Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Voyage to Parts Unknown
    Voyage to Parts Unknown
    Voyage to Parts Unknown
    Ebook73 pages1 hour

    Voyage to Parts Unknown

    By Gary Burzell

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Voyage to Parts Unknown tells the story of Diego de la Cosa, the young son of an accomplished mapmaker in the city of Palos de la Frontera, Spain. Diego's father convinces Christopher Columbus to take Diego along on his first voyage across the Atlantic. This story introduces you to Diego, and sets the stage for his further adventures in the New World. Voyage to Parts Unknown is the first in the Diego de la Cosa Adventure series.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGary Burzell
    Release dateFeb 12, 2014
    ISBN9781310955679
    Voyage to Parts Unknown
    Author

    Gary Burzell

    Gary Burzell and his wife Lily live in the Bend, Oregon area and they enjoy hiking and other outdoor activities.I'm happy to announce that part two of the Diego de la Cosa series will be coming in Spring of 2023. While in part one Diego almost idolizes Christopher Columbus, in part two Diego and his companion Francisco start to realize that Columbus may not be the great man they think he is. Here is the prologue for part two:PrologueThe climb up the steep, thick jungle hillside had been difficult, especially in the heat of the midday sun. Diego's injuries added immensely to the struggle to keep going, to get away from those who were pursuing him and his companions. Diego looked back over his right shoulder and watched as Francisco and Guacabo, the nephew of Guacanagarí, the local chief, or cacique who had arranged their escape from Villa de la Navidad, the settlement Admiral Columbus had created for those left behind when he left Española to return to Spain.Columbus had been forced to leave 39 crewmembers behind after the Santa Maria sunk, and Diego and Francisco had volunteered to be left behind, much to the annoyance of Columbus. While Diego and Francisco did not know the fate of the other crewmembers on Villa de la Navidad, in their hearts they knew they had most likely been killed by Guacanagarí and his men. But as Diego and Francisco had discussed, between themselves, and with Guacanagarí, the other members left behind by Columbus had been cruel to the tribe’s members, especially with the women of the tribe. It was only because of the friendship they had forged with Guacanagarí and his nephew that had spared them a similar fate.Guacanagarí had asked his nephew Guacabo to take Diego and Francisco to Mayaguana, the island where Guacabo and his family lived. During the trip from Española to Mayaguana, Diego and Francisco at once grew fond of Guacabo. After spending several weeks on Mayaguana, learning the language and customs of Guacabo, and his people, Diego and Francisco had asked Guacabo to take them to the west, to what they believed to be another larger island. As it turned out, Diego and Francisco had come to believe that island was most likely a previously unknown continent, and not an island at all. Guacabo didn't hesitate to accept to go along. He too had heard the stories of the grand Mayan, Incan, Olmec, and Aztec civilizations, and he too wanted to see them.After several months of exploring, they began to run low on supplies, and decided it was time to go back to Guacabo’s island, and his friendly village, and they had done so, knowing that they would be back in the future. But that was eight months ago, a lot had happened since then, none of it good in the minds of Diego and Francisco.Diego stopped and turned to look down at the trail they were climbing. He could not see any signs of those who were chasing them. He hoped the diversion of floating down the river, away from their adversaries, had worked. That had been Guacabo's idea, and so far, it appeared to have saved them, at least for now. But those in pursuit were cunning, relentless, and ruthless, so Diego knew they had to keep pressing on.Francisco stopped behind Diego and said, “I wish we had known.”Diego hesitated, then said, “Me too, me too, but how could we have known? How could I have ever guessed that he could be so, so ...” Diego paused. In his mind many words to describe how he now felt about Admiral Columbus began to form, but one kept popping up no matter how hard he tried not to admit it was the correct word to use, and then said with sadness and disappointment in his eyes, “So evil.”Neither of us did, like you, I thought Columbus was a great man, a man of honor. Not a butcher looking for riches at any cost, to his men, or of the people in this land.”They both looked behind them one more time and pressed on.

    Read more from Gary Burzell

    Related to Voyage to Parts Unknown

    Titles in the series (1)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    YA Action & Adventure For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Our Deliverance

      Mar 28, 2023

      Our Deliverance
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Island

      Jun 4, 2018

      The Island
      8 min read

    • Article

      It Happened to Me…

      Mar 24, 2022

      It Happened to Me…
      7 min read

    • Article

      Paul Heiney

      Mar 31, 2023

      A few weeks back, with the passing of Paddy Macklin at 65 years old, we lost a sailing legend of whom most people have never heard – but should have done. He has much to teach us, and inspire us. He never attracted sponsorship like so many round-the-

      3 min read

    • Article

      Diary Of An Indo Feral

      Feb 28, 2020

      Diary Of An Indo Feral
      8 min read

    • Article

      Tom Cunliffe

      Dec 20, 2019

      Tom Cunliffe
      5 min read

    • Article

      Tom Cunliffe

      Apr 30, 2021

      Tom Cunliffe
      5 min read

    • Article

      Tom Cunliffe

      Apr 30, 2021

      Tom Cunliffe
      5 min read

    • Article

      Super Stick Man

      Mar 6, 2020

      Super Stick Man
      8 min read

    • Article

      The PROVISION PIRATES

      Apr 11, 2018

      The PROVISION PIRATES
      6 min read

    • Article

      The PROVISION PIRATES

      Apr 17, 2018

      The PROVISION PIRATES
      6 min read

    • Article

      Paul Heiney

      Mar 31, 2023

      A few weeks back, with the passing of Paddy Macklin at 65 years old, we lost a sailing legend of whom most people have never heard – but should have done. He has much to teach us, and inspire us. He never attracted sponsorship like so many round-the-

