[Man] The ship's comin'in.
The ship's comin'in.
Hey, nipper.
Where's everybody goin'?
The privateer ship's comin' in.
The Mermaid.!
- It's tyin'up.!
- Come on. Let's go!
The ship's comin' in!
Hey, home port
never seemed so good, eh?
- No sight of me old lady.
I'm guess I'm in luck.
- [Laughing]
Ship's comin'in.
Ship's comin'in. Ship's comin'in.
Women! Let me at 'em!
[Laughing, Chattering]
Boat comin' in.
- Three years it's been.
- Looks like all the lassies
in London come down to meet us.
Don't keep 'em waiting.
I'll pipe you ashore, mates.
Hold it!
You sailors
stand where you are.
You are Captain Bart Paxton?
- I am.
- To Bart Paxton,
master of the Mermaid...
commissioned privateer by order
issued under the authority
of his gracious majesty...
Charles II, your ship
is declared quarantine.
No officer or crew may leave ship
under penalty of naval law.
Except you, sir.
Have the goodness to accompany me.
Have I any choice?
No, sir. A carriage is waiting
for you on the dock.
After three years
on a scurvy deck...
they'll not keep me
out of London tonight.
- Me, neither.
- I'll nip a herring in Gin Lane
or know the reason why.
I'll jump ship!
Go over the side and you'll
part company with me.
I'm pledged to obey
Admiralty orders.
But, Captain, we've been six month
without sight of a female!
If I can't pipe us ashore,
we'll pipe them aboard!
[Cheering]
[Chattering]
Ho there, Kipper.
You're a bit young for that party.
I think you'd best go with me.
- Where to, sir?
- I don't know.
That seems to be
the red coats' secret.
- You want me, Captain?
- No.
The boy is going with me.
Do I need an escort
to a dingy rum house?
A certain gentleman acquaintance
of yours is waiting
for you inside, Captain.
Right this way, please.
- You'd better stay here, Kipper.
- Aye, aye, Captain.
In here, sir.
Sir Francis Crawford!
Bart, you young scoundrel.
Sorry to use these cloak-and-dagger
tactics to get you here. But, uh...
what I have to tell you is not exactly
official Admiralty business.
Thought you were still
royal governor in Madras.
I'm dry-docked to the Admiralty now.
Sit down, Bart. Sit down.
Glass of sherry?
Bart, I've an assignment
for you in the West Indies.
It's going to make what we did
in Madras look like child's play.
We scuttled a few galleons
together, didn't we?
[Sighs] There's no more adventure
since we've made the peace with Spain.
The armistice has changed
England's problems a bit...
but it hasn't
ended them.
You've heard
of Henry Morgan?
That blood-soaked pirate!
Surely you wouldn't be
asking me to serve with him.
No. Destroy him.
Morgan's returned to his
old trade... buccaneering.
I want you to
root him out ofTortuga.
Wipe his fleet from the seas.
[Inhales]
It might be done...
if I could muster some of
my old officers who served
with me when I was Royal Navy.
Gentlemen officers?
Pirates don't fight like
English gentlemen.
There are no rules of war
in Morgan's book.
The three gentlemen I'm thinking of
could sink the devil.
Then get them.
I've already ordered
your ship to be refitted.
Ha! Ah!
Kipper, do you think you
can find these addresses for me?
With my eyes closed, sir.
Ha!
[Man]
Stop, thief! She stole my purse.! Stop.!
- Stop, thief!
- You talking to me, mister?
Get in, fox. The hounds
are at your heels.
Let go of me,
you blasted gentleman!
Thank you, sir. Come on, you little
thief. It's the gallows for you.
Wait a minute.
The gallows?
- Just for stealing a purse?
- It's the law.
Get 'em!
They're working together.
I'll split you
from head to heart!
Watch out, bucko!
That's the way!
Come on!
Use your toad sticker!
Slit his gizzard! Come on!
You bilge rats!
[Laughs]
That dirty scum. He made me
spill all my coppers!
- Your coppers?
- Finders, keepers, says I.
Anyway, who's particular?
The law that
punishes petty thievery.
Who's a thief?
I am an actress.
With, uh, two very visible
assets I'd say.
[Bagpipe]
That's my ship.
You'll be safe enough now.
Oh! One piece of advice, though.
If you hope to continue
with your... your acting career...
you're gonna have to learn
to keep your hands in your own purse.
I'll do without
your advice, sailor.
And never fear...
The gypsy told me
I ain't gonna end on no gallows...
be whipped in no stocks or be
shipped to no colonies.
Because I'm smart,
that's what.
Hey! My name is Meg.
What's yours?
Nice meeting you. Good-bye.
[Chattering]
- The three gentlemen are waiting
in the wardroom, Captain Bart.
- Good lad!
Kipper, tell Bonnet to start
clearing the deck.
This hulk's beginning
to smell like Gin Lane.
Aye, aye, Captain.
Let's have another drink.
- Ahoy there, girlie.
- Let go of me, you blasted bilge rat.
Now, you wouldn't have let anybody
get away with that a year ago.
[All Laughing]
Percy. Dripping lace like an admiral's
gig. Would never have known you.
Any lady got her grappling hooks
into you yet, Reggie, my lad?
Oh, I can still outsail
the best of'em, Bart.
Well, look, never mind about us, Bart.
What brought you home so quick?
I have a need
for your talents.
I have a cruise in mind that'll take the
stench of the land out of your lungs...
that is if you, uh, still
have the stomach for adventure.
Oh! Soft!
[Laughs]
[Sighs]
Oh! Captain!
