Читать книгу Topsail Island - Paul Boardman - Страница 4

On the shaded stern deck, drinks in hand, Cynthia began her tale.

“In the late 1600’s half the population of Bristol England was dirt poor, starving and/or diseased. People lived in squalor, seldom washing, drinking wine or ale, which seemed to be the only known way to purify the fetid water. Taking out the garbage meant merely throwing it out a window and sewage from the chamber pots was dumped into open ditches. Dogs and rats took care of garbage collection and the rain washed down the sewers, dumping everything into the sea. The final stage of the cleanup was completed by the tide which cleansed the harbor, twice a day.

“A young boy, whose name may have been any one of a half dozen choices, including, Edward Teach, Thatch or Tache, lived in the streets, stealing food and sleeping in whatever cubbyhole he could crawl into when it rained. Lord knows how he survived. Surprisingly, he knew how to read and write which indicates that he probably came from a middle class home. Perhaps he ran away or perhaps he was orphaned. No one knows, but around 1712 or 1713, he managed to get a job on a ship that was setting sail for Jamaica. It is unlikely that he was even paid anything beyond his food ration. Once in Jamaica, his luck improved and he was able to get a job as crewman on board a privateer, duly licensed by Queen Anne of England. This took place during the War of Succession in Spain and the ship’s mission would have been to plunder Spanish ships in the Caribbean. Somewhere in those glorious blue waters, a world away from the filth of Bristol, he met a privateer named Benjamin Hornigold, who took a liking to the young lad and taught him the art of piracy.

“Edward Teach, the most common name attributed to him, grew tall and lean, possessing well above average strength. Historical accounts repeatedly describe his huge hands. He stood a good six inches taller than most men, was a mean, brutal, dirty fighter and a good shot. His reputation began to grow almost immediately. He was probably still in his late teens when he let his hair and beard grow until it covered his entire face, stole a ship and soon became known as Blackbeard.

“Blackbeard’s ship would approach his quarry either under the same flag as his opponent or under the flag of a friendly nation. Such approaches were commonplace. A friendly encounter was often the only way a ship, long at sea, could receive news and if that ship was travelling in the opposite direction, mail was often exchanged. When Blackbeard was almost on top of his quarry, he would run up his own flag of piracy. He differentiated himself from others by not flying the traditional Skull and Crossbones but instead flew a custom flag depicting a skeleton with devil-like horns and cloven feet. Both arms of the skeleton were raised with one bony hand holding an hour glass while the other hand held a spear, pointed downward. Beneath the tip of the spear, lay a red heart and three distinct drops of blood. The hourglass was symbolic. Surrender now. Time is running out. The rest of the flag depicted the penalty for non-compliance.

“The majority of his victims were merchants. Resisting Blackbeard meant a brutal fight without mercy.

“If his quarry tried to run, his first line of attack would be his cannons. As the two ships closed together he would switch from cannon balls to grapeshot, nails and chain that would shred everything it hit. The sails, the rigging and the throat of any poor soul who didn’t duck in time. Closer still, he would switch to rifles and pistols before boarding. His initial target was the helmsman. With the helmsman dead, the ship would founder. Then his pirates would draw the two ships close together using grappling hooks and swarm the victim’s ship. The firearms were all single shot weapons that took a long time to re-load. After the initial volley, battles would turn to hand-to-hand combat with boarding pikes, axes, daggers and cutlasses.

“A small crew aboard a merchant ship was no match for Blackbeard’s larger crew of more experienced fighters. The battles that ensued never lasted long.

“Before long, Blackbeard’s reputation preceded him and his victims were frequently willing to surrender rather than challenge him. You can’t blame the poor, frightened souls.

“Surrendering was a prudent alternative to a fierce battle that Blackbeard would surely win. Furthermore, Blackbeard exhibited reasonable decency if his victims co-operated. In most cases he had no use for their ship so he removed anything of value and allowed the ship to sail away, crew and passengers poorer but unharmed.

“Blackbeard fully understood the psychological advantage of instilling fear in his victims but it was equally important that he was also both feared and respected by his crew. Pirates could be fickle and unless they feared reprisals they would quickly abandon a captain if another opportunity presented itself. There was an odd form of democracy on board a pirate ship. The crew was consulted and asked to vote on major decisions such as a change of locale. It wasn’t unusual for a pirate ship to sail from the Caribbean all the way to the Indian Ocean, when things got too hot or business dried up. The crew also had the power to vote in a new captain if they failed to capture their targets or were generally plagued by bad luck and poor prizes. This never happened under Blackbeard’s command.

