ers, and when the _King
William_ got near enough to fire a few cannon balls into the flying
ship, the latter hauled down the black flag and without hesitation lay
to and surrendered.

It was plain enough that this ship was not manned by desperate pirates,
and when Governor Johnson went on board of her he found her to be not
really a pirate ship, but an English vessel which not long before had
been captured by the pirates in whose company she had visited Charles
Town harbor. She had been bringing over from England a company of
convicts and what were called "covenant servants," who were going to the
colonies to be disposed of to the planters for a term of years. Among
these were thirty-six women, and when the South Carolinians went below
they were greatly surprised to find the hold crowded with these
unfortunate creatures, some of whom were nearly frightened to death. At
the time of this vessel's capture the pirate captain had enlisted some
of the convicts into his crew, as he needed men, and putting on board of
his prize a few pirates to command her, the ship had been worked by such
of her own crew and passengers as were willing to serve under pirates,
while the others were shut up below.

Here was a fine prize taken with very little trouble, and the _King
William_ and the _Mediterranean_ returned to Charles Town with their
captured ship, to be met with the shouts and cheers of the delighted
citizens, already excited to a high pitch by the previous arrival of the
captured pirate sloop.

But Governor Johnson met with something else which made a stronger
impression on him than the cheers of his townspeople, and this was the
great surprise of finding that he had not fought and conquered the
pirate Moody; without suspecting such a thing, he had crushed and
utterly annihilated the dreaded Worley, whose deeds had created such a
consternation in northern waters, and whose threatened approach had sent
a thrill of excitement all down the coast. When this astonishing news
became known, the flags of the city were waved more wildly, and the
shouts and cheers rose higher.

Thus came to an end, in the short time of six weeks, the career of
Richard Worley, who, without doubt, did more piratical work in less time
than any sea-robber on record.

Chapter XXVIII

The Story of Two Women Pirates

The history of the world gives us many instances of women who have taken
the parts of men, almost always acquitting themselves wit