without molestation if he had bought and paid for the planks and
timber he required. But when it came to boldly seizing their property,
that was too much even for the people of the region, and complaints of
Bonnet's behavior spread from settlement to settlement, and it very soon
became known all down the coast that there was a pirate in North
Carolina who was committing depredations there and was preparing to set
out on a fresh cruise.

When these tidings came to Charles Town, the citizens were thrown into
great agitation. It had not been long since Blackbeard had visited their
harbor, and had treated them with such brutal insolence, and there were
bold spirits in the town who declared that if any effort by them could
prevent another visitation of the pirates, that effort should be made.
There was no naval force in the harbor which could be sent out to meet
the pirates, who were coming down the coast; but Mr. William Rhett, a
private gentleman of position in the place, went to the Governor and
offered to fit out, at his own expense, an expedition for the purpose of
turning away from their city the danger which threatened it.

Chapter XXVI

The Battle of the Sand Bars

When that estimable private gentleman, Mr. William Rhett, of Charles
Town, had received a commission from the Governor to go forth on his own
responsibility and meet the dreaded pirate, the news of whose
depredations had thrown the good citizens into such a fever of
apprehension, he took possession, in the name of the law, of two large
sloops, the _Henry_ and the _Sea-Nymph_, which were in the harbor, and
at his own expense he manned them with well-armed crews, and put on
board of each of them eight small cannon. When everything was ready, Mr.
Rhett was in command of a very formidable force for those waters, and if
he had been ready to sail a few days sooner, he would have had an
opportunity of giving his men some practice in fighting pirates before
they met the particular and more important sea-robber whom they had set
out to encounter. Just as his vessel was ready to sail, Mr. Rhett
received news that a pirate ship had captured two or three merchantmen
just outside the harbor, and he put out to sea with all possible haste
and cruised up and down the coast for some time, but he did not find
this most recent depredator, who had departed very promptly when he
heard that armed ships were coming out of the harbor.

Now Mr. Rhett, who was no more