The Adventurer (S2, E16)

  "LOOK OUT!" a voice behind Jim Harris called urgently. Jim turned around to see a blonde lion with a scruffy mane growling a few feet from where he was standing. Thoughts flashed through Jim's mind as he looked past the lion at the little man who had hollered the warning. Jim's eyes raced around trying to find an escape from his present predicament. At his left, Jim saw a long handled rake such as would be used for cleaning animal pens, and without another moment of hesitation, Jim grabbed the rake.
  "Get down boy!" he ordered the lion in a steady voice, but the lion raised his head to let out a loud snarl. Jim waved the rake in front of the lions face and again ordered him to retreat. This time, the lion paused, but began to back slowly towards the pen behind him. The little man quickly threw open the gate and together the two men encouraged the grumpy lion back into his pen.
  "That was a close one!" the little man said securing the locks on the gate. "But some mighty quick thinking on your part." He smiled up at Jim. Jim looked down at the little man's cheerful face. He was only about four and a half feet tall.
  "Thank you!" Jim said emphatically, "I never could have done it without you!"
  "If you don't mind my askin', what are you doing over here in the back part of the circus anyways?" The little man was curious.
  "A bit of a long story, but right now I'm here looking for a man named Carter. Arty Gordon sent me to find him." Jim said.
  The little man threw back his head and laughed. "Well, I'm Carter, and I'll guess that he sent you here for a job, right?"
  "That's right."
  "Well, you're not the first one he's sent to me, but you're the first one I've hired in a while! Most fellows comin' in here wanting a job don't know the first thing about animals, but I can see that you do!" He gave Jim a hardy pat on the back. (Much harder than Jim would have imagined that such a small man could do.) Then he led Jim away through the maze of tents to the place where he could begin working.
  "Well, I'm in!" Jim thought to himself quite proud of his abilities.

  Carter walked slowly away from where he had left Jim sorting feed. "That's a very strange man!" he thought to himself. "Just before I came, I saw a dark clad figure loosen the locks on the lion's cage and set him free. Someone is trying very hard to stop that man without getting caught!" Carter's face was twisted up as he thought on the mystery that had fallen into his lap. "I'm gonna need to talk to Arty!"
Too be continued...

The Adventurer (S2, E15)

  Jim Harris stood behind the two men, and looked into the round pen. The young man riding the horse had exceptional balance as he stood on the running horse. Jim pushed back his hat and looked on with amazement. His faced must have shown the rider how much he was enjoying the rider's performance, for the rider smiled pleasantly back at Jim. When the rider smiled at Jim, the other two men turned around to see what he had smiled at.
  "Hello, mister, is there somethin' I can help ya with?" asked the fellow wearing a brown corduroy blazer.
  "I'm Jim Harris, Jody sent me to find a mister Arty Gordon."
  "Well, I'm Arty Gordon. What do you nee ta see me 'bout?" he looked at Jim with a pleasant grin spread across his face. Jim smiled back at him, "I didn't need Jody's last name after all..." he thought.
  "I'm a magician, and I need a job. Jody thought you could get me one." Jim said. "Course I can do anything else. Feed animals or work equipment." Jim said. He shifted his weight nervously.
  "Well, I'm sorry to say that at this point I've got way too many magicians on my hands. I could put you on as help though. If you'd like, you can go see Carter, he's the one in charge of that sorta stuff." Arty said. "You'll prob'ly find him by the animal pens."
  "Thank, you, sir!" said Jim emphatically as he shook Arty's hand. 
  Jim walked casually towards the sounds of animals. He looked at the white washed wooden pens. Jim stopped in front of the pen where a large orange tiger was sunning himself lazily in a pile of fresh straw. He put his hands on the poles of the fence and smiled down at the beautiful beast. Suddenly Jim heard someone shouting behind him.
  "LOOK OUT!" the voice cried.
  Jim turned around to see a blonde lion with a scruffy mane growling a few feet from where he was standing...
To be continued...

The Adventurer (S2, E14)

  "Where would I find Arty Gordon?" Jim Harris asked the little circus man next to him.
  "He's over there in the big top watching some trick riders trying out. Tell him you're a friend of mine, and that I sent you." The little man said
  "Well, thanks pal, but I don't know your name." Jim called after him.
  The little man turned back with a big grin on his face, "My friends call me Jody." Then he disappeared around the maze of mobile home trailers and tents.
  "Jody what?" Jim asked himself a bit confused, but he turned to the direction of the tent. "Circus people certainly have their quirks!" Jim thought to himself. "I suppose private detectives aren't free from that assumption as well..." he laughed to himself.
  There was very little noise in the tent as Jim approached it. This was quite a change from the hustle and bustle outside. A gentle sound of hooves in soft dirt was the only sound in the tent, and it echoed off the canvass walls. Jim walked quietly up behind two men who were standing outside the round-pen. They were leaning against the green iron fencing and speaking in hushed tones.
  "OK, Timmy, now stand up." the man in the green felt fedora called. "He's very good at this one, Mr. Gordon." he said turning to the man wearing the brown corduroy blazer. Jim watched quite amazed as the young man deftly maneuvered his feet on the back of the running horse until he was standing.
  "Pretty good." said Arty Gordon in a monotone voice. "Can he go any faster? He's gonna have to keep up with Angela in the ring, and she's a champion!"
  "Don't worry about that, Mr. Gordon, Timmy can keep up with anything!" the man in the green hat puffed with pride. "He has me for a trainer!" Then he looked up into the pen. "Go a little faster, Timmy!"
To be continued...

The Adventurer (S2, E13)

  A tall man stood next to a little man at the edge of a crowd of people in front of the train station. The tall man looked down at the little one with a look of fear plastered across his face. 

  "Boss doesn't fire people, he..." the tall man gulped. "You don't think he'd give me the works just cuz I lost him in the crowd?"

  "Not unless you find him again real fast!" the little man snarled.

  "Fine, give me just 24 hours and I'll deliver him!" the tall man entreated.

  "OK, 24 hours, then I tell Boss." the little man turned around and walked away into the crowd.

  The tall man walked over to the bench and sat down. He put his head in his hands. "What am I going to do? Where can I find this Jim Harris?" He thought in desperation, then the man suddenly jumped up. "Of coarse!" he said, "Jim Harris would have to be going to the circus!" He started walking towards the big tent on the other side of the town.

  The little man started through the crowd but he looked back to see the tall man sitting on the bench. "I can't understand why Boss gave me that man to work with! He has absolutely not clue about anything in life! He wouldn't make it one day in this 'club' if it weren't for me!" The little man continued on his way. "That's what its like when your uncle is the Boss's brother-in-law!" the little man mumbled under his breath.

To be continued...

The Adventurer (S2, E12)

  Jim Harris walked casually towards the red and white striped tent top standing up above all the nearby buildings. His dusty black fedora was pushed back on his head and he was holding his jacket flopped over his shoulder. He had not shaved that morning in hopes if adding authenticity to his roll.

