Ships were lost during these dark voyages, and said to have had their crews eaten by monsters or slain by pirates. At first all the sailors perished, but one was left to tell the tale. A man who could survive against such odds had to be exceptional in every way. He had to possess both skills and bravery far beyond that of ordinary seamen. Those qualities were the foundations on which he had to build his reputation, so he would be known as a hero. Now we know it all ended differently. ## The following day the pirates were to put in at the Island of St Thomas. It had taken them fourteen days to sail to the port of Antigua from the Azores, another three to sail from there to here, and then the same again to row from the Island of St Christopher to the shore of St John. Now they lay at anchor off the southern end of the island, waiting for the tide. The first mate, a tall figure with a hooked nose and small mouth, stepped up onto the prow. He gestured down the island to where there were rocks on the seaward side. Three vessels lay hidden beneath them. The crews were out fishing. 'See those boats,' he said to Jack, who was standing next to him. 'They're fishermen; pirates too. I had the good fortune to see them before they landed.' Jack was not surprised. Fishermen always helped each other with fishing parties: this part of the coast of St John lay in easy reach of a number of islands, such as the famous Saba, famous for its salt flats and its salt miners, though at present it was occupied by fishermen. Jack was looking at the boats. They looked innocent enough. He could not imagine their occupants in the guise of honest merchants. 'I'll wager they come down here with Spanish treasure,' he said. 'Well, don't blame me if they try to board us!' The first mate was a little testy. But the boats stayed put and rowed to the opposite shore. Jack knew what was going on, of course, and he wanted to be there to watch it happen. When the boats came in sight of the two ships the first mate had been sent off in, the crews drew up. The boats ranged alongside, and then their occupants clambered on board the ships, all except for six men who waited as if for some signal. Presently three of the boats came alongside the _Dolphin_ and as she drifted slowly with the tide they climbed on board, not using ropes, not even lowering their heads into the vessel, but simply climbing hand over hand along the gunwales, and as they came up they laid their guns down and stepped back on to the boats, where they had been sitting. They gave a little laugh and ran back to their boats to hoist sail. In fact, the _Dolphin_ could have set sail had she chosen to and sailed away; but this was no concern of her. Her crew was there to keep watch on her. At the top of the foremast, in the little crow's nest, were two men with spyglasses. They reported by telescope what the boats were doing, while from the quarterdeck two officers, one of whom was Red Shoes, the other a red-haired man with a hooked nose and a red feather in his hat, watched them through telescopes. So far, as far as Jack could judge, they showed no sign of aggression. The next stage was for the boats to row along the line of ships. The _Dolphin_ 's was not the only prize of the lot. All eyes were on the two small boats when they drew near. But when they were within speaking distance of them the crew of the _Dolphin_ gave a cry of surprise, and the three boats, which had rowed directly for her, turned to the right. The first mate watched them all the way as they made for their own ship, which lay nearly fifty yards behind. He looked at Jack with a grin and said, 'You see? These fellows are honest merchants.' The boats were now pulling towards the _Dolphin_. The mate waited until the rowers were within easy speaking distance, and then he hailed them. One man was steering, one was at the tiller. Jack put his ear to the rope that connected the boats and heard them reply. 'What do you want?' 'To know what ships you are from.' 'No. It is none of your business.' 'But I'll tell you what. We are from the fleet which has attacked Tortuga and is now off Campeche. We know you are Englishmen and Dutchmen, English and Dutch.' 'We are English.' 'What ship are you from?' 'The _Dolphin_. We are from St John's. We are bound for Antigua and Barbados.' 'What kind of ship are you?' 'A whaler.' 'What kind of trade do you do in Tortuga?' 'Whaling.' 'Are you looking for treasure?' 'We don't know anything about that.' 'You're fishing, I suppose.' 'No.' 'We can tell by your accent. Where did you hear English spoken?' 'No! English is spoken everywhere in the West Indies.' 'We heard you were going to England.' 'Yes.' 'What news from Barbados?' 'Very little.' 'Have you been at Barbados?' 'No.' 'What's your name?' 'Gardner.' 'What's that boat called?' ' _La Esperanza_.' 'Do you know a black-bearded man called Jacob?' 'No.' 'He called here. He knows you, does he?' 'No.' 'Do you know this man?' 'No.' 'Is he an Englishman or a Spaniard?' 'English.' 'Is he a slave or free?' 'Slave.' 'Have you been to Tortuga?' 'No.' 'Have you been to the Indies before?' 'No.' 'Why do you think they are following us?' 'None of our business.' 'A good question, by God! They don't want us to tell them anything about where we are going. By God, they must have heard of us! I was trying to find out!' 'I've heard nothing about any treasure. I'm looking for Barbados!' 'Are you looking for treasure too?' 'Yes.' 'Ah! Well, if you do,' the captain said, 'you won't be able to get it.' 'What do you mean? What do you mean? I've always been hearing about treasure from Barbados.' 'A lot of lying bastards,' said one of the seamen who had been left on deck. 'A man can see what he knows,' said the mate with a grin. 'They haven't any sense of fair play. We're Englishmen, by God!' They talked a little longer, but there was no chance of saying anything more. As they pulled away the two seamen leant over the bulwark on either side of the mate and both said to him, 'They're lying. They're pirates.' 'You do a lot of complaining,' said Jack, 'when you should be watching them and reporting to me all that happens.' 'I did what you said,' said the first mate. 'I watched, and I listened.' 'What did you hear?' 'They said, "Tall men make fine spies."' 'That's true. Tall men make fine spies.' 'I noticed there's another boat following us from the _Dolphin_.' 'Yes,' said Jack. 'There's another boat following us.' The first mate listened for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, and Jack did the same. Soon after they came into sight of Barbados, Jack picked up a sail and sailed the _Dolphin_ into the quiet harbour of Port Royal in the town of Bridgetown. A boat was lowered, and Jack went with a letter to the Governor, a certain Admiral Lord Leyden. He was in his mansion. Jack handed the letter to one of the servants, who took it into the Governor's room. Jack waited. He was sitting on the ground with his back to the wall, and the heat was making him sleepy. There were half a dozen people there watching him. He did not know any of them, apart from the man with the red feather in his hat, who seemed to be the most important. The fellow was on the Governor's right hand. 'There he is,' Jack muttered to himself. 'Whoever he is, he's in charge.' Presently he heard footsteps, and two seamen came in with the messenger from the _Dolphin_. They said nothing, and the Governor seemed not to notice them. 'Well, sir?' 'A man has come from Captain Roberts,' the sailor said, 'sir.' 'Ah!' said Lord Leyden. 'Who is this man?' Jack moved his head a little to see the man he had mentioned. The Governor of Barbados and Barbados alone could be