Pirate Souls

I - Chapter 9 - Tortuga

My Spanish servant works hard on the brig. Despite the fact that he is clearly exhausted, Jaime looks after me well. He is careful to make sure that I lack for nothing and even offers to share his meagre ration of sea biscuits with me. His thoughtfulness is touching.

Although the Irishman claims the contrary, the kindness shown to me by this stranger is highly irritating to him.

This amuses me.

How comfortable I have made myself since I was kidnapped! Confronting the galleon was a blessing. I can move around more freely on deck. I give help right and left (or rather to starboard and to port), and do my best to memorise the way in which a 60-foot long ship is steered. Learning gives me enormous pleasure. It opens up a wonderful world to me, made of intricate rope knots and astronomical information that I was convinced I would never be able to master.

The Chinaman, whose name is Leng, is teaching me the rudiments of navigation. I learn fast. I enjoy it. I feel useful. My hands become calloused. The muscles in my body are getting stronger. The axe, which I wear in my belt, never leaves me.

"It does not worry you to talk to me?" I joke as Leng shows me how to tie complicated knots with ropes.

­He shakes his head.

"So, you are not as superstitious as the rest of the crew" I add to start a conversation.

He gives me a half-smile. Shall I manage to get him to speak of anything besides sea currents?

"Are you from China?" I insist.

He shakes his head again from left to right. I am just about to abandon the idea of any form of conversation when Leng says in a soft voice.

"I am not superstitious, but I fear the captain's jealousy. My parents are Chinese. Alas, I was born in America. My father was the captain of a merchant ship and my mother... a prostitute. In my country, it is customary to take consenting female companions on board to appease the sailors' desires. I stayed just long enough for her to teach me that I had nothing to fear from women. You are the Water that Flows. It cannot be seen, it is transparent, odourless, shapeless and nevertheless, it is the source of life. For me, to have you on board is a blessing."

"Thank you, Leng, that means a lot to me."

"When men understand that we are complementary, perhaps all the violence in the world will come to an end."

"A beautiful idea."

"The principle of Yin and Yang," he explains, and he shows me the jewel he wears around his neck. "Dualism is at the heart of the rule of life. If there is only Yang, everything dries up. If there is only Yin, everything rots."

"Magnificent."

"If I do not kill the Spaniard in his sleep, it is for you," he declares outright.

"Um, thanks"... I mumble. "May I ask why you hate him so?"

"Violence, kidnapping, murder. You too know this! Now, finish off that knot and get up to the crow's nest. A sailor is above all a good lookout."

I obey him. Climbing the rigging is difficult. I reach the top out of breath, but I am as proud as a peacock. The view is magnificent from up here. I could gaze at the horizon for hours.

Leng is the closest I have to a friend on the Anarkhia. He shares his knowledge of navigation a little more all the time. His candour is very moving.

Steven is slowly healing. I keep a close eye on his stitches every evening and continue to put alcohol on them. He is a lucky man. He is healing safely. Others would have died of less.