William Brand

Round two begins in a few hours, so get yourselves up and about people.

August 1, 1704 - Martinique The clothier proved a fair man, if not a generous one. The volume of clothes for the men was such that he made a good profit that day, so he set the clothing at market price that was as good as William might have found anywhere else. Besides, the clothes were new and well made, so William paid the store keeper and moved the recruits to the next shop on his list. The men were surprised to find themselves under the dripping eaves of a cobbler's shop. By now it was after 3:30 of the afternoon. The day was quickly going and William meant to have the men aboard before nightfall. He left them under the leaning porch and went in to speak with the proprietor. Once William and the wiry Frenchmen had come to an arrangement, he sent the men into the shop in pairs to be measured and fitted with good working shoes. "Noah vóór de Bak." Marinus said to no one in particular. "Pardon...?" Pascal asked, sounding very French in a single word. "I believe he said 'Noah before the Ark'...or words after that kind." William explained in a humorless tone as he squinted into the rain. It showed no signs of slowing and he muttered something that neither of them could understand. In the end, the task of fitting the men with shoes went on until it had consumed the better part of an hour. It was a dirty affair, for while the men were washed, they had tramped about in the mud a great deal the last few hours. By the time they were finished the shop floor was covered in muddy footprints and William was obliged to pay the shopkeeper an added sum to have a cleaning woman put the shop right when the weather cleared. It went a long way to improving the shopkeeper's mood. Now the recruits stood all together in a makeshift line and William liked what he saw. I few of them looked to be a little frail for the present, but they were a determined looking bunch and well dressed for the life aboard ship. "Oilskins will come later, lads, I am sorry to say. We'll make our way to a coffee house along the docks and I'll see what can be done in the way of hammocks and coats." They went with him and they seemed to be in good spirits for so many half-drowned cats...or in this case...Dogs. ~Larboard Watches on Duty~

William steps from the pandemonium to check the kitchen. So many steaming pots and bubbling dishes.

Hugh will have powder available.

"Mind the tables! Three points to Starboard!"

In 2005 I didn't see one mosquito. I saw one house fly and dozens of dragonflies.

Of the new people who join, what is the ratio of spammers to actual pirates. It seems like we get about ten or more new spammers a week to every one new pirate.

"End of the room! Come about!"

William joins in. "Hard to Larboard!"

Put down that prybar and step away. That's the capstan and it stays.

Mind the candles!

August 1, 1704 - Martinique Louis, Pascal and Marinus Olyslaeger arrived at La Cuvette even as William had determined he could wait no longer for them. William dismissed Louis and Owen to whatever debaucheries awaited them, and even paid them for their meal and drinks at 'The Trough'. They left in good spirits and Owen even managed a smile. It was as bent a thing as he was. "Three minutes, Gentlemen." William, Pascal and Marinus waited those few minutes under the eves outside, watching a rain which made Martinique anyplace and everyplace on Earth. Pascal was thinking of Marce, France. Marinus was thinking of Tiburg. It was easest for William. the downpour made Martinque look like Palestine during the former rains, what with the palm trees and the almost Mediterranean style architecture. All of their thoughts were interrupted by a brutish man that came out of the alleyway kicking a three-legged dog. He did not seem to like the attention of the three onlookers and said as much in so many French curses. Pascal said nothing and William only raised an eyebrow, but Marinus saluted the many with an obscene gesture that crossed all cultural barriers. The man was not amused, but he went away just the same. "That was not the Particular Governor." William said as an afterthought, and Pascal snorted. Less than an hour later William was surrounded by half clad men climbing into or out of new clothes. The recruits tried on shirts, slops and waistcoats in an ongoing parade of sizing. There were piles of clothes everywhere and the shopkeeper and his assistants were made to move about fetching and carrying. Most of the men were thin from their time in the prison, but William understood that many of them would fill in again once they had a fill of good food and work, so he reminded the shopkeeper to be mindful that every man was given clothes that could be tailored at sea without too much trouble. Most of the men were gracious about the whole business, but Oliver Randall actually took the time to admire every article of clothing in the shop's long mirror, turning this way and that to see how each piece flattered him. He plucked at the collar and cuffs of one very plain shirt as if it were made of silk. Francis Roundtree shook his head and scolded, "One day out o' the cage an' already the peacock." "Captain says there are women aboard." Oliver returned knowingly, unaware that William was almost at his elbow. "That may be so, Mister Randall." William said at once, a gentle warning in his tone "...but mind yourself. These are clothes for the working day." Oliver flushed. "Sorry, sah. Meant no harm, sah." "That will do, Mister Randall." William said, dismissing the conversation at once, though he laughed a little inside to think of Oliver courting any of the women on the 'Dog. Most of them would probably laugh at the idea, for the man was no prize to look at. Pascal leaned in to William then and suggested that some of the men might be overdue a little female companionship. William nodded, but said nothing and Pascal made no more mention of it. The shopkeeper signaled to William and he went over to assess the cost of all this recruiting.

Bugbar...? No. You were muttering something about a Hessian with one arm and a dog with only three legs. The rest was difficult to understand.

Some bad weather down in Syren's neck of the woods has kept her away tonight, so we're going all week and into the weekend. And more pinatas!

I couldn't find a genuine Mariachi Band in these parts, so I made one... Kind of creepy.

WELCOME! This is the glorious day when people the world over celebrate the birth of our very own Miss Tribbiani. Known throughout these parts as Syren. She's been called delightful, charming, beautiful and a joy to know. Raise a glass to my very dear friend, Treasure. Salud.

Perhaps I haven't been clear. You have been relieved of duty. You are to report to that comfy looking chair near the window for the purpose of eating curly fries and relaxing until such time as we can warm up a bath in the tent near the lagoon and find a mariachi band.

Aye. You can help by sitting in front of a warm fire near an airy window while eating curly fries. Save yourself for dancing later.

Ahhhh...something a little spicy. Excellent.

Two years...? I've heard of stowaways, but two years? Wow. A very belated welcome aboard to you and may you linger awhile above decks.

Maybe for lunch...but I'm talking about a banquet for all of your friends. You need to dig a little deeper and come up with something exotic. Meanwhile, I'll cook up some curly fries.

And what would our birthday girl like to eat for her natal day dinner?

The main problem in celebrating your birthday is deciding whether or not you should be the one to come out of your own cake at the finale.

William Moore. He was made famous as the gunner of William Kidd. William Moore was killed by Kidd during an arguement over a Dutch ship when Kidd struck him with an ironbound bucket, fracturing Moore's skull.

I foresee a lot of mermaid cakes coming out of the kitchen today...