Back on the Mary Read, Mr. Michael and Mr. James loaded their slings. “For the Lord’s sake, be careful not to drop those on our ship, monsieurs,” Captain Deaux pleaded. The men loaded the glass pots filled with rancid meat, shit and oil in their slings. They lit them and brought the slings to full speed. They let the stink pots fly into the hole of the bow and cheered. When the glass bottles exploded, the stinky smoke was so horrid and foul and sounds of retching could immediately be heard.
A group of six bloodied redcoats stumbled out of the hole in the bow coughing and moaning. The sight of the men slowly stumbling and moaning caused such fear in Captain K.T Brewer, that he forgot where he was and even what year he was in. The peg-legged captain fired his pistol at them from the Black Hound and yelled, “Ya walking dead will never eat me soul! Arrrrrrr! ” The confused British sailors threw their hands up and dropped their muskets when the saw they were staring down the barrel of a cannon.
The crew of the Mary Read took the prisoners aboard.
“Mr. Michael, I don’t believe what I am seeing, do you?” Mr. James asked in stunned tone.
“We must be the luckiest men on the seas today. Look at the stinky fish we caught!” Mr. James exclaimed.
A Greek man coughed and then the color ran out of his face when he realized who he just surrendered to.
“Remember us, Mr. Mandrik? Because we remember you every day when we dress. We both still have to look at each other's scars and think of you and Gibbons keelhauling us,” Mr. Michael grimly reminded him.
“That was Gibbons order, I did not want to do it. You forget, I said we should beat the man love out of ya, not keelhaul ya,” Mandrik coughed out.
Mr. Michael continued “Ah yes, captain Gibbons, We caught up with him about a year ago in Savannah and showed him how much we appreciated his ‘discipline’.” The two men giggled evilly.
Mr. James barked, “You shouldn’t have followed that order. Now, we are going to teach you something about man love and beatings. Take him below deck!”
As soon as the African warriors stormed the lower decks, the English surrendered in droves. Within ten minutes, all the prisoners sat topside with their hands on their heads. The smoke started to lift off the deck and the admiral surveyed her bloodied crew and wondered if her husband was still alive.
* * *
The graying admiral looked back at her ships at the docks and smiled when she saw the tattered yellow and black jack blowing in the wind over the Vendetta. The flag was now adorned with the emblem of the gentleman pirate Stede Bonnet. April wanted to honor her dead friend but really knew she was the last of her kind and modified the flag so she would never forget her past. Nina put her hand on her aunt’s shoulder and reassured her, “Relax, Captain! Audrey Scott will keep our little fleet safe while we are gone.”
The Vendetta's jack now had the emblem of the gentleman pirate Stede Bonnet
Patrick lost his balance on the cobblestone roads as they made their way to the bar. “It has been over ten years and I am still not used to seeing out of only one bloody eye.”
Tracy grabbed his hand and smiled, “I will help you, Daddy.” He reached down and held the blue-haired girl's little hand.
“I know it has been a long time but do you think it is safe to be back in Savannah? People might recognize us,” the scarred up man with the eye patch asked.
“Relax. Ever since Oglethorpe got promoted to Brigadier General he returned to England. Nobody cares. People hated Kingsley and with him gone, our shenanigans became such a low priority. They've forgotten us by now. Trust us,” Captain Nina Read smiled.
Patrick was completely surprised by how much Savannah had grown over the last decade. Ships from all over the world used stones to balance their ballasts, which they would dump in the port of Savannah when they picked up cargo. The city came up with the solution to use the growing number of ballast rocks in their ports. They used the piles and made cobblestone roads around town. Patrick also saw huge churches, multiple-level tabby buildings and brick buildings. He even saw a brickyard in full production down by the bluff. There was no doubt about it; Savannah was really jumping now.
