Dit Engelstalige boek is te koop via de website van de uitgever of via John zelf: als je het boek via hem koopt, zal hij je een persoonlijk gesigneerd exemplaar toesturen.
Onderaan deze pagina kun je snelkoppelingen vinden om het boek te bestellen.
Waar gaat het boek over?
Het boek gaat over een zeventiende eeuwse Hollandse zeeman, een voormalige kaapvaarder die een 'buitengewoon ondernemer' geworden is, met andere woorden, een ordinaire piraat.
Deze piraat luistert naar de naam 'Dutch Hodgers' en hij schuimt de zeeën af op zoek naar faam en fortuin.
In het boek wordt Dutch geconfronteerd met allerlei soorten gebeurtenissen die zijn pad kruisen en die hem dwingen om zijn koers te veranderen op de meest ongelegen momenten.
Niets gaat als gepland op deze fantastische reis, waar Dutch geplaagd wordt door demonen, magie en stijfkoppige vrouwen.
De jacht op de grootste schat is in volle gang, maar zal hij er in slagen de schat ook te vinden?
Lees hierover meer in het prachtige boek: 'The Adventures of Dutch Hodgers, Entrepreneur Extraordinaire, part one'
Je kunt HIERnaar de website van de uitgever gaan, of op de knop hiernaast klikken:
Hieronder vindt je een paar regels uit het boek:
(Het boek is alleen in het Engels te verkrijgen.)
Chapter 1.
The Merciless was anchored in the bay of Micronesia to refresh her water and food supplies.
The captured booty had fetched a good price and the ship’s belly was filled with barrels
and chests full of gold and silver coins.
The carpenters were working hard to repair the damage the ship had received during her last fight
and the shipmates were either fixing minor wear and tear on the sails and rigging
or they were allowed ashore to spend their wages on drink, women, or both.
Morale was high, as they had been successful in battle in their last voyage.
"Bosun, how many men have signed off fer duty this time?"
Dutch asked, as they were sitting in the Captain’s Lounge of the Merciless.
The Bosun checked the ship’s duty log.
"Ten men ‘ave signed off, sir, includin’ them bastards JeuneJean an’ ‘is mate ‘Arris.
Good riddance, too, sir!
Them two was nothin’ but trouble from the beginnin’.
No discipline, sir!"
Dutch nodded. Indeed, they’d been nothing but trouble.
They had played some nasty tricks on the mates and Dutch was convinced his men would not spare them
if they would encounter them in a battle at sea.
Good riddance indeed!
He turned to the Bosun. "What about the other eight?Were there any of our ship’s veterans between them?"
The Bosun shook his head: "No sir! None of our regular crew, sir!
Most of them were newcomers that have served with us since the last voyage.
If you don’t mind me sayin’ so, sir, them new sailors don’t know spit of sailin’ or privateerin’, sir."
Dutch agreed. There didn’t seem to be many experienced sailors around any more, these days.
He got up from his chair and said: "I want you to take some strong and dependable men into town
and recruit us some able and willin’ new members. I don’t care if they’re big, small, tall, or tiny,
but they must be willin’ to pledge loyalty beyond everythin’ else to be generously rewarded.
You know I’m hard, but fair, and loyal men will be handsomely rewarded.
Promise them a good life, lots of fightin’ an’ the best food ‘n’ drink they could want.
Volunteers are the best, but if you can press-gang a few persons, that’s okay too."
The Bosun got up and went out on deck to call his recruitment crew.
Dutch walked to the liquor chest, took out a bottle of brandy and poured himself a glass-full.
"Only a few more days to go . . ." he thought.
While the Bosun and his recruiters were ashore, Dutch called the Quartermaster and the Cook to make inventory.
"I’m plannin’ fer a journey of about six months non-stop sailin’. What do you reckon’ we’ll need to take with us?"
The Cook took his ledger and gave a summary: ‘Six months . . .
about a hundred-and-eighty-three days, meaning a hundred-and-eighty barrels of fresh water,
about twenty-four pigs, the odd amounts of chickens, rabbits, even amounts of biscuits, flour and salt,
some grease, sugar, spices, the odd amounts of sauerkraut, onions, carrots, some dried meat, some yeast,
barley, oats, brandy, rum, coal . . ."
Dutch nodded. "And what about ammunition, Douglas?"
The Quartermaster summed up: "We’ll need gunpowder, cannonballs, bullets and flints, some new muskets,
a few dozen swords and half a dozen new axes."
Dutch frowned, then he asked: "And how much would that cost us?"
Douglas put his finger along his nose: "We’ll ‘ave to pay fer the food,
but I know a way to get us the rest almost fer free . . ." He winked.
Dutch grinned. "How many men do you need?"
Douglas grinned too. Dutch gestured for him to come closer.
"Now, tell me more about this plan of yours of not payin’ fer our cannonballs, gunpowder,
and what else we don’t need to pay fer . . ."
Douglas came closer and spoke in a soft voice: "I happen to know the Guv’nor’s daughter and she’s got a soft spot fer me.
Now, if I can convince her to convince her father that givin’ us them supplies fer free, would be, in fact, an act of patriotism,
us bein’ privateers fer King William, and fightin’ fer the good cause, and so on - I’m sure he will help us out voluntarily."
He smiled, so did Dutch.
"You’re a smooth talker, Douglas, my friend," Dutch said, "but I want you to make sure that we’ll be able to come back here in peace,
mind you! I don’t like to be hung fer betrayal, or impostery.
I’d like to know, that I still could look the Guv’nor straight in the eyes, if we ever should return to this place."
Douglas assured Dutch that such a thing wasn’t likely to happen
if he was allowed to promise the Governor a share in their profit.
"Aye, you can promise him that, but make sure it’s not in writin’ . . ." Dutch grinned.
"Never make a promise you won’t keep in writin’ . . ."
The two men laughed wickedly.
Wil je weten hoe dit verder gaat?
Ga dan alsjeblieft naar de website van de uitgever HIER en koop het boek!