VOYAGERS! - The Voyager Chronicles
DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1
(The First New Adventure)
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)
October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)
Previous disclaimers apply
Chapter 9 - THE MARK OF A SABOTEUR
The next day Bogg and Jeff went back at the Santa Maria to continue assisting Columbus and his crew with the preparations. Jeff went off to Columbus's quarters to help him with his work while Bogg assisted the other crewmen with the repairs and loading of provisions. As Bogg was carrying some boxes of provisions to the cargo hold, the first mate attempted to get his attention.
"Mr. Bogg!"
Bogg put down his load before turning to him to respond.
"Yea, I'm Bogg!" He shouted. Being somewhat curious, Bogg walked over to him.
"Mr. Bogg, I am Carlos the first mate. Admiral Columbus sent me to find you."
Bogg reached over to him and locked arms in a gesture of friendship. "Nice to meet you sir!" He replied. "Good grip too. An obvious sign of a seaman."
"Admiral Columbus has told me a great deal about you and your partner Jeff. I must say though, he was quite surprised when you informed him of your many years of experience as a sailor. I must confess, I was skeptical about his claims up until yesterday. After an hour or so observing your work, I said to myself, 'he's not just any old green hand but an experienced sea-faring bloke if ever I saw one.'" Carlos said with a smile.
"A sea-faring bloke!" Bogg exclaimed as he began to laugh. "I've been called many things in my days aboard ship, but I don't recall ever being called a bloke."
Carlos laughed. "Please, it was meant as a compliment. Bogg, you just don't know how grateful I am to have you aboard ship. You are the first person with real experience that I have come across thus far. Most of those who come aboard have very little sailing experience. We must train all of them from scratch.
"Really? I figured there would be plenty of seamen who would jump at a chance to take part in a voyage like this one." Bogg replied.
"Unfortunately, that's not the case. So we are now left with recruiting any able-bodied person who is willing to come aboard. There are days, when I wonder if we are ever going to set sail."
"It will happen." Bogg said with some enthusiasm. "It takes strength and courage to get to where you are now. Remember, the title of first mate wasn't just handed to you. You earned it based on your success and you will succeed here."
"Thank you for your kind words. Mr. Bogg. I have to say with your wisdom, your take charge manner and tremendous work ethic, you must have been a captain or first mate during your days as a sailor." Carlos replied.
"Thank you. I was just a plain old hard-working bloke of a sailor." Bogg said with a laugh.
"I almost forgot… Admiral Columbus told me about the sail you found yesterday. I have acquired a replacement for it, but we really need to hoist it up to make sure it will work. Can I enlist your help with this?"
"Sure."
Carlos looked over and yelled at two crewmen standing on the dock. "Hey, you two! Grab that sail and bring it aboard. We are going to check it out."
Bogg and the other two crewmen brought the new sail aboard and unwrapped it. Once the sail was unfolded, the commenced to lower the rigging so they could attach it. After it was securely fastened, Bogg got to his feet.
"Is it secured properly?" Carlos asked.
"Yes, it's secured." The crewmen echoed.
Bogg turned to the first mate. "I guess we are ready to hoist it into place."
"Yes, we're ready." The second crewman acknowledged.
Bogg and the two crewmen grabbed hold of the ropes and began pulling with all their might. The sail began to rise slowly up the mast. About half way up, one of the ropes snapped from the weight. Suddenly, the sail and support began to fall.
"Look out!" The first crewman shouted, while shoving Bogg and the second crewman out of harm's way.
At that moment, the sail and support crashed loudly onto the deck.
"What happened?" Carlos asked. "Are you gentlemen alright?"
"We're ok sir." The first crewman replied. "A little bit more and these two would have been goners."
"I don't know what happened." Bogg replied. "All was going well, and then the ropes broke." He pointed to the first crewman. "If it hadn't been for his quick thinking, the two of us would have been crushed."
Leaving the two crewmen, Bogg and Carlos walked over to examine the sail and rigging which had landed on the deck Bogg got down on one knee as he picked up one of the broken ropes and began to examine it closely.
"This rope has been cut!" Bogg exclaimed. He dropped the rope, then picked up another one and examined it as well. "And so has this one..."
"Cut?" Carlos said, now perplexed. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. I know what rope looks like when it's been cut and these ropes have definitely been cut."
"Who could have done this? And why?" Carlos asked.
"I don't know. But, I can tell you this, I climbed that mast yesterday and checked out all of the rigging and there was nothing wrong with it."
"Yes, I remember seeing you. I was wondering what you were doing climbing that mast yesterday." Carlos said curiously.
By this time, Columbus and Jeff had heard all the noise and came running from the admiral's quarters. They noticed the sail and rigging lying on the deck as they walked over and stood beside the two.
"Bogg, what happened? Are you ok?" Jeff asked.