  There was a strange mixture of smells in the air; smog and dust and a very strong odor of animal wafted in Jim's direction. Jim scrunched his nose and frowned. Loud sounds of people, equipment, and animals also warned of the presence of a circus. As Jim came near, he rehearsed his cover story once more in his head.
  "Got very sick with a fever two months ago. Stayed in Dansville while the rest of the group went on ahead. Needing any kind of position; temporary or  permanent. Am a sword-swallower/slight-of-hand magician by profession. Willing to feed animals, operate equipment, do anything just to get paid." Jim straightened his hat and looked up at the morning sun. "I wonder if this will really work. I'm going to have to infiltrate this circus and try to find a lost young man, and all the while I must keep a convincing cover story so as not to tip off the uncle who seems to be running this troup." Jim kicked his heals against the rough pavement, "I wonder what sort of man Hal Racab really is. Everybody that I have met so far has had only terrible things to say about him, yet his brother in law sent his infant son off with him. Roger Sandler must have seen something in Hal that he trusted enough to send him with a little baby."
  Jim's thoughts were rudely interrupted by somebody's angry shouting. "I should have had it an hour ago!" the voice echoed. Jim walked closer to see who was speaking. A medium height and regular featured man was standing in front of a small mobile home. In the doorway of the mobile home stood a plump lady with her arm around a tall lanky teenaged boy. The man in front of them was red faced.
  "Don't stand there with your mouth gaping like a codfish, get it to me now!" The red faced man sputtered. Jim stood back from the wagon so it wouldn't look like he was listening. A fellow walked past Jim, but Jim caught his arm. "Who's thet beet-faced fella over there hollerin' at everyone?" Jim asked indicating the direction with his head.
  "That's Hal Racab. He is the manager of this troupe." The little circus man said.
  "Hmm, and I'm needin' to ask him fer a job." Jim mumbled.
  "Well you'd better talk to Arty Gordon instead. Hal's in a rather bad mood this morning."
  "Where would I find this Arty Gordon?" Jim asked.
  "He's in the big top looking at a trick riding act. Tell him your a friend of mine and I sent you." he replied.
  "Thanks, friend, but I don't know yer name." Jim said with a jolly laugh.
  The circus man smiled cheerfully. "My friends all call me Jody."
To be continued...

The Adventurer (S2, E11)

  "Well, when you go asking for a job, just ask to speak with Arty Gordon. There's another fellow there named Hal Racab, and he is more likely to bump you off than hire you!" The clerk at the hotel warned Jim Harris.
  "Thanks fer the advice." Jim responded with a half smile, then proceeded up the stairs to the room he'd been assigned. "That Hal Racab," Jim thought to himself, "Everywhere I go, I'm warned about him. I wish there were an easy way to find out if he's as bad as everyone is saying."

MEANWHILE

  A tall thin man was weaving his way through the crowds near the train station. He seemed anxious and was acting very suspiciously, of coarse, nobody in the station seemed to notice, for they were all much too busy for anyone's business but their own. He worked his way carefully around a variety of people until he came to a bald little man at the very edge of the crowd.
  "Where'd 'e go?" the little man asked the tall one.
  "Don't know, he slipped away from me into a alley somewhere, but when I looked down the alley where I thought I saw him go, the street was empty." The tall man was acting nervously afraid of the little bald man, which seems strange since he is taller and younger than the little man. "What are you gonna tell Boss?" He asked in a mousy voice.
  "Me?" the little man said with a vicious laugh, "I ain't gonna tell Boss nothin'. You're gonna tell the Boss yerself!"
  "That's not fair!" wailed the tall man as he practically shaking in his boots. "You were the one who promised Boss that you'd deliver; swore to it! I only ever said maybe!"
  "Haha," the little man came back with his unpleasant laugh, "Well, then 'maybe' Boss wont fire you!"
  "Boss doesn't fire people, he..."
To be continued...

The Adventurer (S2, E10)

  Jim Harris walked down the street with his clothes dusty and worn looking. He had decided that he needed a ruse to get into the Happy Days circus.

  "I'll have to call on my old talent as a magician." Jim thought to himself as he neared the hotel. "I will also need a convincing story as to why I need a job and why I'm looking at the circus for that job." He was thinking longer on the problem when he came to the hotel. He slumped wearily onto the desk without looking at the clerk. His hands were grubby from rubbing dust into his clothes, and he lifted one to brush back the locks of hair that had danced across his face in the wind. 

  "Needin' a room, mister?" The clerk asked with curiosity as he looked at the somewhat sorry spectacle that was Jim Harris. 

  "Yea, you got one? I might need it fer a few nights, but I can only pay fer one night now." Jim pulled a few coins out of his pocket and began counting them out on the counter. "This oughta be enough fer a night." Jim pushed a little pile of coins towards the clerk and putting the other few back into his pocket. 

  "Run on some hard luck?" The clerk asked prying for information. 

  "Yea, got real bad sick back in Dansville a couple months ago; the others went on ahead to Hanover where we were supposed to be playing." Jim answered without looking up. 

  "Ahh, I see, an out of work circus actor then? Did you know that there is the Happy Days circus here in town? Maybe you could get a job with them." The clerk chattered. 

  "That's what I'm hoping." Jim looked up at the clerk at last. 

  "Well, when you go asking for a job, just ask to speak with Arty Gordon. There's another fellow there named Hal Racab, and he is more likely to bump you off than hire you!"

To be continued...

  

The Adventurer (S2, E9)

  Jim Harris stepped off the train in Brownstown. The sun was smiling down on the earth and melting last night's rain off of the hazy green grass. Jim stretched and yawned. He had had a refreshing rest that night even though it was short, and was ready to tackle his case in a new light.

  Jim walked up to the man at the ticket counter. 

  "Could you tell me the way to the nearest hotel?" He asked. The man gave him directions, but eyed him suspiciously for he had no suitcase or luggage. Jim left the station quickly because he did not want anybody to start asking too many questions. 

  "I have to infiltrate this town if I want to get information on Andy Sandler!" Jim thought, "And the best way to do that is to pretend to be a circus actor." He looked at his nice black suit and shiny Oxford loafers. "First things first, I need to look like an actor, and an actor would never be wearing these clothes!"

  Jim slipped unnoticed into a back alley where he glanced anxiously around to see whether there was anyone watching him. Then he removed his overcoat and suit jacket and layed them on the street. He pulled off his silk tie and wrapped it up and put it into his pants pocket. Taking off his hat, he ran his fingers throught his hair to give it a tousled look. He rolled up his sleeves and began to rub dust into his shirt, jacket, slacks, and hat until they looked like he had lived in the same suit of clothes for several days on end. 

  "I'll leave you here for a while." Jim said putting his folded overcoat into a tight ledge between two walls. He picked up his jacket and draped it over his arm, then shoved his papers and wallet into his pocket and started up the street looking like a very different sort of person. 

  "Now just to get into the circus." He thought. 

To be continued...

The Adventurer (S2, E8)

  Jim Harris smiled to himself as the train rattled down the tracks towards Brownstown. He was hoping that a lead to a circus would help him find a boy named Andy Sandler. Jim had been mulling over the problem in his mind, but the gentle rocking of the train hazed his tired mind and he drifted off to sleep.

MEANWHILE 

  Two men rushed through the narrow alley in the darkness. There seemed to be an urgent fear about them as they went. They were the same two men who had been hiding behind Jim at the train station. As they ran, they muttered to each other.
  "The boss ain't gonna like this!"
  "So why are we going back to him?" the other asked as they stopped out of breath in front of a stage door.
  "Perhaps because you owe loyalty to the boss." A voice came from behind them.
  "Boss!" said the two turning to see a chubby little man. He had black, greasy hair that he had pushed back with a dirty hand. A thick brown cigar was perched in one side of his mouth about as thick as the black mustache hanging on  his upper lip.
  "Now what was it that you didn't want to tell me?" the Boss asked. the two men looked nervously at each other.
  "Well. sir, that fellow who went to visit Toni Shaw got away. He left on the train for Brownstown." The taller man said.
  "What?" Boss exclaimed, "You let him escape? You will pay for this mistake!" he said with an angry red tinting his face.
To be continued...

