"Aye, Cap'n!" The Bosun brought a whistle to his lips, and began to sound the call. The Bosun's mates took up the whistle, calling down into the berthings for the day watch to come up.
"Mr. Miller, check with Cookie, and see if'n he can't safely light the galley fires, and get some hot food into these men. I'll be in me cabin if ye need me."
"Aye, Cap'n, will do so straight away. Do ye be havin a course in mind fer today?"
"Yes, make for Calais. I've a meeting with Madame Sylvie and the others coming up, and I would be remiss if I was to arrive late. However, if we stumble across a ship in need of salvage on the way, sing out!" With that, the Captain's wide grin split his close trimmed beard, and he went below.
"Black"Jack Flint, currently Captain of the Pirate Ship Raptor, went to his cabin, and sat at his desk, missing the chair as it slid out from underneath him. He had been captain of the ship for just under six months, and was still getting a feel for how she moved. "Blast!" Flint muttered to himself as he picked himself back up. Standing, he felt the ship turning hard to port. "What the devil is going on here?" he asked himself as he went to the door. At that moment, the cabin boy came in, and informed that there was a Merchant ship 2 points off the port bow, about a league off, and that Mr. Miller had given chase. "Very well, lad, inform the gun crews tae make ready, and tell Mr. Miller I will be up shortly." "Aye aye, Cap'n!" The dirty lad scampered off.
Flint arrived on the quarterdeck shortly thereafter, dressed in his traditional garb. Black tunic, knee breeches, and what his officers called "that ridiculous sash and head wrap", both of which were a bright vibrant purple. "Report, Mr. Miller!"
"Cap'n, we've a merchantman sitting low in the water, and I don't believe she's spotted us yet. We've got a good breeze pushing us towards her, and we're gaining fast. We should be able to take her fairly easily."
Flint grabbed a spyglass from the rack on the rail, and took a look. "Ye've been spotted now, Mr. Miller. She's flying every inch of sail she has, and ye're losing your lead. Mr. Bradley," Flint called to the pilot at the helm, "If you please, two points more to port, see if we can't regain some of that lead. We'll tack up a bit, and then see if we can't come back across, and rake her stern. Get the starboard gun crews loaded and ready to fire." Flint looked at the mast of the pursued ship. "Mr. Miller, can you make what colors she's flying?"
Miller looked again, and replied, "Looks like she's flying the Union Jack, sir."
"All right, then, fly the same, and see if we can't get them to slow down. Prepare our colors as well, to run up AFTER the first shots are fired. Don't run out the guns until I give the order."
Time crawled by as they gained on the ship. The tacking to port had helped to regain some lost ground, as well as having put up an extra sheet on the topsail. The Raptor was now in a fast pursuit, flying every inch of sail she could put on. "Mr. Miller, I believe you may now call full battle stations, and have the boarders begin their preparations. Mr. Golden!! Make ready to have the Port chasers send a warning shot across her as soon as you see our colors run up! Gun crews, as soon as Mr. Golden fires his warning shot, I want the starboard crews to run out! Port crews, stand by to assist reloading and aiming!"
Flint pulled the glass out again, and was judging the distance to the enemy ship. "What say you, Mr. Miller, I would put us at just over five hundred yards, yes?"
Miller took the glass, and made his own estimate. "Six hundred at the most, Cap'n. We should close to within five hundred in a moment."
Both men watched the ship grow larger as the distance closed. Then Flint called out, "Strike that Jack, and fly our true colors!!!! Mr. Golden, FIRE!!!!! Gun crews, run out and take aim! Go for the Rudder, if you can!!! We are still coming up on her stern. Reload as quickly as you can, with chain and make your second shots for her sheets!"
The Port chasers fired, as Captain Flint's personal colors went up, replacing the Union Jack that was on the mast. The enemy tried to heel over to break away, which was exactly what Flint was counting on. "GUN CREWS FIRE!!!" The sound of cannon fire could easily be heard over the pounding of the surf. Flint and Miller watched the enemy, to see what affect the Raptor's gun crews had, if any. Miller called out, "Her rudder's busted, Cap'n, it worked!!"
Flint shouted, "Boarders on deck! Helm, make ready to come alongside on her port. Mr. Golden, well done! Double load your guns to fire upon their crews as we pull up! Mr. Stone, if you please, have the quarterdeck guns follow the same order. Sweep their decks as we pull up, to reduce the risk to our boarders." The men shouted acknowledgement, and ran to carry out the orders.
The boarding parties swarmed on deck, with muskets on their backs, pistols and cutlasses and knives in their belts, and grapple lines in their hands. Flint smiled, and turned to Mr. Miller. "We've got another advantage, Mr. Miller. The wind just turned, and is now blowing her into us. On my order, reef all sails so as to not get tangled in theirs."
