“Silver Cycles” Adventures of Captain Joshua Slane- 26DE18 – ‘Shut your mouth Dax!’
⛵ ⛵ ⛵ ⛵. . . Ship's Log: 26 ay Decembers, 1718
[Last time...]
“Och an’ Yrstikken… ye didne happen tae notice a tall cheil, dark beard an' a stockin' bunnit (hat) wi' them did ye?"
“As a matter ay fact, Ahh did. He had th' look ay an officer an' a cheil ay few words. Thaur was a yoong cabin loon wi' heem tay..." Yrstikken replied.
“A loon?! Abit eleven years auld?" Ickied asked in surprise.
“Och aye, abit eleven Ahh would say."
“Bloody Nora!” Ickied cursed as he gazed off to the horizon with sad eyes.
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[Pemba, north shore…]
A half hour’s run brought Petty Officer- Ship’s Corporal Ickied and his men back to the north shore of Pemba. There at the high tide line lie their longboat, blocked and secured. The men quickly got the boat loaded and pushed into knee-deep water…
“Pile in men! We've got tae make fur th' Silverton afair nightfall!" Ickied said as he hopped into the stern and grabbed the rudder.
As the big longboat broke through the last breaker, the sea settled and the men pulled hard on the oars as Ickied scanned the western horizon for Yrstikken’s boat. Just when he thought the newcomers had changed their mind, a lonely longboat broke across the western horizon, pulling fast for the open sea.
“Thaur they ur sairrr!" Seaman- Ordinary Seaman Evsup yelled as he nodded to the west.
“Ahh see’s ‘em!” Ickied replied as he watched the boat push onward into calmer waters.
“Dae ye hink th' Keptin will brin' them aboard Sairrr?" Seaman- Ordinary Seaman Ouncil asked.
“Ah dunnae know. It's nae th' men he wants tae see, an' it's an odd Christmas gift tae brin' heem!" Ickied replied with a worried brow.
“An' if he doesnae?" Seaman- Ordinary Seaman Ackerzizon asked curiously.
Ickied shrugged his shoulders before answering…
“If he doesnae…it will be a long, dark pull ta shore fur ‘em!”
The men all fell into their own thoughts as they pulled hard in a steady rythym…
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[On the Grand Bank schooner…]
Boy Tipper’s heart hung heavy as he pulled the front jib line taught and tied it off. He could barely see the tall mast of the Silverton now as the big schooner skimmed over the eastern sea like fish.
He looked back at Commander Galligan who was securing the rear boom.
“What was wrong with him?”, “Why didn’t he recognize him?”, “How is it he is alive?!” (See: https://steemit.com/story/@joshuaslane/silver-adventures-of-captain-joshua-slane-09se18-an-here-s-my-hand-my-trusty-friend )
These questions and many more rang through Tipper’s mind as he worked the front rigging. Then that familiar voice rang out…
“Loon! Bring in th' second jib a wee bit, th' westerly is pullin' us too far tae starboard!" Galligan yelled out.
“Aye Sairrr!” Tipper answered instinctively.
Suddenly an angry yell rang out from the bridge…
“Hey dobber! Ahh give th' orders haur!" First Mate Dax complained.
Galligan turned and eyed him hard…
“Didne th' Keptin say he wanted tae rin as fast as possible?!" Galligan demanded.
“He did, an' Ahh awreddy ordered aw th' sail clootie be lit oot!" Dax defended.
“We're heelin' too far starboard! If ye want tae make th' best ay thes win', yoo've got tae let th' second jib doon a wee bit tae treem uir wake!" Galligan explained.
Pretending not to hear Dax, Tipper carried out Galligan’s orders and the schooner not only righted herself by a good ten degrees but sped-up considerably! Just as Dax was going to reverse the call, Captain Callum grabbed his shoulder and spun him around!
“Shut your mouth Dax!” Callum whispered in his ear, “The man knows what he’s doing! He’s a focking Commander in the Scottish Navy! That’s a full six levels above your grade!”
Humiliated, Dax looked down as he held the ship’s wheel.
“Six grades above me…and he thinks he’s a deck hand…?”
“That’s right! And we’ll let him go on thinking that as long as we can before we cut his throat… and fling him overboard!” Callum whispered with an evil smile, “Right now he’s our advantage and our only insurance policy.”
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"Ever want tae jist lae aw yer problems an' troobles behin' an' sail th' high seas in search ay hodden silver an' adventure? Weel ye can dae jist 'att by joinin' th' crew ay th' mighty 'Silverton', a 36 gin frigate ay th' Royal Scottish Navy, reit haur oan steems-it an' so forth!"- Cap'n
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"If you’re enjoying mah adventure,
consider ‘Up-Voting’ mah blog!" –Cap’n
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"Confused? Ascared? Seasick? Need a private chat with the Captain?" - joshua.slane@aol.com