And me in my boudoir. But...
However... Oh.
Oh, please. Captain!
How can you
take such liberties?
But... However...
Mmm.
[Laughs]
[Chuckles]
But, Bart,
it makes no sense.
Only last year, the Crown was lavishing
honors on Henry Morgan.
Yes. Gave the cutthroat a knighthood
and a governor's palace.
Ayear ago, we were
at war with Spain.
England had no fleet in the Americas.
The Spaniards did.
We could've lost that war
3,000 miles from home.
Morgan was our only naval strength
in the Caribbean.
Ah. So, we had
to pay his price?
Now he's
more powerful than ever.
Only one out of every 10
of our own ships manages
to escape him in those waters.
Sheesh! Nine out of 10.
That's a pretty fat haul for Morgan.
[Gasps]
Lord love a duck!
Sparklers!
Fit for a duchess.
Too bad that blasted sailor
can't see me now.
[Giggles]
Our Crown colony ofJamaica
is starving. Not one ship
has gotten through in months.
Morgan's men patrol those waters
like a pack of hungry sharks,
devouring everything.
And he's turned the Island ofTortuga
into a buccaneer kingdom.
This Tortuga... is it too strong for
a British fleet to crack open?
If the Royal Navy were
to attack Tortuga...
Britain would be plunged
back into war with Spain.
Well, um, just exactly
what does Sir Francis expect us to do?
Acting on our own...
unofficially as privateers...
we can provision Jamaica
then smash Morgan.
One old ship and
half a hundred men...
to conquer
a pirate kingdom?
That from the best
gunnery officer in the Royal Navy.
We fought odds almost
as great before.
And the Mermaid's being fitted with new
cannon and all the powder she can hold.
Well, it's impossible,
of course, for anybody but us.
What happens
if we get caught?
If we got caught,
the Admiralty won't be able...
to pull our chestnuts
out of the fire this time.
And if we succeed?
There will be
no reward too great.
I have that on the word
of Sir Francis Crawford himself.
Any more questions?
When do we
up anchor, Captain?
We sail with the tide.
[Door Opens]
Oh, Captain.
You startled me.
But... However...
Get out of my bed.
- On your feet and fast!
- Don't you talk to me like that!
That ain't the way
to get on my good side.
Who invited you
into my cabin?
I invited myself.
That butcher
was waiting at the dock.
You wouldn't want me
chopped into a sausage, would you?
[Laughing]
- It might be an improvement.
- What's the matter with you?
Ain't I swell enough for you now
that you've got a good look?
I am what I am
and I'm proud of it!
There's duchesses
that's got no more than me.
Some I've seen had less.
Put me in silk.
Give me a little jewelry.
You couldn't tell me
from a fine lady.
Well?
Cat got your tongue?
Could you tell me
from a lady?
It, uh, takes more than
silks to make a lady.
What's a lady got
I ain't got?
Something... Something in her manner
that makes a man take off his hat.
All the silks of Cathay
on you...
and you'd still
be what you are.
Common?
Let's say... untaught.
Listen, you blowfish. I'll see the day
you doff your hat to me! That's what!
Anything is possible.
In the meantime, here's half-a-crown.
Take it and...
You grubby smelt!
You fancy barnacle!
Bilge rat!
You have a pretty salty vocabulary
for a street duchess.
I rather like you
in a rage.
Oh, yes?
Then you're going
to fall in love with me!
[Laughing]
- If she doesn't leave soon,
drop her over the side.
- Aye, aye, sir.
- But, uh, take care. The lady has claws.
- Aye, aye, sir.
Brushin' me off
with a half-a-crown.
Half-a-crown?
Common, says he.
Oh, Meg!
The sight of you
would melt an earl!
Or maybe a king.
[Man]
Let go top gallants.!
Make fast forwardjib.
[Man #2]
Delay main brace.
Port gunman at the ready.!
Port batteries loaded
and ready, Lieutenant.
- We'll dispense with naval rank
this cruise, Bonnet.
- Aye, aye, sir.
Chain bolts on number three.
They're too loose.
Gunner, your slow match is too short.
Could blow your head off.
Percy...
you look a sight more seaworthy than
the London dancing master who signed on.
A whiff of salt
and I grew back my fins, Bart.
Can you lend me
another powder monkey?
- Kipper!
- Aye, aye, sir.
- Lend a hand.
- Aye, aye, sir.
I say! Is somebody
boarding the ship?
Pee Wee giving some
pointers to the crew.
[Grunting]
Very good.
All right now, gentlemen.
Enough of the finesse. I can't tell you
how to use one of these things.
You all know that.
Otherwise you wouldn't be on this ship.
But I can tell you the gentlemen
we are going to meet...
within the course
of the next few days...
have no set of rules
when it comes to deck-fighting.
So when there are no rules,
you make up your own.
And here are one or two
that may be useful to you.
We'll try you.
Now, wait. Wait. Whoa, whoa. Now,
now just relax and take it easy. Huh?
Now hold that.
Now that...
is lesson number one...
never trust anybody.
Now gimme the pigsticker.
And that is
lesson number two.
Never turn your back
on anybody.
Remember, men, the next time
won't be practice.
So lively does it!
Range 200,
on the up wave...
fire!
[Cheering]
Not bad for a beginning.
Now, for the starboard guns!
[Meg]
Let me out.! Let me out ofhere.!
Let me out, you bilge rats.!
Open it up.! Let me out.!
Let me out.! Let me out.
Let me out.!
Open it.! Let me out.!
