From the ``Of Howell Davis'' chapter of the pirate book I've read ...
... Then landing [ at Goa ] , [ La Bouche ] invited himself to a seat at the Governor's table, where he placed his person between the latter and the Viceroy and informed his Portugese excellency that he was a prisoner. The pirate having been put in good humor by wine and good cheer, [ French Governor M. Desforges ] Boucher asked him to set the Viceroy's ransom.
``I must have a thousand dollars, '' replied La Bouche.
``That is far too little,'' replied the shrewd governor, ``for a brave freebooter like yourself to accept from a grand lord like the Viceroy. Ask something handsome or ask nothing.''
``Well,'' answered La Bouche, ``I shall ask nothing. The Viceroy is free to go.''
This is why Daffy Duck was never licensed as privateer...
Meantime it's been a series of beautiful nights here -- relatively cool, water ripe with rain, nice irregular breezes that sometimes get quite strong. It smells like spring, as if that were a precise description. It's a wonderful air.
Trivia: To stop his brother Chico's hocking of his bar mitzvah watch, Harpo removed its hands and wore it anyway. Source: Harpo Speaks!, Harpo Marx and Rowland Barber.
Currently Reading: Under the Black Flag: Expoits of the Most Notorious Pirates, Don C. Seitz.