The Pearl Maiden

His attitude toward women was evident in two ways, now that she thought about it. Her father had never called Gabriela by her name. He always spoke of her as his "bed warmer". Christina could not recall ever hearing her father ask for Gabriela to do anything. Instead, he would order her to do it. He also never really listened to the woman even when Christina was ill. He would just tell Gabriela he'd hired her to take care of his daughter and to stop complaining to him and cure whatever ailed her.

Christina realized then that Captain Blackburn had not only listened to Gabriela. He had believed her, and his tone of voice with which he spoke of that conversation told Christina he felt something for Gabriela, something her father had never felt.

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The voyage back to Port Royal took almost five days as The Pearl Maiden was sailing into the same prevailing winds that had sped her to catch The Encarnación. Over those days, Christina began to develop a different understanding of men in general and in Captain Blackburn in particular. They dined together in his cabin and as they talked, Christina gained more insight into his character.

While he had unashamedly admitted to her that he killed men in the process of robbing Spanish ships, he said he had given orders to his crew that no man on a Spanish ship was to be mistreated once the captain had surrendered. In his words, "They are all slaves to their circumstance and must fight because they are ordered to do so. Once their captain has surrendered his ship, they are relieved of that order and I will not have any of my crew continue to cause them harm."

Christina also learned that Captain Blackburn would not tolerate any abuse of any passengers discovered during the capture of a Spanish ship. When she asked him why, his reply was simple. "Passengers are only seeking to go from one place to another. They have no interests in the cargo the ship carries and are of no danger to me or to my crew. Had I not been searching for you when I attacked The Encarnación, I would have left you and your father in the care of Captain Baldero."

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William steered a course for Lime Cay, a small island south of Port Royal proper because he did not want to sail directly into the Harbor. Lieutenant Charles was aware of his probable return date and would have a man watching the harbor for the Pearl Maiden. When the anchor was dropped and the sails furled, he knocked on Christina's cabin door.

"We have anchored on the lee side of Lime Cay. It is best if Lieutenant Charles is not aware of our arrival until I have found Gabriela and brought her safely on board. I will leave Mister Johnson as your guard while I do that. Once that has been accomplished, I will go ashore again, find Lieutenant Charles and discuss with him your situation, that being that you do not wish to become his wife and that I have no intention of forcing you to do so. We shall see how he responds. Most likely he will threaten me, but he can do little to me or to you and Gabriela since he has no ship and no crew.

"After that, I will tell the crew we sail for Bermuda. While I do not believe Lieutenant Charles poses us any real risk, I would rather be far away before he gets a ship to command."

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William took six men to man the gig and sailed the short distance to Port Royal harbor. His destination was the docks up the coast of the harbor where the native fishermen docked their boats. There, he would ask about a native woman named Gabriela.

He found Gabriela cleaning fish on one of the docks. When he walked up to her, she didn't say anything. She just looked at him with hope in her eyes. When he nodded, she dropped her knife, ran to him and embraced him.

"You have my Christina? Is she safe?"

William replied that she could soon see for herself.

"We do not have a long time, Gabriela. Gather your things and say your good-byes. Once I take you to Christina, I have one other chore to attend to before leaving Port Royal and Jamaica in my wake."

Once William had delivered Gabriela to the Pearl Maiden, he and his six men again sailed the gig to Port Royal harbor, this time to the careening wharf. There, one of the sailors cleaning the hull of a frigate directed him to an office in a small building next to the careening wharf. William saw that the name on the stern of the ship was HMS Fairfax. Lieutenant Charles' ship had arrived from England and he would be a captain and a risk sooner than William had thought. That changed what he was going to tell Lieutenant Charles about Christina.

William did not ask permission to enter the office. He simply opened the door and entered. There, he found Lieutenant Charles with his feet on his desk and sipping his tea. Lieutenant Charles did not change his position or put down his cup. He scowled and said, "Most people do not barge into my office without my permission. I assume you have news of your attack on The Encarnación, a subject of interest to me, so I will not have you thrown out and shot. Was your voyage a success?"

