“Aye, we would like to receive money for the remainder of our cargo. We need to purchase additional provisions for our journey south.”
“Yes, of course.”
“So what is the next step?”
“You should return posthaste to Ocracoke and make your final preparations to set sail for the West Indies. Then you should return to Bath in ten days’ time and report your finding of the derelict ship to Governor Eden. He will then convene the Court of Vice-Admiralty to formally hear your claim to the rights of salvage and then award you the ship and its cargo. But to pull this off, it is imperative to maintain absolute secrecy and not let anyone know what we have planned here tonight. I cannot stress this enough.”
“I will make sure to keep my men quiet.”
“You must have the complete cooperation and confidence of your crew. Otherwise, the plan will fail and we may all be convicted and hanged for piracy. But most importantly, no one can know that you and I met here tonight. If this meeting is discovered, there is nothing that can be done for any of us.”
“I’ll make sure to keep lay low here and in Ocracoke. I understand what is at stake.”
They continued to work out the details of their strategy until 04:20 hours, when they had both reached the point of physical exhaustion. Knight then briefly examined the casks of sweetmeats and the valuable gifts of Spanish pieces of eight, encrusted jewelry, silver candlesticks, and gold dust in the heavy boxes Thache had brought along with him and not told anyone else about. The two men then said their goodbyes. At the last minute, Knight returned one of the kegs of sweetmeats so that the captain and his men would have sufficient food for their long voyage back to Ocracoke. As a weary and yawning Blackbeard walked towards the sloping path leading down to the landing and his African crew secured the cask of sweetmeats, the older man expelled a sickly cough and called out to him from the steps of the house.
“Don’t worry yourself, Edward. As long as you and your men maintain absolute secrecy and cause no more mischief, everything will be fine.”
The pirate captain tipped his tricorn to him and bid him good night. “We shall keep quiet as mice and all will be well,” he said.
But inside, he was deeply worried about his future and that of his men. Taking the Rose Emelye had been a bad decision that he knew would cost them dearly.
CHAPTER 51
TOWN CREEK
SEPTEMBER 14, 1718
THREE TIMES HIS HEAD ROLLED FORWARD and he nodded off for a few minutes as they headed downriver. When he awoke the third time just before dawn, he spotted the pale gleam of a lantern rocking gently from the mast of another periauger moored near Chester’s Landing. They were several miles from Knight’s home along the northern shore, and he ordered his oarsmen to row in the direction of the light. He was hoping to go ashore at Chester’s house and rest for a while since he was unable to stay awake. By this time, he had not slept for more than twenty-four hours since leaving Ocracoke the day before, and he hoped to catch three or four hours rest and resume sailing for Pamlico Sound by around eight o’clock in the morning when he was fresh. His men, too, would get a chance to rest.
But as they rowed near the other periauger, he abruptly changed his mind about landing at Chester’s house and ordered his oarsmen to come up alongside the other boat. “Come up close now, lads, and we’ll get ourselves a dram and then be on our way. We’ll not stop to rest at Chester’s.”
They rowed towards the vessel. In the lantern light, Thache saw that it contained a young white man in colonial dress, a young boy who looked to be the man’s son, and an Indian.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” he said affably. “I’m sorry if I have surprised you, but I wonder if you might have a dram of brandy or other spirits aboard that you could offer a weary traveler.”
“I have a barrel of brandy, but it is too dark for me to draw from it for strangers I do not know,” the tall white man responded insolently. “Who are ye and from whence have you come?”
“I should ask you who you might be, considering you have an Indian in your company and this precinct has been under threat of Indian attack for some time now.”
“I am William Bell and this is my son.”
“Mr. Bell, I am pleased to make your acquaintance.”
But his polite tone didn’t seem to have the desired effect: the man was looking at him skeptically, probably on account of his long plaited beard, an uncommon thing in these parts. “I know the local sheriff and my father is a wealthy landholder from Hyde Precinct with holdings here in Bath, so you had better not engage in skullduggery. Who are you, sir, that floats up and down this river in the dark of night with four Negro oarsmen? I saw you earlier heading towards town and wondered what your business was here. Now I would appreciate it if you would tell me.”
