Chapter 24 -We're going Pirating!
Bill Turner had been summoned to the Captain's quarters. He sat at the table across from him, rum in hand. "So, what's in yer 'ed Captain?"
" The crew," Jack started slowly through swollen lips. "Ow many are ye friends?"
Bill shrugged. "Pretty much all of 'em why?"
Jack looked up with mischievous eyes. "Merchant Marines?"
Bill hesitated, his lips disappeard making his mouth a line across his face. Slowly said. "yeeeees." He looked over to the sleeping brother.
"Alright then.."
"What are you getting at Jack?" Bill asked tensely.
Jack sat back in his chair, put his palms together and brought his finger tips to his lips then clasped his hands together and brought his elbows to the table. With his chin resting on his knuckles he leaned forward.
"Let's say a ship with enough gold, rum and sugar to make every man on this boat a very rich man came by." Anyone be up fer a bit o Marining?"
Bill gave up a smile and a nervous laugh. "Marining?"
Jack folded his arms "I'm not stupid William."
"Alright." Bill suddenly was on guard.
" Let's say a ship with enough gold, rum and sugar to make every man on this boat a very rich came, by and our Marines are interested. 'Ow do you know such a ship is gonna just 'appen by?"
Jack grinned an evil grin.
"Lets just say that a ship with enough gold, rum and sugar to make every man on this ship a very rich man would be following a schedule made up by the company said ship belongs to and who the crew is employed by. If a man should know the schedule of such a ship, 'eed know when it would be just 'appening by."
Jack's smiled and winked.
Bills eyes widened. "Charles?"
The devil was in Jacks eyes.
"You want to plunder Charles' ships?"
Jack stopped him with an upheld palm.
"William, William, William one can not plunder what one already owns. 60% of the company is on this boat. Not management, not board of directors, yet 60% none the less. That's controlling interest mate."
Bill started to laugh. "You do know almost every man on this boat 'as worked for ye brother and 'ates his guts right?"
Jack was getting cocky. "I 'ave all manner of luck!"
"Jack they'll know you."
"I be out of twig mate. Me own mum won't know this face."
He was right. The swelling due to the damage Adam had inflicted had caused black eyes and a very distorted face. Bill felt the hand of God in the situation.
"And your voice?"
"I won't take me wonder pills and I ain't gonna be wantin' ta talk wif da pain an all."
"And how would you command the Marines?"
"Oh, not me William. I ain't got no experience. He patted Bill on the shoulder. An then they made you their chief!" he laughed.
Bill loved the beauty of it all. "How long have you been planning this?
Jack smiled. "All me life."
"I wanna be a pirate!" Adam's voice called from across the room.
"Scuse me Squiffy, I don remember askin' ya." Jack sniped. "Ye gonna be locked down 'ere. 'Sall we need you gaspin' an falling all over the place up there. You're 'supposd to be sleepin' mate."
"I can shoot!" Adam volunteered.
"We're not shootin' anyone. When did you ever learn to shoot?" He shot back doubtfully.
"Lessons! Fencing, archery and shooting"
" Oh go on. You did not!"
" Break it up children." Bill broke in. He looked at Jack. His head jerked toward Adam.
Jack shook his head and waved his hands.. No worries. Just keep the sprog down 'ere. Bill smiled. "Ee kind of grows on ya in an annoying kind of way dun 'e?"
Jack smiled proudly. "Like a fungus."
They got up and started up to the main deck. They stood looking out over the ocean.
"What happened to him?" Bill asked knowing Jack was sensitive to the topic.
