On Sparrow Wings
Chapter 2: Not Quite Buried Treasure
Disclaimer: Only own the soundtrack… nuthin' else… luv my soundtrack… no profit comes from this, only pleasure… blah, blah, blah…
~*~
Jack was kneeling on the deck of the ship at Mark's feet, scrubbing like there was no tomorrow. He glanced up at something Mark said and laughed. "Ye got that right! Ye'll never catch me workin' for you again!" He gave the deck one last scrub and stood up. "There, that's the last of it! Now you're on yer own and I can go back to my regular duties." He made a face.
"Oh, yes, that reminds me." Mark grinned at Jack.
"I don't like it when ye use that tone of voice…"
"While you were working in the late, late evenings, and the rest of us were enjoying our dinner, Captain Langford told us our next stop. We're going to be landing in Ponce in a day or so." Mark sounded smug.
"Ponce? What's in Ponce?"
"Treasure. The first treasure I'll ever see." Mark was grinning at Jack again, clearly pleased at the idea.
"Treasure in Ponce, eh? We'll be stealing it then. And-" He broke off at the startled look on Mark's face.
"Steal? I- I didn't know it would be stealing."
"Oh, come off it, Mark. If I know the Capt'n, it'll probably be some big ugly statue that the owner doesn't like, and he'll be glad to be rid of it. So we'll oblige him by takin' it off of his hands and putting it to good use. Trust me." Jack picked up his bucket and tossed the water overboard as he spoke. "Let's go eat something. All this pansy work has made me hungry."
"Pansy work!?" Mark looked indignant as he followed Jack below.
~~~
"All right, men! I want ye to get a good nights rest before tomorrow. Ponce is a little less than two kilometers up the river. We'll have two landing boats. I want Winger, Ivan, Gunnar, Thomas, and Hans in my boat. In the other will be Jack, Mark, Hairy, and Timmory. Gentlemen, we must time this right. We will drop anchor and head up the river as the tide is going in to help us reach Ponce speedily. Then we must work quickly to collect the figure-" Jack looked at Mark with raised eyebrows and mouthed the words I told ye so. "-which will go in Jack's boat, and then get back to the river, right as the tide is turning or just after, to pull us out to sea. Ye got that?" He glared around. "Now get to sleep!"
As the crew moved to their quarters Jack sidled over to Mark. "Told ye. He loves to go for big and ugly, then he can get rid of hunks as it pleases him and so has a steady flow of money. Do I know the Capt'n or what?" He grinned.
"Alright, you were partly right." Mark conceded.
"Partly? What was I not right about?" Jack said indignantly.
"Well, I still don't know if it's ugly enough that we would be doing this person a favor by stealing it."
"Just ye wait. Ye'll see." Jack said smugly.
Mark rolled his eyes and headed for his bunk. What if it really was ugly? What if it wasn't? Mark slowly drifted of to sleep, mind filled with thoughts of buried treasure.
~~~
"Wake up!!! There's work to be done!" Jack's voice echoed through the cabin. He grinned gleefully at the sour morning faces of the crew.
"Jack, you enjoy doing that too much." Mark groaned. "Just because you're the first mate and get more privileges than the rest of us doesn't mean you have to rub it in our faces." A chorus of agreement followed this announcement. Mark got an idea, and Jack could see it in the grin on his face.
"Uh, yeah, ye're absolutely right. I'll, uh, be more considerate in the future." He said quickly in an attempt to get away.
"I don't think so, Jack." Mark said as he advanced. "I think the crew needs to have a chat with you." Mark's grin widened. "See, I think the crew needs to do something to loosen the tension before tonight… so maybe a little game of… Catch the Birdie? Whoever gets a certain Sparrow gets a week of relaxation as the little birdie performs all of his capturer's chores. Ready, men?" Grunts and shouts of agreement signaled that they were ready to start. "Alright, then… Go!"
Jack took off hollering at the top of his lungs. "Ye'll never catch me!"
The crew dashed off after him. Soon the ruckus roused the captain. Mark heard him exit his quarters, shouting about the noise. He started to laugh at what he saw. Mark walked upstairs to see and had to chuckle, too. Jack was scampering all over the place, being chased by one giant mob of pirates.
