Since Ava was the oldest at fifteen and Catherine, who everyone called Kate was twelve, they would be taught the same as the boys. The twin girls; Samantha and Morgan were ten years old and they would be taught to work with the gun crews as powder monkeys which meant they would run powder from the powder magazine up to the guns on deck. The youngest two girls; Sydney and Tristy were nine and they would be trained as message runners. When in the thick of battle, messages might have to be passed from one end of the ship to the others and the runners would be tasked with running up and down the length of the ship repeating the captain's orders.
Satisfied on the division of the children, they went to work. At first they were eager to learn whatever they were told. Some of the boys who sailed the Sugar Cane from Port Royal were useful in teaching the others about what they had learned on their short voyage back to the island. As the day wore on, their attention span became shorter and shorter. Of course after the newness wears off of anything, mistakes are made and the frustration level increases.
The Sugar Cane was a Brig, a two-masted square rigged ship, that mounted ten cannon of six pound shot and four swivel guns. She was sleek and fast, if run properly, and in good condition.
For two days and two nights, the Crossbone Children learned to do what their teachers instructed them on. The groups would switch from sail drill to exercising the cannon and swivel guns. As of yet, not one shot had actually been fired since they did not want to shoot anything inside the hidden bay. Besides, the way the ship was tied to the dock, they would have to shoot their huts on shore or the magic rock wall to seaward.
In the afternoon on the second day, Captain Turnbuckle decided to put the crew to the test. He announced that they would pretend they had spotted another ship and would engage it. He shouted commands from the quarter deck, Mr. Cumberbatch took the helm, Buster Jack was to command the guns and John Henry was to command the sails.
Once the pretended enemy was sighted, Turnbuckle issued commands faster than the crew expected. They were executed too slow and without accuracy. The sails were not trimmed, the cannon were not run out quickly enough to the liking of the captain, and so they began again, over and over and eventually performed their various tasks better than when the first started.
While up on top of the mainmast, John looked to the west and saw dark storm clouds heading their way. He shouted down to the captain about the approaching storm to which Captain Turnbuckle replied, "Good, they'll learn how to do it in the teeth of a gale, ha ha!" he laughed and shouted, "Assemble the crew amidships!"
By now, they executed the command quickly. They stood facing the quarterdeck as the captain said. "Arrr, a storm be com'n our way. Now we'll do the drills just as before, but this time it be raining and a blow'n so watch you don't slip and fall on the deck, you Powder Monkeys or fall from the yards, You Sail Jacks. Now up and standby!"
The winds picked up, the clouds darkened the sky. Thunder could be heard in the distance with lightning strikes piercing the clouds as the storm drew nearer. Captain Turnbuckle gave the command to loosen the topsails, but they did not really do it since the wind would tear the yards off of the mast and perhaps rip the canvas sails or tear the ship away from the dock, so the boys went through the motions.
The wind howled around them and the thunder claps sounded as if it were right on top of them but there was no rain, as of yet. As the crew scurried about the deck to do the captain's bidding, a strange thing happened. The tops of the two masts began to glow. A blue light spread down the mast and out along the yards. The boys who were topside were scared that the light would kill them, but as of yet, it harmed no one. They stopped what they were doing and watched with fascination how the blue light spread over every part of the ship and engulfed the entire crew. Well, almost the entire crew.
Captain Turnbuckle, Mr. Cumberbatch and Scurvy Jones were standing on the quarter deck around the ship's wheel. They too watched with curiosity as their young crew was enveloped in the soft light. It was Scurvy Jones who yelled above the howling wind, "It be St. Elmo's Fire!" He laughed and started dancing a jig around the others.
Mesmerized by the light, Cumberbatch said, "Aye, I've seen this before, but not like this." He watched as the children seemed to glow from the blue aura that surrounded each of them now.
Captain Turnbuckle stood and watched in silence. The light continued to grow in intensity and just as suddenly as it had spread along the ship, it began to retreat and go back up the mast and up to the top where a ball of light stayed for several seconds and then it too disappeared as if someone had thrown a bucket of water on it. The wind died, the clouds disappeared and not one drop of water fell from the sky. The storm was gone.
