X is for Xebec

My theme for A- Z was the year my book takes place: 1881. My plan was to post about people, places, and random facts about the year as it relates - however distantly - to my book, West of Paradise. However, I ran into a little trouble with these last three letters, so instead I tried to find interesting words beginning with the appropriate letter that people might not be familiar with.

Which leads us to X for Xebec, a small three-masted Mediterranean vessel with both square and triangular sails, a long overhanging bowsprit, and a protruding mizzen mast. It also can refer to a small, fast vessel of the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, commonly used by Arab Corsairs but also by both the French and Spanish Navies.

Antonio Barcelo's Xebec facing two Algerian Corsair Galiots. 1738

The Xebec plays no part whatsoever in my book...but, as an added bonus for sticking with me to the end of the alphabet, I'm going to give away a copy of West of Paradise to one lucky winner. Anyone who comments and is interested these last three days of the challenge will be automatically entered to win.

Tomorrow I'll have an interesting Y word.