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A year or so after my adventure on the Grey Lady I inherited a large amount of money and property when a relative died and I decided that with my new found wealth I would return to Conwy and the Grey Lady to buy and renovate the old boat.
As I parked my old Land Rover and walked along the Marine Walk,which follows the estuary out of Conwy,I was happy to see the Grey Lady was still there.I enquired at the habour masters office as to who owned the Grey Lady and was told it was now owned by Alan Jackson jnr who had just had it passed on to him after his father's recent demise.The harbour master gave me Alan's phone number and after a brief conversation over the phone a price was agreed and the Grey Lady was mine.
Over the next year during renovation of the old boat I spent a lot of time in Conwy and Alan Jackson jnr would come along now and then out of curiousity to see how things where going with the Grey Lady.Alan and myself became friends because of our common interest in the Grey Lady and on several occasions we had some good drinking sessions around the pubs in Conwy when we would tell tales and generally get drunk.
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On one occasion he told me a story his father had told him about the Grey Lady in its smuggling days and how a gold coffin had been swept overboard during a terrifying storm,this got me thinking about returning with the Grey Lady to recover the sarcophagus.
When the Grey Lady was restored to her former glory I invited Alan to the first sea trials and during the trip told him of my intention to try and recover the gold sarcophagus.He thought I was mad and said it was just a story his father had told him but he didn't know about my previous adventure on the Grey Lady.I told him the story of the Grey Lady and George Goth and he couldn't believe it at first especially when I told him his father and the rest of the crew where the men who killed George Goth.
Alan eventually believed me because his father had mentioned George Goth as being lost overboard during that fateful night over fifty years ago.He also told me of a family called Goth who lived in the area and who's father had been lost at sea in the 1950's.
I wanted to now more about George Goth and so went to find the family and finaly met George's son Samuel who was trying to make a living working a poor hill farm high in the Snowdonia mountains.
After talking with Sam for a while I recounted my first trip on the Grey Lady,but didn't tell him about his father,and it seemed fitting to invite him along on the next adventure to recover the gold casket and share the rewards with him.Sam said he had nothing to loose and agreed to come along if for no other reason than to get away from the daily merciless grind of the farm.
Two months later with all provisions and diving equipment safely stowed aboard the Grey Lady and my old Land Rover securely lashed to the foredeck the three of us set off from the tiny quayside of Conwy eagerly awaiting our fame and fortune.
Alan was worried at first about Sam joining us but I assured him he knew nothing about his father's murder and was still under the impression that he was lost at sea during a raging storm all those years ago.
After several days at sea we sailed into the port of Casablanca for fresh supplies and I took the opportunity to visit the monastry and the Holy man.I told him who was with me and why we were there and this disturbed him so much that he told me to forget all about it and return home.
As I drove back to the Grey Lady I thought about what the Holy man had said but we had come this far and I convinced myself I owed it to Sam at least to try and recover the sarcophagus.
The Old Land Rover On Our Way To Visit Samuel Goth In The Snowdonia Mountains
After a couple of days in Casablanca to refuel and restock the boat we were just about to cast off when the Holy man appeared on the dockside,he knew that we would not return home without trying to recover the sarcophagus and virtually insisted that he came with us.
As the four of us left port I got the same feeling that I had the first time I set foot aboard the Grey Lady,that from this point in time we could not alter what fate had in store for us.
After nearly three years the marker bouy I dropped was still there and so we started our search for the sarcophagus.Eventually we found the coffin and set about preparing to raise it from the sea bed.With ropes and harnesses attached the Grey Lady's winch once more started to raise the sarcophagus onto its deck.As the casket neared the surface a slight stirring of the waters caught my eye and I knew for certain that the evil one would again try for immortality.
When the coffin finally landed on the Grey Lady's deck a very light purple haze was seen for a split second and then it was gone.Almost immediately after the haze vanished Alan became agitated and felt unwell and I and the Holy man knew that the Devil had entered his body to regenerate himself.
Alan quickly went into a coma and the Holy man said we had to get him back to the monastry as quickly as possible as I had done with him before,so with the sarcophagus safely secured to the Grey Lady's deck we headed back to port at full speed.
As we sailed into Casablanca I went below to check on Alan But when I went into his cabin he had gone and although we searched the Grey Lady from stem to stern we found no trace of him.Sam was the first to spot him in the water making towards a small fishing boat called the Titan moored in the harbour.
We headed for the Titan but Alan got there first and all we could do was watch helplessly as Alan.now under the total control of the Devil, slaughtered the two man crew and threw their body's overboard. The Titan's engines burst into life and she headed out of port into the open sea giving us no option but to give chase and with the Grey Lady's motor's at full stretch we barely managed to keep the Titan in view.
