Nova Zembla Page #2

Take a seat.

Can you manage?

You are Gerrit, aren't you?

You're a writer.

Get out. Get out.

Come with me.

Come on.

Yep.

- Sit down.

All hands on deck!

What is that landlubber doing here?

No idea.

On deck, sprat!

The captain doesn't like latecomers.

There are two ways to get to lndia.

To the south, via Portugal. We're not

welcome there; it's Spanish now.

Then further south

round the Cape of Good Hope

Around Africa...

- Madagascar.

Madagascar... we have an expert here.

- Show off.

The other way is round the North.

lt's hard for a couple of weeks...

A warm coat and God's blessing.

And the right route through the ice.

An expedition was certainly never so well

organised. We have everything.

We have the best maps, a hold full of

textiles, a clock for China's Emperor...

and gifts to do business in Japan.

Once we're there,

it's only a couple of days away.

Then we'll be in the marvelous lndies.

We'll forget the cold

under the tropical sun.

With a woman on each arm.

Rules on board the ship...

Blasphemy is not allowed.

Theft is forbidden.

Keep off other people's things.

No fighting on this ship.

lt will be punished and harshly.

Discipline is most important on board

and then comes speed.

Remember the bonus.

One more thing:
you are warned...

l don't want to see the Virgin Mary

or rosaries.

Or any other papist frills.

We've had enough with the Spanish.

Men, shout hurray for the captain.

-Hurray!

On 16 May 1596...

on the orders of the States General

and Prince Maurits of Orange...

our ship set sail

through the Wargat Straits...

to sail to the kingdoms

of Cathay and China.

And to the East lndies.

The jibe!

You forgot to brace the clew line!!

No, over the top!

- Over the topsail.

No the tether over the halyard.

And then the tether over the halyard.

Look at him with his quill.

You don't need that here at sea.

You're not going to write here are you?

Dear Oene, my friend...

Would your honour be so kind

as to lower the mainsail?

This because of the approaching storm.

And please answer by tomorrow.

Yours sincerely, your captain.

Writing is for lords and masters.

And for Gerrit, of course.

l'd like to write to.

What for, boy?

- And what?

l want to write my name.

- Jan!

lt's a very ordinary name.

lt's a deadly ordinary name.

But it is mine.

Gerrit?

Pen, paper. Come with me.

Here.

Sit over here.

l don't want to hear you.

l just want to hear your pen on paper.

Write down everything that is said.

Where were we?

Plancius says that...

- l propose that the route...

With a north-easterly wind,

we're sailing north north-west.

lt's almost a month since we left Holland.

We pass a medium-sized island to port.

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