vessels, anchored off the bar of Charleston for a few days. Here they
captured a ship bound for England, as she was coming out of the harbor.
They next seized a vessel coming out of Charleston, and two pinks coming
into the same harbor, together with a brigantine with fourteen negroes.
The audacity of these transactions, performed in sight of the town,
struck the inhabitants with terror, as they had been lately visited by
some other notorious pirates. Meanwhile, there were eight sail in the
harbor, none of which durst set to sea for fear of falling into the
hands of Teach. The trade of this place was totally interrupted, and the
inhabitants were abandoned to despair. Their calamity was greatly
augmented from this circumstance, that a long and desperate war with the
natives had just terminated, when they began to be infested by these
robbers.
Teach having detained all the persons taken in these ships as
prisoners, they were soon in great want of medicines, and he had the
audacity to demand a chest from the governor. This demand was made in a
manner not less daring than insolent. Teach sent Richards, the captain
of the Revenge, with Mr. Marks, one of the prisoners, and several
others, to present their request. Richards informed the governor, that
unless their demand was granted, and he and his companions returned in
safety, every prisoner on board the captured ships should instantly be
slain, and the vessels consumed to ashes.
During the time that Mr. Marks was negotiating with the governor,
Richards and his associates walked the streets at pleasure, while
indignation flamed from every eye against them, as the robbers of their
property, and the terror of their country. Though the affront thus
offered to the Government was great and most audacious, yet, to preserve
the lives of so many men, they granted their request, and sent on board
a chest valued at three or four hundred pounds.
Teach, as soon as he received the medicines and his fellow pirates,
pillaged the ships of gold and provisions, and then dismissed the
prisoners with their vessels. From the bar of Charleston they sailed to
North Carolina. Teach now began to reflect how he could best secure the
spoil, along with some of the crew who were his favorites. Accordingly,
under pretence of cleaning, he ran his vessel on shore, and grounded;
then ordered the men in Hands' sloop to come to his assistance, which
they endeavoring to do, also ran aground, and so they were both lost.
Then Teach went into the tender with forty hands, and upon a sandy
island, about a league from shore, where there was neither bird no
beast, nor herb for their subsistence, he left seventeen of his crew,
who must inevitably have perished, had not Major Bonnet received
intelligence of their miserable situation, and sent a long-boat for
them. After this barbarous deed. Teach, with the remainder of his crew,
went and surrendered to the governor of North Carolina, retaining all
the property which had been acquired by his fleet.
The temporary suspension of the depredations of Black Beard, for so he
was now called, did not proceed from a conviction of his former errors,
or a determination to reform, but to prepare for future and more
extensive exploits. As governors are but men, and not unfrequently by no
means possessed of the most virtuous principles, the gold of Black Beard
rendered him comely in the governor's eyes, and, by his influence, he
obtained a legal right to the great ship called "The Queen Anne's
Revenge." By order of the governor, a court of vice-admiralty was held
at Bath-town, and that vessel was condemned as a lawful prize which he
had taken from the Spaniards, though it was a well-known fact that she
belonged to English merchants. Before he entered upon his new
adventures, he married a young woman of about sixteen years of age, the
governor himself attending the ceremony. It was reported that this was
only his fourteenth wife, about twelve of whom were yet alive; and
though this woman was young and amiable, he behaved towards her in a
manner so brutal, that it was shocking to all decency and propriety,
even among his abandoned crew of pirates.
In his first voyage, Black Beard directed his course to the Bermudas,
and meeting with two or three English vessels, emptied them of their
stores and other necessaries, and allowed them to proceed. He also met
with two French vessels bound for Martinique, the one light, and the
other laden with sugar and cocoa: he put the men on board the latter
into the former, and allowed her to depart. He brought the freighted
vessel into North Carolina, where the governor and Black Beard shared
the prizes. Nor did their audacity and villany stop here. Teach and some
of his abandoned crew waited upon his excellency, and swore that they
had seized the French ship at sea, without a soul on board; therefore a
court was called, and she was condemned, the honorable governor received
sixty hogsheads of sugar for his share, his secretary twenty, and the
pirates the remainder. But as guilt always inspires suspicion, Teach was
afraid that some one might arrive in the harbor who might detect the
roguery: therefore, upon pretence that she was leaky, and might sink,
and so stop up the entrance to the harbor where she lay, they obtained
the governor's liberty to drag her into the river, where she was set on
fire, and when burnt down to the water, her bottom was sunk, that so she
might never rise in judgment against the governor and his confederates.
