Continued from Last week:
Surprisingly, the pirates had certain laws which were more democratic than the societies they lived in. They elected and even replaced leaders. The captain was usually the fittest and the most vicious fighter. They even shared the booty and had a fair system of sharing in place. Those injured in battle got compensation or were given simpler jobs. These laws were written down and sometimes even used to declare them outlaws in a court of law. But the pirates’ own justice system was very harsh. For simple acts of disobedience, they could be whipped, marooned, burnt or even drowned and killed.