Pirates of the Caribbean: An Adventure with Wally

Wally wanders Isla del Tesora and matches wits with a scurvy crew

- by Walter Octavius March, January 31, 2011

KUNGALOOSH!

My Fellow Explorers, what an adventure we just had in the jungle!

But later, as we sat enjoying our Dole Whips, word came that Isla del Tesoro was under siege by some nasty Pirates. I took my leave and left to save that lovely little Caribbean town which I have visited many times since the Adventurers' Club shut down.

As I walked past Torre del Sol and headed into the Spanish fort called Castillo del Morro, I realized I might be over-matched and looked around for people to help me save the city.

Luckily, as I wound my way through the fortress, I found many others who were also catching the boat to the village. I don't think they knew it was overrun by Pirates, but I wasn't going to tell them until we were underway.

As we started off, the mood in the boat changed. Davey Jones appeared before us and we heard a ghastly warning, "Dead men tell no tales".

It was now that I told my traveling companions that Isla del Tesoro was under siege and that I was going to save it. After some nervous laughter, and my assurances that we had the element of surprise, most of my crew-mates were 'on board' with the idea.

Once past the waterfall and through the storm, I knew we were in a bit of trouble: Captain Barbossa's scurvy devils were firing at our vessel as we made our way between the pirates' ship and the fort.

I knew that if we could make the town before too much trouble started, I could persuade the Pirates to leave by convincing them that more treasure awaited them elsewhere. I planned to tell them that a Spanish galleon with pieces of eight had been captured and taken to Tortuga.

But first I must judge the condition of the town and the mood of the pirates.

When we got into town I saw my friend Carlos, the town magistrate, being dunked into a town well by pirates trying to 'persuade' him to reveal the location of the town's treasure. Carlos' wife, ever the trooper, was cheering him on and urging him to keep his nerve in the face of such danger.

(Actually, she was yelling "Carlos, don't be a Cheeckin!", but she was doing it in a loving, supportive way.)

When the pirates saw us, I told the rest of the crew to continue through town until they found a safe place to dock and then wait for me there. Then I jumped from the boat and walked toward the man holding the rope attached to Carlos. As I approached him, he handed the rope off to another scoundrel and faced me.

I recognized him right away as a crewman from the Black Pearl and so I knew that Captain Jack Sparrow was lurking around somewhere. Captain Jack could help me save this town. He wasn't the type to plunder a city if there were other treasure to be had. The problem was that he was hiding in the city and finding him was never easy if he didn't want to be found, as I knew from experience...

Once, when I was on an expedition to the inner island of Barbados, I heard that Captain Jack was on the island. When I inquired about him, everyone had seen him but no one knew where to find him. I looked three days for the man before finally giving up the search. As I was leaving the island, he came to the dock and we sat and had a nice bottle of rum and some conversation...

Ah, yes, the pirates!

After talking to the pirate who had Carlos, I persuaded him to allow my friend some time to decide whether he or not he would help the villians. Once freed, Carlos ran like a cheeckin into the jungle. The pirates laughed until they realized what had just happened and then decided that I would take Carlos' place. This didn't faze me at all; in fact, it actually was all part of my plan.

As we walked past an auctioneer selling the women of the town, I talked my way into the good graces of the pirates by letting them know where to find the town's supply of rum. It was then quite easy to take control of the town since all the villians quickly became sloppy drunk. Some even ended up sleeping with pigs.

Even though I was proud of myself, something didn't seem right: of course, the pirates were setting fire to the town's buildings!Despite the blaze, I helped free the citizens from the pirates, but then decided that the rest of my crew-mates had waited long enough for my return.

I made my way back to the boat, jumped on, and off we went. As we departed, I heard the haunting singing of the pirates. I will never forget the words, and as we sailed away from the isle, I caught a glimpse of Captain Jack Sparrow himself, sitting on a pile of treasure and singing "Yo Ho, Yo ho, a Pirates life for me".

Although I couldn't save the treasure, I did save the townspeople.

When I got off the boat and wandered back through Adventureland, I decided to take a break from saving people and perhaps embark upon an adventure not so fraught with peril.

Maybe I'd go on safari. Or maybe I wouldn't.

Come back next week and see what I decided to do.

Until next time, KUNGALOOSH! And keep your eyes open for Adventure!

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