Many years ago when I was still an adventurous young man, I stopped at a pub near the town of Portsmouth in the South of England. 

That evening I met Thomas Pike.  He was an old sailor and when he learned that I loved stories he treated me to this tale which he swore was true. 

 I shall tell it as I heard it that night.  If my speech sounds strange, remember that he was a nautical man and had an accent that may be unfamiliar to your ears.

 It were the spring of 1455.  One of me mates told me of a voyage that was to go out of Portsmouth in a few days.  He said it was whispered that the "Triton" was going to search for an island of treasure a far reach West of Ireland and the crew would get a hundredth share of the treasure if it were found.  Now we knowed a hundredth would be a sizeable share if treasure were brought home.  Then, if none were there it would be empty pockets for all.

I took the chance.  Success would make me free from the sea for good.
 
"The Triton" were a Portuguese built Caravel, ninety foot of deck and a beam of thirty foot.  She had three masts, the fore square rigged, and the Main and Mizzen lateen.  There was four guns, a pair of bombards on either side of her waist.  She looked sturdy and could hold her own against any ship of equal size.  The Master, he were Captain Fletcher.  The Pilot was Mr. Henry and the Gunner was called Dancer.  Some said he was called Dancer 'cause o' the way he danced around the bombards to make them ready to fire.  I don't think that were it at all.  I think that were just his name.

 I signed on and in a few days we sailed west, then around Ireland and out into the great ocean looking for our island.  The weather were good but sailing into the westerly wind is a lot o' work.  On the watch below, when there were some time of leisure, we would tell stories.

The sea tales we told were o' questionable veracity but definitely entertaining.  One man told of seeing a giant squid and a whale fighting to the death.  I would have thought it pure fancy had another not told us he saw a whale with the marks of a squid's suckers on his hide.  Then there were the yarn of a young sailor who fell in love with a mermaid.  Said that he went over the side with her one night and she pulled him down to the bottom of the sea. 

Two days later they found his corpse with a jolly smile on it's face.  Another lad told about the monster called a kraken which no one had ever seen.  They said it were like a dragon of the sea, so big it could sink three ships with the splash of its tail.

So it was we passed the time with our tall tales and sailed on, scouting patterns in the sea, looking for an island that didn't seem to be there.  The weeks passed without incident.  There were signs of a storm to the south but it passed off to the southeast.  In six weeks we had seen no other ship.

It was well into the seventh week when we spotted the island on the horizon.  It was just a little spot on an otherwise unbroken line between sea and sky.  The Pilot changed his heading and soon we were close enough to row ashore in the Jollyboat.  The anchor was dropped and the boat went over the side.

Two of me mates and I joined the Pilot in the small craft.  With us we brought a few tools, shovel and picks, should there be some sign of treasure to be uncovered. 

We beached the boat and began a steep climb up the side of the island.

When we reached the top my blood were frozen cold by the sight I seen on the other side of the island.  It were a ship, a four master layin' off to the southwest of us.  She had six gun ports showing and I guessed she were a pirate, not a ship of the line. 

The Pilot confirmed my suspicions.  "That be the carrack, 'Saracen Bull'.  Her master is Bloody Oscar the terror of the Albion coast.  Best we leave now and back to the Captain.  We are not prepared to encounter a foe as formidable as one of His Majesties warships. And look now, the crew is hoisting the anchor.  They will be underway soon and most likely slippin' 'roud the south end of the island toward our ship."

We skidded and slid downhill to the jollyboat and pulled hard at the oars to make haste to "The Triton".  When we gained the deck we went straight to the Captain and the Pilot made his report.  "She carries a dozen bombards of higher caliber than ours, Sir.  Though we might maneuver better, she will catch us going downwind no matter how much sail we raise.  I do believe stealth is our only defense."

The Captain's face wore an impassive frown.  He called for the Boatswain and the Gunner to join us.  When all were present he spoke again.

"I will be giving orders and under no circumstances will you question any one of them.  Is that understood?  When I speak, jump to it and do exactly as I tell you."

