S
Shamus The Brute
A Pirate's Life for Ye ~
They call you Pirate!
As an "opportunist," the hard work ye have devoted towards pillaging & plundering has permitted a lifestyle based upon wealth, adventure, travel, & reputation (a 'reputation' which invokes respect but also admiration throughout the isles of the Caribbean).
Avast! A few years ago when ye turned on account, life for ye seemed prosperous & worry-free. (This is evidenced by the fact that historians would later term this era & time period as the 'Golden Age' of piracy). Unfortunately for now, the increased threat of becoming captured, imprisoned, convicted, or hanged within the Caribbean has disrupted yer "usual" pirate way-of-life.
Despite these downturn of events, ye have decided to claim for yerself a new hope (a particular saying which is well-known amongst yer brethren & continues, to be circulated even amongst the most seasoned of pirates). Perplexed to seek the truth behind this "saying," ye have resolved to remain both strong in heart & positive in spirit (an 'example' for everyone to follow).
Port Royal, Jamaica (1720) - Fort Charles
Oye! The East India Trading Company (EITC) & the Royal British Navy have captured those claiming to be pirates. As a result, individuals have been arrested & given unfair trial. Those found guilty pay a one-way ticket to visit the gallows. Currently, yer own wrists & ankles remain shackled as the inhabitants of Fort Charles (it seems) care nothing for ye nor the livelihood of the rest of the brethren.
"Move along! Move along now," insisted the Royal Navy cadet & keeper of the watch.
Admiring this cadet's enthusiasm, his words reminded ye of a past experience ye had during yer travels to Singapore. (While in Singapore, ye met a pirate there by the name of Chester Copperpot - a mute - whom owned a parrot. Chester's parrot would speak for the both of them & whenever someone approached to ask a direct question, the parrot would squawk - 'Wind in the Sails, Wind in the Sails!').
"Pirate! Ye there! Make haste," repeated the cadet, directing the order this time towards ye & making direct eye contact.
Not particularly caring for the cadet's tone within his voice, ye raised an eyebrow but later obliged by gesturing a knod towards him & then set in motion once again yer legs to the shuffling of other pirates fallen in-line.
"Keep on schedule now, ye pirates! Soon, we chaps will be sipping tea in celebration to yer demise," exclaimed a Navy officer whom who growing impatient.
Shuffling further along, eventually everyone arrived within the interior of the court-yard. There, admist the sea of redcoats & military leaders, stood the wooden platform of the gallows (along with the executioner hangman & nooses' tightly looped). Bewildered by the formality & seriousness of the scene, ye refused to give into intimidation & simply dismiss everything off as "a short drop, & then a sudden stop."
Suddenly & without warning, the wobbly-legged pirate ahead of ye suffered an immediate & emotional breakdown. Noticing the gallows himself, the man turned around towards ye & stammered. Without permission, yer lips committed a mutinious act against ye & the words to the saying of the hope that perplexed ye came bellowing out.
"Smartly now, lad & no worries! It's a Pirate's Life for Ye," spoke ye, reassuring the man.
Immediately, the fear of this pirate subsided. Enlightened, the man knods in agreement towards ye, winks confidently, then turns around & completely regains his composure. Reflecting upon what had just occurred, a sense of calmness envelops ye due to a greater understanding ye held towards this one-of-a-kind pirate testimony.
"A pirate's life for me," ye acknowledged, this time alone & whispering to yerself.
"It's unfortunate," ye pondered, "that pirates take for granted this lifestyle which so richly rewards them."
At that moment, an announcement was proclaimed to address the crowd & to reinforce their lynch mob-type antics:
"To each of those found guilty of piracy & therefore considered by her Majesty as an act of treason against the Royal British Crown, the punishment & sentence of death is decreed by way of the gallows. May God have mercy upon your souls," a voice projected.
Not surprisingly, this decree sealed the fate of each pirate whom was held captive at Fort Charles. What followed then was the sound & rhythmic noise of drum roll...
