Chapter 26....
The crew, not being virgins to the pirate life, celebrated the opportunity to both get rich and stick it to Charles at the same time. Most of the men were family oriented sailors such as Bill who used pirating to supplement their income. All of who claimed to be "Merchant Marines."
Jack and Bill studied maps, trade routes and shipping schedules in Jack's cabin. Adam hovered.
"You're going to get me in trouble! You took these from my bag!"
Bill looked up with a serious face. "Best be careful in these parts there be pirates."
Adam glared. "Ah, choke yer luff."
Bill laughed. "Now yer getting'it. Sound more fierce when you say it next time mate."
"You're going to get me in trouble. Charles is going to blame me. He will think I planned this!"
"Oh rubbish" Jack was getting annoyed at Adam's whining. "Charles don't think you have a brain in your 'ed. He thinks ye ain't capable of something as brilliant as this an you ain't now go away."
Offended, Adam stomped out of the room.
"That was a bit brutal don't ye think Captain?"
Jack scowled.
"What'r you complainin' about. Its quiet ain't it?"
They formulated their plan.
"Alright" Jack summarized "Keep the flag up, We run a shot across the bow, strike the colors in favor of ours.."
"Woah woah..ours?" Bill was confused.
Jack tossed him a flag.
Bill's eyes narrowed.. "You keep your own pirate flag handy?" Suddenly it dawned on him. 'You bastard. You had the whole damned thing planned when you asked me to do the run to Scandinavia, that's why you asked me to pick the crew! You manipulative son of a whore!"
Coins and beads jingled as Jack flipped his hair back and shook his head. "Now William, name calling and accusations are ugly things. Completely accurate name-calling and accusations true enough, but still very ugly."
Bill shook his head laughing. "James Sparrow's son to go on the account. Damn me. Well then yes then, we run a shot across the bow, strike the colors in favor of ours.."
Jack squirmed in his seat. "Then Tom'll strike his"
"You sure?" Bill was unsure.
"Positive. No one is willing to die for Charles."
"Oh that's true." Bill readily agreed
"We hail the ship. have 'em lower the boats an bring Tom and his elect over."
Bill finished his thought , " then we bring 'er along side, throw out the grapples."
Jack went on, "Take everything that can be carried off, Tom gets sent back to 'is ship, you an the crew are rich men, Captain Jack is a very happy man an Bob's yer Uncle."
Bill's grin was broad. "Aye Aye Captain!"
"Remember." Bill warned. "Do not call him by name. From now on call him THE CAPTAIN. If you call him by name, he's going to know that you know him. It will be only a matter of time before he figures it out."
They were set. Everything was perfect. To make the setting perfect, a fog rolled in causing visibility to be diminished just enough to be eerie.
"Are they going to be able to see our flag?" Jack was worried.
Bill laughed. "Hearing the gun will be enough to give 'em an idea whats 'appening. They'll be able to see its black. This ain't no sewing class mate. They ain't gonna be gradin' yer hand with a needle.
Jack didn't want to admit he was disappointed that his skull with two cutlasses wasn't going to strike fear into the hearts of men. "Will we be able to see theirs?"
"All we need to see is if it goes down."
Jack shrugged. He still couldn't help being disappointed.
"Throw Squiffy in the brig." He yelled. "We'll need my cabin."
And so they waited.
Bill paced the deck anticipating the coming excitement. He was in command.
The lookout called out the sighting of the ship hours before the estimated time of arrival.
Bill smiled. "The ole CAPTAIN is in a hurry to get 'ome.
Jack pulled out his spy-glass and grinned. "Come to Papa luv."
Bill barked out the orders. The crew sprang into action. Just as Jack predicted the ship's colors lowered instantly. Everything went flawlessly. The plan was poetry in motion. They hailed the merchant ship and ordered THE CAPTAIN to The Black Pearl. The crew boarded the ship. Jack awaited Tom's arrival in his cabin. He was positively giddy. Finally Bill rustled the unnerved CAPTAIN into Jack's cabin. He ordered him into a chair. THE CAPTAIN looked into the grotesquely deformed face looking down on him.
"Who the hell are you?" Jack looked from THE CAPTAIN to Bill. "Who the hell is this?"
Bill looked quizzically at Jack. "Its not..?"
"Nooooo"
THE CAPTAIN looked nervously between the two.
