nice work dwt 
The Play in the Fields
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Before I kick the next instalment of "The Play in the Fields" I would like to make special acknowledgement to PA member 'k mam' for allowing me to use his user name and knife that he made in this story, cheers mate
The knife k man made can be viewed in 'today I made section' in General Chat.
The knife k man made can be viewed in 'today I made section' in General Chat.
"EUREKA, GOLD!"
Can be heard calling out across the gully.
The Britt turns his head to the side to see a woman embrace her husband as three other men coming running over to celebrate with the lucky digger.
"Don't look like they've been fairing to well" says The Turk as Lead and Havelock stop beside The Britt to watch the excitement unfold,
"Nope" replies The Britt, "I've seen convicts with better rags than they wear"
Hoist stops with the group,
"Give me some coin Britt" asks Hoist with his hand stretched out
The Britt reaches into his leather coin purse and hands over a handful of gold sovereigns, Hoist heads downs the steep and windy gully track that leads down to where the digger's are celebrating their lucky find.
"Greetings friends" says Hoist
"Who in the bloody hell are you?" Asks one of the diggers as his hand slowly reaches back for a hidden blade,
"Uh, I mean no harm, I only wish to purchase some bread and cheese if you have any"
"Aye, we have some, how many in your party?"
Hoist turns around and waves to the other four men
"Five of us all up" states Hoist
"You got coin?" Asks one of the diggers
"Yes and plenty of it" replies hoist
"Martha here will tend to ya"
Hoist turns and smiles at the woman standing beside her husband who is holding up a small gold nugget
"Follow me then I've a fresh batch of bread ready to go"
Hoist follows Martha whilst The Britt,Turk, Havelock and Lead walk down to where the diggers stand staring at the handsome nugget one of them had just found.
"Nice piece of gold you have " says Lead
"She's a rippa" says Havelock
"Thanks lads" replies one of the diggers
"Been digging here long" asks The Turk
The digger turns to face the Turk
"Urrm!" A squeaky nervous voice replies as the digger looks the Turk up and down
"Hr hrrm" the digger clears his throat as his stare widens as The Britt steps up
"Hrrm, yes, a while, I suppose,"
As The Britt leans down to look inside the cradle to see if he could see anymore gold his long black leather overcoat opens slightly,
"Suffering cats!" remarks one of the diggers as he looks at the open over coat of The Britt and spies two long steel daggers
"Lotta steel in there for someone with two hands!" Remarks the digger
The Britt looks down at his open coat
"I'm gifted" The Britt replies
"Oh, you've made it" says a young female voice from behind the men
All the men swing around to see a tall attractive woman standing before them.
"Crikey!" Exclaims Havelock as he quickly removes his hat and and attempts to straighten his hair with Lead following suit
"Abigail!" The Britt and The Turk call out with outstretched arms and big smiles
"And how are my big boys doing" states Abigail as she embraces the two large men
"It's good to see you again, I expected you two days ago" says Abigail as The Britt and The Turk return Abigail to her feet,
"You know these two Abi?" Asks one of the diggers
"Yes, they're long time friends of my fathers, they're like family to me"
"The Britt and The Turk are good friends of ours!" States Lead
"Britt and Turk hey!" Says Abigail as she looks at the two large men
"Long story love" replies The Turk as he starts to chuckle
"Very well then, we should be on our way the Captain waits for us not far from the caves"
"There's one more in our party Abi before we head off, he's off collecting some supplies with Martha"
Hoist returns carrying two large of sacks of bread.
