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Chapter 1- Leaves from the Log -
From There Go the Ships by George Shirley

Page 3
sailing for a cruise off the Western Isles to join Lord Hood's fleet.

The taking of a Spanish galleon or treasure-ship was quite a notable event in olden times. Strange stories are told of the freaks of sailors to get rid of their money, receiving so much that they did not know what to do with it. They were well said "To earn their money like horses, and spend it like donkeys." One of these treasure-ships that was taken gave an ordinary seaman the modest sum of

 
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Books - Factual

Sociology

Poverty - by James Platt

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five hundred pounds prize-money; and of course it was resolved that every man should have two watches, in what were called fob-pockets, one each side of the waistband of the trousers, with a ribbon and a key and bunch of seals; then it was resolved that each should have gold lace on their hats. One day, one of the crew was seen approaching the ship in a shore-boat with a silver-laced hat. The crew appointed two of their number to wait upon the first lieutenant and ask him to stop such a mean fellow from coming on board, and disgracing the ship's company. But the sailor, seeing the storm that was brewing, and not at all favourable to him, asked to have a word of explanation. This was granted, and standing up in the sternsheets of the boat, he said, "Shipmates, I have tried everywhere to get a gold-laced hat, but could not get it; therefore I made the hatter take the same price for this." They saw that he had not done it to save his money meanly, therefore they asked permission for him to come on board.

After joining Lord Hood's fleet, we rendezvoused

© Peter Smith 2008