still working on version.

Watchdogs/cat out of the bag

Crown land

Commons

A law unto themselves 

Whatever floats your boat 

Random acts of kindness

Their biggest fear was of being wrongly accused of a crime that they did not commit, too scared to put a foot wrong

Capital punishment

Scared to die alone, partner's in crime

Walk'n on eggshells, feel'n guilty swallow'n my pride, make'n no apologies for being old and injured, eat'n them alive/ eat'n red eye, fertilised embryo's.

Friendship

Homesickness

Coastal 

Pirates that are a bad influence

Clutch of eggs, pulling on the purse strings, spirit laying it on the line, your running out of time, adrenaline gland lock between your brain and your mind, headrush when it's broken, telling you, your running on borrowed time, jumping the plate and geting your pelvic floor muscles.back on your bones, before you have a heart attack.  (This is how nature works but where all ruined and drug run/when your pelvic floor muscles are ripped from your skin and bones)

1

The hang, drawn and quartered, square rigged timber sailing ship that in the old days was a 3 masted rig with 4 cross booms on each mast that propelled the ship along in the knots of wind.  A wooden barque with a crows nest full of big black birds, ravens that accompanied them on their voyages and explorations, out into the open swelled sea’s.

2

Each trip, before they set sail from the dock and departed on another voyage, the Captain would always order the shipmates to fill the crows nest basket full of fresh meat to the top, a low act to lure the birds out into the open sea, too far from land to return.

3

They'd fly in from the high jagged edge, craggy rock cliff faces to eat the feast of fresh meat.  When they’d finish eating, the birds would realise, too late that they were trapped on the boat, out in the open sea, in a crows nest bird cage without bars, jail sentence that they can’t escape, trick that gets them too far from dry land to return, fly back without dying from exhaustion.

4

Black watchmen, ravens that had a birds eye view, 360 degree's high vantage point with no land in sight that would have to cope with the hard to stomach, rough and choppy swells that would give them seasickness with the constant rocking of the ship. 

They would fly and circle the ship but then they would always have to return and swoop in and navigate between the three sheets to the four winds, flaping calico sails and perch in the crows nest, as the only form of solid dry land, home base drifting at sea to rest and perch in.

They had a hen pecking order, amongst them with the biggest and boldest male ring leader jail bird that was a bad to the bone, bloody hungry carnivore, always at the ready, preening his glossy black, purple and green tinghed iridescent feathers. 

He’d called all the shots, ordered the other carrion birds around in their top heavy, gilded cage with a round hand rail.

Injured men that would poke their tongues out and say Ahh exhaling their last breath

Jailbirds that would look them straight in the eye, that didn't have a guilty look on their face, didn’t think it was criminal, thought there's nothing wrong with it, that's just what they were born to do, scavenge the dead bodies. 

Like a murder of crows, group of birds that would get away with it scott free, eating the bodies for the Captain that didn't do his own dirty work, geting them to clean up after him, all the mess moping up with the men dying on deck heads filled with dark thoughts, hoping for nightfall so they could rest in peace, die while the birds are roosting for the night. 

They were throw away the key, birds with a life sentence , stuck on the boat.  Raven's that were nobody's fools.  Thieves that got away with it, daylight saving robbery, partners in crime.

They were way out in front, bower birds that would rob the dead bodies, plundering and pillaging, snatch and grab stealing their shiny jewellery.  Big sticky beaks that would poke their nose into other people's business and pick pocket them dead, stealing their coins away, looting the rings off their severed fingers that didn't know maths, couldn't work out the figure in their heads, appraisal of how much it was worth but knew they had value.

5

Crows nests were on sailing ships from 1807, during the 19th century.

6

Situated on the mainstay mast, highest point of the vessel. They were a navigational aid, with a natural instinct with exceptional vision that could see the pirate ships approaching.  Raven’s that didn't need telescopes and could see as far as the crow flies when the pirate ships were about to attack, see red with the pirate's sash belt headscarves.  Birds that still to this day have a better spectrum of colour than we do.

7

It was eerie watchtower at night, where they would sleep on the job in their round house lookout, oak barrel crowing glory, mast head crows nest,  vantage point full of corvids that were fiercely territorial of their home, sailing through life on a wing and a prayer with the Captain having no advanced warning of attack at night because the birds can't keep their eyes peeled after dark and thought to themselves, he'll have to fight his own battles, lookout for himself and watch his own back till their on board again in the morning.  They were rise and shine birds that were always up at the crack of dawn's daylight rays, never moonlighting with a second half of the day night shift.