"Come one Hoist we have to go!" Calls out The Britt as Hoist carefully navigates the narrow track winding its way to the bottom of the gully
"COMING" replies Hoist
As Hoist reaches the bottom of the gully and places down the sacks of bread and cheese he stands up and his eyes lock with Abigail's,
Never had he'd seen such beauty, Hoist is frozen, his eyes hold Abigail's stare as he steps forward to announce himself,
Hoist trips slightly on a tree root and quickly gathers himself,
Abigail rushes forward
"Are you ok!" Asks Abigail in a concerned tone
"Aaaaw ruddy hell!" Exclaims Havelock as he kicks a bit of dirt in an angry manner and steps away
"Why does this never happen to me" states Lead as he rolls his eyes and shakes his head
Abigail catches Hoists hands as Hoists stumble is slightly corrected
"Clunk!" The two bump heads slightly as they both fall to their behinds,
"Oh!, I'm sorry!" Remarks Hoist as he picks himself up and reaches over to help Abigail
"No I'm sorry" replies Abigail
"Arrr ruddy hell!" Says Havelock as he looks over
The Britt and The Turk start to laugh joined by the rest of the group
"Something wrong with your face lad?" Asks The Turk in a joking manner
"It's gone ruddy well bright red" remarks Lead
Hoist stands upright holding Abigail's hands only mere inches from each other, the world seems to pause for a moment as Abigail's perfumed hair moves gently in the breeze captivating Hoists senses, her soft blue eyes locked with his, Hoist can hear his heart beat above all else, her hands clutch his in a gentle but firm grasp, Hoists hands move up past Abigail's leather gauntlets to her shoulders,
"SMACK!"
The shovel sized hand of The Britt collects Hoist in the back of the head,
"Pull yourself together lad!" Exclaims The Britt as he continues laughing and walking over to pick up one of the sacks full of bread
Hoist and Abigail remove their hands from each other and look around with embarrassed looks on their faces,
Abigail collects herself,
"Right, we best be off then!" Says Abigail, still not being able to remove her gaze from Hoist.
The group says their goodbyes as the the party of six now head for the coastline.
Abigail leads the way, traversing the narrow winding track along Mount Martha down to Martha Point where a small row boat awaits in Dromana Bay.
"So where we headed?" Asks Hoist
"To my fathers ship" replies Abigail
"Is it moored up in the bay?"
"No, across the Bay at Queenscliff, we have a row boat to get us there"
Abigail's attention turns back to the steep decent of Martha Point, Hoists attention remains totally focused on Abigail, her long knee high leather boots blend gracefully with her tight black pants, around her waist sits a a large brown leather belt sporting two long barrelled flintlock pistols, strapped to her back, a shiny steel blade, Hoists gaze is fixated on the blade as Abigail's long crimson hair brushes over it gently while she walks,
"Something caught your eye?" Asks Abigail
"That blade you carry, it's impressive!" Remarks Hoist
"It's a gift from my father, he carried it for many years, and when he adopted me he gave it to me for my twentieth birthday"
"Certainly has fine craftsmanship!" States Hoist as he looks down to secure his footing.
Abigail turns and smiles at Hoist,
"You sure that's what you were looking at walking so close behind me Hoist?" Asks Abigail
"It ain't what I was looking at" mutters Havelock to himself
"UM!, yes, it was!" Remarks Hoist
"Oh!," replies Abigail.
"What's the inscription on the blade say Abigail?" Asks Hoist
"K man" replies Abigail "It's the K man blade"
"A fine blade I'll testify too" remarks The Turk from the background with The Britt nodding in agreement.
"Served your father well Abigail!"
"Yes, and myself in turn" replies Abigail as the party reaches the shore line to board the rowboat.
The early spring day warms Hoists face as The Britt and The Turk row the medium sized timber boat across the bay,
Abigail stands up front with telescope in hand,
"Out there, beyond the heads" says Abigail as she hands the telescope to Hoist and points,
Hoist lifts up the telescope to view a large ship sitting outside of the heads
"A British Man O War!" Remarks Hoist
"Yes" replies Abigail "she's been sitting out there for weeks now"
The Britt and The Turk turn to look in the direction Hoist is facing, they then look at each other,
"Here for the Captain Britt?" Asks The Turk
"I'd say so mate" replies The Britt
The rowboat nears a large ship anchored up just outside of Queenscliff
Bronze cannons protrude the side of the large wooden ship,
"Welcome back lass!" A voice states from the deck of the ship as the party of six climb the rope ladder to the upper deck
"FATHER!" Exclaims Abigail as she embraces the large bearded man standing before her
"This is Hoist, Lead, Havelock and of course you know Abbott and Fletcher, now apparently called Britt and Turk"
Abigail's Father notices the look his daughter has given Hoist, his eyes return to The Britt and Turk and embraces them like old friends
"Good to see you again my friends" the Captain says
"And you to ole mate!" Replies The Britt and The Turk
The Captain returns his attention to Hoist
"And your are lad?" asks the Captain with an outstretched hand
"Andrew Hoist sir"
"Well Andrew Hoist, I'm pleased to make your acquaintance"
The Captain of the ship shakes Hoists hand
"Welcome to my ship lads, The Relampago, and I'm your Captain, Bennett Graham"
"The Relampago you say sir?" Asks Havelock
"The one and only!" Replies Captain Graham
"And your Captain Graham?"
