The Journey To Acre

Chapter 10

It was Jonesy's birthday.

He'd managed to keep a lid on it most of the day, but as Sully approached him with a sly grin, he knew the game was up.

"Thought we'd forgotten, eh?" the carpenter teases, and as the men begin to congregate on deck, Jonesy gives up all hope of a quiet evening.

"I'd hoped you'd forgotten," he grumbles.

"Aww, come off it, we wouldn't forget you and yer know it," Sully replies, and Jonesy finds it hard to be grumpy whilst being manhandled into a hug.

Excitable chatter erupts through the ranks; the men love a good party and would've commenced celebrations long before sundown had it not been for the captain, who was fair in allowing merriment on board, but not before business was taken care of.

The man himself makes an appearance then, to congratulate his crewman before proceedings get too rowdy. One might think a man of such rank would think himself above mingling with a cleaner and his ilk, but the crew of the Mary Peel was a tight knit bunch, and the captain considered dedicated men such as Jones indispensable. He does not linger though, knowing that his presence lends a stiffness to the atmosphere, he merely wishes the men a good evening and leaves them to whatever mischief they have in store.

Jonesy watches him leave with a certain desperation, knowing that all manner of silliness was about to commence and as the men start dragging him to who knows where, he sighs in resignation, wondering if opportunity might be so fortuitous as to let him slip away once the drinking was in full flow.

His unimpressed demeanour does not go unnoticed; indeed, the crowd practically thrives on his reluctance, amusing as it is to them.

"We've gone all out this year Jonesy, no expense spared I tells thee," Ingram chuckles.

"Aye, even you'll be smilin' when you see what we've got in store for yer," Cleggy adds.

Jonesy doubts this very much. They say this every year and it's always the same shindig - a few variations here and there, but all in all, much of a muchness. This is underlined by the sight of Davis waiting expectantly on the sidelines with his flute, which he plays at every opportunity, to bring musical merriment to one and all. Which he would, if he could actually play.

Then there's Collins, who has a slip of paper in his hands, no doubt a poem specially composed for the occasion, (his particular brand of cultural contribution to these events), that nobody really listens to, but everybody riffs upon, resulting in numerous dirty ditties composed over the course of the evening.

The inclination to flee is lifted however, at the sight of the spread the men have put on; good food was a luxury at sea – any variation on the habitual diet was most welcome and therefore the mere sight of the delicacies on display was enough to bring tears to Jonesy's eyes. He's about to give an emotional speech – all naffness forgotten for the moment – when Cleggy interrupts, the excitement rolling off him in waves,

"An' if yer think that looks good, jus' wait till yer see what else we got yer!"

Jonesy groans and looks to Sully, who shrugs, clearly none the wiser as to what's about to come. Ingram, who obviously is, takes hold of Jonesy's elbow and pulls him through the crowd, grinning like a child on Christmas morning. Cleggy is quick to catch up, sprinting through the masses, before coming to an abrupt halt in front of what appears to be sheet draped over an unknown object. The men wait expectantly, chattering amongst themselves, the only interruption being the arrival of Sir Guy of Gisborne, who nods in greeting to one and all before locating Sully and taking his usual place at his side.

"Have I missed anything?" he asks,

Sully shakes his head, "Nah, you've arrived just in time, I'd say," he gestures to Jones and the 'big surprise'.