No one moved; no one spoke. They looked at each other as if reassuring themselves they were still alive and unhurt. Finally, they heard the familiar cackling laughter of Scurvy Jones. He danced around the deck as he said:
Elmo's fire has come to the Crossbone Children,
Ne'er a ball or sword shall their young lives end
Young sailors they be with treasures in sight
The fire now flames them with its brilliant light,
And gives them experience for sailing this ship at sea
They'll find them whats hurt them, just you wait and see.
Scurvy Jones continued to dance around the ship's wheel repeating his words. Finally, Captain Turnbuckle turned to Cumberbatch, "What do it mean, Alex?"
Cumberbatch smiled, "If I can interpret what he be jabbering about, it means the children cannot be harmed while at sea. Neither sword nor ball will cut them down. Somehow, St. Elmo's Fire will protect them while on the ocean."
Scurvy stopped dancing, laid a finger alongside his nose and gave Turnbuckle and Cumberbatch a wink. "Not only safe they be, they have the knowledge of sailors ten years at sea!" Scurvy Jones then walked to the nearest hatch and disappeared below.
"Arrr, how can that be? What do this old stick of a man be knowing about such doings?" Captain Turnbuckle shook his head as he shouted, "Make ready to come about!"
The crew was slow to respond to the order and Turnbuckle had to shout it again. That stirred them into going about their tasks. They moved faster, more confident in what they were doing. They were ready to come about when given the signal. "Helm alee!" Turnbuckle gave the order. Cumberbatch spun the wheel. The crew ran to the braces and pulled the sails around to catch the new angle of the wind. When all was secured, Turnbuckle could only say, "Aye, that be more like it!"
The children all gathered in front of the quarter deck and Buster Jack asked, "Captain, what was that light all about?"
"They that sails the Caribbean tells a tale of an approaching storm that threatens to sink them what with the thunder and lightning and the fierce winds. Sometimes the lightening causes the masts to turn blue with light and run along the yard arms, but I never seen anything like what just happened."
Cumberbatch added, "It be a story of good fortune for them what sees it. But Scurvy Jones here said it gave ya special powers. He said ya cannot be killed at sea and now have ten years experience at sea!"
The deck erupted in noise as each child tried to explain to the ones standing next to them how they knew all about sailing and how to execute every command given to them. Even the younger ones among them told of how they knew how to load the cannons, elevated it, move it with handspikes or depress it. Others explained they knew how to take in a reef on the sail and how to even set the royals and stunt sails. One of the boys yelled, "I have a burn on the back of my hand!" Some more of the children shouted the same thing. Each had received what looked like a burn on the back of their right hand. "It looks like a cup!" another one said. Each child was looking at the burn they received. Ava held out her hand. She stared at the burn on her hand. "Mine is not a cup. It looks like a bird… a black raven." Those nearest her looked at her hand and compared it theirs. Buster Jack shouted out as well, "Mine is a bird too!"
John, who had been looking at hi
s burn said quietly, but loud enough for those nearest him, "Mine looks like a crown!" Others rushed to his side to his hand. Indeed, it looked like a crown with four points all perfectly drawn.
In the middle of all the noise, Scurvy Jones climbed up out of a hatch with a pistol in his hand. He stopped, aimed at the first child nearest him and fired. The high pitched explosion of the pistol brought total silence to the crew. The shot hit Fynn and knocked him off his feet as he flew backwards hitting the children standing behind him. He fell to the deck and laid there for a moment or two. Buster Jack ran to his friend and knelt down beside him.
Cumberbatch lunged at Scurvy Jones and wrapped his thick arm around his neck, "Don't move, Old Man!" He hissed between his teeth.
Scurvy Jones laughed. "He be not dead, just roll him over and see what I say, he be alive to sail and fight another day, hee hee!"
Sure enough, Buster Jack rolled the boy over. Fynn opened his eyes and said, "What happened?"
Buster Jack quickly said, "Can you stand… are you hurt?"
