BLACKBEARD;
OR, THE
PIRATE OF THE ROANOKE.
A Tale of the Atlantic.
BY B. BARKER, ESQ.
Author of 'The Sea Serpent,' 'Dwarf of the Channel,' 'Mornilva,' &c.
BOSTON:
PUBLISHED BY F. GLEASON,
AT THE FLAG OF OUR UNION OFFICE,
CORNER OF COURT AND TREMONT STREETS.
1847.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1847, by F. Gleason,
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts.
CHAPTER I.
The Island of Trinidad. Landing of the Earl of Derwentwater and his party upon the Isle—Its Enchanted Scenery. Unnatural Sounds. Sudden appearance of the Notorious Pirate Blackbeard.
Situated upon the broad bosom of the vast Atlantic Ocean, about twohundred leagues from the coast of Brazil, is a small but fertile island,which has retained from the period of its first discovery, the familiarname of Trinidad. This beautiful island, although a lovely andsequestered spot, has been for various general reasons, but rarelyvisited by the hardy mariners of the deep, and never permanently settledor inhabited by man. Its surface is agreeably diversified with highhills and low beautiful valleys, whilst its circumference is almostwholly surrounded by a chain of dark, rocky cliffs, which gives to thisremote island a somewhat fantastic appearance to the eye of thebeholder, as he approaches it from the sea. On this circumscribed butfavored spot of earth, nature seems to have reveled in almost boundlessprofusion, scattering here and there throughout its valleys her choicestfavors, in the shape of delicious tropical fruits, and ever greenluxuriant herbage, whose fragrance as it mingled with the pure freshbreeze of the ocean, has proved to be a sweet balsam of health to many asick and weary mariner as he sailed within reach of its invigoratinginfluence. Although this fair island possessed no convenient harbor forits vessels of any class, still there was upon its southern side, asmall piece of white sandy beach, upon which a single boat might easilyland, and here upon this same spot, a boat did land about an hour aftersunrise, on the thirty-first day of October, 1717.
The boat in question, was occupied by six persons, who, as soon as itskeel grazed upon the clear white sand, immediately disembarked anddispersed themselves singly and by twos, in different directions for thepurpose of enjoying a short ramble amongst the shady trees and fragrantfoliage of the island.
The party to which we have alluded, consisted of the Earl ofDerwentwater, a noble looking gentleman, who, apparently had but justspent the prime of life,—his fair niece, Mary Hamilton, a stately andbeautiful girl, about twenty-three years of age,—Arthur Huntington andhis twin brother, Henry—a huge red headed but fat and good natured sonof the 'Emerald Isle,' who acted in the capacity of servant to the earl,and last, though by no means least, a beautiful golden haired, cherrycheerful nymph of fourteen, whom for the sake of a name we shall callEllen Armstrong.
After having rambled about for a short space of time, the earl and hisfair niece suddenly encountered each other on