“You are the only man who has any wood working skill on this ship? Your carpenter is dead?” The gun was now trained on me and I felt like I could already feel the bullet enter my skin and smell the gunpowder.
“Yes sir, that’s right.” At this moment Jack came out of the cabin, still shaking and pale. He didn’t speak a word to us but went to the pirate side of the ship and sat down without looking anywhere but the deck. The pirates guffawed and cracked jokes and I could only think that I was next. I was not mistaken.
“Your turn,” announced the quarter master motioning to the door to the captain’s quarters. I didn’t even bother to look to see if there was still a gun pointed at me, I knew that there would be. I turned and faced the gate of hell and slowly I walked to the door, feeling like my feet had turned into lead.
The captain of the pirates was seated behind the desk of Captain Johansson which had been cleared of all its usual clutter. The only things on it were a lamp, a document with a quill and a pistol.
“You are the cooper?” asked the captain. I nodded, I had become mute in this mans presence.
“Do you have a wife, or children?” he demanded. I shook my head.
“Do you have a tongue?”
“Yes sir,” I spoke in a whisper.
“Then you will speak. Are you a married man?”
“No sir.”
“Then you have nothing to tie you to shore and you will join us,” declared the captain.
“No sir. I have a father to take care of; please don’t deprive him of my income. Would you see my father starve?”
“If he is your father then he must be old and then due to die. Why live to miserable old age when you can live a short, glorious life? No, you shall not be spared for the life of your parent for we have use of a cooper. You see,” the captain gave a dry smile, “we do lots of trade and a cooper is a person we do not yet have on our ship. If your carpenter was still alive we might have passed over you but now it cannot be.” I actually fell to my knees.
“Please, I could not live knowing that my father was slowly fading away with no one to provide for him. Do you have no compassion?”
“So you wish to die?” asked the captain coldly. “Do you understand the meaning of the pistol on this desk?” I shook my head though I could form a fairly good idea.
“It means that you either sign our articles or I shoot you, choose as you like.”
Slowly I stood and picked up the quill. I was just about to sign when the captain yanked the paper from me.
“Now, now, we wouldn’t want you to sign a contract you didn’t understand. It would be horrible to think that you might be forced into agreeing to something you didn’t like.” His smile told me that he was going to milk this for all it was worth.
“Article one: Every man shall keep his arms in condition for engagement at all times and neglecting in this shall result in losing his share in the next prize.
Article two: On meeting a virtuous woman any man who should meddle with her shall suffer death.
To be continued...
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