      3 min read

    • Article

      Guernsey On Paper

      Aug 31, 2023

      Guernsey On Paper
      5 min read

    • Article

      Trip Of A Lifetime

      Dec 11, 2018

      Trip Of A Lifetime
      3 min read

    • Article

      The End Of The World

      Sep 17, 2020

      The End Of The World
      3 min read

    • Article

      Motorhome Mishaps

      Jul 21, 2022

      Motorhome Mishaps
      2 min read

    • Article

      My Long Cruise

      Jun 24, 2023

      My Long Cruise
      5 min read

    • Article

      Flying Solo

      Jul 22, 2021

      Flying Solo
      4 min read

    • Article

      Paul Heiney

      Jun 30, 2023

      Paul Heiney
      3 min read

    • Article

      Crazy Times at Sea

      Feb 3, 2017

      A long time ago in an office far, far away, I received a typewritten manuscript that told a harrowing tale of a transatlantic voyage gone horribly wrong. The author and his girlfriend had answered a magazine advertisement for crew (yes, it was that l

      2 min read

    • Article

      Along The Sandy Shore

      Nov 25, 2021

      Along The Sandy Shore
      7 min read

    • Article

      Hayley + The Clarence

      Sep 2, 2021

      Hayley + The Clarence
      13 min read

    • Article

      Found At Sea

      Jan 28, 2020

      Found At Sea
      6 min read

    • Article

      The North Sea Broke Me

      Oct 27, 2023

      The North Sea Broke Me
      9 min read

    • Article

      The North Sea Broke Me

      Oct 27, 2023

      The North Sea Broke Me
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Impasse

      Oct 3, 2018

      The Impasse
      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Voyage to Parts Unknown

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Voyage to Parts Unknown - Gary Burzell

      VOYAGE TO PARTS UNKNOWN

      by

      Gary Burzell

      SMASHWORDS EDITION

      * * * * *

      PUBLISHED BY:

      Gary Burzell on Smashwords

      Voyage to Parts Unknown

      Copyright © 2014 by Gary Burzell

      All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

      Smashwords Edition License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

      Author's notes: In order to make a story from this time period more readable, especially for younger readers, the author has taken some liberties. The language used in the dialogue is how we speak today, not how sailors from Spain, Portugal or the other countries from which the crew hailed spoke in 1492. For the most part sailors from that time period were a pious lot, and much of their day was spent praying and performing religious activities. However in this story I have generally left their attitudes toward God and the church out of the story choosing instead to put the focus on the characters, and their adventures. And to my knowledge no crew member received the special treatment by Christopher Columbus that Diego de la Cosa was given by Christopher Columbus ... but then no one knows for sure.

      For my wife Lily ...

      * * * * *

      Table of Contents

      Chapter One - The Journey Begins

      Chapter Two - Seamanship

      Chapter Three - Repairs

      Chapter Four - Dead Reckoning

      Chapter Five - Apprehension

      Chapter Six - False Hopes

      Chapter Seven - Conspiracy

      Chapter Eight - Discovery

      Chapter Nine -Walking on Dry Land

      Chapter 10 - Misfortune

      Chapter 11 - The Admiral Returns to Spain

      Epilogue

      VOYAGE TO PARTS UNKNOWN

      By Gary R. Burzell

      Chapter One

      The Journey Begins

      August 3, 1492

      The sights and smells of the ocean made me feel alive and invigorated. The damp, salty air felt good in my lungs as I stood on the bow of the Santa Maria. Off the port and stern sides I could see the crews of the Niña and the Pinta, our companion ships, bustling around in the cool morning air.

      I, Diego de la Cosa, could see my hometown of Palos de la Frontera fading from sight as we sailed south toward the Canary Islands. The Santa Maria lazily rose up and down on the calm sea as an enormous group of seagulls followed the three ships, their bodies flashing white and gray against the deep blue sky. They were circling the masts, diving in and out of the ships’ riggings, and occasionally plunging into the ocean for an unsuspecting fish.

      The sounds of the birds and of the water drumming the ship's hull brought back fond memories. I had been to sea before, many times, but this was different. My other voyages had been short supply trips to local ports of call on my uncle’s small ship. However, this time neither I, nor anyone else on board the Santa Maria, the Pinta or the Niña, really knew what lay ahead.

      Perhaps we would find a new route to the Far East, as Admiral Columbus believed. But what if the sailors in the taverns of Palos were right? Many of them believed Columbus’s ships would sail over the edge of the earth! The sailors also told of great sea monsters that could crush a ship like a child’s toy. I didn’t really believe in the old sailors’ folklore, and the time I had spent learning mapmaking from my father had led me to believe, as did most learned people, that the world was a huge sphere. But no matter what the outcome of this journey would be, we were finally off and heading toward our destiny—and for me that was good enough.

      It seemed like forever since I had met Admiral Columbus at my father’s map shop, but in reality it had only been about a month. He had stopped in asking for the latest maps of the coast from Palos to the Canary Islands, and while he and my father had talked, I had learned of his plans to sail west to the East Indies.

      From the moment I heard the Admiral share his plan, I knew I wanted to go. It was all I could think about for the next few days. I wanted to ask Admiral Columbus if I could be part of his crew, but I knew my father would be against it. Although I was sixteen and old enough to make my own decisions, I didn’t want to dishonor my father by

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1