[Illustration: _The crews of Black Beard's and Vane's vessels carousing
on the coast of Carolina._]
Black Beard now being in the province of Friendship, passed several
months in the river, giving and receiving visits from the planters;
while he traded with the vessels which came to that river, sometimes in
the way of lawful commerce, and sometimes in his own way. When he chose
to appear the honest man, he made fair purchases on equal barter; but
when this did not suit his necessities, or his humor, he would rob at
pleasure, and leave them to seek their redress from the governor; and
the better to cover his intrigues with his excellency, he would
sometimes outbrave him to his face, and administer to him a share of
that contempt and insolence which he so liberally bestowed upon the rest
of the inhabitants of the province.
But there are limits to human insolence and depravity. The captains of
the vessels who frequented that river, and had been so often harrassed
and plundered by Black Beard, secretly consulted with some of the
planters what measures to pursue, in order to banish such an infamous
miscreant from their coasts, and to bring him to deserved punishment.
Convinced from long experience, that the governor himself, to whom it
belonged, would give no redress, they represented the matter to the
governor of Virginia, and entreated that an armed force might be sent
from the men-of-war lying there, either to take or to destroy those
pirates who infested their coast.
Upon this representation, the Governor of Virginia consulted with the
captains of the two men-of-war as to the best measures to be adopted. It
was resolved that the governor should hire two small vessels, which
could pursue Bleak Beard into all his inlets and creeks; that they
should be manned from the men-of-war, and the command given to
Lieutenant Maynard, an experienced and resolute officer. When all was
ready for his departure, the governor called an assembly, in which it
was resolved to issue a proclamation, offering a great reward to any
who, within a year, should take or destroy any pirate.
Upon the 17th of November, 1717, Maynard left James's river in quest of
Black Beard, and on the evening of the 21st came in sight of the pirate.
This expedition was fitted out with all possible expedition and secrecy,
no boat being permitted to pass that might convey any intelligence,
while care was taken to discover where the pirates were lurking. His
excellency the governor of Bermuda, and his secretary, however, having
obtained information of the intended expedition, the latter wrote a
letter to Black Beard, intimating, that he had sent him four of his men,
who were all he could meet within or about town, and so bade him be on
his guard. These men were sent from Bath-town to the place where Black
Beard lay, about the distance of twenty leagues.
The hardened and infatuated pirate, having been often deceived by false
intelligence, was the less attentive to this information, nor was he
convinced of its accuracy until he saw the sloops sent to apprehend him.
Though he had then only twenty men on board, he prepared to give battle.
Lieutenant Maynard arrived with his sloops in the evening, and anchored,
as he could not venture, under cloud of night, to go into the place
where Black Beard lay. The latter spent the night in drinking with the
master of a trading-vessel, with the same indifference as if no danger
had been near. Nay, such was the desperate wickedness of this villain,
that, it is reported, during the carousals of that night, one of his men
asked him, "In case any thing should happen to him during the engagement
with the two sloops which were waiting to attack him in the morning,
whether his wife knew where he had buried his money?" when he impiously
replied, "That nobody but himself and the devil knew where it was, and
the longest liver should take all."
In the morning Maynard weighed, and sent his boat to sound, which coming
near the pirate, received her fire. Maynard then hoisted royal colors,
and made directly towards Black Beard with every sail and oar. In a
little time the pirate ran aground, and so also did the king's vessels.
Maynard lightened his vessel of the ballast and water, and made towards
Black Beard. Upon this he hailed him in his own rude style, "D--n you
for villains, who are you, and from whence come you?" The lieutenant
answered, "You may see from our colors we are no pirates." Black Beard
bade him send his boat on board, that he might see who he was. But
Maynard replied, "I cannot spare my boat, but I will come on board of
you as soon as I can with my sloop." Upon this Black Beard took a glass
of liquor and drank to him, saying, "I'll give no quarter nor take any
from you." Maynard replied, "He expected no quarter from him, nor should
he give him any."
During this dialogue the pirate's ship floated, and the sloops were
rowing with all expedition towards him. As she came near, the pirate
fired a broadside, charged with all manner of small shot, which killed
or wounded twenty men. Black Beard's ship in a little after fell
broadside to the shore; one of the sloops called the Ranger, also fell
astern. But Maynard finding that his own sloop had way, and would soon
be on board of Teach, ordered all his men down, while himself and the
man at the helm, who he commanded to lie concealed, were the only
persons who remained on deck. He at the same time desired them to take
their pistols, cutlasses, and swords, and be ready for action upon his
call, and, for greater expedition, two ladders were placed in the
hatchway. When the king's sloop boarded, the pirate's case-boxes, filled
with powder, small shot, slugs, and pieces of lead and iron, with a
quick-match in the mouth of them, were thrown into Maynard's sloop.
Fortunately, however, the men being in the hold, they did small injury
on the present occasion, though they are usually very destructive. Black
Beard seeing few or no hands upon deck, cried to his men that they were
all knocked on the head except three or four; "and therefore," said he,
"let us jump on board, and cut to pieces those that are alive."
