PIRATES FOR DUMMIES

[justguidelines]

So, you want to be a pirate. Or you're looking to go privateer and taking some pirates down. Well, gather 'round, children, and I will learn you a thing. This here is a guide to historical pirates, per the Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean, circa 1650-1730. Here you'll find the Code they operated under, their ranks, pay-grades, election processes, superstitions, diet, what they did on shore leave, slang, maritime code concerning colors, and any and everything else I can think of. Though Pirates of the Caribbean kind of skewed history a bit, this is the way my Barbossa operates himself, since they're supposed to be working during the last days of the Golden Age.

Firstly, to be a pirate, or to catch a pirate, you have to know what a pirate really is, and why they do as they do. There are many terms for 'pirates', but there are important differences with each one, which tells a lot about how a crew operates and who they're likely to attack.

Pirates are just what you think: Thieves with a boat. -Er, ship. They swear fealty to no nation, and therefore have no nation's support. When asked where they come from, a pirate will answer, 'From the sea,' because being a pirate means leaving shore life behind, for the most part. They were known to attack ships and coastal towns with no thought of their country of origin, and sometimes held prisoners for ransom.

Buccaneers is a term that was specific to pirates and privateers of the late 1600s. The word comes from the French boucan, which was a type of smoked meat found in Hispaniola during that time period. Basically, these guys got their start selling provisions to ships, but realized there was a lot more money to be made pirating. Eventually they were recruited by privateers to fight the Spanish.

Corsairs was a term used by the English for foreign pirates, usually Turkish or French. They were known to sell prisoners into slavery, and wouldn't attack ships of their country's origin. It was also considered a very terrible insult to the English during the Golden Age.

Privateers were kind of pirates, except they worked for one nation or another. Typically they were encouraged to attack ships, ports, and interests of enemy nations, and in return got to a) pirate, and b) keep part of the plunder. These 'pirates' would never attack their sponsoring country's vessels or interests, or any they were not directly told was up for grabs.

Picaroons are the least favorited of the species, and for good reason. These guys, when not sacking ships and settlements, typically dabbled in the slave trade to make a little extra money. Considering quite a few pirate crews were runaway slaves and most pirate-friendly ports at the time banned slavery altogether, they found it a little hard to make friends.

Other terms that were common, and applied to all were freebooter, jack tar, jack afloat, sea rover, seaman, windjammer, tar, jacky, salt, and water dog. Most of these deal with the profession of sailing, such as tar and jack tar, as a type of tar was used as caulking on the decks of ships, and sleeping on deck would leave a man with streaks of tar down his back. Others are fairly self-evident.

In the end and no matter the title, however, these guys were in it for one reason: Money. Typically, the Navy and merchant marines paid a pittance and worked their sailors overly-hard, and as is discussed a bit further down in the section on pay rates and daily life, pirates did it better. The chance of making money with a fair shake was far greater as an outlaw, than an honest sailor. And, of course, it took a certain kind of person to stomach that kind of work, true enough, but those that could found they could make money hand over fist.

The Code was, first and foremost, a code of conduct for how to act. It was also known as a ship's articles, and while each ship kept their own version, all were pretty much built along the same ground rules, as introduced in the 17th Century by Bartolomeu Português. Also called the Articles of Agreement, they were what a sailor signed when he decided to go 'on the account' with a pirate crew, which was a very piratey tongue-in-cheek way of saying 'becoming a pirate' or 'going on the account for one's self'.

