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Thankyou so very much for commenting friend.Welcome backit about time Captain asserts his authority fully
Your comment always makes me so happy !
And you are right
Captain Samuel oughhta be tough!
PS
Btw while you were reading, I made a few minor edits. So check that out if you have the time.
I'm loving the dramatic use of the broken bottle on the table. Also, the artwork in this last update is amazing.
Glad to see you're back at it.
Glad to see you're back at it.
The Spaniards should never forget: They may be employing Captain Samuel, but while they're aboard his ship, the Captain is master of his domain.
Francesco was also quiet and had the sense to restrain Manuel during that incident with the cook in the previous chapter. I would not like to decided between Diaz and Francesco at this point.
Manuel however seems to be a terrible revolutionary; he has no self control, he is unable to be quiet and he is short tempered. It may actually be better for the revolution's prospects of success if next time (and there will be a next time) they just let Captain Samuel hang him from the post, because at this point he is a liability.
Thanks man. It's all due to the support of readers like you that I managed to bounce back.
Thankyou so much for commenting nan. You are the best man. Your comments bring so much happiness to my life.
And yes, he is the master!
Yes Diaz is good.
Thankyou so much for commenting man.
Please keep reading Is commenting ony story. I love it so much.
You are absolutely right.
But you can't really decide between Fransesco and Diaz as the former is technically an inferior bodyguard and the latter, along with Manuel is a leader.
Thank so much for commenting man. You must brightened up my day !
Chapter 8
"COME OUT NOW AND I PROMISE I WILL LET YOU GO" shouted Samuel as loud as he could.
"I FEAR YOU CAP" shouted a voice back.
Samuel sighed and put his hand to the head. The sun was shining brightly over the ship and Samuel quickly decided to wetten his throat with another swig of whisky before trying again. At the same time, the sailors around him also tried shouting in loud and high pitched noises but the answer was always the same, negative.
They had come within a day's distance of Jacmel on the coast of Haiti(Hispaniola). He had been mapping some courses in his cabin when Richardo suddenly came up and declared "Captain, we have a problem, one of our sailors, a guy name Johans has probably raped the Seniora Maria and is now holding her hostage". Samuel had made an ugly face and then followed his bodyguard to Maria's cabin on deck where the goon was holding her.
The Cabin itself was robustly built to accommodate guests and Johans had boarded up all windows. He continually Threatened from inside to let him get off safely at the next port or the woman would be killed. His threats were answered with curses and swearings from the ship's crew. But nobody could block the stalemate. If anyone even touched that cabin, Samuel knew that Johans would shoot Maria. Finally, he climbed up on a raised portion of the deck and implored everyone to stop. Then, he shouted out to Johans to clearly state his deal.
Thus, Samuel had brought order to disorder and calmed the situation a little. Johans wanted safe passage at the next port, one musket with ammunition and a bag of coins in exchange for letting the woman go. Samuel had agreed to his demands but requested that Johans let Maria out immediately which was obviously met with a firm 'No'.
Presently Samuel ordered his men to continue the swearing while he decided to hold a temporary meeting with everyone on deck.
"Okay folks, let me be clear. I don't intend to let this beggar just walk off the ship with his life. Now suggest me something" declared Samuel with a vengenful eye.
For a whole minute everyone was silent and Samuel looked at all of them right in the eyes for an answer. It was Jack Kimberns who broke the silence.
"Well we could simply break up the boards on one of the windows and fire upon that fool. Shoot so much powder into him that he would resemble a sack!" exclaimed Jack grinning.
Samuel let his head fall and said "Really, Is this what I taught you Kimberns? So we risk the Seniora's life?"
Kimberns replied back almost dishonourably "Well Captain, the honour of our crew is more important. In fact, what are we gonna get from that woman anyway? Its not like we are getting paid for dropping her off. She is nothing but a big obstacle for us. I don't understand why you agreed to it in the first place!"
"ENOUGH" shouted Samuel. He was visibly angry but just turned his head away from Kimberns. Just then, he heard more voices and went back near the cabin to investigate. Loud voices could be heard from inside. Samuel went up to one of his sailors and enquired.
