windar
Teller of Tales
Governor Windar’s Plantation- June 2, 1716.
I heard from my friends in Charleston about the Dark Princess’ little caper. Nicely done, I must say. Well planned and well executed. Of all the pirates operating on the Outer Banks, she is the smartest, without doubt. There are many tales about her, her background, her exploits. I don’t believe most of them, but some may be true. She does speak in the manner of those from the northern Colonies, known as New England, so the stories of her origin in Boston may be true. It is also reputed that she was schooled there at the college named after Mr. Harvard. I am not sufficiently educated myself to pronounce upon that.
In any event, we had our arrangements, as I had with others of her ilk. I would tolerate them operating within my Colony, provided they would reimburse me for the various damages caused to my reputation here and back in England and to that of our fair Colony. The normal tariff for these services was 20% of the booty and ransoms captured through their nefarious activities.
But therein lay the problem. The scoundrels were the ones who seized the booty and they, and they alone, knew its true worth. So who is to say whether they were truly rendering unto Windar that which is Windar’s? I had to trust them, and were vicious pirates like Blackbeard and Dark Princess really to be trusted? It would be all too easy for them to bury part of the loot in an undisclosed location on Ocracoke or one of the nearby islands, somewhere where no one not well aware of the chosen spot would ever find the treasure.
But in this case, I had a very good idea of the worth of their illicit haul. I knew the cargo of the Good Fortune that they had seized, I knew the sum paid in ransom by the burghers of Charleston and I knew more or less the sums carried by Mr. Repertor and Mr. Jollyrei that they were intending to deposit in London. So when the Dark Princess showed up to give me my portion I would have a fair idea of whether she was trying to cheat me. I might even accuse her of such, justly or not, and see if I couldn’t extort a bit extra for my troubles.
And who is that I see walking now up the path, but the Dark Princess herself? Beautiful, she is, a vision of loveliness itself. Unfortunately, it is said that she eschews male companionship, consorting only with her own sex. A sad commentary that is, indeed, on the moral character of these brigands.
She entered, doffing her hat adorned with the skull and crossbones as a sign of respect for my august personage. “Good day, Governor,” she greeted me, depositing a velvet bag full of coins on my desk as she spoke.
“And to you, Dark Princess,” I replied. I spilled the coins out onto the desk and counted them twice to be sure. “Should there not be more from such a juicy haul?” I asked.
“With all due respect, your excellency, here is a full accounting.” She produced a sheet of paper from her shirt pocket and spread it out on the desk (Author’s note: Hence the term spreadsheet). “You can see here an inventory of the various bounties and a total of which you are due 20%, which you find in front of you in valid specie.”
“But all that rum must be worth more when you sell it in New York and Boston,” I protested.
“But, good sir, we are in the poor colony of North Carolina, where it draws a lesser price and that is how it must be valued.”
I was coming to believe the tales of her having studied mathematics at Harvard College might well be true (Author’s note: It has been said that one can always tell a Harvard man (or woman), but one can’t tell them much).
“And this value on the money you seized from Repertor and Jollyrei? They claim they were carrying much more.”
“A claim no doubt inflated in the hope of getting restitution from the insurers of Lloyd’s,” (Authors note: Lloyd’s of London, established in 1688, specialized in maritime insurance against risks such as storms and piracy) she replied. I tried to think of a good response, but I was having some difficulty.
“Well, Dark Princess, I am not in a good position to dispute your accounting at this time, but do not think this is the final word. I shall investigate this further, mark my words.”
“Go ahead, sir, you will find naught to reproach in my figures. Did we have any further business, Governor?”
“None at this time, madam. But perhaps at a later date we shall.” She rose, bowed, and left my office. That damned woman, I would have to see what I could do about her. After all, I needed every penny I could scrounge since my eldest brother had inherited the entirety of our late father’s estate, leaving me in penury to make my way in the world. And here I was in this benighted backwater of North Carolina, a place sorely lacking in the wealth and culture of its neighbors, Virginia and South Carolina. How was I ever to accumulate the wealth that would permit me to return to England and live in the manner I deserved? Especially when I was unable to match mathematical ability with that Yankee she-devil, Dark Princess.
