“Is pirating the reason you changed your name?” he dared to ask her.
“Any more questions like that, my wolf, and you won’t be invited into my chambers the rest of this voyage,” the madam warned.
“That question is respectfully withdrawn,” he said as he rolled her naked body over.
* * *
It had been three passionate and lustful days since the couple were seen. The naked lovers woke to noisy scurrying topside. “Get dressed quickly, something is afoot,” the naked woman barked. The two dressed in a hurry and armed up. They ran up topside and their eyes recoiled from the sunlight. The crew of the Mary Read looked down the coast and saw a massive man frantically waving and jumping up and down.
“Let’s move it, crew! They need help. Man the sails.” The Captain turned to Patrick, “Do you think it’s your friends? They are at least two days overdue and it is broad day light.”
Using her spyglass to confirm if it indeed was his friends, he spotted Isaac waving his arms on the beach and his clothes were covered in blood. “Yes. That's Isaac but they look like they are in real trouble. Please hurry.”
A mule pulling a cannon through the swamps
The Black Hound and the Mary Read quickly made it up the coast line towards the jumping man. “Isaac, are you in trouble?” Patrick shouted over the water.
“Thank Moses you're still here. I knew you would not leave, even if Archibald told you to. We have a large group of Spanish soldiers about three hours behind us. We have to load these cannons right away.” Isaac yelled. The cannon train then came into view and the crew scrambled to get the thick gang planks ready.
Patrick yelled to his friend, "Isaac, these ships have a very shallow draft. Take these lines and tie them to those trees over there. Help us steady the ship and pull her real close." In minutes, both ships were docked against a small cliff. A door on the railing opened and the crew slid the heavy, reinforced gangplank to the top of the little cliff. It was almost perfect, the gangplanks were practically level. The exotic crew poured onto the cliffs to help the exhausted delivery men. They rolled the cannons down the gangplanks and right onto the decks of the small ships. Room was quickly becoming scarce on deck so the cannons were tied to a rope going over yard arm. The line was tied to the anchor pulley and was lowered into the cargo hold. The crew and the exhausted travelers worked in a panicked frenzy to load everything as fast as possible. Captain K. T. Brewer shouted “Take the carts too, to stack them upon the cannons if you have to”. Two and a half hours had passed when April shouted to the crews to be ready to cast off.
Li Go Che was visibly upset. Archibald asked him to join them on the ship but he stated, “I need mules, worth good money to my tribe. I try and escape with them.”
Patrick overheard this and turned to April, “Please. There is no way this warrior will slip past an army looking for him with eighteen mules. He won’t leave them behind. Can we just cram them all on the deck for a day and then drop them off? This Indian has saved our lives over and over. We owe it to him.”
She engaged in deep thought and agreed. “My wolf, you are now indebted to me for this. One day I will need a favor and you will return the call.” Much to the crew’s dismay, nine stinky, flea-ridden mules were loaded down the gangplank on each ship.
Mr. Deaux had untied the lines to the Mary Read and rushed down the gangplank before the ship pulled away from the cliff. The crew barely had room to pull in the plank but managed to shut the rail door before Spanish voices could be heard coming near the cliffs. Somehow, everyone and all the cargo had made it aboard the two vessels. It was nearly impossible maneuvering the rigging and the sails around the collection of mules that were in the way. The tiny ships creaked in protest due to all of the weight but they finally turned out into the inlet. The two vessels caught wind and pulled away from the coast just as Spanish soldiers arrived and started firing their muskets at the ketches. The sailors returned fire but both war parties were too far out of range to hit anything. The sails finally filled with wind and they pulled away quickly from the coast, out to deeper waters. The entire crew cheered and congratulated themselves for pulling off such an impossible feat. The wary delivery men sighed with relief and exhaustion. They were given mugs of rum to toast their amazing journey.
Captain Sky came forward and toasted, “Let you recount your tale over some rum.”
Archibald smiled, “I would be happy to tell you the story, but first, let’s talk gold.”