William nodded.

"Yes, she surrendered without much of a fight. Her treasure was greater than I hoped."

Lieutenant Charles then put down his cup and stood up.

"You take me for a buffoon, Captain Blackburn. I do not give a care about the treasure. Did you bring Christina back to me?"

William frowned.

"I found her, but she will not be joining you, not now nor in the future. It seems as if your statement that she wished to become your wife was either a figment of your imagination or a lie you told me to urge me to find her. She will remain with me until I can deliver her to a place of her choosing."

Lieutenant Charles raised his voice to a shout.

"I will have you arrested and hung from your own yardarm for disobeying me. Our agreement was for you to find Christina and bring her back to me. You have not held up your end of the contract and you shall be severely punished."

William smiled then.

"I made no such contract or agreement. All I agreed to was to find Christina and I did so. I did make a promise to Gabriela that I would return Christina to her, but I never agreed to return her to you. As for disobeying you, as I am a captain holding a British letter of marque and you are still but a lieutenant, it would seem that you have not the power to order me to do anything"

Lieutenant Charles sneered.

"You are a captain of a pirate ship, not a captain of His Majesty's Royal Navy. I have just received word that Parliament has outlawed any vessel from flying under false colors. I am certain that after I question a few of your crew, they will confirm that you used that tactic to attack the Encarnación. As I am the ranking member of the Royal Navy in Port Royal and soon to be named Captain, I can do with you as I please. I shall call for my guards to take you and your crew into custody and try you all as criminals."

When Lieutenant Charles started for the door, William stepped in front of him with his dagger drawn.

"Think carefully before taking another step, Lieutenant Charles. You have already lost this battle. Do not risk losing your life for I would have no regrets of ending the life of a man who struts about like a cock and crows of his own opinion of himself. Sit down and I shall tell you what you are going to do and what you are not going to do."

Lieutenant Charles blanched dead white and quickly walked back to his desk. Once Lieutenant Charles was again seated, William continued.

"What you are going to do is sit here sipping your tea while I walk out your door. You will remain seated for another hour. After that, you will resume the life you now lead. What you will not do is make any attempt to find Christina and Gabriela, even at such time as you are made captain of the frigate now careened at the wharf. She is the Fairfax. Is that not the name of the frigate of which you spoke?"

Lieutenant Charles smiled.

"Yes, she will be my ship in another day. You did not keep to your agreement. Why should I keep to this one?"

William smiled again.

"You will keep to this agreement because should we cross paths again, I will send The Fairfax, you, and your crew to the bottom of the Caribbean. I did not become the Captain of renown you believe me to be with out the ship, crew, and skills to do so and especially since the Fairfax will have a blowhard as a captain who's only skills are navigating the society of Port Royal and currying the fancy of some in the Royal Navy. Now, I leave you to decide which course you will follow. Mark my words though. I do not say them lightly."

William put two of the oarsmen at the stern of the gig with their muskets ready should Lieutenant Charles attempt to stop them, but no such attempt was made. They reached The Pearl Maiden without incident. After the gig was hoisted on board and secured, William told Mister Johnson to steer a course for Bermuda.

"The situation in Port Royal requires us to leave for a time. We will resupply on Bermuda and the crew can go ashore while I consider our next voyage."

William then went to Christina's cabin and knocked on the door. When Christina answered, he smiled.

"Would you and Gabriela please join me in my cabin? We have much to discuss."

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William began by addressing Gabriela.

"Gabriela, I still see tears in your eyes. Are you not pleased that Christina is once again with you?"

Gabriela grinned.

"Those be tears of happy, Captain Blackburn. My daughter back with me."

William looked at Christina then.

"Christina, I have informed Lieutenant Charles that you do not wish to see him again and that if he should try to find you the consequences to him would be severe. I do not believe for one second that he will allow you to escape him though. The only way to keep you safe is to take you away from the Caribbean.