The Adventurer (S2, E7)

  Jim Harris settled comfortably into his seat on the train, and let his thoughts wander. He pulled the flyer from the circus out of his pocket and stared at it for a little while, then he tipped back his head and gazed out the window at the dark world around him. The look on his tired face indicated the troubled thoughts he was thinking.
  Jim worked for the missing persons bureau of the police department, so puzzling cases were no new thing to him. This Andy Sandler case, however, had seemed to defy all logical reasoning. It was true what he had told Toni Shaw, that Roger Sandler had made a dying request that his son be found. Only a few months before, Jim had been looking for Roger. Jim shook his head, "How did this all happen so fast?" he wondered.
  Roger Sandler was just a common radio actor. He read a part on a daily program and made a minimum wage of $50 bucks a week. Roger's life had been somewhat of a tragedy too. His wife had died when their little boy was only four months old, and he had been forced to send his son away with his brother and sister in law. Another eight years passed without Roger ever hearing from his in laws or his son. As if this were not the worst, Roger contracted a deadly fever putting him out of work and at the mercy of charity.
  This was the most amazing thing to Jim, however, for at Roger's lowest, his friends came through for him. They provided a place to live, food to eat, and even paid for him to see a doctor. This was where Jim Harris had found him and brought him good news. By some twist in fate, a distant relative of Roger had willed him a large estate and a fortune to match it. Jim expected to find Roger Sandler euphoric over the news, but Roger just smiled and shook his head.
  "I am the richest man in the world!" he said, "There I was, dying in the poor house, but my friends took me in and sheltered and clothed me." Roger gripped Jim's hand tightly. "Houses and money cannot buy the feeling of being love by one's friends!" Then Roger had asked Jim to write up a will for him. The instructions were very clear; half of the estate was to go to Roger's son (wherever he was) and the other half was to be divide among Roger's friends who had aided him in his hour of need.
  "So here I am again." Jim said to himself with a laugh.
To be continued...

The Adventurer (S2, E6)

  "Let's get him!" The two men whispered standing behind Jim Harris. The crept out from behind the large pillar and quietly approached Jim. One man carried a short piece of rope while the other had a large hankerchief. A look of dark intent hung on their faces as they stepped closer to our friend. However, footsteps coming from another direction sent them scampering into the shadows. 

  A tall policeman was walking by the station on his nightly rounds, and stopped in front of Jim Harris to have a chat. 

  "What are you doing out in the rain at a train station at this hour of the night?" He asked with a laugh. Jim smiled a friendly grin. 

  "I was in a great hurry to catch a train, and since I was already in this neighbourhood, I decided to save a taxi fare."

  "I see," said the officer, "but this is a dangerous area for one to be out in at night. The place is filled with thieves and murderers!"

  "Yes, I know, I saw two policemen catch a shoplifter earlier this evening!" Jim answered. 

  "Trains due in 2 minutes!" Hollered the pudgy man at the ticket counter. Jim and the policeman looked up as they heard the high pitched whistle of the train as it approached. 

  "Well, I'd best be about my work, be safe on your journey, friend!" Said the policeman turning to leave. Jim nodded a thanks as he got up and walked towards the boarding platform. 

  When the train had stopped, only a few people got off, and only Jim got on. He never knew what a narrow escape he had just then, for the two men were still watching him from the shadows. 

  "The boss ain't gonna like this!" One said to the other turning away from the now empty train station. 

  Jim, safely on the train, let his thoughts wander about the difficult situation in which he found himself. 

To be continued. 

The Adventurer (S2, E5)

  "What have I let myself in for?" Jim thought to himself as Toni Shaw's laugh echoed on his mind. He shook his head, "How far is Brownstown from here?" he wondered. Jim walked quickly in the rain. Beads of cold rain clung to to his long black coat and hit felt hat. The soles of his shoes clapped along the cobbled street and splattered through the puddles that the rain had formed. He was in a hurry to find the nearest train depot.
  It wasn't long before Jim saw the light posts of a train station, and so he walked up to the ticket box.
  "I need a ticket to Brownstown, how far is that from here?" Jim asked the pudgy looking man behind the counter.
  "Brownstown? Let me look here." he said pulling out a chart of train routes. "Its 50 miles, mister, and i have a ticket here that could get you there by morning."
  "Ah, very good, I'll take it." Jim smiled.
  "One way, or round trip?" the  ticket seller asked.
  "One way." said Jim after a moment's hesitation.
  "Right, mister, that'll be $2.13."
  Jim pulled hi wallet out and paid the man. "How much to send a telegram to Port Hope?"
  "Fifteen cents." he answered pulling a telegram paper off the stack and handed it to Jim. The telegram read: 'Jim-stop-going to Brownstown-stop-on trail of Adam Sandler-at Happy Days Circus Troup-stop.'
  "Happy Days, hmm, you a circus man?" the ticket man asked.
  "In a manner of speaking." said Jim with a laugh. Then he sat down on the wooden bench under the canopy to wait for the train to come.
  Just around the corner from where Jim was sitting, two men were lurking behind a pillar.
  "Are you sure that's the man?" one asked.
  "Yes, that's the one who talked to Toni Shaw a few minutes ago!" the other answered emphatically.
  "Then let's get him!"
To be continued...

The Adventurer (S2, E4)

  "Where would I look for Hal Racab and his nephew?" Jim asked. 

  "Wouldn't look for them if I were you!" Said Anthony Shaw with a dark glint in his eye. "Hal doesn't like strangers prying into his business!"

  "Well, I have to find his nephew, and soon!" Jim said

  "Why is it important to you, mister?" Asked the man across the table. "Why do you need to find the boy so badly?"

  Jim swallowed hard, he knew he could not reaveal to these men the true reason for needing to find the boy, Adam Sandler. He could not tell them that Adam Sandler was to inherit a large fortune and beautiful estate, for they might be keen on getting a little of the inheritance. What could he tell them? How could he avoid telling a lie and avoid revealing the inheritance at the same time?

  "The boy's father has recently died," Jim said, "and his last request was that I find his son."

  "I see, an honor debt to a dying man. Well, that's commendable, but I still don't think digging up Racab would be very pleasant!" Toni replied. 

  "Maybe not, but it's something I must do!" Jim emphasized. 

  "Well, if your determined to risk your neck, who am I to stop you? Here, this is the circus Hal works for, they're playing in Brownstown next week." Toni handed Jim a flyer for the 'Happy Days Circus Troup'. 

  "Thank you very mush, sir!" 

  "When you see Hal, tell him I sent you, you might have a better chance of making it that way!" Toni said, then smiled and laughed. 

  Jim left Anthony Shaw and his friends playing poker, but the sound of Toni's laugh echoed in his mind. 

  "What have I let myself in for?" Jim asked himself with a shudder. 

To be continued...

