pleasure, and leave them to seek their redress from the governor; and
the better to cover his intrigues with his excellency, he would
sometimes outbrave him to his face, and administer to him a share of
that contempt and insolence which he so liberally bestowed upon the rest
of the inhabitants of the province.

But there are limits to human insolence and depravity. The captains of
the vessels who frequented that river, and had been so often harrassed
and plundered by Black Beard, secretly consulted with some of the
planters what measures to pursue, in order to banish such an infamous
miscreant from their coasts, and to bring him to deserved punishment.
Convinced from long experience, that the governor himself, to whom it
belonged, would give no redress, they represented the matter to the
governor of Virginia, and entreated that an armed force might be sent
from the men-of-war lying there, either to take or to destroy those
pirates who infested their coast.

Upon this representation, the Governor of Virginia consulted with the
captains of the two men-of-war as to the best measures to be adopted. It
was resolved that the governor should hire two small vessels, which
could pursue Bleak Beard into all his inlets and creeks; that they
should be manned from the men-of-war, and the command given to
Lieutenant Maynard, an experienced and resolute officer. When all was
ready for his departure, the governor called an assembly, in which it
was resolved to issue a proclamation, offering a great reward to any
who, within a year, should take or destroy any pirate.

Upon the 17th of November, 1717, Maynard left James's river in quest of
Black Beard, and on the evening of the 21st came in sight of the pirate.
This expedition was fitted out with all possible expedition and secrecy,