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@@ -1747,31 +1747,37 @@ They climbed out on a limb away from the tangle of undergrowth that served as th --- -It took three men and travious to get the boar back to camp. Everyone clapped henri on the back, several sailors even paraded him around on their shoulders, but Lulu noticed that Henri seemed strangely subdued. +It took three men and an impromptu travois to get the boar back to camp. Everyone clapped Henri on the back, several sailors even paraded him around on their shoulders, but Lulu noticed that Henri seemed strangely subdued. -:TODO: finish out story, how Henri feels a little bad about it. He talks to Lulu falling asleep, how he wonders about the other pig, how it feels to have lost its mate. How he feels to have lost owen. Then the next day quickly to the digging up the pig, henri won't eat it. He stops hunting and takes up fishing again. +The sailors piled wood high on the fire that night until the bed of coals was six inches deep. Then they dug a pit and poured the majority of the coals into the pit. +Lulu stood off to the side with Henri, watching as they laid the pig across the coals. The singed smell of burnt fur filled the air and everyone stepped away. One sailor stayed behind to bury the pig in sand. +Then they built the fire back up, and the fiddles came out. The firelight lit the circle of dunes a rich orange glow like a dying sun still trying to light a world. There was singing and dancing and drums that turned more and more to bawdy sea shanties, and half sung tales of balmy seas, fair winds, and prize ships filled with nothing but rum and pieces of eight. After they tried of dancing around the fire, the crew put away the fiddles and settled into storytelling. Lulu began to fall asleep until she heard someone whisper for Black Sam to tell the ghost ship story. Ghost ship? She was awake. -The firelight lit the circle of dunes a rich orange glow like a dying sun still trying to light a world. The crew put away the fiddles and drums and sea shanties and settled into storytelling. Birdie began to fall asleep until she heard someone whisper for Black Sam to tell the ghost ship story. Ghost ship? She was awake. +After some cajoling Bellamy stood up and straightened his hat, rested his hand on his sword theatrically and began. -Sam stood up and straightened his hat, rested his hand on his sword theatrically and began. "We'd been in the doldrums for days, maybe weeks, it was hard to know, one brutally hot day after another, no wind, no current, dead stillness. I remember Jack took off his jacket and tried flapping it up and down at the sail to create a bit of wind, but of course that didn't work. He just ended up tired." Sam smiled and the crew looked to Ratham who shrugged. "Worth a try." +"We'd been in the doldrums for days, maybe weeks, it was hard to know, one brutally hot day after another, no wind, no current, dead stillness. I remember Jack took off his jacket and tried flapping it up and down at the sail to create a bit of wind, but of course that didn't work. He just ended up tired." Sam smiled and the crew looked to Ratham who shrugged. "Worth a try." -"We were all hungry and thirsty all the time. Food was running low. We'd put a water ration in place the minute the wind died. Two dips a day. It was like sailing a merchant ship." There was a round of grunts, a kind of dark, knowing laughter. "We finally found enough of a current to pull us out and what do we see on the horizon but a sail. Luck is changing. It's impossible to know how far ahead she is though, we might catch her in a matter of hours, it might be a week. There's still no wind, we're really just drifting, but with a bit of direction. Those sails though, they must be drifting too. Revenge doesn't have a very tall mast so we often sight ships before they sight us." +"We were all hungry and thirsty all the time. Food was running low. We'd put a water ration in place the minute the wind died. Two dips a day. It was like sailing a merchant ship." There was a round of dark, knowing chuckles. + +"We finally found enough of a current to pull us out and what do we see on the horizon but a sail. Luck is changing. It's impossible to know how far ahead she is though, we might catch her in a matter of hours, it might be a week. There's still no wind, we're really just drifting, but with a bit of direction. Those sails though, they must be drifting too. Whydah doesn't have a very tall mast so we often sight ships before they sight us." "One of her best points," put in Jack. -"Yes it is," Bellamy smiled. He was nothing if not proud of his ship. "So we figure there's not much to be done. Either we drift faster and catch it or it gets the wind ahead of us and disappears. I hate drifting. Every sailor hates drifting. We float along for days with those sails on the horizon, never can see the ship. just the sails, the white against a world of blue, forever out of reach. +"Yes it is," Bellamy smiled. He was nothing if not proud of his ship. + +"So we figure there's not much to be done. Either we drift faster and catch it or it gets the wind ahead of us and disappears. I hate drifting. Every sailor hates drifting. We float along for days with those sails on the horizon, never can see the ship, just the sails, the white against a world of blue, forever out of reach. -Finally after three days the sails disappear and we