Chapter 15
Gods and Freedom
“Don’t you worry about the gold, Duncan, or should I say 'Archibald?' I forgot which name you be using from time to time. Your payment be safely in the captain’s quarters below, although I am told my private quarters is now jam packed with barrels of gunpowder and cannon balls. I will get your money after we celebrate. You sound like you had a very difficult journey," the captain surmised.
“Well top me off with a little rum before I get trampled by all these damn mules!” Archibald smiled.
“So where shall we be dropping your savage off at?” she asked while sipping on her mug of rum.
“There is an Indian trading post he wants to be dropped off at. It's on the mainland just north of Tybee Island. We should be there by sunset if the winds hold,” Archibald reckoned.
“He best be taking his dog with him, too. I don't like how that collie is staring at Regan, waiting to make his move. Poor cat won’t come down from the rigging.”
“Aye. He will take all the animals and his bags of gold," the blacksmith stated. "Speaking of which, I am ready to be paid now. I don’t want to know who you're selling these to, but I hope it's not the British. I do hope that you make enough to start saving for a new ship.”
“I will not make you wait any longer. Stay here. My wolf, come help me with these bags," the captain replied as Patrick sprang to his feet following the madam below deck.
“’My wolf’?!” Archibald shot Patrick a confused look. Patrick grinned ear to ear at Archibald. He smiled so much that his dimples showed below his beard as he descended down the stairs.
“You had the gold here the entire time? Hell, I even carried it for you and did not know!” Patrick exclaimed.
“Yes, love. A girl has to keep her secrets,” she smiled.
“I bet you have more secrets than even you can remember,” he teased.
She worked herself carefully though the maze of cannons, carts, and artillery until she found her bag. Even with her skinny frame, April muscled the heavy bag up and shimmied back through the cannon-and-cart obstacle course before bounding back upstairs to where the group of men was waiting for their payments.
“As instructed, I have spilt the gold doubloons evenly into eight bags, one for each cannon.” April pulled out eight small bags and handed them to Archibald. He opened the bags and counted the coins as gold sparkled in his eyes and he grinned.
“William, here is your bag of gold. What will you do with it?” Archibald asked the kilted man.
“I hopes it be enough to buy me brethren’s freedom from Fort Mose. They still be in dar and da clan is counting on me to save 'em,” William replied.
“I am hoping you buy their freedom in haste. Let me know if I can help you,” Archibald offered.
“Isaac, what do you intend to do with your share?” the blacksmith asked.
“I will buy off the rest of my contract and finally be free. With the remaining gold I will give most of it to God and try and find a good Jewish woman,” Isaac explained as he counted his coins.
“Patrick, what do you have planned with the booty”, Archibald inquired.
“I want to spend every last bit of it in the Red Lady, but I will show restraint and save it in hopes that my family in London is finally located. I would like to bring them here when I am freed. I will continue to work for you and honor my contract, saving my money for my sisters and me mum,” Patrick summarized.
“And you, warrior chief?” Archibald handed him three b
ags.
“I find Creek hokti to continue bloodline. One is only Creek through mother not father. I must find true Creek woman. Now rich enough to find way to buy back some scared land. I could have many hoktaki.” He smiled devilishly.
Patrick interrupted and asked, “What is a hokti”?
Li Go Che shot back “It is what we call women who can have children, northern tribes call them squaws”.
“How can I find you if we need your services again, great chief?” Mr. Freeman asked.
“I come by every full moon to you! You good man to tribe,” the old man forced a wrinkled smile.
Patrick finally asked, “What about you, Archibald?”
“I will use the money to move my family as far from the British and Spanish as I can. Don’t forget, sovereigns, the remaining bag will be donated to the cause as agreed upon," he reminded the group.
The inked women chimed in “Why is the chief getting thrice the amount as you?”
“He is a great chief. If it was not for him, none of us would have anything at all. The cannons would have been left behind for the Spanish if he had not known about his hiding place. His wisdom kept us safe in the swamp and he is a great warrior,” the wigged man boasted.
A proud smile crept on the typically stoic face of the Indian. He loved flattery.
“As much as I love hearing this, we be landing soon to get rid of these stinking mules and the lot of you. So drink up, boys, on a job well done!” April yelled and raised her mug.