The Adventurer (S2, E3)

  "This is it!" Thought Jim Harris as he knocked on the rough wooden door. Then he waited a moment and listened; there was no sound, no sign that he'd been heard. He looke up at the green lighted window and banged again on the door much harder than he'd knocked before. He placed his ear close to the crack of the door to listen. There came a faint noise of old creaking stairs. 

  "Yea?" A little man opened the door and stared at Jim. His hair was graying around the edges and receding from his forehead. His clothes were dusty and wrinkled and look as if they were several sizes larger than what they needed to be. He had one hand on the door knob and the other against the doorpost so as to block the entrance. 

  "I'm need to see a mister Anthony Shaw, is he here?" Jim asked. 

  "Come!" The little man said pointing to the rickety staircase. So Jim followed him up the stairs to the green lighted room. When they entered, Jim saw four men sitting around a card table playing poker. They seemed very intent on their game and Jim could see why, for there was a large pile of cash in the middle of the table. 

  "Fellow ta see ya, Toni." Said the little man. 

  "What do you want, mister?" Asked the chubby man at the table without looking up from his cards. 

  "I'm looking for this boy." Answered Jim handing him the photograph from his pocket. Anthony Shaw laid down his cards, and took the photo from Jim. 

  "Looks a little like Hal Racab's nephew." He said passing the picture to the other men at the table. The others agreed that is was Hal's nephew. 

  "Where would I look for Hal Racab and his nephew?" Jim asked. 

  "I wouldn't look for them if I were you!" Toni Shaw said with a dark glint in his eyes. 

To be continued...

The Adventurer (S2, E2)

  The man in the black suit paid the cab driver who quickly sped away from the dingy building. Just then two shots rang out. Jim Harris turned to see a grizzled man running through the alley with a large black bag in one hand and a small silver pistol in the other. 

  "Stop thief!" Cried another man rushing past. Soon the seeming dead street was alive with men chasing after the thief. Only a few minutes passed when Jim saw two blue clad policemen hauling the grizzled thief back by his collar. The alley was as dead again as it had been only a few minutes before. 

  Jim Harris pulled his coat tightly around him to shield him from the cold rain that was driving its needles through his cotton shirt. He walked down the dark street till he reached a quiet building. There was one window on the second that an erie green light filtered through. 

  "This is it!" Jim thought heaving a bug sigh then knocking hard on the rough wooden door. 

To be continued...

The Adventurer (S2, E1)

  Jimmie Harris was an imaginative little boy, not unlike any other boys his age. He often liked to dream of interesting places to go and exciting things to do. The last time we saw Jimmie, he was imagining his way through pirate waters, looking for hidden treasure. 

  Jimmie looked down at the paper on his desk. The lamp beside him glowed with a golden light that turned the dark room golden. Dark  clouds had moved in and hidden the sun from the earth. The wind blew rain against Jimmi's window in a violent manner. At this point Jimmie's thoughts began to wander. 

  A finely dressed man in a black suit bumped along a rough road in a taxi. His face looked very much like that of little Jimmie Harris, only older as though he'd accomplished many great things. 

  "We're here, mister." Said the cab driver. "Are you sure this is the right address?" The cab driver looked anxiously around the dingy buildings. The man in the black suit pulled a small photograph out of his pocket, then turned it over to read the scrawling writing on the back. 

  "Yes, this is the place." He answered opening the door to get out. Then, just as he paid the driver, he was startled by two shots from a gun. 

To be continued... 

The Adventurer (Intermission 1)

  Thank you for reading the first season of "The Adventurer"! There's lots more to come so stay tuned! A new season with a new trilling and funny plot is coming tomorrow!

The Adventurer (S1, E32)

 "No, we'll wait until morning." the tall man said. "By then Jim will have found all the treasure, and all we will have to do is take it from him."
  "Brilliant!" said the fellow beside him, "They do the work, and we get the pay!"

MEANWHILE

  Laramie handed Captain Jim the diamond, and Jim began to examine it closely under the light from a lantern. His eyes sparkled as bright as the diamond. He smiled and pulled the treasure map out of his pocket.
  "We're almost there, me boys." he said. The pirates spread out and began searching for landmarks indicated on the map. All night they searched for the treasure, and then just as the sun broke into the darkness, Captain Jim and his men happened upon an narrow cave.
  "This must be it!" Jim called to his men, so with lighted lanterns they entered with picks and shovels. In the dark, damp passages they came upon a large heavy wooden trunk.
  "Pry it open with a pick!" Jim ordered running his fingers over the rusty latch. "Well, shiver me timbers an' blow me down!" He exclaimed as the beautiful jewels were revealed.
  "Come, me boys, an' carry it out into the light!" So the excited bunch heaved out the heavy trunk, but when they reached to opening of the cave they suddenly dropped the crate and took a step back.
  "I think you have a present for me!" said the tall man in the blue coat.
  "An' who would you be my fine feathered friend?" Captain Jim asked, angry that his dreams of wealth and power were being delayed.
  "I am Alaf Quardata, and you are sailing in waters that I control!" the tall man replied. "And don't bother with drawing your sword, Jim Harris, for I have men surrounding this place, and if you so much as wiggle your pinky finger in a way they don't like, they'll kill you!"
  Jim slid his sword back into its sheath, "What are you goin' ta do with us?" he asked.
  "Well, I think I'll let you go, in thanks for finding my treasure."Alaf said in a condescending tone. "My men will escort you and your men back to your ship."
  "An' ya aren't gonna let us have any of the treasure, are you?" Jim asked.
  "Nope, not a farthing's worth!" Alaf answered waving his men in from their hiding places in the jungle foliage. Captain Jim and his men were astounded at the large number of men armed well with muskets and daggers.
  "Now, lay down your weapons, my men will bring them to you on your ship." Alaf continued. The men of the Lady Jane dropped their swords and filed into line to march back to their ship. Captain Jim turned back and looked at Alaf.
  "What are you gonna do with all the money you get from thet treasure?" Jim asked.
  Alaf threw back his head and laughed. "Well I think I'll do something truly good with it!" he said emphatically. "Perhaps I'll send my son to medical school in England!"

The Adventurer (S1, E31)

  The pirates were all in a mad rush as they boarded the landing boats to go ashore. Laramie and Godfrey had found a diamond on the island, and everyone was pushing to get out and find some treasure for themselves. In the excitement, however, nobody noticed another ship pulling up close behind the Lady Jane. The men piled into little rowboats until they were so full one would think they were going to sink. Some sailors jumped over the side and began to swim to the beach. All of them had an excited, greedy glint in their eyes as they thought of the treasure that lay ahead.
  Captain Jim left two men aboard the Lady Jane in order to guard the ship, but these men were not looking around observantly as they should have been. They were hanging on the edge of the ship and staring at the other pirates going ashore. I'm sure they were wishing they could join in the search and find a wealth in gold and jewels. This lack of vigilant watch gave the other ship the opportunity they needed, the ship slid quietly into the shallow waters.
  A tall, sun browned man in a fancy blue coat stood in the quarterdeck of the other ship. He brushed his long thin hands through his wavy hair and smiled.
  "Just think, all this time its been right within our reach, and we never knew it!" he said to the fellow beside him. The fellow grinned.
  "Thank you, Captain Jim!" he replied. "Will we go ashore tonight, sir?"
  "No, we'll wait until morning." the tall man said. "By then Jim will have found all the treasure, and all we will have to do is take it from him."
  "Brilliant!" said the fellow beside him, "They do the work, and we get the pay!"
To be continued...