With the heavy coffin on the Grey Lady's deck slowing us down I made the decision to once more send it to the bottom of the ocean and mark the spot with a marker bouy for when and if we got the chance to retrieve it.Once the casket was jetisoned the Grey Lady started to slowly gain on the Titan which was now heading for a small group of islands.
The Titan managed to get away from us amongst the islands and so we started a slow laborious search to try and find the boat and Alan.After a few hours the Holy man spotted the Titan in a small lagoon and as we neared it her engines once more burst into life and she came straight at us on a ramming course,as I tried desperately to alter our course it was to late and the Titan caught us a glancing blow along the port side ripping off the hand rails and holing the hull just above the water line.It was obvious that the Grey Lady could not continue the chase in her present condition and the Titan sailed away into the relative safety of the islands.
The Holy man told us that according to legend the Devil had ruled over these islands and that is why he had come back to these parts so that he could regenerate himself in safety amongst the supersticious inhabitants of the islands who believed that one day he would return.
We had to somehow get the evil one back in the sarcophagus and put an end to the evil that would be unleashed upon mankind.
Removing some of the upper decking we managed to make a temporary repair to the Grey Lady and once again set off to retrieve the sarcophagus.Once the coffin was back on board we made our way back to the islands to find the evil one and try to free Alan.
As we searched the islands and talked to the islanders we knew the Devil was amongst them but no one was prepared to help us in any way.
We returned to port in Morroco and went to the monastry where the Holy man read ancient scriptures to try and find the place where the Devil was first incarcerated in the gold sarcophagus.After many hours the Holy man found what we were looking for and told us that we must hurry before the Devil became powerful enough to withstand an ancient ritual to become once more immortal.
We had to return to the islands and find the village of Goroon on the island of Norowna as this was the place where the Devil was tricked into the sarcophagus more than two thousand years before and where he would now regenerate himself into the vile and despicable ruler he once was.
As the Grey Lady slipped out of port storm clouds started to gather on the horizon out towards the island of Norowna.
Once underway Sam spotted a motor launch following us and closing fast.As the launch pulled alongside a burst of machine gun fire sent bullets ripping through the Grey Lady's hull and deck sending splinters and shards of wood flying in all directions.
The launch quickly overtook us and then turned to make a head on run at the Grey Lady with burst after burst of machine gun fire tearing into the boats bow.With no other option open to us I put the Grey Lady on a collision course with the launch and just as the launch veered off I turned the Grey Lady at the same time and her bow cut the launch in half exploding its fuel tank in the process showering the Grey Lady with flaming debris.
As we searched in vain for any survivors the Holy man saw another launch in the distance coming directly towards us.They must have seen the explosion and being unable to outrun them we had to make a stand where we where and Sam came up with an idea to make them think we were helpless.The only weapons on board the Grey Lady was a small hand gun,a couple of harpoon guns and a very pistol.We set off a couple of flares in oil drums on the deck to make it look like we were badly damaged and cut the engines so the boat just drifted then we went below to await the outcome of this subterfuge.
With no sign of life aboard the Grey Lady it wasn't long before the launch pulled alongside and three of the four man crew boarded the boat.We could hear them searching the decks and as the first man appeared at the top of the cabin steps he was instantly despatched by Sam with a harpoon gun,immediately sub machine guns started to rip into the cabins and Sam fell to the floor with bullet wounds to his legs.
As we dragged Sam away one of the attackers came down the steps to be dealt with by the Holy man who sent him to his maker in a ball of flames from the very pistol.On seeing what happened the third man tried to make a run for safety but I managed to stop him with the hand gun,the fourth man still in the launch managed to cast off from the Grey Lady and was now heading for Norowna.
We restarted the Grey Lady and once underway to Norowna the Holy man tended the best he could to Sam and I checked the boat and although she had taken a lot of hits she was still sea worthy and capable of making good speed.
Sam's wounds were not critical with one bullet passing straight through his leg missing the bone and another causing a flesh wound. When we docked in Norowna we got medical help for Sam then the Holy man and myself went off in the old Land Rover to find the village of Goroon.
As we entered the village a large group of locals surrounded the land rover and the Holy man once again gave me a crucifix and told me to wear it round my neck on open view as this would offer a little protection from the supersticious mob that had gathered.
At the far end of the village I spotted Alan making his way to an old dilapidated temple followed by about a dozen local tribal chiefs and as he saw us they hurried into the temple and barred our entry.
There was no way we could get into the temple and we could hear that the regeneration ceremony had started so with no time to loose we pointed the old Land Rover at the temple doors and using it as a battering ram burst into the temple showering debris throughout the place and scattering the local chiefs.We came to rest in front of the altar where Alan now lay in a comatose state.