“Blackbeard enhanced his gruesome image by letting his beard grow even longer and shaggier and then, before a battle, he would braid it into long strands tied off at the ends with black ribbon extensions. He would loop some of these braids around his ears so that beneath the brim of his hat and his gruesome beard only his hollow, unforgiving eyes were visible. His eyes resembled those of a wild, crazed animal, devoid of any human emotion. The hollowness of his eyes has been well recorded but the cause, less so. Blackbeard was without doubt, both a devout drunkard … and a serious drug addict.

“His clothing, like his hair, was quite spectacular but certainly not coordinated.” Cynthia paused.

“Let me explain. In that era, people wore clothes according to their role in life. In England there were laws dictating that a man was not allowed to dress above his station. Doing so was akin to fraud and a man could go to jail for wearing clothes that depicted him as having a higher rank than he was born into.

“Imagine if that was the case today. A man could go to jail for putting on a suit to go for a job interview,” stated Cynthia.

“Or the president could go to jail for wearing a golf shirt and pretending he was the common man,” countered Langdon, making Cynthia laugh.

“Don’t let me interrupt again. This is a good story,” pressed Langdon.

“Pirates, by their very nature, were rebels. They hated authority and everything it stood for. Their clothing portrayed their rebellious nature and their unwillingness to submit to a culture they found restrictive and repulsive. In that era, a favorite trading commodity was cloth from exotic locales, packaged for transport in large bales. Some of this cloth came from the Far East. Silks and linens of very fine quality and exotic colors. Coincidentally, pirates were sailors and one of a sailor’s jobs was to mend sails ripped by winds or damaged in battle. Already proficient with a needle and thread, some became quite expert at tailoring. Given good material and a bit of spare time …. and there was no shortage of either commodity …. it was not unusual to see a pirate in a silk blouse, wearing fancy britches fastened with a stolen silver belt buckle. Flamboyant dress was reality. It was a statement of rebellion … not a figment of Walt Disney’s active imagination.

“Pistols, in that era, were single shot, cumbersome, muzzle loading weapons that took a long time, perhaps half a minute, to reload. Pirates developed the first generation of holster. It was a broad sash, worn like a bandolier. The guns themselves were a status symbol and the more a pirate wore, the more he could enhance his image and reputation. Blackbeard wore a brace of three pistols across his chest with a powder horn dangling from the bottom tip of the bandolier. On a second bandolier he slung an assortment of daggers and a cutlass which may have been a custom design because it was often described as a meat cleaver. From his imposing height, bellowing orders to his men, he was an easy man to fear.

“Dressed to the nines, Blackbeard’s final act of imagery was to tie under his hat, protruding out above his ears, two, slow burning matches which he lit just prior to battle. These matches did not flare like matches do today. They were slow burning matches, made of hemp rope dipped in lime and saltpeter. His men used identical matches for lighting cannons. In Blackbeard’s case, they surrounded his head in a swirl of smoke making him appear like the devil himself. Perhaps there was even a bit of cannabis in the hemp.

“Blackbeard, hundreds of years ahead of his time when it came to creating a public image, didn’t stop at clothing and theatrics. One widely repeated story is of a man who refused to give up a diamond ring. Blackbeard cut off his finger to get the ring but left the man alive, disfigured but well able to relate his terrible ordeal to anyone who listened. So the legend spread and with it, Blackbeard instilled a universal fear. He was a Master of Intimidation.

“After a battle or surrender of his opponents, with his opponent’s booty safely on board his ship, Blackbeard would sail freely into almost any town or city up and down the coast. He and other pirates were welcome figures in many ports. Often they had commodities that were not generally available and offered them for sale at wholesale prices. Few good citizens could ignore a bargain when it sailed right into their harbor with a favorable price tag. Everything had value and Blackbeard stole it all. Clothing, jewelry, cargos of sugar, rum, cloth, grain and if he was lucky, gold, silver, precious stones, valuable religious artifacts and weapons. During his career he is said to have captured over fifty ships but many of his encounters, using today’s equivalents, were more akin to hi-jacking a tractor trailer hauling a load of TVs down the interstate. The flow of gold back to Spain had dwindled by that era and it is difficult to ascertain exactly how large his fabled treasure trove really was. Some historians even claim it never existed.

“Though he was tyrannical with his crew of pirates and ruled them with an iron fist, each man received a fair share of the booty. It is noteworthy that as a successful captain, he was a source of great prosperity to his crew and beyond fearing him, this was the other half of the reason they never rebelled against him. He motivated both his crew and his customers with the same motivators used today …. fear and greed. It is obvious that it was no small feat, controlling a boatload of unruly thieves and murderers. One story persists that he even killed his first mate just to prove to the rest of the crew how terrible he could be if he was crossed.