"...Tat, ta-daaa, tat! Tat, ta-daaa, tat!"
Moments later, the sound of pirates' footsteps (clumsy & far too depleted in energy to resist) was heard upon the gallows' wooden, platform deck.
When the proceedings began, only the back of the hangman's head remained within yer viewing (due to the close proximity of where ye stood in proportion to the base of the platform). Periodically, ye would notice him abandoning his post, disappear out of sight, hear the tightening of rope, & then return back to his post a short time later.
Each time after these preparations were made, the hangman would position himself near the wooden lever which, when pulled downwards, would release openings within the flooring of the platform but, underneath the feet of where pirates stood.
The proceedings continued & while ye considered yer ordeal, ye listened for a moment to the reaction of the crowd as the hangman pushed down upon the wooden lever, time-&-time again. To keep from becoming overly anxious, ye succumbed to "wishful thinking" to where ye hoped that the hangman's own hand would suffer a nasty splinter from the lever causing a serious infection & furthermore, delaying other proceedings (most notably 'yer own').
Off within the distance & towards the direction of the sea, a distinctive "THUD" was heard thundering across the surface of the ocean.
"CANNON FIRE," shouted someone.
"We are under attack," panic another.
"Man yer posts! Sound the alarm," yelled an officer, scrambling urgently to gain a better view.
"Two ships,sir! Each are hoisting black colours," explained a lieutenant handing over the spyglass he had been using to his superior in rank.
"They will not gain victory over us! Prepare the long guns & narrow your aim, lads! For the love of the crown & for England," the superior vowed as he hurried away.
"THUD, BOOM, BOOM," continued more noises followed by high-pitched whistling which in turn sent everyone scrambling for cover.
"INCOMING! Brace yourselves," warned a voice.
Rumbling deep beneath yer feet, the ground shook within the interior of the court-yard. As the debris of stone, smoke, & gunpowder filled the Caribbean air, ye realized the need to conjure up a plan to escape the confinement of yer shackles.
"If only...(pulling on shackles)...there would have been...(pulling on shackles again) ...a hung jury," ye spoke stretching yer arms outward & then contracting them back again inorder to test the validity to their strength.
Pausing to reflect upon this unintended pun, ye shuddered for a moment & then admitted to yerself, "what bodes ill for pirates, bodes ill also for me." Fortunately, the feelings of personal defeat ye were experiencing were to be short-lived as a rescue attempt was already underway.
Admist the fantastic chaos & diversion of cannon-fire, other pirates hiding in secret suddenly stormed into the Fort's court-yard causing further lapse of control over the Royal Navy's stronghold. As the Fort's alarm was sounded, the intermingle clashing of pirate versus Royal Navy was developing in close proximity from where ye stood near the base of the gallows.
"Oye! Do us a favor, savvy? Release me from these shackles, mate, & I promise ye 10% of me own personal loot," ye suggested to a pirate randomly fighting close & nearby.
"Aye. 'Tis the orders be given to us; to be rescuing ye & the others here," admitted this pirate preoccupied now by the countering technique of his adversary.
"What?" ye exclaimed in a Elizabeth Swann-type accent.
"Yaarrrr! Our purpose in Port Royal...," he spoke as he fought, "was to rescue ye along with the others," he continued, " to um....to...UGH!"
Just then, the man's life was cut short by a thrust to his belly from the sword of his opponent. As ye looked, the remnants of his blood trickled down upon the edges of the blade as this pirate stood motionless for a moment, then collasped forward onto the ground.
Suddenly, the uneasy feeling of someone approaching from behind was felt. Additionally, their presence shadowed out all light which, as far as ye could tell, remained in direct proportion to their height in comparison to yer own. Hesitantly, ye turned around slowly to investigate.
As ye looked, the face of this individual standing now in front of ye remained "anonymous," hidden by the identity of only a mask. Striken by fear, the only word which raced within your mind was, "Hangman!!!" Unable to flee, ye stood there in awe but quickly composed yerself, speaking first to acknowledge his presence.
