William Brand

But of course...

A dingy at the very least.

A little something for the Insomniacs Club...

July 30, 1704 - St. Louis, Martinique "Thank you." William said, and his smile was a genuine one. "I shall leave you to your reading then, Miss O'Treasaigh." He turned, inclining his head a little at the door and she echoed the gesture with a curtsy. He replaced his hat again as he went out into the bright afternoon. Claude was standing with both hands on his musket, watching Bill pace back and forth on the quiet street. The man's agitation had not quited in William's absence, but Bill stopped and joined Claude and the Captain when they went on to the jeweler's shop. As they went, William made a gift of two biscuits each to the marines, keeping the preserves for a more appropriate opportunity at table. Claude ate with appreciative sounds, glad to have fresh fare ashore, not that they suffered much under the shadow of Mister Lazarus. Supper on the 'Dog was well prepared, but eating in the afternoon sun in the civilization cut out of the Martinique jungles was something else entirely. They walked and ate and no one among them made conversation. They passed a few people, but not many along the random roads they chose to the higher districts. When they arrived at the shop of Monsieur Molyneaux, William again asked them to wait out of doors while he went in to fetch another portion of that coin in the Frenchmen's keeping. Five bells of the Afternoon Watch ~Larboard Watches on Duty

"Dire...yes. We exchanged ordinance as a matter of courtesy." William said, casually enough. "We were fortunate. Seldom have a seen so few lost to take such a prize." "And...what was the cost, Captain Brand?" "An able seaman and a boy." he returned, and he did not elaborate.

"Thank you. No." he refused politely, and he noticed something suddenly in her bearing that wasn't there before. Something had changed almost instantly and William thought it might be the book itself. Perhaps she found the subject of midwifery demeaning in some fashion, and this troubled him. He hoped his second gift might make up for this unforeseen faux pah, and he reached into the satchel and retrieved another small book. This one was bound in leather , but for one torn corner. The cover was stamped with the words "Ars chirurgica: A compendium of the theory and practice of chirurgery" and at the bottom of the cover were the words "London" and "Dawks" followed by the date 1699. "This particular tome was nearly killed in a recent exchange." William explained as he thumbed the damaged corner. "Our quartergalley was struck by cannon fire and more than a few books were deckled by it. This one is written by a Doctor William Salmon of London, and while I believe some of his work is antiquated, he is concise. Our Doctor keeps too fine a library not to consider this work an afterthought, so better for it to serve somewhere where it might do some good." he said as he passed her the second book.

^ A raven. More raucous and a fine mimic. < I've nursed a few back to health, so I have an affinity for such birds. V I'll pass the question on.

"Captain Lasseter is quite well, though he spends his recovery in revolution between work and rest." William said, removing his hat as much out of courtesy as to escape the heat, for his frock coat made the day unbearable, but the decorum of the coat was required for some of the circles he would visit that day. He inclined his head a little in place of a bow. "How is it with you, Miss O'Treasaigh?" "Well, Captain." she said smiling, and she made an attempt to dust some flour from her dress, but succeeded only in adding to it. "Good, good." William returned, and for a moment there followed a silence, for William seemed to have forgotten his errand. "Was there something...?" she began in an attempt to prime the conversation once more, and he crossed to the shop table, reaching into the satchel he carried with him. "I recently had the opportunity to peruse my modest library on the Watch Dog, where I discovered some several volumes which may be of interest to you." He plucked out a worn publication that was bound in heavy paper and dog-eared from either readings, time or both. "I have always been possessed of curiosities as touching the sciences, and I have had occasion to gather many varied and mixed texts. This one in particular is of little use to myself, or to the ship...as it touches on subjects of childbirth." He handed it to her and she flushed a little as he did so. He wasn't sure how to take this, but he smiled and continued. "It is written down by one Charles de Saint Germain of Paris, though I imagine that Monsieur de Saint Germain is probably buried beneath some spot of grass near Paris by now, for this volume was printed nearly a half century ago. It might contain but a little information, which scholars more modern have already corrected, but it might serve."

When I first read the story, there was no picture included and I thought "It must be one awful picture". I did not imagine a stupid plastic pirate hat and a Mister Goodbar cup. This is what I was thinking...

to reveal the note

I have added my cartridge box from Captain Midnight to my kit and it is marvelous. I love the little things in a kit which make it look finished. Like a frigate.

