Part 14

The date was May 20th of 1613. Baron Raymondo had once again been sailing the seas; the man was persistent in his plans to keep me sailing, but I've the endurance of any good ship, and like any good ship, no cloud or or wave will halt this sailor!



He was lasted seen in the Puerto Bello at least 4 months ago. He wouldn't be there by the time we would arrive, but we could potentially squeeze information from the tavern concerning his location.



The crew was in a perpetual state of unhappiness. Even my commanders seemed taken aback. The quartermaster woulqd no doubt be an asset to us. I requested he be a personal guard of sorts from that point on.



With our crew of over a hundred, I trusted the men to be able to handle yet another ship. Commander Hermetian was delighted to be back in control of his very own ship.



And so from that day on, the Dorganark sailed the seas once more!





We looted much gold from the Spanish vessels as we neared Puerto Bello. This only angered the locals as the crew of the Enkelblessure Bijten turned to me for commands.



We were being pursued by Spanish pirate hunters.



Even if the plunder was decent, we were chased around the entire coast by them.



They were brave, sailing directly behind the flagship before attacking.



I rewarded their bravery with knowledge; knowledge of how foolish they had been to attempt to conquer my fleet!



A final one flew the yellow flag of Spain whilst shouting profanities numerous.



The final ship that dare fire upon Enkelblessure Bijten sank to the bottom, stuck within the explosion of their gunpowder kegs.



"Split the mainbraces!" I shouted, relaying the commands across the entire fleet! A round of bumbo for the remaining voyage was the reward for repelling the hunters.

[Ship Lessons 101: Bumbo is Pirate's Rum. It is basically the pirate equivalent of Grog, though Bumbo was said to be much tastier.

CONTEST: Make some Bumbo! Drink it down! Obviously for the legal only, of course. I'll ask for evidence in picture or video form that you actuall drank it and that it is indeed bumbo though. First person to do so gets the "Only My Vote Counts" ticket.

Recipe for bumbo:

* 2 parts rum/dark rum
* 1 parts water
* 2 sugar cubes/any equivalent of 2 sugar cubes
* Sprinkle cinnamon (Optional)
* Sprinkle nutmeg

Preparation:
Mix together and drink.

Drink up, me hearties! Yo ho!]



Arr! Puerto Bello was just off in the distance, but there be no way they'd let pirates like us in!



Of course, their guards were quite inept at their duty! Har har!



Unfortunately, the tavern held no information. Baron Raymondo was nowhere in sight and nobody knew anything. I had no choice but to leave and search in a place guaranteed to give information. But first, we had to sell some ships!



The Dorganark was slightly damaged, but it was still a glorious vision indeed! That ship was a great one, and Commander Hermetian wasn't afraid to brag about it at the bar.







Back in Tortuga, our business as usual was to confirm recent events with the governor, decline yet more dances, and repair the ships.



All the tavern held was a piece of Kidd's treasure map. I was grateful indeed, as was the crew as a whole, but it wasn't anywhere near as important as finding Baron Raymondo.



All of my plundering got me a promotion though. I decided to turn my silly hat in another direction in hopes of looking slightly less odd to the standard eye.



Preparations were made and I knew just where to go for information on Baron Raymondo. The lovely lady waiting for me in the Florida Keys would no doubt hold the knowledge of what I'm searching for. A beautiful and lovely lass, she was; I just wish I knew her name.



As always, however, a barmaid was being irritated by the captain of the guard. We can't have such things in the Florida Keys!



He welcomed me well. Duke Bartholomew was a change of pace as well.



As expected, the lovely lady was there with an invitation.




We both gave our formal greetings...



And proceeded to dance.



With yet another kiss to the wrist, the ball was over and I ventured back to the governor's room to speak with him. As expected she interrupted.



Just what I needed! Gibraltar was far south, but at least I had a new location!



She hinted in the least subtle way possible that she wished she had some form of ruby to wear upon her finger. Having just the thing, I handed her a ruby ring.



She grinned much as I showed her the ring. I asked her to keep it as an object of my love and affection, reminding her that while it might not be for several years, I would indeed be back for her.



We neared Gibraltar, an almost isolated port due to a tricky passage to narrow along the way.



We didn't have to journey to that passage. As we neared the opening, Baron Raymondo sailed out of it. Bad form.



Little had changed.



I told him that I knew that he knew where Uncle Jasper was located, though time and time again he refused to tell where. I threatened to have him keelhauled. He gave me a piece of parchment and while I studied it, he jumped overboard.



That wicked devil will come to feel my wrath.

Captain's Log

I've been getting sleepy lately. I think I'll take a nice rest after I find Uncle Jasper, a month off in the Florida Keys perhaps with my darling nameless.

The Choice

Today's choice brought to you by Sid Meier's Pirates! Because I need to break the Fourth Wall more often.

1. Search out Baron
2. Search for treasure
3. Raid a Spanish city
4. Make futile attempt to search for Uncle Jasper

Bumbo contest lasts until someone does it.