The Pirate Prisoner Read online

  Contents

  Chapter One Sand and Slave

  Chapter Two Sugar and Scot

  Chapter Three Silence and Cells

  Chapter Four Cromwell and Killing

  Chapter Five Bars and Bread

  Chapter Six Swords and Sunset

  Chapter Seven Sunrise and Screams

  Chapter Eight Dust and Destruction

  Chapter Nine Luck and Louisiana

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  Sand and Slave

  Nevis Island, Caribbean, 1680

  It was hot. The sun burned down on Nevis Island and made steam rise up from the forests. The girl ran along the yellow-grey sands, her thin dress flapping round her skinny legs.

  “I’m going to be late,” she panted. “I mustn’t be late.” Her dark brown skin was shining with sweat. “I have to save him. Have to. Have to.”

  She reached the edge of the small town and raced along the dusty streets, past the poor wooden shacks… past the fine wooden houses of the rich folk… and up to the great stone building in the centre.

  A soldier stood guard at the great doors. He swatted flies that buzzed around his head. “Can I go in?” the girl begged.

  “I’m not stopping you,” the soldier said with a shrug.

  “Has the trial started?” she asked.

  The man just shrugged again. “How would I know?”

  “Because you’re on guard. You’re here to stop people getting in,” she said, crossly.

  “No, I’m not. I’m here to stop the wicked ones escaping.”

  “Wicked ones like the pirate?”

  “Men like the pirate.”

  “Don’t let him escape, Sergeant… erm...”

  “Private. Private Simpson.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Private Simpson. I’m Louisiana Le Moyne.”

  “Big name for a little lady.”

  “You can call me Lou. Everybody else does.”

  The man leaned forward. “I’m not sure I want to call you anything. I don’t have to speak to a slave girl.”

  Lou smiled brightly. “Then I’ll just go in,” she told him.

  “Then you just do that,” said Private Simpson.

  Lou entered the cool shade of the stone courthouse, through the heavy oak doors and into the courtroom itself. She was just in time to see the people rise lazily to their feet as the judge walked in.

  “All rise for Judge Jenkins,” a clerk cried a little late.

  Lou slipped into a seat at the back and watched a grey-haired white man in black robes sit in the judge’s chair. An Englishman, she decided.

  Judge Jenkins shuffled some parchment in front of him. He looked across at the wooden box where a red-haired, wild-eyed man glared back.

  “Are you Jack Greaves?”

  About fifty people had crowded into the room to watch. They turned their eyes towards the prisoner. They waited for him to say, “I am.”

  Instead, he bellowed, “Who wants to know? Eh? What business is it of yours?”

  Chapter Two

  Sugar and Scot

  Judge Jenkins blinked and his pale lips went tight with fury. “This may be the island of Nevis, but it is an English court of law. You will behave as if you are in England,” he said quietly.

  “I’m not English. I’m Scottish, just as my parents were Scottish, and I don’t like you English.”

  The judge sighed. “If you’re going to be foolish, I’ll have you taken off to the cells and we’ll have the trial without you.”

  “Pah,” Greaves snorted and looked out through the high windows to the clear sky as if he didn’t care.

  “Are you the pirate known as Red-legs Greaves?” the judge asked.

  “I’m a sugar farmer. I have twenty slaves and they’re waiting for me back on my farm. If you lock me away, they won’t know what to do. They’ll starve.”

  “We will,” Lou moaned softly.

  “Before you were a sugar farmer, you were a pirate,” the judge said slowly.

  “Who says?” the Scotsman asked.

  “I do,” a man called out.

  Lou turned and saw a large man in a fine blue suit with an expensive linen shirt.

  The judge smiled. “Master Ellis!” he said in a voice as soft as a dove. “Step forward.”

  The rich man stood in front of the judge. “Ten years ago, I was sailing on one of my ships with a load of spice.”

  “And what happened, Master Ellis?”

  Ellis turned, stretched out an arm and pointed at Greaves. “Red-legs Greaves there stopped my ship. He robbed me and left me penniless.”

