CHAPTER 12 - OKRACOKE ISLAND
The stars burned brightly in the night, the south winds blew steady and the waves broke hard upon the bow of the Glencoe, as the pirate Jack Henry made his way to Okracoke Island. The Island was a narrow spit of sand in the midst of the waters, with the Atlantic to the West and the Pamlico to the East. A large natural harbor graced the island on the southside, granting smugglers and pirates an easy escape into the open waters of the Atlantic.
The small village of Okracoke provided just enough rum, just enough supplies, and just enough pleasure to keep a steady flow of desperate men seeking solice to enter the harbor. It was an unwritten rule in Okracoke never to ask any man his full name nor to ask where he had been nor where he was going.
On the north end of the island was a small fishing village, the locals call Frisco, where the few hoenst folk on the island made a simple living. However, even in Frisco, travellers were welcome, if the silver flowed freely enough.
Jack stared into the star filled sky with his heart free as the wind and as the waves that surrounded him. The stars began to faded as the light of the Sun signaled the break of a new day. And with the light of the Sun, came a rekindling of the fire of vengeance that burned in Jack's heart. At first it came as a visceral burning in his very being, gradually awakening his mind to the business at hand.
Where shall I land on Okracoke? Shall I take the Gold plundered from the Skye to purchase a ship and hire a crew to be the instrument of my wrath against the Argyll and against all Campbells? Shall I make land in Frisco or Okracoke? In Okracoke, I can find a ship and a crew. In Frisco, I can find quiet and discretion, and there I can plot my next move.
Jack had not thought of these matters before, before he had only acted upon the opportunity. His mind turned from the gold and silver plundered from the Skye to the log book and the deeds of land he had also taken from the Campbell. Why did he have all those deeds for land and why was there a second log book? Perhaps within those papers would lie the answer to his questions of what he ought to do. To study those papers he would need time, he would need to be alone, he would need to make land in Frisco, to plot and to plan.
The Sun breached the horizon and filled the sky with a golden hue as Okracoke Island came within sight. As the Glencoe slipped by the north end of the island, Jack could see a small cluster of houses, whitewashed block houses of Tabby concrete with thatched roofs, the fishing village of Frisco.
Fishing nets hung to dry along a small inlet with a large sandy beach at the edge of the village. Several of the townsmen were sitting down mending their nets. While the women of Frisco were hanging fish out to dry over low burning fires of wet wood causing smoke to fill the air. The children of Frisco were knee deep in the water pulling small rakes behind them seeking clams and oysters.
The children saw the Glencoe approaching and immediately began to sound the alarm, for strange and hard men had been coming to the island for several weeks.
The men rose up and gathered together in a small band with their knives in hand. The woman called for their children to come out of the water. Jack could see the children running towards their mothers.
Perhaps, he thought for a moment it would be better not to land in Frisco. What had frightened these townsfolk so much that a single sailor in a small boat would cause such a stir? Jack sailed to the far end of the inlet before setting ashore, enough distance to allow an escape from the villagers if necessary.
Upon landing ashore, Jack grabbed his sword and a flintlock pistol and stowed them away near the bow of the boat, just behind the gunnel, close enough to be in reach if need be. He then leapt over the side of the Glencoe, unarmed and pulled her farther ashore, never once looking towards the assembled villagers.
Having secured the Glencoe, Jack sat upon the edge of his boat, finally looking at the villagers who had not moved but rather stood still staring at him. And thus it remained for the best part of an hour, the villagers staring at Jack and he staring right back.
At the far edge of the assembled villagers stood a raven haired woman and a young man. The two were part of the village and yet stood apart from the villagers. Jack saw her gently nudge the young man who in response slowly began to walk towards him. The lad stopped briefly and looked towards one of the men, as if to ask permission. The man spoke not a word but merely motioned with a nod of his head.
With permission granted the young man quickened his pace towards Jack. As he drew near, Jack observed the young man with wavy black hair and brown skin. Jack had seen many such folk in Barbados where the Africans and the Scots had freely mixed while working the sugar cane fields together. Jack surmised that the lad was about 15 years of age.
The lad approached Jack cautiously and stood back as ways before speaking.
"My name is Andrew, what is your name, sir."
"You can call me Jack."
"The man of the village, sent me to tell you that you are not welcome here, unless you can pay four shillings, then you can stay for a week. And my mother says you can stay with us, room and board for the week, for ten shillings."
Jack did not bat an eye at the outrageous demand, for he knew it to be a trap. If he agreed, then the man of the village would know that he had a considerable amount of money, enough silver to kill a man.
Jack reached into his pocket and pulled a single shilling out holding it up for all to see.
"Tell the man of the village, a single shilling for a word alone with him. And tell your mother, she will have her price of ten shillings for one month's room and board, if and only if she is a woman of discretion."
Jack placed the silver coin in the lad's hand and nodded for him to return.
The lad clenched the silver and hurried back across the beach. Jack watched as the lad talked to the man of the village. The man snatched the silver coin from the lad, then showing it to the townsfolk, he began to walk towards Jack alone.
As the man drew near Jack saw Andrew talking to the raven haired woman. She stared across the beach at Jack, then nodded ever so slightly. The raven haired woman and Andrew, left the villagers and made their way towards a path at the edge of a forest that bordered the village of Frisco. There they stood to see what would happen between Jack and the man of the village.
"My name is Magnus and for one shilling you have bought yourself a talk alone with me."
Jack sized Magnus up from head to toe, he was a big man, a man who had clearly lived a hard life. His skin was a leather and his eyes a deep green. His knife was still in his right hand, a knife more fit for cutting fish than for cutting a man.