"Its the lady sire. I think she tried to fight that bastard. We heard loud noises of bottles breaking and then I think he tied her up on the bed. Now he has doubled the ransom" said the Sailor worringly.
Just then Fransesco came up to the Samuel and said "Captain Samuel, I have a way".
Two minutes later he and Samuel were sitting on with the crew for the new plan.
Fransesco spread out his hands in the air and explained "So I spent some time under deck with the crew to help them out and I learned that while the whole room is completely closed and boarded up, there is a storeroom directly underneath it. Here is my proposal, we go up to that storeroom and very delicately knock around on different places upon the ceiling which forms the floor of the Seniora's room. If the knock is dampened, then we would know that Johan's foot is directly above it. The good thing is that he has tied up Seniora Maria on the bed so we can be certain that its his foot alright. Once we are sure, we fire the pistol up the ceiling so it will hit his foot. This blow wouldn't kill him of course but would merely shock him due to its unexpectedness. At that precise moment, you must order your guards to kick the door open and take him out. Thats all"
"Its a good plan, but what if it fails?" asked Richardo.
"It won't" said Fransesco.
Half an hour later, Samuel, Fransesco and another sailor found themselves in the dark storeroom underdeck. He had ordered his men to continue the shouting to keep Johans agitated while he had ordered his strongest men to be ready to kick the door open. Meanwhile, the three of them started kocking at different parts of the ceiling with small wooden spoons. Overhead they could hear the creaking sounds of footsteps but couldn't pinpoint the exact location of Johan's feet. Soon the seconds turned to minutes and Samuel and Fransesco were both about to give up when the sailor almost shouted "Look Sire, the sound, its damp and supressed".
Samuel smiled at Fransesco. It was over.
Exactly one day later, the Valentina reached the port of Jacmel in Western Hispaniola all safe and sound except for one less sailor, Johans Meridic !
"COME OUT NOW AND I PROMISE I WILL LET YOU GO" shouted Samuel as loud as he could.
"I FEAR YOU CAP" shouted a voice back.
Samuel sighed and put his hand to the head. The sun was shining brightly over the ship and Samuel quickly decided to wetten his throat with another swig of whisky before trying again. At the same time, the sailors around him also tried shouting in loud and high pitched noises but the answer was always the same, negative.
They had come within a day's distance of Jacmel on the coast of Haiti(Hispaniola). He had been mapping some courses in his cabin when Richardo suddenly came up and declared "Captain, we have a problem, one of our sailors, a guy name Johans has probably raped the Seniora Maria and is now holding her hostage". Samuel had made an ugly face and then followed his bodyguard to Maria's cabin on deck where the goon was holding her.
The Cabin itself was robustly built to accommodate guests and Johans had boarded up all windows. He continually Threatened from inside to let him get off safely at the next port or the woman would be killed. His threats were answered with curses and swearings from the ship's crew. But nobody could block the stalemate. If anyone even touched that cabin, Samuel knew that Johans would shoot Maria. Finally, he climbed up on a raised portion of the deck and implored everyone to stop. Then, he shouted out to Johans to clearly state his deal.
Thus, Samuel had brought order to disorder and calmed the situation a little. Johans wanted safe passage at the next port, one musket with ammunition and a bag of coins in exchange for letting the woman go. Samuel had agreed to his demands but requested that Johans let Maria out immediately which was obviously met with a firm 'No'.
Presently Samuel ordered his men to continue the swearing while he decided to hold a temporary meeting with everyone on deck.
"Okay folks, let me be clear. I don't intend to let this beggar just walk off the ship with his life. Now suggest me something" declared Samuel with a vengenful eye.
For a whole minute everyone was silent and Samuel looked at all of them right in the eyes for an answer. It was Jack Kimberns who broke the silence.
"Well we could simply break up the boards on one of the windows and fire upon that fool. Shoot so much powder into him that he would resemble a sack!" exclaimed Jack grinning.
Samuel let his head fall and said "Really, Is this what I taught you Kimberns? So we risk the Seniora's life?"