Bogg paused for a moment, staring down at the mess on the deck. He knew that this had been a close call for him and if it hadn't been for one of the crew, he would have been seriously hurt. However, he could not bring himself to tell Jeff what had actually happened for fear of frightening the kid.
"More sabotage from the looks of it…kid." Bogg responded in a blasé fashion. "Other than that, I'm fine."
Carlos turned to Columbus. "Admiral, sir, we were attempting to hoist the new replacement sail into position to test it out, when the ropes broke. "
"The ropes broke? How?" Columbus asked.
Bogg interrupted. "Chris, they didn't break, they were cut. As I told the first mate, I climbed that mast yesterday and checked out all of the rigging. All of the ropes were intact when I examined them."
"Looks as if our saboteur has been at it again." Columbus said, stating the obvious.
Jeff chimed in. "He must have been here sometime during the night."
Columbus looked at Bogg and Jeff. "What a scoundrel!!! How are we supposed to catch him if he sneaks aboard ship during the night? I can't work on board all day and stay up all night waiting for him."
"Well, I'll tell you how. If he decides to return tonight to do some more damage…" Bogg grabbed hold of Jeff's shoulder. "We'll be waiting for him. Right, kid?"
Upon hearing Bogg's response, Jeff was taken totally by surprise. "Right? Yea! Right Bogg!"
"Jeff, why don't you and Chris go back inside and continue with your work." Bogg urged as he winked at his partner. "We will clean up this mess and start repairing the damage."
Columbus and Jeff walked back to the admiral's quarters and went inside. Bogg, Carlos and the two crewmen proceeded with their task of cleaning up and repairing the extensive damage left behind by the saboteur. Their work continued uninterrupted throughout the remainder of the morning and well into the evening.
As darkness approached, Jeff left the admiral's quarters to find his partner. He walked around on deck until he finally noticed him standing at the stern, looking out over the ocean. He quickly ran toward him.
"Bogg?" Jeff prompted. "It's getting dark out. Shouldn't you call it a day?"
"Yea, I guess so, kid. With all this work that we've been doing today, I have lost all track of time. We need to get something to eat, so we can get back here in time to greet our uninvited guest."
"Guest? More like an intruder." Jeff said with a chuckle.
"Right kid. Let's go!"
The two left the ship to find something to eat. A half-hour later, they returned to hash out a plan for catching their guest in action, later that evening.
"First, we need a place to hide, somewhere with an obstructed view of our guest." Bogg said. He scanned the area, looking for an appropriate location. "Got it!, You go inside the admiral's quarters and keep an eye on the main deck through the window."
"Bogg, why do I have to be in the admiral's quarters?" Jeff asked with a hint of disappointment in his voice. "I want to be on deck with you. Besides, I'll be missing all the action."
Bogg nodded and lowered his brow. "Listen Jeff! The admiral's quarters is the safest place for you to be and besides, you are not just going to sit idly by and twiddle your thumbs while I do all the work. No sir, you are very much part of this plan."
He raised his hand and pointed to some crates stacked near the edge of the deck.
"I will be hiding over there behind those. That way, I will be able to see the entire deck from there as well as the entrance to the admiral's quarters. Inside the admiral's quarters, you will be able to see the opposite end of the ship from the window."
"Ok you wanted a piece of the action, well here it is." Bogg said boldly.
"Here's the plan. When our guest arrives, I want you to make some noise."
"What kind of noise?" Jeff asked.
"I don't know kid." Bogg quipped. "Use your imagination. Slam the door or something. We need something to divert his attention and direct him to the admiral's quarters."
Bogg continued with his explanation. "After that, I want you to run and hide. The noise you make should get his attention and cause him to turn and head in your direction."
"Where should I hide, Bogg?" Jeff asked innocently. "There's no closets or cupboards in there."
"Just find someplace and don't make a sound. Hide under the table if you have to." Bogg whispered. "Just don't let him see you, ok!"
"Got it!" Jeff acknowledged.
"Once he turns around, I'll run up behind him and tackle him to the ground." Bogg said boldly. "How's that for a plan, kid?"
Jeff grimaced. "There's only one problem that I see at the moment."
"What's that?" Bogg asked.
"What happens, if he has a weapon, say, like a knife?"
Jeff's question had caught him totally off-guard. He paused for a moment before responding.
"Ok, right. If it comes to that, I'll just have to improvise."
"Improvise!!!" Jeff exclaimed. "You could get yourself hurt or even killed!!"
Bogg knew Jeff was right. He knew all too well this was a dangerous plan. He also knew there was a high probability their guest would come aboard armed. But it had to be done. The saboteur had to be caught, no matter what happened.
Bogg looked at his partner and attempted to help him overcome his anxiety.
"Kid, remember the story I told you back on the beach about being a pirate? Remember I said that I had to learn how live aboard ship without getting a knife in the back?"
