the ship, but was actually treated quite well.

The pirate crew treated her even more kindly than the senior craftsmen at the Cavite shipyard.

Even so, Catherine still vividly remembers being abducted to the ship and the pirates' plot to overthrow the Manila government, and is constantly looking for a way to escape.

Recently, the Fujianese ship has been anchored near a large island, but the pirates have not disembarked. It seems they are waiting for something, or perhaps they are wary of the island.

Fishing boats would approach every day to trade goods with the pirates.

The goods are mostly fish, fresh water, tools, canvas, and the like.

As the fishing boat approached at noon, Lin Qian was observing the solar altitude angle on the stern deck with a sextant.

Catherine seized the opportunity, rushed to the side of the boat, and asked the fishermen on the fishing boat, "What's the name of this island?"

Although the people on the fishing boats were all natives with yellow skin and black hair, the Spanish had been colonizing Manila for decades, and the surrounding natives had been influenced, most of whom could speak a few simple words of Spanish.

Catherine prayed in her heart that the fishermen could understand her language.

Perhaps it was a miracle from the Virgin Mary, for one of the young fishermen answered, “Samar Island.”

Sure enough, Catherine's guess was correct. Her heart pounded. There was a Spanish outpost on Samar Island. If she could escape to the shore...

"What did you just say to him?" Lin Qian's voice sounded from behind her.

Catherine, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, turned around abruptly and looked at him with eyes that looked like she had seen a ghost.

After spending more than a month together, she had developed a deep-seated fear of Lin Qian.

This person possesses an almost pathological calmness, self-discipline, and desire for control, as well as a mind-reading insight.

When she was with Lin Qian, she felt as if she had been stripped naked, and all her thoughts were exposed.

If Lin Qian knew what she had just asked, her escape plan would definitely be discovered. Now she could only lie and try to get away with it.

“I…I asked him if he had…a Red Sun Mat…” Catherine said, her head bowed and her face flushed.

The term "red sun" was a euphemism used by European nobles for women's menstruation.

Although using menstruation was somewhat shameful, Catherine knew Lin Qian; it was the only way to stop him from asking further questions.

This pirate captain had a unique moral compass that was different from ordinary people—he felt no guilt about killing, but he would never do anything to insult women.

If it were any other answer, Lin Qian would confirm with the fisherman again, no matter what Catherine said, but not this one.

As expected, Lin Qian remained silent for a moment, then turned and went back to the stern deck without saying anything more.

Catherine breathed a sigh of relief.

That night, when she went back to sleep in her hammock, she touched something soft on the bed. When she picked it up, she saw that it was a bundle of cotton cloth cut into long strips.

Catherine immediately understood the purpose of the strips of cloth. Her face flushed, and she hugged them to her chest. She glanced at Lin Qian with mixed feelings and whispered, "Thank you."

Lin Qian did not reply, her expression focused on studying the nautical chart, and it was unclear whether she had heard.

Catherine, carrying the strips of cotton cloth, walked to the stern deck, took off her trousers, and wrapped them around her. Although she hadn't actually reached the "Red Sun," she knew that if she didn't use them, her secret would be revealed.

As she wrapped the cloth strips, her heart inexplicably started pounding.

If only he weren't a pirate, he'd be a nobleman from Madrid, not necessarily a high-ranking one, just a count would do...

Catherine was startled and shook her head violently, cursing herself for thinking such nonsense.

After wrapping the cloth around her face, she didn't rush back. Instead, she leaned against the stern railing, letting the sea breeze cool her face.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through her mind, and she thought of a way to escape...

The next afternoon, a torrential downpour began.

Lin Qian took off his shirt, grabbed a towel and soap, and prepared to leave the stern deck. Catherine stopped him, asking him to help her take a bath on the stern deck with a curtain, just like last time.

Lin Qian looked at her suspiciously: "In your current physical condition, can you stand in the rain?"

Catherine paused for a moment, then remembered that she was pretending to be menstruating, and explained, "I'm not that delicate, and those... clothes also need to be washed."

Upon hearing this, Lin Qian stopped trying to persuade him and ordered someone to make arrangements on the stern deck.

Just as he was about to push open the door, Catherine called out to him again: "Hey! Mr. Pirate, you haven't told me your name yet."

"Really? My name is Lin Qian." After saying that, Lin Qian pushed open the door and stepped into the rain.

……

Freshwater at sea is extremely precious; using it for brushing your teeth would be a waste, let alone taking a bath.

The sailors were exposed to the wind and sun on the deck every day, their bodies constantly wet and dry with seawater and sweat, making them smell extremely unpleasant.

So whenever it rains heavily, the boatmen would go up to the deck together to bathe and enjoy nature's bounty.

Today, the rain was pouring down, and the deafening sound of rain hitting the sea filled the air. Even if two people were face to face, they would have to shout to be heard.

"Look, that barbarian woman is coming out!" someone shouted, immediately attracting everyone's attention.

"Hey! Look what this is! Don't be afraid to open your eyes..."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Catherine could roughly guess what the boatmen were talking about, and she ran to the stern deck as if fleeing, hiding behind the canvas curtain.

Then, she took out a larger piece of canvas from her clothes; that was her hammock.

Catherine untied the cotton strip from her crotch and tied the canvas, shirt, breeches, and robe together to form a rope five or six meters long.

Then tie one end of the rope to the stern railing and throw the rope down, so that it reaches the sea surface.

Catherine peeked out from behind the canvas curtain and took one last look at Lin Qian.

He was washing his hair with soapy water; his upper body muscles were clearly defined, and his lower body...

Catherine's face instantly turned bright red, burning hot. She quickly pulled her head back, silently thinking, "Goodbye, you damned pirate."

Then she deftly flipped over the stern, gripped the rope tightly with both hands and legs, and slowly moved towards the sea.

She drew closer to the sea, her heart filled with ecstasy.

Just then, with a tearing sound, her shirt suddenly ripped open, and she fell into the sea with a splash, clutching her black silk robe.

Fortunately, the loud noise of the downpour drowned out the sound of the water falling.

Catherine thanked God in her heart and swam vigorously toward the shore.

She only had one thing on her mind right now—to get back to Manila as quickly as possible and tell her father about the pirates' plans.

By the time she reached the shore, she was exhausted and could only lie on the beach, letting the seawater and rain wash over her body.

On the distant sea, the Fujian ship remained motionless, indicating that her escape had not yet been discovered.

The beach was not safe, and she had to get up immediately and head north to find the Spanish fortress.

Catherine gritted her teeth, propped herself up with her aching and trembling arms, put on the black silk robe, and walked towards the northern mountains.

By the time they reached the top of the mountain, the black silk robe was already torn to shreds.

Fortunately, the hardships were worthwhile, and the lights of the fortress could now be clearly seen on the northern coast.

Catherine's legs trembled, and she leaned against a tree to rest, then looked back at the harbor she had come from.

Her eyes widened in an instant as she witnessed a scene she would never forget.

In the dark harbor, hundreds of ship lights were lit, covering the entire surface of the harbor.

By the light of the ship's lanterns, the outlines of countless enormous warships came into view.

……

Meanwhile, in the bay, Lin Qianyi stood on the stern of the Fujian ship, her gaze passing over countless torches disguised as ship lights, looking towards the dark mountains of Samar Island.

In Lin Qian's hand, there was a rope made of strips of cloth, the very rope Catherine had used to escape.

"That stupid woman finally figured out a way to escape..." Lin Qian thought to herself, "It wasn't for nothing that I sold out her flaws for so long."

At this point, the second step of the plan has been completed.

(End of this chapter)