The Adventurer (S1, E30)

  "What is that light over there?" Godfrey's voice came white and cold. 

  "There's someone else on this island!" Laramie said as the two men quietly walked closer to the shining object. They spoke not a word so as not to betray their presence. Even the jungle was silent for the creeping men. 

  As they came closer they realized that the light was not moving. 

  "It looks like a reflection." Godfrey whispered. 

  "It is a reflection!" Laramie exclaimed aloud losing his gentle voice. Laramie ran up to the shining object and dropped to his knees. 

  "It's a diamond!" Laramie called. "Godfrey, go back to the ship now and tell the captain what we've found!" 

  "Aye, sir!" Godfrey layed down his musket and sword and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. 

  

  "A diamond?" Captain Jim asked

  "Yes, sir, Laramie held it in his hand!"

  "All right, me boys, you heard the man, the treasure's on the island!" Jim called aloud to all his pirates. "Man the landing boat and we're off!" 

  In the mad scramble that followed nobody seemed to notice another ship pulling into the shallow waters behind the Lady Jane. 

To be continued...

The Adventurer (S1, E29)

   "Them waters are controlled by Alaf Quardata, and ya know how he hates havin' uninvited guests!" said Captain Jim.

  "Yea he had the last bunch drawn and quartered!" Laramie added.
  So with their course charted, the crew aboard the Lady Jane set out to find their treasure. The winds blew strong and pushed the ship closer to its prize. Dark clouds chased from behind and whipped the Jolly Roger flag in a westward direction. The dark clouds and black flag seemed to point the way to hidden treasure.
  After two days of relatively uneventful sailing, the pirate ship entered Alaf Quardata's waters. Since the crew had not spotted another ship at all in their days of traveling, they were feeling very confident that they would get away with the heist. Their enthusiasm bubbled over as they spied islands on the evening of the second day. Soon they would be rich! They would have fresh food and clean clothes. There would be an new gold earring on every man. Ah, yes, these men envisioned a utopia awaiting as soon as they laid hands on the jewels!
  "Pull 'er close, me boys, but not too close, we don't wanna run 'er aground!" Captain Jim directed as they inched closer to on of the little islands. "Run up the sails, boys, we wont be needin' them fer a while!" Captain Jim was just as excited as the rest of his men; they were all somewhat like kids in a candy store. "Laramie, Godfrey, you two go ashore this little island and see if there's a place to camp."
  "Aye, sir!" the two men answered as they climbed into the little rowboat that had been waiting. The wash was gentle so Laramie and Godfrey were able to row easily to the sandy beach.
  "Do ya think there's anybody here?" Godfrey asked in a whisper.
  "Don't know," Laramie replied, "there be I guess."
  They turned around after securing the boat and quietly walked in towards the thick growth of trees. No sooner were they encased in the forest then Godfrey stopped suddenly and grabbed Laramie's arm.
  "What's that light over there comin' from?" his voice came white and cold.
  "There's somebody else on this island!" Laramie said.
To be continued...

The Adventurer (S1, E28)

  "Not the Lady Jane, it's the North Star?" Asked Colonel Bennett with a white face. 

  "Aye, sir, look for yourself." Answered Commander Doyle handing the Colonel a spyglass. Colonel Bennett peered through the glass. "He's escaped again!" Thought Bennett angrily. 

MEANWHILE 

  "Bring me thet cypher book from me trunk." Captain Jim called to Laramie. So he rummaged through the trunk and came out with a dusty old book. Captain Jim then spent a few minutes looking through it till he came upon the Bristol sea cypher. 

  "Here it is." He said excitedly laying the book beside the map. The he pulled a piece of paper out of the log book and dipped his quill in ink. The four men looked carefully over the code and eventually came upon an answer. Their faces glowed with excitement for their treasure was in sight. As the secret of the map unfolded, Captain Jim sketched a new set of cordinates on the page he pulled out of the log book. 

  "It looks like the treasure is in the Indeno Islands just south of the Maldives!" Laramie said excitedly. 

  "That's only two days sailing frrrom herrre!" The mate joined in. 

  "Yes, be boys, we'll soon have our treasure, but we'll need ta be careful, cuz them waters are controlled by Alaf Quardata, and ya know how he hates havin' uninvited guests!"

  "Yea he had the last bunch drawn and quartered!" Laramie said. 

To be continued...

The Adventurer (S1, E27)

  "Jim Harris, here I come!" Thought Colonel Bennett after hearing the sailor in the crow's nest holler "Ship Ahoy!" 

  "There is no way that map will evade me again! I've worked for too many years to loose out to an upstart pirate!"

  As the Skipper carried Colonel Bennett closer to the other ship, his excitement grew. He had long dreamed of the rewards and fame he would receive if he returned the stolen treasures of One-Eye to their rightful owners in England. He could imagine himself being knighted by King Gerorge personally. 

 The Skipper neared the other ship. The sailors tensed and reached for their guns and swords. The sailor in the crow's nest studied the side of the other ship looking for its name. 

  "It's not the Lady Jane!" The sailor called. "It's the North Star!" 

  "The North Star?" Questioned Colonel Bennett as his face turned white. 

To be continued...

The Adventurer (S1, E26)

  "So it is!" Jim shouted as he looked at the map and his log book.
  "It is what?" the three other men asked in desperation, for their curiosity had them in a vice. Jim smiled, the good natured look came back into his eyes.
  "It's got ta be the real thing, mates. Look at the parchment; the two are nearly the same."
  "Why, they certainly are!" exclaimed Arty. "I looks like One-Eye just tore a page out of his log book to write his map on!"
  "That prrrobably what he did!" the mate answered.

MEANWHILE

  The salty sea air stung Colonel Bennett's lungs as he looked into the dark clouds behind him. He was standing on the quarterdeck with Captain Balfour of the shore patrol and Commander Doyle of the ship they were on. The ship was the fastest government ship in Calcutta, and Colonel Bennett had requisitioned it so he could pursue Captain Jim and retrieve the treasure map. The Colonel looked very smart in his navy blue uniform. The gold buttons and shinny medals would have glistened in the sun. However, since the sun was captive behind the clouds, they echoed a dim glow. On Bennett's face was an ever confident, self important look that he always seemed to wear.
  The sailors on board the ship were not so confident as Colonel Bennett. They continually glanced back at the storm with anxious thoughts. Then they would look forward with fear. Who wanted to go hand to hand with the toughest bunch of pirates in the Pacific? What did Colonel Bennett want so much with a treasure map anyways? One-Eye's crew had probably already taken all the treasure away from the place on the map anyways. Why chase a no good pirate into a storm, Jim Harris' boat would be sunk if he tried to sail through the rough waters ahead. Why waste a good tub and many men's lives for nothing? These and many more questions plagued the sailors' minds.
  "Ship Ahoy!" Shouted the man in the crow's nest. Ice froze over the brave hearts of the sailors, but Colonel Bennett grinned a fiendish smile.
  "Captain Jim Harris, here I come!" Colonel Bennett thought.
To be continued...