"Yes indeed lad!"
Havelock looks at Lead and Hoist
"Holy ***** lads!, that's the pirate Benito Bonito of the Bloody Sword"
To be continued....................
Can be heard calling out across the gully.
The Britt turns his head to the side to see a woman embrace her husband as three other men coming running over to celebrate with the lucky digger.
"Don't look like they've been fairing to well" says The Turk as Lead and Havelock stop beside The Britt to watch the excitement unfold,
"Nope" replies The Britt, "I've seen convicts with better rags than they wear"
Hoist stops with the group,
"Give me some coin Britt" asks Hoist with his hand stretched out
The Britt reaches into his leather coin purse and hands over a handful of gold sovereigns, Hoist heads downs the steep and windy gully track that leads down to where the digger's are celebrating their lucky find.
"Greetings friends" says Hoist
"Who in the bloody hell are you?" Asks one of the diggers as his hand slowly reaches back for a hidden blade,
"Uh, I mean no harm, I only wish to purchase some bread and cheese if you have any"
"Aye, we have some, how many in your party?"
Hoist turns around and waves to the other four men
"Five of us all up" states Hoist
"You got coin?" Asks one of the diggers
"Yes and plenty of it" replies hoist
"Martha here will tend to ya"
Hoist turns and smiles at the woman standing beside her husband who is holding up a small gold nugget
"Follow me then I've a fresh batch of bread ready to go"
Hoist follows Martha whilst The Britt,Turk, Havelock and Lead walk down to where the diggers stand staring at the handsome nugget one of them had just found.
"Nice piece of gold you have " says Lead
"She's a rippa" says Havelock
"Thanks lads" replies one of the diggers
"Been digging here long" asks The Turk
The digger turns to face the Turk
"Urrm!" A squeaky nervous voice replies as the digger looks the Turk up and down
"Hr hrrm" the digger clears his throat as his stare widens as The Britt steps up
"Hrrm, yes, a while, I suppose,"
As The Britt leans down to look inside the cradle to see if he could see anymore gold his long black leather overcoat opens slightly,
"Suffering cats!" remarks one of the diggers as he looks at the open over coat of The Britt and spies two long steel daggers
"Lotta steel in there for someone with two hands!" Remarks the digger
The Britt looks down at his open coat
"I'm gifted" The Britt replies
"Oh, you've made it" says a young female voice from behind the men
All the men swing around to see a tall attractive woman standing before them.
"Crikey!" Exclaims Havelock as he quickly removes his hat and and attempts to straighten his hair with Lead following suit
"Abigail!" The Britt and The Turk call out with outstretched arms and big smiles
"And how are my big boys doing" states Abigail as she embraces the two large men
"It's good to see you again, I expected you two days ago" says Abigail as The Britt and The Turk return Abigail to her feet,
"You know these two Abi?" Asks one of the diggers
"Yes, they're long time friends of my fathers, they're like family to me"
"The Britt and The Turk are good friends of ours!" States Lead
"Britt and Turk hey!" Says Abigail as she looks at the two large men
"Long story love" replies The Turk as he starts to chuckle
"Very well then, we should be on our way the Captain waits for us not far from the caves"
"There's one more in our party Abi before we head off, he's off collecting some supplies with Martha"
Hoist returns carrying two large of sacks of bread.
"Come one Hoist we have to go!" Calls out The Britt as Hoist carefully navigates the narrow track winding its way to the bottom of the gully
"COMING" replies Hoist
As Hoist reaches the bottom of the gully and places down the sacks of bread and cheese he stands up and his eyes lock with Abigail's,
Never had he'd seen such beauty, Hoist is frozen, his eyes hold Abigail's stare as he steps forward to announce himself,
Hoist trips slightly on a tree root and quickly gathers himself,
Abigail rushes forward
"Are you ok!" Asks Abigail in a concerned tone
"Aaaaw ruddy hell!" Exclaims Havelock as he kicks a bit of dirt in an angry manner and steps away
"Why does this never happen to me" states Lead as he rolls his eyes and shakes his head
Abigail catches Hoists hands as Hoists stumble is slightly corrected
"Clunk!" The two bump heads slightly as they both fall to their behinds,
"Oh!, I'm sorry!" Remarks Hoist as he picks himself up and reaches over to help Abigail
"No I'm sorry" replies Abigail
"Arrr ruddy hell!" Says Havelock as he looks over
The Britt and The Turk start to laugh joined by the rest of the group
"Something wrong with your face lad?" Asks The Turk in a joking manner
"It's gone ruddy well bright red" remarks Lead
Hoist stands upright holding Abigail's hands only mere inches from each other, the world seems to pause for a moment as Abigail's perfumed hair moves gently in the breeze captivating Hoists senses, her soft blue eyes locked with his, Hoist can hear his heart beat above all else, her hands clutch his in a gentle but firm grasp, Hoists hands move up past Abigail's leather gauntlets to her shoulders,
"SMACK!"
The shovel sized hand of The Britt collects Hoist in the back of the head,
"Pull yourself together lad!" Exclaims The Britt as he continues laughing and walking over to pick up one of the sacks full of bread
Hoist and Abigail remove their hands from each other and look around with embarrassed looks on their faces,
Abigail collects herself,
"Right, we best be off then!" Says Abigail, still not being able to remove her gaze from Hoist.
The group says their goodbyes as the the party of six now head for the coastline.
Abigail leads the way, traversing the narrow winding track along Mount Martha down to Martha Point where a small row boat awaits in Dromana Bay.
"So where we headed?" Asks Hoist
"To my fathers ship" replies Abigail
"Is it moored up in the bay?"
"No, across the Bay at Queenscliff, we have a row boat to get us there"
Abigail's attention turns back to the steep decent of Martha Point, Hoists attention remains totally focused on Abigail, her long knee high leather boots blend gracefully with her tight black pants, around her waist sits a a large brown leather belt sporting two long barrelled flintlock pistols, strapped to her back, a shiny steel blade, Hoists gaze is fixated on the blade as Abigail's long crimson hair brushes over it gently while she walks,
"Something caught your eye?" Asks Abigail
"That blade you carry, it's impressive!" Remarks Hoist
"It's a gift from my father, he carried it for many years, and when he adopted me he gave it to me for my twentieth birthday"
"Certainly has fine craftsmanship!" States Hoist as he looks down to secure his footing.
Abigail turns and smiles at Hoist,
"You sure that's what you were looking at walking so close behind me Hoist?" Asks Abigail
"It ain't what I was looking at" mutters Havelock to himself
"UM!, yes, it was!" Remarks Hoist
"Oh!," replies Abigail.
"What's the inscription on the blade say Abigail?" Asks Hoist
"K man" replies Abigail "It's the K man blade"
"A fine blade I'll testify too" remarks The Turk from the background with The Britt nodding in agreement.
"Served your father well Abigail!"
"Yes, and myself in turn" replies Abigail as the party reaches the shore line to board the rowboat.
The early spring day warms Hoists face as The Britt and The Turk row the medium sized timber boat across the bay,
Abigail stands up front with telescope in hand,
"Out there, beyond the heads" says Abigail as she hands the telescope to Hoist and points,
Hoist lifts up the telescope to view a large ship sitting outside of the heads
"A British Man O War!" Remarks Hoist
"Yes" replies Abigail "she's been sitting out there for weeks now"
The Britt and The Turk turn to look in the direction Hoist is facing, they then look at each other,
"Here for the Captain Britt?" Asks The Turk
"I'd say so mate" replies The Britt
The rowboat nears a large ship anchored up just outside of Queenscliff
Bronze cannons protrude the side of the large wooden ship,
"Welcome back lass!" A voice states from the deck of the ship as the party of six climb the rope ladder to the upper deck
"FATHER!" Exclaims Abigail as she embraces the large bearded man standing before her
"This is Hoist, Lead, Havelock and of course you know Abbott and Fletcher, now apparently called Britt and Turk"
Abigail's Father notices the look his daughter has given Hoist, his eyes return to The Britt and Turk and embraces them like old friends
"Good to see you again my friends" the Captain says
"And you to ole mate!" Replies The Britt and The Turk
The Captain returns his attention to Hoist
"And your are lad?" asks the Captain with an outstretched hand
"Andrew Hoist sir"
"Well Andrew Hoist, I'm pleased to make your acquaintance"
The Captain of the ship shakes Hoists hand
"Welcome to my ship lads, The Relampago, and I'm your Captain, Bennett Graham"
"The Relampago you say sir?" Asks Havelock
"The one and only!" Replies Captain Graham
"And your Captain Graham?"
