 CHAPTER XX The story of a high-minded pirate. After having considered the extraordinary performances of so many of those excruable wretches, the buccaneers, it is refreshing and satisfactory to find that there were exceptions even to the rules which governed the conduct and general make-up of the ordinary pirate of the period, and we are therefore glad enough to tell the story of a man who, although he was an out-and-out buccaneer, possessed some peculiar characteristics which give him a place of his own in the history of piracy. In the early part of these sketches we have alluded to a gentleman of France who, having deeply involved in debt, could see no way of putting himself in a condition to pay his creditors but to go into business of some kind. He had no mercantile education, he had not learned any profession, and it was therefore necessary for him to do something for which a previous preparation was not absolutely essential. After having carefully considered all the methods of making money which were open to him under the circumstances, he finally concluded to take up piracy and literature. Even at the present day it is considered by many persons that one of these branches of industry is a field of action, especially adapted to those who have not had the opportunity of giving the time and study necessary in any other method of making a living. The French gentleman whose adventures we are about to relate was a very different man from John Esquamelling, who was a literary pirate and nothing more. Being of a clerkly disposition, the gentle John did not pretend to use the saber or the pistol. This part in life was simply to watch his companions fight, burn, and steal, while his only weapon was the pen, with which he set down their exploits and thereby murdered their reputations. But M. Gravenot de Lucent was both a buccaneer and an author, and when he had finished his piratical career he wrote a book in which he gave a full account of it, thus showing that although he had not been brought up to a business life, he had very good ideas about money-making. More than that, he had very good ideas about his own reputation, and instead of leaving his exploits and adventures to be written out by other people—that is, if anyone should think it worthwhile to do so—he took that business into his own hands. He was well educated, he had been brought up in good society, and as he desired to return to that society it was natural for him to wish to paint his own portrait as a buccaneer. Pictures of that kind, as they were ordinarily executed, were not at all agreeable to the eyes of the cultivated classes of France, and so M. de Lucent determined to give his personal attention not only to his business speculations, but to his reputation. He went out as a buccaneer in order to rob the Spaniards of treasure with which to pay his honest debts, and in order to prevent his piratical career being described in the coarse and disagreeable fashion in which people generally wrote about pirates, he determined to write his own adventures. If a man wishes to appear well before the world, it is often a very good thing for him to write his autobiography, especially if there is anything a little shady in his career, and it may be that de Lucent's reputation as a high-minded pirate depends somewhat on the book he wrote after he had put down the sword and taken up the pen. But if he gave a more pleasing color to his proceedings than they really deserved, we ought to be glad of it. For even if de Lucent the buccaneer was in some degree a creature of the imagination of de Lucent the author, we have a story which is much more pleasing, and in some respects more romantic than stories of ordinary pirates could possibly be, unless the writer of such stories abandoned fact altogether and plunged blindly into fiction. Among the good qualities of de Lucent was a pious disposition. He had always been a religious person, and being a Catholic, he had a high regard and veneration for religious buildings, for priests, and for the services of the Church. And when he had crossed the Atlantic in his ship, the crew of which was composed of desperados of various nations, and when he had landed upon the Western Continent, he wished still to conform to the religious manners and customs of the Old World. Having a strong force under his command and possessing, in common with most of the gentlemen of that period, a good military education, it was not long after he landed on the mainland before he captured a small town. The resistance which he met was soon overcome, and our high-minded pirate found himself in the position of a conqueror with a community at his mercy. As his piety now raised itself above all his other attributes, the first thing that he did was to repair to the principal church of the town, accompanied by all his men, and here, in accordance with his comrades, a tedium was sung and services were conducted by the priests in charge. And after having properly performed his religious duties, Dilusson sent his men through the town with orders to rob the inhabitants of everything valuable they possessed. The ransacking and pillaging of the houses continued for some time, but when the last of his men had returned with the booty they had collected, the high-minded chief was dissatisfied. The town appeared to be a good deal poorer than he had expected, and as the collection seemed to be so very small, Dilusson concluded that in some way or other he must pass around the town to have had again. While he was wondering how he should do this, he happened to hear that on a sugar plantation not very far away from the town there were some ladies of rank. Having heard of the approach of the pirates had taken refuge there, thinking that even if the town should be captured their savage enemies would not wander into the country to look for spoils and victims. But these ladies were greatly mistaken. When Dilusson heard where they were he sent out a body of men to make them prisoners and bring them back to him. They might not have any money or jewels in their possession, but as they belonged to good families who were probably wealthy a good deal of money could be made out of them by holding them and demanding a heavy ransom for their release. So the ladies were all brought to town and shut up securely until their friends and relatives managed to raise enough money to pay their ransom and set them free. And then, I have no doubt, Dilusson advised them to go to church and offer up thanks for their happy deliverance. As our high-minded pirate pursued his plundering way along the coast of South America he met with a good many things which jarred upon his sensitive nature, things he had not expected when he started out on his new career. One of his disappointments was occasioned by the manners and customs of the English buccaneers under his command. These were very different from the Frenchmen of his company, for they made not the slightest pretense to piety. When they had captured a town or a village the Englishmen would go to the churches, tear down the paintings, chop the ornaments from the altars with their cutlasses, and steal the silver crucifixes, the candlesticks, and even the communion services. Such conduct gave great pain to Dilusson. To rob and destroy the property of churches was, in his eyes, a great sin, and he never suffered anything of the kind if he could prevent it. When he found in any place which he captured a wealthy religious community or richly furnished church he scrupulously refrained from taking anything or of doing damage to property, and contented himself with demanding heavy indemnity which the priests were obliged to pay as a return for the pious exemption which he granted them. But it was very difficult to control the Englishmen. They would rob and destroy a church as willingly as if it were the home of a peaceful family, and although their conscientious commander did everything he could to prevent their excesses, he did not always succeed. If he had known what was likely to happen his party would have consisted entirely of Frenchmen. Another thing which disappointed and annoyed the gentlemanly Dilusson was the estimation in which the Buccaneers were held by the ladies of the country through which he was passing. He soon found that the women in the Spanish settlements had the most horrible ideas regarding the members of the famous Brotherhood of the Coast. To be sure all the Spanish settlers, and a great part of the natives of the country, were filled with horror and dismay whenever they heard that a company of Buccaneers was within a hundred miles of their homes, and it was not surprising that this was the case, for the stories of the atrocities and cruelties of these desperados had spread over the western world. But the women of the settlements looked upon the Buccaneers with greater fear and abhorrence than the men could possibly feel, for the belief was almost universal among them that Buccaneers were terrible monsters of cannibal habits who delighted in devouring human beings, especially if they happened to be young and tender. This ignorance of the true character of the invaders of the country was greatly deplored by Dilassant. He had a most profound pity for those simple-minded persons who had allowed themselves to be so deceived in regard to the real character of himself and his men, and whenever he had an opportunity he endeavored to persuade the ladies who fell in his way that sooner than eat a woman he would entirely abstain from food. On one occasion, when politely conducting a young lady to a place of confinement, where, in company with other women of good families, she was to be shut up until their relatives could pay handsome ransoms for their release, he was very much surprised when she suddenly turned to him with tears in her eyes and besought him not to devour her. This astonishing speech so wounded the feelings of the gallant Frenchman that for a moment he could not reply, and when he asked her what had put such an unreasonable fear in her mind, she could only answer that she thought he looked hungry and that perhaps he would not be willing to wait until—and there she stopped, for she could not bring her mind to say until she was properly prepared for the table. What! exclaimed the high-minded pirate, do you suppose that I would eat you in the street? And as the poor girl, who was now crying, would make him no answer, he fell into a somber silence which continued until they had reached their destination. The cruel aspersions which were cast upon his character by the women of the country were very galling to the chivalrous soul of this gentleman of France, and in every way possible he endeavored to show the Spanish ladies that their opinions of him were entirely incorrect, and even if his men were rather a hard lot of fellows they were not cannibals. The high-minded pirate had now two principal objects before him. One was to lay his hand upon all the treasure he could find, and the other was to show the people of the country, especially the ladies, that he was a gentleman of agreeable manners and a pious turn of mind. It is highly probable that for some time the hero of this story did not succeed in his first object as well as he would of light. A great deal of treasure was secured, but some of it consisted of property which could not be easily turned into cash or carried away, and he had with him a body of rapacious and consciousnessless scoundrels who were continually clamoring for as large a share of the available spoils, such as jewelry, money, and small articles of value as they could induce their commander to allow them. And in consequence of this greediness of his own men, his share of the plunder was not always as large as it ought to be. But in his other object he was very much more successful, and in proof of this we have only to relate an interesting and remarkable adventure which befell him. He laid siege to a large town, and as the place was well defended by fortifications and armed men a severe battle took place before it was captured. But at last the town was taken, and de Lausanne and his men, having gone to church to give thanks for their victory, his Englishmen being obliged to attend the services no matter what they did afterwards, he went diligently to work to gather from the citizens their valuable and available possessions. In this way he was brought into personal contact with a great many of the people of the town, and among the acquaintances which he made was that of a young Spanish lady of great beauty. The conditions and circumstances in the midst of which this lady found herself after the city had been taken were very peculiar. She had been the wife of one of the principal citizens, the treasurer of the town, who was possessed of a large fortune, and who lived in one of the best houses