⛵ ⛵ ⛵ ⛵...(Tour of "High Island")...
[Last time...]
“Galligan Sairrr! Een oan me Sairrr!” She yelled and he blinked twice and opened his eyes slightly wider, “Dorn’t die oan me Sairrr! Please dorn’t drift aff!”
The two souls who just thirty minutes earlier had soared to blissful heights now fought against time and the devil himself… ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~[Main Duck Island...south shore...]
The three birchbark canoes skidded to a halt on the rocky sand of the south shore of Main Duck Island. Ten Iroquois warriors manned each large canoe; one heavily ladened with beaver, fox and mink furs...
Their leader jumped out of the center canoe and splashed through shallow water to the gravelly shore. There he stopped short as he gazed upon the bare, white buttocks of a French sailor relieving himself against a tree. Turning to his companions he laughed outloud as they all joined in...
Jerking his head around to see the source of the laughter, the shocked French sailor shagged his pants up as quickly as he could and took off running west along the beach!
After a shout from their leader, eight young Iroquois warriors ran swiftly in pursuit. Within a hundred yards, they had the sailor on the ground, and he struggled in vain against their strength, yelling and cursing and kicking his feet!
With a slight smile still on his face, the leader jogged down and stood gazing at the strange man.
“He is French!” (translated) The Indian said as he pointed to the uniform, “Let loose...”
The warriors released the young sailor and he scrambled backwards a few feet, digging his heels into the sand…
“I am a sailor of the Royal French Navy!” (translated) He yelled out in proper French.
The Indian leader laughed again and finally held out his hand. The sailor cautiously took it and stood up, dusting the debris off his clothing and synching-up his belt.
[On the Great Lake Ontario…]
Warrant Officer Errislravenhill’s strength began to wane. With each new pull on the oars, her energy faded and so did Commander Galligan, who now lay unconscious against the bench seat in front of her, a small pool of blood forming on the bottom of the boat.
Facing east, she could not see the second longboat approaching and when the far-off voices singing a rowing chant echoed across the water it startled her!
“Och, thenk Gawd!” She murmured breathlessly as she let loose of her oars for a moment and turned around, ”Tar hail!”
“Tar Hail!” The answer came back.
It was the voice of Cockpit Mate Andofzara and Errisl wept slightly as she recognized it.
”Coorie mates! It’s life ur death!” She yelled back in an exhausted voice as she bent into her rowing once again.
On the second longboat, Andofzara heard her reply and immediately his heart was filled with melancholy…
“Life an' death?! An' nae Commander Galligan in sight!” He rationalized, ”Pull men! Pull loch ye ne'er pulled afair! Pull fur th' Commander!”
In the front of the boat Petty Officer Illielow turned to Yprecious as they put their all into the oars, “It’s th' Commander! He main be hurt!”
“Bloody Nora!” Yprecious replied, “Ahh wonders hoo it happened?!”
Illielow didn’t answer, but his face tightened into a grim expression of determination as he pulled even harder, the veins on his forehead now bulging with each swing of the oars. The dark mood spread over the crew of seven like an eclipse as their longboat rose and fell on the waves on a steady intercept course.
[The Silverton…]
On the main deck, Junior Petty Officers Ostpromoter, Innowbooster and Affisara gathered about the rear, portside rail…
“There’s only one sailur in 'att boat 'att Ahh can sees!” Affisara said as she steadied her long scope on the eastern waters.
“Only one?! Bludy heel, what’s happened!” Innowbooster exclaimed in surprise.
“I’ll teels ye whit happened...” Ostpromoter replied as he spat over the rail, “Thaur was anither hidden Frenk oan 'att ship, an' he gunned one of them doon!”
“Och Gawd!” Affisara lamented as she lowered her scope and turned towards him with sad eyes, “Don’t say 'att!”
⛵ ⛵ ⛵ ⛵
Vocab fur lainlubbers:
a scuttle (six)
afair (before)
aff (off)
anither (another)
'att (that)
barnie (fight)
bloody nora (bad luck)
bludy heel (bloody hell)
brine (sea)
coorie (hurry)
dae (do)
doon (down)
dorn't (don't)
een (eyes)
enaw (enough)
feit (feet)
frenk (Frank)
fur (for)
gang (go)
glaikit (stupid)
haur (here)
heel (hell)
hoo (how)
isnae (is not)
jawbox (sink)
loch (like)
loon (boy)
main (must)
'main 'en (come on)
nae (no, not))
noo (now)
oan (on)
och (oh)
onie (any)
poke (pocket)
puir (poor)
reit (right)
scran (food)
spyug (bird)
stoaner (hard)
swatch (look)
tae (to)
teels (tell)
thaur (there)
tint (lost)
ur (or)
wee (little)
weel (well)
whit (what)
wi' (with)
ye (you)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
kerrislravenhill (68)in #silvergoldstackers • 20 hours ago, "IF th' devil be'd on this boat I'd 'ave 'im rowing by noo!"