“Captain, can I have a word with you below deck?” Patrick asked humbly. April obliged and followed her new lover below the deck when he finally asked, “Are you coming back with us?"
“Hell no! If I don’t keep a close eye on me booty, Captain Brewer will steal it all for himself. He would have slit both our throats as soon as we boarded and just kept me gold if he thought he could. But he fears me and fears the people I know that would come in retribution,” she explained. “I have to sell this swag to some dangerous fellas but I will make double the gold than what I gave you and your friends. I want to be free again and captain a real dandy of a ship. Ships cost lots of money.”
“Well what about our love? What will happen to us?” Patrick asked, clearing his throat.
“You are a sweet man but I got to see this through. I figure you owe me that whole bag of gold for as much sex as I gave you," the madam pirate smiled, but an awkward pause filled the air between them. “Jesus, it was just a joke, lad. I fucked you because it was fun and I think you're a looker. It was free of charge. I could be gone a long time but come see me when I get back to the Red Lady." Patrick seemed to frown a little until April offered, "Come on. Let me give you one more good hump.” Patrick nodded eagerly as she bent over one of the cannons.
* * *
The two ships sailed past the Tybee light house in the rosy light of the early morning. It was an impressive site considering it was built so rapidly. It was made of brickwork and cedar piles and was octagonal in shape. It was the tallest structure of its kind in the Americas.
The original Tybee light house
“I had never seen it so close before. It's massive!” Patrick exclaimed.
“Yes it is. A carpenter named Noble Jones from the Wormsloe Plantation constructed it very rapidly. He was rewarded with a lease to this land because he was respected so well by Oglethorpe. He was also a constable and a doctor but he really won favor with Oglethorpe when he laid out the city plans for Augusta,” Archibald explained.
“Was a time when it be easy to sneak into Savannah by way of the Skidoway River. Now the redcoats went and build a fort and plantation on this ‘Isle of Hope’ making it much more difficult to not be spotted,” April injected.
“Did you get a good look at that fort? Since it is so close to the water, Jones had to make it out of tabby,” the blacksmith pointed out.
“I am no carpenter. What is tabby?” Patrick asked naively.
Archibald explained, “It is a local mixture of shells, limestone, sand and water. Then, it is covered with plaster and whitewash to keep the sun from weakening the structure too fast. Tabby does very well to hold against foul weather and Spanish cannon balls if it is properly constructed.”
“Did you also see how he built wood above the tabby to make it taller and more deadly to assault? See how Jones saved time and money by sharing the fort wall with that large house inside?" the captain pointed out.
Archibald replied, “Yes, it was a wise construction. I also heard after Oglethorpe’s failed attack of St. Augustine, he actually commissioned Jones to run a marine patrol out of Wormsloe. We would be wise to keep sailing and avoid this whole area completely.”
“Agreed. We be sailing north and out of site of the fort and of Wormsloe," she concurred.
The ships sailed north quietly so as not to arouse suspicion. The Black Hound pulled up to the coast first and unloaded the mules as fast as possible. Captain K.T. Brewer was cussing about all the mule shit on his deck. He ordered his sailors to take buckets of seawater and wash the dung away. The Mary Read docked next and the crew worked fast so as not to be seen by British eyes. The parade of mules made their way off the gang plank followed by the exhausted, swamp-eaten, bloodied men. The men decided to travel together for safety back to Savannah, except Li Go Che. The old man said his goodbyes and headed to a local Creek village.
Patrick watched with pain in his heart as the Mary Read drifted off into the horizon. He was visibly distraught knowing there was a good chance that that would be the last he saw of the mysterious April Sky. “Time to go home, lad,” Archibald put a sympathetic hand on Patrick's shoulder. The men treaded into the woods and when they saw the Tybee Island lighthouse disappear from their view, they knew they were almost home. They traveled wide of the Wormsloe Plantation and circled back around to Savannah. They waited until nightfall before entering the town to bring as little attention as possible. Isaac quietly parted ways and the other three men headed to the Freeman house. As expected, it was already 'shut in' and Archibald wasted no time knocking on the door with a secret code. He did not want to shout for Marian to open the door and bring attention to their late night entrance. The door quietly opened and the men rushed in.