8

They were watchmen from the crows nest that kept score from the top gallant, masthead mainstay, birds of prey from the pulpit in the sky that don’t kneel and say grace, thank the lord for small mercy's, before probing with their beaks and eating a repulsive dinner.

9

The pirates were ruthless killer's, rough rogues that were smooth operators with the hide and audacity, gall of them, to attack the Royal British ship, that were a law unto themselves, tyrants at sea, flying the Jolly Roger, skull and cross bones flag that would attack.

10

Seven deadly sins, birds of prey, flock of a black congregation that would raise some eye brows with their gluttony, pecking their eye’s out to eat their brains, hard to stomach watching, even for some of the toughest men.  Raptor birds that would strike fear, terror in the eyes of grown men that feared the worst. 

11

Cold blooded killers that loved warm blood and would give them a tongue lashing licking it up, talking in a syrinx language that's only for the birds, making deep guttural gurgling croaks, rising in pitch that seems to come from the back of their throats. 

They were a choir of birds that would sing for their supper, gospel songs.  Raven's that aren't remorsefull and have no conscience, don't feel guilty, have no fear of God's retribution that would return to the fold at dark and perch on their roost with their heads bowed down low with their wings at their side, praying for their own forgiveness overnight. 

12

Heaven help us, would pass the uprising of the dead men's souls, cross over their path, journey to the other side in life, on their way down to eat their dead bodies.  Without a shadow of a doubt, carrying their souls with them thats spirits were set free to soar in the sky for eternity with the birds.

CAPTAIN/MUTINY

13

Disgruntled men, shipmates that would walk all over the Captain and have a mutiny plan to overthrow his control of the ship and his code of conduct rules.  Revolt against the Captain, in charge of the ship, insubordination, rebellion with the crew shipmates.

14

When the Captain was in a bad mood with a stern look on his face he would take matter's into his own hands and decide who's innocent or guilty, loose control sometimes punish shipmates without a fair trail or a shred of evidence, forgeting "Bare words may make a heretick but not a traytor without an overt act". 

15

He hated high treason at sea, men that were disloyal to the crown and had put protocols in place for keeping the peace including rationing out the alcohol.  He was a Captain that would defend the crown with his own life. 

He'd fight with the shipmates, punishing them when they'd go insane with the alcohol and jimmy rummy, not playing with a full deck of cards, slandering the king of England swearing their going to kill him, he'd always hold the upper hand and kept his men in control one way or another. 

16

Men that would get down on their knee's and beg a pardon from the cruel torture that was dealt out.

17

It was a brutual torture dealt out for attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance to, in the form of being executed, spare you the gruesome details of them being hung drawn and quartered, water under a bridge, heads decapitated and made an example of, hanging when they get back to port. 

18

In the modern world high treason is still a crime punishable in England with life imprisonement in jail.

19

The Captain would set an example of men that had disobeyed his order's to help keep the other men in line.

20

Captain that would have keel hauling parties where he would leave disobedient shipmates in his wake, dragging them behind, under the boat, from side to side, left to right, port to starboard.

21

Men that got their hands tied, no choice but to stand their ground geting rope burn, tied to the spot, made to hold their head up straight, can’t go anywhere tortured to death, tied to the mainstay mast with the little ankle biters, birds walking around biding their time. 

22

On the ships that had cannons on board, anchored to the deck, some men would collapse on the deck when they were cut down after a thorough going over with, by the cat of nine tails, lashings across their back as punishment.

23

Raven’s that would white wash the ships sails, shiting themselves watching, waiting for the death toll, dinner bell to ring in their heads.

24

They were birds that were fast to spy them laying around on the deck with their little beady, cold steal eyes looking down on them, peering from their great lookout post, vantage point, where they'd keep score of the basket cases, decapitated heads thats eye's would roll around on the deck, in the choppy rough open sea's, mutinys against the Captain, high treason at sea.

25

The birds were bad omen's that the end is coming soon, sign of doom, black cloud hanging over their heads, circling in the sky above the dead and injured when the fights ended.  It would give the dying men delusional, panic attacks at the thought, looking up squinting at the glaring sun, geting crows feet wrinkles, trying to keep a lookout for them swooping down to attack their bare flesh, naked skin. 

