Quicksilver Reading CompanionAboard the merchant ship Minerva in Plymouth Bay, Daniel Waterhouse reflects on his past and the dangers of the Atlantic crossing in November 1713.
“when he’s shooting the sun with his back-staff” — A back-staff was a 17th-century navigational instrument that allowed a mariner to measure the sun’s altitude by using its shadow rather than looking directly at the sun. Stephenson’s annotation: “Invented by John Davis in 1590, it was the standard tool for finding latitude until the octant appeared in the 1730s.”
“Dappa is an African” — While Dappa is a fictional character, he represents the historical reality of “Black Jacks,” or free African sailors who occupied a unique social space in the maritime world of the 18th century.
“‘Twas a grenade. We have a few retired grenadiers in our number” — Grenadiers were elite assault troops specifically trained to throw heavy, primitive iron spheres filled with gunpowder. Because of the strength required to hurl these weapons and the danger of the fuses, they were typically the tallest and most disciplined soldiers in an army.