"Come back 'ere!"
"I'll get ye, yeh scurvy dog!"
"Here, birdie, birdie, birdie!"
Jack glared at Mark as he dashed past. "Ye're gonna get yours!" Then he was gone, evading a grab here and a snatch there. The crew was tiring out. Jack, of course, had lots more energy. After a couple more zigs and a few zags, the crew called it quits.
"There be no way of catchin' the bugger this early in the mornin'," gasped one man.
Mark grinned and walked over to Jack. "Well, you sure can run."
"Yeah, and I'm glad!" He glared at Mark. "That was rotten!"
"Yes, well… Pirate." He grabbed Jack's arm. "Gotcha."
Jack groaned. "Oh no… I have to do yer work… again?"
~~~
"Quietly, men, quietly. We don't wanna be waking the whole island," warned the captain as the boats were lowered over the side. Mark's head came up. "No, Mark, we wouldn't be able to wake the whole island just by lowerin' the boats. It's just a precaution." Mark relaxed. Jack rolled his eyes.
Once the boats were in the water, the crew climbed in and set off for the river. The flow of the tide did indeed help speed them up the river, and they had soon reached the city of Ponce. They stealthily pulled the boats ashore and headed for the desired statue. Sneaking into the yard, they surrounded the work of art.
"Art? That's art?" Mark whispered unbelievingly. "That's not art, that's just ugly."
"Yes, well, now do ye think we're doing the poor owner a favor by removing it?" Jack whispered back.
"Oh, yes I do."
"Alright, men! Get to work!" Captain Langford whispered fiercely. "You there! Toss yer rope over that way! You, too! And you! Pull that one this way! Make sure everything is where it ought to be! And heave! Heave!"
Everyone grabbed a rope and pulled. The statue didn't budge. They continued to pull with all their might and the statue continued to not budge. Hairy suddenly let go of his rope and walked around to the other side. He climbed up the stone pedestal and grunted, "On the count of three! One! Two! Three!" On three everyone pulled and Hairy pushed. The statue budged. In fact it started to topple over. The men continued to pull and they managed to get it down with minimal noise. The crew hurriedly covered it and tied rope handles. Lifting the statue, they slowly made their way back to the landing boats.
"The tide has not yet reached its peak, but hurry men, time is still not a luxury." Captain Langford said. The statue was placed in the bottom of Jack's boat, and tied securely down. "Now, we must wait for the tide to begin its ebb."
The men sat idle at first, but soon restlessness set in.
"Hey, Jack." Mark whispered
"What?" he whispered back.
"How much longer?"
"Not much."
"How long is not much?"
"Ten minute or so."
"Ten minutes!?"
"Shh! Keep yer hat on! It's not that long!"
"Not that long? Maybe if you've done this more than once, but this is my first time! Oh, no!" Mark burst out.
"What!? What's wrong!?" Jack whispered urgently.
"I'm a crook! I've stolen something! I can't believe it! Mark, the thief. Oh, it sounds miserable!" he moaned.
"Is that it? Ye'll get over it. Now be quiet."
"But-"
"Shh!"
"Alright, men. Tide is turning. Let's go!" Captain Langford whispered. The boats were pushed off and rowed to the middle of the river. With the combined power of the river flow, the receding tide, and the rowing of the men, the little boats practically flew back to the ship. The statue was immediately hauled up by the remaining crew and stowed below deck. One by one the pirates climbed on deck and set about readying the ship to sail. The small boats were hauled up and the sails unfurled. Soon they were moving away from shore and out into the Caribbean Sea.
~~~
Once most of the crew was available, they assembled below deck for the great unveiling. Langford pulled the canvas off the statue. The assemblage cringed at the sight. A few went back above deck looking a little green.
"Well, men, this is it!" The captain stated proudly. "Magnificent isn't it?"
"Well," said Benjie. "Ye've certainly out done yourself, Capt'n."
Langford preened. "Yes, well I thought it was good. It's nice to know that everyone agrees with me."
"Absolutely, Capt'n."
"Yeah."
