William Brand

We learn by doing.

I want pictures of people in their shirts!

With the crew of the Mercury growing year to year, I think we would be well served to have a crew subforum here among the crews. Please add us when you can.

August 5, 1704 - At Le Coq William paid the proprietor and his kin handsomely for their care of Wellings, adding enough into the sum to buy rum against the pain he was certain Wellings would feel as they went. He also bought from them another blanket, which they tried to gift to him, but he wouldn't hear of it. Wellings was carried out, table and all, so that he might not be bent or jostled too much. with him came a parcel made up of his clothes, already laundered. Then came the difficult task of tenderly laying the man within the confines of the carriage. As this was done, William paid the hosts many compliments and thanks. Then he boarded the carriage with Wellings, Lasseter, and Desmarais. Added to this came Monsieur Coulombel, the French marine in the charge of Desmarais and Durand who took a seat next to the driver of the carriage. Off they went, and Wellings' features tensed at once. It took him a few minutes to get used to the motion of the road and wheels working against each other. "Good people." Wellings remarked, when they were but a quarter mile down the road. "Aye." Dorian agreed. "We'll know a drink there some day." William promised, hoping it wouldn't be a toast to the departed.

August 5, 1704 - Customs House of Aglionby The sound caused Eric Franklin to turn and walk to the window. It was easy to see the cutter under full sail moving swiftly off before the wind. "The Lucy is away." he said aloud to no one in particular. The others paused for only a moment before returning to the task of setting the place right for Wellings. In truth, they had already finished the preparations twice, but Maeve had changed her mind a third time, anxious to have the room best prepared for what might be a gruesome task or two. Also, they had nothing else to fill the time, for none of them knew how long they would have to wait before the arrival of the man, so they filled the silence with pacing and long looks out the window. When it was obvious after a time that all was prepared as well as it could be, Pascal, Eric and Alan took to waiting outside under the eaves of the customs house, speaking on every subject imaginable. They even bought a few niceties that passed with different vendors to liven their scant rations ashore. They ate, talked, waited and watched the sun move revolve painfully slow in an almost flawless sky.

You aren't going to wear it are you? Tonight's special is lovely vegetarian pasta, just for Mission.

I love watching the numbers grow. I especially like watching the repeat numbers. I remember being bombarded with questions from people who were planning on attending in 2007. Pirates who seem hesitant before, are seldom so after they've attended.

Tracy went all out on it. I'll be certain to pass along the compliments.

This is a costume that Tracy made for Liam. The letter opener really sells it.

August 5, 1704 - Le Coq At this, William motioned to the proprietor and asked him to fetch Dorian a clean cloth. Then he asked Monsieurs Villette and Desmarais what had become of L'Ours and why he was not present. They explained that Durand had gone again to backtrack Wellings' route to St. Pierre to discover whatever he may. Desmarais had accompanied him most of the way, but they had parted just North of St. Pierre, with Desmarais bound for the 'Dog and Durand to destinations unknown. William felt anxious. He crossed the room once to the window and looked out over the fields beyond. He crossed back to Wellings and he questioned his own wisdom in not bringing the doctor as he looked the man over. The man's color was poor to be sure, but Joshua's will alone seemed strong enough to sustain him. William gestured to Joshua's eye with an inquisitive look thrown in Villette's direction and the man explained that Wellings had been found lying in a rocky place in the road where he had fallen or been thrown from the stolen horse. William raised his head a little with closed eyes. "Twice shot and then to be injured from a fall." He made several inquiries about the injuries to Mister Wellings, hoping this would ease his decision. It didn't. William turned to the man and leaned close. "You know your own strength, Mister Wellings." Wellings opened his good eye and said, "Aye, sah." "We have come in haste and found you here with no doctor. Your wound is well wrapped, but the ball remains. A man so injured might do well in a place such as this, if a surgeon might be brought. Our surgeon awaits at St. Pierre, but she must be brought here to you or you to her. To bring here here I must send a messenger again to fetch her. To bring you there I must place you in a carriage and brave the poor road with you so wounded." Wellings swallowed once. "Sah, they are kind 'ere, bu' I would no' be lef' behind, sah." "Nor would we leave you, Mister Wellings." "I'll brave the carriage, sah." "Good fellow."

No, but we have tropical drinks...

Happy birthday to another member of the December Club!

Captain Jim pointed out to me that I was there in spirit, and he's right. If you look closely...

Very nice...

Niiiiice. That made me smile. It also explains why I craved bacon most of last week.

