Red Flag Fleet and its Code of Conduct

Under the leadership of Mrs. Cheng a confederation of some fifty thousand pirates sailed in two hundred oceangoing junks, between six and eight hundred coastal vessels, and dozens of river junks. The pirates attacked fishing, cargo vessels, and oceangoing junks. The Red Flag Fleet operated in and dominated the coastal waters of southern China. 

The rules for conduct for the pirates of the Red Fleet were more stringent than those practiced by the pirates of the West Indies.

Offence                           Punishment

Disobeying orders           Death by beheading

Stealing                           Death by beheading

Deserting                         Loss of both ears

Concealing or                  Flogged

holding back                      

plundered goods             

If any of these offences were repeated you would be suffer death. We can assume that the poor retches would die a slow and torturous death.

Under the Black Flag, David Cordingly

Latin Phrase Quoted by Captain Blood

Que, que, scelesti, ruitis? (Where, O where are you rushing madmen?)

Chapter 1, Captain Blood

Round House 3 in 1 Kit #1502

Basic Assemble

The #1502 kit offers a wealth of kit-bashing parts and ideas. The basic premise here is kit-bash the three ‘old time’ 26’ flat cars into a lumber companies work cars. Supplied are three flat cars with gondola sides, and a locomotive tender body. The kit will need a caboose or another type or car body. The body will be cut down to a third. Its roof prepared to accept a smoke pipe. Using readily available detail parts for boiler and engine one could create a vertical steam donkey.

Alternative Assemble and Ideas

Scale Figures- "With a Scene in Mind"

I wrote this post almost two years ago. How I forgot to post it is any ones guess. These HO scale figures are from the folks at "Scale Figures". I purchased a few of these figures with a “scene in mind” and will paint these figures one of these days.  In the past I have made two other mentions of Scale Figures.

PECOS SLIM (rolling a ciggie): Pecos Slim doesn’t look like a hippy, so we can assume that he is rolling a tobacco cigarette. I don’t smoke myself, but do know those who do.

OLD MAN (looking at watch): He could be waiting on someone or like the conductor, waiting for the local Number 6.

CIGAR STORE INDIAN: A good place for him would be on a porch of some general store or a tobacco shop.  As a child, I remember these statures seeming being bigger than life, perhaps I should stand a child figure next to this cigar store Indian. (I do have another figure, who just so happens to be smoking a cigar)

TONY (sleeping it off): Tony, Tony, Tony. Stick him up against some tree opposite the village saloon.

OLD JON (with cane): Who says Jon has to be old, he could be veteran. Stick him in a crowd, on a street, or on a trail.

CONDUCTOR (looking at watch): Where is that Number 6? “Doesn’t that damn engineer know I have a schedule to keep?”

OLDTIMER (leaning): Not everyone is young in years, but we can stay young at heart. Let’s hope the old-timers heart is alright.

THE RIFLEMAN (shooting rifle): Out hunting for his dinner. He spots a large buck. He takes aim…

PHOTOGRAPHER (with old-time box camera): Oh how the countryside has changed, better get a picture while it is still pristine.

THE DRIVER (wearing long coat): I have had an idea for this scene as soon as I saw the figure. I will pair the driver up with a 1904 OldsmobileCurved Dash Run-About (Jordon Highway Miniatures). 

CARLOS (panning for gold): Even after the mine closed (long ago abandon) people are still finding nuggets in that creak.

MILLER (lumberjack with axe): Well if you have a forest, and you want to keep yourself cozy on those long winter nights, you better be taking in a stock of fire wood.

ARLIS (with satchel & bag): He is apparently waiting to go somewhere. Stick him at the station along with the impatient old man and conductor. I seem to have a double of this figure. The double is from another manufacture. I wonder how that happened?

ARLO (carrying bucket): Water from the well or creak needs to be brought into the inn so the guests can wash-up and brush their teeth. It might not be the most glamorous job, but it is a living.

Diamonds, Giant Snakes and the Roc

On Sinbad's second voyage he was once again shipwrecked. On this occasion he wound up on an island that could not sustain life and he looked for a way to escape from his predicament. While he was investigating the island he came upon a large circular object “that was at least fifty paces round.”

While investigating the object Sinbad noticed a huge black cloud hovering overhead and he remembered hearing sailors tell of a wonderful bird called a Roc. The Roc is a mythological bird of huge proportions and object that Sinbad was investigating was obviously a Roc egg.

“Sure enough the bird settled slowly down upon it, covering it with its wings to keep it warm, and I cowered close beside the egg in such a position that one of the bird's feet, which was as large as the trunk of a tree, was just in front of me. Taking off my turban I bound myself securely to it with the linen in the hope that the roc, when it took flight next morning, would bear me away with it from the desolate island.”