in the place. But during the battle with the Buccaneers her husband, who fought bravely in defense of the place, was killed, and now she found herself not only a widow, but a prisoner in the hands of those ruthless pirates whose very name had struck terror into the hearts of Spanish settlers. Plunged into misery and despair it was impossible for her to foresee what was going to happen to her. As has been said the religious services in the church were immediately followed by the pillage of the town. Every house was visited, and the trembling inhabitants were obliged to deliver up their treasures to the savage fellows who tramped through their halls and rooms, swearing savagely when they did not find as much as they expected, and laughing with wild glee at any unusual discovery of jewels or coin. The Buccaneer officers as well as the men assisted in gathering in the spoils of the town, and it so happened that Monsieur Ravineau de Leçon, with his good clothes and his jaunty hat with a feather in it, selected the house of the late treasurer of the city as a suitable place for him to make his investigations. He found there a great many valuable articles, and also found the beautiful young widow. The effect produced upon the mind of the lady when the captain of the Buccaneers entered her house was a very surprising one. Without a beholding a savage, brutal ruffian with ragged clothes and gleaming teeth, she saw a handsome gentleman, as well dressed as circumstances would permit, very polite in his manners, and with as great a desire to transact his business without giving her any more convenience than was necessary, as if he had been a tax collector, or had come to examine the gas meter. If all the Buccaneers were such agreeable men as this, she and her friends had been laboring under a great mistake. Gillison did not complete his examination of the treasurer's house in one visit, and during the next two or three days the young widow not only became acquainted with the character of Buccaneers in general, but she learned to know this particular Buccaneer very well, and to find out what an entirely different man he was from the savage fellows who composed his company. She was grateful to him for his kind manner of appropriating her possessions. She was greatly interested in his society, for he was a man of culture and information, and in less than three days she found herself very much in love with him. There was not a man in the whole town who, in her opinion, could compare with this gallant commander of Buccaneers. It was not very long before De La Somme became conscious of the favour he had found in the eyes of this lady, for as a Buccaneer could not be expected to remain very long in one place, it was necessary, if this lady wished the captor of her money and treasure to know that he had also captured her heart, that she must not be slow in letting him know the state of her affections, and being a young person of a very practical mind, she promptly informed De La Somme that she loved him and desired him to marry her. The gallant Frenchman was very much amazed when this proposition was made to him, which was in the highest degree complementary. It was very attractive to him that he could not understand it. The lady's husband had been dead but a few days, he had assisted in having the unfortunate gentleman properly buried, and it seemed to him very unnatural that the young widow should be in such an extraordinary hurry to prepare a marriage-feast before the funeral-baked meats had been cleared from the table. There was but one way in which he could explain himself this remarkable transition from grief to a new affection. He believed that the people of this country were like their fruits and their flowers. The oranges might fall from the trees, but the blossoms would still be there. Husbands and wives or lovers might die, but in the tropical hearts of these people it was not necessary that new affection should be formed, for they were already there, and needed only someone to receive them. As he did not undertake his present expedition for the purpose of marrying ladies, no matter how beautiful they might be, it is quite natural that De La Somme should not accept the proffered hand of the young widow. But when she came to detail her plans, he found that it would be well worth his while to carefully consider her project. The lady was by no means a thoughtless young creature, carried away by a sudden attachment. Before making known to De La Somme her preference for him above all other men, she had given the subject her most careful and earnest consideration, and had made plans which, in her opinion, would enable the Buccaneer captain and herself to settle the matter to the satisfaction of all parties. When De La Somme heard the lady's scheme, he was as much surprised by her business-like ability as he had been by the declaration of her affection for him. She knew very well that he could not marry her and take her with him. Moreover, she did not wish to go. She had no fancy for such wild expeditions and such savage companions. Her plans were for peace and comfort and a happy domestic life. In a word she desired that the handsome De La Somme should remain with her. Of course the gentleman opened his eyes very wide when he heard this, but she had had a great deal to say upon the subject, and she had not omitted any of the details which would be necessary for the success of her scheme. The lady knew just as well as the Buccaneer captain knew that the men under his command would not allow him to remain comfortably in that town with his share of the plunder while they went on without a leader to undergo all sorts of hardships and dangers, perhaps defeat and death. If he announced his intention of withdrawing from the band, his enraged companions would probably kill him. Consequently a friendly separation between himself and his Buccaneer followers was a thing not to be thought of, and she did not even propose it. Her idea was a very different one. Just as soon as possible, that very night, De La Somme was to slip quietly out of the town and make his way into the surrounding country. She would furnish him with a horse and tell him the way he should take. And he was not to stop until he had reached a secluded spot, where she was quite sure the Buccaneers would not be able to find him no matter how diligently they might search. When they had entirely failed in every effort to discover their lost captain, who they would probably suppose had been killed by wandering Indians, for it was impossible that he could have been murdered in the town without their knowledge, they would give him up as lost and press on in search of further adventures. When the Buccaneers were very far away and all danger from their return had entirely passed, then the brave and polite Frenchman, now no longer a Buccaneer, could safely return to the town, where the young widow would be most happy to marry him, to lodge him in her handsome house, and to make over to him all the large fortunes and estates which had been the property of her late husband. This was a very attractive offer, surely, a beautiful woman and a handsome fortune. But she offered more than this. She knew that a gentleman who had once captured and despoiled the town might feel a little delicacy in regard to marrying and settling there and becoming one of its citizens, and therefore she was prepared to remove any objections which might be occasioned by such considerate sentiments on his part. She assured him that if he would agree to her plan, she would use her influence with the authorities, and would obtain for him the position of city treasurer which her husband had formerly held. And when he declared that such an astounding performance must be utterly impossible, she started out immediately, and having interviewed the governor of the town and other municipal officers secured their signature to a paper in which they promised that if Mr. de Lausanne would accept the proposals which the lady made, he would be received most kindly by the officers and citizens of the town, that the position of treasurer would be given to him, and that all the promises of the lady should be made good. Now, our high-minded pirate was thrown into a great quandary, and although at first he had no notion whatever of accepting the pleasant proposition which had been made to him by the young widow, he began to see that there were many good reasons why the affection, high position, and the unusual advantages which he had offered to him might perhaps be the very best fortune which he could expect in this world. In the first place, if he should marry this charming young creature and settle down as a respected citizen and an officer of the town, he would be entirely freed from the necessity of leading the life of a buccaneer, and this life was becoming more and more repugnant to him every day. Not only on account of the highly disagreeable nature of his associates and their reckless deeds, but because the country was becoming more aroused, and the resistance to his advances was growing stronger and stronger. In the next attack he made upon a town or village he might receive a musket-ball in his body, which would end his career and leave his debts in France unpaid. More than that he was disappointed, as has been said before, in regard to the financial successes he had expected. At that time he saw no immediate prospect of being able to go home with money enough in his pocket to pay off his creditors, and if he did not return to his native land under those conditions he did not wish to return there at all. Under these circumstances it seemed to be wise and prudent that if he had no reason to expect to be able to settle down honorably and peaceably in France to accept this opportunity to settle honorably, peaceably, and in every way satisfactorily in America. It is easy to imagine the pitching and the tossing of the mind about a French buccaneer. The more he thought of the attractions of the fair widow and of the wealth and position which had been offered him, the more he hated all thoughts of his piratical crew, and of the dastardly and cruel character of the work in which they were engaged. If he could have trusted the officers and citizens of the town there is not much doubt that he would have married the widow, but those officers and citizens were Spaniards and he was a Frenchman. A week before the inhabitants of the place had been prosperous, contented, and happy. Now they had been robbed, insulted, and in many cases ruined, and he was the commander of the body of desperados who had robbed and ruined them. Was it likely that they would forget the injuries which he had inflict upon them, simply because he had married a wealthy lady of the town and had kindly consented to accept the officer of city treasurer? It was much more probable that when his men had really left that part of the country the citizens would forget all their promises to him and remember only his conduct toward them, and that even if he remained alive long enough to marry the lady and take the position offered him it would not be long before she was again a widow and the office vacant. So Delesson shut his eyes to the tempting prospects which were spread out before him, and, preferring rather to be a live buccaneer than a dead city treasurer, he told a beautiful widow that he could not marry her and that he must go forth again into the hard, unsympathetic world to fight, to burn, to steal, and to be polite. Then, fearing that if he remained he might find his resolution weakened, he gathered together his men in his pillage and sadly went away, leaving behind him a joyful town and a weeping widow. If the affection of the young Spanish lady for the buccaneer chief was sufficient to make her take an interest in his subsequent career, she would probably have been proud of him, for the ladies of those days had a high opinion of brave men and successful warriors. Delesson soon proved that he was not only a good fighter, but that he was also an able general, and his operations on the western coast of South America were more like military campaigns than ordinary expeditions of lawless buccaneers. He attacked and captured the city of Panama, always an attractive prize to the buccaneer forces, and after that he marched down the western coast of South America, conquering and sacking many towns. As he now carried on his business in a somewhat wholesale way, it could not fail to bring him in a handsome prophet, and in the course of time he felt that he was able to retryer from the active practice of his profession and to return to France. But as he was going back into the circles of respectability he wished to do so as a respectable man. He discarded his hat and plume, he threw away his great cutlass and his heavy pistols, and attired in the costume