On one of his voyages Blackbeard went down the coast as far as Honduras, where he took a good many prizes, and as some of the crews of the captured vessels enlisted under him he sailed north with a stronger force than ever before, having a large ship of forty guns, three smaller vessels, and four hundred men.

With this little fleet Blackbeard made for the coast of South Carolina, and anchored outside the harbor of Charles Town.

He well understood the present condition of the place and was not in the least afraid that the citizens would hang him up on the shores of the bay.
Blackbeard began work without delay.

Several well-laden ships--the Carolinians having no idea that pirates were waiting for them--came sailing out to sea and were immediately captured.

One of these was a very important vessel, for it not only carried a valuable cargo, but a number of passengers, many of them people of note, who were on their way to England.