The Buccaneers and their Reign of Terror is exactly what the sub-title states: "An Authentic History." This book, published in 1899 by Charles McClellan Stevens is one of the best written factual accounts of Buccaneers and Pirates between 1572 and 1828. The author does a remarkable job of making it easy to read and at times "fact" seems like "fiction". (271 pages)

The Publisher has copy-edited this book to improve the formatting, style and accuracy of the text to make it readable. This did not involve changing the substance of the text.

Contents:

Chapter I. Wild Hunters of Hispaniola ---- Chapter II. Singeing the Spaniards Beard ---- Chapter III. Honor among Pirates ---- Chapter IV. Strategy, Comedy, and Tragedy ---- Chapter V. Humor, Love and Generosity ---- Chapter VI. Phantoms of the Sea ---- Chapter VII. Women Pirates ---- Chapter VIII. Famous Characters of the Sea ---- Chapter IX. King of the Buccaneers ---- Chapter X. Last of the Sea Monsters.

Excerpts:

.....From Sir Francis Drake, in 1572, to Jean Lafitte, in 1821, and Benito De Soto in 1828, is a long descent in history, but between them, in the same field of events, are many remarkable men, not so greatly differing from them in character and purpose. They range all the way in power from Pierre Le Grand, the first of the Buccaneers, with his canoe manned by twenty-six Hispaniola hunters, to Sir Henry Morgan, the king of Buccaneers, with thirty-seven ships and two thousand fighting men. But far more interesting than these are, L'Olonnois the Cruel, Montbar the Exterminator, Blackbeard the dime-novel hero, Roberts the Spectacular, Davis the Strategist, Avery and Kidd the overestimated, Mary Reed and Annie Bonney, the female Buccaneers, Misson the knight errant, Caraccioli the Don Quixote of the seas, Bras de Fer the Gentleman, Portugues, who could not be hanged, and De Soto, last of the sea-monsters. A host of lesser lights make the scene of their achievements glitter with startling stories exemplifying the reign of terror that prevailed upon the seas and along the Spanish Main.

.......Treasures were always buried by the Buccaneers with special incantations and invocations to Satan. Blackbeard said he could tell no one where his gold was buried, as he had left it in the care of the devil, with the promise that the one who lived longest should keep it. Captain Kidd very ceremoniously buried his Bible before giving himself completely over to piracy.

......Blackbeard endeavored to inspire terror and horror. He was gratified to be thought an incarnate fiend, Charles Johnson says that, "he was more terrible to America than a comet." his beard grew to an extravagant length, and he twisted it into small tails with bright ribbons and strung them over his ears. He was always inventing some new way to appear satanic. A favorite device was to wear a light under the rim of his hat, making him present such a figure that, as his historian says. "the imagination cannot form an idea of a fury from hell to look more frightful."