The Secret Life of Lieutenant Gillette
The tall, dark waves crashed upon the deck, knocking over the sailors as they passed. The ship of the Queen's Royal Navy was tossed about by the fierce waters in which it found itself trapped. A bright bolt of lightning pierced the starless night sky, quickly followed by a deafening crash of thunder. The once uneventful voyage in search of the rogue pirate ship had quickly turned into a dangerous and frightening night.
Despite the extreme danger surrounding the ship and its crew, the captain stood tall at the wheel, carefully examining his compass and making slight adjustments to the course the ship was following. Water splashed over the deck, the ship rocked back and forth, the sails were becoming tattered from the high wind, but still the captain pushed forward.
A sailor approached the helm. "Sir, the weather is not improving. If we don't stop now, the mast may give in."
Captain Gillette looked at the sailor without a bit of worry visible on his determined face. "We cannot stop now, we are so close to finally catching them! The ship is strong, she will hold up. If we keep pressing on, we may have caught up with them by tomorrow. Now go hoist the main sails."
The sailor looked a bit nervous, but felt a bit more spirited at the captains response. "Aye, Sir."
The captain went back to his navigation. He had every faith in his ship, and was determined to catch up with the pirates. "They have gotten away for the last time," he thought to himself...
"Gillette, are you listening?" demanded Commodore Norrington. Gillette looked up at him, slightly dazed.
"I'm sorry, Sir, what did you need?"
"I asked you to take over guard duty aboard the Dauntless."
"Aye, Commodore." Gillette started off to the docks, but was stopped again by Norrington.
"Lieutenant, I expect you to be more attentive in the future," he said scoldingly to Gillette.
"I'm terribly sorry, Commodore. It will not happen again." He exited the fort and hired the dock boy to row him out to the Dauntless. He climbed up the ladder and stood upon the deck, inspecting his ship from bow to stern. He climbed the stairs to the helm, took hold of the wheel, and began to sail off once again into his land of lost dreams.
"We are coming up on their port quarter, sir." The Dauntless was rapidly approaching the Black Pearl, the most sought-after pirate ship by officers of the Royal Navy. Navymen had been chasing the Pearl for years, but none had ever been this close to finally catching the despised pirates and putting them to justice. They almost had them.
"Raise all the sails!" called out Captain Gillette to his men. We need to catch them, he thought to himself. I need to catch them.
The Pearl was traveling fast, but it was no match for the Dauntless. Gillette pulled up alongside the Pearl, when the first cannon shots were exchanged.
"Sir, hurry! Get into the boat!" Officer Groves shouted to Lieutenant Gillette, who was still standing at the wheel, staring off into the ocean. Night had since fallen, and there was turmoil in the city.
"What has happened?" Gillette demanded of Groves. He was once again lost in his fantasy, and had not quite realized what has happened.
"It's the Black Pearl, sir. She's attacking Port Royal."
So we meet again, thought Gillette.
"Sir? Hurry! The Commodore called for all men to return to the fort." Gillette climbed into the boat, and they rowed toward the shore. As soon as they landed, they ran quickly up the stairs into the battlements.
The town was in a state of utter mayhem. Cannonballs whizzed through the air, destroying many buildings in their paths. The soldiers at the fort were doing their best to defeat the invading pirates. Their cannons were being fired like mad. Armed soldiers were patrolling the streets, trying to kill any pirate they came across. Groves and Gillette finally reached the fort, and reported to Commodore Norrington.
On board the Dauntless, cannonballs fired from the Pearl whizzed past the crewmembers, destroying parts of the ship in their path. The pirates were pretty tough, but they were no match for the fearless leader of the Dauntless. He ran back and forth across the deck, shouting commands to his crew. They were making progress in their soon-to-be capture of the infamous pirate ship.
"Lieutenant, get some men and fetch more powder!" ordered the Commodore to Gillette. "Hurry, stop fussing around!
Who dares give orders to the Captain of the Dauntless? thought Gillette.
He grabbed a couple of men, and ran quickly to the armory. They rolled out a couple of barrels of gunpowder, and returned to the top of the fort, distributing the powder to the many cannons.