It wasn't as if we ever questioned the Captain.  On the ship the Master's word is law.  Still we all nodded in compliance.

"Very well then." Said the Captain, "Boatswain, hold the ship steady as she stands but prepare the rigging to catch the westerly at a moments notice.  Also have the men weigh anchor."

"But Sir," said the Boatswain, "Pulling in the anchor will take us half an hour.  If we slip it and leave it behind we can be underway in minuets."

"Boatswain!  Did I not just tell you to not question my orders?"  The Captain's face reddened as he glared at the sailor.

The man scuttled off to relate his orders to the crew.  Then the Master composed himself and turned to Dancer.

"Gunner, prepare the two starboard guns to fire.  Angle the aft gun to the south and leave the other pointing directly toward the island.  When the Pirate shows her bow I want you to lay a shot as close as you can to her deck."

Dancer looked at the Captain in disbelief.  "Sir, without a ranging shot it'll be like spitting in the wind.  I need at least two shots to have a chance of hitting anything."

Again the Captain's face turned red.  "How many times must I repeat meself!  Follow your orders immediately and no questions!"

Dancer spun round and rushed to his starboard guns.  The Captain posted a lookout then sat back in his chair to wait.  The bow of the "Saracen Bull" came into sight at the south end of the island just as our anchor was being pulled up on the deck.  The captain called out, "Mr. Dancer, make your shot."

He did.  Amazingly the ball landed near her hull on the port side.  It struck nothing but it got the pirate's attention if they had not seen us already.  In less than a minute the bow guns on the "Saracen Bull" were answering our single shot.

Their first ball landed just short of our hull in the water.  The second went over our heads and punched a small hole in one of the lateen sails.  They would reload and put us under bombardment till they could catch us and turn for a broadside of six cannon.  It seemed we were doomed.

The Captain called out again.  Mr. Dancer, give me a broadside shot into the middle of that Island."

The gun was fired.  You could see a puff of what looked like mud where the ball landed, square in the middle of the island.  Before you could hear the echo of our shot the Captain ordered us underway.  "The Triton" responded and soon she were heading east with sails filling.

 I looked up and saw the island begin to tremble and shake.  Slowly it rose up out of the sea.  At one end its head arched up and sniffed the air for the smell of gunpowder.  It found the "Saracen Bull", raised up its tail in the air and smashed the ship with one mighty blow.  Not one soul survived that splintering swat from the tail of the kraken.

That, indeed, was what the island truly was.  She were the monster, the sea dragon, the kraken.  I still shutter a bit to think that I stood for a moment on that monster's back, feeling fear for a puny ship.

Well Sir, we were back to Portsmouth in record time.  There was no treasure and no money to jingle in the pockets but we was among the living.  Far better we than the cutthroats with their Captain Bloody Oscar.

Since then I has sailed many a voyage and made me a nest egg for me old age.  Many the time I have wondered what the good Captain Fletcher of the "Triton" knew, if anything, and why he decided to take a chance to shoot the island.  Did he know it were a kraken?  Was it but a desperate hope?  These be questions for which there be no answer."

At this point I stopped Thomas Pike.  I asked him, "Did you not ask the Captain?

"Come now Sir, I told you what the Captain said.  He made it quite clear there were to be no questions"  Thomas drained the last of the ale from his tankard to emphasize his certainty that no answer would ever be forthcoming.

I said, "Perhaps he saw there was no tide mark on the island.  That would be a sign it was floating if the ocean did not rise and fall against its sides."

Thomas nodded seriously.  "Now that is a fine speculation sir.  As good a guess as any I've heard but I fear we never shall know.  That's the way life be sometimes sir.

I suppose Thomas Pike was correct.  Many times in life we really don't know what has happened to us and about us.  So often we have no idea of why people do the things that they do.

There are a few things I do know.  I know that the old sailor did not get rich from his voyage on the "Triton", and I know that night in Portsmouth I bought three pints for Thomas Pike.