Briskars

They Gonna Cry Mercy !

It was probably good fortune that led Captain O’relly to tie up the " Moray Eal " in the small
harbour of Nafou so that he could have her hull repaired of minor damage.
The Moray Eal was a 59 feet carack on which I boarded 11 days ago...
But for now, we were ashore for three days, the crew was off duty and the men were looking forward
to spending their meager pay in the brothels of the " Powder magazine " district.
This area was a cluster of everything that had been built over the years around the harbour in answer
to the many invasions coming from L’Orenauque.
Several years ago, the town was saved by a large arsenal that was placed in this district and especially
by canons, hence the name of the area.
I followed the sailors and I promptly made myself scarce as my group headed to a colourful establishment
whose sign proudly announced that " the most beautiful mermaids are ashore... ".
I had not been on board long enough and was not here for that anyway...no, I was not an able
seamen as they were but a writer, looking for adventures, legends and marvellous pirates stories that I
could tell about in one of my books.
I was eager to bump into one of them, real pirates!
But for now, I decided I would have to settle with getting information from the closest innkeeper.
I therefore entered the infamous "Blue Herring" to which I was irresistibly drawn by the exaltations of
rum and wine.
- " For sure, you’re not from here mate! " was the answer the keeper gave me when I asked him if he
had any spicy story to tell...Once he saw the shiny gold coin I handed to pay for my old rum, his eyes
narrowed as they glittered with envy.
" You shouldn’t show off big coins like this around, mate " he whispered " else way, you won’t need
to be told any pirates story...but if you have one to offer to the Old Crimp then he is the one who will
be sending your brain spinning with everything he saw... "
- " Excuse me but, may I ask where can I find this " Old Crimp " ? "
His eyes wandered above my shoulders and he slightly nodded towards the back of the tavern...I
slowly turned back to discover an old monkey, his glance mostly concealed by his three-cornered hat.
His frock coat looked like it had known better days, just like him.
I paid the innkeeper and took the bottle he had left on the counter, asked for a second glass and
carefully walked towards the back of the room, to the table where the " Old Crimp " sat... I will never
forget this encounter, nor all he revealed that night...