of a gentleman of society he prepared himself to enter again upon his old life. He had made the acquaintance of some of the French colonial officers in the West Indies, and obtaining from them letters of introduction to the treasurer-general of France, he went home as a gentleman who had acquired a fortune by successful enterprises in the new world. The pirate who not only possesses a sense of propriety and a sensitive mind, but is also gifted with an ability to write a book in which he describes his own actions and adventures, is to be credited with unusual advantages, and as Ravineau de Lusson possessed these advantages he has come down to posterity as a high-minded pirate. Buccaneers and Pirates of Arcoes by Frank Richard Stockton Chapter 21 Exit Buccaneer, Enter Pirate The Buccaneers of the West Indies and South America had grown to be a most formidable body of reckless freebooters. From merely capturing Spanish ships laden with the treasures taken from their nadies of the new world, they had grown strong enough to attack Spanish towns and cities. And when they became soldiers and marched in little armies, the patience of the civilized world began to weaken. Panama, for instance, was an important Spanish city. England was at peace with Spain. Therefore, when a military force composed mainly of Englishmen and led by a British subject captured and sacked the said Spanish city, England was placed in an awkward position. If she did not interfere with her Buccaneers, she would have a quarrel to settle with Spain. Therefore it was that a new governor was sent to Jamaica with strict orders to use every power he possessed to put down the Buccaneers and to break up their organization. And it was to this end that he set a thief to catch thieves and empower the ex-pirate, Morgan, to execute his former comrades. But methods of conciliation as well as threats of punishment were used to induce the Buccaneers to give up their illegal calling and liberal offers were made to them to settle in Jamaica and become law abiding citizens. They were promised grants of land and assistance of various kinds in order to induce them to take up the legitimate callings of planters and traders. But these offers were not at all tempting to the brethren of the coast. From pirate's rampart to pirate's couchant was too great a change. And some of them who found it impossible to embark on paratical cruises on account of the increasing difficulties of fitting out vessels returned to their original avocations of cattle butchering and beef drying. And some, it is said, chose rather to live among the wild Indians and share their independent lives than to bind themselves to any form of honest industry. The French had also been very active in suppressing the operations of their Buccaneers. And now the brethren of the coast, considered as an organization for preying upon the commerce and settlers of Spain, might be said to have ceased to exist. But it must not be supposed that because Buccaneering had died out, that piracy was dead. If we tear down a wasp's nest, we destroy the abode of a fierce and pitiless community that we scatter the wasps. And it is likely that each one of them in the unrestricted and irresponsible career to which he has unwittingly forced will prove a much more angry and dangerous insect than he had ever been before. This is what happened to these Buccaneers who would not give up a paratical life, driven away from Jamaica, from San Domingo, and even from Tortuga that retained a resting place only at New Providence, an island in the Bahamas, and this they did not maintain very long. Then they spread themselves all over the watery world. They were no longer Buccaneers. They were no longer brothers of any sort or kind. They no longer set out merely to pillage and fight the Spaniards, but their attacks were made upon people of every nation. English ships and French ships, once safe from them, were a welcome prey to these new pirates, unrestrained by any kind of loyalty, even by any kind of enmity. They were more raptious. They were more cruel. They were more like fiends than they had ever been before. They were cowardly and they no longer proceeded against towns which might be defended, nor ran up alongside a man of war to boldly border in the very teeth of her guns. They confined themselves to attacks upon peaceable merchant vessels, often robbing them and then scuttling them, delighted with the spectacle of a ship with all its crew, sinking hopelessly into the sea. The scene of piratical operations in America was now very much changed. The successors of the brothers of the coast no longer united by any bonds of fellowship, but each pirate captain, acting independently in his own wicked way, was coming up from the West Indies to afflict the sea coast of our country. The old buccaneers knew all about our southern coast, for they were among the very first white man who ever set foot on the shores of North and South Carolina before that region had been settled by colonists and when the only inhabitants were the wild Indians. These early buccaneers often used its bays and harbors as convenient ports of refuge where they could anchor, divide spoils, take in fresh water and stay as long as they pleased without fear of molestation. It was natural enough that when the Spanish-hating buccaneer merged into the independent pirate who respected no flag and prayed upon ships of every nation, he should feel very much at home on the Carolina coast. As the country was settled and Charlestown, and now Charleston, grew to be a port of considerable importance, the pirates felt as much at home in this region as when it was inhabited merely by Indians. They frequently touched at little seaside settlements and boldly sailed into the harbor of Charlestown. But, unlike the unfortunate citizens of Portobello or Maracabo, the American colonists were not frightened when they saw a pirate ship anchored in their harbors, for they knew its crew did not come as enemies but as friendly traders. The early English colonists were not as prosperous as they might have been if the mother country had not been so anxious to make money out of them. They were not allowed to import goods from any country, but England. And if they had products or crops to export, they must be sold to English merchants. For whatever they bought, they had to pay the highest prices and they could not send into the markets of the world to get the best value for their own productions. Therefore it was that a pirate ship was a very welcome visitor in Charlestown harbor. She was generally loaded with goods, which as they were stolen, her captain could afford to sell very cheaply indeed. And as there was always plenty of Spanish gold on board, her crew was not apt to haggle very much in regard to the price of the spirits, the groceries or the provisions which they bought from the merchants of the town. This friendly commerce between the pirates and the Carolinians grew to be so extensive that at one time the larger part of the coin in circulation in those colonies consisted of Spanish gold pieces which had been brought in and used by the pirates for the purchase of goods. But a pirate is very seldom a person of discretion who knows when to leave well enough alone and so instead of contending themselves with robbing and capturing the vessels belonging to people whom their Charlestown friends and customers would look upon as foreigners, they boldly sailed up and down the coast seeking for floating booty wherever they might find it. And when a pirate vessel commanded by an English captain and man principally by an English crew fell in with a big merchant man flying the English flag, they bore down upon the vessel just as if it had been French or Spanish or Dutch. And if the crew were impertinent enough to offer any resistance, they were cut down and thrown overboard. At last the pirates became so swaggeringly bold and their captain so enterprising in their illegal trading that the English government took vigorous measures not only to break up piracy but to punish all colonists who should encourage the freebooters by commercial dealings with them. At these laws the pirates laughed and the colonists winced and there were many people in Charlestown who vowed that if the king wanted them to help him put down piracy, he must show them some other way of getting imported goods at reasonable prices. So the pirates went on capturing merchant men whenever they had a chance and the Carolinians continued to look forward with interest to the bargain days which always followed the arrival of a pirate ship. But this state of things did not last and the time came when the people of Charlestown experienced a change of mind. The planters were now growing large quantities of rice and this crop became so value that the prosperity of the colonies greatly increased and now the pirates also became very much interested in the rice crops and when they had captured four or five vessels sailing out of Charlestown heavily laden with rice, the people of that town suddenly became aware of the true character of a pirate. He was now in their eyes an unmitigated scoundrel who not only stole goods from all nations which he brought to them and sold at low prices but he actually stole their goods, their precious rice which they were sending to England. The indignant citizens of Charlestown took a bold stand and such a bold one it was that when part of the crew of pirates who had been put ashore by their comrades on account of a quarrel made their way to the town thinking they could tell a tale of shipwreck and rely upon the friendship of their old customers, they were taken into custody and seven out of the nine were hanged. The occasional repetition of such acts as this and the exhibition of dangling pirates hung up like scarecrows at the entrance of the harbors dampened the ardor of the freebooters a good deal and for some years they kept away from the harbor of Charlestown which had once been to them such a friendly port. End of chapter 21, recording by Jacob Cherry. Chapter 22 of Buccaneers and Pirates of Arcoes. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Jacob Cherry. Buccaneers and Pirates of Arcoes by Frank Richard Stockton. Chapter 22, The Great Blackbeard comes upon the stage. So long as the people of the Carolinas were prosperous and able to capture and execute pirates who interfered with their trade, the Atlantic sea robbers kept away from their ports but this prosperity did not last. Indian wars broke out and in the course of time the colonies became very much weakened and impoverished and then it was that the harbor of Charlestown began to be again interesting to the pirates. About this time one of the most famous of sea robbers was harassing the Atlantic coast of North America and from no England to the West Indies he was known as the Great Pirate Blackbeard. This man whose real name was Thatch was a most terrible fellow in appearance as well as action. He wore a long heavy black beard which it was his fancy to separate into tails each one tied with a colored ribbon and often tucked behind his ears. Some of the writers of that day declared that the sight of this beard would create more terror in any port of the American seaboard than with the sudden appearance of a fiery comet. Across his brawny breast, he carried a sort of a sling in which hung not less than three pairs of pistols in leather holsters and these in addition to his cutlass and a knife or two in his belt made him a most formidable looking fellow. Some of the fanciful recreations of Blackbeard show him to have been a person of consistent purpose even in his hours of breast when he was not fighting or robbing. His savage soul demanded some interesting excitement. Once he was seated at a table with his mate and two or three sailors and when the meal was over he took up a pair of pistols and cocking them put them under the table. This peculiar action caused one of the sailors to remember very suddenly that he had something to do on deck and he immediately disappeared. But the others looked at the captain in astonishment wondering what he would do next. They soon found out for crossing the pistols still under the table he fired them. One ball hit the mate in the leg, the other struck no one. When asked what he meant by this strange action he replied that if he did not shoot one of his men now and then they would forget what sort of a person he was. At another time he invented a game. He gathered his officers and crew together and told them that they were going to play but they were living in the lower regions. Thereupon the whole party followed him down into the hold. The hatches and all the other openings were closed and then Blackbeard began to illuminate the scene with fire and brimstone. The sulfur burned, the fumes rose, a gassing