Kimberns replied back almost dishonourably "Well Captain, the honour of our crew is more important. In fact, what are we gonna get from that woman anyway? Its not like we are getting paid for dropping her off. She is nothing but a big obstacle for us. I don't understand why you agreed to it in the first place!"
"ENOUGH" shouted Samuel. He was visibly angry but just turned his head away from Kimberns. Just then, he heard more voices and went back near the cabin to investigate. Loud voices could be heard from inside. Samuel went up to one of his sailors and enquired.
"Its the lady sire. I think she tried to fight that bastard. We heard loud noises of bottles breaking and then I think he tied her up on the bed. Now he has doubled the ransom" said the Sailor worringly.
Just then Fransesco came up to the Samuel and said "Captain Samuel, I have a way".
Two minutes later he and Samuel were sitting on with the crew for the new plan.
Fransesco spread out his hands in the air and explained "So I spent some time under deck with the crew to help them out and I learned that while the whole room is completely closed and boarded up, there is a storeroom directly underneath it. Here is my proposal, we go up to that storeroom and very delicately knock around on different places upon the ceiling which forms the floor of the Seniora's room. If the knock is dampened, then we would know that Johan's foot is directly above it. The good thing is that he has tied up Seniora Maria on the bed so we can be certain that its his foot alright. Once we are sure, we fire the pistol up the ceiling so it will hit his foot. This blow wouldn't kill him of course but would merely shock him due to its unexpectedness. At that precise moment, you must order your guards to kick the door open and take him out. Thats all"
"Its a good plan, but what if it fails?" asked Richardo.
"It won't" said Fransesco.
Half an hour later, Samuel, Fransesco and another sailor found themselves in the dark storeroom underdeck. He had ordered his men to continue the shouting to keep Johans agitated while he had ordered his strongest men to be ready to kick the door open. Meanwhile, the three of them started kocking at different parts of the ceiling with small wooden spoons. Overhead they could hear the creaking sounds of footsteps but couldn't pinpoint the exact location of Johan's feet. Soon the seconds turned to minutes and Samuel and Fransesco were both about to give up when the sailor almost shouted "Look Sire, the sound, its damp and supressed".
Samuel smiled at Fransesco. It was over.
Exactly one day later, the Valentina reached the port of Jacmel in Western Hispaniola all safe and sound except for one less sailor, Johans Meridic !
There really was no way Johans would get out of there alive, the only question was whether Maria would. Shooting through the floor is a nice and elegant solution.
Let's hope Samuel doesn't have to take out any more crew members before they get to their destination.
Let's hope Samuel doesn't have to take out any more crew members before they get to their destination.
Lets hope !
Thank you so much for commenting man. It's always pleasurable to see comments.
It was !
Thanks man
Thanks for commenting.
Well, it looks like Fransesco is certainly proving himself to be quite the asset to Captain Samuel and his crew. I have a feeling the Captain might try to poach him away from the Spaniards once this whole affair is finally over.
And a damn shame about what happened to Maria. Johans got what he deserved. Hopefully the lady isn't the sort to hold a grudge against the whole crew, especially if the rumors are true...
And a damn shame about what happened to Maria. Johans got what he deserved. Hopefully the lady isn't the sort to hold a grudge against the whole crew, especially if the rumors are true...
Thankyou very very much for commenting man
Yes let's hope !
It's good that she survived xd
Thankyou so much for commenting man !
Chapter 9
"Richardo, I am leaving you in charge here. Look after the men, make sure they don't drink too much and upset the locals. Jacmel is too small and we may risk making enemies with everyone" ordered Samuel while toying with his cigar.
It had been 2 hours since they had arrived and while the crew had been let free, Samuel prepared to ride off to Maria's home at Le Mere(A few hours distance inland) all alone much to the chagrin of Richardo. Samuel had opted to do this because he figured that the woman would be quite shaken up due to the event with Johan(Even though it had turned out that the goon hadn't fully raped her at all).
