Up on deck, cheers from the Robin could be heard as they watched the sloop’s mast flail in the wind. The Robin now completed its turn, so only its stern was a target to the sloop as it made its hasty get away. The two ships exchanged cannon fire with not much avail. It seemed that both crews' gunners were very inaccurate. The Robin only took some minor damage to the railing as it fled away.
The Spanish vessel soon became a small shadow until finally it was swallowed by the horizon. The crew of the Robin was in a mad rush to make repairs. Captain Gibbons knew that he had to increase the distance between the Spanish privateers and themselves as fast as possible. He knew that the Spanish ship would already be rigging up a make-shift jolly mast out of the shattered one. Patrick and the master carpenter busily jumped to work patching the damaged galley. Sam Scurvy was covered with blood and had a large cooking fork sticking out of his shoulder. He was ignoring the large fork and trying to clean his galley. Patrick summated that he was in battle shock and could not feel the pain of the skewer yet.
"Samuel, don’t forget that pot in the corner there,” Patrick pointed.
As Sam Scurvy turned, Patrick made his move and yanked the fork free. With a tearing of flesh, a large splash of blood showered both of them. Sam Scurvy howled and then stared at the large fork in Patrick's hand and stated, “Arrr... Dat’s where dat fork be.”
Mr. McLain insisted that Patrick take Samuel to the surgeon’s chest and clean the wound with spirits. As Patrick was treating Samuel, Shamus crashed into the room.
“Fook ya two! Why aren’t yas lookin’ for Brian?” Shamus yelled.
“Who is Brian again?" Patrick questioned, "Where is he?”
“He be a gunner’s mate," Shamus belted back. "And if I fookin’ knew where he be, ya goat fooker, I wouldn't be inquirin’! We tink he be blown into a drink when the Quaker cannon blew off."
“We will be there as soon as I finish defestering this lesion,” Patrick replied.
Shamus stormed out as noisily as he could with a string of Irish obscenities.
Brian would never be found as the days passed. The crew still kept looking long after the Robin was patched back up. Still uneasy from the battle with the Spanish privateers, the crew continued to nervously scan the horizon for days after the attack. A few days out in the open sea, the captain finally relaxed and turned his command back over to the quartermaster, Mr. Mandrik. They would not have to worry about pirates again until they closed in on Savannah.
Chapter 4
Passage to a New World
The ex-prisoners adapted to sea life well, rarely getting sick. But as soon as it seemed they earned their sea legs, the fresh food ran out and then their diets only consisted of salty meats. Their knives scarred their pewter plates because salted pork and fish was so tough to cut. The ship was gripped with constipation and a constant, overwhelming thirst. To complicate matters, the fresh water was becoming scarce and the stores were dangerously low. Water was collected by any means possible. When rains came, any item that could hold liquid was placed topside to collect the precious run-off. Mandrik devised a very clever method to recover water out of the sails. Most mornings, dew would collect in the sails and he would instruct his rigger monkeys to tilt the cloth at just the right angle so that the dew would bead together and run down the sails into a waiting cistern, which was nothing more than a modified barrel. If the sails were shaken and rung out as well, they yielded an astonishing amount of water. The quarter master proudly boasted to the crew it was an ancient Greek sailing trick to collect water. Most of the men ignored this claim since Mr. Mandrik was notorious for attributing credit to the Greeks for every single good idea on the ship. If a crew member invented something as small and simple as a new knot, Mandrik would proclaim loudly in his awkward Greek voice, “Dah! The Greeks did this first!”
The longer at sea and the longer the crew sailed, the more efficient each man became at their jobs. Soon the crew had a fair amount of free time on their hands the gambling started and although it was against the captain’s policies, everyone gambled. Well, just about everyone. Isaac had finally learned his lesson from the debtors’ prison and swore it off for life.