I. Every man has a vote in affairs of moment; has equal title to the fresh provisions, or strong liquors, at any time seized, and may use them at pleasure, unless a scarcity (not an uncommon thing among them) makes it necessary, for the good of all, to vote a retrenchment.
II. Every man to be called fairly in turn, by list, on board of prizes because, (over and above their proper share) they were on these occasions allowed a shift of clothes: but if they defrauded the company to the value of a dollar in plate, jewels, or money, marooning was their punishment. If the robbery was only betwixt one another, they contented themselves with slitting the ears and nose of him that was guilty, and set him on shore, not in an uninhabited place, but somewhere, where he was sure to encounter hardships.
III. No person to game at cards or dice for money.
IV. The lights and candles to be put out at eight o'clock at night: if any of the crew, after that hour still remained inclined for drinking, they were to do it on the open deck.
V. To keep their piece, pistols, and cutlass clean and fit for service.
VI. No boy or woman to be allowed amongst them. If any man were to be found seducing any of the latter sex, and carried her to sea, disguised, he was to suffer death; (so that when any fell into their hands, as it chanced in the Onslow, they put a sentinel immediately over her to prevent ill consequences from so dangerous an instrument of division and quarrel; but then here lies the roguery; they contend who shall be sentinel, which happens generally to one of the greatest bullies, who, to secure the lady's virtue, will let none lie with her but himself.)
VII. To desert the ship or their quarters in battle, was punished with death or marooning.
VIII. No striking one another on board, but every man's quarrels to be ended on shore, at sword and pistol. (The quarter-master of the ship, when the parties will not come to any reconciliation, accompanies them on shore with what assistance he thinks proper, and turns the disputant back to back, at so many paces distance; at the word of command, they turn and fire immediately, (or else the piece is knocked out of their hands). If both miss, they come to their cutlasses, and then he is declared the victor who draws the first blood.)
IX. No man to talk of breaking up their way of living, till each had shared one thousand pounds. If in order to this, any man should lose a limb, or become a cripple in their service, he was to have eight hundred dollars, out of the public stock, and for lesser hurts, proportionately.
X. The Captain and Quartermaster to receive two shares of a prize: the master, boatswain, and gunner, one share and a half, and other officers one and quarter.
XI. The musicians to have rest on the Sabbath Day, but the other six days and nights, none without special favour.

The above is, of course, the bare bones of the code, and there were variations from ship to ship, which would provide standards for marooning:

II. If any Man shall offer to run away, or keep any Secret from the Company, he shall be marooned with one Bottle of Powder, one Bottle of Water, one small Arm, and Shot.
III. If any Man shall steal any Thing in the Company, or game, to the Value of a Piece of Eight, he shall be marooned or shot.

Punishment:

V. That Man that shall strike another whilst these Articles are in force, shall receive Moses’ Law (that is, 40 Stripes lacking one) on the bare Back.
VI. That Man that shall snap his Arms, or smoke Tobacco in the Hold, without a Cap to his Pipe, or carry a Candle lighted without a Lanthorn, shall suffer the same Punishment as in the former Article.
VII. That Man shall not keep his Arms clean, fit for an Engagement, or neglect his Business, shall be cut off from his Share, and suffer such other Punishment as the Captain and the Company shall think fit.

Rewarding a sharp eye:

VIII. He that sees a Sail first, shall have the best Pistol or Small Arm aboard of her.

And concealing that you are, in fact, part of a pirate crew:

III. That no man shall open, or declare to any person or persons, who they are, or what designs they are upon; and any persons so offending shall be punished with immediate death.

The written form of the code could be found tacked to the door of the ship's Grand Cabin, which, of course, was the captain's quarters. Whether a man could read or not wasn't the issue, as someone could, and the articles were what was explained to them and sworn in on when a man joined. So there was no excuse of ignorance to a ship's policies.

In addition to this, the Pirates of the Caribbean films also introduces a few things not included in the historical code, which includes the following:

I. Rule one, befriend others wisely.
II. The Right of Parlay
III. Artycle II, Section I, Paragraph VIII (sharing of the spoils)
IV. Artycle II, Section II, Paragraph I (whoever first spotted a treasure-laden ship could choose the best pistol for themselves)
V. Every crew member is to have an equal share in any treasure found
VI. Any man who falls behind is left behind
VII. An act of war and parley with adversaries may only be declared by the Pirate King, who could only be elected by popular vote by all nine Pirate Lords.
VIII. Any person who refuses to serve aboard a pirate's ship must die.
IX. Trading for products fair and square mean the seller can do as they like, including resell at profit.

In this fictional version of the code, eye-patch colors and peg leg sizes are regulated, along with the implication that a pirate never gives another pirate away.

