Spanish Treasure

Wed 16-Apr-1603 (6-Apr) continued ...

Deacon Father O'Reilly [Shane] and Tess returned to St Mary's. Father O'Reilly confronted them.

"Where is Todd? And who's this floosie?" he demanded.

The Deacon let loose with the carefully crafted lie: "We were attacked by Ottomans on last night, by Lamb Island. Brave Art Bowman [Jeff], from the barracks, scared them off. But a stray shot killed poor Todd dead. We wept. When Art and Elrick [Ian] pursued the fleeing Ottomans, they found an abandoned prisoner: this young lady, Tess."

"Well, we can't have no whores nor Jezebels stayin' here!"

"I'm not a whore," said Tess.

"So yuh gave yuh charms away fer free then, harlot?"

"I'm pure. I'm not a harlot."

"Soot yer mowt, Jezebel."

"She can stay in the woodshed, Father," said the Deacon.

"A few nights only. Oi'll write to St Margaret's convent at Cork; they cin have the whore," said the Father.

He stomped off. Tess moved into the woodshed. Todd was used to sleeping here anyway. This is where he had to serve penance when he had erred in the past. So, she tidied the pallet, and made up the bed.

On the other side of town, Ab [Darryl] returned to his cottage. He had time to fire up the cauldron, and start up a brew before dark. The herbs he had got from Long island was enough for him to cook a healing mix. He got the fire going and got the water heating, and then had a little snooze in the late afternoon sun.

He was in a dream. It was so vivid. On a ship, looking out over the water. To an island. Wait a minute, that was Long Island. And there's the wreck we were at only yesterday. His mind's eye was onboard the Spanish ship!

Two long boats were returning across the water towards the ship. Each carrying an iron box.
Then his vision changed: he was scampering across the deck, dog or cat eye-height, and he scurried down a companion-way into a cabin. Then curled up on a cushion.

Ab rushed off to the Squire's Daughter inn to tell Roma [Chris] and Elrick this. The Spanish had treasure from the wreck.

"We'll grab the others in the mornin'," said Roma. "Get the Painted Lady to take us."

Thu 17-Apr

Like Ab, Deacon had a strange dream too. It was the grey light of early dawn, and he was looking down at his body ... a nude body ... but it wasn't his body, it was a woman's body. Hands were there; on the breasts, belly, groin, touching herself, caressing, fingering. He could hear panting, moaning...  Suddenly, he recognized the inside of the woodshed, and recognized that moaning voice. Tess!

Then he was wide awake, back in his bed, in the bedroom of the church cottage. He leapt out of bed and ran to the woodshed. Tess was awake, holding her sheets up, looking guilty as hell.

"Keep yer hands to yourself!" he barked. That didn't come out right; she was. He paused, then continued: "Genesys 38. You know the story of Onan, the good Lord slew him for such acts."

"Onan had carnal knowledge of his wife Tamar," said Tess. "And he withdrew early and 'spilled his seed on the ground'. Denying the levirate* inheritance. That was why the Lord slew him."

"Well, the sentiment is there!"

"Yes, Deacon." said Tess resignedly.

[ * = a levirate wife is when a childless widow marries the brother of her deceased husband. If there are sons, they inherit the deceased husband's wealth. If there are none, the brother gets it. ]

Down at the docks, Roma easily convinced Captain Galvenā-Krastmala ("Main-yard" in Latvian) with the promise of treasure to make sail immediately. The HMS Dreadful left late yesterday so probably didn't have time to engage the Spanish. They might be able to get there in time.

Sure enough, by the time they got to Long Is, the Dreadful was fully engaged with the Spanish ship. Its six guns didn't stand a chance against the 14 gun brig, and was in the process of sinking.

While the English were fishing the Spaniards out of sea, the Painted Lady pulled alongside the listing Spanish ship. Roma and Art swung over, with magnificent grace and style [ superb Agility all round ], and made their way down into the hold to search. Here they found one of the strong boxes (that Ab's vision had observed the previous afternoon) and they hauled it up on deck, and roped it up.

El Gato Diablo

Back on the Painted Lady, Ab saw a black cat on the mast of the doomed ship. It fixed eyes with him, then climbed out on the foresail yard arm, and leapt gracefully onto the deck next to him. Then leapt onto his shoulders. This was unusual in its own right; normally animals were scared of Ab [ Ab has the Frightens Animals fault. This cat was the result of his gift: familiar.]

While the HMS Dreadful headed back to Baltimore, the Painted Lady swung past the wreck, and Elrick went for another swim. He managed to find some mollusk-encrusted bottles of wine, but then had to give up because the tide was rising.

Roma opened the locked trunk. Inside were gold coins, some silver ingots and some jewellery. They had agreed to split the treasure and the bottles with the Painted Lady's Captain and crew, so this was done.

