The real trick was to take a prize without getting a lot of people killed, your own pirates or the sailors on the prize. There were a couple of ways to do this. Surprise was the best, sneak up on the prize as it sailed through a narrow passage at night, then swarm over the side of the ship, yelling like demons!False flags disguised a pirate vessel. Pirates might fly the flag of a peaceful nation. They would hide men below as they sailed sweetly up to the prize. Sometimes pirates even dressed up like women and children to fool other ships.
When surprise wouldn't work, terrifying the prize's sailors might. Pirates spread tall tales about how angry and vicious they got when prizes didn't stop and surrender instantly. The pirate crew danced around, banging their cutlasses together and shouting terrible threats, making rude gestures and singing awful songs. Wouldn't you be scared.
PIRATE FLAGS were usually "false flags" of a peaceful nation, flown to fool most
unwary ships. If the pirates lost the advantage of surprise and actually chased a vessel, they might hoist two flags. The first was the red flag, called the jolie rouge in French (our JOLLY ROGER comes from this.
This flag offered quarter, the officers and sailors could go free if they promised to pay a quarter of their next year's pay. (Folks took promises more seriously back then.)
If the prize didn't stop, the pirates might hoist the no-more Mr.Nice Guy black flag, sometimes but not always with a skull and crossed bones. This meant that if the prize didn't stop immediately, the pirates would kill everyone aboard. Would they? Maybe.
Walking the plank never happened, there is not a singled record of it in the pirate accounts. This punishment was probably invented, maybe or maybe not, you decide.
unwary ships. If the pirates lost the advantage of surprise and actually chased a vessel, they might hoist two flags. The first was the red flag, called the jolie rouge in French (our JOLLY ROGER comes from this.
This flag offered quarter, the officers and sailors could go free if they promised to pay a quarter of their next year's pay. (Folks took promises more seriously back then.)
If the prize didn't stop, the pirates might hoist the no-more Mr.Nice Guy black flag, sometimes but not always with a skull and crossed bones. This meant that if the prize didn't stop immediately, the pirates would kill everyone aboard. Would they? Maybe.
Walking the plank never happened, there is not a singled record of it in the pirate accounts. This punishment was probably invented, maybe or maybe not, you decide.
