Chapter 10: Escape

The two ships anchored off of the eastern end of Long Island for an evening while they gathered wood and water for the trip south. On the sheltered side of the island, just inside the tip of Montauk, there was a shallow salt pond which led up to a small creek. Local Indians praised the creek for the healing nature of its waters, and so the pirates chose this place to fill their water casks and stock up on wood.

In the several days which had passed since the crew’s decision to set a course for the Caribbean, Will and Spriggs decided to attempt to get at least one of them on board their old ship, the Resolution, with as many mutinous crew as possible. If they could take over the Resolution, they might be able to outrun the Adventure and find their way to freedom.

The two men found a group of a half-dozen men who were of a mutinous mind, and began to convince them of the possibility of an escape. This was a dangerous task, and had to be done carefully. But they seemed to have a fair group by the time they anchored off of Montauk, and they decided to make use of the work that had to be done.

The pirate crew could work hard when necessary, but they were not likely to seek out more duties. When it came time to send a party ashore to gather wood and water, Spriggs and a few of his new comrades were able to volunteer for the job. It was afternoon, and they stretched the work out so that they returned just after dusk.

The empty casks which they went ashore with were now full of water, and the longboat was loaded with firewood. It took several trips to both ships to load them up. By this time of the evening the rest of the crew had already taken to drinking. Because of this, nobody aboard the Adventure noticed the struggle which took place on the Resolution as the longboat made its last delivery of wood and water. And nobody noticed that the longboat was short one crewmember when it arrived back in the dark.

Later that night, Will had arranged to take the midnight watch. As he silently scanned the decks of the Adventure, shadows began to appear and board the longboat, which was still tied up alongside. Will joined them, and the seven conspirators began to quietly row away towards the Resolution. Will had them stop at the bow of the Adventure for one last task. Taking his knife, he reached up and cut the cable which held the ship at anchor, and then they rowed over to the Resolution, where Spriggs was waiting for them.

Spriggs had prepared the ship to be ready to move, so within minutes they were able to cut their own cable and make sail towards Narragansett Bay. Meanwhile, the Adventure began to drift slowly but surely towards the shallow waters and oyster beds of the Montauk shoreline. When it ran aground and Captain Jackman was thrown out of bed, the Resolution was long out of sight in the dark of the evening.

The Adventure lay stranded on the shore waiting for high tide to set them free. It was still there in the morning when the British frigate Suffolk rounded Montauk Point and captured the ship, with all hands. This marked the end of the short lived career of Captain Jackman and his band of pirates.

Meanwhile, Captain Will, Spriggs, the two nephews and the handful of mutineers found their way back to Narragansett Bay, where the other men scattered. Will helped Spriggs take his nephews home safely. But, although Captain Will was unaware of it, the adventure was not quite over.

Chapter 1: The Approaching Storm

The leading edge of the rain reached High Street. Thin rivers of water formed between the cobblestones and began to flow down the gentle slope towards the wharf. From the window in his home, William Salt watched the scene. He saw tarpaulins, bales and wooden casks on the docks soaked by the water. He saw the clouds in the sky above grow dark as the sun set behind them. And anchored just offshore, rolling in the growing swell of the storm, he saw his sloop, the Resolution.

William was content. In the shelter of his modest home he counted his blessings. Colonial New England was a challenging place to survive in. As a child, he had lost his father in the Indian wars, two siblings to disease, and his oldest brother Joseph to the sea. At least, that was what he remembered. His mother had often told stories of when the family was younger and stronger, but when she passed away he found himself alone in the New World.

William found work aboard a fishing sloop. He was an honest man, he worked hard, and the letters which his mother had taught him as a child opened up opportunities for him. As he grew older he was made the ship’s mate. He was valued for his skill as a negotiator, and in time he had saved enough money for his own small ship. Now, with a merchant sloop which traded goods with the West Indies, he could afford a small home by the waterfront. Despite the storm outside, he felt a growing sense of optimism and good fortune.

In contrast, he looked out across the bay and saw the lifeless forms of three recently condemned pirates, swinging from the gallows on the opposite shore. How good men could go wrong and choose such a life he could never understand. Four had been caught; one had escaped in chains, though wounded in the process. That was no life. He sipped his tea in silence and stared thoughtfully out the window.