Liar's Dice was the game of choice and Patrick watched some of his crewmates make and lose a small fortune flipping cups and making dubious claims. Too nervous to play a game he knew nothing about, Patrick watched his fellow sailors play for hours. When Patrick became familiar with the game, he still did not try his hand at Liar's Dice. The carpenter’s mate had no money, nor valuables. All he had to bid with was his rations of food. He was just starting to feel strong and look healthy again and considered his food too high of stakes to lose in a game of dice.
But Shamus saw things very differently. Except for his grog, the wild-eyed Irishman immediately started betting all his food in game. By betting large amounts of his food, Shamus somehow negotiated his way into a game with real silver. The Irish drunk had a real gift for lying. He told Patrick in confidence he was descended from a race of storytellers, natural liars, and was quickly amassing a small fortune in silver.
Patrick watched in awe as Shamus entered a very high stakes game where the winner would walk out with one-hundred-and-fifty ounces of silver doubloons. Shamus had somehow won an exotic hat and clothing from his last few games and now wore them as trophies. To complete the image he now sported a small beard and mustache which he had grown with astonishing speed for an Irishman.
Shamus playing liars dice and Sam Scurvy watching
As Shamus sat on the deck with two other sailors in a triangle formation, a gasp went up from the crowd as all the silver rounds were slid into a pot. One of Shamus’s opponents wore a fancy gentleman’s blue hat. The other gambler was shirtless and only wore a hempen necklace tied with shells. The three men each had five dice in front of them on the deck and a worn, wooden cup. Holding each other's gazes, the three men collected the dice carefully, dropped them in their cups, and then wildly shook. A thunderous crack echoed above the waves lapping the bow of the Robin as all three men in unison slammed their cups down on the deck.
All eyes watched as the combatants peeked under their cups.
“Open with four twos,” the shirtless man stated.
“Dar be four sixes on deck,” Shamus corrected, upping the ante.
“I will have to follow our shirtless friend’s lead," the top hat man countered with a confident smile and a well-educated English accent. "I believe there are five twos.”
“There are six twos on the floor,” the shirtless man offered with a grin.
“Ya two a bunch of fookin’ liars," Shamus screeched. "I am callin’ ya out!”
The three men lifted their cups revealing their dice so that the counting could begin.
The shirtless man had four twos.
The man wearing the top hat revealed two twos.
“Crap! You fookin’ liars and cheats who fook their father’s horses,” Shamus cursed as he revealed he also had a die showing a two.
"Well that is seven," the educated gentleman informed Shamus. "Cast your die in, sir.”
“Fook you! I can do numbers, you pig kook-sooker,” Shamus pouted as he tossed one of his die into the pot.
The men collected their dice but Shamus now only had four dice and the others still had five. They shook their cups. Crack!
Shamus quickly lost two more obscenity-filled rounds and was now just down to two remaining dice. Although he was down in dice, the toothless pale man used the opportunity to study his opponents closely. The gentleman always opened with a bid with a bluff, lying about dice he did not have. He hoped his opponents would bid too high and then he could call their lie out. The other man seemed more honest except when he would toy with his necklace, a subtle tell. Shamus continued to cuss like a madman, but it was all theater now. He knew he had all the information he needed to quickly turn the game around.
Crack!
“I open with four threes,” the gentleman coolly stated.
&nbs
p; Shamus immediately pounced on him and challenged, “He’s fookin’ lyin’! Call him out!"
“I think ya may be right," the shirtless man agreed with Shamus before turning to the gentleman. "You be a liar!”
The gentleman's mouth was slightly agape as he questioned, “It is opening bid. Are you sure you want to call?"
“Stop fookin’ off," Shamus called out pointing at the gentleman's cup. "Show ya damn dice.”
The business of turning cups began. Shamus's cup revealed he had one three. The shirtless sailor had two three's. The top hat man had none.
“Only t’ree fookin’ t’rees," Shamus howled in victory. "Cast ya die, dog humper."
The game went back and forth with lies upon lies until all three men only had one die each. Shamus wondered if he should open with a lie or actually be honest and play his die true. Honest to his nature, he decided to lie. “I open with one five, ya sheep shaggers,” Shamus cooed happily.