“It is no affair of yours, of that I am certain. Now are you going to give me a dram of brandy from that barrel of yours or not?”
“I would say that the answer is no, seeing that you appear to be a scoundrel.”
Thache couldn’t believe the insolence of the man. All he was asking for was some brandy for his long journey and now he was being subjected to an inquisition. In his already exhausted and fragile state, he felt a sudden burst of rage at William Bell’s rudeness.
Acting on impulse, he jumped aboard the man’s periauger.
“What are you doing, you scoundrel? You can’t come aboard my vessel!”
“Like hell I can’t! Now hand over that brandy, you scupperlout!”
“I told you, it’s too dark for me to draw from my barrel!”
“Ye should be kindlier to strangers on the river, you cowardly whelp.” He then called out to his men. “Mr. Stiles, my cutlass if you please. I need to teach this insolent man a lesson in proper manners in front of his son.”
The black crewman handed the long, curved, steel-bladed instrument of war and piratical intimidation to him. Thache took it and waved it angrily at William Bell, while his four black oarsmen, the Indian, and Bell’s son just stood there in shock, unable to believe their eyes.
“Now, Mr. Bell, place your arms behind your back so I can bind your hands.”
“No, sir, I shall do nothing of the sort. I demand to know who you are and from whence you came?”
“I come from hell where I will carry you presently if you don’t do as I say.”
“You’re a smuggler or a thief and I don’t barter with smugglers or thieves.”
“Perhaps I am a thief. If that is the case, where have you hidden your money?”
“I will not tell you a bloody thing, you scoundrel!”
Thache tried to control his anger, but was unable to. This William Bell—imperious son of a prominent Hyde and Bath landowner—irked him beyond all reason. “I swear damnation will seize you and I will kill you if you do not cooperate.”
“Who are you and what is your business in Bath Town?”
“As I said, that’s none of your business.” He then shoved him, hard enough to pitch him onto the floor of the periauger, but to his surprise Bell didn’t fall down. Instead, he gave the pirate captain a firm elbow to the ribs followed by a hard shove in return, nearly knocking him out of the boat. But Thache was able to recover his balance and, with the flat side of his cutlass, he struck Bell several blows across his arms and shoulders, frightening him and his companions with the dull implement rather than doing any damage. On the last blow, he was stunned to see that his blade broke on the impact and fell onto the soggy wooden planks of Bell’s periauger.
“Well don’t just stand there, Mr. Stiles!” he snapped to his senior oarsman. “You and your men, come to my aid, damn you!”
Stiles immediately jumped aboard the longboat along with Thomas Gates, James Blake, and James White. The four black sailors quickly restrained William Bell and the dumbstruck Indian and boy.
“Now what else have you got on board?” asked Thache, still beside himself with anger.
Bell resisted.
“T
ell me, damn you!”
“All right, just don’t harm me or my son! I have pistols and other valuables locked in that chest there!” He motioned meekly towards the chest stowed in the stern of the boat.
Thache motioned his men. “Break it open,” he commanded.
“Please!” pleaded Bell. “You don’t need to do that! I’ll open it!”
“Be sharp about it then.”
Finally realizing what he was up against, William Bell withdrew a key, quickly unlocked the chest, and pulled out the contents along with the other valuables stored on board the periauger. From the chest and the cargo of the boat, Thache and his men swiftly plundered nearly seventy pounds in North Carolina scrip, sixty yards of crepe fabric, a box of tobacco pipes, a half barrel of brandy, and a fine silver drinking cup. When they were finished, they towed William Bell’s periauger out into the middle of the river and dumped his sails and oars overboard to allow themselves plenty of time to make their getaway before Bell could report the robbery to the authorities.
“Whoever ye be, you are a most villainous creature,” snarled Bell as Thache and his seamen made their boat ready again to head downriver. “I’m going to go straight to Governor Eden in Bath and report this assault. A detailed report will be filed and the precinct’s marshal will be alerted. And he will hunt you down and you will go to jail. Then, sir, I will know your name.”
