Chapter 6: Port Royal
The seas were calm and the trip over to Port Royal went quickly. There were several boats of varying sizes tied up to the docks in the harbor, but the Captain passed them by. “We shall bring the boats up on the beach, Mr. Crabtree,” the Captain shouted to the second boat. “It should make for a shorter distance to carry the supplies.”
“Aye, Captain,” Crabtree acknowledged.
As they approached the shore, Jeff and the others jumped out in the shallow water to pull the boats up onto the sand. “Welcome to Port Royal, Mr. Greene!” the Captain said with a smile. The Captain led the group toward the small row of buildings that made up the town of Port Royal. As they approached the first building, the Captain announced, “We shall replenish our supplies here at the mercantile. It will take us a few trips to load the boats and at least three trips with the boats to restock the ship.” The group entered the building through a rickety door that barely clung to its hinges.
“Captain Coxen! Good to see you!” said a tall, thin man who stood behind the front counter.
“My good Mr. Franklin, how have you been?” the Captain inquired.
“Good, thank you, though could use some more business as I hope ye be here to bring me.”
“Aye,” Nodded the Captain, pulling a piece of paper from his coat. Coxen handed the paper to Franklin and said, “I trust you can supply all of this?”
“Aye,” nodded the shopkeeper, “Except for the salted pork. I don’t have as much as ye require. I can make it up in dried goat meat if that be acceptable.”
“Aye, that will have to do,” the Captain nodded in agreement.
“New crewman?” Franklin asked, nodding at Jeff.
“A guest on my ship who came to us in the storm. It remains to be seen whether he shall join the crew. Mr. Greene, meet Mr. Franklin.”
“My pleasure, Mr. Franklin,” Jeff said, bowing. Franklin bowed in return.
“Well, Mr. Greene, if ye choose to stay in Port Royal and ye need employment, I could use a stockman.”
“What happened to your other stockman? Thomas wasn’t it?” the Captain inquired.
“He got into a row at the tavern last week and the other fellow cut his throat. A pity. Though he was not so brilliant, Thomas was a strong lad and very trustworthy.”
“A pity indeed,” the Captain agreed. “Well, Mr. Greene, if you decide to stay in Port Royal, you could do worse than to work for Mr. Franklin.”
“Yes, I shall keep your offer in mind, Mr. Franklin. Thank you.”
“Ye might not thank me if you take the job,” Franklin replied. “It is backbreaking work, but I make up for it with low wages,” he said with a laugh. “Speaking of backbreaking work, we should get started with your order, Captain.”
“Aye,” the Captain agreed.
Franklin set about leading the men through the stacks of merchandise and directing what to pull out. “Mr. Greene will be needing some clothing as well,” the Captain said.
Franklin motioned Jeff to a large chest. “There should be something fer ye in there, Mr. Greene. Pull out what ye like.” Jeff rummaged through the chest and found a couple of sets of simple clothes to fit him as the others finished assembling the supplies. Judging from the large wooden crates and burlap sacks they had gathered, Jeff knew there was going to be some hard work ahead to get the items back to the boats.
“Ye be welcome to use my wagon, Captain, but my mule ran off and ye would have to move the wagon yourselves, so it might be easier to just carry your supplies.”
“Aye, everyone carry what you can and make for the boats,” the Captain ordered. Jeff tucked his new clothes inside his shirt, squatted down, and hoisted three sacks of dried beans onto his shoulder before struggling to his feet.
“Not bad, Mr. Greene,” Graves said, holding 2 sacks on his own shoulder. I took ye for a bit o’ a priss, like Robinson here, since neither o’ ye has a proper beard!”
“Fuck you, Graves!” Robinson shouted.
“Best be careful what ye say ‘bout Robinson, Mr. Graves,” Crabtree warned, “He does prepare your meals!”
“Just jokin’, Robinson. I meant no offense!” Graves quickly spoke up.
“Shut your mouth and let’s get these loads to the boats,” Robinson growled back. Crabtree led the group down to the boats and they carefully stacked the supplies so that the loads were as balanced as possible before heading back to the mercantile for more. After a few trips back and forth, the boats were full and the crew struggled to push them back onto the water for the trip back to the Wandering Wench. The trip back seemed to take much longer and the oarsmen on both boats had a much more difficult time rowing the heavy loads. When they finally reached the ship, the entire crew pitched in to offload the cargo before the boats headed to shore once more.
