02-THE PIRATE ISLANDS GUIDEBOOK

THE PIRATE ISLANDS GUIDEBOOK Luckily, I remembered to pack a guidebook on the PIRATE ISLANDS. I like to read about the places I visit. I read about the PIRATES. too. This is what I learned.

PIRATES The Pirate Code Many believe that pirates broke every law known to mice. But that is not exactly true. Pirates did obey some laws, but only ones that were established aboard their own ship. For example: 1. The loot is to be divided equally among all pirates. 2. No pirate is allowed to gamble. 3. Every pirate must always be ready for battle. 4. No women and children are allowed on board. 5. Whoever steals or flees from combat will be punished by death. "Privateers, Buccaneers, and filibusters After Christopher Columouse landed in America, there was an outbreak of piracy along the Caribbean coast and in the Antilles. There were several types of pirates. Privateers were sailors who carried a letter, given by their king, authorizing them to attack enemy ships. In exchange for this document, they gave half of their booty to their sovereign. Buccaneers were European pirates who attacked Spanish ships and settlements in the West Indies. Filibusters were pirates of English, French, and Dutch origin who operated in the Caribbean. Help, Pirate Overboard! It seems incredible, but often pirates did not know how to swim. They prided themselves on dominating the seas without ever taking a bath. For example, the pirate Bartholomew Portugues did not know how to swim, so he fled from a prison ship by floating to shore on a raft made of kegs.

The Jolly Roger Whenever someone saw a pirate flag approaching, he would be so frightened that more often than not he would surrender without a fight! Every commander had his own personal flag. These are the most famouse: John Rackham (died 1720) "Calico Jack" This English pirate liked to dress in calico. He would attack local merchants and fishing vessels in the Caribbean. Despite the pirate rule about no women on board, Calico Jack had not one but two women pirates disguised as men among his crew. "Bartholomew Roberts (1682—1722) "Black Bart" This English pirate was probably the most successful pirate in history. He captured four hundred vessels and operated off the coast of South America and in the West Indies. He never drank or gambled and always went to bed early. Henry Avery (1665—1728) "Long Ben" This Englishman was a pirate for only one year, but in that time he captured riches and booty from English, Indian, and Danish ships off the coasts of Africa and India. He is probably the only well- known pirate who was not killed in battle or ever caught for his crimes. But he died penniless after losing all his booty on land. Edward Teach (died 1718) "Blackbeard" This Englishman turned pirate in 1713 and prayed on ships off the coast of the Carolinas and Virginia. He captured a large French merchantman, equipped her with forty guns, and renamed her Queen Anne's Revenge.