Chapter Three

"So, Beel, will ya be comin' back to da' island?" asked Mizz Tia. She was as excited for the voyage as Bootstrap Bill was himself. She hurried back and forth helping to gather the things she thought he needed for the trip. And just as quickly as she would drop something in his footlocker, he'd take it out and put it back on the floor.
"I'll be back to pay you Mizz Tia and to say goodbye." Bill was excited, too. But with the level of risk, he best not take every thing precious. He'd already lost so much on other voyages.
"Mizz Tia, keep these things for me," he pointed to those items he'd put out of the locker, "the address in London is in this box," he opened a small music box with a dancing horse, "It is my Chandra's she gave it to me so that I could..." he choked some.
Mizz Tia grabbed the box from him, "Here boy, let me have dat." She hated emotions they did no one any good. "I'll keep de pretty thing and the other stuff for ya'and if ya don't come back I'll be sending it to your wife and son. But, Beel, you will come back. "
"How do you know?" he challenged her.
"Because, mon, I has dreams. If you weren't to come back, I'd seen it. It is as sure as the sun is bright, Mizz Tia, she has da vision, mon." she boasted.
Bill wondered for a moment. Even if the woman had seen something he wasn't sure he wanted to know. Because as badly as he needed this money, he'd go anyway. Mizz Tia turned away from him as she talked. She hoped her bluff had worked. She didn't want to tell him that she had seen the future and it looked black. She'd seen him get the booty all right, but then it was all confused. But she couldn't tell him. Bootstrap Bill hadn't had any good luck in a long time. Maybe this time she was wrong. But she'd never been wrong before.
Bill, gave quick goodbyes to Mizz Tia. And he was off down the path to the dock. He looked back once and waved and then he was gone. Mizz Tia fought back a tear. "Damned emotions never helped nobody!" she said to herself.
On the dock there were a few other men that Jack had picked for the venture. Bill knew none of them but they knew each other. A boat from the ship was there to get them. As they were rowing along he heard the others talking about this ship they were to sail on. They talked of how it was large and dark. They talked about the captain. They said this "Captain Jack Sparrow" had escaped from under watch of seven East India agents. Bill laughed to himself. They couldn't be talking about Jack. Jack often stumbled and bumbled along, too drunk to get much done. He was a good pirate, if one could be that. He was a skillful and masterful seaman, an excellent navigator, and a cunning thief. He was also a man who never operated without backdoors. If Jack had escaped it was either preparedness or luck of both.
Bill was pondering his thoughts when one of the men stood up in the boat, pointing his eyes wide.
"Look at it!" he said. And the others all began to talk at once. Bill turned to look behind him and lost his breath. The ship. It was large and black with black sails as well. "Oh, my God, Jack what are you getting us into?" he thought.
They pulled along side and commenced to board her. Once on deck they were all about looking at her. Each man stroking her rails and touching the masts. Touching her like she was a living breathing woman. And then the voice that stopped them boomed from above.
"Attention you scandalous dogs! Stand about! The captain is talking now!" and the form that matched the voice was suddenly there. A leather hat, a long captain's coat, a walking stick. It was Jack. But not the Jack that Bill knew. This man was totally in command.
"We'll be shoving off tonight." Jack, teetered just a little. This was the Jack Bill knew, full of rum no doubt. "We'll be making way for the biggest booty you've ever known. Everything an equal share!" A shout went up from the deck. "But before we shove off tonight, I'll be christening...if you can call it that...this fine lady what we'll be riding on..." Jack called from behind him for a bottle of rum. "Now, once upon a time 'twas the blood of the beaten what sent a ship forward. Gents, we were the beaten. The slaves what harvested the cane to make this here rum was the beaten. They was beaten till they rose up against their masters. So today on behalf of us what's been hanged and beaten I uses this rum..." walking over to the rail of the beauty and raising the bottle, "I call her precious, I call her gem, long may she sail The Black Pearl!" and he cracked the bottle open sending the rum everywhere.
"Hiza!" yelled the men. And the rum began to pour. "This captain, I might like him" Bill heard one man say. "Yeah, an equal share, I like that!" said another. Jack was a fair man and that could work to his advantage thought Bill and then Jack spoke again.