26

Raven's rap dancing, taping with their beaks on the shiver me timber’s, splintered shiplap tongue and groove, weathered floor boards that would send tingles up your spine, eating the severed body parts, of the men out cold unconscious or dead with a taste for the kill, warm blood.

27

Wouldn’t wish it on your worst enermy.  Men that would duck for cover as they'd dive bomb and drop down, attack victims that needed eye's in the back of their heads to survive them.

28

Raven's that were ravenous starving for a feed that reckoned human's tasted better than the below deck, bilge rats any day.

30.

31.

32

They were the Capitan's carnivore birds that took after his own heart, loved a bit of fresh meat, that tastes like pork, so I'm told.  Raven's that were worth their fair share, pound of flesh as the Captain's shipmate pets. 

Captain that had given them the rite of passage, as unpaid sea farer's on board with a free reign that didn't have any restrictions on them.  When he gave the signal, he'd think them fair game for the birds to attack and would let them finish the victims off.

33

Raptors that were stalwart supporter's of the Captain, worshipped the ground he walked on but knew 'You can't win them all' and thought, there might be a day of reckoning, when they turn on him dead and eat the Captain instead of the pirates.

34

The Captain always said the colourful talking parrot that would screech out 'Pieces of Eight' all the time was only for Long John Silver's ship.

35

It was a eerie watchtower at night, where they would sleep on the job in their round lookout, oak barrel mast head crowning glory, vantage point full of corvids that were fiercly territorial of their home.???

36

Birds with a score to settle, repetitious trained serial killers that would do it every time, fly the coup, down from their fighting top and show no mercy and would wage an all out aerial attack and dive bomb and drop to the ground and finish the men off.

37

Birds that would do a disappearing act overnight, make the flag flutter, flapping their wings flying up to their roost and surrender a truce untill daylight the next day.

38.

PIRATES

39

When the adventurous pirates ran rampant on the open sea's it was the golden age of doubloons and pieces of eight, silver dollar coins that filled the ships treasure chests and barrel's full of Jamaican rum, cargo on board that was very valuable, that motivated them to attack and raid. 

Sometimes the booty would cost them a arm or a leg to get. The treacherous pirates were infamous characters that would share the spoils and drink copious amounts of alcohol, skull drinks straight down in one gulp and get full as a goog, blind rotten drunk afterwards. 

The pirate vessels would attack merchant ships and then go on board and stop at nothing to get what they wanted, making threats and attacking, having close combat duels, brutal and bloody cut throat fights to the death, wielding their broad sharp as a knife, curved blade cutlass swords around with two hands.

Firing thunderbust pistols with the blokes going off half cocked with musket ram rod guns, firearms that would give a powerful kickback into their shoulder when fired, that would make a loud bang, aimed at their middle range belly or upper chest to hit their mark.  They were a sight for sore eyes, each time they fired with the ammunition, gunpowder leaving them standing there, temporarily blinded by a haze of smoke.

40

The Captain would 'have their guts for garter's, intestines wrapped around his leg' kicking up a ruckus stabing and killing them, jumping around on deck, having big swashbuckling fights with the green egg's and ham, pig headed buccaneer's that would attack taking random pot shot's to overthrow the ship's crew.

41

Birds that had a blast, flying around geting blown off course that got used to the loud noise with their ear's burning, knowing the pirates were talking about them going deaf with their hearing that was finely tuned to the sound waves of the ocean, but they had learned to block out the noise and fly around, rise above it all and put a bit of distance between them and the gun fire, causing a commotion, triggering a response with them squawking and cawing crying out loud until all the action died down on deck.  

42

They were restless ravens agitated that got ruffled feathers geting disturbed with the pirates sink or swim tactics, trying to kill two birds with the one stone, cast iron cannonball fire.  Birds left shaking their heads wondering why, how can you get blood out of a stone with all the cannonball fire.  You could hear a pin drop with the silence when the fight was finally over.

43

Bartholomew Roberts 'Black Bart' had a bad reputation as a pirate,  having one of the worst records for being very good at it, supposedly terrorizing and attacking lots of ships before his death.  They would attack the ships and loot them for all they were worth, then take all the spoils back to their own ship.

