Chapter 43 - Pirates Be Pirates
Jack stood the watch with his select men over the Spanish garrison. While the pirates ran wild enjoying their victory in Santa Maria del Sol. As the landing party began opening casks of wine in celebration, the select men, the men of Frisco, kept perfect order refusing to even consider becoming drunk for there was an air of treachery.
Standing by his side was the boy who had exacted vengeance upon the pirate who had murdered his mother on the day the press gang took him from his hearth and home.
The boy stood with a blank stare upon his face. In a matter of weeks he had been taken from his home. He had felt the cruel lashes of the cat. He had seen the horrors of battle in Charles Towne. And this day he had committed cold blooded murder.
As Jack stared at the lad he realized that he did not even know the boy's name. He remembered that soem of his men had called the lad John but he himself did not know his name. Tis a dangerous thing for a pirate to know another man's name, for to know a man's name is to begin to know the man. To know a man is to either care for his life or to despise him, there could be no in between for a pirate.
Jack thought of his own son, Kevin from whom he had parted ways leaving him in the care of his Aunt Kate. His heart began to yearn for his son and the life he had left but only briefly for Jack Henry had a heart set upon vengeance just as the lad who stood beside him.
Jack drew a deep breathe, he would know the lad's name and for as long as he served Captain Bonnie, he would care for the lad's life.
"What be yar name lad?" Jack inquired without looking at the boy.
"John . . John Smithfield is my name." the answered, turning towards Jack.
"John Smithfield, I tell ya ye shall never speak of this day and the deed that ye did. Not to me nor any of the men of Frisco. For to speak of this day is to put yar life, and mine in harm's way. Do ye understand?"
"Aye"
And that was the last word that John Smithfield ever spoke of the deed he had done.
Jack turned towards his select men.
"Ye lot follow me to the ramparts. The rest of ye stand the watch over the garrison, no one enters or leaves without my say so. John Smithfield ye shall come with me and stay close."
Jack and his men climbed the stairs to the ramparts that Hanson and the landing party had abandoned for the casks of wine and the treasure ship that lay a docked in the harbor.
Jack observed Captain Bonnie making his way ashore along with at least half of his crew as the Fortune lay at anchor but 50 yards off shore. The Thistle, commanded by Jedidiah Greene also lay at anchor close by the Fortune. Jack watched as the longboats were lowered away from the Thistle as her captain made way towards the harbor and a treasure of Spanish silver. The Sparrow, commanded by Nathaniel Greene had yet to lower her sails nor had she stoed her guns which remained at the ready.
In an instant Jack knew that Nathaniel Greene and his father planned to take the the silver from Charles Bonnie. Turning to his select men Jack quietly whispered:
"Load the guns lads there is treachery about this day. John run and get the rest of the men, tell them to bolt the doors to keep the Spanish locked in and come here right away."
John ran down the stairs as fast as he could, for no sooner had one battle ended he knew another was soon to commence.
Jack recalled the words of the Spaniard, the fort had enough firepower to sink one ship but could not fend off three. Jack was about to put that theory to the test.
Captain Bonnie seemed completely unawares of the foul intents of the Greene's as he stepped onto the docks of Santa Maria del Sol.
He eyed the treasure ship with Hanson and some of the landing party aboard, their pockets already weighed down with ingots of Spanish silver.
"Get yar selves off MY SHIP and drop the silver ye dogs!" Bonnie called out.
The smile faded from Hanson's face as he ordered the men of the landing party off the ship making their way towards their captain.
Captain Bonnie glared at his men not noticing that Jedidiah Greene and his crew had landed behind him with swords drawn and pistols at the ready.
Jack could have warned Bonnie, Jack should have warned Bonnie save for the fact that he saw his opportunity to seize the prize ship and be rid of his old captain.
It was Hanson who first gave the alarm. The old pirate did not wait for any words to be spoken before he gave a loud cry and with sword in hand charged straight for Jedidiah Greene. He made but four steps towards Jedidiah when a pistol shot rang out piercing his chest sending his limp body to the ground.
"Kill them all!" cried Captain Bonnie.
The crew of the Fortune turned and flew in a rage towards Captain Greene's traitorous pirates. Pistol shots rang out and the clash of swords echoed through the air as the pirates set to massacre each other. Blood began to flow upon the docks of Santa Maria del Sol causing many a pirate to lose his footing only to be struck down by a cutlass blade. The sound of pistols no longer filled the air for there was no time to reload, only the sound of clashing swords and the sound of men dying in agony.
From the ramparts the select men watched as the two pirate crews slaughtered one another. The guns of the fort had been load and were at the ready yet Jack had not fired a single shot. His eyes and his cannons were sighted upon Sparrow that had maneuvered to the stern of the Fortune.
Jack watched and he waited for what he knew was to come. The guns of the Sparrow flashed in a full broadside into the Sparrow ripping through her rudder and splintering her aft and mainsail. The Sparrow would never again set to sea under the command of Charles Bonnie.
With a broad smile upon his face, Jack the greatest gunner of the Caribbean fired the shore batteries at Sparrow. Two of the shells splintered the main mast dropping the sails upon the terrified crew. It was the last shell that proved the most deadly for Jack had a perfectly sighted the shot to hit the magazine lifting the Sparrow high into the air before she sank beneath the waves with her entire crew aboard.
The sound and percussion of the explosion briefly halted the melee upon the docks.
It was but a brief respite in the affray which became even more intense with the realization that only the Thistle and the treasure ship remained seaworthy.
The pirate fleet of Captain Charles Bonnie had easily entered the harbor of Santa Maria del Sol but now only one ship remained. Rallying his crew Captain Bonnie lay into the crew of the Thistle.
The select men hurriedly reloaded the shore cannons. And with perfect aim Jack fired the guns towards the Thistle that remained at anchor. It was easy work Jack, taking down her main mast in a single volley.
Now was Jack's chance to be rid of this man once and for all. Turing to his select men, the men of the fishing village of Frisco, men who had by the strange twist of war been forced into the service of pirate, Jack shouted:
"Now lads, to the treasure ship and let us pray she is seaworthy!"
The men of Frisco sensing that deliverance was at had ran down the ramparts and towards the docks, towards their freedom.
The treasure ship was wide and heavily laden. Her sails had a queer Spanish rigging that the men of Frisco struggled with to get under weigh. Unfortunately she was a ship built for cargo and not for war being lightly armored with only six Spanish guns each with its own unique caliber of shot.
As the men of Frisco set the sails the Spanish ship slowly turned into the harbor as Jack and the lad John Smithfield loaded the three port guns.
As the the ship passed the stern of the Thistle Jack fired all three port guns at the rudder which splintered in two.
Jack and the men of Frisco were free of Captain Bonnie.
Jack knew not who survived the battle of the pirate captains nor did he care. He was free of Bonnie, and that was all that matter as the Spanish treasure ship left the harbor of Santa Maria del Sol, headed north on a course to the small fishing village of Frisco in the colony of North Carolina.
Chapter 40 - Santa Maria del Sol https://steemit.com/piratesunday/@handofzara/chapter-40-santa-maria-del-sol