Let me out! Let me out
of here! Let me out...
I thought there was a battle.
[Bart]
All right. Topside, you.
I told you to
drop her off at the dock.
There was no sign of the lass
in your cabin afore we shoved off.
I had no wish to sail
on your rotten boat.
But that butcher was waiting
on the dock to slice my gizzard.
- What are you doing in that dress?
- I didn't steal it.
Just wanted you to see
I could look like a lady.
Well! Personal cargo, Bart?
Stowaway!
Of course, you could, uh,
put her over the side in a longboat.
She might drown!
Or worse, she might not.
I'd drop you over the side
but you'd only poison the fish.
- I don't mind a short sea voyage.
- You've got one!
Three months.
Three months! Just where do you
filthy swabs think you're taking me?
You're on your way
to the colonies, my girl.
The colonies!
You'll take your meals with us.
You'll sleep...
There's a sail locker
under the wheel deck.
It's yours till we
put you ashore in Jamaica.
What do you expect me
to do in Jamaica?
Use those brains
you're so proud of...
and you'll stand a better chance
of avoiding the hangman's rope...
- if you'll stop trying
to look like a lady.
- Why, you dirty kidnapper!
Your quarters!
Stay in 'em!
With pleasure. And just see that you
and your other bilge rats stay out!
One other thing...
Wash your face, lady.
- [Grunts]
- [Laughing]
Go ahead and laugh,
you grinning hyenas.
A trim looking
bit of goods.
Yes, and the longer we're at sea, the
trimmer she's going to look... to me.
The man that opens that door
gets himself a keg of trouble.
But you must admit, Bart...
that little trouble
has a well-turned ankle.
The starboard cannon have a well-turned
barrel, Gunnery Officer Percy.
I wonder if she'd like
to learn the minuet.
[Chuckling]
[Sobbing]
What did I do now?
Why, you didn't do anything.
You just entered the room.
- Oh.
- You sit there.
Are you swabs going to do that
every time I get up?
- It's customary.
- When a lady rises. Sit down, gentlemen.
A bit of, uh, chicken,
my little dove?
Uh-uh, uh-uh, uh-uh.
Sweet child...
a lady, when she drinks,
holds her glass so.
With the little pinkie
raised so.
You're wasting your time,
Mr. Gunnery Officer.
I think she's
doing rather well.
Him? He wouldn't know a lady
if she up and bit him.
Ladies don't bite.
This one does. And you've
got the marks to prove it.
[Meg Laughing]
[Bonnet]
Three passes in a row the lassie's made.
One more, and I'll
have your pantaloons!
Come on. Get your
coppers down, mates.
- Here's 10!
- Here's five shillings.
You cannot beat that, lass!
- [Laughing]
- I never seen such luck.
A run of fantastic luck
for a ruddy fact.
Which I'll put an end to.
Back to
your quarters, men.
A lady doesn't crawl around
on the decks dicing with the crew.
Why, you blabbermouthed slob!
I won honest. Really I did!
Neither does a lady go around calling
people "blabbermouthed slobs,"
"stinking squids"
or "blasted swabs!"
One of the crew said
you was a king. Are you?
In my land, I was a king with
20,000 warriors at my command.
Then, tell me, what
makes a girl a lady?
You know, what they
doff their hats to?
I'm not sure I'm the right king
to answer that question.
Ain't kings and ladies
the same wherever you find them?
- That may be true.
- Well?
I been improvin'
my manners some.
Manners are what you wear
on the outside, like clothes.
But thinkin' of other people
before yourself...
tryin' to help them,
that comes from the inside.
Yeah? And what will they be doing to you
while you are tryin' to help them?
Do unto others...
Yeah, I see.
It's supposed
to work both ways.
No, now, look, Meg. You
haven't quite got it right. Look, um...
You give me the fan.
I'll show you.
Now, first of all, when a lady wants
to attract a gentleman's attention...
she must
flip the fan so...
and then walk so.
[Laughs]
Flutter the fan...
and then flutter
the eyelids so.
See? Now you try it, huh?
That's... No, no. Wait a minute.
Look. You haven't got it right.
Just, um, get the, uh,
around this way a bit.
Mm-hmm.
That's it.
Now, we, uh, hold
the fan there. That's it.
Now, uh, flutter it.
There you go.
That's it.
See, you learn so quick,
don't you?
I appreciate all you're
tryin' to learn me, but...
do you have to wrestle
while you show me!
Trade that fan in
for a musket, Pee Wee.
You're in charge
of target practice.
Now!
We shall continue the lesson
on the afterdeck tonight.
Now, my little dove...
we left off our last lesson with
the more intimate steps of the minuet.
Come along, child.
Does this go
with the minuet?
Like fish goes with chips,
sweet child.
The blending
of our inner souls.
Inner souls, my foot!
Lieutenant!
There are some nine-pounders
on the gun deck...
that are more in need
of your attention than this baggage.
No need to be so rough
on the girl, Bart.
I'm running a fighting ship,
not a finishing school!
Aye, aye, sir.
[Whispers] See you
on the afterdeck tonight, pigeon.
When I told you to stay away from
my crew, that meant my officers as well.
- Your jealousy is showing, Captain.
- [Laughing]
That's more like it.
You haven't changed.
I ain't a lady, yet,
but I'm learnin'.
Just what have you
learned so far?
That there is other people
in the world to think of besides myself.
But it's supposed
to work both ways.
Everybody on this ship
has tried to help me but you!
- You ain't learned me nothin'!
- I haven't taught you anything.
That's what I said!
"Taught you."
