396 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



Marian Llolooinbe in " The Woman in White," when she 

 speaks of Count JTosco, makes this admission in her diary : 

 " A woman can withstand a man's devotion, a man's wealth, 

 and a man's beauty, but no woman can w^hstand a man's 

 tongue when he knows how to talk to her." 



Shakespeare. makes Valentine say : 

 " I hold him no man, 

 If with his tongue he cannot win a woman." 

 At any rate Blackbeard was a Lothario and had a wife, and 

 any number of sweethearts in every port. The beard which 

 gained him his soubriquet was indeed extraordinary. It grew 

 beneath his eyes and was blue black in hue, thick, bushy, and 

 of an extravagant length. His favorite mode of wearing it 

 was in small plaits in which were interwoven different colored 

 ribbons, after the manner of the old Ramelies wigs. On his 

 courting expeditions, and when he attended festivities on 

 shore, he wore a cocked hat with red plume, blue frock coat 

 with silver buttons, velvet waistcoat, shorts, and shoes with 

 diamond buckles. His hands were covered with rings, set 

 with jewels of great value ; a gold mounted sword hung 

 from a handsome belt, and completed this remarkable cos- 

 tume. In time of action he carried, slung over his shoulder, 

 {hree brace of pistols hanging in their holsters and a cutlass 

 of great weight unsheathed in his hand. To add to the pic- 

 ture, he stuck lighted matches under his hat which reflected 

 weird light on his face. His eyes were brown and gleamed 

 like fire when he was excited. Altogether, it was such a 

 figure than which imagination could not form an idea to lqpk 

 more frightful. He spent much time on shore, and was there 

 far more^welcome than among his crew, for he was obliged to 

 curb his bloodthirsty propensities to a great extent, and be- 

 sides scattered his gold with a lavish hand among the peasants 

 and farmers of the provinces, with whom he mingled freely. 

 His was rather the Claude Melnotte style among the women 

 he visited, and of whose society he was ever fond, lavishing 

 upon them a large portion of his ill-gotten gains. And Arte- 

 mus Ward would call him now " a muchly married man," for 

 his letcal alliances only numbered twenty-two. These poor, de- 

 ceived women, fascinated by his prowess, his winning address 

 and lavish generosity, married him in all good faith, and 

 were most respectable people. From New Orleans to Norfolk 

 he would sail, visiting his many wives, but keeping such 

 news of his unfaithfulness a profound secret from each un- 

 suspecting spouse. How this was managed will ever be a 

 matter of wonder, evincing, as it does, a tact and strategy 

 most remarkable. Never to have aroused the suspicion or 

 jealousy of so many women— to have made each one believe 

 herself to be the one, opens up such vistas of deceit, diplo- 

 macy, cunning and falsehood as almost to pass comprehen- 

 sion. It is a singular fact that some of the proudest families 

 of Virginia own Blackbeard's name as entitled to a place on 

 their family tree, and the pirate's blood to-day mingles in the 

 veins of many of her purest aristocracy. 



Every villain has some redeeming trait ; few are wholly 

 bad. Our pirate — like Conrad the Corsair — had his " one vir- 

 tue to a thousand crimes. " Never was he known to break 

 his word when he swore "by his beard;" that one oath was 

 inviolate. In this he followed the ancients, it seems. Their 

 boards were worn long and flowing, and were considered sym- 

 bols of wisdom and philosophy. To swear by one's beard 

 was to give the deepest possible pledge of veracity ; and to 

 pluck a man by his beard was the greatest indignity that 

 could be offered. Not for the same high motive as the old 

 Greek philosophers did Blackbeard tend his own so graciously, 

 and make it the foundation of a truthful oath. He was in- 

 ordinately vain of it, and cared more for its awe-inspiring 

 effects than for anything else on earth. 



And hence, as if his strength lay, Sampson-like, in those flow- 

 ing locks, he made them the only faith he had — "by my 

 beard!" 



Among the brotherhood of pirates it has ever been the un- 

 written law that the greatest hero is he who performs the most 

 cruel and desperate deeds. Blackbeard leads the van unri- 

 valled. He so played upon the fears and superstitions of his 

 own men that they devoutly believed his familiar consort was 

 no other than his Satanic Majesty. They averred again and 

 again that a strange person could be seen in the captain's 

 cabin, who would come and depart at will when they were 

 hundreds of miles at sea, and that it was the self same Satan, 

 whom, it seems, they feared only second to their master. 



On one occasion, when anchored near shore, Blackbeard. 

 thinking that his men were becoming too familiar, requested 

 that they should try and make a purgatory of their own (to ex- 

 press it mildly) and see how long they could bear it. Accord- 

 ingly, several of his crew went with him into the hold of his 

 vessel, closed up the hatches tightly, and setting jju fire seve- 

 ral pots of brimstone, waited amid the horrible fumes to see 

 which had the must endurance. At last the men became ex- 

 hausted, and crying out for air, crept out nearly dead. But 

 Blackbeard sprang on deck, laughing loudly and saying with 

 horrible blasphemy that those lower regions would suit him 

 hereafter better than any other place. 