  “Penniless?” Greaves roared. “Penniless? In a suit that cost more than a dozen slaves? You’re a lying English toad, Ellis.”

  “Silence,” the judge snapped. He turned to Master Ellis again and asked, “Tell me, why do you call him Dead-legs?”

  “Red-legs, your honour. He’s from Scotland. They wear kilts up there. Here in the Indies, their pale knees turn red. All the pirates called him Red-legs.”

  “And you saw his red legs when he robbed you?”

  “I did, your honour.”

  The judge nodded. He pulled a square of black cloth from under his table. He placed it on his head. “Jack Red-legs Greaves, I sentence you to hang in chains. Tomorrow morning. May God have mercy on your soul.”

  “No!” Lou cried. “You can’t do that to my master!”

  Chapter Three

  Silence and Cells

  “Silence in court,” the judge said.

  “But what will the slaves do without him?” Lou cried.

  “The estate will belong to the court… and we will sell it. You will have a new master,” the judge said.

  “I’ll buy it,” Master Ellis said.

  “Good man,” the judge said, smiling. “It’s probably worth a thousand pounds.”

  “I’ll give you five hundred… cash,” Ellis said.

  Judge Jenkins nodded. “You can pay me later.”

  “But Master Greaves is a wonderful master,” Lou argued. “He’s the kindest slave owner on the whole of Nevis Island. Everybody says so.”

  “Silence in court.”

  “Master Ellis is a monster – he beats and whips and starves his slaves,” the girl went on.

  “Only the lazy ones,” Ellis sneered. “And the cheeky ones. There is a whip in my house just waiting for you when I take over.”

  “Master Greaves is right – you’re a toad. A fat, slimy toad,” Lou wailed.

  “Silence in court, girl, or I’ll whip you myself,” the judge shouted.

  “It isn’t fair,” Lou sobbed.

  “That’s enough. Your master will spend the night in the dungeon below the courthouse. He will hang in chains at sunrise. And you, girl, will spend the night with him. That will teach you to hold your evil little tongue. Private… take them both down to the cells.”

  Red-legs Greaves shook his head. “Oh, Lou, you foolish child. What have you done?”

  “Spoken up for you, Master Greaves,” she said, as she was pushed down the gloomy stairs toward the prison cell. “I thought the English were famous for being fair. Well, they’re not. You haven’t been a pirate for years.”

  They entered the filthy cell and the door closed behind them with a boom like the sound of doom. Red-legs Greaves walked to the small window and looked out through the bars. “I’ve had a lucky life. When it ends tomorrow, I won’t complain.”

  Lou didn’t answer.

  The tears she sniffed back were making her throat too tight to speak.

  Chapter Four

  Cromwell and Killing

  Red-legs Greaves scraped green scum off the water bucket in the corner and scooped it over his ruddy face. “I’m sorr
y to leave you like this,” he sighed.

  “You’ve been such a good master,” Lou whimpered.

  The Scot nodded. “Aye. That’s because I know what it’s like to be a slave. I was born into slavery.”

  Lou looked up, wide-eyed. “You? A slave? But you’re a white man.”

  He shrugged. “Back in Britain there was a man called Oliver Cromwell. He cut off the head of King Charles and then he captured all the king’s friends. My mother and father fought for the king. When they lost, Cromwell sold them as slaves and had them sent to Barbados. That’s where I was born. A slave.”

  “But how did you become a pirate?” the girl asked.

  “My parents died… the heat and the diseases did for them. I was sold to a master who enjoyed beating me. So one night I decided to escape. There was just one way off the island – ”

  “A boat?”

  Red-legs laughed. “Aye. I swam across Carlisle Bay to the main harbour in Bridgetown. About two miles. Then I hid on board a ship so I could sail away and make my fortune.”

  “And did you?”

  “Lord, no, lassie. How was I to know it was a pirate ship I was hiding on? The captain was the wicked Captain Hawkins.”

  “Wicked?”

