Black Sam - Prince of Pirates

Nineteen - PORT BATH

Nineteen-PORTBATH

September 1716

Sam arrived in Bath as he had originally planned. Giving up his pursuit of Cyprian wasn’t easy, but the needs of his crew outweighed his personal vendetta. It had been a tough voyage, but he would use this port to refocus and get back on track. He and Paulgrave had planned to make some business connections, as Bath was getting quite a reputation as a hot spot for trade.

The small North Carolinian town sat at the end of a large inlet near Swan Quarter Bay. The modest buildings looked relatively new, and there were people everywhere. It was a town bustling with activity. Having given each man in his crew a stipend for food, lodging, and orders to meet back at the ship tomorrow morning, Sam and Paulgrave walked alone on the dirt road toward town. A small crew worked on the opposite side of the road installing cobblestones as pavers.

“I’m going to say hello to a fellow goldsmith.” Paulgrave pointed to a small jewelry shop.

Sam nodded. “Good, I’ll see what I can find further in.” He made his way into the main part of town. Quaint buildings lined the crowded street. Up ahead was a large open field of low cut grass, peppered with trees. Small open tents scattered about, and people gathered at each, buying and trading.

“What in the world?” Sam asked aloud, slowing a bit. A man came into view juggling three swords, and Sam quickened his pace toward the tents.

***

With a closer look, he found that it was a sort of festival. Many canvas canopies displayed a large array of goods, from fine linens to gold silver and jewels. The juggling swordsman walked about the festival, trailed by a flutist. There were also food vendors stationed under smaller canopies. The differences in color and style between the many tents and people were stark. Sam guessed they all came from different places around the world. It was a fascinating sight to take in.

A large fire pit caught his eye. Several golden-brown turkeys roasted slowly while a man turned the spit. Sam’s stomach growled taking in the savory aroma and imagined biting into the juicy meat. Not realizing how hungry he was until now, he made his way to the pit and handed the cook some coin. Sam devoured the turkey leg. It had been too long since he had eaten fresh roasted turkey, or any meat for that matter. He gave the cook more money and took a second turkey leg along his walk through the festival.

He came by a tent where another man stood juggling swords, and a young boy juggled stones. The next tent over was bigger, and a small crowd gathered around the entrance. He made his way to the front and watched as an Arabian-looking man dressed in colorful garb stood showing off gold earrings set with emeralds and rubies. “I assure you, these earrings were worn by Princess Fatima herself…”

Sam rolled his eyes and moved on. He passed several tents that were of no particular interest to him, when noticed a hooded man moving slowly toward a tent where a rosy cheeked, heavyset woman operated a trading post alongside a young woman. The stranger diverted the woman’s attention by asking her about a piece she just purchased. He then slipped another piece from the table into his side pocket. A moment later, the woman apparently recognized that the piece was missing and screamed, “Thief! That man’s a thief!” The hooded man took off running, and the dark-haired young woman bolted after him. Sam ran after them both.

They made their way in and out of the tents and through tables and chairs where people sat eating. The thief knocked over a table setting and tripped over a man sitting at another. The girl closed in on the thief and grabbed his cloak, but he knocked her away. Sam closed in, and when he got close enough to grab the thief the man darted around another table. Sam had the angle. He used a chair and table to launch himself into the air. He slammed into the thief, taking him to the ground.