Episode 44 - Ol'Man's Secret
Early the next morning...
The sixteen surviving Cutthroats and several men of colour had been up all night - merrily dancing a jig of joy on the deck of their new Galleon and getting drunk as the ships pulled further and further away from the remains of the scattered Spanish Fleet.
And their joy was compounded when Ol'Man was brought from below and escorted onto the deck.
He was gagged and his hands had been tightly tied together behind his back.
"Arrr, lets gut the Ol'Bugger 'n nail his gizzards to the yard arm!" called out an eager Cutthroat.
"Let me at him, boss!" bellowed Jacob Jones as he drew his dagger and menaced the Ol'Man with it's blade.
Coggy, Davey Jones, Beefy, and Morgan, gleefully watched the eager swabs taunt their prisoner.
"I reckon this'n should go to a pirate vote, lads!" called out Coggy with a broad grin.
"Aye Aye, Sir!" replied the joyous crew as they continued to bait the Ol'Bastid.
Within a few moments, Coggy jumped atop a barrel and cleared his throat,
"Hear ye, hear ye" he called, as the dancing and singing died down a little.
"Fer being a traitorous tax-collectin' good-fer-nottin' don-lovin' Ol'Swab, I do declare that this man here shall feel tha wrath 'o the Brotherhood!" shouted Cog - much to the amusement of his mates.
"Is there any man here that wishes to say any word in defence of the accused?" he added.
The gathered pirates laughed as Ol'Man struggled against his bindings and tried to spit out his gag.
"Anyone at all got a good word ta say 'bout this poor Ol'Bugger?" called Cog, sarcastically.
"Git on with it Cogs! We wanna see him swing!" laughed Morgan.
Another chorus of laugher echoed across the deck as the men watched the makeshift trial come to a head.
"Ok, ok, yew inpatient swabs!" laughed Cog, "Can't a pirate have a bit 'o fun!"
Ol'Man continued to struggle with his bindings - but again to no avail.
"Who of those gathered here wish ta see tha Ol'Bastid swing from the yardarm?" called out Cog.
"Aye, Aye..." came a chorus of gleeful agreement.
"And how many want ta give him the cat 'o nine tails, and then nail his filthy hide to the bowsprit?" asked Cog.
"Haarrr, Aye!" came another chorus of agreement.
Morgan and Davey Jones laughed at their mates' antics. "How's 'bout making the swab walk the plank?" bellowed Henry.
"AYE!" came a unanimous call from the men.
"HAAARR, looks like we has us a winner!" laughed Cog.
"Walking tha plank it be!" he added, as he motioned a couple of men to prepare the Ol'Man's welcome demise.
The dancing and singing on deck soon got under way again as the Ol'Man was ushered to the side of the ship. Within a few moments, a long plank of timber had been shoved out from the side of the ship.
"Lookee thar!" called out Jacob Jones as he pointed down into the water, "Da Ol'Ones gonna 'ave hisself comp'ney fer 'is swim!" he laughed.
The pirates rushed to the side of the ship, and through the shiny surface they could just make out the shape of a Great White shark lurking in the depths.
"Awww, poor shark!" laughed Morgan, "Tha blimmy thing 'ill no doubt be looking fer a hearty meal - an' all its gonna get is this wretched bag 'o bones! Haarrrr!"
The pirates gleefully forced the Ol'Man up onto the plank, before Coggy approached and removed his gag.
"Any last request before ye meet yer maker?" he goaded.
Ol'Man gave the pirates a menacing glance as he spat out the few strands of cloth left over from the gag.
"Yew bunch 'o wharf-rats! I should 'o hung each 'n every one 'o yew swabs when I had me chance!" he called.
Coggy grinned as he went to replace the gag - but Ol'Man hadn't finished. "Cognito! ya blithering fool! Have ye bothered to look in tha hold 'o this very ship yet?" he barked.
Coggy said nothing as the dancing and cheering calmed a little.
"What's he talking about, Sir?" asked a sailor.
Ol'Man's expression of pure rage slowly changed as he looked at the men. A sly grin spread across his devious face.
On seeing the expression he knew so well, Coggy instantly leapt down from the plank and ordered a couple of men to follow him as the officers looked at one another with growing concern.
Turning back to his mates, Cog called, "Keep an eye on him! I'll be back in a minute!" and with that, he disappeared below deck.
The mood of the gathered pirates soon changed as their merry jig came to an abrupt end. Each one looked at their prisoner with menace.
"What's goin' on, mateys?" asked Jacob Jones.
But no one answered.
"If this is some sort a trick, Ol'Man, I'll gladly gut yer meself 'n feed yer innards to that thar shark" growled Morgan, as an uneasy silence descended across the deck.
After what had seemed an age, Coggy finally emerged from the hold of the Galleon and made his way to where Ol'Man was being held. "So where's tha rest 'o it ya thieving Ol'Git?" he barked.
Ol'Man gave Cog a sly grin and remarked, "Hidden someplace where yew bunch 'o wharf-rats 'ill never find it!"
