system
You are the dungeon master of a text adventure game. The game should involve the following genres and tags:
, anthropomorphised animals,chest,cover art,graded success,IF Competition 2013,IFComp Game,male protagonist,money,multiple endings,nautical,nautical directions,open-ended,optimisation puzzle,parser,pirate,pirates,rat,replay puzzle,second person,ship,ship wreck,strong NPCs,time limit,treasure hunt,turn limit,variable final score,Xyzzy Awards 2013,XYZZY Best Individual NPC
gpt
You can't help thinking this could have been avoided.

"I know what you're thinking, lad. And you're right, this is all your fault. But you can't exactly blame yourself, either."

The captain makes a pained clicking noise. "You did your best, and it wasn't good enough. All we can do now is make the best of a bad situation."

He allows himself a moment of silence. Then he fixes you with a beady black eye:

"You think you maybe oughta get to work?"

Captain Verdeterre's Plunder
An account of the wreck of the Feckless by Ryan Veeder

This is the foremost section of the hold, the location of the giant hole that the reef tore in the ship's hull. Water is gushing in at an alarming rate.

The rest of the hold (and the stairs to the decks above) is aft.

"All right," says Captain Verdeterre. "Let's round up everything that's worth anything and put it in that bag." He indicates a nearby sack, which you pick up.

A perturbed-looking gorilla skull hangs from a hook on the wall.

In one corner of the room is a pewter goblet.

A thick book lies close by.
human
You take all
gpt
{To maintain the urgency of your situation, it is asked that you refrain from handling more than one item at a time. We sincerely regret any inconveniences suffered as a result of this policy.}
human
You take the book
gpt
You pick up the book.

"Oh, just drop that," says Verdeterre. "We're looking for
treasure, not mildewy books."

Now the water is lapping at your shins.
human
You put the book in the bag
gpt
You put the thick book into the commodious sack.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.

{This game includes Nautical Vocabulary Notes for your
edification. If you would like to enable Nautical Vocabulary Notes, please enter the command "ENABLE NAUTICAL VOCABULARY NOTES". Thank you.}
human
You enable the nautical Vocabulary Notes
gpt
{Nautical Vocabulary Notes have been enabled. They may be disabled with the command "DISABLE NAUTICAL VOCABULARY NOTES" at your convenience.}
human
You take the skull
gpt
The captain smiles at the skull. "Good old Charlie! What a spirited guy. If I had the chance, I think I'd shoot him again."

You stuff the gorilla skull into the sack.

Now the water is up to your thighs.
human
You take the cup
gpt
"That one, for sure," says the captain. "People will pay all kinds of money for fancy chalices like that."

You stuff the pewter goblet into the sack.

You wince as the waters climb up around your hips.
human
Aft
gpt
A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. {Nautical Vocabulary Note: "Ballast" is
heavy material kept in the hold to help stabilize the ship.} Fore
from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

Roughly in the center of the space is an iron strongbox.

An ornate vase stands nearby.

The water is up to your waist.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You open the box
gpt
You yank on the lid of the strongbox, but it's locked tight.

"Oh, shoot," says Verdeterre. "I forget where I left the key. Knowing me, it's probably hidden extremely well. But I can't remember what was in there, either, so it's not a big loss."

Now the water is up to your chest.

The vase is overturned by the waves and lost.
human
You look around
gpt
A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. {Nautical Vocabulary Note: "Ballast" is
heavy material kept in the hold to help stabilize the ship.} Fore
from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

The captain strokes his tail thoughtfully.

Roughly in the center of the space is an iron strongbox.
human
You examine captain
gpt
Captain Verdeterre cuts an imposing figure, with his plumed hat and his snappy jacket. There are so many reasons to look up to him: his tactical brilliance, his dauntlessness, his self-certainty—and his ability to inspire the certainty of others in himself.

You can't literally look up to him, as he's several feet shorter than you, but that's because he's a rat.
human
Examine book
gpt
There's no title on the cover or the spine. It looks profoundly uninteresting.
human
You open the book
gpt
Taken.

You open the book. Carved into the pages is a cavity containing a steel bracelet.

"Well, how about that," says Verdeterre.

You stretch out your neck as the waters close over your shoulders.
human
You take the bracelet
gpt
You stuff the steel bracelet into the sack.

The waters have reached your chin. You're having trouble keeping your footing.
human
You take the crate
gpt
"Leave that be!" Verdeterre barks. "There's no room for any huge boxes on the lifeboat."
human
You look in the crate
gpt
In the smelly crate is a musky grey lump.
human
You examine the lump
gpt
It's grey and irregular, like a rock. It could almost be a rock, but it smells more strongly than any rock you've encountered.
human
You look in the lump
gpt
You find nothing of interest.

The rising water has reached your ankles.
human
You get the portrait
gpt
Verdeterre sighs. "It'll be a shame to sell off an item of such gorgeousness and sentimentality," he says, "but I suppose these are desperate times."

You stuff the captain's portrait into the sack.

Now the water is lapping at your shins.
human
You get the doll
gpt
"You know," says Verdeterre, "that doll gives me an idea. Better take it along."

You stuff the wooden doll into the sack.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.
human
Aft
gpt
This was the map room originally, and then it became a kind of general storage space, and then it was picked almost clean by various deserters.

The flag box stands nearby.

In the center of the room is the map table; sitting on top is a sextant.

There's a barrel over in the corner.

Now the water is up to your thighs.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You look in the barrel
gpt
Trying to turn over the barrel in water this deep is an unsuccessful endeavor, and it rolls away on the rising waves.

You wince as the waters climb up around your hips.
human
You get the sextant
gpt
"I hate those things," says the captain. "Nobody will build one that's small enough for us to use."

You stuff the sextant into the sack.

The water is up to your waist.
human
You get the flag box
gpt
You are unable to pick up the flag box, as it has been securely attached to the cabin floor. In retrospect, that wasn't a great idea.

Now the water is up to your chest.

The flag box is covered by water.
human
Fore
gpt
{Nautical Vocabulary Note: A "galley" is a room on a ship where
food is prepared.}

This room used to be the domain of Blaise, the ship's cook. Now the cabinets are empty, and the room is in a state of rapidly sinking disrepair.

Hanging on the wall is an old violin.

The waters have reached your chin. You're having trouble keeping your footing.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You get the violin
gpt
"Sure was nice of Blaise to leave that behind for us," Verdeterre sniggers.

You stuff the violin into the sack.

The water is in your mouth now.
human
Up
gpt
Ah, open air. The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead. {Nautical
Vocabulary Note: A "bulkhead" is a wall.}

There's a silver locket lying on the deck.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
Aft
gpt
This was the map room originally, and then it became a kind of general storage space, and then it was picked almost clean by various deserters.

You can barely see where you're going, squeezing your eyes to keep out the salt water. You need to get to higher ground.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Fore
gpt
{Nautical Vocabulary Note: A "galley" is a room on a ship where
food is prepared.}

This room used to be the domain of Blaise, the ship's cook. Now the cabinets are empty, and the room is in a state of rapidly sinking disrepair.

You can't hold your breath any longer, and now water rushes into your mouth and nostrils. You're able to struggle for a little while, but it's no use.
human
Go upwards
gpt
Ah, open air. The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead. {Nautical
Vocabulary Note: A "bulkhead" is a wall.}

There's a silver locket lying on the deck.

The water glides over the decks and soon it is up to your ankles.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You take the locket
gpt
"Ooh, jewelry! Good eye, Tibert!" says the captain.

You stuff the silver locket into the sack.

Now the water is up to your shins.
human
Aft
gpt
Here is where the captain sleeps, where he eats, where he does his deep thinking. Most of this happens in his bed. Hung on one wall is a shelf, set aside for the captain's favorite objects.

A pin is sticking out of the forward bulkhead, holding up the handkerchief outside.

On the captain's bed is a silk pillow.

On the shelf are a gold medallion and an iron key.

Your knees are underwater now.

The rising waters swallow up the pin.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You get the medallion
gpt
You give the medallion a quick once-over and ask Verdeterre, "What did you do to earn this?"

"I stole it."

You stuff the gold medallion into the sack.

The water rises up around your thighs.
human
You take the key
gpt
Verdeterre's eyes light up as you lift the key. "I know what that is! That's the key to the strongbox in the hold! I knew it was somewhere."

Now the water reaches your hips.
human
You check your inventory
gpt
You are carrying:
an iron key
a false book (open but empty)
a commodious sack
a gold medallion
a silver locket
a violin
a sextant
a wooden doll
a captain's portrait
a steel bracelet
a pewter goblet
a gorilla skull
a flintlock pistol
human
You take the pillow
gpt
You pick up the pillow.

"Oh, no. I'm gonna miss that little guy," says Verdeterre. "I've never been able to get to sleep without it. But it needs to must, when devils drive!"

You stuff the silk pillow into the sack.

The rising waves climb up to your waist.
human
F.
gpt
The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

The water is up to your chest.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You go up
gpt
You have often stood here, at the stern of the vessel, with a steady hand on the ship's wheel, wondering where you were going. Right now you are not going anywhere.

From here you can see the vast stretches of sea you crossed to reach this point—they look much like the stretches of sea you can see in every other direction. Downstairs is the main deck. {Nautical Vocabulary Note: A "quarterdeck" is a raised deck at the stern of a ship.}

A bronze statuette is lying on the boards.

Soon the main deck will be too deep underwater for you to walk around on it.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You take the statuette
gpt
You stuff the bronze statuette into the sack.

The main deck has to be under at least five feet of water now.

For a second there, you could swear you heard music.
human
Go downwards
gpt
The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

The water is in your mouth now. It tastes salty.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
F.
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

You're struggling to keep your head above water.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
Go up
gpt
{Nautical Vocabulary Note: The "top" is a platform at the top of
one of the lower masts of a ship, providing support to the topmast, which is a mast that's attached to the top of a lower mast. Atop the topmast is the topgallant mast.}

What a dizzying height! The shrouds reach higher, of course, but up here is high enough.

A piece of brass is caught between the boards.

A seagull is perched further out on the rigging.

The rising water has almost reached the level of the upper decks.

The captain scampers up the lines ahead of you.
human
Fore
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. {Nautical Vocabulary Note: A "capstan" is a cylindrical mechanism used to haul heavy objects and increase tension in cables by winding them around its barrel.} The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up
a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

The life boat, still connected to the davits, is also floating on the rising water.

You can barely see where you're going, squeezing your eyes to keep out the salt water. You need to get to higher ground.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You get the boat
gpt
Taken.

The water closes over your head. What would your like for the final action in your life to be?

"Fine, go down with the ship," says the Captain. "But I'm taking that sack with me."

He wrests the sack from your grasp, climbs in the lifeboat, and casts off without you.
human
You get in the boat
gpt
Are you sure you want to abandon ship? [y/n]
human
Y.
gpt
You shove off with all due haste.

 I feel like this is probably the best you could have done. So relax! Pull up a chair!"

There is only one chair in the apartment, however, and Captain Verdeterre is sitting in it, so you nod politely and continue to stand as he curls up and drifts off to sleep.
human
Aft
gpt
A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. Fore from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

Roughly in the center of the space is an iron strongbox.

An ornate vase stands nearby.

A crystal ball is rolling around on the floor.

Now the water is lapping at your shins.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
Go upwards
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

{This game includes Nautical Vocabulary Notes for your
edification. If you would like to enable Nautical Vocabulary Notes, please enter the command "ENABLE NAUTICAL VOCABULARY NOTES". Thank you.}

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
Go upward
gpt
Ah, open air. The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

There's a silver locket lying on the deck.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Aft
gpt
Here is where the captain sleeps, where he eats, where he does his deep thinking. Most of this happens in his bed. Hung on one wall is a shelf, set aside for the captain's favorite objects.

A pin is sticking out of the forward bulkhead, holding up the handkerchief outside.

On the captain's bed is a silk pillow.

On the shelf are a gold medallion and an iron key.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You get the key and the medallion
gpt
{To maintain the urgency of your situation, it is asked that you refrain from handling more than one item at a time. We sincerely regret any inconveniences suffered as a result of this policy.}
human
You get the key
gpt
Verdeterre's eyes light up as you lift the key. "I know what that is! That's the key to the strongbox in the hold! I knew it was somewhere."
human
Fore
gpt
The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

There's a silver locket lying on the deck.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You go downward
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
Go down
gpt
A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. Fore from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

Roughly in the center of the space is an iron strongbox.

