Chapter 2
Sam was relaxing in his quarters that night, having completed his duties for the day and collected his (rather large) share of the money from Especias Señora. A knock came at his door. The unmistakably heavy thump of Captain Morgan's fist.
"Come in, captain," Sam called. "You don't have to knock you know, you do outrank me."
"A mere formality, my young lad." replied Morgan as he stepped into the dimly lit cabin. "You might be wanting privacy."
"What privacy? There's nothing that nobody's seen before thanks to the fact that the toilet happens to be only a squat over the handrail and there're no women in sight in any direction."
"Fair point." Morgan said, shrugging and scratching the back of his neck. "But what I came in here talk to you about is not for the ears of the others on board just yet. I wanted you to know this first, though I'll undoubtedly tell the crew later."
"Ok." Sam stood up and shut the door before turning to Morgan. "Hit me."
"You remember when we went to Tortuga last week and me and the whisperer went off to the back room of The Winking Maiden?" When Sam nodded slowly, having recalled the event had been just a few months after the escape from Davy Jones' isle, Morgan continued, "As it turn out, the source which he told me about then is true. Diamond Eye Jack and Davy Jones are searching for us. I know that it was only a matter of time, hence the repaired ship and my new attitude to events, but even so I am not ready to face the two of them. Even Jack could now overpower me, I think." Morgan shook his head and sat on the single chair against the ship's hull wall.
"Don't worry captain, we can still give 'em a bloody good fight and take a few down to the depths with us!" Sam reached for an imaginary sabre at his side and brandished it with a flourish. The rare thing that was a genuine smile came to Morgan's lips.
"Aye laddy, but I have no intention of being killed by some upjumped prick who's got no right to my death. Especially not after what he did to my face." Morgan pointed at the eternally covered right side of his face which, Sam knew, hid terrible burns. Morgan noted Sam's look of surprise and continued, "Aye that was him, when he first went bad and tried to kill me for my ring. Smashed a burning oil lamp into it and laughed as I writhed in pain. His mistake. I gouged his own right eye out with my dagger and smashed his head into the dagger's pommel. My diamond-encrusted dagger's pommel.
"Somehow the pommel came loose and stuck in his socket, and it's been there ever since the coward ran crying from my ship with a piece of one of the most valuable weapons ever forged stuck in his eye. Now he's taken it for his own and before I die I will have it back." As Morgan said his last sentence a venom entered his voice and he clenched his fists. "I'm gonna bloody well learn how to kill that bastard, and his master, and his crew, and then I'm going to sink his ship whilst he watches with one eye and I tear my diamond out from the other!" Morgan stood up and shouted his fury into the cabin. Sam stood back, amazed at the sudden turn in his captain.
"Sound the rising call!" Morgan cried, "These sails will never be stowed until my face is avenged and my diamond is back, and Jack and Jones lie dead at my feet, slain by my own hand! We' re going back to Tortuga, and I'm going to find any lead into killing them!"
Sam ran from his own quarters immediately, still without his boots or coat on and ran down the first deck of the ship where the men were resting. "All right, you've all had enough rest now, you lazy limpnecks! Get on deck, we've got work to do and the captain ain't feeling none too patient with you rabble, so get moving!" He picked up a pan from the galley and hit it with a spoon with all his strength. "Get up, up I say! We've got a job to do, and we won't rest until it's done, so move!"
The men sprang to their feet and set about pulling boots on and strapping on belts. The quickest of them were already running up to the upper deck and assembling at battle stations,thinking that they were under attack. Morgan himself had already moved up to the poop deck and was standing at the helm. When the men had all been moved up, Morgan spoke. His metal mask was illuminated by the stern lamps, and the ruby its eye socket glinted keenly. His main sword was drawn and stood upright in the deck, with his right hand resting on it whilst his ledt held the ship's wheel.
"Crew of the mighty pirating vessel Stormprow!" he cried, and grinned at the resulting shout, although the grumbling faces on some of the men after having been woken for hat was apparently only a speech ruined the picture somewhat. "News has reached my most felonious ears that a man whom we believed to be long past trouble has returned and is looking to sink our great host of a ship and kill your own captain, along with you yourselves! Now I say that this uncivil behaviour should not stand, we are but gentle pirates are we not?" The crew laughed and shouted their agreement. "Davy Jones and his slave Diamond Eye Jack are sailing abroad, looking for us with all three of their eyes," Morgan pointed at his good eye and leaned forwards, twisting his body so that he looked over the crew. "Ahead of us lies danger and despair, my friends, but behind us is the same story, and that story shall continue so long as those two still sail. So let's blast a hole in their hulls, slit their throats and leave their corpses for the krakens! What say you, do we endeavour for freedom and peace to live our roguish lifestyles for ourselves, or do we sit and wait for their sails to catch us napping? What say you?" Morgan brandished his sabre and stepped his right leg forwards in response to the overwhelming cry of the crew, who branished their own weapons and screamed war cries in response.
"Then hoist the sails, melads, and let's get this over and done with. To Tortuga!" He stepped down and grabbed a tankard of ale that was proffered to him by a cabin boy. "To revenge!" He called, thrusting the tankard out before tipping his head back and drinking the whole contents in one gulp. The men rushed to action, hauling on ropes and loosing the sails from the yards. Morgan himself gripped the helm and turned Stormprow towards its destiny in Tortuga, laughing maniacally as he did so.
