Chapter 14: New crew members

3 August, 1686 Late Evening

All four women jumped up drawing pistols and sabers from their belts and scabbards. Claire was sitting closest to the door and was the first to exit the cabin. Silver moonlight reflected off her razor sharp blade. She quickly made her way to the port rail then looked over the side. She saw three men seated in a small jollyboat. While keeping her pistol trained directly on the men in the boat she called out to her sister, "Constance, unless I'm mistaken I believe your Mr. Jack Scarlet has finally arrived... and with his company."

Jack Scarlet smiled up at her sweetly, "Indeed, Jack Scarlet at your service m' lady. I and my company are ready to go on the account, and do a little honest pirating."

Constance joined her sister's side and she too looked down. It was Jack Scarlet sure enough and there were two other men with him, one, a very large shirtless Negro with a striped handkerchief around his head and silver cross earrings in his ears, the other, a small white man, clad in a strange outlandish dress of a foreign make, and with gold earrings in his ears.

"Hello Mr. Scarlet. You're back with your comrades I see," Constance called down to him.

"Aye Miss Blanchart and I presume that strikingly lovely young woman whom so courteously welcomed us with pistol in hand is your sister Claire."

Before she could respond both Carmen and Isabel joined the other two women at the rail.

"Ah, Captain O' Daire, ahoy, and who is that with you, yet a forth beauty aboard a single ship," Scarlet exclaimed looking up at Isabel.

Isabel blushed.

"Welcome Jack Scarlet," Carmen greeted him. "I'll toss over the ladder so you and your companions might come aboard."

"Thank you captain," Scarlet called back giving her a half-salute.

Once on board, Constance noted that the Negro was even larger than he had appeared to her while seated in the jollyboat and that the white man was even smaller than he had appeared. The Negro looked to be at least six feet six inches tall and could not have weighed less than two hundred and ninety pounds... all of it solid muscle. The white man by contrast stood an inch or two under five feet and could not have weighed more than one hundred and twenty pounds wringing wet. Along with his strange attire he had a boatswain whistle affixed to a leather strap which hung around his neck.

"This is Ivory Aba the finest gunner on all the Spanish Main," Scarlet introduced the large black man to the women, and then placing his hand on the shorter mans shoulder said, "and this is Cog, Cog here is mute. Poor devil had his tongue cut out..."

Cog opened his mouth to show them.

All four women grimaced.

"... but he can hear a pin drop on deck from the nest during a tempest."

Carmen decided to test this. She turned away and whispered, "Mr. Cog. Do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true, in the face of danger?"

She heard movement and looked back... Cog was doing a modest jig while nodding his head vigorously.

Carmen shook her head while smiling.

"And that goes for you as well Mr. Aba, courage, fortitude and staying true in the face of danger. For we sail to wherever it may be in order to find Captain Shadrach Bloody Bass and send him all the way down to Davy Jones' locker! An equal share of reward for anything we... ah, acquire along the way." Carmen said.

The black giant looked first toward Scarlet then to Carmen. In a deep resonant voice with some accent unfamiliar to her he said, "I would sail through the very gates of hell and pat the devil on the back if Jack Scarlet asked me too do so Captain, but he charged me to bestow my loyalty to you and this ship, and as such on my word I will stand at your side, even against Jack Scarlet were it to come to that."

Cog nodded vigorously once again.

All four women were having similar thoughts, as ill-advised as it might be to take three relatively unfamiliar men aboard, there could be little doubt that any real chance of succeeding depended on having these men with them. Each one of the women also realized it would be far better to play the odds on Jack Scarlet's sincerity than to be re-captured by Bass or any number of other scoundrels traversing the Spanish Main. So after looking at the other three women and reading agreement on their faces Carman said, "That's good enough for us gentlemen. Welcome aboard," She held out her hand.