Page:Daring deeds of famous pirates; true stories of the stirring adventures, bravery and resource of pirates, filibusters & buccaneers (1917).djvu/163

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  • thing should happen to Teach during the engagement

would his wife know where he had buried his money? Black Beard's reply was short and concise. "Nobody but the devil and myself," he answered, "knows where it is. And the longest liver shall take all."

When the morning came, Maynard weighed anchor and sent his boat to sound the depth of water around where the pirate was lying. Teach then promptly fired at the boat, but Maynard then hoisted his royal colours and made towards Black Beard as fast as oars and sails could carry him. Before long both the pirate and two sloops were aground, but Maynard lightened his vessel of her ballast and water, and then advanced towards Black Beard, whereupon the pirate began to roar and rant. "Who are you?" he hailed, "and whence come you?" The naval officer quietly answered him. "You see from our colours we are no pirates." Black Beard then bade him send his boat aboard that he might see who he was, but Maynard simply answered this impudent request by replying, "I cannot spare my boat, but I will come aboard you as soon as I can with my sloop."

The swaggering pirate then raised his glass of grog and insolently drank to the officer, saying, "I'll give no quarter, nor take any from you." Maynard replied that he expected no quarter from him, nor, for his part, did he intend to give any. But whilst this exchange of courtesies went on, the tide had risen and the pirate's ship floated off. As fast as they could the sloops were being rowed towards Teach's ship, but as the ships drew near, Teach fired a broadside and so killed or wounded twenty of the naval men. A little later Black Beard's ship drifted in to the shore and one of the sloops fell astern. But Maynard, finding that his own sloop was carrying way on and that he