By Rachel Glendenning Essays

By Rachel Glendenning Essays By Rachel Glendenning Essay By Rachel Glendenning Essay It was a calm night in the lonely moor surrounding moon fleet village. The water from the sea was lapping the shore, as the rounded moon shone gracefully upon the dunes. That the mild gusts of the summer wind blew unpleasantly around our toasty bodies causing them to feel colder with every blast of air combined with sun dried sand blown at us. Moon fleet was silent and still and visibly there were only two traces of light coming from the sleeping village, both of which came from candles, but in very different circumstances. One gave light to some of my fellow men and companions, as they walked silently up to the old Mohone vault within the graveyard. To prepare the storage vault for its new contents how ever small tonights collection was going to be, but was sure to keep us wealthy enough.But on the other hand, the second candle was called Maskews march. Grace Maskew placed the candle on her windowsill so that she could warn all boats that came to close, in bad weather and when the b lanket of darkness covered us, that land was near. The adrenalin pumped through my whole body filling it with fear and excitement. A strange buzz of which I cannot really describe fully, as our boat became adrift and the salty spray splashed off the bow of the boat up on to our anxious faces. We all jumped enthusiastically in to the boat causing it to rock violently and sink a little with all of the extra weight. David blocks face lit up as he grabbed an ore and lowered it in to the water on his fathers orders. He whispered earnestly of how he was so excited as it was his first time, just like a child losing a tooth for the first time.The order came from the head of the Ketch to start to row, so with every back breaking stoke we were pulled a little closer to the mother ship, as I called it, to collect her gear. The ores rotated very shallowly at first, and then with each stroke became deeper and deeper as the boat left the shore and travelled in to the ocean. A splash, my heart pou nded, it was louder than the splash of an ore. I scanned the shoreline, yet I could not see anything, I couldnt picture what else could make such a noise except hefty sized boat entering the shallow water of the embankment behind a small hill, not visible to sight from such an angle that we were.We all sat as though all of our bodies were paralysed, not been able to move a muscle through fear. We were in the middle, caught half way between the shore and the gigantic ship of which we gained our fortune. All was silent as tiny slits scanned the shoreline from end to end, like looking at a beaming smile that stretched from ear to ear. I couldnt see anything, but my mind was going mad. I could not see a boat in the water, but my head felt like it was going crazy, what would happen to my daughter and wife if I were to be caught.I would be hanged, why do I deal in such a filthy business. Elzevier spoke wisely, you should be afraid of what you cannot see, but if you cannot see anything why are you afraid. This puzzle fused our imagination, the puzzle of which one could not figure yet use to re-build our confidence. So we could take several more splashes of the ores beating the water so that the mother ship was along side us.These ores were lifted, as the bow was tied to the port bow of the ship, so that the ores could be rapped against the side of the ship alerting the foreigners that we were waiting. Seconds passed, before the foreigners faces appeared over the top of the ship. They tried to communicate with us, though no one could understand them. We all smiled innocently, and David Blocks face went white, though I could not tell whether it was because he felt ill, or ill with excitement or just because the light from the moon shone upon his pasty face, with skin of his mother, causing it to look white.The foreigners passed the goods down as we grabbed them and loaded them in to the Ketch, making sure that we were not to sink the boat. Barrels of ale, boxes of toba cco and fine silks of which any man could only wish to give to his wife or close female friend were loaded on to our boat. Which felt a lot heavier and it felt as though water would start spilling over the top at any moment, but it did not. So with a final farewell and friendly handshake with the captain,Elzevier and us gave a solemn wave good-bye to the men of the great cargo ship as we again pushed away from the great floating structure. We thought that it would be a quick journey to shore, but the time it took, seemed like an eternity. No one could have felt prouder that night than Elzevier Block, his sons eyes sparkling in the moon light, his brown hair shining like gold in the moon light and his wide noticeable smile soon to be shattered under the same moon light.We all quietened down as we started to approach the long stretch of coastline, so that not a sound could be heard apart from the soft stroke of the rotating ores.Abruptly I heard some one call out , what is that coming towards us, it is so close and look