The Walkers

Chapter 20

I have never seen something like that ever since I was basically kidnapped into this boat. I have been riding on one, but it never came to mind that there could be others. Funny, right? I thought that we were the only vessel in the whole big blue. Man, how am I this dumb? My eyesight was not lying to me. In the distance, I could witness the silhouette of a large ship coming into view.

"Sail Ho! We've got a vessel coming this way!" I yelled down from the crow's nest. As part of my job of 'assistant lookout', I had to report if I saw anything out of the ordinary.

"Heave to!" The quartermaster called the other crew mates with a thunderous voice. "Is it a Privateer, a Man-O-War or a Yellow jack?" He basically barked back. Yes, in my mind I have considered that Quartermaster Edwards is like the dog of captain Morrison. Both are scary... but he's still a dog... a seadog.

I squinted my eyes to get a clearer view. I know it's dumb! You don't have to tell me that! I swear that living with pirates is rubbing into me. I feel like an idiot now. I took the spyglass again and waited for the boat to come into a clearer sight. Oh no. Oh no. Oh. No. I immediately looked down towards the deck. I took as much air as I could and yelled back down as if my life depended on it.

"It's a Jolly Roger! It's go their chase gun pointed at me broadside!" That was not the best situation to be in. It was precarious. The position of our ship against the fast-moving speed of the other vessel, gave them the perfect chance to get one or two shots at us. 

"Shiver me timbers!" The quartermaster replied with a mix of surprise and anticipation. He turned around and looked towards the steering wheel of the boat. "Cap'n, we've got a clipper! It's a Jolly Roger!" The tremors produced by that voice made everyone, even the sailors on the poop deck and those reciting chanteys to halt in their place.

The dead silence was killing me. It was as if a menacing aura had just stormed in. The mood of the whole boat turned sour as if they had just been showered. What? They stink. I stink. We all stink in here. What are showers anyway... I am fooling around for too long. I stared at how the events were going to take place now. I wonder how our handsome captain is going to react.

"A clipper? And a Jolly Roger?" He talked with his clear and coarse voice. I totally don't think it fits his appearance. Look! He's even stroking his phantom beard! How cute! Ahem... I mean... how manly. "There's just one boat that comes to mind. It's that Privateer... It must be the Roaring Cross Ann." He announced as if he was pretty sure who was our enemy.

"Cross Ann?" I asked to the other lookout with confusion. I swear that they pronounce it like 'croissant'.

"It's the name of our sworn enemy vessel." He just shrugged his shoulders and started to load his musket.

"And who might that be?" I asked as his reply didn't even inform me anything nor it cleared my confusion.

"It's captain Black Moustache." Captain Morrison interrupted our conversation as if he had the keenest of the ears. Wait. I swear. I SWEAR! He just pronounced it like 'Moose-tash. Pfffft!