There was a flash of lightening and a deafening boom of thunder outside. His tea rippled in its cup and cookware rattled in the kitchen. But as he listened more closely he grew stiff. That was not the rattle of plates, but of chains. William stood cautiously and crept to the kitchen door. He peered slowly around the opening.

Crouching low near the fireplace was a dark figure, his weathered skin clearly marked by a hard life. His ragged clothes were wet with both rain and blood. A broad leather belt was wrapped around his waist. Binding his hands were shackles. Long, wild hair was tied back, revealing a long scar along one cheek. It took a moment for William to recognize the strange familiarity of the convict, but then he gasped aloud “Joseph!”

“Shhh!” uttered the pitiful rogue, beckoning his brother to come closer…

Chapter 2: The Prodigal Son

In the flickering light of the storm, Captain William Salt gazed in disbelief at his long-lost brother, a fugitive pirate, crouching and bleeding before him in chains. He went to him, slowly at first, then quickly embracing him as tears ran down his cheeks. Joseph motioned for silence, fearfully glancing at the open window. There were steps outside and voices of gruff men shouting, “He came this way!”

William understood, so he got up and closed the window’s wooden shutters. He locked the door, too. He lit a candle, poured two drinks and set some bread and cheese at the table. Then, he helped Joseph into a chair and gave him some of the food. The older man winced as he was moved. There was blood flowing from a hole in his shirt, high up on his left shoulder.

Trying to examine the wound, William’s hand was brushed aside by his brother’s.

“Don’t bother, I don’t have long for this world…”

“Joseph, no, let me try and help you!”

But it was no use, the pirate had been bleeding for a long time, and there was not much life left in him. He was having difficulty talking, and motioned for William to lay him down. William did so.

“I’m sorry, Will…” he said, struggling for breath between his words. “They attacked my ship off of Brazil…there was no choice.”

Joseph beckoned for some water, then continued, “Join or die…I became one of them…I’m sorry…”

The moment was difficult for William. He wanted to ask his brother so many things. He wanted to get him help for his wound. But that was impossible, he knew. The town would only hang Joseph for his piracy. It seemed important, then, that he just be with him, listening and comforting him as he was able.

“I did horrible things, Will, horrible…all the gold, so much gold…I’m rich, Will…and it is worth nothing now….” He paused and his mind seemed to wander off. His breathing grew slower. Then he turned his head and looked deep into William’s eyes.

“Take my share, Will…” he gasped, “…redeem me with it, please…”. Even in the dim candlelight William could see that color was draining from Joseph’s face, but he bore a desperate look, as if there was one last thing he was trying to say, but could not. As William drew closer, Joseph opened his mouth and barely whispered “…my.. ...belt..”.

His brother lay still as the cryptic words fell bluntly on William’s ears. Outside, he could hear the rain falling heavily. He heard the sounds of feet splashing through puddles. There were knocks on doors, now, as the militia searched the houses door-to-door for the convict. They would be here any minute…

Chapter 3: A Curious Discovery

William wiped the soil from his hands, paid the minister and walked back towards home. He heard men shoveling dirt back into the new grave of his brother Joseph. He was at the edge of town, where criminals were buried. The support of family and friends was absent from this funeral. The only company he had was his old friend and first-mate, Jim Spriggs. Spriggs accompanied him back home.

At the house, the two men sat down for a drink. The room was brightly lit now, and not so reminiscent of the dark night Joseph had returned. “Tell me again what he said…” inquired Spriggs, trying to make some conversation.

“He said it was true, he had gone on the account with Pirates,” replied William. “But he claimed that he had no choice, and seemed guilty.” William had said this much before, but he had not shared his brother’s last words with anyone. Here, with his only old friend, William thought he would dare to share them, and more.

“He said something else, Jim. He said that I should take his share.”

“You mean his share of the… spoils?”

“They divide it up, Jim, you’ve heard the stories. Hide it close by before they come into port; dig it up once things settle down a bit.”

Spriggs was growing wide eyed, but spoke low and cautiously. “Will, did he tell you where it was?”

“No, but he said something strange just before he died. Said something about his belt. I took it off of him just before the constable’s men arrived. Been wearing it ever since.”

Spriggs looked at the wide belt around his Captain’s waist. He took a draught of his beer, and then drew a knife from the table next to him. “Let’s take a look, Will.”

