⛵ ⛵ ⛵ ⛵...(Tour of "High Island")...
[Last time...]
“Sairrr, shoods we ready th' carronade oan th' bow, jist in case?” Errislravenhill asked as her brow wrinkled with stress.
“Nae. We dorn’t wantae swatch likes onie mair than a trader ship tae these dobbers!”
“A trader ship belching clouds o’ reek?” Galligan asked.
The Captain turned towards him with a wry grin, “Dinnae test me mukker!”
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[On the St. Lawrence River, between La Grande and Grosbois Islands]
The ominous, lit lanterns on the walls of Fort Montreal grew ever larger as the Silverton silently began its tack across the open water between the islands. No one on the ship made a word and the Captain kept his scope dead-on the gun decks of the large south wall.
Suddenly, the one thing that no one wanted to hear echoed across the waters…
“Quel est votre drapeau et pourquoi estes-vous ici?!”
The Captain pulled his scope down from his eye and clenched his teeth. Next to him, Commander Galligan turned to face him.
“We’re bein’ hailed…Sairrr.” Galligan whispered as he watched the fort.
“Ahh ken wur bein' fockin' hailed mukker! Th' bloody Franks! Speakin' thair confounded gibberish!”
“Quel est votre drapeau et pourquoi estes-vous ici?!”, The loud voice cried out again.
“Blast 'n' cattertails! Aw' we need is fower minutes more!” The Captain cursed, “Who oan boord speaks th' French vernacular?!”
“Hmm, ainlie Petty Offcier Bock th' length o' Ahh knows…”
“Get him up 'ere now!”
Commander Galligan slid off the rail and jogged down to the main deck where he called out Officer Bock. In the meantime, the voice from the shore echoed a third time…
“Quel est votre drapeau et pourquoi estes-vous ici?! Respondez maintenant ou nous tirerons sur votre navire!”
A moment later, Galligan had Bock standing on the bridge next to Cockpit Mate Errislravenhill and the Captain…
“Are ye hearin' this French flap Lad?!” The Captain said gruffly.
Officer Bock swallowed hard and nodded.
“Whit ur thay saying?!"
“They’re saying, ‘What is yer flag 'n' how come urr ye 'ere? Respond noo or we’ll fire oan yer vessel!’” Bock answered nervously.
The Captain inhaled deeply as he turned back towards the fort. He lifted his scope up one last time and saw that the eighteen pounders were being rolled towards the openings in the south wall while behind them, gun torches were being lit from a burning cauldron…
“Put some authority in yer voice Laddie 'n' shout this oot; ‘Our flag is o' th' French East India company! We ur furriers 'n' hav contracts wi' Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit!”
“Aye Sairrr…” Bock nodded as he cleared his throat and called out in the loudest voice he could muster…
“Notre drapeau est de la Compagnie Française des Indes Orientales! Nous sommes fourreurs et avons des contrats avec le Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit!"
⛵ ⛵ ⛵ ⛵
Vocab fur lainlubbers:
'att (that)
bahookie (ass)
canty (happy)
clootie (cloth)
cooncil juice (water)
dae (do)
dinnae (do not)
dobbers (bastards)
dornt (dont)
'ello (hello)
fower (four)
gang (go)
git (get)
hertache (heartache)
hodden (cheap, common)
huvnae (have not)
ken (know)
kip (sleep)
lang (long)
leid (lead)
loon (boy)
mah (my)
mair (more)
mebbe (maybe)
moggie (cat)
mukker (friend)
nae (no, not)
noo (now)
oan (on)
onie (any)
oor (our)
oot (out)
pooch (pocket)
rammy (fight, tussel)
shuid (should)
stoaner (hard)
swatch (look)
tae (to)
thes (this)
tint (lose)
treaturoos tillwops (treacherous punks)
ur (are)
wantae (want to0
ye (you)
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"Dooble Cross again! Och hoo Ahh hates a crowded brine!" 🙄 -Keptin
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"Confused? Ascared? Seasick? Need a private chat with the Captain?" - Skelp th' 'Reply' button!"
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References: Pictures from: www.freeimages.com, www.pexels.com, pixabay.com, steemit.com, Wikipedia an’ www.google.com/maps. Data loosely interpretted froms: Wikipedia, an' sometimes finely crafted reit from th' author's extensiff personal experience an' such.