Deep In A Port Royale Gaol

In a dank cell somewhere in Port Royale,Three men stood over the supine figure in the floor. "Damn!,He's passed out again Sir" one of the two jack tars said to the third man who was wearing the uniform of a British Royal Navy Captain. In a bored tone the Captain replied "Then use the bucket of water Mr.Ransom,I'm afraid we're not done talking with this Jacobite filth" The Captain followed up his statement with a sharp kick to the ribs of the unconcious man. Ransom hurled the contents of the bucket in the face of the prisoner.
Seamus' senses came back with a jarring snap that made his head swim.
Eyes slowly refocusing Seamus looked up at the three men. The British Captain resumed his questions. "Where is that rabble you sail for attacking next?" Seamus said nothing as the two sailors pulled him into a standing position. The Captain struck Seamus with a stout backhand his impatience written in the scowl on his face.
"Where are the shipyards you traitors are operating?!" Seamus slowly raised his head "Traitors?,We've kept the faith with our king and never sworn any oath at all to that German crown you serve" Another blow fell this time wrenching a gasp from Seamus by landing on the ribs he was pretty sure were broken. The Captain stepped back for a moment shaking his head. "bloody obstinate these Irish,Wouldn't you say Mr.Ransom?"
Ransom struck Seamus in the kidney then turned to the Captain with a grin. "Oh aye sir obstinate indeed" The Captain stepped back up to Seamus "Now i'll ask again where are those damned confederates of yours meeting?" A moment of quiet and then the Captain began to raise his hand but paused as he saw Seamus' mouth start to open. Seamus spoke slowly "Pogue Mahone" The Captain moved closer "Whats that? the name of some cove?" Seamus let his head hang forward to hide the small grin creeping across his face and continued to speak in his native tongue of Gaelic. "Mr.Ransom find me someone who speaks this bloody nonsense" The Captain paced while waiting for Mr.Ransom's return,
a look of smug satisfaction upon his face as he gazed at Seamus. Within a few minutes Mr.Ransom returned with a young sailor with a shock of red hair and scared eyes,The Captain turned to the lad "You speak that Irish gibberish then?" The young sailor flushed and stammered "y-y-yes S-Sir"
The Captain snapped at the sailor "Damn it man then tell me what the hell he's saying" The nervous young sailor moved closer to Seamus to hear the words he spoke,after a moment the sailor stepped back with an unceratin look on his face."Well sir Pogue Mahone's not a name sir,and neither is anything else he's saying" The Captain's eyes narrowed to angry slits and his voice dropped into a menacing tone."Then speak up sailor what did he have to say?" The young sailor swallowed hard "Well sir he was praying"
The Captain's expression returned to a mask of smug contentment.
"Really now,praying already hmm? I had this one for sterner stuff but no matter. If he's already praying for help he won't last much longer."
"Well what after that sir?" the young sailor asked. The Captain looked at the sailor with almost the same contempt he visited upon the prisoner.
"Are you daft man? After that he'll be hung like all his Confederates once we've caught up with them." The Captain waved a hand toward the men who held Seamus "Mr.Ransom,You may release the prisoner we'll give him some time to rest and think about tomorrow" The young sailor shook his head in amazment at the bravery of the Irish captain he'd just lied for,he didn't want to think about what they would've done to the prisoner had they known that Pogue Mahone meant "Kiss My Ass"
As the cell door slammed and the footsteps faded down the hallway Seamus smiled to himself "I'll have to find out that laddies name,I owe him one" Seamus tried again to figure out how long he'd been in the cell.
It didn't seem to have been more than a day or two since his ship had foundered in a sudden storm off Irish Point and he'd been fished out of the sea by a British frigate.
Seamus thought wistfully of how not only was he missing the ball but how he'd also have to make it up to the lovely Captain Flowers.
"Damn English!" Seamus had gone to great lengths for the ball from having a new black velvet coat and breeches to importing the small amount Scottish Ale to had in Florida,and then there was the mask he had found so charming he had thought,Surely Captain Flowers would enjoy the humor behind the wolf mask he had chosen.
As the blessed respite of sleep crept across Seamus' mind his last thought was..."And i so wanted to dance and have a merry time.