Chapter 15: A Ship of the Crown

29 February, 1687 Afternoon

On January 30^th Christopher Monke, duke of Albermarle, and friend to Sir Henry Morgan and having just recently replaced the Earl of Carlisle as Governor of His Majesty's Island of Jamaica, Commander-in-Chief of all His Majesties Forces within the said Island and in the Islands adjacent, Vice-Admiral to New England Royal Governor, Sir Edmund Andros in the American Seas, awarded a limited English letters of Marque to Captain Carmen O' Daire of the Maidens Revenge.

Lucian Blanchart was not to be found on the island of Jamaica, however Morgan saw to it that a trial was held where all evidence and testimony against Lucian Blanchart was presented after which having received the verdict from the Lord Chief Justice who sat center most on the Lords Commissioners panel, each dressed in their scarlet robes and heavy dark periwigs, the clerk droned out the wordy indictment which pronounced, "M. Lucian Blanchart having been found guilty of piracy against the Most Illustrious and Most Excellent Prince James the Second, by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, Ireland, and his supreme and natural lord, and having no fear of God in his heart, but being moved and seduced by the instigation of the Devil, and having failed in the love and true and due natural obedience towards his said lord the King, M. Lucian Blanchart is hereby sentenced to the punishment of death by hanging for the afore named act of piracy."

All of Blanchart's lands, properties and holding on Jamaica were seized by the Crown and after inventorying his estate certain documentation was discovered implicating a Miss Gróa Bjorn in numerous unlawful dealing with Lucian Blanchart so her estates were also confiscated to the Crown, and she herself became a prisoner in the hold of Fort Charles awaiting trial.

Scraps of information came to the crew of the Maidens Revenge from a number of ships which came to harbor at Port Royal claiming that Lucian Blanchart, who after discovering he had been taken in by the owner and Captains of the Brig Lynn Wright, and learning that the Maidens Revenge was yet out looking for him, had taken to the sea.

The Maidens Revenge put to sea sailing under the English flag in search of Blanchart and the hunt was up. They cruised awhile off Hispaniola, watching the Windward Passage, and suffering the discomforts of the second rainy season which had now set in, then on to North Carolina and finally to La Nouvelle Orleans but they cruised in vain, and after four months of it, they empty-handed made a heading back toward Port Royal.

It was one day before dawn on this return trip to Port Royal that sails approaching them from behind were first discovered.

"Look," said Lomasi, pointing out two specks of white off the horizon to Carapau who had just come up onto the quarter deck joining her and Carmen, and to his infinite amazement he observed that Lomasi's eyes were sparkling. Did she realize, he wondered, what was afoot? Based on the amount of sail Carapau saw behind them he knew the two ships headed in their direction were very large vessels and to his mind that could not be a good thing.

"They fly no colors but based on sail configuration, they must be part of the Hispaniola fleet," Scarlet, who was currently at the wheel, spoke without excitement, almost with a certain listlessness, "When dawn broke we found ourselves running to meet them. We went about but they followed, and it's been a race ever since. But the Maiden has been at sea these four months, and her bottom is too foul for the speed we need to outrun them considering the amount of canvas they carry."

Carapau looked aloft and saw Cog high on the yardarm and below him both Felipe and Teresa were pulling at blocks attempting to catch as much wind as possible.

"We've nothing for it but to see what they have in mind or to fight it would seem." Carapau stated the obvious.

"That's a point Jack and I were just discussing," said Carmen, "For I hold that we are in no case to fight against such odds should a sea-fight be their design."

"Well, we're used to odds," Jack said, "and there is one odd which is much to our favor."

"Which is?" Carapau asked.

"Meaning you no offence Adalberto," Jack answered, "but they are Spaniards."

"No offence taken, I'm Portuguese remember?" Carapau laughed.

"Well," Carmen finally said, "for better or worse we'll be as ready as can be made." Then she called all hands to deck to get the Maiden's armaments in order.

Three hour's later when the two ships had drawn much closer to the Maidens Revenge Carmen looked through her glass and exclaimed, "Damn! Our question of their intent is now answered! That lead Galleon carries the figurehead of a boy riding a dolphin. They're Spanish privateers and will parole us no quarter! Prepare for battle!"

Months earlier when the Brig the Lynn Wright and her owner Mr. William Wright had sailed to North Carolina and told Lucian Blanchart that they had sunk the Maidens Revenge with all hands aboard off the coast of Barbados, and were there now to collect the promised ships commission, Blanchart was both thrilled and disappointed. Thrilled because with the Maidens Revenge and her crew hugging the bottom of the sea he could finally take a breath without fear of them finding him, and disappointed because he would now never be able to enjoy the womanly flesh of his two nieces, which he had so very often dreamed of. But even their death was worth the price, high as it was, for the piece of mind it brought him.

After paying off the Lynn Wright he wasted little time and hired a very small, but very fast sloop in order to retrieve the five boxes of buried money he had given to the owners of the other five ships he'd hired to hunt down the Maidens Revenge before word spread that the hunt was ended.

When Blanchart reached the location of the first buried chest, and discovered it to be bare, from frothing lips he hurled blasphemies and insults. Then, as the devil may have it, after finding the second and third chests also absent, he became so outraged, that with his cane, he beat to death one of the five negro slaves he had brought with him.

