Piracy History: From Novewon to Meyer

In fact, there are simply no words in the language that could express the greatness of the feat of the first navigators. Even in the stubborn twenty -first century, the mysterious and incomprehensible world ocean only condescendingly allows miserable human shells, whether they are at least three times “Titanics”, invaded with impunity into their dots. However, what is “unpunished”! Every year, the ocean takes tens of thousands of lives – and this is not an artistic exaggeration, but a very specific statistics (200 thousand./year in the 50s of the XX century and in the region of 70 thousand./year now), gloomy even without taking into account the victims of recent hurricanes and tsunami. And what to say about those distant eyelids, when our ancestors only learned to build the first rafts and unfold the first sails. What a desperate courage and what a crazy thirst for discoveries it was necessary to possess those who challenged the mighty elements and tried to sail over the horizon, to the edge of the earth!

Probably, the first step on the water, a person, like Noah, took under pressure from circumstances: fleeing the flood or predators, or maybe in search of a crossing to more satisfying and safe places.

But this is the history of the world, which is ancient ancient, and for us it is incomprehensible. But we can already roughly imagine the times when a passion for profit was added to these motives, and dashing businessmen began to go to the sea. And, of course, after the merchants immediately, literally immediately, pirates appeared in the sea. No, not even like that: the first sea merchants were the first pirates at the same time!

Perhaps this thought will upset someone, but it is so important for my narrative that I will repeat it again: there has never been a book division into black and white, into “bad” pirates and “good” merchants, obedient curly sheeps of waiting for imminent reprisal. All these are parts of a single whole: both of them plowed the seas and oceans at their own peril and risk;both of them traded;Both those and others did not experience moral discomfort, destroying a competitor, a foreigner, and even more so – a foreigner. And the most important thing: both were people of a cool disposition, because the squirrels do not survive in the sea.

We, gamers, are easier than anyone to understand these seditious, but truthful calculations. “Swimming, we know”. Today everything is fine with you, and you can face your nose, condemning a sea robbery, and the next day some wicked dog will wrap you like a sticky, and only a bold raid will help replenish your wallet and quench your thirst for revenge. Piracy is a malignant product and an integral continuation of naval trade, driven by the same people and the same motives. So it was at the dawn of navigation, this is how it is now. Unless the general softening of morals made the differences between an honest sailor and a person who could resort to the sake of profit to violence and murder.

Mythobescence to the masses!

There are no people more unhappy historians. While normal dark citizens can sincerely believe in the existence of the noble Peter Blad and sincerely horrified to the theatrical tricks of antiquity Flint, who loved to decorate the uninhabited islands with intricate compositions from skeletons, historians are doomed to know the truth. But the truth, as you know, is more ruthless than the most cruel executioner. You can admire as much as you like brilliant campaigns and adventurous adventures of eminent robbers, but how to close your eyes to all the vileness that they were happening for many, many centuries?! Especially – now, when the stories about taking people in hostages and torture of prisoners have ceased to be colorful horror stories of the distant past.

An elegant sailboat under a black flag is just a candy wrapper, a beautiful wrapper, a symbol of youthful desire for freedom, independence and permissiveness. Blessed is the one who does not need to unfold this candy wrapper and peer into its contents. But you and me, who had had a shared, albeit virtually, all conceivable seas and oceans, hypocrisy is unforgivable.

Therefore, it makes no sense to keep silent that Henry Morgan is the main historical prototype of Peter Bland -was a poser, a stirring and uniforms. And by the end of his life, Francis Drake, which became brilliant parliamentarians, practically did not know how to write, but he knew how to count very well. And when in 1586 the inhabitants of Santo Domingo could not collect the proper amount of ransom for him, he ordered the city to destroy the city. However, it was the usual practice of that time. And non-pira-you in their actions were just as brutal. Columbus – Columbus himself! -by no means hesitated to kill a dozen or two Indians on occasion. And Vasco de Gama, the brave of the travelers who ever entered the sea, without the slightest doubt, brought a fierce terror in the states of Southeast Asia who did not want to submit to him.

