An Uncommon Bounty

Captain Hornigold sailed with his sobered-up crew

Come the morn after their drunken revels

Overboard in late contests, their hats they all threw

Now uncovered, their heads left disheveled

With wind at their backs, further flailing their hair

Merchantmen they did sight off the coast

Hornigold grinned and laughed, the glint in his eye rare

To his crew he did issue this boast:

"See now how that sloop scurries off with great fear

They suppose we'll soon hunt for their lives

They've spotted our banner, and Thatch at our rear;

Lads, an uncommon bounty arrives!"

Ranger signaled Thatch their intent to pursue

And made short work of filling her sails

Hornigold's small, swift fleet with the wind all but flew

'Til they drew near their new quarry's tail.

A pale flag was soon raised by the mercantile ship

As its crew softly begged for their fates

Hornigold came aboard, and at once he did quip:

"Hear me now, your headgear, abdicate!"

Neither bloodshed nor goods-theft occurred on that day

For the pirates had wished not a spat

They sailed off in good humor to find their next prey

Doing so in their fine, newfound hats.

About the author

Ethan Hedman is a speculative fiction writer from South Florida, the land of heat, humidity, and hurricanes. Ethan's work has been featured in a variety of publications, including Gunsmoke & Dragonfire, Community of Magic Pens, and The Hamthology. His full bibliography can be found on EthanHedman.com.