by J.A. Sprouls
"Okay, Tally, why don't you throw that rope ladder down so we can go talk to those people," Pigtail ordered.
Tally grabbed the rope ladder and was about to secure it to the rail when he turned and asked Wicket, "Granny knot, or do you think a simple hitch knot will do the trick? I'd hate for it to slip any, most particularly if we're all going down there. We might not get back up if it comes untied and I'm guessing, if there are any crew members left, they just might not be all that fussed about getting us back on board."
"Well, a granny knot is pretty good but I still think a reef knot would be much more appropriate, seeing as to this is a ship and ships sail on water, which is where you find reefs, in the water."
"Yeah, but the problem with that logic is that we are no longer on any type of water. So there are no reefs around here. So a reef knot wouldn't be all that appropriate, now would it?" Tally pointed out the obvious to Wicket.
"Maybe not, but we are a ship just the same and we were on the water at one point and since that is the sole purpose of a ship; to sail on water, then a reef knot would be the perfect choice."
"For God sake, just tie the stupid ladder to the railing and be done with it. I don't care which knot you use!" Pigtail bellowed.
"You may not care now but when the ladder falls and we can't get back up then you're gonna really care, now aren't you?" Tally said defensively.
"Tally! You don't go getting smart with the captain. It's his ship and he can keelhaul us any time he wants. So just tie it to the rail and use whichever knot you think will hold the best, jeesh." Wicket could see Tally getting them all keelhauled just because he was too wishy washy to make up his mind as to which knot to use. Wicket just couldn't understand why Tally had such an aversion to using the reef knot, but he seemed dead set against using it.
It took a little while for Tally to finally get it tied to the railing but that was mainly because he didn't have all that much experience tying knots. How the heck was he supposed to get any good at knot tying if no one let him tie knots? And no one let him tie knots because he wasn't any good at it. So he was doomed to never learn how to tie a knot if this vicious cycle kept going.
Pigtail, seeing all the trouble that Tally had tying the knot wasn't too sure how secure the ladder would be. He decided to send the cabin boy over first. After all, he weighed less than the others and it might actually hold his weight.
"Pill, you go over first and find out if they are a friendly sort and mean us no harm. If they are friendly then ask them where the heck we are."
Pill wasn't the least bit happy about this. She knew the captain wasn't going over the rail just because Tally was the one who tied the knots. But since he was the captain and her job was to serve the captain she had no choice. She sighed and climbed up on the railing. Tally and Wicket both grabbed the ladder's lines just to make sure someone had hold of it in case it came untied. The knots held just fine and Pill made it to the ground without a single slip. She looked up at the other three who were now looking over the railing at her. Pigtail waved her to go on, which she did reluctantly.
"Excuse me, sir, but could you please tell me just where we happen to be?" She tried to look confidant but her insides were mushier them mashed potatoes.
"What exactly do you mean, 'where are you?' Don't you know where you are?" From his tone it seemed he found it strange for a person not to know where they are. Which was just silly as far as Pill was concerned. There are lots of times that people get lost, so a number of people have not known where they were. It just so happens that at this point and time, she and The Flummery's captain were in that very predicament.
"No sir, I'm afraid we don't know where we are. I do know where we were. We were in the Gulf and were dealing with a very severe storm with very strong winds. Obviously the winds blew us off course and we now find ourselves lost. So if you could please tell us where we are, I would really appreciate it."
The fellow was a short stocky man with blazing red hair. He wore a brimmed hat and had a bandana tied around his neck. Pill found herself wondering if he had used a granny knot to secure the bandana. His clothes were all very dusty and well-worn and they had patches in various spots. He wasn't saying anything; mainly he was looking Pill over from head to toe. It was starting to make her feel uncomfortable. The last thing she needed was someone to pay too close attention to her and realize that she was, in fact, a girl. He might then tell Pigtail and then who knows what would happen to her.
The captain, not knowing what was going on or being said, yelled over the railing, "Pill, what's he say, where are we?"
