The ocean was calm and placid on that warm summer’s evening, almost like it was holding its breath in anticipation of what was about to transpire. The mood on the ship was another matter entirely and rapidly darkening by the second. The pirate crew was in open rebellion and mutiny was in the air. For the first time, our faith in the captain and his so called plans were wavering and in doubt. Some of the men were already talking of abandoning ship at the next port and taking a chance on their own. Though I would not give much for their lives when the British found out what we did at St Bernadino and came looking for us. There would be no mercy for any of us and we would be strung up on our necks one by one.
The King’s revenge would be swift and brutal, that was damn sure.
The entire crew had gathered on deck, weapons at the ready and was facing down the captain.
“You’re a damn fool! We should be running and hiding, not going head to head with the damn British!” Shouted a crew member from the back.
“This ship is nothing but trouble, trouble you hear me?” De La Roca stood calmly and listened to the accusations flying at him but said nothing.
“And now you just want to what? Sail into New Providence? Every pirate in the America’s knows to steer clear of that accursed place.”
“No ship can even think of get near it without the fort’s cannons turning into a bloody mess. This is suicide.”
“And we will have the entire British fleet after us before long, they will rip us to pieces for what we’ve done and the crows will feast on our entrails.”
“We should be half way to South America by now!” The Captain flashed a brilliant smile and kicked open a chest standing at his feet. He reached in and held up a British red uniform in a balled fist. He laughed and flung it at a nearby crewmember as they looked in shock at him.
“We are going to sail right past all their defenses and by the time they realize it, it will be too late. We are going to turn New Providence into ashes and take her for all she’s got. We will be sitting on a tropical island a thousand miles away before news can even reach England and they can do anything. One last score gentlemen before we disappear and we can live out the rest of our days filthy rich and in the lap of luxury.” De La Roca knew he had struck a nerve with the crew and he could actually see the greed in their eyes. He pressed his advantage further. “You do know that all the taxes and profits from the entire area are stored at the governor’s mansion before being shipped across the Atlantic? It’s a king’s ransom and it is just waiting for us to pick it up. They have made a fatal mistake of relying too heavily on the fort’s cannons and the soldiers stationed there will be no match for us, we have the element of surprise on them.” He walked over to a crewmember still shaking his head in disbelief and drew a knife from his belt. He slowly ran it over the cheek of the terrified pirate, the blade leaving a thin red line behind.
“Do not ever doubt me again.” He said, barely audible to all except the stricken pirate before jamming a hidden dagger into the man’s belly. The pirate convulsed as De La Roca held him tightly. Eventually his body became limp, his eyes rolled back and his head fell forward. With consummate easy, the captain threw him overboard and watched his body disappear beneath the waves.
“Quartermaster,” he said, never looking back. “Ready the men.” There was a flurry of action under the crew as they ran to get ready. Their lust for gold and riches triumphing over any fears and reservations they had of the captain.
St Michelle worked methodically, making sure each man had a uniform and it fit perfectly before handing him a musket he procured from the ship’s arsenal. He even found me a tattered looking ship’s mate uniform. The final act was raising the Union Jack and watching it flap in the wind. It was a strange sight for the pirate crew used to sailing under the cross bones of the Jolly Roger their entire lives.