And this, by the way, is the best of the best! Morgan and Drake were at least not devoid of military talents and a kind of charm. The exploits of the thugs are simpler – generally continuous chernukha. The one who, having met with a pirate, will expect ceremonial greetings. Not at all a picture gentleman of good luck will bring his boarding saber over him.

It will be a wild murple-unshaven, unwashed, with disgusting rotten teeth (even we are not enough to talk about the murderous state of medieval dentistry), stinking, in ugly ulcers from any contagious disease or scurvy. Greedy is immense, he, if he gets to someone inadvertently put a couple of pence, eighth of real or any other coin, will be deceived to throw bones, cheat and be stupefied.

If luck turns away from him, wait for an outbreak of uncontrolled envy, turning into infinite anger. Beware, in anger, he will attack, without hesitation and not caring for the enemy to take a fencing position or simply manage to touch the handle of weapons. Having killed the unfortunate, he, encouraged by the drinking companions, will immediately drink everything found. After all, these terrible nonhumans have a belief that the one who stores treasures will not live long and increase them. And on the shore and at sea, they do not adhere to hygiene rules and only then bring themselves to the proper appearance, when they go, drawn by fate, to the gallows. Rejected by the coast pursued by law, pirates live only plans for terrible revenge for the whole civilized world. Waving from the pitching, eating dried fish and rotten water, the pirate is losing the last health, pursued by diseases, stinging due to adhesiveness and evil! And finally, when the suffering becomes intolerable, the pitching is hellish, and the food becomes disgusting, the pirate ship finds its victim. Is it necessary to list the feelings with which these robbers pursue (envy, hatred, hunger), capture (envy, hatred, hunger) and rob (greed, greed, greed) of all those who come to hand?!

Robinson Crusoe – Pirate?!Robinson Cruso knows everyone. A sailor from York, invented by Daniel Defoe and who lived on a uninhabited island for 28 years, is famous for the whole world. Many also know that the prototype of Cruzo was the Scot Alexander Selkirk, four years and four months (17051709) Marking grief on one of the islands of the tiny archipelago Juan Fernandez in the Pacific Ocean. But the fact that Selkirk was a pirate, and far from ordinary, usually do not remember.

In that unfortunate, or a happy campaign, Selkirk left under the lead not by anyone, but William Dampira himself (dam-rope), as a boatswain of a 16-gun auxiliary galley. During a long, full of difficulties in swimming, the wayward Scot did not get along with the captain of his ship. Apparently, fearing the reprisals, he expressed a desire to stay on one of the deserted islands, where the teams stored with fresh water – this began the most famous in the history of Robinsonada. By a strange coincidence, Galer Selkirka soon sank, and almost all his former comrades died. It seems even more incredible that the fact that pirates also removed him from the island. And not just pirates, but participants in the expedition of Woods Rogers and all the same William Dampira!

Thus, Alexander Selkirk, who had already forgotten human speech, returned to the familiar craft and even became the captain of one of the sailors captured along the road.

However, Odyssey Selkirka is clearly not the only source of inspiration Daniel Defoe. Connoisseurs argue that, according to the descriptions and geographical coordinates, the island of Robinson is most like Antil Tobago, whose inhabitants have long been using this fact to attract tourists.

And quite for dessert: it turns out that Defoe was an old friend of a certain Mr. Pitman, a surgeon of the rebellious Duke of Montemut, a convicted person sold into slavery in a colony, who fled … How, you really will not recognize the brilliant Peter Bland, the best of the ever invented pirates?! True, the real Pitman fate formed differently: the boat on which the escape was made was broken, he himself miraculously escaped and Robinzinel for three months on the island of Salt Tertuga off the coast of Venezuela. It is likely that it was his stories that inspired Defoe to create a famous book.

But, it would seem that Peter Blaud and Robinson Crusoe could have in common?

It remains to ask only one question. Why, why are these unpleasant literally in all respects the individuals suddenly found themselves at the center of a kind of romantic halo?!