Fynn scrambled to his feet and stood as if nothing happened. "Why are you all staring at me?"
In amazement, Buster Jack explained, "Scurvy Jones shot you. You don't remember that?
"No. All I remember is standing with the rest of you and then I'm lying on the deck. You say he shot me?"
Buster Jack smiled, "Aye, he shot you!"
Fynn walked over to where Cumberbatch had Scurvy Jones by the throat and after looking in to Scurvy's eyes, he quietly said, "Please release him Mr. Cumberbatch, no harm done."
Cumberbatch slowly released the old man and Scurvy laughed again, "See what I be saying now. No ball or sword shall cut them down somehow!" Scurvy smiled as he added, "The knights sat at the table, as round as can be. Their children are here and now they be free! The grail, the crown, the raven in the tree!"
All the crew could do was look at the strange hermit and wonder what he was speaking of. It made no sense to any of them.
Chapter 18
Set Sail
For two more days, Captain Turnbuckle tested their ability to sail the ship and each time the young crew proved what Scurvy Jones said. Each of them demonstrated their ability to perform their duties as the captain demanded. Not only that, but each child was specialized in their duties. A few expressed their knowledge of making and repairing sails. Some said they knew about being a ship's Carpenter and Cooper. Even the girls told others they knew about weapons and how to use a sword. Ava told everyone that she knew how to read charts and compasses along with using a sword and pistol. She also said she knew how to properly lay a cannon to hit a target. And so it went on and on, each child knew a special trade and was put to use that knowledge to handle the ship.
It was decided to fill the ship's hold with all the fresh food and water they could carry. Preparations were made to put to sea. Two more nights on land, then they would set sail to find the rest of Peck's treasure and Captain Doddle and force him to tell John Henry where he marooned his father.
A meeting was also held to determine what they would call the ship, after all, they could not sail in a ship named: Sugar Cane. After some ideas were discussed, Buster Jack suggested the name, Pendragon, named after Arthur Pendragon. Since all the children liked the stories they had been told since they left England, they agreed to the new name. Cumberbatch and Ava repainted the name of the ship on the stern, so everyone they met would know who they were and the ship that carried them.
Some were sad to leave this paradise, but it was said by Cumberbatch and Turnbuckle that this island would be their base of operations since no one knew where it was and it provided them with everything they needed. Others were excited to put to sea, given their new found abilities and their immortality while on the ship. Cumberbatch carefully explained to each of them that they could not be hurt while on ocean, but if they were ever on land they had no such promise.
Scurvy Jones was the last to board the ship. He hobbled along carrying a canvas bag that must have contained his meager possessions he accumulated while on the island. John Henry watched the way Scurvy carried that bag. It was strangely familiar, but he could not remember why.
The morning of their departure dawned a brilliant day, much like all the other days since they came to live on Crossbone Island. The ship was loaded, and balanced and ready to depart. "Standby to loosen the fore topgan's'l, you Crossbone Children, and sail into history… ha ha!" Turnbuckle laughed and the crew cheered.
They scampered to their allotted stations and the top men swarmed up the lines and made ready to drop the sails and get the ship underway. Turnbuckle gave the order to cast off from the dock and the Pendragon idled clear of its moorings.
"Loose the to'gan'sl'!" Captain Turnbuckle shouted and almost instantly the topsails came sliding down into position. The yards were pulled into position to catch the breeze. The Pendragon paid off and the helm now controlled the ship. Cumberbatch turned the wheel and the ship glided toward the rock wall.
John Henry ran to the bow and shouted, "By the Crossbone Children, open says I!"
Everyone watched in amazement again as the rock wall parted and withdrew to let the Pendragon through and into the open sea. "Steady as she goes!" Captain Turnbuckle commanded. "Standby to loose the foretops'l" The Pendragon pointed her bowsprit toward the open ocean. The rock wall was open as the ship slowly made her way passed. John Henry raced to the stern of the ship and as the Pendragon cleared the wall, he shouted. "By the Crossbone Children, close says I!" The rock wall closed, erasing the narrow passage way.