Pill looked back at the captain and then turned to the man and said, "The captain would very much like to know where we are. So if you could please tell us, I would really appreciate it."
"Well, now, I'm not sure." Great. The one person they find to ask doesn't even know.
"What do you mean you don't know?'
"It ain't that I don't know. I know you're in a state called Texas. But as to just where in Texas, I don't rightly know. Hang on just a moment, I'll ask the wagon master if he has a clue as to where we all are." With that he turned and walked over to this tall bulky man. It wasn't that he was fat, no, it was all muscle, Pill could see that, and he was a rather formidable looking man. She really hoped she wouldn't have to deal with him. He was scary. He had his brimmed hat pulled down so far you almost couldn't see his eyes. The two talked for a few minutes before the big man sauntered over to where Pill was standing.
"Billy here," he pointed to the redhead, "says you folks were in the Gulf when a storm blew in and blew you off course, is that right?"
"Yes, sir," Pill was very intimidated by the man. He was at least six feet tall and just seemed to tower over her.
"Now that is a strange bit of happening, if I do say so myself." He had removed his hat from his head and was scratching his head in wonderment. "I say it's strange, because the Gulf is a few hundred miles south of here. I never heard tell of any type of ship being blown inland before, least of all a few hundred miles inland. Those must have been mighty strong winds. Now we did have a bit of a wind storm here last night but that's just the area. They get lots of winds here. Well, don’t that beat all." He had this silly smile on his face which didn't make him as intimidating as before which was a relief to Pill. He wasn't the least bit angry either, so that just might mean he would be nice to her and give her the information she needed.
"First off, you're in America and you're in the great state of Texas. This is Texas and it's a big old place, let me tell you. I've been all over it. I help Northerners who want a new life in a new land come out here and settle down. So I know all about the place. Now there's the Great Plains which includes the Caprock. The Caprock is where the flat plains cease and it starts to get canyons and what not. Then there are the central plains, which is in the center of Texas, and the mountains and the Gulf region. You would think that a ship would still remain in the Gulf region but apparently that didn’t happen. I can tell you that you are on the South Plains of Texas, just above the Caprock. And the Gulf is way the heck southeast of here."
Pill just stood there not really understanding just what he said. How the heck could they have gone hundreds of miles and get blown that far off course. Maybe he was just fooling with her. That's got to be it. She was betting the Gulf was just a few miles away and nothing more.
"Now, I know what you're thinking, you're thinking I'm plum loco and don't really know where I am, but I can assure you that I know this place like the back of my hand and I know exactly where you are, I promise you that and I swear it on all that I hold sacred. I just can't figure out how the heck any old wind could have picked up a big heavy ship like yours and blown it all the way over here. It just doesn't make sense. It goes against mother nature, I can tell you that much."
"Would you excuse me just a moment while I go tell the captain what you just told me. He'll want to know right away." Pill turned around and ran to the ship. She climbed the rope ladder and over the ra
iling where they stood waiting for Pill's return.
"So where are we and how the heck can we get this ship toted back to the Gulf?"
"I'm not sure you can. Apparently, we were really blown off course. He said he knew this place well because he brings people here from the northern states of America. We're in the state of Texas and we're on the Great Plains, which is apparently a few hundred miles from the Gulf. He can't figure out how the heck we got this far inland. That's pretty much everything he said. Is there anything else you want me to go ask him?"
"A few hundred miles inland? He's pulling your leg Pill. He's just seeing if you're gullible enough to believe him. So stop being gullible and get back down there and find out where we really are," Pigtail said, exasperated that his cabin boy would be so naive.
"Nope, I thought the same thing but he promised that was where we are. And he even swore it on all that he holds sacred. So I can't see him lying about it," Pill said defensively.
"Well, just look at him. He don't look like he holds a whole heck of a lot sacred so he might have been lying about holding anything sacred. Go back and talk to him again."