I heard from my friends in Charleston about the Dark Princess’ little caper. Nicely done, I must say. Well planned and well executed. Of all the pirates operating on the Outer Banks, she is the smartest, without doubt. There are many tales about her, her background, her exploits. I don’t believe most of them, but some may be true. She does speak in the manner of those from the northern Colonies, known as New England, so the stories of her origin in Boston may be true. It is also reputed that she was schooled there at the college named after Mr. Harvard. I am not sufficiently educated myself to pronounce upon that.
In any event, we had our arrangements, as I had with others of her ilk. I would tolerate them operating within my Colony, provided they would reimburse me for the various damages caused to my reputation here and back in England and to that of our fair Colony. The normal tariff for these services was 20% of the booty and ransoms captured through their nefarious activities.
But therein lay the problem. The scoundrels were the ones who seized the booty and they, and they alone, knew its true worth. So who is to say whether they were truly rendering unto Windar that which is Windar’s? I had to trust them, and were vicious pirates like Blackbeard and Dark Princess really to be trusted? It would be all too easy for them to bury part of the loot in an undisclosed location on Ocracoke or one of the nearby islands, somewhere where no one not well aware of the chosen spot would ever find the treasure.
But in this case, I had a very good idea of the worth of their illicit haul. I knew the cargo of the Good Fortune that they had seized, I knew the sum paid in ransom by the burghers of Charleston and I knew more or less the sums carried by Mr. Repertor and Mr. Jollyrei that they were intending to deposit in London. So when the Dark Princess showed up to give me my portion I would have a fair idea of whether she was trying to cheat me. I might even accuse her of such, justly or not, and see if I couldn’t extort a bit extra for my troubles.
And who is that I see walking now up the path, but the Dark Princess herself? Beautiful, she is, a vision of loveliness itself. Unfortunately, it is said that she eschews male companionship, consorting only with her own sex. A sad commentary that is, indeed, on the moral character of these brigands.
She entered, doffing her hat adorned with the skull and crossbones as a sign of respect for my august personage. “Good day, Governor,” she greeted me, depositing a velvet bag full of coins on my desk as she spoke.
“And to you, Dark Princess,” I replied. I spilled the coins out onto the desk and counted them twice to be sure. “Should there not be more from such a juicy haul?” I asked.
“With all due respect, your excellency, here is a full accounting.” She produced a sheet of paper from her shirt pocket and spread it out on the desk (Author’s note: Hence the term spreadsheet). “You can see here an inventory of the various bounties and a total of which you are due 20%, which you find in front of you in valid specie.”
“But all that rum must be worth more when you sell it in New York and Boston,” I protested.
“But, good sir, we are in the poor colony of North Carolina, where it draws a lesser price and that is how it must be valued.”
I was coming to believe the tales of her having studied mathematics at Harvard College might well be true (Author’s note: It has been said that one can always tell a Harvard man (or woman), but one can’t tell them much).
“And this value on the money you seized from Repertor and Jollyrei? They claim they were carrying much more.”
“A claim no doubt inflated in the hope of getting restitution from the insurers of Lloyd’s,” (Authors note: Lloyd’s of London, established in 1688, specialized in maritime insurance against risks such as storms and piracy) she replied. I tried to think of a good response, but I was having some difficulty.
“Well, Dark Princess, I am not in a good position to dispute your accounting at this time, but do not think this is the final word. I shall investigate this further, mark my words.”
“Go ahead, sir, you will find naught to reproach in my figures. Did we have any further business, Governor?”
“None at this time, madam. But perhaps at a later date we shall.” She rose, bowed, and left my office. That damned woman, I would have to see what I could do about her. After all, I needed every penny I could scrounge since my eldest brother had inherited the entirety of our late father’s estate, leaving me in penury to make my way in the world. And here I was in this benighted backwater of North Carolina, a place sorely lacking in the wealth and culture of its neighbors, Virginia and South Carolina. How was I ever to accumulate the wealth that would permit me to return to England and live in the manner I deserved? Especially when I was unable to match mathematical ability with that Yankee she-devil, Dark Princess.
I will be fine, as long as the Lloyds understands what the rider is.
