HMS bountiful
Roland Rod-Dan took his time to check that no one else was watching. Yes Roland was rather hungry, but it was better to be hungry for a while, than become some else’s supper. For on the good ship HMS Bountiful Roland was considered fair game. Yes the name of the game was catch you a longtail. Individuals like Roland where considered fair sport. Once catch yourself a Rod-Dan you set up a arena, then the fun started, wagers where placed. It was egregious the games that where played on Roland. Finally he might even be baked in a clay jacket.
Footnote: egregious is one of those words that has fallen out of use. Egregious might be used to mean outstandingly bad, or even remarkably good. Rod-Dan is my euphemism for a rat.
This Post Has 32 Comments
Dear Michael,
I’m quite familiar with the word egregious. Roland did have some trying times, didn’t he?
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thank you Rochelle, He certainly did, in the time when sailing ships travelled the globe, he was often fatten up on ships biscuits ready for a tasty treat.
Roland needs to find a better billet the next time they dock. This one sounds neither safe nor healthy.
Poor Roland Rat!
Indeed who would want to be Roland on HMS bountiful
Even a rat needs to eat. Poor Roland being near bottom of the food chain.
Roland thanks you for your concern.
I’m more a rat-on-a-stick man than a rat-pie one
Now Roland is worried, he does not like the vision of him being pierced by a stick
Best keep slipping in and out of the shadows. Why am I suddenly feeling sorry for a rat?
Here’s mine!
Roland is pleased that you thought about his dilemma. Ps I enjoy chess, I once beat a grandmaster, however he had removed many of him major pieces.
Sinister, shuddering!
That’s just the words Roland would use. He wishes me to thank you for your concern
I love the quirky way you tell your stories, which are always so imaginative.
What a nice thing to say, thank you so much.
There’s a price to pay for stowing away on a boat.
Roland believes that he is a refuge collector, keeping the boat shipshape by eating all the crumbs.
I’ve never seen it from the perspective of a rat. I always thought they shouldn’t have stowed away on boats and gone to pester other countries 🙁
Roland a stowaway, never, he sees himself as an adventurer.
I love the word “egregious.” You’re right–we don’t hear it much these days. “Outrageous” is much more familiar. Poor Rodney. The “Bountiful” wasn’t too bountiful for him!
Roland is grateful for your concern, but says that he has left the boat and now resident in Eboracum. I to am grateful for your comment. Particularly as commenting is something I usually find difficult
Michael, this reminds of a neighbor we had where I grew up. He put lots of fattening treats out for the fox squirrels that lived in the oak trees. In the fall, he would harvest them. Just like shooting fish in a barrel. Gruesome! The men on the sailing ships had at least some excuse for their acts.
Barbecued squirrel. Fascinating. It sounds like a story in its own right. Roland is now feeling happier, as he has disembarked from the ship and now lives in Eboracum
Oh really? I never thought he would have survived it!
At one point neither did he, however he did. Now he wants me to write his memoirs. I have warned him that I have a poor record when it comes to getting a book finished.
🙂
Roland baked in a clay jacket doean’t sound very apetising, Mike. He needs to make his escape pronto.
Hi Michael, Roland is safe and sends his regards. It appears that he has started to write his memoirs. Using me as his ghost writer Of course.
Life was hard on a sailing ship, especially if you’re a rat!
It certainly could be, but Roland survived, and is now encouraging me to write his memoirs…
Clever story, took me awhile. I like that word too.
Thank you Ted