Captain Arthur Phillip

• Madeline Kapoulitsa, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2017

I'm in charge of this large fleet of 11 ships. My job is to transport all these convicts to a new land and have them work to pay off their debt. We've been at sea for 245 days so far. It's awful, the facilities, the torrential weather, the diseases, it's intolerable.
I don't go below deck, that is where we keep the lowlife convicts. I send my lowest classed companions down to check on them. I also rarely touch anyone in fear that I'll catch their diseases. The food is very scarce, small portions of stale bread are torn from hands and scoffed down quicker than ever. We also have to feed the menagerie of animals.
Finally here we go, land, after 250 days of treacherous travel. We should be able to dock in half an hour.
"Start loading em off crew, get em straight to work!" Poor lads, just children, stealing because they are such unfortunate peasants. I find they have pure guts to steal, although I don't know the feeling since I'm quite rich.
The conditions here are fairly different to England, it's scorching hot during the day and yet freezing cold during the night. This place is pure madness. I rather fancy the lush life, instead of this primitive place.
Also England doesn't have these barbaric animals walking around with large spears and dirt all over them. They also have a primitive nature, shooting arrows at us and vigorously throwing spears. They are a confronting species but they are no match against a musket.
They say this land is going to be developed purely by convicts. Yet I wonder why we couldn't have built more jails in England to hold them in, or better just kill them.
These convicts better pay off their debt fast or they will never see the sight of beautiful England again.