"I will be leaving these waters as well, but for another reason. Apparently, the politics of Europe have led the English Parliment to declare it illegal to fly a false flag such as I did when I attacked the Spanish ship on which you sailed. Any vessel, even one such as The Pearl Maiden, flying a false flag will be hunted down and her captain and crew arrested. Lieutenant Charles threatened me with such. Without the ruse of a false flag, it will become much more dangerous to attack a Spanish ship, more dangerous than the treasure she carries would warrant taking, for me at least.

"I am planning to sail to Bermuda, turn the captaincy of the Pearl Maiden over to Mister Johnson, and then take up residence in one of the colonies there. I was told once in Port Royal that the original partners in the English company that oversees Bermuda are dissatisfied with the profits from the tobacco grown there and have offered their plots of land for sale. Because of the size of the treasure we seized from The Encarnación, I should be able to purchase a sizeable estate. After giving my future occupation some careful thought, my intention is to teach some of the indentured servants there the necessary skills to build small trading ships. Another fact of which I was made aware some time ago influenced that decision.

"I was told that the profits from growing tobacco have been reduced to the extent that some of the residents are engaged in the production of salt from sea water. Salt is in much demand in the English colonies on the mainland, and the ships I build will be sturdy and fast enough to make quick work of crossing the sea from Bermuda to those colonies.

"Along the way there are many Spanish and English ports in which you could take up residence, and I am prepared to deliver you to the port of your choosing. As a woman who speaks both Spanish and English you would have no issues joining the population, and because you are a handsome woman, finding a husband should be but a short task. You would likely have to introduce Gabriela as your slave, but only in public. All I need know is which port you would choose to be your new home."

Gabriela frowned.

"I not slave. I Christina mother. Not want be called slave."

Christina touched Gabriela on the shoulder.

"Nor would I ever consent to calling you a slave, Gabriela."

She turned to Captain Blackburn then.

"I would not feel safe in a place I do not know without a husband to keep me from harm. The money my father carried will not last long if I am paying for lodging and meals for two. I shall be forced to marry the first man who asks. I would not do that with Lieutenant Charles and I shall not do that in the future."

Christina looked at the floor of the cabin then.

"I know it is too much to ask after all you have already done for me and Gabriela, but we have discussed our future and would choose to stay with you on Bermuda until such time as I can find a husband who will accept Gabriela. I will serve as your housekeeper and Gabriela will serve as your cook. We do not ask for payment in return, only that we have a place to live where we feel safe and have food to eat."

William chuckled.

"You wish to stay with a man you once called a filthy pirate and a mangy cur?"

Christina looked up then.

"I said those things in order to escape being killed by my father. Over the days with you I have learned that you are not such a man. Gabriela trusts you as well. Yes, we wish to stay with you."

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That afternoon, William called the crew on deck to tell them of his plans. When all stood before him, William began.

"Men, I know you all wished to go ashore but because of a change in politics in England, it was best we did not. The English Parliament has made it against the law for ships to sail under a false flag. This law was made before we attacked The Encarnación, and the Royal Navy in Port Royal considers all of us to be criminals who should be arrested and tried for that crime. I have no doubts the punishment would be hanging or being staked in the water at low tide to drown and serve as food for the crabs.

"I have asked Mister Johnson to steer a course for Bermuda. Bermuda is an English colony, but has retained the ability to govern itself and should present little risk. You can go ashore there and spend your share of the gold and silver from The Encarnación if you wish. I would however suggest an alternative.

"I have been hearing rumblings for some time that England and most of Europe has tired of the constant wars and wish to make a peace. This will end all Letters of Marque and render all pirates, no matter what flag they sail under, into common criminals. Before, the Letter of Marque I carry protected us from the Royal Navy. I fear in the future it will be but a useless scrap of parchment.

"In Bermuda, you can resupply the Pearl Maiden and then set sail for other waters. I appoint Mister Johnson to take my place as Captain and recommend that you accept him and then sail for Madagascar under his command. You will find the treasures to be gained there to be just as rewarding as we have enjoyed in the Caribbean but without so great a risk of being arrested and hung."

