Usual disclaimers – sob!

Chapter 35 – More Men

Unwilling to take on more men from Tortuga, Jack arranged for some of the men to man Bessie's Revenge whilst the majority remained on the Black Pearl to sail her to a number of ports that he knew where he hoped to find more hands. Henry became captain of the smaller ship, Jem the quartermaster, whilst Mark as helm and three of the new men – Tobias Dickens, Meridith Jones and Kester Damaris volunteered. He knew that there was not really enough to cope if there was a fight, but at least there were enough to man the sails and he prayed that they would not run into neither the Navy nor The Crow.

The two ships sailed together, Bessie's Revenge shadowing the faster Black Pearl who held her pace as best she could. Jack intended on heading to San Juan and then Tortola, taking roughly thirty men from each port if he could find those he thought right. Now that Bessie and the children were going to be nearby, he was taking no chances with those who he had even a niggle of doubt about – his family's safety paramount.

88888

Bessie looked out at the town of San Juan, disappointed that Jack had not wanted neither her nor the children to go ashore. She understood his caution but reasoned that she knew how to cope in a pirate town considering all the years she had lived in Tortuga, but Jack had been adamant. So Henry, Jem and Kester had gone ashore with a number of men from the Black Pearl in order to assess the new crew and to purchase supplies.

It was not long before they returned, Jem climbing awkwardly up the jacob's ladder and over the ship's rail, a broad grin on his face. "Mark!" he ordered, spotting the helmsman nearby. "Head back to shore with Kester an' get th' supplies that have been ordered…" Jack had arranged for plenty of food as well as a number of surprises to be delivered to the quayside and he was eager to see Bessie's face when she saw what arrived.

"Aye," the ex-merchant sailor replied, clambering down to the ship's boat quickly and picking up the spare oar. Kester nodded to him and they rowed back together, loading the small boat with as much as could be safely carried. He blinked on seeing a crate of chickens. "Chickens?"

"Captain Sparrow reckoned they'd be fine in th' small store opposite th' galley," Kester smiled, thinking that Bessie's Revenge was certainly turning out to be the strangest pirate ship he had ever served on. "He's got a goat ordered too," he added conspiratorially, glancing along they quayside. "But that ain't turned up yet…"

"A goat!" Mark spluttered.

"Yeah, a goat! Captain Sparrow an' Captain Holt both thought it'd be nice fer th' children t' have fresh milk…" Kester explained.

"We'll be a floating menagerie!" the helmsman said, shaking his head in disbelief as they started rowing back to the ship. "What with Daffodil and that bloody bird!"

"That's nothing to what Captain Sparrow is arranging," Kester chuckled.

"What is he arranging?" Mark asked worriedly.

"You'll see," Kester teased. "But your comment about a menagerie won't be far wrong," he smiled.

"A menagerie…" Mark frowned, wondering what on earth Jack was arranging, but Kester gave no answer, just chuckling to himself as he rowed. Soon they reached the ship and the items were man-handled aboard. He knew Bessie would be delighted with what Jack had bought – from bolts of fabric to basics such as new pans. It seemed as if he was determined to make up for what she had lacked since fleeing Tortuga, very determined indeed.

"Chickens!" she gasped, her disbelief mirroring Mark's earlier reaction, her gasp bringing Henrietta and Tabitha racing from the stern cabin, their delight clear on their faces.

Kester grinned as he placed the cage of five birds on the deck. "We've sawdust too," he assured her. "Captain Sparrow says they are to live in the small store… the one by the galley," he explained, turning to help Mark as he pushed a large sack of sawdust over the ship's rail.

"I'd better get it sorted then," she sighed, reaching for the sack, glancing wryly at the two girls who were racing around the deck squealing their joy at the birds.

"Oh no you don't," Jem remarked, pulling her hand back. "Meridith! Carry this sack for Bessie… she'll show you where!"

"Aye, Jem," Meridith nodded, picking up the heavy sack with ease. "Did I hear Kester say th' galley store?"

"Thank you," Bessie smiled,

"Can I help?" Tabitha cried, Henrietta only a few seconds behind her in volunteering.. "I want to name them!" she insisted.

"We can all decide," Bessie cautioned, knowing that allowing such a thing would only cause arguments. "Perhaps you girls can each pick a name?" she suggested, hoping the boys would not be interested in something as domestic as chickens.

Meridith put the sack down outside of the door to the cabin and Bessie suddenly realised that the door was split like a stable-door, something she had not noticed before. Clearly Jack had been planning this for a while. "Thank you, Meridith," she smiled as he opened the sack before heading back up onto the main deck to help with the unloading.

Tabitha scooped a large handful of sawdust from the sack, scattering it on the floor, her actions matched by her sister. "Can I leave you girls to do that whilst I fetch the chickens?" Bessie asked before turning to head back up the stairs. She stopped on seeing the two boys, Jack and John, struggling with the cage between them.

"Jem said you needed this," he said, the macaw on his shoulder screeching loudly at the caged birds, as if taunting them with its freedom.

