The Rise and Fall of a Pirate Empire
E arly in 1713, an empire of pirates rose in the Caribbean. Some were in it for the gold and some were in it for the politics, but every pirate was a thorn in the side of England’s navy and yet a hero of her people. But could such a rapacious band of criminals truly be an empire? I. THE FIRE-SHIP A creaking line of Naval ships sat anchored in the port of Nassau. The hulking vessels stood shoulder to shoulder, cannons quietly glinting in the evening light as they stared down the defiant town, forbidding its insurgents to approach. Aboard the flagship of this blockade, in his tricorn hat and pleated officer’s coat, stood Governor Woodes Rogers. His eyes swept the town on the shore. Pirates reveled there, gambling and whoring away money stolen from the crown. Rogers’ eyes narrowed. He was here to exterminate them. A schooner, its flag the white of surrender, glided slowly from the harbor. The men tensed. What was this? A lone pirate with ill intentions wouldn’t dare