Land ahoy!

-        Land ahoy! shouted the watch from the crow’s nest of the main mast.

That was good news for the crew; they had been at sea for such a long time that they were almost running out of both supplies and patience. They all ran to the poop deck laughing and squinted in the distance, or used their hands to block the scorching sun. An island was visible in the distance. The men felt lucky. It definitely wasn’t the first island they explored, but it had been such a long time since the last one.

Captain Jack, who was aware of the crew’s low morale, was sitting in his quarters studying the maps. Immediately, he stood up and ran up to the deck. The island had emerged in the distance, out of nowhere. It definitely wasn’t on the maps, he would have seen it. Captain Jack let a smile out; the island was exactly what he and his men needed. They would rest and look for supplies and other valuable goods, as they usually did when they found land.

-        Full ahead, full sail! Captain Jack ordered his men.

The ship sailed at full speed, eager to reach its destination. The men kept doing their tasks and laughing and looking ahead at the island. The sky was clear and the sun was shinning bright. Some birds were flying in all directions carefree. Pretty soon, the ship dropped anchor. The men together with Captain Jack slowly and carefully landed on the island. It was the most beautiful exotic island they had ever seen. The sea was crystal clear and one could easily see the sandy bottom. The sandy beach was soft, warm and welcome. Sea shells could be seen all over the place. Tall palm trees and banana trees overshadowed the beach. The men were speechless by the beauty of the virgin island. Hungry as they were, they reached for bananas and coconuts, which they devoured.

Having somehow quenched their hunger, the started to wonder whether there was life on it. They all decided to explore it further and see what it hid. They took out their swords and started to make way through the vegetation towards the inner part of the island. They walked and walked, through trees, plants, flowers, until they reached a plateau. There they discovered a small village. A few huts with thatched roofs were scattered everywhere, some kids were seen playing quietly and some women were doing housework. The men were probably away fishing or hunting.

Captain Jack and his men decided to approach the little village and see whether there was anything of value there. With the swords in their hands they moved closer, until eventually, the women and kids in the village saw them. Although they were strangers the villagers smiled and waved at them in a friendly manner. They looked innocent and hospitable, uncorrupted by the effects of civilisation. The men noticed that and smiled to each other. In the meantime, the men of the village came into view. They returned with fish and game in their hands. They waved from the distance to their people and the newcomers. They all seemed friendly and hospitable, although they probably had never seen strangers before on this little island.

Within minutes, Captain Jack’s men got their orders. They were the usual ones, what they usually did in situations like that. With swords in hands, they circled and attacked the villagers. They gathered the people together, took whatever weapon they had in hand and grouped the men, the women and the kids. They counted 15 men, 10 women and 6 kids. Their faces and moves made it clear that whoever showed signs of resistance would be stabbed to death. But nobody resisted as they had no idea what was actually happening. Only the kids got scared and started sobbing. The villagers obediently let the men lead them back to their ship and lock them in the hold. They would carry them back home and sell them as slaves.  They also took fishes and game as supplies for the voyage back. Before leaving the little village, they took whatever was of value, and burnt the huts and everything.

It was late in the afternoon and Captain Jack decided they would spend the night there. The next day they would pull up anchor and sail back home. The men spent the night on the deck, drinking, laughing and singing loudly. They counted the money they would make from the sale of the slaves. It was a small fortune, as slaves were precious back home. They would share it among them as usual. Tired, they fell asleep. They had to wake up at the crack of dawn the next day.

In the hold, the villagers tried to reassure one another that everything would be all right. But they didn’t know what the future held for them. The kids had stopped sobbing and had fallen  asleep, but the adults couldn’t sleep a wink. The chief, an old-looking man, looked out up at the stars and tried to speak with mother nature. He was usually able to understand her messages, but not that night. That night mother nature was silent and somehow sad. The villagers made a wish; to return to their village one day and live free and happy as they were before. Someone saw a shooting star, and felt relieved, as it always was a good omen. The chief whispered a prayer and everybody followed him.

The next day the men woke up early. They had breakfast, and went back to their duties. They were in a good mood and their morale was high.  They pulled up anchor and set sail, impatient to reach home. Captain Jack was in his quarters. He added the island on the maps. He counted again in his mind the people in the hold and was overcome with greed. He knew their worth better than anyone on the ship. Now all he wanted was the lion’s share. Then maybe he could find himself a nice girl and settle down. In the meantime, the ship sailed briskly back home.