light spread over the countenance of the desperados and very soon some of them began to gasp and cough and implore the captain to let in some fresh air. But Blackbeard was bound to have a good game and he proceeded to burn more brimstone. He laughed at the gasping fettles about him and declared he would just be as willing to breathe the fumes of sulfur as common air. When at last he threw open the hatches some of the men were almost dead but their stalwart captain had not even sneezed. In the early part of the 18th century Blackbeard made his headquarters in one of the inlets on the North Carolina coast and there he ruled as absolute king. For the settlers in the vicinity seemed to be as anxious to oblige him as captains of the merchant men sailing along the coast were anxious to keep out of his way. On one of his voyages, Blackbeard went down the coast as far as Honduras where he took a good many prizes and as some of the crews of the captured vessels enlisted under him, he sailed north with a stronger force than ever before. Having a large ship of 40 guns, three smaller vessels and 400 men. With this little fleet, Blackbeard made for the coast of South Carolina and anchored outside the harbor of Charlestown. He well understood the present condition of the place and was not in the least afraid that the citizens would hang him up on the shores of the bay. Blackbeard began to work without delay. Several well laden ships, the Carolinians having no idea that pirates were waiting for them came sailing out to sea and were immediately captured. One of these was a very important vessel for it not only carried a valuable cargo but a number of passengers. Many of them people of note who were on their way to England. One of these was a Mr. Rag who was a member of the council of the province. It might have been supposed that when Blackbeard took position of the ship, he would have been satisfied with the cargo and the money which he found on board. And having no use for the prominent citizens would have let them go their way. But he was a trader as well as a plunderer and he therefore determined that the best thing to do in this case was to put an assorted lot of highly respectable passengers upon the market to see what he could get for them. He was not at the time in need of money or provisions but his men were very much in want of medicines. So he decided to trade off his prisoners for pills, potions, plasters and all sorts of apothecary supplies. He put three of his pirates in a boat and with them one of the passengers, a Mr. Marks who was commissioned as Blackbeard's special agent with orders to inform the governor that if he did not immediately send the medicines required amounting in value to about 300 pounds and if he did not allow the pirate crew of the boat to return in safety, every one of the prisoners would be hanged from the yard arm of a ship. The boat rode away to the distant town and Blackbeard waited two days for its return and then he grew very angry for he believed that his messengers had been taken into custody and he came very near hanging Mr. Ragh and all his companions. But before he began to satisfy his vengeance news came from the boat. It had been upset in the bay and had had great trouble in getting to Charlestown but it had arrived there at last. Blackbeard now waited a day or two longer but as no news came from Mr. Marks he vowed he would not be trifled with by the impudent people of Charlestown and swore that every man, woman and child among the prisoners should immediately prepare to be hanged. Of course the unfortunate prisoners in the pirate ship were in a terrible state of mind during the absence of Mr. Marks. They knew very well that they could expect no mercy from Blackbeard if the errands should be unsuccessful and they also knew that the Charlestown people would not be likely to submit to such an outrageous demand upon them. So they trembled and quaked by day and night and when at last they were told to get ready to be hanged, every particle of courage left them and they proposed to Blackbeard that if he would spare their lives and that if it should turn out that their fellow citizens has decided to sacrifice them for the sake of a few paltry drugs, they would take up the cause of the pirates. They would show Blackbeard the best way to sail into the harbor and they would join with him and his men in attacking the city and punishing the inhabitants for their hard-hearted treatment of their unfortunate fellow citizens. This proposition pleased Blackbeard immensely. It would have been like a new game to take Mr. Rag to the town and make him fight his fellow members of the Council of the Province and so he rescinded his order for a general execution and bade his prisoners prepared to join with his pirates when he should give the word for an assault upon their city. In the meantime, there was a terrible stir in Charlestown. When the governor and citizens received the insolent and brutal message of Blackbeard, they were filled with rage as well as consternation. And if there had been any way of going out to sea to rescue their unhappy fellow citizens, every able-bodied man in the town would have enlisted in the expedition. But they had no vessels of war and they were not even in a position to arm any of the merchant man in the harbor. It seemed to the governor and his council that there was nothing for them to do but to submit to the demands of Blackbeard. For they very well knew that he was a scoundrel who would keep his word and also that whatever they did must be done quickly. For there were the three swaggering pirates in town strutting about the streets as if they owned the place. If this continued much longer, it would be impossible to keep the infuriated citizens from falling upon these blustering rascals and bringing their impertinence to a summary end. If this should happen, it would be a terrible thing for not only would Mr. Rag and his companions be put to death but the pirates would undoubtedly attack the town which was in a very poor position for defense. Consequently the drugs were collected with all possible haste and Mr. Marks and the pirates were sent with them to Blackbeard. We do not know whether or not that the Disney cutthroat was satisfied with the way things turned out. For having had the idea of going to Charlestown and obliging the prisoners to help him confiscate the drugs and chemicals, he may have preferred this unusual proceeding to a more commonplace transaction. But as the medicine had arrived, he accepted it and having secured all possible booty and money from the ships he had captured and had stripped his prisoners of the greater part of their clothing, he set them on shore to walk to Charlestown as well as they could. They had a miserably difficult time making their way through the woods and marshes for there were women and children among them who were scarcely equal to the journey. One of the children was a little boy, the son of Mr. Ragh who afterward became a very prominent man in the colonies. He rose to such a high position not only among his countrymen but in the opinion of the English government that when he died about the beginning of the revolution, a tablet to his memory was placed in Westminster Abbey which is perhaps the first instance of such an honor being paid to an American. Having now provided himself with medicines enough to keep his wild crew in good physical condition, no matter how much they might feast and frolic on the booty they'd obtained from Charlestown, Blackbird sailed back to his North Carolina haunts and took a long vacation. During which time he managed to put himself on very good terms with the governor and officials of the country. He had plenty of money and was willing to spend it and so he was allowed to do pretty much as he pleased provided he kept his purse open and did not steal from his neighbors. But Blackbird became tired of playing the part of I make believe respectable citizen and having spent the greater part of his money he wanted to make some more. Consequently he fitted out a small vessel and declaring that he was going on a legitimate commercial cruise took out regular papers for a port in the West Indies and sailed away as if he had been a mild manner New England mariner going to catch codfish. The officials of the town of Bath from which he sailed came down to the ship and shook hands with him and hoped he would have good success. After a moderate absence he returned to Bath bringing with him a large French merchant vessel with no people on board loaded with a valuable cargo of sugar and other goods. This vessel he declared he had found deserted at sea and therefore claimed it as a legitimate prize. Knowing the character of this bloody pirate and knowing how very improbable it was that the captain and all the crew of a valuable merchant vessel with nothing whatever the matter with her would go out into their boats and row away leaving their ship to become the property of anyone who might happen along. It may seem surprising that the officials of Bath appeared to have no doubt of the truth of Blackbeard's story and allowed him freely to land the cargo on the French ship and store it away as his own property. The people who can sort with pirates cannot be expected to have very lively consciences and although there must have been persons in the town with intelligence enough to understand the story of pitiless murder told by that empty vessel whose very decks and mass much have been regarded as silent witness that our captain and crew did not leave her of their own free will. No one in the town interfered with the thrifty Blackbeard or caused any public suspicion to fall upon the property of his actions. End of chapter 22. Recording by Jacob Cherry. Chapter 23 of Buccaneers and Pirates of our Coasts. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. This recording is by Mark Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina. Buccaneers and Pirates of our Coasts by Frank R Stockton. Chapter 23, a true-hearted sailor draws his sword. Feeling now quite sure that he could do what he pleased on shore as well as at sea, Blackbeard swore more, swaggered more, and whenever he felt like it, sailed up and down the coast and took a prize or two to keep the pot boiling for himself and his men. On one of these expeditions he went to Philadelphia and, having landed, he walked about to see what sort of a place it was, but the governor of the state, hearing of his arrival, quickly arranged to let him know that the Quaker City allowed no black-hearted pirate with a ribbon-bedecked beard to promenade on chestnut and market streets and promptly issued a warrant for the sea robbers' arrest. But Blackbeard was too sharp and too old a criminal to be caught in that way, and he left the city with great dispatch. The people along the coast of North Carolina became very tired of Blackbeard and his men. All sorts of depredations were committed on vessels, large and small, and whenever a ship was boarded and robbed, or whenever a fishing vessel was laid under contribution, Blackbeard was known to be at the bottom of the business, whether he personally appeared or not. To have this busy pirate for a neighbor was extremely unpleasant, and the North Carolina settlers greatly longed to get rid of him. It was of no use for them to ask their own state government to suppress this outrageous scoundrel, and although their good neighbor, South Carolina, might have been willing to help them, she was too poor at that time and had enough to do to take care of herself. Not knowing or not caring for the strong feeling of the settlers against him, Blackbeard continued in his wicked ways, and among other crimes he captured a small vessel and treated the crew in such a cruel and atrocious manner that the better class of North Carolinians avowed they would stand him no longer. And they therefore applied to Governor Spotswood of Virginia and asked his aide in putting down the pirates. The Virginians were very willing to do what they could for their unfortunate neighbors. The legislature offered a reward for the capture of Blackbeard or any of his men, but the governor, feeling that this was not enough, determined to do something on his own responsibility, for he knew very well that the time might come when the pirate vessels would begin to haunt the Virginian waters. There happened to be at that time two small British men of war in Hampton Roads, and although the governor had no authority to send these after the pirates, he fitted out two sloops at his own expense and manned them with the best fighting men from the war vessels. One of the sloops he put under Captain Brand and the other under Captain Maynard, both brave and experienced naval officers. All preparations were made with the greatest secrecy, for if Blackbeard had heard of