When they returned to Baltimore, there was another ship in the harbour: The Golden Hind, a large merchantman.

To celebrate their new-found wealth, they went to the Squire's Daughter, and hit the ale. Gossip abounded. The Golden Hind, out of Falmouth, was transporting a pious bishop called John Dee. He was one of Queen Elizabeth's religious advisers before she died less than a month ago. Drinking to the gossipers, and to the ill-health of James 1st (the new king), the Deacon was rolling drunk pretty quickly. He vomitted and soiled himself. Tess decided she better take him back to the church. Art and Elrick accompanied to support the drunk, with Tess and Roma bringing up the rear.

John Dee

When they returned to St Mary's, all the church windows glowed. The place was well-lit from within; all the expensive beeswax candles had been lit. Father O'Reilly normally saved them for special occasions, and stuck to the tallow ones when he needed light. There were a bunch of soldiers in unusual livery around the front door.

Art confronted the soldiers. They were Bishop John Dee's retainers, and he had come to the church (closest to the docks) to pray. Father O'Reilly was performing ad hoc Vespers.

When Bishop Dee heard that the group was here, he summoned them inside.

"So you are the ones?" he asked.

"Uh, what 'ones'?"

"The Captain of the local barracks told me that you had brought in a Spanish lady. With a very dubious back-story behind her."

They looked at each other: "Um, yeah."

"Join me tomorrow at the Barracks, after first light. Bring your entire group."

"Yes, sir."

With that he dismissed them. Tess put the slurring Deacon to bed, then retired herself back to the woodshed. Elrick and Roma returned to their lodgings at the Squire's Daughter. Art returned to the barracks.

Fri 18-Apr, First Quarter

Captain Carmichael

When the group arrived at the barracks in the morning, all the soldiers, the entire company, were out, standing in parade formation, in their best uniforms. Captain Carmichael and his three lieutenants were dressed up too. Art was in his dress uniform in his squad, standing at attention with all the rest.

The party arrived and stood awkwardly to one side. Ab had his new cat, El Gato, sitting on his shoulders.

Up the path came the smartly dressed soldiers of the Golden Hind. Accompanied by Bishop Dee. Captain Carmichael saluted sharply to John Dee who gave him a nod.

"With the Lord's grace, let us retire to your office, Captain," said Bishop Dee.

"Yes, your grace," said the Captain.

John Dee beckoned the party over, then said to the Captain. "And bring, too, the Spanish girl forth."

The parade was dismissed and the party & co went to the Captain Carmichael's office. The three company Lieutenants and Sergeant Suarez too. The Spanish girl was brought too, in chains. She had had a rough few days: two black eyes, swollen lips, and was only clad in a torn shift.

It turned out that John Dee could speak Spanish. The same questions were asked of the girl as the other day, and this time there was no tittering or smirking.

"<So, you turned from a man into a woman? And this group was responsible for it?>"

"<Yes, my Lord.>"

"Captain," said the Bishop. "I request to take this Senorita into my custody. I trust you ... and your company ...  have finished with her yourself."

The Captain nodded. It was one less problem for him to deal with. The soldiers of Cork would just have to miss out on their comfort girl. And anyway. his men had had their fair share of "comfort" from her already.

"One other thing, Captain." said John Dee. "I heard that you had a reliquary of St Agatha. Thus, I have written a letter to the Primate of All Ireland. I request it to accompany the reliquary to be delivered so with. We can not have such an priceless item melted down or destroyed."

With that, John Dee and his retainers left, Spanish girl in tow. He asked for the party to accompany him as well, so Lieutenant Matthews gave Art permission again. The party went to the docks and boarded the Golden Hind. Then made sail.

Edward Kelley

John Dee had a companion on board called Edward Kelley. He had a certain intense air about him. It turned out that he was from Kinsale, only a day's travel from Baltimore, but had spent most of his life in England and in Bohemia.

John and Edward took Elrick, Roma and Art off to one side. Not only were they suspicious of the Spanish girl's origins, but they were casting doubt upon Tess too.

"She has a sidhe air about her," said Edward.

After a lot of thorough questioning, Elrick, and then Art, admitted the whole story was a lie. Both Todd-to-Tess and sailor-to-girl. Edward knew a lot about sidhe and fae, and put that down as a cause. John and Edward had a pet theory that the sidhe magic was of divine origin "the little people are still God's creatures" but fully acknowledged that the Church would look very dimly upon this theory. Comments of witchcraft and stake-burning abounded.

At no time did Roma did admit that he had used the sand on the Spaniards. So it was a mystery what was the origin of that conversion.

Thus, the Golden Hind was headed back to Long Island to investigate the site of this metamorphosis, and thence to Lamb Island.