The Jolly Sailor by Lucy Simister
William, Moorsy, Millicent, Janey and Nigel are friends. They meet
regularly on a Saturday afternoon on the beach. William lives with
his grandparents Joan and Abe Carter when not at boarding school. His
father Mervin work for Customs and Excise.
His friends Moorsy and Millicent find they must travel to Roscoff in
France to collect documents that give proof of their widowed
mother's ownership of their farm. It is agreed they should all go
together for the adventure but William does not `do' adventurous.
They meet the crew of `The Devonian' under Captain Mary Reade and
the crew of `The Morveren' under Captain Rumtug. Rumtug is offered
a proposition he cannot refuse - kidnap William and deliver him to
Ireland. All of which drags William kicking and screaming into an
adventure that for him is an inconvenience and one big
misunderstanding.
So having been sea sick and moaned to an excess they arrive at
Roscoff. Nigel and William wait in nearby scrubland on the cliffs
whilst Moorsy, Millicent and Janey walk into town to meet with their
relatives at a solicitor's. Rumtug and crew kidnap William leaving
Nigel tied up and a little annoyed.
William finds himself on board a ship bound for Ireland and becomes
acquainted with Martha May, Rumtug's daughter and ship's
navigator. He changes from a nervous uncertain person to a confident
young man almost overnight. By the time they arrive they have become
close friends, a shame really as she had negotiated a good profit on
`escorting' him to Ireland. William believes it is all case of
mistaken identity and any time now they will all admit to their
mistake giving him the chance to say he told them so.
At the castle it is revealed to him that his kidnap was arranged by
Alvise to prevent him being taken captive by the Pearson's. There
he meets for the first time his grandparents and his mother Gracie
O' Donnell. So why all the cloak and dagger stuff? Well, because
his mother is the notorious 'Queen of the Pirates.' Finding out
that one's mother is a notorious pirate and that his father, a
customs officer knew and that it was kept a secret from him for his
own safety is very disturbing.
Six weeks later William returns to find his friends on the beach…
but he is no longer the William Carter they once knew. William has an
audacious plan to kidnap Martha May. Will life ever be the same
again?
LIST OF CHARACTERS
William Carter: an educated young man, nervous of adventure.
Moorsy De Vere: a young educated man.
Millicent De Vere: home educated young lady.
Nigel: an enthusiast about all things to do with ships.
Janey: educated young lady.
Joan Carter: William's grandmother and farmer.
Abe Carter: grandfather and retired fisherman.
Mervin Carter: William's father, a customs officer.
Gracie O' Donnell: William's mother, 'Queen of the pirates'.
Alvise: Gracie's grumpy agent.
Mary Reade: Captain of the Devonian
Betty: Ship's cook
Scully: ships senior crew
John Pike: ship's crew
Tasker: ship's crew
Ansome: ship's crew
Swarfin: ship's crew
Codwaller: landlord of `The Jolly Sailor'
Rumtug: Captain of `The Morveren.'
Martha May: ship's navigator and Rumtugs daughter.
Moses: ship's crew
Gilly Giles: ship's crew
Old Digory: Senior ship's crew
Aengus Clancie: William's grandfather, Irish nobility.
Caitlin Clancie (nee O'Donnell): grandmother, Irish nobility and
ex-pirate.
Pearson1: Missing Pearson
Pearson2: Missing Pearson
ACT ONE - 1 scene 1 - On the Beach.
[William, Moorsy, Millicent, Janey and Nigel walk on in conversation.
Nigel to carry a telescope, Janey to have covered basket with pies
wrapped in napkins and jar of pickles]
Moorsy: Well anyway, he never came back, see.
William: Well I'm sure if they had just owned up to stealing the
apples there would have been a beating from the headmaster, but them
all running off to sea.
Millicent: Ahh but it wasn't just about the apples. They were
accused of shooting a deer on private property.
William: Oh well that's very different… but wasn't his father
the local minister?
Janey: Yes… but there were three of them and you can't be lenient
to one and not the others.
Millicent: They say that Carstairs painted himself up to look like he
had smallpox so as the Navy wouldn't nab him.
Janey: He became known as the 'King of the Gypsies'
Millicent: They say he stole people's identity.
William: Yeah as well as their purses! Oh really. He defrauded
people out of their money hardly a gentleman!
Nigel: They do say he was a master of disguises.
Janey: And can you believe he became a blood brother to a tribe of
American Indians.
Millicent: Such charm.
William: Aye and a better man would have returned to school that day.
Richard Babbage never made it back, did he? And what about that
other chap, he died in some remote place on the Barbary Coast. Is
this your idea of fun and adventure for it isn't mine!
Moorsy: Did you know he managed to escape prison by dressing up as
Quaker!
