Chapter 1

Alexander presented himself at the dean’s office promptly at one o’clock.  The dean had a scowl on his face which displayed his displeasure, and a dagger look in his eyes that seemed to pierce right through the captain.  When Michael came into the office his eyes lit up to see his grandfather, but he remained restrained in the presence of the dean.

“Go to the carriage,” his grandfather ordered.  “I’ll be there shortly.”  Without question Michael obeyed.

After Michael left the room, the dean began to growl, “I’ll see you -”   But Alexander was in no mood for his threats.  He snapped back with harshness,  “You’ll what?!”  And the exchange of the silent promises that flashed between their eyes clashed like swords on a battlefield.

The dean couldn’t resist vying for petty power.  “Your grandson will not have you to pull strings for him when you’re not around; then it will be between him and me.”

“You take your revenge for me out on my grandson and you’ll be counting palm trees and rocks on a lonely island with hungry inhabitants; and that’s a reality!”

“You wouldn’t dare!”  the dean slashed back.

“Threats are often met with threats!  If you don’t like what you hear, don’t issue them!”

But, the urge in the dean to give a parting sarcastic remark was stronger than he was able to suppress.  “The boy will have to answer to me when he returns!”

As the captain was leaving, he stopped for a brief moment and responded, “Bon voyage,” then abruptly left the office, leaving the dean a little apprehensive.

Alexander was no man for violence or wrongdoings, but he was a man who did some wrongs as a justification for wrongs done to him. Thus, the dean was made to take a voyage to the South Pacific where he was dropped off on an island to cohabit with the natives.  It is anyone’s guess whatever happened to the dean, but it was eventually reported that a certain white man had become the father of many children on the island. One can only wonder.

The years for Michael and his grandfather passed with mutual joy. Michael not only acquired a loving taste for the sea, but also acquired a certain mastery over bargaining for a deal that would cost little, yet reap a great profit. In no time, Michael’s heart was a brim with adventurous desire for foreign lands and the sweet taste of wealth in his life.

One day, years later, he found that he, along with his father, his younger brother and little sister, had inherited his grandfather’s entire fleet of merchant ships.