The Time Hunters and the Box of Eternity (21 page)

Chapter 20

Devil
’
s Spear Island

Later that evening, Bowen Hall was as still as a churchyard. Uncle
Percy had disappeared into the Time Room with a request not to be disturbed.
Joe had gone to visit Will in the tree house to explain precisely why
Manchester City were the best football team in the world. Jacob and Maria had
left for Addlebury to watch a Brahms recital at the village hall. Becky, on the
other hand, had no plans whatsoever. She wandered the grounds with Pegasus and
Gump for an hour or so and then, when it was so dark she couldn
’
t see her hand in
front of her face, she returned to the Hall and opted for an early night.

It was nearly seven in the morning when her eyes inched open. She
gave a bleary yawn, padded down her pillow and was about to turn over for a
further doze when she glimpsed something hanging from her wardrobe door. Her
eyes shot fully open. Flicking on her beside lamp, she threw off the duvet and
hurried over to the new set of clothes that had appeared: a pair of tanned
leather trousers, a white baggy cotton shirt, a knitted woolen cap and a pair
of shin high leather boots adorned with a burnished brass buckle. There was
also a note.

Dear Becky,

I thought this would make a nice change for you. No frilly dresses. No
lace bonnets.
 
No satin. Women in the
eighteenth century Caribbean often pretended to be men to be afforded the same
rights as their male counterparts. Subsequently, you may wish to do the same. I
was thinking we could even call you Bucky! As you youngsters say
‘
LOL.
’

U P

PS. We
’
re leaving at 8.00am.

Becky glanced at the clock on her bedside table: 7.01am. An excited
shiver tickled her spine. In less than an hour, they were leaving for the
Caribbean. In no time at all, she had showered and put on the clothes. Looking
in the mirror, she gave a satisfied nod. With a
bang
, the door crashed
open and Joe raced in, dressed in a similar outfit to Becky, his face split by
an enormous grin.

When Becky saw the object in his hand, she understood why.
‘
So you got one then?
’

Joe waved the Joe-Bow excitedly.
‘
How cool is this?
’
Squeezing the grip, it extended into a long,
curved bow.

‘
It
’
s very cool.
’

‘
I
’
m going to the archery
field to practice with it. You wanna come?
’

‘
Nah.
’

Joe shrugged.
‘
Suit yourself. Did you get your bazooka?
’

‘
No,
’
Becky said with a
grin.
‘
Go
figure …
’

As ever, Maria was furious that Uncle Percy had agreed to take them
on the trip. She hurled great dollops of scrambled egg onto his breakfast plate
with no consideration for whether they met their target or not (indeed, a flap
of egg ended up dangling from his eyebrow) and fired various German words at
him like a stray dog barking. It was no surprise to anyone that Uncle Percy was
the first to leave the table and asked Becky and Joe to meet him in the Time
Room in thirty minutes.

Although chilly, the sky was cobalt blue and the sun high and bright
as Becky trailed Joe over the lawns to the Time Room. Uncle Percy stood beside the
open door. Dressed immaculately in a vibrant purple velvet jacket, silk
breeches, white stockings, a wide-brimmed tricorne hat and a walking cane with
a silver balled handle, he looked every bit the eighteenth century gentleman.
He also looked quite ridiculous.
‘
What a wonderful morning for a trip...
’
he said brightly.

Joe stifled a giggle.

‘
You look really, err
–’
Becky couldn
’
t find the words,
‘
- authentic.
’

Uncle Percy gave an appreciative bow.
‘
I thank you.
’

Then Will surfaced from the trees. He was wearing a long black
leather coat, white shirt, tanned trousers and a leather tricorne hat; a
gleaming bronze cutlass and two daggers hung from a loose fitting belt around
his waist.

‘
Hey, it
’
s Captain Jack
Ostrich,
’
Joe said, nudging Becky, who choked back a laugh.

‘
And who may that be?
’
Will replied.

‘
Doesn
’
t matter,
’
Joe said.
‘
Have you got your
Joe-Bow?
’

‘
Indeed,
’
Will replied, patting
his coat pocket.

‘
Me too,
’
Joe replied, waving
his Joe-Bow proudly in the air.
‘
It
’
s great.
’

Will smiled warmly.
‘
As I stated before, your uncle is an admirable craftsman.
’

Becky was about to ask which time machine they were taking when,
trailing Uncle Percy into the Time Room, she had something of a shock. Beryl
was stood there, gleaming black and looking as good as new, her bodywork and
windows free from any sign of bullet damage.
‘
How did you fix Beryl up so quickly?
’

‘
Barbie
’
s been busy,
’
Uncle Percy replied
simply.
‘
She
’
s been working all
night. That
’
s the good thing about a robot assistant. She never needs a break,
never tires, never moans, never goes on strike. She really is a blessing.
’

‘
Are we registering the
trip with GITT?
’
Joe asked eagerly.

