The Legend of Capt. Black Jack Starling II-Escape
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Located at Mt Hope Farm in Bristol RI. Mt. Hope Farm is open from 1 hr. after sunrise to 1 hr. before sunset. It's off Rt. 136 in Bristol RI about 1 mile from the Mt. Hope Bridge.
THIS IS PART OF 7 PART STORY. Parts 1, 3, and 4 are located in Warren RI 02885. PART 5+6 SEARCH ZIPCODE 02769. FOR THE FINAL SEARCH ZIP CODE 02885. The inspiration for this series was our 16 year old Maine Coon cat, Black Jack. Capt. Jack died Wed. Aug 19, 2009. He will be missed.
The Legend of Capt. Black Jack Starling-Part II..The Escape
When we last saw the pirates (The Legend OF Capt. Black Jack Starling) they were on the run from the British, having just burned their ship and making a getaway on foot. The head of the British armada, Vice-Admiral Linus Whitehall was sending ashore Royal Marines to persue the pirates. The Vice-Admiral knew if he could capture this band he would be assured of promotion to Admiral and possibly even knighthood. Taking no chances, he sent 1 contingent of Marines toward Bristol just in case the pirates were stupid enough to head that way. He sent the rest of the men in a sweeping move to trap the pirates between the Marines and the garrison from Warren.
Capt. Jack knew he was in a bind. Jack Starling had not survived this long by being lucky. He always had a plan and today was no exception. On the west shore of the Kickimuit lived a man named Ebenezer Luther. He lived in a modest house overlooking the river with his daughter, Maizey. Eb Luther had come to Warren about 5 years ago. He bought his house and settled in with his daughter. He also bought a modest sloop that he kept anchored in the river. He always kept it provisioned and ready to go even though he rarely sailed it. Folks in town speculated why he kept the boat ready to go. When questioned, Eb said it was in case he had to go to New York or Boston on business. This raised another question. People in town wondered where Eb got his money from. He didn’t work but lived comfortably. Rumor had it that he was a former ship’s captain and had sailed the trade routes from Boston to the Canadian Maritimes. Tired of the sea and with a young daughter to raise, he sold his ship and business and moved to Warren. He was living of his profits from these sales. The townspeople were right, sort of. Eb Luther was a ship's captain and he did work the trade routes from Boston to Canada. The people up that way knew him as “Le Barbe Rouge”, “Red Beard“. The most feared pirate in the Gulf Of Maine. 5 years before the British had Red Beard trapped. Eb had only one means of escape, he sailed right into the teeth of a Nor’ Easter coming up the coast. The British didn’t follow and when Red Beard disappeared they assumed he and his ship were lost in the storm. The “Gray Falcon” survived the storm and quietly sailed into Nantucket Sound looking for new prey. She sailed up Narragansett Bay and Eb Luther decided he’d had enough. He turned over the ship to his first mate and protégé, Jack Startling, and quietly sailed into Warren where he took up residence. The Gray Falcon became the Gray Pearl.
Jack and the crew were headed straight for Eb Luther’s house. Jack knew he didn’t have a lot of time. He arrived at Eb’s and told him what had happened. Eb had seen the smoke from the burning Pearl, he was waiting for the pirates. They hastily loaded most of their loot onto the sloop. Jack left some with Eb in payment for his help and for the loss of the Pearl (Falcon). Eb had Jack tie him up so it looked like he stole the sloop. Maizey had been in love with Jack since she was a young girl. She quietly told her father she was going with them. Eb knew this day would come even though he dreaded it. The pirates readied the sloop for sea. They hauled anchor and sailed for the Narrows. This would be the most dangerous part of the escape. The Narrows were just that. The outflow of the Kickemuit flows through the Narrows, a deep channel but so narrow a man could spit across it in a good wind. If the British were there the pirates would have to fight their way out. Jack was concerned, the sloop was sluggish, she was too heavy. He needed to lighten it. As the sloop approached the Narrows a company of Royal Marines appeared on the shore. Jack had Maizey stand by the wheel with one of his youngest sailors, "Moose Boy" Merriwether. The rest of the pirates hid below the gunwales. As they approached the Marines the Captain tipped his hat to the lady. Meanwhile the Warren contingent of Marines had reached Eb Luther’s. He told them that the pirates had stolen his sloop and daughter. The Captain looked through his glass and spotted the sloop passing through the Narrows, the captain there greeting them cordially. He ordered his Marines to fire a volley, trying to warn the Bristol Marines. The detachment at the Narrows, hearing the shots, assumed the Warren Marines had engaged the pirates and hastily marched off toward Warren, much to the consternation of the Warren Captain. Once clear of the Narrows, Jack Starling needed to find a place to offload more treasure. He put in at Mt. Hope and as quickly as possible, buried more treasure. He then set sail for the Sakonnet River. By the time the British realized what had happened the pirates would have a big head start. The British had failed again to capture the crew of the Pearl. Vice Admiral Whitehall would not make admiral or knighthood. By the time the Royal Marines got back to the ships and they were made ready for sea, the pirates were clearing the Sakonnet River headed for the open ocean and freedom.
The cache is hidden at Mt Hope Farm in Bristol RI. It’s a public open space owned by the Town Of Bristol. The park is open from 1 hr. after sunrise to 1 hr. before sunset. The “treasure” is hidden at the far end of the park. It’s about a 1.2 mile walk in but it is very easy. The cache is rated for the last part which is more difficult. When you reach the mark, if you're on the path you should be standing above the cache. It is visiable but you won't see it because of the camoflage. You have to follow the path to the beach and then back track along the cliff to the cache. The cliff is easily traversed. I'm 60 and had no problem. The container is a small snap lid, waterproof container so think small with trades or travel bugs. It contains more pirate treasure befitting this tale. Enjoy Part II of the pirate tale. Is this the last we’ll hear of Capt. Black Jack Starling? Be sure to look for parts 3,4,5,6 and coming this spring #7 The Final Chapter.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
1. Nybat gur pyvss lbh jvyy pbzr gb n angheny tebggb. Gur pnpur vf ybpngrq jurer gur ebpx pyvss zrrgf gur irtrgngvba.
2. Guvf pnpur pbagnvaf vasb lbh'yy arrq gb qb gur svany.