  “Aye. He wasn’t happy robbing traders. He had to torture the captured crews for fun and then he killed them – even the women. When he found me, he said I had to work for him, or die.”

  “So you became a pirate for Captain Hawkins,” Lou said. “But if you killed all the people you robbed… how is Master Ellis still alive? If you’d killed him, he wouldn’t be there in court.”

  Red-legs Greaves held up his hands. “No, young Lou. I said Captain Hawkins was a ruthless, killing pirate. But I only ever killed one man. And that was the best day’s work I ever did.”

  Lou’s mouth fell open. “Oh, Master Greaves, who did you kill?”

  “Ah, young Lou, that comes later in my story. You’ll have to wait and see…”

  Chapter Five

  Bars and Bread

  As the sun sank lower in the sky, it grew a little cooler in the cell. Red-legs Greaves stood at the bars of the cell and looked out. Lou was too short to see over the windowsill.

  The iron bars were as rusty and red as Master Greaves’ legs. The man tugged at them. They rattled, but all his strength couldn’t pull them out.

  A guard brought them a bottle of wine, some fresh water and a plate of bread and ham. “Wine? Ham? A fine meal for a poor prisoner!” the Scot cried.

  The guard shuffled his feet and looked at the floor. “We always give a good meal to the men we’re going to hang.”

  “Ah! You send them to Hell with a full belly?” Red-legs said, and laughed.

  Lou groaned. “You aren’t going to Hell, Master Greaves. You were the kindest master on the island. Everybody said that.”

  “But I killed a man, remember.”

  “Who was it?”

  The Scot poured a little wine into the cup and added water. He gave it to Lou. “I spent a year on Hawkins’ ship,” he said. “I soon found that all the crew hated him. They hated his cruel ways. He was even cruel to his own men. If anyone crossed him, he had them marooned.”

  “What’s that?”

  “A marooned man is set down on a desert island with a little food and a pistol. If he’s lucky, he may shoot something, like a goat, and eat a little. But when the powder and the bullets run out, he’ll slowly starve to death. It’s something all pirates are afraid of.”

  Lou shook her head. “But if you hated him so much, why didn’t you all get together and maroon him?” Lou asked.

  “Two reasons. Captain Hawkins was a powerful man and no one had the courage to fight him. And he was a good pirate. He led us to many rich ships, stole a lot of treasure and made us all a fortune.”

  “Like Master Ellis,” Lou said sadly. “The cruel and the wicked get rich.”

  Red-legs nodded slowly as he chewed on a piece of ham. “But, like me, even the rich can’t buy their life. Not when it’s time to die.”

  “Captain Hawkins died?”

  “He did.”

  “How? Tell me!” Lou cried.

  The Scot tasted the ham as if it were the last meal he’d ever eat. He smacked his lips, sipped a little wine and ran a hand over his mouth. “Captain Hawkins met a man who was foolish enough to fight him.”

  “Who?” Lou asked softly.

  “Me,” Red-legs Greaves replied.

  Chapter Six

  Swords and Sunset

  “We saw a French spice ship just off the island of Saint Kitts,” Red-legs Greaves explained. “She was a fast ship and it took us all day to catch her. That upset Captain Hawkins. By the time we came alongside the Frenchie, his blood was boiling with rage. He gave us the order to kill everyone.”

  “You couldn’t do that,” Lou said.

  “They were simple sailors, with no guns and no swords. Just the knives they used to eat their food. ‘I’m not doing it,’ I told Hawkins. ‘There’s no need to kill the crew. Let’s just take their spice and sell it in Bridgetown. No one has to get hurt!’”

  “Was he angry?” Lou asked.

  “I think Captain Hawkins was too shocked to be angry. No one ever argued with him. He just stared at me. Then he said, ‘How many sailors are there on that French ship, Greaves?’ I looked across the sea and said, ‘Twenty.’ And he drew his cutlass and said, ‘There are twenty-one men going to die today. You are number one.’ Then he rushed at me with his sword raised in the air.”

