Mebbe a Trik?

Mom Sez:

When last we left our intrepid Captain Musashi of the Good Ship Partmint, he was facing portents of mutiny from his usually loyal and trusty crew, because of his indecision about the far-off clipper and its suspicious flag-switching behavior. Clearly, the good captain is too excited about his rescue mission to remember Maritime Politics 101, Class #8, from his mail-order captain's licensing course...

Musashi Sez:

To mai frutstratid crue I egsplaynz: "We goin to see that Greenpeas ship an meet them Rainbow Worriers!"

"Nar, but that's the saym vessel wot wuz flyin the UN rag afore!" sez mai crue.

"Wull, mebbe they wuz tryin to skeer off them Japineez whalr typs."

"Yus," sez mai crue, "but mebbee...they is...pirates!"

"In this dae an ayj?...Pirates?"

"Yus. They probabul eethr Somalianz lookin fer slayvz or possibul Captin Morgn, whu lookin fer baybz fer his advertizin."

"Huh, so yu thingks we shud steer cleer?"

"Hmm. Lemmee see yer scop, Cap'n," sez mai Firsts Mayt. He sqwintz throogh mai scop an sez, "Hmm. Green flag wift big rainbow an whit piktchrz of continints...But...ther no othr rainboz. Greenpeas ships alwaez gots a rainbow on the hull too. It might be...a pirate trik?"

"Huh! Scurvee nayvz..."

Mai eyz gottid verree big. "Wull," sez I slolee. "If they ar Greenpeas, we cud get autrgrafs an som gud vejtabultareeyun recipeez fer mai mom...If they're... pirates, then we kin tayk ovr their ship an bring it bak to the qween an get knigtid!"

Mai qwartermastr points out, "Um, Cap'n, we isn't got a qween. We has a president."

"Whut a disappointmint. Cud we goes to Inglund then? They still gots a qween, don't they?"

"Yus," sez mai Firtst Mayt, "But that'll delay our rescyoo misshun."

I stayrz inskrootablee ovr the wayvz. Finlee, I sez, "Qwartrmastr? Mayk mushroomz fer luntch. What we gots heer is a Morel dillemr, an it paes to be perpayrd!"

"Mushroomz, aye, aye!"

Our Sea Adventchur Get Innerestin!

Musashi Sez:

Wull the seaz ar runnin high todae, but we gotz plentee of noms an a fair breez carryin us along, so I figgr we gots smooth saylin. We eevn gots big, noyzee seagullz on the roofs--I mean, the spars--of the othr ships. This sea'z a busy neigborhood!

In fact, from mai pozishun in the ravin's-nest, I kin see a verree innerestin ship comin norft in our direkshun. I can't see the flag too gud. I thingk it's that POW-MIA one they flies at teh Post Offis. So mebbe this a postal ship, carryin a poscard from mai mom! I bettr hoyst the maynyards an stuff to sayl us in that direkshun.

"Hoyst the maynyards!" I yells.

"Hoyst the maynyards, aye, aye!" yells bak mai trusty crue.

But as we gets closerer, I notis the blak flag comin down an a pertee bloo one goin up. I puts on mai glov wift the tellyscop attachd and luk throogh it. I see stars an a map of a planet. It's the Unitee Nayshunz. Huh. That no fun! We go bak.

"Brace yer lanyards," I shouts.

"Brace yer lanyards, aye, aye!" shouts mai crue.

But as we're veerin bak to our soufterlee cors, I looks bak an the pertee bloo flag is comin down an a noo flag is runnin up: brigt green wift a big ol' rainbow. That the Greenpeas flag! I alwaez wantid to meet them Rainbow Worrier gyz. Tim fer anothr cors correkshun.

"Brace yer maysayls!"

"Wot the blinketee-blink yu doin, ther, Cap'n? First, ye sez hoyst this, then it's brace that, an now it's brace that othr thin. Makes up yer mind, why dontcher!"

Uh oh! This cud meen myootinee!