The waters have reached your chin. You're having trouble keeping your footing.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You go downwards
gpt
You can't move in that direction from here. {The available
directions are displayed in the status bar above.}
human
You unlock the strongbox with the key
gpt
You unlock the iron strongbox.

The water is in your mouth now.
human
You open the strongbox
gpt
You open the strongbox, revealing a green glass bottle. The captain's eyes brighten. "Now I remember! Grab hold of that bottle before it sinks!"

You're struggling to keep your head above water.
human
You get the bottle
gpt
You stuff the green glass bottle into the sack.

You can barely see where you're going, squeezing your eyes to keep out the salt water. You need to get to higher ground.
human
Go upward
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You look at the bottle
gpt
The bottle is filled with a dark liquid, and the label says "Prévenge", although you don't know that (you can't read).
human
Fore
gpt
This room used to be the domain of Blaise, the ship's cook. Now the cabinets are empty, and the room is in a state of rapidly sinking disrepair.

On top of one cabinet is a piece of hardtack.

Hanging on the wall is an old violin.

The rising water has reached your ankles.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You get the hardtack
gpt
Taken.

Now the water is lapping at your shins.
human
Go south
gpt
Moving toward the right side of the deck only causes the ship to lurch distressingly.
human
Aft
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
Aft
gpt
This was the map room originally, and then it became a kind of general storage space, and then it was picked almost clean by various deserters.

The flag box stands nearby.

In the center of the room is the map table; sitting on top is a sextant.

There's a barrel over in the corner.

Now the water is up to your thighs.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Look around
gpt
A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. Fore from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

The captain eyes you expectantly.

Despite the height of the water, you can still just barely reach the iron strongbox.
human
You ascend
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Inventory
gpt
You are carrying:
an iron key
a commodious sack
a green glass bottle
a flintlock pistol
human
Aft
gpt
This was the map room originally, and then it became a kind of general storage space, and then it was picked almost clean by various deserters.

The flag box stands nearby.

In the center of the room is the map table; sitting on top is a sextant.

There's a barrel over in the corner.

The rising water has reached your ankles.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You look in the barrel
gpt
When you peek under the barrel you discover an ancient-looking oil lamp.

"That's gotta be worth something!" according to the captain, so you toss it in the bag.

Now the water is lapping at your shins.
human
Fore
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Fore
gpt
This room used to be the domain of Blaise, the ship's cook. Now the cabinets are empty, and the room is in a state of rapidly sinking disrepair.

On top of one cabinet is a piece of hardtack.

Hanging on the wall is an old violin.

Now the water is up to your thighs.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You get the hardtack
gpt
Taken.

You wince as the waters climb up around your hips.
human
Aft
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

The water is up to your waist.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Go upwards
gpt
The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

There's a silver locket lying on the deck.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You get ambergris
gpt
Captain Verdeterre wrinkles his nose. "What on earth is that thing? I don't like the looks of it."

You hold onto it anyway.

Now the water is up to your chest.
human
You get the handkerchief
gpt
You yank on the handkerchief, but it stays lodged in the wall; it's tied on from the other side.
human
Aft
gpt
Here is where the captain sleeps, where he eats, where he does his deep thinking. Most of this happens in his bed. Hung on one wall is a shelf, set aside for the captain's favorite objects.

A pin is sticking out of the forward bulkhead, holding up the handkerchief outside.

On the captain's bed is a silk pillow.

On the shelf is a gold medallion.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You get the pin
gpt
You pull the pin out from the handkerchief, and it falls between the boards. Now you should be able to retrieve the hanky from the other side of the wall.
human
You examine the bed
gpt
The captain enjoys the privilege of sleeping in a human-sized bed, rather than a rat-sized bed, or a hammock. It's a nice-looking bed, too.

On the captain's bed is a silk pillow.
human
You look under the bed
gpt
You stoop down to check under the captain's bed, and turn up a curvy shell, bigger than your hand.

"That's a nautilus," Verdeterre explains. "You oughta see one when the squishy part is still inside. It's a sight that'd keep you up at night, let me tell you. Anyway, let's try and sell it."

You stuff the nautilus shell into the sack.
human
Fore
gpt
The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

There's a silver locket lying on the deck.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You get the handkerchief
gpt
The captain smiles as you lift up the handkerchief. "Well, boy, I did make a promise, and I keep my promises. The hanky's yours."

You rub the silk between your fingers, and remark by way of expressing your gratitude that it's a very fine prize.

The captain nods. "You're right about that. Actually, it's probably too fine. Yes, you'd better put it in with the other loot so we can sell it later. Good idea."

You stuff the silk handkerchief into the sack.
human
Fore
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The point of an exotic-looking dagger is lodged in the mast.

A hand mirror is lying on the floor.

The water glides over the decks and soon it is up to your ankles.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You get the mirror
gpt
You pick up the mirror, and Verdeterre motions for you to point it at him. He checks to make sure he's wearing his hat at an appropriately jaunty angle. He nods in approval.

You stuff the hand mirror into the sack.

Now the water is up to your shins.
human
You get the dagger
gpt
You pull on the handle of the dagger, but it remains stuck in the mast.

"Hey, that was Saad's, right?" Verdeterre asks. "What happened to him?"

"I think you told him you were going to kill him, so he ran away," you say.

He frowns. "Man, I think you're right. Wow. I shoulda been nicer."

Your knees are underwater now.
human
Up
gpt
What a dizzying height! The shrouds reach higher, of course, but up here is high enough.

A piece of brass is caught between the boards.

A seagull is perched further out on the rigging.

There might be about a foot of water over the main deck now.

The captain scampers up the lines ahead of you.
human
You get the brass
gpt
It's a miniature crown, maybe the size of a tablespoon.

"That!" Verdeterre shrieks. "That is important. Put that in the sack. Do not lose that."

You stuff the tiny brass crown into the sack.

The deck below is still sinking.
human
You give the hardtack to the seagull
gpt
The seagull doesn't seem interested.

By now the main deck is under about three feet of water.
human
You look at the seagull
gpt
The seagull seems to look straight back at you, a challenge in its eye. It has a gold watch clutched in its talons. Or do they count as talons if they're webbed?

"Seagulls! Vermin of the sea! I hate them," the captain grumbles.
human
You show hardtack to the seagull
gpt
The seagull is unimpressed.

By now the main deck is under about three feet of water.
human
You shoot the seagull
gpt
Your shot goes wide, but the report is enough to make the seagull drop its prize and fly away. The watch falls into the water.

By now the main deck is under about three feet of water.
human
Go down
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The point of an exotic-looking dagger is lodged in the mast.

The water is up to your chest.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
Fore
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

The life boat, still connected to the davits, is also floating on the rising water.

The waves close over your shoulders.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Fore
gpt
The crew's quarters were never intended to be welcoming or well-appointed. The walls are lined with hammocks. The exit is aft.

The water reaches your chin. You're having trouble keeping your footing.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
Up
gpt
The bowsprit extends from the prow here, and below that is the figurehead. Down the stairs abaft is the capstan.

A fid is lying on the deck.

The main deck has to be under at least five feet of water now.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You get fid
gpt
"Do we need this?" you ask your captain, indicating the fid.

He says, "I kinda doubt it, but you might as well."

You pick up the fid.

Your chance to return to the main deck is almost gone.
human
You examine the figurehead
gpt
You have to lean uncomfortably over the gunwale to get a good look, but there she is: a wooden human woman in need of a coat of paint.

"Hey, what's that she's wearing?" asks Verdeterre.

In fact, the figurehead is wearing very little, but Verdeterre indicates what seems to be a non-wooden necklace around her neck. "Go get that!"
human
You get the necklace
gpt
The only way to reach that necklace would be to climb out onto the bowsprit.
human
You climb onto the bowsprit
gpt
You climb out to hang precariously from the bowsprit.

From this position you can look right in the figurehead's face. She seems entirely too calm, given the circumstances.

Around her neck is a string of pearls.

The waters continue to bury the main deck.
human
You get the necklace
gpt
You pull one hand free from the bowsprit to snatch up the necklace, and nearly lose your grip.

"Careful down there!" Verdeterre cries. "I don't know what I'd do with myself if you lost any of our stuff. You should probably toss the necklace up to me so you don't drop it. Or I guess just put it in the bag."

You stuff the pearl necklace into the sack.

The water is too high now for you to safely hang from the bowsprit without drowning.

Very, very carefully, you climb back from the bowsprit to the relative safety of the fo'c'sle.

The rising water has almost reached the level of the upper decks.
human
Aft
gpt
It's too late to go back down now. The deck below is almost completely flooded.

The main deck is utterly lost now, and the waters begin inching up over the fo'c'sle and quarterdeck...
human
You look around
gpt
The bowsprit extends from the prow here, and below that is the figurehead. Down the stairs abaft is the capstan.

The captain eyes you expectantly.
human
Wait
gpt
Time passes.

The water glides over the fo'c'sle deck and soon it is up to your ankles. You are going to die here.
human
Wait
gpt
Time passes.

Now the water is up to your shins.

"What a disappointment," Captain Verdeterre says, as he swims away.

You wish you could swim.
human
Wait
gpt
Time passes.

Your knees are underwater now.
human
Wait
gpt
Time passes.

The water rises up around your thighs.
human
Look around
gpt
The bowsprit extends from the prow here, and below that is the figurehead. Down the stairs abaft is the capstan.
human
You wait for a while
gpt
Time passes.

Now the water reaches your hips.
human
Go down
gpt
It's too late to go back down now. The deck below is completely flooded.
human
You wait for a while
gpt
Time passes.

The rising waves climb up to your waist.
human
Wait
gpt
Time passes.

The water is up to your chest.
human
You wait a while
gpt
Time passes.

The waves close over your shoulders.
human
Wait
gpt
Time passes.

The water reaches your chin. You're having trouble keeping your footing.
human
You wait awhile
gpt
Time passes.

The water is in your mouth now.
human
Wait
gpt
Time passes.

You're struggling to keep your head above water.
human
You wait awhile
gpt
Time passes.

You can barely see where you're going, squeezing your eyes to keep out the salt water. Unfortunately, there isn't really anywhere to go from here.
human
Drink bottle
gpt
There's nothing suitable to drink here.

The water closes over your head. What would your like for the final action in your life to be?
human
You check your inventory
gpt
You are carrying:
a fid
a silk handkerchief
a musky grey lump
a piece of hardtack
an iron key
a commodious sack
a pearl necklace
a tiny brass crown
a hand mirror
a nautilus shell
an oil lamp
a green glass bottle
a flintlock pistol
human
You open the bottle
gpt
That's not something you can open.

You can't hold your breath any longer, and now water rushes into your mouth and nostrils. You're able to struggle for a little while, but it's no use.
human
Aft
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

The life boat, still connected to the davits, is also floating on the rising water.

You're struggling to keep your head above water.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You enter the boat
gpt
Are you sure you want to abandon ship? [y/n]
human
Y.
gpt
You shove off with all due haste.

 I feel like this is probably the best you could have done. So relax! Pull up a chair!"

There is only one chair in the apartment, however, and Captain Verdeterre is sitting in it, so you nod politely and continue to stand as he curls up and drifts off to sleep.
human
You examine the hole
gpt
You would have thought the hull was too strong to be busted up so much by a reef, but on the other hand you did hit that reef pretty hard.
human
You examine the gun
gpt
This, your trusty pistol, may still technically belong to the captain. Sometimes he says he gave it to you, and sometimes he says he's loaning it to you.
human
You put the sack in the hole
gpt
You can't let go of the sack. You're under orders to fill it with treasure.

Now the water is lapping at your shins.
human
Aft
gpt
A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. Fore from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

Roughly in the center of the space is an iron strongbox.

An ornate vase stands nearby.

A crystal ball is rolling around on the floor.

Now the water is lapping at your shins.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You shoot strongbox
gpt
You shoot at the strongbox. Your bullet, the only bullet you have, bounces off harmlessly and disappears.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.

{This game includes Nautical Vocabulary Notes for your
edification. If you would like to enable Nautical Vocabulary Notes, please enter the command "ENABLE NAUTICAL VOCABULARY NOTES". Thank you.}
human
Up
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

{This game includes Nautical Vocabulary Notes for your
edification. If you would like to enable Nautical Vocabulary Notes, please enter the command "ENABLE NAUTICAL VOCABULARY NOTES". Thank you.}

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Aft
gpt
This was the map room originally, and then it became a kind of general storage space, and then it was picked almost clean by various deserters.

