he pleased on shore as well
as at sea, Blackbeard swore more, swaggered more, and whenever he felt
like it, sailed up and down the coast and took a prize or two to keep
the pot boiling for himself and his men.

On one of these expeditions he went to Philadelphia, and having landed,
he walked about to see what sort of a place it was, but the Governor of
the state, hearing of his arrival, quickly arranged to let him know that
the Quaker city allowed no black-hearted pirate, with a ribbon-bedecked
beard, to promenade on Chestnut and Market streets, and promptly issued
a warrant for the sea-robber's arrest. But Blackbeard was too sharp and
too old a criminal to be caught in that way, and he left the city with
great despatch.

The people along the coast of North Carolina became very tired of
Blackbeard and his men. All sorts of depredations were committed on
vessels, large and small, and whenever a ship was boarded and robbed or
whenever a fishing-vessel was laid under contribution, Blackbeard was
known to be at the bottom of the business, whether he personally
appeared or not. To have this busy pirate for a neighbor was extremely
unpleasant, and the North Carolina settlers greatly longed to get rid of
him. It was of no use for them to ask their own State Government to
suppress this outrageous scoundrel, and although their good neighbor,
South Carolina, might have been willing to help them, she was too poor
at that time and had enough to do to take care of herself.

Not knowing, or not caring for the strong feeling of the settlers
against him, Blackbeard continued in his wicked ways, and among other
crimes he captured a small vessel and treated the crew in such a cruel
and atrocious manner that the better class of North Carolinians vowed
they would stand him no longer, and they therefore applied to Governor
Spotswood, of Virginia, and asked his aid in putting down the pirates.
The Virginians were very willing to do what they could for their
unfortunate neighbors. The legislature offered a reward for the capture
of Blackbeard or any of his men; but the Governor, feeling that this was
not enough, determined to do something on his own responsibility, for
he knew very well that the time might come when the pirate vessels would
begin to haunt Virginia waters.

There happened to be at that time two small British men-of-war in
Hampton Roads, and although the Governor had no authority to send these
after the pirates, he fitted