William hesitated, looked out the open window nervously, and put the belt on the table. Carefully, Spriggs examined the belt. It was made of two pieces of leather, carefully sewn flat against one-another. With a nod from William, he began to slit the leather along its seam. In a moment they both saw something yellow slip from inside the folds and out onto the table. “Damn that brother of yours,” said Spriggs, with laughter in his curse. “He really did it; he really was one of them.” He shook his head, though smiling, and handed the folded paper to William.

William held it gingerly, and then carefully opened the folds. It was yellow and worn, with faded brown ink that had been smeared in places, but it was clear that this was a map, a treasure map.

“Spriggs, my old friend, I think we are in for a bit of adventure…”

Chapter 4: The Resolution Sets Sail

It was a bright and clear August morning when Captain William Salt and his mate, Jim Spriggs, finally finished bringing on provisions for their voyage. They had a very small crew, made up of Spriggs' two nephews, George and Jacob. Usually they hired between six and ten hands, depending upon the trip, but the relatively small sloop could be managed by the four of them. In William and Spriggs’ minds, it seemed that the less people who knew their plans the better.

They had taken on a cargo of summer corn and West Indies rum, which they were going to sell in the Isles of Shoals. These were a small group of islands thirty miles northeast of Boston, about halfway between Narragansett Bay and Nova Scotia. North of these islands lay small scattered settlements all along the coast.

The northern settlements in Casco Bay, Machias, and Cape Elizabeth were remote, yet sometimes visited by fishermen, traders and a mix of privateers, pirates and lone warships. There was often trouble brewing between the French, English and Dutch colonies, and as a result some settlements changed hands numerous times. It was rumored that pirates often used the rocky islands in this lonely area for repairs, rest and at times to hide their treasure.

It was here that William’s map now pointed them, to the lonely island of Isle Haute. The stop at the Isles of Shoals would break up the trip and give them a reason to travel to the area. There were townspeople who looked at William strangely now that his deceased brother was revealed to have been a pirate. It was natural that his behavior might be questioned by nosy locals, so he made sure the voyage appeared to be a standard trading trip.

Spriggs and the two boys manned the small capstan and with a fair amount of noise managed to raise the anchor. The sails were unfurled and the ship began to glide out of the bay and towards the open water. All felt a sense of freedom and of excitement. Whether it was to fish or trade or seek out forbidden gold, the wind and salt air leant a sense of adventure to any voyage.

It took several days to travel out past Block Island, up through Vineyard Sound and then northeast past the shoals of Cape Cod. The weather was mild and calm. As they moved north past the busier shipping near Boston they saw a number of other sloops, pinks and brigs on the water. Nearing the Isles of Shoals they found one brig already anchored at Star Island, named so because of its shape. As they came into the port, which was peopled by New Englanders known to associate with both honest and questionable navigators alike, William uttered a low whistle to Spriggs.

“What’s the matter, Will?” asked Spriggs.

“I don’t like the looks of the men on that brig, Spriggs”

“Why not?”

“Well,” said William, cautiously, “they remind me of my brother…”

Chapter 5: Escape from Star Island

Captain William Salt and his mate Spriggs put their sloop into the harbor at Star Island and set to shore in a small rowboat to talk with the locals. They had arrived with a hold full of West Indies rum and Rhode Island corn, and were hoping to make quick work of selling their cargo. There was a small waterfront market and a number of other ships docked in the port. Several were fishermen, but there was one dark craft named the Adventure whose crew seemed more than a little suspicious. The two avoided this ship and landed at the dock, then made their way to the marketplace.

As they approached the marketplace, a small man with spectacles approached them and identified himself. “Good morning! I am Elias Washburn, the harbormaster. Will you be offloading any cargo here?”

“Well, as a matter of fact, we are interested in selling some staples, if there is a merchant who is buying,” answered William.

“What kind of cargo?”

“Corn and rum.”

“Ahh, well I think you will find a market for both…” said the harbormaster, but before he could continue a gruff voice interrupted him.

“I’ll buy your rum without the harbormaster’s duties,” broke in the stranger, who gestured towards the Adventure. “Pull up alongside and we’ll unload her for you. Pay you in gold. Harbormaster can’t very well charge you for goods that don’t land on his dock…” The man’s voice trailed off, but his eyes were fixed on William’s, expecting an answer in return. The harbormaster said nothing, but was clearly uncomfortable.