Ah, pirates, ah, Kariba, ah, governor’s daughters … The answer is obvious: those who were at the top of the historical pyramid are not accepted to be strictly punished. The same Drake and the same Morgan fought on the right side and destroyed “well, very bad guys”, which contributed to the exaltation of the British colonial empire. Is it worth it to be surprised that grateful descendants are in a hurry in every way to pole their actions? In war as in war: the winners are not judged. This is the Berber rays there is no excuse – they also stolen the slave markets of Christians! And Drake that just traded black slaves. Eka Nonvidal ..

Pirates-travelers
Eruded people probably know that the first round-the-world voyage (1519-1522.) committed by the Spanish expedition of Fernan Magellan. We note on the sidelines that the campaign was the hardest, that Magellan himself was killed by the natives in the Philippines, that out of five ships, only one survived that he brought him to Spain the courageous captain Juan Sebastian Del Cano (Elkano), and that out of 265 sailed sailors, only 1 8 returned 1 8.

But the second round-the-world voyage made a real pirate, namely, Francis Drake (1577-1580). Further – more. Both the third and the fourth circle -robberies! 1586-1588: Thomas Cavendish;1598-1601: Dutchman Oliver van Noort. It is not customary to recall these two “travelers”, since they were dark and cruel personalities, but they were by no means famous for geographical discoveries.

In a series of round -the -world sailors, merchants were able to wedge. For which they paid. I am expedition. Lemera and c. Scoutena (1615-1616), trying to destroy the monopoly of the Dutch East India Company, was blocked by agents of this company near the Molucca Islands. And the Dutch ended their warriors with prisoners.

The pirates follow again. William Dampier (Dampiere), in an incomprehensible way, combined the ferocious corsarian disposition and the inclinations of the present, a great scientist, long before Cook made several round -the -world trips. One with many ordeals, adventures and “crossroads” (1683-1691), the second-by a free caper (1703-1706) and the third (1708-1711)-the main navigator of the squadron of Wooders Rogers, another famous pirate who ended his life in the governor’s chair.

After the dampier, the oceans began to cross the more trustworthy. However, the Anson expedition (1740-1742) or Walllas (1767-1768) is also unlikely to be classified as research.

There are no people happier than historians. While normal dark citizens who inadvertently read a couple of terrible descriptions of pirate robberies can rightfully and sincerely hate and despise all sea robbers in a skeleton and each of them separately, historians have an incomparable opportunity to get to the bottom of the truth. But the truth, as you know, is more fantastic than any fiction. It is where there are no black and white judgments about the world and ugly comic -like villains, -a real story begins there, real life. With such plot turns and intricacies of fate that any novelist is just right to strangle with envy!

The source of very many historical mistakes and prejudices is a stubborn desire to try on the events of the long -gone era, the everyday and moral norms of today. It is clear that the image of an unwashed, lousy and bad smelling sailor is now disgusting to us. But, damn it, all of Europe did not wash then! And in this sense, the pirate was no worse than the most noble lord. And where a bath with a shower would come from on the ship?

As for the bloody atrocities of the “coastal fraternity”, then not everything is so unambiguous. Even the most superficial analysis of historical material shows that in the murderer, these sea devils were oh how far from leading positions. Let’s say more: against the backdrop of the universal massacre of religious wars and the ugliness that were happening in the colonies, Morgan’s campaigns, coupled with the inhuman habits of L’Olonne, just look pale. And in any case, the pirates (of course, those who did not kill women and children) acted much more honestly than many of their law -abiding compatriots. These are not any planters there, decently making capital on the lives of thousands of slaves. In addition, and I already noted this at the beginning of the article, our thugs attacked by no means on bright beautiful angels. The merchants were not a whipping boys, and they could not occupy the courage, and they were by no means brought charity goods.

Another stable myth draws the imagination of the gullible listener simply the cattle environment inside the pirate community. Say, a wild, uncontrollable and unbridled crowd, which has no idea about either honor or discipline. And on the ship, they, of course, only do that they are drunk, play bones and chase one after another with tesks.

