title: Under The Eagle's Beak: The Search for the Treasure of Pirate's Pit
author:  John Girone 
description: Recently retired from his thirty years as a secondary school teacher, John Girone enjoyed working on his uncle's fishing boat as a boy. Inspired by the sea yarns spun by the "old salt" fishermen and his love of adventure stories, Girone has transformed his own experiences into an appealing story for middle readers. He currently lives with his wife, Christine, on the New Jersey shore.
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  The Pirates of Ersatz
  
  
    
  
  
    
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  # The Pirates of Ersatz
  
  
  ### Murray Leinster
  
  
  This page formatted 2007 Blackmask Online.
  
  http://www.blackmask.com  
    
  
  
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  Produced by Greg Weeks, V. L. Simpson, Bruce Albrecht and the Online
  Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
  
  
  THE PIRATES OF ERSATZ
  
  BY MURRAY LEINSTER
  
  [Illustration]
  
  
  Sometimes it seems nobody loves a benefactor ... particularly  
  nobody on a well-heeled, self-satisfied planet. Grandpa always  
  said Pirates were really benefactors, though....
  
  
  Illustrated by Freas
  
  
  
  
  
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  ### VI
  
  
  When frantic bangings on the propped-shut door awakened him next morning, 