The Castaways 10
This story is posted for the exclusive enjoyment of readers of the Nifty Archive. While you are free to make a personal copy, no copy of this manuscript may be published, copied, posted to another website, or otherwise distributed without express permission from the author.
The contents of this story are fictional. Any resemblance of the characters to any other persons is strictly coincidental. Certain characters engage in sexual acts, which may or may not be legal in the state or country in which you the reader may reside. Any reader with objections to graphic descriptions of sexual encounters between males who may not have reached the legal age of consent, or whose local, regional, state or national jurisprudence prohibits such descriptions, should not read further. rick19uk@ntlworld.com
The Castaways...
Chapter 10. Copyright by rick19uk 21 March 2004
I awoke feeling safe at last. We were amongst people whom we counted as friends. I looked around me in this the first light of the day at all the huddled bodies curled in sleep. We were in the boy's longhouse and the all-pervading smell was one of sweat, and raw sex, sperm being the overriding scent. I sat up and proceeded to count the boys in here and arrived at thirty-five or so not counting we three English boys. The previous night had been nothing short of an all out orgy and nothing we had partaken of on our own little island equalled anything like the events here. My first priority was to relieve myself so I arose and went outside to the back of the longhouse, peed, and then proceeded to search out coconuts to take back in to my two loves and other new found friends. There was a pile of de-husked nuts piled close by and as I proceeded to carry six at a time into the hut an adult native came running up, shouting and gesticulating in a very excited manner. He was pointing to the sea. I dropped my load of coconuts and followed him to a high spot and there before me, just having come over the horizon, was the wondrous sight of two sets of sails. I ran and awakened David and Brian gabbling excitedly about what I had seen. I awoke the rest of the longhouse with my loud chatter and amidst all the moans and groans it soon became apparent what I was all so worked up about.
We had unloaded our little craft of our precious navigational equipment, weapons and telescope the previous afternoon. I had spent some time meticulously cleaning my sextant whilst my loves had also cleaned the weapons and glass of all traces of salt. We were now rummaging for the glass with which to spy the approaching ships that were in all probability some four to six hours off. We raced to the promontory and looked out at them. Brian passed the glass to me with what looked like a worried frown on his face whilst David hopped excitedly from foot to foot. I looked out to the approaching sails and as they swam in to view my heart sank to my boots. I surveyed rows of gun-ports on the larger three-decker and the same on the smaller two decker, both to our horror, flew the dreaded white ensign with the Red Cross. This was His Majesties Royal Navy and we knew that if they saw us or found out about us we would be hunted and pressed into mind numbing service with no hope of appeal or liberty for years to come. It would be a very debatable point that we would even survive considering the cruel and heartless service we would be forced into. My euphoria quickly turned to streaming tears of disappointment as I dejectedly passed the glass to a puzzled David. Within seconds he had grasped the situation and joined me in my abject sorrow laying his head on my shoulder shuddering with the great sobs of his own disappointment. Brian as ever, took us into his arms in an attempt to comfort us saying, "we had best make ourselves scarce, it's evident our salvation is not to be this day".
We had hurriedly explained to the English-speaking boy the situation with the approaching ships and our likely fate if they were to find us. As Brian did this, David and I began to gather our equipment together outside the longhouse. The native boys on gaining a grasp of our dire circumstances gabbled amongst themselves giving heartfelt looks in our direction. Two of the older boys had taken the initiative to go to see the elder's once they understood what our fate would be if the navy caught us.
Fortunately they were some hours off yet, and a plan was quickly devised to keep us safe and undiscovered. They insisted we tend to our growling stomachs and as we sat with the other boys the womenfolk served us with chunks of meat, fruit and coconut milk. Our hunger sated, a group of six boys including the English speaker gathered our belongings together and we set off inland and hopefully to safety. Our most earnest hope was that someone with a glass on board either ship hadn't spotted we three lighter skinned boys amongst the many dark skinned natives. Although we had spent the best part of three years running naked in the hot sun, we were still very noticeably paler than our current companions and friends. Thankfully the trees quickly swallowed us up with the subsequent shade from the strong sun being most welcome. We were soon climbing and labouring under our burdens of food, water, and quite heavy equipment. We dared not to have left this last behind lest it be discovered and either give our presence away or them simply confiscating it, thus leaving us with no means of navigation in the future should we need it.