The mafia is immortal with a regret stating: among the many stories, both truthful and not very, I found only one example of a complete and unconditional victory over piracy. And he refers to the times long and three quarters of mythical. In 67 g. BC.e. Gnei Pompeii is a great, offender of the revolutionary spartak, conducted a rapid and carefully planned cleansing of the main bases of Mediterranean pirates. The result of the operation surpassed all expectations, and the power of the Kilican and all other sea robbers was undermined by the root.

History does not know other, equally optimistic victories of the law and law and order. It happened that they caught and punished individual leaders. It happened that large pirate bases were equal to the ground. It happened that they organized a powerful and expensive security system. But in order to protect the shipping and coastal settlements from robbery for a long time, this was not strictly and for a long time. Even the successful defeat of Vitaler (Baltic pirates) that happened at the turn of the XIV and XV centuries did not free the northern seas from the dominance of robbers. And the decisive military operations of the British fleet, which cleared the Indian ocean at the end of the XVIII -early XIX centuries, albeit close to the ideal, but in the light of the predatory habits of the Europeans themselves are also not drawn to the role model.

The conclusion suggests itself: only by force in such a https://partyspins.uk case nothing to achieve. Piracy, in principle, is ineradicable where there is something to steal and where, in modern language, there is no political stability, where different states or different trading factions are not able to agree among themselves. After all, in fact, the only vulnerable point of the pirates is the need to somehow sell the loot and sprout somewhere, to make ships. And in conditions of permanent wars or simply in the absence of a normal organization, these capabilities, as a rule, are easily found.

These are the lessons of history. But, Chur us, Chur, no analogies with modernity! Just thoughts out loud.

That, of course, is nonsense – and this will confirm this to you any sailor. After all, to manage a sailing ship is not to scrap seeds! The case is complex, responsible, requiring a considerable training and coordinated actions from the crew. And with a “crowd” on board, especially unbridled, the ship will go no further than the first shallow. And pirate expeditions, as you know, went for three seas, and around the world, and to hell with horns. Somehow does not fit with the image of criminal anarchy ..

By the way, since the criminals were remembered. If you think about it, then the conditions of prolonged swimming and prolonged imprisonment are very similar. Complete lack of freedom (and where from the schooner do you do?!), constrained accommodation side by side with dozens of not too peaceful fellow citizens, bad food, a whistle of the boatswain pipe … And does anyone really believe that in such conditions you can afford to be luxury to be cattle?! Everything is simple in the fleet: either you work in a team and getting along with your comrades, or go to the feed shark. Only friendly, observing the peculiar, but effective code of the honor of the “coastal fraternity” and, if you want, living “according to concepts” the team has a chance to win and a large jackpot. Otherwise, everyone would be gnawed in the first anchor parking lot. Only on vacation, drinking the loot, the guys completely relaxed, and even the most burned optimist would not dare to appeal to their honor and conscience. But in the campaign these were sailors who else to look! Moreover, they worked not for salaries, but for a share in prey.

The internal schedule of ship life was harsh, but fair. The theft and concealment of trophies was ruthlessly punished, and all the conflicts had to be resolved outside the vessel. The murdered comrade, not according to the dueling rules, expected the inevitable reprisal. Also, greed and meanness were not approved. The rules of the general division should have been observed strictly. Typically, the calculation was simple: at first all the previously agreed amounts were paid (the huntsman, carpenter, the doctor, the conductor, and so on, depending on the situation), and the remaining was laid out on equal fractions. The captain received four or five shares, Yoongi and beginners – half shares. There was a peculiar “medical insurance”: a corsar wounded in battle and, for example, having lost his hand or eyes, in addition to his share, he also received a fixed compensation. Yes, such civilized and fair working conditions and today many would envy!