Nigel: They say he swam Lake Delaware!
William: And you lot are prepared to make a hero out of a scoundrel.
You do it all the time. You are romanticising a clear villain if ever
there was one.
[Nigel looks through telescope and passes it to Janey]
Nigel: Look at that ship in full sail, looks like a large white swan,
riding the waves.
William: I honestly don't see why anyone would actually WANT to go
to sea.
Janey: Just thinks of all the exotic places there are to visit in the
world.
William: Exotic places! You mean places full of ruffians and dodgy
people.
Moorsy: It's a life of changing fortunes for those at sea. They
are a law unto themselves - they make their own rules at sea.
William: Oh you can take it from me there are no rules. According to
my father, everyone's out to defraud the crown from rightful
taxation. They're all criminals if you ask me.
Nigel: There are those that say the high taxation on goods has
perpetuated smuggling.
William: Oh I'm sure there are.
Millicent: You can tell your father's a customs officer!
William: Look, paying taxes pays for parliament which is a democracy.
Millicent: Oh William you are the most seriously minded person I
know.
William: I am no more serious than anyone else.
Janey: Sorry William, you are stern, with a tendency to frown.
Millicent: You might not mean to frown, William, but you do.
William: Huh, I can laugh with the best of you. [Forces a laugh]
there you are. Well alright I admit my countenance does lean towards
thoughtful and contemplative.
Nigel: It is true sir you are rather humourless.
William: You know you're quite wrong, for inside I'm a quite a
jolly fellow - really.
[Janey distributes food from the basket. Moorsy eats his then shakes
crumbs off]
Moorsy: Actually chaps; there is a matter of family business we have
to discuss. [Looks to Millicent]
Millicent: Well as you know our father died many years ago. Well
mother is now in the awkward position of having to have proof of
ownership of the estate so she is able to sell off some land.
Moorsy: As you know our father was of French descent and our property
is owned in part by the De Vere family in Roscoff. Well we were
rather hoping we could all travel to France together and collect the
documents.
Janey: That sounds jolly exciting!
Nigel: You can count me in.
William: Look I tell you, a mile out to sea and I will be begging
them to turn back. Thank you but no thank you. Kind of you to ask
love to come and all that.
Janey: Oh come on William the rest of us have agreed to make the
journey, it will be fun!
William: I'm sure IT will be fun. You all go off and have your
adventure… you just don't need me to come.
Millicent: Oh but we do!
William: You can tell me ALL about it when you get back.
Nigel: We will be there and back in matter of days.
Janey: Oh please say you'll come William?
William: Oh purgatory!
[ENTER Gracie and Alvise. Gracie is well dressed lady with wig]
Gracie: [Genteel accent] Hello, please forgive the intrusion. May I
ask, are we far from the Windwhistle Inn, this road does seem quite
unsuitable for carriages.
William: I can agree with you there. Most people get to the
Windwhistle by boat as the road becomes quite impassable at high tide.
Nigel: It is on a peninsula and rather exposed to the elements.
Gracie: I thank you kindly; I decided to take a stroll as the driver
stopped to attend to the horses.
[ENTER Alvise, finely dressed, grumpy attitude, a shifty look of
inconvenience at Gracie]
Alvise: Are you ready to press on Ma'am?
Gracie: Yes indeed… I'm sorry, he hates getting lost and even
worse hates to ask directions. [Smiles sweetly] isn't that right
sir?
Alvise: Are we ready Miss?
Gracie: Yes indeed, but I am advised that we should proceed with
caution.
Alvise: As you say Ma'am.
Gracie: Well good day to you all.
[They EXIT watched with interest]
Moorsy: Cor, she had such class as you don't get round here.
Janey: Such elegance and so fashionable, makes me feel like a milk
maid in comparison.
Millicent: Yes but could she have jumped off the Mew Stone and swam
the distance.
Janey: Well hardly the most desirable qualities in a lady but my only
claim to fame, my middle name being reckless.
William: It's not is it?
Janey: Of course not William.
William: [Disgruntled] so when are you planning to do this little
escapade of yours?
Moorsy: Well actually mother has been advised by the solicitor that
it needs to be sooner rather than later.
Millicent: Or we could lose the sale.
William: You know I will be most uncomfortable and might even have
cause to moan.
Nigel: It will be fun… it will be an adventure.
William: I don't do adventures.
[Curtains dramatic music to close]
[Front of the curtain, ENTER William who walks across the stage, he
stops to look puzzled then continues EXITS]
[ENTER the Pearson Brothers who walk across the stage in pursuit then
EXIT]
[ENTER Alvise walks across stage, stops looks round EXITS]
[Dramatic music to close]
[end of extract]