"Yea, Bogg."
"Well, compared to that situation, this is a piece of cake." Bogg said with a smile. "So don't worry, I'll be ok. Now c'mon, let's get to work."
Bogg escorted Jeff over to the admiral's quarters. He went inside first to make sure the room was secure and then motioned to his partner to follow him.
"Ok, kid. Everything looks ok here. You understand what you need to do, right?" Bogg asked.
"Yea, the moment I see our guest, I slam the door shut and hide under the table."
"I will be right over there behind those crates looking right at you." Bogg reassured. "If something happens, just yell and I'll come running."
"Don't worry. If anything bad happens, you'll be able to hear me yelling at the Royal Court." Jeff said with a chuckle.
Bogg left his partner standing just inside the admiral's quarters peering out the window. With Jeff now in place, he walked over and crouched behind the crates as he began to observe the deck, inconspicuously.
Several hours passed. Bogg and Jeff continued to man their posts, waiting for that long-overdue visit from their guest. When they had all but given up on his return, suddenly, they heard the sound of footsteps coming from the dock below.
Their guest had arrived just as they had expected. He continued to walk slowly up the dock to the ship and began to climb the gangplank. Once aboard, he walked around the ship in a curious fashion as if he were searching for something that he had lost.
The two Voyagers immediately noticed their guest and put their plan into action. Jeff walked quietly over to the door and slammed it shut with all his might before taking up position under the table.
Just as they had anticipated, their guest heard the noise and quickly turned to investigate. As he cautiously made his way toward the door, Bogg emerged from his post, ran up behind him and tackled him to the ground. The two wrestled with one another for several moments before the intruder stood up and attempted to flee.
Bogg quickly reached out and grabbed the intruder by the ankle, forcing him to fall flat on his face. He jumped on top of him again trying with all his might to subdue him. Struggling fiercely to get away, the intruder took a swing at Bogg and connected with his jaw. The intruder swung again, but missed as Bogg returned the favor and struck him sharply. They continued to tussle about on the deck until the intruder had put Bogg in a rather awkward position with his body halfway over the deck railing. Bogg struggled with all his might to keep from falling overboard and finally reversed the situation. The intruder struggled and squirmed in an attempt to again free himself from Bogg's clutches, but Bogg had a firm grip on him. As they continued their battle, the moon came out from behind a cloud and shined upon the intruder's face. For a moment, the bout ceased as Bogg got a glimpse of him. At this point, the intruder broke free and jumped overboard.
By this time, Jeff came out of the admiral's quarters and walked up behind Bogg.
"Bogg, where is he?" Jeff asked.
Bogg, still being in an aggressive state of mind resulting from his bout with the saboteur, was startled by Jeff's appearance. Instinctively, he turned around and almost punched his young partner. Jeff saw what was about to come his way and quickly ducked. Once Bogg had recognized it was his partner, he pulled back and stopped short of striking him.
"Bogg!" Jeff yelled. "It's me, Jeff. I'm not the enemy here!"
"Oh, kid, it's just you. Sorry about that. I thought I told you to stay in the admiral's quarters."
"I know Bogg. I just wanted to make sure you were ok."
"I'm ok." Bogg said as he tried to get his breath. "I'm just a little beat at the moment."
Jeff put his arm around his partner. "You could use some rest after that struggle. Why don't we go inside and sit down?"
Bogg nodded in agreement. With Jeff's assistance, he dragged himself through the door and then collapsed onto a chair inside.
Jeff went over to the admiral's drink cabinet, poured a glass of water and handed it to his partner. "Here, Bogg, drink this."
"Thanks, kid." He took the glass from Jeff and began to gulp down its contents.
"I take it our so-called guest got away."
"Yea, kid, he got away. But not without a good fight." Bogg rubbed his sore jaw where the intruder had slugged him. "The guy packs a mean punch!"
"I can tell." Jeff agreed as he closely examined his partner's jaw. "That's gonna hurt for a while."
"Did you see who he was?" Jeff asked.
"I really could not see a whole lot of him, because he was dressed in dark clothing. However, our efforts here have not gone in vain. I got a glimpse of his face in the moonlight. Mind you, it was a glimpse, but that's about it."
"Did you recognize him?" Jeff asked.
"His face was familiar, but I really don't know who he was." Bogg said as he took a deep breath.
"Do you think he'll be back?" Jeff asked.
"I don't believe he will bother us again tonight." Bogg assured. "Why don't we head home and get some rest. Besides, we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
"Bogg, for what it's worth, good job! I'm proud of you!" Jeff said as he patted Bogg on the back.
"Thanks, kid. The same back at you! " Bogg stood up and put his arm around Jeff. "Let's go home kid."
The two left the ship and went back to the inn to get some well deserved rest.