"Wake up! Shake a leg! Top off the yardarm!" The men were moving about, trying to get the sleep out of their eyes as they prepared to pull the ship ashore. Allistor and Antonio were standing at the edge, tossing a rowboat over the edge.
"It's incredible," Allistor breathed, taking in the stunning sight before him. He honestly couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"And it's all ours. I've never seen anything like it," Antonio breathed, staring at the beauty and grace of the new, never before seen land.
"It could look like Kirkland's knickers, for all I care," Dylan snipped, coming up beside Antonio with a rope ladder, "just as long as I ge' off this stinkin' boat." Antonio and Allistor grinned at the Welsh.
"Come on, men. Ve didn't come all zis vay just to look at it," Gilbert said, coming up behind them and climbing over the railing as he put his helmet on. His musket bumped against his side and his ruby eyes shined as he climbed down the rope ladder. He would've jumped and swam to shore if could have. Antonio and the others followed behind him, just as eager as Dylan to get off the ship.
They rowed quietly through the fog, unable to take in everything the land offered with their eyes. Gilbert stood at the end of the small rowboat, eyes and ears open wide. Unbeknownst to them, Matthew ran through the forest, trying to find out what it was that was coming to his land. Kumajiro ran as quickly as he could behind him, Gilbird flying close next to the bear. The sailors were still were unable to make a sound, too afraid to disturb the silence. Matthew crept up a large rock, crouching down and crawling towards the edge.
As the small row boat slid up onto the sandy shore of the river, Matthew's head finally peeked over the rock. The first thing he saw was a tall man step onto the dirt. He pulled the thing on his head backwards, letting it fall and rest against his back. He had messy, silver colored hair, something Matthew had never seen. His eyes were a bright, shining blood red and were filled with wonder and curiosity. He was one the palest men the boy had ever seen, he was much, much lighter compared to his companions. Matthew's eyes widened and his heart beat slightly faster as he stared at the man. Kumajiro grinned and looked up at Matthew in excitement at the newcomers.
"Keep it taut, lads. Keep it taut!" Dylan called as they slowly pulled the large ship in. They tugged on the ropes, trying not to mess up the ship's pulling ashore. "Steady! Steady! Hold up! That's far enough." They stopped pulling on the ropes, letting the ship come in the rest of the way by itself. "All right, now. Tie her off," Allistor said, loosening his hold slightly on the rope.
"Here, Gilbert, tie off this end," Antonio said, tossing the length of rope behind him. He noticed it didn't pull tight and looked behind him. "Gilbert? Gilbert?" He looked up and saw Gilbert scaling a tall tree. Matthew also noticed and scrambled back towards the bushes behind him. "What are you doing up there?" the Spaniard called.
"Getting a better look," he grunted loudly, hauling himself up into the branches. He stood up straight in a break in the tree and looked out at the land. Matthew suppressed a smile as he tilted his head to watch the stranger through the protective barrier of bushes. Gilbert stared at the sight before him, stunned. Mountains and hills and trees as far as the eye could see. It was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen.
Kumajiro had been watching the entire thing with mild interest and decided he wanted to see this person up close. He looked between Matthew and the stranger, shrugged and trotted out from behind the protection of the bushes. Matthew's bluish eyes went wide and he tried to grab the bear, but he slipped right through his then fingers. Gilbird sped after him, trying to hold him back by the fur on his short tail. He could only hold him for so long however, and the fur slipped out of his beak and the bear went tumbling forward in between the man's feet. Matthew gasped softly, worried for his friend's safety.
"Hey!" Gilbert yelped, jumping slightly and snatching his knife out its sheath. He looked down and his red eyes widened in surprise. "Vell. You're a strange looking fellow," he said, sticking his knife carefully in his boot. "Are you hungry? Here you go," he said, pulling out a small, round, yellowish object from his satchel. "Ah, it's a biscuit. It's food. Vell, sort of," he said, shrugging as the small bear sniffed curiously at the food.
Kumajiro looked at him for a moment before snatching the biscuit and munching on the crunchy treat. "You like it, ja? Vell, try eating it for vier (four) monzs straight," he sighed, pulling another biscuit from his bag. Kuma took it and looked behind him at Matthew, waving his item and pointing victoriously. Gilbert looked up and tried peering through the bushes. "You got a friend back zere?" he asked. Matthew's already wide eyes, widened even more and he swore his blood ran cold. He thought the man attractive… yes, but being found… that was a different matter entirely.
The silverette jumped from the tree to the small ledge and practically strutted towards the bushes, a very confident smirk on his face. Matthew backed up against the rock blocking his path, bringing his knees up to his chest. His heart pounded in his ears, praying for himself not to get caught like rabbit in a trap. Just as the pale man grabbed the leaves and began pulling them back, Gilbird jumped out and began pecking and flying around him.
