THE HISTORY OF THE PIRATES. Daniel Defoe

Scarborough had bury'd twenty Men, and had near forty Sick, and therefore was but in ill State to go to Sea: However, Captain Hume left his sick Men behind, and sailed to the other Islands, for a supply of Men, taking 20 Soldiers from Antegoa; at Nevis, he took 10, and 10 at St. Christophers, and then sailed to the Island of Anguilla, where he learned, that some Time before, 2 such Sloops had been at Spanish-Town, otherwise called, one of the Virgin Islands: Accordingly, the next Day, the Scarborough came to Spanish-Town, but could hear no News of the Sloops, only, that they had been there about Christmas, (it being then the 15th of January.)

      Captain Hume, finding no Account could be had of these Pirates, designed to go back, the next Day, to Barbadoes; but, it happened, that Night, that a Boat anchor'd there from Santa Crux, and informed him, that he saw a Pirate Ship of 22 or 24 Guns, with other Vessels, going in to the North West Part of the Island aforesaid. The Scarborough weigh'd immediately, and the next Morning came in Sight of the Rovers, and their Prizes, and stood to them, but the Pilot refused to venture in with the Ship; all the while the Pirates fir'd red hot Bullets from the Shore. At length, the Ship came to an Anchor, along Side the Reef, near the Channel, and cannonaded for several Hours, both the Vessels and Batteries: About four in the Afternoon, the Sloop that guarded the Channel, was sunk by the Shot of the Man of War; then she cannonaded the Pirate Ship of 22 Guns, that lay behind the Island. The next Night, viz. the 18th, it falling Calm, Captain Hume weigh'd, fearing he might fall on the Reef, and so stood off and on for a Day or two, to block them up. On the 20th, in the Evening, they observed the Man of War to stand off to Sea, and took the Opportunity to warp out, in order to slip away from the Island; but at Twelve o'Clock they run a-ground, and then seeing the Scarborough about, standing in again, as their Case was desperate, so they were put into the utmost Confusion; they quitted their Ship, and set her on Fire, with 20 Negroes in her, who were all burnt; 19 of the Pirates made their Escape in a small Sloop, but the Captain and the rest, with 20 Negroes, betook to the Woods, where ’twas probable they might starve, for we never heard what became of ’em afterwards: Captain Hume released the Prisoners, with the Ship and Sloop that remained, and then went after the two Pirate Sloops first mentioned.

      Chap. III.

       Of Captain Teach, alias Black-beard.

       Table of Contents

      His Beginning. His Confederacy with Hornygold. The Confederacy broke. Takes a large Guiney Man. Engages the Scarborough Man of War. His Alliance with Major Stede Bonnet. Deposes his new Ally. His Advice to the Major. His Progress and Success. Takes Prizes in Sight of Charles-Town. Sends Ambassadors to the Governor of Carolina, upon an impudent Demand. Runs his Ship aground designedly. His Cruelty to some of his own Companions. Surrenders to the King's Proclamation. The Governor of North-Carolina's exceeding Generosity to him. He marries. The Number of his Wives then living. His conjugal Virtues. Makes a second Excursion in the Way of pirating. Some State Legerdemain betwixt him and the Governor. His modest Behaviour in the River. His Frolicks on Shore. The Merchants apply for a Force against him, and where. A Proclamation with a Reward for taking or killing of Pirates. Lieutenant Maynard sent in pursuit of him. Black-beard's good Intelligence. The Lieutenant engages Black-beard. A most execrable Health drank by Black-beard. The Fight bloody; the Particulars of it. Black-beard kill'd. His Sloop taken. The Lieutenant's Conduct. A Reflection on the Humours of Seamen. Black-beard's Correspondents discover'd by his Papers. Black-beard's desperate Resolution before the Fight. The Lieutenant and Governor no very good Friends. The Prisoners hang'd. Samuel Odel saved, and why. The good Luck of Israel Hands. Black-beard's mischievous Frolicks. His Beard described. Several Instances if his Wickedness. Some Memorandums taken from his Journal. The Names of the Pirates kill'd in the Engagement. Of those executed. The Value of the Prize.