“Ashore, Blackbeard was a perpetual drunkard. When his ship sailed into harbor, the majority of the local townsmen would flee. The tavern owners would warily open their doors and welcome the pirate crews and if things went well, the pirates would spend their money with reckless abandon, leaving behind huge profits. On the flip side, they could become disgruntled and burn the place down.

“But as the townsmen fled, women flocked to the tavern where the pirates drank. They always fared well from sailors, too long at sea. Blackbeard, a tyrant among his men, became weak in the knees at the sight of a pretty face. He would often woo one of the fairer sex back to his ship and once on board, would assemble his crew and have his first mate perform the wedding ceremony. He married fourteen times and when he sailed off, left at least some of his wives small fortunes. Of course he had numerous other female companions but the ones he married fared better financially than his more casual girlfriends. Perhaps his sense of chivalry, though undoubtedly jaded, was not entirely eradicated.”

Cynthia paused again and a tiny smile barely caught the corners of her mouth. “Perhaps a bit like yours, Langdon,” she teased.

“My generation’s chivalry has been jaded by outrageous divorce settlements,” Langdon replied a bit more harshly than he intended. He quickly tried to make amends. “I’m really enjoying your story. Please, continue.”

Cynthia took a sip of her drink and settled back in her deck chair.

“Blackbeard roamed the Caribbean from the Bahamas, to the Virgin Islands, and then northeast to Jamaica. In the spring of 1717 he left New Providence, in the Bahamas, bound for the Bay of Honduras where he met another pirate by the name of Stede Bonnet. Bonnet was an oddball, sailing under the traditional skull and crossbones. He was formerly a wealthy plantation owner from Barbados who claimed the dubious qualification of being the only pirate of the Caribbean ever known to have actually purchased his ship, instead of just stealing it. Some say he was driven to sea to escape his nagging wife. Nevertheless, in an age of classes, he was a gentleman, born and bred, and therefore commanded a certain amount of respect. Unfortunately he was a poor sailor with terrible navigational skills and a propensity for sea-sickness. He has gone down in history with the nickname, The Gentleman Pirate. Bonnet’s ship was named the Revenge and it was a name that appealed to our shaggy friend.

“Blackbeard met with Bonnet and proposed a partnership which Bonnet, obviously aware of his inadequacies, readily accepted. Under the guise of this partnership, Blackbeard installed his own first mate on Bonnet’s ship but soon the mate was running the whole show and Bonnet became little more than a prisoner on his own ship. Under Blackbeard’s command, the duo sailed to the Eastern Caribbean where they encountered a fourteen gun, one hundred and three foot, French ship named the Concorde. This was the kind of ship that Blackbeard had always dreamt of commanding. He planned his attack well and managed to capture her without inflicting serious damage.

“Following her capture, Blackbeard refitted her, increasing her armament from fourteen to forty guns and when she met his specifications, he took her as his flagship and renamed her Queen Anne’s Revenge.

“For the rest of the winter, Blackbeard cruised the Caribbean. In the spring, he headed north with his small fleet consisting of Queen Anne’s Revenge, Bonnet’s ship Revenge, a heavy trading vessel, another sloop, and two smaller ships. In May, 1718 they arrived at the mouth of the harbor in Charleston, South Carolina, where they set up a blockade and captured nine ships entering the harbor.

“Blackbeard sent word ashore that he would hold the ships for ransom, threatening to hang all the hostages if his demands were not met. Fortunately for him, one of the hostages was a member of the Council of the Governor of South Carolina, named Samuel Wragg. He was by far the most important of the captives and Blackbeard could have demanded a considerable ransom for his release but the ransom demand was quite small and very strange. Blackbeard asked for nothing more than a chest of medicine worth only about three hundred pounds. This was a pittance for nine ships and an important political hostage. Initially the Governor rejected his demand but cooler heads prevailed and shortly before the deadline, the Governor sent out the medicine chest in a small boat. Blackbeard then set the hostages free, having stripped them of all their possessions including their clothing.

“There appear to be only two possibilities to explain this modest ransom demand. Either Blackbeard had contracted a severe case of venereal disease and needed medicine … or, as a confirmed drug addict, he craved Laudanum for non-medical reasons. The main ingredient in Laudanum is opium.

