Original subtitles

♪

Look at all that rubbish.

This dock hasn't been cleaned up for weeks.

It must be said, Mr Bassett, that your performance as port officer

falls short of the mark. Far short.

Look at this.

I want this dock as clean as the quarter deck of a flagship.

Do you understand that?

I understand, sir, and I'm putting in for a transfer of duty.

Transfer of duty rejected, Mr Bassett.

Furthermore, I want these wharf rats cleared off the quay.

I don't want them hanging about.

But... but I've got no authority over them, Mr Beamish.

They're not navy men.

This is a navy dock, Mr Bassett, and it will be clean.

Even if you have to go down on your hands and knees and tinnage yourself.

And the men who walk on it, idle on it and sleep on it

will be clean and properly dressed.

Is that clear?

But I can't get them to tidy up, sir.

Nobody could do that, except maybe a pretty girl.

It's work, these rascals need, Mr Bassett, not girls.

There is no reason why a short establishment

should not be as taut as a ship at sea.

Ah!

Ha ha ha ha ha!

Stand by, lovey. I'll be with you in a minute.

I warned you, Guff.

Now I'm going to crack your skull.

Crack away!

Because it's me she likes.

Ha ha ha ha ha!

♪

Hold it, lads!

Where do I lie down?

Hold it, I say!

Look for yourselves.

Are you two brawling?

Costello's stolen your prize away.

♪

Now listen to me.

I mean all hands.

The next two men who fight over a girl

will get ten days in the brig on bread and water.

No matter who's to blame.

That's an order, Mr Bassett.

And it will be your duty as shore patrol officer to enforce it.

Port officer, shore patrol officer.

Now listen, Lieutenant.

I'm reapplying for a transfer of duty.

If the application's denied, carry on, Mr Bassett.

Mr Beamish!

Won't work, you know.

How's that?

Only one way to stop them fighting over women.

More women.

Very, Captain Devis.

One experienced sailor to another.

You can't be serious.

Yes, I am.

In the first place, they're getting bad food here.

That must start to make them quarrelsome.

They feed as well as any sailor aboard a British man-of-war.

Yes, I know that.

But when you see, you don't mind bad food.

You expect it.

On the beach, expect something better.

Something cooked by a woman's hand.

How romantic.

How romantic.

Captain Tempest.

May I remind you, before you get carried away with your ideas.

A shipment of brides arrived in Nassau, scarcely three months ago.

I don't see that they've had any civilizing influence on our colony.

Well, there weren't enough of them, that's all.

Sail off!

Ship entering harbour!

What flag's she flying, mate?

Oh, blow me down.

She's flying the black flag.

Battle stations, all hands!

Come on, you men, battle stations!

Come on, lift her aboard, will you?

That's the trouble.

Basset, Basset, where are you?

Basset, bring back some muskets for the shore defense party.

Who's got the glass?

Well, they're now taffed. You make her out?

I know her.

That's the Tigress.

That's the ship of Jean Delacour.

Yes, Delacour, you're quite sure?

Of course I'm sure. I served with Delacour on board that ship.

Give me that glass.

The ship may have changed hands.

Not with Delacour a skipper.

There's a man for you, that Delacour.

That's no man, that's a monster. He'd sell his own grandmother for a guinea.

Look, look at that glass.

Look, look, they're running up a white flag.

Look for yourself, Dan.

Yes, white flag. Well, it doesn't make sense to me, Delacour on a white flag.

Beamish, you're in luck. They're lowering a boat.

Party coming ashore.

What do you mean, Captain Tempest, I'm in luck?

French pirate named Delacour, scourge of the English Merchant Navy for years.

He's captured single-handed without the loss of a man by Lieutenant Beamish, acting Governor of New Providence.

When the Admiralty hears of this, Mr. Beamish, you'll be promoted for sure.

Well, as for the promotion, that's beside the point.

Captain Tempest, when this Delacour fella puts ashore,

you'll arrest him, bring him to my chambers. I'll accept his surrender there.

On second thoughts, Mr. Bassett, as port defense officer, you will make the arrest.

Sorry about that protocol, you know.