And in this way this pirate lived — cruising the sea, taking 

 with high hand what he wanted, dealing death to one and all 

 without delay were the least resistance offered. For years 

 he carried on this nefarious trade, robbing, burning and mur- 

 dering until retribution seemed a myth. Many armed ships 

 were tent to take him, but retreating to the coasts, and hiding 

 in amoug the tortuous inlets and channels, he would lie con- 

 cealed till all danger was past. Besides, Blackbeard had nu- 

 merous friends who gave him timely warning of foes, and 

 among these was no less a personage than Gov. Eaden, of 

 North Carolina, it was suspected that he shared much of 

 the pirate's plunder : be that as it may, lie was certainly 

 leagued with him, and aided him in every manner. 



'lime passed and the buccaneer grew more and more over- 

 bearing. Continued success blinded him to caution, and soon 

 he commenced to oppress the small traders and skippers along 

 the coast, and permitted his men to plunder at will the plan- 

 tations and farms that lined the shores. The consequences of 

 this could have been easily foreseen. Frombeing quasi friends 

 these oppressed people, Losing patience at last, became bitter 

 enemies. Finally, when the continued exactions of this rob- 

 ber threatened their ruin, they sent a delegation to Gov 

 Spottswood, of Virginia, setting forth their grievances and 

 imploring aid. To insure his capture they declared them- 

 selves able to reveal his hidden haunts. The governor prom- 

 ised, as soon as might he practicable, to grant their prayer. 



In the meanwhile Blackbeard started on an important ex- 

 pedition, and instead of stealing along the coast as was his 

 wont, put boldly to sea. On reaching the mouth of Charles- 

 ton Harbor, he sailed defiantly up and dropped anchor in front 

 cf i lie city In fact he captured the place, but only demand- 

 ed a chest of medicine of the governor, who, glad, doubtless, 

 io get off on such easy lerms, readily acceded to the request. 



Blackbeard then levied contributions upon the shipping in the 

 harbor, which amounted to fifteen hundred pounds, and as 

 much wine and as many provisions as he could conveniently 

 stow away. Then with his money, his wine, his medicine 

 and his stores, he complacently sailed away and left the plun- 

 dered to their own saddened reflections. 



Turning his vessel's prow homeward, he stopped at New- 

 bern, and as a matter of idle form, surrendered himself to 

 Gov. Eden, who promptly gave him a full pardon. After this 

 the pirate roamed through the interior of the State, and spent 

 his ill-gotten gains with a lavish hand. He won the heart of 

 a beautiful young girl, only sixteen years of age, while on 

 this trip, and married her, the governor performing the cere- 

 mony. After a very short honeymoon, he treated her barbar- 

 ously, and spent his time in the maddest debauchery. When 

 his money was gone and he had become satiated with pleasure, 

 which did not take long, we maybe sure, he joined his vessel, 

 lying the while in the sound, under command of his lieuten- 

 ant, and sailed for the West India Islands. When near Porto 

 Kico he fell in with a French Gunneyman, and captured her, 

 with an exceedingly rich cargo. Then, with his own crew 

 transferred to her, he mounted her with forty guns and made 

 her his own consort under the name of " The Queen Annie's 

 Revenge." Cruising off the islands thus reinforced, he captured 

 a large vessel, which he plundered and burned. As the crew 

 made no resistance, he landed them without killing any of 

 their number. A few days after this, the British man-of-war, 

 "Scarborough," ot thirty guns, caught up with Blackbeard, 

 and a lively fight was the consequence. But so well did the 

 outlaw manoeuvre and handle his guns that the "Scarborough" 

 retired from the conflict, with her hull battered in and many 

 of her crew killed and wounded. 

 • After these exploits, Blackbeard sailed for his hiding-place. 

 More than ever was he led away by his overweening vanity to 

 believe himself unconquerable and to defy all consequences; 

 more than ever did he plunder and oppress all with whom he 

 was thrown ; more deeply did he steep his brains in the mad- 

 dening fumes of liquor. But the end of this bad man was 

 approaching. Outraged justice w T as about to exact her toll 

 at last. The finger had traced the hand-writing on the wall. 

 The sands of his life, though little he dreamed it, were nearly 

 run. 



The Governor of Virginia had not been unmindful of his 

 promise, and when he heard from many sources of Black- 

 beard's return and increased excesses, he offered a reward of 

 two hundred pounds, and in a proclamation urged that one 

 and all should try aud capture this lawless, bloody freebooter. 

