Blackbeard- The Birth of America by Samuel Marquis

Author:Samuel Marquis [Marquis, Samuel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9781943593217
Publisher: Mount Sopris Publishing
Published: 2018-02-05T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 40

OLD TOPSAIL INLET

FISH TOWN, NORTH CAROLINA

JUNE 2, 1718

AS THE PIRATE FLOTILLA ENTERED OLD TOPSAIL INLET, the Queen Anne’s Revenge was in the first position, carrying more sail than Thache knew was prudent. But of course that was the whole point. The grounding and its immediate aftermath had to look real before the eyes of the squadron’s four separate crews—and he wanted the sheer force of the impact to be terrifying to eyewitnesses. Making it look like an accident was critical, but he knew it wouldn’t be easy.

Suddenly, a thousand different worries bombarded his mind and he wondered if he should still go through with it. Was he really going to allow his flagship and the Adventure to be driven into a sandbar and destroyed just so he and his inner circle could break up the company and retire in comfort? Or was there still a chance he could call it off and not foist this treachery upon his mostly loyal crew?

Feeling the world hanging in the balance, he looked at Garret Gibbons, who was manning the helm today per the plan. The young bosun was waiting for his go-ahead signal, but Thache had yet to issue it. He was deeply torn, especially now that he was actually about to go through with it. Once he gave the nod and Gibbons yanked the wheel hard to starboard, there was no turning back and the plan had to be followed to the letter. And yet…and yet a part of him still didn’t want to commit.

Damnit, Edward—you must make a decision!

The Queen Anne’s Revenge barreled towards the offshore bar, like a comet streaking across the sky. He estimated that she was moving at a clip of just under ten knots. He looked at Gibbons, who was waiting intently for his signal. The young man’s muscles were taut, his concentration nursed to the highest level. Thache then looked shoreward, peering through his spyglass. Three miles away to the northwest, he could see the quiet village of Fish Town, and off his bow he saw barrier islands covered with sand dunes and sea grass. Most prominent among them was a distinctive sand hill a league distant from the village known as Bogue Banks. A handful of whalers and fishing vessels were anchored in the harbor and Thache could see people gathered on the beach and along the edge of the shanty town, watching him and his men maneuvering towards the narrow channel.

Old Topsail Inlet snaked its way northward through the sandbars, passing between the two sand-blown spits of land that separated the inland waterway of the back sound from the Atlantic. From his experience in these coastal waters sailing out of Philadelphia, he knew the main channel was between three fathoms and seven fathoms deep and about three hundred yards wide. A half-mile beyond the point the channel opened out into the back sound, allowing ships to enter the equally narrow coastal channel running east and west from Fish Town or anchor off the town proper.

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