"Yes indeed lad!"
Havelock looks at Lead and Hoist
"Holy ***** lads!, that's the pirate Benito Bonito of the Bloody Sword"
To be continued....................
Thanks mate-good reading....
Ah yes, the famous k man blade.....second only in quality to the 'Sword of mercy' blade.
The personal choice of William the Conqueror.
Great writing mate
The personal choice of William the Conqueror.
Great writing mate
The Relampago rocks ever so gently in the still partially lit night, a gentle breeze moves the Crimson hair of Abigail as she and Hoist embrace.
Hoist stops kissing Abigail for a moment,
"What if your father was to learn of our romance?" Asks Hoist
"Then he would be proud to know that his daughter had found an honourable man!"
Hoist and Abigail turn swiftly around to see Captain Bonito standing behind them
"You are an honourable man are you not Hoist?"
"Yes sir" replies Hoist
"Good then lad" remarks Captain Bonito as he steps back into the dark making his way to the captains cabin.
Hoist an Abigail embrace once more, they giggle with excitement and joy as Hoist's attention is caught by something on the water,
"What's that?" Asks Hoist
Abigail turns to look
"It's a row boat!" Exclaims Abigail
The two lean over the side to watch the row boat slowly approach the side of the Relampago.
"FIRE" a voice yells from the row boat,
A volley of musket fire lets loose from the row boat as splinters of wood go flying mere inches from the heads of the two lovers, Abigail and Hoist quickly duck as another volley of fire tears more timber from Relampago, Hoist looks up to see two shadowy figures standing upon the topgallant,
'THUD'
Abigail looks at Hoist as they both realise the row boat has just meet the Relampago,
Abigail draws the Kman blade,
"Wait Abi" says Hoist, "just wait one moment"
Hoist points up to the the topgallant, as Abigail turns to look the two shadowy figures leap from the topgallant, flickers of shinny steel can be seen as the two figures hurtle towards the ocean,
Abigail and Hoist quickly stand and look over the side as the two figures pierce the oceans surface, in hand, two hardened battle axes sever the row boat clean in half sending it and it's murderous crew to the deep depths of the bay,
"HOLY CRAP!" exclaims Abigail in an excited manner
"Bloody show offs" mutters Hoist in a jealous joking manner
The rest of the ships crew have been awakened by the musket shots and are now looking over the side as Captain Bonito leans over the side and laughs,
"I TOLD YOU THEY WOULD TRY AGAIN" yells the Captain at The Britt and The Turk "WE DO HAVE CANNONS YOU KNOW"
Captain Bonito continues to laugh as the heads of The Britt and The Turk breach the ocean, the two men look at each other and nod,
Captain Bonito pats Hoist on the shoulder and remarks
"Talented those two"
As the Captain turns to leave and whilst removing his hand from Hoists shoulder, Hoist notices a tattoo part way up his forearm, the same tattoo he had seen on the The Britt and The Turk, King Henry's men,
"Benito Bonito one of King Henry's secret men, *****" Hoist says to himself
The Britt and The Turk climb back aboard the Relampago to the cheers of the crew, rum is broken out under the order of the Captain and violins start to play, Havelock and Lead emerge from the Hold of the Relampago.
"What in the Devils going on around here?" Asks Lead "we were trying to sleep and now this ruckus has awoken us!"
"Who gives a ruddy ***** Lead I smell rum!" Exclaims Havelock as he pushes past Lead and grabbing a bottle of rum breaks out into a unskilled dance much to the laughter and joy of Abigail, Hoist and the ships crew.
