Skull and Bones by John Drake Read Free Book Online Page B

What made him uneasy was McLonarch's belief that he was the right hand of Almighty God, and his uncanny gift of convincing others of it: which gift now bore down upon John Silver.
        "Aye, milord! Silver's my name," said Long John. "Cap'n Silver, at your service."
        Silver couldn't believe he'd just said that. He disowned the words on the instant. But he'd said them all right, and worse still, he felt an overpowering urge to stand up and take off his hat! A lesser man would have been up like a shot, and even Silver was half out of his seat before he realised what was happening and slumped back, scowling fiercely. But McLonarch nodded in satisfaction, and waved a gracious hand.
        "Captain," he said, "I welcome you into my service. There is much work for you to do, and you will begin by locking His Majesty's monies into their strongboxes once again and replacing the boxes in the hold."
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Chapter 6
        
    One bell of the afternoon watch
    18th March 1753
    Aboard Oraclaesus
    The Atlantic
        
        Flint's leg-irons were secured by the curled-over end of an iron bar. Billy Bones got the bar nicely on to the small anvil he'd brought below for purposes of liberation, took up the four-pound hammer, frowned mightily for precision… and struck a great blow.
        Clang! said the irons.
        "Another," said Flint.
        "Aye-aye, Cap'n!"
        Clang!
        "Ahhh!" said Flint, and pulled the straightened bar through the holes in the loops that had encircled his ankles before hurling the irons with passionate hatred into the dark depths of the hold, where they rattled and clattered and terrified the ship's rats as they went about their honest business.
        "Dear me," said Flint, not unkindly, "I do apologise, Lieutenant!" For the hurtling iron had knocked off the hat, and nearly smashed in the brow, of the goggle-eyed young officer of marines - he looked to be about seventeen - who knelt holding a lantern beside Billy Bones.
        "You do give your parole?" said the lieutenant. "Your parole not to escape?"
        "Of course," said Flint, ignoring the nonsensical implication that there might be some place to escape to, aboard a ship at sea. He sighed, and stood, and stretched his limbs, then turned to the lad as if puzzled: "But has not Mr Bones already made clear," he said, "that Captain Baggot was about to order my release?"
        "Was he?" said the lieutenant, weighed down by responsibility and peering at Billy Bones as they got to their feet. Billy, for his part, was bathed in the warm smile of a man entirely free of responsibility, since all future decisions were now in the hands of his master.
        In fact, Billy Bones was so happy that he was quite taken by surprise: "About to release Cap'n Flint?" he said doubtfully. But a glimpse of Flint frowning nastily was sufficient to restore his memory. "Ah!" said Billy Bones. "' Course he was, Mr Lennox!" And recalling his manners, he jabbed a thumb at the red-coated officer. "This here's Mr Lennox, Cap'n, sir… the senior officer surviving."
        "Senior officer… surviving?" said Flint, relishing the concept, before correcting Billy Bones. "You will address Mr Lennox as 'sir', for he bears His Majesty's commission."
        "Oh!" said Bones, peering at the skinny youngster. Flint was right: he was out-ranked! Billy had never risen higher than master's mate, a rank far below a marine lieutenant. This lapse of protocol embarrassed him, for contrary forces were now at work within Billy Bones. He was still Flint's man, but - being aboard a king's ship once more - he was starting to think in the old ways: the navy ways he'd followed before Flint.
        "Beg pardon, sir, I do declare," he said, saluting Lieutenant Lennox.
        "Granted, Mr Bones," said Lennox.
        "Aye-aye, sir," said Billy Bones, and attempting reparation in words, added: "At least you're one o' them what's immune!"
        "Am I?" said