Episode 47 - The Return to Tortuga Island
"What ye see mate?" called Coggy to Henry Morgan.
Peering through his spyglass, Morgan announced; "Thar's four 'o em. Can't quite make 'em out but I think the one on the right could be Moose. One looks like a don officer, the others 'r probably just oarsmen..."
After a few minutes the approaching rowboat soon came alongside the towering Galleon and the crew on deck wasted little time in getting its occupants aboard.
"Who tha 'ell 'r yew?" asked Coggy as he helped the first man aboard.
"King... William King... gunners mate, Sir" replied the tired looking sailor.
"One 'o Moose's crew?" asked Morgan.
"Aye Sir" replied the man as he turned and helped his Captain aboard.
"Ahoy mateys!" called the bedraggled looking Moose as he climbed aboard and met his gleeful mates.
"Arrr Moose!" replied Coggy. "I hope the dons treated ye good!" he said as he welcomed aboard his mate and handed him a bottle of ale.
"As well as could be expected, I suppose <SPIT>" replied the pirate as he eagerly gulped down his drink.
Giving a long deep belch, he added, "I saw ye make good yer escape during tha battle just before I was jumped by a bunch 'o friggin' marines. Me 'n William King were the only ones brought 'ere"
"Aye mate, thar was no way we could come to yer aid. What ye see here is all that's left 'o our crew" replied Cog, as he brought Moose's attention to the twenty or so sailors scattered about the deck.
"Arrr, I knew ye wouldn't leave us to the mercy 'o tha dons fer too long," replied Moose, "I appreciates yer efforts 'o getting us out 'o dat cesspool. Tha bastids had us liven' on roach soup <SPIT>"
"Did we get much swag?" he asked, in reference to the looted treasure.
"Aye! About a million quid's worth, we reckon!" laughed Henry Morgan.
"And we've got some more good news fer ye too!" announced Cog.
"Remember that Dutch hoard we went after three years ago? Well mate, the Ol'Man has informed me 'o where most of it's at! - And that be Tortuga!" he explained.
"Coupled wit a few chests 'o pilfered tax money, the Ol'Bastid swears thar's more loot hidden thar than we took from the blimmy Treasure Fleet!" he added, excitedly
Glancing across to the Ol'Man, who sat atop a barrel and watched the pirates from the Bridge, Moose gave his old foe a menacing glance and remarked "Arrr, I was wondering why the Ol'Bastid was aboard 'n still breathing… I'm surprised ye didn't gut him on sight!"
"Haaarr!… actually mate, he's the one that told us where yee'd be held. And the swab helped secure yer release fer us," replied Cog.
"But don't worry, we aint swore on any oaths this time. He's gonna lead us to the Tortugan loot 'n in return we'll give him a share 'n let him live." he said, with a sly wink as he handed Moose and his lone surviving crewman another bottle.
Just then, Captain Karn stepped aboard, "I trust the Ol'Man has informed you of our demands" he said, forcefully.
Coggy's mood changed from one of glee to anger and mistrust.
"Aye ya thieving buggers! We's got yer friggin' ransom right 'ere!" he replied, as he drew his sword and menaced the Spaniard.
Calmly pushing the blade away, Karn glanced across to the distant fort and said, "You fools need me to get these ships out of the bay safely. You may have outwitted them once, but you certainly won't get passed that fortress a second time!"
"So Sirs, that'll be 150,000 pesos if'n yew please" he said, with a sly grin.
Morgan stepped forth and said, "What? Ol'Man said tha townsfolk asked fer 100,000"
"Aye, that they did, Captain But I'M asking for 150,000!" replied Karn, defiantly.
"The commander of that there garrison just happens to be my brother-in-law, and no doubt he'll want.... hmmm.... lets say 25,000 pesos to keep his eager gunners from pounding your ships to a watery grave." he said.
"25,000? What about the rest?" asked Sir Loin 'o Beef as he scratched his head.
"My services don't' come cheap either! The good citizens of Maracaibo get 100,000, my kin-folk gets 25,000, and yours truly gets the other 25,000 for all this negotiating I'm doing… tis thirsty work you know, and ale in these parts doesn't come cheap!" replied Karn, sarcastically.
"Anyhow, you unsavoury scoundrels get to sail off into the sunset with the rest of your stolen hoard. No one else be none the wiser" he added.
