William Brand

I'm craving a good shepherds pie, myself.

It's my pleasure. I'm an advocate of pie.

Are you bringing the small one for sale?

I agree. Straw would be a nice addition. Could someone who is driving bring a few straw bales. I'm not sure how accessible it would be in Key West. I seem to recall the subject of straw coming up once before.

We should begin the checklist of clothing, starting with shirts. Who has period shirts, and do you have enough for the camp? I have two linen shirts and I shall probably have a third made.

And something with meat...

Perhaps a week of pie is in order. We'll run the gambit of deep dish baked goods. We'll start with a boysenberry...

I have added bloodydavycash and capt_sparrow to the tentative list for PIP. I should be adding a few more very soon.

We're on the same page. That's what I meant by rough circle. The camp will have a fire pit as a central hub, with one or two lanes for foot traffic and public access.

The pleasure is all mine, and since requests seem to be the order of the day, I would like some blueberry pie.

I'm a thicker fellow. No model-thin actor could play me. Russell Crowe is about my height and mass. I like the way he played Lucky Jack, so I'd be flattered to be played by him. Apart from him, I couldn't say. I have been told I have Val Kilmer's nose, and so if he's reading here today, I want mine back and I'm willing to negotiate a trade.

Aye. No worries. As far as the camp, we probably won't be lined up in such an orderly line, at least not entirely. We were lined up primarily for space issues in the fort, so I imagine we'll be in more of a rough circle at best now that we are out under the trees. The exact setup will only be determined once we are there and we can place each tent according to the various advantages of the ground.

The first model ship I ever owned was a wooden model of the Cutty Sark.

From what I understand so far, mine may be the only wedge tent in attendance. The largest of the wedge tents featured in Patrick's pictures, was actually the Red Coat tent from that year. It housed several soldiers. The other wedge belonged to Mike and Andria, who will not be in attendance this year, though my brother may borrow it. Still, the issue of tent placement will be determined as much by arrival as anything. The encampment will be spread over a small area, and like most camps, each spot will be chosen for the best ground for each tent. The effect of the overall camp will have enough variety that no one tent will look either out of the way, or stand out beyond any others. The other props, and the presence of us as pirates, will determine the look of the camp anyway. It was and is a good subject of concern, and I have no doubt that the camp will be perfect.

Icing a sore tendon in my wrist and typing one handed.

1 is a lie - I did not get into a fist fight with a guy who sexually assualted a friend of mine while I was dressed as the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse. He punched me, but he hurt himself on the armor I was wearing.

I'll make it easy. I'll put my elegant, commanding, well made, and utterly plain wedge tent in the middle. That way all of those sleeping in the other tents can defend my tent during night raids while I get dressed. No seriously, I wouldn't mind putting the wedge towards the back. I like the variety near the outer parts of the camp. Besides, the camp will be so much larger this year and include so many new pirates and set dressing, that any tents considered otherwise to ordinary will be lost in the overall picture of the encampment.

July 30, 1704 - The House of the Particular Governor The surroundings in which William and Bill found themselves were astonishing, not as much for their decorations, as for the austere lack of them. There was an unexplainable wealth expressed by the magnitude of emptiness that greeted them in the outer chambers of the Particular Governor's place of work. The place was decorated with a few works of art, to be sure, but many of the walls in the building seemed "underdressed" in William's estimation, though part of him appreciated the minimalism of the surroundings. They were led through several rooms, some occupied with secretaries, personal attendants, and servants of the house. They were greeted only by a few, and then only with a nod or a polite truncated bow, for they were seen as what they were. The relative newcomers in the game of local politics. Finally, they reached a room which made all of the others pale by comparison. It was a sort of carpeted hall with a vaulted ceiling rising two thirds as high as the rest of the building and faced entirely with large windows on one side. The glass alone was worth no small penny-weight, not to mention the view of the garden that the windows afforded. This wall of glass faced Northerly, allowing significant indirect light and a view of the sunbathed paths of a manicured garden to rival Versailles. William and Bill were left standing in this room facing the view, and only when the secretary who had escorted made his retreat, did they turn to see the real wealth of the room. A smile, large and revealing, spread on William's face, for the entire Southern wall of the room was spread with books and paintings. Several hundred volumes at least were present along the shelves which complemented the opposite windows area for area. Huge framed works of art filled the overhanging spaces of the room, washed with the afternoon light reflected off the gardens. "I would enjoy pirating this place, very much, Mister Flint." William said very quietly. "Aye, sah." Bill returned, smiling less than William, but no less distracted. William's first reaction was to walk directly to the bookcases and begin perusing titles by theme and author, but decorum suggested that this was both forward and that it might be considered an affront to the privacy of the collection, no matter how public the house might be. William allowed himself to drift only a foot or two, pulled forward by the gravity of the volumes before him, and this allowed him to see a few titles printed along the spines of the inviting tomes. Many of the volumes were bound and numbered as sets, having no titles at all, and it was obvious at a glance that most were comparative sets of information or ledgers. Some were uniquely bound and worn almost to decay. Others were new editions which still bore the fine gold and silver of blind-stamping. Most of these bore French titles or the names of French authors, and William thought that the marine at his left might enjoy any of these more than he might. Still, had he been offered such a treasure of words, he would have spent another month at Martinique in happy translation. William was again considering a drift in his location on the rug, when a door to the room opened and closed again with the arrival of Monsieur Nicolas de Gabaret, Particular Governor of Martinique. Monsieur Gabaret stood almost the same height as William, but well below Mister Flint. For a man of high station, he was simply dressed, though his clothing was as well tailored as might be found in the New World. His face showed the lines of a man careworn by the weight of many offices and even more responsibilities, but his smile belied the charm necessary to remain in office for so many years. "Bon après-midi, messieurs." "Bon après-midi, gouverneur." they returned. "I am to speak with one...Captian Brand, oui?" "Oui." William returned, and they exchanged a nod. "S'il Vous Plaît." the Governor said, gesturing to two of several empty chairs. "What brings you now to Martinique, Captian?" "If I may..." William began, and he retrieved several documents from the satchel he had brought with him. He passed these to the Governor. "As you can see by these documents, I have come to Martinique by way of His Grace." The Governor examined each document with the practiced art of one who has read thousands of such certificates. He nodded almost at once, having sighted the signatures of each marque above all of other words before him. He looked up again with an expression which said 'Continue'. "I have come on an errand of the utmost importance to me and to my crew. We are seeking your permission, Gouverneur Gabaret, to take from your prison some dozen or more men to serve aboard the Watch Dog and Heron, two of our ships here at Martinique." William explained, and he looked to Mister Flint for clarification in French. Bill repeated all and William watched the Governor closely as he did so. The governor simply nodded, and perhaps he smiled a little to hear the regional dialect made obvious in Bill's voice, but William couldn't be certain. "Zees men are prisoners of France." the Governor stated matter-of-factly as he now read each marque with a more discerning eye. "I trust I need not translate...?" "Non, Gouverneur." The Governor continued reading and there followed a long silence as he read each Marque in full. He was still reading when he began asking several questions in quick succession. "You have with you some hollandais...ehh...dutch?" "Oui, Gouverneur." "Also, you have some Anglais et Français, non...?" "Oui, Gouverneur. We have in our company some several Frenchmen...and English and Dutch in equal parts." "Noirs?" "Oui. We have but one." "Only one, Captian?" he returned, somewhat surprised that the two ships should have but one among so many. "He is large enough to be counted as two." William said by way of explanation, and the Governor smiled a little, watching William with the focus common to his office. "Zeez prisoners...zeez enemies of France...will you maintain zem? Can you guarantee control of zem?" "Non." William returned with simple honesty, and this above all else, conjured a nod from the Governor more absolute than any before. He fixed William with an appraising look and neither men spoke for a long time. "You have brought us many prisoners already, Captian." And William could see that he had secured a foothold in the Governor already, but he played the game of questions with his usual frankness. "Oui." William agreed. "Let me exchange for them a dozen from your prison whose loyalties to England have faded in the dark. I will alter them by...fortune." "Prison sometimes hardens a man's...résolution." William nodded. "We are possessed of an excellent cook." This made the Governor smile more than anything William had said before. "You are pragmatic, Monsieur." "I live on the sea, Gouverneur." The conversation continued, but the argument was won. Assurances passed between the two men, with Bill Flint sometimes translating the particulars of the arrangement. They were also joined by several secretaries who documented the proceedings in a more permanent fashion. When all was finished, William and Bill left the House of the Particular Governor with some seven documents in their possession that would allow them to hand pick their share of recruits from the prison of Fort Royal. First Watch Begins ~Larboard Watches on Duty~

I wish I had a second camera to lend you just for you leg of the trip. You need to befriend a travelling companion who wants to be a pirate and has lots of video equipment.

I'm giving you a larger share.

I try not to think about it, or I lay awake wringing my hands with evil laughter. I really hope we can get the raid boats for some night attacks.

You should bring sunscreen if you burn easily. Bring a sense of humor and a pension for violence.

I could use a little fruit of the pig right about now. Aye. Something salty.

Whenever people post weapon images, the crow in me gets all giddy. Shiney...things...must...have...for...me...many... And so forth.

Ah yes...a Pyrate of the Coast. I will update the roll call.