“It’s a generous offer, but I’ve businessmen here whom I patronize and the cargo is for them.” William stretched the truth a bit, but the stranger made him nervous and he had no desire to pull alongside the other ship. He held the stranger’s gaze, which turned to a glare.

“New England’s full of fools,” spat out the stranger. “And friendless fools don’t last long on the sea.” It was all he said, but there was menace in his tone. He turned his back sharply and walked away.

William and Spriggs found the marketplace and negotiated their sale. For the rest of the morning they and Spriggs nephews unloaded the cargo onto the small dock. The boys finished unloading the last of the casks while William collected his pay. As he returned his attention, however, he noticed two men talking to Spriggs’ nephews. They moved off as he came closer.

“What did they want?” he inquired of the boys.

“Seems they need more crew” said George. “They wanted us to join, but we said no.”

“They didn’t seem to like that answer,” added Jacob.

“We’ll stay on the sloop tonight and leave quickly in the morning,” said William. “It’s not above men like that to force men into their service. You boys are safer with your uncle and I.”

That night there was carousing going on across the bay on the Adventure. Captain Salt and Spriggs stayed up and listened to the other crew drinking and singing. The songs were bawdy, the voices were drunk, and more than a few harsh oaths could be heard.

“I don’t like that ship or its crew, Will,” said Spriggs. “We’ll have to pass right by them to leave port, tomorrow. If they want to stop us I don’t think we have a chance. And God save me if I let my sister’s boys be taken.”

“You’re right, Spriggs,” said William. “I’d like nothing better than to be gone when they wake up. But they’ll here the capstain clanking if we hoist anchor, and it will look very suspicious if they find us sneaking away in the night. They might chase us down just to see why we ran.”

“If you’ll indulge me, Captain, I have a plan that might work…”

With those words, Spriggs laid down a plan which had been slowly forming in his mind. It was risky, but after some quiet thought William nodded in agreement and said “Wake the boys, let’s give it a try.”

In near silence the four worked together to rig a light sail. There was a faint breeze blowing to the North, just enough for the small sloop to glide out of port. Rather than raise anchor, Spriggs carefully took his knife and cut the cable. Freed from its bonds, the ship moved quietly under the wind. Anchors were expensive, and they would not recover this one, but this was the only safe way to leave unnoticed.

There was a sliver of a moon tonight, but clouds were obscuring it. With just enough light to avoid the Adventure, William piloted the sloop past the ominous craft and out into the Atlantic. North they turned, towards Nova Scotia and a host of little islands that decorated the coast. But there was one island in particular they sought, the one on the map which William’s dead pirate brother had left them, Isle Haute.

Chapter 6: Isle Haute

It had been five days since they had quietly stolen out of the port at Star Island, skillfully avoiding the menacing crew of the Adventure. Captain William Salt and his small crew now sailed briskly upon the Atlantic as they made their way north. They scanned the horizon, laboring to pick out the island on their map from among the many that dotted the rocky coastline. On this day the sky was clear and the sun was shining, which made the task easier.

It was almost noon when Captain Salt’s first mate, Spriggs, cried out and gestured towards the northwest, “Aye, Captain, she’s off the port bow!”

William Salt, Spriggs, and the mate’s two nephews eagerly looked across the bay at the cliffs of Isle Haute, which seemed to rise up out of the water as they grew nearer. In an hour’s time they had drawn up close and anchored offshore at the north end of the island where the land was closer to sea-level.

They all climbed into the sloop’s rowboat and headed into the rough beach. William brought the map which his dying brother had left him. The tide was out, so they pulled the boat up high on the sand and then climbed up through rocks and brush about ten yards to where the land leveled out. There were blueberry bushes, tall grass and scattered boulders which littered this level spot. To the south also lay a small clearing, which on further inspection proved to be a tiny pond.

The spot matched the map perfectly, and it all made sense. Treasure was heavy, and the pirates would not have labored to carry it up the cliffs on the south side of the island. They could arrive here at any time and, under the guise of gathering wood and water, secretly retrieve their treasure from the spot. The water and boulders made ideal landmarks, and it did not take Salt and his crew long to match them to the marks on his brother’s map.

