Don Audre Ruiz told him swiftly. “We want your ship, to pursue a pirate craft!” he said.
“How is this, señor?” the captain cried. “There are pirates in these waters?”
“Sí! And possibly within half a dozen miles of you,” Don Audre told him. “Early in the night they raided Reina de Los Angeles. They also raided the Pulido hacienda, and carried away the señorita, who was to have wed Don Diego Vega this day.”
“By the saints!” the schooner’s captain swore. “They stole the bride-to-be of Señor Zorro? Is he here with you?”
“He followed them, going ahead of us, and possibly managed to get aboard their ship,” Don Audre explained. “The pirate craft has sailed by this time. They went toward the south. They will beat out to sea for a distance. If we can start soon it may be possible to overhaul them.”
“How many rascals in the pirate crew?” the captain of the schooner asked.
“Not more than threescore, as nearly as we can judge,” Don Audre replied. “And here are a score of caballeros, and we are ready to fight!”
The captain of the schooner drew a deep breath, held it for an instant, and then expelled it with great force. And during this process he evidently made up his mind concerning the matter.
“Señores, I am yours to command!” he said. “My ship is yours, and her crew. If I can do anything to help rid the seas of such vermin, I am more than willing. My schooner is a swift vessel in light winds such as we find now. I’ll signal the other boats and have you aboard as soon as is possible.”