Jack grinned at THE CAPTAIN, shook his index finger and with a nervous laugh mumbled "One minute mate." He walked over to Bill, grabbed his sleeve and pulled him into the corner. His voice lowered and he spoke through the side of his mouth. He started to panic. "It's not even the right uniform. Oh my God. We got the wrong boat!!! What are we gonna do?"
Bill couldn't help it. He broke into hysterical laughter. "You have all manner of luck mate!" He couldn't stop laughing as far as he was concerned one boat was as good as another.
"Pull yerself together man!" Jack was still talking from the side of his mouth. "Do something!!" He was desperate.
THE CAPTAIN sat nervously in the chair watching the demented pirates howling with laughter in the corner. (What were they planning? Why were they laughing? What indescribable evil were they plotting against he and his crew?) Bill pointed to the sideboard in the corner and looked at THE CAPTAIN. "Ave a cup of tea and a scone mate. We'll be back." He pulled Jack from the room.
"Calm down! It ain't a crisis."
Jack was yelling hysterically. "What do you mean it ain't a crisis! I'm a pirate!
Bill (still laughing) threw his arms open wide. "Welcome to The Brotherhood!"
Jack started to laugh. Suddenly he was filled with satisfaction and excitement. This was the first thing he had ever done in his life on his own. No Father, No Charles No Sparrow money. Damn it felt good. He felt free. He looked up at Bill then looked around the ship. The crew had just about finished. They were very unhappy that the booty was not going to make them rich men.
"Alright," Jack's hands were waving. "Let's send THE CAPTAIN 'ere home and tell 'im to get 'is arse moving out fast. There's more work to be done. We gotta make this 'ere crew rich men tonight mate."
"You still want to go after ole Tom?" Bill didn't know Jack had it in him..
"No I want to go after Charles. Consider this a practice."
THE CAPTAIN was sent back to his ship.
The ship disappeared as fast as possible. The Black Pearl waited. Captain Jack Sparrow would not allow anything to go wrong the next time and the next time it worked perfectly.
There was much rejoicing and merriment on The Black Pearl that night. The rum flowed for 2 days. The floating coffee house headed for the colonies. It was on the second day Bill approached Jack.
"Where's Squiffy?"
The crew, not being virgins to the pirate life, celebrated the opportunity to both get rich and stick it to Charles at the same time. Most of the men were family oriented sailors such as Bill who used pirating to supplement their income. All of who claimed to be "Merchant Marines."
Jack and Bill studied maps, trade routes and shipping schedules in Jack's cabin. Adam hovered.
"You're going to get me in trouble! You took these from my bag!"
Bill looked up with a serious face. "Best be careful in these parts there be pirates."
Adam glared. "Ah, choke yer luff."
Bill laughed. "Now yer getting'it. Sound more fierce when you say it next time mate."
"You're going to get me in trouble. Charles is going to blame me. He will think I planned this!"
"Oh rubbish" Jack was getting annoyed at Adam's whining. "Charles don't think you have a brain in your 'ed. He thinks ye ain't capable of something as brilliant as this an you ain't now go away."
Offended, Adam stomped out of the room.
"That was a bit brutal don't ye think Captain?"
Jack scowled.
"What'r you complainin' about. Its quiet ain't it?"
They formulated their plan.
"Alright" Jack summarized "Keep the flag up, We run a shot across the bow, strike the colors in favor of ours.."
"Woah woah..ours?" Bill was confused.
Jack tossed him a flag.
Bill's eyes narrowed.. "You keep your own pirate flag handy?" Suddenly it dawned on him. 'You bastard. You had the whole damned thing planned when you asked me to do the run to Scandinavia, that's why you asked me to pick the crew! You manipulative son of a whore!"
Coins and beads jingled as Jack flipped his hair back and shook his head. "Now William, name calling and accusations are ugly things. Completely accurate name-calling and accusations true enough, but still very ugly."
Bill shook his head laughing. "James Sparrow's son to go on the account. Damn me. Well then yes then, we run a shot across the bow, strike the colors in favor of ours.."
Jack squirmed in his seat. "Then Tom'll strike his"
"You sure?" Bill was unsure.
"Positive. No one is willing to die for Charles."
"Oh that's true." Bill readily agreed
"We hail the ship. have 'em lower the boats an bring Tom and his elect over."
Bill finished his thought , " then we bring 'er along side, throw out the grapples."
