Chapter One

Chapter One.

 

 The Belching Barfsniffer is becalmed on a gentle sea. Some of the crew dangle a line from the railing, while others lie about the deck. Even the gulls circling the ship seem lazier than usual.

In the captain’s cabin, the cabin boy is thinking life aboard The Belching Barfsniffer is grand. Perhaps you would, too. The Belching Barfsniffer is new, as far as pirate ships go, and she is the only pirate ship for miles with three masts.

The cabin boy is the youngest of the crew. He is simply called Cabin Boy, as no one knows his real name. No one knows his age, either - not even Cabin Boy. He joined the crew at seven, and has been three years at sea. An easy sum? It may be for you, but not for Cabin Boy. Few pirates can add.

Cabin Boy is tidying the cabin, as he does every morning. It often takes some time, for Captain Jigswiggle is messy, and his cabin is perhaps the largest on the sea.

On the wall of the cabin hang two pictures. Each is a painting of a sea-captain with a bald head, bushy eyebrows and a broad, blue-black beard - just like Captain Jigswiggle. One is labelled Captain Jigswiggle Senior. You might think it is a painting of Captain Jigswiggle’s father, but you would be wrong. It is his grandfather. The other picture is labelled Captain Jigswiggle Junior. That is Captain Jigswiggle’s father. As Cabin Boy straightens the paintings, he wonders if that makes the name of the present captain Captain Jigswiggle Junior Junior.

Cabin Boy clears the large desk to polish it, sorting as he goes. Soon he has several neat piles forming on the floor. There is a small pile of things worth keeping - papers, treasure maps, and a letter saying that The Belching Barfsniffer has been awarded Ship of the Month by the pirate committee. There is also a large pile of rubbish. Finally, there is a growing pile of soiled handkerchiefs - proof of Captain Jigswiggle’s nasty cold.

Now, if you were to roll back the rug in the middle of the room and lift the floorboards, you would find three large trunks. The trunks store the hoard of the Jigswiggles. The one on the left is filled to half with precious stones. They sparkle with all the colours of the rainbow. The trunk on the right is filled to half, too. In it are all manners of shiny things made from gold. The one in the middle? It is so full the lid barely closes. It is filled with fine clothing of satins and silks - clothing fit for a dame or a duchess.

One of Cabin Boy’s jobs is to keep the collection clean and in order. He polishes all the gold objects and all the precious stones once every day, except on Sunday. On Sunday, Captain Jigswiggle likes them polished twice.

Today - a Tuesday - is warm, and Cabin Boy sweats a little as he polishes the gold. Soon he is placing the last gold piece in the trunk. Tilting his head to one side, he takes a second to admire the gold. How pretty it is! How shiny!

Cabin Boy’s job is nearly done. Only one trunk is left. He opens the lid of the middle trunk. After removing a soiled handkerchief, he gathers up all the crumpled clothes and dumps them by his feet. Cabin Boy carefully folds them and returns them to the trunk. Then he stands, looking at the clothing. He is a little puzzled. The trunk seems a little less full than usual. He walks to the far side of the trunk, but it looks no different from there. Something is surely missing. Then, all at once, he knows what.