The Adventurer (S1, E25)

  "Yer sayin' ya think this map is fake?" Captain jim's voice was anything but pleasant as he responded to Artemus Gordon's question. Arty stepped back defensively.
  "I'm saying nothing of the sort. I merely asked whether or not you thought that One-Eye was crooked enough to pull a stunt like posing his death and faking a treasure map."
  "Oh, he was crrrooked enough!" said the mate emphatically. "Then have we been trrricked, Capt'n?"
  Captain Jim picked up the map gently and looked it over. First the front, then the back underwent his rigorous inspection. He ran his thumb up and down the edges of the paper. Then he closely examined the letters and symbols on the map.
  "Get me the magnifying glass!" he suddenly ordered. Laramie crossed the small room and rummaged through several drawers before he lifted the magnifying glass out with a smile. Jim spent a few more minutes scrutinizing the map with the glass. There was a look of anxious worry on his face. He nervously rubbed his fingers through his rather shaggy hair. Nobody said a word for they were all holding their breathe wondering and waiting.
  "Bring my old log book." Jim commanded. "The parchment from thet old log book should be about the same age as this map. If the parchment is different, we'll know this is a fake!"
  The mate rushed to retrieve the book and returned quickly to place it in Jim's hands. Captain Jim opened the book and began to examine the edges of the paper. He lifted the map and held them both side by side. As he did this, a fiery glint flickered in his eyes.
  "So it is!" He shouted.
  "It is what?" the three other men asked in desperation, for their curiosity had them in a vice.
To be continued...

The Adventurer (S1, E23)

  "When shall we leave to find Jim Harris then, sir?" asked Captain Balfour
   "Within the hour!" replied Colonel Bennett determinately as he looked at his pocket watch.

   The pirate crew aboard the Lady Jane was feeling very optimistic. They had found the map; they had taken the map, and they had escaped the shore patrol in Calcutta. Now it was just open sea and treasure hunting. Perhaps the men thought of the possibility of being followed, but they didn't seem concerned. Perhaps they felt they had an advantage on the sea. Perhaps they figured on their good luck holding out until they could lay their hands on the treasure. Whatever their reason for ignoring the threat of being followed, the crew was boisterously happy below deck that evening.
  Caterwauling songs echoed up from the noisy crowd. Several sailors banged on their tin plates for more food, while others serenaded the group with chorus after chorus of "Roll, me bully-boys, roll." The air was dense with the smell of cooking salt pork, spilled ale, and sweaty sailors. The men joked and laughed and sang in a random patter that seemed to wash back and forth like the waves of a stormy sea. To an outsider, this scene might be somewhat distasteful, but to the hyper pirates, they wouldn't have traded it for the wealth of kings.

  In the captain's quarters, Jim, Artemus, Laramie, and the first mate, were carefully studying the treasure map, and charts of the area. This room was quite an contrast with the galley, for everyone was quiet and thoughtful.
  "Cap'n, Ay jest dona see any place on these charrts what matches thet map." said the mate in a heavy Scottish accent.
  "The latitude and longitude just don't make sense. That treasure map will have us in the middle of the Indian Ocean without any food or fresh water." Laramie chimed.
  "Yer right, me boys," answered Captain Jim, "One-Eye had a code fer this map, an' unless we figure it out, we'll never fin' thet treasure."

To be continued...

The Adventurer (S1, E21)

  "If they demast the Lady, thet'll be the end fer us all!" thought Captain Jim as he saw another blast from the field mortar heading directly towards the Lady Jane's mast. Jim closed his eyes, feeling that this was the end of it all. Surely now he would be imprisoned in England, and would never see the light of day again.
  "Ay suppose Ay would deserve it." Jim's conscience pricked him as he looked on the future. "But Ay never woulda been happy as a sheep-shearer in Allerdale! Ay had ta find me an adventure. Well, Ay guess Ay did, but this might be the end 'o it!"
  As these gloomy thoughts plagued Jim's mind, the field mortar blast whizzed nearer and nearer to the mast, but by some twist of fate, instead of hitting the mast, the shell ripped through starboard  side of the main sail. Now, a two foot hole in the sail of a ship is definitely a problem, but when one must choose between a hole in the sail and a demasted ship, the sail trouble is the preferred option.
  Jim heard the ripping sound of the sail and looked up. Then, just as suddenly as the gloomy thoughts had come, they left without a trace.
  "See, me boys!" Jim shouted enthusiastically as he jumped up, "they'll never take me Lady!" The deck swarmed with cheering pirates waiving their swords and guns in defiance to the shore patrol.
  "Hooray! Hooray for the Lady Jane!" they all shouted.


  The officers from the shore patrol were downcast as they watched the pirates sail off unscathed.
  "Captain Balfour and the Governor will have our hides!" said the man who seemed to be their leader. So they turned around and headed back to a certain reprimand.
To be continued...

The Adventurer (S1, E24)

  "One-Eye's treasure map has a code to it, me boys, an' unless we can figure it out, we'll never fin' it!" said Captain Jim to the three men around him. They had been studying the treasure map and charts of the area for several hour, and had not deduced the location of the hiding place.
  "May I suggest, Captain, that you use the old Bristol sea cypher, it would seem fitting since One-Eye was from Bristol. By the way, what was his real name?" queried Artemus. Artemus Gordon was a barber that Laramie had stumbled upon while searching for the treasure map in Calcutta. He had managed to get Laramie to give him a share of the treasure, and Laramie had consented, for Artemus had helped him locate the map. Artemus had some near squeaks with his new found friends, but they worked out their differences (sometimes with knives and guns) and were now on relatively comfortable terms.
  "Nobody really knows that, Arty." answered Laramie. "He's a bit of a mystery. In fact, until they found his body, nobody even really knew what he looked like. One account in a London newspaper had him at 7 feet tall and 6 fingers on each hand."
  "Then how did they know that is was his body that they found." Arty asked further.
  "Somthin' about a tattoo he had on his chest." answered the mate. "And plus thet map; he neverrr went anywherrre without it. Always kept it in a secrrret pocket on the inside of his shirrrt."
  "But perhaps he orchestrated a fraud. He could have put a fake map in somebody else's pocket and the =n let the authorities find that body so that he could go free. Perhaps he is living rich and easy in England right now as a respectable citizen because everyone thinks he's dead." Arty suggested. After he was through proclaiming his new theory, Captain Jim looked up at his very sharply.
  "Yer sayin' ya think this thing is a fake?" Captain Jim's voice was anything but pleasant.
To be continued...

The Adventurer (S1, E22)

  The officers from the shore patrol were downcast as they watched the pirates sail off unscathed.
  "Captain Balfour and the Governor will have our hides!" said the man who seemed to be their leader. So they turned around and headed back to a certain reprimand.

