Viking Deck Boat
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The deck of the Viking deck boat was about twenty feet wide and covered with wooden planks. A ladder led up to a trapdoor in the center, which allowed access to the cabins on top. The ship’s hull was painted white, as were the long oars that hung from the bow.
These oars could be pulled by one or two men depending on the wind conditions. It was a fast ship, able to move across the water at about five knots.
The crew consisted of about thirty men. Most of them were armed with spears and swords, but a few had bows and shields strapped to their backs. The ship’s captain was the one who was armed with a sword. He stood on the prow, his face hidden behind a leather helm.
His eyes were covered by a small slit, and he wore a large wooden shield strapped to his left arm. The rest of the crew sat on benches along the sides of the ship, and they kept the oars moving to keep the ship on course.
“What are you doing?” he shouted over the noise of the oars. “Stop pulling those damn oars!”
The oarsmen stopped rowing and looked back at him. The man who was steering the ship turned to look at him, and he scowled at the captain.
“You heard me! Stop pulling those oars!”
The oarsmen continued to stare at him, so the captain drew his sword and stabbed it into the wood of the bench next to him. Then he pointed his blade at the nearest oarsman.
“If you don’t stop pulling those oars I’ll gut you like a fish.”
A few of the oarsmen chuckled, but others were still angry and scared. One of them took off his helmet and tossed it aside. He held his shield in front of him, and he was shaking his head.
“I can’t believe we’re going to fight against a bunch of crazy Irish bastards,” he said. “What are we supposed to do? Fight our own countrymen?”
The captain put his sword away and walked toward the center of the deck. He kicked at the edge of the trapdoor, which caused the crew to jump back.
“What are you doing?” someone asked. “You just stabbed that bench!”
He ignored the question and lifted the trapdoor open. He peered inside, and then he pulled his sword out again and raised it above his head.
“This is what I’m going to do!” he shouted. “I’m going to kill every one of you! Every last one of you will die for this!”
His crew moaned and began to mutter among themselves.
“Kill us all? What’s the point of that?”
“Why not just surrender?”
The captain turned around, and his eyes were bright red. His mouth was open wide, and he screamed at them.
“What the hell are you talking about? You’re lucky I didn’t kill you all! The only reason I haven’t is that you have a leader who seems to know what he’s doing. Now I want you to listen up and follow my orders!”
He lowered his sword and stormed off the deck of the ship. He walked down the ladder and into the cabin, leaving his crew behind.
The men waited until they were sure he was gone before they started moving again. They had no idea what was happening, but they knew they weren’t going to be killed by their own countrymen.
“I wonder how the Irish feel about fighting with their own people,” one of them said.
“I don’t care what they think,” another said. “They should all die.”
They got back to work, pulling the oars through the water.
“You there! Viking Deck Boat! This is the Irish Navy! Turn your ship around and stop immediately or we’ll open fire!”
The crew looked at each other. Then one of them looked back at the captain’s cabin.
“We’re being attacked by the Irish Navy?” someone asked.
“But why?”
“Because of the fucking king,” another said. “I’m surprised they haven’t come after us sooner.”
A few more men chuckled, and then they fell silent as the captain came running out of the cabin.
“What did you say?” he shouted. “Who is attacking us?”
The men shrugged their shoulders and shook their heads.
“Why would they attack us?”
“Maybe it’s the French,” someone suggested.
“It couldn’t be the French, they’re too far away.”
“Then who the hell could it be?”
No one answered him, so he put his sword back in its scabbard.
“I don’t know what to tell you,” he said. “I guess we’ll see soon enough.”
The ship was turning around now, and the crew was ready for battle. Their hands were on the hilts of their swords, and they stood in the center of the deck.
“This is it!” one of them said. “We’re going to fight against our own people. It’s about time we do something!”
“Let’s just get this over with,” another said. “Kill as many of them as we can before they kill us.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll win this one for sure.”
As the ship turned around and headed toward the shore, they saw that the Irish navy was still waiting for them. They had drawn their bows and were lining up along the sides of the ship.
“Now what?” the captain asked. “I’m not going to shoot my own crew.”
“What are we supposed to do?”
“I don’t know, but we have to do something. We can’t let these bastards board us!”
He took a deep breath and ran up the ladder to the deck above. He ran to the front of the ship and grabbed the rail.
“You hear me?” he shouted. “Get your arses off the deck! I want no one on this ship except us!”
They all looked at each other, confused. Then they looked back at the Irish navy and began to move. They pulled the oars free of the water and began to climb down into the lower deck.
“I can’t believe this,” one of them said. “We’re actually fighting the Irish!”
The rest of the crew nodded their heads.