As John watched the wall close, he saw a very strange thing occur. The wall, lagoon, the waterfall, the trees and freshwater lake shimmered and then disappeared from view. The shore of the island looked just the way the rest of the island did. No paradise could be seen! John turned to the rest of the crew and shouted, "It's gone!"
Scurvy Jones walked up beside John and said, "When children are gone, the magic be too, but when they returns, it comes back to you."
John cocked his head trying to understand Scurvy's strange words. "You mean it's still there, but cannot be seen unless there are children on the island?" Scurvy just smiled and pointed to his head.
Captain Turnbuckle shouted, "Set the foretops'ls!" To the helmsman he directed, "Nor by Norwest Mr. Cumberbatch! We'll get all available sail on her presently and run with the wind, ha…ha!"
The Pendragon lunged forward as more sail was set. They set all available sail and the Pendragon smashed down in the slow rolling waves of the Caribbean Ocean. Spray flew over the beakhead and doused those standing nearest the bow. A cheer went up from the young crew, they were sailors now and none could say otherwise.
The crew was busy about the ship securing lines, and making sure all was fastened. A loose cannon on the deck could smash the sides and cause a melee amongst the crew. Captain Turnbuckle stood next to the helm, feet wide apart as if he needed to brace his short body against the pitching of the ship. He produced a telescope and walked over to the larboard side and scanned the horizon. Seeing nothing, he snapped it closed. "Mr. Henry, set the lookout."
John smiled and said, "Aye, aye Captain!" To Cole, he commanded, "Up you go, Lad. Keep a weather-eye on the horizon.
The blonde, fourteen year-old, returned the smile, "Aye, aye, John!" and up the lines he scampered. When he reached the mainmast crosstree, he was nearly ninety feet above the deck.
Not one mistake had been made by any of the crew. They performed each of the duties like seasoned sailors. No one asked any questions of another about how to do something and no one corrected anybody else. They were the perfect crew for the Pendragon.
The journey to the island where the gold was hitten would only take one full day of daylight. During that time the lookout did not report any sail on the horizon. They were alone on the water. Days on the ocean were hot, but the steady wind made it bearable with white billowing clouds on the horizon and the clear blue ocean beneath them. For that first full day, Tur
nbuckle and Cumberbatch took turns standing watch, Ava and Buster Jack took turns at the manning the ship's wheel and keeping the ship on course. John Henry assisted Captain Turnbuckle and Cumberbatch and acted as the ship's sailing master. He consulted the charts and gauged their position in relationship to the island they were trying to find. He also commanded the top men… those who worked above the deck amongst the sails and rigging.
That evening, the lookout reported land dead ahead, but it would be too dark to approach the island so they reduced sail just enough to give the ship enough speed for the rudder to control the ship and sailed in a circle, not wanting to get nearer to the island until dawn, so they hunkered down and waited for the sun.
That night as Buster Jack and Ava stood watch at the helm, Captain Turnbuckle, Cumberbatch and John Henry gathered in the stern cabin and poured over the charts. "No doubt this is the island. I took some bearings and this is the place." John said as he tapped the chart with the dividers.
Cumberbatch leaned over John's shoulder. "Aye, but where be the treasure. It could be anywhere along the coast and once inland, where do we go?"
Captain Turnbuckle stood back from the table. "H'rr now, I knows they used ships to bring the treasure here. There be an inlet or bay, somewhere they can anchor a ship. We look for a likely spot, then go ashore."
John walked to the stern windows and tried to look out the salt-caked panes but could only see his own reflection. "What if there is a ship guarding the treasure?'
Captain Turnbuckle smiled, "Then by thunder we take the ship, then force the crew to tell us where the treasure is… twill be easier that way!"
"Aye!" remarked Cumberbatch. "I just fear for the crew, them not being accustomed to fight'n and all."
Turnbuckle rubbed his chin, "Aye, the first fight be a fearful thing…been known to turn a man's stomach. He be different afterwards, that's for sure."
Crossbone Children and the Orphans of Avalon Page 17