Mean Steam Riders
()
About this ebook
Action, adventure and danger follow Milo, Tinker, Major and Deuce as they fly around their uncharted Pacific Island in their steam driven dune buggies. Descended from a colony of shipboard rats that were stranded on the island in 1845, Milo and his crew push to the limits the power the Founders brought to the island, "Steam!" Pursued by a giant Sea Eagle and befriended by Albert Ross the wandering Albatross, Milo and his crew of fun loving yet hardworking rats tackle trouble head-on and learn some life lessons along the way.
Related to Mean Steam Riders
Related ebooks
Men, Women, and Boats Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Open Boat and Other Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Open Boat Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/57 best short stories - Sea Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRound the World in Seven Days Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrimitive- A Bones Bonebrake Adventure: Bones Bonebrake Adventures, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Shout Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlackHeart's Treasure Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrimitive: A Bone Bonebrake Adventure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Windforce: A Voyage into the Blue Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlmost Human Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Open Boat: Short Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSaved by the Lifeboat Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLabrador Days: Tales of the Sea Toilers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Kyoto Bell Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Broken World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Adventures of Radisson 2: Back to the New World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlaska Sea Escapes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom the Depths: BloodBorne, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLost in the Forest Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Boy With the U. S. Life-Savers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSky Hunters: Anarchy's Reign Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Best Short Stories of Stephen Crane Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlack Iron 2: The Thief, The Rogue, & The Mad Inventor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRounding Cape Horn, and Other Sea Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Finest Hours (Chapter Book): The True Story of a Heroic Sea Rescue Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhen the Cock Crows Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCastaways - Adrift and Abandoned: Thrilling Tales of the Sea (vol.3) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
YA Action & Adventure For You
Red Queen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Face Like Glass Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Toll Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Winter's Promise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Six of Crows Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Crooked Kingdom: A Sequel to Six of Crows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Renegades Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bone Witch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5King of Scars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Door in the Dark Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Daughter of the Pirate King Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Island of the Blue Dolphins: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chain of Thorns Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rule of Wolves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sorcery of Thorns Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Restore Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Is Where It Ends Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Glass Sword Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hero and the Crown Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Giver Quartet Omnibus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sabriel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gullstruck Island Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Reveal Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dorothy Must Die Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Three Dark Crowns Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Graceling Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Z for Zachariah Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Daughter of the Siren Queen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5King's Cage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shadow Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Mean Steam Riders
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Mean Steam Riders - J. H. Williams
Epilogue
(Gale Forced)
THE COMMODORE KNEW something was amiss when he heard Chewy calling for him. It must be important he thought, because Chewy or in fact none of the humans ventured to the very bowels of the ship where he and his pack made their quarters unless something was up.
Commodore, Commodore, wake your furry backside up you bloody rodent!
Chewy bellowed, popping his head through the lowest deck hatch. Small hammocks ran along to the bulkheads for the single guys and individual cabins for the families were amidships on beams to avoid the bilge water. Unlike human crews the rodents wouldn’t think of traveling the seas without their families.
It was early 1845 and they were aboard a support steamship five days out from Japan where Admiral Perry had just completed a historic trade agreement with the isolated nation. Japan had closed its shores to foreign nations for centuries, but a fleet of heavily armed side-wheeled steamships proved to be the perfect diplomatic overture to convince the island nation to welcome world trade to their shores.
Over here Chewy,
the Commodore said. Is something wrong?
he asked even though he knew there was. Things were getting rough, so he knew the seas were kicking up.
Oh, there you are furball,
said the red-faced cook. Mighty storm ahead, you won’t be safe down here. We’ll be taking on some sea and the bilge will be filling up.
The rest of the ship’s crew weren’t as friendly as Chewy towards the seafaring rodents but over the years he and the Commodore had become close. The crew always gave Chewy a tough time about his grub since nothing he cooked was what you would call fork tender, hence the nickname. On the other hand, the Commodore always praised whatever Chewy rustled up which led to their friendship and provided some extra scraps for the below deck pack.
Aya, Aye,
said the Commodore. Thank you Chewy we’ll move to higher ground.
Good then,
said the cook as he scurried back to the galley to tighten things down.
Storm stations, storm stations!
yelled the Commodore. Pass the word storm stations!
This is not a drill!
The pack knew what to do. This wasn’t the first storm they’d been through, and it wouldn’t be the last.
Quickly but efficiently, they prepared the move to a higher level. Down came the hammocks to be used to bundle clothes, pots, tools and anything else they couldn’t afford to lose. It would be colder up top so on came the leather jackets made from scraps the crew discarded. Some things like straw mattresses could easily be remade when it was safe to return so they’d be left behind. Once the packing was done, they began the orderly evacuation to the lifeboats. The lifeboats had been chosen as their upper-level retreat because they were covered, stocked with emergency provisions and away from the human crew who wouldn’t be thrilled to share their quarters. Half the pack went to starboard and the other half to the port side lifeboats. If something disastrous happened short of the whole ship going down, having two groups on opposite sides of the ship would ensure the pack lived on.
The storm blasted into the ship sooner than expected. Gale force winds and white caps were hitting the deck with thunderous force. Fortunately, the women and children had all made it through the small opening in the tarp before the worst of it hit. The Commodore stayed on deck watching his crew fight their way across a taut line to the opening one by one as the ship buckled back and forth. He wouldn’t leave the storm washed deck until he was sure everyone else was safe inside. Once he heard the call All onboard skipper,
he too fought the wind and rain across the line into the opening of what he thought was their temporary shelter.
As his eyes adjusted to the dim light under the