44

Pirates that thought they had nothing to loose attacking and had everything to gain with their supplies and rations all used up and depleted.

45

Fish monger pirates that would get scurvy from the lack of vegetables because of being away too long at sea, that would never go into some ports for supplies in case of repercussions held against them from attacking the other ships.

46

First rate mates, raven's that would come in last, after they'd finished fighting and the brawl had ended with a deckful of dying men that would look daggers at them, cursing the birds with their revolting fowl mouth, uncouth rough language, at their wits end with them, swearing that it'll be the death of them, wishing the ravens good riddance, while the birds would give them a sharp rap over the knuckles for it reprimand.

47

Sometimes at the end of the day, they'd end up being a sail the seven sea's, ghost ship flying the skull and cross bones flag, full of dead bodies, lost souls at sea, flat on their backs with their arms crossed, drifting aimlessly, floating off course for eternity, on a journey to the other side, new world afterlife.

48

Waiting till the coast is clear of any musket gunfire.  Starving and desperate for a feed, famished birds that couldn't wait and were ravenous ready to attack the maggot bag of bones pirates that would come to a gruesome ending, then it was on for young and old, open slather with their razor sharp beaks that they would wipe from side to side and attack with a dig in and don't wait attitude, rip, tear and bite their food revolting ritual.

49

Biding their time circle of friends, perched in the crows nest riding it out in their roundhouse, waiting patiently for the next sign of rain to fill their wishing well, rub a dub dub, birdbath tub and slosh around in the water.

They's take a rain check for later, when it was full of a new clutch of eggs.  All blacks from head to toe, breed of their own, brood of chicks that would pull on their parent's hidden purse strings with alot of room for give and take in their big crows nest round house.

They grew up in a very safe haven home, high and dry from the sea salt spray, settling their differences, squabbling amongst themselves with their mouths, gullets open wide and their gizzards ready to grind up their bones, always hungry that can't get enough, chirping for a feed in unison.  

Captain that would threaten to have a dinner of four and twenty blackbirds in a pie if they produce too many.

Little gems, just as valuable as the jewellery lining their nest that would sleep on it overnight for safe keeping and think about it boxed in, what their money hungry, gold digger parents did being pawn brokers for the Captain that could never cash them in, but they were bedazzling and pretty to look at, hoarding up all the jewellery, in the crowning glory, crows nest fit for a king.

Didn't take long for them to grown up and hang on by their tender hooks, balancing act with their four scaly toed feet claws siting on the edge, grasping the side, rim of the nest,  ready to fledge and learn to fly, departing with a very noisey send off, going nowhere trapped on the ship.

Crotchety old decrepit, boiler birds that would sometimes go blind or get injured with their wings clipped and broken in their elderly age, that had the legs to go the distance would climb the ladder to the top of the mast head injured and then stayed in the crows nest all the time. 

They would make no apologies about or say sorry for providing their own food, laying their own eggs to eat, once a year saving grace, amazing survival of the fittest tactics.  Females that could outlive the male birds, as they were fortunate to be self sufficient with something to eat, scrambled eggs in their shells when they couldn't fly the coup, go anywhere hurt and had already in their younger healthy years had plenty of incubated batches of chicks towards procreating the population.  

50

Shipmate crew that would spend their downtime below deck writing in their diary's and relaxing, sleeping it off in swaying hammocks, strung from the rafter beams, rocking and rolling with the swells of the open sea, drifting off having nightmares, talking in their sleep 'Ave a go you Mugs' storm in a teacup, brewing with the blokes in their heads, stirring them up having phantom  pains and reliving the fight in their dreams with their few belongings kept close by, in a tea chest under their bed. 

51

The Captain would give them what they wanted, and throw the oak barrel, drop in the ocean, rum buoy's overboard to float like men, swimming in the salty waves bobbing up and down, when he realised he didn't have a chance with only a few shipmate crew left alive, hoping they would spare the remaining men's lives and leave them in peace. 

52

The Captain had no advanced warning of attack at night because the birds couldn't keep their eyes peeled after dark and made no apologies about the fact, that he'll have to fight his own battles after dark, lookout for himself and watch his own back, till their on board the next day.  They were rise and shine birds that were always up at the crack of dawn' daybreak, never moonlighting with a second half of the day, night shift.