"Gents, I'll have you meet me first mate now." He motioned to Bill to come forward. Up until now, he hadn't even acknowledged that Bill was on board. "This here is Bootstrap Bill and he's the first mate. You're talking to him...you're talking to me, savvy?" Jack asked
"Aye, sir!" said the men all at once. But one man wasn't so happy about it. The mate who'd been doing that job since Jack picked him up at a settlement on the way. His name, Francisco Barboosa, and he was an ambitious man.
"So this is who he chooses?" hissed Barboosa to one of his friends.
"Kind of puts a wrinkle in ya plan, don't it Barboosa?" returned the man
"Just a bit. I'll just have to find a way to usurp this "Bootstrap Bill". He must know the man, that being so, I'll have to find a way to break up this fine friendship. Jack, Jack, you need to learn that pirates with big treasures...don't have friends." And he laughed. Then he turned to his cohort. "Use your skills to find the worst of the bunch in these sailors. I want to know who to call on when the time comes. Tell em' the fewer there are the more booty they'll be. That will convince the greedy ones to kill others." He said.
And the sailor nodded and was off to begin the dirty work.
"Now, to undo this bond between men." Thought Barboosa and he walked down below.

Bill went to the captain's quarters and knocked. "Who?" asked Jack "The first mate, Captain Sparrow." Answered Bill. Bill would be formal. He had to give the example to keep discipline. "Come." Jack answered.
"Captain Sparrow," and Bill removed his cap, "we're ready to make way, sir."
Jack turned to Bill his hat a bit tilted to the side and slurring his words some. "Make way then!" and as he threw his hand in gesture he fell flat.
Bill hurried to assist him to his feet. "Captain, the men sir, you must maintain your best face, sir." Said Bill.
"Oh Hell, Bill, we're pirates not the King's Navy! Pirates, my man, get drunk and stay drunk." Said Jack.
"Captain, Jack, you need to be careful because they...we are pirates." Bill answered gently. Jack looked up, stood firmly and wiped his mustache. "So right you are, first mate. Prepare to make way and I'll be up momen...momen...in a minute." Slurred Jack and then he said. "Wait Bill." Jack reached around and gave Bill a pistol. "You'll be needing this. Remember Bill a firm hand." Jack warned. And Bill walked out leaving Jack to recover from his rum romance.
"Make way...you scabs on a whore's ass!" yelled Bill, and the men began to scurry with all haste. As the sails let fly Bill was impressed once again with the blackness of them. There was something wicked about the look of the Pearl. Guns galore and sweeps, too. The sweeps, oars, were an extraordinary addition. These types of improvements were being done regularly by the East India trading companies in England and France. Causing the dressed up Cogs to be titled East Indiamen. They were fast and armed to the teeth. All extra space was for the cargo. The Pearl was large enough. The way that Jack was putting this treasure they'd need all the room they could get.
By now Jack, making and imposing figure, was on the deck looking through his glass at the horizon. "Head due east." He said to the mate on the wheel.
"Where we heading to, sir?" asked the man
"You'll know when you get there," answered Jack.
The wind was in their favor. The Black Pearl was sailing as if she were flying on wings. Some of the waters were rough and crew was vomiting, if they were lucky. If they weren't they found themselves in a filthy way. Life on board ship was not at all glamorous. If a man was in good health when he got on board he was in poor health when he got off. If he was in poor health he was probably dead or wishing he were when the voyage was over.
The seas tossed the Pearl for a day and then a mate sited a ship. "Ship Ahoy, sir" he yelled to whoever could hear.
"We'll be taking her" yelled Jack as an order to all hands. Bill dashed up to him; this wasn't really what they had to do. "Jack," he whispered to him "Must we? Can't you pass her by?" he asked.
"Bill," and Jack looked at him sternly "We're pirates. We plunder. That is how we get our supplies. Or do you think we ought to just ask her to share her livestock and rum with us? Look I know that you hate this. I understand why. But," and he turned toward Bill and drew closer "you didn't cause the capture and sinking of your merchant ship back then just like the man who's on watch now isn't the cause of this."
"But, Jack..." and Bill drew even closer to him "who will save that man when the murdering starts? We can't take them on board there's no room. Just like there was only room for a few when you saved me back then."