It remains to ask only one question. Why, why we contradict ourselves? At first, you see, we brand pirates, then praise. We write all sorts of nasty things, debunge bright romantic images, refer to the prison world -folding … The answer is obvious: we are trying to be honest with ourselves and with you. “You love us black – everyone will love us white”. The true fullness of life is not there, in greenhouses where you are protected from any uncomfortable thought and the slightest displeasure. And not where the flows of dirt pour on everyone who does not at least fit into the author’s ideas about virtue. Draw the conclusions yourself.

Do not believe the winners. Do not believe! Such is the most important rule of thoughtful and trying to preserve the impartiality of the researcher. This practically universal tool allows you to easily filter out obviously distorted information. Even if this information for many centuries has become an indisputable truth.

In particular, one cannot believe those stories of the winners, where they are well done, brave, daredevils and peaceful humanists, and their enemies are trousers, bastards, moral freaks and obscurantist. These stories are not necessarily false. It may well turn out that they generally contain only proven and documented facts. But even this is not a reason to gently hang your ears. Indeed, in the arsenal of experienced myth -making, there is a tool that acts more hard than the deliberate lies – half -truth. Winners always have the opportunity to adjust the presentation of events in the right way. The vanished voice, if they are alive, are weak, and there is no one to interfere more. You can carefully “forget” about some facts, something, on the contrary, is to get out close-up. With details and emotional epithets. The tricks are a thousand! In the most radical case, all “wrong” evidence is destroyed in the root, but this is already an extreme. As a rule, simple silence is enough – all the same, the layman will not climb into the archives to check and dig to the truth.

The unconditional antiheroes of our story today are the Spaniards. This is where the myth -making machine worked at full power!

Whatever the story is about, no matter what happens on the Caribbean – everywhere in the background these vile, arrogant and cruel villains smirk ominously. And they, of course, are religious fanatics and undeveloped. In childhood, such a layout is simply accepted on faith. And what the hell is the difference – in any novel there should be their villains.

It is clear that Spain is a loser. The beginning of this was laid in 1588 in the La-Channel Strait, when the firewall Francis Drake turned the “invincible armada” into the panic flight. And by 1713 the empire finally collapsed, completely giving way to the new world hegemon – Great Britain.

The position of the winners is simple. Here are the bloody butcher, the Spaniards, but the right guys who brought the world, prosperity and true spiritual values ​​to the New World. The role in all this Piratov was very intelligibly explained by the governor of Tortuga Monsieur D’Oheron in the “luck of Captain Blade”.

” If there were no fragustors, shoeing the greed of Spain, I strongly doubt that you could someday take such a trip, because there would be not a single French possession in the Caribbean Sea Here, not only the loot, but also the prey taken from Spain and the compensating robberies, from which we suffered and will suffer by the mercy of Castilian predators are true ”.

Rafael Sabatini, as we know, in his novels extremely carefully treated historical material. But he lived and worked in London and therefore completely sincerely did not like the enemies of his country. His pirates (and Captain Blood – accurately) appear before the reader almost guides of goodwill and progress, holding back the “Empire of Evil”. The bias of the Meyer “pirates” is also understandable – after all, the Americans direct heirs of the British colonial machine. But this is why we, the side strictly neutral, must obediently accept this frank hanging labels?! Tea, and we ourselves constantly suffer from the one -sidedness of Western sources.

The main point of the “conviction” of Spain, of course, is connected with the Indians. What is not surprising: the total genocide of the indigenous population of both Americas is really the most humble page of human history. But to disassemble this topic on fairly uncomfortable and troublesome, so the mass consciousness readily hung all the dogs on the Spaniards in general and the conquistadors in particular. Like, they sailed, destroyed the oldest civilizations, and rightly rightly for this, correctly cut them. I really want to exclaim in response: “And who is the judges who?!“The funny is the pathos of the imaginary“ revenge for the Indians ”in the actions of the powers who fought with Spain. Fairy tales are even more funny about how the conquistadors rolled up defenseless Aztecs or Incas into asphalt, naively accepting pale -faced riding warriors for the gods. Yes, there is a whole flower garden of stupid myths, equally humiliating as for the Indians (here are the suckers!), and for the Spaniards (cheaters, naturally cheaters!) Even a little sorry that Cortes and Pisarro campaigns do not relate to the pirate topic, and I have to mention them only in passing.

