Chapter I: Front Matter

PIRATE TALES
FROM THE LAW

BY
ARTHUR M. HARRIS

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
GEORGE AVISON

BOSTON
LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY
1923

_Copyright, 1922, 1923_,
BY ARTHUR M. HARRIS.

_All rights reserved_

Published August, 1923

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

SHIP AHOY!

Heave to, Shipmate!

Here’s a book,--a book about pirates, the grim old fellows of the eighteenth century, who used to surge over the bulwarks of honest merchantmen in a wave of cutlasses, pistols and general deviltry.

Not all of them, Shipmate. Not Lewis, Rackham, Davis, Low and others, but of those who were caught, or some of whose subordinate rascals were caught, by the fierce messengers of His Most Gracious Majesty the King, or taken in combat--dreadful combat--by the oaken-hearted stalwarts of Authority, and brought to Justice and hanged up at old Execution Dock, hard by Thames River, as it swirls muddily from London Bridge.

That’s the point about this book, Shipmate. It’s the story of the Old Game, the Grand Account, as those ruffians termed their wicked trade, stripped of legend, excised of exaggeration and presented to you as it was adduced in the courts of law by the sworn witnesses, the probing counsel, the directing judges and the juries who cast their capital verdicts. History, in other words; veritable history, but recounted--well, as you shall see for yourself.

Good luck, Shipmate!

ARTHUR M. HARRIS.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
I SALT WATER MONEY _Captain Kidd_ 1

II BLACK FLAG FROM BOSTON _John Quelch_ 79

III SEA HORROR “_Blackbeard_” 111

IV BACK PAY _Henry Avery_ 159

V GROAN O’ THE GALLOWS _Tom Green_ 213

VI “WHO FIRES FIRST?” _John Gow_ 275

ILLUSTRATIONS

Mr. Dutchman was rowed ashore and left with a gun,
some powder and shot _Frontispiece_

PAGE

She went up to the coppery Indian sky in great festoons of smoke 38

He fought the lieutenant with the verve of an athlete
fresh for the field 156

“You white-livered coward!” bellowed Williams,
“Run away from a frog-eater!” 303