CH 25 Food Gifts

In the morning, the sound of Juan's crew on the ground around the ship awoke Elizabeth. She was surprised to see the first rays of dawn above the trees. She shook her head to clear it, and got up from the deck where she had spent the night against the main mast. She stowed the sword in her alcove and went to the rail. Juan noticed her and greeted her with his usual big smile. "Ah! Good morning, encantadora! I trust you slept well last night?"

"Yes, very well, thank you." Elizabeth replied, returning his smile. She was thoroughly enjoying being spoken to like a lady for a change.

Gibbs' voice cut through the sounds of the ground crew's preparations. "Miss Swann! It's your turn to deal out breakfast. Get yerself to the galley!"

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder, then back at Juan who was still looking up at her from the ground. "Please excuse me. I must get to work now." She turned away and hurried to the galley to begin handing out hardtack and grog.

Juan shook his head as he returned to his crew. "Such a waste…." he said to himself.

This day started much like yesterday had. The weather was hot and sticky. The pirates spent the day slapping boiling tar on the ship. The mosquitoes were incessant, and the mules needed rest every few hours. It seemed that the ship was constantly stopping. The only difference was that every time the caravan stopped, Juan appeared, seeking out Elizabeth.

He did not request to board the ship. Instead he spoke to her from the ground as she leaned over the rail, chatting pleasantly about this and that. He was always exceedingly polite and courteous. Once he tossed up a gift, a strange jungle fruit that resembled a huge green lime. "Is called a papaya," he told her. "Cut off a slice and eat the pink flesh." Elizabeth turned from the rail and placed the coconut-sized fruit on a nearby barrel so she could cut it with her knife. She scooped out some of the pinkish-orange contents and took a bite. She could not help uttering a soft moan of pleasure. The sweet, fragrant fruit was ambrosia to her salted-food weary palate. The other pirates on the deck looked at her enviously. She returned to the rail and held up the rest of the fruit.

"This is delicious! Thank you ever so much, Mister Pardal!"

Juan looked pleased. "We are friends, yes? Please call me Juan."

A voice called out Juan's name from near the front of the mule team. Juan doffed his hat and raised it to Elizabeth, exposing his shiny black hair, which was cut short and lay flat against his head. "Please excuse me, querida, I must go deal with this…unfortunate…interruption." Donning his hat, he stalked off toward the direction from which he had been called. A few seconds later the sounds of shouting drifted up to the deck of the Pearl.

Elizabeth turned away from the rail, still holding the papaya. The pirates were bunched together halfway across the deck from her, staring at the papaya hopefully. They reminded Elizabeth of a pack of stray dogs begging for scraps. She put down the fruit, pulled out her knife and cut off another very thick slice of the papaya. She tucked the knife back into her belt and put the slice of fruit between her teeth. The men all sighed dejectedly.

Elizabeth shook her head and rolled her eyes. Using both hands she grabbed the larger chunk of papaya from the barrel and tossed it high into the air above the heads of the pirates. They all scrabbled like seagulls trying to be the one to catch it. Elizabeth removed the fruit from her mouth and laughed. "Work it out amongst yourselves, boys!" She seated herself on the lowest step to enjoy her papaya and watch the show. She did not see Jack scowling behind the helm on the quarterdeck above her.

Thereafter, every time Juan visited Elizabeth, he sent up another gift. Various types of fruits made their way to the deck of the Black Pearl: more papayas, juicy mangoes, hands of bananas, and a dangerously spiny fruit that Juan called a pineapple. After Juan returned to his work, Elizabeth shared the fruit with the pirates

During one break, Juan asked Elizabeth to come down from the ship. She glanced around to see if anyone would object, and saw no one. She dropped a rope ladder over the side, and climbed down to the ground. Juan smiled when she reached him. "I would be honored if you would walk with me!"

Elizabeth remembered the jaguar on the yardarm. She wasn't quite ready to leave the relative safety of the Pearl's vicinity just yet. She smiled and replied, "I don't have permission to be off the ship. I must remain close by in case I'm called." It wasn't a lie.

Juan said "Very well, then we will sit here in her shadow and enjoy one another's company for a time." They seated themselves on the road in the shade created by the ship and fell into easy conversation.