After a lengthy pause Jack started. Me family, we 'ave a sugar plantation in Jamaica. We spent 'alf our lives there growin up. D' ye know what the Jamaica train is?" Bill shook his head. "No, sorry." " It's 'ow ye make sugar. Basically its five giant kettles heated by a big furnace. The juice is boiled an transferred from kettle to kettle." We was eight Adam an me. Charles was eleven. We weren't allowed near the sugarhouse, not during 'arvest. Charles and me, we used to sneak in when it was shut up when it weren't in use cuz it was scary. Rats were everywhere. We used to play like it was 'aunted." Well, Me, Charles an Adam were playin' near it anyway. We loved watching 'em work.. No one ever saw us. Charles and me was 'havin' a go at Adam. We dared 'im to go in.. Tol' 'im a storage box was filled with sweets that was made there. We thought rats would come out and scare 'im. 'Ee'd do anything for sweets that one. Adam, 'ee never been the brightest candle in the box so 'ee believed us and did it. But 'ee crawled under the damn thing and opened the furnace box across from it instead of the storage box. No one knows 'ow he did it. When the door opened, he got blasted by the furnace. He screamed and ran. Scared the bloody hell out of everyone. It was like the slaves all panicked. Thinkin 'ee was a fire demon or something, Charles said, cuz 'is clothes an 'air was on fire.. Everything being stored was spilled or broke. Juice was everywhere. He got in the way of a transfer and they dropped it. The wash went all over 'im an 'e slipped and fell. It kept comin' down on 'im. 'Ee was screamin and cryin. When they touched 'im 'is skin stuck to their fingers.. 'Ee looked like ee was meltin' then ee just stopped. No screamin, no cryin, no movin, no nothin'... It was so bad. Bad. "They thought 'ee was gonna die. Ee didn't die because the Houngan protected him, made sacrifices for him. Anna Maria tol' me. 'Er dad loves Adam. Always did. Calls him Azizi, means precious one. Adam says he don't remember it at all. We didn't go back to Jamaica for a long time.
"Houngan?"
"Vodun priest."
"Damn." Bill breathed. He was sorry he had asked.
Jack felt his discomfort. He became animated punching William's shoulder and taking a swig of rum from the bottle in his hand. His voice became louder and deeper. "Aye mate,'ows about you go an talk to me Marines!?"
Bill slapped him on the back and laughed. "We're goin' pirating!"
Bill Turner had been summoned to the Captain's quarters. He sat at the table across from him, rum in hand. "So, what's in yer 'ed Captain?"
" The crew," Jack started slowly through swollen lips. "Ow many are ye friends?"
Bill shrugged. "Pretty much all of 'em why?"
Jack looked up with mischievous eyes. "Merchant Marines?"
Bill hesitated, his lips disappeard making his mouth a line across his face. Slowly said. "yeeeees." He looked over to the sleeping brother.
"Alright then.."
"What are you getting at Jack?" Bill asked tensely.
Jack sat back in his chair, put his palms together and brought his finger tips to his lips then clasped his hands together and brought his elbows to the table. With his chin resting on his knuckles he leaned forward.
"Let's say a ship with enough gold, rum and sugar to make every man on this boat a very rich man came by." Anyone be up fer a bit o Marining?"
Bill gave up a smile and a nervous laugh. "Marining?"
Jack folded his arms "I'm not stupid William."
"Alright." Bill suddenly was on guard.
" Let's say a ship with enough gold, rum and sugar to make every man on this boat a very rich came, by and our Marines are interested. 'Ow do you know such a ship is gonna just 'appen by?"
Jack grinned an evil grin.
"Lets just say that a ship with enough gold, rum and sugar to make every man on this ship a very rich man would be following a schedule made up by the company said ship belongs to and who the crew is employed by. If a man should know the schedule of such a ship, 'eed know when it would be just 'appening by."
Jack's smiled and winked.
Bills eyes widened. "Charles?"
The devil was in Jacks eyes.
"You want to plunder Charles' ships?"
Jack stopped him with an upheld palm.
"William, William, William one can not plunder what one already owns. 60% of the company is on this boat. Not management, not board of directors, yet 60% none the less. That's controlling interest mate."
Bill started to laugh. "You do know almost every man on this boat 'as worked for ye brother and 'ates his guts right?"
Jack was getting cocky. "I 'ave all manner of luck!"
