Mr. Plugg’s “pet,” a simpleminded, hulking brute called Owlbear Hartshorn, is usually kept belowdecks in the middle hold

Owlbear Hartshorn is a large man with meaty fists. He’s a bit simple, and the rest of the crew enjoys having a laugh at the poor fellow’s expense. To try to make friends, Hartshorn has taken to clowning, laughing, and crying out random phrases at the top of his voice, as this seems to make people laugh. Owlbear likes to eat live crabs, breaking the shells with his teeth and fingers, and his shaved skin still shows signs of the tarring and feathering the crew gave him as a cruel joke not so long ago