Sailing in the late 17th-early 18th Centuries was dangerous. It was incredibly close quarters, there was always a chance of going overboard, getting hung in the rigging, and no matter what side you were on, getting killed by oncoming cannon and gunfire. Then there were the storms, rough seas, and the fact that most sailors of the time couldn't swim, because superstition was that it was tempting fate to do so.

All in all, not a job for the faint of heart.

Regardless, and while this is in no way comprehensive as there is simply too much to cover for a quick-read pirate primer, here are some commonly used naval/pirate terms for sailing, and what they cover. If you're going to sail a ship, you have to know how to give/follow orders, right?

Aboard: Actually physically on the ship. To 'come aboard' meant to get on the ship. It also meant in the ship, such as supplies and swag (yes, that was a pirate word #yoho) below the decks in the main belly of the ship, called the hold.

Aloft: Overhead, such as the rigging (ropes and pulleys and such) or the sails.

Beam: The width of the ship at its absolutely widest, which for most was right smackdab in the middle.

Bearing: Also kind of known as a heading, this is the path from point a on the compass, to point be. Where you're going. Your 'bearings' or 'heading'.

Belay: There are two meanings here, so a sailor has to be paying attention. On one hand, it means to make something secure ('BELAY THAT GUN.'). On the other, it means to disregard the previous order ('NAY, BELAY THAT.').

Bells/Eight Bells: A measure of thirty minutes time. Ships used half-hour hourglasses to mark the time and when it was turned to start again, the ship's bell was rung to alert the crew another thirty minutes had passed. Pirate ships typically worked in four hours on-four hours off shifts, so when the bell had rung eight times ('eight bells') it meant your shift was over, or was about to start.

Bilge: This is the bottom most part of the boat, in the hull. Oftentimes it was filled with stagnant sea water that could rarely be gotten out, except for a good cleaning, in which the ship was stripped of its sails and turned on its side in the water. Bilge water was often use to mean a really crappy drink, and bilge rat was a pretty awful insult.

Binnacle: This was a box typically kept at the helm (the ship's wheel) that held the compasses and quadrants of the ship. Also, crewmen who were sick and injured and in the sick bay of the ship were added to a list that was also added daily to the box (called a binnacle list) for the captain to scan over when/if he took the helm, to let him know who was missing and why.

Boom: The horizontal pole the sails were attached to.

Bow: The front of the boat. The very front, where it comes to a point. The pole extending straight forward overhanging the figurehead was called a bowsprit.

Broadside: This is firing all guns (cannons) along one side of a ship while sitting side-by-side with the one you're fighting. The orders given would be variations of "Prepare to broadside," and "Fire all".

Careen: Ships don't magically stay clean, especially under the waterline, so to careen a ship is to flip it over in the water in order to clean the muck, barnacles, and seaweed that starts to grow on the hull. Sometimes it's all burned, and is referred to as breaming. Ships were more often than not, however, dry-docked when this took place, as it made it much easier to clean on land.

Case Shot: This was a type of ammunition for cannons, made up if an iron casing filled with shrapnel. It was also referred to as grape shot, and worked in a similar way as buckshot for a modern gun, only larger.

Colors: To 'hoist the colors' meant to raise a ship's flag, usually to the top of the mainmast (the tallest mast of the ship). They were used in several ways:

• Naval Ensigns: Were typically the flags of a country. British ships would fly the Union Jack, etc. Pirates also used country flags to lure targeted ships into a sense of ease before running up their own colors as they closed in.


• Jolly Roger: These were the colors of a pirate ship, and every one was different, depending on the image the captain wanted to convey. For example, this is Hector Barbossa's jolly roger. He's a renowned swordsman, so his flag reflects his skill as a means to intimidate. The skull itself is a symbol of what happens when you decide to tangle with him. And every other pirate's flag is the same way: Demons, spears piercing hearts, hourglasses, and beyond were used to both intimidate and send a message.


• Red Flags: Typically red flags, when run up by any ship, but most especially pirate ships, signaled to the ship they were chasing that they would give 'no quarter'. That is to say: They would kill anyone on board.


• White Flags: White flags were the universal symbol of truce. If it was run up the mast by a targeted ship, it meant they were willing to surrender without a fight. If it was run up by a pirate ship, it meant a desire to talk, or 'parley'.