“I’ve heard they’re a bunch of crazy bastards,” another said. “If we can take them out, we can save our own necks.”
They began to load the cargo of the ship onto the deck of the ship. A few of them went below and started loading the remaining provisions.
“I wonder how long this will last,” one of them said. “Maybe we should just surrender now.”
“Don’t be an idiot,” another said. “There’s no way we’re going to surrender. We need to fight until the bitter end. It’s time we did something.”
The men finished loading the ship and moved to the stern. They started tying the ropes in place so the ship would stay steady when it hit the waves.
“I don’t like this,” the captain said. “I think we should have left a few days ago. Now we’re too late.”
“It’s too late for what?”
“To run away, that’s what. If we do, we’ll never make it to Scotland. We might as well give up now. It’s not worth our lives to go against the Irish.”
“Well, then what are we doing here? I mean, why did we even come all the way over here?”
“I don’t know, but I think we need to get this over with. Let’s go ahead and board their ship and see what happens.”
They stepped into the bow of the ship, and the Irish navy opened fire. The bullets flew across the bow, striking the wood and tearing it apart. One of the men was hit in the leg and fell to the deck.
“Run!” the captain shouted. “Get behind us, or you’re dead!”
The crew climbed into the center of the ship and put their backs to the mast. They crouched down and waited for the bullets to stop flying.
“It’s time to do something,” a man said. “We can’t let them kill us. Let’s fight back!”
He drew his sword and charged at the nearest Irishman. He thrust his blade into the man’s chest, and the Irishman fell backward.
“You bastards!” the captain shouted. “What are you doing? We’re fighting against our own people.”
They fought the rest of the night, and they lost several men. At last, the Irish navy retreated to the shore and began to load their ships with their plunder.
“I can’t believe it,” the captain said. “Those Irish bastards are cowards. They’re the same as us.”
“At least we know how to fight,” another said. “We have no choice but to take our chances. We’ll be fighting them again soon enough.”
They took the bodies of their fallen comrades and threw them overboard. Then they loaded their wounded into the ship and sailed toward Scotland.
“We’re going to make it this time,” the captain said. “No matter what. This is our home, and we’ll protect it.”
***
As the Irish navy pulled their ships into the harbor of Dunadd, they saw that a large army had gathered on the opposite side of the water. The men were dressed in black and red cloaks and armed with swords and spears. They formed a long line, and the Irish navy stood between them.
“That’s a lot of men,” one of the sailors said. “It looks like we’re outnumbered.”
“Well, there’s no way we can take them all on,” another said. “We’d be better off taking our ships to the sea and getting out of here before they start shooting at us.”
They pulled the oars free of the water and began to row toward the open sea.
“Wait,” the captain said. “There’s no sense in running away now. We need to fight.”
The crew looked at each other and nodded their heads.
“Let’s do it,” one of them said. “I think it’s time we showed those bastards what we’re made of.”
They rowed closer to the shore, and the Irish navy opened fire. The bullets tore through the air, striking the wood of the ship and tearing it apart. Some of the men were hit in the shoulder or arm, but the ship was not yet finished.
“Now’s the time,” the captain said. “They’re losing their nerve. They’re afraid of us.”
The Irish navy fired their cannons, and the shots tore into the bow of the ship. A few of the men were struck, but most of them were able to duck under the water.
“If we can get past that, then we’ll be fine,” the captain said. “Now let’s go!”
The ship continued to fight, and the Irish navy withdrew back into the harbor. The crew climbed out of the water and onto the deck.
“Good work,” the captain said. “Let’s head back to the harbor and see if we can get some help from the king.”
“Wait a minute,” the first mate said. “We have to clean up this mess.”
He ran to the bow of the ship and peered over the side. He gasped.
“What is it?” the captain asked.
“They didn’t just leave it behind,” he said. “They dumped the bodies of their dead in the water. Let’s go find them and drag them ashore.”
They pulled the oars free of the water and rowed to the nearest beach. They jumped overboard, grabbed the dead men, and dragged them onto the sand.
“Now what?” the first mate asked. “They won’t give us any thanks for dragging their dead bodies around.”
“It’s worth it,” the captain said. “Let’s just leave them there, and we’ll be done with it.”
“No, they need to be buried,” the first mate said. “Let’s take them back to the ship and bury them there.”
They took the bodies to the ship, and the crew dug a hole in the sand. Then they laid the dead men inside and covered them with dirt.
“Well, at least we did the right thing,” the first mate said.
The captain nodded his head. “At least we’ll be remembered as the ones who fought for our land.”
“Maybe now we’ll finally get the respect we deserve,” the first mate said.
The End