Episode 48 - Journeys End
Cool drops of water dripped on to the men from above and an unsettling whispering breeze whistled through the narrow cave as they slowly inched their way forward. Each man had to walk in single file with Ol'Man leading the way, so Coggy kept close behind him, pistol in one hand, and lantern in the other.
And as their eyes became accustomed to the eerie darkness, they could see stalagmites and strange rock formations of all kinds along the way as their lanterns cast long shadows. Within these, each man would swear that they could see the hideous faces of all those they'd vanquished in their many journeys on the high seas...
The cold air began to bite into them as they inched their way further into the icy depths - and their anxiety heightened when out of the darkness there came a hideous high-pitched shriek that echoed throughout the tunnel as it was carried on the whispering breeze...
The men stopped in their tracks - frozen with fear. Even Ol'Man stood motionless as he anxiously peered into the inky blackness ahead.
"What da 'ells that?" whispered Moose as the unnerving sound continued.
Jacob Jones began to tremble, "I don't know mateys but whatever it be - it be commin' closer!" he mumbled, as he grabbed Coggy's arm and nervously peered into the darkness.
After a few tense moments the sound abruptly ceased - leaving the complete silence to be broken only by the distant drip of water.
"Tis ghosts, I tells ye! Ghosts of all da souls we's killed!" whispered Jacob as he began to inch his way passed the pirates and back along the cave.
"Ssshhhh, keep quite!" called Cog, as he lifted his lantern and pulled back the hammer of his pistol.
"Ol'Man, keep movin'" he whispered, as he jabbed him in the back with his pistol.
Taking a deep breath, Ol'Man reluctantly inched his way forwards again with the nervous pirates close behind. Jacob Jones brought up the rear and continued to nervously glance around.
No sooner had they gone a few more paces, than the high-pitched shriek and whispering wind sounded once more, this time louder, and much closer...
"It's tha divil himself!" remarked the startled Henry Morgan.
"Fer Chroist's sake, hush up will thee!" replied the nervous Coggy.
"Thar's loot in this 'ere cave and nay friggin' ghost-divil is gonna keep us from getting to it!" he said, trying to reassure his equally nervous mates.
After stumbling through the damp cave for several more minutes, Ol'Man abruptly stopped in his tracks and slowly turned to face the pirates - his face etched in fear!
"Wha... What's up?" mumbled Coggy as the terrified pirates watched the Ol'Man intently.
In a quiet voice, Ol'Man replied, "Lads... I hate ta say this... but I has tha distinct feelin' dat somethin' unnatural is watchin' us from above"
And with that, the pirates very slowly lifted their lanterns above their heads and looked towards the roof of the cave.
As the light illuminated the darkness, a thousand pair of red beady eyes above their heads reflected the lantern light - and at that instant - the high-pitched shriek they heard earlier sounded once more, this time the noise almost deafened the terrified pirates as the whole cave seemed to come alive...
Small swift dark figures dropped from the roof and swept down - knocking the men to the floor.
Jacob Jones leapt to his feet and violently waved his lantern and cutlass into the air as hundreds of fluttering creatures whizzed by his head "Tis da lost souls 'o our vanquished enemies!" he anxiously called. "They's come ta avenge thar deaths!"
"GIT DOWN YA BLITHEIRNG FOOL!" hollered Coggy, "THAR NOTTIN' BUT BATS" he called.
And with that, the swarm of creatures headed down the cave the way the pirates had come, and disappeared into the darkness once more leaving the sound of their shrieks and beating wings to fade into the distance...
The pirates slowly got up and breathed a sigh of relief before gradually raising their lanterns once more.
Ol'Man turned to face his companions again, gathered his composure, and announced, "I forgot about those critters! Gave me a fright they did! Just like the last time I was here..."
"Yer poor memory is bad fer my heart, Ol'Man!" announced Henry Morgan as he tidied himself up and took a deep breath.
Ol'Man gave the pirates a sly grin and said, "We're here, lads!"
And with that he made his way to the center of the large open cavern they had stumbled into.
The cavern measured some forty feet in width and close to twenty feet in height, and as the pirates lifted their lanterns once more, long eerie shadows were cast along its walls.
However, their attention was distracted by what they had come to seek - for all the treasures the Ol'Man had promised where now before their very eyes.
Where Ol'Man stood, lay fifteen large wooded chests, numerous barrels, and hundreds of leather bags stuffed with pieces of eight. Each chest was laden with gold and jewels.
"Impressive aint it?" announced Ol'Man, with a smirk.
"Jeessus, ye Ol'Bugger! Just how long have ye been collectin' these taxes 'o yers?" asked Morgan, as his jaw dropped at such a sight.
Stumbling over a few loose bags, he knelt down next to a casket of silver coins a gleefully shoved his hands in to make sure it was real.
Davey Jones placed his lantern upon a chest and noticed a couple of skeletal remains next to a pile of loot, "Who where those two poor buggers?" he asked.
Ol'Man gave the pirates a sly smirk and answered, "Arrr, them be the two swabs that helped me carry all this 'ere swag from me ship"
"So what 'appened to 'em?" asked Davey as he nudged one of the skeletons with the tip of his boot.
"I shot 'em dead when we finished hauling the last chest 'o coins in" replied Ol'Man as he rubbed the dust off one of the caskets and opened the lid.
Retrieving several bags of jewels, he added, "I couldn't take tha risk of 'em blabbin' about the whereabouts 'o me precious hoard, now could I?"
The pirates remained silent and simply continued to look on in awe at all the treasures the Ol'Man had hoarded.
Finally, they all looked at one another and started to laugh uncontrollably as they danced a jig around the loot. Each pirate merrily grabbed a handful of coins and threw them into the air as Jacob Jones donned a golden crown and silver sword.
However, in their joyous celebrations, no one noticed Ol'Man pick up a few more bags of treasure and quietly inch his way back towards where the narrow cave merged with the cavern.
After a few moments of watching the pirates' merry celebrations, Ol'Man gave a simple wry smile and under his breath, mumbled the words, "Bunch 'o bleedin' tax-dodging wharf-rats" before throwing his lantern upon a nearby gunpowder keg!
As quick as a flash, the Ol'Bastid scurried down the cave and gave out a long bellowing laugh that cut short the pirates celebrations...
A few seconds later, the powder exploded and tons of rocks and boulders came crashing down! - blocking the pirates in!
The cavern was completely shut off as 100 tons of rubble lay where the Ol'Man once stood.
The dazed pirates stumbled to their feet and coughed as the dust cleared a little. And once the last few stones had settled, the only sound they could hear was that of the Ol'Man's evil laugh echoing down the tunnel...
"Tha bastid!... tha bleedin' bastid!..." mumbled the still shocked Coggy as he patted the dust from his cap and got to his feet.
"We're done fer!" announced Morgan as he looked at the pile of rock and stone.
Jacob Jones dropped the sword and stumbled over to the rocks and fell down on his knees - realizing that their only way out of the cave was blocked, he turned back to face his comrades and said nothing as he held his head in his hands and wept in desperation.
After what had seemed an age, the pirates resigned themselves to the fact that the Ol'Man had sealed their fate. They half-heartedly clawed at a few loose rocks for a short while, before stumbling over to the center of the cavern once more and slumping down next to the treasure chests.
"How long do ye reckon we's got, mateys?" mumbled Jacob Jones in reference to the amount of air remaining in the cavern.
"A few minutes, maybe more..." mumbled the disheartened Coggy in reply.
The miserable pirates cursed their mis-fortune. Their long journey had come to an unfortunate end. Before their very eyes lay more wealth than any of them could have possibly imagined, yet each one of them would have gladly gave some of it up just to be out of their tomb.
"Lads.. I never thought I'd go to the locker this way," announced the softly spoken Coggy. "I always thought I'd swing or maybe die in battle aboard me ship someplace. A true pirates death, if'n ye will.. But to die like this... buried alive... it aint what I expected, that's fer sure"
The others murmured their agreement.
"I knows what ye mean, Cogs" replied Moose, in an equally soft tone.
"I'm sorry fer getting ye inta this mess," remarked the sorrowful Cog, "Maybe ye should 'o declined me offer when I asked ye fer yer 'elp with the blimmy Treasure Fleet".
"Nah, Cogs. We wouldn't 'o missed it fer the world. Tas been a grand journey and a pleasure sailing wit ye." replied Moose as he removed a few bottles of rum from the case he sat against and passed them around the sorry group.
"We've had a lot 'o fun 'n tears along the way, but all in all, tas been an adventure. And I fer one will sail wit ye ta perdition's edge 'n back in the afterlife" he added.
The pirates tipped their hats to one another, raised their bottles one last time, and settled down to await out the last few minutes of oxygen as the stale air began to become unbearable.
After removing his cap and wiping away a few beads of sweat from his forehead, Coggy clambered to his feet and prized the lid off a barrel before sitting back down next to his mates.
Removing his dagger, the pirate then proceeded to engrave something upon the wooden lid.
"What ye doin' Cogs?" asked Henry Morgan.
"Engraving me last will 'n testament upon dis 'ere barrel lid 'afore its too late" replied the Captain as he continued scraping away with his dagger.
"Some lucky blaggards will one day stumble upon this 'ere cave and I thought it would be fittin' to let 'em know exactly who we was" he added.
After a few minutes, the pirate brushed away all the loose woodcarvings and brought a nearby lantern closer - enabling him to see his handy work better.
"Lets have us a look then, mate" said Moose as he motioned for Cog to pass him the lid.
Moose scrutinized Coggy's engravings and read to his companions;
"Here lies the bones o' Captain Cognito - 'Coggy' to his mates."
"Born in Yorkshire in tha year of our lord, 1616; died to the hands 'o a traitorous Ol'Bastid, this day, December 13th 1643."
"To whomever finds these 'ere remains, I leave all me worldly goods: one flintlock pistol, one cutlass (slightly worn), me favorite tricone hat and a fine pair 'o Danish leather boots... and last but not least, more gold and jewels than yer pox-ridden hide deserves, no doubt"
Moose handed the wooden lid to Morgan and removed his hat to show a sign of respect.
After a few moments of contemplation, Morgan, Davey and Moose, slowly passed the lid around and followed Coggy's example by engraving their own final words upon it.
"I aint one fer readin' 'n writin' mateys" remarked Jacob Jones, "But if'n one 'o yew fine fellas could scrape someting fer me, I'd be mighty grateful, I would" he said.
Coggy gave the former slave a pat on the shoulder and duly obliged by engraving a few fine words for his mate.
After several minutes, the air had become staler and staler as the oxygen was almost exhausted.
Jacob Jones rubbed his hands over the wooden lid and ran his fingers through each engraving before settling into his final resting-place.
Leaning back against the cave wall for one last time, the buccaneer felt something give way against his back!
Quickly putting the engravings aside for a moment, Jacob stumbled to his knees and reached out to retrieve a lantern.
"Mateys, come look at dis!" he mumbled, gasping for a few last breaths.
But the pirates remained slumped against the chests of loot taking little notice of their companion. Each one was almost out of breath and they could feel the first sensations of asphyxiation approach as they became light-headed.
Placing the lantern beside him, Jacob began scraping away some of the grime from the rock surface - first with his bare hands, then with a nearby cutlass.
And the grime and mould soon gave way to reveal some sort of old brickwork underneath...
"Lookee 'ere!" whispered the former slave once more.
Seeing that his mates weren't responding, Jacob got to his feet and stumbled over to where Coggy was laying...
"Cap'n Cap'n, wake up! Yee's got ta wake up!" he mumbled, as he became ever more delirious with the lack of air.
Just as all seemed lost, Coggy's eyes flickered open slightly and Jacob began dragging the Captain's limp body across the cave floor to where he'd been digging.
"Lookee 'ere!" called Jacob once more.
