Ransom

One more night to get through, and then we would see the Tortugas. That's what ran through my mind as I inspected for myself the repair to the hull. Colard stood next to me, pointing out the places that were weakest, and would need better fixing once we reached safe harbor. "She'll be fine 'till then, Ma'am. Hae nae fear." He smiled at me, and gave me a wink. "Well, let's hope the Spaniards give us the time. I have no idea what or who we will meet on these islands, so be prepared to work as fast as you can." "Oh, Jimmy has the makings o' a good carpenter, and we've wood stock aplenty. Between the two of us, we'll set things tae rights." I smiled at the old man. "Then you have set my mind at considerable ease, sir."

"Here come the JUDGE."

Cheap box wine over ice.

Today.....painting the bedroom. On the wall right now is the tinted primer, ready for the Claret Red finish. Unfortunately, the tinted primer is exactly the same color of pink as Pepto Bismol.

Oi, Jamie, you look like you're having fun. And, my, that's a really.....RED....coat ya got there. Love the westkit as well. Handsome ya be, to be sure!

Ooo, scorched seal. NOT GOOD! Hope you have a great time, but I do hope you find some portable shade. As for me, alas, I have procrastinated long enough, and tomorrow will be starting the paint job on the bedroom. I have a love/hate relationship with house painting. I hate to paint, but love the end result.

Oh yes, I DO remember that. It's called, "Having WAY too much fun!" Ummm, so, like, when do we get to do it again?

Tie offender to the mast, and place a bottle of rum just out of reach. The severity of his crime determines how long he stays tied and staring at the bottle.

^ Does Ojai count? Other than that, and trips to our boat, nothing so far. > Trying to stay indoors due to the vast amount of smoke in the valley, coming from the fires in No. Calif. So thick, I could hardly see Red Mountain, which is only about 3 miles from the house. V Pass the question on.

We really must meet someday, and share a toast.

Leftovers Smoke blown in from the Northern Calif. fires. Recently = JT, CBIL The crew of 11+ firefighters from Grants Pass, all between the ages of 19-30, whose helicopter crashed and burned while fighting the No. Calif. fires. My heart grieves for their families.

Getting ready to fix a late lunch, and a nice refreshing Pimm's. (Hester, go read a few days back in the "What are you drinking" thread. I have left you some praise. Sorta LOL )

I just recently read the Nautical Chart, and loved it. I have also read two other books by that same author, Queen of the South, and The Fencing Master. Both excellent, but not piratical. On a more romantic (but not smarmy) note, and a classic, is Frenchman's Creek by Daphne Du Maurier. And yes, the Frenchman is a pirate.

Hot, muggy and smokey. So much smoke from the Northern Calif. fires is blowing into So. Oregon, that Grants Pass looks like a stage 5 smog alert day in LA.

With the assurance that Jacky would stick with me, at least until we reached the Tortugas, I finally relaxed a bit. We were only one day out from our destination, and I was eager to be able to drop anchor and give Colard and Jimmy time to do a better job on the hull. As for the fate of Red Cat and Nate, I didn't hold out much hope. A jolly boat in the open ocean is no safe place to be, and the odds of Nate actually finding the Cat were slim. And should he find her, their chances of surviving were slimmer still. For all I knew, both were already prisoners of the Spanish. I did wonder just how the Cat was swept overboard. True, even the most cautious sailor could come to grief, but Cat usually lived up to her name, and always landed on her feet. And Nate's insistence on finding her struck me as more than blind loyalty. I suspected that behind the grin, lay a devious and tricksy mind.

Ah, Black Anne beat me to it. I was figuring someone needed to clue the poor boy in that the first round was on him. I do hope he has a lot of shiny in that coin purse, as most here have a powerful thirst! Welcome to Pub, Sweeney, and you can make mine a glass of French bubbly, if you please.

