Episode 22 - Pirates Graveyard
The late afternoon of the 20th day of February, 1640.
Captain Dredd Roberts awoke from his drunken slumber and stumbled up to the Bridge of the beached Grim Reaper, "You blaggards! I's missed all tha fun," he moaned as he surveyed the smouldering ruins of Cartagena, "And where's me bleedin' ship?" he asked, with concern.
"Well matey, a bit of it's over thar," replied Morgan, "another bit of it is over 'ere… 'n me tinks dat may be a bit more o' it over thar," he added, as he pointed to the scattered remains of Dredd's ship floating around the harbour.
Dredd looked on in disbelief, and said nothing.
Quinn approached Moose and Davey Jones who where in the town square with a group of resting marines.
"Where's Coggy 'n Tew?" he asked.
"They're headed over to tha mansions wit a bunch 'o men," replied Moose who was mustering some eager Cutthroats.
"Aye, 'appen some 'o tha surviving townsfolk reckon's tha Ol'Man is hiding wit tha Gov'nor over thar," added Davey Jones, "La Foot's there wit tha cannons as we speak,"
Quinn quickly ran towards the mansions looking for Coggy.
"Right yew scurvy sea urchins," barked Moose to the men he'd gathered, "We's headin' over to tha prison - 'appen we's gonna raise tha place to tha ground." he said, to the glee of the Cutthroats.
Moose led the men away while Davey Jones grabbed a case of rum and quickly followed.
Quinn ran up to Coggy's group, "Ahoy Cap'n," he called.
"Arrr, Quinny lad, 'as ye come ta watch tha show?" replied Coggy as he ordered the cannons surrounding the mansion into position.
"Cog, I's just got word back from those scouts I sent ta investigate the ships anchored in dock," replied the breathless Quinn.
Tew and La Foot waited for Coggy's order to send in the gathered Cutthroats.
"Cog, one 'o tha ships is tha Grey Ghost!" announced Quinn as he watched the pirates ready themselves for action.
"Arrrggghh, dat's tha Ol'Mans ship, Coggy!" called Tew with excitement.
"Hmmm, so tha blaggard didn't manage to escape, then?" replied Cog scratching his chin.
"I bets tha Ol'Swine 'is shacked up in 'ere wit 'is whore, Cyclone, 'n tha thev'n gov'nor," added La Foot as he looked up at the large mansion.
Pirate Jim came running by, laughing to himself as he opened a box of grenades.
"What tha bleedin' 'ell 'r ye doin'?" asked a surprised Coggy.
Stuffing a few of the bombs into his pockets, pirate Jim replied, "A few 'o da lads have discovered a bunch 'o peasants hidin' in a barn… and I's goin' over thar ta 'ave me a 'lil grenade-party!" he said, rushing past Coggy and disappearing into the distance.
Just then, the bells of a nearby church rang out and within seconds, several redcoats and guards appeared and began shooting down at the pirates from the mansion's windows!
"TAKE COVER!" screamed Coggy, as the pirates fled and hid behind walls, bushes, and burned out wagons.
A fierce fire-fght ensued with musket balls fizzing through the air and pinging off the walls where Coggy and the others hid.
"LA FOOT, GIT THOSE CANNONS READY" barked Coggy.
The pirates began to return fire with pistols and muskets.
Quinn managed to pick off a few with uneasy accuracy, but the pirates where pinned down.
La Foot scampered over to the gunners who where swinging the first cannon around, ready to fire. A gunner fell to the ground - shot in the back by a sharpshooter, but La Foot quickly took his position and got the cannon ready.
"FIRE!" came Coggys order, and with that, the cannon bellowed out its deadly shot that blew a gaping whole where the mansion's door had been.
"CHARRRRGE!" screamed Cog, as all the pirates leapt to their feet and rushed the building, "REMEMBER… I WANTS PRISONERS DIS TIME!" bellowed Coggy, as the men entered and began fighting the terrified defenders.
Another round of cannon shot blasted away part of the mansion's outer wall, and debris littered the courtyard, but the pirates continued to wade into the retreating gentry guards and pushed them deep into the building.
Within a few minutes the white flag appeared from one of the top windows, but Quinn fired another round from his musket and killed the poor swine holding the flag, his limp body crashed trough the window and fell to the floor.
"Good shot, Quinny," called Cog admiringly.
"Dat thar wus tha sorriest lookin' flag 'is ever seen," replied the sarcastic Quinn.
It wasn't long before the fighting died down and several sorry looking survivors emerged from the building with arms aloft, flanked by Coggy's Cutthroats.
"Right, dats dat," said Cog, with a grin, "…now which scurvy bugger is tha Ol'Man?" he said to himself, as the pirates emerged from their cover and moved forward for a closer look.
