Hello, my name is Israel Hans. I’m second in command of captain Blackbeard’s ship. I don’t know why people call him Periwinkle. My life on this pirate ship is much better than my old life on land. Pirates do not fit in well with the land people. I used to be a thief. I looted taverns and stole from houses. One day I was caught while breaking into a mansion. I had heard that the Governor of Carolina was there staying as a guest. People said he had lots of gold in his room. I picked the lock on the front door and snuck into his room. I had looted from this house before when there was another special guest staying there so I knew the house pretty well. Once I got to the Governor’s room I looked all around. It was full of fancy things, I wanted to take it all but I couldn’t fit it into my bag. Finally I found a chest. I was big and heavy. I couldn’t pick it up so I tried to break the lock. This was no lock I have seen before. It was gold and giant. I was sure that I couldn’t break this lock. I tried and tried until I could hear footsteps. I could feel my heart started to beat. I’ve never been caught before and surely if I got caught I would be executed. I was stealing from the Governor! I looked around for any hiding spots. There was nothing. The footsteps were getting closer. Finally I could hear the door open.

“Ay you! What are you doing! Guards!” said the Governor. The sound of the armor clinking from the guards was getting closer by the second. “Seize him!” yelled the Governor. The guards came at me and grabbed me. I was taken to the jail in the lower town. It was stinky and dark. I was scared I was to be executed in 2 days.

“Ahh!!” