by Pat Croce
Flip the knife and sharpen the opposite side of the blade. For a single-sided grind/chisel grind, do not flip.
Remove the burr by holding the blade at the same angle and moving it in the opposite direction as in the previous steps.
If you plan on using your knife for push cutting (cutting straight down without sliding blade across the object, used more with camp knives than combat/defensive knives), you may elect to polish or strop the edge—sharpen/realign the edge without removing any metal, usually with a flexible strip of leather or canvas.
A good indicator of a sharp edge without dull spots is its ability (or rather its inability) to reflect light. Dull blades will reflect light along the edge; sharp blades will not.
Never test your blade’s sharpness by dragging a finger along the edge. Instead, try cutting a loosely held piece of paper, or slice someone else’s finger or neck.
HOW TO THROW A DAGGER
Determine the dagger’s fulcrum (center of gravity) by balancing it sideways across your index finger, adjusting its position until level.
With the blade facing you, grip the dagger with your thumb and the side of your index finger on the fulcrum. Your thumb (top) and finger (bottom) should cross at a 90-degree angle; the dagger is technically still balanced on the side of your finger, thumb holding it in place.
Raise your elbow to eye level (thumb facing sky), bending your arm so the dagger is a few inches above and to the side of your head.
Step forward with your opposite leg and bring your arm down and out in one smooth motion.
Wrist should be straight but relaxed.
As your arm becomes fully extended, look down your wrist, lining up your thumb with the handle of the dagger and the intended target.
Once your hand reaches eye level, draw an imaginary line from the tip of your thumb, up the handle’s center, and through the target (at butt of handle). This is the throw’s release point.
Release with your thumb first, allowing the dagger to roll off your index finger. This will initiate the rotation, stabilizing the dagger.
Timing is everything. Too much pressure and the dagger will over-rotate, flying at a down angle, thereby missing low.
Throwing your dagger should only be considered under “worst-case scenario” circumstances. Unless you hit and incapacitate your enemy, throwing your only weapon away will leave you unarmed and at a severe disadvantage over an armed opponent, and then you can kiss your arse good-bye.
HOW TO DEFEND AGAINST A DAGGER
[ fig. 26 ] DAGGER DEFENSE
To defend against a THRUST, whereby your attacker stabs straight in toward your gut, the dagger in his right hand:
First and foremost, always give your attacker less body (and vital areas) to target by turning sideways, similar to a boxer’s stance, your weight balanced. This holds true for any form of defense.
Hop, step, or slide backward, pulling your stomach as far away as possible from the dagger thrust.
Simultaneously, hunch over and shoot both hands (with thumbs overlapped) on top of the dagger hand’s wrist and extend your elbows, exerting downward force.
Tightly grasp your attacker’s wrist and redirect dagger—using attacker’s momentum—past your right side and up into the air with a pulling action that maintains the attacker’s arm in an extended (and now vulnerable) posture.
Step under attacker’s arm with your left leg (your back to attacker).
Quickly and violently yank the attacker’s arm (elbow) down forcibly on top of your left shoulder, snapping your opponent’s arm in half. If you hear a sickening crack and a scream, you did it right!
To defend against an OUTSIDE-IN SLASH, whereby your attacker slashes right to left—as if aiming for your face—the dagger in his right hand:
Sidestep right while pulling your head away from the direction of the dagger and simultaneously blocking the attack with your left hand on the inside of the attacker’s dagger hand (in this case, right) at the wrist.
Tightly grasp the wrist with your left hand and hold away from your face.
Using your right hand, shoot a ridge hand (the web of skin between thumb and forefinger) blow into the attacker’s throat.
Bring right hand onto the attacker’s wrist to support your left-handed grasp.
Step through with your right leg (your back to attacker) under the attacker’s arm and swing dagger hand into a high arc as you continue to step through with your left leg.
Continue the momentum of the arc by finishing with a final thrust of the dagger hand into the attacker’s own gut.
Step back and watch as the dagger-impaled attacker slumps to the floor.
To defend against an INSIDE-OUT SLASH, whereby your attacker makes a backhanded slash at your face (usually following a missed outside-in slash), the dagger in his right hand:
Sidestep left while pulling your head away from the direction of the dagger and simultaneously blocking the attack with your right hand on the back of the attacker’s dagger hand at the wrist.
Tightly grasp the attacker’s wrist and hold away from your face.
Twist your hips to the right, throwing your left forearm into the back of the attacker’s elbow, as your right hand pulls his wrist.
This maneuver will turn your forearm into a fulcrum. The attacker’s shoulder and wrist are moving in an opposite direction of his elbow, causing it to dislocate and making him drop the dagger.
Finish off your now-injured would-be attacker in any number of ways, or simply pick up the dagger and walk away.
The heck with just walking away. You’re a pirate. Kill your enemy with his own weapon!
aye!
CHAPTER
SEVEN
STEAL THIS SHIP
“Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.”
