Chapter 8: Pirates

Jim Spriggs had known headaches before, but never quite like the one he had now. He woke up feeling like his head would split in two. In fact, he was lucky it didn’t split in two an hour ago when he was struck from behind. Now he tried to adjust his eyes to the dark, and to figure out exactly where he was.

His arms were tied behind him. On the floor next to him was someone whom he guessed was Captain Salt. They were no longer on the Resolution, so he assumed correctly that they were in the hold of the Adventure. He wondered where his nephews were, but he found out soon enough.

A small door opened behind him and several men dragged Spriggs out of the hold and up on deck. They brought Will Salt, as well, waking him with a bucket of water. Both men had huge bruises on the backs of their heads. In the light of the ship’s lanterns they saw a rough looking crew gathered round them. In the center, seated on a large cannon, sat the Captain of the Adventure. Smiling, he spoke directly to them.

“Well, good evening, gentlemen. I trust you’ve had a good rest?”

“Where’s our crew?” demanded Will.

“Oh, come now, Captain, we have taken your crew. But, that’s no worse than the English navy would do. Please don’t be rude, as it will not work in your favor with my crew.”

“Begging your pardon, sir” said Will, wise to the scowls all around him. “We need those boys to run the sloop, and they…”

Will was cut off. ”I am sorry for your loss.” Even in this dim light Will could tell that the captain was not smiling. “Make no mistake: your ship, your crew and your interesting cargo all belong to us. What is in question here is whether we let you keep your lives.”

Both Will and Spriggs remained silent.

“We are considering accepting you into our crew, but there must be a vote. And before we vote, some questions. And before questions, we must have some punch!”

With that, a sweet drink which tasted of rum and molasses was passed before them. They both drank enough to oblige the crew. Then they began to get questions from all sides.

“Where do you sail from? Are you married? Do you have any children? What coasts have you sailed? Have you killed a man?” The questions went on for some time. Many made sense, some seemed odd. When the crew was satisfied the Captain signaled a vote. A bag was passed around and each member placed either a black or white piece of paper inside. When it was done, the slips were counted.

The Captain tallied the votes and approached both men. “Well,” he said, “My name is Thomas Jackman, and I now have the pleasure of extending you terms for employment. You are hereby invited to join the crew of the Adventure. I suggest you accept.”

There was laughter. In the lamplight, Spriggs briefly saw his nephews’ faces in the crowd. They were pale with fear, and looking to him for help. Spriggs did not know how Captain Salt would answer, but he couldn’t take any chances. Before Will could speak he said loudly “Aye, I’ll join ye’”. Will understood, but hesitated a minute as he thought of his dead brother. There was no choice.

“Aye, we’ll both join,” said Will, no longer Captain of the Resolution.

A shout went up and more punch was passed around, as well as wine. Will looked out at the Resolution and saw a skeleton crew row over to take it as a prize. He shut his eyes and saw his brother’s ghostly face. He remembered the three men hanging on the gallows across the bay.
“Congratulations, Will,” said Spriggs grimly, “like it or not, we’re pirates”.

Chapter 9: The Plot Thickens

Captain Jackman and his crew were a slipshod bunch of misfits who, from what Will and Spriggs could see, wouldn’t last too long in a life of piracy. They had stolen their ship by tossing the original captain overboard and threatening any of the crew who were loyal to him with the same plight. For several months now they had preyed upon New England shipping and coastal homes, but didn’t have the skill to seek the riskier rewards of plundering Spanish & Portuguese shipping to the south.

Now and again, Will and Spriggs were able to exchange a few words and try to plot an escape, but a clear plan had eluded them. Then one day, chance brought them an opportunity. Some of Captain Jackman’s original crew were growing tired of raiding fishing sloops and dreamed of seizing the richer vessels carrying gold and silver from South America. They began to complain out loud, challenging Captain Jackman to bring them to more fruitful waters.

Jackman was tense, and as he gruffly began his answer, Will cut him off. “I’ve sailed the coast of Brazil, I can pilot us in those waters.”

“Oh really, Mr. Salt?” said Jackman, growing more irritated “You may pilot us to Brazil, but can you outgun a Spanish frigate?”

Will sensed that this was the time to act. He could see that the crew already doubted Captain Jackman. It was time to sew more seeds of discontent.

“Well, I don’t know about that, Captain Jackman, but you can see from the chest we loaded at Isle Haute that there are a few things I can do. New England doesn’t produce gold like that.”

Spriggs spoke up from the crowd, “I’ll second him, Will Salt knows how to put money in the hold.”

Cries went up from a few others bent on better plunder. Jackman saw that he had to do something to pacify the crew.

“Alright, then tonight we’ll take a vote. If the majority wants to head south then we’ll engage Mister Salt as our pilot. But God help him if he leads us into peril.”

The vote that night was fueled by strong drink and greedy hearts. The crew decided to have Will Salt pilot the ships to Brazil. Captain Jackman pretended to have a change of heart, and to be pleased with the decision. But Will and Spriggs knew better than to trust him.

The next day, a big sailor named John Cutter spent some time talking with the Captain in the morning. That afternoon, Cutter had a run in with Spriggs' nephew, George. It was clear George wanted nothing to do with a fight, but Cutter wouldn’t back down. Cutter was unaware that the boy was Spriggs’ nephew, and he was also unaware that Spriggs was the wrong man to cross. When Cutter woke up, he was sprawled out on the Quarter Deck with a broken nose, a swollen face and very little else he could remember of the incident.

That night, Will and Spriggs were able to talk quietly when the midnight watch changed.

“The Captain’s afraid you’ll steal his authority, Will”

“I know,” smiled Will “and his henchman, Cutter, doesn’t like your right-cross either.”

“Well, laugh if you want but we need to get the boys and ourselves to freedom. What’s your plan, Will?”

“See if there are any men who want to cut loose. Once we have an idea who is with us, we’ll either look for good fortune or manufacture some. I have one idea brewing, but I need some more time to put the pieces together. At least we’re heading south, Jim.”

“Yes, Will, but we’ll clear New England waters in a few days. If we’re going to escape before this gets too dangerous, we better do it soon.”

With that, the two could talk no more. The watch was set and the men could not risk the appearance of conspiring against the Captain. They set to their work and began to watch the rest of the crew for signs of dissent. They did not have long to wait.