Adventure According to Humphrey (13 page)
Read Adventure According to Humphrey Online
Authors: Betty G. Birney
“Thanks, mateys,” I squeaked back happily. “HOORAY-HOORAY-HOORAY!”
Even a pirate can say thank ye, mateys!
From JOLLY ROGER’S GUIDE TO LIFE,
by I.C. Waters
by I.C. Waters
Humphrey’s List of Ten Things You Should Know About Pirates
1. Many pirates wore earrings, not just for looks, but because they thought it made their eyesight better.
2. “Going to Davy Jones’s locker” means losing your life at sea.
3. Although Long John Silver kept a parrot as a pet, most pirates probably didn’t have parrots. Dogs and cats were often on sailing ships to help keep down the rodent population. (As a rodent, let me tell you that dogs and cats are VERY-VERY-VERY scary.)
4. Food on pirate ships wasn’t very good. Pirates lived mostly on hard biscuits and a little meat. Sometimes they brought fruit like limes on board to prevent a disease called scurvy.
5. There were some famous female pirates, like Anne Bonny and Mary Read. (Ms. Mac was not one of them. She’s much too nice to be a pirate.)
6. A “piece of eight” was a silver coin that was worth eight of the Spanish coin called the
Real
. Really! A “doubloon” was a gold coin.
Real
. Really! A “doubloon” was a gold coin.
7. A “landlubber” is someone who doesn’t know how to sail. I used to be a landlubber, but not anymore!
8. A pirate says, “Thar she blows,” when a whale is spotted.
9. The poop deck of a ship is the part farthest in the back, above the captain’s quarters. It does not have anything to do with poo!
10. While it’s fun to talk and dress and pretend to be a pirate, they are not nice humans. Yes, there are still pirates today, so beware, me hearties!
Oh, and yes, there really is a book called
Treasure Island
with Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins in it. It’s by Robert Louis Stevenson, and you can find it in your library. If you don’t have a card, get one!
Treasure Island
with Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins in it. It’s by Robert Louis Stevenson, and you can find it in your library. If you don’t have a card, get one!
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