“Maybe, but you could have avoided all this misery if you had simply given a tired man a dram of brandy. I may be a thief as you say, but you, William Bell, are an insolent fool without proper manners. And for that, I blame your father and mother for not teaching you the ways of the world. Furthermore, I pity your poor son to be stuck with you as a father. Now, sir, I bid you good night.”
And with that, he sailed off with his four oarsmen towards the rising red orb of the sun and Ocracoke Island, knowing that he had made his situation immeasurably worse by putting into jeopardy Tobias Knight’s plan to keep their meeting a secret.
What a foolish thing you have done, Edward, he scolded himself. What a foolish thing you have done indeed.
CHAPTER 52
RALEIGH TAVERN
WILLIAMSBURG
SEPTEMBER 15, 1718
AS SPOTSWOOD was escorted by the maître’d into the Raleigh Tavern’s half-filled Apollo Room, he found himself impressed by the establishment’s simple elegance. Painted in gilt above the mantel at the entrance was the motto “Hilaritas Sapientiae et Bonae Vitae Proles”—“Jollity, the Offspring of Wisdom and Good Living.” The dining room boasted hand-crafted oak tables, chairs, and sideboards sporting tassels, fringes, and trimmed in silk and gilded leaf; ornate wooden carvings; maroon velvet flocked wallpaper; and various polished brass antiquities lovingly imported from England. The walls were covered with handsome English oak paneling and ornately carved wooden Shakespearian caricatures. Baronial brass chandeliers hung down from the ceiling like a giant latticework of ice crystals. A spectacular limestone fireplace and mantelpiece, a grand piano, and several potted plants indigenous to Virginia rounded out the room.
Established only the year before, the tavern was named after its founder, Sir Walter Raleigh, and used for a variety of colonial functions. It was the site of slave auctions, was used to sell theater tickets and merchandise, and increasingly played host to balls, wedding parties, and other social events. The maître’d led him to his table, where his guest, Captain Ellis Brand of the HMS Lyme, was waiting for him. Smartly dressed in his naval uniform, his lengthy sword stuffed into its leather scabbard, Brand rose from his curved, velvet-backed seat with a smile and extended a hand.
“I apologize for my tardiness, Captain,” said Spotswood, who took pride in his punctuality and attention to detail. “To my chagrin, I became embroiled in a fruitless argument with one of my unruly councilmen, a certain Mr. Ludwell. Trust me, I would much rather have been here.”
“It’s all right, Governor. I only arrived a few minutes before you.”
“Good, that makes me feel better.” He took his seat, briefly looked over the handheld chalkboard menu at the table, and then launched into the purpose of their meeting. “So, I understand you have important news for me.”
“Aye, I do. Have you heard the name William Howard?”
Spotswood searched his brain. “No, I can’t say I have. Should I know him?”
“He’s a pirate of some infamy who has sailed on and off for the past two years with Blackbeard, serving as his quartermaster.”
“What has this William Howard done to draw your attention?”
“For the past two and a half weeks, he’s been hanging about the taverns and ordinaries of Norfolk and Kiquotan, as well as the fledgling settlements along the Nansemond River. He’s been getting sloppy drunk night after night and enjoying the life of a retired gentleman of fortune. My sources tell me that he has a loose tongue and likes to boast of his adventures on the high seas under the notorious Blackbeard, particularly when he’s deep into his cups. He’s admitted to having plundered several vessels off our coasts last fall, as well as to the blockade of Charles Town and seizure of two more ships south of the Cape Fear River this past May.”
“So what you’re telling me is he’s clearly violated His Majesty’s most gracious pardon since he’s taken part in piratical actions after January 5 of this year.”
“Precisely,” said Brand, glancing at the small chalkboard menu. “William Howard poses a clear and present danger to this colony.”
“Are you suggesting that I have him arrested?”
