Climb the Pole

The sight of the ġostra pole sparked a daring idea in Pawlu. "Let's climb and jump onto that boat!" he exclaimed. One by one, they climbed the slippery pole, with their hearts pounding. Pawlu led the way, showing his friends how to balance and move until each on jumped onto the boat positioned below, much to the amusement of its captain.

Turning to thank the boat’s captain, they realised he was no ordinary sailor, he was a pirate or corsair!  Alfonso de Contreras turned out to be a Christian corsair who sailed the Mediterranean looking for Ottoman galleys to capture. In fact, looking around Alfonso’s boat, the children could see sacks of rich loot that he had stolen from captured ships, gold and silver, rich fabrics and spices! In spite of his fearsome reputation, the Corsair was a noble soul and as they sailed away from the cliff, Alfonso related tales of his sea adventures.