[Illustration: _Death of Black Beard._]
Upon this, during the smoke occasioned by one of these case-boxes, Black
Beard, with fourteen of his men, entered, and were not perceived until
the smoke was dispelled. The signal was given to Maynard's men, who
rushed up in an instant. Black Beard and the lieutenant exchange shots,
and the pirate was wounded; they then engaged sword in hand, until the
sword of the lieutenant broke, but fortunately one of his men at that
instant gave Black Beard a terrible wound in the neck and throat. The
most desperate and bloody conflict ensued:--Maynard with twelve men, and
Black Beard with fourteen. The sea was dyed with blood all around the
vessel, and uncommon bravery was displayed upon both sides. Though the
pirate was wounded by the first shot from Maynard, though he had
received twenty cuts, and as many shots, he fought with desperate valor;
but at length, when in the act of cocking his pistol, fell down dead. By
this time eight of his men had fallen, and the rest being wounded, cried
out for quarter, which was granted, as the ringleader was slain. The
other sloop also attacked the men who remained in the pirate vessels,
until they also cried out for quarter. And such was the desperation of
Black Beard, that, having small hope of escaping, he had placed a negro
with a match at the gunpowder door, to blow up the ship the moment that
he should have been boarded by the king's men, in order to involve the
whole in general ruin. That destructive broadside at the commencement of
the action, which at first appeared so unlucky, was, however, the means
of their preservation from the intended destruction.
Maynard severed the pirate's head from his body, suspended it upon his
bowsprit-end, and sailed to Bath-town, to obtain medical aid for his
wounded men. In the pirate sloop several letters and papers were found,
which Black Beard would certainly have destroyed previous to the
engagement, had he not determined to blow her up upon his being taken,
which disclosed the whole villainy between the honorable governor of
Bermuda and his honest secretary on the one hand, and the notorious
pirate on the other, who had now suffered the just punishment of his
crimes.
[Illustration: _Black Beard's Head on the end of the Bowsprit._]
Scarcely was Maynard returned to Bath-town, when he boldly went and made
free with the sixty hogsheads of sugar in the possession of the
governor, and the twenty in that of his secretary.
After his men had been healed at Bath-town, the lieutenant proceeded to
Virginia, with the head of Black Beard still suspended on his
bowsprit-end, as a trophy of his victory, to the great joy of all the
inhabitants. The prisoners were tried, condemned, and executed; and thus
all the crew of that infernal miscreant, Black Beard, were destroyed,
except two. One of these was taken out of a trading-vessel, only the day
before the engagement, in which he received no less than seventy wounds,
of all which he was cured. The other was Israel Hands, who was master of
the Queen Anne's Revenge; he was taken at Bath-town, being wounded in
one of Black Beard's savage humors. One night Black Beard, drinking in
his cabin with Hands, the pilot, and another man, without any pretence,
took a small pair of pistols, and cocked them under the table; which
being perceived by the man, he went on deck, leaving the captain, Hands,
and the pilot together. When his pistols were prepared, he extinguished
the candle, crossed his arms, and fired at his company. The one pistol
did no execution, but the other wounded Hands in the knee. Interrogated
concerning the meaning of this, he answered with an imprecation, "That
if he did not now and then kill one of them, they would forget who he
was." Hands was eventually tried and condemned, but as he was about to
be executed, a vessel arrived with a proclamation prolonging the time of
his Majesty's pardon, which Hands pleading, he was saved from a violent
and shameful death.
In the commonwealth of pirates, he who goes the greatest length of
wickedness, is looked upon with a kind of envy amongst them, as a person
of a most extraordinary gallantry; he is therefore entitled to be
distinguished by some post, and, if such a one has but courage, he must
certainly be a great man. The hero of whom we are writing was thoroughly
accomplished in this way, and some of his frolics of wickedness were as
extravagant as if he aimed at making his men believe he was a devil
incarnate. Being one day at sea, and a little flushed with drink;
"Come," said he, "let us make a hell of our own, and try how long we can
bear it." Accordingly he, with two or three others, went down into the
hold, and closing up all the hatches, filled several pots full of
brimstone, and other combustible matter; they then set it on fire, and
so continued till they were almost suffocated, when some of the men
cried out for air; at length he opened the hatches, not a little pleased
that he had held out the longest.
Those of his crew who were taken alive, told a story which may appear a
little incredible. That once, upon a cruise, they found out that they
had a man on board more than their crew; such a one was seen several
days amongst them, sometimes below, and sometimes upon deck, yet no man
in the ship could give any account who he was, or from whence he came;
but that he disappeared a little before they were cast away in their
great ship, and, it seems, they verily believed it was the devil.