"Sir, we are running out of gunpowder! Without more, we will certainly be defeated," a panicked crewman shouted to the captain. "Do we have any more stored away?"
"I'm not sure, but I will get some," their fearless leader shouted. With that, he quickly ran down to the hull of the ship, where they usually keep their supplies. There was not a barrel of powder in sight.
But Gillette did not stop there. He overturned boxes, pushed aside crates, and pretty much tore apart the entire storage room. But sitting in the very back corner, looking as wonderful as if they had been made of gold, were 2 large barrels of gunpowder. The captain felt a sense of great relief as he carried the barrels up to the cannons. The crew cheered for him; he saved them from loss in the battle.
The cannons were reloaded, and their victory was almost ensured. All thanks to the brave Captain Gillette.
The pirates had left. It was now morning, and everyone in Port Royal could see the destruction caused by the battle the previous night. Many buildings had been destroyed by the rain of cannon fire from the Pearl. Many men had been killed, either from their unlucky location while a cannon or gun was fired, or from hand-to-hand swordfight with the more experienced pirates. And the Governor's own daughter had been kidnapped. But the pirates had left. That was some form of progress.
On the deck of the Dauntless, Captain Gillette was being hailed by his crew with a chorus of "Huzzah"s. The Black Pearl pirates were all tied to the main mast, awaiting, what the captain cleverly called, their "short drop and sudden stop." After the ensuing battle, the Navymen had finally captured the pirates of the Black Pearl. It had been a long, hard battle. There was a bit of damage done to the ship, but that was to be expected in a sea battle. A few men had been killed by the multitude of bullets and cannon fire, or by a deadly swordfight with one of the pirates. But that, too, was to be expected. The fortunate thing was, their losses had been few. And now the pirates had been defeated; they were never to bother another town or ship again.
And this, of course, could not have been possible without the fearless leadership of Captain Gillette.
A few of the ranking Navymen had gathered to form a plan on how to rescue the Governor's daughter, Elizabeth, from the pirates. They were all standing in a circle, around a table, and looking at a map, many pointing at locations where they thought the Pearl may be. But Gillette stood outside of the circle, staring into the ocean, smiling to himself.
"Gillette, what is your opinion?" asked one of the officers. Gillette immediately shook out of his daydream at the sound of his name, but had absolutely no idea what to say.
"Well, I, um.... I am not sure..."
"Lieutenant, I am disappointed in your performance these past few days," scolded the Commodore. "Whenever there is an important event pursuing, you seem to be off somewhere else. Now, I do not know what is going on in your head, and I am not sure if I want to, but if you are not going to make yourself useful, please leave. I've got an idea, why don't you go guard the Dauntless?" Norrington figured this would get him out of the way, because nobody in their right mind would attempt to steal a ship that big. A person who would attempt a stunt that stupid would most definitely be the worst pirate he's ever seen.
Gillette and a few of his men rowed out to the Dauntless, and climbed the ladder onboard. It was a lovely Caribbean day: not a cloud in the sky, and a slight wind. Perfect sailing weather.
The wheel called to him. Gillette marched gallantly up to the helm, and took hold of the wheel. He stared off into the blue waters, and a slight smile crossed his face.
The Dauntless sailed smoothly through the calm blue sea. It was on its return to Port Royal, where everyone would see the accomplishment the valiant captain and his fearless crew had achieved. The Black Pearl pirates have eluded captors for years, and had continued to pillage many towns along the shores ofthe Caribbean. But now, nobody needed to worry about that anymore. On his return to Port Royal, Gillette looked forward to a new appreciation and respect for all he does. He smiled to himself, and continued his navigation home.
Some of the crewmen on board were watching Gillette as he stood holding the wheel, staring into space. They laughed.
"I wonder what ol' Pansy-boy's thinkin 'bout," one said.
"Prolly lookin' for his little mermaid friend!" another snickered.
"Poor guy, doesn't even realize what a wimp he is," a third stated thoughtfully. "Maybe he's dreamin' like he's the captain or something. Kinda looks like he wants to sail away."
"Ol' Norrie would give him quite the spankin' if he tried that," the first said. "Might even hafta take away his blankie!" The three laughed.
"Oh well. The man can dream, can't he?" said the second man. "Probably better that way."
