The year is 1718. The Caribbean Sea is dominated by a dangerous band of British pirates, dubbed the “Flying Gang” by their contemporaries. They devastate ships traveling from America to Africa and Europe. In this regard, London merchants are on the verge of bankruptcy. This did not please the English monarch George I. Together with the famous pirate hunter Woods Rogers, he devises a cunning plan for the complete elimination of piracy.

The king announced an unexpected amnesty for all sea robbers. Of course, it applied only to those who decided to voluntarily surrender their weapons and take an honest path. The rest of the villains, according to his majesty's plan, were to be caught by heavenly punishment and the British navy.

Not all filibusters were ready to change their ways. And the most famous captains who continued their outrages in the Caribbean were Charles Vane and Edward Teach, better known to all as Blackbeard.

No one was surprised when a formidable British fleet under the same Rogers arrived in the capital of the Pirate Republic of Nassau (Bahamas archipelago, New Providence Island). However, Charles Vane stood in his way and eliminated all competitors and proclaimed himself governor of Nassau.

Woods did not attack Nassau with a rush. That would have been foolish, for the town was protected by a fort and its harbor, which was narrow for maneuvering, was home to dangerous ships. Naturally, guns were mounted aboard each of them.

On the deck of the flagship of the English fleet a parliamentarian appeared with a message from the newly minted governor. In it was written a condition under which Vane was ready to accept the pardon of George I - he allegedly laid down arms, but all the looted goods should remain in the pockets, or rather even in the huge chests of gentlemen of fortune.

“Look here, does the insolent man who signed with a cross think he can make a deal with me? If he doesn't understand, tell him: either he will obey the king or he will soon be hanged!” Woods Rogers.

Having said these words, the officer burned the letter. Upon hearing the haughty reply, the infuriated Vane began to prepare an unpleasant surprise for the British. The fleet of the king's envoy closed the only entrance to Nassau harbor, and all the ships had more than two hundred men on board. The brigand governor took great offense over the burned letter, so he decided to show the uninvited guests a real fire.

Under the cover of night, the defenders of New Providence equipped a small brander (a watercraft loaded with flammable and explosive substances). All of the cannons on board were loaded, which fired unpredictably when heated and did considerable damage to the enemy when close to the target.

Seeing the flaming ship under their noses, Rogers' sailors managed to cut the anchor cables in time and sailed away in disgrace. In the meantime, the smaller pirate ships escaped the threat in shallow water, and Charles himself managed to capture a small 24-gun sloop “Catherine” and got out of the harbor at will.

A couple of hours later, the English landed on the shore of New Providence, and their commander took the chair of the rightful governor of the area. The pirates who remained in Nassau did not hesitate to accept the king's pardon. The most famous of the former outlaws was the celebrated Captain Benjamin Hornigold.

The far-sighted Woods Rogers did not want to risk his men. He realized that a skirmish with an escaped flibusterer could bring serious casualties. Therefore, he ordered Hornigold to assemble a team of former sea robbers, and then find and eliminate the enemy. Thus, many pirates only lived peacefully for a few hours. They used to be thugs outside the law, but now they were thugs in the service of the king.

Meanwhile, the fleeing bandit learned where his old acquaintance Edward Teach was hiding. Blackbeard was staying on Ocracoke Island off the coast of North Carolina. Charles informed Teach of Hornigold's treachery and offered to unite with him to fight a common enemy, but was refused.

Captain Vane's crew saw all the failures of the commander. The last straw was the cowardice of the captain, who wanted to escape not from the powerful English fleet, but from a French merchant ship. Disgruntled sailors chose a new leader. It was Jack Rackham - former quartermaster of the disgraced captain.

From that moment, the so-called king of the Bahamas turned into a pariah. His recent associates left him and a few unwanted sailors in a small sloop off Long Island.

The exile did not give up. Some time later, he showed up in Jamaica (an island in the Caribbean), recruited a new crew, and continued to terrorize the seas. It didn't last long. In 1719, robber mini-squadron caught in a violent storm.

By some miracle, Charles managed to escape. He was thrown by the sea on the shore of an uninhabited island in the Gulf of Honduras. Fate once again treated the villain favorably. To a tiny piece of land docked merchant ship, and exhausted Robinson settled on it incognito ordinary sailor.

On the high seas, the merchant ship was visited by the captain of the oncoming ship. He was a former gentleman of fortune, Holford, who knew Vane by sight. Charles was shackled and taken to the Jamaican authorities. On March 22, 1720, the criminal was convicted, but retribution did not catch up with him until a year later. March 29, 1721, the storm of the seas was not. Until the last minute he was angry at the world and did not ask for leniency.

“Damn your king! And all the rich donkeys who milk the poor rabble like cows!”

Vane's last words before his execution.