Bethel High School - Key Yearbook (Bethel, NC)

Page 29 text:

They had strongholds to which they would go to get supplies and fill out their crews, and repair their ships. Tripoli and Al- giers were once famous as pirate strongholds. The pirates generally buried their treasures on lonely, seclud- ed islands or in strange, unfamiliar places. If captured, pirates were usually convicted for murder, and hanged. This was the fate of Captain Kidd and his crew.

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the side of the vessel. Then they blindfolded the prisoners and made them walk the plank. Blindfolded as they were, natural- ly they fell off the plank into the water and were drowned. These so called Gentlemen of Fortune usually flew the Jolly Roger, a black flag, but when they sighted a merchant ship they put up a flag of some nation so that they would not be recognized. When they came up alongside the merchant- n.an, they boarded it, killed or captured the crew and passen- gers and took what things they wanted. Disputes were often settled by means of fights. The pirates were usually superstitious. This was shown by the action of Flint ' s former crew in Treasure Island. Their favorite sea- song, of which the first verse runs as follows,, Fifteen men on a dead man ' s chest, Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum. Drink and the Devil had done for the rest, Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum. originated from an incident occurring on an island in the Atlan- tic ocean. A ship was wrecked and the occupants were strand- ed upon an island called the Dead Man ' s Chest, with a little food and some wine. When later found there were only fifteen men and a quantity of rum or wine. Pirates had a custom of conferring a black spot on captains it they wished to depose them, or they would confer it upon any pirate to inform him that he was to be killed or deposed. The black spot was a round piece of paper smoked on one side, and the message which was to be told the person was VsTitten on the smoked side. For instance, if a captain was to be deposed, the word ' Deposed would be written on the black spot and the spot given the captain. Before the order or message would take efi ecl, all the piratec would have to give their consent to it, the causes of this bl:;cl: spot being conferred upon him would have to be brought be- fore the convicted, and it would have to be proved that he wa:j guilty of the things which they accused him of. Then he would be deposed if it was proven that he was guilty.

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FOR THE LACK OF A COLLAR BUTTON (By Robert Burroughs) There was going to be a party Friday night. The boys were to wear a dress suit with a stiff front shirt, and a high collar, the kind preachers wear. I gathered all my outfit Friday afternoon. My dress suit was ' boMt two years old and, as I had quite outgrown it, it fitted me very tightly. This did not matter for that was the style.. The coat was too short, but this was altered by removnig some of the padding from the shoulders, and trimming the spike tails 1,0 as to make them look longer. The coat was very tight across ;l- ' e shoulders, also. A f ter supper I went to my room to dress. I gave my suit an- other close inspection and found it in good condition. I immed- iately began dressing. The trousers fitted very tightly. The coat was so tight across the shoulders I could hardly get into T}ie collar was very uncomfortable as I had not been accus- i crned to this kind. My stiff front shirt felt as if the wash v,o- man had left the ironng board in it, When I went to the mirror to take a look at my hardware, for i;at it is what it felt like, I discovered the collar was riding the . ' nding. When I tried to fix it the collar button on the rear Jell on the floor and rolled under the dresser. The dresser was very low and with all this paraphernalia on I certainly had to do some skillful maneuvering to roach that collar button. About i ' ie time I got my hand on it I heard something like a hand sav ' cutting a dry gourd and a queer feeling ran over me. I thought the lightning had struck very near me. When I raised up and looked in the mirror the secret was revealed. My collar v.-as cracked in two places, the shirt front was broken in four pieces, my coat was split down the back from end to end, and my trousers wore a total wreck. But this was just a part of it, for when I began to reason it out, it nearly made me sick to think that this great calamity happened to me nad I could not go to the party. And all of this was for the lack of a collar button. The End (but not of a perfect day.)