This is my post for #freewriters Tuesday prompt treasure hosted by
I have written before about the Spanish ships that were caught in a hurricane and sunk in the ocean where I grew up, this was in 1715. 1500 people survived and set up camp not a mile from my home.
My Dad found many coins and other things from the wrecks by metal detecting on the beach. The above picture is of pieces of eight, this is what they called their money.
Thes are musket balls that he found, the three round ones have not been shot, the flat ones have been.
Treasure is not always coins, jewels, gold, or silver. It can be everyday items like a buckle or button, they are the two items on the right. Middle two items I do not know what they are. On the left is a wooden die and some sort of pin, they were in with my Dads beach finds but I do not know if he found them on the beach from the shipwrecks.
The button has some kind of design on it. I wonder whose clothes it came off of. Was it a man, woman, or child?
I have thought about these people who survived and what they went through. Can you imagine sailing on one of these ships, getting caught in a hurricane, your ship sinking and you have to swim to shore in the middle of a storm. Once on shore, you have no way to get out of the weather which can go on for hours or even days.
I think the closest fort was St Augustine. After the storm passed some set out on foot to make the 163-mile walk. This was the only way that they could let it be known that the ships sank and many people needed help.
All photos are mine