OPENING CHORUS: Pour, O pour the pirate sherry
ALL: Pour, O pour the pirate sherry; 
Fill, O fill the pirate glass; 
And, to make us more than merry 
Let the pirate bumper pass.
SAMUEL: For today our pirate 'prentice 
Rises from indentures freed; 
Strong his arm, and keen his scent is 
He's a pirate now indeed!
ALL: Here's good luck to Fred'ric's ventures! 
Fred'ric's out of his indentures.
SAMUEL: Two and twenty, now he's rising, 
And alone he's fit to fly, 
Which we're bent on signalizing 
With unusual revelry.
ALL: Here's good luck to Fred'ric's ventures! 
Fred'ric's out of his indentures.
Pour, O pour the pirate sherry; 
Fill, O fill the pirate glass; 
And, to make us more than merry 
Let the pirate bumper pass.
(FREDERIC rises and comes forward with PIRATE KING, who 
enters)
KING: Yes, Frederic, from to-day you rank as a full-
blown member of our band.
ALL: Aye!
FREDERIC: My friends, I thank you all, from my heart, 
for your kindly wishes. Would that I could repay them 
as they deserve!
KING: What do you mean?
FREDERIC: To-day I am out of my indentures, and to-day 
I leave you for ever.
KING: But this is quite unaccountable; a keener hand at 
scuttling a Cunarder or cutting out a White Star never 
shipped a handspike.
FREDERIC: Yes, I have done my best for you. And why? It 
was my duty under my indentures, and I am the slave of 
duty. As a child I was regularly apprenticed to your 
band. It was through an error -- no matter, the mistake 
was ours, not yours, and I was in honour bound by it.
SAMUEL: An error? What error? (RUTH rises and comes 
forward)
FREDERIC: I may not tell you; it would reflect upon my 
well-loved Ruth.
RUTH: Nay, dear master, my mind has long been gnawed by 
the cankering tooth of mystery. Better have it out at 
once.