Look, Dan, if this Delacour resists arrest, you'll give me a hand, won't you?

He won't resist arrest. He won't surrender either.

He's got to do one thing or the other.

Not necessarily, Sam. Not necessarily.

That's not exactly a full-dress uniform, but it'll have to do.

Dickon, the sword.

You couldn't cut cheese with that.

I never use it to cut cheese.

That's very funny.

Every weapon in our armory, Dickon, has its uses.

This sword is a symbol, a symbol of the Royal Navy's might.

It's a toy and you know it.

Here they come.

Let's go out and meet them, will you, Dickon?

You may admit the power of captain to Mr. Bassett.

Non-commissioned prisoners and our regulars will remain outside.

Aye, aye.

Eyes out!

Aye, sir.

That's better.

So this is your acting governor.

I had not expected much, but after all, a mere lieutenant.

You're Captain Delacroix?

At your service, monsieur.

That's a British uniform you're wearing.

It once belonged to an English officer, but alas, he drowned.

I see.

Captain Delacroix, before we draw up the articles of surrender,

permit me to say that I think you've chosen the only wise course.

And I might add an honorable one.

You will find that his majesty's government is merciful as well as just.

I hope so, for I am here on an act of mercy.

Act of what?

Mercy.

I have valuable cargo aboard the Tigris.

Cargo, I am told, which our island needs.

I am prepared to sell it to you.

You know, you've got a curious sense of humor.

I'm a prisoner.

Your ship is a prize of the Royal Navy.

Your cargo, too.

Not quite, monsieur.

You see, my cargo is women.

Women?

English women.

To be exact, seven English women.

Seven English women?

Mr. Massey!

Sir!

Form a boat party at once.

Bring these ladies ashore.

Not so fast, Beamish.

You'd better hear him out.

Thank you, Captain Tempest.

Now, lieutenant, down to business.

These ladies, as you call them, were indentured servants bound for Jamaica.

I found a poor creatures clinging to a capsized dinghy off Barbados.

The sole survivors of a shipwrecked merchant man.

You mean you sunk the merchant man, killed the crew, and kept the women?

Let us not quarrel about the details.

The fact remains, lieutenant, I am not your prisoner.

I am a merchant with wares to sell.

If I do not return safely to my ship within the hour,

my crew has orders to jettison the cargo.

Therefore, I offer the cargo to you for a modest sum.

Say, two thousand pounds for the lot.

But I can't buy women.

It isn't done.

There's nothing in Admiralty regulations to cover it.

You're not buying them, you're paying ransom for them.

Ransom?

That's for duchesses and the like.

Ransom's for saving anybody you care about.

Don't you care about these women, Beamish?

That's right, lieutenant.

You're paying for something this island needs the most.

It's a bargain, Mr. Beamish.

And a boon to us all.

You've no choice, Beamish.

Pay them off.

Break out the exchequer.

Two thousand pounds?

That'll empty the treasury.

That should require a receipt, of course.

Now, monsieur, let us be sure we understand one another.

You will come alongside my ship in your boat.

The ladies will be transferred to your boat.

The money will be transferred to my boat.

You will then row ashore with the ladies,

and I will sail away with the money.

Simple, no?

Well, yes, it's simple.

Sounds a little too simple.

Supposing you come along in our boat,

that'll make sure it stays simple.

As you wish, Captain Tempest.

I would be a fool to play you for...

Follow us, Pierre.

Looks like he's made a deal.

Better get the women up on deck.

Aye.

Step lively, my dear, step lively.

You'll be going ashore in a jiffy.

On your feet and up and go.

We'll be underway as soon as the captain comes aboard.

Step alive, there, you swabs.

Hurry it up, you scurvy dogs.

Set the main row.

There's me lass.

I'll be sorry to see you go.

Let go, sir.

Billy, don't damage the merchandise.

Captain's orders.

There's no damage done except to me.

Wait till you put ashore in this port.

You'll wish you were back with us.

What's to become of us?

Must be some pirate port of call.

Maybe they're selling us into slavery.

Oh, I'd rather die.

I'd jump overboard.

The idea, Molly, is to get them to jump overboard.

