On a port of Spain crowds gathered to watch a new expedition set of for this new world to explore and one day conquer. In the name of Philip II King of Spain, Panfilo de Narvaz is setting off to explore a peninsula of the New World. According to the accounts listed he is taking 600 men on this voyage to explore an area called Florida. One of these men is waving goodbye to his wife and children. The man is happy and sad at the same time. Tears come down his cheek.
"Pull yourself together Senior!" a fellow explorer who also volunteered to see the New World.
"You've heard the stories!" He snapped back in a kindly tone that was not intentionally rude.
The fellow explorer scoffed at this shaking his head. He left the man alone as he blew kisses to his wife and daughters. One of them tried to catch the kiss trying to hold back the tears. She looked away in an attempt to hide her face. He knew she did not want him to see her cry. Five ships of the Narvaez voyage slowly embarked from the ports with thousands of men, provisions and a duty to the Crown of Spain. As the ships sailed towards the Atlantic Ocean it grew dark. Each man who was not on watch duty descended to the lower decks to sleep. Every other man was Spanish, Italian Portuguese, and Greek. He was born in Leon, Spain and moved to the coast. There he was able to find work in the ports as a dockworker until he found this opportunity to see the New World for himself.
The voyages of Christopher Columbus encouraged Europe, at least those under Spanish rule to seek adventure and a new life. His head was full of images of what the savages looked like and Cuba. The islands that Columbus discovered appeared in his head. Although there were no paintings of these lands to view just imagining what they looked like was enough. In his head he pictured there were great beasts, or savages running around. Just the idea of facing the savages made him feel young again. It gave wonder as to how Ponce de Leon, or Pineda must have felt when they went on their voyages. While thinking of this he rolled over his hammock. It rocked him to sleep as the ship itself rocked. He did not know how long he slept, but it must have been midnight when something woke him up.
"Senior, senior." A voice emerged in his ear. He felt something poke him multiple times. He ignored it passing it off as a dream.
"Senior, senior." the voice came again, and someone poked him again.
"What is it?" he asked stirring awake.
"Senior you are in grave danger." the voice said.
"What?" he replied in shock.
He jumped out of the hammock with his eyes wide open. The entire ship was filled with a strange mist. All he could see was the mist and nothing else around him. He blinked several times. The Senior presumed he was in a dream, and started to go back to sleep. Something stopped him and tugged at his clothes. He swatted at whatever tugged at him, but there was nothing there.
"Come with me Senior, there is danger, danger!" the voice said sounding like it was panicking.
"Alright I will come with you." Senior replied to the voice in the mist.
"Follow me." the voice said. He felt a small hand grab his and escort him through the mist filled ship. Whoever was pulling him must have known where to go on this ship through the mist that now appeared more like smoke of a fire.
"It is a good thing you are taking me above deck." He said to the voice. "This ship is on fire, hurry let us get off this ship!"
In a hurry the man raced forward not caring about the mist. His legs found the steps to the upper deck and outside on the outer deck. Without hesitation he allowed the voice and figure guide him through the mist again.
"Come on we are almost there." the voice said to him.
"Of course, of course, I am coming." He blindly replied. Unable to see through the mist the man walked off the deck and into the ocean. When he opened his eyes he saw spirits of the dead come at him. Among the members of the Narvaez Expedition there was one less man who blindly walked off deck.
"Pull yourself together Senior!" a fellow explorer who also volunteered to see the New World.
"You've heard the stories!" He snapped back in a kindly tone that was not intentionally rude.
The fellow explorer scoffed at this shaking his head. He left the man alone as he blew kisses to his wife and daughters. One of them tried to catch the kiss trying to hold back the tears. She looked away in an attempt to hide her face. He knew she did not want him to see her cry. Five ships of the Narvaez voyage slowly embarked from the ports with thousands of men, provisions and a duty to the Crown of Spain. As the ships sailed towards the Atlantic Ocean it grew dark. Each man who was not on watch duty descended to the lower decks to sleep. Every other man was Spanish, Italian Portuguese, and Greek. He was born in Leon, Spain and moved to the coast. There he was able to find work in the ports as a dockworker until he found this opportunity to see the New World for himself.
The voyages of Christopher Columbus encouraged Europe, at least those under Spanish rule to seek adventure and a new life. His head was full of images of what the savages looked like and Cuba. The islands that Columbus discovered appeared in his head. Although there were no paintings of these lands to view just imagining what they looked like was enough. In his head he pictured there were great beasts, or savages running around. Just the idea of facing the savages made him feel young again. It gave wonder as to how Ponce de Leon, or Pineda must have felt when they went on their voyages. While thinking of this he rolled over his hammock. It rocked him to sleep as the ship itself rocked. He did not know how long he slept, but it must have been midnight when something woke him up.
"Senior, senior." A voice emerged in his ear. He felt something poke him multiple times. He ignored it passing it off as a dream.
"Senior, senior." the voice came again, and someone poked him again.
"What is it?" he asked stirring awake.
"Senior you are in grave danger." the voice said.
"What?" he replied in shock.
He jumped out of the hammock with his eyes wide open. The entire ship was filled with a strange mist. All he could see was the mist and nothing else around him. He blinked several times. The Senior presumed he was in a dream, and started to go back to sleep. Something stopped him and tugged at his clothes. He swatted at whatever tugged at him, but there was nothing there.
"Come with me Senior, there is danger, danger!" the voice said sounding like it was panicking.
"Alright I will come with you." Senior replied to the voice in the mist.
"Follow me." the voice said. He felt a small hand grab his and escort him through the mist filled ship. Whoever was pulling him must have known where to go on this ship through the mist that now appeared more like smoke of a fire.
"It is a good thing you are taking me above deck." He said to the voice. "This ship is on fire, hurry let us get off this ship!"
In a hurry the man raced forward not caring about the mist. His legs found the steps to the upper deck and outside on the outer deck. Without hesitation he allowed the voice and figure guide him through the mist again.
"Come on we are almost there." the voice said to him.
"Of course, of course, I am coming." He blindly replied. Unable to see through the mist the man walked off the deck and into the ocean. When he opened his eyes he saw spirits of the dead come at him. Among the members of the Narvaez Expedition there was one less man who blindly walked off deck.
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