“One week later, Blackbeard sailed into Beaufort Inlet but to clarify history a bit, Beaufort Inlet was known at the time as Topsail Inlet. Now, what is now known as Topsail Inlet is directly off Topsail Island.

“Regardless, as he entered Beaufort Inlet, whether he planned this in advance or it was just by accident, Blackbeard grounded both Queen Anne’s Revenge and one of his other ships. He then seized Bonnet’s ship and removed all of the booty and sailed away on a smaller ship, leaving half his crew marooned on a small island. Bonnet was left unharmed and resumed command of his ship. He managed to free her from the soft sand and sailed into the town of Bath where he approached the King’s delegate and was granted a King’s pardon for his previous acts of piracy. The pardon gave Bonnet enough time to re-supply his ship which he renamed the Royal James. Then, he immediately returned to the small island, rescued the marooned crew and set sail after Blackbeard. His plan was to win back his share of the treasure but Bonnet failed miserably at tracking down his adversary. Soon, probably following a vote by his crew, he reverted to piracy, despite the pardon he had just been granted. As captain of a pirate ship, he was as hopelessly inept and his ship was captured within months. His crew was hung on November 8^th, 1718.

“Bonnet however, was still considered a gentleman and the courts and jailers were uncomfortable with the thought of putting a gentleman in a common prison. Instead, he was located in a more pleasant building with better accommodations and less security. This was probably the precursor to Club Fed,” said Cynthia with a modest giggle.

Langdon grinned at the small joke and urged Cynthia to continue.

“Naturally, he escaped but he wasn’t much good at that either and was soon caught.

“This time the courts were more severe and he too was hung for piracy on Dec 10^th , 1718.

“Blackbeard’s raids stretched from the Caribbean, through Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and as far north as Nova Scotia in Canada. It is quite certain that he anchored at Gardiners Island, a seven mile long private island estate just off New York City. From there, he smuggled his booty into New York and sold it. Some claim that he buried his treasure on Gardiners Island but those stories are probably confused with stories of Captain Kidd who did in fact bury treasure there. Regardless, there are many places along the coast that claim to be the location of Blackbeard’s treasure. Of course, the treasure has never been found.

“Blackbeard returned from his northern adventure up the Eastern seaboard to the waters of Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. He sailed into Bath, on the Pamlico River and like Bonnet, he too was granted a pardon under an edict of King George 1. Then, again like Bonnet, he established a base in Pamlico Sound and returned to piracy, plundering ships. But Blackbeard was more astute than his former partner. Before returning to his former career, he took on two partners; Charles Eden, Governor of North Carolina and Tobias Knight, the Secretary and customs collector.

“This political arrangement allowed Blackbeard to spend a good deal of time ashore. He set up house in Beaufort with his latest conquest, an eighteen year old French girl. Although he married her, she is said to have soon wished to leave. Legend has it that Blackbeard lost patience with her and hung her from an oak tree in the back yard.

“The local plantation owners and merchants were angered by the fact that their own Governor Eden was in league with a pirate. An angry group of merchants eventually travelled north where they explained their predicament to Governor Spotswood of Virginia. Spotswood was sympathetic and attempted to recruit two captains of British men-of-war to pursue Blackbeard. Someone realized the folly of this and advised him that that type of ship was too large to operate effectively in the confines of Pamlico Sound. His advisors recommended that he would have a greater chance of success if he chose smaller and more maneuverable ships. Spotswood accepted the recommendation and agreed to finance two sloops. He quickly passed legislation that would allow him to put a price on a pirate’s head. This law permitted placing a price on any pirate, but Blackbeard was the only pirate ever named under the Act. The reward for the capture of the infamous Blackbeard was set at seven hundred pounds, dead or alive.

“Blackbeard was dividing his time, living either in a mansion in Bath with his fourteenth wife or on his ship in Ocracoke Inlet. One day, a messenger arrived and told him that Lieutenant Maynard from Virginia was approaching with two war ships. Blackbeard laughed at such a meager threat and then proceeded to get rip-roaring drunk. This was not necessarily a sign that he was underestimating his opponent. He had a habit of getting loaded on rum and cocaine before a battle. Meanwhile, his crew was put to work loading his ship with gunpowder and cannon balls, preparing small arms and soaking blankets which would be used to dowse fires.

