Captain Blood Page #5

to lend us one of theirs.

Your Excellency,

facts are so often dull and deplorable.

Nevertheless, at the risk of boring you...

it is my painful duty to inform you

that 250 of my men...

are now complete masters

of the town of Port Royal.

Your most worthy islanders

have been disarmed...

and your city is now

absolutely in the hands...

of the forces of His Majesty

King Philip of Spain.

Now that you have our city,

what do you want with it?

For a price,

I could forebear reducing it to ashes.

-What price?

-200,000 pieces of eight.

200,000 pieces of eight?

That's why we waited till this morning

to put to sea.

We've a message for those Spaniards.

They are on their way now to receive it.

-Hagthorpe, man the guns!

-Clear deck!

-All ready, Hagthorpe?

-Aye, Peter, ready.

Give them a taste of their own iron!

You've done it, Hagthorpe!

Hurrah!

Didn't I tell you I was a gunner, sir?

You did that,

you son of a Yorkshire steer...

and bless your rusty heart,

it's a gunner you are!

lt's the Governor.

lt must be that some brave party

of citizens captured the ship.

I think you're right.

Someone should go aboard

and congratulate them.

Yes. My foot.

Since your gout so unhappily

prevents you, allow me to be the one.

Go ahead. You've always wanted

to be governor anyway.

Don't be nervous.

-Man those sweeps.

-Aye, sir.

-Shall we hoist anchor, Peter?

-Aye. Get under way.

There's another boat approaching.

lt looks like Col. Bishop.

-Who?

-Bishop.

The fool would come blundering

in just now.

-I'll make short work of him.

-No, Hagthorpe, none of that.

But.... Who....

Welcome aboard the Cinco Lagos,

Colonel darling.

You? Was it....

Peter Blood, was it you, then, who took

this ship and turned defeat into victory?

Myself it was. Myself and these,

my friends. And your friends.

And you saved my money, too!

-Yes, it was heroic.

-Heroic, is it?

lt was epic.

You amaze me.

On my soul, you deserve well.

You all deserve well.

-You shall find me grateful.

-How grateful?

I shall ask His Excellency to write home

to the King an account of your exploit.

Perhaps some of your sentencing

shall be remitted.

That's just about

what we expected from you.

Now, Wolf, Col. Bishop has a kind heart.

-But what kind, I'd hate to say.

-What is this?

Why, Colonel darling,

such unusual generosity from you...

must be making you feel unwell.

-As your physician, I'd prescribe--

-A bit of neck-stretching.

Lads, we shouldn't hang this man.

-No?

-No.

Tie him over the end of a gun!

I'll scatter his innards

all over the sugarcane field.

You're wasting words, I say. Hang him !

Wait, lads. Hanging's too dignified for him.

Can you swim, Colonel darling?

We're giving you the chance to cool off

some of that excessive heat of yours.

Over the side with him, men!

One, two...

three!

Peter Blood, I'll make you pay for this...

if I spend the rest of my life doing it!

And then the whale came,

and the whale swallowed Jonah. I hope.

Goodbye, Jonah. Don't forget to write.

What's the next move, Peter?

Up anchor! Wolf, man the capstan bar.

Hagthorpe, get the sails aloft.

Thomas, get those men over here.

Round you go, men!

That's no water wheel you're working.

-Can you handle it, Jeremy?

-Aye, aye, Peter.

We sail. Hard to starboard.

Up that rigging, you monkeys, aloft!

There's no chains to hold you now!

Break out those sails...

and watch them fill with the wind

that's carrying us all to freedom.

We, the undersigned...

are men without a country...

outlaws in our own land,

and homeless outcasts in any other.

Desperate men,

we go to seek a desperate fortune.

Therefore, we do here and now

band ourselves...

into a brotherhood of buccaneers...

to practice the trade of piracy

on the high seas.

We, the hunted, will now hunt!

To that end, we enter into

the following articles of agreement.

First...

we pledge ourselves

to be bound together as brothers...

in a life-and-death friendship...

sharing alike in fortune and in trouble.

Second article.

All moneys and valuables

which may come into our possession...

shall be lumped together

into a common fund...

and from this fund

shall first be taken the money...

to fit, rig, and provision the ship.

After that, the recompense each

will receive who is wounded as follows:

For the loss of a right arm,

600 pieces of eight.

Left arm, 500.

For the loss of a right leg, 500.

Left leg, 400.

A fellow can get rich if he's lucky.

Greedy.

lf a man conceal any treasure captured...

or fail to place it in the general fund,

he shall be marooned.

Set ashore on a deserted isle...

and there left with a bottle of water,

a loaf of bread...

and a pistol with one load.

lf a man shall be drunk on duty,

he shall receive the same fate.

And if a man shall molest

a woman captive against her will...

he, too,

shall receive the same punishment.

These articles entered into,

this 20th day of June, in the year 1687.

Now, men, you've heard the agreement.

lt's the world against us

and us against the world.

''His hand will be against every man,

and every man's hand against him.''

Genesis 16:
12.

Those of you in favor of these articles,

raise your right hands and say aye!

Aye!

Blood!

This impertinent,

ungoverned rascal must be eradicated.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Sinking Spanish ships

causes me enough embarrassment...

-but he sinks English ships as well.

-Yes, Your Majesty.

Cannot Gov. Steed do something about it?

He does his best,

but conditions on the island--

Silence, Willoughby! I'm not interested

in anything you have to say.

I know your feelings towards me.

Sunderland, what are you Secretary

of State for? Have you no solution?

-Yes, Your Majesty.

-Get your head off that hinge. Speak up.

Since Gov. Steed is incapable,

you should appoint a stronger man.

Who?

Col. Bishop assures me

that if he were in power...

he would not rest day or night...

until this Capt. Blood

was swinging on execution dock.

Angling for the office, is he?

What difference

if he's the iron man we need?

Draw up the appointment.

I've already taken the liberty of doing so,

Your Majesty.

Mrs. Steed, Mr. Steed,

I wish you both a pleasant journey.

I thank you, Governor.

Again, congratulations, Gov. Bishop.

-May your term of office be successful.

-Thank you, my friend.

Arabella dear,

have a nice holiday in England.

I'm sure I shall.

-Captain.

-Yes, sir.

-Keep a weather eye open for pirates.

-Very well, sir.

Before you return, Arabella,

I shall have the sea swept clean of them.

Particularly one.

I think you know whom I mean.

I hope he gets the gout

the infernal office gave me.

Come along. Goodbye.

Thomas Fulton. One share, no injuries.

James Graham. One share,

plus 100 pieces of eight for a pike wound.

Zachary Stevens.

For bravery at the battle of Maracaibo...

one share, plus 10 of silver.

Oliver Clark. One share, plus 400 pieces

of eight for the loss of his left leg.

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