The flag box stands nearby.

In the center of the room is the map table; sitting on top is a sextant.

There's a barrel over in the corner.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You examine the flag box
gpt
The flag box contains, or used to contain, all of the flags a pirate ship could ever need. Over the course of your many voyages, a lot of the flags were ripped up angrily, or destroyed in the course of hilarious pranks.

Right now it's closed.
human
You open the flag box
gpt
You open the flag box, revealing a red and yellow flag.
human
You get the flag
gpt
You pull the flag out of the box and unfold it: the design is a yellow cross on a red field. "Whose flag is this?" you ask your captain.

"I dunno. I think Denmark? Anyway, it's useless. Toss it."

You nod, and throw the flag somewhere where it won't get in the way.

The flag that was underneath is striped.
human
You get striped
gpt
You unfold the striped flag to see the entire design. It's a blue stripe, a white stripe, a red stripe, a white stripe, and a blue stripe.

"That's the Russian flag," Verdeterre explains. "You're holding it upside down."

It's just a Russian flag anyway, so you toss it. The next flag in the box has a red X on it.
human
You get X
gpt
This flag has a red X on a white field. "That's the Swiss flag," Verdeterre says, but then he stops himself: "No, wait. The Swiss flag is a white cross on red. So this one, I guess, is for... the Swiss navy."

The captain seems put off a bit at himself, so you throw away the offending flag.

At the bottom of the flag box is an old tapestry.
human
You get the tapestry
gpt
You pull out the tapestry and unfold it. It depicts a rat in clerical garb lying on his back, his stomach pierced by the spear of a human paladin. The rat's fingers are either raised in pious benediction or twisted in pain.

"Hey, that's the Martyrdom of Saint Incertus!" says Verdeterre. "He's the patron saint of the pursued, I think. Too bad he's not the patron saint of shipwrecks. Better take it along."

You fold it up carefully. "Why did they martyr him?" you ask.

"Well, between the Human Catholic Church and the Rat Catholic Church there are some differences in the rules—such as, according to the human church, you're not allowed to declare yourself a saint. It's considered presumptuous. But we did get a tapestry out of it."

You stuff the tapestry of Saint Incertus into the sack.
human
Fore
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Go down
gpt
A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. Fore from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

Despite the height of the water, you can still just barely reach the iron strongbox.

You're struggling to keep your head above water.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You get the vase
gpt
The captain squeaks approvingly. "That's a good one. That'll keep us fed for a week."

You stuff the ornate vase into the sack.

Now the water is up to your thighs.
human
Up
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
Aft
gpt
This was the map room originally, and then it became a kind of general storage space, and then it was picked almost clean by various deserters.

The flag box stands nearby.

In the center of the room is the map table; sitting on top is a sextant.

There's a barrel over in the corner.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Fore
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The point of an exotic-looking dagger is lodged in the mast.

A hand mirror is lying on the floor.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
Up
gpt
What a dizzying height! The shrouds reach higher, of course, but up here is high enough.

A piece of brass is caught between the boards.

A seagull is perched further out on the rigging.

The captain scampers up the lines ahead of you.
human
You shoot the seagull
gpt
Your shot goes wide, but the report is enough to make the seagull drop its prize and fly away. The watch falls to the deck below.
human
Go downward
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

A gold watch is lying on the deck, apparently undamaged after its descent.

The point of an exotic-looking dagger is lodged in the mast.

A hand mirror is lying on the floor.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You get the watch
gpt
You pick up the watch. "That scumbag bird tried to steal our watch," Verdeterre says, "but we sure showed him, right?"

You stuff the gold watch into the sack.
human
Fore
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

Your life boat is hanging from the davits here.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
Up
gpt
The bowsprit extends from the prow here, and below that is the figurehead. Down the stairs abaft is the capstan.

A fid is lying on the deck.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Oops fid
gpt
"Do we need this?" you ask your captain, indicating the fid.

He says, "I kinda doubt it, but you might as well."

You pick up the fid.
human
You look at your surroundings
gpt
The bowsprit extends from the prow here, and below that is the figurehead. Down the stairs abaft is the capstan.

The captain surveys the situation with a sober eye.
human
You examine the figurehead
gpt
You have to lean uncomfortably over the gunwale to get a good look, but there she is: a wooden human woman in need of a coat of paint.

"Hey, what's that she's wearing?" asks Verdeterre.

In fact, the figurehead is wearing very little, but Verdeterre indicates what seems to be a non-wooden necklace around her neck. "Go get that!"
human
You climb out onto the bowsprit
gpt
You climb out to hang precariously from the bowsprit.

From this position you can look right in the figurehead's face. She seems entirely too calm, given the circumstances.

Around her neck is a string of pearls.
human
You get the necklace
gpt
You pull one hand free from the bowsprit to snatch up the necklace, and nearly lose your grip.

"Careful down there!" Verdeterre cries. "I don't know what I'd do with myself if you lost any of our stuff. You should probably toss the necklace up to me so you don't drop it. Or I guess just put it in the bag."

You stuff the pearl necklace into the sack.
human
Up
gpt
Very, very carefully, you climb back from the bowsprit to the relative safety of the fo'c'sle.
human
Aft
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

Your life boat is hanging from the davits here.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You get the dagger
gpt
You pull on the handle of the dagger, but it remains stuck in the mast.

"Hey, that was Saad's, right?" Verdeterre asks. "What happened to him?"

"I think you told him you were going to kill him, so he ran away," you say.

He frowns. "Man, I think you're right. Wow. I shoulda been nicer."

The water glides over the decks and soon it is up to your ankles.
human
You examine fid
gpt
It's a long wooden cone with a mean-looking point.
human
You pull the dagger
gpt
That's fine where it is.
human
You take the dagger
gpt
The captain sighs as you yank on the dagger. "It's not coming out," he says.

Now the water is up to your shins.
human
You take the dagger
gpt
The dagger stays stuck. Verdeterre rolls his eyes.

Your knees are underwater now.

The mirror disappears beneath the waves.
human
You take the dagger
gpt
As much as you pull, the knife won't budge. "Leave it alone, will you?" cries Verdeterre.

The water rises up around your thighs.
human
You take the dagger
gpt
You pull again. You're almost there. You can feel the dagger's resolve fading.

Now the water reaches your hips.
human
You take the dagger
gpt
The dagger stays stuck. Verdeterre rolls his eyes.

The rising waves climb up to your waist.

{A friendly reminder: Substantial resources have been invested in
the research and implementation of this game's Nautical Vocabulary Notes. If you would like to enable Nautical Vocabulary Notes, please enter the command "ENABLE NAUTICAL VOCABULARY NOTES". Thank you very much.}
human
You take the dagger
gpt
The captain sighs as you yank on the dagger. "It's not coming out," he says.

The water is up to your chest.
human
Fore
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

The life boat, still connected to the davits, is also floating on the rising water.

The waves close over your shoulders.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You look at the davits
gpt
The davits lean out over the side of the vessel, and a lifeboat hangs underneath them.
human
You enter the boat
gpt
Are you sure you want to abandon ship? [y/n]
human
Y.
gpt
You shove off with all due haste.

 I feel like this is probably the best you could have done. So relax! Pull up a chair!"

There is only one chair in the apartment, however, and Captain Verdeterre is sitting in it, so you nod politely and continue to stand as he curls up and drifts off to sleep.
human
Aft
gpt
A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. Fore from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

Roughly in the center of the space is an iron strongbox.

An ornate vase stands nearby.

A crystal ball is rolling around on the floor.

Now the water is lapping at your shins.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
Up
gpt
You have often stood here, at the stern of the vessel, with a steady hand on the ship's wheel, wondering where you were going. Right now you are not going anywhere.

From here you can see the vast stretches of sea you crossed to reach this point—they look much like the stretches of sea you can see in every other direction. Downstairs is the main deck.

A bronze statuette is lying on the boards.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You get the statuette
gpt
You stuff the bronze statuette into the sack.
human
You examine the wheel
gpt
This is where you were standing when it happened. The captain said he needed some shuteye. You told him you could handle steering by yourself for a while. He trusted you.

You've got to make it up to him.
human
You examine the statuette
gpt
The statuette depicts a man with the head of a bird, wearing an extremely elaborate headdress. Or maybe those are just his own feathers.
human
Go downwards
gpt
The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

There's a silver locket lying on the deck.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
Fore
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The point of an exotic-looking dagger is lodged in the mast.

A hand mirror is lying on the floor.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Up
gpt
What a dizzying height! The shrouds reach higher, of course, but up here is high enough.

A piece of brass is caught between the boards.

A seagull is perched further out on the rigging.

The captain scampers up the lines ahead of you.
human
You get the brass
gpt
It's a miniature crown, maybe the size of a tablespoon.

"That!" Verdeterre shrieks. "That is important. Put that in the sack. Do not lose that."

You stuff the tiny brass crown into the sack.
human
You put the crown on the statuette
gpt
First you take the tiny brass crown.

Taken.

If you leave things lying around, you're liable to forget about them entirely.
human
You examine doll
gpt
It's a little wooden girl, with rosy cheeks and spindly limbs. She doesn't have a scrap of clothing on her.
human
You look in barrel
gpt
When you peek under the barrel you discover an ancient-looking oil lamp.

"That's gotta be worth something!" according to the captain, so you toss it in the bag.
human
You look at the oil lamp
gpt
This grubby antique probably hasn't been used in years. There's no oil inside, that's for sure.
human
Turn dagger
gpt
{It is politely requested that you respect the orientation of the curved dagger.}
human
You examine the dagger
gpt
The handle is finely crafted, and the blade comes to a point in a dramatic curve.
human
Inventory
gpt
You are carrying:
a commodious sack
an oil lamp
a flintlock pistol
human
Fore
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

Your life boat is hanging from the davits here.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Fore
gpt
The crew's quarters were never intended to be welcoming or well-appointed. The walls are lined with hammocks. The exit is aft.

An old zither lies in the corner.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You get the zither
gpt
You point at the zither, and the captain says "Yeah, sure. It's out of tune, though."

You lift the instrument from the floor. "How do you know?"

"I don't, but it stands to reason, right?"

You stuff the zither into the sack.
human
You play zither
gpt
You plunk out a couple notes. It doesn't sound like music to you.
human
Aft
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The point of an exotic-looking dagger is lodged in the mast.

A hand mirror is lying on the floor.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You check what you're carrying
gpt
You are carrying:
a commodious sack
a zither
an oil lamp
a flintlock pistol
human
Go upward
gpt
The bowsprit extends from the prow here, and below that is the figurehead. Down the stairs abaft is the capstan.

A fid is lying on the deck.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You get fid
gpt
"Do we need this?" you ask your captain, indicating the fid.

He says, "I kinda doubt it, but you might as well."

You pick up the fid.
human
You go downward
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

Your life boat is hanging from the davits here.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You look at the davits
gpt
The davits lean out over the side of the vessel, and a lifeboat hangs underneath them.
human
You look around
gpt
The crew's quarters were never intended to be welcoming or well-appointed. The walls are lined with hammocks. The exit is aft.

The captain eyes you expectantly.
human
You examine the hammocks
gpt
It's hard to be comfortable in one of these, but there's an upside: lately you haven't had to share this room with anybody at all!
human
Go downwards
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

Now the water is up to your thighs.

The little wooden doll floats away.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
Fore
gpt
This room used to be the domain of Blaise, the ship's cook. Now the cabinets are empty, and the room is in a state of rapidly sinking disrepair.

On top of one cabinet is a piece of hardtack.

Hanging on the wall is an old violin.

You wince as the waters climb up around your hips.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You get the violin
gpt
"Sure was nice of Blaise to leave that behind for us," Verdeterre sniggers.

You stuff the violin into the sack.

The water is up to your waist.

The currents carry the hardtack out of sight.
human
Aft
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

Now the water is up to your chest.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Inventory
gpt
You are carrying:
a commodious sack
a violin
a zither
an oil lamp
a flintlock pistol
human
F.
gpt
The crew's quarters were never intended to be welcoming or well-appointed. The walls are lined with hammocks. The exit is aft.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
Go upward
gpt
The bowsprit extends from the prow here, and below that is the figurehead. Down the stairs abaft is the capstan.

A fid is lying on the deck.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You get fid
gpt
"Do we need this?" you ask your captain, indicating the fid.

He says, "I kinda doubt it, but you might as well."

You pick up the fid.
human
Aft
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The point of an exotic-looking dagger is lodged in the mast.

