“Silver Adventures”- Captain Joshua Slane - 25FE20- ‘I shall not parish.’
⛵ ⛵ ⛵ ⛵...(Tour of "High Island")...
[Last time...]
“Oh my Lord, must you think of such things already?” Amal pleaded as she held his face in her hands and kissed him.
As the villagers all came running to see the heavy cannon, Saleem began giving orders to move the wagons near the ramps and prepare to unload the cargo.
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[On the eastern shore...village of Matemwe, Zanzibar...]
The Jinn sat on the warm, white sand and gazed east across the ocean. Amal watched his eyes as he scanned the horizon and then looked down as she put her hand on his. He turned and smiled…
“The guns are all mounted. Tomorrow we sail…”
Amal looked away. She didn’t want him to see the tear in her eye, but it was no use….
“You are sad…but you should not be.” He said calmly.
“I have every reason to be sad my Lord! And none to be happy!” She said with a broken voice.
“The future is bright my dear. You will be the Queen of Seychelles and will sit on the thrown next to me!”
Wiping her eyes, she turned back towards him, “Will I? Or will I hear from the pearl divers and the fisherman that a bold Sultan has perished in battle?!”
The Jinn looked down and then back out to the sea...
“I shall not parish. God is on my side. I go to avenge a wrong and bring justice to Seychelles.”
“Justice? We of all people know that justice seems to come from those who are strongest!” Amal said with great emotion as she nodded to the north where the French fort lie.
“That will be dealt with also Amal…in time.”
[Back on the Silverton…late in the evening…]
Warrant Officer Surgeon Hack slammed the door of the boys bunkroom and held the handle tight!
“Ahh needs whale oil, rope an' sail canvas, noo!" He order with a bite in his voice.
“Aye Sairrr!” “Aya, aye!” Seaman- Quarter Gunners Nwenbaumeister and Ombstone replied as they hurried off with the two boys behind them.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
As the loud commotion in the lower hold grew even louder, Junior Petty Officer - Armourer's Mate Ickied took notice and slid out of his bunk and headed for the corridor.
Rounding the corner to the main stairs, he quickly scaled the steps down two levels to the lower corridor. There, in the dim light of the oil lamps, stood four men rummaging about in the sail room…
“Hauld tight! Who goes thaur?!" He called out as he approached the room.
The two cabin boys jerked to attention and saluted as he walked up. Inside, Ombstone and Nwenbaumeister were busy rolling up sail canvas and coiling rope around their elbows…
“Whit th’ fock is aboot?!” Ickied called out as he entered the room.
Surprised at his appearance, the two gunners dropped their gear and stood at attention.
“Sairrr! We're under orders froms Warrant Officer Hack Sairrr! He's in need of whale oil, rope an' sail clootie!" Ombstone said nervously.
“At yer ease…” Ickied replied as he walked into the room and glanced about at the pile of rope and sail cloth, “He wants aw thes at eight bells intae th' first watch?!"
Ombstone glanced at Nwenbaumeister who looked down and then back at Ickied, “Aye Sairrr.”
“Fer whit?!”
Hesitating, Ombstone finally spoke, “Ahh’m nae sures Ahh’m allowed tae say Sairrr…”
Ickied cocked his head as his anger rose a bit.
“Ahh think yoo'd better gab noo afair Ahh hauld ye baith tae accoont in th' morn!" Ickied warned.
“Aye Sairrr…weel Sairrr…” Ombstone stammered.
“It's th' plague Sairrr! Th' fesh-yak plague is oan th' ship!" Nwenbaumeister blurted out.
“Th’ whit?!”
“Th’ fesh-yak plague Sairrr! An’ it’s terrible ugly!” Boy Umper said in a fearful tone from the hall.
“Loon Ukiland caughts it from Anticosti island Sairrr!” Boy Akom added quickly.
“Th’ fesh-yak plague?! Whit in bludy heel is ‘att?!” Ickied said in dismay.
“There's nae time tae explain Sairrr! Officer Hack needs these things reit aways!"
Ickied exhaled deeply as he pondered the bizarre news…
“’En let’s git it to heem!” He said as he gathered up a heavy armful of sail cloth.
⛵ ⛵ ⛵ ⛵
Vocab fur lainlubbers:
afair (before)
baith (both)
clootie (cloth)
dug (dog)
een (eyes)
fesh (fish)
gab (talk)
hoo (how)
intae (into)
jimmies (boys)
kin (understand)
loon (boy)
mucker (mate)
noo (now)
rin (run)
spyug (bird)
tae (to)
thaur (there)
uir (our)
whieest (quiet)
woriat (worried)
yak (eye)
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3:01pm
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"Confused? Ascared? Seasick? Need a private chat with the Captain?" - [email protected]
References: Pictures from: www.freeimages.com, www.pexels.com, pixabay.com, steemit.com an’ www.google.com/maps. Data loosely interpretted froms: Wikipedia, an' sometimes finely crafted reit from th' author's extensiff personal experience an' such.
Oh my, what a plunge in silver price.
Yeah, what a plunge in everything!