‘
Already have,
’
Uncle Percy said.
‘
And Annabel
’
s informed Charlie
Millport in the Tracker Division in case we get into any serious bother. We
have plenty of Gerathnium, a Portravella of my own devising, and a few other
bits and bobs.
’

Within minutes, they had taken their seats and Uncle Percy was
inputting the coordinates on to the time pad.

Becky could feel adrenalin surge through her. Once again, they were
heading into the unknown, embarking on the ultimate treasure hunt, on a quest
for the ultimate treasure
.
And for a second, she considered what her mum
would say if she knew what really went on when she and Joe visited Bowen Hall.
And as Beryl shuddered forcefully, she felt deeply thankful she didn
’
t have a clue.

*

A few seconds later, Becky found herself staring at the bluest ocean
she had ever seen. A giant turtle lolled around in the shallows.
 

‘
Here we are - May 4
^th
1719,
’
Uncle Percy said.
‘
Devil
’
s Spear Island.
’

Climbing out, Becky saw a hummingbird weave a line of palm trees
that sprung from the sand like lampposts.
‘
Why is it called Devil
’
s Spear Island?
’

Uncle Percy pointed over her shoulder.
‘
I believe that may
have something to do with it.
’

Becky turned and gave an involuntary gasp. The island was only very
small but at its midpoint, dwarfing the skyline, was a gigantic rock formation
in the unmistakable shape of a trident. She nudged Joe, whose eyes nearly
popped from his head.

Just then, Becky
’
s eyes were drawn back to the sea. On the horizon, a three-mast
sloop sailed away from the island; a black flag fluttered from its tallest
mast. She stumbled over her words.
‘
T-that
’
s a p-pirate ship!
’

Uncle Percy tracked her gaze.
 
‘
Ah,
yes, it most certainly is. That
’
s
‘
The Winchester Man
’
- Richard Young
’
s flagship, the pirate that buried Israel Hands on this very island.
He
’
s just
set sail for England to deliver the painting to Edward Mallory. Of course, he
never gets there.
’

‘
So Israel Hands has
only recently died?
’
Joe asked.

‘
About six hours ago.
’

‘
So he won
’
t be, like, green with
half his face eaten off by worms?
’

‘
What a charming image,
Joe.
’
Uncle
Percy said.
‘
But I doubt there will be any noticeable decomposition just yet.
’

Joe looked disappointed.
‘
So where
’
s he buried?
’

‘
Barbie informs me he
’
s at the base of the
rock. Apparently, it
’
s a very tranquil spot.
’
He opened Beryl
’
s boot, pulled out two spades and threw one to Will, who caught it.
‘
Anyway, digging up
dead pirates isn
’
t my idea of fun, so shall we do this as quickly as we can and get
out of here?
’

*

Despite a welcoming breeze, the air was moist and the heat stifling
as they padded over hot sand to the rock formation. Throughout, Becky felt
undeniably queasy. She
’
d never seen a dead body before and the fact they intended to tear
its leg off, albeit a wooden one, did not sit particularly well with her. They
reached the rock in a matter of minutes to find a copse of pine trees
encircling a raised mound, on top of which sat a crude wooden cross. The
following words were carved into it.

Here sleeps a fine sailor, a brutal buccaneer, and a moral man

Becky
’
s heart skipped a beat. They were standing at Israel Hands
’
grave.

‘
Good morning, Israel,
’
Uncle Percy said
solemnly, turning to Becky and Joe.
‘
Now, if the two of you would rather not see this you can go for a
walk. In fact, I
’
d prefer it if you did.
’

‘
We
’
ll stay,
’
Becky said without
hesitation, hoping Joe couldn
’
t sense her anxiety.

‘
Course we will,
’
Joe agreed.
‘
We don
’
t wanna miss all the
fun.
’

Will shot Joe a disapproving look.
‘
Death is never a slight matter, and should not
be treated as such.
’

Joe looked guilty.
‘
I
’
m sorry. But we do want to stay.
’

Uncle Percy gave a heavy sigh.
‘
Very well.
’
He began to dig. With Will
’
s assistance, it was
only a short while before they heard the solid
clump
of metal striking
wood.
 

Uncle Percy brushed a thin layer of earth aside to reveal a
makeshift coffin. He looked up at Becky and Joe.
‘
Now are you sure you
’
re both okay with
this?
’

Becky gave a hesitant nod.

Joe didn
’
t appear quite as confident as before.
‘
Yes.
’