August 5, 1704 - Martinique The conversation between the proprietors and Dorian went slowly, even with the offered assistance of Monsieur Desmarais. It was explained that Joshua Wellings, like Tawny before him, had been discovered in the road. He had been brought immediately to Le Coq and tended to by those present; a Monsieur Villette, his wife and their niece. All that could be done to make him comfortable had been done and a messenger had been dispatched to St. Louis, only to discover the man's ship already departed. Joshua himself tried interjecting several times, and William's attempts to calm the man failed, not because of any fevered hysterics on the part of Wellings, but rather the contrary. Joshua simply wished to explain matters he deemed of more importance. Fearing that Joshua's urgency would cause him greater strain then the effort of talking, William urged him speak freely. "Go on, Mister Wellings. What would you have us know." "I'm sorry, Sah." Wellings began. "I could no' stop 'em." "None of that, Mister Wellings. Tell us what you can, from the beginning." "But, Sah...sen Oven is gone from prison an' 'e took..." William was already nodding. "Aye. We have some knowledge on that matter." He reassured Wellings that they knew of the escape and had evidences of some things at St. Louis and St. Pierre. Joshua confirmed the discovery of den Oven on the streets of St. Louis and the attack on Klaas Scymmelpenninck, but he had no knowledge of the Dutchman's unceremonious burial down the well. He was very troubled on this matter, having been blind-sided and stunned in the attack. "I though'..I thought 'e 'ad gone for 'elp..." Wellings looked a little stricken then, for had imagined Klaas still alive, having not found him after the initial attack. It grieved William to see the wounded man injured further by this news, but he asked him to explain all if he could. What followed was a narration that would never need embellishment to keep the attention of the most inattentive listener for years to come. Joshua Wellings, Ajayi Aboudon and Klaas Scymmelpenninck had been about their business in town when they came upon den Oven and his fellow conspirators quite by accident. They had all but passed the men on horseback in the dark when Scymmelpenninck put up the alarm, having recognized the Captain beneath the man's disguise. Everything happened quickly then. One of the riders had leveled a pistol at Joshua, but owing to the heavy weather of those few days, the powder of the pistol had been damp. So weak was it, that it discharged with a force too small to drive the ball through Joshua's face, but it went a long way to explaining the mean lump on his cheek and the strange stippling and burns that William and Dorian had failed to notice, due to the thoroughness of his caretakers. Dorian hissed both at the idea of the bruise and the uncommon luck of Mister Wellings, then said as much. William remarked that Joshua would feel the mark for a good two months at least, having been bruised on the bone himself many times before. They pressed Wellings to continue. Joshua explained that the shot to his face had over-righted him and he had crashed to the cobblestones, upsetting Ajayi as he did so. The two men had collapsed to the ground in a pile, with Joshua nearly unconscious. In that moment, all of his senses had been taken away and he couldn't be certain what had happened immediately following, being so utterly dazed by the closeness of the pistol shot. Indeed, he was half blinded at the time and his ears had rung for several hours afterward. He vaguely remembered some awful shouts and being kicked soundly in the side, which he later learned was a pistol ball. Still, he had returned to himself in time with the assistance of adrenaline, alarm, and the sound of his attackers taking flight again on horseback. He had decided then to set off on foot after them. He had done this for two reasons. First, Klaas and Ajayi had gone, for he could not find them in any direction that he searched, so he had surmised that the Dutchman and Yoruban were bound for the Watch Dog or a magistrate. As he himself had been laid out by pistol shot, he assumed that they had thought him dead and gone for help. He further surmised that it was beneficial to himself and the whole company to pursue the men to divine their course of escape that he might bring the news back to the Watch Dog. If his fellows were already in pursuit, he would be adding to their numbers by pursuit himself. Also, as he went, he had argued to himself that one or both of his companions might now be captive, so pursuit had been more important still. "Surely someone had heard...?" William offered. "Patrons o' Le Cavalier..." Dorian added. "Aye, sah. Many, sah...bu' I was blas'e' see? My wits no' abou' me. I di' no' wait..." "No one there would have known what happened in so short a span." William offered. "Aye, sah...so I ran. Ran af'er 'em, see?" "Aye." William agreed, though he could hardly imagine the man doing so, especially looking at him now. "Go on, Mister Wellings." "I foun' a man 'r two tha' 'ad seen 'em an' made my way, bu' I was slow, see, so I go' me a 'orse..." Joshua paused then, looking at the French marine before amending. "I stole i', sah." he said, softer than before. William looked at Monsieur Desmarais, who shrugged and said, "Acquis afin de la loi..." William smiled. "He says that it is nothing." "Go on, lad." Dorian said, reassuringly, for he could not imagine that the theft of a horse under such circumstances could amount to much, especially as Wellings looked to be dead well before... He didn't finish this thought. "Go on." "I don' know where I was, sah. I think I...I don' know, sah." "When did you learn of your wound here?" William asked, gesturing to Joshua's left side. "Don' know, sah. I' were raining, see...an' I was in me coat." "Wouldn't have felt the damp." Dorian said to William, who nodded. They both looked down at Joshua as William explained that den Oven had probably quit the island near St. Pierre owing to evidence discovered there. William further explained that Ajayi was not found and no word of him had come. Joshua was loathe to learn that he had passed though St. Pierre and the country beyond in a daze of blood loss, only to have travelled well beyond the conspirators. "Sorry, sah." Wellings said, more than once. "What reason could you have for apologies, Mister Wellings?" William said, saddened to hear such words come out of the broken, misused man before him. "You have done more in injury than anyone might do." "Here, here." Dorian added. "You rest, lad. Rest easy." Joshua did so, his eyes closed from fatigue, weakness and self doubts he couldn't quite escape and the Captains turned aside in conference.