“What is it with you and all the bestiality? Do you think of nothing else?” the gentleman questioned. He was frustrated losing so many dice to two such lowly characters and was becoming quickly disgusted with Shamus's outbursts.
“I grew tired of fookin’ your mom and moved on to her livestock," Shamus snapped. "Now make ya bet, ya shite eater."
“Very well," the gentleman pompously conceded. "One six.”
The shirtless man quietly stated, “Two threes,” without fondling his necklace. Shamus's eyes widened. He knew he was holding a three and assumed if this man was not lying, he must also have a three.
“Ok, ya two horse kooks." Shamus confidently proclaimed, "I am calling the bid spot on.” A hush fell over the very large crowd which had collected around the high stakes game. All eyes eagerly waited.
Shamus had a three. As Shamus predicted, the shirtless man also had a three. The top hat man told the truth and actually had a six.
The bid was spot on. Both of Shamus’ opponents grumbled. They cast their losing dice into the pot and the crowd erupted with roars and cheering.
Shamus could barely lift the pot full of silver and threatened the crew, “If any of ya humpin’ badgers touch this silver, I’ll run ya through and throw ya into da drink!”
The crowd laughed and made mock threats to steal Shamus's fortune when he slept. So happy to see a common man win, the crowd continued cheering and thumping the deck with their feet, howling and clapping, long after the shirtless man congratulated Shamus and the gentleman sulked off.
Only a few days were left of the crossing and to the crew's pleasure, it had been relatively uneventful. It was commonly known that crossing the ocean in early summer can be very treacherous because of the wild weather but the ship had been lucky to not have the ocean's wrath affect them. The crew attributed the good weather and good luck to the proper care given to the old sea rituals.
A bottle was successfully smashed on the hull to ensure a safe return and a horseshoe was properly secured to the mast to keep storms away. A black cat was kept on board, ensuring the sailors would safely return home from sea and rum was generously poured on the deck and in the ocean to offer the sea god a bribe for safe passage. Most of the sailors wore earrings to prevent them from drowning and were properly tattooed for protection as well. The ship was adorned with a figurehead of a bare-breasted woman with a robin's head. This was so the naked woman could calm stormy seas, offer an eye to see the way to their destination and the robin's head was added so that unlettered sailors could easily identify the Robin. All these precautions convinced the sailors of safe passage. When a family of dolphins was spotted off starboard side swimming with the ship, the crew was confident that they and their ship were blessed.
The figurehead of the Robin
* * *
Patrick was woken by the sounds of excitement and rushed topside to see what the commotion was. The imposing sun blinded him immediately, but after he rubbed the darkness of his cabin from his eyes, Patrick could see the hazy coastline lying far off in the horizon. Captain Gibbons could be heard praising the sailing master for such a deft job. The Robin was but one day's sail up the coast. Straying so far off course after the battle with the Spanish privateers, the captain's gratitude of the impressive navigation was well deserved. Morale amongst the crew was high. Each man bragged how they would soon be spending their hard-earned silver on women, fresh food and strong spirits.
“Quartermaster, muster the crew," Captain Gibbons ordered. "It is time we made them understand the rules of shore leave."
Immediately, the boatswain’s whistle blew and the excited crew gathered around the captain.
“Before you men get so excited you lose your focus, I need to remind you of your obligations,” the captain stated sternly, looking at each man in turn. "You will have only one week to enjoy shore leave but you must check in with the quartermaster at high noon every day. Remember you have sworn contract to this vessel and if you do not return to honor those commitments, the consequences will be severe.” The captain allowed the men their moment to grumble. He understood their excitement because the crew had been stuck on a ship for weeks, but he would not suffer any indiscretion. When the men quieted again, he continued, “There are certain rules and protocols in Savannah you must follow or you will disgrace this ship and its captain."
Quartermaster Mandrik was quick to drive the point home and shouted, "And any of ya crew break da laws and disgraces da cap’n, I will flog ya to da devil!”