In all, it took four such trips to re-supply the ship. In addition to loading and unloading, Jeff took a turn at one of the oars for two of the trips and by the time the job was complete, he was exhausted, soaked with sweat, and the burning in his muscles was matched only by the burning in the parts of his skin that had been left exposed to the tropical sun. The rest of the landing party was in about the same shape, except for the Captain who had not participated in any of the lifting or rowing, and whose clothing provided substantial protection from sunburn. “A good day’s work, men!” the Captain exclaimed. “If you can summon the strength for one more trip to shore, I’ll cover your expenses at the tavern for the evening.”
“Huzzah!” shouted Crabtree, who was also slightly more energetic than the others for not having done any of the rowing. Jeff and the others were more subdued, but nonetheless all were up for one more trip to shore. Though exhausted, Jeff was looking forward to visiting the tavern, if for no other reason than perhaps he could learn more about the storm that had brought him to this time and maybe figure out how to get back. Jeff volunteered to take one of the oars and Robinson and Graves argued over who would take the other before the Captain stepped in and assigned the duty to Graves.
The boats reached the shore and the crew tumbled out to follow the Captain to the tavern. As they approached, the smell of smoke and food wafted through the air and the sounds of raucous partying reached Jeff’s ears. The group walked through the swinging doors of the tavern and the smell of body odor and liquor mixed with the smoke and food to make a strong, but surprisingly not unpleasant scent. Coming in from the bright sunlight, it took Jeff’s eyes a few moments to adjust to the dim light in the tavern. Though the furnishings were more rustic and the clothing was of course of a different style, Jeff was surprised at how similar the environment seemed to the dive bars of his own time.
The Captain walked over to a large rectangular table that was already occupied by four rough-looking men, who glared at him as he approached. The Captain placed his hands on the table and leaned over. A short discussion with the men followed, with the 4 men breaking into hearty laughter, but then falling silent before nodding their heads. It was too far away in the noise of the tavern for Jeff to hear what was said, but in short order, the men stood up and took their drinks over to another table.
The Captain beckoned Jeff and the rest of the group to take their seats. Jeff sat down next to the Captain and Robinson sat beside him, as the others filled in the rest of the seats with Crabtree and Graves across from Jeff and the two Stevens across from each other at the other end of the table.
“What was that all about?” Jeff asked.
The captain smiled, “I told them that if they didn’t move from my table I’d have you beat the four of them senseless.”
“I guess your crew has quite the reputation,” Jeff nodded.
“Oh, not the crew, I told them specifically that my new crewman – you - would personally beat them senseless if they did not move. That’s when they laughed.”
“You told them what?!”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Greene, I added that you were quite the fighter and they had the option of you beating them senseless, or I could buy them a bottle of rum apiece. That’s when they moved!” Jeff sighed with relief as the others at the table laughed.
The Captain looked around. “Where’s the serving wench when you need her?” Spying a stout, dark-skinned woman delivering drinks to another table, the Captain motioned for her to come over. “A pint of rum for each of my crew and what have you to eat?”
“We have beans and rice with salt pork and fish in banana leaf,” the wench replied.
“Good, bring a portion of each fit for all of us.” The woman nodded and quickly left the table, getting repeatedly groped as she made her way across the room. At the other tables, groups of men were engaged in a variety of activities ranging from storytelling, to games of chance involving dice or cards, to carousing with the handful of women in the room. The serving wench quickly delivered the rum and once again made her way across the tavern while being repeatedly groped. “Drink up, men. You’ve earned it!” the Captain shouted.
A well-endowed woman wearing a yellow cleavage-baring dress approached the Captain and wrapped her arms around him from behind. “Well, if it isn’t Captain Coxen! I had hoped to see you again before you sailed.” she exclaimed happily.
“Mary! The love of my life – or at least my love of the moment!”
“Shall we, Captain?” she asked.
“Aye! Excuse me men, Miss Mary and I have some important business to attend to. But carry on and enjoy yourselves as you please. I shall instruct the proprietor of this fine establishment that your charges are mine.” The Captain arose from the table and walked through the tavern with his arm around Mary, exiting through a door in the back.