"Hey! V–vhat? Vatch out." He spun around, making biscuits fly out of his bag. "Vhat? Get– nien. Get– uh, look out." He was trying to keep the yellow bird in his line off vision, but the dang thing was just too fast. Plenty of biscuits had fallen out his satchel and Kumajiro had consumed every last one of them.
"Gilbert, you better get down here. The governor's coming ashore!" Antonio called as he listened to trumpets sounding behind him.
"Alvight. Alvight. I'm leaving," Gilbert said, trying to keep the little creature away from his face. He placed his helmet back on his head and hurried back down as fast as he could. Gilbird flew back to Matthew who pursed his lips. The bird simply puffed out his little chest proudly. Kumajiro was licking at the crumbs left, looking up, hopeful for more.
"Did you see their skin? They have hair on their faces like dogs." The villagers mumbled quietly to themselves, talking and thinking about the men on their shores. They were gathered inside Lukas' hut around a large, smoking fire. Francis stood and spoke to his people.
"My brozers, we must know more about zese visitors," he said, holding his staff in his hands. He looked over at Lukas. "Lukas, what do you see?" he asked. The shaman stood up and started chanting softly. He grabbed a handful of the dried herbs out of his bag and spread them across the fire. The smoke rose, dark purple and blue, and images were formed with the smoke lines.
"These are not men like us... but strange beasts with bodies that shine like the sun, and weapons that spout fire and thunder," he said, watching as the smoke formed a soldier wearing his armor and holding a musket. The gun shape sparked and crackled, spouting a large out portion of orange smoke and a loud, booming sound. Francis watched, eyes narrowed and lips pulled into a taught line. "They prowl the Earth like ravenous wolves... consuming everything in their path." The smoke transformed into wolves and began attacking helpless smoke figures.
"Great Francis, I vill lead our varriors to ze river und attack. Ve vill destroy zese invaders ze vay ve destroyed ze Massawomecks," Ludwig said, watching the smoke curl around him. Francis shook his head and tossed his arm to the side, obliterating one of the smoke wolves.
"Ludwig, in zat battle we knew 'ow to fight our enemy, but zese pale visitors are strange to us," he said curtly, looking at everyone in the hut. He stood up and pointed a few of the warriors. "Take some men to ze river to observe zem. Let us 'ope zey do not intend to stay," he finished, trying to keep worry from overtaking his thoughts.
Arthur practically strutted down the gangplank, carrying the Flag of England with him. He looked at all the men around him, holding their own smaller flags, as he stabbed the flag pole into the dirt. He stood tall and spoke proudly to them men.
"I hereby claim this land all its riches in the name of His Majesty King King James the First and do so name this settlement Jamestown," he said. All the men cheered and clapped for the new settlement. Peter looked down from one of the windows in the ship, grinning like the naïve boy he still was.
"Bravo! Bravo! Beautifully spoken, sir," he said proudly. He walked back in to Roderich, who was relaxing in his own, small bath tub. "Hurry now, Roderich. We must be all squeaky clean for the New World," Peter said, scrubbing the dog's foot with a large brush. Roderich sighed and leaned back, relishing his bubble bath. He grabbed one of the cherries from the bowl next to his bath and popped it in his mouth. He grinned, flicking the stem away.
Kumajiro had scampered off and was now climbing a tree next to huge boat, looking into the window where Roderich was soaking. He grinned, seeing the large bowl of red fruit. He looked about, trying to figure out how to get into the room. He grabbed for a cannon attached to the top of the ship. He barely managed to hold onto the edge and he slipped in through the window right into the dog's bath.
Roderich barked and sat up. He growled, trying to figure out what had disturbed his bath. He watched as a large bubble floated up in front of him and then yelped as it popped. He blinked and saw Kumajiro sitting in front of him. The bear waved and Roderich's jaw dropped. Kuma grinned and grabbed a cherry that had landed on top of the pyramid of bubbles. He almost put it in his mouth, before changing his mind and setting it in Roderich's. The dog couldn't even close his mouth he was so appalled.
Kumajiro grabbed the large bowl and dumped the entire contents into his mouth. He smiled, his cheeks full of cherries, at Roderich. The dog growled and lunged at the bear. Kumajiro jumped out and Roderich followed, both of them dripping water and trailing bubbles, Roderich barking at the intruder. They ran out of the room, across the deck and down the gangplank. The bear grabbed a pulley, swinging up into a tree, whilst Roderich tripped. He bounced down the gangplank and slid, face first, into a huge pile of mud. He growled furiously, making bubbles in the mud.
Governor Kirkland walked up to Gilbert who was kneeling with one leg bent on a large rock. He stood next to the Prussian and grinned. "Captain Beilschmidt. It appears I've selected the perfect location, eh? Not a savage in sight," he said proudly, leaning against the rock. Gilbert looked down, managing not to smirk.