“Now then," continued the Captain, "Savannah only has four rules you must remember. One: No strong water, spirits, rum or brandy is allowed.” A loud rumble of objection quickly overtook the crew. “But beer, ale and wine are just fine,” Gibbons explained.
“Two: absolutely no lawyers are allowed. The city understands that lawyers create divisiveness, encourages clients to seek causes. So if you do get in trouble while ashore, you will have to plead your own case. Then you will have to come back and deal with Mr. Mandrik," the captain warned.
"Three: there is no slavery in this town. The Negroes you meet will be free men and we expect you to keep your peace with them.
"Fourth and finally: No Papists and Roman Catholics are allowed to worship there. Savannah doesn't want to worry about its Catholics sympathizing with the Spanish Catholics, so that sect of religion is outlawed."
“Fook, this is gonna dun break me mutter’s heart and make Jesus cry, ya bastards!” Shamus barked up.
“I would normally have ordered you beaten close to death for that outburst," the captain cautioned, "but since you are being sold tomorrow, I can’t have you blackened.”
“Also, there are no Jews allowed," the captain pointed out. "They don’t really enforce this one but it is their law. So, Isaac, be mindful of that and lose that little Jew hat of yours.
“Unfortunately," the captain addressed the crew and former prisoners, "we have some unpleasantness we have to take care of before we land. Let this serve as a demonstration that I am not a captain you want to embarrass in Savannah." He then turned to Mandrik and ordered, "Bring them up!”
Two hoodwinked men were brought out and forced to kneel before the captain. Their hoods were removed and both men had tears streaming down their faces.
Captain Gibbons announced so all the crew could hear from their positions, “Mr. Michael and Mr. James, you have denied your odd behavior in the past. I have heard complaints from crewmates that you two spend unnecessary and copious amounts of time unclothed around each other. Others have heard noises of a sexual nature deriving from your bunks. You two dress like colorful dandies, not sailors. I had overlooked all of this to keep peace in my crew until Mr. Mandrik caught you two mounting each other in the hold.”
One of the accused men openly sobbed while the other merely starred at the planks of the deck.
Gibbons continued, “It is unnatural and an insult to your crewmates and to God! Do you have any words before I pass your sentence?”
Mr. Michael quivered. He wiped the snot off his
nose on his shoulder, gathered his courage and then pronounced, “I can’t help it. I love him, Cap'n. I am tired of hiding it. I don’t care who knows anymore.” Upon confessing his guilt, Mr. Michael continued a deluge of tears. Snickers could be heard from the crew.
Mr. James was older than Mr. Michael and starred defiantly at the captain, “Ya group of Judases! Hypocrites! Men have been fucking each otter on ships since da beginning of time. I have even been fucked by some of yas, but I don’t see you kneeling down here with me now. Ya didn’t mind kneeling down for me before when we be alone, but now ya be cowards and not stand up for us when it counts!” With that condemnation, James spit on the deck.
“Enough!" Captain Gibbon's eyes were burning as he dispensed, "For that outburst and unremorseful statement, I pass the sentence on you two, disgusting Sodomites. Two rounds of keelhauling for the both of you.” The crew gasped at such a harsh punishment.
It was at that moment when the Greek man felt his wooden St. Nicholas icon fall out of his pocket and hit the deck. The religious man tried to grab it as it dropped but he watched in horror as the edge of the icon broke off as it bounced around the planks. A deep sense of dread overtook him and he realized this was a warning sign from his protective saint. He knew the captain’s orders were much too extreme and down deep he knew he should not follow this order, but years of strict obedience overruled his gut feeling. Instead of not following the harsh order he tried to convince Gibbons to reduce their sentence.
Mr. Mandrik drops his icon and Mr. Michael and Mr. James are presented for punishment
Pirates of Savannah: The Complete Trilogy - Colonial Historical Fiction Action Adventure (Pirates of Savannah (Adult Version)) Page 6
