Doctor Syn on the High Seas - Thorndike Russell - Страница 36

still unopened, stood beside one of the bunks.

Mipps, who preferred a hammock to a bunk, insisted upon slinging it

outside the cabin door.

“For,” said he, “pirates or no, and co-commanders as you might say, I

know my station. You was above me on the Marshes, and is so here. I’m

twice the man I was when I met you. I al ways knew I was born for

adventures, and you helped me to it with that loan. Without it the

Customs would have caught me. I’ve got it for you here, sir, and in

English money.”

Mipps produced a key tied with a piece of tatty string around his

neck and opened his seachest, upon which he had been sitting. From this

he took a canvas bag, in which his fingers fumbled for a time, at last

drawing out a small paper parcel, which he handed to his companion. Syn

looked at it and laughed, for on it as scrawled, “Mipps his debt to

Parson Syn.”

“You’ll find that all correct, sir,” said Mipps. “And it brought me

luck, that chance meeting with you.”

“So you thought this piracy business luck, eh?” laughed Syn. “Well,

perhaps you are right. If your life changed from that bright morning on

Lympne Hill, why, so did mine. But my change was for the worse. That

very morning started the blighting of my soul. That is why I journey to

America, and I’ll confess to you that as soon as we touch land I shall

put this ship behind me and set out on my life’s mission.”

“What, give up piracy and go on a preaching mission? Oh, I say!”

“No, on a killing mission,” corrected Syn. “I have journeyed to find

an enemy. There is man I have to kill. That is to be my great adventure.

I am sorry I shall have to leave you to this life. As to this money,

here it is. It was a gift, and I will not take it back.”

“And I can be obstinate, too,” grinned Mipps. “I never takes nothing

for nothing.”

- 79 -

“Then give me something in exchange,” replied Syn; “brass buttons; a

clasp knife—any trifle you can spare.”

“Very well, sir,” said Mipps seriously. “I’ll give you something in

exchange if you’ll accept it. And the value I put it at is just three

spades, two crowns, and a silver fourpen ny. And this thing is myself.

Just this Mister Mipps you see here in the cabin. Just a collection of

bone, flesh, blood and gristle, and my clothes thrown in. We are bound

for the slave country. A rough country, too, where a gentleman like

yourself needs a servant. No need to tell you I’ll be faithful. You know

that. Well, what do you say, sir? Have you bought me? ‘Cos if so I’ll

put this money back in my chest.”

“You mean you’ll give up piracy?” asked Syn.

“I mean that I am going to help you kill this man whoever he may be,”

replied the little man.

“I’ll tell you who he is, and now,” said Syn, and immediately

recounted the whole business of his marriage and betrayal.

At the end of the tragic recital Mipps drew his sheath-knife and

plunged it into the cabin table, crying out, “That dirty dog.” He then

flicked the handle of the quivering blade with his finger and added, “He

won’t be Happy Tappitt by the time we deals with him. Is the business of

sale complete? Or do you think the price is too steep for my body and

soul?”

“I think, my good Mipps, that I shall never make a better bargain in

my life, and there’s my hand on it.”

That night they laid their plans, agreeing to escape from the ship at

the first opportunity.

“For the longer we remain amongst these rascals, the greater risk we

run of hanging at the last,” said Syn.

Outwardly, however, they stuck to their bargain with the pirates. In

a few days Syn had established a stricter discipline than any pirate

ship had ever boasted. The men respected him, because they feared him,

and they sprang to his orders with a will. Besides this, he brought luck

to the Sulphur Pit. Prize after prize fell to them: rich merchant ships

whose wealth increased the pirates’ shares beyond the dreams of the most

covetous. In every attack Syn, as good as his word, led the boarding

party to victory, and the pirates worshipped him for his bravery and

skill, and the death of Black Satan was accounted the luckiest

circumstance that could have happened to the ship. In Syn they not only

had the most dashing commander, but one who also looked after his men

carefully. Their casualties were light, and many a man who might have

died from wounds had Black Satan been their captain owed his life to the

careful nursing which Syn insisted on.

Much to their relief they never fell in with an English ship, for Syn

and Mipps had made it clear that they would never countenance the plank

for English sailors.

“That shred of decency we will at least reserve,” as Syn had said to

Mipps.

To all other crews, however, they were merciless. No one was left

alive to tell the tale ashore.

But Syn had no intention of postponing his vengeance for too long in

order to keep the seas, and at last he found the excuse to run for land.

This was based on a report laid before the pirates by Mipps. The ship’s

bottom was growing too foul for any speedy maneuvering, he stated, and

as soon as possible they ought to lie up some river for careening.

“I agree,” said Syn. “Our guns are of no avail if we have no sailing

speed. A spell ashore will be good for our soul, and when we have

cleansed the jolly Sulphur Pit we shall sail out refreshed for new

adventuring.”

- 80 -

Aware that the careening operations were necessary, and looking

forward to carouses ashore, the pirates were of a mind to set the course

for land. It then remained to decide upon their place of call. Some were

for the Tortugas, a place that had been much patronized by Black Satan.

Others voted for the Bahamas, but Syn and Mipps, for their own private

convenience, advocated the mainland of America. It would be more handy,

they pointed out, not only for disposing of money safely, but also for

the purchase of new supplies. At length it was decided to run for St.

John’s River, to the north of Florida, Dr. Syn volunteering to sail with

Mipps in one of the ship’s boats in order to find out if all was safe.

“I will take no risk of running the ship into a trap,” he said.

“While you anchor off the river mouth, we will spay up the creeks, and

see if there are any other vessels there that are unfriendly.”

To this, one of the pirates objected. “How do we know that you will

return? It might be tempting to show your heels ashore, and we all agree

that you are the leaders for us, and we don’t intend to lose you.”

“Do not let that trouble you,” laughed Syn. “Neither Mipps nor I have

shown ourselves dissatisfied, I think, and in order that all shall be

fair and above board, we’ll leave our share of the treasure in our

cabin. After so much pains we should hardly abandon that.”

This satisfied them, and the course was set.

The winds being light, and the keel so very foul, it took them two

weeks to reach the anchorage. Calling all hands Syn complimented them on

their behaviour, and added that the time was now ripe for a royal

drinking bout.

“We have been temperate, my lads, too long. We will now make up for

lost time and dry throats. Drink as much rum as you can stomach, and

Mipps and I will sail up river at dawn. We have shared out our portions

of plunder fairly, and Mipps and I leave ours in your trust upon the

cabin table. See to that, Mipps, and let who will inspect the bundles.