A hand mirror is lying on the floor.

The water glides over the decks and soon it is up to your ankles.

{A friendly reminder: Substantial resources have been invested in
the research and implementation of this game's Nautical Vocabulary Notes. If you would like to enable Nautical Vocabulary Notes, please enter the command "ENABLE NAUTICAL VOCABULARY NOTES". Thank you very much.}

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You examine fid
gpt
It's a long wooden cone with a mean-looking point.
human
Aft
gpt
The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

There's a silver locket lying on the deck.

Now the water is up to your shins.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Fore
gpt
The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

The water rises up around your thighs.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Fore
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The point of an exotic-looking dagger is lodged in the mast.

Now the water reaches your hips.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
F.
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

The life boat, still connected to the davits, is also floating on the rising water.

The rising waves climb up to your waist.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You get in the boat
gpt
Are you sure you want to abandon ship? [y/n]
human
Y.
gpt
You shove off with all due haste.

"
human
You look around
gpt
This is the foremost section of the hold, the location of the giant hole that the reef tore in the ship's hull. Water is gushing in at an alarming rate.

The rest of the hold (and the stairs to the decks above) is aft.

The captain eyes you expectantly.

A perturbed-looking gorilla skull hangs from a hook on the wall.

In one corner of the room is a pewter goblet.

A thick book lies close by.
human
You get the skull
gpt
The captain smiles at the skull. "Good old Charlie! What a spirited guy. If I had the chance, I think I'd shoot him again."

You stuff the gorilla skull into the sack.

Now the water is lapping at your shins.
human
You open the book
gpt
You pick up the book.

"Oh, just drop that," says Verdeterre. "We're looking for
treasure, not mildewy books."

You open the book. Carved into the pages is a cavity containing a steel bracelet.

"Well, how about that," says Verdeterre.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.

{This game includes Nautical Vocabulary Notes for your
edification. If you would like to enable Nautical Vocabulary Notes, please enter the command "ENABLE NAUTICAL VOCABULARY NOTES". Thank you.}
human
You get the bracelet
gpt
You stuff the steel bracelet into the sack.

Now the water is up to your thighs.
human
Aft
gpt
A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. Fore from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

Roughly in the center of the space is an iron strongbox.

An ornate vase stands nearby.

You wince as the waters climb up around your hips.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You get the ball
gpt
"Good eye. Superstitious suckers eat that kind of thing up." Verdeterre chuckles.

You stuff the crystal ball into the sack.

Now the water is up to your thighs.
human
Up
gpt
Ah, open air. The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

There's a silver locket lying on the deck.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
Aft
gpt
Here is where the captain sleeps, where he eats, where he does his deep thinking. Most of this happens in his bed. Hung on one wall is a shelf, set aside for the captain's favorite objects.

A pin is sticking out of the forward bulkhead, holding up the handkerchief outside.

On the captain's bed is a silk pillow.

On the shelf are a gold medallion and an iron key.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You get the medallion
gpt
You give the medallion a quick once-over and ask Verdeterre, "What did you do to earn this?"

"I stole it."

You stuff the gold medallion into the sack.
human
Go downward
gpt
A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. Fore from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

Despite the height of the water, you can still just barely reach the iron strongbox.

You can barely see where you're going, squeezing your eyes to keep out the salt water. You need to get to higher ground.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
Unlock strongbox
gpt
(with the iron key)
You unlock the iron strongbox.

The water closes over your head. You might have time to do one last thing before you drown...
human
You open the strongbox
gpt
You open the strongbox, revealing a green glass bottle. The captain's eyes brighten. "Now I remember! Grab hold of that bottle before it sinks!"

You can't hold your breath any longer, and now water rushes into your mouth and nostrils. You're able to struggle for a little while, but it's no use.

The Captain, as it turns out, is a fairly capable swimmer, and he paddles away without you.
human
You get the ball
gpt
"Good eye. Superstitious suckers eat that kind of thing up." Verdeterre chuckles.

You stuff the crystal ball into the sack.

Now the water is up to your thighs.
human
Go downwards
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

The captain scurries along after you.

A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. Fore from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

Despite the height of the water, you can still just barely reach the iron strongbox.

You're struggling to keep your head above water.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
Unlock strongbox
gpt
(with the iron key)
You unlock the iron strongbox.

You can barely see where you're going, squeezing your eyes to keep out the salt water. You need to get to higher ground.
human
You open it
gpt
You open the strongbox, revealing a green glass bottle. The captain's eyes brighten. "Now I remember! Grab hold of that bottle before it sinks!"

The water closes over your head. You might have time to do one last thing before you drown...
human
You get the bottle
gpt
You stuff the green glass bottle into the sack.

You can't hold your breath any longer, and now water rushes into your mouth and nostrils. You're able to struggle for a little while, but it's no use.

The Captain, as it turns out, is a fairly capable swimmer, and he paddles away without you.
human
Up
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

The rising water has reached your ankles.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Go downwards
gpt
A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. Fore from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

Despite the height of the water, you can still just barely reach the iron strongbox.

You're struggling to keep your head above water.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You open the box
gpt
You yank on the lid of the strongbox, but it's locked tight.

"Oh, shoot," says Verdeterre. "I forget where I left the key. Knowing me, it's probably hidden extremely well. But I can't remember what was in there, either, so it's not a big loss."

You can barely see where you're going, squeezing your eyes to keep out the salt water. You need to get to higher ground.
human
Go downwards
gpt
It's too late to go back down now. The deck below is almost completely flooded.

The rising water has reached your ankles.
human
You examine painting
gpt
The canvas is a foot and a half wide, and the image of Verdeterre is somewhat larger than the captain himself. Rendered more or less expertly in oils, the portrait successfully conveys the courage and ingenuity that Verdeterre has difficulty projecting in person.
human
You look at shelf
gpt
The captain had this shelf set up to display the most beloved of his possessions that he was able to keep track of.

On the shelf are a gold medallion and an iron key.
human
You search the bed
gpt
On the captain's bed is a silk pillow.
human
You describe your surroundings
gpt
Here is where the captain sleeps, where he eats, where he does his deep thinking. Most of this happens in his bed. Hung on one wall is a shelf, set aside for the captain's favorite objects.

The captain eyes you expectantly.

A pin is sticking out of the forward bulkhead, holding up the handkerchief outside.

On the captain's bed is a silk pillow.

On the shelf are a gold medallion and an iron key.
human
You open the locket
gpt
Verdeterre looks on with interest as you struggle to undo the locket's tiny clasp, and when you finally get it open he asks, "Who's the picture of?"

The tiny painting depicts a fairly respectable-looking rat. Engraved inside the cover is the name "Etienne". You turn the interior toward Verdeterre for inspection.

"Oh, hey, I know her. Let me see that," he says, prying the locket from your hands. He swings it over his head and throws it as far away as possible.

"Cool, that's taken care of. Let's get a move on." You decide it's best not to ask.
human
F.
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The point of an exotic-looking dagger is lodged in the mast.

A hand mirror is lying on the floor.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Aft
gpt
The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Go downward
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
F.
gpt
This room used to be the domain of Blaise, the ship's cook. Now the cabinets are empty, and the room is in a state of rapidly sinking disrepair.

On top of one cabinet is a piece of hardtack.

Hanging on the wall is an old violin.

Now the water is up to your thighs.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You get the violin
gpt
"Sure was nice of Blaise to leave that behind for us," Verdeterre sniggers.

You stuff the violin into the sack.

The water is up to your waist.
human
You eat the hardtack
gpt
Before tucking into the hardtack, you look over at your captain. He nods in approval, and you scarf the whole thing down.

Now the water is up to your chest.
human
Aft
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

Now the water is up to your chest.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You get the ambergris
gpt
Captain Verdeterre wrinkles his nose. "What on earth is that thing? I don't like the looks of it."

You hold onto it anyway.

You stretch out your neck as the waters close over your shoulders.

The crate disappears under the water, and the horrible smell starts to fade away.
human
Go upwards
gpt
The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
Aft
gpt
Here is where the captain sleeps, where he eats, where he does his deep thinking. Most of this happens in his bed. Hung on one wall is a shelf, set aside for the captain's favorite objects.

A pin is sticking out of the forward bulkhead, holding up the handkerchief outside.

On the captain's bed is a silk pillow.

On the shelf are a gold medallion and an iron key.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You get the medallion
gpt
You give the medallion a quick once-over and ask Verdeterre, "What did you do to earn this?"

"I stole it."

You stuff the gold medallion into the sack.
human
You look at the medallion
gpt
The medal shines so brightly that you cannot doubt it is real gold. The face has been stamped with the image of an angry-looking lion.
human
You look at the shelf
gpt
The captain had this shelf set up to display the most beloved of his possessions that he was able to keep track of.

On the shelf is an iron key.
human
You get the shelf
gpt
That's hardly portable.
human
You listen to the shell
gpt
You hear nothing unexpected.

The water glides over the decks and soon it is up to your ankles.
human
You throw the shell
gpt
Taken.

If you leave things lying around, you're liable to forget about them entirely.

Now the water is up to your shins.

{A friendly reminder: Substantial resources have been invested in
the research and implementation of this game's Nautical Vocabulary Notes. If you would like to enable Nautical Vocabulary Notes, please enter the command "ENABLE NAUTICAL VOCABULARY NOTES". Thank you very much.}
human
F.
gpt
The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

Your knees are underwater now.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You get the pin
gpt
You pull the pin out from the handkerchief, and it falls between the boards. Now you should be able to retrieve the hanky from the other side of the wall.

Your knees are underwater now.
human
F.
gpt
The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

The water rises up around your thighs.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You get the hanky
gpt
The captain smiles as you lift up the handkerchief. "Well, boy, I did make a promise, and I keep my promises. The hanky's yours."

You rub the silk between your fingers, and remark by way of expressing your gratitude that it's a very fine prize.

The captain nods. "You're right about that. Actually, it's probably too fine. Yes, you'd better put it in with the other loot so we can sell it later. Good idea."

You stuff the silk handkerchief into the sack.

Now the water reaches your hips.
human
F.
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The point of an exotic-looking dagger is lodged in the mast.

The rising waves climb up to your waist.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You examine the point
gpt
The handle is finely crafted, and the blade comes to a point in a dramatic curve.
human
Go up
gpt
What a dizzying height! The shrouds reach higher, of course, but up here is high enough.

A piece of brass is caught between the boards.

A seagull is perched further out on the rigging.

The sea continues to bury the main deck, inching its way toward you.

The captain scampers up the lines ahead of you.
human
You shoot the seagull
gpt
Your shot goes wide, but the report is enough to make the seagull drop its prize and fly away. The watch falls into the water.

Soon the main deck will be too deep underwater for you to walk around on it.
human
Go downwards
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The point of an exotic-looking dagger is lodged in the mast.

The water reaches your chin. You're having trouble keeping your footing.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Wait
gpt
Time passes.

The water is in your mouth now.

The dagger's edge glints one last time before disappearing in the murk.
human
F.
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

The life boat, still connected to the davits, is also floating on the rising water.

You're struggling to keep your head above water.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Y.
gpt
You shove off with all due haste.

***
***The return to civilization was a long one, but you both survived, and the long task of liquidating your assets finally began. Now, having dealt with numerous fences, suckers, and a few legitimate businessmen, you take inventory of your priceless treasures and how much they turned out to worth:

The skull of an African gorilla, sold for 70 Spanish dollars to a credulous fellow already possessing the incomplete skeleton of an orangutan...
A musky grey lump, later identified as a piece of rare ambergris, valued at 179 dollars...
An unremarkable but serviceable violin, sold for 50 dollars...
A silk handkerchief, sold for 10 dollars...
A medallion of mysterious provenance, sold for 68 dollars...
A slightly chipped nautilus shell, sold to a British dandy for 49 dollars...

...For a total of 426 Spanish dollars.

The first mate's share of that came to 26 Spanish dollars and 5 reales.

***
human
Up
gpt
Ah, open air. The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

There's a silver locket lying on the deck.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
Aft
gpt
Here is where the captain sleeps, where he eats, where he does his deep thinking. Most of this happens in his bed. Hung on one wall is a shelf, set aside for the captain's favorite objects.

A pin is sticking out of the forward bulkhead, holding up the handkerchief outside.

On the captain's bed is a silk pillow.