Richardo heard, took a second to let the order sink in, then replied "Yes Sire". He then proceeded to take a long intake of the tobacco which cut through his being like a hot knife through butter causing him to cough violently.
This was immediately understood by Samuel's keen eyes as a sign of stress. He allowed Richardo a minute to recover before asking the invietable question
"What happened Compadre? Why do I sense something bothering you?"
"I won't keep it from you Sire, I fear someone" said Richardo.
Samuel made an expression of disbelief, who could his best man possibly fear?
"I fear Kimberns Sire. I fear him because of the authority you have given me" said Richardo with a worried expression.
"Why would you possibly fear him? He is a loyal and good man" said Samuel keeping his cigar down.
"A thousand apologies Sire, but Jack Kimberns is a man loyal foremost to money, without your authoritive presence, he may go awary. Also, he is the Quartermaster and I am technically just your personal guard, I fear that I might not be able to command him or his clique among the crew" said Richardo.
"Richardo, it's my job to sorry, not yours, you just do as I have told you to. If anything happens, it would be my fault only" said Samuel.
That seemed to relieve Richardo. Then he kept his cigar down too and then asked "Won't you change your mind about the guard thing sir? This is not a safe place. Why are you going alone?".
"Absolutely not. I am going with Maria, I heard from the locals that her brother is a bigshot not only in La Mere but in the whole province. He's a half-French plantation owner abd holds a lot of influence in the Haitian council. No one would dare touch us. You just do what I have given to you." said Samuel confidently.
Richardo didn't reply. He nodded. Sometimes, just sometimes he felt that Captain Samuel's source of confidence was mysterious. But he obviously didn't dare to utter it.
A few hours later Samuel found himself in the thick of the Haitian woods riding his horse upon what looked like an endless mudpath. Dusk was approaching but that didn't bother him. He was too well armed. What did bother him was that Maria had opted to ride her own horse and she frequently rode faster than him which made him feel insecure about her safety. He did somewhat understand that since the Johan event, she had started behaving overactively and with too much excitement. Finally at one point he decided to reprimand her
"Hey Seniora, slow down little, my horse is getting old you know"
Maria's face, hitherto serious and stern suddenly opened up and for the first time since meeting her, Samuel saw a hint of smile in her eyes.
"You just met this horse for the first time today Senior" replied Maria grinning.
Samuel laughed. It was true, he had purchased the horses from a stable in Jacmel. But his trick worked, the exchange of words caused Maria to slow down and now they were riding side by side.
"May I say something Senior?" asked Maria submissively.
"Sure" said Samuel smiling back.
"You have been too good to me" said Maria simply.
Samuel immediately replied "About the Johans event. The credit for that actually goes to my crew and........
"No no Senior. I mean overall. No one else would have diverted their whole voyage to drop off a widow like me. Of course, your crew may have protected me during the Johans event, but ultimately it was you who took the call as Captain. I respect you Senior" said Maria.
Samuel only moored sheepishly. Part of his profession involved weighting down people with favours to extract some from them later. That bartender in Saint Thomas who had advocated for Maria was no regular man. He was an ex-French revolutionary who was still well connected with various rebel groups throughout the Carribean. Too valuable to refuse a favour to.
Eventually though, the two managed to reach Le Mere before nightfall.
What they saw was unexpected.
"Richardo, I am leaving you in charge here. Look after the men, make sure they don't drink too much and upset the locals. Jacmel is too small and we may risk making enemies with everyone" ordered Samuel while toying with his cigar.
It had been 2 hours since they had arrived and while the crew had been let free, Samuel prepared to ride off to Maria's home at Le Mere(A few hours distance inland) all alone much to the chagrin of Richardo. Samuel had opted to do this because he figured that the woman would be quite shaken up due to the event with Johan(Even though it had turned out that the goon hadn't fully raped her at all).
Richardo heard, took a second to let the order sink in, then replied "Yes Sire". He then proceeded to take a long intake of the tobacco which cut through his being like a hot knife through butter causing him to cough violently.
