76 The Beginning of British Honduras
neers entered into the highest circles of Western Europe. The
situation is to be viewed in the light of that time. These men
contributed after their fashion to the building up of the
colonial empires in the West Indies. On the other hand, the
pirates were always regarded as criminals who carried out
their misdeeds against anybody, even their own countrymen.
A few paragraphs on them taken from various histories and
treatises will help to show to what extent they pestered the
logwood vessels to and from the Bay Settlement of Honduras.
 Edward Teach was a native of Bristol. In the spring of
1717 he and Captain Ben Hornigold cruised together, and
made the tour of the West India Islands and the whole Carib-
bean section of the Spanish Main. Amongst many prizes they
took was a large French Guineaman laden with slaves for
Martinique. Hornigold gave her to Teach, and he returned
with his sloop to New Providence where he surrendered to
mercy pursuant to the King's proclamation on the arrival of
Captain Woodes Rogers, the governor, the same man who
with Captain Dampier had been at Juan Fernandez.
 Off the Hornigold and Ned Thomas Cayes in the Cape
Gracias a Dios area he was joined by Major Stede Bonnet,
lately a gentleman of good reputation and estate in Barba-
does who as Ned Thomas decided to try a roving life on the
high seas in a pirate ship of 10 guns and 70 men which he
fitted out at his own expense. Teach soon found out that the
major knew nothing of seamanship, took him on board his
own ship, and put Richards to command Bonnet's ship which
was named the "Revenge." In this same year Teach engaged
H.M.S. "Scarborough" of 30 guns for several hours, and the
man of war gave over the engagement after testing the pirate's
strength, and returned to Barbadoes. Then they sailed to the
lee of Turneffe, and anchored at that Water Caye which lies
between Goffe and Banister Cayes, to take in water from the
wells that are there. While at anchor they saw the sloop
"Adventure," David Harriot, master, coming in from Jamaica.
Teach sent out Richards to her on the "Revenge." He hoisted