at the speed it is approaching us!Its certainly not one of ours, Block added.We rose to our feet panic stricken and dumbfounded. Mens faces could be seen as clear as if it was day, their little beady eyes looking straight at us and the gleam of their swards glinting in the moonlight. They were approaching at a tremendous speed, so fast, getting so close.Maskew, whispered Elzevier Block, with no feeling and no surprise within the tone of his voice.Get down David, dont stay on the boat, a conflict is about to take place, and you should not be a part of it. He said, with a lot more feeling, strength and power within his tone.The revenue boat drew closer, and swards were drawn on both parties. Once again I felt anxious, once again, I was fighting for my life. David listen to your father, he speaks wise words and he is a man to be taken notice of! I quickly spurted out, before our boat was swamped with unwanted folks. The ketch sunk lower with every p erson that jumped aboard. Soon water was to be spilling over the top. It was really every man for him self, yet every man believed to protect young David. Maybe Maskew wanted Block to come to him, but from the corner of my eye I saw Maskew walk to the front of his boat, kiss his fingers and place them on the title name of his ship, the elector schooner. Hatred in his eyes and a sward in his other hand, his long coat draping over the bow of the boat and long drawn out face and scrawny hair facing towards the very strong, menacing looking Elzevier. The glance of a sward caught my tearful eye, as I turned and sliced one if the oppositions through the thorax area.Blood trickled down the blade of my sward, and so fell down my upper arm area, as a blade caught the top part of my arm. I turned to see little David crouched in the top of the boat covered in a range of different blood stained silks, eyes fixed on his father and Maskew. Of whom I turned to see was walking slowly and sturdily t owards Maskew. The sound of clanging steel and raised voices echoed around as lights from Moon fleet village began to appear because of the disturbance. I flung my sward at a person approaching me at high speed, without taking my eyes off the two men now aboard the elector schooner. I had been using swards since a very young age and so was surprisingly good at using them, for play or battle; its all the same to me.Water started to come up to my ankles; David rose to his feet so that he could try to escape the blood died water. I again looked at Elzevier who was in a major hand-to-hand battle with Maskew. He was younger than Elzevier, yet more skilled at hand-to-hand combat. With a flick of his wrist Maskew flung Elzeviers sward through the air. It landed right in front of young Davids feet who then saw his father tripped to the ground, with a blade held to his heart. I can get you right through here, when I want to, I heard Maskew say. Elzeviers eyes towards the sky full of fear and still looking hopeful,You can kill me now, but never pierce my stone heart. Elzevier said looking Maskew in the eyes, you will never get me where it really hurts.He then looked toward his son whose tears fell in to the water as his father whispered the three words every human on the planet could only whisper to a loved one just before being put to death. Before I saw the sward raised up in to the air, David gave a learch towards the boat weaving between fighting men, I ran after him, as the ketch started to raise its stern in to the air. Maskew dropped his sward as David tried to clamber aboard the ship.Block screamed NO DAVID!But it got to him to late. Maskew had pulled back his coat to reveal a silver butted revolver. He pointed it at David as the youngster gathered speed coming towards him. Elzevier tried to get to his feet, but was to slow. I reached out to David to catch him but I was too late, the almighty bang had already occurred and the bullet travelled towards David who w as powerless towards it. It all happened so fast; the bullet had pierced young Davids heart and as he fell in to the water, I felt a sharp pain in my side. I looked down, to see gouts of blood coming from the lower part of my abdomen. The very same bullet that passed straight through the young boy also passed straight through me. The last sights I saw from the ketch was the strong powerful Maskew looking down at David with the sternest and most pleased of looks on his face and pistol still in the same position of what it was when the shot was fired. And Elzevier Block diving in to the water to grab his son for hope he was still alive.I knew I could get you right where it hurt, and from your eyes I can see I have succeeded. Said Maskew. As I fell in to the salty water, and the boat disappeared under the sea with all the goods causing me to be dragged under. With only enough energy for me to kick my way back to the surface and cling on to a piece of drift wood, to fall unconscious bec ause of the suffering and pain my side was giving me. I drifted unconsciously to the shore where I was found a day later, half dead, drained of blood and suffering from sever hypothermia.