“Silver Adventures”- Captain Joshua Slane –06AU19 – ‘Dark secrets are a part of sailing my friend…’

⛵ ⛵ ⛵ ⛵...(Toor ay ???)...

[Last time...]

The Commander and his warriors quickly withdrew from the platform and headed down the stairs…

“Francois! Francois! Help me...!” Chaima called out in vain as the men hustled her away down the stairwell.

“My God…I have lost all! I have…lost all!” Francois exclaimed in a tortured voice as he fell to his knees and covered his face.

[On the Silverton…fifty-five miles east of Somalia…]

The sea was beautiful in the early evening light. Commander Galligan held the wheel in a steady course south. The Captain stood on the bridge next to him and there seemed to be a sense of peace on the ship. Evil had been confronted and conquered...simple folk had been freed from tyranny and a little profit had been made...

"Sae whit will ye dae Keptin, when we git back tae Elgol?" Galligan asked casually as his eyes scanned the far southern horizon.

The waves were mild and the rock and sway of the big ship plowing waters seemed to have a mezmorizing affect on the Captain as he stoked his pipe red hot and let out a long blue cloud of smoke in the shape of a war dhow. He set his green eyes to the east and then slowly turned back towards the Commander. he was in no hurry to respond and it was clear that his mind was awash in memories, obligations and also the mysterious fortunes in the future to come...

"Oh...Ahh dornt ken...Weel, first an' foremost Ahh'm gonna turn mah guidwife Sally May oan mah knee an' givs 'er a guid spankin' fur lettin' me bide oot haur in th' Indian Brine fur nearly tois years!" He jested with a grin.
"An' 'en?"
"An 'en Ahh'm gonnae hauld 'er in mah arms tight, loch Ahh'm ne'er goin' tae lit 'er gang!"
"Aye...." Galligan replied quietly.

"An' yoo?"
"Hmmm...ha! It's bin sae lang since Ahh've seen mah guidwife...ain noo Ahh've got mirk secrets..." He answered in a slow and measured tone.

The Captain looked at him with the eyes of one who's seen just about all one could see on the seven seas, and feel all the pain and the joy of the great mysterious world...

"Mirk secrets...is a part ay sailin mah mukker. Sometimes there's nae way aroond it an' sometimes thaur is. But... which ever way it goes...donnae lit yerself git doon coz ay it. Bein' an officer in th' Royal Scottish Navy takes its toll oan a cheil...inside...ain oot."

Galligan inhaled deeply as he turned and gazed at the man he had served for so long. He trusted him more tha he trusted himself and this small piece of advice had lifted the weight of the world off his shoulders...

"Sae...it's ne'er tae be spoken ay?" Galligan replied carefully.
"Gawd nae! Dae ye loove 'er wi' aw yer heart?"

Galligan looked down a moment as he answered quietly, "Mair than anyain ur anythin'..."
"Ain ye woold'nt want hurt 'er fur anythin' in th' warld reit?"
"No, nae fur naethin'."
"Then ye keep those mirk secrets deep doon in yer boots mucker! Eventually th' guid white oak ay th' Silverton will absorb 'em an' she will will purge 'em an' eventually flush 'em aw oot intae 'er wake! 'En mate...aw' will be weel, an' those mirk secrets will be aw be washed awa'."

Galligan thought hard on the Captain's words...and after a time he nodded slowly.

"An' aw' will be weel...?"
"Aye brother...aw' will be weel." The Captain replied as turned towards the south, "Aw' will be weel..."

[Prince Francois's palace, Praslin Island...]

It had been three hours since the stern of the black war dhow had disappeared over the western horizon of the ocean and Francois still stood at the railing gazing far out to sea. His eyes were red, his face was stressed and his heart was aching.

Radwan walked up and stood beside him...

"Is there a God my friend...?" The Prince finally said soulfully.

Radwan looked down a moment...

"There is a God my friend...yet, we don't know his larger plan..."

"But...we are a simple, peaceful Kingdom...how could it come to this?!" Francois said painfully as he gazed back at the old man.
"I don't know Francois. Perhaps we have lived too peacefully. Perhaps we have never looked far enough out to sea to know of the dangers that lurk."
"Should we have built ships and spent our small wealth on soldiers and weapons...?" Francois said as he continued to gaze west across the sea.

Radwan looked away as he thought..."Perhaps...or perhaps there was no way to avoid this. For generation after generation I played King...thinking that somehow, my small island held power against any outside threat. But I was dreaming Francois! Dreaming a pleasant dream! And when the outside world did come- in the way of a simple fishing Dhow with an honest looking man at it's helm, I thought...'Now, now is my chance for real power and wealth! Now was the time to partner with the greater world!"

Francois looked at him and perhaps for the first time realized how he too had felt the pain of oppression...

"Yes...I see all that now. But Radwan, I must do something! Something to help Chaima...or I will die here in shame!" He said with a burning passion in his heart.
"Perhaps there is yet one thing we can do..." Radwan said with raised eyebrows.
"What?! What my friend?! Anything?!"
"Bring me a messenger pigeon! And a quill with ink!"

⛵ ⛵ ⛵ ⛵
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"It's th' crew's duty an' honur, tae choose uir next toor destination an' such! Sae whit needs tae be dain is tae gezz me some replies wi' suggestions. When we git fower ur fife guid ones, we'll hav us a vote. Th' one wi' th' most crew votes will be uir next Toor an' sae forth! It's an excitin' process an' Ahh'm alwas' impressed wi' th' ideas yoo fowk throws intae th' ring!

Toor suggestions sae far:

1. Doha of Qatar

An' remembers mates, there's nae place in th' whole wide warld 'att we cannae gang! Ahh've sailed th' seven seas an' beyond, an' Ahh'm nae plannin' oan changin' onie time suin!" 😃- Keptin

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

🗝 Sassenach Vocabulary fur 'lain lovers':

afair (before), Ahh (I), aiblins (perhaps), anyain (anyone), arse (butt), 'att (that), aw (all), ay (of),
bark (news), barnie (fight), baur (bare), bevvy (drink), boss (empty), brine (ocean),
caller (fresh), cannie (careful), ceilidh (party), cheil (man), clootie (cloth), crease (ass), cutie (short, quick, small)
dae (do), donner (walk), dunnae (do not), dug (dog),
een (eyes), enaw (enough),
gang (go), gart (made), gezz (give), gin (gun), glaikit (stupid), gob (mouth), greit (cry), guttin (hungry)
haur (here), heem (him), hen (girl)
jeekit (jacket)
kent (knew), kinn (know)
law (low)
mah (my), mair (more), min' (mind), mingin (filthy), mirk (dark), moggie (cat),
nae (no),
onie (any), oot (out), ootwith (outside)
poke (bag), pure (really),
quine (lady),
radge (mad, dangerous),
Sassenach (Highland English), scran (food), shair (shore), spick (speak), strang (strong), stoaner (hard, tough), swatch (look)
thes (this), toon (town), tossel (private part)
ur (are, or),
wa' (why), wabbit (tired), waesucks (horror, pity, or sorrow), wee jimmy (young boy), whieest (quiet), wooldnae (wouldn't),
yak (eye)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Confused? Ascared? Seasick? Need a private chat with the Captain?" - joshua.slane@aol.com

References

Pictures from: www.freeimages.com, www.pexels.com, pixabay.com, steemit.com an’ www.google.com/maps. Data loosely interpretted froms: www.wikipedia.org an' sometimes finely crafted reit from th' author's extensiff personal experience an' such.

P.S.- Mickied has claimed his silvers contest prize! Braw job mate! -Keptin