Elizabeth studied Juan's face as he spoke. This was the first time she had gotten a close look at him since the Pearl had left the Pacific Ocean. His eyes were very dark and he squinted pleasantly when he smiled. He often wore a monocle when he was not driving the mule team or riding a horse. Once she had asked him about it. He had only laughed and replied that he was becoming blinded by her sparkling presence. The bridge of his nose was slightly arched, giving him a rakish appearance. When he was silent, which was not often, his curving black mustache revealed only his full lower lip. When he spoke or laughed, the curtain of mustache lifted to reveal large, straight ivory teeth. His cheekbones were wide and prominent. With his dark golden tan and blue-black hair, he looked foreign and exotic. And in the center of his clean-shaven chin was a dimple which Elizabeth thought was quite fetching. He was not what most would consider classically handsome, but he was much more pleasing to look at than the pirates…well, all but one. She put that thought immediately out of her mind and turned her attention back to Juan's words.

"…another gift for you, encantadora. I have brought for you the maracuyá." With a flourish, he presented a small net bag that contained four small dark purple fruits. He removed one from the bag, and cut it in two with a tiny knife. He handed half to Elizabeth and gestured that she should eat it. She bit into it, scraping the juicy orange flesh from the tough skin with her teeth. The flavor was intense and exquisite. Her eyes closed and she sighed with pleasure. Nothing she had ever eaten could compare to this; it was by far the best thing she had ever tasted. She felt juice dripping off her chin, and quickly wiped it with her hand, embarrassed to appear so unladylike. But she was not too embarrassed to take another bite of the maracuyá.

Juan cut open a second maracuyá and watched her eat. Her blissful smile and sigh when she took the first bite had told him all he wanted to know. He scrutinized Elizabeth's appearance while she enjoyed the fruit. True, she was filthy and dressed in ragged clothing that should have been destroyed long ago. But Juan had traveled much in his lifetime, and he was accustomed to meeting beautiful women, not all of whom were fastidiously kept and stylishly clothed. He could see past dirt and tattered clothing to picture a woman as she would look if bathed and groomed and dressed in finery. Ah yes, this one truly is a prize worth winning…

Elizabeth was disappointed when Juan's men called out to announce that the mules were ready to move again. Juan took her hand to help her to her feet. He softly kissed the hand before releasing it. "Until next time, minha querida!" He held the rope ladder steady for her until she had ascended to the deck of the Pearl. He waved to her before turning away. Just before Elizabeth stepped over the rail onto the deck, Jacks cabin door slammed hard enough to rattle the glass in the paned window.

The flock of scavenger pirates was hovering just beyond the rail waiting for her return. She carried the bag containing the last two maracuyá, and they eyed it eagerly. "What'd'e bring ye today?" one of them asked. Elizabeth held up the two egg-sized fruits "Sorry mates, these are just too small to share!" It was true, she told herself.

Jack checked the condition of the Pearl's hull daily. Despite the repeated applications of tar, the boards were still slowly shrinking, and the gaps between the previously swollen boards were alarming him. The crew often heard him talking to the ship, quietly telling her to hold together.

The next five days closely resembled the previous ones; heat, humidity, mosquitoes, tar, tar and more tar, and Elizabeth's regular visits from Juan. She went down to sit with him at least once every day. She enjoyed Juan's attentions and found herself looking forward to the mule breaks when he would come to see her. It was nice to be reminded that she was a woman, not just another scruffy, reeking deckhand.

The pirates also anticipated Juan's visits. They clustered behind Elizabeth, out of Juan's sight on the deck, waiting to see what this visit's fruit gift would be. But now the fruit was always maracuyá and he only gave it to her when she came down off the ship. While Juan always brought her at least four, no more than one at a time ever made it back aboard the Pearl. Elizabeth kept them for herself, explaining to the pirates that there just wasn't enough to go around. She did not want the tiny fruit to cause fights among the crew. That certainly was true enough.

But the pirates continued to hold out hope that she would share. Once Elizabeth joked that they reminded her of the sea birds that hovered around the docks where fishing boats unloaded. Pintel replied "Aye, Miss Eliz, but the gulls always gets what they're waitin' for, now don't they?" Elizabeth laughed. "I suppose they do, Mister Pintel!"

One morning as the Pearl rolled along the old stone road, the pirates heard the sound of splashing water. The foremost teams of mules was wading through a stream that was almost chest deep on the animals. The road led straight into the water and came out on the other side.

Juan, on horseback, was riding next to a large black man in the carriage seat and giving him instructions on how to drive the mules.

Jack rushed to the rail over Juan's head and shouted down to him. "Mister Pardal! Stop the ship!"

Juan looked up. "What, Captain?"

"Stop the carrier in the middle of the stream!"

"Pardon, Captain? Why?"

"My ship needs water. She's drying out. Stop the carrier so we can swab her down!"

"Ah. As you wish, Captain…." Juan sounded confused, but he instructed the driver to halt when the wheels of the carrier were in the stream.