know. Wind. Life comes back to the crew, men get out of hammocks again. Everyone feels lighter, the water ration doesn't even seem so bad anymore. Two hours later we heard that first snap, that delicious curling sound of canvas catching wind. And we move forward, we leap forward. It feels like Revenge has been shot out of a gun. We're laughing and crying, everyone is hugging. +"Finally after three days the sails disappear and we know. Wind. Life comes back to the crew, men get out of hammocks again. Everyone feels lighter, the water ration doesn't even seem so bad anymore. Two hours later we heard that first snap, that delicious curling sound of canvas catching wind. And we move forward, we leap forward. It feels like Whydah has been shot out of a gun. We're laughing and crying, everyone is hugging." The crew was smiling now at the memory. -And then we see the sails again. +"And then we see the sails again." Birdie noticed the smiles fade from the crew's faces. One man crossed himself the way the Spanish do. Sam continued. -"This is our luck, we're out of the doldrums and there's a prize in front of us. It doesn't get much better than that. We slowly run her down. She's not well sailed. Jack takes a point of intercept that's about half a day out. We figure we'll have her before nightfall. Now of course we can see her. And it seems strange but there's no one on the deck. We figure they seen our sails and are hiding. Wouldn't be the first time. Though usually there's still someone at the helm. We can't be sure, but Jack says come here Sam. So I go up to the poop where's he's got the glass and have a look. It's a strange thing, the deck is well laden, there's stuff lashed everywhere, she looks smartly rigged, not very well trimmed for someone trying to outrun a pirate, but not everyone can sail." +"This is our luck, we're out of the doldrums and there's a prize in front of us. It doesn't get much better than that. We slowly run her down. She's not well sailed. Jack takes a point of intercept that's about half a day out. We figure we'll have her before nightfall. Now of course we can see her. And it seems strange but there's no one on the deck. We figure they seen our black and are hiding. Wouldn't be the first time. Though usually there's still someone at the helm. We can't be sure, but Jack says come here Sam. So I go up to the poop where's he's got the glass and have a look. It's a strange thing, the deck is well laden, there's stuff lashed everywhere, she looks smartly rigged. She's not very well trimmed for someone trying to outrun a pirate, but hey, not everyone can sail." There was laughter from the crew. @@ -1781,7 +1787,7 @@ There was laughter from the crew. The men were nodding. One yelled out, "I felt it from the beginning, but hell, I was hopeful of rum somewhere on that cursed ship." -Captain Bellamy smiled. "so we get to the main hatch and all kind of look at each other. Everyone's least favorite moment of boarding, stepping down in to that darkness where you don't know if it's going to be swords or guns coming at you. Jack goes first, heel slides the ladder, sword in one hand pistol in the other. It was quite impressive. He smiled at Ratham, who tipped his tri-cornered hat to the crowded. +Captain Bellamy smiled. "so we get to the main hatch and all kind of look at each other. Everyone's least favorite moment of boarding, stepping down in to that darkness where you don't know if it's going to be swords or guns or nothing coming at you. Jack goes first, heel slides the ladder, sword in one hand pistol in the other. It was quite impressive. He smiled at Ratham, who tipped his tri-cornered hat to the crowd. "Alex and me don't hear a thing. I yell down, Jack, what's going on. Nothing comes the answer. Alex and I go down, slow, guns drawn. There's Jack wandering around in the darkness, poking around the crew's hammocks. There's no one. And still that strange silence. You know how the presence of people makes a noise, a very quiet, subtle noise you don't really notice... until it's gone? That noise was gone." @@ -1789,7 +1795,7 @@ Captain Bellamy smiled. "so we get to the main hatch and all kind of look at eac Bellamy nodded. "No criticism from me Alex. So Jack and I stand there for a bit in the darkness, looking at each other trying to figure out what's going on. The firelight from the torch is making strange shadows on the hull. Jack just stares at me. Where is everyone Sam?" -"You don't think they'd hide in the bilge do you? I asked him. Jack made that face our quartermaster makes when he doesn't like your idea. Sam grinned. Jack waved his hand in mock theatrical bow. Birdie saw the crew laughing in the firelight. +"You don't think they'd hide in the bilge do you? I asked him. Jack made that face our quartermaster makes when he doesn't like your idea. Sam grinned. Jack waved his hand in mock theatrical bow. "We hunted around, but there wasn't much to hunt through. Some silk, mostly some barrels of alcohol. Not the kind you drink. A couple were empty. There was some salt pork that was still good. Jack found the bilge hatch and we open it and thrust the torch down in it, but there was nothing but stinky water. We went back up topside. It was pretty obvious, there was no one on the ship. It was just sailing." @@ -1799,9 +1805,9 @@ Jack threw the last of the stick in the fire. "I think they abandoned ship." Several of the crew grunted. "Who would