The Sea Dog Gets Hurt
Jan 11, 2017
Arr, Matey! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with your beloved dalmatian, the fearless Sea Dog, who has weathered many a storm, gone on many an adventure, and inspired many a t-shirt.
In our dalmatian’s last adventure, a gang of pirates had just feasted on the beach and managed to drink an entire barrel of rum. But when the captain said, “Come, let us to bed, and we’ll be off in the morning,” things were not even close to winding down for the evening.
A surly fellow with a gruff voice muttered a complaint under his breath. “Can’t you see we’re enjoying ourselves for once?” Then a second man replied, “Aw, Bill, listen to the cap’n, now, there’s a good lad.”
Bill jumped to his feet, eyes blazing. “I’ll be off to bed when I’m good and ready, sir,” he roared. Instantly, every man jumped to his feet, chose sides, and the fight was on. Fists flew in every direction. Most of the men were not angry with each other; they were just enjoying the excuse for pummeling each other and contesting each other’s strength a bit. It was a rollicking good time, and they continued until they were weary. One by one, the men staggered to the side, panting and willing for a rest.
Only when most of the men had worn themselves out did they realize that Bill and his antagonist were still at it in earnest. Bill was a much bigger guy than his opponent, Abel, but Abel was quick and wiry and darted in and out, ducking and dodging Bill’s punches while landing blows of his own with lightning fast motion.
“Aw, call it off, you two,” a couple of the men called lazily toward them. “We’ve had our fun and games, now just quit harassing each other.” The two assailants showed no signs of stopping, and the men sitting on the sidelines were quickly falling prey to the sway of sleep. Some were already snoring on the sand.
However, Bill’s fury increased with every solid blow that Abel landed on his jaw. Swinging blindly at Abel with all his might, he couldn’t seem to vent his frustration, but it built and bottled until something snapped. Bill spied a sword nearby. Quick as a flash, he grabbed it and advanced toward Abel, motioning threateningly with the sword. One of the shipmates quickly tossed Abel another sword, and now the duel had turned deadly.
The Sea Dog sensed Bill’s rage and knew it was time to act. Barking furiously, he charged at the two men, intent on forcing them to stop. Fearless of the swords, he snarled and snapped and growled as he drove himself between the two of them to move them apart. Abel, surprised at this new turn of events, backed off. Bill, however, still intoxicated by fury, took advantage of the brief lapse of Abel’s aggressive offense to drive his sword straight towards Abel’s heart. Only the Sea Dog saw it coming. Before Abel had time to react, the Sea Dog had thrust himself in Abel’s way.
The point of the sword caught him right in the eye. With a loud yelp, he fell to the sand. Suddenly, Bill realized what he had done.
