Less than half an hour after Renato finished asking the captain how to use and maintain the Wheellock Pistol, the measured tread of boots sounded from the gangway. Four fully armed Governor's guards strode along the wooden dock, each with a regulation sabre at his hip and a musket slung over his left shoulder, leather ammunition belts crossed over his chest.
One saluted Captain De Leon, while another took out a small notebook and asked the customary questions about the ship's name, its port of origin, and any major incidents during the voyage.
De Leon briefly explained "Crooked Mouth" Barnaby's identity and the course of his mutiny. The other two Governor's guards immediately went down into the hold and hauled the pirate chief out from behind the iron bars.
Barnaby's hands were pinned behind his back, his chains replaced with metal shackles worn to a bright shine. A short chain linked the shackles, allowing him to move only in small steps.
Yet the pirate chief showed no fear or remorse as they hauled him away. Even his badly crooked mouth had straightened considerably. As though he could finally breathe a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxed completely, and his breathing steadied.
Before leaving, Barnaby even eagerly struck up a conversation with Renato, claiming that in a few days he could serve as his guide, attend to his every need, and show him around the entire island.
Renato leaned against the ship's rail and watched the pirate chief recede into the distance, beginning to reassess exactly what role Governor De Sousa played in White Harbor.
"Crooked Mouth" Barnaby's air of confidence was hardly the reaction of a man being sent to the gallows. The cunning pirate must have made preparations long ago and felt certain he would not be hanged.
Whether