"Just because ve don't see zem doesn't mean zey're not out zere, sir," he replied, looking down at the blonde before looking back out at the land. Arthur pursed his lips, taking a deep breath before continuing.
"Well, then perhaps you should venture forth and determine their whereabouts, hmm?" he said, a smug smile creeping its way onto his lips.
"If zere are any Indians out zere, I'll find zem," the albino said matter-of-factly. He jumped off the rock, tossing his musket from one hand to the other. He headed into the forest, not even noticing Matthew hidden within the bush he'd walked by.
"Now, gentlemen," Arthur said, walking back towards the settlers, "to work. You men, get the ship unloaded," he pointed a group of men. They nodded and headed back for the boat. "You men, build the fort. The rest of you, break out the shovels. It's time to start digging," he announced, clapping Allistor and Dylan on the back. They gave each other confused looks before looking towards Governor Kirkland.
"Digging?" they asked in unison. Arthur smiled widely and nodded, unfurling his map on a wooden box.
"Why, of course. Let's not forget what the Spanish found when they came to the New World," he said, spreading the map out and looking over it. "Gold! Mountains of it. Why, for years they've been ravaging the New World of its most precious resources, but now," he said, stabbing his sword into the map, marking the pile of drawn coins and jewels, "it's our turn."
"The gold of Cortez. The jewels of Pizarro, will seem like mere trinkets by this time tomorrow," he sang, pulling his sword up out of the crate. "The gold we find here will dwarf them by far. Oh, with all you got in ya, boys. Dig up Virginia, boys!"
Mine, boys. Mine every mountain and dig, boys, dig 'til you drop. Grab a pick, boys. Quick, boys. Shove in a shovel. Uncover those loverly pebbles that sparkle and shine.
He tossed shovels to all the men, railing them together to dig for the gold. He gave them picks, dragging them together in a circle. He pulled out his pistol, taking a shot in the air. The men immediately started digging, tossing the dirt behind them, eager to find the shiny rocks hidden in the soil.
It's gold and it's mine. Mine, mine. Dig and dig and diggety dig. And dig and dig and diggety dig. Hei, nonny, nonny Hei, nonny, nonny. Ooh, how I love it. Hei, nonny, nonny Hei, nonny, nonny. Riches for cheap. Hei, nonny, nonny. Ho, nonny, nonny. There'll be heaps of it. And I'll be on top of the heap. Diggety, diggety, dig.
The men moved to the forest, digging up the soft grass and dirt. They grabbed the two-handled cross cut saw and began hacking away at the tall firs and pines. They fell easily and were moved quickly out of the way. Arthur stood at the top of a large pile of dirt, thinking of how glorified he would be once he got back to England.
My rivals back home, It's not that I'm bitter, but think how they'll squirm when they see how I glitter. The ladies at court will be all a-twitter. The king will reward me, he'll knight me... No! Lord me! It's mine! mine! Mine for the taking! It's mine, boys! Mine me that gold.
He could see himself in a gold suit, his cape sparkling as he strode down the steps of the palace. The women to the side of the staircase unable to contain themselves. Arthur wanted to crowned, he wanted to rule! He wanted the power, he craved that power to control.
With those nuggets dug its glory they'll gimme. My dear friend King Jimmy will probably build me a shrine. When all of the gold is mined. Dig and dig and diggety dig and dig and dig and diggety dig.
Some of them were already panning the soil through the small stream they had running towards them. They used their picks and shovels while Gilbert walked about the land, traversing high and low drinking in everything.
All of my life I have searched for a land like this one. A wilder, more challenging country I couldn't design. Hundreds of dangers await and I don't plan to miss one.
He walked through the forest, oblivious to the native boy following him silently, watching him from behind the trees. He climbed up the large cliff face, finding hand holds easily. His foot slipped and he grabbed a vine, swinging around to the other side. He walked up a tree trunk that was positioned over a large waterfall. He walked to the end, making it fall and land on the opposite side of rock.
In a land I can claim A land I can tame. The greatest adventure is mine. Keep on working, lads, mine. Don't be shirking, lads. Mine, boys, mine. Find a mother lode Then mine another load, mine me that gold. Dig, dig and diggety.
Holes littered the land from where the men were digging. They brought the cannons down from the ship and began blowing everything up to boot. They were excited, eager to see the treasures that the land beheld.
Beautiful gold. Dig, dig for that gold, make this island my land. Make the mounds big, boys I'd help you to dig, boys, but I've got this crick in me spine. This land we behold. This beauty untold. A man can be bold. It all can be sold.
The explosions were continuous as smoke and leaves filled the air. They all continued digging, making a large pyramid. The dug in rows, putting Governor Kirkland even higher on the humongous pile of dirt. He grabbed the Union Jack and placed in top of the mound; all the men singing along now.
So go for the gold. The gold and all the riches here; mine! From this minute; this land; mine! And what's in it is mine! And dig and dig and diggety dig. Hey, nonny, nonny! It's mine!