We had been making hurried progress for about four hours and due to the heat and sweat had divested ourselves of our loincloths soon after entering the tree line. I wondered out loud if we would get used to ever being clothed again, such was the pleasure we derived from our carefree and naked state. It had been a little embarrassing at first with the obvious and visible results of seeing each other's bits so blatantly on display. After nearly three years of going in this manner however, it was a thing we hardly noticed and in fact preferred. The native boys were often totally naked in and around the village, so we like them found it a quite natural state to be in, and now suffered no embarrassment whatever. We had arrived near the summit of the quite high hill and took the opportunity to rest for a short while, have a bite to eat and a drink. David had meanwhile, climbed a tree taking the glass with him. He called down that the two ships were about a mile and a half out and were heading straight for the opening in the coral reef. He also stated that he could quite easily discern the officer's naval uniforms and the seamen as well. We all knew we were well out of having anything to do with them, be they fellow countrymen or not. Jack had told us on many occasions to beware of the press gangs and had gone on to tell us of the floggings he had been witness to, and the bloody mess it made of a fellows body. He further said that the navy relied on fear and terror to maintain order and discipline and had witnessed the merciless treatment dished out to the common seaman on three other occasions when they had been unceremoniously hauled up the yardarm and left to kick out their final few moments of life at the end of the hangman's rope. He went on to describe the tongue hanging out and turning blue and them helplessly pissing themselves and voiding their bowels as they kicked. I went on to contemplate the fact that I had had the temerity to call the cannibals savages, when in truth my fellow countrymen were little better.
Gathering our belongings we set off once more over the hilltop, and hopefully into safety. We were eventually led to a cliff-top along which we travelled for upwards of an hour. Finally the native boys pointed out a well-concealed pathway that made its quite dangerous way down the face of the cliff. The nine of us set off very carefully till we eventually came upon a series of depressions in the rock face, and continued along till we arrived at a cave not unlike the one we had had on our own island. We all sank gratefully to the floor and dried off in the now much cooler environs of the cave. I know I was extremely fatigued and fully suspected the others were too. It didn't take long before one after another we drifted off into sleep, thus gaining much needed rest. We awoke possibly a couple of hours later and one by one relieved ourselves at the mouth of the cave peeing over the edge of the pathway onto the rocks some eighty to a hundred feet below. We were all ravenous at this point and ate hungrily of the supplies we had carried with us. After we had eaten, an earnest discussion began on how long we thought the ships would stay. The English speaker, whom we had nicknamed Tom, told us they stayed as little as a week, and as much as six weeks dependent on what they had to do. Sometimes the crew of a visiting ship needed to carry out repairs, particularly so if they had been caught in one of the fierce storms prevalent in these seas and islands. We hoped with luck, that this pair only needed to replenish their water supply and quickly be back on their way.
The general idea it transpired from the village elders was that we were to stay ensconced in the cave and stay well out of sight, whilst the six boys they had sent with us would gather food each day and to all intents and purposes, be our eyes and ears. We were to discover that our little craft had been got out of the way quickly too, and was in fact en-route to us, being sailed around the island by two adult natives in order to keep the "western like sails" from the view of the navy. They knew where the cave was situated, and on looking down we discovered that there was indeed a small cove beneath us with the path quite usable all the way down. If push came to shove we could at least escape anyone searching us out and take our chances on the open sea. The elder's had thought of everything. We prayed it didn't come to that but that they would soon be gone, word got to us, and we could then resume as normal a life as possible awaiting a rather friendlier ship to rescue us. It was a great relief to realise we had such stalwart allies on our side as well as being the best of friends and playmates. Our little vessel arrived about midmorning the next day, and we made our way down to help with hiding it as much as possible from any prying eyes. They had spent a night camped further around the coast and had caught a wild pig that was snuffling around their campsite that morning. It had been gutted and bled as soon as they had caught it, and on lifting it out of the canoe, was soon roasting over a fire of gathered driftwood on the rocky shore. We banqueted on roast pork, sweet potatoes and fruit all washed down with the ever-faithful coconut milk. Carrying the remains of the meat back to our cave the two adults soon bade us farewell and set off overland back to their village after we had thanked them profusely.