The "Grand Ransom?" Oh no, that's way off the mark! Nothing grand about this pirate, just doing my thing, and playing with me bits and pieces. But, even us pirates got a make a wee bit o' the shiny once and a while. Otherwise, the crew gets a bit crabby, doncha know. LOL

As the Rakehell dropped back along the Relentless's port side, I caught Jacky's last bit of advice. So he could hear me better, I leaned out over the rail and answered him. "So far the repair has held, and we're not taking on water. I'll trust what little luck I have left to getting us to the Tortugas before I'd trust it crossing the gulf. As for the jolly boat, I've one other, and Nate would have been no use to me. I didn't trust him so he's better gone. As I said, the chart I gave him is mis-marked. He and Cat are on their own, and if captured by the Spanish, the chart won't betray us." I took a breath, then, "I'll follow you as long as I can. If we start to take on water again, or the mend fails, I'll run up a distress flag. Your choice whether you honor it or not." In frustration, I pounded my fist on the rail. "Get me to the bloody Tortugas, Jacky. That's all I ask. We can make better repairs there."

Wow, expensive little guy isn't he? But yeah, if you come across an web site, let me know. No hurry though, just if you happen on it. Thanks.

I received Pyrateleather's book today. Very nice, I must say.

With Nate and the small boat rapidly dropping behind us, I made a decision. Gone was the time for false pride, stubborn will, or useless anger. I needed to let Jacky know exactly what my situation was. What he chose to do with that knowledge would be up to him. "Africa, drop us behind, and then alongside the Relentless's starboard side. Put me within hailing distance, close as you can. Then, when I give the word, heel the Rakehell over, exposing the hole in her side. Understand?" He nodded, and called out the orders. The maneauver didn't take long, as even injured, the Rakehell would always be faster than the brig. Along with a few of his crew, I saw Jacky come to the rail, his expression one of puzzlement. When we were a mere twenty yards apart, I shouted between cupped hands, "Cat went overboard in the storm. Nate went bck to look for her. He was to take Roberts with him, but tricked us. I don't know his plans, but the chart I gave him does not show where we are going in the Tortugas, so if he lives, and is captured, no one will know where we are." My voice was already going hoarse. "And there's something you need to see." Turning, I called to Africa, "NOW!" Africa shouted the orders, and the crew quickly put the Rakehell on her starboard elbow and cut across the Relentless's bow, exposing the raw wound the Rakehell had received from the Spanish gun.

Africa had let the sails luff a bit, to slow us down as the Jolly boat was lowered into the water, when Nate pulled his little trick on Roberts. I was so furious, that I seriously thought about sinking the jolly boat. And I would, had I not thought the sound of a cannon would bring the galleon down on us. How dare that Irish git defy my orders. I didn't hold my position as captain by playing at games, and I did not intend to play at this one. With a voice that left no room for misunderstanding, I shouted to the crew, "If that bloody Irishman comes near this ship again, you have my permission to shoot him. IS THAT CLEAR?" Inwardly, I had a smile of grim satisfaction, for the "little pin dot" on the chart I'd marked for Nate, was not where the two ships were going.

**Stands up, takes off tricorn and holds it over my heart** "My name is Ransom, and I'm a Pimm'saholic. And I owe it all to Hester. Bless you my dear."

I'd had enough of this cursed voyage. I'd had enough of bending to the will of others, and not keeping my own council. I wanted what I was used to, and I wanted around me those crew members I'd sailed with for years, and in whom I had previously placed my trust. The situation between the two ships had become critical, and I wanted no one on the Rakehell who wasn't focused on the job at hand. I gave Nate a hard, cold stare. "Very well, Mr. Durant. You can take the small boat. However, you will not be going alone. If you truly want to waste time looking for Red Cat, then you also take Roberts with you. With her gone, the two of you will be wandering these decks like sick moon-calves. Powder and provisions I'll give you, and a compass and chart. But I'll make no mark on it to tell you where we'll be, for if the Spanish find you, I'm not going to hand them our location on a silver platter. You find the Tortugas on your own. That's my bargain, Mr. Durant. Take it or leave it."

I studied the man for a moment, and was mildly annoyed at one more issue I had to deal with. "Your loyalty to the Cat is admirable, but what, sir, if you neither find Cat, nor land. And besides myself and Captain Tar, no one knows exactly where in the Tortugas we intend to go, so how would you find us? And what makes you think I can spare a jolly boat, when I've a crippled ship as it is? You ask me to risk a whole crew, so you can save one person, who may already be dead? Does that sound like a wise decision, Mr. Durant?" ******* (Quick OOC note on schooners re: the Rakehell. She has no poop deck. The deck is all the same level, merely fore, mid, and aft. Guns are on this main deck, not a lower gun deck. There is a small galley, and the captain's small cabin — that's it. The rest is open cargo hold, and the crew sleep where they can. Thanks.)