trical, fond of playing the
part right up to the hilt, and we may rest assured that unless his
sudden taking-off prevented, he was at pains to bury at least one
sea-chest full of treasure in order to live up to the best traditions
of his calling. He was prosperous, and unlike most of his lesser
brethren, suffered no low tides of fortune. By rights, he should be a
far more famous character than Captain William Kidd whose commonplace
career was so signally devoid of purple patches. Blackbeard was a
pirate "right out of a book," as the saying is. How this Captain
Edward Teach swaggered through the streets of Charleston and terrorized
the Carolinas and Bermuda is an old story, as is also the thrilling
narrative of his capture, after a desperate battle, by brave Lieutenant
Maynard, who hung the pirate's head from his bowsprit and sailed home
in triumph. There are touches here and there, however, in the
authentic biography of Blackbeard which seem to belong in a discussion
of buried treasure, for he was so very much the kind of flamboyant
rogue that legend paints as infernally busy with pick and shovel on
dark and lonely beaches.

Blackbeard is the hero of such extremely diverting tales as these,
which sundry writers have not scrupled to appropriate, either for
purposes of fiction or unblushingly to fit them to poor Captain Kidd as
chronicles of fact:

"In the commonwealth of pirates, he who goes the greatest length of
wickedness is looked upon with a kind of envy amongst them, as a person
of a most extraordinary gallantry. He is therefore entitled to be
distinguished by some post, and if such a one has but courage, he must
certainly be a great man. The hero of whom we are writing was
thoroughly accomplished in this way, and some of his frolics of
wickedness were as extravagant as if he aimed at making his men believe
he was a devil incarnate. Being one day, at sea, and a little flushed
with drink; 'Come,' said he, 'let us make a hell of our own, and try
how long we can bear it.' Accordingly he, with two or three others,
went down into the hold, and closing up all the hatches, filled several
pots full of brimstone, and other combustible matter. They then set it
on fire, and so continued till they were almost suffocated, when some
of the men cried out for air. At length he opened the hatches, not a
little pleased that he had held out the longest.

"One night, Blackbeard, drinking in his cabin with Israel Hands,[4