Our time at the cave stretched from one week to two then to three. We were all becoming extremely bored because other than trips down to the little cove to fish, we were in fact virtual prisoners. Our evenings and nights were very satisfying as we gathered round the small fire we had begun to build at the mouth of the cave. "Tom" was our interpreter and the other boys never tired of our stories of England, roast beef, carriages pulled by horses and any number of things we could think of. They couldn't conceive of a horse and carriage until Brian drew one on the wall of the cave using charcoal from the fire, he went on to elaborate on his drawings illustrating houses, castles and palaces etc. The native boys were in complete awe, and slowly began to grasp the absolute power the King exerted over all our lives, and as we went on to reveal different aspects of our "civilised society", they began to understand our fear of the naval contingent sat offshore of their village. And so the time dragged interminably by. The only relief we found was the satisfying of our more carnal appetites and trying to keep up with the prodigious appetites of "Tom" and his fellow native boys.
Our third week of "captivity" was drawing to a close when the sounding of a conch shell being blown at the cliff-top alerted us. "Tom" raced up the path and was soon back to tell us the navy had at last gone, and we were safe to return to the village. They had affected some repairs it seemed and this had been the primary reason for their delayed departure. We giddily gathered up our belongings in readiness for our return in the morning, we did however carry them all down the path and stow them into our little vessel. We would all sail back, getting an early start, and instead of paddling as the two adults who had brought it to us had done, we would sail and be back at the village by evening. Our little craft was certainly a quick and sturdy vessel and we were looking forward to putting her through her paces once more. Morning was soon with us and after a quick breakfast we were aboard and paddling out of the little cove. Our sail was quickly hoisted and we were off at a fair old clip simply eating up the miles on our return to "home".
"Tom" and our companions were visibly enthralled as we swept around the headland bringing the village into view. I am sure they had never travelled as quickly in their entire lives, and as we turned and entered the opening in the coral reef I am sure their excited jabbering could be heard on-shore because a large group of the other boys turned and dived in to the sea and began to swim towards us. We lowered our sail and quickly lost way lest we injured any of the swimmers, and paddled in the rest of the way. As we grated up the gentle incline of the beach we were all grasped yet again and carried ashore by the large crowd of boys who were gathered there. We were set down again as we reached the village centre, and along with our six fellow travellers were formally greeted by the village elders as if we three English boys were family members as well. A feast, an event that they seemed to love, was quickly prepared, and as the evening drew in a party atmosphere pervaded the whole village continuing on into the small hours. We at last all retired to the boy's longhouse and quickly fell into an exhausted sleep.
The next several months quickly went by with us teaching the boys to sail our little craft and as a result of working and playing in such close proximity we began to learn a smattering of their strange language. We learned enough to make our needs and any information we wished to pass on quite intelligible. Our carefully preserved net was put to great use and we did in fact provide most of the fish needs for the entire village. We managed to make it understood that they should trade for some of their own net and indeed some canvas off the next ship to visit us as we would no doubt be leaving when that event occurred. The canvas would enable them to make their own sails and if they followed Brian's extremely successful mast design they would be able to outdistance any of the other people of the South Seas.
It was now over another year since we had first begun construction of our little vessel on our island. In that year we had successfully evaded cannibals, pirates, and The Royal Navy. We had landed squarely on our feet with our accurate navigation and subsequent arrival at our present home of almost ten months. We had several score of firm friends and allies who would conceal us as and when necessary, and we knew that we had become very useful members of this island society. Brian was now nineteen, David eighteen, with me now being seventeen. David had grown as tall as Brian with me trailing behind by the mere one and half inches. We were by now though all pretty much equal in the "bits" department, the main difference being one of girth, and Brian was a definite winner there. David and I were just about equal but we all three viewed our island companions with not little envy when considering their rather large "assets" and prodigious sexual appetites.
