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dwgm400 words today, theme: "North". Many thanks to my dear ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
hereswith for beta reading, editing, and excellent suggestions.
Previous bits...
And here's today's...
31. North
~ An Execrable Business, continued...
Jack took the helm to guide the Pearl from Tortuga's crowded harbor, and kept it as they eased from the bay into the open sea, revelling once more in the fresh, clean breeze, the movement of the ship under his feet, the sense of freedom, unbound from land. He was quite looking forward to heading out into the Atlantic. Blue water sailing, they hadn't done any of that in many a day. And the Pearl seemed to sense Jack's anticipation and elation at the prospect, sailing large in an evening breeze that was just abaft the beam, water hissing along her sides and her bow wake white in the rising moon.
"We'll head out northeast, by Grand Turks," he told Barbossa, who joined him briefly on the quarterdeck. "I've a couple of vile miscreants stashed in the brig I want to drop at Cockburn Town."
"Miscreants? Tortuga's full of miscreants."
"These were exceptional."
Barbossa sniffed. "A cabin boy, and now miscreants. If we'd stopped more'n four days the ship would've been full to the scuppers with the scaff and raff of Tortuga."
"It was an interesting few days of shore leave, sure enough," Jack agreed with a crooked smile.
Some time later, Bill came trotting up the companionway, grinning.
"And what are you so happy about, Mr. Turner?" Jack asked.
Bill said quietly, "Barbossa went to see those fellows of Claypool's in the brig."
Jack frowned. "He did, did he?"
"Aye. And got nothin'. They're both dead drunk. I gave 'em a few bottles, for medicinal purposes, when you told me you'd changed your mind about leaving 'em on Tortuga."
" Bill, it ain't only your sword that's sharp," Jack approved. "A sound idea, very sound indeed."
"Why thank you, Captain," Bill said with a bow. "We're takin' 'em to Cockburn Town? Barbossa told me."
"Aye. I suppose we'll have to stop and row 'em to shore, if they're that well-to-live. But we'll make sure they know Smith's with us. Don't want 'em going back to bother Joe and his people, and they're the sort that might."
Bill nodded. "How's Smith doing? I barely caught a glimpse."
"Fine, I expect. Straightening up me cabin. What else are cabin boys for?" Jack smirked, and batted his eyelashes, and Bill shook his head, though he chuckled, too. Jack said, "Go say hello! You can tell him I'll be there in a while."
TBC...
hereswith for beta reading, editing, and excellent suggestions.Previous bits...
| 1. Tortuga 2. Happiness 3. Festive 4. Last Minute 5. Calm 6. Truth 7. Bargain 8. Spook 9. Down 10. Wounds 11. Moon 12. Monsters | 13. Beauty 14. Name 15. History 16. Service 17. Advice 18. Captain 19. Awe 20. Cross 21. "You've made a big mistake" 22. Heroism 23. Gold 24. Echo | 25. Greed 26. Advance 27. Challenge 28. Adventure 29. Sentence 30. Treasure |
And here's today's...
31. North
~ An Execrable Business, continued...
Jack took the helm to guide the Pearl from Tortuga's crowded harbor, and kept it as they eased from the bay into the open sea, revelling once more in the fresh, clean breeze, the movement of the ship under his feet, the sense of freedom, unbound from land. He was quite looking forward to heading out into the Atlantic. Blue water sailing, they hadn't done any of that in many a day. And the Pearl seemed to sense Jack's anticipation and elation at the prospect, sailing large in an evening breeze that was just abaft the beam, water hissing along her sides and her bow wake white in the rising moon.
"We'll head out northeast, by Grand Turks," he told Barbossa, who joined him briefly on the quarterdeck. "I've a couple of vile miscreants stashed in the brig I want to drop at Cockburn Town."
"Miscreants? Tortuga's full of miscreants."
"These were exceptional."
Barbossa sniffed. "A cabin boy, and now miscreants. If we'd stopped more'n four days the ship would've been full to the scuppers with the scaff and raff of Tortuga."
"It was an interesting few days of shore leave, sure enough," Jack agreed with a crooked smile.
Some time later, Bill came trotting up the companionway, grinning.
"And what are you so happy about, Mr. Turner?" Jack asked.
Bill said quietly, "Barbossa went to see those fellows of Claypool's in the brig."
Jack frowned. "He did, did he?"
"Aye. And got nothin'. They're both dead drunk. I gave 'em a few bottles, for medicinal purposes, when you told me you'd changed your mind about leaving 'em on Tortuga."
" Bill, it ain't only your sword that's sharp," Jack approved. "A sound idea, very sound indeed."
"Why thank you, Captain," Bill said with a bow. "We're takin' 'em to Cockburn Town? Barbossa told me."
"Aye. I suppose we'll have to stop and row 'em to shore, if they're that well-to-live. But we'll make sure they know Smith's with us. Don't want 'em going back to bother Joe and his people, and they're the sort that might."
Bill nodded. "How's Smith doing? I barely caught a glimpse."
"Fine, I expect. Straightening up me cabin. What else are cabin boys for?" Jack smirked, and batted his eyelashes, and Bill shook his head, though he chuckled, too. Jack said, "Go say hello! You can tell him I'll be there in a while."
TBC...