Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer

ents with their tiers of old-fashioned guns, stood the Blue Anchor tavern. It had been a famous resort for the bold spirits of the evil sort who had made Port Royal th

een rapidly declining. One of the principal agents in promoting his downfall had been the most famous rover of them all. After robbing his companions of most of their legitimate proportion of the spoils of Panama, Sir Henry had bought his knighthood at the hands of the venal Charles, paying for it in treasure, into the origin

metime brethren of the coast, for his betrayal of their confidence at Panama; they had further resented his honor of knighthood, his cloak of respectability, his assumption of gentility, and now that he hanged and punished right and left without mercy, their anger and animosity were raised to the point of fury, and many of them swore deep

befriended him and had refused to give ear either to the reiterated pleas of the islanders for his removal, or to the emphatic representations of the Spanish court, which, in bitter recollection of what he had done-and no more cruel or more successful pirate had ever swept the Caribbean and ravaged the Spanish Main -were persistently urged upon his notice. But with the accession of James the situation was immediately altered. The new monarc

avern was crowded with men from the frigate and other shipping in the harbor, mingling with others from the purlieus of the town. Fumes of rum and spirits pervaded the tobacco-smoked barroom which served as the main parlor of

be merry, dance,

d sherry, theo

world to our

sure's u

n with y

e your pounds, sh

nothing a hund

e free, with Fran

nd oysters to c

l make a man spr

us, love

rn of

h Bacchus we'll

past it a hund

dently, for the whole asse

se your pounds, s

nothing a hund

The sentiment seemed to suit the company, if the zest with which they sang be any criterion. Care was taken to insure a sufficient pause, too, after the

ort at Chagres; an Indian arrow had pierced his eye on that eventful day. Men told how he had gone to the surgeon requesting him to pull it out, and when the young doctor, who had been but a short time with the buccaneers, shrank from jerking the barb out in view of the awful pain which would attend his action, had hesitated, reluctant, the wounded man had deliberately torn out the arrow, and with oaths and curses for the oth

ut of harmony with the habits and customs of his Puritan ancestors, had drifted into buccaneering under the flag of his chief. He was

of somewhat different stamp, who had been graduated from Harvard College but, impelled by

on that same Panama excursion when "from the silent peak in Darien" they beheld for the first time after their tremendous march the glittering expanse of the Sout

had been hanged with short shrift. Benjamin, standing upon the outskirts of the crowd jesting and roaring around the foot of the gibbet, with a grief and rage in his heart at his impotency, presently found himself hating his old captain with a fierceness proportioned to his devotion in the past.

t, as to what was the subsequent state of Hornigold's feelings. Hornigold could have killed Morgan on numberless occasions, but a consuming desire for a more adequate revenge than mer

arlingford had made no secret of his orders, that his old master was to be arrested and sent back to England. The news which would have brought joy to a lesser villain, in that it meant punishment, filled him with dismay, for such was the peculiarity of his hatred that he wanted the punishm

y, against the King or his law, if need be. He was therefore very much disturbed over what he heard. Had it been possible he would have warned Morgan immediately of his purposed arrest, but he had been detained on the frigate by necessary duties from which

; just enough to keep their hands in. If the worst came, Hornigold, who with his little pinnace had kept in touch with them secretly, could assemble them for the rescue of their old captain. Then the former Governor, in his

ny sort of service. Among these were five or six superior spirits whom he knew to be tried and true. There was young Teach, the singer of the evening, a drunken, dissolute vagabond, who had been discharged from his last ship for insubordination and a quarrelsome attack upon one of his officers, for which he had narrowly esca

of the sweepings of the town, men who had the willingness to do anything no matter how nefarious it might be, their only deterrent being lack of

orted that the squadron of horse which had gone up with the officers to bring back Morgan had come back without him and without the officers. The spy's insignificance prevented him from learning why this was

o speak with him without the room. The one-eyed nodded slightly in token that he understood, and the maroon vanished as silently as he had come. Waiting a few moments, Hornigold rose from his seat and began threading his way through the boisterous crowd toward the door. Thrusting aside detaini

aroon had a message for him from his master. But a second had elapsed when he felt a light touch on his shoulder. His

," whispered a

Dog? Where's

nde

me se

t sat in the stern sheets of a small boat in the dee

ly, as followed by the maroon he descended

is voice, thrusting the pistol back into his belt as he spoke. He, too, was a

the boatswain, "and read

ard the

the frigate t

u not send

a' done it, sir, if I c

id those two landlubbers

are the

for I left them bound

ike old

t forgot the

And what's

old game o

ou don't

ve had a rest for nigh twenty years. We'll let it slip out quietly among the islands that Harry Morgan's afloa

se. But we l

pointing up the harbor, where the lights

the ship is

t w

ce. The old m

ew, but will serve; I heard his bull voice roaring out from the tavern. And de Lussan and Velsers

You didn't hang everybody-bu

which, coupled with the fierceness which flamed into his one eye as he hissed out that last sentence, might have warned him that it would be

do not appear, the new Governor will send more men. They will find the house burned d

hr

Lady Mo

ou kil

and no search made for me. Do you arrange that the crew of the Mary Rose be given libe

ey will go

pieces of eight on the other side, and then we'll take the frigate to-morrow night and away for the Spanish Main. That will give us a start. We'll pick up wha

g has a

I take it, but they have not caught Harry Morg

promptly. "I've been itching for

t the truth and sincerity in his voice ca

laughed grimly. "There w

," asked the boatswain,

in of your pinnace. I'll just get aboard, Black Dog here and I, and put to sea. To-morr

d, forgetting the title as the scheme unfold

apped softly came floating over t

n listening; "at ten of the

to me, sir," ans

t will be you

beyond t

dy aboard

on

and water enou

the locker i

ib. Until to-mor

pier and watching the boat fade into a black blu

whispered under his breath as he tur

ring game was hard upon him. To hear the fire crackle and roar through a doomed ship, to lord it over shiploads of terrified men and screaming women, to be sated with carnage and drunk with liquor, to dress in satins and velvets and laces, to

l piracy. Yes, he would do all for him faithfully, up to the point of revenge. Morgan's plan was simple and practicable. De Lussan, Teach, Velsers and the rest would fall in with it gladly. There would be enough rakehelly, degraded specimens of humanity, hungry and thirsty, lustful and coveto

to the parlor of the Blue Anchor Inn. Half the company were drunk on the floor under the tables. The rest were singing, or shouting, or cursing, in accordance with thei

is pleasant and s

ly moldy a hund

verses impressed even his unreflective soul, "it will be all the same in a hundred yea

hideously to himself

tion, were put to bed; the common sort were bundled unceremoniously out on the strand before the door and left to sober up as best they might in the soft tropic night. Teach, Kaveneau, and the Brazilian were detained for conference with the bo