Of course, Europeans brought a lot of the grief of the nations of the New World. And the Spaniards, the former first, to some extent received according to merits. But I hope that each time, meeting the blasting passages in the literature against the “Castile predators” in the literature.

A gun is not only a valuable salvo, but also three, or even four of the most faithful ways to put your own ship to the bottom. It is generally accepted that artillery was the main and decisive argument in any marine battle, but it is incorrect, how the majority of judgments about firearms made without taking into account the era and the level of technology are incorrect.

Let’s immediately draw a demarcation line. Although the first case recorded in the chronicles in the fleet of a gunshot gun and dates back to 1333, until the middle of the 16th century, the gun should generally be considered only as an auxiliary and exceptionally unreliable means of fighting. Moreover, if on land the gap of the barrel due to a defect in the casting or excessive laying of gunpowder was fraught in the worst case of the death of the gunner and the soldiers who fell into the epicenter, then the incident threatened to destroy the entire ship in the sea.

In the 16th century, especially after the Frenchman invented by the Descharge of closed gun ports (before that, guns were located only in the limited space of deck and special superstructures), ship artillery acquired a greater influence. But almost all the tactical and technical characteristics of the tools left. The range of about 120 meters, catastrophically low accuracy, the influence of pitching, a large pause between the moment of removal of the command and the moment of the shot itself, the restrictions due to the method of charging from the barrel – all this did not make the smooth -bore guns the “main and decisive argument” then. And their power was not prohibitively high. For obvious reasons, large-caliber monsters, also somewhere by the 16th century, put the cross on knightly castles, were as appropriate in the sea as an elephant in a chimney shop.

The most important thing is that the recharge of guns consisted of many operations and took from fifteen minutes to half an hour! In such conditions, there was no need to talk about the speed of sea battles, except that the captain of the attacking ship was completely an idiot and could not properly maneuver. And if you read in any book “They exchanged several volleys, after which the enemy disappeared”, then you can safely assume that the first salvo occurred at dawn, the fourth, the last, somewhere after dinner, and the chase continued until the onset of complete darkness.

In addition, we do not forget that the guns demanded for themselves a lot of a scarce place and a significant number of maintenance personnel, starting from one or two people for an instrument with a nucleus of two pounds and ending with eleven artillery for twenty-four-pounds. Plus a bunch of trouble with the stocks of gunpowder, which had a bad habit of drew or, conversely, explodes, taking the whole team to the forefathers.

Summing up, I will say that in the XVI-XVII centuries, the equipment of multi-pusher ships, on which the lack of quality was replenished by the number, was advisable only in the conditions of highlighting full-scale military operations and when escorting particularly valuable cargoes. As for ordinary Corsair activities, the use of artillery, especially large -caliber, was not undesirable. After all, it was possible to sink a valuable trophy along with all the goods! If the pirates shot, then the rigging to slow down or stop the enemy.

It remains to add that closer to the 19th century, already at the sunset of the sailing era and after the widespread introduction of rifled trunks, artillery, indeed, has become a dominant factor. And they learned to reload the guns faster with time: for example, already in the XVIII century, an experimental calculation could cope with reloading in two to three minutes. But, as said in one book, this is a completely different story.

In contrast to the opinion of pirates as unorganized, unsystematic and dishonest bandits, there is another common misconception attributing to the “coastal fraternity” a kind of spirit of a free republic and life in the style of either Hippi or Robin Guda. So the friendly community is seen in the dreams on some wonderful tropical island, where it is so nice to relax after a successful raid in the arms of a beautiful Indian wife and surrounded by pink smiling kids.