With just a week left to complete our tenth month in our new home it was with some considerable excitement that we at last spotted a sail one late afternoon. We raced to the promontory with our glass and espied it as the hull came over the horizon, and as the last of the suns rays died, we heaved great sighs of relief on seeing that is was definitely a merchantman. It would arrive about midday of the following day we estimated. Sleep as can be guessed, was slow in coming to us and upon being joined by three of the younger fourteen year old boys, a most pleasant interlude ensued with us finally falling asleep thoroughly sated. We awoke to feelings of absolute euphoria and expectation and quickly mounted the promontory to spy the progress of the ship through our glass. We guessed it would enter the coral entryway within another three or so hours, and couldn't wait to speak English once more to fellow countrymen and secure service and passage back home. We ate our breakfast and were soon decided to be amongst the canoes that went out to meet it as it entered the reef.
The eventual four hours it took to make the distance slowly and painfully went by with our excitement building enormously till it neared the coral mouth and we were at last pushing our little vessel out and scrabbling aboard with "Tom" and several others. We drew near and surveyed the faces lining the ships rail. David and I both saw him at the same time and letting out an excited whoop called to Jack He was as visibly shaken and surprised as we were as after a few minutes of taking in our visage he began to recognise us, and we watched puzzlement, pain, and delight pass over his features. We were called alongside and quickly hauled aboard whereupon we hugged and cried out our relief at the million to one chance of seeing a face we recognised and thought to be long dead. He thought we had perished too and as the time passed he explained that when he went on deck to retrieve an axe with which to break us out of our cabin on that fateful night some three years ago, he had been knocked unconscious by a flying spar. He had been dragged aboard a float by four of the other men being subsequently swept away by the terrible seas. After several days of thirst and hunger they washed up onto the shore of another island. They had been far luckier than us and had been picked up within six months by a passing trader, which was indeed this very ship. They had been back to the West Indies, sold their cargo and loaded another of trade goods and were now returned to their trading grounds. With luck their holds would be filled with copra from this last island they planned to visit. If it hadn't have been Jacks knowledge of it, they wouldn't have called here but gone on a further four hundred miles to the captains usual port of call. Thank God for Jack.
There was no doubt we would be given service aboard and we were quite the celebrity amongst the entire crew as our story unfolded. We of course had only done what we thought necessary for our survival, but they looked on us in complete awe as we regaled them with our stories of cannibals and pirates and evasion of The Royal Navy. They stayed for a month on our island home loading up with copra and trading off all manner knives, pans, mirrors, axes and cheap fancy glass beads. We made sure that a bolt of canvas made its way ashore along with a goodly amount of net, which we presented, to "Tom". He had been the one to accompany us on all our fishing trips and would indeed replace us as the supplier of the village fish. We waited anxiously and with sorrow for the departure whilst getting used once more to being clothed. The day inevitably came upon us when we were to make our leave and it was with a strange mix of sorrow and absolute elation that we sailed out of the coral entryway en-route to that green and pleasant land, England.
I have to say that those carefree days live in my memory very warmly as I sit here at home in my now deceased grandparents house in Hull. I have spent a very pleasant afternoon finishing this tale in grandfather's comfortable study and now await the arrival of Brian and David coming home for dinner. It had taken over a year to get back to England and it was with some shock I arrived back in Hull on the post coach from London to learn of grandfather's recent death. I found he had used my father's money on my behalf buying various pieces of stock and had like himself, turned me into a fairly rich man. Grandmother died some five years later during which time I had gone to university for two years gaining a degree in maths. I had from my own resources been comfortably able to ensure that Brian and David had also gained some further education and I had insisted that after their own visits home they returned here to Hull. It was on their return that grandmother whom they both adored had arranged a tutor for their now quite comprehensive education. It was some five years after Grandmothers demise now and rather than pursue a seagoing career we had started and now ran a successful chandlery and boat building enterprise along the banks of the River Humber. We all three were single minded in our absolute devotion and could not see the day anywhere on the horizon when our lives and love would not include and evolve totally around each other.
The End