Days of Forgetful Pirating and Other Stories

From Donovan Daft's Epical Pyrates and Their Infamous Affairs Volume I (1725) Captain Thaddeus Darkheart is a Legend on one Side of the Atlantic and destitute on the Other.Few Pyrates had as contentious a Reputation as He, and for many Incidents, the Facts fail to provide proper Scaffolding for the Fictions created about the Man.Nonetheless, Darkheart is said to have ruled the Caribbean for nearly a Quarter Century, and surely None are as consistent in their Determination and unpredictable Temperament.I should confess that He was also an important Source for much of the Material contained within this Volume, yet surprisingly He has steadfastly refused to make any Account of his own Story, thus this Chapter is noticeably condensed in comparison with the Others, as I was only able to verify the most meagre Selection of Events, and his Story avoided even my boldest Attempts at Embellishment.I shall, in any Case, attempt to provide as full a Portrait as possible.Darkheart the Man stands nearly two Yards tall without the Musculature to fill out such an imposing Frame.His Jaw is weathered and grim and narrow, and his Nose is fine and beaked at only the slightest Angle.Time has bent Him, and now He hobbles with the Assistance of a Cane and a false Leg, but when He happens to recount a Tale, He has the Habit of punctuating dramatic Passages by rising for a Moment to his full Height.He has shaved his famous black Beard in a vain Attempt to accord Himself a Kernel of Anonymity.His Hair has grown out and is beginning to grey, and he braids his Locks down his Back and fancies Bicorns and other Hats of the Era.While he keeps Himself neatly dressed, He cannot afford the latest Fashions, and his limited Cloathing has worn and become ragged.His right Eye is patched, 'tho there is no Story in particular associated with its Loss.Instead, Legend grew around the Organ like Scar Tissue.Some say He pulled It out himself, while Others claim It just fell out one Day on its own Accord.Darkheart was born the son of Bakers in London in 1682.The family was not well off, yet not of the lower Classes either, and He seems to have enjoyed his Life for most of his Childhood, until some ill Humour in the Home forced young Thaddeus out, perhaps a Desire to avoid falling into the familial Occupation, and by the Age of Fourteen, He is serving on Ships to the Brazils and other international Destinations, where he no doubt became acclimated to the Life of a seafaring Man.By Fifteen he has made it to the West Indies via New York in America.The next Accounts of his Whereabouts put him on Infamity alongside Patrick Broadshanks, whose Tale we have recounted previously, and to which I refer the Reader in order to avoid Redundancy.Darkheart's Role in Broadshanks' Demise is disputed, and some Accounts even have Him involved in all Manner of Intrigue nefarious and vile, but were This the Case, then Darkheart is truly an Actor of the first Rate, for he became quite animated while recounting his Memories of Broadshanks and even shed a Tear and had to pause while I refreshed his Cognac.Whatever the Truth may be, suffice it to say Broadshanks' Passing shook young Darkheart, and shortly after He found Himself, according to nearly every Account, the youngest ever to captain a Boat of forty Guns in the Caribbean.The Death must have steeled Him as well, for He wavered not after acquiring the Position and soon after built quite a Reputation, notably in his Thirst for Cognac and Destruction.This dramatic Shift from Broadshanks to Darkheart sent Some over the Side, in search of a more

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