abandon ship?" asked Bellamy. -"In a storm? It's crossed my mind." Jack laughed, but seemed serious as well, and very drunk. "I mean, you really want to abandon ship right, but you don't of course because that would be stupid. Well suppose you gave into that impulse though? Suppose you really did it? You got in the canoe and let the main ship go..." His voice trailed off. +"In a storm? It's crossed my mind." Jack laughed, but seemed serious as well, and very drunk. "I mean, you really want to abandon ship right, but you don't of course because that would be stupid. Well suppose you gave into that impulse? Suppose you really did it? You got in the canoe and let the main ship go..." His voice trailed off. -"There were seven hammocks in that hold, no way you're convincing at least seven sailors to abandon ship. No way." Birdie was nodding along with Captain Sam. She knew she would never do it. The ship wants to be upright her father always said, just keep steady at the helm. +"There were seven hammocks in that hold, no way you're convincing at least seven sailors to abandon ship. No way." Lulu was nodding along with Captain Sam. She knew she would never do it. The ship wants to be upright her father always said, just keep steady at the helm and trust the ship. "What were they carrying again?" Her father spoke up without looking at Captain Bellamy. He was staring into the darkness, lost in thought, the way he looked when he a was a hundred leagues away in his mind. @@ -1815,50 +1821,71 @@ Bellamy looked down. Ratham fairly gasped. "No. We got out there quick as we cou Black Sam and Jack glanced at each other. Lulu saw the crew stare away. She noticed her father pick up on it too. He shrugged. "Shame," said her father, "it'd help kill the snails in your hull." +Another man told a story of running aground at the mouth of a crocodile infested river in Africa, but Lulu had already dozed off. Until she heard the same whisper she'd heard earlier in the forest. "Lulu." + +"Yes brother?" + +"Do you think the other pig is sad?" + +It took Lulu a moment to process which other pig he was referring to but then she remembered the second pig. It had been further into the bushes so she'd not paid it much attention, but she wondered if they were related. Or mates. "I don't know brother." + +"I think it's out there, missing the one I killed." + +Lulu rolled over and looked at Henri. Her back was to the fire, but he was sitting up enough that she could see his streaked cheeks in the firelight. She did not say anything, but she reached out and took his hand. + +He continued to stare off into the fire as a tears ran down his face. Finally he spoke again, his voice choked. "I think Owen is out there somewhere, missing me." + +Lulu didn't know what to say. She thought a thousand thoughts, but none of them could do anything to ease the pain of that image, of Owen and tk and Uncle Cole, somewhere out there in the darkness, never able to find their way back, searching for their families, but never able to find them. She said nothing, but when Henri finally laid his head down, she pulled him close and wrapped her arms around him and they fell asleep that way. + ## Careen -Anne and Jack and the crew spent two weeks on the beach. The crew helped her father frame out a new Maggie. It still needed a mast, but they'd floated it and rowed it up the river. It was a slightly modified design her father believed would sail faster. Jack stood on shore watching Anne and her father trying to surf it in from its maiden voyage. "You know birdie, three years ago I started sailing in something not much bigger than that thing. I sailed into a Nassau two winters ago in a canoe. A canoe Birdie. It was a fine canoe. But look at that Birdie. He pointed down the beach at Revenge which was nearly upright, waiting for the tide to lift her enought to slide back out into deeper water, her hull sealed, her rigging the next thing to be worked on. +Sam and Jack and the crew spent two weeks on the beach. The crew helped her father frame out a new Maggie. It still needed a mast, but they'd floated it and rowed it up the river. It was a slightly modified design her father believed would sail faster. Jack stood on shore watching Sam and her father trying to surf it in from its maiden voyage. "You know Birdie, three years ago I started sailing in something not much bigger than that thing. I sailed into a Nassau two winters ago in a canoe. A canoe Birdie. It was a fine canoe. But look at that Birdie. He pointed down the beach at Whydah, which was nearly upright, waiting for the tide to lift her enough to slide back out into deeper water, her hull sealed, her rigging the next thing to be worked on. -"That my girl, is a warship. I captured that vessel without firing a single shot. We simply paddled up. There was no wind that day, so we were padding our canoe. We rowed up and they were so afraid of us they just gave up. I never thought I would see a day like this, when people like me, Jack, your father. When people like us would have our own ships." He took a large swig of rum from the small barrel in the sand. +"That my girl, is a warship. We captured that vessel without firing a single shot. We simply paddled up. There was no wind that day, so we were padding our canoe. We rowed up and they were so afraid of us they gave up. I never thought I would see a day like this, when people like me, Sam, your father. When