"Jack they'll know you."
"I be out of twig mate. Me own mum won't know this face."
He was right. The swelling due to the damage Adam had inflicted had caused black eyes and a very distorted face. Bill felt the hand of God in the situation.
"And your voice?"
"I won't take me wonder pills and I ain't gonna be wantin' ta talk wif da pain an all."
"And how would you command the Marines?"
"Oh, not me William. I ain't got no experience. He patted Bill on the shoulder. An then they made you their chief!" he laughed.
Bill loved the beauty of it all. "How long have you been planning this?
Jack smiled. "All me life."
"I wanna be a pirate!" Adam's voice called from across the room.
"Scuse me Squiffy, I don remember askin' ya." Jack sniped. "Ye gonna be locked down 'ere. 'Sall we need you gaspin' an falling all over the place up there. You're 'supposd to be sleepin' mate."
"I can shoot!" Adam volunteered.
"We're not shootin' anyone. When did you ever learn to shoot?" He shot back doubtfully.
"Lessons! Fencing, archery and shooting"
" Oh go on. You did not!"
" Break it up children." Bill broke in. He looked at Jack. His head jerked toward Adam.
Jack shook his head and waved his hands.. No worries. Just keep the sprog down 'ere. Bill smiled. "Ee kind of grows on ya in an annoying kind of way dun 'e?"
Jack smiled proudly. "Like a fungus."
They got up and started up to the main deck. They stood looking out over the ocean.
"What happened to him?" Bill asked knowing Jack was sensitive to the topic.
After a lengthy pause Jack started. Me family, we 'ave a sugar plantation in Jamaica. We spent 'alf our lives there growin up. D' ye know what the Jamaica train is?" Bill shook his head. "No, sorry." " It's 'ow ye make sugar. Basically its five giant kettles heated by a big furnace. The juice is boiled an transferred from kettle to kettle." We was eight Adam an me. Charles was eleven. We weren't allowed near the sugarhouse, not during 'arvest. Charles and me, we used to sneak in when it was shut up when it weren't in use cuz it was scary. Rats were everywhere. We used to play like it was 'aunted." Well, Me, Charles an Adam were playin' near it anyway. We loved watching 'em work.. No one ever saw us. Charles and me was 'havin' a go at Adam. We dared 'im to go in.. Tol' 'im a storage box was filled with sweets that was made there. We thought rats would come out and scare 'im. 'Ee'd do anything for sweets that one. Adam, 'ee never been the brightest candle in the box so 'ee believed us and did it. But 'ee crawled under the damn thing and opened the furnace box across from it instead of the storage box. No one knows 'ow he did it. When the door opened, he got blasted by the furnace. He screamed and ran. Scared the bloody hell out of everyone. It was like the slaves all panicked. Thinkin 'ee was a fire demon or something, Charles said, cuz 'is clothes an 'air was on fire.. Everything being stored was spilled or broke. Juice was everywhere. He got in the way of a transfer and they dropped it. The wash went all over 'im an 'e slipped and fell. It kept comin' down on 'im. 'Ee was screamin and cryin. When they touched 'im 'is skin stuck to their fingers.. 'Ee looked like ee was meltin' then ee just stopped. No screamin, no cryin, no movin, no nothin'... It was so bad. Bad. "They thought 'ee was gonna die. Ee didn't die because the Houngan protected him, made sacrifices for him. Anna Maria tol' me. 'Er dad loves Adam. Always did. Calls him Azizi, means precious one. Adam says he don't remember it at all. We didn't go back to Jamaica for a long time.
"Houngan?"
"Vodun priest."
"Damn." Bill breathed. He was sorry he had asked.
Jack felt his discomfort. He became animated punching William's shoulder and taking a swig of rum from the bottle in his hand. His voice became louder and deeper. "Aye mate,'ows about you go an talk to me Marines!?"
Bill slapped him on the back and laughed. "We're goin' pirating!"