⛵ ⛵ ⛵ ⛵. . . "Tour of the Gulf of Aden". . . (cont.)
[Last time...]
“Pull that sail cloth tight mates!” Husam yelled as he pulled hard on the rudder, bringin his bow around to a south-easterly position, “Man the forward gun!”
“But Sairrr, we cannot win this fight!” The brawny sailor from the amidships yelled in fear.
“It’s not about winning! Do you not see the bodies of hundreds of our sailors floating dead upon the waves?! We must take some blood for their sacrifice!” Husam yelled in a violent rant!
The four remaining Dhows now swept south-east in a straight line course for the Silverton!
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The big ship came about to the east as the crew furiously worked the rigging. She now was facing down the four war Dhows that sped westward. In a now choppy sea, Standing Officer- Boatswain Ickied ran up onto the forecastle and started organizing the gun crews…
“Junior Petty Officer- Quartermaster's Mate Errislravenhill, prime-up the portside carronade!” He yelled.
“Aye, aye Sairrr!”
“Junior Petty Officer- Gunner's Mate Spinny, ready the starboard side gun!”
“Aye Sairrr!”
On the bridge, the Captain stretched out his thirty inch scope and laid ‘eyes’ on the four threatening Dhows as Commander Galligan leveled off the ship, due east.
“There's nae time tae bring 'er aroond fur a foo broadside mucker, hav Ickied load th' carronades wi' twenty-fife roondshot..." The Captain ordered.
“Cuttie range...they might be able tae hit us with thaur nine pounders suin..." Galligan thought out-loud.
“Och they're gonnae hit us alright, thes focker is radge!” The Captain replied as he watched the dhows' fast approach.
“It's suicide fur heem...” Galligan marveled, “If they pass uir starboard side, uir sixteens will tear them tae pieces!"
“It's nae a matter ay winnin' fur heem noo mate..." The Captain said as he lowered his scope and turned to the Commander, “Loosin' as mony ships an' men as he has, he's awreddy a deid cheil! Th' Jinn will hav his heed oan a platter! Nae, thes rogue skipper wants bluid, onie way he can git it!"
Galligan held that thought in his mind as he shouted commands to Cockpit Mate- Midshipman's Mate Fisky who shouted them on to Ickied…
“Twenty-fife roondshot in th’ carronades men!”
“Aye, aye Sairrr!” Ickied confirmed.
“Hav them hauld their fire until Ahh giv th' wuid!" The Captain yelled down to Fisky.
“Aye Sairrr!” Fisky replied as he ran towards the forecastle.
“Haur they come! A half mile oot..." Galligan reported.
“Ahh see’s ‘em...”
Suddenly the relative quiet was broken by the boom of the firing of nine pounders!
A moment later, the sea erupted three hundred yards ahead and just to the starboard side of the Silverton in violent waterspouts!
“Keptin, they’s firin’ oan us!” Fisky yelled out in alarm.
“Hauld tight! Hav Ickied's men tak' their aim oan th' two rear vessels!"
“Aye Sairrr!”
“Th' next volley will strike us..." Galligan warned.
“Och they're gonnae strike us alright, but Ahh've yit tae see a nine-poonder dae onie real damage tae a frigate..." The Captain replied as he pulled his scope back up to his eye.
Then it happened, the familiar two booms of the distant guns!
Suddenly the air was filled with a whizzing buzz and then a cannon ball ripped through the lower forward jib sail, smashing three barrels on the rear of the forecastle and sending deadly wooden splinters across the main deck!
“Auuugh!” “Awwwwwww!” Two deck boys yelled as they held their sides, crimson red blood flowing out of their white shirts!
“Two men down! Two men down!” Ickied yelled as he hunkered down next to the gunners.
Then there were two more booms from the second dhow! One ball bounced and splashed into the sea to their portside, the second crashed thought the portside rail, taking a man with it in a blur!
The Captain paid no attention to the turmoil on the main deck, but held his scope steady on the approaching enemy…
“Th' two leadin’ Dhow's ur spent fur noo… th’ two rear arenae close enaw tae strike us..." The Captain calculated as he lowered his scope and shouted forward, “Ready oan th' carronades!"
“Ready Sairrr!”
“Fire! Fire!”
There was no relaying of the command as the gunners in the forecastle touched off their wicks and the carronades belched black smoke and fire as they discharged their terrible load of roundshot!
In the distance, the third Dhow seemed to get hit by a buzz saw as her mast, her sail and fifty of her men disappeared into the sea! Behind her, the fourth war Dhow exploded into splinters as her main deck was peeled off by the cloud of iron cutting threw her beams!
Officer Ickied jumped-up beside his gun crew and rallied his men…“Fur Scotlain! HawHaw!”
Not to be left out, Errislravenhill turned to her men and yelled…”Elgol rules! Thaur' ye 'ave' it!”
“Officer Fisky, Man-up th' starboard side gin line!” The Captain commanded.
“Aye Sairrr!”
Then the unexpected happened, the two leading war Dhows split formation! The smaller dhow tacking quickly to the north-west, the largest Dhow slicing the sea to the south-west!
“Th’ snake’s tongue!” Galligan yelled out.
“Aye! A darin' move! Thes is a crafty mucker!" The Captain replied as he watched the skillful display unfold on the water in front of them…
⛵ ⛵ ⛵ ⛵
"Ahh see's 'att thaur has bin a devistatin' earthquake in th' Philipinar regions. Mebbe that's wa we huvnae heard frae it guid crewman Filipino?? We wish heem weel an' 'att he is awe rite! But, th' contest must move oan...crewman Sergino held 4th place in uir last contest an' th' quarter oonce ay silvers noo rightfully belongs tae heem! Yoo've got thee days tae sends me a spyug (email) wi' yer postal address mate!
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In other important news tadays, we havs a shake-up in th' silvers markit! That's reit! Th' 10 Day Runnin' Average senk belaw th' 200 Day! Blye me, hoo rash! Ur we settin-up fur anither promisin' silvers Buy Cycle mates?! Time will teel! All eyes oan th' 50 Day noo!" 😉- Keptin
https://steemit.com/steemsilvergold/@joshuaslane/silver-cycles-strategy-of-buying-selling-and-holding-silver-04fe19-how-it-works
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"Confused? Ascared? Seasick? Need a private chat with the Captain?" - joshua.slane@aol.com
References: Pictures froms: www.freeimages.com, www.pexels.com, pixabay.com, steemit.com an’ www.google.com/maps. Data loosely interpretted froms: www.wikipedia.org an' sometimes reit from th' author's extensiff personal experience an' such.