The Pyrate

by Michael Aye

“I’m…I’m not sure I want to go back to doing the same thing, Eli,” Cooper said, with a tremble in his voice. He’d been trying to think of a way to tell his friend, his benefactor that his pirating days were over. How could he expect Maddy’s father or mother to approve of her marrying a pirate?

  “Do you want to give up the sea?” Eli asked.

  “No, I’ve come to love the sea. It’s in my blood now, I’ll admit. I like the feel of a good ship beneath my feet. I love the challenge. In truth, I love being a raider. It provides more excitement than anything I’ve known thus far.”

  “I see,” Eli said.

  “Whoa! Whoa, now Lucy.” David turned on his seat. “Down to the landing or to Mr. Watts’ house?” he asked.

  “To the landing, Robert Watts will not be at his home at this time of day,” Taylor said.

  David clucked to the horse, who after a gentle slap of the reins, took up the stress in the harness and moved on. After topping a hill, the boat works was laid out below. Men were busy and scaffolding was built up around a ship. Even at this distance, Cooper could see this was no merchantman. This was a war ship, a small frigate, larger than the Raven. She’d be a fast sailor.

  “What you see before you is a raider,” Eli said. “I have come to call her, SeaFire, but that can change. She was built similar to the British Enterprise class sixth rate frigate, which was so successful against us in our war for independence. The class has also been very successful in England’s war with Napoleon. Of course, Mr. Watts, our trusty shipwright, has incorporated a few modifications that I feel will come in handy. She’s one hundred and twenty feet long. That’s twenty feet longer than the Raven. She’ll go six hundred ton. Her beam is nearly thirty-four feet. When she’s armed, her upper deck will carry twenty-four nine-pounders, four six-pounders will be on the quarterdeck. But that’s not all. She’ll carry four eighteen-pounder carronades on the quarterdeck and two more of the big bruisers forward. Mr. Watts has recommended fittings for twelve to fourteen swivel guns.”

  “Damn, Eli, what a ship,” Cooper exclaimed, excitement in his voice.

  “Care to go aboard?”

  Aye, sir.”

  Eli stood back and let Cooper climb the makeshift stairs that lead to the entry port. Seeing Mr. Watts, Eli led the way over to the shipwright.

  “Cooper, this is Robert Watts. His Yamacraw Shipyard will one day be famous. I have no doubt of this. Mr. Watts, this is Cooper Cain, the young man I told you about.”

  “Captain Cain,” Watts said, extending his hand to Cooper. The man’s grip was firm, his hand rough and calloused.

  He not only designed the ship, Cooper thought, he participated in its construction. Watts gave Cooper a tour of the ship, pointing out modifications he’d made on the design.

  “She should be faster. The new hull construction will be stronger and with a raised poop, the captain’s cabin will be more comfortable than the British ships.”

  Some of the things Watts mentioned, Cooper understood the significance of. Others, Mac and Johannes could explain. He then felt a pang of guilt. All of this for him and he’d just decided to give up his life as a pirate. Would Mac take the ship? He was certainly a man who knew how to sail such a ship. The rest of the tour seemed a blur.

  Finally, Eli said, “Mr. Watts, it seems I’ve had our captain out too long. He’s showing signs of exhaustion.”

  Watts nodded, “I recall you’d mentioned the terrible ordeal Captain Cain has gone through.” Turning his attention to Cooper, Watts said, “I wish you a full and speedy recovery, Captain.”

  Once they’d gotten back in the carriage and headed back toward Thunderbolt, Cooper broke his silence. “I’ve disappointed you, Eli.”

  “Nonsense,” Taylor replied.

  “You’ve had that raider built with me in mind.”

  “That’s true, Cooper. You’ve said you love the sea and the feel of a good ship. You just don’t want to be a pirate anymore. But what if you could do it legally?”

  Cooper was all ears. “Legally?”

  “That’s what I said. Colonel Lee has it on good authority that we will be at war within the next few months. Should you decide to stand by us, meaning the United States, you can raid all the British shipping you desire. You can wipe out the Finylsons with no fear of reprisal. I have it straight from James Anthony’s mouth that he will side with us Americans, so Maddy will undoubtedly do the same since her husband will be the captain of a privateer.”

  What will her father do? Cooper wondered. There had been talk of retirement. Cooper didn’t know what to say. Smiling, Taylor continued, “The paperwork has already been completed. There are four investors who own SeaFire, John Will, Michael Brett, Colonel Lee, and myself.”

  “Captain Cain, within a week of war being declared, you will receive a Letter of Marque,” Eli said, in an official tone. “May fortune be with you, my friend.”

  Notes from the Author

  Having decided to write a trilogy on pirates, I wanted to avoid the arrr, avast matey, and shiver me timbers. Such language may be great for kids, but that was not my target. I wanted to focus on the older, adult audience. To write a book on pirates, certain subjects were such a part of a pirate’s activities, writing a “G” rated book was impossible. However, I felt I could be authentic and entertaining without being “R” rated.

  I chose to write on the last great period of piracy, the early 1800’s. By doing this, I could incorporate characters from both my Fighting Anthonys series and my War 1812 trilogy. This allowed the reader to have a sprinkling of characters they were familiar with.

  The most prominent pirate of that period was Jean LaFitte. He was a gentleman, shrewd businessman, and was considered by many to be a man of prestige and honor. He never looted an American ship and he played a big part in Andrew Jackson’s victory at the Battle of New Orleans. Therefore, Mr. LaFitte had to be prominent in my book.

  For any story to be realistic and enjoyable requires research. Thanks to Cindy Vallar, a good deal of this research had already been done. Cindy has written more on pirates and piracy than anybody I know of. Contacting Cindy, I found a knowledgeable resource who was willing to answer numerous questions, offer advice, and wisdom. You can find anything you want to know about pirates in Cindy’s articles and publications. She is the pirate lady.

  Jim Nelson was also a big help with his recommendations of “Under the Black Flag” by David Cordingly, “The History of Pirates” by Angus Konstrom, and Time Life’s “The Pirates” which was part of the “SeaFares” series. I also found “LaFitte the Pirate” by Lyle Saxon to be very helpful.

  Chris and Jay at Bitingduck publishers have always been very supportive of Michael Aye. I was extremely happy when they decided to make “Pyrate, the Rise of Cooper Cain” my first hardback.

  The front cover art for “Pyrate” was done by Johannes Ewers, specifically for this book. His continued support of Michael Aye has been very much appreciated.

  The back cover art for “Pyrate” was done by Ruth Sanderon. While surfing the web looking for an image to base my character on, I came across Ms. Sanderon’s painting. To me, it was the perfect image in which to base my pirate. He is Cooper Cain.

  Cathy Vaught did the skull that is used at the beginning of each section. She is a very talented lady.