Post by John Darnacan on Feb 18, 2011 22:12:19 GMT
Part 2 – The Surprise Patient
The Doctor and Faye had been dragged up the gangplank onto a tall ship.
“Mr. Haku, we found a doctor for the Cap’n,” bragged the shorter of the two kidnappers. Haku was tall black man with an African accent and a thin and weathered face.
“Very good, Mr. Snurdley. This way,” ordered Haku .
“Not before I know that my companion Faye will be safe,” interrupted the Doctor. “You have me. You can release her.” Haku glanced at Faye, but turned back to the Doctor.
“The woman will stay. You will tend to our captain. But if he recovers, I promise the woman with be unharmed.” He turned to some of the crew standing nearby. “No one will touch her,” Haku admonished them.
Haku led them into his captain’s stateroom. Lying on the bed was a huge hulk of a man, bearded and reeking of rum.
“Are you sure he’s not just drunk?” asked Faye.
“Aye, the Captain has been drinking. But he is also sick. He’s not been able to move his left arm and leg for the last three days,” Haku informed them. “If you cure him, you’ll be rewarded. If not…the sea is very deep. So, I suggest you do your best doctor’n.” With that, Haku left.
“I may not be a doctor, but that sounds like a stroke,” Faye observed.
“Yes, and I’m not sure we have sufficient medical equipment to treat him properly,” breathed the Doctor.
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“Maynard,” Colonel Middleton continued. “Let me be blunt; I have no use for brash navy officers, sailing in and out my harbour. We often have to clean up after mess rum-soaked sailors leave behind. Now, you sail in and demand my provisions!”
“I have been given a mission of utmost importance.”
“So you keep saying. What, pray tell are these orders?”
“To apprehend the pirate, Edward Teach.”
“Blackbeard?”
“None other,” Maynard said proudly.
“Blackbeard sails the waters north of here, closer to the Carolina colonies. I believe you are ‘off course’,” Middleton taunted. “In addition, I was under the impression that Captain Teach had been pardoned.
“Last year, he blockaded Charleston Harbour with his four ships and took hostages, committing extortion against the settlement.”
“Yes,” Middleton smirked. “For a chest of medicines, as I recall.”
“Extortion is a serious crime, regardless of the specifics,” Maynard snapped.
Especially when the hostages were ‘specifically’ returned sans their clothing. The ‘naked’ truth is that the Governor was embarrassed,” Middleton quipped. He turned back to Maynard. “And since when does a civilian governor have the authority to dispatch His Majesty's vessels?”
“Blackbeard is a threat to safe navigation and commerce," Maynard blustered. "Furthermore, I now have information that Blackbeard has set sail south into the Caribbean.”
“No doubt information sent to you by agents of Teach himself,” Middleton scoffed. Colonel Middleton sat down self-satisfied. “Governor Spotswood will be quite embarrassed that he sent a lad so easily mislead. He may be such a fool, but I am not!”
Suddenly, a scuffle was heard outside the door. Middleton got up to see what the commotion was about.
“Private, what the…”
“My friends have been kidnapped!” Deiter called out. “Taken away on a ship!”
“I’m sorry young man. I truly am,” Middleton said. “Press gangs are not uncommon. But I have no ships.”
“But one of them is a woman!” Deiter added. The colonel’s face drooped with sympathy.
“As I said, I have no ships,” Middleton said, as he turned toward Maynard. “Perhaps the Navy?”
“Do you know whose ship it was?” Maynard asked.
“No,” Deiter replied. “I only saw the name of the ship,
“Which was?”
“The Queen Anne’s Revenge,” Deiter replied.
“Blackbeard’s ship!” Maynard breathed.
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To Be Continued...
The Doctor and Faye had been dragged up the gangplank onto a tall ship.
“Mr. Haku, we found a doctor for the Cap’n,” bragged the shorter of the two kidnappers. Haku was tall black man with an African accent and a thin and weathered face.
“Very good, Mr. Snurdley. This way,” ordered Haku .
“Not before I know that my companion Faye will be safe,” interrupted the Doctor. “You have me. You can release her.” Haku glanced at Faye, but turned back to the Doctor.
“The woman will stay. You will tend to our captain. But if he recovers, I promise the woman with be unharmed.” He turned to some of the crew standing nearby. “No one will touch her,” Haku admonished them.
Haku led them into his captain’s stateroom. Lying on the bed was a huge hulk of a man, bearded and reeking of rum.
“Are you sure he’s not just drunk?” asked Faye.
“Aye, the Captain has been drinking. But he is also sick. He’s not been able to move his left arm and leg for the last three days,” Haku informed them. “If you cure him, you’ll be rewarded. If not…the sea is very deep. So, I suggest you do your best doctor’n.” With that, Haku left.
“I may not be a doctor, but that sounds like a stroke,” Faye observed.
“Yes, and I’m not sure we have sufficient medical equipment to treat him properly,” breathed the Doctor.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Maynard,” Colonel Middleton continued. “Let me be blunt; I have no use for brash navy officers, sailing in and out my harbour. We often have to clean up after mess rum-soaked sailors leave behind. Now, you sail in and demand my provisions!”
“I have been given a mission of utmost importance.”
“So you keep saying. What, pray tell are these orders?”
“To apprehend the pirate, Edward Teach.”
“Blackbeard?”
“None other,” Maynard said proudly.
“Blackbeard sails the waters north of here, closer to the Carolina colonies. I believe you are ‘off course’,” Middleton taunted. “In addition, I was under the impression that Captain Teach had been pardoned.
“Last year, he blockaded Charleston Harbour with his four ships and took hostages, committing extortion against the settlement.”
“Yes,” Middleton smirked. “For a chest of medicines, as I recall.”
“Extortion is a serious crime, regardless of the specifics,” Maynard snapped.
Especially when the hostages were ‘specifically’ returned sans their clothing. The ‘naked’ truth is that the Governor was embarrassed,” Middleton quipped. He turned back to Maynard. “And since when does a civilian governor have the authority to dispatch His Majesty's vessels?”
“Blackbeard is a threat to safe navigation and commerce," Maynard blustered. "Furthermore, I now have information that Blackbeard has set sail south into the Caribbean.”
“No doubt information sent to you by agents of Teach himself,” Middleton scoffed. Colonel Middleton sat down self-satisfied. “Governor Spotswood will be quite embarrassed that he sent a lad so easily mislead. He may be such a fool, but I am not!”
Suddenly, a scuffle was heard outside the door. Middleton got up to see what the commotion was about.
“Private, what the…”
“My friends have been kidnapped!” Deiter called out. “Taken away on a ship!”
“I’m sorry young man. I truly am,” Middleton said. “Press gangs are not uncommon. But I have no ships.”
“But one of them is a woman!” Deiter added. The colonel’s face drooped with sympathy.
“As I said, I have no ships,” Middleton said, as he turned toward Maynard. “Perhaps the Navy?”
“Do you know whose ship it was?” Maynard asked.
“No,” Deiter replied. “I only saw the name of the ship,
“Which was?”
“The Queen Anne’s Revenge,” Deiter replied.
“Blackbeard’s ship!” Maynard breathed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To Be Continued...
