The Captain's Daughter: Meet Abbie Chipman

By Mark Aitchison

Abbie Chipman is a 17 year old nature-loving tomboy from Eastham, Cape Cod when her father, the mysterious whaling Captain Barnabus Chipman is reported missing near the Galapagos Islands. In order to receive insurance from The Company death must be proven and Abbie decides to travel around South America to uncover the truth surrounding her father’s death. Aboard the famous scientist Louis Agassiz’s research vessel Hassler she has a number of adventures on her way to the Galapagos. Ultimately she discovers that her father was not the mean-spirited man she thought he was. Rather he died trying to prevent the Galapagos Islands being taken from Ecuador by the American government.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark Aitchison
• Release date: Aug 10, 2011
• ISBN: 9781476148281

Mark Aitchison

I was born in England (London) to Scottish parents and lived in Nigeria during my earliest years before moving to Canada (Toronto) where I grew up and went to prep school (Upper Canada College, class of 1981). At Bennington College (Vermont, USA, class of 1985) I studied latin american literature and fine arts (painting). After college my family moved to Cape Cod (Massachusetts, USA)- where we had a summer house for many years- and opened a country inn in Eastham (outer cape) called The Over Look Inn. There I began writing seriously for publication (fiction mostly) and travelling every winter to South America. In 1992 I met my wife-to-be, Tania, in Brazil (Manaus). We were married in June of 1992 and started an adventure travel company called Swallows and Amazons that same year. I continue to live in Manaus today with my family (Tania and our 2 daughters Kelly and Stephanie) where I still run Swallows and Amazons Tours, write fiction (mostly adventure stories) and non-fiction (mostly about conservation), and make plans for the future.

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Meet Abbie Chipman: The Captain's Daughter

by

Mark Aitchison

Copyright 2012 Mark Aitchison

mailto:[e-mail]

Published on Smashwords

Formatted by eBooksMade4You

…for my first daughter Kelly Macdonald Viana Aitchison; may she grow up to be as strong, capable and independent as her mother, Tania, a real Captain's daughter…

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All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter One The Whales

Chapter Two The Captain

Chapter Three The Zoologist’s Wife

Chapter Four Under Darwin’s Spell

Chapter Five Cowboys and Indians

Chapter Six Sad News on the Southern Way

Chapter Seven Séance and Surprise

Chapter Eight Pirates and Paradise

Chapter Nine Robinson Crusoe Slept Here

Epilogue

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Introduction

Imagine a storm at sea if you can- a strong, windy and wild storm. The rain is coming down hard and everywhere you look there is only water. You are in a small boat and you are far, far away from land. Nighttime is fast coming upon you. Around you the waves rise high above the boat and crash over her sides. The boat seems like a cork being thrown around the ocean as though it were nothing at all.

As darkness closes in the storm only gets worse. Up and down the boat is tumbled and you hold on as best you can so as not to be thrown over the side and into the frothing sea. The wind howls in your ears, and the water on your face and hands is cold as ice. You are wet and alone, and your boat is lost at sea in a storm.

Through the blackness you see the white line of land, a beach perhaps. The boat flies through the turbid waters towards the pale land ahead. It IS a beach and you believe you will be saved. Then suddenly a noise like an explosion fills your ears. The boat has hit a reef and its belly has been ripped open beneath you. The boat is dragged back and forth across the reef and bit by bit begins to break up. In the near distance you can still see the white sand beach but it is now too far away. A monstrous wave rears up behind you and your boat is finally smashed to pieces upon the reef. Now imagine that all you can see is blackness. All you can feel is the ice cold water of the sea around you sucking you down. And all you can think of is the white sand of the beach you saw just moments before.

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Chapter One

The Whales

No one can guess the full value of any kind of animal…its potential is spread across a spectrum of known and as yet unimagined human needs.

- Edward O. Wilson, The Future of Life

The storm had passed and the sea around the island was flat and strangely quiet once more. The pale blue sky of spring replaced the blackness of before and with it reappeared the birds of the island. Darting terns dove and swept above the beach dust. Plovers hobbled and bobbed by the edge of the dune grass guarding their young. Heavily feathered seagulls sang out greetings as they cruised the sandy shore in search of savories left behind by the violence of the recent tempest.

Beyond the faint murmur of morning breeze came the sound of horse hooves clapping down the road above First Encounter Beach. Behind the dunes someone was whistling, and another was shouting to be heard. A simple open carriage appeared drawn stiffly by a dwarf chestnut pony. In the trap sat a bright young woman with wavy dark hair and large, wild eyes. Her driver was an old man with a red face. The man whistled as much to keep his lazy pony running as to keep himself calm. Thunder and lightning couldn’t have kept the girl at bay however.

Dear God, the young woman exclaimed as they drew within earshot of the beach. Pray let the tide still be up so our work ain't too hard.

The girl’s name was Abbie Chipman and she was 16 years old. The old man beside her was Chet Ranlett, her teacher from the local grade school. He was also her godfather and closest friend.

For a fact I can’t be sure, Miss Abbie, Chet managed between breaths. I been held a week in bed by the flu and I ain't kept track of the tides.

The carriage