Can We Pay The Price When The Cost Is Everything - 4

Part 4

The leader liked the kid’s spunk and didn’t want to kill him, so he tried to think of a way to keep him alive. He ordered his men to take to boy to his room. He told the men that they had more important things to do than kill the kid right then and there. The Captain’s name was Robert, but they called him Captain Pharoas. Robert told one of his men to take the boy to his cabin and he would deal with this later.

When he entered the room, Joe would only look at him. Joe wasn’t shaking in fear as the others had. Robert was tired and wanted to retire, but he knew he couldn’t pass the ship on to one of the other crew mates. The others would find a way to kill the new captain and on and on it would go. Robert pointed to himself and said, “Robert”. Joe pointed to himself and said, “Joe”. Good, the kid was smart. Now to figure out a plan.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months and Joe was still alive. They plundered at will. Joe participated but never killed one single person. Joe was becoming known as the gentle marauder. Robert would let Joe out a little each day until he was accepted as one of the crew's own. Killing him never came up again.

Several years later, both Joe and Robert learned each others languages and both were fluent in both. Robert made Joe his cabin boy and finally told him that he wanted to retire. Robert told Joe that the captain keeps all of the treasure and the new one starts from scratch. Robert wanted Joe to become captain. Joe asked for time and asked to go back home so that he could see his family one more time. He promised not to contact them and would rendezvous in the same came they met in, in three days time.

Joe was let off on his home shore. He went home and saw that 4 of his five brothers were married and that his father still lived. He didn’t see the brother born before him. Joe walked to his old girlfriends home. Her parents still lived there, but Joe never got to see Mennesa. Joe knelt right then and there because his heart was breaking. He was thinking of all of the lost time away from his family and girlfriend. The family never knew that he proposed to Mennesa and she accepted the day he was taken by his crew. She might even be married by now. Joe cried because he knew he could never go come back again. He made up his mind to become captain right then and there. He met with the ship in three days time and sailed away, leaving Robert on his home island.

While Joe was gone, he thought about his life and how much hurt and loss he experienced when he was taken from his family, but he knew that there had to be a plan. A big part of his plan was to keep his men from killing again. He wanted his whole crew to become gentle marauders. Joe kept a diary and kept track from all that they had stolen from. He was putting away his share of the bounty so that when the time came for him to retire he would pay every last denar back to the people that the crew had stolen from. It wouldn’t be easy, but he would do it or die trying.

Several more years flew by. Joe stopped at a desolated island to make repairs on his ship and found a man washed up on shore. They took him to the ship to allow him to heal. They made repairs and sailed away. The man recovered and he spoke Joe’s own language. His name was Rueb.

Joe and Rueb were walking and talking one day when Joe fell down a crumbling cliffs edge.. His leg was a pulpy mess and unsalvagable. Rueb rush Joe back to the ship and cauterized Joe's' leg. Rueb told the men that if his can take them to his home he would be able to heal Joe's' leg. Joe's' commander asked for the co-ordinates and they set sail..........

Part 5 tomorrow