Originally Posted by AP via MSNBC This is the offending picture...and yes, it is silly.

You would just need to film some pre-PIP shots throughout the year. Perhaps ten to fifteen minutes at most that would be trimmed down. You could then ship them to me by mail prior to PIP or deliver them to me at the festival. You could also film yourself talking about the trip in route on the plane, by car or by bus. This would also be added to the film. In fact, I'd love to have video of people travelling in garb like Patrick.

^ Sandals. Cheap velcro sandals are great for rock climbing. < I'm wearing a pair now despite the rain outside. I also spilled cold water on my foot earlier. V Have you been rockclimbiing before?

I can actually do most of the Port Royal stuff there, taking members of your group aside to ask them questions about preparation. I can also film the camp setup and then the finished display afterwards, so we can mix this quite easily with the rest.

Have your girlfriend tape you giving brief comments about your projects and expectations about PIP. Try to formulate specific thoughts as you go, so we have some nice sound bites. She can also film you working with no dialogue which can be transposed with audio from other shots to make it more interesting. Feel free to shoot too much video if you need to. A volume of information can be trimmed down fairly easily and you shouldn't worry too much about the quality. Good audio is the most important, so speak clearly. Also, mix up the shots with wide shots and very close or tight shots. Variety will give the editors more to work with.

Remember, audio and lighting are paramount to quality video. Whenever possible, use a clip on microphone and test lighting for picture quality before recording the final shots. If you have questions, we can discuss the dos and don'ts of video.

July 30, 1704 - St. Louis, Martinique Four bells of the Afternoon Watch William also made his departure from the docks, anxious to complete all that he could by nightfall. He took his leave of the shore party, taking Claude Marchande along as escort. He and Claude went immediately up the main thoroughfare and were not quite 50 paces up the lane when William spied Bill Flint in an attitude momentum that threatened everyone before him. His face appeared to be at once void of emotion and fraught throughout with it. It stormed subtly on his face as he waded down through the crowd. William paused, and waited for Bill to reach him along his course. Bill almost passed him unobserved and William wasn't certain if he found this humorous or not. "Mister Flint." Bill Flint stopped short, and gave William a salute. There was a kind of abruptness in the gesture which gave William pause. It was obvious that the man was upset and William considered letting him travel on his way, but for a morbid curiosity that suddenly sparked. "Is anything the matter, Mister Flint?" "No, sah." he returned almost too quickly, and again William almost let him travel on, but again he paused. This time he considered how much the man's stature might serve him, and his surly mood so much the better, if surly it was. "Mister Flint, I require you to follow me on an errand of importance." Bill said nothing for a moment and perhaps he was trying to find cause enough to refuse an order from the captain, but in the end he nodded. "Aye, sah." William called down to Mister Pew, standing among the small band at the docks. "Mister Flint is with me, Mister Pew." Then they went, the three of them, and William turned them upon a less frequented street which served more residencies than businesses. It was a modest street, not too wide, but also not too narrow. It was well kept and lined with the second story homes common to this district. At one of the many intersections along this street stood a pale blue building with a modest sign and window which advertised both medicines and knitted goods. "Please wait here, gentlemen." he said, leaving Claude and Bill on the threshold of the establishment as he stepped inside. ~Larboard Watches on Duty~

^ I like pistachios. < I had a pretty good day today finding rare texts and looking for some period materials. V What historical find were you most pleased with?

Well, Bilgemunky, I couldn't be happier to add you ro the roll call. Consider it done and let us know if you need anything else.

It was suggested that we might consider a short film project for Pirates in Paradise showing people preparing and then participating in the festival. How many of you would be interested in filming your various preparations (i.e., tent making, costume sewing, gun crafting, etc.)? We would then collect the various parts and put together a twenty or thirty minute film on PIP '07. I have two brothers who do video editing professionally, so we have our post production team, but I would need people to film themselves separately prior to PIP. We will also be filming some raids and camp activities as part of the documentary.

^ Born in the Pacific Northwest in apple country. < I just had my first grapple last week. Maeve says they taste like grape perfume. V Have you had a grapple?

That is excellent. Thank you for the link.

^ I'm spontaneous, so I could go either way. < The weather is almost too nice to be indoors. V Do you picnic?

Excellent...we'll work out your accomodations. Does anyone have a spare tent?