‘Surrender in the name of King George!’

‘In the name of King Lucifer, then, I will never surrender,’ exclaimed Rowland, as he aimed a blow at the officer with his cutlass.

The fight thus began, and soon became general, but although the pirates fought desperately, they were soon overpowered by the superior numbers and coolness of their adversaries, and as a pistol shot laid Rowland upon the floor, the few desperadoes who remained, agreed to surrender at discretion, with the exception of Blackbeard, who fought like a tiger, until he fell covered with wounds by his father’s side, the red current of life mingling with that of his unnatural parent.

‘Some one must have betrayed us, Herbert,’ exclaimed the now dying Rowland, ’and the curse of,—­but no, Clarice, I cannot come to thee, thou art in Heaven.  O God, my child, my dearest one, where art thou, Clarice, Elvira, El—­’

Here the sound of his voice was heard no more.  Rowland was dead!

As his cold hand fell lifeless by his side, it rested upon the cold clammy cheek of his son, and it became evident to all around that the short but eventful career of Blackbeard, the far-famed Pirate of Roanoke was forever ended.

* * * * *

Although the Fury had managed to outsail the sloop-of-war, on the day previous to the events above related, the captain of the latter, well knowing that the island of Trinidad had long been a piratical rendezvous, naturally supposed that the brig would stop there, and as he made the land just before night-fall he determined the next day to explore the island, hoping that he might thereby be enabled to trace the desperadoes to their lurking-place.

The wind changing during the night, brought the Vengeance, next morning, some few miles to the leeward of the island, on the side opposite from that where the Fury had grounded, so that it was late in the afternoon before she could get near enough to lower her boats.

Just before, however, the order was given to embark the several boat’s crews, the man on the look-out exclaimed: 

‘There is something close alongside here, which looks like a boat.’

The captain of the Vengeance, upon going forward to see what the strange thing might be, was greatly astonished at being hailed as follows: 

’Ship ahoy.  For the love of Heaven stop and take on board two helpless women, who have but just escaped from the pirates.’

This request was speedily acceded to, the sails of the Vengeance were hove aback, and the next moment Arthur Huntington, accompanied by Ellen Armstrong and the pirate’s wife, were safe upon her deck, where the former lost no time in making the captain of the Vengeance acquainted with the events which had that day transpired, whilst Elvira volunteered to direct the officer who had been entrusted with the command of the boats, to the pirate’s palace, which otherwise he might not have found.