Most clever pirate of all time

[DARPA]

I was interested in the question: who was the undisputed champion among the sea robbers - on skill and luck. Like everyone else, I certainly knew about Henry Morgan eventually became vice-governor of Jamaica, but decided that it is inferior to Rene Duguay-Trouin (1673 - 1736), was promoted to the position of commander of the fleet of the Sun King. This belief - that Duguay-Trouin most-Rassam - I came, after reading about the famous raid in 1711. This amazing story and I decided to take to his novel, attributing escapade fictional Captain Pratt.


At home, in the town of Saint-Malo, corsair revered, almost like in the USSR Comrade Lenin.
There is even a college named Duguay-Trouin



    ... When the winners landed, they saw that the city was deserted. Residents hid in the surrounding mountains, taking with them all more or less valuable, and even having stolen livestock. The houses had nothing to take apart cookware yes Furniture \ ... \
    Captains Pratt attacked with accusations, blaming him for the senseless loss. It seemed that the expedition was a complete failure.
    And then Unlucky Corsair showed true greatness. We can say, made a grand opening in the corsair case.
    "Yes, uplylo gold and loot in San Diego nothing, - he said. - But tell me, friends, that in every city worth more than the whole? "
    They did not know.
    "In a large and beautiful stone town house are the most expensive. Look, there is the magnificent temples, palaces, mansions, merchant warehouses, workshops. All this is ours. Want - bedrooms or destroyed. But we are not monsters. We are ready to sell the property to local residents at reasonable fees ".
    And he sent a letter to the governor escaped with a business proposal. Each of the buildings of the city was designated price. If the owner will bring redemption, the safety of property is guaranteed. The homes of those who do not pay within three days will be burned to the ground. Pratt gave his captain's word that no one from we deliver the ransom will not be delayed or robbed. The letter included a detailed registry, the price tag on drafting which ship scribes sat for two days and two nights. The most expensive was rated excellent governor's palace (one hundred thousand piastres) and the Cathedral of St. Diego (sixty-five). Most small shack on the outskirts were all a hundred. As the cheapest, they were intended to destroy first.
    On the fourth day have burst explosions. To avoid the universal fire, corsairs began to destroy homes in poorer neighborhoods close by means of gunpowder.
    Was found some neboyazlivaya woman who dared to come down from the mountains and poured out a handful of coins from the node. Her modest house was left intact, and the very lord freely released back.
    After that, the city poured a flood of anxious homeowners. None of them was not deceived.
    By the end of the day appointed for the redemption of the ground formed the longest queue. Gold and silver are carefully weighed and counted, piled into the coffers. On property purchased by print to hang Jeremy Pratt.
    Governor came to save his wonderful palace, recently built from imported Italian marble.
    The cathedral's long trading, trying to bring down the price, appealing to piety and frightened heavenly punishment for blasphemy, but Pratt Papist threats are not afraid, and received from the clergy in full - and the Church of St. Diego, and all the other churches, chapels and monasteries.
    As a result, the four-trading, in which the port of San Diego bought the pieces themselves from pirates, the flagship gathered a treasure that can not dream any gold caravan.

     In fact, it was not invented by me in San Diego, and in a very real Rio de Janeiro. Everything else - the truth. The idea Duguay-Trouin was brilliant in its simplicity and efficiency, and besides, did not bloodthirsty.
     But it turns out, was the robber even more agile. Ekskyuze-moi, mon kapiten. Palm leaves to the other.

     Serious pirates sailed the seas for years not out of love for adventure, but because they could not save enough money to leave this damn dangerous profession. Few people could really get rich, but it was not enough. Even grab treasure, lucky pirate could not take and to retire. He was persecuted enemies, avengers, gold hunters, and, of course, mylil rope stern but fair law.
     A captain Henry Avery (1659 - after 1696), a history of piracy melknuv breakneck comet, masterfully executed two challenges: not only broke the record jackpot, but resigned from my grandmother, my grandfather, from the fox - of all. You've noticed the strangeness in the year of his death? On this part we will discuss.


It looks decent a man

     Like Captain Flint from the series "Black Sails" (if not looking - in vain), Avery began a naval officer and turned to the curve in the track does not have a young age, due to circumstances beyond his control. The crew "Charles II», where he served as a first lieutenant (our senior assistant) rebelled because of the delay salary. Selection of Lieutenant Avery was this: either to go overboard, or to become a captain of pirates. He chose the latter.
     The ship was replaced by the "royal" name on lucky - became known as «Fancy» («Oddity") - and began dashing craft, which promised a death in battle or the gallows.
     Long to do this risky fishing Avery, however, is not planned. He some time, a very short time, chatted in the eastern seas, choosing the most appetizing target, and found it. Started (and Flint) enterprise unprecedented audacity.
     Captain learned that from India to Mecca sent Halichondriidae with pilgrims, the court of the Great Mogul, then the richest lords of the world. On the main ship, a huge "Ganj-i-Sawai 'lucky countless treasures to pay for travel expenses and for the gifts of the Muslim shrines. Float there and princess - not the daughter, not the granddaughter of a powerful sultan of Aurangzeb (some sources say so, that way).


Emperor Aurangzeb Great

     The fleet consisted of 25 pennants. 80-gun flagship swam more than a thousand people - it was the largest ship in the entire Indian Ocean. Similar Haji committed before, but none of the pirates never never occurred to encroach on this armada.
     A captain Avery decided to try. He assembled a squadron of five medium and small vessels; the total number of robbers was half the team of "Ganja".
     God knows how Captain Avery managed to carry out this crazy idea. In a few days sprawled on the muddled battle almost every other pirate ships were lost, but the Indian caravan scattered in the seas, and in the end "fad" was a tete-a-tete with a floating treasure trove. I am sure that an accident had nothing to do with it - Avery followed some cunning plan. I believe that his comrades he intentionally used to spray the enemy forces, and condemned to death. So you do not have to share.
     Although without the crazy luck too, was not.
     First, the first volley, "Quirk" knocked "Ganja" mainmast, it completely immobilized. Then, as a result of another phenomenally successful hit, the Indians blew up one of the caissons, and the defenders panicked.
     In general, the prize was taken.


On the losers, especially women, the pirates were treated savagely.
Pictured Avery, breaking into apartments poor princess.
Some authors write that he married her, but it's a fairy tale. Bad he did to her. Pirate because.

     As I said, it was a record production in the history of pirate wars on the current monetary value is not less than $ 100 million.
     In this short career robber Captain Avery and over. It is known that he got on his ship to the Caribbean, which at that time was called "piracy"; that obegoril team, taking the lion's share of the booty (two thirds or three quarters). Starting from 1696 traces Henry Every lost. No more reliable facts not, some speculation, legends and versions. For the glory of the man did not pursue, memoirs did not leave.
     Changed his name. Lived yourself somewhere fared. Good, probably not to make, because where he is still something?
     Oh, sorry, I got it late. I love these scoundrels. Not in life, of course (God forbid), and in the literary sense.
     From me Henry Every, it turns out, is also gone.