Show Me the Horizon
Chapter 8
Late in the afternoon, Jack and Gwen came to a small hollow in a rock formation near the shoreline. "This looks like a good place to stop for the night," said Jack, setting down the sack of biscuits and the wineskin he carried. Gwen dropped her own burdens and sank down, taking off her shoes and massaging her feet. "Should be safe enough to build a fire if we keep it small and up against the rocks. I'm going to take a look around the area. I won't be long."
Gwen looked around the rocky beach area, picking up pieces of driftwood for the fire. Rounding the rock outcrop, she saw a small tidal pool. A fairly decent sized fish had been trapped in the pool by the low tide. Gwen gazed at the fish for a moment, then saw a piece of driftwood that had a V shaped branch. Quickly she walked back to the camp, dumped the biscuits from one sack to the other, and fitted the empty sack over the V shape on the driftwood.
Jack moved quietly through the trees until he came to a road. Looking up and down it carefully, he walked along it for a while. About a mile or so on, he came to a crossroad and read the signpost.
When Jack returned to the camp, he found a small, cheerful fire, with fish filets sizzling on a flat rock in the middle of it. The improvised fish net leaned against the rock wall. Gwen looked up. "Oh, you're back! I found something better to eat than those wretched biscuits. Sit down and I'll get it for you." She eased a piece of fish onto another flat rock and handed him a small twig with a forked end.
Jack took a bite of the fish. "This is good! You're a remarkable woman, Gwen. I leave here for an hour and when I come back you've not only found dinner, but you're cooking it too."
Gwen blushed at the compliment, and helped herself to a piece of fish. She sat down on the sand near Jack and took a bite. "Did you find anything of interest while you looked around? You were gone longer than I expected."
Jack nodded, chewed and swallowed. "It seems I was correct. We're on Cuba, the southern side of the island toward the east. Another day's walk should put us near the town of Santa Theresa, which is at the eastern tip of the island."
"What should we do when we get there?"
"Steal a boat," Jack replied, "and try to sail it to Tortuga. The next large island east of here is Hispaniola. Tortuga is a small island just northwest of Hispaniola." He looked at Gwen. "Tortuga is the pirate's have. I'll be able to find a place for us to stay until the Pearl comes in next."
Gwen looked at him carefully. "What happens to me?"
"That depends on you, luv. Where's your home?"
Gwen shifted restlessly and looked into the fire. "I don't really have one anymore. My mother and I lived on Barbados. She was a midwife. We had lodgings in town, where we lived when Papa was at sea. When I turned 20 I took a position as a companion housekeeper to the widow of one of the wealthier merchants in the town. We lived like that for a few years until my mother took ill. I returned home to care for her, until she passed away about three months ago. I wasn't able to get my job back, and there was very little money left after my mother died, so I was forced to give up the lodgings. My father was on a longer voyage and hadn't even heard that she'd been ill. I'd stayed with friends until his ship came in, and I persuaded him to take me along on this voyage. We'd been talking about making a fresh start, in Jamaica or maybe St. Kitts. Everything my father and I owned was on the Jamaica Star. Mother's relatives live in Virginia. I suppose I could go there, but I hardly have the money for passage."
Jack frowned. "Would you want to go to Virginia?"
Gwen made a face. "I don't know. We lost touch a few years ago. I wrote to let them know of Mother's death, but they didn't reply." She looked at Jack. "You're a pirate, Captain Sparrow, and I appear to be utterly in your power. I can't really be held for ransom - there isn't anyone to pay one. What do you intend to do with me?"
"Take you to Tortuga with me to begin with," he replied. "After that, I don't know. I don't sell captives into slavery on the sugar plantations, if that's what you're afraid of. I won't leave you to starve, luv."
"And what do you want in return?" asked Gwen bitterly, looking away.
Jack was silent for a long moment. "Are you waiting for me to say 'Only the chance to serve you, my lady' like some gallant knight in a story book? I'm a pirate, not a valiant warrior, darling, and I appear to have mislaid my magic sword."
Gwen looked up at him. "I'm sorry, Jack. That was unkind of me." After another moment of silence, she spoke again. "For all your talk of being a lawless pirate, you're a decent man, Jack Sparrow."
Jack studied her for a moment. "You'd best get some sleep, Gwen. We'll have another long walk tomorrow. Your virtue is safe from me for the moment, anyway. Get to sleep before I change me mind."
