iled away, commander of the
Adventure Galley, with its crew of sixty sailors, and its thirty guns,
to destroy the pirates.

Then followed a space of time during which news of the bold Captain was
eagerly awaited. It came soon enough--news that was startling. Captain
Kidd had been tempted by the adventurous life and great gains, and had
himself turned pirate! During the next two years he was heard of as the
most daring and fierce of pirates, plundering and sinking ships, until
his name became a terror on the sea. He collected great treasure, and
then decided to give up piracy. He returned to New York, and touched
first at Gardiner's Island, a bit of land at the eastern end of Long
Island. There he buried a portion of his treasure. The remainder he
divided with his crew. Then he went to Boston, took a new name, and
intended to live in quiet and luxury during the remainder of his life.
But, unfortunately, one day Lord Bellomont was in Boston, met him, and
caused his arrest. In a few months he was sent to England in chains.
There he was executed.

When it was known that Captain Kidd had made a stop at Gardiner's
Island, search was made there and the hidden treasure was dug up. There
were rumors from time to time that Kidd and his pirate crew had stopped
at points on the East River shore of the Island of Manhattan, and many
men hunted that shore and sought in many places for hidden treasure, but
none was ever found there.

During the time that Captain Kidd was roaming the sea, Lord Bellomont
was governing New York.

[Illustration: Arrest of Captain Kidd.]

The new Governor was at first much admired. He was a fine man, with
faultless manners, and a commander in every inch of his tall figure.
He had hands as soft as a woman's, a kindly eye, and a gentle voice.
But he could be stern, and was stern and unyielding, too, when occasion
required. He dressed in better taste than anyone who had ever lived in
the province, and his horses and carriage were finer than had ever
before been seen in the city.

Friends of the dead Jacob Leisler had told Lord Bellomont tales of what
a good man Leisler had been, and how he had been unjustly executed. So
Lord Bellomont, to the end of his life, favored the friends of Leisler.

He was firmly convinced that many of the city merchants had become rich
through dealings with the pirates. This belief made many enemies for
him. Then, too, there were laws which would not permit merchants to
trad