Black Sam - Prince of Pirates

Twenty Two - BACK IN THE HUNT

 Twenty-Two-BACK IN THE HUNT

 October 1716

 A dozen ships sat scattered over about a half-mile square plot of ocean just a few hundred yards off the coast of La Florida. The sun glimmered over the calm waters, which looked like glass trapping the various vessels in a motionless grip. Sam looked around the wreck site to find a spot for his ship to anchor. He decided on a location near the center of the salvage area. The spot was as good as any, and with a fleet of sunken Spanish ships, each heavy with treasure, his chances of finding gold were as good as any of the other salvagers out here.

 As the pilot maneuvered the ship, Sam sized up his competition. Standing amidships looking through the scope, he was able to get a better view of what the other salvagers were doing. Each ship had diver operations underway in various forms. Some had built floating platforms for their divers, some built apparatuses that attached to the topside of the ship allowing divers to go right from the deck. There were flaws to these designs, and Sam made mental notes for changes to his.

 He handed the scope to Paulgrave but continued to survey the area with his naked eyes. “I don’t see him, do you?” he asked.

 “No, Cyprian is nowhere in sight.”

 “His large ships no doubt take more time to resupply, but he should be here by now, shouldn’t he?”

 Paulgrave shrugged. “Maybe he wasn’t coming here directly.”

 Sam gripped the edge of the worn wooden rail. “What is he up to?” Sam asked no one in particular.

 Paulgrave lowered the scope. “Sam?”

  “Yes Paul.”

 “We made it. Congratulations.” Paulgrave said extending his hand with a satisfied smile.

 Sam looked at his friend with a sheepish grin, remembering why they were here in the first place. “Indeed we have.” He shook Paulgrave’s hand. “Congratulations to both of us.” He looked to the closest neighboring ship as a couple of men helped a diver out of the water and onto the platform. The dripping man untied a sack from around his waist, pulling out a small object and handing it to a man who appeared to Sam as their Captain.

 The divers Sam had seen so far had light skin. He was anxious to try out his dark-skinned Bahrain divers. A friend of his uncle Israel had convinced Sam that Bahrain divers could hold their breath longer than any other diver he had seen, and they were what he needed. The divers he helped Sam get had come to America on another man’s promises. That man took every bit of treasure they were able to pull up and then disappeared.

 Sam turned back to Paulgrave, “There’s no time to waste; ready the divers.”

 “Yes, Captain.” Paulgrave turned and walked away.

 Sam gave directions to Jeremiah then rounded up a handful of men. They pulled lumber out from below deck and began assembling their dive contraption.

 The six Bahraini pearl divers were naked except for loincloths that wrapped, rather than hung, down to cover themselves. They sat in the bow meditating while waiting to dive.

 Paulgrave joined Sam and the others as they finished building the dive platform. Two men hoisted a large square beam upright; another man took a cover off a hole in the deck near the side of the ship, specifically fitted for the beam. They slid it down inside. The top of the beam had a cross arm that swiveled. The longer side reached out beyond the railing and over the water. They threaded a rope through a pulley at the end of the arm.

 The first diver stood and fastened a bag to his hip. The other men tied the rope to his waist, and he stood on the railing. With a graceful jump the man sailed out over the water and curved downward where his sleek body plunged quietly through the smooth surface. Paulgrave looked at his pocket watch as the rope spun through the pulleys and unraveled from a coil on the deck. The coil slowed down until it was unreeling at a very slow pace.