What do you mean?

What's that?

I don't know.

But it isn't so different from a rolling pin.

Delacour's in their boat with the British officer.

Wait till they hear about this in Tortuga's Bay.

Sending English women to the Royal Navy.

Get your hands up.

Now we'll give you a choice.

Either a pistol shot in the head or a swim ashore.

You've ten seconds to make up your minds.

Well, I'll be.

Look, look.

The rats are abandoning ship.

Maybe there's been a mutiny aboard.

That's no mutiny.

It's the women.

Perhaps you're in luck after all, Mr. Beavis.

What?

How's that?

He's your prisoner.

And his crew, too, if you want to fish him out of the water.

As you were, Captain Delacour, as you were.

I can't believe it.

My ship.

My ship.

Taken over by a few women.

Looks like they're sailing off with it, too.

Ahoy there!

We're friends.

So drop anchor if you know how.

You're not rich, Mr. Beavis. I think you're a pirate, too.

Say, how do we load this thing?

I don't know, but I think this one's loaded.

Thanks.

We'll get these waterlogged swabs aboard, Beavis.

Take them ashore.

And then we'll give chase.

Abby, there's a man calling from the boat.

He says they're friends.

Don't take me in with their pirate tricks.

No, Molly, we're free now.

We're going to stay free.

But we don't know how to sail a ship.

We'd better start learning and fast.

Ah, there we are.

Now we'll outrun them.

Captain Dan, there she is off the port bow.

Take the tiller, Cap.

Come on, let's have it.

They've anchored off Crescent Island.

Those women are smarter than I figured.

What's smart about that, Dan?

There's no water on the island and no game.

They've got plenty of provisions aboard.

If they kept on sailing, they'd have pounded on a reef or cracked up in a storm.

I guess you're right, Dan.

They must have gone ashore.

There they are.

We'll put ashore on the beach, lads.

Aye, aye.

Here they come.

Hello there, ladies.

We come as friends.

In the name of the British Navy, you'll be quite safe in Nassau.

Hold your fire.

The pirates may try to rush us, so reload.

And don't shoot until they're so close that you can't miss them.

Lucky for us, they can't shoot straight.

There's only one thing to do.

We must charge them and scare them so bad that they'll scatter.

And then we can catch them one by one.

I don't think they'll scatter.

Of course they will.

If we rush them, yelling and waving our arms about, they'll scatter.

Or faint.

Come on, mates.

Hey, Gaff, come back.

Taffy, stay here. You two stay and wait for orders.

Come on, Taffy.

Maybe we'd better not.

Better nothing.

What are you so frightened of?

There are only a handful of women.

I'm going to scare the living daylights out of them.

Ah!

Woo!

Ah!

Is he dead?

Of course not.

And all the better because now we've got a hostage.

But just look at him.

In the name of the British Navy, there's a thieving pirate if ever I saw one.

They've got Gaff.

Knocked him cold.

I ought to knock you cold for disobeying orders.

But if Gaff's their prisoner, maybe he could convince them that we're not pirates.

He's got a hard job convincing me he's not a pirate, let alone those desperate women.

Abigail, he's in pain.

He'll mend a thick-skulled pirate.

I'm not a pirate, ma'am, honest.

What are you then?

Well, I'm... I'm a... I'm reformed.

Listen to the rascal. The lie sticks in his throat.

Well, the truth is, ma'am, I used to do a bit of buccaneering on the side like...

Then me and Dan Tempest gave it up.

Hold still.

I'll bite your lip and I'll give you another clout.

Yes, ma'am.

Oh.

Thank you, miss.

Well, are we going to squat here till Kingdom comes down?

I don't know.

We try to take them by force and somebody's bound to get hurt on both sides.

It's almost sundown.

And we've nothing to eat but hardtack and water.

Well, are we going to camp here all night? What is the plan?

I don't know, Armando.

It's got me stumped.

Really got me stumped.

Mmm. It's piping hot and ready to eat.

We'll sup three at a time.

Those on watch can eat as soon as the others have finished.

Miss, I'm near fainting with hunger.

Aren't we going to feed him?

