Blackbeard | Page 4

easy
signal, can soon be supported by an hundred stout hearts from yonder
ship, whose--'
'Ha, sayst thou so,' interrupted the stranger, 'I think that they will soon
have other business upon their hands. Look yonder.'




CHAPTER II.
Description of Characters. Sweet Ellen Armstrong. Sudden appearance
of the Piratical Brig. The Earl's Request. Blackbeard's Decision. The
Desperadoes. The decision is enforced. Perilous situation of Mary
Hamilton and Ellen.

In order to carry forward the plan of our story in a consistent and
intelligible manner, it becomes necessary for us, here, to briefly explain
some important particulars relating to the history of the Earl of
Derwentwater and his companions, previous to their landing upon the
remote Island of Trinidad, as related in the course of our first chapter.
The intelligent reader of history, will undoubtedly recollect, that the
year 1715, (two years before the time chosen for the commencement of
our romance,) was rendered famous by the important insurrection
which then took place throughout England and Scotland, in favor of the
Chevalier de St. George, or James the Third, a proud and haughty scion
of the Roman Catholic house of Stuart. This singular and renowned
rebellion, although premature in its beginning, and short in its duration,
caused during its continuence, the Hanoverian incumbent of the
English sceptre to tremble for the permanence of his seat on the throne,
and though he at first pretended to despise both it and its authors, he
was finally compelled to use vigorous and extraordinary means to bring
it to a summary and fatal conclusion. Through the instrumentality of
foreign troops, and the numerous cabels which sprang up in the rebel
camp, King George was soon enabled to quell this Jacobitical
insurrection, which otherwise might have proved formidable enough to
have overturned the Protestant dynasty of the British realm, and
established in its place the despotic hierarchy of the Church of Rome.
So well aware was the reigning monarch and his ministers of the truth
of the above important fact, that they deemed it imperatively incumbent
upon them, in order to deal a death blow to all future attempts of the
same nature, to punish all the noblemen and other leading characters
connected with it, in the most severe and exemplary manner. Acting
upon the above principle, the Privy Council caused immediately to be
arrested, about thirty of the Scotch and English nobility, the majority of
whom fell by the bloody axe of the executioner, whilst the remainder
were sentenced to perpetual banishment.
Amongst this latter class of insurgents, was George Armstrong, Earl of
Derwentwater, who succeeded to his father's rank and title,
immediately after his decease, which happened somewhere about the
year 1694. Some time previous to his death, however, the old earl,

through his influence with the crown, had obtained the grant of a large
tract of land in the province of South Carolina, near the mouth of the
Roanoke river, which was soon after settled by these minor and remote
branches of his own extensive family, whose fortunes had become
sadly dilapidated by the frequent intestine revolutions which happened
in Great Britain during the latter part of the seventeenth century. Upon
the accession of Queen Anne to the English throne, the old earl fell into
disgrace with the ministry, and with his family retired soon after that
event, to his plantations in America. Shortly after his arrival, however,
the change of climate proved fatal to his advanced age, and brought on
an intermittent fever, which ended his life, and caused his only son,
George Armstrong, to succeed to his grand title and extensive estates.
Although the character of the young earl, differed in many important
respects from that of his father, still, in one great feature there was an
exact resemblance between them. The disposition of the old earl was
stubborn, artful and avaricious, whilst that of his son, was frank, open
and generous. In temper, the former was cunning, revengeful and
unforgiving, whilst that of the latter, though hasty and violent in its
outbreaks, would a moment afterwards pass away, leaving no lingering
trace of its harsh and cruel effect upon the young earl's strong and
vigorous mind. Here, the wide contrast between the characters of the
father and son ended,--for the same vaulting ambition which had
animated the father, through a long and eventful life, descended upon
the son in its full and unstinted measure, whilst in blind and
extravagant adherence to the house of Stuart, and the Roman Catholic
religion, the son greatly outstripped the father, who had been moderate
enough in his political and religious machinations to ensure to him his
titles, and cause his estate to remain unconfiscated, and in his own
particular keeping.
Instead, however, of copying the temporizing and crafty policy of his
father,