Three of the chiefs had been killed as we crashed into the temple and the rest fled in terror as we leapt from the Land Rover with the hand gun blazing.Quickly we got Alan into the Land Rover and as we drove out of the temple rocks and stones rained down on the vehicle and bullets started to rip into the old girl.The mob parted as the Land Rover ploughed through and in a matter of moments we where free of the village and it's inhabitants.
Once back at the Grey Lady I put Alan in the sarcophagus whilst the Holy man brought Sam from the local infirmary.
As we loaded the Land Rover onto the boat the wind started to blow as a raging storm swept in but we had to set sail for Casablanca to get Alan to the monastry and try to foil the Devil's attempt at immortality.
Wave after wave crashed over the Grey Lady's decks then she would sink into a trough and rise on the next crest as the storm and the sea came together to try and stop us but the Grey Lady never faltered and battled on until the storm abated and we reached the safety of Casablanca.
Using the Land Rover to transport the sarcphagus we took it straight to the monastry and placed it in the main body of the church where we had the last encounter with the evil one now inside the casket but as we manouvered it I managed to get my arm trapped and broken in the process.
As the monks tended to my injuries we had to make a decision whether to leave Alan in the sarcophagus for all eternity or risk trying to get him out and again we had no option but to try and free him.The monks prepared the great hall by sealing all exits and leaving myself, Sam and the Holy man inside with the sarcophagus.
Because of our injuries we had to use a makeshift hoist to raise the lid of the sarcophagus and as it lifted off the now familiar putrid purple haze filled the hall and reformed into the Devil himself leaving Alan in the coffin very close to death after his ordeal.
Again due to our injuries it was now up to the Holy man to ward off the evil one while Sam and myself got Alan out of the sarcophagus and as we did so the Devil unleashed a mighty elctric charge at the Holy man sending him crashing into the wall and crumpling in a heap on the floor where he lay motionless.
The evil one immediately turned his attention to the three of us and demanded Alan's body so he could fully regenerate and our obvious refusal brought on a most vile and evil tirade in which the Devil told Sam about the murder of this father and who was to blame,to Sam's credit he hardly flinched at this revelation and readily accepted that Alan could not be held responsible for his fathers actions all those years ago.
After failing to split the three of us from our solidarity to each other the evil one then offered us immortality if we joined him and again our refusal sent him into a violent fit of rage and as he sent fire balls and lightning bolts around the vast hall we realised that he couldn't risk hitting us in case he killed Alan as well and then he would have little chance to regenerate hinself.
Alan,although still very weak had now recovered enough to stand and Sam had the start of an idea to get the Devil back into the sarcophagus.
The Holy man still lay where he fell on the floor but as I looked over to him he gave me a sign that he was allright.
Because of our refusal to hand over Alan the Devil told us that we would all have to die so he could find another victim but before he could do anything I offered to do a trade whereby we would let him have Alan for our freedom and letting me tend to the Holy man.The Devil agreed and as I went to the Holy man I told him of the plan.
I told the evil one that the Holy man was as good as dead and couldn't be moved and that he could now have Alan and with Alan struggling and fighting the best he could in his weakened state we managed to get him back in the sarcophagus and subdue him with a single blow that knocked him out.
Leaving the Holy man we immediately left the great hall of the monastry to await the final outcome.
We could hear a great commotion going on inside the hall and after what seemed like another eternity all was quiet and as we entered the great hall it was full of purple haze but to our relief it was Sam and the Holy man who walked out to meet us.The plan in all it's simplicity had worked,during the struggle to get Alan back into the sarcophagus he changed places with Sam that is why we left immediately he was in the coffin,as the Devil vapourised once more and entered the sarcophagus to take over what he thought was Alan's body the Holy man had qickly run to cut the ropes holding the lid and with split second timing as the lid fell Sam leapt from the casket leaving the Devil's vapours inside,the lid had not fallen straight onto the coffin and for a few seconds as Sam and the Holy man secured it a great maelstrom of fury had erupted from the Devil inside the sarcophagus causing the now familiar putrid purple haze.
The monks totally resealed the sarcophagus and took it to the vaults below the monastry where it was sealed in a chamber hopefully for all time.
After a few days rest Sam,Alan and myself said goodbye to the Holy man and the rest of the monks and headed back to the battered Grey Lady in an equally battered Land Rover.It must have looked a sorry sight a few days later as we sailed back into Conwy.After off loading the Land Rover on the quayside I had to sail the Grey Lady round to where I first set eyes on her to await repairs and possibly further adventures!!!
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