Jack ordered the crew to lower all available ladders, ropes and bosuns' chairs. The pirates began swabbing the Pearl's hull with every deck mop they could scrounge up. They dipped them in the stream and slapped the soaking wet mops against the ship. Those who were without a mop splashed buckets of water against the ship.

Soon enough one of the pirates dumped a bucket of water over the head of one of his mates, who in turn slapped him with a wet mop. Within minutes the entire crew, Elizabeth included, was engaged in a huge water fight, and soon they were all completely soaked. It was refreshing after many days of endless jungle heat, and easily as much water was poured over pirate heads as onto the ship's hull. Elizabeth tried discreetly to wash her face and arms, but the water was muddied from the mules and pirates walking in the stream. She replaced a little of the older Black Pearl dirt with newer Panama mud, but the end result wasn't an improvement. She hoped that at least getting wet would knock her body odor down a little. Jack remained on the ship, alternately shouting at them to get back to work, and mumbling to himself about his next crew, who he swore would all be sane and sober men.

Juan ordered his men to water and feed the mules while the pirates continued their bizarre behavior. When the mules were ready to continue, Juan called up to Jack. "Captain, we must continue moving to maintain our schedule!" Jack shouted and banged the butt of his pistol on the rail to get the attention of his dripping wet crew, and ordered them to get back on board.

At the next rest break for the mules, Juan rode his horse back to the ship. He called for Elizabeth. She leaned over the rail, pushing her damp stringy hair out of her face as she greeted him with a happy smile.

"Miss Swann! I have news!"

"What is it, Juan?"

"The skin of the viper is ready for you."

"Wonderful! Thank you!"

"But there is payment required in return for the skin."

A suspicious look clouded Elizabeth's face. "What sort of payment?"

"You must come down and dine with me this evening. That is all I require!"

Elizabeth's smile returned. "I've got first dog watch this evening, but I'm free after that. I would love to join you for supper!"

"Excellent! I shall return for you after the mules have been settled for the night!" He turned the horse and trotted away.

Elizabeth's shift on watch ended just when the caravan stopped that evening. She was looking forward to eating real food instead of the stringy and over-salted dried meat and tasteless hard bread. She had to admit that she had also been enjoying Juan's attentions. He was courtly and polite to her at all times, and he was reasonably handsome even if he was no taller than her. It was a welcome change to interact with a man who always conducted himself as a gentleman, and didn't belch or fart or curse whenever the mood struck him.

She nervously attempted to run her fingers through her hair to straighten it. She stopped when she hit a painful tangle, and realized that the attempt was hopeless. She looked around in her cubby, and saw a shred of the black curtain that was nearly torn off near the bottom. She pulled it loose and used it to tie her hair back tightly at the nape of her neck. Looking down at her bare feet, she saw dirt and tar. She dug her boots out from under the steps, shined them up as much as she could with the curtain and donned them. At least her feet looked presentable. But she couldn't wash up or change her clothes, which were still damp from the water fight early that morning. "It's only a dinner," she told herself, "it's not a formal dress ball." But her appearance still displeased her and she felt extremely self-conscious.

Emerging from the alcove, she walked hesitantly to the rail where the rope ladder lay. Jack was draped sinuously on the quarterdeck steps nearby. He was leaning back on his elbows, crossed legs stretched out lazily before him. He looked up at her with half-closed eyes. His expression was unreadable.

"You're actually going down there." It wasn't a question. "I didn't think you were so gullible."

"Whatever do you mean? Why shouldn't I go?

"He's not what he seems, y'know. Don't trust him."

"Thank you, father, but I believe I can take care of myself."

She turned away to look over the rail, sucking on her lower lip to suppress the smirk that threatened to take over her face as she considered his comments. Could he possibly be… jealous?

"You couldn't take care of yourself when Fletcher went after you."

She whirled toward him, temper flaring. "That was completely different! He grabbed me in the dark. I wasn't expecting it, and I was unarmed. I'm quite certain that Juan would never do such a thing. He's a gentleman, not a pirate." She saw Jack's brows knit together at her words, or maybe just at the last one.

She added more quietly. "I'm taking my knife."

"Not the sword?"

"That hardly seems necessary. Besides, it would give the wrong impression."

"That's exactly the impression you should give, love. Have a nice supper."

Jack fairly sneered out the last word as he got up. He strode into his cabin and closed the door behind him. The glass rattled in the window panes.

A/N: Please forgive me if I didn't get the Portuguese endearments quite right.
When one does not speak the language, one can only do so much with Babelfish.

Encantadora: charmer
Querida: dear or darling
Minha querida: my darling