They Come To Feed

Chapter 6

The morning was hot and humid under the tropic sun, as the daystar beat down upon the steaming jungle. The crew of the Osprey made their way cautiously down a wide jungle trail in search of supplies. As the party mounted a slight ridge, where the jungle cleared for a small space, Grimm pointed to a mountain not too far distant upon which sat the crumbling ruins of a stone fortress.
"What do you make of that, Freyja?" Grimm asked.
"I'm not certain, but we will be on this island for better than a fortnight, so we might as well search it for loot when we are afforded the opportunity," Freyja shrugged.
The party had not travelled far when they came upon a large clearing and discovered the village of the Gambusi. The pirates saw the Gambusi first, many were weeping, others were in the process of building a thorn boma around the damaged village, all of them had a haunted look written deeply into their dusky faces.
The sailors approached with caution, hands held up and palms facing out in a gesture of peace. When the village folk noticed the party of strangers they looked frightened the began to pick up nearby weapons almost halfheartedly. Only one did not seem frightened, she was a very old woman, her dark face deeply lined, short cropped hair of steel grey crowning her ancient features.
The old woman gestured to the villagers, speaking a clear command, and the villagers instantly laid down their weapons and watched in silence. Old N'tibi approached the newcomers with a wavering air of confidence. As she drew near to the pirates she spoke in a strong calm tone, and regarded the four men and one woman that stood at the fore of the party. Tristero, Grimm, Freyja, and Cartenio looked on with curiosity, but Marula stepped forward and spoke slowly with a solicitous timbre. Marula suddenly turned and called down the line of men calling for Tonga, one of his fellow corsairs, to come forward, Marula turned to his four companions and explained that he understood only a little of the ancient woman's speech. He told them that her words were of a river dialect which Tonga might understand.
Tonga approached, with a swinging stride, his eyes intelligent and set in a good-natured face, not the face one expects of a corsair. He was a small ebon-skinned man dressed in dark brown breeches and a white blouse, his head completely bald. N'tibi greeted him, and his wide mouth broke into a smile as he addressed her pleasantly. The pirates waited while Tonga and the aged crone spoke at length, Marula's eyes widening occasionally.
In time, Tonga turned to the officers of the Osprey, and told them that they would be welcome in the village if they come with peace in their hearts. But then he continued on, speaking of the recent attack on the Gambusi settlement, and the danger that they might face on the island.
"There is not much for it captain," remarked Grimm, "what say you?"
"I see no other option, friend Grimm," was Tristero's terse reply. Then turning to the rest of the party, "These people have welcomed us," boomed his voice, "but there is danger here, let every man help these people build a palisade about the village, and let me see no man slacking."
And so it came to pass that the pirates joined the Gambusi in friendship.