The next morning, the roc left its nest and flew off to an distant island and upon touching ground Sinbad released himself from  the bird and ” as I wandered about, seeking anxiously for some means of escaping from this trap, I observed that the ground was strewed with diamonds, some of them of an astonishing size. This sight gave me great pleasure, but my delight was speedily damped when I saw also numbers of horrible snakes so long and so large that the smallest of them could have swallowed an elephant with ease.” 

Sinbad the Sailor’s Second Journey

My Late Summer Reading List

Here we go again. You must be thinking that I have a lot of time on my hands to be able to read all these novels. Well, you are right, but perhaps that is about to change.

1. Under the Black Flag, David Cordingly : nonfiction
2. Captain Blood, Rafael Sabatini (epub)
3. Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe (epub)  
4. The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe (epub) 

Proverb Mentioned in the Story of Three Calenders

“Whoso meddles in affairs that are not business of his, will hear truths that will not please him.”

An Update to my Summer Reading List, Final

I have already started to read those tiles on my late summers reading list. I will publish the list in an upcoming post.

1. Bohemians of the Latin Quarter, Henri Murger
The Bohemians of the Latin Quarter takes place in Paris and in the 1840s. It is a story of several artistic types: a poet, painter, musician, and philosopher who meet up by chance and create a little confederation between themselves. When one prospers, they all prosper, and they live recklessly and extravagantly. Instead of sticking a little of their good fortune away for a rainy day they spend all they have until they are once again destitute. The Bohemians of the Latin Quarter tells of the artists affairs: their successes, their impoverished times, and of their mistresses.

Although there were a few times when the story seemed to drag on, all and all the story was interesting and entertaining.


2. Poor Jack, Frederick Marryat
Poor Jack is a novel by the Frederick Marryat, and tells the story of Thomas Saunders, a sailor's son. Saunders is a neglected and mistreated by his mother and struggles to survive in Greenwich, London as a street urchin. He survives by doing odd menial jobs and begging.

A pensioner takes the poor lad under his tutorage teaching him how to read. As the lad grows older he is recommended to an old friend of the pensioner and starts an apprenticeship to a river pilot. Thomas excels in his studies, passes his exams, and becomes a certified pilot.
The book mentions many adventures. I have skipped a lot of the details, but the lad is very helpful to those around him and makes many friends. Let it be said the boy might have started off poor but ends up becoming very wealthy.


3. The Arabian Nights, Muhsin Mahdi
The Arabian Nights is a compilation of short stories depicting characters from the Middle East. Sinbad the Sailor might be the most notable, but there is much mention of genies, dervishes, sultans, grand vicars, princes and princesses, enchanted lands and treasures, and merchants traveling to foreign lands.


4. The Missing Merchantman, Harry Collingwood 
Ned, no sooner is promoted to 1st mate when the crew of the Flying Cloud munities. The second and captain are locked in a forward desk house and Ned is forced, by the mutineers to do navigating. The passengers, captain and second mate are abandoned on separate islands Ned does his best to provide for the cast a ways in the way of equipment and provisions.

The pirates make for an uncharted island and set-up camp. While on a four island archipelago, Ned comes across of stash of ancient arms and a fabulous treasure. He keeps this find a secret and makes a vow to return once he has gained his freedom.

Ned, always looking for a way to escape and possible through the use of ship finely has a chance of escaping with the ship, however narrowly. Ned sets sail to the islands where the captain and the passengers were marooned, he then heads back to island archipelago to pick-up his booty, and they all head back to Jolly Olde England.

I have condensed my summary, however short; the story is well worth your time. I have read, as you know, quite a few of Harry Collingwood’s stories and all have been good reads.


5. The Troll in the Garden and other Stories, Willa Cather
   A collection of short stories by Willa Cather, which depict life in Nebraska, Kansas, and Montana, for the most part. Interesting frontier characters and a few cosmopolitans thrown in for a change of pace.
   

MDC 3 in 1 Kits

What I always liked about Model Die Casting’s 3 in 1 kits were the abundance of parts and their “Idea Starter” plans that accompanied these kits. You will note the typical plans on one side of the sheet and alternate/”starter” plans on the back of the sheet. As you can see here the starter plans call for some kit bashing. The resulting structure has a lot more character than the typical building.

I would use the door and window castings that came with the kit for most of these openings, but would “board”-up one or two of the windows for a unique look. I will also use corrugated material on the roof of the utility room instead of the material supplied for roofing.

Future Reading

Although most my reading is done on an Android tablet I still like to read hard copy books. These books for instance are are on my reading list for sometime in the near future. Perhaps during the winter.

