“Who are you?” yelled Blackbeard. “Where are you from?”
“We’re no pirates,” retorted Maynard, “as you can see by our colours.”
“Send a boat, then, so that I can see who you are,” said Teach.
“Sorry,” answered Maynard, “but I can’t spare a boat. I’ll come aboard with the sloop, however, as soon as I can!”
“Seize my soul,” cried Teach, quaffing wine, “if I give you quarter, or take any from you!”
A sentiment with which Maynard told him he heartily agreed.
The pirate ship was now afloat again, and the battle started once more. As the sloops were no more than a foot high in the waist the crews were exposed to fire as they tugged at the oars; and Teach took advantage of this. He discharged a whole broadside of small shot, which killed twenty men on Maynard’s ship and nine on the other, which was disabled, and fell astern as the pirate vessel went broadside to the shore in order to present but one flank to attack. Maynard, fearing another broadside, ordered his men below, and he and the helmsman alone remained on deck as the sloop ran alongside the pirate.
Down below Maynard’s men were ready for the word of command that should send them scrambling up the pirate’s side. Up on Teach’s deck men lined the side with hand grenades made of case-bottles filled with powder, slugs, small shot, and fired with a quick-match; and as the sloop came alongside these were hurled down into her.
Teach, looking over, saw only Maynard and the helmsman alive, with many dead men lying about the deck, and, thinking that he had effectively put them out of the fight, cried to his men:
“They’re all knocked on the head except three or four. Let’s jump in and cut the rest to pieces!”