53

Birds that had their priorities right, survived to see another day, mob of raven's that would gang up on them dying, tear strips off them and stowing it away for later, like leftover beef jerkey strips that they'd take up to their crows nest to be sundried out.  Parent's that would have a bone to pick with their chicks, playing tug of war games with them all fighting over the skeleton's, crunching their bones. 

Missed the Boat

53a

missed the boat, left in another country, birds that migrated by ship, immigration boat people

ship that sailed off into the sunset without them

Tall Tales

54

Some of the Captains on the ships were the biggest thieves of the lot and very corrupt.

Catch my drift, a lot of times it was the Captains and their crew that buried the treasure on desserted islands in hidden coves.  They would beat the pirates to it and drew up x marks the spot, treasure maps of the tropical locations.

They would twist the truth around, heart wrenching shame, shifting the blame onto the pirates, accusing them of stealing it.  Tell tall ship tales and short change the pirates out of the treasure.  Shoot themselves in the foot and sabotage themselves and risk cutting short their own lives, big picture if they got caught.

They would tell a lie that’s hard to prove motivated by greed and deception that got the better of them, temptation that’s hard to resist.

Would play the game of pirates and stab each other in the back after it was buried, cut the other shipmates, ones they didn’t trust out of the action as loose lips sink ship’s.

Pull someone's leg,  stretch the truth and tell a fib

Too smart for their own good captain would stealing right under the noses

Giving them enough rope to hang themselves

famous last words

Shipmates that would all get the story straight with the Captain and stick to it, all for one and one for all, agree to lie through their teeth, point the finger of blame at the pirates, pass the buck around, blantant dishonesty, spin a big yarn to line their own nest about a hairy escape with the pirates. 

Shipmates bunging on an act that they've been attacked, spice up the story drinking some rum, blaming Captain Morgan's privateer's.

Cost them all their lives if anyone of the crew, sing like a bird behind bars and blurt out the facts, let the cat out of the bag, truth about stealing right under the noses of the birds that can’t talk, bad influence rubing off on the crew.

Death do us part secret that must always be kept close to their hearts.

Steal from right under their noses and for better or worse

never rollover on their mates, rags to riches story of seamen, that they all agree to, spliting the treasure equally, cuting the pirates out of the action, retirement money fund.

cross my heart and hope to die of old age, holding the truth close to their heart, chesty bonds with the crew, swearing to never let the cat out of the bag, big secret with controlling the nuisance birds.

hope the colourful truth won't come out in the wash

Dumb idea if you ask me because on our minds there is usually repercussions for their actions, consequence for lying in life, that then seems to come back to haunt them, makes it happen in life, causing them to really get attacked by a pirate ship and possibly lose their life

Hi jinx at sea

Hi jacked at sea.

take life into their own hands, risk their taking

Corupt Captain that gets everyone on board with the idea

Greed and corruption

Betrayed

make up the story, truth be known

could never change their minds no matter how cruel the punishment dealt out to get them to sing like a bird when their in a cage locked up

Deception and greed, lost at sea stories

have to be a good actor to get away with it

serves themselves right if they get grounded like a beached whale on a sandbank, burying the treasure

Fire

58

It was a stalemate deadlock, no win situation where no one wins and everybody loses, when they would set each other's ships alight   When this happened in history,  everyone dies and all the cargo is lost. 

It would light up the ocean, when they'd set them ablaze and burn each other's ships down with the birds on board all tarred with the same brush, adding fuel to the fire, flapping their wings around, faning the flames with the highly flammable, black pitch waterproofing, making the big floating tinder box, wooden ships burn down quickly. 

There were a hell fire on high water with the men having to jump overboard with the extreme heat and usually drowned with exhaustion or were eaten by sharks.

 

 

 

 

 

* I was named after Ferdinand Magellan the Portuguese Explorer and Magellan the Catholic Patron Saint of Expectant Mother's *

This story is inspire by:

William Scoresby Senior who is credited in 1807 with the inventing of the traditional barrel-style 'Crows Nest'.  He was a English whaling captain and arctic explorer.   He designed it to protect lookouts from harsh arctic winds, it consisted of a reinforced cask outfitted with a trapdoor, internal seating and racks for telescopes. 

and

Robert Falcon Scott the Captain of the whaling and polar expedition vessel, sailing ship called Terra Nova - Falcon's Crest, Crow's Nest