"No, sir. If you're not gonna believe me now then you're not gonna believe me when I come back here and tell you exactly what I just said. So if you want to know the truth then you need to go down there and ask him yourself." She was trembling in her boots for talking back to the captain but he just smiled and said, "Fine. I'll do just that. Wicket, you're coming with me and so are you Pill. Tally, you stay here just in case we need help getting up." With that the captain climbed over the railing and down the ladder. Tally was secretly thrilled that the ladder held his weight. The captain wasn't exactly petite, not with that gut hanging over his belt. Tally figured that he did a lot of extra tasting when he was the ship's cook.
"Good day, sir, Pill tells me that you told him we were a few hundred miles from the Gulf. Do you really believe that?"
"Sir, it's not a matter of what I believe, it's a matter of fact and I guarantee you, that is indeed a fact."
"Could you show me on a map exactly where we are?"
"'Fraid not, I'm not much good at map reading. I have it all located up here in my brain," he said tapping his finger on his temple. "It's not too hard to carry around information that way, most particularly, when it's best to pack light. I certainly understand you're not believing me. If it was me I'd be the same way. But like I told the kid here, I swear it on all that I hold sacred. And I assure you that I may look a little travel worn, but I do hold a good number of things sacred. Like my mother. And I don't take swearing on her lightly," He laughed and added, "Course she don't like swearing period, so I try to avoid it in her presence."
"Great, then how the heck are we gonna get back to the Gulf? What the heck good is a ship if it doesn't have water to sail on?"
"Can't rightly answer the last part because I'm strictly a landlocked type of guy. As far as the other question goes, I suppose you could talk to the Wind Hag and ask her to get another wind storm going, only in the opposite direction."
"Wind Hag? Who and or what is a Wind Hag?"
"Not sure exactly what she is, I guess she's got some witch in her or something along those lines, but that's no promise on my part. I just know that she's a mighty powerful woman who has the ability to control the wind. Well, that and she has a really powerful temper too. I remember Duward got her so riled that we had a dust storm so bad it lasted about three solid weeks. We had to stop the wagon train because we couldn't see where we were going. So just remember that when you talk to her. It's best not to get her riled."
"If we got her riled she just might give a good enough wind storm to get us back to the Gulf," Wicket offered.
"Yeah, that might work, but then again she might also blow you a couple thousand miles from the Gulf. And that would be a heck of a lot worse, I figure, unless she manages to get you near a lake or some type of body of water. But either way, you'd still not be near the Gulf. Nope, it's really best not to rile her. I promise you that."
"So where exactly do we find this Wind Hag? Is there some type of information that we need to know about her? I mean, do we take a tribute to her or say anything in particular to her that will get her to help us?" Pigtail asked.
"Now that's a right smart question. I'd take her some type of flowers. I'm sure she'd like that. Of course, you do that then there is a chance that she might take a liking to you. And if she does that, then look out. See, that was how Duward got on her bad side. He took her some flowers and asked for a gentle breeze. He was courting a gal on the wagon train and he wanted a slight breeze when they had a picnic. That way it wouldn't be too hot. So the Wind Hag saw this gal as competition and so she let it rip. I've never seen so much dust in my life. It was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The only problem with doing that is there was another layer to take the place of the portion you cut away. I think we were all coughing up dust for about a week after that."
"Great, so where do I find this Wind Hag and some flowers?" Pigtail asked.
"The flowers are no problem. There are all sorts of wildflowers, you just have to pick 'em. As to finding the Wind Hag, that's another story. You'll have to find a Knarl to lead you to her. Those are her helpers. They live under and in mesquite trees, so you need to find a mesquite tree first off."
"Okay, what's a mesquite tree?"
The wagon master gave Pigtail a strange look and then rolled his eyes. "Now, no offense meant or nothing but are you telling me you ain't never seen a mesquite tree?"
"I'm the captain of a ship and before that I was the cook on the ship. There really aren't too many mesquite trees or for that matter, any tree of any sort out in the ocean. So no, I don't know what it looks like. If you could show me one then I would know from here on out and you would have passed on your knowledge to a less fortunate and desperate soul." Pigtail was obviously rather ticked at the wagon master making him feel stupid just because he didn't know what a mesquite tree looked like. He added, "I don't suppose you know the difference between the bow and the stern of a ship, now do you? It's all a matter of what you are around and what you are used to, now isn't it?"
