Usual disclaimers... aren't we all fed up with them by now!
Apologies to Josephina for this chapter
***
For three weeks the Black Pearl sailed towards Penang, straight as an arrow across the Indian Ocean. Jack kept slightly south of the normal trade route and, as such, they saw no other ships. The crew idled their hours with cleaning and repairing anything they could find and Jeremy Horton had fashioned two wooden swords, including a small sword for Moses from old staves he found in the hold. She watched as Isaac sparred with him, teaching him how to hold the weapon and basic footwork.
Catherine smiled, remembering her own first lessons with Jack - and how they had been filled with dirty tricks, tripping and lots of kissing. She glanced across at him where he held the wheel, walking over and wrapping her arms around him.
"What do I owe th' pleasure?" he smiled, pulling her before him and trapping her between his arms and the wheel.
"Just happy," Catherine smiled. "And it's nice to be rid of that damned stick!"
Jack looked at her in surprise for he had not noticed that she had been walking totally unaided. "When..." he began.
"Ned said I could do away with it today," she grinned.
He held her for a moment with one arm. "It's been a long haul luv, but it's nice t' have yer back t' normal." He looked down at her, his eyes twinkling with humour. "P'raps I'll have t' give yer a bit of sparring later..." he teased.
"Captain! Land ho!" a voice called from aloft.
Jack released Catherine. "Take th' helm luv," he ordered as he reached for his spyglass. "Where Slane?" he called up.
"Dead ahead Sir," Cenydd Slane replied. "Looks like a channel..."
Jack grinned as he looked. The Sunda Strait, between Sumatra and Java. They were right on course. The Sunda Strait was only sixteen miles wide at its narrowest point and the volcanic island of Krakatoa lay within the channel. Jack was alert for other ships, for this area was as notorious for pirates as was the Caribbean.
"Keep an' eye out fer sails!" Jack ordered. "We won't be th' only pirates in these waters!"
"Aye Captain!" Cenydd called.
Jack took the helm back from Catherine. "Th' Sunda Strait," he smiled. "Then we turn north through th' Strait of Malacca an' we'll be at Penang... an' we can be rid of our guest fer a while!" He looked around the deck. "Have yer seen him this morning?"
"He was at breakfast, but I've not seen him since... nor missed him." She kissed Jack on the cheek. "I'd best be starting preparation for dinner. It will be nice to have some fresh provisions soon!"
***
An hour later Catherine looked around the decks for Moses, surprised that she could not see him. He had not helped her with the vegetables and it was unlike him to miss his chores. The wooden swords were stacked carefully against the mast and Isaac was sitting quietly on deck cleaning and sharpening his own sword. "Have you seen Moses?" she asked.
"No Kitty," he frowned, looking around the deck himself. "He went below for something a while back, but I've not seen him since..."
Catherine shrugged and went below, quickly scanning the gundeck before lighting a lantern and heading to the hold. "Moses!" she called, looking in all the storage areas, worried that he might have gone exploring and become trapped, but only silence answered her. She climbed back up, glancing around the gundeck again where some of the men were working. "Has anyone seen Moses?" she asked.
"I think I saw him head aft a short while ago," Charles Dalton said. "Not seen him since..."
Catherine frowned, wondering why Moses would have done so. The only things aft were the three cabins of the senior crew and the sick bay. She cautiously opened the door to Oran's cabin, and then Jean Claude's - but there was no sign of the boy. She looked towards the starboard cabins, quietly easing open the sick bay door.
***
Catherine would never forget the sight that met her eyes, a gasp of horror escaping her lips. Jedidiah Johns was in the cabin, his trousers down around his ankles as he grunted, hips thrusting as he bent towards his bunk. A small black hand was visible, gripping the side of the bunk hard.
She reached for her pistol, the silence broken as she cocked it. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow your bloody head off!" she hissed, pressing the barrel hard against his skin. "Stand up!" she ordered. "I said stand up you bloody faggot!" she shouted, her voice carrying clearly to those on the gundeck. "Charles - get Jack here now!" she ordered, relieved to hear booted feet hurry to obey.
Jedidiah slowly rose, reaching for his trousers.
"Oh no," Catherine threatened. "You'll face the Captain like the scum you are," she threatened as he turned to face her. She kept her pistol aimed, even when she heard booted feet behind her. "Go on," she threatened. "Give me the reason..."
"Kitty?" Jack frowned, surprised to find his wife with her pistol aimed at the face of Jedidiah who stood before her with his trousers down. "What the..." He spotted Moses cowering in the corner, eyes wide with fear.
"Article twenty nine... would you like me to quote it to you Jedidiah?" she asked quietly, pressing the pistol against his cheek.
Jack momentarily racked his brains for exactly what Article twenty nine referred to, before remembering. Sodomy. Damn the woman growing up in a naval household!
"This is a pirate ship," Jedidiah sneered. "Naval articles don't apply here!"
