Blackbeard's Treasure


 
 Cover
 Half-title Page
 Dedication Page
 Series Page
 Title Page
 Epigraph
 Contents
 Chapter One The Pirate Attack on Sandy Point
 
 1st December 1717
 
 Chapter Two Captain Charles Vane
 
 18 April 1718
 
 Chapter Three The Unexpected Dinner Guest
 
 18 April 1718
 
 Chapter Four Escaping The Island
 
 18 April 1718
 
 Chapter Five Black Caesar
 
 18–19 April 1718
 
 Chapter Six The Voyage to Nassau
 
 20 April–27 April 1718
 
 Chapter Seven The Governor of Nassau
 
 27 April 1718
 
 Chapter Eight Blackbeard’s Murderer
 
 27 April 1718
 
 Chapter Nine The Party
 
 28 April 1718
 
 Chapter Ten Conch Fishing
 
 29 April 1718
 
 Chapter Eleven Finding Boubacar
 
 30 April 1718
 
 Chapter Twelve Queen Anne’s Revenge
 
 31 April–22 May 1718
 
 Chapter Thirteen The Capture of Crowley
 
 28th May 1718
 
 Chapter Fourteen The Siege of Charles Town
 
 29th May–3rd June 1718
 
 Chapter Fifteen Blackbeard’s Treasure
 
 3rd June 1718
 
 The Bofton News-Letter
 Abigail’s Dictionary
 The Crew
 Copyright Page
 
 
 
 
 
 
 BLOOMSBURY EDUCATION
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 First published in Great Britain in 2023 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
 This electronic edition first published in 2023
 Text copyright © Iszi Lawrence, 2023
 Illustrations copyright © Elisa Paganelli, 2023
 Iszi Lawrence and Elisa Paganelli have asserted their rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author and Illustrator of this work
 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc does not have any control over, or responsibility for, any third-party websites referred to or in this book. All internet addresses given in this book were correct at the time of going to press. The author and publisher regret any inconvenience caused if addresses have changed or sites have ceased to exist, but can accept no responsibility for any such changes
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 ISBN: PB: 978-1-80199-096-7; ePDF: 978-1-80199-094-3; ePub: 978-1-80199-095-0
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 Look out for more books by Iszi Lawrence, published by Bloomsbury.
 
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 Visit www.bloomsbury.com for more information. 
 For Amy 
 
 ‘Nobody but meself and the Devil knows where it be. And the longest liver should take all.’
 Edward Thatch, 1718 
 Contents
 1 The Pirate Attack on Sandy Point
 2 Captain Charles Vane
 3 The Unexpected Dinner Guest
 4 Escaping The Island
 5 Black Caesar
 6 The Voyage to Nassau
 7 The Governor of Nassau
 8 Blackbeard’s Murderer
 9 The Party
 10 Conch Fishing
 11 Finding Boubacar
 12 Queen Anne’s Revenge
 13 The Capture of Crowley
 14 The Siege of Charles Town
 15 Blackbeard’s Treasure
 The Bofton News-Letter
 Abigail’s Dictionary
 The Crew
 
 
 
 Chapter one The Pirate Attack on Sandy Point
 1st December 1717
 ‘Marry me and I’ll take you to Madagascar and we will set up a pirate kingdom and slaughter the British dogs!’ the boy said, triumphantly waving a stick over his head.
 Abigail sat under her parasol, amidst the various rocks, sticks and flowers that represented her treasure. She raised an eyebrow. ‘It wouldn’t have happened like that.’
 ‘It did!’ he said. ‘The pirates overcame the Mughal warriors and won the heart of the princess.’
 ‘But why would a sultan’s daughter agree to marry Captain Avery, when he just killed her friends and took her ship?’ She gestured at the broken lopsided cart that was representing the mighty flagship.
 ‘It wasn’t her ship. Girls don’t own ships.’
 ‘If it was a boy’s ship then how come it was full of jewels?’ Abigail got up in a huff, dropping the orange which was supposed to be her royal orb and knocking over her parasol sceptre.
 ‘Me booty!’ The boy pretended to fall over in despair as the fruit rolled gently down the hill towards the great house.
 ‘Shhh!’ Abigail said but it was too late.
 Nanny Inna came out of the house and marched up the hill towards them. It wasn’t until she was a few yards away that they could hear what she was shouting.
 ‘Achu! Boubacar, you depraved child, leave Master Buckler’s daughter alone.’
 ‘We weren’t doing anything, Mama,’ he said, dropping the stick and quickly removing the kerchief from his head.
 ‘Two days after harvest and already you’re running around like a rabid dog, when your brothers are still sick from work.’ She began shouting at him in her native language, speaking too quickly for Abigail to understand.
 ‘Mi nanataa Fulfulde! So speak English!’ Abigail said.
 ‘Have you been teaching her Fulfulde?!’ Nanna Inna looked horrified.
 ‘She’s really good,’ Boubacar nodded.
 ‘I taught Boubacar some Dutch, too,’ Abigail said happily but Nanny Inna wasn’t pleased.
 ‘Master Buckler is going to be livid if he finds out his child speaks like us. You terrible boy! I should spank you right here!’
 ‘Leave him alone,’ Abigail ordered. She deepened her voice to sound like her father.
 ‘Miss Buckler, Boubacar may have lighter skin that me but he is still a slave and he will get himself killed if he’s not careful.’ Nanny Inna’s voice changed from soothing to near screaming as she barged past Abigail and threw a pebble at her son. Boubacar cowered behind the cart. ‘If a nasara sees you with a master’s child, a daughter no less, they’ll punish us all along with you! Alla hiin’en e sarriiji Seyδaani…’
 A wild velvet monkey scurried down from the tree at the back of the garden. The monkeys had