Not "learned you."
Taught me?
And you'll find a clean change of linen
in my sea chest.
Thanks, Bart.
"Fair lady of the..."
Waves! Waves.
[Laughs]
"We are your devoted... slaves."
Yeah, that's good.
Terrible! No wonder
you're still a bachelor.
- Looking for someone?
- Just seeing to the powder and shot...
- Moonlight inspection, eh?
- Yeah.
And what's the wine for?
Priming the cannon?
[Bagpipes]
[Laughing]
Well, that does it!
Gentlemen, seeing the young lady
has been untrue to us all...
shall we drown
our tears together?
- Right.
- Aye.
Sail, ho!
- Whereaway?
- Off the starboard quarter.!
Big in the belly
and a double row of gunports.
- It's one of Morgan's flotilla!
- At last! We're in luck.
She'll sight us in a minute.
Sail hands aloft!
The rest of you men man your posts
and stay out of sight!
- Pee Wee!
- [Pee Wee] Aye?
- The deck's yours, poet.
- Get those women topside on the double.
Bart, I want you to know
that only for England would I do this.
A Levantine trader.
Seen a lot of'em...
when I was combing
the Mediterranean with Morgan.
Slow and cranky
by the looks of it.
Steerin' like
a mud turtle.
[Chuckles] Take a look at what
she's got for a captain.
Oh, it's plain to see he's
no Siamese fighting fish.
He wouldn't be this far from
home if they weren't loaded to
the gunwales with a rich cargo.
We'll lighten her load.
Cut out the sails!
Hoist up theJolly Roger!
We'll scare the juice out of'em.
[Laughs]
They're closing
under full sail.
Ha, ha, ha, ha
Hee, hee
Bart? Bart?
Bart. Psst.
[Whispering]
Bonnet.
Throw her
in the brig.
What in the flaming
blazes did I do now?
Come along, girls.
Your promenade.
Go! Get... Come on.
Get in there, now.
Let me out! Let me out!
Let me out, you scurvy swine!
Roll out the red carpet.
Oh, it'll be red all right.
Gammel, spill the wind
out of her sails so they can catch us.
Let me out!
Now, stop. Stop in the name
of the king. Stop.
I'm Montbars. The barracuda
of Sir Henry Morgan's flotilla.
- Don't you wave that...
- Surrender your ship,
or we'll scuttle ya.
P-Please have mercy, sir.
Please.
I mean, I'm-I'm just Pee Wee...
A poltroon. You know...
- just a very peaceful man.
- [Laughing]
And-And-And nothing...
This jellyfish looks
soft enough to eat!
Aaah!
L-Look, we have
a very rich cargo.
S-Silks and s-spices and...
[Laughs]
And spices and-and-and...
Perhaps we could make a bargain.
A bargain?
What kind, pip-squeak?
[Laughing]
- What kind ofbargain?
- This kind...
[Swords Clattering]
Are you gonna
open this, pig?
Hey!
Hey!
Hey, when you're through
with your practicin',
will you open this blasted door!
[Clattering Continues]
I rolled their cannon
over the side, Bart.
Hated to see 'em go, but
we've no space on our decks.
I've a mind to cut off your ears
as a present for Henry Morgan.
But that's a privilege
he may be wanting for himself.
Now get back
aboard your ship.
You gonna sink us
with all hands?
No. Send you
back to Tortuga.
You have enough canvas left if you
don't run into weather...
and enough food and water
so you don't starve or choke.
Why are you
being so generous?
Take a message to Morgan.
The king of the ocean sends his
compliments to the king ofTortuga.
Tell him I'm selling my cargo
and yours in the market
atJamaica for a fancy price.
Then I'll be back
for another load.
Bonnet! Pipe the barracuda
aboard his ship.
That'll twist Morgan's tail
for him, eh, Bart?
Luck played with us.
But it'll take a lot more than
a masquerade to smash Morgan.
All right, men,
let's clear these decks!
- It looks like a thieves' market.
- [Bonnet] All right. Hop to it, mates.
All right. Out.
Very considerate of you,
Captain.
Just because I've become a lady
don't mean I'm so delicate
you have to lock me up...
every time you hold
target practice.
These men weren't
wounded in practice.
What happened?
We were attacked
by one of Morgan's ships.
- You were protecting me.
- If you'd stop preening
yourself long enough...
so you could see further
than your own reflection in a glass...
maybe you'd make yourself
useful for a change.
I didn't grow up in the streets without
learning how to patch a busted noggin.
That is, if you don't mind
my lending a hand.
I'd be grateful
for the help of a real lady.
It's the Chepillo right enough. Sneaking
home with her tail between her legs.
The barracuda's gonna have
some mighty tall explaining
to do to Morgan, I'm thinking.
[Laughing, Chattering]
Go on! Go!
[Growling]
- [Growling]
- [Yells]
I'll wage you 10 pieces of eight
on the slave, milord.
Always an eye
for the big muscles, eh?
[Yells]
Go on! Get him!
[Shouts]
If he wins,
can I have him?
Which one,
the man or the bear?
[Laughing]
You ain't
won yet, my love.
Get him!
[Laughing]
Ten pieces of eight,
Lola, my girl.
That's the Morgan luck
for you.
From what the Ogeron reports,
someone's drawn the barracuda's teeth.
A milksop merchantman.
The Mermaid.
- We boarded her and walked into a trap.
- Aye. That it was, Sir Henry.
As bloodthirsty a crew
as any in the brotherhood.
They was in hiding and jumped us.
Cut us down before we had a chance.
