The Sea Dog’s Master Gets Sold as a Slave
Jun 01, 2017
Arrr, Matey! In our last blog, the trusty old Sea Dog and his master had just gotten kidnapped by the dread Pirate Gloomsday, and they were being taken far away, against their will, from their ship and their mates, who were pursuing at a good distance back.
Once Bill had whittled an elegant little cavity in Sparky’s peg leg, he rolled up a small blank scrap of paper around a pencil stub, slipped it into the slot, and fitted a piece of cork into the opening. The cork was tight enough to hold anything in place and ensure a comfortable place for the Sea Dog’s stump to rest.
Not long after that, they arrived at port.
The pirates roughly snatched Bill and the Sea Dog out of their cages and hustled them ashore, where Sparky escaped from the grasp of his captors as soon as they were on land. They proceeded straight to the slave market, with Sparky following at a safe distance, close enough to keep an eye on his master, but far enough away to evade being recaptured.
Gloomsday promptly sold Bill to the highest bidder, a cruel giant of a man named Brutus who led Bill away in irons, heedless of Bill’s protests that this was illegal and improper slavery.
With a gruff voice, Bill’s new owner stated, “I ain’t worried about that, son. Where I’m takin’ ya, there ain’t nobody gonna find ya, legal or illegal. You better get used to the fact that I’m yer master now, and you’ll do as I say. Or else.” This last word was pronounced with a gleam of something almost like delight in the master’s eye at the thought of carrying out his threat.
Bill still held his head high and refused to answer. In his peripheral vision, he caught sight of his trusty mate, the Sea Dog, slinking along in the shadows, keeping up with them without seeming obvious, and a little smile twitched involuntarily at the corners of his mouth.
Brutus saw this brief expression flit across Bill’s face, and it enraged him. “Just who do you think you are?” he roared, and he gave Bill a blow across the face that would have brought a lesser man to his knees. “You’ll soon learn who’s boss.”
They reached a gated compound where Brutus led Bill to a filthy shack and chained him to the wall. “Give up all hope now, ye defiant sailor,” he snarled. Bill just glared back.
When Brutus had left, the Sea Dog snuck into the shack and lay down next to Bill. “Yer my best friend,” Bill said, as he stroked Sparky’s ears. “And with luck, yer gonna help me get outta here.” He gently removed the Sea Dog’s wooden leg and carefully wrote a message on the paper, rolled it up, inserted it back inside, and inserted the cork. “Now you go run find my mates,” he said.
Sparky took off, slipped under the gate, and ran back to the harbor, where Bill’s ship was just coming into port. He barked with glee at the familiar ship and the shipmates he knew so well.
They pointed excitedly. “There’s our Sparky!” they said. “But where’s Cap’n?”
To Be Continued...
~
The Sea Dog clothing line features the artwork of Bill Sparks. Get your Sea Dog short sleeve and long sleeve t-shirts in our shop today.
Once Bill had whittled an elegant little cavity in Sparky’s peg leg, he rolled up a small blank scrap of paper around a pencil stub, slipped it into the slot, and fitted a piece of cork into the opening. The cork was tight enough to hold anything in place and ensure a comfortable place for the Sea Dog’s stump to rest.
Not long after that, they arrived at port.
The pirates roughly snatched Bill and the Sea Dog out of their cages and hustled them ashore, where Sparky escaped from the grasp of his captors as soon as they were on land. They proceeded straight to the slave market, with Sparky following at a safe distance, close enough to keep an eye on his master, but far enough away to evade being recaptured.
Gloomsday promptly sold Bill to the highest bidder, a cruel giant of a man named Brutus who led Bill away in irons, heedless of Bill’s protests that this was illegal and improper slavery.
With a gruff voice, Bill’s new owner stated, “I ain’t worried about that, son. Where I’m takin’ ya, there ain’t nobody gonna find ya, legal or illegal. You better get used to the fact that I’m yer master now, and you’ll do as I say. Or else.” This last word was pronounced with a gleam of something almost like delight in the master’s eye at the thought of carrying out his threat.
Bill still held his head high and refused to answer. In his peripheral vision, he caught sight of his trusty mate, the Sea Dog, slinking along in the shadows, keeping up with them without seeming obvious, and a little smile twitched involuntarily at the corners of his mouth.
Brutus saw this brief expression flit across Bill’s face, and it enraged him. “Just who do you think you are?” he roared, and he gave Bill a blow across the face that would have brought a lesser man to his knees. “You’ll soon learn who’s boss.”
They reached a gated compound where Brutus led Bill to a filthy shack and chained him to the wall. “Give up all hope now, ye defiant sailor,” he snarled. Bill just glared back.
When Brutus had left, the Sea Dog snuck into the shack and lay down next to Bill. “Yer my best friend,” Bill said, as he stroked Sparky’s ears. “And with luck, yer gonna help me get outta here.” He gently removed the Sea Dog’s wooden leg and carefully wrote a message on the paper, rolled it up, inserted it back inside, and inserted the cork. “Now you go run find my mates,” he said.
Sparky took off, slipped under the gate, and ran back to the harbor, where Bill’s ship was just coming into port. He barked with glee at the familiar ship and the shipmates he knew so well.
They pointed excitedly. “There’s our Sparky!” they said. “But where’s Cap’n?”
To Be Continued...
~
The Sea Dog clothing line features the artwork of Bill Sparks. Get your Sea Dog short sleeve and long sleeve t-shirts in our shop today.