“Just so I’m clear,” Jeff began, “Mary is a…”
“She be a whore,” Crabtree interjected. “A very talented whore, which is why she be the Captain’s favorite of all the whores in Port Royal,” he added, just as the serving wench managed to push her way to the table with a large platter holding their food and eating utensils. Jeff and the others eagerly dug into the food. Although simple, the food proved to be quite tasty and the hungry crew quickly devoured it.
Crabtree stood up from the table and said, “Well men, now that me belly’s full, methinks it’s time I found me own whore.”
“Aye, me too!” said the two Stevens in unison as they arose and followed Crabtree to the back exit.
“What about you, gentlemen?” Jeff asked, mainly of Graves but including Robinson so as to maintain her cover.
“I’ll head back there in a little while,” Graves replied, “I need to wait until me belly’s not so full.”
“Same for me,” Robinson replied.
At that moment, an attractive red-haired woman in green dress appeared from the back door and made her way over to the table. “Which of ye be Mr. Greene?” she inquired.
“That’s me,” Jeff replied.
“Captain Coxen sent me with his compliments. If you’ll come with me…”
“Uh, that was very kind of the Captain, but no thank you.” Jeff said.
“No? Am I not pleasing to you? Perhaps you would prefer one with different hair?” “No, no, you’re very beautiful. It’s just that I, uh, I would be taking too much advantage of the Captain’s generosity!”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, quite sure, but thank you anyway.”
“Very well,” she said as she turned and exited at the back of the tavern.
Graves eyed Jeff with some suspicion. “Don’t ye like the wenches?” he asked.
“I like wenches just fine,” Jeff replied. “It’s syphilis I don’t like.”
“How’d ye know ‘er name?” Graves asked.
“What?”
“How’d ye know ‘er name was… Safilis?”
“Not Safilis, Syphilis!” Jeff replied with a laugh. Graves looked confused, so Jeff attempted to explain, “Syphilis – you know the STD, er, the sickness you get from laying with unclean women.”
“Aye! Ye mean the French Pox,” Graves nodded with recognition.
“Whatever you call it,” Jeff agreed.
“Ye need not fear the French Pox, Mr. Greene. I have medicine for that,” Graves offered.
“I heard that the last person you treated for French Pox died!” Jeff exclaimed.
“Aye! But it was not me fault he could not hold his medicine!” Graves yelled defensively.
“I didn’t mean to imply it was your fault, Mr. Graves, merely that French Pox can be dangerous.”
“Very well, Mr. Greene. But if ye do not want the whore the Captain chose for ye, I’m going to go see if I can ‘ave ‘er.”
“By all means,” Jeff agreed as Graves arose and made his way to the back exit.
“So,” Robinson began, “Was that for my benefit, or did you really turn down the Captain’s gift for fear of the French Pox?”
“Both,” Jeff replied.
“Interesting,” Robinson smiled. “So does this mean you might be agreeable to taking a walk with me?”
“Of course,” Jeff replied with a smile.
“Good! Come with me,” Robinson said as she headed toward the front door. Jeff quickly followed her outside. The bright sun hurt his eyes as he exited the tavern, but he adjusted quickly as he followed Robinson across to a stand of trees. Robinson paused in the shade for a moment, surveying the activity along the strip of buildings. “It’s important that we not be followed,” she explained. When Robinson was convinced that the coast was clear, she beckoned for Jeff to follow her. “Do not talk, as we must listen for anyone nearby,” she instructed.
They walked for some distance through the trees before emerging onto the beach. Ahead Jeff could see a rock face that jutted out into the water. Robinson led him to the back of the rocks and through a narrow passageway that opened up into a cave with a crystal-clear pool of water in it. She reached her hands behind her head and untied the dirty bandana covering it to reveal shiny straight black hair that dropped to her shoulders. “Do you swim, Mr. Greene?” Robinson asked as she began to remove her clothes.
“Yes, of course,” Jeff replied, taking her lead and slipping off his shirt.
“Good, not many in this day do. They say that it is unhealthy, but I love to swim,” she said as she removed her remaining clothing and stood naked in front of him.
Jeff was speechless. Although she still had the grime on her face and was a bit hairy in areas that 21st century women tended to keep trimmed or shaved, she was actually quite a beautiful woman. She smiled as she turned and dove into the water and Jeff quickly stripped off his pants and dove in after her. Jeff surfaced in the warm water a few feet away from Robinson. He moved toward her and she swam backwards.
