by C S Boyack
When everyone had chosen, and some items remained, Fala pronounced them as the ship's portion, then had them locked up for safe keeping.
The crew disbursed, the sloop was sent on its way. Fala whispered, "They seemed happy with that. The ship's portion can help us with repairs."
"You did well," James said. He placed an arm around Dan. "Mister Philson, your heading is South. We make for the island of Lagarto."
"Aye aye, Captain."
Two days later, sailors were still replacing the decking. A rotating crew worked the pump to keep ahead of the leak. Don Velasco had men aloft to modify the rigging. James took the wheel and tested out maneuverability.
Johnny Jump Up approached him with another man. It was the same sailor James threatened with his sword when he needed the bilge pump. "This man wants to see you, Captain."
"Yes, what is it?"
"C-c-c-cap'n, B-b-b –"
"Men calls him Stuttering Lewis, sir. He has something for you." He nodded toward Lewis.
Lewis held forth a huge cloth triangle. It made a pillow nearly six inches thick.
"Is this what I think it is?"
Johnny Jump Up nodded.
"Well then, Stuttering Lewis, let's hoist the colors."
"Aye, p-p-pnh, aye, sir." Lewis clipped the banner to a rope and pulled. The cloth unfolded as it rose through the rigging on the way to the top of the mizzen mast. The banner caught the wind and fluttered.
A field of black held an image of a single white skull wearing a bandana on its head. The skull had one bright red eyeball. The lower corners each held the image of a mortar pointed toward the outside edges.
A cheer went up around the ship, and James ordered a rum ration for the men.
The days turned into a week. The missing windows became a relief at night as the temperatures rose. The crew started working together, and Dan reassigned the merchants to duties that suited them, even if they worked together.
James wandered the decks most evenings after supper. Stuttering Lewis proved himself a master of sewing. Sails, boots, belts, and anything else the ship might need. He even made a fair woodwright, and used a drawknife to replace some of the damaged balusters around the ship.
It turned out most of the merchant sailors were pressed into service and held no loyalty to Hollish at all.
Johnny took to telling anyone who listened that the moving reef stared at him again as it passed over the ship.
Mal organized the surgery, and dumped many of the medications the previous occupant had out the window. He replaced them with jars of bugs, pebbles, and small shells. He took to wearing the extracted teeth on a string around his neck. The piece of blue coral occupied a place of honor on one of the shelves, beside the shrunken head of the lieutenant who captured him.
James found Fala and McCormack hard at work inside the caravan. A cluster of monsters soaked in the basin while one stood in the center.
"Fih, go under. Modder go, Ohhhh." The story teller wobbled to the side. "Big sploosh." The monster used his hands to fling water in the air. "Fih, go fly." He raised both hands, then moved them from ten o'clock, to eleven, then twelve. "Dis, dis, dis. Then, bite." The other monsters cheered as the moving reef ate the merchant captain all over again.
"They're in a good mood," James said, stepping inside the caravan.
"They're always in a good mood," Fala said. "Except it's the same damned story, over and over again. I'll bet I've heard it a hundred times, and they still cheer for bite. Every - single - time."
"Kind of late to still be working."
"We're making a list of all the repairs we're going to need. We've tallied up our gold and loot, so we know what we have. The big unknown is what things will cost when we get to Lagarto."
McCormack chimed in, "I have no experience outside coastal pirates. We barely have enough - if we had the work done in Airstony, but that doesn't include more guns. We may have to upgrade our arsenal by taking them on the open sea."
"Not my preference," James said. "We'll wind up with a mismatch, and have to store shot from eight to twenty-four pounds. A battery of twelve pounders would let us stock one size, and there wouldn't be mistakes made in the heat of battle. Does no good to deliver twenty-four pound balls to an eight pound cannon."
"Agreed," Fala said. "We'll have to see what Lagarto has to offer."
"Why don't you knock off and relax for a while. We still have days before we get there."
