Historic Events of Colonial DaysHolland, Rupert Sargent
History
Historic Events of Colonial Days
Holland, Rupert Sargent
United States -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
Jonas Evans was as good as his word, and when Antony went to work in the
warehouse Nick was given a place there too. The dark-haired man had some
pieces of silver in his pocket, and he bought himself quiet-colored
clothes and a broad-brimmed hat, so that he looked very much like other
men in the town; but his black eyes would shine and his clean-shaven
lips curl in amusement as they had done when Antony first rowed his boat
almost into his arms. However, the people of Charles Town were
accustomed to having all sorts of men settle among them, as Peter Duval
had said, and they made no inquiries as to what a man had done before he
arrived there, but only considered how he behaved now, and so they took
it for granted that Nicholas Carter was quite respectable enough, and
didn't trouble themselves about his past. And who would be likely to
think that the man with the long black hair and mustache who had landed
from Blackbeard's small-boat and insolently ordered the governor to
furnish him with drugs was the same man as this young fellow, who was
polite and friendly with every one?
The room in the warehouse where Antony and Nick worked had a window that
looked out across the water, and often the boy saw his friend gazing at
the dancing waves with longing eyes. But when Nick would catch Antony
looking at him he would grin and shake his head, and then try to appear
very much absorbed in the job he had on hand. At such times the boy, who
had only tasted that free life of sea and shore for a few days, could
appreciate the feelings of the man who had known that life for years.
Meantime Charles Town had been very busy dealing with the pirates it had
captured. There was no jail in the town, so most of the crew of the
_Royal James_ had been locked up in the watch house, while their leader,
Stede Bonnet, and two of his men had been given in charge of the marshal
to keep under close guard in his own house. After some time the crew
were put on trial before Chief Justice Trott, and the attorney-general
read to the court and jury a list of thirty-eight ships that Bonnet and
Teach had captured in the last six months. The prisoners had no lawyers
to defend them, but two very able lawyers to attack them, and the Chief
Justice and the other judges, as well as the jury, were convinced that
the crew of the _Royal James_ had beyond question been guilty of piracy.
Four, however, were freed of the charge, while the rest were sentenced
to be hung, the customary punishment for pirates.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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