CHAPTER 5 : ORPHANS

We rode until we saw a town with flickering lights. It could have been 3 3-day rides.

Since we looked like respectable men, somewhat half drunken and wind blown wigs. We decided to tell them they could buy our carriage and we leave on horse back.

Boy, were we wrong. The fat lady, cabbee lady, who was in the carriage came from that town.

We steal a donkey and on donkey back we rode together, all I can say is that it was a very unpleasant ride. I shook in places I thought were broken for life.

Heikelos was clinging behind, somewhat smaller than I equally fit, though. Holding onto his wig.

We managed to grab two ale beers on the way and were drinking the shaking away.

After a while, the donkey wanted to go back, so we bid it adieu and jumped off, falling and rolling as we did. Then the donkey came and bit my hair and Heikelos' right ear.

And we got up and walked to a coastline visible. When we reached it we had to hide as there were people with lanterns looking about. I just saw that the one man had a fancy golden necklace around his neck and boy did I want it.

Heikelos had to hold me back from going at him. We softly fought a bit and stumbled upon a cavity by the water. It seemed like the coastline was rather a river that mouthed to the ocean.

Inside we found quite a few women's stuff with children dolls and toys like for a baby. Or babies? Quite old but new also.

Heikelos and I said we should get out of this space, and for the first time, I walked to the ocean. As such, a cave stash usually has a master professional lurking about.

It took us 6 days. Then we walked East very jolly barefooted without a care in the world on the beach. For 4 days.

Then hunger set in. And we decided to go to a town cavern. They look like beach boys.

There we were served food from a very nice and intriguing Greek woman. Big meals of fish etc. And we gave the woman the golden jewels and stuff we stole from the carriage woman as a thank you. We were washed and dressed properly by her and now looked like young men who do horseback riding.

She tells us about a new ship called Maroontov that came to harbour with a pirate called Blackoorn looking for new crew mates.

We decided to check it out.

We met with them, there were about 73 men and women signing up for the ship.

And Blackoorn was by the looks of it a coloured French girl with also light eyes and a black hat and fake hair moustache.

We join her and the crew and stock up but to our sadness the ship was called Eapleas. Not Maroontov.

She then said to 6 of us but tells Heikelos and I who haven't said a word about it. That we must stay with Eapleas. As the 6 men heist Maroontov from the harbour.

We watch, and as she turns, we run and sabotage her 3 men, with the first one having our ship's papers, but then the ship papers he has are for Phillip's ship. MV. I take the papers, Heikelos takes the money, and we dice for the Harbour.

We flash the papers and walk to Maroontov which was stripped bare of her fancy embroidery. We get aboard, and the men of the harbour join, with only 4 looking rich.

We sail away with 64 guys on our way to Italy. Which is where the ship is to be delivered.

As we make it round the top of the water ready for a turn inland. We sabotage the men and say we're pirate's hijacking the ship. And they say they know, they saw from the hanging but were from the orphanage. And the rich guys gave Heikelos their clothing and showed their poor clothing underneath. Best of all they spoke our language with only 1 Italian and one French.

We make sail for the South and I explain how the ship works and they were very obedient workers though not very good at sailing.

Heikelos and I were manning mostly everything double shift ourselves, and the orphans were eating and vomiting from eating too much but having food.

We just let them have it. The ship felt blessed.

As we left for the Atlantic ocean, I told them that one day sooner than we think I'll be back for Maroontov's golden embroidery.

They just looked over with hollowed eyes unaware of how big the ocean is.

We dressed them up in sailor's uniforms stashed in our secret spots as most of our secret cargo was left untouched.

And we hoisted a new Phillip's flag.

It didn't take them too long to learn how the ship worked, and some eagerly changed from being somewhat concerned orphans to ecstatic human beings.

They loved it, with only 5 sick with seasickness.

When we sailed past Morocco they wanted to go back to Europe, so we ended up dropping them off in Mauritania.

Only 17 stayed on the ship.

Altogether, we were 21 as one boy orphan turned out to be a girl, pregnant.

Then we sailed South and we hit a storm that took us to the Caribbean Islands.

There 13 left us for good. And the others decided to stock up, like how we do but to then take a different ship with themselves a new captain.

The Captain being Heikelos. Blaming me for the storm and the children and everything except the yellow cloth we used to have stitched onto our stealth sail.

There I was with my Maroontov about 40% itself with a 30% on board ship health.

Man alone, dried out with only two golden coins for a net-worth. Poor and forsaken.

Miserable, I spend my last coins on new black Mexican clothing and booze; rum and scotch to be exact. A whole box of it.

A few days later.

Heikelos is back with the orphan crew, now 83 members apologetic and sincere, even with some fruits to eat as I was very drunk and hadn't eaten in a while.

And Heikelos now had a peg leg. Something happened when they tried to heist a boat.

I said to them Heikelos must be brought to me so that I can inspect thee leg.

And so it was. We spent a few months in the harbour fixing up Maroontov living on board with the orphans managing odd jobs for money to fix up our ship. No more than 2 years is what I told Heikelos and Heikelos agreed 11months only. As we don't really civilize as pirates much. And after 1 year and 6 months we left with an improved Maroontov and all our members impeccably trained to sail. We left for Thaose and then again China was the deal. However…