John Drake - Skull and Bones

"Capitбn Da Silva," he said, "Teniente Burillo has explained that it is my duty to hang pirates?" The Englishman said nothing. He merely nodded and licked his lips. Peсa-Castillo nodded in turn, and smiled cynically, "But," he said, "Teniente Burillo tells me that your ship cannot be a pirate because she mounts just eight guns… four on each beam."

"That she does, Seсor Capitбn," said the Englishman.

"Yet she is pierced for fourteen."

"Yes, Seсor Capitбn. That's how she was when I got her."

"So where are the other ten guns?"

"Sold, Seсor Captain." The Englishman smiled. "I have no need for them."

"Because you are a trader in skins?"

"Yes, senor."

"And yet you have no skins in your ship?"

"No, senor."

"But you have the black flag aboard. The skull and bones."

"I swear on the blessed virgin that I know nothing of that flag!" said the Englishman promptly, and it was Peсa-Castillo's turn to smile.

"Accepting for the moment your pretence of being in the true faith…"

"The which I am, by sweet Mary's blessed name!" cried Silver.

"No doubt," said Peсa-Castillo with a small, sour smile, "but there is still the matter of the missing guns, for Teniente Burillo – who is a most observant officer – tells me that he saw the marks of their wheels on your decks, which decks you were swabbing and scraping in the attempt to hide them." Silver said nothing. Peсa-Castillo continued: "Which suggests to me that, on seeing my squadron, you cast some of your guns over the side to hide the fact that you are a pirate."

"Never! Not on pain of my immortal soul! Not by -"

"Please!" said Peсa-Castillo, waving a hand. "I am not a fool."

"Bah!" said the Englishman, and hopped forward and dragged a chair out from Peсa-Castillo's table, and slumped down in it. He sighed heavily, drew out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his brow, and glared at the Spaniards. "Well then, Seсor Capitбn," he said, "since you've made up your mind to hang me, you won't mind if I take the weight off my legs, of which I've only got one… and put mine arse to an anchor!"

Burillo sprang to his feet. The rest gasped. But Peсa-Castillo merely smiled. He was amused. He'd taken this posturing

Anglo-Portuguese pirate for no more than a clumsy villain, but looking at the man now as he stared straight back into Peсa-Castillo's eyes… perhaps he was something more.

"And why should I not hang you, Capitбn Da Silva?"

"Silver. Just Silver."

"By whatever name, why should I not hang you?"

"Because I'm a privateer, with a commission from the governor of Virginia."

"Ah! The governor of Virginia," said Peсa-Castillo. "Another commission?"

"What?" said Silver.

Peсa-Castillo smiled again. "Do you think you are the only pirate with such papers? The only one that I have captured?"

"Well, bugger me through me breeches!" said Silver, but he said it in English.

"What?" said Peсa-Castillo.

"I said I'm a licensed privateer. All proper and legal."

"No, Capitбn Silver. An English colonial governor may not issue letters of marque. Only your king can do that, and even his commission is valid only in time of war, and there is no war – at present – between England and Spain. That is the law, as you well know."

Peсa-Castillo saw his words strike like a roundshot. He saw Silver bow his head in despair and grind his teeth. And Peсa-Castillo noted how Silver thought deeply, searching for escape, and shaking his head as if struggling within himself, and looking this way and that as if to find guidance in the ship's dark timbers.

Finally Silver made his decision… and looked up… and cleared his throat… and met Peсa-Castillo's eye. All this the Spanish captain watched with fierce concentration. He was a penetrating observer who spotted the little signs others would have missed. He felt a prickle of excitement. He was watching a man fighting for his life, and in Peсa-Castillo's opinion, Capitбn Silver had just searched his imagination for a way out, and found it… but was not proud of it, because his conscience did not like it.

"Seсor Capitбn," said Silver.

"Seсor Capitбn," said Peсa-Castillo graciously.

"I blame myself for the black flag!" said Silver.

"Do you?" said Peсa-Castillo.

"Yes. I should've thought of it and got rid of it!"

"Ah!" said Peсa-Castillo, as if sympathetically. "No man is perfect. We all make mistakes." He smiled a little smile, for he sensed there was more to come and wished to encourage Capitбn Silver.

"Huh!" said Silver, and shifted in his chair. "So here I am, on a lee shore, dismasted and rolling gunwale-under."

"Indeed," said Peсa-Castillo.

"Yes," said Silver. "For you could hang me… but you'd be a fool if you did."

"A fool?"

"A damned fool!" Silver beat the table with his fist and glared at Peсa-Castillo. "For what are you doing here, Capitбn, in British waters, with a ship full of soldiers…" Silver stared hard at the Spaniard "… And siege guns besides?"

Peсa-Castillo spread his hands innocently, but he made no denial… and knew on the instant that he'd given something away. There were no siege guns on deck, but there was indeed an artillery train below. Silver was clever! More so than he'd thought.

"You're here to land men and guns," said Silver. "To take and capture British settlements! You're here to be best placed, so soon as that war starts – which all the world knows is coming." Silver leaned forward across the table, looking in his turn for the little signs on Peсa-Castillo's face. "Or maybe even before it starts?"

Peсa-Castillo never blinked, but the men on either side of him gaped in amazement, and their round mouths made Silver laugh at the accuracy of his guess.

"Well then, Seсor Capitбn," said Silver, "how about starting with Savannah? It's a fine big fort they're building to defend the town, with guns a-plenty and a garrison to man them. If you try to take that by siege you'll lose men by the thousand with maybe nothing to show for it!"

Peсa-Castillo's clever heart began to beat faster. Capitбn Silver was coming to the point at last.

"What's more," said Silver, "it ain't just the big fort! Them Savannians've placed guns at the mouth of the Savannah River itself. I saw the works last time I came past."

"We know," said Burillo, "we've seen -" and he shut up fast as Peсa-Castillo glared at him.

"Been looking, have you, Teniente?" Silver sneered. "So you'll know that if this fine squadron sailed up Savannah River, then it'd come under heavy fire, and some of you might not get out again!"

"Perhaps," said Peсa-Castillo, for there was no point in denying it.

"But what if I was to give you the fort and town of Savannah?" said Silver. "What if I was to give them to you without a shot being fired?"

"But you are an Englishman," said Burillo.

Peсa-Castillo winced, despairing at his subordinate's interruption at this crucial moment. But Silver never wavered.

"Yes," said Silver, "I'm an Englishman: and I'm a live one, and one as wants to go on living!"

Afternoon, 13th July 1754 Woods outside Savannah The Royal Colony of Georgia

The thick, wriggling body – all muscle and writhing life tumbled and shone, and the light flashed from the scales of its brown-mottled hide, and the black slits of eyes as it soared up above the campfire, where a dozen men sat cross-legged. It reached its apogee, and fell twisting and hissing… and seeking flesh to bite.

"Whoooa!" cried the audience and leaned back out of the way.

Joe Flint had a new game and new friends: some of Savannah's half-breeds, who lived on the edge of the town, between the settlers and the local Indians, and were despised by both communities. Such men were found on the fringes of all the colonial towns, and it was Flint's genius to seek them out, befriend them, and use them.