The couple, their daughter, and Nina made their way to where the Trustees’ Garden used to be. A large inn now sat over the entrance to the secret pirate tunnels, adjoining itself to the gardener’s herb house. The establishment had a reputation for shady costumers.
“You’re going to love this inn, husband. They already nicknamed it the 'Pirates House' because of all the undesirables it brings in like us. They should at least have a drink named after me!” she chuckled.
They entered the inn and a wench yelled, “We are all booked and out of rooms. Go someplace else!”
“We are meeting friends for drinks,” Patrick informed the wench.
“Well, you can watch the equinox harvest moon come up tonight out back. It should be a good crowd tonight, if I can get these dead beats to buy anything. Follow me out back, your party is waiting for ya, Admiral Read,” the cantankerous wench barked.
Patrick shot his wife a look. “So much for this town forgetting about us!”
As they walked outside, cheers erupted from a large table. Many of their old friends were present. Tracy ran over to the large Jewish man and flung her arms around him. "I missed you, uncle!” The man was a little slower, but still very strong. He lifted Tracy off the ground with just one hand. She giggled and tried to escape from his grip. “When are you going to tell me why you are missing a finger, uncle?”
“When you tell me why you keep dying your hair strange colors,” he snapped back.
Patrick hugged his old friend and said, “She keeps getting into the indigo when we are not looking. She is very headstrong and independent," Isaac laughed and dropped the little indigo-haired girl.
“Where is your wife, children, and Archibald, uncle?” Tracy inquired.
“Archibald is over there playing with our son Tobias and I think my wife is gossiping with those three old maids,” he smirked. Tracy ran over to the boys to show off her new hair.
“How is Garland taking to the whole traditional Jewish lifestyle and having to go to temple and such?” Patrick smiled.
“She studies hard, but it annoys her we study separately now. Men and women should be separated for worship, but we could not really do that well on the ship. Now that we had some time in a proper Jewish community, she is not adapting very well. She never believed our religion, but she enjoyed reading our stories for entertainment. She kept asking difficult questions and the rabbi asked us never to come back. I think she will be much happier back on the ship. It has been a lonely two years without you,” Isaac hugged him again.
Isaac asked, “So what have you been doing since I last saw you?” His best friend replied, “During some of our long voyages, I decided to write a book about our adventures.” Patrick pulled out a journal from his vest. “Look, I even have drawings of all of us in it. Here is my drawing of you on the auction block, see?” Isaac smiled and was touched to see his lifelong companion attempt to draw him.
The twins were barely recognizable as full-grown men. Patrick shouted, “Max, Amos!” and gave them a friendly wave. They returned the wave but were much too interested in talking to William’s beautiful daughters Lauren and Lindsey.
William approached with his wife Deborah. “I brought some of the finest steaks you will ever have, lad! They are from my prize cattle. I am going to get that wench to cook it up if I don’t choke the life out of her first.”
Hugs were exchanged and Patrick said, “You look good, William. I can’t believe Archibald’s kilt still fits you. I meant to tell you, I ran into that crazy old Indian scout a few weeks back. Li Go Che has himself a good bit of land, a young wife and a few children. Can you believe that dog is still alive, too? He said she has had many puppies. Let’s sit down over there with your old crew and drink."
With a loud whistle from William, the crew gathered around the table.
“Well
, monkey-hump me! You're still alive, Shamus!” Patrick laughed. Shamus looked very aged. He was completely bald, toothless and had a wooden right leg. He was gaunt with yellow eyes and had a huge, bloated liver, which looked like a large bulge under his shirt. He was adorned with hands full of rings and had a parrot sitting on his shoulder. Patrick pointed at the colorful bird, “I see you finally got married, too.”
"That not be true you, goat-humper. I have a different wife every night now,” he laughed as he slapped Teresa on her ass as she walked by.
Sam interrupted and kissed Miss Darden, “Thanks to this lovely lady, our floating whore house has been a smashing success. She is a damn whoremaster genius! She might as well take sailors, turn them upside down and shake the silver out of their pockets.”