“Not so fast, Mr. Greene,” she teased. “If you want me, you’ll have to catch me!” she said as she turned in the water to swim away. Jeff swam after her and was surprised at how fast she moved through the water. She reached the ledge surrounding the pool and popped out of the water. Jeff followed close behind and ran after her. Robinson ran around the edge of the pool until she reached the cave wall and then dove back into the water. Jeff was close behind and as he dove in, he managed to grab her leg before she could get any momentum. She laughed as he pulled her toward him. “Well done, Mr. Greene! You have caught me fair and square. Come and claim your prize,” she said before swimming slowly toward the ledge and climbing out.
She picked up their two piles of clothes and arranged them on the cave floor. “This should do,” she said as she laid down on them. The swim had washed much of the grime from her face and with the water droplets shining on her skin in the dim light, she was even more beautiful than before. Jeff felt his arousal building and Robinson looked at him with a lusty look in her eye. “Do bring that to me, Mr. Gre
ene!” Jeff lay down beside her and she turned to face him. Their eyes met for a moment before they embraced and locked their lips together in a passionate kiss. After some minutes, Robinson sat up, straddling him and said, “Well, Mr. Greene, are you ready to collect your prize?”
“Yes, very ready!” Jeff said with a smile.
“In that case…” She ground her pelvis against his as Jeff moved his hands over her tan skin, caressing her. She felt incredible, and it probably would have progressed to something even better, if not for the land crab that had its burrow right below where they were lying.
They were both moaning with pleasure when the crab’s pincer found Jeff’s testicles. “AHHHH!” he screamed out in pain. But Robinson thought he was just enjoying the moment and continued to rock back and forth on him. “Stop! Stop! Something’s pinching me!” he yelled. Robinson quickly climbed off of him and spotted the crab, now firmly attached to Jeff’s privates with both claws. She couldn’t help but laugh at his predicament. “Ahhh! Ow! Fuck!” he screamed, which only caused her to laugh harder. “Stop laughing and help me!” Jeff yelled in pain while he unsuccessfully attempted to remove the crab.
Trying to stifle her laughter, Robinson searched through the clothing and pulled out her knife. “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! What are you going to do with that!” Jeff yelled.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Greene, I’m becoming quite fond of that part of you!” she said still chuckling, “I’m going to cut off the crab’s claws and then remove them from you. Just hold the crab steady and don’t move!” She bent down and with two quick crunches, deftly separated the crab from its claws. Jeff tossed the crab to the side as she gently pried the claws from his scrotum.
Jeff sighed with relief. “Damn that hurt!” Robinson could no longer hold back and broke into a fit of hysterical laughter. “Thanks for laughing at my pain!” Jeff said, now chuckling himself.
Robinson finally managed to compose herself. “I’ve heard of men having the crabs before, but I had no idea!” she said, breaking once more into a fit of laughter. This time Jeff joined in and they were both laughing so hard that they were crying.
When they both managed to settle down and catch their breath, Robinson looked at him with a wicked smile and asked, “Do you think you can carry on, or are you too injured?”
“I think I can manage,” Jeff said with a smile as felt his arousal building once more. “But this time, you be the one at crab-level!” he said as he pulled her down and rolled on top of her. He kissed her deeply as he joined his body with hers. They moved together for some time before Jeff felt her body tighten and Robinson screamed out in pleasure. A moment later, he could no longer hold back and was overtaken by his own climax. “I hope that was a scream of… enjoyment and not another crab,” Jeff said with a twinkle in his eye.
Robinson laughed, “Definitely not a crab!”
The two relaxed for a few minutes in each other’s embrace before Robinson said, “I would love to stay and have another go with you, as it has been far too long since I have had such pleasure. But, we should be getting back to the tavern before we are missed.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Jeff agreed. They washed quickly in the water and then sorted out their respective clothing. Jeff dressed and helped Robinson re-wrap her chest and smear some mud on her face to re-establish her disguise before the two headed back to the tavern.
“Oh, one thing…” Jeff began as they headed out of the cave, “What’s your first name? Given our activities today, it seems odd to only know you as ‘Mr. Robinson’.”
“My name is Jennifer, or Jenny as my husband used to call me,” she replied with a faint look of sadness in her eye. The Captain said your name was Jeff?”
“Yes,” he nodded.
“Well, it would be inappropriate to use those names around the crew, but when we have the opportunity for privacy, I should like to call you Jeff and for you to call me Jenny.”