On the shelf are a gold medallion and an iron key.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You get the key
gpt
Verdeterre's eyes light up as you lift the key. "I know what that is! That's the key to the strongbox in the hold! I knew it was somewhere."
human
Go down
gpt
A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. Fore from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

Despite the height of the water, you can still just barely reach the iron strongbox.

The water is in your mouth now.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
Unlock box
gpt
(with the iron key)
You unlock the iron strongbox.

You're struggling to keep your head above water.
human
You open the box
gpt
You open the strongbox, revealing a green glass bottle. The captain's eyes brighten. "Now I remember! Grab hold of that bottle before it sinks!"

You can barely see where you're going, squeezing your eyes to keep out the salt water. You need to get to higher ground.
human
You get the bottle
gpt
You stuff the green glass bottle into the sack.

The water closes over your head. You might have time to do one last thing before you drown...
human
Up
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

The rising water has reached your ankles.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You get the doll
gpt
"You know," says Verdeterre, "that doll gives me an idea. Better take it along."

You stuff the wooden doll into the sack.

Now the water is lapping at your shins.
human
You get the ambergris
gpt
Captain Verdeterre wrinkles his nose. "What on earth is that thing? I don't like the looks of it."

You hold onto it anyway.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.
human
Aft
gpt
This was the map room originally, and then it became a kind of general storage space, and then it was picked almost clean by various deserters.

The flag box stands nearby.

In the center of the room is the map table; sitting on top is a sextant.

There's a barrel over in the corner.

Now the water is up to your thighs.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You get the sextant
gpt
"I hate those things," says the captain. "Nobody will build one that's small enough for us to use."

You stuff the sextant into the sack.

You wince as the waters climb up around your hips.
human
You open the flagbox
gpt
You open the flag box, revealing a red and yellow flag.

The water is up to your waist.

The waves lift the barrel off the floor, and it rolls away.
human
You get the flag
gpt
You pull the flag out of the box and unfold it: the design is a yellow cross on a red field. "Whose flag is this?" you ask your captain.

"I dunno. I think Denmark? Anyway, it's useless. Toss it."

You nod, and throw the flag somewhere where it won't get in the way.

The flag that was underneath is striped.

Now the water is up to your chest.

The flag box is covered by water.
human
Aft
gpt
This was the map room originally, and then it became a kind of general storage space, and then it was picked almost clean by various deserters.

The flag box stands nearby.

In the center of the room is the map table; sitting on top is a sextant.

There's a barrel over in the corner.

Now the water is lapping at your shins.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You open the flagbox
gpt
You open the flag box, revealing a red and yellow flag.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.
human
You get the flag
gpt
You pull the flag out of the box and unfold it: the design is a yellow cross on a red field. "Whose flag is this?" you ask your captain.

"I dunno. I think Denmark? Anyway, it's useless. Toss it."

You nod, and throw the flag somewhere where it won't get in the way.

The flag that was underneath is striped.

Now the water is up to your thighs.
human
You get the flag
gpt
You unfold the striped flag to see the entire design. It's a blue stripe, a white stripe, a red stripe, a white stripe, and a blue stripe.

"That's the Russian flag," Verdeterre explains. "You're holding it upside down."

It's just a Russian flag anyway, so you toss it. The next flag in the box has a red X on it.

You wince as the waters climb up around your hips.
human
You get the flag
gpt
This flag has a red X on a white field. "That's the Swiss flag," Verdeterre says, but then he stops himself: "No, wait. The Swiss flag is a white cross on red. So this one, I guess, is for... the Swiss navy."

The captain seems put off a bit at himself, so you throw away the offending flag.

At the bottom of the flag box is an old tapestry.

The water is up to your waist.

The waves lift the barrel off the floor, and it rolls away.
human
You get the tapestry
gpt
You pull out the tapestry and unfold it. It depicts a rat in clerical garb lying on his back, his stomach pierced by the spear of a human paladin. The rat's fingers are either raised in pious benediction or twisted in pain.

"Hey, that's the Martyrdom of Saint Incertus!" says Verdeterre. "He's the patron saint of the pursued, I think. Too bad he's not the patron saint of shipwrecks. Better take it along."

You fold it up carefully. "Why did they martyr him?" you ask.

"Well, between the Human Catholic Church and the Rat Catholic Church there are some differences in the rules—such as, according to the human church, you're not allowed to declare yourself a saint. It's considered presumptuous. But we did get a tapestry out of it."

You stuff the tapestry of Saint Incertus into the sack.

Now the water is up to your chest.

The flag box is covered by water.
human
You get the sextant
gpt
"I hate those things," says the captain. "Nobody will build one that's small enough for us to use."

You stuff the sextant into the sack.

You stretch out your neck as the waters close over your shoulders.
human
F.
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

The waters have reached your chin. You're having trouble keeping your footing.

The water carries away the portrait of your noble captain, who whimpers pathetically as it disappears.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
F.
gpt
This room used to be the domain of Blaise, the ship's cook. Now the cabinets are empty, and the room is in a state of rapidly sinking disrepair.

Hanging on the wall is an old violin.

The water is in your mouth now.

The rising waves push the violin off of its hook, and it floats away.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You get the locket
gpt
"Ooh, jewelry! Good eye, Tibert!" says the captain.

You stuff the silver locket into the sack.
human
Aft
gpt
Here is where the captain sleeps, where he eats, where he does his deep thinking. Most of this happens in his bed. Hung on one wall is a shelf, set aside for the captain's favorite objects.

A pin is sticking out of the forward bulkhead, holding up the handkerchief outside.

On the captain's bed is a silk pillow.

On the shelf is a gold medallion.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You get the pin
gpt
You pull the pin out from the handkerchief, and it falls between the boards. Now you should be able to retrieve the hanky from the other side of the wall.
human
You get the medallion
gpt
You give the medallion a quick once-over and ask Verdeterre, "What did you do to earn this?"

"I stole it."

You stuff the gold medallion into the sack.

The water glides over the decks and soon it is up to your ankles.
human
F.
gpt
The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

Now the water is up to your shins.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You get the hanky
gpt
The captain smiles as you lift up the handkerchief. "Well, boy, I did make a promise, and I keep my promises. The hanky's yours."

You rub the silk between your fingers, and remark by way of expressing your gratitude that it's a very fine prize.

The captain nods. "You're right about that. Actually, it's probably too fine. Yes, you'd better put it in with the other loot so we can sell it later. Good idea."

You stuff the silk handkerchief into the sack.

Your knees are underwater now.
human
F.
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The point of an exotic-looking dagger is lodged in the mast.

The water rises up around your thighs.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
F.
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The point of an exotic-looking dagger is lodged in the mast.

A hand mirror is lying on the floor.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You take the dagger
gpt
You pull on the handle of the dagger, but it remains stuck in the mast.

"Hey, that was Saad's, right?" Verdeterre asks. "What happened to him?"

"I think you told him you were going to kill him, so he ran away," you say.

He frowns. "Man, I think you're right. Wow. I shoulda been nicer."
human
You take dagger
gpt
You pull again. You're almost there. You can feel the dagger's resolve fading.
human
You take the dagger
gpt
With a mighty tug, you wrench the dagger from the mast. "All right, cool; put it in the bag," says Verdeterre.

You stuff the curved dagger into the sack.
human
Y.
gpt
You shove off with all due haste.
human
You get the mirror
gpt
You pick up the mirror, and Verdeterre motions for you to point it at him. He checks to make sure he's wearing his hat at an appropriately jaunty angle. He nods in approval.

You stuff the hand mirror into the sack.
human
You take the locket
gpt
"Ooh, jewelry! Good eye, Tibert!" says the captain.

You stuff the silver locket into the sack.
human
You go upward
gpt
You have often stood here, at the stern of the vessel, with a steady hand on the ship's wheel, wondering where you were going. Right now you are not going anywhere.

From here you can see the vast stretches of sea you crossed to reach this point—they look much like the stretches of sea you can see in every other direction. Downstairs is the main deck.

A bronze statuette is lying on the boards.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You take the ambergris
gpt
Captain Verdeterre wrinkles his nose. "What on earth is that thing? I don't like the looks of it."

You hold onto it anyway.

Now the water is lapping at your shins.
human
Go upwards
gpt
The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
F.
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You climb
gpt
What do you want to climb?
human
You look around
gpt
What a dizzying height! The shrouds reach higher, of course, but up here is high enough.

The captain eyes you expectantly.

A piece of brass is caught between the boards.

A seagull is perched further out on the rigging.
human
You go downward
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You climb the bowsprit
gpt
You climb out to hang precariously from the bowsprit.

From this position you can look right in the figurehead's face. She seems entirely too calm, given the circumstances.

Around her neck is a string of pearls.

You notice that the waters have just crested over the main deck.
human
You take the necklace
gpt
You pull one hand free from the bowsprit to snatch up the necklace, and nearly lose your grip.

"Careful down there!" Verdeterre cries. "I don't know what I'd do with myself if you lost any of our stuff. You should probably toss the necklace up to me so you don't drop it. Or I guess just put it in the bag."

You stuff the pearl necklace into the sack.

The water continues to rise down on the main deck.
human
Go downwards
gpt
Very, very carefully, you climb back from the bowsprit to the relative safety of the fo'c'sle.

The main deck keeps on sinking.
human
You descend
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

Your life boat is hanging from the davits here.

The water rises up around your thighs.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
Y.
gpt
You shove off with all due haste.

***
***The return to civilization was a long one, but you both survived, and the long task of liquidating your assets finally began. Now, having dealt with numerous fences, suckers, and a few legitimate businessmen, you take inventory of your priceless treasures and how much they turned out to worth:

A musky grey lump, later identified as a piece of rare ambergris, valued at 179 dollars...
A silk handkerchief, sold for 10 dollars...
A silver locket, sold to a lovesick and desperate young man for 15 dollars...
A Yemeni jambiya, with a handle of rhinoceros horn, worth 276 dollars...
A cheap hand mirror, worth 12 dollars to a man who thought his soul was trapped inside...
A medallion of mysterious provenance, sold for 68 dollars...
A cheap reproduction of a Ptolemaic statuette of the Egyptian god Thoth, melted down into lead ingots worth four dollars...
An extremely fine pearl necklace, sold to a "Bavarian princess" for 186 dollars...

...For a total of 750 Spanish dollars.

The first mate's share of that came to 46 Spanish dollars and 7 reales.

***
human
Go upwards
gpt
The bowsprit extends from the prow here, and below that is the figurehead. Down the stairs abaft is the capstan.

A fid is lying on the deck.

The deck below is still sinking.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You take the fid
gpt
"Do we need this?" you ask your captain, indicating the fid.

He says, "I kinda doubt it, but you might as well."

You pick up the fid.

By now the main deck is under about three feet of water.
human
Go down
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

The life boat, still connected to the davits, is also floating on the rising water.

The water is up to your chest.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Y.
gpt
You shove off with all due haste.
human
You look at the pin
gpt
The pin is pulled through two corners of the handkerchief, making it impossible to pull the cloth away from the other side of the partition.
human
You get the pillow
gpt
You pick up the pillow.

"Oh, no. I'm gonna miss that little guy," says Verdeterre. "I've never been able to get to sleep without it. But it needs to must, when devils drive!"

You stuff the silk pillow into the sack.
human
You drop it
gpt
Taken.

If you leave things lying around, you're liable to forget about them entirely.
human
You check your inventory
gpt
You are carrying:
a silk pillow
a commodious sack (empty)
a flintlock pistol
human
Aft
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.

This was the map room originally, and then it became a kind of general storage space, and then it was picked almost clean by various deserters.

The flag box stands nearby.

In the center of the room is the map table; sitting on top is a sextant.

There's a barrel over in the corner.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You look at the map table
gpt
In lieu of an actual map, some vague charts have been carved on the surface of the table. To you they are meaningless; to Verdeterre they are invaluable guides to the sea.

On the map table is a sextant.
human
You look at the charts
gpt
You squint at the charts. "Where exactly are we?" you ask.

"I thought I told you to quit asking," says the captain.
human
You look at the crate
gpt
It's a large crate, used for transporting various different types of cargo.

In the smelly crate is a musky grey lump.
human
You go downwards
gpt
A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. Fore from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

Despite the height of the water, you can still just barely reach the iron strongbox.

You can barely see where you're going, squeezing your eyes to keep out the salt water. You need to get to higher ground.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Aft
gpt
A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. Fore from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

Roughly in the center of the space is an iron strongbox.

An ornate vase stands nearby.

A crystal ball is rolling around on the floor.

