⛵ ⛵ ⛵ ⛵. . . "Tour of the Gulf of Aden". . . (cont.)
[Last time...]
“I’m afraid I have done a shameful thing my friend, and may have brought doom down on all of us…”
“King Radwan, what have you done?!”
“I…signed a treaty with the Lord Jinn of Aden. In return for the use of the port of Victoria for pirating the Indian Ocean, he was to pay me twenty-five percent of all booty…”
Prince Francois was aghast at what he heard! The small kingdoms of the archipelago island chain of Seychelles had always worked in unison. Never had they made any treaty with the outside world without agreement of all four Kingdoms- Mahe (Seychelles main), Praslin, Las Digue and Silhouette!
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
[On the Silverton...]
On the second day past the horn of Somalia, the Captain was back up on the bridge and eyeing the coast...
“What's yer feel fur th' muid ay th' crew?” He asked Commander Galligan.
“Fair…but guttin'." He answered honestly as he gazed down at a group of boys pulling in the corner of the main sail.
“Hmmm….aye, nae doobt they's guttin'. But tonight they'll be glad they’s boss!”
“Sae we strike in th' wee hoors 'en?"
“Nae other way tae dae it. It's a moonless night. Th' city has eighteen poonders tae protect 'er, we've got sixteens. We hav tae git in range befor they spot us, an' tak' oot th' shair guns..." The Captain said sternly as he lit his pipe and let out a large blue cloud of smoke.
“Wi' thes wind, it will be six bells in th' middle watch afair we git in range…" Galligan calculated.
“Aye…givin' us thee hoors afair sunrise tae rain doon fire an' heel afair they burst th' hull ay th' Silverton..."
“It's risky. If we lose th' wind, we coods be targit practice at sunrise..." Galligan said with no small amount of worry.
"Donae lose th' wind 'en mucker!" The Captain said matter-of-factly as he turned and left the bridge, "It's th' only way…"
Commander Galligan stood motionless at the wheel. He’d been in too many battles not to know that everything never goes as planned. Yet, he calmed his mind as he thought about the Captain’s judgement. The man had the luck of a white whale and Galligan decided now was not the time to question.
“Yo! Ho! City ay Maydh!” The deep voice of Seaman- Ordinary Seaman Tuna rang out.
“Maydh?!” Galligan called back.
“”Aye Sairrr! Fifteen miles due sooth!”
Galligan turned and yelled down to the main deck, “Cockpit Mate- Midshipman's Mate Fisky an' Warrant Officer- Master Ickied, prepare to swing the boom! Set our clootie to tak north!”
“Aye Sairrr!”
“Aye, aye!!”
The crew scampered about the deck and made all preparations to change their course as Galligan swung the ship’s big wheel three full turns and the Silverton lurched to the starboard side as she cut new waters and headed into the north.
[Down below deck, in the galley…]
“Fock th' day! Eighteen hoors withoot a piece ay scran!" Seaman- Ordinary Seaman At-Elvis said with irritation as he sipped his coffee.
"Aye! What's in th' min' ay th' Keptin anyways?! Diz he want us aw tae starve afair we git killed in Aden?!" Seaman- Ordinary Seaman Astditch added.
“Shut yer gob baith ay ye ur Ahh'll hav ye throon in th' brig until th' battle starts!” Junior Petty Officer- Gunner's Mate Errislravenhill threatened, "Dae ye ken whit woods happen tae ye if a Standin' Officer ur higher waur tae hear ye gab like 'att?! Ye coods be flogged!"
The two young seaman looked down and said nothing. The ways of war were no more than foggy rumors for them, tales you hear at a pub in the comfort of your hometown...
⛵ ⛵ ⛵ ⛵
Maydh, Somalia
"Accordin' tae Augustus Henry Keane, Maydh represents an early center ay dispersal ay th' Somaliar fowk. National genealogies assert 'att mony clan patriarchs ur buried in ur nearby th' toon. The City ay Maydh was haem tae Sheik Isaaq Bin Ahmed Al Hashimi (BLATCH!!), who, accordin' tae tradition, moved tae Somaliar froms th' Arabian peninsular in th' 12th ur 13th century ce. He is considered tae be th' foondin' faither ay th' large Somaliar clan thaur. Sheikh Isaaq's domed tomb is also located in Maydh."
🗝 Sassenach Vocabulary fur 'lain lovers':
afair (before), Ahh (I), aiblins (perhaps), '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)
dae (do), dunnae (do not), dug (dog),
enaw (enough),
gang (go), gart (made), gezz (gives), glaikit (stupid), gob (mouth), guttin (hungry)
heem (him), haur (here),
kent (knew), kinn (know),
mah (my), mair (more), min' (mind), mingin (filthy), mirk (dark), moggie (cat),
nae (no),
onie (any), oot (out),
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), tois (two), toon (town),
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: Scottsdale Mint- Antigua-Barbadu 'Rum Runner' 1 oz Round, 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.