Coggy squinted as he tried to focus on what Jacob was pointing at. After a few seconds, he mumbled in a hoarse voice, "Moose..."
Jacob Jones began frantically chipping away at the brickwork and it wasn't long before he'd pulled some of the masonry away.
Through the gap there came a cool breeze of fresh air - and intermingled with that, the two delirious men could just make out a faint scent of Jamaican Rum.
Within seconds Davey Jones' nose began twitching as the sweet smelling liquor passed his nostrils. A few seconds later, his eyes flickered open.
Coggy took a few deep breaths to help clear his head and soon joined Jacob in pulling away the brickwork.
And it wasn't long before Davey Jones, Moose, and Morgan, who had been revived from their unconscious slumber by the cool air, joined them.
"Rum!... I smells Rum!" announced Davey. "Vintage Jamaican... late 1590's, I reckon!" he added.
Soon the pirates had pulled away most of the brickwork and gingerly stumbled over the pile of masonry as they lifted their lanterns and headed into the darkness.
Within moments, the lanterns had lit up a small sweet-smelling room that contained numerous barrels of rum, ale, and whisky. And above them, the pirates could see wooden floorboards through which rays of sunlight shone and the rowdy sound of drunken pirates could be heard.
Without saying a word, Coggy and his mates looked at one another with puzzlement, before slowly creeping up some steep wooden steps leading to a large hatch.
Gently lifting the hatch up with their swords, the pirates peered into the well-lit room - and as their eyes became accustomed to the sunlight they heard a familiar voice shout out, "WHO'S IN ME FRIGGIN' CELLER?"
Within seconds the rowdiness from above calmed down and two burly men rushed over and pulled the hatch wide open. The sheepish pirates where unceremoniously dragged out of the cellar and found themselves standing in a room and looking on in bewilderment at a sight they all knew so well. For each one had emerged in none other than the bar room of the Silver Sloop Tavern!
Governor Jon stood in complete silence, as did his guests, Captain Crash, Captain Creed, Black Mark, and Black Eye, and many more half-drunken souls.
"I... I don't believe me eyes!" announced Jon as he approached the bedraggled looking pirates. "What are ye lot doing in the cellar?" he asked, as he scratched his head.
"Arrr, Jon, tis a long story mate, an' ye probably wouldnae believe us if'n we told ye!" announced Coggy.
"Ye tryin' ta steal our grog?" asked Jon, with a touch of anger.
"Nay mate, we was in a cave. Then ol' Jacob 'ere takes it upon himself ta pull down a lil' wall and low 'n bleedin' behold, we ends up 'ere!" mumbled Coggy, who was still feeling a little confused at the whole affair.
"A cave, ye say?" said Jon, "I reckon I know the one. Tas been there since this ol' tavern was built and I had it bricked up due to an infestation 'o wharf rats in the cellar." he explained, as he realized what the pirates were talking about.
Henry Morgan stepped forth with a broad grin and said, "Arrr, Jon lad! I bet ye didn't know that that very cave contains more loot than ye can ever imagine!"
"Aye! And it's all ours!" Coggy hastily added, "But we'll gladly share some 'o it wit yer fine customers 'ere if'n they be gracious enough ta 'elp haul it out fer us!" he said.
And with that, the pirates dusted themselves down, hastily tidied themselves up, and were invited to a free round of drinks by the merry onlookers...
Later that day...
After the pirates had fully recovered from their recent ordeal, they gleefully watched as the vast hoards of loot were brought out of the cave and up into the Silver Sloop.
Governor Jon had listened to the buccaneer's yarn with great interest and invited them to a dockside banquet that he'd hastily prepared in their honour.
It seemed the entire inhabitants of Tortuga had been invited as the dockside was bustling with activity; pirates, wenches, and local peasants danced merry jigs and par-took in the great celebration.
Coggy and his mates made their way to the center of the dockside, where a long line of wooden tables had been placed and a huge inviting meal had been prepared. And it wasn't long before the buccaneers tucked into the fine foods and ales spread before them.