“Agreed,” Jeff smiled.
As they reached the edge of the trees just outside town, Jenny once again scanned the street. “You go in first and I’ll come in a bit later, just to make sure nobody suspects us,” she suggested. Jeff nodded and walked across to the tavern and entered. Graves, Crabtree, and the two Stevens were at the table drinking and apparently had been for some time.
Crabtree looked up as Jeff approached and raised his mug. “Mr. Greene, join us for some rum!” The other men were obviously pretty drunk as they raised their mugs in greeting.
“Wheresss Misssterr Rrrobinson?” Graves asked.
“I have no idea. I figured she’d be here with you… Uh, HE’s probably off with a whore somewhere,” Jeff replied, cringing to himself as he realized he’d referred to Robinson as a she. To his relief, none of the men seemed to have picked up on his slip and they continued to drink.
Jeff picked up an empty mug and poured a small quantity of rum into it from the pitcher on the table. He didn’t really want to drink rum, but he figured he’d look out of place if he didn’t. He waved over the serving wench and asked her to bring him some coconut water with lime juice. She looked at him with an odd expression, but nodded as she headed off. She returned just as Robinson was walking in the door of the tavern. Jeff poured the juices into his rum and tasted it. It would have been better cold, but even warm it was not too bad. Robinson took a seat beside him at the table. “Ah, there ye be, Robinssson,” Crabtree slurred. “Did ye enjoy yer whore?”
“Aye!” Robinson acknowledged. “Think she might have had crabs though,” she said, elbowing Jeff in the ribs.
He stifled a laugh and said, “I’m sure Mr. Graves can cure that if need be.”
“Aye!” Graves nodded, spilling his rum.
Just then, the Captain emerged from the back door and strode across to the table. “Gentlemen, make space for I have invited some friends to drink and eat with us.” Jeff and the others shifted their positions to make room at the table as the Captain waved over a small group of old men. The men took their places at the table as Coxen addressed them. “You all know my crew, and this is Mr. Greene, whom I’ve told you about.” Turning to Jeff, he continued, “Mr. Greene, these men have each lived many years at sea as well as here in Port Royal. I’ve taken the liberty of explaining your circumstances to them and inquired if they know anything more about the storm that brought you here than what I’ve been able to tell you. Mr. Turnbuckle, if you would be so kind as to go first and share what you told me.”
“Of course,” the elderly man replied. “I have seen storms like the one two nights ago three other times in my life, scattered over many years. The other times were all when I was aboard ships, never before when I was on land as I was during this storm. Other than the storms themselves, nothing was odd, except for the first one. During the first one I experienced off the coast of Jamaica, near the main Port Royal, there was a brief instant when I saw something that looked like an enormous ship made of metal. When I rubbed my eyes to look again, it was gone. Soon after that, the storm broke up and vanished - all in the blink of an eye.” Jeff spoke up, “May I ask where you were for the other two storms?” “You may ask, but I don’t really recall. We were between ports and had not seen land for several days and that is all that I remember.”
“Thank you, Mr. Turnbuckle,” the Captain said. “Mr. Gibson, would you be so kind…”
“Yes, Captain, of course,” the next man replied. “Mr. Greene, I have seen the same type of storm only once before, just a few years ago. I was on my way over to the island of Utila on a small boat with my son when the storm came up out of nowhere. During the storm, I could hear a cry for help off in the distance, but we were struggling to keep from capsizing ourselves and could not lend assistance. When the storm passed, we found a drowned man in strange clothing floating in the water. My son pulled him into our boat and we took him to be buried on Utila. He was wearing this strang
e bracelet…” Gibson pulled a non-functioning digital wristwatch from his pocket and handed it to Jeff.
“Yes, this is something from my time,” Jeff said excitedly. “This was just a few years ago you said?”
“Yes,” Mr. Gibson nodded.
Jeff returned the watch to the elderly man as the Captain turned to the last man and said, “Mr. Thomas?”
“Yes,” Mr. Thomas began, “I too have seen the same odd storm only one other time. It was at least 20 years ago, when I was still serving on the crew of Captain Morgan.”
“Morgan!” snorted Coxen, “That pompous arse! Do you know he had the nerve to issue a writ for my arrest for doing the very things he used to do himself?” The Captain paused as he noticed Mr. Thomas glaring at him. “My apologies, Mr. Thomas. I know you are still loyal to Captain Morgan and I am speaking out of turn. Please continue.”