William turned to Mister Johnson then.

"Mister Johnson, would you get us underway? If you are to captain the Pearl Maiden, you had best begin acting like a captain."

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Upon their arrival in St. George, Bermuda, William, Christina, and Gabriela were transported to the pier by now Captain Johnson in the gig. After William shouldered his sea chest and Christina picked up her traveling bag, William shook Captain Johnson's hand.

"Captain Johnson, clear skies and a following wind to you. Take good care of the Pearl Maiden and her crew and both will serve you as well as they have served me."

With that short and simple good-bye, William led Christina and Gabriela into St. George in search of accommodations.

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The search for accommodations did not take long, for William had been to St. George before and knew the town. By evening, William had secured two rooms at a private house, one for himself and one for Christina and Gabriela. After an excellent supper prepared by the wife of the owner, William escorted Christina and Gabriela to their room and bade them a good night.

The next morning, William left Christina and Gabriela at the private house and went in search of any available property. He inquired at the office of the St. Charles Company, the effective governing body of Bermuda, and was told the estate of one Robert Fletcher, the son of a member of the original charter members of the St. Charles company, was for sale. Mister Fletcher had passed away and his widow wished to return to her homeland of England..

The estate had an hundred acres of Bermuda cedar trees, a twenty acre tobacco plantation, and also had a small inlet that could serve as a small harbor and boatyard. When William inquired as to the sum that the widow required, he found he could easily afford the estate. They made the arrangements that very afternoon, and by nightfall, William was the owner of his own estate about five miles from St. Charles including a black cook and three Irish indentured servants who had been sent to Bermuda after Ireland was conquered by England. A week later, Mrs. Fletcher and her two children boarded a ship for England, and William, Christina, and Gabriela moved from the private house to the house on the estate.

William immediately set about changing the business of the estate from tobacco farming to what he had decided would be the most favorable course for him to steer, that being shipbuilding. His reasoning was that he knew ships and what made them perform well, and with the timber available and the small inlet on the estate, he would have materials and access to the sea.

William believed the trade in salt from Bermuda to the Americas would be enhanced were there more ships to transport the goods. Such ships would not need to be large merchantmen with huge holds that sailed slowly, required large crews, and could not enter the shallow harbors on most islands and the coast of the mainland. The trading ships needed to be able to sail in shoal waters and land at shallow ports. The ships currently built in Bermuda were a nearly perfect answer to the need. They were small enough to be manned by a small crew, stable enough to traverse long voyages over open water, and fast enough to also leave most pirate and Spanish vessels in their wake.

What he needed was men who understood shipbuilding and while the three indentured servants that came with the purchase of the estate did not, they had skills he thought could be employed in his endeavor. One had been a carpenter in Ulster and one had been a blacksmith in a small Irish village. The third had been an Irish farmer.

When he spoke to them about his plan, William said he could not officially end the terms of their indenture, but would treat them as free men and pay them a wage if they agreed to the proposal he was about to make.

"Men, I have spent most of my life at sea and know nothing of growing tobacco. I do know about ships and how they are constructed and rigged. I would propose to begin building ships here, the smaller ships you know as Bermuda sloops. I have seen them in the Caribbean and they are a favorite of small merchants there.

"On this estate grow many acres of Bermuda cedar, and I am told it is an excellent wood from which to build ships. A carpenter of houses could be a carpenter of ships given the proper plans, and a blacksmith forging ship fittings would find them the same as what he forged for the farmers in Ireland. A man who made his living as a farmer would surely understand working with ropes and cables and blocks.

"I would have you all stay on the estate and help me begin a shipyard. I believe the endeavor will be rewarding for us all."

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It took two months to build a sawyer's yard and to fell enough trees to begin laying in a stock of timber to season. William either worked alongside the three men from dawn to dusk or was inspecting the vegetable garden he had hired a native woman to plant and attend to as well as serve as their housekeeper. Only on Sundays did he stop work. The three Irishmen were of the Catholic faith and had promised they would give William their all except for Sundays.