A Ship Cursed Part 4

During this time, some of the residents and I searched the vessel, and while there was evidence that there had been fighting on deck, below was very clean. The galley, other than the dishes, was spotless. There were no crumbs anywhere. This didn’t surprise us, because the young man had obviously not eaten in a long time. But what was odd was the total lack of spices: no salt, no pepper, none of the local herbs. All of these had been packed-so the supplier of the ship claimed. So where had they gone? Later, we found the empty bags that had held the salt, pepper, and the other spices. There had not been enough food on board for the crew to have used all the spices. This was most curious.

Since that day, no one has entered the ship, what weapons there were-the cannon, swords, and rifles-had been left to rot. The ship truly was cursed, indeed, everyone who boarded the ship with me that day has gone to sea, never to return.

Pierre claimed he was from Toulon, but his English was bad and my French only extends to telling thieves where to put it. He could have been saying anything. He didn’t much talk about the La Joya Del Sol, and if I’d ask him he’d retort with, “Va te faire foutre!” I haven’t a clue what it meant, but by his tone, and the accompanying gestures, there was little left to the imagination. Apparently, he was put into service by the Spanish as a dishwasher in the galley.

One day, I came home and he was gone. He had stolen several gold coins. I didn’t see him again for several months. I had not yet heard the rest of his story- and that of my son- so I looked for him everyday. This is what he told me, when I finally found him.