It's your ration. You want to share it, go ahead.

Oh, miss.

That's right kind of you.

Mmm.

What's that smell now?

Stew. Beef stew.

Gee, I'm hungry.

I haven't smelt stew like that since I left the port of London.

And then me poor old mother died when I was a little lad.

And me pa, he used to beat me unmerciful.

So I ran away to sea.

And it was then, when I was just a strip of a lad,

that I was captured by pirates and forced, forced to work for them.

So you see, I fell among bad companions.

I was captured by pirates, just like you.

If he beguiles you with those lies, Molly, you're a bigger fool than I took you for.

I'm sure he's telling the truth, Abigail.

Oh, Dan, the smell of that stew is driving me loco.

Oh, be quiet, will you, mate? I'm trying to think.

It's dark enough. Maybe we could sneak up and pirate the grub.

Let's get out of here. Come on.

What about Gaff?

He found himself into this mess. Let him get himself out.

I noticed you were on his heels quick enough.

He was smart enough not to get caught.

Not smart, mate. Just lucky.

Why should four of us suffer for just one?

We've got no food. It's getting cold.

We can't stay here all night.

Let Gaff find his own way back himself. I'm for clearing out.

Sit down.

What for? To starve? To freeze?

I'm starting for the boat right now.

You can come along or not, for all I care.

Daffy!

Gone!

Someone's cut the rope.

One of those women.

Looks as if you're stuck here after all, Daffy.

Looks as if we're all stuck.

What can we do now, Captain?

There's only one solution.

We want them to surrender into our safekeeping, right?

They won't surrender. We'll surrender to them.

What?

You want to sit by a warm fire and eat hot stew?

And have the company of ladies?

All right, then. Follow me into captivity.

Here they come.

Get your hands up, all of you.

Disarm them.

Are you the leader of this mob?

Yes, ma'am.

Just what did you expect to gain by all this?

Well, ma'am, somebody had to surrender, so I thought it might as well be us.

Who are you, anyway?

Part of Delacour's gang?

I'm Tempest, ma'am. Captain Dan Tempest.

I'm here under orders of Lieutenant Beamish, acting governor of New Providence.

A likely story.

Well, ma'am, I could convince you if I had the time.

While we discuss the terms for surrender, do you think we could have something to eat?

I'll dictate the terms of surrender, and then you'll eat.

Thank you, ma'am.

It's great chow, mates.

I never ate so well since I gave up piracy.

Well done, Captain Tempest.

Well, I hope I find the lady safe and sound.

Not so safe, but mighty sound, Mr. Beamish.

You'd better salute her, not me.

She's the master of this ship, or should I say mistress.

Welcome to New Providence, ma'am.

Whether it's welcome or not and whether we come ashore or not depends on certain conditions.

I drew up these articles last night.

The undersigned Englishwomen, being the sole owners of a captured pirate vessel called the Tigress,

agree to come ashore in New Providence and to rent said ship to the inhabitants of said colony for legitimate commerce.

Provided, however, that the male inhabitants of New Providence shall be neat, tidy, and courteous to aforesaid women at all times.

Those not complying with these articles shall be sentenced to cook and wash and sew for the aforesaid women,

or to perform such other duties as the governor of New Providence shall require of them,

in order to maintain a clean and respectable port.

Do you agree to these conditions, Mr. Beamish?

I think it's splendid. Your document sounds sweeter than Magna Carta, ma'am.

And now if you'll let me have that thing.

Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am. I'll escort you to the shore.

Let's go a-roving, a-roving across the ocean, oh let's go a-roving and join the buccaneers.

We'll find adventure, adventure across the ocean, oh we'll find adventure and join the buccaneers.

He's the bravest man we know, say he's not and you'll be walking the plank, sir.

Let's go a-roving, a-roving across the ocean, oh let's go a-roving and join the buccaneers.

The life of the ocean wave will be the only life for you and me, we'll sail across the mighty sea forever.

And if we find the dangers near, we'll whistle and cheer the buccaneers and we will face the enemy together.

Let's go a-roving, a-roving across the ocean, oh let's go a-roving and join the buccaneers.