"But my articles do!" Jack shouted. "Yer wanted something t' report back to Jerimiah... some juicy snippet of information? Try that th' Black Pearl doesn't accept sodomy or rape of women or children in any circumstances!" He curled his lip, sneering as he looked down at Jedidiah. "Pull your trousers up - there's a woman present!"
Jedidiah pulled up his trousers, buckling his belt and defiantly facing Jack. "So what are you going to do about it, Captain?" he snorted derisively.
"Make yer pistol safe Kitty," Jack ordered, pointedly ignoring Jedidiah. He waited patiently whilst she uncocked her pistol, tucking it back into her waistband. "Now stand aside..." he warned her, grabbing Jedidiah by the shirt and hauling him from the cabin. His eyes were dark and dangerous as he threw the man to the ground.
For a moment Jedidiah lay there in stunned disbelief. "Jeremiah will hear of this!" he threatened, looking to Isaac for support but none came.
"I sure hope he does!" Jack snarled, kicking him hard in the stomach. "Get up yer faggot - or don't yer like 'em when they're big enough t' fight back!"
Jedidiah struggled to rise, only to find his legs kicked from under him before he could find his feet. His face smashed against the deck. Dimly he realised that most of the crew of the Black Pearl had circled him, several deep, watching their Captain. Again he struggled to rise, barely standing before Jack punched him in the face, sending him back down to the deck.
"Captain," Isaac ventured cautiously. "My father will want him alive - he will take it badly if you kill him..."
"Don't worry Isaac, I'm just bein' friendly like..." Another fist floored Jedidiah as he struggled to rise. This time he did not get up. Jack sighed disappointedly. "Take 'im to th' brig!" he snarled. "Nothing but water until we reach Penang!"
William Hawker and Isaac dragged Jedidiah down the flight of stairs into the hold and the sound of the door to the brig could clearly be heard clanging shut.
Jack turned, nodding to Catherine who stood in the doorway, Moses at her side. Although dressed, the child was shaking at what he had seen. "Nobody..." Jack cursed. "Nobody touches women or children on this ship! Ever!" He turned again, storming back onto deck, his face like thunder.
Catherine took Moses' hand in the silence that followed Jack's departure. "Let's get you up to my cabin Moses," she suggested, guiding him past the crew's curious stares. She had been expecting Jack to be angry, but realised that he had really wanted to kill Jedidiah. If he hadn't been Jeremiah's man she knew he would have.
***
Apologies to Josephina for this chapter
***
For three weeks the Black Pearl sailed towards Penang, straight as an arrow across the Indian Ocean. Jack kept slightly south of the normal trade route and, as such, they saw no other ships. The crew idled their hours with cleaning and repairing anything they could find and Jeremy Horton had fashioned two wooden swords, including a small sword for Moses from old staves he found in the hold. She watched as Isaac sparred with him, teaching him how to hold the weapon and basic footwork.
Catherine smiled, remembering her own first lessons with Jack - and how they had been filled with dirty tricks, tripping and lots of kissing. She glanced across at him where he held the wheel, walking over and wrapping her arms around him.
"What do I owe th' pleasure?" he smiled, pulling her before him and trapping her between his arms and the wheel.
"Just happy," Catherine smiled. "And it's nice to be rid of that damned stick!"
Jack looked at her in surprise for he had not noticed that she had been walking totally unaided. "When..." he began.
"Ned said I could do away with it today," she grinned.
He held her for a moment with one arm. "It's been a long haul luv, but it's nice t' have yer back t' normal." He looked down at her, his eyes twinkling with humour. "P'raps I'll have t' give yer a bit of sparring later..." he teased.
"Captain! Land ho!" a voice called from aloft.
Jack released Catherine. "Take th' helm luv," he ordered as he reached for his spyglass. "Where Slane?" he called up.
"Dead ahead Sir," Cenydd Slane replied. "Looks like a channel..."
Jack grinned as he looked. The Sunda Strait, between Sumatra and Java. They were right on course. The Sunda Strait was only sixteen miles wide at its narrowest point and the volcanic island of Krakatoa lay within the channel. Jack was alert for other ships, for this area was as notorious for pirates as was the Caribbean.
"Keep an' eye out fer sails!" Jack ordered. "We won't be th' only pirates in these waters!"
"Aye Captain!" Cenydd called.
Jack took the helm back from Catherine. "Th' Sunda Strait," he smiled. "Then we turn north through th' Strait of Malacca an' we'll be at Penang... an' we can be rid of our guest fer a while!" He looked around the deck. "Have yer seen him this morning?"
"He was at breakfast, but I've not seen him since... nor missed him." She kissed Jack on the cheek. "I'd best be starting preparation for dinner. It will be nice to have some fresh provisions soon!"
