Pirates of Savannah Trilogy: Book One, Sold in Savannah - Young Adult Action Adventure Historical Fiction by Tarrin P. Lupo
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Patrick was enjoying the cool air blowing. Even the sand gnats and mosquitoes had slowed their assaults for his blood. He was trying his hand at forging an axe head and was making fine progress when Archibald interrupted him, “Lad, it is about time me and you go have a drink." He then instructed his daughter to bring them a drink. The two men sat under the dogwood as Heather appeared with a bottle and mugs. She looked around cautiously and then poured rum into the mugs.
“Ah, lad! Here is some of the forbidden nectar of the Caribbean. Let us enjoy our sins against Oglethorpe,” Archibald mocked. He continued. “Lad, I put you in grave risk when I helped those Negroes. When we thought that bastard Kingsley was going to ascend on my daughter, you came to my family’s aid without question. You have given me the truth of your nefarious past so it is time you learned the truth about me.”
Feeling comfortable with Patrick and the rum, the master blacksmith let his brogue come out, “Me real name be Duncan and I am from the clan McIntosh from Inverness, Scotland. Life for me family was hard and miserable. We never owned anything. The bawdy English took so much, it kept us in squalor. I grew up a blacksmith like me father before me. He wanted to leave that hopeless life, so when the English outlawed Scots carrying weapons, he saw an opportunity to make money. He learned to make muskets, blades, axes and small shields called ‘targs’. He enlisted me help and I quickly grew competent in weapon crafting. Me father made a fortune but so much trade brought the eyes of the British on us. Because of this scrutiny, he gave me all his monies to go out and resupply our shop. One day when I came home, I found me whole family dead. Me father and me mother were hanging from our tree and me siblings met their deaths by fire inside our home, burned alive by British soldiers.”
His eyes filled with tears as he confessed, “It was a message to our town about what happens to arms dealers who defy his majesty. I immediately became a wanted man and was hunted. Me clan was outraged and demanded a reckoning. I talked them out of a war on the lobsterbacks. I would not let them spill the blood of me community and clan. Me clan smuggled me to Savannah with money from me father to start a new life. A few in Darien know me true self but I had to take on British mannerisms for safety. I changed me name and me voice to protect all those around me. I concede to live this way until I can escape the English warrant for me.”
“So are these your birth children?” Patrick questioned in surprise.
“No. I met Marian and her family when I arrived in Savannah in the Lord's year thirty-six. She was married to a Spanish trader who played both sides of the war but the Spanish executed him for selling stolen arms to the British and savages. Her family is not welcomed in the Spanish colonies or Indian Territory. We be a family of outlaws trying to make enough money to get far away from any government. We needed each other, so our marriage was a good fit. The bloodybacks ignored her warrant because her husband sold so many guns to them.”
Patrick sat stunned and speechless. He then put a comforting hand on Archibald’s shoulder and promised, “I will take this secret to the grave. And I wish there was a place that existed without some authority ruling over our freedom, my friend.”
"Do you lad? Well I have one more secret you might want to know. There are many others who feel as us, a whole underground world,” He smiled as he sipped his illegal rum.
“Will you teach me to make muskets and pistols now?” Patrick inquired.
“His royal majesty's men do not get alarmed when I make simple blades but they do not allow me to make muskets for anyone but their soldiers. I will teach you but if you’re careless, it ends with all of us swinging in the wind. We can only make them when no eyes be watching. Have you ever noticed it takes me weeks to fix a long firearm or a pistol? Working under the guise of fixing a redcoat’s firelock, I am allowed to secretly make another one in plain view without suspicion,” Archibald taught.
“So now we hang together my friend. You're invited to a secret meeting two fortnights from now. I hope you will join with others who feel the same as you about governments,” Archibald offered. Patrick nodded his head in acceptance as Archibald finished, “Oh! One last thing, it is no good making all these weapons if you can’t use them. Tomorrow we go hunting in the swamps.”
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Crack, BLAMM! The firelock blinded Patrick with smoke as it went off. He coughed and rubbed his eyes.
“Oops! I forgot to mention. You have to keep your eyes closed and hold your breath when you fire,” Archibald and the twins howled with laughter. "Maximilian, did he hit the pine?"
“No father," Maximilian shook his head. "I can’t find the shot anywhere.”
Firelock musket