Of Sport and Profit

[jdd2035]

Corone was not currently at war with any other nation that meant the Letters of Marque were only written for pirates and the occasional rogue captain. The money was easy most pirates being cowards and black guards but like any other repetitive task if done too many times in a row people get burned out doing it. Cains crew, the crew of the Peregrine being a prime, crack crew were never the less beginning to become burned out of pirate hunting. Not to mention the Corone stockades were becoming over crowded from all the pirates captured by Cain and company.

It was about time for a change of pace even if for a brief time. Stepping out of his great cabin Cain looked over the Peregrine a beautiful ship, lovely lines, bluff bow. Her decks had just been holy stoned white, swabbed and flogged dry. His crew a mix of whalers, smugglers, former pirates and mercenaries had been hand picked and trained for years now.

The crew seemed tired, they knew through absolute repetition that Cain would order that as soon as the ships stores were finished being loaded to weigh anchor and set sail for the trade lanes to hunt pirates. The looked on as Cain called the boatswain to the quarter deck. "Mr. Grimhand, when the stores are loaded, weigh anchor and set all reasonable sail for the Leviathan Archipelago." Cain smiled and winked at the orcish seaman.

The crew began to smile the Leviathan Archipelago was in the opposite direction of the trading lanes where pirates hunt. Even better it was the edge of whaling and fishing waters. Just that much of a change in pace was enough to really boost the crews morale and they were once again eager to sail.

[jdd2035]

Of the ninety or so crewmen Cain had under his command fifteen of them including himself were former whalers and experienced in such business; some were harpooners, others were cutters, skinners, lancers, or rowers. With the rest of the crew playing to their apparent strengths there was enough experienced whalers and other crewmen for four boat crews, two processing crews with some rotation. But even with good organization the crew would need some practice before whaling would start in earnest.

Once the Peregrine arrived at the Leviathan Archipelago he the crews up into their new whaling posts keeping in mind who worked together well and who didn't. His own crew included himself as harpooner/ boat captain, Mr. Grimhand as lancer and four able seamen as rowers and line handlers. Mr. Agon the tifling lead another cutter and the Firestorm brothers rounded out the boat captains.

For the next week the Peregrine stayed with in the islands and began to hunt for sharks. Hammer heads, tiger sharks,s blue sharks and the prize of them all the great whites.

Spotting a school of sharks was fairly easy. Sharks were for all intents and purposes lazy and hung around places where whale carcass's were dropped into the ocean and fed off of that. Cains cutter was the first to be lowered into the water only by about a half second. The tiflings jolly boat was was next and both boats stretched trying to be the first to throw their harpoon Mr. Agon shouted "Stretch it out, this might be the only time to wipe our captains eye!"

Cain's eyes spotted the shark first and he stood up hefting his harpoon and threw it. The harpoon arced through the air the rope uncoiling smoothly and striking home into the sharks side just behind its pectoral fin.The shark took off on a run line running out and snapping taut and started to pull the boat fast enough to produce a bow wake, a most impressive feat. Cain ordered "reverse your stretch! Tire it out! Mr. Grimhand haul on the line!"

Mr. Agon's crew had also harpooned a shark but instead of it making a run it charged the jolly boat nearly knocking Mr. Agon and his lancer out of the boat. Luckily enough the pair landed on their rowers in a comical fashion. The tifling shouted orders with the rowers and his lancer working to defend the boat while he threw another harpoon into it.

Cain's shark began to tire and for good measure he threw another harpoon into it and helped Mr. Grimhand haul the shark closer to the boat. Soon as the shark was thrashing along the side of the cutter MR. Grimhand took his lance and drove it into the sharks gills several times. It thrashed and jerked nearly capsizing the boat but eventually it died and the cutter returned to the boat along with the similarly lucky tiflings boat.

Cains shark was a fifteen foot long hammer head shark whose skin was a light grey nearly white. The tifling started clapping "Sir I wish you joy on you beautiful first catch congratulations. But I think ours might a wee bit bigger!" he shouted in joviality as a twenty foot long great white was hoisted out of the water.

It was the Firestorm brothers turn next with both teams of boats taking turns rowing out and retrieving sharks.