Jon Hagadorn

Teach began now to think of breaking up the company, and securing the money and the best of the effects for himself, and some others of his companions he had most friendship for, and to cheat the rest.

accordingly on pretense of running into top-sail inlet to clean, he grounded his ship, and then, as if it had been done undesignedly, and by accident, he orders hands a sloop to come to his assistance, and get him off again, which he, endeavoring to do, ran the sloop on shore near the other, and so were both lost.

This done, Teach goes into the tender sloop with forty hands, and leaves the revenge there, then takes seventeen others, and maroons them upon a small sandy island, about a league from the main, where there was neither bird, beast, or herb for their subsistence, and where they must have perished if Major Bonnet had not two days after taken them off.

Teach goes up to the governor of North Carolina, with about twenty of his men, surrendered to his majesty's proclamation, and received certificates thereof from his excellency.

But it did not appear that their submitting to this pardon was from any reformation of manners, but only to wait a more favorable opportunity to play some game over again, which he soon after effected, with greater success, having in this time cultivated a very good understanding with Charles Eden, the governor of North Carolina, above mentioned."

The first piece of service this kind of governor did to Blackbeard was to give him a right to the vessel which he had taken, and when he was pirating in the great ship called the Queen Anne's Revenge, for which purpose a court of vice-admiralty was held at Bathtown, and though Teach had never any commission in his life, and the sloop belonging to the English merchants had taken in time of peace, yet she was condemned as a prize taken from the Spaniards by the said Teach.

These proceedings show that governors are but men."

In June 1718 he went to sea upon another expedition, and steered his course towards Bermuda's.

He met with two or three English vessels in his way, but robbed them only of provisions, stores, and other necessaries, for his present expense.

But near the island aforementioned he fell in with two French ships.

One of them was loaded with sugar and cocoa, and the other light, both bound to Martinique.

The ship that had no lading he let go, and putting all the men off the loaded ship aboard her.

he brought home the other with her cargo to North Carolina, where the governor and pirates shared the plunder.

When Teach and his prize arrived, he and four of his crew went to his excellency, and made affidavit that they had found the French ship at sea, without a soul on board.

And then a court was called, and the ship condemned.

The governor had sixty hogsheads of sugar for his dividend, and one Mr. Tobias Knight, who was his secretary and collector for the Providence, twenty hogsheads, and the rest was shared among the other pirates.

The business was not yet done, the ship remained, and it was possible one or other might come into the river, that might be acquainted with her, and so discover the roguery, but Teach thought of a contrivance to prevent this.

for, upon a pretext that she was leaky, and that she might sink, and so stop up the mouth of the inlet or cove where she lay, he obtained an order from the governor to bring her out into the river, and set her on fire, which was accordingly executed, and she was burnt down to the water's edge.

Her bottom sunk, and with it their fears of her ever rising in judgment against them.

Captain Teach, alias Blackbeard, passed three or four months in the river, sometimes lying at anchor in the coves, at other times sailing from one inlet to another, trading with each sloops as he met.