  "Captain Jim Harris was docked here in Calcutta, and you let him escape" the Governor paced up and down in front of his desk. Captain Balfour and the shore patrol officer who had seen the Lady Jane leaving the port stood with their heads down. "He has the treasure map, and you let him escape! I could have you hung as a traitor!" he said beating the desk with his fist.
  "Sir, what was I to do, I couldn't stop him!" ventured the officer
  "Its true, Governor," Captain Balfour came to the defense of the lieutenant, "you can't blame him, he did what he could."
  "Balfour is right. Your own guards here at your house should have apprehended the thief before he could even have come close to your safe!" The commanding voice of Colonel Bennett came from behind.
  "Colonel, I didn't know you were here!" said the Governor in a sugar coated voice. "Do sit down, have some tea!"
  "I'm not here to chat over a cup tea, Governor! There are some very serious matter at hand which must be addressed!" Colonel Bennett slapped his white gloves onto the Governor's desk. "Captain Balfour, I'm recruiting a crew of men to come with me immediately to follow Jim Harris. If we hurry, we should catch up with him by dawn tomorrow."
  "But, Colonel, you don't know where he has gone." interrupted the Governor.
  "As a Colonel in her Majesty's Army, I have a few idea as to the favorite locations for pirate hide-outs." he replied sarcastically. Then turning back to Captain Balfour, "I will require the use of your finest ship, and I make a formal request for volunteers, your very best if possible!"
  "Yes sir, Colonel, I can guarantee it, and if you don't mind, Id' like to come along with you. My reputation and position is at stake seeing that pirate got into and out of Calcutta without my knowing it."
  "Absolutely, Captain, I would be delighted to have you along!" the Colonel smiled pleasantly. "We will arrest that blackguard and retrieve the map before news of this could reach London."
   "When shall we leave then, sir?" asked Captain Balfour
   "Within the hour!" replied Colonel Bennett determinately as he looked at his pocket watch.
To be continued...

The Adventurer (S1, E20)

  "The shore patrol 'as been huntin' me fer years!" Thought Captain Jim, "Ay pray today's no the day they find me!"

  The ship had set sail in record time, for nobody on board the Lady Jane wanted to be caught by the shore patrol! The sails puffed out as they found a gust of wind to ride. The wind was strong that morning, and so she pulled the ship out of the little port and into the lanes of the sea. It might have seemed as though the very boards of Lady Jane were fleeing the approaching officers. 

  Captain Jim glanced back over his shoulder at the men standing on the dock. They were yelling and waving but to no avail. Then they did something that made Jim's sweat cold tears. 

  "Hit the deck, me boys!" He ordered. "They've a field mortar, an' they're plannen ta use it!" 

  Captain Jim's words were muted by a volley of musket fire and the ear shattering sound of the field mortar fire. Jim, flat in his belly on the main deck, tipped his face up to see what distraction had been inflicted when he saw another shot from the field mortar headed straight for the mast! 

  "If they demast the Lady, thet'll be the end fer us all!" 

To be continued...

The Adventurer (S1, E19)

  "Get to the point, Governor, what has Jim Harris to do with the stolen map?" Asked Captain Balfour of the shore patrols.

  "Just this, I believe Jim Harris took that map!"

  "Perhaps you are justified in your suspicions, Governor, but quite unlikely. We only have hearsay evidence that he was seen in these waters, and even if it were true, he wouldn't dare show his face in any Calcutta port for he'd instantly be recognized. There's no way he could have come all the way in here to steal the map without somebody seeing him!" Responded the Captain. 

  "True, but just the same, I'd like your help to search every port in the area for any possibility that it was him. We can't be too careful with such a valuable thing as that map!"  Said the governor. 

  "Very well, Sir, though I deem it will bring no results." 

  "Hurry everyone, be up you slobs!" Cried a young sailor. "Look yonder, here comes the shore parol!"

  "Shore patrol!" Exclaimed a few other pirates in response, "Somebody wake the Capt'n! We'd better scuttle this tub or we'll be in the brig!"

  Captain Jim came dashing onto the deck only partially dressed with bare feet and his shirt tails fluttering wildly in the early morning light. 

  "Get the lead out, me boy's, fer it's us their lookin' fer!" Jim encouraged desperately. By the tone of his voice one could imagine that should the shore patrol catch them, life would become very unpleasant!

  "They been huntin' fer me fer years," thought Jim, "Ay only pray today's no the day they find me!"  

To be continued...

The Adventurer (S1, E17)

  "All's well that ends well!" thought Laramie as he drifted off to sleep.
MEANWHILE
  In the governor's house there was no sleep, for everybody was in uproar over the lost treasure map.
  "The map didn't just disappear, somebody took it out!" cried the governor to a group of red clad soldiers. "Well, don't stand there with your mouths hanging open like codfish! Find out who took that map!"

  "Governor, somebody had to have opened the safe to get that map." Said a rather lavishly uniformed man sitting at the governor's desk. "And there are only 3 people who have the combination: you, me, and your secretary."

  "Are you suggesting, Colonel Bennett, that one of us took that map out?" Queried the governor defensively. 

  "I am suggesting nothing, except that many desperate people would like to get that map, and would pay a pretty penny for it." The Colonel rose. "I'll be doing an investigation of my own! Good evening to you governor."

  "How could that pompous windbag dare to suggest that my secretary or I would sell the map!" The governor thought indignantly. 

  Two men came dashing into the study room. "Sir, we've found boot prints and trampled plants just outside this window in your garden!" They said excitedly...to be continued...

The Aventurer (S1, E18)

  Two men came dashing into the Governor's study room.
  "Sir, we've found boot prints and trampled plants just outside this window in your garden!" they said excitedly.
  "Saunders," called the Governor, "get another lantern!" The Governor rushed with the two men from the study. in the faint, flickering light of the lantern they saw the bootprints that Laramie had left.
  "Get some dogs, and then you men follow these tracks, and somebody find Captain Balfour of the shore patrol, I must see him at once!"


  "Captain Balfour to see you, Governor." announced the butler as he opened the door to the study.
  "Ahh, Captain Balfour!" said the governor politely.
  "What reason have you for wrenching me from my sleep at this hour, Sir?" said the tall man rather indignantly. "I dearly hope its not another one of your wild goose chases!"
  "No, no, indeed not! Here, Captain, have a seat." said the Governor pulling out another chair, then sitting back down himself. "Sometime today the treasure map that was recently found on the body of One-Eye the pirate, was stolen from the safe here in my study. Since it is a pirate treasure map, it is reasonable to assume that another pirate would try to steal it. Then, consider that Jim Harris, One-Eye's greatest rival was reported to have been seen in the waters near Calcutta."
  "Get to the point, Governor, what has Jim Harris to do with the stolen map?"
  "Just this, I believe that pirate, Jim Harris, took the map!"
To be continued....

The Adventurer (S1, E16)

  Laramie gave Artemus a gentle nudge with his knife to indicate his intentions.
  "I'll take thet!" said Captain Jim pulling the pistol from Artemus Gordon's hand. Artemus slowly lifted his hands into a surrender position. "All right, mates, throw this fella off!" Jim called.
  "Oh, no ya don't!" said Laramie, "I may be a thief and a pirate, but I gave my word to him that he'd get a share of the treasure and I intend to keep my word!"
  "Ye double-crossin' blighter!" exclaimed Jim.
  " I haven't double crossed you, Captain, so don't blow your top. I promised this man a half of my share of the treasure, and that's what he'll get."
  Captain Jim seemed to cool with Laramie's charming words. "After all," thought Jim, "if its his share, he's free to part it however he wants."
  "Ok, Laramie, me boy, do wit' yer share whatever ya want." he said smiling. "All right, mates, shake a leg! We need this tub in ship-shape fer sailin' tomorrow, cuz we're gonna go an' find us a treasure!"
 "Hooray!" all of the sailors cheered raising their swords in alliance.
  "All's well that ends well." thought Laramie as he slumped comfortably into his bunk. He gazed out the porthole at the moon that peaked through the cloud covered sky. "Its all going to be easy after this!" was the last thing that passed trough his mind as he drifted off to sleep...to be continued...