"So assassins in the night Captain?" Asks The Britt
"Yes my friend, it's as I told you, with these types of attacks the scrolls are not safe here you need to find another way to secure the scrolls safe passage to England" replies the Captain
"We are running out of options Britt!" Exclaims The Turk
"DAMM IT" says The Britt "we can not stay for much longer, we will have to move on"
"Aye, indeed,"replies Captain Bonito
"And what of Hoist and Abi" asks The Turk
"Take them with you I beg of you, I fear that the Relampago and myself are not long destined to sail the seas"
"And the Cocos Island treasure" asks The Britt
"We have almost finished hiding it ashore" replies the Captain "I'll draw you a map and ask you to escort the last load of treasure"
Captain Bonito turns and opens a tall wooden locker, inside stands a life sized statue of the Virgin Mary, made from solid gold and encrusted in diamonds and emeralds,
"This is the last of the treasure to be taken ashore, and by far the most valuable"
"We shall head out in the morning" replies The Britt
The three men raise their mugs and salute each other.
Captain Bonito looks out across the ocean at the British 'Man O War'
"One volley of her canons and we're done for, the treasure is the only reason we are yet to be sunk!"
Meanwhile....
"Are they drinking and dancing?"
"I believe so sir"
"Blasted fools"
"Indeed sir"
"Captain I thought you would have secured the Relampago by now and it's treasure, it appears Captain Bonito and his crew continue to thwart your attempted night raids"
"Well your excellency!"
"Well your excellency, what"
The Captain of the 'Man O War' is cut off mid sentence as William C Haines closes his spy glass and turns to face the Captain.
"I want that treasure secured by noon tomorrow and that blasted Bonito in iron clasps, do you understand!"
"Yes your excellency" replies the Captain
"Prepare my schooner, I wish to return to shore before day break"
"At once your Excellence" replies the Captain.
Dawn breaks.
The crew of the Relampago lower the gold statue into a row boat, with it go chests of gold and jewels, The Britt and The Turk secure the treasures and wait for Hoist and Abigail to join them.
"Take care of her Hoist" says the Captain with an outstretched hand as Hoist shakes the Captains hand
"I will sir" replies Hoist
"It is but a short trip father" says Abigail "we will be back before nightfall"
Captain Bonito smiles an embraces his daughter, he holds her so tight Abigail struggles to breathe
"Father!" Exclaims Abigail " "you'll but squeeze the life from me"
Abigail laughs as she descends the rope ladder to the awaiting Britt and Turk.
Hoist turns to look at the Captain once more and notices a tear roll down his cheek,
"Alright sir?" Asks Hoist
"On your way son, your destiny awaits to be written, write it well, for mine is about to unfold!"
Hoists gaze stays locked on the Captain as he begins to descend the rope ladder, the sickening feeling in Hoists gut tells him he will not see the large proud Benito Bonito of the Bloody Sword again.
To be continued...........
Hoist stops kissing Abigail for a moment,
"What if your father was to learn of our romance?" Asks Hoist
"Then he would be proud to know that his daughter had found an honourable man!"
Hoist and Abigail turn swiftly around to see Captain Bonito standing behind them
"You are an honourable man are you not Hoist?"
"Yes sir" replies Hoist
"Good then lad" remarks Captain Bonito as he steps back into the dark making his way to the captains cabin.
Hoist an Abigail embrace once more, they giggle with excitement and joy as Hoist's attention is caught by something on the water,
"What's that?" Asks Hoist
Abigail turns to look
"It's a row boat!" Exclaims Abigail
The two lean over the side to watch the row boat slowly approach the side of the Relampago.