“I leave that up to you, Governor. But know this: he’s violated the terms of the pardon and failed to register with the local authorities, which as a former pirate he is required to do by your July 10 proclamation. But at the same time, it appears he’s received a royal pardon from North Carolina’s governor. He produced a piece of parchment verifying it in Kiquotan.”
They paused for a moment as a waiter appeared at their table and asked them what they wanted for dinner. Spotswood opted for codfish dumplings smothered in oyster sauce, served with scraped horse-radish, sweet corn, cabbage, and Apple Tansey, while Brand went for halibut and oyster stew, egg soufflé, and small fried mackerel with sliced lemon and coarse salt. For drinks, they each ordered tankards of Boston ale. The waiter indicated his approval of their choices and shuffled off.
“The important thing is that he has not only been on a drinking binge for the past two weeks, but he has gotten into trouble for being drunk and disorderly on several occasions.”
“Is there any indication that he intends to return to his evil ways and is actually recruiting seamen to join him?”
“As a matter of fact, there is. It is said that he has been trying to debauch sailors at every establishment within which he hath set foot. He regales them with stories of the Queen Anne’s Revenge that was wrecked at Old Topsail Inlet and another ship called the Revenge. It is said that he desires to form a company of pirates and run away with some vessel, and so to pirate again.”
“It would appear that Mr. Howard does not intend to remain retired for very long. Is he with anyone else?”
“Just two slaves, whom he has admitted he took as prizes from captured ships.”
“Really? Now that is interesting. As to his money, does he seem to have acquired quite a bit from his piratical activities?”
“Aye, it would seem so. He’s throwing around a lot of coin and gold dust. As quartermaster, he would have earned almost as much as Thache.”
“Well then, based on what you’ve told me, I see no choice but to have him arrested and his possessions seized on the basis of his disorderly conduct and debauching the minds of local sailors. I’ll get the justice of the peace to make out a warrant for his arrest this afternoon and the sheriff and his constables can make the arrest tomorrow.”
The waiter delivered their tankards of ale. They paused a moment to guzzle their drinks and belch loudly before resuming the conversation.
“What do you ultimately hop
e to garner from his imprisonment?” asked Brand.
“I believe you know the answer to that, Captain. We want to send a message.”
“A message?”
“A message that pirates are unwelcome here in Virginia. Which is why, once Quartermaster Howard is arrested, I am going to indict him for numerous acts of piracy and try him without a jury before a Vice-Admiralty Court right here in Williamsburg. And when we are finished with him, he will be found guilty and sentenced to hang from the neck until dead.”
“The testimony against Mr. Howard will be most pertinent and useful for his captain, Edward Thache, I would imagine as well.”
“Yes, I can see you are on the sharp end of this situation, Captain Brand.”
“That’s why I am here, Governor. Consider me your most obedient servant in this matter. I want to get these murderous brigands—they make a mockery of everything civilization stands for.”
“I agree. The Admiralty calls them the villains of all nations and I believe the definition is quite apt. But unfortunately, the pirates themselves and their many colonial supporters don’t see them that way. They see them as patriots, as rebels against Great Britain with the ultimate aim of achieving independence. But, in the end, they will be known only as greedy scoundrels who belonged to no country.”
“Victors write the history, Governor, and in the present situation the victors will be you and I.”
“Mr. Howard’s biggest mistake has been believing that Governor Eden’s pardon will protect him.”
“That is why he has been so braggartly about his piratical activities of the past year.”
“Quite, quite. His loose tongue will be his—and Blackbeard’s—undoing. This is my opportunity to hold a show trial and make an example of Howard that will send a signal to all former pirates in the American colonies. He will be duly arrested as a vagrant seaman, his slaves and money will be confiscated, he will be tried and found guilty of piracy, and he will be executed. Then we will do the same with the mighty Blackbeard for all the devilment he has brought the Crown. Once he hangs, few of these so-called gentlemen of fortune will dare tread in our territorial waters and we will be rid of the miscreants once and for all.”
Blackbeard- The Birth of America Page 39
