<<Boy!>>, laughs Jan, the old gray quartermaster. <<Shiver me timbers, you are not all there! Or did you not hear my story? We are Likedeeler! We are freebooters! What do you think? We are on a raid.>>
Götz turns red. <<Oh yeah, … shiver me timbers>>, he says.
Everybody laughs. Pitt, the apprentice, who was the cabin boy before Götz, says: <<Never mind, kid. Moses is allowed to ask stupid questions. I have done it often enough myself.>>
Hein, a sailor with only one eye, says: <<Lucky for you that we are on a raid. If not, you would have drowned in the West Sea a long time ago, by death and the devil.>>
<<That’s true>>, says Götz. <<Thank God, you came and found me. But where are we sailing to?>>
<<We’re sailing for Spain>>, says the capt’n, who also heard the story. <<The Spanish and the Italians often have ships with lots of plunder. They are far away from the Hansa. We don’t have to fight against the Hansa, if we capture Spanish and Italian ships. This is better for us.>>
The voyage to Spain takes more than two months. Most of the time, they sail against the wind and cannot sail very fast. From time to time, they have to stop to buy food, fresh water, and other supplies. When they stop, they make sure that everything is in working order on the ship.
During the voyage to Spain, Götz continues with his work and his studies. After three weeks, he begins to keep watch. In addition, he practices with weapons, such as the dagger and cutlass. Götz enjoys the combination of activities, reading, writing, arithmetic, work and play. He thinks these might be the best times of his life.
One day, Pitt the apprentice is keeping watch in the crow’s nest and sees a ship with a Spanish flag.
<<Shi-i-i-p ho-o-o!>>, he yells.
All the men who are not working at the moment come on deck and look across the water towards the ship. They want to see if the ship is good for boarding. They stand on the deck, on the forecastle, on the aftercastle, and on the stairs between the deck and castles. Götz is a little surprised when he sees all the men. He didn’t know that there were that many men on board the ship.
But it makes sense, he thinks. We have to have sailors to sail the ship. We also have to have sailors who can board and maybe sail the other ship. We need many men when we go on a raid.
Götz is very surprised when the ship changes course and sails a little bit away from the other ship. He thinks: Don’t we want to capture the ship? Is it too big or is it too small? Is the capt’n afraid? I don’t think so. So, what are we doing and why?
Slowly, Götz understands what they are doing. The two ships are sailing against the wind and the Sea Tiger, Störtebeker’s ship, is behind the other ship. Now, they are sailing parallel to the other ship. The Sea Tiger is faster than the other ship, and they sail ahead.
Then they make a wide turn and come about in front of the other ship. The Sea Tiger comes between the ship and the wind. The sails of the ship do not get any wind, and the ship cannot sail well. But the Sea Tiger has a lot of wind and can sail well.
While the ship is making this maneuver, the men go and get their weapons. They all have daggers and cutlasses. Many also have crossbows. A few men have long poles; they are about as long as Götz is tall. On the end of each pole is a sling. These long poles with slings on the end are called staff-slings. The men go to the forecastle and aftercastle, where stones are already lying ready. Götz knows that they are going to throw the rocks at the other ship with the staff-slings.
So this is how boarding and capturing begins, he thinks.
The other ship cannot maneuver very well because the Sea Tiger took the wind out of its sails but Störtebeker’s ship can maneuver very well. It has the wind at its back.
When the two ships come a bit closer to each other, the Likedeeler begin to shoot at the other ship. The staff-slingers throw rocks at the other ship. Rocks fall into the water. Other rocks hit the people on deck, and they fall to the deck. Other rocks hit the sails and make holes in the sails. Now, the ship cannot maneuver at all.
Then the men on the fore- and aftercastles and in the crow’s nest shoot at the other ship with their crossbows. Men on the other ship shoot back. They do not have any staff-slings and cannot throw rocks, but they have crossbows and shoot at the Likedeelers. The two ships’ crews shoot at each other a lot. Men fall to the deck. Some are dead, others are wounded.
Slowly, the Sea Tiger approaches the other ship. The Likedeeler throw grappling hooks towards the other ship with long ropes. Then they pull on the ropes and bring the two ships closer to each other.
Götz has problems.
First of all, he is afraid. Will he get hurt? Will he get hurt badly? Will he die? Will he fall into the sea?
Second, he doesn’t know what to do. The past few days and weeks were beautiful, like a dream. He studied and worked. He sang and danced. He played and relaxed. Now, he has to fight. But that is the problem.
Götz thinks: That’s not fair. These people are not our enemies; they are people who are sailing on a ship. They don’t want to fight with us, they want to get home. We have no right to board and capture their ship. I cannot kill these people. I cannot fight them.
Luckily, at this moment, the capt’n comes to Götz and says: <<Moses! The cabin boy doesn’t capture other ships. You stay here. Only if they come on board our ship do you have to fight. Stay on board the Sea Tiger.
Phew! thinks Götz. I don’t have to fight, that’s good.
When the two ships are close enough to each other, a sailor yells: <<Clear for boarding!>> Then the Likedeelers begin to board the other ship. Now they fight man to man. They fight with daggers and swords, with cutlasses and clubs, with hands and feet and teeth. Both ships’ crews fight hard, but the men from the Sea Tiger fight better than the others. After a few minutes, the people from the other ship throw their weapons to the deck. The fight is over.
The Likedeelers don’t want to kill the other people; they want to have the items on board the ship. They bring clothes, wine, olives, shoes, leather, and lots more on board the Sea Tiger.
The other ship is now lighter and is allowed to sail on. The people on board are glad that they are still alive.
The Likedeelers find a few more ships and make their capturing maneuver a few more times. They bring lots of plunder on board. The Sea Tiger is now filled with plunder. The men are glad, because they can sail home.
This was a good raid.