"Chroist, yer a bigger pirate than any 'o us - ya thieving swab!" announced the irate Coggy.
Moose looked a little irate too. Tossing his empty bottle into the sea, he spat and moaned "A hundred 'n fifty friggin' thousand - I'm worth at least twice that! Ya bunch 'o slanderous Spanish bastids!"
Later that day...
Captain Karn watched as his oarsman returned to Maracaibo dock with a rowboat containing 100,000 pesos. And a few minutes later, the two hardy ships soon made sail and slowly pulled away from the harbour.
Flying the flag of truce, the ships stopped briefly close to Lookout Island to allow Karn ashore with his own hoard of the bribe money.
And without hesitation, the ships were soon back on the ocean wave - passing Lookout Island with no concerns, they headed north and out to the open sea.
As the sun began to set, the buccaneers all stood on deck with Jacob Jones and twenty relieved Cutthroats. They drank a toast to the liberation of their mates and the forthcoming journey back to Tortuga where it was hoped another hoard of riches awaited them.
And on the Bridge, Ol'Man sipped his flask of whiskey, took a few puffs of tobacco with his pipe, and watched the pirates below break out into merry celebration.
"We're gonna be rich!" called out Davey Jones as his fellow pirates discussed Ol'Man's loot.
"We are rich!" announced Morgan.
"Well then… we're gonna be filthy rich!" called the gleeful Jones in reply as he gulped down another bottle of water.
"Here's ta being filthy rich bastids!" they all called in unison.
And as the two ships continued on the journey north leaving the Spanish Main far behind them, the pirates eagerly brought their stolen treasures from below decks once more, and gleefully divided the plunder…
Twelve days later - mid December, 1643...
A week into their long journey, the captured Galleon and pirate Sloop almost ran a-foul of several Spanish Frigates off Hispanola. But after swinging west, and running with a strong breeze behind them, the ships soon reached the Windward Passage before turning northeast and on to Tortuga Island.
The rest of their journey remained uneventful and the merry buccaneers watched in joyous spirits as the lush island of Tortuga came into view.
The morning sun warmed their souls as each one stood on the Bridge and drunk a toast on seeing that their long journey was almost complete.
"Arrr, da Island 'o Tortuga. I aint been here fer many a year," announced Sir Loin 'o Beef. "Plenty 'o wild boars 'ere, as I recall" he said.
"I was born here" remarked William King, "Thought I'd never see her again when I watched them blimmy Spaniards build me a gallows back in Maracaibo"
"Haarrr, well yer a free pirate once more matey an' no doubt a rich one when our mates go diggin' fer the Ol'Buggers loot" replied Beefy.
After about an hour, the Galleon and Coggy's Sloop had found a good anchorage a couple of miles west of the harbour that led into the pirate stronghold. Ol'Man had informed the pirates that the stolen tax money and Dutch treasure lay in a deep cave not far from the town itself.
"Bring us upon to that thar beach" called Ol'Man as he pointed to a small sandy cove that merged into the Jungle.
Within minutes, the pirate officers had disembarked their rowboat and waded through the warm shallow surf.
Turning back to the two oarsmen in the boat, Coggy ordered them to return to the ships and inform Sir Loin 'o Beef to sail into Tortuga harbour without them should they not return by noon.
Moose, Morgan, Davey, and the former slave Jacob Jones, followed Coggy as he withdrew his cutlass and slashed at some thick undergrowth Ol'Man had pointed to.
"Any sign 'o trouble, Ol'Man, and we'll run ye through!" warned Moose, as they followed their guide up into the foliage.
The hot morning sun relentlessly beat down on the six men as they hacked and slashed their way deeper into the jungle. Stopping briefly to take on water at a fresh stream, the pirates soon got underway again and after a difficult twenty minute walk through the harsh environment, Ol'Man stopped in his tracks and pointed,
"Here it be, lads. That's the marker fer the cave entrance… tas stood their fer nigh on two years" he announced.
A few paces further on, the pirates could see a large wooden pole with a skull stuck on it. And behind this, through a thick clump of palm trees and bushes, they could see the dark outline of a cave leading into the rock face.
Ol'Man lit his lantern and gingerly made his was forward. Within a few moments, the men stood at the narrow cave entrance, and with a touch of hidden anxiety, they each lit their lanterns and followed him inside...