Something new II

[old card fan]

Heres another i am writting since the other got no response. This first part is true fact. They were never heard from again. I take it from there and tell the rest of the story.


My name is Hudson, Henry Hudson to be exact. You may have heard of me if you studied early American or English history. If you remember, I was a sailor. I sailed out of England captain of my ships. The 1st voyage began in the year of our lord 1607. My ship was called the Hopewell. My crew and I touched the shores of Greenland and Svalbard Islands & sailed as far north as 80 degrees longitude 23 degrees latitude. But as fate would have it, we did not find a Northeast Passage by way of the artic ocean to the Far East.
I made three more attempts after the failure of the 1st voyage, but it is of the fourth and final voyage that my story and life took on a crucial transformation.
I left England in 1610 on the ship named Discovery. A newly formed company of English gentlemen financed this voyage. They knew of my previous failures to find the passage to the East, but I had convinced them because of those unsuccessful attempts I now knew where I had gone wrong. Of course, the notoriety and money to be made was a strong factor also to these greedy noblemen.
We reached the Hudson straits about mid-year and spent approximately the next three months exploring Islands located within the Hudson Bay. This area of water at that time had no names; they were of course named after me. According to history, since I had given my life to exploring this area & was responsible for the mapping, it was the least they could do.
Anyway, my crew and I spent a little too long sailing in these waters, & before we knew it, it was well into November. Now we were trapped by a frozen surface that could be walked upon, but not sailed.
The men blamed me of course, and they were right. Had it not been for my zealous nature I would have sailed out of there when the first cool front blew off the bow in early September.
We somehow made it through the winter, and in early spring when the water thawed, we once again began to explore. But when June came of the year 1611, & I had not yet agreed to leave the bay, some of my crew began to have mutinous meetings that were unknown to me. I of course had a loyal following of officers that from time to time would bring up their concerns on the feelings of the men. But my main goal was to find a passage to the west of these waters to reach the east.
And as history recorded it, the mutiny became reality. I found a sword lying across my throat one morning from the hand of one of the crewmen. His eyes told me that madness had set in, and there would be no reasoning.
As I walked out from my cabin onto the deck, I soon discovered that my officers had the same circumstance bestowed upon them. They looked upon my eyes with a sadness that only a captain could understand. They felt they had let me down.
But it was I that had betrayed them. Had I not been so narrow-minded, I would have seen this coming. I made what I considered a gallant attempt to reason with the defiant crew, but to no avail. They knew once they had taken it this far, their feet could never touch English soil again or they would suffer the consequences of a rope tight around their neck.
We were loaded into one of the small boats and shoved away from the ship. We knew as she sailed out of sight, it would be the last time we would lay eyes on the Discovery.

 

[Djaughe]

Heres another i am writting since the other got no response. This first part is true fact. They were never heard from again. I take it from there and tell the rest of the story....

Where's the second part? The part where you tell the rest of the story.

 

[Pariah]

Where's the second part? The part where you tell the rest of the story.

"Then our rowboat sank and we died. The end."

-or-

"Then I woke up and realized it was all a crazy dream. Whew."

-or-

"And, not being able to see the Discovery again backened our hearts, and we became the most feared pirates in the Arctic. Arrgh.

I took to wearing a sash made from polar bear fur around my waist (Erol Flynn style) and I had a talking one-eyed penguin for a companion that rode on my shoulder. Aye, we were swashbucklers, alright. Down and dirty arctic pirates."

****
J/K Old Card Fan.
Interesting piece of history to fictionalize (at least, I assume that's what you're going to do, or have done...I don't know Hudson's story that well...)

 

[Djaughe]

"Then our rowboat sank and we died. The end."

-or-

"Then I woke up and realized it was all a crazy dream. Whew."

-or-

"And, not being able to see the Discovery again backened our hearts, and we became the most feared pirates in the Arctic. Arrgh.

I took to wearing a sash made from polar bear fur around my waist (Erol Flynn style) and I had a talking one-eyed penguin for a companion that rode on my shoulder. Aye, we were swashbucklers, alright. Down and dirty arctic pirates."

****
J/K Old Card Fan.
Interesting piece of history to fictionalize (at least, I assume that's what you're going to do, or have done...I don't know Hudson's story that well...)