A few minutes later...
Moose was standing outside the smouldering ruins of the prison.
"We's found the missing Cap'n Hilliard, Sir!" said an excited crewman to Moose as he emerged from the building.
"Hilliard, eh?" said a thoughtful Moose to himself, "Now 'dats a name I's not heard in a l-o-n-g time."
Just then, a bedraggled bearded sorry looking pirate, flanked by two escorting marines, came out of the building and limped down the path towards Moose.
"Well, shiver me friggin' timbers!" called Moose, as he looked on in astonishment.
"Hello, Moosey!… tas been a while, but I knew yew wouldn't ferget ta rescue yer auld mate," said the pathetic looking pirate.
Moose continued to look on in amazement and said, "LeRoy Hilliard!...Tha last time I saw yew was when I saved yer sorry hide from tha prison 'o Puerto Cabello."
"Aye, twas a 'ell 'o a day, dat" replied Hilliard.
"Yer tellin' me" said Moose, "'appen I lost many a good man on that thar occasion - almost ended up in tha nick meself, I did!" he continued.
The two men shook hands and Moose asked, "How'd yew end up in 'dis 'ere 'ell hole?"
Hilliard took a bottle of rum from Moose's hand and said, "Made tha mistake 'o puttin' me trust in a swab called Johnny Conrad… have ye heard 'o him?"
"Aye, tha names familiar" replied Moose.
"Well, tha bugger had dis grand idea 'o sackin' Cartagena… but alas, we got our hides well 'n truly kicked before we got anywhere near tha place," continued Hilliard as he uncorked the bottle and took a swig.
"Conrad left me ta swim wit tha sharks when me ship was holed by them thar turrets." added Hilliard, wiping his lips, "Tha yeller swab managed ta flee tha dons but 'e never came back fer me... needless ta say I's spent tha last three years bein' guest 'o honour in this friggin' prison." he finished.
"Bleedin' ell, LeRoy," replied Moose, "Ye must like prison grub 'cos yer never out 'o 'em mate!" he added, trying to humour his long lost pal.
"Naw mate, tha bastids made me live on nottin' but cockroach soup 'n water." replied Hilliard as he grabbed another bottle of grog and gulped it down.
Back at the burning governors mansion, Pirate Jim who'd been pillaging the nearby church after his grenade party approached Coggy.
"Cap'n, these 'r tha three buggers that squealed on us," he said, pointing to three sheepish priests, "'Appen tha swines warned tha gov'nor bugger of yer approach.." he added, as he shoved one of tha priests in the back.
"YOU BELL RINGIN' BASTIDS!" snarled Coggy, "I's gonna cut every bleedin' one 'o yer in 'arf".
"May the faces of a thousand vanquished enemies forever torment your eternal soul in Davey Jones's locker, Captain Cognito." replied a priest in a soft voice.
"I don't 'ave a friggin' soul," snapped Coggy.
"Git this book readin' bugger ta do some unnatural lovin' to 'is mates before ye slits his throat" said Coggy to one of his men, "then we can be sure tha swab 'ill be spendin' eternity in 'ell when yee've gutted him." he barked, before storming off towards the prison - leaving his men to carry out his un-holy order.
Tew and a bunch of marines where escorting the prisoners they'd taken from the mansion back to the Grim Reaper, while over at the prison, some pirates stood in silence...
Gently swinging in the breeze were the limp bodies of several pirates.
"That poor bastid looks a bit like Iguana Jack," remarked Moose, "And aint that'n Cap'n Creed?" he asked.
"Not sure mate, I never met 'em before," replied Coggy. "But that one there is definately Cap'n Blood... I recognise tha scar on 'is cheek" he added.
"Well, tha Admiral aint gonna be too pleased when we tells 'im where ol' Cap'n Blood 'n Jack ended up" said Davey with a touch of sorrow.
"Arrr, tis a sorry sight indeed ta see a fellow pirate suffer tha hem pen jig to tha dons." said Cog.
"Aye, even poor swabs like those buggers deserved tha dignity 'o a pirates death instead 'o endin' thar wretched lives at the end 'o a rope." added Moose.
The gathered pirates stood in silence again, and removed their caps in respect.
"Best get these sorry buggers down from thar. A pirate don't deserve to be left to tha crows like dat," said Cog before a few hardy souls silently cut down the iron gibbet cages and removed the dead bodies of their fellow brethren, laying them to rest.
Davey Jones leaned over the body of the pirate that resembled Captain Creed and spat into his lifeless face, "Dats fer pinchin' me parrot" he said.
The pirates said no more, headed away from the graveyard, and back to the ships - ready to interrogate their newly acquired prisoners.