Chapter Four of Six: Costly Calls.

The Grosvenor survivors face a harsh new reality on the Transkei coast. William Hosea, clinging to his family and hidden diamonds, despairs, while merchant partners Williams and Taylor mourn their lost fortune. Captain Coxon struggles to maintain authority over the increasingly defiant Lascar sailors, offering them false hope of a quick journey to the Cape. After a tense encounter with local Pondo men, the survivors begin their arduous trek south.

Their journey is fraught with challenges. The Pondo people are wary and at times hostile, as seen when they disarm Coxon and later clash with the sailors. They meet Trout, a Javanese escaped slave, who paints a grim picture of their journey, shattering their fragile optimism.

Second Mate William Shaw leads a splintered group towards the uMzimvubu river, including merchants Williams and Taylor, and surprisingly, young Thomas Law, who becomes a symbol of enduring humanity. They face formidable rivers, treacherous terrain, and dwindling supplies. They split again, Shaw’s group heading inland. After a brief period of unexpected kindness from a local tribe, a crucial missed opportunity, they return to the coast. The brutal realities of the journey, including starvation and predators, claim more lives. Shaw, once their beacon of hope, succumbs to illness, leaving a mere nine survivors to continue their desperate march towards an unknown salvation.

Thanks to our main sponsor Lambazi Lodge, as well as our partner Active Escapes.

https://www.lambazilodge.com/

https://www.active-escapes.co.za/

Also a big thanks to SergePavkinMusic for providing the soundtrack. You can access his music library here:

https://www.youtube.com/@SergePavkinMusic/featured

See references and additional media and content at

https://www.morethanastory.co.za