So in yer 3rd version Henry H. became the pirate on the Sponge Bob cartoon!

 

[Djaughe]

....But it was I that had betrayed them. Had I not been so narrow-minded, I would have seen this coming. ....

Hudson certainly was a charmer. Aparently the mutineers were found inocent for what they did...I think like 8 sailers made it back to england.

According to the diary of one of the mutineers, Abacuk Picket. Henry Hudson, his son John, and seven sick crewmen were placed in a lifeboat. The ship sailed away, leaving the boat on the horizon. The mutineers talked and drank for the next several hours. When the ship's lookout shouted that he could see the lifeboat again, they ... "let fall the main sail and fled as if before an enemy ..."

 

[old card fan]

2nd

As the water lifted and swayed our tiny vessel, I looked over the men sitting with me in the boat. I counted nine of us in a craft meant for six possibly seven. I noticed the boat was sitting low in the water, but not dangerously so. The fact that the crew had not eaten as comfortably as if they had been in the bosoms of their wives, and homeland, had made them weigh much less than normal.
I looked out over the men, and then stood up before them to speak.
“Gentlemen, first, I must say I apologize for my foolishness. Had I listened to your earnest pleading for my attention to those matters that have put us where we are today, you or I would not be here in this predicament. Therefore I will not assume command for I have no authority of this tiny vessel”. Sickened in my bowels, I sat back down from whence I came. I awaited my small crews decision.
No one spoke for a longtime, and there was only silence. I was beginning to think the crew had not heard me or wanted to. Then my second in command that had sailed with me on my two previous explorations half-heartedly stood.
“I hope, he began, I speak for all of us captain. When November of last year came and we were held prisoner by the very waters we drift on at this moment. It was your shrewd knowledge that kept us alive, when other crews may have perished. It was you that showed us how to fish from a hole in the water. You that taught us to leave fish entrails on the ice, that it would draw scavengers for fresh meat. And you captain that took a crew of 20 men into your cabin to keep them from freezing during the harshest weather and to conserve what little fuel we had to burn for heat. Yes captain, if not for you, we may not be here today to ponder this situation.”
As the officer spoke, you could see the changes in the men’s faces. A new hope of survival where there was none before. This was a strange occurrence for me to endure. I was the one that usually had to solve or eliminate problems. But I soon realized this mans words may have kept me from joining the fish at the bottom of the bay.
I turned my head as the officer suggested and waited for the silent vote from the crew, which would decide my fate.
About two minutes passed, which seemed an eternity, when I heard the officer’s voice. “Captain Hudson, we are awaiting your next order sir.”


My 1st order of the day was to remove two planks at the top of the inside for paddles. This had to be done carefully so we did not weaken the boat. Some questioned me about this move, but once I reminded them we had no food, water, or supplies & maybe three days to live, it became obvious to them we had no choice. The scoundrels on board the Discovery that choose our fate were expecting it to be a death sentence. It was up to us to thwart their plan.
We settled in rowing in a southeastern direction. I knew from my last reading aboard the ship, that we were somewhere just inside the James Bay. We set up shifts of rowing every half-hour. Two at a time, one man on each side of the boat, I was praying we would reach land within two days. After that, I knew the men would start to become weak, and we would have to shorten the rowing time.
The best scenario for us would be one of the far southern rivers, but land held much more importance at this time. Land held fresh water and food even if it was in the form of insects.
By late night, we stopped rowing temporarily for all to get some rest. All the men were in their slumber state, which gave me some time to contemplate our predicament.
A thick fog had settled over the water, which made you feel even more lost. At this very moment, you could be a few yards from shore and never know it. At least when we were cast off to our fate, it was early morning and we all had thick layers of clothing on our bodies for warmth.
As I made some scratchy sketches on one of the makeshift paddles, I heard a high-pitched noise off in the distance. I glanced over the men to see if there was any reaction, but none that I noticed. Most likely it was a whale or some other sea creature.
As I sat there lost in my thoughts, my imagination began to play tricks on me. I had heard of the tales of some seamen about the monsters of the deep.
Before I realized it I had chills from my toes to the very top of my head. I quickly shook myself to make the thought leave my mind. I must get hold of my senses & not let the crew see me in this state. Fear is not something you want to let your crew see, especially in the dilemma we’re facing.
I retrieved my thoughts and composure. I somehow felt whimsical and ridiculous at the same moment. I had never been a superstitious man, and was not about to fall out of character now.
I noticed the fog was cooler on my face and I assumed that a slight breeze had appeared. But when I looked down at the water, I noticed a small wake from the boat that they make only when pushed along by sails. I told myself I would not let my imagination get the best of me once again.
As we drifted along, I began to feel somewhat drowsy. I went off into that stage of time passing, but not realizing it until your body jerks you awake. I knew in order to keep my senses I needed to walk, but this would be an impossible task in the over crowded boat. My only other alternative would be to stand and let the blood circulate back into my legs.
I stood up slowly stretching and raised my arms to reach for the heavens. Immediately I felt much better.
And as quiet as the night had been, it now changed abruptly.

