1 Chapter 0 Who Was Blackbeard

Who Was Blackbeard?

谁是黑胡子?

Who Was Blackbeard? By 1717, Philadelphia was one of the largest cities in the American colonies, which were owned by Great Britain. Philadelphia was on the Delaware River, and its port welcomed ships from Europe almost every day. But in the fall of that year, many of those ships never made it to port.

谁是黑胡子?到1717年，费城是美国殖民地最大的城市之一，这些殖民地归英国所有。 费城位于特拉华河畔，它的港口几乎每天都欢迎来自欧洲的船只。 但在那一年的秋天，许多船只都没有到达港口。

The few that did told tales that shocked and frightened the English colonists in and around Philadelphia. A pirate ship was lurking nearby in the Atlantic Ocean, where the Delaware met the sea. Captains arriving in New York City and Baltimore told the same stories. A pirate was attacking their ships. He swooped in with his black flag flying. His men stormed merchant ships and stole everything that wasn't nailed down. The pirate captain himself had a long black beard and wore belts rigged with pistols and swords. He wore lit pieces or rope in his beard so that his face was ringed by smoke. His vessel was equipped with cannons that sent iron balls smashing into the fragile sides of wooden ships. Only a brave few would dare to challenge him and his ferocious crew.

为数不多的几个人讲述了令费城及其周边地区的英国殖民者震惊和恐惧的故事。 一艘海盗船潜伏在特拉华河入海的大西洋附近。 抵达纽约和巴尔的摩的船长们讲述了同样的故事。 一个海盗正在袭击他们的船只。 他挥舞着黑旗冲了进来。 他的手下袭击商船，偷走所有没有钉牢的东西。 海盗船长本人留着长长的黑胡子，腰带上挂着手枪和剑。 他在胡子上系着点燃的碎片或绳子，这样他的脸就被烟雾包围了。 他的船配备了大炮，可以把铁球打到木船脆弱的侧面。 只有少数勇敢的人才敢挑战他和他凶残的船员。

"If speedy care be not taken they will become formidable. . . . Our government can make no defense," wrote Philadelphia merchant James Logan. Captain Charles Johnson later wrote that the pirate had "frightened America more than any comet that has appeared in a long time." This pirate was causing panic and fear throughout the American colonies. He continued his raids of terror down the Atlantic coast and into the Caribbean Sea. The people that he robbed and captured didn't know it at the time, but they were in the hands of the man who would become the most famous pirate ever: Blackbeard!

“如果不迅速采取措施，他们将变得可怕。 ……我们的政府无力辩护，”费城商人詹姆斯·洛根写道。 查尔斯·约翰逊船长后来写道，这个海盗“比很久以来出现的任何彗星都更让美国害怕”。 这个海盗在整个美洲殖民地引起了恐慌和恐惧。 他继续在大西洋沿岸和加勒比海进行恐怖袭击。 被他抢劫和捕获的人当时并不知道，但他们掌握在一个人的手中，这个人将成为有史以来最著名的海盗:黑胡子!