"I guess you got a point. Okay, you see that tree over yonder," he was pointing to a tree that was some distance off, "the one that is sort of irregular looking? That's a mesquite tree and you best watch yourself because they have these really sharp thorns and let me tell you those thorns are sturdy suckers. They can go right through your leather boot sole. So watch your step when you're walking around one. We try to steer clear of them because the oxen can get really hurt if cut by them. As to the Knarls, they don't live in every mesquite tree out here. They pick and choose where they live so if you can't find them at one tree then move on to another one. It may take you all day just to find one Knarl. A Knarl's skin looks a lot like the bark of the tree and he's kinda shaped like a branch with lots of little branches coming out of his head and he has leaves for hair. You could be looking right at one and not ever know it. You'd just think it was simply a branch on the tree. And that Knarl isn't gonna show himself unless he knows for a fact that you're a friend and not an enemy. So you best be careful when you approach a tree. Too fast and you might scare them stiff and if they don't move then, like I said, you won't know they're there."
"How do I make them understand that I'm a friend?"
"You wouldn't happen to have any honey on ya, would ya? They go crazy over honey. That's 'cause it's so darn rare around here. If you do then you're a shoo in. They'll accept you in no time flat. From there you just tell them that you need to see the Wind Hag. If you give them enough honey then they'll take you straight to her. From there you just ask for her help, oh, and give her the flowers. That should just about do it for you."
"Thank you so much for your help, sir, is there anything that we can do to repay you for your help?" Pill asked mainly because she knew that Pigtail wouldn't have even thought of thanking him.
"Naw, just glad we were out and abou
t here to help you. Now if you'll excuse me, we need to get the wagons circled and ready to settle down for the day in order to give the oxen and horses a chance to rest. It's kinda hard to find a spot around here that has enough grass for them to feed on. That's because the mesquite trees have a tendency to soak up what little water is out here from everything else. So if ya want, we'll keep an eye on that ship of yours, if you like."
"Thank you, but I'll leave a couple of my crew behind to guard everything." Pigtail told him, he then looked at Wicket and Pill, and then motioned with his head for them to follow him. He climbed back up the rope ladder and waited for the others to join him. As soon as they made it back onto the ship he gathered them into a small circle and filled Tally in on what the wagon master had told them. The captain then said, "Okay, first off we need to make sure we are the only ones left on the ship. The last thing we need is to have someone come along and try something. We'll split up and each check a portion of the ship. I'll take everything up top, including the captain's cabin. You three split up and take everything down below." With that they all set off to search the ship.
Wicket, Tally and Pill were rather miffed that they ended up with everything down below simply because that was the majority of the ship. But they really didn't have a choice in the matter; after all, Pigtail was the new captain. They decided that Pill should stay at the hatch, that way if anyone decided to make a run for it then they would know. It would also keep someone from hiding in one place and then going to hide in some other place that had already been searched. This suited Pill just fine. She didn't like the thought of having to confront someone, least of all a pirate. They really didn't have the best of reputations. And Pill knew from watching the crew that they weren't the nicest people around. They liked to fight way too much.
Wicket and Tally had taken off and were making a lot of noise. They had decided that the more noise they made the better. It would warn anyone hiding they were coming and so they wouldn't surprise them. Surprised pirates have a tendency to attack the surpriser and just might kill them. It took almost forty minutes for them to search the whole ship but in the end, they didn't find anyone else. This was a relief to the captain. He had taken seriously what Pill had told him about the crews planning to overthrow him. But since there weren't any others onboard he knew he wouldn't have to worry about that now. He really doubted that Wicket, Tally or Pill would lead a coup to become the new captain. If they did, well, he was tougher than all three of them and he figured he could take them if necessary.
~~~~~