"I guess that they'll just have to die, Bill. Its nasty business. But this is the business that we are in. If you can't stand the blood then perhaps I have the wrong man as my first mate." Said Jack
"No, Jack you have the right man. You can count on me." Snapped Bill walking away.
Jack didn't know how much longer he could stand this with Bill. When was he going to get it that this wasn't a merchant sailing expedition. It was a pirates' venture. Jack worried that soon some of these cutthroats would see Bill's underbelly and slice into it. Jack couldn't afford to show weakness. "Oh, Bootstrap, I hope that I don't have to kill you." Thought Jack. Jack was in too far now. If anyone got in his way he'd do what was necessary.
Bootstrap would go along with this only to stop Jack from hurting those sailors. "I won't let them die just for a bottle of rum." He thought. "Jack is out or his mind! He knows that I won't allow it. After all, killing for no reason is a waste. Jack knows that! What is happening to him? He acts like a man possessed."
"Douse the lights!" yelled Jack "She'll never know what's coming, will she my darling?" said Jack talking to the ship and stroking a rail at the same time. "Make ready the guns and roll out the sweeps! You sailors," and he pointed to a disorganized bunch, "ready to board her and put down any in your way."
The Pearl was in flight and in what seemed like only minutes she was close enough to strike. It was black as night could be. The moon hid itself almost as if assisting Jack in his quest. Jack was always lucky that way. Jack could see her lights and when he was close enough gave the order: "Fire!" he yelled
The Black Pearl exploded with the power of a virgin in her first orgasm. One gun after another firing off in a symphony of destruction. The other ship never had a chance. An attack at night like this one was unheard of and before she could even raise the alarm she was done. The Pearl pulled close:
"Board her!" yelled Jack
"I'll go with them, sir." And the voice from behind Jack was his first mate. Jack stared at Bill hard. It was proper. The captain should stay on board of his ship. "Go then!" and he waved him on.
Once on board the ship Bill saw that many were dead. They were men and boys. It tugged at Bill's heart. Which one of these could be his son, Will. Some were injured; Bill knew he could not help these. But in the hold were a few who squirmished with the boarding pirates. For them there might be hope.
"Drop your weapons for you are had." Yelled Bill to the defeated sailors. They did as they were commanded. "Where is your captain?" asked Bill to anyone who might answer.
"I am here, you pig!" and a man stepped forward. Older and stouter, he was a merchant sailor who by all looks at seen many voyages like this one. But no doubt not one that would end this way. Before Bill could make his way to him one of the pirates just shot him in the head.
"Who you calling' a pig, mate?" said the pirate and there was a burst of laughter. Bill was mortified but he dare not let them know it. He pulled his pistol and put it to the head of the man who did the deed:
"Kill another and I'll feed your sorry carcass to the sharks, savvy?" said Bill. The man answered calmly turning to face the pistol, the barrel now resting between his eyes. He looked at Bill almost daring him.
"The captain said to fall any in our way. He was in our way." He said.
"He could have given us information. You just killed that." Bill pressed the pistol against his head.
"Sorry, sir." Said the pirate and he stepped back. Bill now looking around saw that there were just a few sailors left alive from the conquered crew.
"We'll load supplies at sun up. Put these remaining men in the brig until morning." Bill ordered.
There was some livestock on board best move them during the light. Besides, Bill needed to have time to figure a way out for the remaining sailors. He just couldn't let them be hanged from the mizzenmast for no other reason than to entertain the blood thirst of these men. He had to save them. Unfortunately, he'd have no help from the man who saved him from that fate.
"Jack, what's happened to you? You can't let this happen." Thought Bill. But he wouldn't take a chance. Like it or not Jack Sparrow wouldn't make a name as a butcher on this bunch.
Jack was looking through his glass and could see only a little. A mate had scurried back to the Pearl to tell that they would move the supplies to the ship at sun up. That was a good idea. Jack had no problem with that the captain had been killed...expected. Bootstrap had stopped all killing also expected.
"Tell the first mate that they are to hang all survivors in the brig and prepare to sink the ship right after sunrise." Said Jack to the messenger. "Those are my orders!" he snapped. Jack would need another bottle of rum. These were hard orders even for him. But it was better to kill them. These were heathens and the things they could do to men in defeat were horrible even to Jack. "Better to kill them. Especially the boys. I'd rather see them dead."