The origins of this myth should be sought in several places at once. Firstly, of course, we can again recall the unspoken code of the honor of sea robbers, the embellishment and romanticization of which could well create the image of the “Pirate Republic”. Secondly, the prototype could serve as groups of bugans-hunters who trained the workpiece of meat smoked through the Indian recipe. This was the first half of the 17th century, when the influence of Spain was weak, but it still tenaciously held on to its possessions in the Caribbean Sea. Gradually, a conflict broke out between the non -recognizing Bucaniers and the colonial authorities. The hunters tried to destroy, those, in turn, before the threat of general danger began to unite in large detachments, go into the mountains, wage a partisan war on land and rob at sea. It was then that the small island of Tortuga, where Bucaniers who were replaced from Espanyola (now Haiti) began to flock, turned into an important center for piracy. It is likely that at first there, indeed, a very interesting atmosphere of a multinational freemen reigned there. But luck accompanied the Bucaniers, and soon the ordinary everyday life of a living colony, squabbles and indispensable division of power began.

And, finally, there is also the third interesting premise associated with the extravagant activity of the Misson pirate and his “political instructor” Karachchiooli, the former Dominican monk and the passionate preacher of the anarchist of money overthrow. This couple, according to, at first did not rob anyone at all, but only “took the essentials” and freed blacks from slavery. Over time, they nevertheless moved to a more traditional robbery, but, of course, they robbed only rich. The peak of their career was the foundation of the Republic of Liber Talia in one of the bays of the island of Madagascar. In general, a story worthy of a utopian novel and, as it turned out, is such a novel (completely or partially). And we know her author well. This is Daniel Defoe, who, under the pseudonym, wrote a voluminous and generally very serious book about piracy. Libertia leaked from it in many authoritative sources.

Pocket dictionary of sea and pirate termsPirate (from the Greek Peirates, which means “robber, robber”): the common and universal name of our today’s heroes.

Corsair or Flebuster: The actual synonyms of the word “pirate”, which had wide walking just in the tenderly beloved XVII century (the pirates of Dutch and French origin were usually called the filibusters).

Capaper or Privatir: a robber with a Caperian certificate – a license giving the right to seize the courts of a certain power. Until 1856, the capet was an absolutely legal craft.

Bucanier: In the initial meaning – a free hunter who was engaged in meat harvesting. Subsequently, when the Spanish troops began to portray “Greenpeace”, a synonym for a pirate. Look for details in the first chapter.

Picarun: a jargon word, often used on cariba as a synonym for “flibs” or “bucanier”.

Maruners (Marouns): Fugitive African slaves in the West Indies, whose free mountain communities (especially Yamaik) spoiled a lot of blood as Spanish and later the English administration. The term was sometimes used to refer to pirates.

Pesos (Piastra): Silver coin, which was in use in Spanish America. In its size, a little more than the North American silver dollar of the 19th century.

Deck: in the bow, that is, in front, there are tank and a half -bacon. In the stern, that is, from behind, – hut and half. Deck in the central part – cabinatics and dumplings (the most honorable place on the ship).

Rangut: wooden or metal parts designed for sails. There are a lot of things, but for starters it is enough to know about the masts and the rahs (attention! masculine). The nasal mast is called a foc-pet, the middle one is called a grotto, and a stern is a bead of a material. And the special “mast” on the nose of the vessel is Bushprit.

Rigging: all the tackle on the ship, serving for attaching a ranking and managing it and sails.

Wind: The ship’s courses in a fair wind are called Fordevind and Bakstag, with a side -gallfwind, with oncoming baidevind. The power of the wind is usually indicated on the box scale: from 0 (complete calm) to 12 (hurricane wind).

Directions: Nord – north, zuyid – south, ost – east and West – West.

Direct sails: rectangular or trapezoidal sails, the upper part is attached to the rah, the lower with the help of shkots and tacks to the underlying ray or deck. Direct sails are convenient, relatively easy to maintain and, in general with a fair wind, are perfect. But it is difficult to maneuver with them, and it is impossible to go against the wind.

Spray sails: triangular or quadrangular sails that allow you to go steeply to the wind. Divided into many varieties, which in non -specialized terms is somewhat difficult. Therefore, I will limit myself here with conditional pictures of some of the most characteristic types.