“On the morning of November 22, 1718, Blackbeard sailed out Ocracoke Inlet toward Maynard who stood blocking passage with his two ships, the Jane and the Ranger. But Blackbeard knew the channel better and made his run for the open water and freedom. Maynard tried to follow but Blackbeard’s superior knowledge of the inlet allowed him to run both of Maynard’s ships aground on the constantly changing sandbars. At this point Blackbeard could have easily sailed away to the open sea while Maynard would be forced to wait for the next high tide to float his ships free. Instead Blackbeard loaded his cannons with grape shot, spikes and chain, turned and fired broadside at Maynard’s ships. The attack killed nine of Maynard’s men, broke the mast, shredded the sails and totally destroyed one of the ships. Unfortunately for him, while celebrating the outcome of this fierce exchange, Blackbeard too, ran aground not far away.

“Maynard’s second ship, though grounded, was still in fighting shape and the brave lieutenant ordered the crew to throw anything and everything overboard in an attempt to lighten his load. Water barrels, food and heavy armaments were tossed into the sea. The plan worked and Maynard’s second ship finally lifted off the bottom. Then the young lieutenant launched his own broadside at Blackbeard and Blackbeard returned fire. The smoke from the black powder obliterated visibility completely. Maynard used this diversion wisely and ordered most of his thirty man crew below deck leaving only three in sight. Maynard turned for a second attack and ran close enough to board the pirate ship. Blackbeard, seeing only three men on deck ordered his men to throw their grappling hooks and swarm Maynard’s sloop. Once the pirates were on board, Maynard flung open the hatch doors and thirty, well armed sailors rushed forward.

“Twenty-three pirates fought a fierce battle against the thirty navy sailors. Blackbeard, already wounded, found himself face to face with Maynard. Both men were armed with pistols. Blackbeard shot but missed. Maynard’s shot took Blackbeard in the shoulder. It slowed the pirate down but failed to stop him. Blackbeard slashed at Maynard with his cutlass so hard that he snapped Maynard’s sword in two and was on the verge of swinging a lethal blow when one of Maynard’s men heaved a boarding pike at him, hitting his shoulder and slicing off a piece of his ear. Dazed, he took another blow in the forehead and blood streamed down his face, blinding him. Despite the fact that most of his men were either dead or captured, he refused to back down and swung his cutlass wildly at Maynard’s crew. Blackbeard died, still on his feet, having taken twenty sword wounds and five musket shots.

“You really have to wonder if his incredible stamina wasn’t enhanced by a healthy dose of some drug or other,” added Cynthia before continuing.

“In a gruesome display, Maynard ordered his men to cut off Blackbeard’s head and hang it beneath the bowsprit. He then sailed home in victory, proudly displaying his trophy so that it might be a lesson to all pirates.

“What was left of Blackbeard’s crew was tried and hanged for piracy.”

Cynthia paused, her story was not yet complete.

“On the night before Blackbeard’s final battle, one pirate asked Blackbeard if his wife knew where he had hidden his treasure, just in case something should happen. Blackbeard had scoffed at talk of mortality. His answer had been: “No one but I and the devil knows where the treasure lays … and the longest liver shall take it.”

“Before sailing away, Maynard searched Blackbeard’s ship hoping to claim the phantom treasure or at least find a map that would lead him to it. He found nothing but stores and letters on board. The treasure eluded him as it eluded so many others, both before and after Blackbeard’s death.”

Cynthia stopped talking and sat very erect with her hands clasped in her lap.

Langdon had been spellbound while Cynthia relayed her story. He felt like the listener in the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner. After a long pause he finally spoke.

“It’s hard to believe that in roughly only two short years, Blackbeard plundered his way from the Caribbean to Canada, capturing fifty ships and marrying, what did you say, fourteen times? He must have just been in his early twenties when he was killed. That’s one helluva history lesson, which by the way, you relayed exceptionally well,” he complimented her.

“Oh that’s only half the story,” stated Cynthia.

Langdon felt a thrill surge through his body. Tiny goose bumps rose up on his arms. What could the other half be about if it wasn’t Blackbeard’s treasure. Despite his age, Langdon could never resist a story about hidden treasure.

“Only half? Well, I’m all in.” he exclaimed. “I can’t wait to hear the rest but let’s call a brief intermission. I’ll check to see how your batteries are doing.” He looked down at his empty glass and Cynthia caught the drift.

“I’ll make another round of drinks and we can continue. Agreed?”

“I promise to be quick with those batteries. I’m definitely looking forward to hearing the rest of the story,” he said sincerely.

Cynthia beamed. A born storyteller she knew when she had captivated her audience. While she mixed another pitcher she collected her thoughts, feeling proud that her story had commanded Langdon’s undivided attention and what he had called an “intermission.” For the last hour she had been the star of the show and she was quite capable of basking in her moment of glory.