Chapter 8
Late in the afternoon, Jack and Gwen came to a small hollow in a rock formation near the shoreline. "This looks like a good place to stop for the night," said Jack, setting down the sack of biscuits and the wineskin he carried. Gwen dropped her own burdens and sank down, taking off her shoes and massaging her feet. "Should be safe enough to build a fire if we keep it small and up against the rocks. I'm going to take a look around the area. I won't be long."
Gwen looked around the rocky beach area, picking up pieces of driftwood for the fire. Rounding the rock outcrop, she saw a small tidal pool. A fairly decent sized fish had been trapped in the pool by the low tide. Gwen gazed at the fish for a moment, then saw a piece of driftwood that had a V shaped branch. Quickly she walked back to the camp, dumped the biscuits from one sack to the other, and fitted the empty sack over the V shape on the driftwood.
Jack moved quietly through the trees until he came to a road. Looking up and down it carefully, he walked along it for a while. About a mile or so on, he came to a crossroad and read the signpost.
When Jack returned to the camp, he found a small, cheerful fire, with fish filets sizzling on a flat rock in the middle of it. The improvised fish net leaned against the rock wall. Gwen looked up. "Oh, you're back! I found something better to eat than those wretched biscuits. Sit down and I'll get it for you." She eased a piece of fish onto another flat rock and handed him a small twig with a forked end.
Jack took a bite of the fish. "This is good! You're a remarkable woman, Gwen. I leave here for an hour and when I come back you've not only found dinner, but you're cooking it too."
Gwen blushed at the compliment, and helped herself to a piece of fish. She sat down on the sand near Jack and took a bite. "Did you find anything of interest while you looked around? You were gone longer than I expected."
Jack nodded, chewed and swallowed. "It seems I was correct. We're on Cuba, the southern side of the island toward the east. Another day's walk should put us near the town of Santa Theresa, which is at the eastern tip of the island."
"What should we do when we get there?"
"Steal a boat," Jack replied, "and try to sail it to Tortuga. The next large island east of here is Hispaniola. Tortuga is a small island just northwest of Hispaniola." He looked at Gwen. "Tortuga is the pirate's have. I'll be able to find a place for us to stay until the Pearl comes in next."
Gwen looked at him carefully. "What happens to me?"
"That depends on you, luv. Where's your home?"
Gwen shifted restlessly and looked into the fire. "I don't really have one anymore. My mother and I lived on Barbados. She was a midwife. We had lodgings in town, where we lived when Papa was at sea. When I turned 20 I took a position as a companion housekeeper to the widow of one of the wealthier merchants in the town. We lived like that for a few years until my mother took ill. I returned home to care for her, until she passed away about three months ago. I wasn't able to get my job back, and there was very little money left after my mother died, so I was forced to give up the lodgings. My father was on a longer voyage and hadn't even heard that she'd been ill. I'd stayed with friends until his ship came in, and I persuaded him to take me along on this voyage. We'd been talking about making a fresh start, in Jamaica or maybe St. Kitts. Everything my father and I owned was on the Jamaica Star. Mother's relatives live in Virginia. I suppose I could go there, but I hardly have the money for passage."
Jack frowned. "Would you want to go to Virginia?"
Gwen made a face. "I don't know. We lost touch a few years ago. I wrote to let them know of Mother's death, but they didn't reply." She looked at Jack. "You're a pirate, Captain Sparrow, and I appear to be utterly in your power. I can't really be held for ransom - there isn't anyone to pay one. What do you intend to do with me?"
"Take you to Tortuga with me to begin with," he replied. "After that, I don't know. I don't sell captives into slavery on the sugar plantations, if that's what you're afraid of. I won't leave you to starve, luv."
"And what do you want in return?" asked Gwen bitterly, looking away.
Jack was silent for a long moment. "Are you waiting for me to say 'Only the chance to serve you, my lady' like some gallant knight in a story book? I'm a pirate, not a valiant warrior, darling, and I appear to have mislaid my magic sword."
Gwen looked up at him. "I'm sorry, Jack. That was unkind of me." After another moment of silence, she spoke again. "For all your talk of being a lawless pirate, you're a decent man, Jack Sparrow."
Jack studied her for a moment. "You'd best get some sleep, Gwen. We'll have another long walk tomorrow. Your virtue is safe from me for the moment, anyway. Get to sleep before I change me mind."