His rage turned more to fear however when after discreetly gathering what information he could from drunken sailors in taverns he learned, though not yet how, he had been duped by the owner of the Lynn Wright and that the Maidens Revenge and her crew were all yet alive and well, and still out hunting for him, and also that the other five ships had given up the hunt entirely so anxious had they become of the Maidens Revenge.

What to do? He asked himself. Although still laden with outrage and anger he was also scared, uneasy, and hangdog as any thief caught with his hand in the pocket of his neighbor. But Blanchart was not a man to allow fear to get the best of him, so he pushed all emotion aside in order to straighten out his agitated mind and plan coherently what was to be done. Then it came to him. He would clandestinely return to his residences in Port Royal and North Carolina, gather his wealth, and then flee to England where his mother held celebrated influence inside the corrupt government of King James the second.

But even that plan was to be denied him by the damnable crew of the Maidens Revenge. Him having stopped off at Tortuga on his way to Port Royal in order to at least look for the fourth buried chest of money, which much to his great surprise and bliss he discovered was still there, that bliss was short lived when he also discovered that the Lords Commissioners panel at Port Royal had held a trial and having found him guilty of piracy they had sentenced him to hang. The now even more frenzied Lucian Blanchart had realized the situation immediately; they must have discovered his log books kept at his North Carolina Plantation.

"Damn you!" roared Blanchart, and again, "Damn you!"

No one other than his slaves were around to hear the fear and incredulity in his voice, or see how he had paled under his tan until his face was the color of clay, and that there was a wild fury in his beady eyes.

His Negroes looked at him, grinning idiotically, enjoying his discomfort immensely.

Now unable to return to Port Royal or North Carolina he was faced with the dilemma of devising yet another plan. That plan came to him in the rubble a Spanish Privateer had made of the town of Tortuga but a few weeks past.

Blanchart knew that great ship with the figurehead of a boy riding a dolphin. Yes, he knew that ship well, the Galleon 'España', and he knew her Commander, Admiral Juan Moreno. He had had many dealings with Juan Moreno in the past, dealing that would surely find him guilty of treason to England were they to be reveled.

Yes! That was the plan. He would sail the short distance to Hispaniola where the powerful Spanish Fleet was harbored, locate Admiral Moreno and with the money from the chest, and such other as he had brought with him, and the promise of very much more, he would hire Moreno to hunt down and destroy the Maidens Revenge once and for all, and then with them gone and with his dear mothers help he would clear his good name in the courts of King James the second and reclaim all his properties.

And so it was that a time later Blanchart did locate Moreno and within two months he and the Admiral Juan Moreno aboard the Admiral's tall Galleon the España, along side his other Galleon the 'Madre de Dios' sailed out in search of the Maidens Revenge.

They had been out for a month when they spotted a vessel sailing in their direction. When the ship was just close enough to see, through a glass, that she flew the English flag atop her mast the smaller vessel turned about trying to outrun him, but Moreno was persistent and took up the chase, never being one to let the opportunity of sinking an English dog pass by.

"And just what are you doing Admiral? That ship you chase fly's an English pennon! The ship we are after will be flying a unique skull and bones!" Blanchart question after learning the ship they chased displayed English colors on her mast.

"You think I would give my parole to leave any English sons of filth alive having the opportunity to see them to the bottom of the sea!" Moreno snapped back.

Blanchart didn't respond so Moreno added, "It is a very fortunate encounter. The Almighty, you see, watches over the destinies of Catholic Spain. I will quickly dispose of this English scum and then we will be on our way once again I assure you."

Blanchart grunted, annoyed with the delay but recognizing there was nothing to be done he stood in silence.

And then, four hours later Admiral Juan Moreno's two tall war Galleons were nearly within cannon range of the English Schooner.

Aboard the Maidens Revenge as the two Galleons drew nearer and nearer Scarlet called Carmen up to the wheel, "Captain," he said, "I have a plan. My plan comes with its share of risk to be sure, but if executed perfectly we may yet win the day."

Carmen listened, and herself not having any better tactic agreed to the strategy telling him, "Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad," and then she quickly assembled the entire crew so that Scarlet might lay out his plan to them.

Because his plan called for first slowing down the Maiden to a very crawl, and then at a moments notice raising every squire inch of sail which would require the strongest of their crew to see such a thing through, he placed Teresa at the helm and afforded her detailed instructions of the steerage she was to follow.

Constance and Isabel he placed at the forward swivels with Lomasi and Ihon to powder monkey for them.

Carmen he ordered to port guns and Claire to starboard, with Jon as their powder monkey.

Him and all the rest of the crew would be required at sails, so Scarlet ask Cog to both position each crew member and to point out instruction, in his unique speechless manner, so they could in a matter of seconds raise all sails at the first tone of his whistle. Then once raised they would quickly man both starboard and port guns.

Once everyone was in position Scarlet issued Teresa the order to come about and the girl brought the Maiden around in a tight arc and then pointed her bow and, offering as narrow a target as possible, she sailed the Maiden directly toward the two oncoming heavily armed Spanish Galleons.