And yet left you alive
to come slinking back here...
to Tortuga with your tails
between your legs.
Aye, with a message
from the captain of the Mermaid.
King of the ocean,
he calls himself.
He said to tell you that he'd take
the booty he filched off us...
and sell it at
the marketplace atJamaica.
And then he'd come back again
for another cargo.
We gonna let this king of the ocean
do this to us, my love?
You blasted idiot! I've a mind
to sling you up from your own yardarm...
for letting this mountebank
slip through my blockade.
King of the ocean, eh?
Well, we'll soon see how long
he keeps his crown.
- Could by one of Morgan's ships.
- Nah, her flag is British.
A British ship.
Fat with cargo by the looks of her.
How did she slip
through the blockade?
- Make fast fore and aft.
- Here, lad. Catch this line.
Green lines out.
Standby to take
a line there.
Make fast mooring lines,
fore and aft!
Well, Jamaica seems
mighty pleased to see us, Bart.
They'll be a lot happier
when they see the supplies
we've got in our hold for 'em.
Make that forward line
a little tighter.
Percy, I'd better get those
bills of lading ashore...
before these good citizens
attack us.
- Take charge.
- All right.
- Stealing?
- No, just looking.
It's beautiful.
Must be worth a fortune
since you keep it so special.
It's worth more than money.
It's my mother's.
Morgan's men overlooked it when they
boarded the ship she was sailing on.
Did-Did your mother
escape, Bart?
My mother was still
a beautiful woman.
Morgan carried her
to Tortuga.
She died there.
It cuts deep, don't it?
I think it won't be long before I settle
accounts with Henry Morgan.
- [Reggie] The merchants
are getting impatient.
- Coming!
You can, uh, keep that
finery you're wearing.
Oh, l...
I couldn't. Really.
But however...
Oh, uh, sail clear
of butchers armed with cleavers.
With love to Lady Margaret.
I'm thinking you'll be
coming after me, Captain Bart.
- Say, who's captain of this ship?
- I am.
My name's Randolph.
Buy and sell everything.
Biggest merchant in the colony.
- Stevens here. Tailor.
- Did you bring any cloth?
Jason. Shoemaker.
I need leather badly.
Hawkins here. I'm a baker.
Did you bring any flour?
You'll all get a chance to bid on our
cargo as soon as it's cleared Customs.
I'll handle that for you.
Buy your whole cargo at your price...
- and take care of Customs
out of my own pocket.
- Out of our pocket, you mean.
- When we have to come to you to buy it.
- Give us a chance to bid.
[Men]
Yes, give us a chance to bid, Captain.
[Randolph] You'll find Jamaica near
starvation thanks to our governor here.
- Is this your ship, sir?
- The Mermaid, out of London.
Captain Paxton.
- Percival SmytheJones, my mate.
- At your service, sir.
And I'm Sir Thomas Modyford,
royal governor ofJamaica.
Captain, yours is the first ship
to make its way through
Morgan's blockade in months.
Our own merchants refuse
to send their ships out of this harbor.
To lose them
to the pirates?
They'll rest safer
in port, thank you.
The pirates gave you
no trouble, sir?
None we weren't
prepared for.
It appears you came through
without a scratch.
A few bites. But Montbars, the
barracuda, came off the worse for it.
Captain Paxton here had more luck
than your flotilla, Sir Thomas.
Morgan's ships jumped my fleet
before the wind had caught the sails.
They have an efficient
spy system here in Jamaica.
I thought it was England's policy
to keep hands offTortuga.
Paper policy
may do for London, sir.
But it is not mine to cringe under
piracy without striking a blow.
Let's get down to business.
If you'll just give me
your bills of lading, Captain.
Sir Thomas, as a merchant
I must turn a profit...
but I'll not trade
on human misery.
I'll be grateful if you'd
accept the responsibility...
for seeing to it that
my cargo's distributed at a fair price.
- Gladly, but...
- It seems the quickest way...
to get it to those
who need it the most.
I promise you speed
and fair dealing, sir.
And I promise
you're a fool, Captain.
As soon as we've dropped cargo,
we'll set sail...
and try and get another
shipload through to you.
You're a brave man, Captain Paxton.
Generous and brave.
I hope my luck holds.
- Thank you, Captain.
- Thank you, Captain.
Gentlemen, your help will
be appreciated to set a fair value...
on Captain Paxton's
merchandise.
- That we will, sir.
- We will, sir.
I shall clear this with
the Customs inspector at once.
Sir Thomas, excepting for one flaw,
you'd be a first-class governor.
You trust people.
Has it crossed your mind that this man
Paxton may be one of Morgan's men?
Does it seem reasonable
that one of Morgan's spies...
would go to that length
to gain our confidence?
Highly reasonable.
When only one ship in almost a year...
has gotten past
Morgan's blockade...
and her captain can hardly
wait to put back to sea.
I, for one, would like to know
something more about him...
before I give him
my full trust.
Good day, Sir Thomas.
- Meg, I hear you're leaving us.
- So the captain has told me.
But what are you
going to do in Jamaica?
I might return to
my career in the theater.
Here. Here's a sovereign,
just to help tide you over.
And here's another.
A lady should have money in her purse.
Thank you, sirs.
Welcome toJamaica, milady.
Can we be of any service?
Well, I'd like
to find an inn.
To be sure. To be sure.
Johnson, fetch a carriage.
Follow me, milady.
We shall start the distribution of
these goods first thing in the morning.
[Meg Screaming]
[Meg Grunting]
- Down that street! Hurry!