One would think these things should have induced them to reform their
lives; but being so many reprobates together, they encouraged and
spirited one another up in their wickedness, to which a continual course
of drinking did not a little contribute. In Black Beard's journal,
which was taken, there were several memoranda of the following nature,
all written with his own hand.--"Such a day, rum all out;--our company
somewhat sober;--a d--d confusion amongst us!--rogues a plotting;--great
talk of separation. So I looked sharp for a prize;--such a day took one,
with a great deal of liquor on board; so kept the company hot, d--d hot,
then all things went well again."
We shall close the narrative of this extraordinary man's life by an
account of the cause why he was denominated Black Beard. He derived this
name from his long black beard, which, like a frightful meteor, covered
his whole face, and terrified all America more than any comet that had
ever appeared. He was accustomed to twist it with ribbon in small
quantities, and turn them about his ears. In time of action he wore a
sling over his shoulders with three brace of pistols. He stuck lighted
matches under his hat, which appeared on both sides of his face and
eyes, naturally fierce and wild, made him such a figure that the human
imagination cannot form a conception of a fury more terrible and
alarming; and if he had the appearance and look of a fury, his actions
corresponded with that character.
THE EXPLOITS, ARREST, AND EXECUTION OF CAPTAIN CHARLES
VANE.
Charles Vane was one of those who stole away the silver which the
Spaniards had fished up from the wrecks of the galleons in the Gulf of
Florida, and was at Providence when governor Rogers arrived there with
two men-of-war.
All the pirates who were then found at this colony of rogues, submitted
and received certificates of their pardon, except Captain Vane and his
crew; who, as soon as they saw the men-of-war enter, slipped their
cable, set fire to a prize they had in the harbor, sailed out with their
piratical colors flying, and fired at one of the men-of-war, as they
went off from the coast.
Two days after, they met with a sloop belonging to Barbadoes, which they
took, and kept the vessel for their own use, putting aboard five and
twenty hands, with one Yeates the commander. In a day or two they fell
in with a small interloping trader, with a quantity of Spanish pieces of
eight aboard, bound for Providence, which they also took along with
them. With these two sloops, Vane went to a small island and cleaned;
where he shared the booty, and spent some time in a riotous manner.
About the latter end of May 1718, Vane and his crew sailed, and being in
want of provisions, they beat up for the Windward Islands. In the way
they met with a Spanish sloop, bound from Porto Rico to the Havana,
which they burnt, stowed the Spaniards into a boat, and left them to
get to the island by the blaze of their vessel. Steering between St.
Christopher's and Anguilla, they fell in with a brigantine and a sloop,
freighted with such cargo as they wanted; from whom they got provisions
for sea-store.
Sometime after this, standing to the northward, in the track the old
English ships take in their voyage to the American colonies, they took
several ships and vessels, which they plundered of what they thought
fit, and then let them pass.
About the latter end of August, with his consort Yeates, came off South
Carolina, and took a ship belonging to Ipswich, laden with logwood. This
was thought convenient enough for their own business, and therefore they
ordered their prisoners to work, and threw all the lading overboard; but
when they had more than half cleared the ship, the whim changed, and
they would not have her; so Coggershall, the captain of the captured
vessel, had his ship again, and he was suffered to pursue his voyage
home. In this voyage the pirates took several ships and vessels,
particularly a sloop from Barbadoes, a small ship from Antigua, a sloop
belonging to Curaçoa, and a large brigantine from Guinea, with upwards
of ninety negroes aboard. The pirates plundered them all and let them
go, putting the negroes out of the brigantine aboard Yeates' vessel.
Captain Vane always treated his consort with very little respect, and
assumed a superiority over him and his crew, regarding the vessel but as
a tender to his own: this gave them disgust; for they thought themselves
as good pirates, and as great rogues as the best of them; so they
caballed together, and resolved, the first opportunity, to leave the
company, and accept of his majesty's pardon, or set up for themselves;
either of which they thought more honorable than to be the servants to
Vane: the putting aboard so many negroes, where there were so few hands
to take care of them, aggravated the matter, though they thought fit to
conceal or stifle their resentment at that time.
In a day or two, the pirates lying off at anchor, Yeates in the evening
slipped his cable, and put his vessel under sail, standing into the
shore; which when Vane saw, he was highly provoked, and got his sloop
under sail to chase his consort. Vane's brigantine sailing best, he
gained ground of Yeates, and would certainly have come up with them, had
he had a little longer run; but just as he got over the bar, when Vane
came within gun-shot of him, he fired a broadside at his old friend, and
so took his leave.
Yeates came into North Eddisto river, about ten leagues to the southward
of Charleston, and sent an express to the governor, to know if he and
his comrades might have the benefit of his majesty's pardon; promising
that, if they might, they would surrender themselves to his mercy, with
the sloops and negroes. Their request being granted, they all came up,
and received certificates; and Captain Thompson, from whom the negroes
were taken, had them all restored to him, for the use of his owners.