Essay on Flora MacDonald (part 2)

Flora MacDonald inspired songs, dances and legends, but was she really all she was ‘cracked up’ to be? Her love for life and others is certainly something that every person should admire. Also, it takes great courage to stand up for what one believes. I think that Flora does live up to her legend because she did what she felt was right without worrying about what others might do or say.

   When Flora MacDonald was very young, her father died and her mother remarried. In this remarriage, her mother was a bride abductee. Abducting brides usually refers to a man marrying secretly because his character or social status prohibits him from an open, legal wedding. In such cases the bride may be willing to marry and this is called eloping, or she may not be willing in which case it is called kidnapping. This custom was also adopted by lower classes that wished to marry but could not pay a bride price. The bride price was to be paid by the man wishing to marry to the girl’s family. This custom is slightly different than the dowry wherein a father lays aside money to pay his daughter and new son in law. In all likelihood, Flora MacDonald’s mother, Marion, and stepfather, Hugh, wanted to be married, but Hugh MacDonald didn’t have the money to pay the bride price.

   Bonnie Prince Charlie has been called The Pretender by the British, but this title was not unique to him. His father, James Stuart III, was also called The Pretender in the first wave of uprisings in 1715. After the advent of Prince Charles, however, James III was renamed The Old Pretender. The most likely explanation for this nickname was that many people believed that James III was not James II’s true son but an exchange made after James II’s real son was stillborn. James III’s two older half sisters, Mary Hanover and Queen Anne, even held to this view. Mary and Anne had reason to fear that their father, James II, was trying to reinstate a Catholic monarchy, for both were sympathetic to the Protestants.

   Flora MacDonald had a great impact on the people that she met. Many songs and poems have been written exemplifying her devotion and courage. She even inspired Samuel Johnson, the famous English writer, to such an extent that he paid the tribute that in engraved on her memorial at Kilmuir. Flora MacDonald has inspired me to positively impact every person that I come across.

Essay on Flora MacDonald (part 1)

  Flora MacDonald may be one of the most remembered heroines among Scottish legendry, and even in world history. The one act that seems to have brought her into the lime-light was something that she nearly didn’t even do! On the famed night that has been immortalized by songs, poems, and legends, Flora MacDonald rowed Prince Charles Stuart safely to the Isle of Sky. Prince Charles then successfully escaped to France where he was in exile for the rest of his life. For the present let’s set aside the many legends, and focus on the true story behind this great heroine, Flora MacDonald.

   Flora MacDonald was born shortly after the first Jacobite uprisings. This first wave of uprisings was meant to unseat the new Hanoverian king, George I, and restore the Stuart king, James III, to the throne. James III met with little popularity in Scotland and even less support in England. In 1745 the second Jacobite rebellion began when Prince Charles, son of James III, tried to reverse his father’s defeat and take the throne from George II. Charles gained about as much popularity as his father had. What support these leaders had was largely due to the popularity of their Aunt/half sister Queen Anne Stuart. However, their lack of popularity can be linked to the apathy brought on by the years of peace under William and Mary and Queen Anne.

   On April 16, 1746, Bonnie Prince Charlie was defeated at the Battle of Culloden Moor and sought refuge in the Outer Hebrides. During the rebellion, the Jacobites were declared outlaws and were legally punishable. Due to this law, Flora MacDonald was found guilty and imprisoned in the Tower of London for helping Charlie escape.  However, after Prince Charles fled to France, the 1747 Act of Indemnity was passed lifting all sentences on ‘traitors’ and so Flora MacDonald was released.
   Three years after her release, Flora MacDonald married Allen MacDonald who was a captain in the army and the son of Alexander MacDonald, of Kingburgh. In 1772, they moved to Kingsburgh when Allen’s father, Alexander died. However, when the War for Independence began in 1774, Allen and Flora immigrated to North Carolina since Allen commanded the British 84^th Regiment of Foot. Here Flora is seen rallying Loyalist troops. Why was she fighting for the Hanoverians who she seemed to oppose years ago? Perhaps she didn’t want to be on the losing side of another war, perhaps she felt that she was too old to get mixed up in something that had no affect on her. Flora claimed that her involvement with Bonnie Prince Charlie was only humanitarian, so I believe that she was moved by the same motives during the War for Independence. (However, I also feel that she was mislead in this event.)

The Adventurer (S1, E15)

   A frown curled over Captain Jim's face. "He gets a what...?" Jim's voice was colored with disgust. "What do ya mean by giving away shares of my treasure to stranger?"
  "I don't seem to be very good at making friends ." chuckled Artemus.
  "Ye'd better keep quiet, or ye'll find yerself walkin' the plank!" growled Captain Jim.
  "Now, now, you wouldn't have the map at all if it weren't for me." Artemus said. He slowly placed his hand into his pocket. "You can't afford to cut me out, my friend!"
  Laramie's eyes followed Artemus Gordon's hand. "That is where he put his pistol!"
  "I can afford ta do whatever I want ta do, an' nobody's gonna stop me!" Jim barked back at Artemus. "Now ye get yer scallywaggin' hide off me boat before I pin it ta the mast!"
  "I could resent that!" Artemus said darkly as his fingers clenched around the pistol in his pocket.
  "Resent whatever ye like, but git out 'o here." said Jim pointing towards the gangway. Then a look of surprise flashed across his face as Artemus Gordon shoved his pistol into Jim's middle.
  "I ain't leaving without my fair share of the treasure, an' don't make a scene or else!"
  "If I were you, Gordon, I wouldn't be so cocky!" came Laramie's voice from behind, "I've got a trusty steel that says Captain Jim ain't gonna get hurt." Laramie gave the Artemus a gentle nudge with his knife to indicate his intentions...to be continued...

The Adventurer (S1 E14)

   Laramie tucked the crumpled map into his pocket. "This is where you belong!" he thought with a smile. Then Laramie and the barber turned in the direction of the little port where the Lady Jane was anchored. The sun hid his face beyond the horizon and dusk fell heavily around the two men, so they hastened their steps across the cobbled streets.
   Meanwhile on the Lady Jane, Captain Jim paced nervously around his small cabin room. He could hear the unpleasant voices echoing down from the deck. Captain Jim sat down heavily on his bunk. His thoughts washed back and forth like the evening tide on the beach.
   "I wonder what happened to Laramie..." he ran his fingers through his tawny hair, "he would have come back if he'd found the map. He must have been caught!"
   Jim's pensive thoughts were then interrupted by a sudden scuffle of boots on the deck. "Lower the gangway!" Somebody hollered. Jim rushed out onto the quarterdeck to see a rather finely dressed and terribly exhausted Laramie board the ship.
   "Laramie, me lad, yer here at last! We thought ye'd been killed!" Jim said as he gave him a hearty handshake. "An' who's this thet ye've brought with ye?"
   Laramie cleared his throat, "This is um... "
  "Gordon, Artemus Gordon" the barber interjected.
  "Yes, a barber, he helped me locate the map...and...um...so he's here because he gets a share..." Laramie's words stumbled out. A frown curled over Jim's face as he looked at the barber.
  "He gets a what...? Jim's voice was colored with disgust. "What do ya mean by giving away shares of my treasure to strangers?"
   "I don't seem to be very good at making friends." Artemus chuckled.
  "Ye'd better keep quiet, or ye'll find yerself walkin' the plank!" Groweled Captain Jim...to be continued...