“Yes, well, as I was saying, I was sailing with Captain Morgan. We had been raiding Spanish outposts here in the Bay of Honduras. One night, the warm summer breeze suddenly blew cold and the odd-colored lightning buzzed overhead. The clouds formed what looked like a cave around us and the walls were closing in. I could feel the electricity causing the hairs on my neck to stand up and as the clouds squeezed closer, everything went black. I passed in and out of consciousness for what seemed like several minutes and when I would open my eyes, I looked to the shoreline and I did not recognize it. There were many lights I had never seen before, including some red, blinking ones that looked like dragon’s eyes that appeared to be attached to tall, thin structures that went high into the sky. When I fully regained my wits, the clouds were starting to break up, but then suddenly closed in again. When we finally came through the storm, the shoreline was dark once again and the strange lights were gone.”
“Thank you, Mr. Thomas,” Jeff said, “It sounds like you may have gone through time like I did, just the other direction and just for a short time.”
“Aye. Perhaps,” the old man nodded.
“Thank you all, gentlemen,” the Captain spoke up. “Do you have any more questions for them, Mr. Greene?”
“No, I don’t know what else to ask at this point, Captain. And yes, thank you very much for sharing your stories, gentlemen,” Jeff responded.
“Very good then. Now, shall we share some food and drink?” the Captain asked. Everyone nodded in agreement. “Wench! Bring us a pitcher of rum, a pitcher of ale, and a pot of whatever that is that I smell cooking in the kitchen!”
“Aye,” the tired-looking woman acknowledged as she headed off to the kitchen.
Jeff watched her depart and noticed an angry-looking man bump into her as she made her way through the crowd. He seemed to have fixed his stare on Captain Coxen and was slowly approaching the table. Something about the man put Jeff on edge and he wanted to be prepared in case there was trouble. “Please excuse me,” Jeff said as he stood up from the table, and casually walked toward the man. As Jeff passed by him, he could see the man’s hand on the handle of a large knife contained in a sheath that hung from his belt. Jeff quickly turned and followed close behind him. The man walked up behind the Captain and drew his knife.
“Captain!” Crabtree yelled as he spotted the man, but he and the rest of the crew were out of position to lend any assistance. But Jeff was ready. Before the man could attack, Jeff grabbed his arm and brought it swiftly down onto his knee, knocking the knife from the man’s hand. Jeff immediately followed with a ridge-hand chop to the man’s throat. He staggered backwards and crashed to the floor on his back as Coxen and the crew jumped to their feet.
“Mr. Allison! What’s the meaning of this?” the Captain boomed.
“Fuuuck… Ye… Coxxxen!” the man gasped through his bruised throat.
“Mr. Crabtree, please remove this vermin!”
“Aye, Captain! Shall I kill ‘im?”
“No, Mr. Crabtree, though it goes against my better judgment, simply insure that he will not be able to cause any further trouble between now and when we sail.”
“Aye, Captain!” Crabtree acknowledged as he bent down and yanked Allison to his feet. “Stevens and other Stevens, come with me to take this trash out.”
“Aye!” the two said in unison, before joining Crabtree in shoving Allison through the crowd and out the door.
Coxen turned toward Jeff. “Thank you, Mr. Greene. That was very well done!”
“Friend of yours I take it,” Jeff said, nodding his head toward the door.
The Captain laughed. “A former member of my crew. He was caught taking additional rations of rum and so I dismissed him. He may hold a bit of a grudge though since we left him naked in the street with the word ‘thief’ painted on his back.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t order Crabtree to kill him. He did just try to kill you,” Jeff remarked.
“Aye. When I was a younger man, I would have killed him myself on the spot. For that matter I would have had him hanged for his original indiscretion. But the years have quenched my bloodlust and now I only kill when I must. In any event, I am glad that you were watching my back when all I had asked of you was to watch your own.”
“Anytime,” Jeff nodded, but aren’t you worried about Allison trying again to kill you?”
“Ah, Mr. Greene, with a past like mine, there are many who I’m sure would gladly take my life if given the chance. Worrying about Mr. Allison would be like worrying about one drop of rum in a barrel!”
“I guess I see your point,” Jeff agreed.
The serving wench was approaching with pitchers. “Back to the business at hand,” the Captain shouted. “Drink up, men! But save some rum for Crabtree and the Stevens. They’ll be thirsty when they return!”
