I reached over the side and took her from him. I laid her on the floor against the other side of the dinghy before I turned back to Jim. He gave me a pained look that said he couldn't do it.
"Oh yes you are! The girl needs a father and I need a good friend!" I said roughly in denial of his look of defeat.
He tried and I grabbed a hold of his belt from behind his back and pulled as Matt pushed from below. Jim tumbled over the side to join Christina on the bottom of the dinghy and I turned back for Matt.
It was actually harder for me to get him on board than it had been for Jim. Both Matt and I were totally spent and run out of adrenaline, but after a bit of a struggle Matt was on board too.
He sat down shakily as I crawled back to the prop and got us the heck away from this godforsaken island. I'd take my chances with the sea sooner that I'd set foot on this island again!
I leaned back and let the little prop engine do the work of taking us out to sea. The plan was to get out to sea and on the edge of the fog bank where we wouldn't be too noticeable and wait for Flynn and Ortega to circle back around the island and pick us up.
We were halfway to the fog bank when the unwelcome sight of two whaling ships tacking around the headland came into view. We wouldn't reach the concealing fog in time to escape from them!
Matt pointed and I looked straight ahead to see the Celestia's Prize come storming out of the fog bank where we had been headed for. There was no time for them to pick us up and even then it was doubtful that we'd be able to out run the two whalers under full sail.
They'd harpoon us to a standstill and board us at will. To make matters worse the Celestia's Prize couldn't have much fuel left by now by which to even make a run for it.
All that must've occurred to Flynn as he didn't head for us. He headed for the two whalers, which in turn broke off from us to focus on the Celestia's Prize.
Flynn held the wheel and squinted as he watched the two whalers turn to meet him. What he wouldn't do for a chew of tobacco right now!
It was a nasty habit and he was glad that he'd given it up before it had been the death of him. The thought of that irony almost made him laugh out loud given the present circumstances, but people thought he was crazy enough as it was already without adding sudden outbursts of laughter to the cuckoo list.