When George, John, Amos and I get onto the ship, George is led to the galley by a friendly-looking pirate.

I am surprised at the appearance of these men. They are not at all fearsome. In fact, I see little difference from the sailors on this ship I have just stepped off of, except these men are armed to the teeth.

Amos looks at the guns and swords with fascination, but the tall blond pirate gently nudges him in the direction of a man sawing a plank of wood.

'That's Cato, the ship's carpenter.' He explains 'He's been needing an apprentice.'

Amos looks at the armed pirates longingly, but heads over to Cato, where the man welcomes him and thrusts a plank of wood into his hands.

The stern-looking man with the dark ponytail and graying hair beckons me over to him.

'How old be you?'

'Seventeen' I say.

'Nineteen' I hear John say to the tall blond pirate.

'Can ye sail well?'

'Been sailing since I was eight.'

'Are ye nimble on the rigging?'

'Very.'

The pirate smiles at me. 'Welcome to the ship, mate.'

The first night on the ship, we gather around a barrel someone has draped with a length of crimson silk. The pirates circle around it.

John, Amos, George, and I are dragged to the center of the circle. Captain Arnold (he didn't give his real name to the Corporal) stands behind the barrel. A sheaf of parchment, ink and a quill lay on top of it.

'Do you swear to be honorable in battle, persistent in your duties, and agreeable to your ship mates?'

'Do you swear to never take more rations than you are given, report all booty taken, and use fair and just judgment at all times?'

'Do you swear to serve out your term on this ship respectfully?'

'Yes.'

Four new names have appeared on the sheaf of parchment. I am a pirate.

The pirate ship is quite an agreeable place. There is Captain Arnold, First Mate Bryant, and Second Mate Rogers. Bryant is the tall, blond sailor and Rogers is the one with dark, graying hair.

Besides them, there is Elmer, a small, shy boy that Amos has become friends with, who also is apprenticed to Cato the carpenter, who can spin stories like no other.

There is also big, friendly Hugh, (who reminds me so much of Silas sometimes it makes my heart ache) small, swarthy Dawson who always sits alone with his bottle of rum, and Casey the carefree fiddler, who is sixteen and has befriended me and John.

Also in our company is Liam, who is in charge of the armory and a smith to boot. He is quite serious, which I suppose befits an arms master.

It is a rather small band of pirates, but our ship is rather small, and we are a perfect number for it.

In mornings, James Bryant takes John and I into a small room just off the armory, where we are taught to fire a musket.

John is a natural, but I confess I cannot aim to save my life. When I tell Bryant, he laughs and tells me I may have to someday.

Then Lewis Rogers teaches me and John to fence. I am somewhat of a natural at it, and by now I am better than John, my teacher.

Rogers delights in having me as a student, and if he can scrape some time off the busy ship's schedule, he teaches me advanced techniques.

I love the way the sword feels cool and light in my hand, as it swings and twists at my enemy.

It feels as if it is an extension of my fingers, and as I step nimbly around the room, it's as if I am dancing at the balls father use to make me frequent.

I love it almost as much as I love sailing.

Captain Arnold delights in our progress, and tells us time and time again how glad he is that we decided to join.

Everyone on the ship looks up to him, even Dawson and Rogers, who are more experienced sailors than he is.

Many a day Cato has to shoe his two apprentices away from the Captain, where they try to beg him into steering lessons.

I love the new family I have come to find on a pirate ship, of all places.

Casey, John and I are often found in the rigging eating lunch while the noonday sun beats upon us.

John gets rather quiet when Casey and I joke. Jealously? It couldn't be.

To him, I am only a friend.

A friend and nothing more.