what was going on, he would probably have de-camped, and then the two sloops went out to sea with a commission from the governor to capture Blackbeard, dead or alive. This was a pretty heavy contract, but Brand and Maynard were courageous men and did not hesitate to take it. The Virginians had been informed that the pirate captain and his men were on a vessel in Ocracoke Inlet, and when they arrived, they found to their delight that Blackbeard was there. When the pirates saw the two armed vessels sailing into the inlet, they knew very well they were about to be attacked, and it did not take them long to get ready for a fight, nor did they wait to see what their enemy was about to do. As soon as the sloops were near enough, Blackbeard, without waiting for any preliminary exercises, such as a demand for surrender, or any nonsense of that sort, let drive at the intruders with eight heavily loaded cannon. Now the curtain had been rung up, and the play began, and a very lively play it was. The guns of the Virginians blazed away at the pirate ship, and they would have set out boats to board her, had not Blackbeard forestalled them. Boarding was always a favorite method of fighting with the pirates. They did not often carry heavy cannon, and even when they did, they had but little fancy for battles at long distances. What they liked was to meet foes face to face, and cut them down on their own decks. In such combats, they felt at home, and were almost always successful, for there were few mariners or sailors, even in the British Navy, who could stand against these brawny, glaring-eyed, dare devils, who sprang over the sides of a vessel like Panthers, and fought like Bulldogs. Blackbeard had had enough cannonating, and he did not wait to be boarded. Springing into a boat with about twenty of his men, he rode to the vessel commanded by Maynard, and in a few minutes he and his pirates surged on board her. Now they're followed on the decks of that sloop, one of the most fearful hand-to-hand combats known to naval history. The pirates had often attacked vessels where they met with strong resistance, but never had a gang of sea robbers fallen in with such bold and skilled antagonists as those who now confronted Blackbeard and his crew. At it they went, cut, fire, slash, bang, howl, and shout. Steel clashed, pistols blazed, smoke went up, and blood ran down, and it was hard in the confusion for a man to tell friend from foe. Blackbeard was everywhere, bounding from side to side, and as he swung his cutlass high and low, and though many a shot was fired at him, and many a rush made in his direction, every now and then a sailor went down beneath his whirling blade. But the great pirate had not boarded that ship to fight with common men. He was looking for Maynard, the commander. Soon he met him, and for the first time in his life he found his match. Maynard was a practised swordsman, and no matter how hard and how swiftly came down the cutlass of the pirate, his strokes were always evaded, and the sword of the Virginian played more dangerously near him. At last Blackbeard, finding that he could not cut down his enemy, suddenly drew a pistol and was about to empty its barrels into the very face of his opponent when Maynard sent his sword blade into the throat of the furious pirate. And the great Blackbeard went down upon his back on the deck, and in the next moment Maynard put an end to his nefarious career. Their leader dead, the few pirates who were left alive gave up the fight, and sprang overboard, hoping to be able to swim ashore, and the victory of the Virginians was complete. The strength, toughness, and extraordinary vitality of these feline human beings who were known as pirates has often occasioned astonishment in ordinary people. Their suntanned and hairy bodies seemed to be made of something like wire, leather, and India rubber, upon which the most tremendous exertions and even the inflection of severe wounds made but little impression. Before Blackbeard fell, he received from Maynard and others no less than 25 wounds, and yet he fought fearlessly to the last, and when the panting officer sheathed his sword, he felt that he had performed a most signaled deed of valor. When they had broken up the pirate nest in Ochacroak Inlet, the two sloops sailed to Bath, where they compelled some of the unscrupulous town officials to surrender the cargo which had been stolen from the French vessel and stored in the town by Blackbeard. Then they sailed proudly back to Hampton Roads with the head of the dreaded Blackbeard dangling from the end of the vowsprit of the vessel he had boarded, and on whose deck he had discovered the fact, before unknown to him, that a well-trained, honest man can fight as well as the most reckless cutthroat who ever decked his beard with ribbons and swore enmity to all things good. Ahar, end of chapter. Chapter 24 of Buccaneers and Pirates of our Coasts. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recorded by Laurie Ann Walden. Buccaneers and Pirates of our Coasts by Frank Richard Stockton. Chapter 24, A Green Horn Under the Black Flag. Early in the 18th century, there lived at Bridgetown in the island of Barbados, a very pleasant middle-aged gentleman named Major Steed Bonnet. He was a man in comfortable circumstances and had been an officer in the British Army. He had retired from military service and had bought an estate at Bridgetown, where he lived in comfort and was respected by his neighbors. But for some reason or other, this quiet and reputable gentleman got it into his head that he would like to be a pirate. There were some persons who said that this strange fancy was due to the fact that his wife did not make his home pleasant for him. But it is quite certain that if a man wants an excuse for robbing and murdering his fellow beings, he ought to have a much better one than the bad temper of his wife. But besides the general reasons why Major Bonnet should not become a pirate, and which applied to all men as well as himself, there was a special reason against his adoption of the profession of a sea robber, for he was an out-and-out landsman and knew nothing whatever of nautical matters. He had been at sea but very little, and if he had heard a boatswain order his man to furl the keel, to batten down the shrouds, or to hoist the four chains to the top-mast yard, he would have seen nothing out of the way in these commands. He was very fond of history and very well-read in the literature of the day. He was accustomed to the habits of good society and knew a great deal about farming in horses, cows, and poultry. But if he had been compelled to steer a vessel, he would not have known how to keep her bow ahead of her stern. But notwithstanding this absolute incapacity for such a life and the absence of any of the ordinary motives for abandoning respectability and entering upon a career of crime, Major Bonnet was determined to become a pirate, and he became one. He had money enough to buy a ship and to fit her out and man her, and this he quietly did at Bridgetown, nobody supposing that he was going to do anything more than start off on some commercial cruise. When everything was ready, his vessel slipped out of the harbor one night, and after he was sailing safely on the rolling sea, he stood upon the quarter-deck and proclaimed himself a pirate. It might not be supposed that this was necessary, for the seventy men on board his ship were all desperate cutthroats of various nationalities whom he had found in the little port, and who knew very well what was expected of them when they reached the sea. But if Steve Bonnet had not proclaimed himself a pirate, it is possible that he might not have believed himself that he was one, and so he ran up the black flag with its skeleton or skull and crossbones. He girded on a great cutlass, and folding his arms, he ordered his mate to steer the vessel to the coast of Virginia. Although Bonnet knew so little about ships in the sea and had had no experience in piracy, his men were practiced sea men, and those of them who had not been pirates before were quite ready and very well fitted to become such. So when this green hand came into the waters of Virginia, he actually took two or three vessels and robbed them of their cargoes, burning the ships and sending the crews on shore. This had grown to be a common custom among the pirates who, though cruel and hard-hearted, had not the inducements of the old buccaneers to torture and murder the crews of the vessels which they captured. They could not hate human beings in general as the buccaneers hated the Spaniards, and so they were a little more humane to their prisoners, setting them ashore on some island or desert coast, and letting them shift for themselves as best they might. This was called marooning and was somewhat less heartless than the old methods of getting rid of undesirable prisoners by drowning or beheading them. As Bonnet had always been rather conventional in his ideas and had respected the customs of the society in which he found himself, he now adopted all the peretical fashions of the day, and when he found himself too far from land to put the captured crew on shore, he did not hesitate to make them walk the plank, which was a favorite device of the pirates whenever they had no other way of disposing of their prisoners. The unfortunate wretches, with their hands tied behind them, were compelled one by one to mount a plank which was projected over the side of the vessel and balanced like a sea saw. And when, prodded by knives and cutlasses, they stepped out upon this plank, of course it tipped up and down they went into the sea. In this way, men, women, and children slipped out of sight among the waves as the vessel sailed merrily on. In one branch of his new profession, Bonnet rapidly became proficient. He was an insatiable robber and a cruel conqueror. He captured merchant vessels all along the coast as high up as New England, and then he came down again and stopped for a while before Charlestown Harbor, where he took a couple of prizes and then put into one of the North Carolina harbors, where it was always easy for a pirate vessel to refit and get ready for further adventures. Bonnet's vessel was named the Revenge, which was about as ill-suited to the vessel as her commander was ill-fitted to sail her. For Bonnet had nobody to revenge himself upon unless, indeed, it were his scolding wife. But a good many pirate ships were then called the Revenge and Bonnet was bound to follow the fashion, whatever it might be. Very soon after he had stood upon the quarterdeck and proclaimed himself a pirate, his men had discovered that he knew no more about sailing than he knew about painting portraits. And although they were under officers who directed all the nautical operations, the mass of the crew conceived a great contempt for a landsman captain. There was much grumbling and growling and many of the men would have been glad to throw Bonnet overboard and take the ship into their own hands. But when any symptoms of mutiny showed themselves, the pirates found that although they did not have a sailor in command over them, they had a very determined and relentless master. Bonnet knew that the captain of a pirate ship ought to be the most severe and rigid man on board, and so at the slightest sign of insubordination, his grumbling men were put in chains or flogged and it was Bonnet's habit at such times to strut about the deck with loaded pistols, threatening to blow out the brains of any man who dared to disobey him. Recognizing that although their captain was no sailor, he was a first class tyrant, the rebellious crew kept their grumbling to themselves and worked his ship. Bonnet now pointed the bow of the Revenge southward. That is, he requested somebody else to see that it was done and sailed to the bay of Honduras, which was a favorite resort of the pirates about that time. And here it was that he first met with the famous captain Blackbeard. There can be no doubt that our amateur pirate was very glad indeed to become acquainted with this well-known professional and they soon became good friends. Blackbeard was on the point of organizing an expedition and he proposed that Bonnet and his vessel should join it. This invitation was gladly accepted and the two pirate captains started out on a cruise together. Now the old reprobate, Blackbeard, knew everything about ships and was a good navigator and it was not long before he discovered that his new partner was as green as grass in regard to all nautical affairs. Consequently, after having thought the matter over for a time, he made up his mind that Bonnet was not at all fit to command such a fine vessel as the one he owned and had fitted out. And as pirates make their own laws and perhaps do not obey them if they happen not to feel like it, Blackbeard sent for Bonnet to come on board his ship and then, in a manner as cold-blooded as if he had been about to cut down a helpless prisoner, Blackbeard told Bonnet that he was not fit to be a pirate captain, that he intended to keep him on board his own vessel and that he would send somebody to take charge of the revenge. This was a fall indeed and Bonnet was almost stunned by it. An hour before he had been proudly strutting about on the deck of a vessel which belonged to him and in which he had captured many valuable prizes and now he was told he was to stay on Blackbeard's ship and make himself useful in keeping the log book or in doing any other easy thing which he might happen to understand. The green pirate ground his teeth and swore bitterly inside of himself but he said nothing openly. On Blackbeard's ship, Blackbeard's decisions were not to be questioned. End of Chapter 24. Chapter 25 of Buccaneers and Pirates of our Coasts. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recorded by Laurie Ann Walden. Buccaneers and Pirates of our Coasts by Frank Richard Stockton. Chapter 25, Bonnet again to the front. It must not be supposed that the late commander of the revenge continued to be satisfied as he sat in the cabin of Blackbeard's vessel and made the entries of the day's sailing and various performances. He obeyed the orders of his usurping partner because he was obliged to do so but he did not hate Blackbeard any the less because he had to keep quiet about it. He accompanied his pirate chief on various cruises among which was the famous expedition to the harbor of Charlestown where Blackbeard traded Mr. Ragh and his companions for medicines. Having a very fine fleet under him, Blackbeard did a very successful business for some time but feeling that he had earned enough for the present and that it was time for him to take one of his vacations, he put into an inlet in North Carolina where he disbanded his crew. So long as he was on shore spending his money and having a good time, he did not want to have a lot of men about him who would look to him to support them when they had spent their portion of the spoils. Having no further use for Bonnet, he dismissed him also and did not object to his resuming possession of his own vessel. If the green pirate chose to go to sea again and perhaps drown himself and his crew, it was a matter of no concern to Blackbeard. But this was a matter of very great concern to Steed Bonnet and he proceeded to prove that there were certain branches of the piratical business in which he was an adept and second to none of his fellow practitioners. He wished to go pirating again and saw a way of doing this which he thought would be far superior to any of the common methods. It was about this time that King George of England, very desirous of breaking up piracy, issued a proclamation in which he promised pardon to any pirate who would appear before the proper authorities, renounce his evil practices and take an oath of allegiance. It also happened that very soon after this proclamation had been issued, England went to war with Spain. Being a man who kept himself posted in the news of the world so far as it was possible, Bonnet saw in the present state of affairs a very good chance for him to play the part of a wolf in sheep's clothing and he proceeded to begin his new piratical career by renouncing piracy. So, leaving the revenge in the inlet, he journeyed overland to Bath and there he signed pledges, took oaths and did everything that was necessary to change himself from a pirate captain to a respectable commander of a duly authorized British privateer. Returning to his vessel with all the papers and his pocket necessary to prove that he was a loyal and law-abiding subject of Great Britain, he took out regular clearance papers for St. Thomas, which was a British naval station and where he declared he was going in order to obtain a commission as a privateer. Now the wily Bonnet had everything he wanted except a crew. Of course it would not do for him in his present respectable capacity to go about enlisting unemployed pirates but at this point Fortune again favored him. He knew of a desert island not very far away where Blackbeard at the end of his last cruise had marooned a large party of his men. This heartless pirate had not wanted to take all of his followers into port because they might prove troublesome and expensive to him and so he had put a number of them on this island to live or die as the case might be. Bonnet went over to this island and finding the greater part of these men still surviving, he offered to take them to St. Thomas in his vessel if they would agree to work the ship to port. This proposition was of course joyfully accepted and very soon the revenge was manned with a complete crew of competent desperados. All these operations took a good deal of time and at last when everything was ready for Bonnet to start out on his piratical cruise he received information which caused him to change his mind and to set forth on an errand of a very different kind. He had supposed that Blackbeard, whom he had never forgiven for the shameful and treacherous manner in which he had treated him, was still on shore enjoying himself. But he was told by the captain of a small trading vessel that the old pirate was preparing for another cruise and that he was then in ochre-coke inlet. Now Bonnet folded his arms and stamped his feet upon the quarter deck. The time had come for him to show that the name of his vessel meant something. Never before had he had an opportunity for revenging himself on anybody but now that hour had arrived. He would revenge himself upon Blackbeard. The implacable Bonnet sailed out to sea in a truly warlike frame of mind. He was not going forth to pray upon unresisting merchantman. He was on his way to punish a black-hearted pirate, a faithless scoundrel who had not only acted navishly toward the world in general but had behaved most disloyaly and disrespectfully toward a fellow pirate chief. If he could once run the revenge alongside the ship of the perfidious Blackbeard, he would show him what a green hand could do. When Bonnet reached ochre-coke inlet, he was deeply disappointed to find that Blackbeard had left that harbor but he did not give up the pursuit. He made hot chase after the vessel of his pirate enemy, keeping a sharp lookout in hopes of discovering some signs of him. If the enraged Bonnet could have met the ferocious Blackbeard face to face, there might have been a combat which would have relieved the world of two atrocious villains and Captain Maynard would have been deprived of the honor of having slain the most famous pirate of the day. Bonnet was a good soldier and a brave man and although he could not sail a ship, he understood the use of the sword even better perhaps than Blackbeard and there is good reason to believe that if the two ships had come together, their respective crews would have allowed their captains to fight out their private quarrel without interference. For pirates delight in a bloody spectacle and this would have been to them a rare diversion of the kind. But Bonnet never overtook Blackbeard and the great combat between the rival pirates did not take place. After vainly searching for a considerable time for a trace or sight of Blackbeard, the baffled Bonnet gave up the pursuit and turned his mind to other objects. The first thing he did was to change the name of his vessel. If he could not be revenged, he would not sail in the revenge. Casting about in his mind for a good name, he decided to call her the Royal James. Having no intention of respecting his oaths or of keeping his promises, he thought that as he was going to be disloyal, he might as well be as disloyal as he could and so he gave his ship the name assumed by the son of James II, who was a pretender to the throne and was then in France plotting against the English government. The next thing he did was to change his own name for he thought this would make matters better for him if he should be captured after entering upon his new criminal career. So he called himself Captain Thomas by which name he was afterwards known. When these preliminaries had been arranged, he gathered his crew together and announced that instead of going to St. Thomas to get a commission as a privateer, he had determined to keep on in his old manner of life and that he wished them to understand that not only was he a pirate captain, but that they were a pirate crew. Many of the men were very much surprised at this announcement for they had thought it a very natural thing for the Green Hand Bonnet to give up pirating after he had been so thoroughly snubbed by Blackbeard and they had not supposed that he would ever think again of sailing under a black flag. However, the crew's opinion of the Green Hand Captain had been a good deal changed. In his various cruises, he had learned a good deal about navigation and could now give very fair orders and his furious pursuit of Blackbeard had also given him a reputation for reckless bravery which he had not enjoyed before. A man who was chafing and fuming for a chance of a hand-to-hand conflict with the greatest pirate of the day must be a pretty good sort of a fellow from their point of view. Moreover, their strutting and stalking captain, so recently balked of his dark revenge, was a very savage looking man and it would not be pleasant either to try to persuade him to give up his piratical intention or to decline to join him in carrying it out. So the whole of the crew, minor officers and men, changed their minds about going to St. Thomas and agreed to hoist the skull and crossbones and to follow Captain Bonnet wherever he might lead. Bonnet now cruised about in grand style and took some prizes on the Virginia coast and then went up into Delaware Bay where he captured such ships as he wanted and acted generally in the most domineering and insolent fashion. Once, when he stopped near the town of Luz in order to send some prisoners ashore, he sent a message to the officers of the town to the effect that if they interfered with his men when they came ashore, he would open fire upon the town with his cannon and blow every house into splinters. Of course, the citizens, having no way of defending themselves, were obliged to allow the pirates to come on shore and depart unmolested. Then after this, the blustering captain captured two valuable sloops and wishing to take them along with him without the trouble of transferring their cargos to his own vessel, he left their crews on board and ordered them to follow him wherever he went. Some days after that, when one of the vessels seemed to be sailing at too great a distance, Bonnet quickly let her captain know that he was not a man to be trifled with and sent him the message that if he did not keep close to the royal James, he would fire into him and sink him to the bottom. After a time, Bonnet put into a North Carolina port in order to repair the royal James, which was becoming very leaky and seeing no immediate legitimate way of getting planks and beams enough with which to make the necessary repairs, he captured a small sloop belonging in the neighborhood and broke it up in order to get the material he needed to make his own vessel seaworthy. Now the people of the North Carolina coast very seldom interfered with pirates, as we have seen, and it is likely that Bonnet might have stayed in port as long as he pleased and repaired and refitted his vessel without molestation. If he had bought and paid for the planks and timber he required. But when it came to boldly seizing their property, that was too much, even for the people of the region, and complaints of Bonnet's behavior spread from settlement to settlement, and it very soon became known all down the coast that there was a pirate in North Carolina who was committing depredations there and was preparing to set out on a fresh cruise. When these tidings came to Charlestown, the citizens were thrown into great agitation. It had not been long since Blackbeard had visited their harbor and had treated them with such brutal insolence, and there were bold spirits in the town who declared that if any effort by them could prevent another visitation of the pirates, that effort should be made. There was no naval force in the harbor which could be sent out to meet the pirates who were coming down the coast, but Mr. William Rhett, a private gentleman of position in the place, went to the governor and offered to fit out at his own expense an expedition for the purpose of turning away from their city the danger which threatened it. End of Chapter 25. Chapter 26 of Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Jer Folly Beach, South Carolina. Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts by Frank R. Stockton. Chapter 26, The Battle of the Sandbars. When that estimable private gentleman, Mr. William Rhett of Charlestown, had received a commission from the governor to go forth on his own responsibility and meet the dreaded pirate, the news of whose depredations had thrown the good citizens into such a fever of apprehension, he took possession in the name of the law of two large sloops, the Henry and the Sceninth, which were in the harbor. And at his own expense, he manned them with well-armed crews and put on board each of them eight small cannon. When everything was ready, Mr. Rhett was in command of a very formidable force for those waters. And if he had been ready to sail a few days sooner, he would have had an opportunity of giving his men some practice in fighting pirates before they met the particular and more important sea robber whom they had set out to encounter. Just as his vessel was ready to sail, Mr. Rhett received news that a pirate ship had captured two or three merchant men just outside the harbor. And he put out to sea with all possible haste and cruised up and down the coast for some time. But he did not find this most recent depredator who had departed very promptly when he heard that armed ships were coming out of the harbor. Now, Mr. Rhett, who was no more of a sailor than Steed Bonnet had been when he first began his seafaring life, boldly made his way up the coast to the mouth of Cape Fear River where he had been told the pirate vessel was lying. When he reached his destination, Mr. Rhett found that it would not be an easy thing to ascend the river for the reason that the pilots he had brought with him knew nothing about the waters of that part of the coast. And although the two ships made their way very cautiously, it was not long after they had entered the river before they got out of the channel and it being low tide, both of them ran aground upon sandbars. This was a very annoying accident, but it was not disastrous for the sailing masters who commanded the sloops knew very well that when the tide rose, their vessels would float again. But it prevented Mr. Rhett from going on and making an immediate attack upon the pirate vessel, the top masts of which could be plainly seen behind a high headland some distance up the river. Of course, Bonnet, or Captain Thomas, as he now chose to be called, soon became aware of the fact that two good-sized vessels were lying aground near the mouth of the river and having a very natural curiosity to see what sort of craft they were, he waited until nightfall and then sent three armed boats to make observations. When these boats returned to the Royal James and reported that the grounded vessels were not well-loaded trading craft, but large sloops full of men and armed with cannon, Bonnet, for we prefer to call him by his old name, had good reason to fold his arms, knit his brows, and strut up and down the deck. He was sure that the armed vessels came from Charlestown, and there was no reason to doubt that if the governor of South Carolina had sent two ships against him, the matter was a very serious one. He was penned up in the river. He had only one fighting vessel to contend against two, and if he could not succeed in getting out to sea before he should be attacked by the Charlestown ships, there would be but little chance of his continuing in his present line of business. If the Royal James had been ready to sail, there was no doubt that Bonnet would have taken his chance of finding the channel in the dark and would have sailed away that night without regard to the cannonating which might have been directed against him from the two stranded vessels. But as it was impossible to get ready to sail, Bonnet went to work with the greatest energy to get ready to fight. He knew that when the tide rose, there would be two armed sloops afloat and that there would be a regular naval battle on the quiet waters of Cape Fear River. All night, his men worked to clear the decks and get everything in order for the coming combat, and all night Mr. Rhett and his crews kept a sharp watch for any unexpected move of the enemy while they loaded their guns, their pistols, and their cannon and put everything in order for action. Very early in the morning, the wide-awake crews of the South Carolina vessels, which were now afloat and at anchor, saw that the top masts of the pirate craft were beginning to move above the distant headland, and very soon Bonnet ship came out into view under full sail, and as he veered around, they saw that she was coming toward them. Up went the anchor and up went the sails of the Henry and the sea nymph, and the naval battle between the retired army officer who had almost learned to be a sailor and the private gentleman from South Carolina who knew nothing whatever about managing ships was about to begin. It was plain to the South Carolinians that the great object of the pirate captain was to get out to sea just as soon as he could and that he was coming down the river, not because he wished to make an immediate attack upon them, but because he hoped to slip by them and get away. Of course, they could follow him upon the ocean and fight him if their vessels were fast enough, but once out of the river with plenty of sea room, he would have 20 chances of escape where now he had won. But Mr. Red did not intend that the pirate should play him this little trick. He wanted to fight the dastardly wretches in the river where they could not get away and he had no idea of letting them sneak out to sea. Consequently, as the Royal James under full sail was making her way down the river, keeping as far as possible from her two enemies, Mr. Red ordered his ships to bear down upon her so as to cut off her retreat and force her toward the opposite shore of the river. This maneuver was performed with great success. The two Charles town sloops sailed so boldly and swiftly toward the Royal James that the ladder was obliged to hug the shore and the first thing the pirates knew they were stuck fast and tight upon a sandbar. Three minutes later, the Henry ran upon a sandbar and there being enough of these obstructions in that river to satisfy any ordinary demand, the sea nymph very soon grounded herself upon another of them, but unfortunately she took up her permanent position at a considerable distance from her consort. Here now were the vessels which were to conduct the memorable sea fight. All three fast in the sand and unable to move and their predicament was made the worse by the fact that it would be five hours before the tide would rise high enough for any one of them to float. The positions of the three vessels were very peculiar and awkward. The Henry and the Royal James were relying so near to each other that Mr. Rhett could have shot Major Bonnet with a pistol if the ladder gentleman had given him the chance and the sea nymph was so far away that she was entirely out of fight and her crew could do nothing but stand and watch what was going on between the other two vessels. But although they could not get any nearer each other nor get away from each other, the pirates and Mr. Rhett's crew had no idea of postponing the battle until they should be afloat and able to fight in the ordinary fashion of ships. They immediately began to fire at each other with pistols, muskets, and cannon and the din and roar was something that must have astonished the birds and beasts and fishes of that quiet region. As the tide continued to run out of the river and its waters became more and more shallow, the two contending vessels began to careen over to one side and unfortunately for the Henry they both careened in the same direction and in such a manner that the deck of the Royal James was inclined away from the Henry while the deck of the ladder leaned toward the pirate foe. This gave a great advantage to Bonnet and his crew for they were in a great measure protected by the hull of their vessel whereas the whole deck of the Henry was exposed to the fire of the pirates. But Mr. Rhett and his South Carolinians were all brave men and they blazed away with their muskets and pistols at the pirates whenever they could see a head above the rail of the Royal James while with their cannon they kept firing at the pirates hull. For five long hours the fight continued but the cannon carried by the two vessels must have been a very small caliber. For if they had been firing at such short range and for such a length of time with modern guns they must have shattered each other into kindling wood. But neither vessel seems to have been seriously injured and although there were a good many men killed on both sides the combat was kept up with great determination and fury. At one time it seemed almost certain that Bonnet would get the better of Mr. Rhett and he ordered his black flag waved contemptuously in the air while his men shouted to the South Carolinians to come over and call upon them. But the South Carolina boys answered these taunts with cheers and fired away more furiously than ever. The tide was now coming in and everybody on board the two fighting vessels knew very well that the first one of them which should float would have a great advantage over the other and would probably be the conqueror. In came the tide and still the cannons roared and the muskets cracked while the hearts of the pirates and the South Carolinians almost stood still as they each watched the other vessel to see if she showed any signs of floating. At last such signs were seen. The Henry was further from the shore than the Royal James and she first felt the influence of the rising waters. Her masts began to straighten and at last her deck was level and she floated clear of the bottom while her antagonist still lay careened over on her side. Now the pirates saw there was no chance for them. In a very short time the other Carolinas loop would be afloat and then the two vessels would bear down upon them and utterly destroy both them and their vessel. Consequently upon the Royal James there was a general disposition to surrender and to make the best terms they could for it would be a great deal better to submit and run the chance of a trial than to keep up the fight against enemies so much superior both in numbers and ships who would soon be upon them. But Bonnet would not listen to one word of surrender. Rather than give up the fight he declared he would set fire to the powder magazine of the Royal James and blow himself, his ship and his men high up into the air. Although he had not a sailor's skill he possessed a soldier's soul and in spite of his being a dastardly and cruel pirate he was a brave man. But Bonnet was only one and his crew numbered dozens and notwithstanding his furiously dissenting voice it was determined to surrender and when Mr. Rhett sailed up to the Royal James intending to board her if the pirate still showed resistance he found them ready to submit to terms and to yield themselves his prisoners. Thus ended the great sea fight between the private gentlemen and thus ended Steed Bonnet's career. He and his men were taken to Charlestown where most of the pirate crew were tried and executed. The green hand pirate who had wrought more devastation along the American coast than many a skilled sea robber was held in custody to await his trial. And it seems very strange that there should have been a public sentiment in Charlestown which induced the officials to treat this pirate with a certain degree of respect simply from the fact that his station in life had been that of a gentleman. He was a much more black-hearted scoundrel than any of his men but they were executed as soon as possible while his trial was postponed and he was allowed privileges which would never have been accorded a common pirate. In consequence of this leniency he escaped and had to be retaken by Mr. Rhett. It was so long before he was tried that sympathy for his misfortunes arose among some of the tender-hearted citizens of Charlestown whose houses he would have pillaged and whose families he would have murdered if the exigencies of piracy had rendered such action desirable. Finding that other people were trying to save his life Bonnet came down from his high horse and tried to save it himself by writing piteous letters to the governor begging for mercy. But the governor of South Carolina had no notion of sparing a pirate who had deliberately put himself under the protection of the law in order that he might better pursue his lawless and wicked career. And the green hand with the black heart was finally hung on the same spot where his companions had been executed. End of recording. End of chapter 26. Recording by Jair Folly Beach, South Carolina. Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts by Frank R Stockton. Chapter 27 of Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org recording by Jair Folly Beach, South Carolina. Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts by Frank R Stockton. Chapter 27, A Six Weeks Pirate. About the time of Steve Bonnet's terminal adventures, a very unpretentious pirate made his appearance in the waters of New York. This was a man named Richard Worley who set himself up in piracy in a very small way but who by a strict attention to business soon achieved a remarkable success. He started out as a scourge upon the commerce of the Atlantic Ocean with only an open boat and eight men. In this small craft, he went down the coast of New Jersey taking everything he could from fishing boats and small trading vessels until he reached Delaware Bay. And here he made a bold stroke and captured a good-sized sloop. When this piratical outrage was reported in Philadelphia, it created a great sensation and people talked about it until the open boat with nine men grew into a great pirate ship filled with roaring desperados and cutthroats. From Philadelphia, the news was sent to New York and that government was warned of the great danger which threatened the coast. As soon as this alarming intelligence was received, the New Yorkers set to work to get up an expedition which should go out to sea and endeavor to destroy the pirate vessel before it could enter their port and work havoc among their merchant men. It may seem strange that a small open boat with nine men could stir up such a commotion in these two great provinces of North America but if we can try to imagine the effect which would be produced among the inhabitants of the Staten Island or in the hearts of the dwellers and the beautiful houses on the shores of the Delaware River by the announcements that a boat carrying nine desperate burglars was to be expected in their neighborhood. We can better understand what the people of New York and Philadelphia thought when they heard that Richard Worley had captured a sloop in Delaware Bay. The expedition which left New York made a very unsuccessful cruise. It sailed for days and days but never saw a sign of a boat containing nine men and it returned disappointed and obliged to report no progress. With Worley, however, progress had been very decided. He captured another sloop and this being a large one and suitable to his purposes, he took possession of it, gave up his open boat and fitted out his prize as a regular piratical craft. With a good ship under his command, Captain Worley now enlarged his sphere of action on both shores of Delaware Bay and along the coast of New Jersey. He captured everything which came in his way and for about three weeks, he made the waters in those regions very hot for every kind of peaceable commercial craft. If Worley had been in trade, his motto would have been quick sales and small profits. For by day and by night, the New York's revenge which was the name he gave to his new vessel cruised east and west and north and south losing no opportunity of levying contributions of money, merchandise, food and drink upon any vessel no matter how insignificant it might be. The Philadelphians now began to tremble in their shoes for if a boat had so quickly grown into a sloop, the sloop might grow into a fleet and they had all heard of Portobello and the deeds of the bloody buccaneers. The governor of Pennsylvania recognizing the impending danger and the necessity of prompt action sent to Sandy Hook where there was a British man of war, the phoenix and urged that this vessel should come down into Delaware Bay and put an end to the pirate ship which was ravaging those waters. Considering that Worley had not been engaged in piracy for much more than four weeks, he had created a reputation for enterprise and industry which gave him a very important position as a commerce destroyer and a large man of war did not think that he was too small game for her to hunt down and so she set forth to capture or destroy the audacious Worley. But never a Worley of any kind did she see. While the phoenix was sailing along the coast examining all the coves and harbors of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the New York's revenge put out to sea and then proceeded southward to discover a more undisturbed field of operation. We will now leave Worley's vessel sailing southward and go for a time to Charlestown where some very important events were taking place. The governor of South Carolina had been very much afraid that the pirates in general would take some sort of revenge for the capture of Steed Bonnet who was then in prison awaiting trial and that if he should be executed, Charlestown might be visited by an overpowering, piratical force and he applied to England to have a war vessel sent to the harbor. But before any relief of this kind could be expected, news came to Charlestown that already a celebrated pirate named Moody was outside of the harbor capturing merchant vessels and it might be that he was only waiting for the arrival of another pirate ship to sail into the harbor and rescue Bonnet. Now the Charlestown citizens saw that they must again act for themselves and not depend upon the home government. If there were pirates outside the harbor, they might be met and fought before they could come up to the city and the governor and the council decided immediately to fit out a little fleet. Four merchant vessels were quickly provided with cannon, ammunition and men and the command of this expedition would undoubtedly have been given to Mr. Rhett, had it not been that he and the governor had quarreled. There being no naval officers in Charlestown, their fighting vessels had to be commanded by civilians and Governor Johnson now determined that he would try his hand at carrying on a sea fight. Mr. Rhett had done very well, why should not he? Before the governor's little fleet of vessels, one of which was the Royal James captured from Bonnet, was quite ready to sail, the governor received news that his preparations had not been made a moment too soon. For already two vessels, one a large ship and the other an armed sloop had come into the outer harbor and were lying at anchor off Sullivan's Island. It was very likely that Moody, having returned from some outside operation, was waiting there for the arrival of other pirate ships and that it was an important thing to attack him at once. As it was very desirable that the pirate should not be frightened away before the Charlestown fleet could reach them, the vessels of the latter were made to look as much like mere merchant men as possible. Their cannon were covered and the greater part of the cruise was kept below out of sight. Thus the four ships came sailing down the bay and early in the morning made their appearance in the sight of the pirates. When the ship and the big sloop saw the four merchant men vessels sailing quietly out of the harbor, they made immediate preparations to capture them. Anchors were weighed, sails were set and with a black flag flying from the top mast of each vessel, the pirates steered toward the Charlestown fleet and soon approached near enough to the King William, which was the foremost of the fleet to call upon her captain to surrender. But at that moment, Governor Johnson, who was on board the Mediterranean and could hear the insolent pirate shouting through the speaking trumpet, gave a pre-concerted signal. Instantly everything was changed. The covers were jerked off from the cannon of the pretended merchant men, armed men poured out from the holds, the flag of England was quickly raised on each one of them and the 68 guns of the combined fleet opened fire upon the astonished pirates. The ship, which seemed to be the more formidable of the enemy's vessels, had run up so close to her intended prey that two of Governor Johnson's vessels, the Sea Nymph and the Royal James, once so bitterly opposed to each other, but now fighting together in honest comradeship, were able to go between her and the open sea and so cut off her retreat. But if the captain of the pirate ship could not get away, he showed that he was very well able to fight and although the two vessels which had made him the object of their attack were pouring cannon balls and musket shot upon him, he blazed away with his cannon and his muskets. The three vessels were so near each other that sometimes their yard arms almost touched so that his terrible fight seemed almost like a hand-to-hand conflict. For four hours, the roaring of the cannon, the crushing of timbers, the almost continuous discharge of musketry were kept up while the smoke of the battle frequently almost prevented the crews of the contending ships from seeing each other. Not so very far away, the people of Charlestown who were standing on the shores of their beautiful harbor could see the fierce fight which was going on and great was the excitement and anxiety throughout the city. But the time came when two ships grew too much for one and as the Royal James and the Sea Nymph were able to take positions by which they could rake the deck of the pirate vessel, many of her men gave up the fight and rushed down into the hole to save their lives. Then both the Charlestown vessels bore down upon the pirate and boarded her and now there was another savage battle with pistols and cutlasses. The pirate captain and several of his crew were still on deck and they fought like wounded lions and it was not until they had all been cut down or shot that victory came to the men of Charlestown. Very soon after this terrible battle was over, the waiting crowds in the city saw a glorious sight. The pirate ship came sailing slowly up the harbor, a captured vessel with the Sea Nymph on one side and the Royal James on the other, the colors of the crown flying from the masts of each one of the three. The other pirate ship which was quite large seemed to be more fortunate than her companion for she was able to get out to sea and spreading all her sail, she made every effort to escape. Governor Johnson, however, had no idea of letting her get away if he could help it. When a civilian goes out to fight a sea battle, he naturally wants to show what he can do and Governor Johnson did not mean to let people think that Mr. Rhett was a better naval commander than he was. He ordered the Mediterranean and the King William to put on all sail and away they went after the big ship. The retreating pirates did everything they could to effect escape, throwing over their cannon and even their boats in order to lighten their ship but it was of no use. The governor's vessels were the faster sailors and when the King William got near enough to fire a few cannon balls into the flying ship, the latter hauled down the black flag and without hesitation lay to and surrendered. It was plain enough that this ship was not manned by desperate pirates and when Governor Johnson went on board of her, he found her to be not really a pirate ship but an English vessel which not long before had been captured by the pirates in whose company she had visited Charlestown Harbor. She had been bringing over from England a company of convicts and what were called covenant servants who were going to the colonies to be disposed of to the planters for a term of years. Among these were 36 women and when the South Carolinians went below, they were greatly surprised to find the hold crowded with these unfortunate creatures, some of whom were nearly frightened to death. At the time of this vessel's capture, the pirate captain had enlisted some of the convicts into his crew as he needed men and putting on board of his prize a few pirates to command her, the ship had been worked by such of her own crew and passengers as were willing to serve under pirates while the others were shut up below. Here was a fine prize taken with very little trouble and the King William and the Mediterranean returned to Charlestown with their captured ship to be met with the shouts and cheers of the delighted citizens already excited to a high pitch by the previous arrival of the captured pirate's loop. But Governor Johnson met with something else which made a stronger impression on him than the cheers of his townspeople and this was the great surprise of finding that he had not fought and conquered the pirate moody. Without suspecting such a thing, he had crushed and utterly annihilated the dreaded warly whose deeds had created such a consternation in northern waters and whose threatened approach had set the thrill of excitement all down the coast. When this astonishing news became known, the flags of the city were waved more wildly and the shouts and cheers rose higher. Thus came to an end in the short time of six weeks the career of Richard Worley who without doubt did more piratical work in less time than any sea robber on record. End of recording. End of chapter 27. Recording by Jair, Folly Beach, South Carolina. Buccaneers and Pirates of our Coasts by Frank R Stockton.