"FIRE" a voice yells from the row boat,
A volley of musket fire lets loose from the row boat as splinters of wood go flying mere inches from the heads of the two lovers, Abigail and Hoist quickly duck as another volley of fire tears more timber from Relampago, Hoist looks up to see two shadowy figures standing upon the topgallant,
'THUD'
Abigail looks at Hoist as they both realise the row boat has just meet the Relampago,
Abigail draws the Kman blade,
"Wait Abi" says Hoist, "just wait one moment"
Hoist points up to the the topgallant, as Abigail turns to look the two shadowy figures leap from the topgallant, flickers of shinny steel can be seen as the two figures hurtle towards the ocean,
Abigail and Hoist quickly stand and look over the side as the two figures pierce the oceans surface, in hand, two hardened battle axes sever the row boat clean in half sending it and it's murderous crew to the deep depths of the bay,
"HOLY CRAP!" exclaims Abigail in an excited manner
"Bloody show offs" mutters Hoist in a jealous joking manner
The rest of the ships crew have been awakened by the musket shots and are now looking over the side as Captain Bonito leans over the side and laughs,
"I TOLD YOU THEY WOULD TRY AGAIN" yells the Captain at The Britt and The Turk "WE DO HAVE CANNONS YOU KNOW"
Captain Bonito continues to laugh as the heads of The Britt and The Turk breach the ocean, the two men look at each other and nod,
Captain Bonito pats Hoist on the shoulder and remarks
"Talented those two"
As the Captain turns to leave and whilst removing his hand from Hoists shoulder, Hoist notices a tattoo part way up his forearm, the same tattoo he had seen on the The Britt and The Turk, King Henry's men,
"Benito Bonito one of King Henry's secret men, *****" Hoist says to himself
The Britt and The Turk climb back aboard the Relampago to the cheers of the crew, rum is broken out under the order of the Captain and violins start to play, Havelock and Lead emerge from the Hold of the Relampago.
"What in the Devils going on around here?" Asks Lead "we were trying to sleep and now this ruckus has awoken us!"
"Who gives a ruddy ***** Lead I smell rum!" Exclaims Havelock as he pushes past Lead and grabbing a bottle of rum breaks out into a unskilled dance much to the laughter and joy of Abigail, Hoist and the ships crew.
"So assassins in the night Captain?" Asks The Britt
"Yes my friend, it's as I told you, with these types of attacks the scrolls are not safe here you need to find another way to secure the scrolls safe passage to England" replies the Captain
"We are running out of options Britt!" Exclaims The Turk
"DAMM IT" says The Britt "we can not stay for much longer, we will have to move on"
"Aye, indeed,"replies Captain Bonito
"And what of Hoist and Abi" asks The Turk
"Take them with you I beg of you, I fear that the Relampago and myself are not long destined to sail the seas"
"And the Cocos Island treasure" asks The Britt
"We have almost finished hiding it ashore" replies the Captain "I'll draw you a map and ask you to escort the last load of treasure"
Captain Bonito turns and opens a tall wooden locker, inside stands a life sized statue of the Virgin Mary, made from solid gold and encrusted in diamonds and emeralds,
"This is the last of the treasure to be taken ashore, and by far the most valuable"
"We shall head out in the morning" replies The Britt
The three men raise their mugs and salute each other.
Captain Bonito looks out across the ocean at the British 'Man O War'
"One volley of her canons and we're done for, the treasure is the only reason we are yet to be sunk!"
Meanwhile....
"Are they drinking and dancing?"
"I believe so sir"
"Blasted fools"
"Indeed sir"
"Captain I thought you would have secured the Relampago by now and it's treasure, it appears Captain Bonito and his crew continue to thwart your attempted night raids"
"Well your excellency!"
"Well your excellency, what"
The Captain of the 'Man O War' is cut off mid sentence as William C Haines closes his spy glass and turns to face the Captain.
"I want that treasure secured by noon tomorrow and that blasted Bonito in iron clasps, do you understand!"
"Yes your excellency" replies the Captain
"Prepare my schooner, I wish to return to shore before day break"
"At once your Excellence" replies the Captain.
Dawn breaks.
The crew of the Relampago lower the gold statue into a row boat, with it go chests of gold and jewels, The Britt and The Turk secure the treasures and wait for Hoist and Abigail to join them.
"Take care of her Hoist" says the Captain with an outstretched hand as Hoist shakes the Captains hand
"I will sir" replies Hoist
"It is but a short trip father" says Abigail "we will be back before nightfall"
Captain Bonito smiles an embraces his daughter, he holds her so tight Abigail struggles to breathe
"Father!" Exclaims Abigail " "you'll but squeeze the life from me"
Abigail laughs as she descends the rope ladder to the awaiting Britt and Turk.
Hoist turns to look at the Captain once more and notices a tear roll down his cheek,
"Alright sir?" Asks Hoist
"On your way son, your destiny awaits to be written, write it well, for mine is about to unfold!"
Hoists gaze stays locked on the Captain as he begins to descend the rope ladder, the sickening feeling in Hoists gut tells him he will not see the large proud Benito Bonito of the Bloody Sword again.
To be continued...........