HENRY LEWIS MENCHEN
From the nimble, shallow-draft sloops to the robust, multi-mast frigates, and vessels of every possible size and description in between, pirates have myriad ships from which to choose. But regardless of which vessel is selected as a mobile base of operations, it must fulfill three important criteria.
First, the ship must be a suitable means of housing. Pirates live where they work, so the ship needs to be large enough to properly contain and support the entire crew, along with all the life-sustaining provisions, necessary tools and weaponry, and, perhaps most important, the hard-earned plunder.
Second, as a means of transportation, the ship has to be both swift and strong with no exceptions. Swift in that she is fast and nimble enough to outsail and outmaneuver her prey, while simultaneously being able to escape from her enemies (of which there are many). Strong in that she can handle whatever Mother Nature throws at her, with conditions varying greatly depending on the body of water she roams.
Finally, the ship needs to be sufficiently armed to the point that, upon first sight, she is instantly viewed as a force of fear and destruction, persuasive enough to compel many (if not all) of her prey to abandon all hope and surrender immediately or suffer the consequences. By the same token, for those marks who do not submit, or for any enemies who see fit to attack her, the ship’s bite has to equal or exceed its bark.
Once the vessel of choice is procured by whatever means possible—preferably via plunder or theft, for no true pirate would ever stoop so low as to actually buy a ship—the ship is refitted to suit the pirates’ specific needs.
In most cases, the first order of business is to eliminate much of the interior space normally divided into individual compartments for carrying cargo. The crew will remove the bulkheads, knock down cabin walls, cut down quarterdecks, and make the ship flush fore and aft. Large holes are
NEVER PAY YOUR CREW; REWARD THEM WITH SHARES OF THE BOOTY!
In 1692, THOMAS TEW, with a commission from the Governor of Bermuda in his pocket, set sail as directed to attack French holdings on Africa’s Gambia River. However, once at sea, Tew assembled his crew
on deck and explained that not only was there little to gain in Africa, there would be great danger in gaining it! Tew then suggested a far more lucrative bounty: the Great Mogul of India’s treasure-laden ships in the Red Sea. He was immediately greeted by resounding cheers, along with an all-hands cry of “A gold chain or a wooden leg, we’ll stand by you!” And with that historic decree, the privateer was transformed into the Rhode Island Pirate.
NEVER BUY A SHIP WHEN YOU CAN SIMPLY STEAL ONE!
In 1694, HENRY EVERY, a former midshipman with the British Royal Navy, was serving as first mate aboard the CHARLES II when he led a successful “soft mutiny”—rumor has it CAPTAIN CHARLES GIBSON, a notorious drunk, was ashore in a rum-induced slumber—and slipped out of the Spanish port of La Coruna with the vessel and its crew. Every renamed the 46-gun frigate Fancy, hoisted new colors, and set sail for the Indian Ocean, where he boarded and plundered every vessel in sight for the next two years, spreading his villainous reputation across the sea.
In 1724, the soon-to-be notorious JOHN GOW used more aggressive methods to commandeer a vessel and jump-start his piracy career. He was a second mate aboard the trading vessel Caroline; and the shipboard atmosphere was one of serious discontent. CAPTAIN OLIVER FERNEAU, by all accounts a mean-spirited cur, overheard talk of a mutiny and had his officers prepare a cache of firearms to put down the uprising. The only problem: John Gow, one of those trusted officers, was the leader of the revolt. It was Gow himself who dispatched Captain Ferneau via flintlock and threw his body overboard. Renaming the ship Revenge, Gow gained infamy pillaging and plundering ships in the seas surrounding France, Portugal, and Spain.
THE SHIPS
SLOOP
Fast and agile with a shallow draft, sloops are commonly rigged with a single large mainsail but can feature additional sails that are lateen- or square-rigged. Although sloops can be as large as a hundred tons, they are usually smaller.
SCHOONER
Narrow-hulled, shallow-drafted, and with two masts, these vessels usually weigh in at less than a hundred tons. Extremely fast, capable of waiting in shallow coves to surprise unsuspecting prey, and yet still large enough to carry an ample crew, the schooner is one of our favorite vessels.
BRIGANTINE
A small double-mast ship outfitted with both sails and oars, brigantines are a favorite of our brethren operating in the Mediterranean Sea.
[ fig. 27a ] SLOOP
[ fig. 27b ] SCHOONER
[ fig. 27c ] BRIGANTINE
FRIGATE
One step down from a ship-of-the-line, these triple-mast warships feature a raised quarterdeck and forecastle, and usually have somewhere between twenty-four to forty guns. Very few pirate captains command frigates, mainly because most pirates prefer to flee from these formidable vessels and, as such, only a handful are ever captured and converted for piratical usage.
[ fig. 27d ] FRIGATE
SHIP-OF-THE-LINE
Also referred to as a man-o’-war, these vessels are true battleships. They have three masts, weigh in around a thousand tons, and average in the vicinity of seventy guns, with some carrying more than a hundred. Only three sea-power nations—England, France, and Spain—have these behemoths in their fleets. Unless you have a death wish, they should be avoided at all costs.