Now the water is lapping at your shins.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You look in the vase
gpt
Sure is dark in there.
human
You get vase
gpt
The captain squeaks approvingly. "That's a good one. That'll keep us fed for a week."

You stuff the ornate vase into the sack.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.
human
Up
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You throw the vase at the seagull
gpt
(first taking the ornate vase)
Taken.

You lack the nerve when it comes to the crucial moment.
human
You examine the vase
gpt
The white ceramic is painted with a pattern of twisting blue vines and leaves. It seems very fragile.

"It's Chinese," explains the captain. "The guys we stole it from were Spanish, but I'm pretty sure the guys they stole it from were Chinese."
human
You drop the vase
gpt
If you leave things lying around, you're liable to forget about them entirely.
human
You put the fid in the vase
gpt
Better not. You wouldn't want to break anything.
human
You shoot vase
gpt
You shoot the vase, which shatters to pieces. Your captain slaps his tiny forehead with his tiny paw.
human
Inventory
gpt
You are carrying:
a fid
a commodious sack (empty)
a flintlock pistol
human
You look around
gpt
The bowsprit extends from the prow here, and below that is the figurehead. Down the stairs abaft is the capstan.

The captain eyes you expectantly.
human
You shoot vase
gpt
You shoot the vase, which shatters to pieces. Your captain slaps his tiny forehead with his tiny paw.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.

{This game includes Nautical Vocabulary Notes for your
edification. If you would like to enable Nautical Vocabulary Notes, please enter the command "ENABLE NAUTICAL VOCABULARY NOTES". Thank you.}
human
Look around
gpt
A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. Fore from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

The captain surveys the situation with a sober eye.

Roughly in the center of the space is an iron strongbox.

A crystal ball is rolling around on the floor.
human
You look at the ball
gpt
The crystal is bright and clear. Verdeterre and the fortune-teller were business partners, briefly.
human
You check your inventory
gpt
You are carrying:
a commodious sack (empty)
a flintlock pistol
human
Cut pillow
gpt
Cutting that up would achieve little.
human
Fore
gpt
This is the foremost section of the hold, the location of the giant hole that the reef tore in the ship's hull. Water is gushing in at an alarming rate.

The rest of the hold (and the stairs to the decks above) is aft.

A perturbed-looking gorilla skull hangs from a hook on the wall.

The water is in your mouth now.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You put the pillow in the hole
gpt
First you take the silk pillow.

Taken.

If you leave something in there, you're liable to never find it again.

You're struggling to keep your head above water.

The gorilla skull seems to eye you accusingly as it sinks into the murk.
human
You look in the skull
gpt
You find nothing of interest.

Now the water is lapping at your shins.
human
You take Rat
gpt
I don't suppose Captain Verdeterre would care for that.

Now the water is lapping at your shins.
human
You look in the ball
gpt
The sphere gleams, and the words of the fortune-teller bubble up in your mind: death by water...
human
Look around
gpt
A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. Fore from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

The captain eyes you expectantly.

Roughly in the center of the space is an iron strongbox.

An ornate vase stands nearby.

A crystal ball is rolling around on the floor.
human
You search ballast
gpt
There's no time to be bothering with the ballast. The ballast has done its job.
human
You shoot vase
gpt
You shoot the vase, which shatters to pieces. Your captain slaps his tiny forehead with his tiny paw.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.
human
You look at your surroundings
gpt
A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. Fore from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

The captain eyes you expectantly.

Roughly in the center of the space is an iron strongbox.

A crystal ball is rolling around on the floor.
human
You take the doll
gpt
"You know," says Verdeterre, "that doll gives me an idea. Better take it along."

You stuff the wooden doll into the sack.
human
You ask Captain about the doll
gpt
The captain shushes you. "Maybe save the chitchat for dry land, you know?"
human
You look around
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

The captain eyes you expectantly.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.
human
Search crate
gpt
In the smelly crate is a musky grey lump.
human
You take the portrait
gpt
Verdeterre sighs. "It'll be a shame to sell off an item of such gorgeousness and sentimentality," he says, "but I suppose these are desperate times."

You stuff the captain's portrait into the sack.
human
Y.
gpt
You shove off with all due haste.
human
You take lamp
gpt
You stuff the oil lamp into the sack.
human
You shoot shell
gpt
You shoot the nautilus shell, and it shatters. The captain curses at you.
human
You get on the bed
gpt
Verdeterre jumps between you and the bed. "What do you think you're doing?" he hisses. "We've got wealth to amass!"
human
You move bed
gpt
That's fine where it is.
human
You shoot captain
gpt
You couldn't. What would you do without him?
human
You shoot the pillow
gpt
Your bullet reduces the silk pillow to shreds. The captain curses at you.
human
You wear it
gpt
First you take the gold medallion.

Taken.

You can't wear that!
human
You shoot the crystal ball
gpt
You aim and fire, and your bullet (your only bullet) bounces off the crystal ball harmlessly.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.

{This game includes Nautical Vocabulary Notes for your
edification. If you would like to enable Nautical Vocabulary Notes, please enter the command "ENABLE NAUTICAL VOCABULARY NOTES". Thank you.}
human
You shoot strongbox
gpt
You used up your only bullet when you shot that crystal ball.

Now the water is up to your thighs.

The crystal ball disappears as the current sweeps over it.
human
F.
gpt
This is the foremost section of the hold, the location of the giant hole that the reef tore in the ship's hull. Water is gushing in at an alarming rate.

The rest of the hold (and the stairs to the decks above) is aft.

A perturbed-looking gorilla skull hangs from a hook on the wall.

In one corner of the room is a pewter goblet.

A thick book lies close by.

Now the water is up to your thighs.

The book sinks out of sight.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You shoot gorilla
gpt
You used up your only bullet when you shot that iron strongbox.

You wince as the waters climb up around your hips.

The goblet is lost in the swirling waters.
human
You shoot gorilla
gpt
You fire at the skull, which explodes into pieces and is gone forever.

"No! Oh, Charlie!" cries the captain. He looks up at you in disbelief. "What did you do that for?"

Now the water is lapping at your shins.
human
F.
gpt
This room used to be the domain of Blaise, the ship's cook. Now the cabinets are empty, and the room is in a state of rapidly sinking disrepair.

On top of one cabinet is a piece of hardtack.

Hanging on the wall is an old violin.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You open the cabinet
gpt
The cabinet's door won't budge. It's locked.

Verdeterre rolls his eyes. "Yeah, I have no idea where the key is. Just forget about it."
human
You shoot the cabinet
gpt
"Good idea!" Verdeterre shouts, as he gets out of the way. You blast away the lock, and the cabinet door falls open.
human
You look in cabinet
gpt
In the cabinet are a porcelain plate and a pile of silverware.
human
You take the plate
gpt
"Where did that come from?" Verdeterre mumbles. "Do you think Blaise was holding out on us?"

You stuff the porcelain plate into the sack.
human
You take the silverware
gpt
Verdeterre nods in approval as you struggle to pick up every fork, knife, and spoon. For him to assist in any way would be unprofessional.

You stuff the pile of silverware into the sack.
human
You take the violin
gpt
"Sure was nice of Blaise to leave that behind for us," Verdeterre sniggers.

You stuff the violin into the sack.
human
You get the hardtack
gpt
Taken.
human
You take the doll
gpt
"You know," says Verdeterre, "that doll gives me an idea. Better take it along."

You stuff the wooden doll into the sack.

The rising water has reached your ankles.
human
You look in the crate
gpt
In the smelly crate is a musky grey lump.

Now the water is lapping at your shins.
human
You take the lump
gpt
Captain Verdeterre wrinkles his nose. "What on earth is that thing? I don't like the looks of it."

You hold onto it anyway.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.
human
You go upwards
gpt
Ah, open air. The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

There's a silver locket lying on the deck.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You take the locket
gpt
"Ooh, jewelry! Good eye, Tibert!" says the captain.

You stuff the silver locket into the sack.
human
F.
gpt
The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You take the handkerchief
gpt
The captain smiles as you lift up the handkerchief. "Well, boy, I did make a promise, and I keep my promises. The hanky's yours."

You rub the silk between your fingers, and remark by way of expressing your gratitude that it's a very fine prize.

The captain nods. "You're right about that. Actually, it's probably too fine. Yes, you'd better put it in with the other loot so we can sell it later. Good idea."

You stuff the silk handkerchief into the sack.
human
You drop the hardtack
gpt
Dropped.
human
Wait
gpt
Time passes.

You notice that the waters have just crested over the main deck.
human
Wait
gpt
Time passes.

The water continues to rise down on the main deck.
human
Sing
gpt
"Au clair de la lune, something, something..." Hmm.
human
You throw the hardtack at the gull
gpt
(first taking the piece of hardtack)
You lack the nerve when it comes to the crucial moment.

You notice that the waters have just crested over the main deck.
human
You give the hardtack to the gull
gpt
The seagull doesn't seem interested.

The water continues to rise down on the main deck.
human
Go downward
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The point of an exotic-looking dagger is lodged in the mast.

A hand mirror is lying on the floor.

Your knees are underwater now.

The mirror disappears beneath the waves.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
F.
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

Your life boat is hanging from the davits here.

The water rises up around your thighs.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
Y.
gpt
You shove off with all due haste.

***
***The return to civilization was a long one, but you both survived, and the long task of liquidating your assets finally began. Now, having dealt with numerous fences, suckers, and a few legitimate businessmen, you take inventory of your priceless treasures and how much they turned out to worth:

A Dutch peg doll which, after some modification and repainting, was sold as an "African fertility idol" for 36 dollars...
A musky grey lump, later identified as a piece of rare ambergris, valued at 179 dollars...
An unremarkable but serviceable violin, sold for 50 dollars...
A plate of fine Japanese porcelain, sold to a heron enthusiast for 160 dollars...
An incomplete set of Verlaine silver worth 90 dollars...
A silk handkerchief, sold for 10 dollars...
A silver locket, sold to a lovesick and desperate young man for 15 dollars...
A medallion of mysterious provenance, sold for 68 dollars...

...For a total of 608 Spanish dollars.

The first mate's share of that came to 38 Spanish dollars.

***
human
You look at the sea
gpt
It goes on forever: a blue expanse uninterrupted by any island. Who would have thought something so boring could be so deadly?
human
F.
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The point of an exotic-looking dagger is lodged in the mast.

A hand mirror is lying on the floor.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
F.
gpt
The crew's quarters were never intended to be welcoming or well-appointed. The walls are lined with hammocks. The exit is aft.

An old zither lies in the corner.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You search hammocks
gpt
Rifling through your old crewmates" hammocks, you find something heavy: a chessboard.

"Hey, where'd that come from?" Verdeterre asks.

"It was in one of the hammocks," you answer.

"Yeah, I meant before that."

"Oh. I don't know. Sorry."

"It's okay," says Verdeterre.

You stuff the chessboard into the sack.
human
You shoot zither
gpt
You shoot the zither, and it explodes in a wild display of chipped wood and popping strings.
human
Inventory
gpt
You are carrying:
a commodious sack
a chessboard
a flintlock pistol
human
You search hammocks
gpt
Verdeterre shoos you away from the hammocks. "I think we already looked there."
human
You get the hammocks
gpt
Before you can start pulling down a hammock, Verdeterre clicks at you.

"Don't bother. We'll find something for you to sleep in. Or under. Leave it to me," he says.
human
You take the zither
gpt
You point at the zither, and the captain says "Yeah, sure. It's out of tune, though."

You lift the instrument from the floor. "How do you know?"

"I don't, but it stands to reason, right?"

You stuff the zither into the sack.
human
Search boat
gpt
The life boat is empty.
human
Go upwards
gpt
The bowsprit extends from the prow here, and below that is the figurehead. Down the stairs abaft is the capstan.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You climb the bowsprit
gpt
You climb out to hang precariously from the bowsprit.

From this position you can look right in the figurehead's face. She seems entirely too calm, given the circumstances.

Around her neck is a string of pearls.
human
Kiss figurehead
gpt
You can only do that to something animate.
human
You take the necklace
gpt
You pull one hand free from the bowsprit to snatch up the necklace, and nearly lose your grip.

"Careful down there!" Verdeterre cries. "I don't know what I'd do with myself if you lost any of our stuff. You should probably toss the necklace up to me so you don't drop it. Or I guess just put it in the bag."

You stuff the pearl necklace into the sack.