Davey looked a little puzzled, turning to Cog he asked, "What's 'e yakkin' 'bout, Cog?"
Coggy drew his sword and menacingly pointed it towards the Ol'Man.
"Lads, by tha looks 'o the loot this bugger has hoarded in the hold 'o this very ship, me thinks it falls WAY short 'o all the so-called tax he's been collectin" explained the irate Captain.
Again Ol'Man gave his captors a sly grin and added, "Aye, yer darn right! Do ye tink a greedy bastid like me would refrain form pilfering a fair share 'o da swag off 'n hiding it away fer a rainy day?"
Beefy stepped forth and announced, "Who cares anyhow? Wit what we've taken from the Treasure Fleet, we've got more dan enough loot ta keep us in grog 'n whores fer tha rest 'o our natural lives!"
But Ol'Man hadn't finished, "Arrr that may well be, Mister, but with all that stolen tax loot I's got hidden away, coupled with that Dutch hoard I took from yew inept buggers a few years back, it all comes to a tidy sum - I can tell ye!"
Whilst Ol'Man was distracted by Beefy's comments, Coggy motioned for a nearby sailor to go search the Ol'Man's cabin for any evidence of his extravagant claims.
Turning back to his prisoner, Cog said, "I gather tha reason yer tellin' us this is cause ye don't fancy a dip with the shark - but ye reckon by makin' another deal wit us, we'll be gracious enough ta let ya live?"
"Ye aint as dumb as ye look, are ye?" replied Ol'Man, with another sly grin.
Niether Coggy, Davey Jones, or Morgan, trusted the Ol'Man. Being double-crossed by him once was bad enough, but to fall into the same trap again was out of the question.
Still, their curiosity, allied with their sheer greed, started to get the better of them.
"We's swearin' on no oaths - but if'n ye tell us where its at, we'll consider maroonin' yer sorry hide on tha next island we passes" remarked Cog.
"HAAARRR! I aint been born yesterday!" snapped Ol'Man.
"I wants assurances dat I'll get a fair share 'o it and be left in peace if'n I takes ye to it meself" he called.
But before anyone could answer, he added, "And besides, yer gonna need me to secure the release 'o yer miserable mate when we get ta Maracaibo. I's got many connections in that town and a lil' word to the right people will no doubt save Moose from the gallows."
The pirates thought for a moment. None of them wanted to give the Ol'Man the impression that he had them in an awkward position. They cared little about the loot they'd taken from the Spaniards and would gladly trade it in exchange for the captured Captain Moose - especially now that they could soon find themselves digging for a new hoard of riches.
But fortune would swing the way of the pirates once more as just at that very moment, the sailor Cog had sent below emerged from Ol'Man's cabin with a bundle of papers in his hand.
"Found dese in a locked cabinet I had ta bust open, Sir" he announced.
Ol'Man looked on with a look of concern. His confident posture soon changed as he watched Coggy take the papers from his crewman and began sifting through them.
But before he could come to the relevant information regarding the Ol'Man's claim about the Dutch Treasure and stolen tax revenue, Ol'Man announced
"Heck, I'll even tell ya which island its on if'n ye wish!"
Coggy stopped what he was doing and glanced up as the Ol'Man continued…
"It's hidden on yer very own island 'o Tortuga!" he proclaimed, "Aye! a friggin' fortune on yer very doorstep an' yew silly swabs sail halfway across da Caribbean lookin fer a fraction 'o what I's got hidden thar!"
Morgan stepped forth with a distrustful look on his face and asked, "Arrr, why da heck did ye bury it there? Ya senile Ol'Git!"
"Tha neutral port 'o Tortuga is tha last place a pirate would tink 'o looking fer such a hoard!" laughed Ol'Man, "And its been thar fer nigh on two friggin' years, undisturbed - and right under yer pox-ridden noses!" he goaded.
Turning back to the papers, Coggy lifted out a hand-drawn sketch, scrutinised it fer a while and handed it to Davey Jones. "He aint spinnin' us a bunch 'o bull fer once, mate. It looks like Tort ta me" he said.
The two pirates scrutinised the sketch further, before finally both breaking out into a broad greedy grin.
Later that day...
Coggy, Davey Jones, and Morgan, had discussed the pirates' situation regarding the capture of Moose, what to do with Ol'Man, and how exactly they would locate the Tortugan treasure.
The pirates were reluctant to keep Ol'Man around but they knew he would come in handy in trying to locate, and ultimately secure the release of their captured shipmate. Not to mention his knowledge of the exact location the pilfered tax money and Dutch gold lay on Tortuga Island.
"I suppose we could tolerate the Ol'Git fer Moose's sake" remarked Davey as he watched Ol'Man sit upon a barrel and chew on some tobacco.
"Aye, but we don't want that bugger having the run 'o the ship. Lets keep an eye on him and if'n he show's any sign 'o double-crossin' us we'll feed him to the blimmy sharks!" replied Henry Morgan as the men were left with the unfortunate choice of having to keep their long-time enemy aboard.