- [Screaming Continues]
Let go!
[Screams]
Help me get this lady
to the carriage.
The doctor said she'd be unconscious
for several hours yet.
There's no need for you to remain,
Thomas. I'll stay with her.
Thank you, Phoebe.
Lovely.
I wonder who
she could be.
Patience, Thomas.
The girl will tell us
soon enough.
I've seen more cheerful faces
dangling from a gallows.
It's just that,
well...
something's missing.
Yeah.
Little Meg.
I don't know. The ship
seems sort of... empty without her.
Quieter too.
It was a cruel thing,
Bart...
to set a poor, defenseless creature
adrift in a strange port.
Don't you worry about Meg.
She can take care of herself.
Let go of me!
Let go of me!
- She's coming around.
- Poor little thing.
Miss. Miss!
- Miss...
- Lady Margaret.
That wharf rat,
he hit me! He...
[Thomas]
It's all right, Lady Margaret.
Try not to think of it,
Lady Margaret.
You're safe here with us.
I'm Thomas Modyford,
governor ofJamaica...
and this is my cousin's widow,
Phoebe Weldon.
You've been unconscious,
my dear, but the doctor
says you'll be fine after a rest.
How... How did I get here?
Later. You still have
some recovering to do.
Try to sleep.
Phoebe will stay with you.
You're very kind.
And you are very lovely,
Lady Margaret.
Thomas, where do you think
she came from?
We've heard nothing
of the arrival of a Lady Margaret.
[Thomas] I'm sure
there's a very simple explanation.
Her confusion
is quite natural, Phoebe.
The doctor said she might
suffer a loss of memory.
The doctor ordered rest,
Lady Margaret.
I'm Lady Margaret.
Yes, so you've told us.
What a beautiful necklace.
An heirloom?
Yes. It belonged to my mother.
[No Audible Dialogue]
[Harp]
Customs must have
changed in London.
When I left,
backgammon was all the rage.
I win again. That's 14 pounds
you owe me, Sir Thomas.
[Chuckles]
Our doctor hopes that as
the effects of the blow clear up,
you will remember everything.
But I don't want to.
I don't want to remember anything
that happened before I came here.
I'm glad.
It's your turn
to shake the dice, Sir Thomas.
But... However...
Perhaps you'd rather like
to take a stroll in the garden?
The king of the ocean.
Run up the signals!
If it weren't
for Morgan's orders...
I'd throw a broadside
into his hull.
Well, if he doesn't answer our signals,
let's blow him apart.
They're signaling us
to follow them, Bart.
Could be a trap.
Follow them,
Mr. Gunnery Officer.
Follow them
and we'll find out.
But keep
your powder dry.
Tell Morgan
he's got a royal visitor.
Drink with them,
joke with them...
but above all, keep your wits about you
and a sharp eye open.
When we leave Tortuga...
this map will have to
show fortifications...
number and position
of cannon...
powder magazines,
arsenals...
the best landing places
and routes of approach.
Everything that we'll
need to know for an invasion...
and we have to carry it
all in our heads.
That's rather
a large order, Bart.
Not if we split memory
four ways.
Pee Wee, check the fortifications.
Percy, the gun positions.
Powder magazines and arsenals,
Reggie.
I'll take the landing places
and routes of approach.
Good luck, gentlemen,
and remember...
in Tortuga
we are not gentlemen.
King of the ocean, eh?
Have we met before?
- Did you ever ship under me?
- Ship under you!
[Laughs]
Well, not unless
you're the king of England.
I served him for a while,
then I went back to serving myself.
If I were king of England,
you wouldn't serve me.
You'd be my partner.
Your partner?
Sink me if I don't
admire your gall.
This way, Your Majesty.
After you,
Your Majesty.
This is the captain
of the Zuyder Zee.
He claims the Dutch governor
of Curacao will pay his ransom.
Well, for your sake,
I hope you're right...
because it's either ransom
or the rope.
Sir Henry is so softhearted
with sailors.
We have no market here
for white slaves...
or for our plundered
cargoes either.
But there is...
a rich market...
and only I hold the key.
Out! Everybody out!
Not my captains!
Captains stay.
Now, Paxton, you've been my guest
for a while...
and we've done our best
to treat you... royally.
- True?
- That you have.
You've entertained us
like visiting sultans.
But I didn't come here
on a pleasure cruise.
I didn't think you had...
otherwise my forts would have
sunk you in the harbor.
When you looted the barracuda's ship,
you hurt my purse...
not to mention my pride.
Bring Sir Henry
a little balm for his pride.
What did you
send them for?
Sir Henry,
I don't think you trust me.
Oh, like
my own right hand.
Here's your tally book,
Captain.
If you'll put
that pistol down a minute...
take a look at that.
On him,
you knuckle brain!
"Received from
Captain Montbars:
One gold ring with ruby...
90 pounds...
27 bolts silk cloth
at 22 shillings...
100 hogshead
of fine Canary..."
By the devil's teeth,
what's this?
Bookkeeping.
A complete list of everything
I received from you
and what it brought in Jamaica...
minus a small percentage
for my trouble, of course.
And here is your half share
of the partnership, Your Majesty.
In good coin of the realm.
Care to count it?
Well, split my skull!
[Laughs]
With what we've got
salted away here in Tortuga...
we can keep you busy
for the next 10 years...
- partner!
- [Both Laugh]
That's the last load.
Our holds are bulging.
And so will be my coffers
when you return, partner.
No chance you'd be forgetting
to do that, would there, now?
What, and lose another
rich cargo? No, Morgan.