people like us would have our own ships." He took a large swig of rum from the small barrel in the sand. -"Sure, I dreamed of things like that, and maybe I even secretly thought maybe... maybe one day I'd have my own ship, nothing this big, but maybe one day the sea would grant me a ship, maybe I did think that was possible." He wiped his lips. "But good lord, look at that thing! It's a warship. People like us rule the sea right now. We have warships. This was not supposed to happen Bridie." +"Sure, I dreamed of things like that, and maybe I even secretly thought maybe... maybe one day the sea would grant us a real ship, maybe I did think that was possible." He wiped his lips. "But good lord, look at that thing! It's a warship. People like us rule the sea right now. We have warships. This was not supposed to happen Birdie." He stared out at the sea in silence for a moment. "Somewhere, someone is very, very unhappy right now." He smiled. She smiled back at him. "Someone somewhere is plotting their revenge. And they will probably get it, but for now.... for now the seas is ours, Birdie." --- -Birdie went with Tamba and Kobayashi to work the rigging on Revenge. The ship was huge, so much larger than Delos as to make her home feel like a little toy. Revenge was a warship Bellamy kept saying, and Birdie thought he was just bragging until she got out there next to it in the rowboat and realized what he meant. It was big, a truly massive, hulking, heavy-looking piece of wood and sail. It had a presence you could not ignore. +Birdie went with Tamba and Kobayashi to work the rigging on Whydah. The ship was huge, so much larger than Delos as to make her home feel like a little toy. Whydah was a warship Ratham kept saying, and Birdie thought he was just bragging until she got out there next to it in the rowboat and realized what he meant. It was big, a truly massive, hulking, heavy-looking piece of wood and sail. It had a presence you could not ignore. She climbed up the rigging with Tamba behind her. They got to work tarring the standing rigging, some of which the men were still retying and splicing. The smell of pine and tar and salt water mixed in the offshore breeze with it's scent of salt marsh and river mouths and maybe, if she really focused, the hint of campfire smoke. But she didn't focus, she focused on holding onto the rigging because she was higher than she had ever been before and, unlike her sister, she did not much like heights. She kept one arm looped tightly around the hemp line as she painted the tar onto the row of line above it. She was halfway down the mizzen mast rigging when she happened to stare out at sea at just the right moment so that she saw something white move. At first she thought it was a sea gull, or a skimmer dipping its beak down to snag some unseen fish, but then she realized it was not a bird, it was too far away, to indistinct to be a bird. It was a sail. Without really thinking about it, because it was what she always did when she spotted a sail, it was what any sailor would do if they saw a sail, she yelled "sail". -She felt every eye on the ship glance up at her, find her line of site and follow it out to sea. Tamba was in the rigging across from hers and he slowly turned around to look. She watched as it dipped below the horizon before he had turned. She gulped, what if no one believed her? She glanced down. Jack was standing below her, one leg on the rail, glass to his eye. She watched as he brought the glass down and glanced up at her, "Flag? Bearing?" +She felt every eye on the ship glance up at her, find her line of sight and follow it out to sea. Tamba was in the rigging across from hers and he slowly turned around to look. She watched as it dipped below the horizon before he had turned. She gulped, what if no one believed her? She glanced down. Jack was standing below her, one leg on the rail, glass to his eye. She watched as he brought the glass down and glanced up at her, "Flag? Bearing?" She shook her head. He nodded. He called out someone's name and handed them the glass. Birdie watched as the sailor climbed the main mast rigging up to the barrel and began scanning the horizon. He was at least 20 feet higher than her, surely he would see it. She watched as he silently shook his head to Jack. Tamba turned back around and looked at her. "You sure?" he asked quietly. She nodded. "Very." -"We should hurry up then. Even if it doesn't show again, Captain Jack may want to chase it." +"We should hurry up then. Even if it doesn't show again, Captain Sam may want to chase it." "What about the rigging?" "We'll leave them the barrel of tar, they can finish it when they finish it." -Birdie felt her heart sink. Anne would be leaving too. She glanced around the ship, looking for her, but she was below. The barrelman still had not seen anything. Birdie began to wonder if maybe it hadn't been a bird. She and Tamba went back to their work. The men below went back to their tasks, but there was a tension, Birdie could feel it. She glanced back at Edisto. She wondered what her father would say. She decided he would probably say nothing. This was always a good assumption when trying to decide what her father would say. But would he believe her? Of course he would. He always believed her. +Birdie felt her heart sink. She glanced around the ship, everyone who'd shared their fire for half a moon would soon be gone. Birdie