***
An hour later Catherine looked around the decks for Moses, surprised that she could not see him. He had not helped her with the vegetables and it was unlike him to miss his chores. The wooden swords were stacked carefully against the mast and Isaac was sitting quietly on deck cleaning and sharpening his own sword. "Have you seen Moses?" she asked.
"No Kitty," he frowned, looking around the deck himself. "He went below for something a while back, but I've not seen him since..."
Catherine shrugged and went below, quickly scanning the gundeck before lighting a lantern and heading to the hold. "Moses!" she called, looking in all the storage areas, worried that he might have gone exploring and become trapped, but only silence answered her. She climbed back up, glancing around the gundeck again where some of the men were working. "Has anyone seen Moses?" she asked.
"I think I saw him head aft a short while ago," Charles Dalton said. "Not seen him since..."
Catherine frowned, wondering why Moses would have done so. The only things aft were the three cabins of the senior crew and the sick bay. She cautiously opened the door to Oran's cabin, and then Jean Claude's - but there was no sign of the boy. She looked towards the starboard cabins, quietly easing open the sick bay door.
***
Catherine would never forget the sight that met her eyes, a gasp of horror escaping her lips. Jedidiah Johns was in the cabin, his trousers down around his ankles as he grunted, hips thrusting as he bent towards his bunk. A small black hand was visible, gripping the side of the bunk hard.
She reached for her pistol, the silence broken as she cocked it. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow your bloody head off!" she hissed, pressing the barrel hard against his skin. "Stand up!" she ordered. "I said stand up you bloody faggot!" she shouted, her voice carrying clearly to those on the gundeck. "Charles - get Jack here now!" she ordered, relieved to hear booted feet hurry to obey.
Jedidiah slowly rose, reaching for his trousers.
"Oh no," Catherine threatened. "You'll face the Captain like the scum you are," she threatened as he turned to face her. She kept her pistol aimed, even when she heard booted feet behind her. "Go on," she threatened. "Give me the reason..."
"Kitty?" Jack frowned, surprised to find his wife with her pistol aimed at the face of Jedidiah who stood before her with his trousers down. "What the..." He spotted Moses cowering in the corner, eyes wide with fear.
"Article twenty nine... would you like me to quote it to you Jedidiah?" she asked quietly, pressing the pistol against his cheek.
Jack momentarily racked his brains for exactly what Article twenty nine referred to, before remembering. Sodomy. Damn the woman growing up in a naval household!
"This is a pirate ship," Jedidiah sneered. "Naval articles don't apply here!"
"But my articles do!" Jack shouted. "Yer wanted something t' report back to Jerimiah... some juicy snippet of information? Try that th' Black Pearl doesn't accept sodomy or rape of women or children in any circumstances!" He curled his lip, sneering as he looked down at Jedidiah. "Pull your trousers up - there's a woman present!"
Jedidiah pulled up his trousers, buckling his belt and defiantly facing Jack. "So what are you going to do about it, Captain?" he snorted derisively.
"Make yer pistol safe Kitty," Jack ordered, pointedly ignoring Jedidiah. He waited patiently whilst she uncocked her pistol, tucking it back into her waistband. "Now stand aside..." he warned her, grabbing Jedidiah by the shirt and hauling him from the cabin. His eyes were dark and dangerous as he threw the man to the ground.
For a moment Jedidiah lay there in stunned disbelief. "Jeremiah will hear of this!" he threatened, looking to Isaac for support but none came.
"I sure hope he does!" Jack snarled, kicking him hard in the stomach. "Get up yer faggot - or don't yer like 'em when they're big enough t' fight back!"
Jedidiah struggled to rise, only to find his legs kicked from under him before he could find his feet. His face smashed against the deck. Dimly he realised that most of the crew of the Black Pearl had circled him, several deep, watching their Captain. Again he struggled to rise, barely standing before Jack punched him in the face, sending him back down to the deck.
"Captain," Isaac ventured cautiously. "My father will want him alive - he will take it badly if you kill him..."
"Don't worry Isaac, I'm just bein' friendly like..." Another fist floored Jedidiah as he struggled to rise. This time he did not get up. Jack sighed disappointedly. "Take 'im to th' brig!" he snarled. "Nothing but water until we reach Penang!"
William Hawker and Isaac dragged Jedidiah down the flight of stairs into the hold and the sound of the door to the brig could clearly be heard clanging shut.
Jack turned, nodding to Catherine who stood in the doorway, Moses at her side. Although dressed, the child was shaking at what he had seen. "Nobody..." Jack cursed. "Nobody touches women or children on this ship! Ever!" He turned again, storming back onto deck, his face like thunder.
Catherine took Moses' hand in the silence that followed Jack's departure. "Let's get you up to my cabin Moses," she suggested, guiding him past the crew's curious stares. She had been expecting Jack to be angry, but realised that he had really wanted to kill Jedidiah. If he hadn't been Jeremiah's man she knew he would have.
***