Miller nodded, and answered, "Aye aye, sir."
Flint turned to the helmsman. "We're ready whenever you are, Mr. Bradley."
"Aye, Cap'n, we be comin alongside now."
Flint looked, and replied, "Well done, lad, not a scrape to be heard! Grapples away, reef all sails, boarders, take her!!!!" The cabin boy arrived on deck with Flint's pistols, and cutlass. After belting his weapons on, he moved down to board the enemy ship.
Miller called out, "Cap'n she's ours! She's struck her colors, and they're surrendering!!!" A cheer went up throughout the ship.
Flint boarded, and headed for the quarterdeck, where he found his First Mate, Mr. Thomas, and several boarders surrounding the Officer staff of the taken ship, who all looked very unhappy. "Gentlemen, I be Captain "Black"Jack Flint, Captain of the ship Raptor. Who be the Captain here, and what ship is this?"
One of the officers stepped forward. "I am currently acting as captain, as your "Warning shot" took our captain's head off his shoulders. The man never knew what hit him. The ship is called Elizabeth's Pride."
Flint grinned insolently. "Well then, he didn't have tae worry about why his ship was taken so easily, did he? Gentlemen, I'll take yer swords and me men will take the rest of yer weapons. Soon as we can find a place to be settin ye ashore, we'll do so. Only thing I need from you lads is yer word that there'll be no trouble between here and there, or I shall have ye put over now, tae swim home."
The captured officers looked at each other, and shrugged. The "Acting" Captain spoke again. "This was our first voyage, and was supposed to be relatively easy. We left Port Jamaica a month ago, most of us having been there since we were young lads, and were returning to London with jewelry and gold for Queen Elizabeth, and goods to trade on the market."
"Well then, methinks this turned out to be a rather profitable voyage, after all. Methinks Madame Sylvie would be thrilled to have some new jewels, and of course I'll have tae be finding something nice for my Lady Ophelia, as well. Mr. Thomas, if you please, make sure you've got firm control of the ship, and pick some of your men to stay here with you, and we'll take you in tow until we make landfall." Flint turned to the Raptor. "Mr. Miller!" Flint shouted across the span.
"Aye, sir!" came the reply from the Raptor's quarterdeck.
"Mr. Miller, if you would be so kind, please tell me where the nearest spot of semi-hospitable land is fer us to set these men?" Miller left the side to go check the charts, and came back about fine minutes later.
"We can hit Lisbon in two days, on our way to Calais!"
"Fair enough!" Flint turned back to the captives. "Gentlemen, it looks like you're to be our guests for at least another two days, providing the weather holds, you'll have to find other passage home from Lisbon. No worries, I'm a gentleman, I'll not take anyone's personal monies or property, just what is on the Manifest, and anything else I find in the holds. Mr. Thomas, do ye have a Quartermaster among yer lot tae go over the manifests?" Thomas nodded in the affirmative. "Fair enough, then, set him to work, and I want copies of the Manifests before we hit Lisbon. Also, someone bring me the Captain's log, so that I might review it. I'll be returning to the Raptor as soon as I get the log, Mr. Thomas, so the ship will be yours."
"Aye aye, Cap'n."
A cabin boy arrived with the Ship's and Captain's personal logs, and Flint returned to the Raptor. "Mr. Miller, at your convenience, break us free of the Pride, and take her under tow. She's not goin much of anywhere with no rudder, is she? I'll be below reviewing these logs."
"Aye, sir, if anything comes up, we'll sing out."
Flint turned to go below, and stopped. "Oh, and Mr. Miller, an extra rum ration to the crew with dinner, with my thanks for a job well done today." The crew cheered the Captain as he went below.
The trip to Lisbon went smoothly, with no further problems. Captain Flint had decided that he wasn't going to sell the Pride, as she apparently was contracted with the Queen herself. Last thing he wanted at this point was that fop, Francis Drake chasing him all over the seas. Once the two ships arrived in Lisbon Port, Flint had all the cargo moved from the Pride to the Raptor, and sold off whatever he could get a good profit for. All the jewelry was kept for Madame Sylvie to go through first, for her and her ladies. Then she would have her people sell the rest of it, and Flint would get his share of the profits.
The Pride's crew was then released, and their officers had their weapons returned. Elizabeth's Pride was then allowed to put in for repairs to her rudder, and then back underway for London. The Raptor then set sail, seeking the next trophy on the way to Calais.
© 2010 Jack Black of Flint
No comments:
Post a Comment