Chapter Three The Swop
They arrivd the monf July 1947. They stade at sea six days then they took another bote a saling bote this time. The bote could not put out it was bloing grate guns and they coud not leve harbor. There was in the crew (1) the first mate Jean Bestieau age 45 (2) the new hand Yves Randort age 37 (3) the captin Jean Brideau age 83 (4) the wet cooper Bastien-Grade age 94 (5) the cook Jean luc Troncor age 39 (6) the doctor François Cablot age 33. You are too old mister Grade you will have to retire! I am going to give you this little note this will show you you are retiring. — Oh thank you very much mister Brideau! — Just a minit mister, ah the way these drores stick, got it now, heres a safty pin, kindly do it up for me will you. — How can I, this safty pin of yors is very hard. — If you like I will try to find another, but Im not shore if I have one. — No please dont do that. — There we are its in now. — Thank you! — Hey cabin boy dont go down in the hold thats where the cooper is. No hes not hes here you can see him. Dont ask him anything hes retird. Go and find a replasement. The cabin-boy took the lader and let it down on the key and he saw two men saying to each other We’ll get a job as cooper on a bote Ill go and catch them said the cabin-boy. Dont just tark and get nowhere he told them come on folio me up the lader, come and see the captin. The captin said I cant do with two of you, one will have to be cooper and the other do watch duty. No! they said Yes! he said No! they said. Come on you, he said, youll be cooper. What about me then! You’ll do watch duty! Why said the man but mister Brideau went off without saying anything.
Chapter Fore the Pirat
The other man said ah I’ve a good idea what about becoming a pirat. Ill kill the steersman and steer the bote onto a reef and make it sink its a new bote. He huried downstares. Then he bort a super sord and sheeld and came up agane, he went over to the steersman and cut of his hed. Oradi was angry. He said Why did you kill that man? Shut up you mad fool because hes a pirat thats why. Oradi saw the bote was beginning to fill with water. Then he ran of. The bandit larfd. Oradi told the captin that water was poring into the bote the captin was astonishd and arsd him why. Sudenly the captin and Oradi were throne against the servants dore the dore burst open and they saw the servant drowning in the water.
The bote began to sink under the water very sloly.
Help shouted the captin, rescue, Oradi, my first mate my cook my doctor my cooper, help! The negroes this being south Africa got into there canoes and rescued them. The bandit made for the shore and hid in a hole. The captin got out of his canoe and went to the beach for a swim. He saw the bandit pulling a rock down on top of him so no one shoud see him. The captin lookd at him and left him to get on with it. He took off his clothes and put them down beside him. He had to go a long way to swim because the tide was rite out. While he was gon the bandit took his clothes. He undresd and lef his own clothes ther insted. Then he dresd in those belonging to the captin.
When the captin came back he coud see neither his clothes nor Oradi. His eyes bugd out of his hed when insted of his own fine clothes he saw a pile of red and green stripd rags, zounds said the captin he has taken my clothes! Luckily he cort site of Oradi holding the bandit and shouting Help Help! Then the captin ran as fast as he coud and cort the pirat and demanded his clothes back, Here they are then the pirat sed. — And what have you don with the steersman? — I kild him. — Your going to com along with me, then. — What for, sed the pirat. — Youll see … He laffed and laffed. He was sure theyd kill him. Im going to put you in prisn! To prisn with the fellow! Keep a tite hold on him Oradi! — But why? — You never ask why. Go on, hold him tite, if you dont hold him hell get away. Im going to tie him up, put your hand there. — Here? — No not there, on the not Im tying, there, now dont move. Oh, youve made me let the not slip loose. Now Im going to get into this handcart with the bandit and youre going to push it.
Oradi took to his heels because the bandit was running after him. The bandit threw a stone at him wich landed in the mud and stuck ther, he cort his foot on it and stumbeld and overturnd the cart and Oradi straind both his legs. The captin cort the pirat agen, he came back and saw Oradi lying on the ground. He said to the bandit Im going to take you to north Africa and drown you. He tide him up firmly to a tree and went off to find his fore black frends like Oradi. He said to them, cut me some long bamboos and make too holes in them. Then you must thred twisted stror thro the holes so we can put Oradi on it. — B-but, but, said all the negroes at once, straw, straw, thats going to brake! — If you plat it strong it wont. The fore set to work. They took fore nales, stuck them in the bamboo and threded the stror. They put Oradi on it and lifted him up saying oop-ah, oop-ah. They carid him as far as a rest house and here they put him down on a bed made of iron and wood. He had to stay in bed six days.
Chapter Five Rescue and Sinking
Three days later they ran into the Clafte which was a bote very like the Gland Duke which was there bote, the too botes met near America, the Clafte rose up and fell back so hevily this time that the wave past over her. But not only had the Gland Duke sunk too and the litle rescue botes were bobing about but the Grelon which was a German submarine was sinking the canoes one by one, there were at least twenty of them. This took place at 150. The submarine missd first time and dived back to the bottom to recharge. Then Oradi grabd his chance and tride to jump into the comander’s bote. He misd his footing and fell in the water, luckily he mannagd to hang on to the side of the canoe. The captin pulld him out and brort him back, he took a nale and hamered it thro too compresd air tanks. The Grelon’s bows came at them. Oradi and the captin rode as hard as they coud. He shouted to the comander ahoy there ahoy were going to be sunk by the Grelot! Quick! He ran out the rope lader and said clime up quick! — Yes but get the lader a bit closer, thats right. — The Grelot’s rite into your canoe! — So what let it sink, Oradi and I are out of it. — But dont you think — Dont we think what? — Well um ah — The hell with you were coming up. The comander went away and let go the windlas. — Come back quick the windlas is running out well be drownd in the bottom of the sea. Before the comander coud get back to the side all the rope lader had run out of the windlas. He called the cabin-boy and lots more of the crew to wind it up again, there were at lest eiteen of them counting the captin but seventeen without him.
The captin and Oradi made noises like glug glug, shouting Hel glug slurp, glelp, glug. You coud here the tackle creking and hel glug helslurp noises. The captin said what a row there making, yes shouted all the others at once. Oradi climed up again, phew he said and took sevral deep breths, in out in out phew. The captin and Oradi went back to the Clafte. Whats this sir havnt I got a cabin? — Im sorry no III give you a tent its all Ive got, all the cabins are full including mine. — What about a table and chares? — Im sory there all taken. — In that case what can we do? — You can sleep on a mat and sit on cushons. — Will they be properly stuffd? — Yes with kapok. — But itll all come out! — Not if there properly sone up. — Come on then get this canvas redy and quick about it. — What for? — You mene you dont know? — No I havnt the fogiest. — To make the tent. — And the cushons. — Wate a moment wile I look for them. — Sir! — Yes what is it? — May I take one of these cushons? — Yes take as many as you like. — Eight then? — More if you want. — What I reckon is Ill take eight for them. — Go on then take them. — Here they are. Now if I look in this corner Ill find some more canvas. Too bad if theres scorpions lerking there. Whats this it feels like an armchare when I tuch it its cold, dont bother looking there it isnt anything interesting. Oh but look here whats this underneath when I lift it up, this wite contrap-shun, lets try a bit futher down, all right, why its a super icebox that shoud fix them. Oops, thats got it clere, keep it rite way up its got some bred and wine and a glas inside it. Bang, thud, now weve got it standing on its legs. — Lets sit down said the captin theres sure to be somthing good inside now Ill open it ooh ah its wine just look at this lovely wine.