headed up to the deck to find the way
lined with men sour-faced and staring. Intentional bumps and
tripping made it almost impossible to pass. Once they did, Horace
stood on deck with a strong arm of men around him, giving William
and Jessop no way out but straight for Horace. Both men stopped in
front of him arms crossed before them and dreading whatever was to
come next.
“I trust y’all rested up, for we ’ave a wee
task that needs doing. Since yer the new’ins on the ship, the
task’s be fall’n to y’all,” he said with a toothless smile.
The ship listed hard beneath them with the
rolling waves so high one could not see the horizon when caught in
the trough betwixt two crests. It was an eery feeling, but the
least of their problems at the moment.
Next to Horace, two men carrying ropes came
forward, knelt and proceeded to tie their ankles. Another hard lean
to the port side and William stepped backwards out of his ropes to
keep his balance, where as Jessop’s rope bearer had already formed
the knot and yanked it hard using the force of the rocking to
tighten it. Jessop caught himself from falling by grabbing the side
of the boat giving him a terrifying view of the deep trough they
were headed down in to. Holding on for his life, his rope friend
extracted one of his hands shoving a rusty dull shucking knife into
his palm.
“Fear not yer task at hand, might be a bit
more dangerous on a day like today then another, but y’all be
fine,” Horace started as Jessop was slung onto the rail by two men
and teetering on his stomach trying to balance himself.
“Tiny, here, will be holding yer rope while
you scrape barnacles from the water line,” Horace said pointing to
a frail looking man with a grin of blackened teeth holding the rope
that was attached to his ankles. He looked as if he could barely
carry his own weight let alone a man of Jessop’s height and build
of nine and a half links and a stone shy of two hundred weight.
Jessop could see William wrestling three men trying to tie his
ankles at hearing what was to be done with them.
“Days a wasting…” Horace said signaling with
a hand gesture to heave Jessop over, but the ship shifted in
Jessop’s favor in time for a bellow from behind to be heard by
all.
“What’s this? A barnacle crawl on a day as
such? Horace, yer cruel heart will be yer death one day,” the
captain acknowledged petting the squealing pig tucked under an arm.
The boat lurched sideways suddenly knocking his arm into the rail
and shooting the pot belly pig into the abyss of water below.
The arms that held William and Jessop all
but disappeared as the men’s attentions were on the beloved pet
that suddenly emerged from the depths only to be swept out of sight
over the crest of a waiting wave. Jessop quickly turned to William
and said over the roar of the sea, “Take my rope and hold tight.”
With one swift move he tossed the dull knife away, grabbing a sure
to be sharp blade from a nearby pirate and cut his ankles free. He
grabbed the rope that William held tightly and leapt into the water
after the next cresting wave and the pig.
“Salty…” the captain shouted as all watched
from the rail.
William wrapped the rope around his waist
and watched with the others for them to appear once more. The tiny
pig was squealing but losing the battle of staying afloat in such a
turbulent, foamy sea. Jessop was swimming furiously but making
little progress. Glimpses of the two came and went while the
pirates held their breaths each time the figures disappeared behind
a wall of water.
William released more rope to Jessop. When
man and pig were spotted, Jessop was an arm’s length from the pig,
but the pet went under and the crest blocked their view once more.
When the ship met the crest of the next wave, neither of the two
overboard were visible. Only frothy foam of pale green was where
they had been.
Glances were thrown from one pirate to
another, and the captain cried out in mourning
lined with men sour-faced and staring. Intentional bumps and
tripping made it almost impossible to pass. Once they did, Horace
stood on deck with a strong arm of men around him, giving William
and Jessop no way out but straight for Horace. Both men stopped in
front of him arms crossed before them and dreading whatever was to
come next.
“I trust y’all rested up, for we ’ave a wee
task that needs doing. Since yer the new’ins on the ship, the
task’s be fall’n to y’all,” he said with a toothless smile.
The ship listed hard beneath them with the
rolling waves so high one could not see the horizon when caught in
the trough betwixt two crests. It was an eery feeling, but the
least of their problems at the moment.
Next to Horace, two men carrying ropes came
forward, knelt and proceeded to tie their ankles. Another hard lean
to the port side and William stepped backwards out of his ropes to
keep his balance, where as Jessop’s rope bearer had already formed
the knot and yanked it hard using the force of the rocking to
tighten it. Jessop caught himself from falling by grabbing the side
of the boat giving him a terrifying view of the deep trough they
were headed down in to. Holding on for his life, his rope friend
extracted one of his hands shoving a rusty dull shucking knife into
his palm.
“Fear not yer task at hand, might be a bit
more dangerous on a day like today then another, but y’all be
fine,” Horace started as Jessop was slung onto the rail by two men
and teetering on his stomach trying to balance himself.
“Tiny, here, will be holding yer rope while
you scrape barnacles from the water line,” Horace said pointing to
a frail looking man with a grin of blackened teeth holding the rope
that was attached to his ankles. He looked as if he could barely
carry his own weight let alone a man of Jessop’s height and build
of nine and a half links and a stone shy of two hundred weight.
Jessop could see William wrestling three men trying to tie his
ankles at hearing what was to be done with them.
“Days a wasting…” Horace said signaling with
a hand gesture to heave Jessop over, but the ship shifted in
Jessop’s favor in time for a bellow from behind to be heard by
all.
“What’s this? A barnacle crawl on a day as
such? Horace, yer cruel heart will be yer death one day,” the
captain acknowledged petting the squealing pig tucked under an arm.
The boat lurched sideways suddenly knocking his arm into the rail
and shooting the pot belly pig into the abyss of water below.
The arms that held William and Jessop all
but disappeared as the men’s attentions were on the beloved pet
that suddenly emerged from the depths only to be swept out of sight
over the crest of a waiting wave. Jessop quickly turned to William
and said over the roar of the sea, “Take my rope and hold tight.”
With one swift move he tossed the dull knife away, grabbing a sure
to be sharp blade from a nearby pirate and cut his ankles free. He
grabbed the rope that William held tightly and leapt into the water
after the next cresting wave and the pig.
“Salty…” the captain shouted as all watched
from the rail.
William wrapped the rope around his waist
and watched with the others for them to appear once more. The tiny
pig was squealing but losing the battle of staying afloat in such a
turbulent, foamy sea. Jessop was swimming furiously but making
little progress. Glimpses of the two came and went while the
pirates held their breaths each time the figures disappeared behind
a wall of water.
William released more rope to Jessop. When
man and pig were spotted, Jessop was an arm’s length from the pig,
but the pet went under and the crest blocked their view once more.
When the ship met the crest of the next wave, neither of the two
overboard were visible. Only frothy foam of pale green was where
they had been.
Glances were thrown from one pirate to
another, and the captain cried out in mourning
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