Dibbs

[Xinfu]

“ ‘ “I’d a partner,” said he, “a rare good man, as true as a stock to a barrel. He’s got the dibbs, he has, and where do you think he is at this moment? Why, he’s the chaplain of this ship - the chaplain, no less! He came aboard with a black coat, and his papers right, and money enough in his box to buy the thing right up from keel to main-truck. The crew are his, body and soul. He could buy ’em at so much a gross with a cash discount, and he did it before ever they signed on. He’s got two of the warders and Mereer, the second mate, and he’d get the captain himself, if he thought him worth it.”
“ ‘ “What are we to do, then?” I asked.
“ ‘ “What do you think?” said he. “We’ll make the coats of some of these soldiers redder than ever the tailor did.”
“ ‘ “But they are armed,” said I.
“ ‘ “And so shall we be, my boy. There’s a brace of pistols for every mother’s son of us; and if we can’t carry this ship, with the crew at our back, it’s time we were all sent to a young misses’ boarding-school. You speak to your mate upon the left to-night, and see if he is to be trusted.”
===================
My interpretations:
1. I've used Wiki and dictionaries, but no light. Does DIBBS mean guns?

2. PAPERS RIGHT means the chaplain gets onto the ship by using fake documents.

3. The chaplain uses a small amount of money to employ those people to help them capture and gain command of the ship before they agree to join in the plot.

4. =If we can capture this ship, we should feel ashamed.

Do you agree?

[poli]

Originally Posted by Xinfu

“ ‘ “I’d a partner,” said he, “a rare good man, as true as a stock to a barrel. He’s got the dibbs, he has, and where do you think he is at this moment? Why, he’s the chaplain of this ship - the chaplain, no less! He came aboard with a black coat, and his papers right, and money enough in his box to buy the thing right up from keel to main-truck. The crew are his, body and soul. He could buy ’em at so much a gross with a cash discount, and he did it before ever they signed on. He’s got two of the warders and Mereer, the second mate, and he’d get the captain himself, if he thought him worth it.”
“ ‘ “What are we to do, then?” I asked.
“ ‘ “What do you think?” said he. “We’ll make the coats of some of these soldiers redder than ever the tailor did.”
“ ‘ “But they are armed,” said I.
“ ‘ “And so shall we be, my boy. There’s a brace of pistols for every mother’s son of us; and if we can’t carry this ship, with the crew at our back, it’s time we were all sent to a young misses’ boarding-school. You speak to your mate upon the left to-night, and see if he is to be trusted.”
===================
My interpretations:
1. I've used Wiki and dictionaries, but no light. Does DIBBS mean guns?

2. PAPERS RIGHT means the chaplain gets onto the ship by using fake documents.

3. The chaplain uses a small amount of money to employ those people to help them capture and gain command of the ship before they agree to join in the plot.

4. =If we can capture this ship, we should feel ashamed.

Do you agree?

1 To have dibs not dibbs means to have a bid or a claim on something. It often combined with first and in first dibs. If someone has first dibs it means they have first choice. In the case of the above quote it means to have an advantage probably financial advantage.
2 To have your papers right means to have your documents in order
3 It means he's got lots of money and knows how to use it to his advantage
4 The ship is well endowed with all they need for success. If they can't successfully complete their journey, they should consider another occupation.

[Tomisimo]

He could buy ’em at so much a gross with a cash discount

In this bit, the term "gross" is referring to the measure (12 dozen = a gross). The end result is a colorful way of saying he buys them in bulk very cheaply.

[Xinfu]

Thank you~