Chapter 10
"Feast you eyes, Captain!" Gibbs proclaimed loudly. "All of them faithful hands before the mast. Every man worth his salt. And crazy to boot." He said the last bit with a certain lovingness. I tried not to stare at a man so short he barely came to my waist. He leered at me. That was becoming too common for me.
Jack walked slowly down the line of sailors, studying them critically. He stopped in front of one with white-gray hair, a leathery face, and a blue parrot on his shoulder. "You, sailor!" he said loudly.
"Cotton, sir," Gibbs added.
"Mr. Cotton," Jack said. "Do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?" Cotton looked at Gibbs. "Mr. Cotton! Answer me, man," Jack snarled dangerously.
"Ah, he's a mute, sir," Gibbs mentioned. "Poor devil had his tongue cut out- " (Cotton opened his mouth, showing a stump of a tongue. I put a hand to my mouth, and Jack bit his tongue between his teeth.) "-so he trained the parrot to talk for him. No one's yet figured out how." he muttered to himself. Jack took a step forward, then turned to the man again. "Mr. Cotton's.parrot. Same question."
"Waaaaaak. Wind in the sails. Wind in the sails." Will made a face of confused understanding, nodding his head. Jack simply stared, slightly frowning.
"Mostly we figure that means 'yes'," Gibbs piped up.
"Of course!" I said sarcastically.
Jack turned to Will. "Satisfied?"
"Well, you've certainly proved they're mad," Will said truthfully, a slight sharpness to his tongue. I glared at him from behind Jack.
"And what's the benefit for us?" a sudden female's voice asked loudly. Jack walked down the line, a look of confusion on his face. He stopped before a figure with a floppy, worn leather hat. He peered under the brim, then lifted the whole thing off. Long dark hair tumbled down the woman's shoulders. Her look was stony. Jack smiled at her.
"Annamaria," he said in recognition. She slapped him across the face.
"I suppose you didn't deserve that one either," Will said sarcastically.
"No, that one I deserved," he said sheepishly. Annamaria nodded.
"You stole my boat," she accused.
"Actually-" SMACK! ".borrowed, borrowed without permission but with every intention of returning it."
"But you DIDN'T!" she pointed out.
"You'll get another one," he said lamely. She raised her hand threateningly, and he cowered. She pointed at him, glaring fiercely.
"I will," she said coldly.
"A better one," Will piped up.
"A better one," Jack repeated.
"That one," I pointed.
"What one?" Jack asked, confused. I motioned towards the Interceptor. "That one!?" he demanded/asked roughly. I nodded sweetly. "Aye! That one. What say you?"
"Aye!" she shouted, followed by the other crew members.
"Waaaaaaaak! Shiver me timbers!"
"No, no no no no no," Gibbs protested, standing in front of Annamaria and I. "It's bad luck to have women aboard, sir."
I felt a hand squeeze my shoulder. Jack leaned over between us. "It'd be far worse not to have them," he said, and that was that. Annamaria grinned at me, and I smiled back.
"What's your name?" she asked, walking with me freely towards a longboat.
"Meg."
"Annamaria." She grasped my hand and shook it fiercely. I liked her already.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
This was the worst storm I'd ever witnessed. Maybe it was because we were out in the middle of it. Howling winds tugged at my hair, twisting it into knots and tangles. The deck was wet and slippery, and the waves picked us up and threw us back down. Rain and sea water soaked us all. Jack was undisturbed by all this, standing behind the wheel and studying the compass. I slipped and fell, sliding down the deck towards the water. I grabbed a hanging robe and barely managed not being washed overboard. Will, seeing my dilemma, slipped and slid down to where I was dangling and pulled me back up on deck. He and I grabbed the rope and pulled it over to the other side, steadying one of the canvas sails. Gibbs was tying down a sail as well.
I stared at Jack. "How can we sail-" SPLASH! "-to an island that nobody can find-" WHOOSH! "-with a compass-" ANOTHER SPLASH! "-that doesn't work?"
"Aye, the compass doesn't point north," Gibbs hollered to me. "But we're not trying to find north, are we?" He lumbered up to the wheel deck, Will and I staring at him.
"I'm never going to understand those two," Will yelled in my ear.