began to wonder if maybe it hadn't been a bird. She and Tamba went back to their work. The men below went back to their tasks, but there was a tension, Birdie could feel it. She glanced back at Edisto. She wondered what her father would say. She decided he would probably say nothing. This was always a good assumption when trying to decide what her father would say. But would he believe her? Of course he would. He always believed her. "Sail!" -Birdie glanced up at Tamba. He nodded toward the deck and they both began decending, brushes int thei mouths, the bitter taste of piney tar on their tongues. Captain Jack was racing up the main mast rigging and Birdie couldn't help wondering why he hadn't done that when *she* had yelled sail. Was it her? Or would he have ignore the first sighting no matter who had made it? Was the sailor in the barrel some eagle-eyed trusted salt? Was that why Jack seemed to belive him and not her. She had a dozen reason why he didn't act on her sighting by the time she reached the deck, but the truth was she was hurt. She didn't like it when people doubted her. Especially a whole ship full of people she liked and wanted to like her. +Birdie glanced up at Tamba. He nodded toward the deck and they both began descending, brushes in their mouths, the bitter taste of piney tar on their tongues. Captain Sam was racing up the main mast rigging and Birdie couldn't help wondering why he hadn't done that when *she* had yelled sail. Was it her? Or would he have ignore the first sighting no matter who had made it? Was the sailor in the barrel some eagle-eyed trusted salt? Was that why Sam seemed to believe him and not her? She had a dozen reason why he didn't act on her sighting by the time she reached the deck, but the truth was she was hurt. She didn't like it when people doubted her. Especially a whole ship full of people she liked and wanted to like her. -Anne came up from below deck dressed in leathers and carrying two tomahawks. Two more were strapped to her waist and to more to her back. Birdie had never seen her dressed for battle, she was startled by how different she looked. Her eyes seemed more alive, they had an intesity Birdie had never seen in them before. "Birdie," she cried. "I want to bring you with us," Birdie's heart skipped a beat, but before she could react Anne went on, "but your father would kill me." Jonathan, she turned to a sailor who was preparing to help hoist a sail. "Make read their pirogue. Birdie, you help Tamba get the bung in that barrel and then get overboard to the boat, we're raising anchor. +Jack came up from below deck carrying two hachets. Two more were strapped to his waist. Birdie had never seen him dressed for battle, she was startled by how different he looked. His eyes seemed more alive, they had an intensity Birdie had never seen in them before. "Birdie," he cried. "I want to bring you with us," Birdie's heart skipped a beat, but before she could react Jack went on, "but your father would kill me." -The ship came to life when Anne came on deck. Men scurried up the rigging and began dropping the sails. Others were already winching the great wooden wheel that raised the anchor. Birdie had spent most of her life at sea, been on many a ready ship, but she had never seen a crew come together in the kind of concerted effort that the crew of the Revenge displayed now. It was like an organism waking up. An octopus moving first a few suckers, then whole tentacles, then sudden it's off, gone in a flash. She and Tamba hammer in the bung and fairly slid down the side of the rigging into the priogue. Jontahn hoisted up the rigging behind them and Revenge began to move away from them before they had even settled into their seats. The offshore wind sent her surging out to sea and she and Tamba watched her go as they set about raising their own sail and tacking back toward shore. +He turned to a sailor who was preparing to help hoist a sail. "Make read their pirogue. Birdie, you help Tamba get the bung in that barrel and then get overboard to the boat, we're raising anchor." -And just like that, Revenge was gone, back to what she did best, chasing sails over the horizon. +Bellamy might be the captain, but the ship came to life when the quartermaster came on deck. Men scurried up the rigging and began dropping the sails. Others were already winching the great wooden wheel that raised the anchor. Birdie had spent most of her life at sea, been on many a ready ship, but she had never seen a crew come together in the kind of concerted effort that the crew of Whydah displayed now. It was like an organism waking up. An octopus moving first a few suckers, then whole tentacles, then sudden it's off, gone in a flash. She and Tamba hammered in the bung and fairly slid down the side of the rigging into the pirogue. Two sailors hoisted up the rigging behind them and Whydah began to move away from them before they had even settled into their seats. The offshore wind sent her surging out to sea and she and Tamba watched her go as they set about raising their own sail and tacking back toward shore. + +And just like that, Whydah was gone, back to what she did best, chasing sails over the horizon. --- +:TODO: Not sure where the below comes from, but it needs to be worked in + + Tamba's people have been sailing these waters longer than ours probably. Her father nodded at Tamba, but he shook his head. "I do not think so." |