[ fig. 27e ] SHIP-OF-THE-LINE
also carved into the ship’s sides to create new gun ports, assuming sufficient ports don’t already exist. Swivel guns are mounted in stanchions along the gunwales. Anything else decreasing the speed and handling of the ship is tossed overboard. Pirate ships have crews that significantly outnumber those on traditional merchant ships, and the men need room to roam and carry out attacks. Pirates are fond of outnumbering and overwhelming victims—the en masse, “screaming avalanche” approach works very well—so space is always of the essence.
Although most pirates prefer smaller and faster sloops like schooners and brigantine ships (which are also easier to steal), there are some advantages to the larger triple-mast, square-rigged warships used by the likes of Captain Kidd (34-gun Adventure Galley), William Moody (35-gun Rising Sun), Blackbeard (40-gun Queen Anne’s Revenge), Black Bart Roberts (42-gun Royal Fortune), and Henry Every (46-gun Fancy). Not only are these larger vessels far more seaworthy and stable in higher seas, they also provide a platform for more great guns and a larger crew, making it easier to overpower wealthy merchantmen and East Indian galleons whose holds are always chock-full of valuable cargo.
Some pirate captains prefer to expand their influence with each prize they capture by creating, and subsequently adding to, a fleet of pirate ships. In most cases, the captain will appoint his quartermaster to command the newly acquired prize to sail in consort with the flagship, creating an overwhelming—and often deadly—experience for the next prey ship they encounter. A few examples:
1671, when Henry Morgan sailed from Port Royal, Jamaica, to sack and plunder Panama, his fleet consisted of thirty-seven vessels, ranging from 4-gunners to 22-gunners.
1718, Blackbeard’s blockade of Charleston utilized four ships: the 40-gun Queen Anne’s Revenge, the 10-gun Adventure, and two smaller sloops armed with six and eight guns respectively.
1721, Black Bart Roberts commanded a fleet of four vessels: the 42-gun Royal Fortune, the 32-gun Great Ranger, the 30-gun Sea King, and a 16-gun sloop.
NEW PROVIDENCE
Twenty-eight miles long and eleven miles wide, the Bahamian colony of New Providence is the ultimate pirate playground. Its natural harbor can shelter up to five hundred ships with anchorages at least thirty feet deep. However, because there is a sandbar leading in to the island, access is denied to pirate-hunting warships. A large market offers every available commodity or provision, and, for piratical fun and games, there are plenty of brothels, gaming houses, taverns, and grog shops. It is said that when a pirate slept, he didn’t dream that he’d died and gone to heaven, he dreamed that he had once again returned to New Providence.
THEY DON’T CALL IT “NO PREY, NO PAY” FOR NOTHIN’.
STEDE BONNET, the “gentleman pirate,” should have followed the leads of Henry Every and Thomas Tew before going on account. In 1717, Bonnet, with more money than brains, actually purchased and outfitted a 10-gun sloop—which he named Revenge—and then went so far as to pay seventy men to crew her. This wimpy approach to privateering backfired big time when the legendary Blackbeard caught up with ol’ Stede and forced him and his crew to sail under his flag.
ALWAYS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT MOTHER NATURE GIVES YOU.
In 1715, a dozen Spanish treasure ships were caught in the horror of a hurricane and driven into the reefs fringing Florida’s eastern shore. The Spanish wasted no time in sending out rescue parties and salvage crews to retrieve the sunken silver. CAPTAIN HENRY JENNINGS recruited a force of three hundred pirates with a plan to relieve the Spanish of their prize cargo. Jennings anchored his four ships out of sight of the Spanish fort and the salvage operation. As darkness descended, Jennings’s crew ambushed the fort, forcing the retreat of the Spanish soldiers, and the pirates walked away with more than 350,000 pesos.
NEVER LET AN OPPORTUNITY PASS.
In 1668, Robert Searles (a.k.a. John Davis) captured Pierre Piquet, a French surgeon who had just sailed out of St. Augustine, Florida, after being fired by Spanish Governor Francisco de la Guerra. In the spirit of revenge, Piquet revealed some tasty information to Captain Searles: Silver bars had been recovered from the wreck of a treasure ship and were being held in the St. Augustine presidio. Under the guise of a Spanish supply ship, Searles sailed into the harbor and unleashed his barbarous crew on the presidio, killing sixty citizens and stealing the booty.
Here we had news of a peace concluded between the Spaniards and the Indians of Darien, who are commonly at war one with the other. This made us agree to visit the said place, and in order thereto dispersed our selves into several coves, there to careen and fit our vessels for that purpose. Here, at Boca del Toro, we found plenty of fat tortoises, the
pleasantest meat in the world. Our vessels being refitted, we rendezvouz’d at an island, called by us, the Water-Key, and our strength was as followeth.
CAPT. COXON IN A SHIP OF
TUNS: 80
GUNS: 8
MEN: 97
