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Samuel Bowditch
Tom Perry is a sailor on the Pilgrim, a privateer vessel during the Revolutionary War. He knows Father by reputation, and it’s because of his respect for the elder Bowditch that he sells his last expectation to Nat Bowditch for the ridiculously low sum of one shilling. Perry dies at sea attempting to board a seized British vessel.
Tom Perry Quotes in Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
The Carry On, Mr. Bowditch quotes below are all either spoken by Tom Perry or refer to Tom Perry. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2: The Privateers
Quotes
“I’d invest in a privateer. I’d buy an expectation from a sailor.”
“How do you buy an expectation?”
“An expectation is the money a sailor expects to make on the voyage of a privateer. You see, when we capture a British ship, we sell it. The owner of the privateer gets part of the money. The rest goes to the captain and crew. If you want to buy an expectation, you talk to a sailor about it. He’ll take your money. Then he’ll give you a slip of paper that says you’ll get part of what he makes on the voyage.”
“And will that be more money than you gave him?”
“Lots more.”
“Why will the sailor sell his expectation, when he would have more money if he didn’t?”
Father chuckled. “Here comes a sailor now. You might ask him.”
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The big man took off his flat black hat and fished a paper from the crown. “Just got one left. For ten per cent of my expectations. What’ll you give me for it?”
“All my money!” Nat laid his shilling in the big man’s hand.
The big man stared at the shilling. “Well, I’ll be a copper-bottomed, bevel-edged…Most money you ever had, eh?”
“Yes, sir!”
“And you come from a long line of sea captains? Who are you?”
“Nat Bowditch.”
“Captain Bowditch’s boy, eh? I remember when the Polly went aground. Same day the war started. April 19, 1775.”
“Granny said it ‘took the tuck’ out of Father.” Nat told the big man about his good-luck spell that he was going to work, only the nor’easter came, and hid the moon.
The big man rubbed his bristling chin. He looked at the shilling. “It’s a bargain, Mate. But keep it a secret!
Chapter 11: What Next?
Quotes
“I wonder,” Nat said, “why they call it a venture?”
Gibaut was still chuckling. “Because it is a venture—a risk. Any cargo is a risk. When we get to Bourbon, we may find people begging for our cargo and we may sell everything for three times what we paid for it. Or maybe when we get there, they won’t want anything we have. Maybe we’ll find there have been eight or ten ships there just ahead of us. Then we’ll lose our shirts. We never know.”
“I wouldn’t want to lose my whole hundred and thirty-five dollars. I wonder if there’s anything I could be sure I’d sell?”
“You can’t be sure of anything,” Gibaut said. “But ask Monsieur Bonnefoy about it. He ought to know. He comes from Bourbon. Fact is, he’s going home on the Henry.”
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Tom Perry Quotes in Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
The Carry On, Mr. Bowditch quotes below are all either spoken by Tom Perry or refer to Tom Perry. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2: The Privateers
Quotes
“I’d invest in a privateer. I’d buy an expectation from a sailor.”
“How do you buy an expectation?”
“An expectation is the money a sailor expects to make on the voyage of a privateer. You see, when we capture a British ship, we sell it. The owner of the privateer gets part of the money. The rest goes to the captain and crew. If you want to buy an expectation, you talk to a sailor about it. He’ll take your money. Then he’ll give you a slip of paper that says you’ll get part of what he makes on the voyage.”
“And will that be more money than you gave him?”
“Lots more.”
“Why will the sailor sell his expectation, when he would have more money if he didn’t?”
Father chuckled. “Here comes a sailor now. You might ask him.”
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
The big man took off his flat black hat and fished a paper from the crown. “Just got one left. For ten per cent of my expectations. What’ll you give me for it?”
“All my money!” Nat laid his shilling in the big man’s hand.
The big man stared at the shilling. “Well, I’ll be a copper-bottomed, bevel-edged…Most money you ever had, eh?”
“Yes, sir!”
“And you come from a long line of sea captains? Who are you?”
“Nat Bowditch.”
“Captain Bowditch’s boy, eh? I remember when the Polly went aground. Same day the war started. April 19, 1775.”
“Granny said it ‘took the tuck’ out of Father.” Nat told the big man about his good-luck spell that he was going to work, only the nor’easter came, and hid the moon.
The big man rubbed his bristling chin. He looked at the shilling. “It’s a bargain, Mate. But keep it a secret!
Chapter 11: What Next?
Quotes
“I wonder,” Nat said, “why they call it a venture?”
Gibaut was still chuckling. “Because it is a venture—a risk. Any cargo is a risk. When we get to Bourbon, we may find people begging for our cargo and we may sell everything for three times what we paid for it. Or maybe when we get there, they won’t want anything we have. Maybe we’ll find there have been eight or ten ships there just ahead of us. Then we’ll lose our shirts. We never know.”
“I wouldn’t want to lose my whole hundred and thirty-five dollars. I wonder if there’s anything I could be sure I’d sell?”
“You can’t be sure of anything,” Gibaut said. “But ask Monsieur Bonnefoy about it. He ought to know. He comes from Bourbon. Fact is, he’s going home on the Henry.”