You notice that the waters have just crested over the main deck.
human
You look at the figurehead
gpt
From this position you can look right in the figurehead's face. She seems entirely too calm, given the circumstances.
human
Go downward
gpt
Very, very carefully, you climb back from the bowsprit to the relative safety of the fo'c'sle.

The water continues to rise down on the main deck.
human
You look around
gpt
The bowsprit extends from the prow here, and below that is the figurehead. Down the stairs abaft is the capstan.

The captain eyes you expectantly.
human
Go downwards
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

Your life boat is hanging from the davits here.

Your knees are underwater now.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
Y.
gpt
You shove off with all due haste.

***
***The return to civilization was a long one, but you both survived, and the long task of liquidating your assets finally began. Now, having dealt with numerous fences, suckers, and a few legitimate businessmen, you take inventory of your priceless treasures and how much they turned out to worth:

A zither, origins unknown, sold to a musical enthusiast for 40 dollars...
A cheap hand mirror, worth 12 dollars to a man who thought his soul was trapped inside...
A small brass crown, which Verdeterre refused to even consider selling...
A gold watch, used as bait in a grift that netted 160 dollars...
An ivory chessboard worth 28 dollars...
An extremely fine pearl necklace, sold to a "Bavarian princess" for 186 dollars...

...For a total of 426 Spanish dollars.

The first mate's share of that came to 26 Spanish dollars and 5 reales.

***
human
You get the cup
gpt
"That one, for sure," says the captain. "People will pay all kinds of money for fancy chalices like that."

You stuff the pewter goblet into the sack.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.

{This game includes Nautical Vocabulary Notes for your
edification. If you would like to enable Nautical Vocabulary Notes, please enter the command "ENABLE NAUTICAL VOCABULARY NOTES". Thank you.}
human
You get the skull
gpt
The captain smiles at the skull. "Good old Charlie! What a spirited guy. If I had the chance, I think I'd shoot him again."

You stuff the gorilla skull into the sack.

Now the water is up to your thighs.
human
You open the strongbox
gpt
You yank on the lid of the strongbox, but it's locked tight.

"Oh, shoot," says Verdeterre. "I forget where I left the key. Knowing me, it's probably hidden extremely well. But I can't remember what was in there, either, so it's not a big loss."

The water closes over your head. You might have time to do one last thing before you drown...
human
You get the skull
gpt
The captain smiles at the skull. "Good old Charlie! What a spirited guy. If I had the chance, I think I'd shoot him again."

You stuff the gorilla skull into the sack.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.

{This game includes Nautical Vocabulary Notes for your
edification. If you would like to enable Nautical Vocabulary Notes, please enter the command "ENABLE NAUTICAL VOCABULARY NOTES". Thank you.}
human
Inventory
gpt
You are carrying:
a thick book (closed)
a commodious sack
a gorilla skull
a flintlock pistol
human
You take the lump
gpt
Captain Verdeterre wrinkles his nose. "What on earth is that thing? I don't like the looks of it."

You hold onto it anyway.
human
You take the box
gpt
You are unable to pick up the flag box, as it has been securely attached to the cabin floor. In retrospect, that wasn't a great idea.
human
You look around
gpt
This was the map room originally, and then it became a kind of general storage space, and then it was picked almost clean by various deserters.

The captain strokes his tail thoughtfully.

The flag box stands nearby.

In the center of the room is the map table; sitting on top is a sextant.

There's a barrel over in the corner.
human
F.
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
F.
gpt
This room used to be the domain of Blaise, the ship's cook. Now the cabinets are empty, and the room is in a state of rapidly sinking disrepair.

On top of one cabinet is a piece of hardtack.

Hanging on the wall is an old violin.

The rising water has reached your ankles.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You shoot the cabinet
gpt
"Good idea!" Verdeterre shouts, as he gets out of the way. You blast away the lock, and the cabinet door falls open.

Now the water is lapping at your shins.
human
You open the cabinet
gpt
That has been taken care of.
human
You take the silverware
gpt
Verdeterre nods in approval as you struggle to pick up every fork, knife, and spoon. For him to assist in any way would be unprofessional.

You stuff the pile of silverware into the sack.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.
human
You take the plate
gpt
"Where did that come from?" Verdeterre mumbles. "Do you think Blaise was holding out on us?"

You stuff the porcelain plate into the sack.

Now the water is up to your thighs.
human
You take the violin
gpt
"Sure was nice of Blaise to leave that behind for us," Verdeterre sniggers.

You stuff the violin into the sack.

You wince as the waters climb up around your hips.
human
You check your inventory
gpt
You are carrying:
a musky grey lump
a commodious sack
a gold medallion
a violin
a porcelain plate
a pile of silverware
a tapestry of Saint Incertus
a crystal ball
a gorilla skull
a flintlock pistol
human
F.
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

Your life boat is hanging from the davits here.

Now the water is up to your shins.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You go upwards
gpt
The bowsprit extends from the prow here, and below that is the figurehead. Down the stairs abaft is the capstan.

A fid is lying on the deck.

The main deck keeps on sinking.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You climb bowsprit
gpt
You climb out to hang precariously from the bowsprit.

From this position you can look right in the figurehead's face. She seems entirely too calm, given the circumstances.

Around her neck is a string of pearls.

There might be about a foot of water over the main deck now.
human
You take necklace
gpt
You pull one hand free from the bowsprit to snatch up the necklace, and nearly lose your grip.

"Careful down there!" Verdeterre cries. "I don't know what I'd do with myself if you lost any of our stuff. You should probably toss the necklace up to me so you don't drop it. Or I guess just put it in the bag."

You stuff the pearl necklace into the sack.

The deck below is still sinking.
human
Go down
gpt
Very, very carefully, you climb back from the bowsprit to the relative safety of the fo'c'sle.

By now the main deck is under about three feet of water.
human
Go downwards
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

The life boat, still connected to the davits, is also floating on the rising water.

The water is up to your chest.

{A friendly reminder: Substantial resources have been invested in
the research and implementation of this game's Nautical Vocabulary Notes. If you would like to enable Nautical Vocabulary Notes, please enter the command "ENABLE NAUTICAL VOCABULARY NOTES". Thank you very much.}

The captain scurries along after you.
human
F.
gpt
The crew's quarters were never intended to be welcoming or well-appointed. The walls are lined with hammocks. The exit is aft.

The waves close over your shoulders.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You search hammocks
gpt
Rifling through your old crewmates" hammocks, you find something heavy: a chessboard.

"Hey, where'd that come from?" Verdeterre asks.

"It was in one of the hammocks," you answer.

"Yeah, I meant before that."

"Oh. I don't know. Sorry."

"It's okay," says Verdeterre.

You stuff the chessboard into the sack.

The water reaches your chin. You're having trouble keeping your footing.
human
Y.
gpt
You shove off with all due haste.

" you ask.

"Shut up," Verdeterre snaps. But then his eyes open, and he scurries over to you with an unfamiliar expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," he says. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I owe all of this to you. I owe a lot of it to you, anyway. But I've never thanked you."

He touches your hand with his paw. "Thank you, Tibert. Thank you for joining my crew. Thank you for not abandoning me like every single other jerk I ever hired did. And thank you for making me so incredibly rich."

You can't think of anything to say. Verdeterre turns around to survey his money again.

"Yeah. Yes," he says. "I am going to buy a polar bear."
human
Go downward
gpt
A lot of the things kept in the hold are just ballast, but there are a few items of interest. Fore from here is the rest of the hold, and stairs lead up to the lower deck.

Roughly in the center of the space is an iron strongbox.

The waters have reached your chin. You're having trouble keeping your footing.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
Unlock strongbox
gpt
(with the iron key)
You unlock the iron strongbox.

The water is in your mouth now.
human
You open the box
gpt
You open the flag box, revealing a red and yellow flag.

Now the water is lapping at your shins.
human
You take flag
gpt
You pull the flag out of the box and unfold it: the design is a yellow cross on a red field. "Whose flag is this?" you ask your captain.

"I dunno. I think Denmark? Anyway, it's useless. Toss it."

You nod, and throw the flag somewhere where it won't get in the way.

The flag that was underneath is striped.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.
human
F.
gpt
This room used to be the domain of Blaise, the ship's cook. Now the cabinets are empty, and the room is in a state of rapidly sinking disrepair.

On top of one cabinet is a piece of hardtack.

Hanging on the wall is an old violin.

The rising water has reached your ankles.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
You take plate
gpt
"Where did that come from?" Verdeterre mumbles. "Do you think Blaise was holding out on us?"

You stuff the porcelain plate into the sack.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.
human
You take the silverware
gpt
Verdeterre nods in approval as you struggle to pick up every fork, knife, and spoon. For him to assist in any way would be unprofessional.

You stuff the pile of silverware into the sack.

Now the water is up to your thighs.
human
You take the violin
gpt
"Sure was nice of Blaise to leave that behind for us," Verdeterre sniggers.

You stuff the violin into the sack.

You wince as the waters climb up around your hips.
human
You twist the dagger
gpt
{It is politely requested that you respect the orientation of the curved dagger.}

Jacqueline undoes 236 times.
Jacqueline undoes 405 times.
human
You get the dagger
gpt
[Previous turn undone.]

You pull on the handle of the dagger, but it remains stuck in the mast.

"Hey, that was Saad's, right?" Verdeterre asks. "What happened to him?"

"I think you told him you were going to kill him, so he ran away," you say.

He frowns. "Man, I think you're right. Wow. I shoulda been nicer."

The water glides over the decks and soon it is up to your ankles.
human
You get the dagger
gpt
You pull again. You're almost there. You can feel the dagger's resolve fading.

Now the water is up to your shins.
human
You get the dagger
gpt
With a mighty tug, you wrench the dagger from the mast. "All right, cool; put it in the bag," says Verdeterre.

You stuff the curved dagger into the sack.

Now the water is up to your shins.
human
F.
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

Your life boat is hanging from the davits here.

Your knees are underwater now.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
Go upward
gpt
The bowsprit extends from the prow here, and below that is the figurehead. Down the stairs abaft is the capstan.

A fid is lying on the deck.

There might be about a foot of water over the main deck now.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You climb the bowsprit
gpt
You climb out to hang precariously from the bowsprit.

From this position you can look right in the figurehead's face. She seems entirely too calm, given the circumstances.

Around her neck is a string of pearls.

The deck below is still sinking.
human
You take the necklace
gpt
You pull one hand free from the bowsprit to snatch up the necklace, and nearly lose your grip.

"Careful down there!" Verdeterre cries. "I don't know what I'd do with myself if you lost any of our stuff. You should probably toss the necklace up to me so you don't drop it. Or I guess just put it in the bag."

You stuff the pearl necklace into the sack.

By now the main deck is under about three feet of water.
human
Go down
gpt
Very, very carefully, you climb back from the bowsprit to the relative safety of the fo'c'sle.

The sea continues to bury the main deck, inching its way toward you.
human
You go downward
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

The life boat, still connected to the davits, is also floating on the rising water.

The waves close over your shoulders.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
Y.
gpt
You shove off with all due haste.

" you ask.

"Shut up," Verdeterre snaps. But then his eyes open, and he scurries over to you with an unfamiliar expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," he says. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I owe all of this to you. I owe a lot of it to you, anyway. But I've never thanked you."

He touches your hand with his paw. "Thank you, Tibert. Thank you for joining my crew. Thank you for not abandoning me like every single other jerk I ever hired did. And thank you for making me so incredibly rich."

You can't think of anything to say. Verdeterre turns around to survey his money again.

"Yeah. Yes," he says. "I am going to buy a polar bear."
human
Go upwards
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold, and in fact actually smells somewhat pleasant. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

{This game includes Nautical Vocabulary Notes for your
edification. If you would like to enable Nautical Vocabulary Notes, please enter the command "ENABLE NAUTICAL VOCABULARY NOTES". Thank you.}

The captain scurries along after you.

Ah, open air. The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

There's a silver locket lying on the deck.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.

You have often stood here, at the stern of the vessel, with a steady hand on the ship's wheel, wondering where you were going. Right now you are not going anywhere.

From here you can see the vast stretches of sea you crossed to reach this point—they look much like the stretches of sea you can see in every other direction. Downstairs is the main deck.

A bronze statuette is lying on the boards.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.

For a second there, you could swear you heard music.

You can't move in that direction from here. {The available
directions are displayed in the status bar above.}

You can't move in that direction from here. {The available
directions are displayed in the status bar above.}
human
Go downwards
gpt
The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

There's a silver locket lying on the deck.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
F.
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The point of an exotic-looking dagger is lodged in the mast.

