Read a Great Pirate Book

Pirates didnt make victims walk the plank. They had a much darker and bloody fate in store for those that resisted their ship board raids. But pirates did keep lots of parrots, monkeys and other exotic pets.

David Cordingly’s book Under the Black Flag is a great read and full of all the real facts of life as a privateer or a pirate. It reads a little bit like a term paper, but there are some facts that make you laugh out loud. For instance, Captain Henry Morgan (you know, the guy they named the yummy rum after), who was the most successful pirate in history, had to abandon his plans to invade and sack Cartagena. You see, he was having a coucil of war on board his flagship. While all of the officers were plotting, the crewmen were doing what pirates do. Drinking rum, singing, getting into fistfights…. Well, someone touched off a powder keg in the hold of the ship and the ship exploded. Only Captain Henry Morgan somehow survived the blast.

One not so funny part is how some sick pirates used to torture their prey that refused to cooperate and disclose where the treasure was. They would slit the belly of a victim, pull out a length of intestine and then nail it to the mast. Then the pirate would take a flaming log and beat the victim in the ass, forcing the victim to dance around on deck, making his guts fall out.

Arr! Its Friday and I need a Pusser’s Painkiller.