Latin sail: the oldest of oblique sails;The triangular panel is attached to the ray with the long side in the diameter plane of the vessel.

Gafel sail: trapezoidal sail stretch between the gaphel (top) geek (bottom) and actually mast.

Luhger (Reye) sail: outwardly similar to Latin, but has the shape of a quadrangle;The front lower corner is pulled towards the nose.

Jib: a triangular sail between the fok-material and Bushprit.

Mile sea: a measure of length at sea, equal to 1.852 kilometers (1/10 miles – cables).

Knot: The term used to measure the speed. The distance between the nodes on sector lag (such a special rope) is 48 feet. According to the laws of proportionality, it turns out: how many nodes the ship passes in half a minute, the same number of sea miles it will pass per hour.

RUMB: angle measurement measure. In a simplified understanding of RUMB, it is 11 degrees 15 minutes. Accordingly, four rumba are equivalent to a turn of 45 degrees.

Ram: The main weapons of the first warships. Accelerating to a decent speed, a ram at first broke the oars, then beat on board or stern of an enemy vessel.

Often there were two ramers: the lower (underwater) ram was used for its intended purpose, but the upper (surface) – served as a kind of buffer that prevents the destruction of the nasal part of the vessel in a collision with the enemy ship

Dolphin: heavy cargo on a long arrow. It was also used to inflict damage to the enemy ship incompatible with buoyancy.

Crow: an arrow-shaft about one and a half meters wide, the world’s first boarding device, which allowed the Romans not sophisticated in maneuvering to transfer the naval battle into a more familiar hand-to-hand combat;

Ballists and catapults: Baptist of ship artillery, usually placed on the nose. They did not have widespread due to the fact that horse hair and animal veins used to make springs quickly became unusable under the influence of salt water.

Falconet: a small artillery gun of caliber from forty -five to a hundred millimeters. He was very widespread in the armies and fleets of the XVI-XVIII centuries, and he received his name, apparently, from the brand of the master, which depicted a falcon (FR. faucon, faucon-neau-falcon).

Kulevrin: a long small -caliber gun, which was most often installed on the sides of the ship and was used to defeat manpower.

Bombard: large -caliber gun with a relatively short barrel, an example of early cannon technologies. Unknown but powerful thing.

Mortar: short -barreled gun shooting with hinged fire.

Knippel: two half -ogs interconnected by an iron bar. Intended for damage to rigging and sails. There were also knilers from two full nuclei connected by a chain – they were shot simultaneously from two guns.

Buckshot: the invention of the late XVI century, a charge for the defeat of manpower, consisting of small bullets, often wrapped in fabric and interconnected by vegetable fibers.

Rum: Sugarcane juice that has been transferred and visited the moonshine apparatus. In addition to strong and breathtaking properties, this drink mixed with some fruit juices protected the sailors from scurvy.

“I don’t drink, I need to be treated!” -so the sailors tried to beg an extra mug of rum after dinner from the ship doctor. Subsequently, already on land, the sailors used this phrase as the last argument in disputes with their grumpy wives.

Grog: a mixture of rum with water. Until the middle of the 18th century, such a barbaric way of damage to the healing nectar was not known water, but in 1740 the English Admiral Vernon, nicknamed “Old Grugg” ordered the dilution of the Roma sailors. Here is a bunch!

Bumbo: This alcoholic drink containing rum, water, sugar and nutmeg, brightened up the life of many Pirates of the Caribbean Sea. The legends say that if, after the next mugs accepted to the chest, the gifts were the shade of the robbers, it was enough for them to do loudly pile on the table (the sound “Boom” was heard, from which the name of the cocktail came), and a new portion of the invigorating drink immediately appeared in front of them.

Punch: Favorite swill of all British and American pirates, starting from the 17th century. The number of ingredients and the method of preparation are unlimited. At the base, there were either pure alcohol or wine, and adds water, tea, milk, sugar, seasonings, soda water and a conscience of a punchovar.

Romfastian: burning mixture of beer, gin, sherry, raw eggs, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. And you say “ruff”, “ruff” ..