"It's about time to quit anyway. Dan promised to help me with sword practice."
"I'd nearly forgotten about sword practice. I'm glad you two are keeping it up. Are you learning anything?"
"Dan says we've both improved. We use the collars and real swords some nights. You should join us."
"Maybe another night. A captain has so much to do aboard ship. I never realized how much until now." He stepped back outside, but crouched down beside the monsters.
"Boys, did you see how those mortars worked? Johnny loaded the bags, then the shell. He pierced the powder, then primed the hole." He mimed the process as he spoke, lifting an imaginary shell, and placing it in the mortar.
The monsters all leaned forward to watch this fascinating story.
"Then, he lit the fuse, and..." James belched loudly. "Smoke went in the air. The shell came down, down, down." He aped the movements with his hands like they did when talking about the moving reef. "And then..." He belched again. "And the sailors went flying through the air."
The monsters laughed themselves silly, some sliding underneath the water, others falling out of the basin. James headed topside. The monsters started belching behind him and laughing.
James enjoyed a quiet breakfast in his cabin. The eggs were still coming, and there was goat's milk too, courtesy of the merchant sailors. Tea from their capture and hot biscuits rounded it out.
Fala stormed in without knocking. Bags under her eyes indicated a serious lack of sleep.
"Tea?" James asked.
"No, thank you. I've had mine. You've got to do something about those monsters. They belched and farted until the wee hours. That's your fault."
"I thought you might appreciate a different story now and then."
"Now and then? Is that what you said, now and then? There is no mix of stories. It's the new story, over and over and over."
"They need some new duties, but we're out of rats. Any ideas?"
"I finally took the basin away and told them to go topside. They can have it back during the day."
"You're an officer, and should be able to command them –"
The door burst open again. Stuttering Lewis slid inside. The trumpet of the root monsters' horns echoed behind him. "P-p-p, fnnnhh, l-l-l." Lewis stomped his foot three times. "It's l-l-l-land, pfffs ho."
"Let's go check it out. Maybe some time off the ship is what we all need." James dabbed his mouth with a napkin, grabbed Dan's old hat, and headed outside.
Chapter Fifteen
The port looked like any other, with the exception of all the pirate vessels at the docks. Swaying palm trees covered the landscape, and white sand beaches spread away from town
Don Velasco took down sail to slow their approach, then they tied up at the end of the longest, and thereby deepest, dock. The ship dwarfed the surrounding vessels.
People wandered down from the town to stare at the unusual size of it. Cashiered sailors hit the dock running, money in hand.
Officer's call took place on the quarter deck, under the watchful eye of huge land batteries that defended the town. "Help me sell the cargo. Then you need to get out of here for at least a month. Enjoy yourselves. I'll oversee the work, then spread the word when we're ready to go," James said.
"How are we going to know when that is?" Dan asked.
"Don't worry," James placed a hand on his shoulder. "We won't set sail without you. I'll send out a search party if I have to."
"The crew has a stake in that cargo," Dan said.
"Do you have a register of the men
, Fala?"
"McCormack made one."
"Then I'll set a pile of gold aside for them. I'm sure they'll come for it after they drink up the early portion."
"Make em sign for it, so they don't get extra turns," she said. "We want to be fair, but not stupid. Any left when we set sail again becomes the ship's portion."
"Sounds fair," James said.
"How do we find you, if we have to?" Fala asked.
"I'll stay on the ship. Get the windows re-glazed, find a top mast, new bowsprit, take on some canvas and wood. Might even find some guns and shot."
The next three days were spent letting freighters and teamsters offload the goods. Tea wasn't worth as much as they hoped, but bricks were at a premium. The best price for the cloth came by selling small portions in the open air market under a tent. This was overseen by Stuttering Lewis, but McCormack collected the money twice per day.
Fala negotiated a deal that involved moving the ship to a repair dock where extensive work could be done without impeding the commercial docks.
James ordered the caravan offloaded, then rented a water buffalo.
"What's this for?" Dan asked.