Across the water, on the hillside overlooking the bay, the local garrison fired out a twelve gun salute as Coggy's Sloop and the captured Spanish Galleon, carrying the rest of their stolen loot, finally sailed into the harbor with Sir Loin 'o Beef at the helm.
"Good ol' Beefy! On time as usual!" laughed Cog, as he took a look at his pocket watch and placed it back in his tunic.
Just then, a few merry seamen from the tavern ambled their way over to the table and awaited an invitation from the pirates to join in in the great feast.
"Arrr, Cap'n Creed! Come 'n join us matey!" called Coggy on recognizing the Frenchmen.
"And that goes fer the rest 'o ye scoundrels too - come have yerself some ale!" laughed Cog.
Creed tipped his hat to the pirate and duly seated himself across the table from the merry buccaneers.
"I heard ye cashed in on Admiral Tew's head?" laughed Henry Morgan.
"Aye, that I did!" replied Creed, with a proud grin.
"But I've since heard that the blaggard evaded justice on route to France!" he announced as he grabbed a tankard of ale. "Rumor has it, 'e got hold of a Barque and sailed to Madagascar with a crew of convicts!"
"I knew it!" called Cog. "I knew we hadn't heard the last 'o that bugger!" he said, with a grin.
Creed bit into a leg of lamb, took another swig of ale, wiped his lips and announced, "Well my fellow Captains, tis a good thing for me that Tew has evaded justice! For I've been commissioned by King Louis XIII himself to take a squadron of French frigates to them waters and track him down once more. His bounty now stands at twice that of the last one I claimed! Haaarrr"
"Arrr, Creed, yer a bigger con-man than any 'o us! HAAAR <SPIT>" laughed Moose.
Leaning over the table, the Frenchman retrieved the letter he'd been given way back in Curacao and handed it to Davey Jones. "This is for you, Sir. I was asked to deliver it should our paths ever cross again" he said.
Davey finished drinking his water, wiped some food from his fingers, and took the letter.
The others all looked on with interest as he hesitantly opened the envelope and removed its contents.
After a few moments, the embarrassed looking pirate handed the papers to Coggy and asked, "Yew read it fer me, mate. 'Appen I never had much schoolin' as a kid and I aint one fer figuring out da words."
Coggy took the letter and read for a few moments as the others waited patiently with interest.
"Well, whot does it say?" asked the curious Moose.
Coggy gave a wry smile to himself and began to explain "Haaarr!, Davey lad! Do ye remember that Dutch bugger ye had yer pistol duel with back in Curacao?"
Davey nodded.
"Well mate, this 'ere letter be from the swabs' estate. Looks like Myerhn had a will 'n testament written up proclaiming that should anyone shoot him dead fair 'n square in a duel - that man should inherit all his assets fer being a greater marksman than he!" explained Cog.
"Seems that the Dutchman was da best pistol-dueller in the Caribbean and thought no one had tha gall or skill ta beat him! But ye did mate! And now yer tha proud owner 'o several townhouses, The Alluring Mermaid Tavern, six warehouses of grog, three Sloops and a Brig, and one damn fine liquor brewery! Haarrrr!"
Davey Jones didn't know what to say. He looked on in silence as the other pirates began to laugh and toast their mates' good fortune.
"They're all waiting fer ye to go claim down in Curacao, mate! Yer a friggin' richer bastid than any of us now!!! HAAARRR" laughed Cog.
Finally, after a few moments of contemplating Coggy's words, Davey asked, "Did ye say I's inherited me a tavern?... and...and... and a liquor brewery?"
"Aye mate, I did!" replied Cog.
Davey looked a little shocked as he raised his glass of water.
Taking a sip, he looked at the clear tasteless liquid for a moment before tipping it out and hastily filling his tankard with a cocktail of rum, whisky, and ale. Standing up, the pirate announced, "I've got just one thing ta say mateys!..... I'LL FRIGGIN' DRINK TA THAT!" and in one go, he gulped down his tankards entire contents and gave out a deep bellowing belch as his cheering comrades threw their caps in the air and joined their fellow pirate in a toast.
THE END