 There happened to be fwo British men-of-war anchored at 

 this time in James River — the Pearl and the Lime— to the 

 men of whom this appeal came with all that force, and charm 

 which exciting activity and hope of reward invariably bestows. 

 Lying in the stream and swinging with the tide was not pleas- 

 ant to the men who had breathed the air that blew over the 

 ocean and tossed his grand old waters mountain high; who had 

 felt every timber in the vessel strain with the resistless pres- 

 sure, as under their handling the sails caught the wind and 

 dashed her through the waves with the wild free liberty of a 

 bird of air. To these men, therefore, the capture of Black- 

 beard had a resistless attraction. They gladly entered into a 

 compact with the governor, he on his part to furnish two 

 sloops and they to volunteer to man them, Lieut. Maynard, of 

 the Pearl, to command the party. 



Maynard was a fit leader. Brave as a lion, aud withal as 

 handsome as he was brave. I have before me a letter all yel- 

 low with age, written in 1720 by the daughter of a noted 

 Member of the House of Burgesses in Williamsburg ; and 

 this lady, who was a reigning belle, they say, writes that "the 

 handsome and gallant Lieut. Maynard was the most observed 

 of all at the governor's reception, and that his large brown 

 eyes were as soft as a dove's and his voice as low r and gentle 

 as a woman's." 



Yes, Robert Maynard, of the Pearl, was undoubtedly the 

 right mau for the dangerous task he was about to assume. To 

 hunt Blackbeard in his chosen fastnesses was to court death. 

 To lead the van of a forlorn hope could hardly have been 

 more desperate, and fearless must have been the heart and 

 firm the determination, and cool the brain that coimted the 

 cost, cast up the danger and yet went forth " to do or die" 

 unfalteringly. 



The sloops were soon ready and were well manned by a 

 picked crew from both vessels. Small arms and ammunition 

 were furnished, but no guns were mounted. All being in 

 readiness, the governor then convened an extra session of the 

 Assembly, and it was resolved to issue a proclamation. The. 

 curious old pronunciato reads thus : 



PROCLAMATION. 

 " That any person or persons who shall, after the 14th day 

 of November, 1719, take any pirates on sea or land between 

 the degrees of 34 or 39 of N. L., within one hundred leagues 

 of the continent of Virginia or within the province of Vir- 

 ginia or North Carolina, upon conviction or upon due 

 of the killing of all and every such pirate before the gover- 

 nor, shall be entitled to have and receive out of the public 

 money at the hands of the treasurer of this colony the several 

 rewards following : 



"For Edward Teach, called Blackbeard, One Hundred 

 Pounds; for any other commander of a private ship, Forty 

 Pounds; for every master or inferior officer, fifteen j)m 

 and for every private man or common sailor taken on board 

 each sloop or ship, ten pounds. 



"Given at the Council Chamber at Williamsburg, the 24th 

 day of November, 1718, in the 5th year of His Majesty's 

 reign. God save the king ! Spottswood." 



(To be Continued.) 



fnmt ^istarg. 



ECONOMICAL, APPLICATIONS OF 

 REPTILES. 



MR. P. L. SIMONS, in a communication to the Society 

 of Arts in London, calls attention to the extent to 

 which reptiles are used in supplying the needs or luxuries of 

 mankind. Beginning with the tortoises, ho remarks that the 

 flesh of nearly all the species is eaten, especially in the ' 

 United States, where the Florida gopher, the land tortoise, 

 the box tortoise aud especially the terrapins are highly prized 

 articles of food. To these he might add the employment of 

 the snapping turtle, which, when properly dressed, is equal in 

 flavor and tenderness to any of the species. 



The green turtle is used very largely wherever it occurs, 

 and is carried in great numbers from the tropical or semi- 

 tropical seas to other regions, notably to the United States 

 and Great Britain. 



Mr. Simons refers to a manufactory at Key West in Florida 

 which puts up 200,000 pounds annually for exportation, and 

 employs ten vessels and sixty men in collecting the turtles, 

 this supply being sent chiefly to England and Cuba. 



There are establishments at Jamaica for canning and simi- 

 lar preparations of the. turtle, including the fat, calipee and 

 gelatinous portion of the fins. 5,484 pounds of prepared tur- 

 tle were shipped from Jamaica in 1874. The turtles of the 

 Bay of Honduras are esteemed in England as the best brought 

 to that market. Jamaica is the shipping point, the turtles be- 

 ing brought there from the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, 

 from Trinidad, Vera Cruz, Honduras and the Tortugas, 



The eggs of the sea tortoises or turtles are said to be very 

 nutritious. Several thousand persons arc engaged in the sea- 

 son in collecting eggs of the Orinoco and Amazon turtles, 

 and manufacturing from them a rich oil. 