500 Rummy Scores

My wife and I have been playing Rummy. Here are the scores for three games by hand. Fran has been a roll lately and I have been loosing pretty much. No I don't let her win.

Hand#	Fran	Jan
Game # 1
1	115	180
2	115	5
3	115	175
4	125	135
5	30	55
Total	500	550
Game #2
1	40	5
2	80	150
3	115	100
4	115	110
5	80	5
6	105	125
Total	535	495
Game #3
1	50	-30
2	75	75
3	45	40
4	170	85
5	60	60
6	155	5
7	125	80
Total	510	230

Properties for my Dreadfleat Ships

These are the proposed properties for my Dreadfleet grand alliance and cogs. See my previous post relating to this topic, Components needed for a Simple Game.

Die Roll
1-3:    In disrepair
4-6:    In repair

Die roll	Situation
1	Worm ridden: the first bad storm, cannon shot at the waterline, or hitting of a reef this ship will take on water and sink.
2	Be barnacled: barnacles slow down a ship and make it hard to maneuver the craft. This ship needs to be careened at the first possible opportunity.
3	This ship is in disrepair, this could mean the rigging needs over hauling or that the sails need patching. At this point any stormy weather will cause problems that will have to be addressed thus either causing deaths, injuries, or slowing down the vessel when speed and maneuverability is needed most.
4	After coming out of a storm and needing some minor repairs, which are underway, these minor nuisances do not affect the maneuverability of the craft.
5	The captain runs a tight ship and this ship is in good repair.
6	This ship, just coming out of dry docks, is in excellent repair.

An Update to my Summer Reading List

1. Bohemians of the Latin Quarter, Henri Murger
The Bohemians of the Latin Quarter takes place in Paris and in the 1840s. It is a story of several artistic types: a poet, painter, musician, and philosopher who meet up by chance and create a little confederation between themselves. When one prospers, they all prosper, and they live recklessly and extravagantly. Instead of sticking a little of their good fortune away for a rainy day they spend all they have until they are once again destitute. The Bohemians of the Latin Quarter tells of the artists affairs: their successes, their impoverished times, and of their mistresses.

Although there were a few times when the story seemed to drag on, all and all the story was interesting and entertaining.


2. Poor Jack, Frederick Marryat
Poor Jack is a novel by the Frederick Marryat, and tells the story of Thomas Saunders, a sailor's son. Saunders is a neglected and mistreated by his mother and struggles to survive in Greenwich, London as a street urchin. He survives by doing odd menial jobs and begging.

A pensioner takes the poor lad under his tutorage teaching him how to read. As the lad grows older he is recommended to an old friend of the pensioner and starts an apprenticeship to a river pilot. Thomas excels in his studies, passes his exams, and becomes a certified pilot.
The book mentions many adventures. I have skipped a lot of the details, but the lad is very helpful to those around him and makes many friends. Let it be said the boy might have started off poor but ends up becoming very wealthy.


3. The Arabian Nights, Muhsin Mahdi
The Arabian Nights is a compilation of short stories depicting characters from the Middle East. Sinbad the Sailor might be the most notable, but there is much mention of genies, dervishes, sultans, grand vicars, princes and princesses, enchanted lands and treasures, and merchants traveling to foreign lands.


4. The Missing Merchantman, Harry Collingwood 
5. The Troll in the Garden and other Stories, Willa Cather
   A collection of short stories by Willa Cather, which depict life in Nebraska, Kansas, and Montana, for the most part. Interesting frontier characters and a few cosmopolitans thrown in for a change of pace.
   

Projects for August

There as been a snap-Fu with last month’s projects post, and I am still working on those Dreadfleet ships from last month. I have made some head way and I have just about completed these miniatures. In addition, I also painted twelve desert cactus plants.

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New Projects

None

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Old Projects

7 Dreadfleet Grand Alliance & Cogs ships

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Completed Projects

Reaper Miniatures
#03608: Aquatic Familiars II
Sea Monster (Aberration)
Mermaid
Octopus (Aberration) Warhammer Dreadfleet
Graveyard - Leech Wyrm
Warhammer Orc Arachnarok Spider – Trees
Bombshell Miniatures
Pumpkin Buddy

Other

Ristuls Market Halloween Basing Kit (10 resin miniatures)

Ships Mentioned in Poor Jack

Druid, frigate

William and Caroline, West Indiaman

Royal George

French ship, the Pucelle d'Orleans

Euphrosyne, frigate

Ships taking part in the English attack of French forces in Aboukir Bay: Vanguard, Bellerophon, Majestic, Bellyruffron, Audacious.