The serving wench quickly departed and soon returned with a pot and a stack of dishes and spoons. “Goat stew,” she reported as she set the items in the center of the table.
As she left, Crabtree and the Stevens re-entered the tavern and returned to the table. “We sorted things with Mr. Allison, Captain. We’ll see no more o’ him,” Crabtree reported as the men took their seats.
“Very good, Mr. Crabtree,” the Captain nodded. Jeff was curious to know what had become of Allison, but Crabtree and the Stevens did not seem inclined to volunteer any information and somehow it seemed inappropriate to ask as they were eager to partake of the food and drink.
When everyone at the table had their fill, the Captain announced, “Thank you Mr. Turnbuckle, Mr. Gibson, Mr. Thomas, for joining us. We should be getting back to the ship.” The three elders arose and thanked the Captain for his hospitality. Turning to Jeff, the Captain asked, “So, Mr. Greene, have you made your decision?”
“Yes, Captain. It seems to me that my best chance of getting back to my own time, slim though it may be, is to be aboard a ship. If you are still willing to have me, I would like to remain with you and your crew.
“Aye! Very good, Mr. Greene. Men, welcome the newest member of the crew. We shall initiate him properly when we get back to the Wandering Wench!”
Jeff was a bit nervous about what the initiation into a pirate crew might be, but he smiled and bowed to each of the men as they offered their welcome to the crew.
“Now then, we should be getting back to the ship,” the Captain instructed as he headed for the door. Jeff and the others followed him out of the Tavern and down to the longboat. The two Stevens took the oars and Crabtree took the rudder as they pushed off from shore. The Captain turned to Jeff and said, “Well, Mr. Greene, tomorrow we will sail to Tortuga to join with two other ships in the Brethren of the Coast before we set off on our raids. You have come along at a fortuitous time as you will have a chance to earn a good deal of money and we will have a more competent ship’s surgeon when needed.”
Graves spoke up, “Begging the Captain’s pardon, but am I not the ship’s surgeon no more?”
“N
o, Mr. Graves. I do thank you for your service as the surgeon, but your skills shall be needed elsewhere. Mr. Greene will be taking over as surgeon.” Jeff heard Crabtree mutter thanks to God at the announcement as he waited for some sign of anger or resentment from Graves, but there was none.
“Aye, Captain. Never did like dealing with all them medicines anyhow,” Graves said matter-of-factly.
It was late afternoon now and the sun was beginning to drop quickly in the sky. The sea was calm and the trip back to the ship went quickly. As they approached the ship, there was considerable activity onboard. The Captain took note of it and was quick to climb the cargo net when the boat pulled alongside. “Captain!” Harrison yelled from the bow, “Ye will want to take a look at this!”
As Jeff and the others from the longboat made it onboard, the Captain was already standing on the bow, looking out to sea with his spyglass. The Captain turned and yelled up to the crow’s nest, “Mr. Pike, can you see their colors?”
“Aye, Captain! They be Spanish!”
“Damn the foul luck!” the Captain exclaimed. “Mr. Pike, keep watch on them!”
“Aye, Captain!”
Coxen made his way to the center of the deck. “Men, gather ‘round.” Jeff stepped forward with the rest of the crew encircling the Captain. “It appears that at least 4 Spanish man o’ war are heading straight for us. It is to our good fortune that it is late in the day. They won’t make it here before sundown and they’d be fools to try to make it inside the reef without the sun. Most likely they’ll anchor a good distance out and wait to attack at first light. They will likely spread out and block us in to the island. Our best chance is to try to slip past them in the dark, and hope to steer clear of the reef. I do not wish to alert them to our plan, so set about making ready the ship to set sail on a moment’s notice but keep the sails wrapped loosely. Also gather any cargo that is of questionable value and keep it close to the rail so that we can dump it easily.”
“Aye, Captain!” the crew said in one voice.
The Captain turned to Jeff as the rest of the crew quickly dispersed. “I had hoped that you would have little to do as ship’s surgeon, Mr. Greene, but it may be that tomorrow will be a busy day for you. I also regret to inform you that if we are unsuccessful in escaping those ships, you will not likely live long enough to find your way home.”
“I understand Captain, but I may have an idea that will help us escape…”
Pirates of the Storm: Stranded In Time Book 1 Page 7