The Freeman’s were thrilled to see their men healthy and alive but they had many questions about their blood crusted appearance. Archibald knew the inquisition would be waiting but demanded rum before he would share his tale. Heather came out with a bucket of water and a rag and started cleaning the men as they finally relaxed. The twins were merciless with their questions and peppered the patriarch in turns.
“What happened?”
“Where did you go?”
“Did you kill any British, Spanish or Indians?”
“Did you find any treasure?”
“Did you bring us back something?”
“Did you see real pirates?”
“Were you on a ship?”
“Did you fight pirates in the Caribbean?”
When Archibald finally had enough, he demanded, “Boys! I will tell you everything, but remember; the British will kill us all if you have loose tongues with your mates. If you tell this story to anyone, all of us will be run through at sword point. Swear to your family and clan you will never speak of this.”
The whole family took the pledge and the father started to spin his tale. The family listened intently to every detail as the light from the lamp danced across their faces. He recounted the close calls and boasted of everyone's bravery.
Heather asked, “How come you’re not bloody and battle worn, Patrick?”
“I was sailing and relaxing in the sun but I was with them in spirit,” he laughed. Heather threw a wet towel at Patrick’s grinning mouth and water splashed all over him.
By the end of the tale the entire room was on the edge of their seats. “And we floated away with only seconds to spare as the Spanish shot at our ships,” the father finished.
“Well did you actually get paid? Did she keep
her word?” Marian questioned.
“Does this answer your question?” Archibald asked as he poured his gold doubloons on the table. The family gasped. They rarely had ever seen gold and never that much in one place. As the family ogled the coins, Archibald warned, “We will move soon, I hope, because it is only a matter of time before the Spanish seek revenge and take Oglethorpe’s head as a trophy. Before then though, I will be leaving one more time with William. Some of our clansmen are still prisoners at Fort Mose. William is using his gold to bribe the guards to let them escape. I am sorry family but we will be leaving again in the morrow. When I come back, we can talk about moving to a new town. Start thinking about a town to move to.”
Patrick excused himself and went to his shed. Under the cover of night, he slipped into the darkness and into the swamp at the edge of town. Under the moonlight, he buried his bag of gold under a Spanish moss draped oak. He wanted no one to know, not even his new family, where the gold was hidden. For once in his life, he wanted something that was just his.
* * *
The exhausted men slept late into the morning. The women washed Archibald’s and Patrick’s clothes while they slept and did a good job of getting most of the blood stains out. After they woke, they ate breakfast and made ready for the road to Darien. Before figuring a way to broker a deal to liberate his clansmen from the free Africans, William first wanted to see his family.
Loud giggling and laughter could be heard as Prudence and Mari Anna came calling with baskets of fresh bread and fruit. The ladies were always in a great mood while shrouded with a hint of mischievous behavior. They both gave heart-filled hugs to the men and were glad to see them. Archibald asked his family to join him and see him off. He handed Marian his gold and told her to hide it well.
“Before I leave, I have something I made a long time ago that I have been waiting to give this group." Archibald opened a bag and took out six mini-dirks he hand designed. “I was waiting to give you these as gifts but I worry that the Spanish are going to answer soon and I want you to be protected. I designed these so you can hide them under your petticoats or vests. I even made leather belts and scabbards you can use to attach them to your legs. I want all six of you wearing these at all times. I even made a couple for Prudence and Mari Anna since they are practically my family. Do you understand?” he instructed while he distributed the knives. The group nodded in understanding. “Remember if things get real heated, go to the shed and retrieve the firelocks in there,” he reminded the boys. “I want you to do an early shut in every night and I will be back soon. Stay invisible. No going to listen to music or courting foolish men out of their silver, ladies. Now give us a hug. We have to go if we want to make it before night fall.”
Pirates of Savannah: The Complete Trilogy - Colonial Historical Fiction Action Adventure (Pirates of Savannah (Adult Version)) Page 22