"Alright, alright! Enough of yer praise! Off to work or bed! Now!" The crew scuttled away from the statue. Mark followed Jack with a concerned expression on his face.
"Hey, Jack? How's the captain gonna get money off that? It's just a really big hunk of ugly bronze. And it's way too recognizable to be taken anywhere to be melted down." Mark said.
"That's why places like Tortuga exist." He replied as he walked away, leaving a very confused Mark behind.
~~~
Tortuga was filled with pubs, pirates, and prostitutes. Jack seemed to slide right through, seemingly not noticing any of the disgusting aspects. Mark, on the other hand, seemed entranced by the place. He wandered with his mouth open, occasionally letting out an "Ew," or "I can't believe it." Jack enjoyed sharing his wealth of knowledge with Mark as they followed Langford through the streets. He'd relate some particularly horrifying or disgusting bit of information and receive wide-eyed stares in return. Langford motioned them to silence when they reached their destination though, so Jack had to be content with watching Mark watch the colorful inhabitants as they strolled, stumbled or slid by. It was very entertaining.
"Alright, it's a deal; we'll be back in an hour. Jack, Hans, Mark, let's go get this gentleman's work." The four set off, back to the docks.
"So, Jack, what's happening?" inquired Mark.
"The gentleman is going to melt down our statue, so we can get money from it."
"What? But won't he know we… we stole it?"
"Of course! We're pirates, and everyone here knows it. It's what we do."
"Oh." Marks face cleared. "Well, then I guess it isn't so bad that we stole it. I kinda forgot we're pirates."
Jack just rolled his eyes.
~~~
Getting the statue to Tortuga was easy. Getting the statue through Tortuga was a different matter entirely.
"How many is that now?" puffed Ivan.
"Twelve, I think. That last person took out someone else when this hunk of metal clobbered him." answered Gunnar.
"Really?" Jack commented. "I didn't think we were doing that good."
"Jack!" Mark looked shocked.
"What?"
Captain Langford looked back over his shoulder. "Quit yer blabbing and heave! We're almost there."
Pulling up in front of the blacksmith's shop was a welcome relief to the men. They stretched, got in each other's way, and had a downright good time goofing off as the captain talked business. Jack kept motioning for silence so he could hear.
"Quiet! I wanna hear the deal they cut… uh… oh, ok."
"What?" Everyone gathered around Jack, interested now. "What's the deal?"
Jack turned around smugly. "I don't think you need to know."
"What!? Tell us!" they roared.
"Fine, not like it's anything special. The gentleman gets a head for his effort. We get the rest."
"Oh. That's it?" Mark asked, disappointed.
"Yep."
Langford walked out of the shop. "He says he'll be done by day after tomorrow. Wanna know how much we're getting?" The men could barley nodded in the sudden tension. "Two thousand pounds. And five shillings. To split.
~~~
Jack was kneeling at Marks feet, scrubbing like there was no tomorrow. Looking up he asked, "So how much money do you have left?"
"All of it," grinned Mark. "It's my first treasure ever, so I don't think I'm gonna spend it."
"Ever!? Ye're not gonna buy anything?" Jack asked unbelieving.
"Nope? Did you?"
"Of course! I bought…" Jack sighed. "A bottle of rum."
~*~
A/N: Well, that took long enough. Over two months, actually. First school got in the way, then I got writers block so when I did find time to write I sat and stared at the screen. But now this chapter is finished. I was kinda hoping my story would get more reviews because I've read some really bad ones with tons of reviews and I don't think mine is all that bad. So if you like what I have so far (heck, even if you don't) tell your friends. And since you read it (I'm assuming you have since your reading the note at the end of the latest chappie), please review. I really wanna know what you think. And if you have criticism, fling it at me (I'm in an awesome mood thanks to Youth Convention this weekend), I can take it. Flames I can handle, too. Praise is always welcome. Just review. Luvs and Lasagna!
Ps. I changed a few things on the prologue to fix the story. Big excitement in the next chapter! Oh, and everyone should say Hi to Benjie, he's a real person, one of my friends, his birthday is the same as mine and he's exactly ten years older than me. He doesn't know that he's in this story so if you say Hi and I tell him it'll really mess with his head! SO much fun! L&L!