  “But you drew your sword?” Lou asked.

  “I never carried a sword. I was a sailor – I mended the sails and steered the ship, I scrubbed the decks and loaded supplies. I wasn’t a fighter.”

  “But you beat Captain Hawkins?”

  “He rushed at me. His arm was raised high in the air. He thought I would run away. Instead, I ran towards him. I grabbed his sword arm. And twisted it. He was a strong man, but his fine leather boots skidded on the deck and he fell… on his sword. I still hear his cry in my nightmares. He dropped to his knees. His eyes grew cloudy. He tried to pluck the sword from his side, but his hands were shaking too much.”

  “And he died,” Lou said.

  Red-legs shook his head. “The next thing I remember, the crew were cheering. They threw Hawkins’ body over the side and raised me up on their shoulders. Then they told me I was their new captain.”

  “So that’s how you became a pirate,” Lou said. “I bet you were a good pirate.”

  The sun had now set and clouds over Nevis Peak blotted out the stars. In the perfect darkness, Red-legs said, “A pirate is a pirate. And a captured pirate is a dead pirate. Wake me when the sky grows light. I want to see my last sunrise.”

  Minutes later, the old pirate was snoring softly while the young slave girl quietly prayed.

  “Hello, God. God? Are you there? Master Greaves used to be a pirate. But he’s a good, kind man. Do you think you could do one of your miracles to get him free? Thank you, God.”

  Chapter Seven

  Sunrise and Screams

  Lou woke to see the clouds were a pearly grey colour. It was only an hour till sunrise. She shook the pirate gently. “Master Greaves. You wanted me to wake you before dawn.”

  The old man shook his head and splashed water over his face. “Thanks, lassie.” He sat up and looked at her. “I wish there was something I could do for you. I know Master Ellis will treat you badly. That will be his revenge.”

  “Because you robbed him?”

  “Aye. When I became a pirate captain, I set down new rules. We could jump on board a trading ship. We could push the crew aside – even tie them up – and steal their cargo. But none of my men must shed a drop of blood. The crew liked the new rules as much as they’d hated old Captain Hawkins.”

  “What did you do if they did hurt somebody?”

  “We’d pay the man his share of the treasure we’d won… and put him ashore at the nearest port.”

>   Lou’s eyes shone with pride. “So you were a kind pirate?”

  “I tried not to hurt anyone. Mind you, the victims still didn’t like it. I remember robbing James Ellis’ ship. When we went on board, he started firing pistols at the crew. He hit one lad in the leg, so we had to rush at him when he tried to reload. Then we tied him to the mast. The lad that was hit was upset. He went and pulled Ellis’ pants down… and the ladies on the ship all laughed.”

  “That would make him angry,” Lou said wisely.

  “He was ranting about what he’d do to us. He said he’d see us all hang from the gallows… and now he’s going to get his wish.”

  “But you gave up pirating years ago.”

  “We did well. We made a fortune… even the lowly deck scrubbers went home rich. I had enough money to buy a sugar farm here on Nevis Island and enough left over to buy a dozen slaves. That was fifteen years ago, before you were born. Yesterday, I went to the market, and Ellis spotted me. You know the rest.”

  Lou’s eyes filled with tears. “I prayed for a miracle,” she murmured.

  The Scot ruffled her hair and laughed. “You’re a good child. Maybe the rope will snap and I’ll end up with a broken leg instead of a broken neck. Maybe that will be your miracle.”

  “How can you joke about it?” she gasped.

  Somewhere above them, they heard a heavy door open. Footsteps clumped down the stairs. Keys rattled on the jailer’s fist.

  Lou backed up against the wall. The bucket of slimy water stood by her side. The smooth surface began to ripple. The bucket trembled. The timbers in the cell creaked.

  There was a huge crash as stones fell from the roof and the walls of the courthouse crumbled. Through the bars of the window came a roar and the clear morning air was filled with the dust of a hundred tumbling buildings. Screams of the people mixed with the roar of falling stone.