A folklore tale of Sam Bellamy continued

          Bellamy and his men were taken aboard the Mary Anne. “What will it be?” Captain Ben asked the marooned treasure hunters. “Sail with us, share and share alike or – stay on the island and rot.”

          “Cut their throats,” Louie Lebous suggested pleasantly.

          “Faith! Happy we’d be to join your band,” Bellamy said. “Ye have men, guns and proper vessels. ‘Tis a prosperous trade.”

          “Good! It’s agreed! Share and share alike!” said Captain Ben, “There is room for you here aboard the Mary Anne.”

          Later in the day the two pirate ships spread their sails and scudded over the silver-tipped waves toward the Spanish islands where rich booty might be won by brave lads. Bellamy and Williams stood by the rail, idly watching a school of porpoises. The sun was high and most of the freebooters were napping in shaded portions of the deck.

          “Glad I would be to sail this ship myself. With you in command of the Postillion, we could win a fine fortune. Staunch, large ships these are – fast sailers for a trade needing swift vessels to chase the fat, rich merchantmen. We must win friends among the crew. Perhaps we may someday become their leader.”

          “Not the Postillion! Lebous is a hard man,” Williams commented.

          “Aye! He knows not the way of proper seafarers. Methinks he’d cut a blind man’s throat to steal the pennies o’ his begging.”

          Seaboots sounded on the deck behind the pair.

          “This sun has been known to addle the brains of ambitious men, Mr. Bellamy,” said Hornigold, “It would be better to mingle with the other members of the brotherhood.”

          Unexpectedly the Mary Anne and the Postillion captured a large Indiaman bound for Holland with a rich cargo of logwood. It was an English ship with an English crew. For two days the pirates sailed alongside their prize while Hornigold and Lebous angrily argued over the disposition of her. Later it became known to the pirate crews that Captain Ben would not allow an English ship to be plundered. The officers of the Indiaman were freed and returned to their ship. Sardonically they saluted the pirates with a ten-gun salute and sailed away toward Jamaica. There were any disgruntled sailors aboard the Mary Anne and the Postillion who cursed heartily to see a fortune slip from their grasp because of Hornigold’s foolish principles.

          Black Sam Bellamy fostered the discontent. He said aloud that if the brotherhood ever elected him as their commander, “dammed if he would at any time let mollycoddling sentiment stand in the way of securing riches for his crew.” A bright gold English sovereign bought the pleasures of liquor and women just as quickly as a Spanish ducat.

          From that day on, the crew of the Mary Anne began to speak openly of an election. Lebous backed Bellamy. Finally, late in May, Sam challenged Captain Ben’s leadership. On the Isle of Pines, the crew held their election for captain. Sam won by a ninety to twenty-six margin.

          In a small snow (a square-rigged, briglike ship), Hornigold sailed away with the few crewmen who were willing to follow him.*

          Luck smiled on Bellamy. Ship after ship surrendered to the flaming guns of the two pirate vessels. Captured sailors were given the choice of joining the brotherhood or walking the plank.* Most of them joined.

          Near the Isle of Saba the Mary Anne and her consort captured the Sultana, a fast new ship laden with fine liquors, salted beef and milled wheat. Bellamy double-crossed his partner by placing the Mary Anne in charge of his friend Paul Williams and taking over the command of the prize. Louis Lebous, finding his ship outgunned by the combined armament of the Mary Anne and the Sultana, sullenly withdrew and sailed away.

                                                -- To be continued--

 

*Laura’s note: These men included one named Edward Teach, later to be known as Blackbeard.

*Laura’s note: This is a folklore tale, after all.