• Yellow Flags: Yellow flags (though not always yellow) were typically used to signal a quarantine. Using a flag to indicate this was just coming into vogue at the end of the Golden Age. When quarantine itself was established in the 14th Century, centuries went by with no coordinating navel ensign to go along with it. Danish ships, at the beginning of the 18th Century, would hoist a white flag, but you can see where that would get confusing. It was also used to signal there were no infectious diseases on board. It was the turn of the 19th Century (1799) before anyone got their shit together to make a standard for a quarantine flag, and it was to be yellow and six lengths of bunting. Which is to say six times as large as a normal flag. Not even ten years later it was changed to eight. As of present day, it's a yellow flag with a black dot.

Dismasted: A ship that's lost her masts, either by storm or the use of chain shot (two cannon balls connected by a chain, most often aimed at the ship's mast or the purpose of leaving the ship dead in the water).

Pirates pretty much had a lingo all their own, much like any profession, and their phrases are among some of the most colorful you'll ever see. And to no one's surprise anywhere, a lot of it has to do with drinking.

Also, there was no universal pirate accent. While they had their own lingo, pirates came from all over the world, and so their accents reflected that. What you think of as the 'pirate' accent (that Barbossa uses GREAT and LOUD) is actually the West Country accent, based out of southwest England. The dialect out of Bristol is what has been associated with pirates (though, to be fair, a lot of pirates did come from Bristol - See: Blackbeard/Edward Teach.).

The cat has kittened in my mouth. You know that awful taste you get in your mouth after a night of drinking? Well, this was their term for it.

Three sheets to the wind. Excessively drunk. Congratulations! You now know the origin of that phrase. Loaded to the gunwalls means the same thing. Someone who did this would typically develop grog blossom, which is the redness of nose or face that someone who drinks a lot gets.

Pissing more than he drinks. That guy talks a lot of shit. Also known as a windbag.

Pissing money against a wall. A term used to describe someone who spends all their earnings on alcohol.

Show a leg was a phrase used to get someone to pay attention, most commonly used to wake someone sleeping.

Cracking Jenny's teacup meant to spend a night in a house of ill-repute. In other words, visit the brothel, which was also referred to as a punchhouse. The act of doing so was referred to as catting.

Know the ropes, which is another phrase that's still in common use, meant to be familiar with all the ropes and rigging of a ship.

Letting the cat out of the bag. Another familiar phrase, its meaning for pirates meant the literal taking of the cat o' nine tails out of the bag it was kept in.

Jack Ketch was the pirates' name for the hangman, and to dance with him, obviously, meant to hang. The noose itself was often referred to as the hempen halter. It was also sometimes commonly referred to as the devil's jig, because of the (TW: Violent death imagery) way a hung body will twitch and 'dance' in involuntary death throes.

Pirates ate more than hardtack and rum, though believe you me, that was indeed a staple of their diet. But, in actuality, their diets were varied according to how long they'd been at sea, and how low supplies had gotten. Scurvy, during the Golden Age, was pretty much a non-issue, as every man was given a ration of limes (hence the term limey, geddit?) to inject them with the vitamin c they needed.

Dry Goods: Dry goods, such as grain, beans, salted meat, and beyond made up the bulk of the pirate diet. The fact is, after the first few weeks at sea, most fresh goods like unsalted meat, eggs, cheese, and any other 'perishables' tended to mold and rot. So it was best to keep a hefty store of things that wouldn't, so the crew wouldn't starve.

Oatmeal: Yes, even pirates had oatmeal for breakfast. It kept well, was filling, and easy to stretch when provisions got low.

Hard Tack: Or sea biscuits. Pretty much? A hard saltine cracker. But they'd fill you up, as long as you didn't break a tooth on one, and they'd keep for a full year if kept dry. It was seriously nothing more than flour, salt, and water, sometimes baked twice if it was to be stored for long periods.

Salmagundi: This was actually a big part of pirate diets, as well, and is pretty much a mish-mash of whatever was on hand. Kind of like a salad, in all actuality, and usually a mix of meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and whatever else they could shove in it. There really was no wrong or right way to go about it, though a good galley cook could balance it out to be extra edible.