It was a windy August night when the infamous Blackthorn sat in his cabin drinking rum and plotting out a secret course. He needed to hide the huge stash of treasure he had in his hold. His crew had already been paid, Blackthorn was generous and his crew was loyal. He had ten prisoners aboard his vessel, The Nightingale. He needed to offload the crate tonight, and get it stashed. His prisoners would do the digging, and unknown to them, it would be the last thing they did.<br/><br/>The brigantine was huge, forty guns she had and the crew of fifty of the toughest sailors and thieves the world had ever known. They were anchored off the bay near the small isle of Martinique. Most of the crew were in the Dancing Dolphin this night, except for Randy James and the First Mate Ol' Harold Golden. The prisoners were shackled together and brought on deck. Ten of the crew needed to stay on board and tend the vessel as guards. Randy and the Captain, and the navigator Sam Duncan came out of the cabin and walked the deck in front of the prisoners.<br/><br/>Captain Blackthorn grinned at the men lined up in front of him. Some had been crew of the last ship the pirates had sunk. Pleading for their lives they had been hauled aboard and put in chains. None were older than thirty and none were younger then twenty. All rough and just as blood thirsty as ol' Blackthorn himself. "I see a potential here. A potential of ruin or a potential of freedom." He walked back and forth in front of them and looked each in the eyes. Not a single one would he trust, not a single one trusted him. But it did not matter to the Captain. He needed labor, the ten men could carry between them all the treasure that Blackthorne wanted to hide.<br/><br/>"Below the deck sit five heavy crates, what is in those crates is my business and no one else's. But I need to deliver them to my plantation. I intend on retiring some day and I am stocking up now on goods. So my offer is this. Do the labor for me. Haul the crates and do the work, and I will set you free. That's right, free. If you agree I will ask for a blood oath. You take the oath to not reveal where we go. So...who will volunteer?" He looked them all up and down and took their measure.<br/><br/>It was no surprise to him that all ten men agreed to take the blood oath. So he lined them up with Randy and the keys and held out his dagger. "I suggest you let me pick a spot to draw a drop of your own blood to seal the oath. Never fear, I want you all to make it the whole trip without bleeding to death." he grinned and the torchlight glinted off his gold tooth.<br/><br/>--------------------------------------<br/><br/>And so it was that Blackthorn used ten condemned men to ferry his treasure to a secret location. Where it is and how to find it is the current gossip flying around the Caribbean. The rumors fly that there was seven men picked up after the five British navy ships sunk the Nightingale off the coast of Trinidad. To be sure the ship was salvaged and whatever could be was recovered. The seven men, including Randy James the cabin boy, were taken to Santa Lucia on the island of Martinique. There they awaited trial on the charges of piracy.<br/><br/>The rumors also went around of a young Spanish dancer by the name of Maria Gonzales crying out in anguish when she heard the news. She works at the Dancing Dolphin in the town of Santa Lucia. Her well known association with Blackthorn makes her a prime target of the pirates and others who might be looking to find Blackthorn's hidden treasure.