"You two go enjoy yourselves. See the island. No listening to monsters in the night telling stories. Making sure the crew doesn't slaughter the laying hens, or milking goats. No keeping the men from pilfering Biscuit Bill's sugar, or Mal's rum supply."
"Do you mean it?" Fala asked. "Can you manage?"
"Nothing to do but let the workmen work, and keep them from our loot."
"You're one man. How can you defend our loot?"
"Mal is staying behind, and the monsters won't put up with any shenanigans."
Fala stepped back and thought. After a moment she said, "We need to outfit the caravan. We'll need food, fresh water, ammunition –"
Dan stopped her. "Thank you, James. We won't let you down, and we'll be back in time to sail."
The buffalo plodded down cobblestone streets, past wooden buildings, and nicer homes made from native stone. The homes had walls around them covered with thorny vines bearing peach colored trumpet flowers.
Commerce was everywhere, and the people looked healthy and happy. Women strolled under colorful parasols, an old pirate man hobbled along with what looked like a large maroon-colored weasel on his shoulder. Brightly colored birds called from the top of swaying palm trees.
They stopped and bought fruit from the street vendors, then filled the water barrel from the well in the city square. The smell of meats in some unknown smokehouse filled the air.
Dan crawled back aboard the caravan. "These are happy people. Everyone seems well fed, and no crimpers to take men for the ships."
"Might be a little risky though. What's to stop one of the big navies from getting tired of piracy and wiping it out."
"Got those big guns trained on the harbor. Bet those are fifty pounders."
"So the direct approach is out. They could land an army up the coast and march overland."
"Don't know much about that. I'm just an oyster trawler, trying to save my sister." He reached back in the caravan and brought out a scaly brown fruit. "Here. Try one of these, whatever it is."
Fala pushed on his arm. "You try it."
Dan bit into the fruit, and spit the bite in the road. "The hide tastes like pine pitch, but the inside is really sweet."
Fala used a knife to remove some of the peel. When she bit it, the juice ran down her chin, leaving a red stain on her shirt. "Damn! Told you. It's hard to keep me clean."
"Don't matter. We're going camping. Maybe there'll be a place to wash our stuff along the trail."
The jungle grew thicker, and confined them to the road. All the openings they passed were small, and not suitable for camping. Small animals or birds called at them, unseen in the jungle.
As they climbed in elevation, the foliage thinned. They spotted monkeys raiding the fruit that seemed to grow everywhere. They crossed a small roaring stream, and the road turned along the sidehill.
The road followed the stream, and they crossed it several more times. Finally, the jungle opened completely around a small grassy area. The stream was barely a trickle at this elevation, and they decided to camp there.
Dan picketed the buffalo, who wasted no time in licking up some wild fruit that looked like pinecones. They grew on some kind of strangling vine that had invaded a huge tree.
After he made a ring of stones, Dan went looking for dry wood for the fire. Eventually he resorted to splitting wet logs to get at the dry interiors.
"Oy, Dan," Fala yelled. "I got us some goat and some ham. Best cook the goat tonight. It won't keep like the ham. I'll need a bit of that fire in here to cook with."
Dan added some small bits of wood to the cast iron stove. Then he used a shovel and stick to add a burning chunk from his fire to her stove.
"Look what else I got," Fala beamed. She opened a small wooden crate to reveal a dozen clay bottles nestled in pith.
"Is that beer?"
"Yup. Why don't you take a couple of bottles and cool them off in the creek."
Dan grabbed the bottles, then went to find a pool. The jungle was alive on the small scale too. Kung-fu mantids posed among the fruit vines and watched him pass. Small green beetles swarmed over the skeleton of some unfortunate animal. He nestled the bottles in a bend of the stream, then placed some rocks so they wouldn't wash away.
After supper, Dan laid back in the grass. Sea birds flew overhead on their way to some distant roost.
Fala placed the dishes in the washbasin, then added some hot water from the stove to let them soak. She joined him in the grass and took it all in.