I merely nodded.
"Feast you eyes, Captain!" Gibbs proclaimed loudly. "All of them faithful hands before the mast. Every man worth his salt. And crazy to boot." He said the last bit with a certain lovingness. I tried not to stare at a man so short he barely came to my waist. He leered at me. That was becoming too common for me.
Jack walked slowly down the line of sailors, studying them critically. He stopped in front of one with white-gray hair, a leathery face, and a blue parrot on his shoulder. "You, sailor!" he said loudly.
"Cotton, sir," Gibbs added.
"Mr. Cotton," Jack said. "Do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?" Cotton looked at Gibbs. "Mr. Cotton! Answer me, man," Jack snarled dangerously.
"Ah, he's a mute, sir," Gibbs mentioned. "Poor devil had his tongue cut out- " (Cotton opened his mouth, showing a stump of a tongue. I put a hand to my mouth, and Jack bit his tongue between his teeth.) "-so he trained the parrot to talk for him. No one's yet figured out how." he muttered to himself. Jack took a step forward, then turned to the man again. "Mr. Cotton's.parrot. Same question."
"Waaaaaak. Wind in the sails. Wind in the sails." Will made a face of confused understanding, nodding his head. Jack simply stared, slightly frowning.
"Mostly we figure that means 'yes'," Gibbs piped up.
"Of course!" I said sarcastically.
Jack turned to Will. "Satisfied?"
"Well, you've certainly proved they're mad," Will said truthfully, a slight sharpness to his tongue. I glared at him from behind Jack.
"And what's the benefit for us?" a sudden female's voice asked loudly. Jack walked down the line, a look of confusion on his face. He stopped before a figure with a floppy, worn leather hat. He peered under the brim, then lifted the whole thing off. Long dark hair tumbled down the woman's shoulders. Her look was stony. Jack smiled at her.
"Annamaria," he said in recognition. She slapped him across the face.
"I suppose you didn't deserve that one either," Will said sarcastically.
"No, that one I deserved," he said sheepishly. Annamaria nodded.
"You stole my boat," she accused.
"Actually-" SMACK! ".borrowed, borrowed without permission but with every intention of returning it."
"But you DIDN'T!" she pointed out.
"You'll get another one," he said lamely. She raised her hand threateningly, and he cowered. She pointed at him, glaring fiercely.
"I will," she said coldly.
"A better one," Will piped up.
"A better one," Jack repeated.
"That one," I pointed.
"What one?" Jack asked, confused. I motioned towards the Interceptor. "That one!?" he demanded/asked roughly. I nodded sweetly. "Aye! That one. What say you?"
"Aye!" she shouted, followed by the other crew members.
"Waaaaaaaak! Shiver me timbers!"
"No, no no no no no," Gibbs protested, standing in front of Annamaria and I. "It's bad luck to have women aboard, sir."
I felt a hand squeeze my shoulder. Jack leaned over between us. "It'd be far worse not to have them," he said, and that was that. Annamaria grinned at me, and I smiled back.
"What's your name?" she asked, walking with me freely towards a longboat.
"Meg."
"Annamaria." She grasped my hand and shook it fiercely. I liked her already.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
This was the worst storm I'd ever witnessed. Maybe it was because we were out in the middle of it. Howling winds tugged at my hair, twisting it into knots and tangles. The deck was wet and slippery, and the waves picked us up and threw us back down. Rain and sea water soaked us all. Jack was undisturbed by all this, standing behind the wheel and studying the compass. I slipped and fell, sliding down the deck towards the water. I grabbed a hanging robe and barely managed not being washed overboard. Will, seeing my dilemma, slipped and slid down to where I was dangling and pulled me back up on deck. He and I grabbed the rope and pulled it over to the other side, steadying one of the canvas sails. Gibbs was tying down a sail as well.
I stared at Jack. "How can we sail-" SPLASH! "-to an island that nobody can find-" WHOOSH! "-with a compass-" ANOTHER SPLASH! "-that doesn't work?"
"Aye, the compass doesn't point north," Gibbs hollered to me. "But we're not trying to find north, are we?" He lumbered up to the wheel deck, Will and I staring at him.
"I'm never going to understand those two," Will yelled in my ear.
I merely nodded.