There was just a bit of uncertainty in his voice when he had spoken, the voice of a fisherman trying to convince Jack that he could cut more than a fish. He was no killer of men, just a husband trying to protect his own. Jack relaxed his stance, knowing that he had the advantage, but still needing to secure himself a place in Frisco.
"Four shillings for one week is a high price for hospitality, especially for a poor man such as myself, don't you think Magnus."
"Aye, a high price indeed, Jack, but ya see we have had a bit of trouble from strangers these past few weeks. Coming to Frisco, taking our hospitality and then taking much more than that. So if you want to be staying in Frisco, you will be paying four shillings for the week and then you must be leaving onto to the harbor in Okracoke and from there to whatever mischief you have in mind."
"I have no mischief in mind, and I have no four shillings to pay you for one week in Frisco." Jack answered.
"Then you have wasted you silver on a fruitless conversation." with that Magnus began to turn around.
"That is to bad, having wasted my money on a fruitless conversation. For had you bothered to hear my offer you would have more silver in your pocket. And you should know better than to turn your back on a man while stealing off with his silver."
Magnus stopped, he sighed just a bit, for with those words Jack had called his bluff. He was not a killer, he was a simple fisherman, a husband to a frightened wife and the largest man in Frisco.
Slowly he turned around, and looking at Jack said: "Tell me of your offer."
"Two shillings for a whole month and you shall personally guarantee the safety of my boat, while I remain in Frisco. You have the first shilling in your hand and here is the second."
Jack held the shilling high enough in the air for all the village to see. Magnus stared at the coin, and stared at Jack. Finally, he took the silver from Jack and simply nodded in agreement. With that Jack quickly spun around and grabbed his sword and pistol. The sword he girded about his waist and the pistol he tucked inside his belt.
"It is good that we have come to an accord, for I would have hated to have killed you in front of your family. Besides, by the looks of things, the only treasure worth stealing in Frisco appears to be dried fish and those two coins in your hand. There is nothing to fear when honest men are well met, eh Magnus?" Jack spoke with a wide and friendly grin.
"Aye, Jack. Nothing to fear when honest folk are well met." Relieved and satisfied, Magnus turned away and headed back towards the townsfolk.
Jack looked over towards Andrew and his mother, and signaled the lad to come down to the boat. Andrew, smiled and ran towards Jack. The thought of ten shillings for one month's room and board raced through his mind, a fortune in silver. As the lad approached, Jack tossed him his rucksack to carry. Jack himself, picked up his sea chest, which was heavy laddened with the gold and silver coin from the Skye.
Jack would have to carry it himself, feigning the heaviness of the treasure within. Years of working the farm, had strengthened Jack's arms well enough to conceal the weight within the chest. The two walked towards the raven haired woman, who upon their approach, simply turned down the path and disappeared into the forest.
Jack and Andrew followed her down the path.
The forest was of live oaks, but not of the kind that Jack knew back on the farm. These were not near as tall nor as spread as wide. The growth of these trees had been stunted by the high ocean winds. The canopy laid thick above their heads and little sunlight entered. A hundred yards down the path there was an opening where the trees had been cleared. In the midst of the clearing stood a large two story whitewashed Tabby blockhouse with fractured oyster shells sticking out the sides of the concrete.
On the front of the house was a large porch, where the raven haired woman stood. Jack stepped up on the porch, set the heavy sea chest down, and stood before the woman. Up close she was stunning, curly raven hair, bronze skin and eyes as black as the night.
"My name is Angelica McPherson, you may call me Angie if you like. But before you enter my house, there is a matter of ten shillings." she said.
Jack reached into his purse and pulled out ten shillings and placed the coins in her hand. Angelica, counted the coins, smiled and led Jack into her house.
"Your room is upstairs, the second door on the right. Here is a key to your room. I imagine your are hungry, I will have breakfast ready in an hour."
Jack took the key and went to his room. A small room with a single bed, and a small window overlooking a well kept vegetable garden in the rear of the house. It would do, but a high price for such a small room.
Jack sat on the edge of the bed staring at is sea chest. The names Andrew and Angelica McPherson ran through his mind. These were familiar to him, he had seen those names before. As he was thinking of this, Andrew knocked on the door.
"Mr. Jack, I have your baggage, may I come in?"
"Aye, come in, Andrew."
Andrew stepped in the room and laid Jack's rucksack on the floor.
"Tell me Andrew, were you named after your father? And where is he might I ask?"
"Aye sir, I am named after me father. He died four years ago when the Tuscarora attacked the colony on the mainland. My mother and I fled here to the island, where we have been ever since."
"Aye, I remember the attack well, over half the colony was wiped out and the other half nearly all quit. Thank you for your help this morning, Andrew. And now if you do not mind, I will be having a small rest while your mother prepares my meal."
Andrew left Jack alone in his room. Jack did know the names. When Andrew had shut the door, Jack lifted the sea chest and began to search the deeds that he had found aboard the Skye the night before. There it was, the deed from the Estate of Andrew McPherson and Angelica McPherson, husband and wife, 500 acres, to Archibald Campbell, the Earl of Argyll.
The mere sight of that name, Archibald Campbell, enraged Jack. For he thought that where ere the Campbell is, there is war and death. And where ere there is war and death, there the Campbell shall be, to profit from it.
His hand slipped over the hilt of his sword, where ere the Campbell be, so to shall be my sword of vengeance.
For I think it not a sin to steal from those who steal.