      Edward Teach was a Bristol Man born, but had sailed some Time out of Jamaica in Privateers, in the late French War; yet tho’ he had often distinguished himself for his uncommon Boldness and personal Courage, he was never raised to any Command, till he went a-pirating, which I think was at the latter End of the Year 1716, when Captain Benjamin Hornigold put him into a Sloop that he had made Prize of, and with whom he continued in Consortship till a little while before Hornigold surrendered.

      In the Spring of the Year 1717, Teach and Hornigold sailed from Providence, for the Main of America, and took in their Way a Billop from the Havana, with 120 Barrels of Flower, as also a Sloop from Bermuda, Thurbar Master, from whom they took only some Gallons of Wine, and then let him go; and a Ship from Madera to South-Carolina, out of which they got Plunder to a considerable Value.

      After cleaning on the Coast of Virginia, they returned to the West-Indies, and in the Latitude of 24, made Prize of a large French Guiney Man, bound to Martinico, which by Hornigold's Consent, Teach went aboard of as Captain, and took a Cruize in her; Hornigold returned with his Sloop to Providence, where, at the Arrival of Captain Rogers, the Governor, he surrendered to Mercy, pursuant to the King's Proclamation.

      Aboard of this Guiney Man Teach mounted 40 Guns, and named her the Queen Ann's Revenge; and cruising near the Island of St. Vincent, took a large Ship, called the Great Allen, Christopher Taylor Commander; the Pirates plundered her of what they though fit, put all the Men ashore upon the Island above mentioned, and then set Fire to the Ship.

      A few Days after, Teach fell in with the Scarborough Man of War, of 30 Guns, who engaged him for some Hours; but she finding the Pirate well mann'd, and having tried her strength, gave over the Engagement, and returned to Barbadoes, the Place of her Station; and Teach sailed towards the Spanish America.

      In his Way he met with a Pirate Sloop of ten Guns, commanded by one Major Bonnet, lately a Gentleman of good Reputation and Estate in the Island of Barbadoes, whom he joyned; but in a few Days after, Teach, finding that Bonnet knew nothing of a maritime Life, with the Consent of his own Men, put in another Captain, one Richards, to Command Bonnet's Sloop, and took the Major on aboard his own Ship, telling him, that as he had not been used to the Fatigues and Care of such a Post, it would be better for him to decline it, and live easy and at his Pleasure, in such a Ship as his, where he should not be obliged to perform Duty, but follow his own Inclinations.

      At Turniff, ten Leagues short of the Bay of Honduras, the Pirates took in fresh Water; and while they were at an Anchor there, they saw a Sloop coming in, whereupon, Richards in the Sloop called the Revenge, slipped his Cable, and run out to meet her; who upon seeing the black Flag hoisted, struck his Sail and came to, under the Stern of Teach the Commadore. She was called the Adventure, from Jamaica, David Harriot Master. They took him and his Men aboard the great Ship, and sent a Number of other Hands with Israel Hands, Master of Teach's Ship, to Man the Sloop for the piratical Account.

      The 9th of April, they weighed from Turniff, having lain there about a Week, and sailed to the Bay, where they found a Ship and four Sloops, three of the latter belonged to Jonathan Bernard, of Jamaica, and the other to Captain James; the Ship was of Boston, called the Protestant Cæsar, Captain Wyar Commander. Teach hoisted his Black Colours, and fired a Gun, upon which Captain Wyar and all his Men, left their Ship, and got ashore in their Boat. Teach's Quarter-Master, and eight of his Crew, took Possession of Wyar's Ship, and Richards secured all the Sloops, one of which they burnt out of spight to the Owner; the Protestant Cæsar they also burnt, after they had plundered her, because she belonged to Boston, where some Men had been hanged for Piracy; and the three Sloops belonging to Bernard they let go.

      From hence the Rovers sailed to Turkill, and then to the Grand Caimanes, a small Island about thirty Leagues to the Westward of Jamaica, where they took a small