As dawn broke I got my first glimpse of Tortuga, one of the last pirate
strongholds in the Caribbean. Port Royal, Madagasa, Nasseu Port; all were
once crawling with pirates but one by one our Royal Navy drove them out and
claimed back the land for England.
The town seemed little more than a hamlet of taverns, whore houses and run down hotels, but there were a large number of boats anchored in its rocky harbour, of all different rates and lines. Our tiny cutter went mostly unnoticed in the dim light, and Jack quickly found the Pearl, like a shepherd who can recognise his favourite sheep from the whole flock.
We quickly scrambled up the port side and tumbled onto the deck. I jumped up quickly and hissed to Jack
"Do you think they heard that?"
"From the Unhappy Turtle? Unlikely." I turned on the man sharply.
"I hope you don't expect me to help you get this thing out of port without any help – because I won't!"
"Simmer down darlin'," Jack grinned and patted me, as if I were an excited dog "Pirates are never at their best in the mornin' I'll slip ashore; gather up Gibbs, Ana and sum others and we'll be off in no time."
"So I'll just wait here, then!" I called after Jack, as he sauntered down the gangplank and away into the mists of the Tortuga morning.
****
He returned a little before midday, with Anamaria, Gibbs, Mr. Cotton and Shorty, Jack knew well enough not to seek out Jeff and no one else was willing to return to the Pearl while he was Captain. It was a poor state of affairs, a crew of six could in theory man the Pearl, but not for any amount of time without working ourselves to death and the work would be slowly done, especially with me more a hindrance than a help. Before we considered this thought, Jack was eager to get out of Tortuga – Jeff would come looking for him like as not and the man was like a bear when angry. And so it was with much struggling and patience that we moved the Black Pearl out of the harbour before laying anchor a way off the north-eastern coast of Hispaniola.
Mr. Cotton and Shorty were quick to go to their hammocks – a day of gruelling work after a night of revelry on Tortuga had left them the worse for wear. I gladly would have gone to my bunk too, but I wanted to hear Jack's council with Ana and Gibbs and spent the night on the cramp, cold stairs that lead from Jack's cabin to his dining room, my ear pressed to the door. What I heard however, was little of their plans, but much of Jack.
"Jack, surely now yer see it's over fer us here?" That was Ana, her voice uncharacteristically soft. "Not while I've got wind in my sails and rum in the hold." He retorted smoothly
"Jack," Gibbs' voice was harsher and punctuated with the chink of tankard on the table. "Yer live yer life as if yer were writin' yer own ballad an' times ain't like that no more. It's 1738, things ain't wot they were."
"Yer tellin' me there ain't no more treasure in the ports? That the merchants don't cross the Atlantic no more?"
"But we don't need no more treasure Jack," Ana again "Couldn't jest get the comp..." "That ain't the way to do it!" Jack cut in, angrily "We're gettin' us a crew from Hispaniola – real Buccaneers, Savvy?"
****
I stood on deck and watched the new crew come aboard, with their bundles of clothes. These didn't look the bloodthirsty Buccaneers Jack had spoken of. Some of them were younger than me.
"Where's the good men gone these days?" Jack muttered into his beard as he passed me.
"Welcome aboard lads." I spoke as warmly as I could.
"Are you a Tortuga whore?" One clean-shaven boy asked me timidly.
I spent the rest of the night locked firmly in my cabin.
The town seemed little more than a hamlet of taverns, whore houses and run down hotels, but there were a large number of boats anchored in its rocky harbour, of all different rates and lines. Our tiny cutter went mostly unnoticed in the dim light, and Jack quickly found the Pearl, like a shepherd who can recognise his favourite sheep from the whole flock.
We quickly scrambled up the port side and tumbled onto the deck. I jumped up quickly and hissed to Jack
"Do you think they heard that?"
"From the Unhappy Turtle? Unlikely." I turned on the man sharply.
"I hope you don't expect me to help you get this thing out of port without any help – because I won't!"
"Simmer down darlin'," Jack grinned and patted me, as if I were an excited dog "Pirates are never at their best in the mornin' I'll slip ashore; gather up Gibbs, Ana and sum others and we'll be off in no time."
"So I'll just wait here, then!" I called after Jack, as he sauntered down the gangplank and away into the mists of the Tortuga morning.
****
He returned a little before midday, with Anamaria, Gibbs, Mr. Cotton and Shorty, Jack knew well enough not to seek out Jeff and no one else was willing to return to the Pearl while he was Captain. It was a poor state of affairs, a crew of six could in theory man the Pearl, but not for any amount of time without working ourselves to death and the work would be slowly done, especially with me more a hindrance than a help. Before we considered this thought, Jack was eager to get out of Tortuga – Jeff would come looking for him like as not and the man was like a bear when angry. And so it was with much struggling and patience that we moved the Black Pearl out of the harbour before laying anchor a way off the north-eastern coast of Hispaniola.
Mr. Cotton and Shorty were quick to go to their hammocks – a day of gruelling work after a night of revelry on Tortuga had left them the worse for wear. I gladly would have gone to my bunk too, but I wanted to hear Jack's council with Ana and Gibbs and spent the night on the cramp, cold stairs that lead from Jack's cabin to his dining room, my ear pressed to the door. What I heard however, was little of their plans, but much of Jack.
"Jack, surely now yer see it's over fer us here?" That was Ana, her voice uncharacteristically soft. "Not while I've got wind in my sails and rum in the hold." He retorted smoothly
"Jack," Gibbs' voice was harsher and punctuated with the chink of tankard on the table. "Yer live yer life as if yer were writin' yer own ballad an' times ain't like that no more. It's 1738, things ain't wot they were."
"Yer tellin' me there ain't no more treasure in the ports? That the merchants don't cross the Atlantic no more?"
"But we don't need no more treasure Jack," Ana again "Couldn't jest get the comp..." "That ain't the way to do it!" Jack cut in, angrily "We're gettin' us a crew from Hispaniola – real Buccaneers, Savvy?"
****
I stood on deck and watched the new crew come aboard, with their bundles of clothes. These didn't look the bloodthirsty Buccaneers Jack had spoken of. Some of them were younger than me.
"Where's the good men gone these days?" Jack muttered into his beard as he passed me.
"Welcome aboard lads." I spoke as warmly as I could.
"Are you a Tortuga whore?" One clean-shaven boy asked me timidly.
I spent the rest of the night locked firmly in my cabin.