Chapter 2: Saved

The next few hours on the warship were a blur: orders given, only to be discarded and new orders issued. Ferocious hand-to-hand fights were in progress all over the ship and total chaos was the rule. For a time, it appeared the first mate’s ship might be victorious. However, eventually it became clear the sheer number of pirates against the ship’s crew was moving the fight in favor of the pirates. At one point, the first mate vaguely recalled climbing into the rigging while fighting off a pair of the pirates armed with cutlasses. He had heard a shot which he now assumed was from the bullet piercing his shoulder.

Sitting in the shade at the edge of the beach, he tried to reach around his body with no luck. Finally, reaching over his right shoulder as best as he could with his left hand, his fingers felt a ragged hole in his skin where the shot left his body. The good news was the bullet went completely through his body; the bad news was he had no idea if the wound was infected, or if there had been any internal damage. The only thing the first mate knew was it hurt too much to move his right arm and he kept it as close to his body as possible. His shirt was a rag, but at least the stream had washed out most of the blood.

The sun slipped again into the sea and the first mate could feel it had been a few days since he’d eaten. He decided in the morning, somehow, he had to start moving around and see if he could discover something on the island to eat. He had water, but without food, he wondered how long he had before he slipped into a coma or even worse. When he awoke the next morning, he found he was still leaning against the same tree he’d been leaning against when he fell asleep the night before.

Hunger was chewing his insides, and he had to find something to eat, and soon. The first mate took another small sip of water and with great difficulty, pulled himself into a standing position. He decided to follow the stream inland for a short distance, hoping to see find anything edible. His right arm was still in great pain when he moved so he took the remnants of his shirt and made it into a makeshift sling. Having the shoulder partially protected when he walked seemed to help and he was able to move better.

After fifteen minutes, he still hadn’t found anything eatable when he came to a clearing and ahead of him was a waterfall. The fall was over fifteen feet high and dropped into what appeared to be a deep pool. The landscape was idyllic, and he appreciated what he was looking at, however; the problem so far was he hadn’t found any food. The difficulty of the upstream trek left him lightheaded, and he needed to rest before moving on. Carefully he sat down and leaned against a tree to catch his breath.

He didn’t know how much time had passed. He fell asleep and when he woke, he found himself gazing at a lovely young native woman crouched in front of him. He opened his eyes, and startled, she gave a slight cry and fell back on her bottom.

He held up his left arm and in a gentle tone of voice, he spoke to her. “Stop. Please don’t be afraid.” She said something which he didn’t understand. She hadn’t run away so he took a chance. Making motions with his left hand as if he was eating. “Eat, Hungry.” He told her.

She said something in return, and he looked at her with a puzzled look and shook his head. She mimicked his motion of eating, and he nodded ... repeating, “Yes ... hunger ... yes.” He patted his stomach. She nodded, stood and with amazing agility and speed, was quickly gone from the clearing. He called after her, but he was alone in the clearing. For a moment, he considered getting up and following her, but his body was still tired from the short walk from the beach, and he gave up on the idea.

He fell asleep again and when the young woman returned, she had two of the largest men the sailor had ever seen in his life. They reached down and started to pick him up. One of the native men accidentally moved his right arm and the pain was so intense, the first mate couldn’t help and screamed in pain. The first mate was embarrassed, but it had been involuntary. One of the two natives gently tilted the first mate forward and looked at the sailors back. He said something to his companion. The second native looked at the wound and nodded his head, bent over, and picked up the first mate in his arms as if he were a baby. The sailor was astounded.

The first mate was not a large man, but on the other hand, he was not a midget either. The effortless way the native picked him up was almost frightening. There was no grunt of effort or any noticeable look of exertion ... just the smooth movement of lifting the sailor in his massive arms and then swiftly carrying him through the forest.

The natives carried the man through the forest until they finally arrived at the bottom of a small hill. Surrounding the top of the knoll were bamboo huts with thatched roofs. The man carrying the sailor carefully put him down on a mat somebody placed in the center of the huts. The young woman who’d discovered the sailor appeared before him with a leaf with food on it. He had no idea what he was eating; but the sailor was so hungry he didn’t care. Wolfing the food down, he thought it was the best tasting food he’d ever had. He even went so far to lick the leaf when he finished.

While the sailor had been eating, several of the natives had formed a circle around him watching him eat. He’d been so hungry he hadn’t even noticed them gathering. When he licked the leaf, they all laughed, and he grinned back at them. The women seemed most pleased with the action of licking the leaf.

Sitting on the mat in the middle of the village, he noticed the men had very little clothing covering their bodies, just some sort of cover in front, which held their privates close to their bodies. The women were all bare breasted and a few of them had a sort of short grass skirt wrapped around their lower bodies. Some just wore a little woven patch attached in front, and all were bare bottomed. Everyone seemed friendly towards the sailor.

After he’d finished his snack, a man emerged from one of the huts. The first mate decided from the tattoos on his body and the multiple shell necklaces plus other items adoring his body he must be someone of great importance in the village. He said something to the man who’d carried the sailor back to the village and his barer pointed to the sailor’s damaged right shoulder. The fellow the sailor assumed to be an important village member bent over and looked at both sides of his wound. The native carefully pressed around the front but when he pushed around the exit wound, the first mate winced, moaned and slumped over, passed out.