I value our partnership
too highly for that.
Get those long boats
back to the ship.
[Chattering]
How about me making the run to Kingston?
You never take me anyplace.
How about me making the run to Kingston?
You never take me anyplace.
What do you mean? Didn't I
take you to the siege of Panama?
And keep your eyes off Captain Paxton,
or I'll lash the hide off your back.
Go on.
Back to the stronghold.
Now, there are four
six-foot walls about here.
Arsenal and
powder magazine here.
And here, two batteries
of nine-pounders.
Gentlemen...
that completes
a very pretty picture.
Now all we need
is an army and a fleet.
Let's hope we can convince
Sir Thomas to supply both.
Tonight I must insist upon pleasure
before business, Captain.
The Lady Margaret
is the most refreshingly
charming woman in the world.
Isn't she, Phoebe?
So you've said at least
10 times, Sir Thomas.
And that's the way
a man in love should feel, I'd judge.
Judge for yourself,
my friend.
[Footsteps Approaching]
Each hour increases
your beauty, Lady Margaret.
Captain Paxton,
the Lady Margaret...
my bride to be.
You said I'd be charmed.
I'm staggered.
She's kind enough to pretend
to enjoy our simple colonial life
after London society.
You look as though you've met
the Lady Margaret before, Captain.
Indeed I have.
The lady was a passenger
aboard my ship.
Splendid. Then you can clear up
the mystery still clouding
Lady Margaret's mind.
She received a blow on the head
from a dock ruffian and cannot
remember her last name.
Her name...
is Darcy.
Lady Margaret Darcy.
Oh, Darcy. Oh.
It all comes back to me now.
Oh, thank you, Captain.
You're a lifesaver.
Always glad to help a lady.
I cannot tell you how she has brightened
this gloomy palace.
And I am enchanted with the new
London expressions. So colorful.
Rather astonishing,
I'd say.
Isn't it time
for dinner, Thomas?
I'm sure Captain Paxton
would rather eat than chatter.
After dinner, I promise
to desert the ladies
and give business my full attention.
I'll assemble the Colonial Council here
tomorrow afternoon.
I hope they're as ready
for the fight as you are, sir.
Your map should put
some fire under them.
[Meg Whispers]
Bart.!
Bart, you're an angel.
And I like
the name of Darcy.
It was my mother's
maiden name.
Then you won't
give me away, will you?
I haven't yet decided,
Lady Margaret.
I didn't steal it.
I only took it
so you'd come after me.
Yet you used it to deceive
a gentleman.
You don't really intend
to marry Sir Thomas?
Why not?
No one else has asked me.
- He's a fine man, Meg, and...
- Meg is gone forever.
Don't you understand it?
I've changed!
Have you?
Lay off!
Lay off, you swab!
No, you shouldn't.
Now ask yourself
if it's Sir Thomas you love.
Hey!
You forgot your necklace.
It's my belief, gentlemen,
that this map...
will be the means
to destroy Morgan's stronghold.
But I'd be less than honest
if I didn't point out that
the cost may be high in men...
and in money.
One question, Sir Thomas,
before we risk either.
How was Captain Paxton here
able to map Tortuga...
when none of us had been able
to get within sight of it?
Can it be that he's secretly
on good terms with Morgan?
I remind you, sir, Captain Paxton
is a guest under my roof.
What better place for a Morgan spy
to hide than under your roof?
We know nothing of this man,
nor where he got his rich cargo.
It seems to me that it's quite possible
he leads us into a trap.
Your point would be well taken,
Mr. Randolph, with one exception:
I hear the captain has already
served the Crown as a privateer.
I say scratch a privateer
and you'll find a pirate.
Piracy's a serious charge, Mr. Randolph.
Are you prepared to back it up?
Piracy is no private matter,
Randolph.
If Captain Paxton is charged
with piracy, I will bring him to trial.
If he or any other man is found guilty,
I will hang him.
Are you prepared
to make a formal charge?
No. Not at this time.
[Major Fielding]
It would seem to me that...
if we are
to trust Captain Paxton...
we must also trust his plan.
And since there is no one here
with a better one to offer...
I suggest we back it with force.
What force? The militia can't be used
without breaking the treaty with Spain.
True enough,
but volunteers can go.
Give me 300 men
and the ships that carry them...
and I promise you
I'll smash Morgan's stronghold!
I'll get you volunteers
to fight Morgan.
And Mr. Randolph
will supply the ships...
by requisition
from the King's Crown...
ready to sail for Tortuga
tomorrow morning at sunrise.
I still don't like
the sound of it...
but I'll do my part,
gentlemen.
Lady Margaret...
you're keeping
Sir Thomas waiting.
Thank you, Phoebe.
- Montbars!
- Here!
Quickly, shove off!
[Percy]
Bart.!
- We're all ready here.
- Signal all the ships of the flotilla.
We sail at once.
- [People Whooping]
- [Clapping]
- [Drumming Continues]
- [Whooping, Clapping Continue]
[Chuckling]
[Chuckling Continues]
[Shouts]
[Meg Whooping]
- [Whooping Continues]
- [Whooping Intensifies]
Wait!
[Chuckling, Shouts]
I'll remain here.
[Grunting]
[Man]
Aw, come on.!
- Lady Margaret!
- [Man Shouts]
- [Drumming Stops]
- [Whooping Stops]
Lady Margaret...
what's the meaning
of this?
I knew your little game of playing lady
would start to wear thin.
Don't ladies dance
in Jamaica?
Not barefoot.