“How was South America, lad? I heard it’s all fookin’ savages and heathens down dar,” Shamus inquired.
The man wearing an eye patch responded, “People tend to leave you alone when you got a ship as big as the Vendetta and having a man-of-war doesn’t hurt either. We made a fortune trading exotic goods from all over the world, including bananas, my new favorite fruit. The merchant life is not too bad. By the way, Shamus, I love your parrot. What did you name him?”
“Well, ya can’t understand a ting he be sayin’ and he got a grouchy g’damn attitude, so I named him ‘Mr. Mandrik’.” The men burst into a hardy laugh.
The bar wench interrupted, “Is one of you cheap patrons Patrick Willis? I gots a note here for ya. Things been here so long I almost forgot.”
“A note for me? Who from?” inquired Patrick.
“Jack-o-Lantern, how the fuck should I know, here take it. I expect a bloody good tip for that!” The tavern wench barked.
The scar-faced man tore open the wax seal and read the note. An extremely puzzled look came across his face.
“Well, my wolf, are you going to tell us what it says?” April questioned
Patrick shook his head. “All it says is ‘I will be seeing you soon, Jessup’.”
Shamus belted out, “Fook, I forgot all about dat guy! I thought he be killed by a pissed off whale!”
Isaac spoke out, “That mysterious bastard has not talked to us in over a decade, and that is all he says in the letter. I think I hate that man!”
“I am sure in time this note will make sense; I am not going to worry about it tonight when I am in such great company.” Patrick dismissed.
April interrupted, “I am glad we all agreed to have a reunion when we have issues to discuss. But before we get down to business, let us make a toast. Even though it is 1756, let us never forget the twenty-eight souls we lost the day my husband struck down that bastard. Those men and women barely experienced freedom and gave their lives for it!"
"Huzzah, Huzzah, Huzzah!” The group drank their rum.
“Everyone keep an eye on each other. Don’t trust what you drink here. The Pirates House has a devious reputation for drugging their patrons and selling them to ships. They drag the bodies into the rum cellar and out the smuggling tunnels. They sell the poor souls to be pressed into service for ships going as far across the world as Shanghai. I don’t trust dat shady serving wench!” Sam warned.
April interrupted again, “Very good, mind your rum, boys. I have returned because I heard there is a change in the wind. The ideas of liberty and personal freedom have made their way deep into the culture of the Low Country. Something big is brewing and I can feel it stir. Tell me, what do you know and what be your plans?"
William spoke up, “You are not imagining this wind of change. Our message has sunk deep. It is growing roots and I see it blossoming everywhere. We are hearing rumors from our Scottish kinfolk from up north. They are talking about going over the mountains and living their lives out of reach of the king. It is a harsh difficult journey, which keeps them just outside of British control. They are speaking of settling in a land west of here, called Watauga then setting up a free society independent from any oppressive government's rule. Our family is planning on going. All three of Archibald’s moms want to go and the twins want to come, too.”
Shamus interrupted, “Well since I blew through dat six hundred shillin’s I got for me leg in one night, I guess we’ll keep fooking runnin’ whores. Oh and we be runnin’ gamblin’, too. But don’t be worryin’, we will remember to think of ya fooks while we live it up.”
Shamus pointed at his stump of an extremity. “Ya just wait ya shite eaters. Sam and I are starting to make some real fookin’ jingle now. One of dese days soon I’m going to get meself a leg made of solid gold. Ya fooks just watch me; I am really goin’ to get a grand, golden peg leg for all da whores to fancy.”
