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An Inception of Piracy chapter 12

A vicious early nor’easter hit the two ships just as they dropped anchor in Boston harbor, delaying their departure ashore for several days. The short choppy seas and the odd motion of the ship in the storm made several of the pirates violently sick, adding to the stench below. They had not been allowed to leave the fo’c’sle for almost a week and were wallowing in their own filth. There was little talk among them, each uncertain about his fate, making what peace he could if he felt it certain. Several of the men who had been with Wolridge a while believed governor Dudley was a friend of his and rarely sent pirates to the gallows, he was profiting too much from the trade. As men will, most embraced this hope wholeheartedly, for it made their confinement a little easier to endure. Finally, the hatch above opened, allowing in the first fresh air in a week. A uniformed officer came down, handkerchief over his nose. “My God!” he exclaimed. Then he shouted up the hatch, “Brin
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Inception of Piracy Chapter 11

11 For the most part, life aboard the St. John was what the seamen called a ‘soft number’.  While a merchant ship of her size may have had twelve or fifteen men to work her, the pirates had over fifty.  Watches were short, duty light and the men friendly enough despite their rough appearance.  There had been several of the Sofie’s crew who had not signed the ‘articles’ and Wolridge treated them reasonably well.  They were given the same rations of food and drink as the rest, they were able to keep whatever personal effects they may have had and were not treated as lepers by the crew.  The only exception was Martin, the cooper.  He was an older man, set in his ways and refused not only to join but to help the pirates in any way.  Unfortunately, he had a skill they needed, most everything on a ship in those days being stored in barrels.  To Martin, Wolridge gave no choice.  They took off an ear to convince him to sign on.  None too friendly before, he was now sullen and withdrawn. A
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