This was immediately understood by Samuel's keen eyes as a sign of stress. He allowed Richardo a minute to recover before asking the invietable question
"What happened Compadre? Why do I sense something bothering you?"
"I won't keep it from you Sire, I fear someone" said Richardo.
Samuel made an expression of disbelief, who could his best man possibly fear?
"I fear Kimberns Sire. I fear him because of the authority you have given me" said Richardo with a worried expression.
"Why would you possibly fear him? He is a loyal and good man" said Samuel keeping his cigar down.
"A thousand apologies Sire, but Jack Kimberns is a man loyal foremost to money, without your authoritive presence, he may go awary. Also, he is the Quartermaster and I am technically just your personal guard, I fear that I might not be able to command him or his clique among the crew" said Richardo.
"Richardo, it's my job to sorry, not yours, you just do as I have told you to. If anything happens, it would be my fault only" said Samuel.
That seemed to relieve Richardo. Then he kept his cigar down too and then asked "Won't you change your mind about the guard thing sir? This is not a safe place. Why are you going alone?".
"Absolutely not. I am going with Maria, I heard from the locals that her brother is a bigshot not only in La Mere but in the whole province. He's a half-French plantation owner abd holds a lot of influence in the Haitian council. No one would dare touch us. You just do what I have given to you." said Samuel confidently.
Richardo didn't reply. He nodded. Sometimes, just sometimes he felt that Captain Samuel's source of confidence was mysterious. But he obviously didn't dare to utter it.
A few hours later Samuel found himself in the thick of the Haitian woods riding his horse upon what looked like an endless mudpath. Dusk was approaching but that didn't bother him. He was too well armed. What did bother him was that Maria had opted to ride her own horse and she frequently rode faster than him which made him feel insecure about her safety. He did somewhat understand that since the Johan event, she had started behaving overactively and with too much excitement. Finally at one point he decided to reprimand her
"Hey Seniora, slow down little, my horse is getting old you know"
Maria's face, hitherto serious and stern suddenly opened up and for the first time since meeting her, Samuel saw a hint of smile in her eyes.
"You just met this horse for the first time today Senior" replied Maria grinning.
Samuel laughed. It was true, he had purchased the horses from a stable in Jacmel. But his trick worked, the exchange of words caused Maria to slow down and now they were riding side by side.
"May I say something Senior?" asked Maria submissively.
"Sure" said Samuel smiling back.
"You have been too good to me" said Maria simply.
Samuel immediately replied "About the Johans event. The credit for that actually goes to my crew and........
"No no Senior. I mean overall. No one else would have diverted their whole voyage to drop off a widow like me. Of course, your crew may have protected me during the Johans event, but ultimately it was you who took the call as Captain. I respect you Senior" said Maria.
Samuel only moored sheepishly. Part of his profession involved weighting down people with favours to extract some from them later. That bartender in Saint Thomas who had advocated for Maria was no regular man. He was an ex-French revolutionary who was still well connected with various rebel groups throughout the Carribean. Too valuable to refuse a favour to.
Eventually though, the two managed to reach Le Mere before nightfall.
What they saw was unexpected.
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To everyone
I hope you are not annoyed with my style
You see, I don't get much time en massse so I write short chapters whenever I get a gap.
I hope you are not annoyed with my style
You see, I don't get much time en massse so I write short chapters whenever I get a gap.
I'm delighted by this new stylistic direction you're taking. The shorter, more frequent updates make them easier to read on the go, or when the readAAR doesn't have much time to sit down and read a long and elaborate chapter. As you may not get much time to write 'en masse', readAARs may not get much to read 'en masse'. Don't worry too much about evolving your style for whatever reason, it can even enrich the story itself.
Unexpected... in this AAR, I'm starting to expect the unexpected...
He may be smart about when to call upon someone's debt to him, but I don't think Samuel feels Maria owes him anything for dealing with Johans.
Nonsense, I can appreciate a slow burn.
Given it was his ship, his crew and he would have at least approved Johnas hiring, if not recruited him personally, if anything it is Samuel who owes Maria. It does not speak well to his crew, or of his ability to control them, that the incident happened at all.