A hand mirror is lying on the floor.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.

This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

Your life boat is hanging from the davits here.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
F.
gpt
The crew's quarters were never intended to be welcoming or well-appointed. The walls are lined with hammocks. The exit is aft.

An old zither lies in the corner.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You get fid
gpt
The bowsprit extends from the prow here, and below that is the figurehead. Down the stairs abaft is the capstan.

A fid is lying on the deck.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.

"Do we need this?" you ask your captain, indicating the fid.

He says, "I kinda doubt it, but you might as well."

You pick up the fid.
human
You look at rigging
gpt
To any experienced sailor, navigating a ship's labyrinthine web of rigging is as simple as walking down the street, and to you it is only slightly more difficult. You've been working on it.
human
You throw the fid at the rigging
gpt
Futile.
human
Climb rigging
gpt
You scramble back down to the deck.

The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The point of an exotic-looking dagger is lodged in the mast.

A hand mirror is lying on the floor.

HOW DID THIS GET HERE. THIS SHOULDN'T HAPPEN. REPORT A BUG PLEASE.
.
human
Up
gpt
You have often stood here, at the stern of the vessel, with a steady hand on the ship's wheel, wondering where you were going. Right now you are not going anywhere.

From here you can see the vast stretches of sea you crossed to reach this point—they look much like the stretches of sea you can see in every other direction. Downstairs is the main deck.

A bronze statuette is lying on the boards.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.

For a second there, you could swear you heard music.
human
You listen
gpt
You do hear music. It's coming from a narrow tunnel that somebody gnawed in the planks.
human
You look in the tunnel
gpt
You reach in as far as your arm will go, but you don't manage to get ahold of anything.

"Hey, what are you doing over there? What do you want with that hole?" Verdeterre asks, yanking your hand out of the tunnel. "Don't stick your flat little nose where it doesn't belong. If there's something to be gotten out of a rat tunnel, I'll get it out. Hold on, and don't
be screwing around up here while I'm away."

The captain disappears into the tunnel.
human
You wait for a while
gpt
Time passes.
human
You wait for a while
gpt
Time passes.

"Ha! Ha ha!" The captain emerges from the tunnel, dragging a tiny wooden chest behind him. "Can you believe this? It's my music box! It must have turned itself on when you hit the reef!"

He leans against the case and wipes his brow. "Good job finding it," he says.

Did he just say "good job"Verdeterre clicks loudly, dispelling your reverie. "Hey. Put this in the bag," he demands.

You stuff the music box into the sack.
human
Go upwards
gpt
You have often stood here, at the stern of the vessel, with a steady hand on the ship's wheel, wondering where you were going. Right now you are not going anywhere.

From here you can see the vast stretches of sea you crossed to reach this point—they look much like the stretches of sea you can see in every other direction. Downstairs is the main deck.

A bronze statuette is lying on the boards.

There might be about a foot of water over the main deck now.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.

For a second there, you could swear you heard music.
human
You listen
gpt
You do hear music. It's coming from a narrow tunnel that somebody gnawed in the planks.

The deck below is still sinking.
human
You look in the tunnel
gpt
You reach as far into the hole as your arm will go, but you don't manage to get ahold of anything.

Captain Verdeterre looks back up at you from the waters rising on the main deck. "Uh, I don't think we have time for that right now," he says. "We should probably get to the lifeboat pretty soon." You withdraw your arm.

By now the main deck is under about three feet of water.
human
Go upwards
gpt
You have often stood here, at the stern of the vessel, with a steady hand on the ship's wheel, wondering where you were going. Right now you are not going anywhere.

From here you can see the vast stretches of sea you crossed to reach this point—they look much like the stretches of sea you can see in every other direction. Downstairs is the main deck.

A bronze statuette is lying on the boards.

The main deck keeps on sinking.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.

For a second there, you could swear you heard music.
human
You look in the tunnel
gpt
You reach as far into the hole as your arm will go, but you don't manage to get ahold of anything.

Captain Verdeterre looks back up at you from the waters rising on the main deck. "Uh, I don't think we have time for that right now," he says. "We should probably get to the lifeboat pretty soon." You withdraw your arm.

There might be about a foot of water over the main deck now.

For a second there, you could swear you heard music.
human
Go upwards
gpt
You have often stood here, at the stern of the vessel, with a steady hand on the ship's wheel, wondering where you were going. Right now you are not going anywhere.

From here you can see the vast stretches of sea you crossed to reach this point—they look much like the stretches of sea you can see in every other direction. Downstairs is the main deck.

A bronze statuette is lying on the boards.

Your chance to return to the main deck is almost gone.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.

For a second there, you could swear you heard music.
human
Go upward
gpt
You have often stood here, at the stern of the vessel, with a steady hand on the ship's wheel, wondering where you were going. Right now you are not going anywhere.

From here you can see the vast stretches of sea you crossed to reach this point—they look much like the stretches of sea you can see in every other direction. Downstairs is the main deck.

A bronze statuette is lying on the boards.

The water continues to rise down on the main deck.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You look in tunnel
gpt
You reach as far into the hole as your arm will go, but you don't manage to get ahold of anything.

Captain Verdeterre looks back up at you from the waters rising on the main deck. "Uh, I don't think we have time for that right now," he says. "We should probably get to the lifeboat pretty soon." You withdraw your arm.

The main deck keeps on sinking.
human
Go upwards
gpt
The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

The water glides over the decks and soon it is up to your ankles.

The captain scurries along after you.

You have often stood here, at the stern of the vessel, with a steady hand on the ship's wheel, wondering where you were going. Right now you are not going anywhere.

From here you can see the vast stretches of sea you crossed to reach this point—they look much like the stretches of sea you can see in every other direction. Downstairs is the main deck.

A bronze statuette is lying on the boards.

The water continues to rise down on the main deck.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You look in the tunnel
gpt
You reach as far into the hole as your arm will go, but you don't manage to get ahold of anything.

Captain Verdeterre looks back up at you from the waters rising on the main deck. "Uh, I don't think we have time for that right now," he says. "We should probably get to the lifeboat pretty soon." You withdraw your arm.

The main deck keeps on sinking.

For a second there, you could swear you heard music.
human
F.
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You look in the tunnel
gpt
You reach in as far as your arm will go, but you don't manage to get ahold of anything.

"Hey, what are you doing over there? What do you want with that hole?" Verdeterre asks, yanking your hand out of the tunnel. "Don't stick your flat little nose where it doesn't belong. If there's something to be gotten out of a rat tunnel, I'll get it out. Hold on, and don't
be screwing around up here while I'm away."

The captain disappears into the tunnel.
human
Go downwards
gpt
You'd better not. Captain Verdeterre said no screwing around.
human
Y.
gpt
You shove off with all due haste.
human
You examine the mainmast
gpt
The mainmast is the tallest and most important mast of the ship. Someone has wedged a dagger in it.
human
You shoot up
gpt
You must name something more substantial.
human
Yes
gpt
cheapglulxe quit with exit status: 0
human
You take the sextant
gpt
"I hate those things," says the captain. "Nobody will build one that's small enough for us to use."

You stuff the sextant into the sack.
human
F.
gpt
The lower deck is quite a bit homier than the hold. The galley is fore, and the map room is aft. Stairs lead down to the hold and up to the main deck.

A portrait of your captain hangs on one wall.

Lying on the floor is a wooden doll.

There's a large wooden crate here, because there was no room for it anywhere else.

The rising water has reached your ankles.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
F.
gpt
This room used to be the domain of Blaise, the ship's cook. Now the cabinets are empty, and the room is in a state of rapidly sinking disrepair.

On top of one cabinet is a piece of hardtack.

Hanging on the wall is an old violin.

Now the water is lapping at your shins.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You shoot the cabinet
gpt
"Good idea!" Verdeterre shouts, as he gets out of the way. You blast away the lock, and the cabinet door falls open.

Your knees are covered by the rising waves.
human
You take silverware
gpt
Verdeterre nods in approval as you struggle to pick up every fork, knife, and spoon. For him to assist in any way would be unprofessional.

You stuff the pile of silverware into the sack.

You wince as the waters climb up around your hips.
human
Go upward
gpt
You have often stood here, at the stern of the vessel, with a steady hand on the ship's wheel, wondering where you were going. Right now you are not going anywhere.

From here you can see the vast stretches of sea you crossed to reach this point—they look much like the stretches of sea you can see in every other direction. Downstairs is the main deck.

A bronze statuette is lying on the boards.

The captain scurries along after you.

For a second there, you could swear you heard music.
human
You wait awhile
gpt
Time passes.

The water continues to rise down on the main deck.

"Ha! Ha ha!" The captain emerges from the tunnel, dragging a tiny wooden chest behind him. "Can you believe this? It's my music box! It must have turned itself on when you hit the reef!"

He leans against the case and wipes his brow. "Good job finding it," he says.

Did he just say "good job"Verdeterre clicks loudly, dispelling your reverie. "Hey. Put this in the bag," he demands.

You stuff the music box into the sack.
human
Go downwards
gpt
The sea stretches out in all directions. There is no land in sight.

You can worry about that later, though. Fore is the mainmast, aft is the captain's quarters, upstairs is the quarterdeck, and downstairs is the lower deck.

A silk handkerchief hangs from the aft bulkhead.

There's a silver locket lying on the deck.

Your knees are underwater now.

The silver locket sinks out of sight.

The captain rushes ahead of you, since coming here was his idea.
human
F.
gpt
The mainmast is lodged in the deck here, near the middle of the ship. It's somewhat like the ship's belly button. Fore is the capstan, aft are the stairs to the lower deck, and up at the top of the mainmast is the top.

The point of an exotic-looking dagger is lodged in the mast.

The water rises up around your thighs.

The captain darts ahead to take stock of the situation.
human
You take the dagger
gpt
You pull on the handle of the dagger, but it remains stuck in the mast.

"Hey, that was Saad's, right?" Verdeterre asks. "What happened to him?"

"I think you told him you were going to kill him, so he ran away," you say.

He frowns. "Man, I think you're right. Wow. I shoulda been nicer."

Now the water reaches your hips.
human
Keep going
gpt
The captain sighs as you yank on the dagger. "It's not coming out," he says.

The rising waves climb up to your waist.
human
You take the dagger
gpt
With a mighty tug, you wrench the dagger from the mast. "All right, cool; put it in the bag," says Verdeterre.

You stuff the curved dagger into the sack.

The rising waves climb up to your waist.
human
F.
gpt
This end of the deck is home to the capstan. The crew's quarters are fore and the mainmast is aft. Up a short flight of stairs is the fo'c'sle.

The life boat, still connected to the davits, is also floating on the rising water.

The water is up to your chest.

The captain scurries along after you.
human
You take the chessboard
gpt
Taken.

The water is in your mouth now. It tastes salty.

{A friendly reminder: Substantial resources have been invested in
the research and implementation of this game's Nautical Vocabulary Notes. If you would like to enable Nautical Vocabulary Notes, please enter the command "ENABLE NAUTICAL VOCABULARY NOTES". Thank you very much.}
human
Y.
gpt
You shove off with all due haste.

***
***The return to civilization was a long one, but you both survived, and the long task of liquidating your assets finally began. Now, having dealt with numerous fences, suckers, and a few legitimate businessmen, you take inventory of your priceless treasures and how much they turned out to worth:

The skull of an African gorilla, sold for 70 Spanish dollars to a credulous fellow already possessing the incomplete skeleton of an orangutan...
A flawless crystal ball worth 60 dollars...
A musky grey lump, later identified as a piece of rare ambergris, valued at 179 dollars...
A plate of fine Japanese porcelain, sold to a heron enthusiast for 160 dollars...
An incomplete set of Verlaine silver worth 90 dollars...
A broken sextant, which cost 20 dollars to fix before being sold for 68 dollars, for a total profit of 48 dollars...
A remarkably well-preserved tapestry of Saint Incertus the Audacious, worth 160 dollars to the monks of his order...
A Yemeni jambiya, with a handle of rhinoceros horn, worth 276 dollars...
A medallion of mysterious provenance, sold for 68 dollars...
An ivory chessboard worth 28 dollars...
A slightly chipped nautilus shell, sold to a British dandy for 49 dollars...
An extraordinary Genevese music box worth 300 dollars...

...For a total of 1488 Spanish dollars.

The first mate's share of that came to 93 Spanish dollars.

***