Chapter 20:

The morning-after cure that Jack liked to dish out to his crewmembers wasn't greeted with a smile when they suggested that *he* go and trial it. "Blasted pirates!" he yelled through the door of his cabin, and even Jamie had to laugh. "Aye, that we are, Cap'n. An' p'raps ye'd be best t' find another word if ye insist on tryin' t' insult us, Da!" Jamie called through the door. A handful of mumbled curses and phrases wafted through the door, which opened quiet suddenly. "If ye think ye can get away wi' wakin' up the Captain early i' the mornin', after he been up all night, then ye've all got another thing comin'!" Jack said to the handful of assembled crew in the doorway to the cabin.

Several scattered as Jack marched through the crowd, only to find the entire crew standing, watching the excitement. As the Pearl currently had a crew of over one hundred men, there were quite a few on the deck, and even more underneath. "What are ye looking at?" he yelled, "Get back t' work!" The crew automatically went back to work, leaving Jack to march angrily towards the helm. Will was standing behind the wheel, and stepped back as soon as he saw Jack's face. "Rough mornin'?" he asked with a smile, and Jack scowled. "'Rough' ain't the word, Will. 'Rough' would look relatively 'smooth' compared t' my morning."

Will turned around to hide his laughter, and came face to face with Isabelle. "Would ye like me t' speak to him?" she asked, and Will shook his head. "Nah, he'll be right once he wakes up s'more. Though, if ye have got a bit o' rum t' gi'e him, he'll take a lot less time t' calm down." Isabelle nodded, and removed the half-empty bottle from behind her back. "I know what calms Da down, so I came prepared." Will laughed, earning a glare from Jack, and let Isabelle through.

The cabin boy, who had emerged from his closet looking a little more bruised than usual, tried to catch Louisa's attention by jumping up and down near the stairs, waving his arms. When she looked up, and walked over, he whispered, "Tell the Cap'n that th' cook is plannin' t' poison 'im, savvy?" Louisa nodded, and the boy disappeared back to the galley when the sounds of the cook getting angry drifted up the stairs.

Louisa waited until Isabelle had handed over the bottle to her father, and managed to get Jack in a fairly decent mood, before she dared to mention to her own father what the boy had told her. "I don't know which cap'n he meant, though, considerin' that there's *two* captains aboard this ship," she finished, and Will nodded, "Aye, don' worry 'bout it. I'll tell Jack, an' he can make up 'is own mind 'bout it, savvy?" Louisa nodded, and headed back over to where Jamie, Will, and Isabelle were talking.

Jamie was the only one who picked up on her worried state, "What's wrong, Cannonfire? Ye look worried 'bout somethin', am I right?" he asked, and Louisa repeated what the cabin boy told her. He nodded, "Aye, things like that usually happen on ships. 'Specially the Pearl - the cook thinks that if he can get rid o' the cap'n without an actual mutiny, then he can convince th' crew t' name him as cap'n - savvy?" Louisa nodded, and Isabelle jumped in, "Aye, t'has happened afore now, too, but that were with th' last cook, an' he got left in Tortuga. Th' guy we've got now is from Tortuga, an' he seemed all right, considering most o' Tortuga."

Louisa was curious, "What happens if he *does* try t' poison one o' the cap'n's then?" she asked; Jamie and Isabelle exchanged glances. "Goin' o'er what happened las' time, he'll get sent t' the brig, then left at the next island where there's people livin' - or else he'll be marooned, whichever's easiest," Jamie supplied, and Isabelle laughed, "It serves 'em all right, if ye ask me. Any man who tries t' kill his own cap'n in cold blood deserves more 'an just bein' left on an island wi' a pistol an' shot."

*****

Gibbs was rarely seen on the ship. He added his own two cents in occasionally, to conversations that he could hear from his vantage point in the crew's quarters, but he refused to go above deck when Isabelle and Louisa were, because 'seeing women on a ship is almost as bad as women bein' on the ship in the firs' place', or something to that effect. He'd taken to teaching the cabin boy everything from how to drink (a very funny picture), to how to box (many of the crew ended up as target practice), how to shoot (everyone had learned by this stage to keep out of the way), and how to throw knives. Needless to say, very few were impressed with the boy's skills, and soon learned to keep anything they considered valuable hidden.

Gibbs considered the boy a fast learner, and one with spirit. He said, quite often, that he was reminded of Will during the lessons, but any time that this was brought up around the captain or his family, the topic was changed so abruptly, Gibbs had to stop talking to remember what he was saying. No one dared to mention the fact that they thought the boy was Will's son, though everyone thought it. Besides, it wouldn't have been impossible.

Jack continued his lessons with the boy, teaching him skills in sword fighting, until he had learned enough for Jack to leave him to his own. "That was where my lessons stopped, an' ye shall hav' t' learn t' fight yer own battles from now on, savvy?" The boy nodded, and Jack handed him a sword. "Ye can keep this, 'til it breaks or wears out. The ye can find yer own sword - but ye need one t' start with." It was a simple sword, one that Will had shaped from broken pieces of knives, and guns, and polished up. Still, it was almost perfectly balanced, and strong enough to remove a man's head when used correctly. Unbeknownst to the cabin boy, though, the sword was a way of thanking him for the warning about the cook.

Three days later, however, there was no sign that the cook was planning anything, and some of the crew were beginning to doubt the boy's ears. "He ain't nothin' but a deaf pirate wanna-be - ye cannae trust 'im, cap'n," was the most popular quip from the crew. Jack didn't say anything, just bided his time.

In fact, he bided his time for so long, the entire crew thought he was going to starve himself to death. Even Jamie and Isabelle were worried, "Da, ye *must* eat! If ye keep this up, ye ain't goin' t' be well enough t' stand, let alone leave someone on an island!" argued Isabelle after yet another meal was sent back to the kitchen. Jack ignored her remarks, and went back to the helm. He hadn't eaten anything except stale bread for over a week, the same with Will, and hadn't drunken anything except what came from his own store.

The following day, there was a commotion on the deck when the cook, Ducky, was marched up from the galley by Jack and Will. "I didnae do a thing!" he yelled, and Jack smiled. "Aye? Ye did nothing? Well, then ye won't be opposed t' eating some o' this broth, aye?" The cook made a face, "I am not hungry at the moment, I thank ye cap'n. Now, if ye'll excuse me...." He didn't have a chance to finish, as Jamie and Will (Jr.) took him by either arm and steered him towards a seat near the mast. Jack walked over, bowl in hand, and placed it on top of the barrel set up conveniently.

"Ye'll eat when I tell ye to - unless ye'll admit that it's poisoned," he said, handing the cook a spoon. Ducky looked at it for a moment, before hesitantly picking it up. "An' if it's poisoned, I'll die, an' if it ain't, an' I say it is, then I'll die, an' if it ain't, ye'll have made a fool of yeself, aye?" he asked, and Jack nodded, "Aye, that'd be 'bout right. So - is it poisoned or no? *You* should know, Ducky, ye were the one who cooked the stuff."

Ducky paused, before taking a spoonful from the bowl. He lifted it to his mouth, and everyone could see the spoon shaking ever so slightly. Finally, he dropped the spoon, and it clattered onto the barrel. "Aye, so 'tis poisoned. I don't want t' die a death o' poison - so what are ye goin' t' do wi' me?"

Jack laughed, "Ducky, ye'll be findin' a home in the brig, for the time bein', an' then we'll be findin' ye an island, all for yeself. Savvy?" Ducky dropped his gaze, and a few people could hear him muttering about 'preferring the poison'. Jack just laughed, and headed for the galley, the cabin boy following close behind.