 

[old card fan]

Appreciate

The comments guys, and the jokes lol. OCF

 

[old card fan]

3rd

From somewhere in the depths of the bay, something was rising. Water was pouring out from under both sides of the boat as it did so, it felt like it almost split the boat in half, throwing me out somewhere in the watery darkness. I did not have time to panic, nor had I time to think, my instincts told me to swim toward the boat for dear life. One problem, I could not locate the boat. I treaded water looking into the thickness searching for the vessel. There was nothing but water.
I had some idea of the direction I had been thrown, but could not be sure. But a decision had to be made, and so I swam as hard as I could. I yelled at the top of my voice pleading for someone to answer, but other than my splashing, not a sound. I was worried that if I had made the wrong decision I was getting further away from the boat. I now began to swim in circles, still pleading through the thick mist for someone to answer my cries of distress. None came.
I swam and tread water for what seemed an eternity until I could move no more. My arms and legs might just as well have been taken away from me for they were of no use now. It was as if all the day’s events came down on me at once, and I cared no more. I knew I had seconds before I would sink below the surface, and my life would end. As I took in what I knew was my last breath, something grazed the back of my head. As I slowly turned my head in that general direction, there before me was the side of the boat.
With my last bit of strength I reached out and laid my hand on the side. I’m not sure how long a clung to the side of the boat before my strength returned.
I managed to utter a low-pitched cry for help. But no one from the boat responded. I was going to have to bob up and down to propel myself over the side of the boat and into it. Then I would be able to ask for someone’s help to pull me all the way on board.
I was astounded that after what the men had been through they could so easily have fallen back to sleep. Why did they not help me, call for me, anything. I was feeling pure anger now. So they must have already had their little meeting, put someone else in charge and to hell with the Captain.
With renewed strength, I pulled myself aboard so easily that it was unbelievable. Had I not slowed my upward momentum I felt I would have propelled myself over the boat. As it was, I landed on my feet.
Now in the boat, I glared around at the men whom I now felt had betrayed me. The power I felt in my body was uncanny. Where it was coming from I knew not, but it was exhilarating. A feeling of such domination was rushing through me it was indescribable. How could one man feel this much adrenaline running through his body?
I looked at those poor excuses for souls laying here in the bottom of this boat. What a worthless bunch of meat they are.
I reached down to retrieve one of the men by the collar using only my right hand. I somehow knew I had the strength in me to accomplish this feat. The man never even came out of his slumber as his head jerked back from his shoulders and his neck snapped as I brought him up to face me. Knowing he was now useless and lifeless, I threw him as far as I could out into the fog.
The boat had rocked enough that now the crewmen were beginning to wake. I was standing in the stern my fist’s still clinched as they woke from their slumber. You could see the fear in their eyes as they focused on me standing there. There was nowhere to run, their only choice was to crawl to the bow.
I raised my head to the sky as a wolf might do announcing its presents to the moon. My arms came up above my head so I could howl with every fiber of my being. I felt more alive than anytime I could remember in my life.

Then I felt my body jerk as I awoke. I looked out over the boat at the men sleeping comfortably in every position imaginable. I realized it had all been a dream. Coming back to reality was more than I could endure; I hung my head and wept.