Your masquerade
fooled Sir Thomas, but not me.
I suppose you are going to tell him
the minute he docks.
That may not be necessary.
The flotilla won't return
for at least three weeks...
which should give you plenty of time
to pack your things and be gone.
Ha! You love him yourself.
That's how the wind blows,
don't it?
If I thought you were
really in love with Thomas...
I wouldn't raise a finger
to stop the marriage.
But I saw how you looked
at the long-legged sea captain.
Margaret, I know
where your heart lies.
You'll be happier
if you follow it.
Well, I was getting fedup
playing the lady anyway.
Don't worry.
I know when the keg's run dry.
He's all yours, milady.
Margaret...
if there's ever
anything you need...
Reggie, you'll take command
of the flotilla.
Stay just out of range
of the harbor cannon.
The rest of the force
will land here...
on the windward side
of the island.
Open fire at dawn
to cover the landing.
Right.
Broadsides at dawn.
- What about this wall?
Won't they sight us?
- I don't think so.
Anyway, the trees on that part
of the island are thick enough
to cover the landing party...
until you're practically
under the wall.
And might I ask what you will be doing
all this time, Captain?
Blowing up
the powder magazine.
The explosion will be
your signal to attack.
Won't you need
any men with you?
My chances will be
better alone.
We'll swing the cannons
tonight, Bonnet.
Aye, aye, sir.
Swing them tonight.
Tiny, make sure that all the crew
are in the first wave, will you?
- Gammel, see that the cutlass men
stay with me.
- Aye, aye, sir.
And my volunteers
will cover the landing party.
Just as I told you,
Sir Henry.
Your self-styled king of the ocean
has brought all his friends.
Let them land.
Come on! We're not here
by invitation, you know!
Come on!
Come on! Hurry up!
[Man]
Hurry up, before Bart signals.
Step lively, men. Got to
reach the wall before Bart signals.
Come on. Even it up.
- Bonnet!
- Aye, aye, sir.
Time to wake them up.
Give them a broadside.
- Starboard guns, fire!
- [Cannons Firing]
[Cannons Continue]
Well. So far
they've not seen us.
There's no sign
of a man on the wall.
I don't like waiting
like sitting ducks.
Sir Thomas, every moment we sit here
lessons our chance of a surprise attack.
I say move now!
A friend of yours just arrived,
Captain Morgan.
Only he used the back door.
All alone and heading for the arsenal.
- How do you want him, alive or dead?
- [Chuckling]
Mr. Randolph here
owes him several favors, I'm thinking.
Take him alive.
He deserves special attention.
Very good, Sir Henry.
You two, come on.
Very well.
Signal the attack.
[Cannons Firing]
Randolph.
So this is
Paxton's surprise.
The traitor has led us
square into Morgan's trap.
I wished to God I could
say you were wrong.
Randolph!
[Cannons Continue]
Aha!
The king of the ocean shouldn't leave
through a window like a common thief.
That fuse!
We've lost a lot of men, sir.
If that magazine
doesn't blow up, we're finished.
I shouldn't trust that captain of yours.
I need some volunteers!
- Command me, sir.
- Good. Get through if you can.
[Grunts]
[Men Shouting]
Fool! Could've had
a fortune in your grasp!
- They're still alive.
- Yes, side by side.
And that's the way
they will hang.
[Chuckling]
Two gallows.
Not very economical...
seeing they'll
only be using one.
I'll grant you
one virtue, Morgan.
You have no fear
of the rope.
I'll never end
on their gallows.
Influence,
that's what I've got...
in higher places than this
twopenny governor's palace.
The Crown still owes me
a few favors for services rendered
at Porto Bello and Panama.
And I've evened
accounts with you.
By damning me
at the trial...
by denying Randolph
was in your pay.
Well, I have
the devil's luck, you see.
I'll cheat
the hangman yet.
It would take more
than the devil, Morgan.
It would take an angel
to get either of us out of here.
I was told
you had left the island.
Not the island,
only the governor's palace.
But it's all
for the best.
- Lady Margaret... Meg...
- Don't say it.
I wasn't cut out to
be a governor's lady...
or any kind of lady,
I guess.
The only real thing
about me is this crest...
and it wasn't my mother
who wore it.
Why have you come back
to tell me this?
It wasn't easy.
You were the only man
who ever thought of me as a lady.
I'd like to have
left you with that.
But my cradle
was 100 gutters.
This crest belonged to Bart Paxton's
mother, who was killed by Morgan.
So you see, Bart had more reason
to fight them than to join them.
Perhaps Major Fielding's voice
was so loud at the trial
that it drowned out the truth...
and my own better judgment.
I'll review
the evidence at once.
I'll be going.
- You're in love with
Captain Paxton, aren't you?
- Perhaps.
Meg, where will you go?
How will you live?
I'm an actress.
I'll get along.
Please, give this back
to Captain Paxton.
Good-bye, Sir Thomas.
Jamaica will be losing
a fine lady.
At your suggestion, I had Major Fielding
search Randolph's house.
Where I found definite proof
he was in Morgan's pay.
My judgment of you
was too hasty, Captain.
My neck thanks you
for reconsidering, Major.
But, Sir Thomas...
how did you find out
about my mother?
From a lady...
who asked me
to return this.
- Stop, thief! Stop, thief! Stop!
- She stole my purse! Thief!
- Stop, thief! Stop, thief! Stop!
- She stole my purse! Thief!
- Let me go, you squid!
- [Crowd Shouting]
I warned you to sail clear
of butchers and meat cleavers.
- Bart!
- My lady.