Sam cut in, “Ya shouldn’t have got a damn round of silver from the ship’s fund. Ya blew your fooking own leg off, you drunk!" He turned to Patrick and April and continued, “We also have plans beside whoring and gambling, Shamus! I know we have had many debates about if a violent revolution is the only way to rid us of the king and his government. Shamus and I feel there is no other way. Even if we wanted to be peaceful, the English will not let us be. Force is all they understand and unfortunately it is the only real way we will ever be free. Other secret liberty societies are developing all over the country. We have heard of one called the Sons of Liberty and we want to locate them. When the fight for this country finally happens, the colonists will need a navy. We want to help organize and build a fleet to rise up against the British someday.”
Isaac spoke his part, “Your sister and our family have decided to stay with you, Patrick and April. Whatever you decide, we will follow.”
Patrick chimed in, “We would love it if your family joined us, old friend. Friends, those are all fine ideas. We may all be on different paths toward liberty, but hopefully we will meet up at the same destination. We wish all of you luck and will be here if you ever need us. As for our family, we are going back to sea life to continue living freely, doing as we please, when we please. We will be easy enough to find if you ever need us. Just leave a message at any major port and it will find us. We plan on staying on the coast a little longer to scout new opportunities to make some gold. April and I have heard rumors of a French and Indian conflict starting and I bet some color is to be made in that mess somewhere. ”
Patrick, Nina, April and Tracy toast!
Patrick lifted his mug. “Like my wife said, liberty is heavy in the air these days and I want to take a moment to breathe deep. I am not sure what our future holds for us, but as for me, I am just going to take a good drink and enjoy living free tonight!”
Afterword
I hope you enjoyed the book and recommend it to your friends. There was much demand from readers and listeners to know which parts were based on fact and which were fiction so I wrote this chapter. Now I will spill the beans and tell you the facts and where I used my imagination.
Patrick reflects after a hard life of pirating
Chapter 1: Debtors’ Prison
Fictional
Patrick Willis
Shamus Red
Isaac Swartz
Jessup
Sam Scurvy
William Potts
Garland Willis
Real
Filth and utter lack of hygiene
Debtors’ prisons (both private and Government run)
Small Pox and Consumption, a.k.a. Tuberculosis, were rampant
James Oglethorpe
King George the II
Robert Castell
Oglethorpe did have a friend named Robert Castell who died in debtors’ prison after incurring publishing debts for The Villa of the Ancients.
Oglethorpe called for an investigation after Castell’s death and the accounts of the crooked guard were published in the local paper.
Oglethorpe did have a meeting with George II and convinced him to start the Georgia colony using convicts.
The first ship to settle Georgia for the British was the Anne; she landed in Savannah on February 12, 1733.
&nb
sp; Chapter 2: Out of the Muck
Fictional
Peasant stain pantaloons –I extracted that and assumed this is what would happen if you only owned one pair of pants and were rarely able to wash them.
The Robin
George Mandrik
Captain Gibbons
Mr. McLain
Real
Quaker Cannons were fake cannons or decoys that were used to make ships appear more dangerous.
Ship captains secretly bought prisoners to resell as indentured servants.
The Greek Mati, or The Eye, has been used for hundreds of years.
Icons were very import to Greek sailors.
Most ship’s carpenters were also the surgeons.
Most indentured servants served 3-7 years.
All the positions and jobs on the ship were real including the powder monkeys.
The “Yellow Jack” was a flag flown to signify a ship had persons aboard infected with yellow fever.
Enemies’ heads were regularly hung from the Bowsprit.
Very few grown men had healthy teeth and hair.
Grog was water diluted with rum to keep bacteria from growing in the water stores.
Chapter 3: Pirates AHOY
Fiction
The privateer attack on the Robin never happened.
Real
Most pirates were dead by 1722 but privateers were still a very real threat.
The crow’s nest was used as punishment because of the amplified motion.
All the navigation devices mentioned are real, but some of the ones the Sailing Master used in this book would have been considered very outdated.
Sailing Masters of that time would have had massive sun damage to their eyes.
Pirates of Savannah: The Complete Trilogy - Colonial Historical Fiction Action Adventure (Pirates of Savannah (Adult Version)) Page 37