Another economical product which is derived from turtles 

 is tortoise shell, of which an average of twenty-five tons is | 

 annually worked up in Great Britain. 



Among the Saurians or lizard family the alligator and croco- 

 dile are the most important, the skins of many species being 

 tanned and converted into excellent material for horse trap- 

 pings, boots, shoes, e'c. The flesh and eggs are also eaten 

 in m any parts of the world. In Central America the musk 

 is extracted and used in perfumery, and the teeth, as also 

 in North America, are carved into ornamental objects, and 

 the oil is of considerable value in the arts, 



The eggs of the iguanas and other large lizards arc very 

 highly esteemed as food. Their flesh, too, is very palatable, 

 being destitute of that highly musky odor that renders that 

 of the alligator so offensive to some persons. 



Serpents are largely used for food, the flesh of the land 

 species, especially, being white, tender and well tasted. The 

 larger snakes, such as the anacondas, furnish an excellent, va- 

 riety of leather, which is used both for shoes, trappings and 

 for covering sword sheaths aud instrument cases. 



SPLIT BAMBOO RODS. 



To our customers and the public :— In reply to the damag- 

 ing reports which have been circulated respecting the quality of 

 our split bamboo rods, by " dealers " who are unable to com- 

 pete with us at our reduced prices, we have issued a circular 

 which we shall be pleased to mail to any address, proving the 

 falsity of their assertions. 



COXROT, BlBSETT & MiLLESoX, 



Manufacturers, 65 Fulton Street, N. Y. 



—The celebrated racing mare Flora Temple died last Friday 

 at the good old age of thirty- three years. 



Fad, River, Reduction of Fap.e.— This fine 1 

 steamers between New York and Boston have reduced their 

 fare. The figures are now $3 from New York to Boston, and 

 to go and return, $5. See advertisement. 



THE BLACK OR COW BIRDS. 



Mr. Kditnr—ln a recent issue of yonr paper I observed au article (I 

 think taken from a Pennsylvania paper), in which the writer is at a loss 

 to account for vast numbers of black or cow birds (?) occupylnj 

 roost a certain cemetery and (tying from said roost in a given direction 

 ii ruing. 



Your answer that "there is probably winter wheat in the direction of 

 their night" is more than probable— that there is food in that direction 

 in sutiicierit quantities, so long as it may last for their requiremi ffl IB 

 beyond question. This thing of food fetches to Houston cay, Te.Mia 

 (the second city m the State), large numbers of these little fellows, who 

 may be seen at any time hopping nimbly around in the middle of the 

 main thoroughfares and gutters, busily engaged In ailing then 

 mid be it said to the credit of the little gentry of the " Bayou City," the 

 u Liter never saw or heard of any one nt (hem molesting Die birds in the 

 slightest degree. Often these birds may be seen perched upon the back 

 i Mi o sen attached to the long cotton trains, and upon the dray-horses 

 —•where in perfect contentment they seem to enjoy city life to lite full. 



This was at any rate the case In l88t-'2, and I M0 iBdent is yet the 



ease. 



With i Bgt i ii i . ii . , part of the business, what better place 

 could be desired for these birds? retired, quiet— the very place of al 

 OtlKjrs where these Utile rascals can sleep through the long hours of |he 

 uight, or else, with their heads tucked beneath their wings, reflect at 

 l. heir leisure upon the mortality of all flesh! 'I he question could have 

 been answered, however, as a little negro answered a get! 

 tionwith regard to a Hock of domestic, ducks which the gentleman came 



in a quie* part of the road, Tar from any Hal 

 soliloquizing half aloud: "I wonder whose ducks those are?" Little, 

 negro, in the corner of the fence (who was unpereeived by the traveler) 

 ' De : s de own ducks, de is ; and de go wtiar de choose, de do." 

 the birds : tie's de own birds. Bird H 



Near Tvywcm't Stvn, Spotuyhxinia Co., Pit,, Nov. 27, 187T. 



PECULIAR PLUMAGE OF QUAIL. 



Schuylkill Haven, Pa., Dec. 

 Editor Forest and Stream : 



Sir— While on a gunning trip .thirty miles west of Harrisbnrg 

 came across a flock of birdsaboutfourte.cn is mimner. ' >B 

 shot, and resembled our quail or partridge in Boa 

 oolor. It was not bo brown, more of a drab with shorter ami 

 thicker legs, and shorter and rather yellowish toes. Barf] side 



rid extending nearly ova 

 strip of dove color on top of head. Tips of aach wing white (jj . 



. "u t.p.ll me.what it was. i'kai.e. 



| We have to thank Mr. Peale for his letter, bill 

 think the, birds he mentions ate a new V« V birds 



were shown us by Mr. John Sutherland this week r< 

 York. The plumage was much lighter, perhaps as mil 

 two shades lighter ; but these differences were so slight as 