Jack went on, "Take everything that can be carried off, Tom gets sent back to 'is ship, you an the crew are rich men, Captain Jack is a very happy man an Bob's yer Uncle."
Bill's grin was broad. "Aye Aye Captain!"
"Remember." Bill warned. "Do not call him by name. From now on call him THE CAPTAIN. If you call him by name, he's going to know that you know him. It will be only a matter of time before he figures it out."
They were set. Everything was perfect. To make the setting perfect, a fog rolled in causing visibility to be diminished just enough to be eerie.
"Are they going to be able to see our flag?" Jack was worried.
Bill laughed. "Hearing the gun will be enough to give 'em an idea whats 'appening. They'll be able to see its black. This ain't no sewing class mate. They ain't gonna be gradin' yer hand with a needle.
Jack didn't want to admit he was disappointed that his skull with two cutlasses wasn't going to strike fear into the hearts of men. "Will we be able to see theirs?"
"All we need to see is if it goes down."
Jack shrugged. He still couldn't help being disappointed.
"Throw Squiffy in the brig." He yelled. "We'll need my cabin."
And so they waited.
Bill paced the deck anticipating the coming excitement. He was in command.
The lookout called out the sighting of the ship hours before the estimated time of arrival.
Bill smiled. "The ole CAPTAIN is in a hurry to get 'ome.
Jack pulled out his spy-glass and grinned. "Come to Papa luv."
Bill barked out the orders. The crew sprang into action. Just as Jack predicted the ship's colors lowered instantly. Everything went flawlessly. The plan was poetry in motion. They hailed the merchant ship and ordered THE CAPTAIN to The Black Pearl. The crew boarded the ship. Jack awaited Tom's arrival in his cabin. He was positively giddy. Finally Bill rustled the unnerved CAPTAIN into Jack's cabin. He ordered him into a chair. THE CAPTAIN looked into the grotesquely deformed face looking down on him.
"Who the hell are you?" Jack looked from THE CAPTAIN to Bill. "Who the hell is this?"
Bill looked quizzically at Jack. "Its not..?"
"Nooooo"
THE CAPTAIN looked nervously between the two.
Jack grinned at THE CAPTAIN, shook his index finger and with a nervous laugh mumbled "One minute mate." He walked over to Bill, grabbed his sleeve and pulled him into the corner. His voice lowered and he spoke through the side of his mouth. He started to panic. "It's not even the right uniform. Oh my God. We got the wrong boat!!! What are we gonna do?"
Bill couldn't help it. He broke into hysterical laughter. "You have all manner of luck mate!" He couldn't stop laughing as far as he was concerned one boat was as good as another.
"Pull yerself together man!" Jack was still talking from the side of his mouth. "Do something!!" He was desperate.
THE CAPTAIN sat nervously in the chair watching the demented pirates howling with laughter in the corner. (What were they planning? Why were they laughing? What indescribable evil were they plotting against he and his crew?) Bill pointed to the sideboard in the corner and looked at THE CAPTAIN. "Ave a cup of tea and a scone mate. We'll be back." He pulled Jack from the room.
"Calm down! It ain't a crisis."
Jack was yelling hysterically. "What do you mean it ain't a crisis! I'm a pirate!
Bill (still laughing) threw his arms open wide. "Welcome to The Brotherhood!"
Jack started to laugh. Suddenly he was filled with satisfaction and excitement. This was the first thing he had ever done in his life on his own. No Father, No Charles No Sparrow money. Damn it felt good. He felt free. He looked up at Bill then looked around the ship. The crew had just about finished. They were very unhappy that the booty was not going to make them rich men.
"Alright," Jack's hands were waving. "Let's send THE CAPTAIN 'ere home and tell 'im to get 'is arse moving out fast. There's more work to be done. We gotta make this 'ere crew rich men tonight mate."
"You still want to go after ole Tom?" Bill didn't know Jack had it in him..
"No I want to go after Charles. Consider this a practice."
THE CAPTAIN was sent back to his ship.
The ship disappeared as fast as possible. The Black Pearl waited. Captain Jack Sparrow would not allow anything to go wrong the next time and the next time it worked perfectly.
There was much rejoicing and merriment on The Black Pearl that night. The rum flowed for 2 days. The floating coffee house headed for the colonies. It was on the second day Bill approached Jack.
"Where's Squiffy?"