Florida Keys’ Watercolor Kapers
by Bob Kranich
The Cayman Turtle Schooner, (Part 15, Excerpt 83)
This is a story, titled The Cayman Turtle Schooner. This story will tell about the forming and history of the Cayman Islands, the green sea turtle’s habits and life style, the building of a dugout canoe, and then a schooner, and lastly about the historic two-masted turtle schooner, A. M. Adams. They have sold their turtles in Key West. But now are approached by a person leading some fighters that want to go to Cuba to help in the revolution against the Spanish. They decide as a crew to take the fighters to Cuba. But as they leave they are sighted by a Spanish gunboat.
Captain Monce came over, his men gathering around the pile of tents and other items. “Gentlemen, this is Captain Parker. He has been kind enough to offer us transportation, so we can free Cuba. Please give him your attention and respect. Captain Parker, we are ready.”
“Ok men, listen up! Four men to each boat, Two will row with us. We’ll load those persons’ personal gear and some equipment.”
“Captain Parker,” Monce spoke up. “Captain, if we could load one of those crates in each boat first.”
“Yes, Major. Have your men load them. Keep the items down low and centered!”
They went back and forth four times with the two boats. Half way through, Parker and his three swapped jobs with Thomas and Benji. It was mid-afternoon when they weighed anchor.
“Thomas, it looks like due southwest will take us right off the west coast of Cuba, right where we were a couple of days back. God willing we shall make these two hundred and fifty miles in a little over twenty-four hours,” Parker commented.
“Aye aye, Sir,” Thomas responded.
“What I want to do is four-hour shifts and only two men on a rest per shift.”
“Aye aye, Sir.”
“Captain Monce,” Parker called.
“Yes, Captain.”
“Do your men have food? We have enough water for us and them to get to Trinidad,” Parker asked.
“Yes, Captain, I’ve got enough military rations to get us there and then for a couple of days. It’s not fancy, but we’ll live. We have to link up with Carlos Manuel de C’espedes’ forces.”
“Good, we’ll sail as fast as the Good Lord will allow,” Parker added.
“Captain Parker, please keep a safe distance from the west side of Cuba. We don’t want to be picked up by a Spanish warship before we have a chance to fight!”
“Don’t worry, Sir. We don’t want that either!” Parker exclaimed.
They swung around western Cuba. It was a hundred miles on the circumference of a great circle.
Thomas informed Parker, “It’s a straight shot east-northeast to Trinidad, Sir, and less that two hundred miles to go. We should be there tomorrow at this same time.”
Parker could see that at least one-half of the volunteers who had been seasick were starting to recover. They really didn’t need as much food as they first thought.
“Land Ho! Straight ahead,” Benji sung out.
“It’s my homeland at last!” Sergeant Salizar said with feeling. “Now I will be able to help the revolution. You know it’s the poor Creoles born in Cuba against the Spanish merchants and the forces of the Spanish king.”
“Captain Parker,” Major Monce said. “There is a small harbor with a dock. There is a small village there, and Trinidad is farther back.”
“Just one second, Major,” Parker said as he motioned to Thomas. They stepped over to the rail in the rear. “Benji take the wheel,” Thomas commanded.
“What do you think Thomas, dock or unload with the Turtle boats?” Parker asked.
“I’ve been pondering that very thought, Captain. If I could suggest, here’s what I would do. Let Sergeant Salizar go first with four men to a boat and equipment. Kind of a reverse loading. Last trip, one boat with Major Monce, four of us, and his two crates of guns.”
Parker added, “Sounds good. We don’t want him to start a Navy with the Saint Sebastian as their first ship. Also he’s to pay us before he leaves the ship.”
Parker went over to Major Monce and told him the debarking procedures. He could see the Major wasn't too happy, but he had no recourse.
As they entered the harbor, they could see a grouping of small white-washed mud brick houses with orange tile roofs. The Escambray Mountains loomed straight ahead towering over the small seaside village. The unloading went off uneventful. While on shore Sergeant Salizar was organizing his volunteers.
“Ok, Major Monce, we’ve got your guns loaded. We’re going in,” Parker said. As he was coming back from his cabin where he had hidden the pieces of silver Monce had paid him.
“Thomas, you and George stow the other Turtle boat. Prepare to sail just as soon as we get back.”
“Aye aye, Sir.”
Parker, Benji and their other two men rowed in and tied up to the dock. Sergeant Salizar had some men from the line he had formed come down and lift the crates out of the boat.
Parker said to his men, “Prepare to cast off men. I’ll be right back.”
As he shook hands with Major Monce, he said, “Major, good luck, and God go with you.”
"Thank you
"
"Thank you, Captain Parker, and good sailing," He then turned and headed towards Sergeant Salizar who had opened both crates and was issuing rifles and bandoleers of ammunition. Parker could see a couple of new faces, men dressed in white, loose fitting clothes with large brimmed hats. They had rifles slung over their shoulders and bandoleers of ammunition across their chests. They were talking to Major Monce.
Parker’s men had the turtle boat untied. He stepped in and Benji followed, giving the boat a push off from the dock. It didn’t take the four of them very long to row out to the schooner. As they we’re hoisting up the turtle boat, Thomas said, “Weigh anchor! Sails up!”
“Good work, Thomas,” Parker commented, “Let’s get on home!”
“It looks like it’s about two hundred miles south-southwest, Captain,”
Thomas reported, as he stood there with both hands on the wheel.
They headed straight out to sea from the Trinidad area. They had been sailing just for twenty or thirty minutes, when Benji cried out, “Sail Ho! Some smoke too! Off the starboard Captain.”
Thomas gave Parker his telescope, and Parker went over to the rail. He saw a large two-masted ship, but it had a smoke stack in the center between the two masts. It was bearing straight for them. He handed the telescope to Thomas and took the wheel.
“What do you make of it, Thomas?” Parker asked.
“Doesn’t look too good, Sir. Looks like a Spanish gunboat. I can see gun ports lining the side and the Spanish flag. This one is both sail and steam power, and I can see the iron plate on her sides.”
“Think we can outrun them?”
From The Author:
My second full-length book , Florida Keys’ Watercolor Kapers is composed of 336 pages. There are 12 stories running from 6 pages to as many as 72 pages. It is fully illustrated with 88 watercolors and sketches. The watercolors I made roaming around Key West after I finished my 750 mile hike from Georgia to Key West. (See book or Don Brown’es SouthWest Florida Online News records, A Walk Across Florida.) As you read these stories you will experience Key West, the Keys, and the Caribbean. These stories span the time of the early 1800’s to 1969.
bkranich.wixsite.com/bobkranich