And, indeed, it was better.
The tall, dark waves crashed upon the deck, knocking over the sailors as they passed. The ship of the Queen's Royal Navy was tossed about by the fierce waters in which it found itself trapped. A bright bolt of lightning pierced the starless night sky, quickly followed by a deafening crash of thunder. The once uneventful voyage in search of the rogue pirate ship had quickly turned into a dangerous and frightening night.
Despite the extreme danger surrounding the ship and its crew, the captain stood tall at the wheel, carefully examining his compass and making slight adjustments to the course the ship was following. Water splashed over the deck, the ship rocked back and forth, the sails were becoming tattered from the high wind, but still the captain pushed forward.
A sailor approached the helm. "Sir, the weather is not improving. If we don't stop now, the mast may give in."
Captain Gillette looked at the sailor without a bit of worry visible on his determined face. "We cannot stop now, we are so close to finally catching them! The ship is strong, she will hold up. If we keep pressing on, we may have caught up with them by tomorrow. Now go hoist the main sails."
The sailor looked a bit nervous, but felt a bit more spirited at the captains response. "Aye, Sir."
The captain went back to his navigation. He had every faith in his ship, and was determined to catch up with the pirates. "They have gotten away for the last time," he thought to himself...
"Gillette, are you listening?" demanded Commodore Norrington. Gillette looked up at him, slightly dazed.
"I'm sorry, Sir, what did you need?"
"I asked you to take over guard duty aboard the Dauntless."
"Aye, Commodore." Gillette started off to the docks, but was stopped again by Norrington.
"Lieutenant, I expect you to be more attentive in the future," he said scoldingly to Gillette.
"I'm terribly sorry, Commodore. It will not happen again." He exited the fort and hired the dock boy to row him out to the Dauntless. He climbed up the ladder and stood upon the deck, inspecting his ship from bow to stern. He climbed the stairs to the helm, took hold of the wheel, and began to sail off once again into his land of lost dreams.
"We are coming up on their port quarter, sir." The Dauntless was rapidly approaching the Black Pearl, the most sought-after pirate ship by officers of the Royal Navy. Navymen had been chasing the Pearl for years, but none had ever been this close to finally catching the despised pirates and putting them to justice. They almost had them.
"Raise all the sails!" called out Captain Gillette to his men. We need to catch them, he thought to himself. I need to catch them.
The Pearl was traveling fast, but it was no match for the Dauntless. Gillette pulled up alongside the Pearl, when the first cannon shots were exchanged.
"Sir, hurry! Get into the boat!" Officer Groves shouted to Lieutenant Gillette, who was still standing at the wheel, staring off into the ocean. Night had since fallen, and there was turmoil in the city.
"What has happened?" Gillette demanded of Groves. He was once again lost in his fantasy, and had not quite realized what has happened.
"It's the Black Pearl, sir. She's attacking Port Royal."
So we meet again, thought Gillette.
"Sir? Hurry! The Commodore called for all men to return to the fort." Gillette climbed into the boat, and they rowed toward the shore. As soon as they landed, they ran quickly up the stairs into the battlements.
The town was in a state of utter mayhem. Cannonballs whizzed through the air, destroying many buildings in their paths. The soldiers at the fort were doing their best to defeat the invading pirates. Their cannons were being fired like mad. Armed soldiers were patrolling the streets, trying to kill any pirate they came across. Groves and Gillette finally reached the fort, and reported to Commodore Norrington.
On board the Dauntless, cannonballs fired from the Pearl whizzed past the crewmembers, destroying parts of the ship in their path. The pirates were pretty tough, but they were no match for the fearless leader of the Dauntless. He ran back and forth across the deck, shouting commands to his crew. They were making progress in their soon-to-be capture of the infamous pirate ship.
"Lieutenant, get some men and fetch more powder!" ordered the Commodore to Gillette. "Hurry, stop fussing around!
Who dares give orders to the Captain of the Dauntless? thought Gillette.
He grabbed a couple of men, and ran quickly to the armory. They rolled out a couple of barrels of gunpowder, and returned to the top of the fort, distributing the powder to the many cannons.
"Sir, we are running out of gunpowder! Without more, we will certainly be defeated," a panicked crewman shouted to the captain. "Do we have any more stored away?"
