I watched the reaction of the crew when they realised the fate of the pirates, and seeing a mix of amusement and shock, I said, "Aye, imprisoned for life. But piracy was their choice, and they knew the consequences of being captured."
"But we ain't captured them yet, sir."
"Nay, not captured in the usual sense, lad; they are held captive by circumstance. Rather than taking on the risk involved and the need to feed them, we will allow Nature to provide those. If they are fortunate, in two or three months, they may enter the area of floating sargasso to augment their diet of fish and rainwater."
I looked over my shoulder to again examine Phantom. "But let us now focus on us. We tested our rigging the past few days, and though running downwind presented only minor problems, we found the past short while that sailing across a strong wind taxes the reduced mainmast shrouds. The repairs depleted our stores of suitable rope, and I think it wise to put into a port for renewal before venturing across the Atlantic."
"That will delay further our arrival in London."
"Possibly, Mister Stawell. And possibly not. The week or so required to return our rigging to a safe state and add to it will allow us an extra two knots and more, reducing the time needed for the crossing." I pointed toward Phantom. "Otherwise, we risk their fate."
Thankful that this quieted him, I returned my attention to the crew and said, "We will now turn to a safer downwind course while we decide on a destination. Again, well done all."
When the huzzahs and whistles quieted, I dismissed the hands to their duties and turned to Jenson. "Come port and lay a comfortable course northward."
"Aye, sir. Port to northward."
A few minutes later, when we had settled on north-northeast, Jenson said, "My searching found three suitably capable yards in Chesapeake, sir."
"Aye, and mine. But with the way Phantom appeared to want to trap us there, she may have cohorts waiting in the bay to assist. The pirates have migrated north from Port Royal to the Bahamas and now to Charles Town. And with the steady increase in the value of its tobacco trade, Chesapeake is a logical next step for them."
"True. Best to avoid it." He pointed over his shoulder. "Besides, it is now across the wind."
Nodding, I lifted a telescope to my eye as we overtook Phantom, confirming our three guns aimed at their quarterdeck had destroyed not only the swivel mountings there but also their helm. Then, I winced at the sight of spattered gore. But piracy was their choice. Ours was to disable them or again be ...
Pausing my thoughts, I blew a deep breath and turned to Jenson. "I shall be below researching shipyards along the coast. I had not considered any beyond here."
"Aye, nor had I, sir."
Gillian joined me at the hatch coaming, and when we had descended, I led her into the chart room and searched through the broad, shallow drawers. Then, finding the portfolio I wanted, I leafed through the contents.
"So many maps and charts."
"Aye, Father thought it necessary to carry all that might be required in unforeseen circumstances." I pointed toward the drawers. "Also, books and reports on the places along the way. All our ships carry these, and we are diligent in updating them with our observations. As well, we carry the published works of others."
"So many details I had not considered."
"Indeed, a complex business running a ship, particularly in these waters. Information about the colonies is rapidly changing, and some of it is conflicting, so we use these as guides to what we might find. But the reality is what we see."
I selected a map from the portfolio and laid it on the chart table. "For instance, here in Delaware Bay, older guides show many shipyards, but recent reports note that the greater lucre from the production of tobacco has all but supplanted other endeavours. Now only Greenwich, Salem and New Castle have shipyards."
"Shipyards. Hmmm!" Gillian examined the map for a long while; then, she looked up at me. "I cannot find Manhattan marked on this. Do you know where it is?"
"I am not familiar with it. Why do you ask?"
"I have a cousin who has a shipyard there." She shrugged. "It might save entering ports along the coast and finding none."
"A cousin?"
"My grandfather, the fourteenth Baron Cavendish – his brother's daughter married a sea captain, and they settled ashore on Manhattan Island." A broad smile filled her face, and she sighed. "They visited us a few years ago, and I still delight in memories of the stories they told."
"Did they describe where it is?"
"Close to New York." She tapped the map. "I see that here, but I cannot find Manhattan."
"We need a larger scale map." I reopened the portfolio and rifled through the contents, pulled out a chart and laid it atop the other. "There. Manhattan is the island on which the town sits."
"Ooh! Can we go there? I would love to see them again."
"Yes, certainly. With its thriving trade, the area likely offers a better choice of yards than the Delaware, and if theirs is not suitable, they can direct us to one that is."
Flipping back to the previous sheet, I measured the distance from my estimate of our position. "Two hundred and sixty miles from here to the harbour entrance. With the current assisting, we should arrive mid-afternoon on the morrow."
I opened another drawer, located the sheath of papers I wanted and took it out. "This is the list of settlements along the coast from the Carolinas northward, describing them, their approaches, anchorages and what is found ashore."
"Did you compile this?"
"Nay, far too much for that. Each of our ships amends and adds to it from their observations, and we print a new version twice each year." I leafed through the pages to find the New York ones and skimmed the entries, turning more pages until I found the part I wanted. "Here, shipyards. Latham Brothers, John Dallys, Betheson and Sons, Elvers ..."
"Betheson! That is them."
I scanned the location description, then read aloud their services, "Wharves, warehouses, careening, drying dock, repairs, refits, nautical chandlery, victualling ... Oh, my! Had I not known the relationship, I would have chosen them."
Gillian frowned and shook her head. "Why does it matter that you know?"
"How do you mean?"
"Causing you to not choose them."
"Hunh?" I reviewed what I had said, then laughed. "Nay, I meant that they are the natural choice, whether or not we know them."
She chuckled. "Same words but opposite meanings possible."
"Indeed! Thus, all orders need to be repeated back to the one issuing them. Confirm not only receipt but also understanding."
"But they do it with different words."
"Aye, we require this to show comprehension."
"Yes, of course."
I laid a protractor on the chart, adjusted it and said, "Steering a course of north-northeast half north will clear the New Jersey coast."
Gillian pointed to it. "You have it askew, Jarvis."
"Indeed, and intentionally so."
"Hunh? Why?"
"You tell me."
She examined the chart for a while before her head began bobbing. "Of course. For the magnetic variation."
"Exactly. And not making the correction has brought grief to many ships. Applying it to the wrong side is even worse. To easily remember, we have a ditty: Variation east, magnetic least. Variation west, magnetic best."
"And you take the variation from Halley's chart."
"Only when we have not had a suitable sunrise or sunset. By routine, we check the bearing of these, and with tables, determine the precise compass variation. The position of the magnetic pole slowly migrates, and Doctor Halley's chart is now only an approximation."
"So many layers of complexity to navigation."
"Aye, and that is its attraction."
She snuggled into me. "As your complexity increasingly attracts me."
"Ummm." I pointed to the chart. "I must reconfirm this."
"I sense a tightness, Jarvis. A distraction."
I blew a deep breath and nodded. "Thoughts of what I had done to them. Disturbing."
"Done to whom?"
"The pirates. To disable their swivels, some of them were hit by our shot."
"But had you not done this, they would have fired at us. Then what?"
"True. But it still leaves ..."
"Whoa, Jarvis! Whoa, whoa, whoa. You did what was right. Absolutely right. It is they who were wrong to attack us."
I sighed and nodded. "But ..."
She took my hand. "Come! Let us go sit and examine this. You did nothing wrong. In fact, what you did was noble. You could have so easily destroyed them all."
"But I did destroy them – their futures. They are condemned to enduring their remaining months or years in horrid conditions."
"As we would have been had we been captured. Enslaved, you had said."
When I shuddered at the thought of how they would treat her, she wrapped her arms around me and laid her cheek on my chest. "You need to calm, Jarvis. Come, let us lie together and do things to divert your mind."