Seconded.

Blast it all. Still no word about my Bamboo Cup from 2007. That was a gift. I'm almost certain that I left it on the ramparts after the battle... ...I loved that cup.

Will this serve...?

August 5, 1704 William and Dorian were not familiar with the many pockets of civilization which existed North of St. Pierre. They watched villages and plantations pass by as they made their way up the coast. The road was poor in places, owing to the encroaching jungle and the recent rains. They could soon see the church of St. Joseph and the outskirts of Ville du Le Precheur looming, but before reaching the village itself, they slowed and stopped before a modest looking place that served as a drinking house for two neighboring plantations. It was a converted barn of sorts and the establishment seemed to take full advantage of this by utilizing stables on one side for the convenience of its patrons. It was painted plainly everywhere but at the front. Here it was an uncommon red and it carried a sign which bore the name Le Coq. Understanding at once that this was the place they were to rendezvous, they departed the carriage with haste, though William was troubled a little in his course. One of his legs had fallen asleep and it was all but dead for the first few strides. Dorian made the door before William and held it for them both. They went in together with their guide following. Le Coq was bright place within. Doors at either side of the establishment were left open to let the air through. It had an earthy smell mixed with wood and rum, and under any other circumstance, William and Dorian would have liked the place at once. Monsieur Desmarais gestured to a place at the back. "Capitaines..." They crossed the room, observed only by two customers at that hour. They passed beyond two great tables and a fireplace of mammoth proportions to find a French marine standing guard before an open doorway. Beyond him lay the modest, but bright quarters of the proprietor and here on a table covered with straw and thick blankets lay their missing man, Joshua Wellings. The man and women attending to him were obliged to step aside as William and Dorian each went to a different side of the table. They searched his features for signs of distress and were not pleased to see that his color was less promising than Monsieur Desmarais had described. He had a bandage on his left forearm which seemed to cover some minor injury. He was bare chested and heavily bandaged, with a great deal of blood staining the wrappings at his left side. His right cheek had a mean, bruised lump covered over with broken blood vessels and his left eye was horribly swollen, so that it looked as ripe as a plum. The rest of him seemed fine, but for some minor cuts and scrapes elsewhere. The lower half of his frame was wrapped carefully in fresh linen and their were signs everywhere else that he had been tended to with great care. "Merci, Monsieur...Dames." William said quietly, but it was enough that Joshua opened his one good eye. "Cap'n." he said hoarsely, and actually smiled. William gripped the man's good arm. Joshua turned a little to see Dorian. "You're bleeding, sah." Back at St. Pierre The long boat passed within speaking distance of the jollywatt. Eric Franklin tipped his hat a little in Bill's direction and called across the water. "I hear ya did good service, Mister Flint!" "Aye!" Bill returned, and Eric snorted at this understated reply. "Carry on, my good fellow." he replied, shaking his head a little. They continued in their course and the longboat soon bumped up against the docks at St. Pierre. Eric Franklin went up first and assisted Miss O'Treasaigh and Miss Smith up the ladder. They were joined by Alan Woodington, Manus Hingerty and Pascal. Eric raised his hat in salute to Ciaran aloft on the 'Dog and the small band made their way into the throng.

I know a guy that knows a guy. It has some delicious fighting scenes. I love the 'hot shot' scene.

I'm adding Alatriste for reasons too obvious to count.

Brilliant! You have one of the best collections of fun pictures William. I still think of that one of you in the lockup now and again. You remove one mattress tag...

That, we have.

PIP. It's like a vortex trapping everyone who experiences it.