Plate sized hibiscus flowers opened as the sun dropped, their scent filling the air with perfume that reminded them of apples. Swarms of tiny glowing bats flitted against the stars, attacking the fruit and flowers.
"Reminds me of the fireflies back in Hollish," she said. "Only these are a bit bigger. A girl could get used to this."
"Yeah, me too. Ready for them beers?"
"Almost forgot. Sounds good."
Dan retrieved the bottles. One had a snail the size of a coconut stuck to the side. He held that bottle out. "This one's yours."
"Gross. The other one's mine." She snatched the clean bottle and popped open the swivel top.
Dan pried the snail loose, and pretended he was going to place it in her lap. Fala squealed and backpedaled.
Dan tossed the snail aside, wiped the bottle on his pants, then opened it. Fala leaned against him after he sat down.
They drank their beer in silence and watched the bats going about their business. One of the bats flew too close to a mantis and paid the price.
"Hard to hide from predators when you glow in the dark," Fala said.
"It's kind of like that Davis LeForge. He's the predator, and all the rest of us are like the bats. We just want to flitter around and take what fruit the day brings."
"So you're a philosopher now, are you?"
"No."
"There's no shame to it."
"Maybe that's why you like James."
"He's certainly a deep thinker, but kind of broody too, don't you think?"
"He's always been that way. Good solid friend, but when something's on his mind it's best to give him some room."
"Maybe he'll brighten up after we free your sister."
"Do you really think we will?"
"I have faith. It drives our mission. Gives us purpose."
"I'm having a hard time seeing how piracy is going to free my sister. I'm afraid she's done for."
"Fortunes change fast. You don't know for sure. You can give yourself a worry wart, or move forward with your plan. To do that, you take each day as it comes, and be willing to change your plan if something better comes along."
"I can't change my plan. My sister has to take priority."
"Okay, but we aren't starting a land war any more. Now we're taking it to sea. Maybe once we get the ship repaired, we fly a Pr
elonian flag and attack the Hollish navy. That ought to start a war."
"Might."
"You're losing my point." She dropped a tiny leather pouch on his lap. It was attached to a cord so it could be worn around her neck.
"What's this?"
"You'll find out when you open it."
Dan opened the pouch and shook out three silver coins. "Coins? Doesn't make much of a purse."
"No it doesn't. I'm going to tell you about them coins." She pulled away from his shoulder, then turned so she could face him.
"I told you how I was starving in Loremont. Hustling grog and waiting tables. Barely allowed me to eat every day. I had to sleep in the back streets.
"The tavern keeper had rooms upstairs where some of the girls worked... on their backs. Those girls always had enough to eat, and he let them sleep in the rooms if they weren't occupied overnight.
"There's a lot of pressure to work on your back. The keeper makes money off it. The girls make money off it, maybe get a new dress once per year."
She paused and took a long sip of her beer. Dan sat in silence.
"I didn't want to sell out, but the hunger in my belly didn't give me much option. So I done it... once. He gave me those three silver coins. It was enough for a nice supper, but I didn't buy one." She took another swig of her beer.
Dan looked at the coins to avoid her eyes.
"That was the night I started walking. Figured some highwaymen would pick me up, kill me, and dump me in a gulch somewhere. That's what I wanted to happen. Days later, I found you lot. That meal you gave me was the first I'd had in a week."
Dan carefully placed the coins in the pouch, then handed them back. Fala tied it back around her neck.
"I ain't spending them. Ever!" She finished her beer then placed the bottle in the grass. "I'm not a good woman, Dan. I want you to know that."
"Well, I ain't exactly a catch either. I'm not even a trawler anymore. I think you're a good woman, and so does the rest of the crew."
"So even knowing my whole story, it doesn't bother you?"
"Nope. I'm no better. I've hired a tavern girl or two in my time. Did they accept my coin because they wanted to, or were they starving? Besides, I have a harder time with you being a pirate."
