Chapter I: OF CAPTAIN TEACH alias BLACK-BEARD

His beginning--His confederacy with Hornygold--The
confederacy broken--Takes a large Guinea
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--Makes a second
excursion in the way of pirating--Some State
legerdemain betwixt him and the Governor--His
frolics 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 killed--His sloop taken--The
lieutenant’s conduct--A reflection on the
humours of seamen--Black-beard’s correspondents
discovered by his papers--Black-beard’s desperate
resolution before the fight--The lieutenant and
Governor no very good friends--The prisoners
hanged--Samuel Odell saved, and why--The good
luck of Israel Hands--Black-beard’s mischievous
frolics--His beard described--Several instances
of his wickedness--Some memoranda taken from his
journal--The names of the pirates killed in the
engagement--Of those executed--The value of the
prize 239