With nervous excitement they noted their position on the map and paced off the distances from the landmarks. Ten yards northwest of a great rock and twenty yards from the pond’s southern edge they found a spot of curiously disturbed ground. Eagerly they broke ground and began to dig. It did not take long to move the sandy earth. In no time they struck something hard and began to unearth a box-shaped object. They had found Joseph Salt’s chest, still bound in locked chains! The excitement was palpable as all four men strove to lift the dirt-covered, iron box out of the pit. As it settled on the ground next to them, they all took a short break and congratulated themselves heartily.

“I don’t believe it, Will, but we’ve done it!” said Spriggs. Spriggs’ nephews were dumb with amazement.

“I can’t believe it myself,” said Will. “Let’s get this thing back onto the sloop where we can examine it more closely.”

They all agreed and decided to move it back to the ship. It was heavy, and even with all four of them it took a lot of effort to move, but after some hard work they were able to get it to the shore. When they arrived at the rowboat, however, they gasped at what they saw. The rowboat was where they left it, but out in the bay there were now two ships riding at anchor: their sloop and the rogue-filled Adventure, which they had hoped they would never see again!

Chapter 7: A Bump in the Night

Daylight was fading as the sun began to set to the west of Isle Haute. Captain William Salt and his three-man crew lay hidden in the sea-grass and blueberry bushes, quietly watching two ships anchored in the bay. Their own sloop, the Resolution, silently awaited their return. The other ship, the Adventure, was anchored a hundred yards away and appeared to be unconcerned with the smaller sloop. Sailors could be seen working on the decks of the Adventure, refitting sail on the fore mast. But William Salt was familiar with the Adventure, and he did not trust its crew.

“I don’t like it, Will,” said Spriggs, the Resolution’s first-mate. “That ship is not to be trusted. I can feel it in my bones.”

“I know, Spriggs,” said Will, “There has to be a way we can get back without having to deal with them. I’m not sure what it is, though. If we row back now, they’ll most likely hail us. If we don’t go back they’ll wonder why we’re avoiding them.”

Next to the four sailors lay an iron chest, still bound in chains. Within it they knew a fortune of gold was hidden, left to Captain Salt by his dead brother, Joseph. But Joseph had been a pirate, and the cold reality of this fact made them wonder if the Adventure might also be made up of pirates. What was the Adventure doing here? Had it followed them from Star Island? They wondered and tried to think of some way to leave the island without being noticed.

Spriggs’ youngest nephew, Jacob, spoke up, “What if we climbed the hill and lit a camp fire near the cliffs? The other crew would see the light from the bay. They might believe we were camping for the night. Then we could row back to the Resolution in the dark and escape before the morning.”

Captain Salt replied, “I like it. There isn’t much of a moon tonight, so they probably couldn’t see us rowing back. If they got curious and sent a party to investigate the fire, we could still get to our ship before they discovered their error. What do you think, Spriggs?”

Spriggs nodded in agreement. He was pleased that his nephew had thought of the idea. As a reward, the boys were given the task of climbing up the hill in the dark and lighting the decoy fire. It wasn’t much of a reward, but the boys enjoyed the adventure of it all. It wasn’t often they were engaged in outwitting pirates.

From the top of the hill, they could spy the lights of the Adventure rolling slightly in the dark waters of the bay. It took a short time to gather wood and light the fire. By the time they were finished, the noise of the other crew had died down. The boys knew they had to be quiet as they descended the hill and worked their way back to the shore.

Will and Spriggs were relieved when the boys arrived. They had seen the fire when it was lit, and they could only hope that this ruse would work. Together they loaded the chest onto the rowboat as quietly as they were able. They shifted the boat across the sand and into the cold waters of the bay. It seemed like a long time, but soon they pulled up alongside their sloop. In the distance they heard occasional sounds on the Adventure, but it appeared to have quieted down for the evening.

Working as quietly as they could, the men loaded their heavy find onto the sloop. At one point a chain slipped against the deck and they all halted and listened in the perilous silence. There was no sound from the Adventure. In a few minutes they each grabbed a corner of the chest and quietly bore it below decks for safekeeping. In the hold they all gently lowered the iron chest onto the floor. Someone breathed a sigh of relief. Then, a stranger’s gruff voice broke the silence from the darkness around them. “Why thank you, boys, we thought you’d never get back”.

And with that, there was a rush of movement all around them. Spriggs began to shout but was cut off. Something struck Will on the back of the head, and he collapsed, motionless on the deck.

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.