"Thank you, boys," she replied gratefully, helping them down the final steps with their awkward burden. Immediately she picked it up they scurried off, either having other chores or determined to avoid more chores, she could not tell. She heaved the crate into the store, pleased to see that the girls had managed to empty the sack with only a minimal amount over themselves. Shutting the lower part of the door, she cautiously opened the crate, easing the plump birds from within. They started scratching around in the sawdust, searching for food.

"I hope your father remembered gr…" she began, looking up as Meridith returned.

"Grain," he smiled, dumping a smaller sack outside of the door. "I'll rig a bowl up later fer their water," he assured her.

"Thank y…" she said, but paused, peering over the half-door in alarm at the sounds of stomping on the deck above, accompanied by male voices cursing. The curses got nearer – as did another noise. "A goat!" she cried in amazement as Tobias, or Toby as he preferred to be called, struggled the beast towards her. It was not clear if he or the animal was winning, but she thought it was likely to be the goat. Meridith turned to help him, laughing at his shipmate's predicament, forcing the argumentative creature in through the door once Bessie had gotten the children out.

"Kester said Captain Sparrow thought yer'd like milk," Toby informed her, glaring at the animal before nodding to her and heading back up the stairs, Meridith a few steps behind him.

"A goat!" she laughed, picking first Henrietta and then Tabitha up so they could peer at the creature from the safety of the corridor. They looked at the beast with wide eyes. "I guess we had better go and see what else your father has bought," she smiled, hearing Jack's voice above.

Eagerly the girls scurried up the stairs in search of their father, Bessie following at a slower pace. She winced on hearing them scream in delight, their voices quickly added to by the rest of their siblings. Almost dreading what she would see, she climbed the final step, turning towards the noise.

"Ah, there yer are, m' dear!" Jack grinned, striding over and kissing her. "Did you like th' chickens?"

"And a goat?" she frowned.

"Aye, well th' children need their milk," he chuckled.

"And what else have you done?" she worried, unsure if she liked the grin on his face, knowing he was up to something by his expression.

"Oh, nothing much," he assured her, taking her arm in his and slowly turning to face the children. "Just bought them a pet…"

"Each!" she gasped, suddenly realising why there had been so much noise from her brood.

"Err… couldn't have them fightin', could I?" he grinned, kissing her nose as she glowered at him.

She shook her head wryly, knowing she would never win. "You'd best show me what you've got then," she sighed.

Jack crouched down next to the cages, opening the first which contained three kittens. He took out a creamy coloured one which he held out to Pearl, closely followed by smokey-grey kitten which he passed to Henrietta. The third kitten was black and white and this he gave to Frances, although Pearl soon had to rescue the creature from being strangled by her sister. He reasoned Emily was too young for a kitten and had vowed to get her and the baby twins something when they were older.

"Now," he said, "Jack doesn't get a pet, since he already has that bleedin' bird," he explained, ruffling his eldest son's hair. The creature squawked at him from the rigging, but Jack studiously ignored it. He reached to another cage, beckoning John over and placing a small parakeet on his shoulder. "You'll have t' train it," he told his son, "but it's used t' being handled an' it's feathers 'ave been clipped so it can't fly fer a while… just until it becomes used to you. Same rules as fer Jack's bird – it messes, you clean up!"

"Yes, Papa!" the younger boy grinned, hurrying off to show Jem his bird.

Finally there was only one crate left and Tabitha stood before him, looking at her father expectantly. "There's a reason fer yer bein' last," he said, uncovering the final crate and reaching carefully amongst the hay bedding. "I thought a kitten would be too much a girl thing fer you… so I got yer this…" He held up a small puppy which had clearly been only recently weaned, handing it to her.

Tabitha looked at the puppy in shock. It was a scruffy looking thing with shortish legs and a long tail and it licked her hand excitedly, pleased to be out of the crate.

Daffodil, having decided to finally investigate the noise, took one look at the puppy, hissed loudly and leapt for the capstan, swearing at the small creature from the elevated safety.

"Menagerie!" Mark groaned as he clambered over the ship's rail with their third load of the morning, Kester just behind him.

"Told yer!" Kester smirked, picking up the supplies and heading below.

"Am I the only one that didn't know?" Bessie frowned.

"Well, th' children didn't know," he grinned.

"Perhaps I should keep you here as well," she warned, "so that you can clean up after all of them!"

"Ah, that won't be necessary…" Jack assured her earnestly. "I managed t' find enough crew and Henry has picked enough men t' fully man th' Revenge," he smiled. "So I'm sure yer can delegate it t' one of them," he chuckled.

"How many?" she asked, knowing that she already had six men on board and wondering how many he thought would be needed..

"I got yer fifteen men," he said, his tone turning serious for a moment. "Once all th' supplies are in and the men are on board, we'll be headin' fer Tortola t' get th' last of th' men…"

"And then?" she worried.

"We'll put yer somewhere safe an' go and do what we do best," he grinned, eager to return to piracy.