Rosebud Posted January 30, 2016 Posted January 30, 2016 The passage to Charlestown was swift, as a warm tropical breeze filled the sheets throughout. The crew handled the chores at sea without complaint, which was unusual, but expected. Dupree had added to their wages from his own pocket. First mate Hamilton proved a fine enlistment representative for Dupree’s command and the added incentive of better food (also paid for out of Dupree’s purse) was a deal clincher. The men were happy, the wind was favorable and the time passed swiftly. As was Dupree’s habit he kept a list of all the crew members in a separate log, along with comments. The ships log was public knowledge, the crew list was private. On this cruise two names stood out. The first was Quart master Gentrey. A quiet surly man, removed from the crew of his own accord. A quarter masters job is never easy and the pay determined by the deals you make to appropriate goods. Dupree had questioned the quality of the pigs Gentry had purchased. This did not set well with Gentry and from that moment own he spoke as little as possible to Dupree. As it turned out one of the pigs died shortly after they had put to sea. The second was a young lad named King. King had first caught Dupree’s eye as he scampered past him on a lower deck. He had come to a quick stop, saluted and then returned to his swift pace once Dupree passed. Dupree inquired about him and found out from several sources the King was a “wheeler-dealer.” “Why that lad could sell sea water to mermaids, but I’m a good dealer too. He’s never gotten the best of me in a trade.” said one. “Ye need sumtin…that thare be yer man, jus work him a bit and you’ll end up on top.” replied another. The only one that didn’t like him was the quarter master…but then he didn’t care much for anyone. “If yer interested in my opin captain…the lads a menace. They call him King Trader, but tween use, I’ve gotten the better of him in every deal.” Gentry then sniffed and smiled “Every time.” When Dupree called King to his quarters the young man seemed confident, but in a rush to get on with other engagements. He fidgeted a bit and looked about the cabin as if eyeing a candy store. His gaze lit upon quill pen set, placed at the forefront of Dupree’s desk. It wasn’t until well into the conversation that King brought it up. “Might I inquire sir as to that quill set” he pointed to it lightly. “you see sir…there is this crew member…Roberts sir, He’s a bit of a writer and pens stories for the crew to pass around, those of us that read that is. Well lately sir they have been hard to read on account of his quill being a bit old. Splotchy and wat-not.” He produced one of the stories from his shirt pocket and indeed the writing was nearly illegible. “Well sir, I noticed your violin’s missing a peg sir.” The peg had been missing for a month and difficult to obtain. Dupree had thought about leaving the instrument behind but brought it out of habit. “You can get this fixed Mr. King?” asked Dupree. “Aye sir…good as new.” exclaimed King. “For this quill pen?” Dupree laughed inwardly, this kid really was a clearly out of his depth when it came to making deals. Dupree had brought three quills with him so the loss of this one would not outweigh the acquisition of a peg for his violin. Dupree felt he was getting the better in this deal. “I’d be happy to make that deal crewman King” he said handing the King his quill from the well. As King was leaving the room Dupree asked him. “I’ve heard the crew say that they never get the bad end of a deal with you. How do you continue to operate at a positive when you make such…agreements?” King smiled shyly “Well sir…the truth is that Roberts will give me half his mess rations for the voyage, to get his hands on that quill.” He lied; Roberts would be forfeiting half his rum rations. “What does he care; he barely eats half of them anyway.” Another lie, Roberts was a veracious eater. “I’ll give a third of those rations to the carpenter to make you a new peg. The remainder will allow me to trade for other items.” By ‘other items’ he meant bribes and payoffs. “The trick you see sir, is to always make them feel that they’ve taken you…that they’re getting the better end of the deal. That way they always come back.” King said with a wink. “Just like you’ve taken me?” Dupree added as he looked over his reading spectacles. King was quiet. “Dismissed!” Dupree said casually as he lowered his head into the charts. He was just happy to be getting his violin back into playable condition. “I’ve noticed you’re missing a….” began King as he straddled the hatch. “Just the peg Mr. King…dismissed” ordered Dupree.
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