"I believe...(clearing yer 'throat')...introductions are in order," ye spoke extending yer hand forward for a handshake, seeking a gesture of truce.
Arching his back away from ye, the hangman said nothing at first & then replied in a deep voice, "Do ye know who I am?"
Nervously, ye chuckled in response & then admitted with a broken voice, "Aye, don't be silly, mate! I have been trying to avoid the smell of ye this entire day."
Unimpressed, the hangman stepped aside toward yer left, blinding yer eyes from the brightness of the Sun. As yer vision desperately tried to adjust, the hangman leaned forward towards ye & with a straight face whispered, "My name is Gaylord! Avast & listen up, ye scurvy dog!"
Ye stared up at him, stone-faced.
"I am a pirate - same as ye - but ridiculously in disguise, " he went on to explain. "Smartly now, mate. I have been given orders to ensure yer escape. Let me see yer shackles!"
As he spoke, his hand reached within the folds of his garment & he secretly pulled out a key. As ye witnessed the key entering the mechanism to release the lock, yer shackles dropped to the ground along with the association ye held against this man whom only minutes earlier had intimidated ye beyond all measure.
"Much obliged, but...I don't understand mate," ye admitted openly to him.
"Nevermind that! Make haste towards the direction of the western wall. When ye reached the wall, ye will find the means for yer escape," replied the hangman as he turned away making an attempt to release other pirates also held captive.
Suspicious, ye questioned him asking, "Aye, but if ye are truly a pirate then why did ye stand aside & assist the deaths of others in-line before me?"
Without hesitation, the hangman turned & boldy stated, "Arrrgh...There be thee code to consider & honestly...I did not particularly care for them."
"Aye...the code. Hmmm," ye acknowledged, uncertain if the man was humorously joking with ye or being serious.
Soon thereafter, ye extended to the hangman a thankful goodbye & turned towards the direction of the western wall which he had suggested.
Approximately the same amount of time it takes for a pirate to consume a half bottle of rum, the western wall of Fort Charles was reached by ye but not without some light resistance. Taking precaution not to draw further attention, ye stood facing the court-yard along with yer back facing the wall which suffered the most damage due to the repeated cannon fire it had endured.
When it appeared as if nobody in particular was watching, ye turned around & leaned into the section of wall which yer body could easily fit through. Taking a moment to look downwards over the edge, ye noticed a grappling hook accompanied by a long rope hugging the side of the Fort's exterior. Narrowing yer vision, ye surveyed for any signs of rock which remained buried underneath the waters of the ocean below.
Considering the plan of yer escape, a decision was made to go against the hangman's instruction as a personal fear of heights (ye realized) would become far too great of a burden. As ye slowly backed away from the wall & turned around, much to yer surprise a group of Navy lieutenants & officers had gathered, ambushing yer position with both muskets & bayonets drawn.
"AHOY...I was just...um...Just catching up on some fresh air," ye lied acting in an unassuming manner.
"SILENCE! Don't move! And don't make any rash decisions," ordered a Royal Navy lieutenant whom held an intense look upon his face.
As it were, ye could neither move to the right nor to the left of yer position. Avast! Ye had been completely surrounded! The likelihood of yerself escaping Fort Charles now seemed unlikely.
"Gentlemen. I regret to announce... that this is the end," ye boldly stated, acting overly confident.
As the lieutenants & officers began to cautiously move forward, the last decisions ye would ever make at Fort Charles involved a sprint towards the damaged section of wall, a step upon onto it's ledge, a turn of yer head to sight yer opposition, & seconds later...a distant...
"...SPLASH!"
The day of yer freedom now begins!
Dedicate to a dear friend of mine & also...those whom need a little bit of encouragement during this time 
~ Avast! Your "inner strength" & determination is an inspiration to us all!
~ Avast! Your "inner strength" & determination is an inspiration to us all!
