Kit Black by Monica Danetiu-Pana Read Free Book Online

frazzled ends of my hair and cry.
    Things changed somewhere near the middle of the return leg. I was exhausted, as were many of the crew. We had lost three men to fever and had to throw the bodies overboard. It was a bad day, but it was to end even worse.
    Gareth had been drinking rum all day and was drunk by nightfall. He was angry with Terry, because he had made some sort of charting error. He had taken over for the ship’s boatswain and navigator who had succumbed to the putrid sore throat. Terrified, Terry crouched on deck as a red faced, slobbering Gareth berated him. I thought he’d be lashed for sure, but his fate was to be something far worse. It was a heinous punishment. One of the men was to stuff Terry’s mouth full of rags and oakum, the caulking compound. The disgusting substance would be set aflame. Few survived the burns. Others just choked to death.
    I stared at Roger. “You can’t let that happen.”
    â€œHow do we stop it? He has it in for the lad,” Roger hissed. He took my arm and squeezed it hard. “Leave off, Kit. If you interfere, you’ll get the same.”
    I tore out of his grasp, glared at him, and went over anyway. My legs were trembling, but I cared little then. Death did not seem such a bad thing at all. “This animal brutality is against the Articles.”
    â€œThe lamb speaks,” Gareth laughed drunkenly. “And he knows the articles.”
    â€œAye,” I said, sticking my chin out. “You’ve gone too far, Captain.”
    â€œI have, have I, pretty laddie?”
    â€œAye.”
    â€œAnd you’ll be willing to take his place, then.”
    Roger cried out my name, but I looked at Terry and at the tears flowing down his small face.
    â€œAye, I’ll take his place.”
    Gareth laughed. “Good. I’ll take ye below to my cabin, then. We’ll discuss this. We’ll discuss the Articles of Piracy.”
    He pushed me hard and I fell to my knees. Then he kicked me in the rear and sent me sprawling across the deck. Some of the men laughed heartily at his antics, but for the most part, they stared after us in grim silence.
    His quarters reeked of urine. There were papers and unwashed articles of clothing everywhere. One of his pistols lay on a pile of maps.
    â€œSo, laddie, you think yourself a brave man, then?”
    â€œNo. I’m not much of a man.”
    He laughed. “Aye. We’ll see.” He came up behind me and fondled my buttocks.
    â€œVery nice…rather soft for a lad. I like that.”
    He groaned and reached between my legs, looking for something more, looking to undo my britches. The shock was what did him in. The fact that there was no penis on me to fondle. That’s when I killed him.
    ***
    Being the captain of a pirate ship is not the same as being the captain of a ship in the Royal Navy. Even the most successful pirate Captains had to endure a host of things from stealing food and drink from his own stock to his men bringing whores aboard ship. A Captain only assumed absolute power in battle or in a crisis like a storm at sea, and was allowed two shares of the booty and nothing else.
    So I found myself a pirate captain once I commandeered The Black Moon . I was now the enemy of the English for having killed Gareth, and the enemy of all others because The Black Moon was now a pirate ship. A few of the men objected to a lady Captain. They were asked politely to leave at the next port, and I hired on some new crew. Terry was appointed quartermaster. We purchased spectacles at the next large port. He no longer had to squint through the broken shard around his neck. Roger became my boatswain, in charge of all maintenance and naval stores. I learned as I went along.
    I think I made a fairly nice picture after I cleaned myself up. Sometimes I would catch the men gaping at me as I strolled the decks in my uniform of tight black breeches, long linen shirt, and vest. My boots from