"I'm not sure, but I will get some," their fearless leader shouted. With that, he quickly ran down to the hull of the ship, where they usually keep their supplies. There was not a barrel of powder in sight.
But Gillette did not stop there. He overturned boxes, pushed aside crates, and pretty much tore apart the entire storage room. But sitting in the very back corner, looking as wonderful as if they had been made of gold, were 2 large barrels of gunpowder. The captain felt a sense of great relief as he carried the barrels up to the cannons. The crew cheered for him; he saved them from loss in the battle.
The cannons were reloaded, and their victory was almost ensured. All thanks to the brave Captain Gillette.
The pirates had left. It was now morning, and everyone in Port Royal could see the destruction caused by the battle the previous night. Many buildings had been destroyed by the rain of cannon fire from the Pearl. Many men had been killed, either from their unlucky location while a cannon or gun was fired, or from hand-to-hand swordfight with the more experienced pirates. And the Governor's own daughter had been kidnapped. But the pirates had left. That was some form of progress.
On the deck of the Dauntless, Captain Gillette was being hailed by his crew with a chorus of "Huzzah"s. The Black Pearl pirates were all tied to the main mast, awaiting, what the captain cleverly called, their "short drop and sudden stop." After the ensuing battle, the Navymen had finally captured the pirates of the Black Pearl. It had been a long, hard battle. There was a bit of damage done to the ship, but that was to be expected in a sea battle. A few men had been killed by the multitude of bullets and cannon fire, or by a deadly swordfight with one of the pirates. But that, too, was to be expected. The fortunate thing was, their losses had been few. And now the pirates had been defeated; they were never to bother another town or ship again.
And this, of course, could not have been possible without the fearless leadership of Captain Gillette.
A few of the ranking Navymen had gathered to form a plan on how to rescue the Governor's daughter, Elizabeth, from the pirates. They were all standing in a circle, around a table, and looking at a map, many pointing at locations where they thought the Pearl may be. But Gillette stood outside of the circle, staring into the ocean, smiling to himself.
"Gillette, what is your opinion?" asked one of the officers. Gillette immediately shook out of his daydream at the sound of his name, but had absolutely no idea what to say.
"Well, I, um.... I am not sure..."
"Lieutenant, I am disappointed in your performance these past few days," scolded the Commodore. "Whenever there is an important event pursuing, you seem to be off somewhere else. Now, I do not know what is going on in your head, and I am not sure if I want to, but if you are not going to make yourself useful, please leave. I've got an idea, why don't you go guard the Dauntless?" Norrington figured this would get him out of the way, because nobody in their right mind would attempt to steal a ship that big. A person who would attempt a stunt that stupid would most definitely be the worst pirate he's ever seen.
Gillette and a few of his men rowed out to the Dauntless, and climbed the ladder onboard. It was a lovely Caribbean day: not a cloud in the sky, and a slight wind. Perfect sailing weather.
The wheel called to him. Gillette marched gallantly up to the helm, and took hold of the wheel. He stared off into the blue waters, and a slight smile crossed his face.
The Dauntless sailed smoothly through the calm blue sea. It was on its return to Port Royal, where everyone would see the accomplishment the valiant captain and his fearless crew had achieved. The Black Pearl pirates have eluded captors for years, and had continued to pillage many towns along the shores ofthe Caribbean. But now, nobody needed to worry about that anymore. On his return to Port Royal, Gillette looked forward to a new appreciation and respect for all he does. He smiled to himself, and continued his navigation home.
Some of the crewmen on board were watching Gillette as he stood holding the wheel, staring into space. They laughed.
"I wonder what ol' Pansy-boy's thinkin 'bout," one said.
"Prolly lookin' for his little mermaid friend!" another snickered.
"Poor guy, doesn't even realize what a wimp he is," a third stated thoughtfully. "Maybe he's dreamin' like he's the captain or something. Kinda looks like he wants to sail away."
"Ol' Norrie would give him quite the spankin' if he tried that," the first said. "Might even hafta take away his blankie!" The three laughed.
"Oh well. The man can dream, can't he?" said the second man. "Probably better that way."
And, indeed, it was better.