Badger

Oh, goody, I were afeared that wicked-lookin' trident were a'gonna be diggin' me outta me hole.... whew! Yar, Syren, me parents also sent me outto the house when I were bad...readin' in me room were a few o' me favorite things! O' course, I also loved woods-trampin' an canoein' an sailin', an' fishin', an catchin' snakeses an' such, so it were a lose-lose fer th' parentals. Hey, Broadside (Brennan), ye ever catched a snake? Diggin' be a handy skill fer it...

Why, both o' course, Vintage-me-lad!

AAArgh, ye beat me to it, Blackjohn! hehehehheh yep "yawl" will do it! P.S. "yall" would be short fer "yaller", which is yellow, or "yallerhammer", which means "coward". heheheh

Arrh, Blackjohn, Vikings be pirates too! I know...been playing one at faires fer 15 years. Ye looks wonnerful deadly, man! Vintage, yer lady looks real good-like... 'specially holdin' that very familiar lookin' bussy.... Dangerous Dick (!!! Oh, what me wife would do wif that name...) Welcome tae th' pub! Yer family looks good, an' any pirates is welcome here, matey! As another newby on th' site, I likes tae see more droppin' th' hook hereabouts. Now, if only I could get th' hang o' these computery thangs, an' post me own pics here....grumblegrumbletypetypetypeoratsdeleteKECKER.

Yarrh, Blackjohn, as an ol' Georgia boy, th' proper word be "y'all" . Mission, sure an' ye be welcome at Ojai any time ye care tae make yer presence known. I be unofficial-like, but then we be an unofficial sort o' 'faire! Ye all looked great...wish we could'a rushed ye some reinforcements agin' those weaselly minions o' oppression! That causeway looks a bangin' good place tae engage.

Yarrh, looks good, Cap'n Bob! I's plowin' an wallowin' luxuriously through Alexander Kent's Bolitho series, fer th' 8th or 10th time. American Revolutionary an' Napoleonic wars naval fiction....rousing stuff, full o' th' thunder of th' guns an th' smell o' powder. If'n ye likes Hornblower, ye will a'most certainly like this series. An' its more'n twice as long!

I read in my science magazines about all these new, miraculous cures for cancer being tested... if Brennan can hold out, perhaps one will become available for him. A miracle may happen, the chemo could work, our prayers could be answered. Life is hope! All my prayers and hopes are for you, brave lad, and for y'all, his family.

Happy birthday, lads, wiche'er birthday it be!

Yarrrh, Broadside, an' if'n ye gets tired o' bein' a cabinboy wif dat other crew, ye can go 'on th' account' wi' us'ns any time ye likes. We knows how tae be treatin' a fine matey such as yerself in th' Pirates o' Treasure Cove, an' we gots some as is younger nor you a'ready! (Ducks cannonfire from Black Syrens crew) A'right, a'right, I were just sayin' me offer! (wink , ye know where we be, lad!). Seriously, be well, Brennan, an' ye'll be sailin' th' seven seas wi' th' scurrvy crew o' yer choice in no time. Me weaselly ol' prayers arrh wi' ye.

To try an' fail is better than t' not try at all. "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!" . Hurricane, yer account o' how th' corporates think tae rule us makes me wanna take up th' rifle... all yon evil manipulations work right up until th' people choose tae burn it all down, an' start over. Think that'll nae happen again? So did th' court o' France think...th' British in colonial America....th' Soviets of Gorbachov.... YOU"LL see. Th' cockroaches will run, then! Until that happens...Hehehehehheheh.....pirate!

Aye, that about sums 'er up, Gentleman O' Fortune! Wenches, Rum, an' Jack Sparrow ahoy!

I periodically get 'logged out'. Whenever this happens, th' pub refuses tae recognize me password, and wont let me back in. I be on me 4th new password in 4 weeks. This happen ta' anyone else? Whimperwhimpersnarlkecker!

Also keep in mind that the majority of the early 'boucaniers' were French. (During Morgan's time, more and more 'buccaneers' were English, but many nationalities and origins were still represented, of course). The French had flintlocks available from the early 1620's on, and indeed were even making flintlock trade muskets for the fur trade with the 'Indians' of North America in quantity by 1680 (some reports indicate as early as 1672). My point is that if the French could make true flintlocks for trade with the natives of the period, they undoubtedly had enough such arms to supply many to their own people in the carribbean. they would have had them by the mid-century in some quantity, by all accounts. These would have been popular with any buccaneer who could get one. I am not trying to argue that all, or even a majority of buccaneer reenactors should carry French-style flintlocks; on the contrary, I agree that a wide mix of types (particularly doglocks and miquelets) would be ideal. I do think that given the early French leanings of the buccaneers, the flintlock is a good and "period", option. A buccaneer might well not be able to "afford" the best, but he would jolly well seize up the best dropped weapon he could get his hands on, at the first opportunity! For the record, I reenact an old, battered, partly 'retired' pirate in 17o0 New Providence, but I got my 'start' as a buccaneer lad in Port Royal of 1667. I still proudly carry the early model French Fusil-Fin type 'C' trade musket I 'acquired' in Newfoundland in 1674. In .615 caliber, it is quite accurate for a smoothbore, and is the envy of my PoTC crew!

We gots plenty o' dandelions here in southern Californy, Hawkyns. Oh my, yes, we do! An' we even gots green grass-like substances, too. Good tip, though. I believes I just may try it! Thank'ee!

I be sailin' out'o Port o' Los Angeles, me hearty. I'd say "sorry aboot ye badger-troubles, mate", except.., well.., Badger! Hehhehheh Bein' as I only "rip up some an' musk" those who aint my mates, an' who deserves it, like, ye be safe from me, laddy!

Rumba, yer STORY made me smile! I "ave 'ad a similar experience with th' 2nd love o' me life, me lil' black cat with th' big green eyes, Dakota (no, I didnt name 'er!). Got out, gone a while, came back. Whew!!! Otherwise.... seein' me wife walk in th' door. Seein' me wife! Laughter. Wild, free things (such as deer drinkin'from birdbaths). Th' entrance o' a Faireground, fast approachin'! Me grandkids roughhousin'. A new (an' steely!) "toy". Th' whole 'new author an' books' thing. Kindness happenin'. Weaselousness happenin' (th' goodnatured kind. You know!). An' on, an' on.

Huzzah! As a reward fer my good deed, (as if th' deed werent enough), I have just become a 'deck swabber'. Shiny! No more Bilge Rat! Serendipity... I had no idea when that would kick in.

I love this thread. A great answer tae all the 'in love with th' darkness' stuff in our society! Thankye, Red Jessi! I once knew an old beggar-man. He hung out at University Village, a mall next tae U.S.C. campus in L.A.. He was very polite, an' fer some reason I decided every time I saw him I would give him a quarter. If I bumped into him 5 times in the afternoon, I gave him 5 quarters. Soon he was telling me jokes, and sharing tales of his life. (He never told me his name, though). One day, as I walked up, quarter extended, he gave me his great smile, and said, "Oh, I dont need that today. I got a job as a custodian here, and I am doing well. Thank you for the help, but give it to someone who needs it more! True story. Moral is... help someone, and you dont know what they will do with your gift. They may buy drugs, or they may resurrect their life!

Yeh, very noice barrels, indeed. I may just have tae get me some! I got so many weapons, my wicker baskets be overflowin'! Thankye.