48 Hours a Day

“Just great! I hid with a pile of potatoes during my very first sea battle. All I heard was a couple of cannons being fired, and everything was over before I knew it. Now that everyone is celebrating the victory by having a feast, I have to stay here to cook for them.”

Harry complained while roasting the skewered whole goat over a flame.

“Didn’t you just eat two pieces of baked fish to stop your hunger?” said Ramsay while rubbing spices onto the roasting lamb.

“That’s different. Eating alone and celebrating with them are two different things. Damn it! I want to celebrate the victory with them too.”

Harry watched the pirates having fun, and he became envious of them. He heard Ramsay’s reminder when he turned around.

“Turn it over!”

Harry snapped out of it and turned the lamb around. Beside him, Ramsay was taking his time, dutifully sprinkling spices all over the meat.

“Mr. Ramsay, did you hear that the gold bars are at the bottom of the sea now? I think it’s not too far away from us.”

“So what?”

“Don’t you want to check it out? I have never seen so many gold bars in my entire life! It would be nice if I can get at least two of them.”

“Better scrap that idea, mate. There are patrols around the area all the time. The captains have agreed that they would assign someone to guard the spot every two hours to prevent the gold bars from being stolen. Didn’t you wish to stay on and become an official pirate? IF you are serious about that, there are tough rules aboard every pirate ship. Stealing and hiding loot is strictly prohibited. Grab its leg; I want to apply some honey.”

“I don’t think it matters anymore. That woman wants me off the ship the moment we are back in Nassau! I know that for a fact. She assigned me to wash the toilet and to help out in the kitchen, knowing that I hate these things. She is trying to force me to leave the ship. I’ve been calling her boss for a very long time. I have always been on her side when she got into fights,” Harry grumbled, his lips pursed while glaring at Anne.

“I think she is doing this for your own good. Okay. Turn it over. I’ll need the other leg.”

“Yea… yea. Everyone says that.”

Harry was distracted. Suddenly, he rolled his eyes and pressed on his stomach.

“Ah, shit! I think I ate something wrong. My stomach is going crazy on me. I don’t think I can hold on any longer. I have to go and clear it out first.”

Immediately, Harry let go of the goat and ran away. He did not wait for Ramsay’s permission. This had Ramsay in a fit. However, he also knew that Harry was distraught tonight. The hearty laughter from afar probably triggered him, probably why he wanted to run as far as possible from the area. Understanding the young boy, Ramsay decided he would leave Harry alone for now.

Harry wasn’t heading towards the Spanish shipwreck. It was out of anger that he told Ramsay about stealing those gold bars. In fact, he had no intention to do something like this. Even without pirates guarding the place, Harry figured he couldn’t possibly dive that deep to pick up those gold bars. Besides, there was no place for him to hide on the open beach as well. If he attempted to steal the gold bars, everyone would be able to see him even from a distance.

Having no heading in mind, Harry walked on, just wanting to get away from the crowd. Before he knew it, he had no idea where he was and how far he’d wandered away. There were tall trees on Parrot Island, and every path he took looked precisely the same. At that moment, Harry began worrying that he might be lost. So, he randomly chose a heading and continued walking along with it. An hour later, he finally saw the sea. He sighed, breathing deeply, taking in the smell of the salty sea. It appeared his mood was finally getting better. Without him even realizing it, he had gotten to the other side of Parrot Island.

Following the coastline, he walked for at least two hours before he got back to where he started. It would be midnight by the time he rejoined the Jackdaw’s crew. His own hastiness had led him to go for wool and come home shorn. The more he thought about it, the angrier he felt. The pirates were feasting on the barbequed lamb and chugging rum as if it was seawater. No one even noticed that he was gone. Harry was at the age where he yearned for recognition, unhappy that he was being treated like an insignificant little man. In angst, he kicked a stone, watching as it flew away from him.

That was when he saw something shocking.

It was a little boat. Harry rubbed his eyes to make sure it wasn’t an illusion. There were about seven people on it, and they were rowing towards the beach as fast as they could. Harry instantly realized that something wasn’t right. Other than the pirates patrolling the sea in their small boat, the rest were celebrating on the beach. This wasn’t the area where the Spanish treasure ship sank, and it didn’t make sense for the patrols to come all the way here. Where did they come from? Were there other people on this island? Why were they in a mighty rush?

Logic told him that he should inform Anne about what he saw. Just when he was about to go get a better look, someone pushed him from behind! Harry fell down the cliff he was on, screaming for dear life.

…….

On the other side of things, Anne was drunk, and someone wanted to challenge her. As she turned around, she saw that Harry was not with Ramsay. Immediately, she quickly walked to him and asked him where the boy was.

Ramsay was extremely busy, having just finished roasting two whole goats. Now he needed to cook a dozen rabbits.

“Why are you alone? Where is Harry? Is he getting lazy again?”

“He told me that his stomach was acting up earlier. I think he went to relieve himself. Speaking of which, he’s been gone for some time. Now I’m starting to worry.”

“There’s nothing to worry. I’m pretty sure the lazy thing was just looking for an excuse and slacked off somewhere. I asked my men just now. They told me the island is free from ferocious beasts. He should be safe.”

“You’re right, but night has fallen. What if he’s lost?”

“Hmm. At his level of intelligence, that might actually happen to him.”

“What happened?” asked Zhang Heng who was walking toward them.

“Harry is missing. I’m planning to go into the woods to look for him.”

Anne cracked her knuckles loudly as she talked, garnering stares from everyone around her.

“He better pray he doesn’t cross paths with me!”

“I will go with you. After all, he is a pirate of the Jackdaw,” said Zhang Heng.

“This is exactly why I refused to bring him on our voyages. He gives me nothing but a shitload of trouble.”

Not wasting any time, Zhang Heng and Anne began looking for Billy. At the same time, a dozen sober pirates were also commissioned to search the entire island.