>a bosun's whip - In the Age of Sail, one of the boatswain's
>odder odd jobs was the administration of capital punishment, usually
>in the form of a bareback whipping, to delinquent sailors. Grown men
>were sometimes killed by this ordeal, although the ship's surgeon was
>customarily on hand during floggings to (try to) prevent this.

I think you meant *corporal* punishment, as *capital* punishment is generally intentionally fatal...

aside from that, i'm greatly enjoying both the stories and the discussion of Dutch names and comparative buying power!

-Z
this has been your semi-decade nit to pick. we now return you to your regularly scheduled forum posts

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Remember kids: guns make you stupid, duct tape makes you smart.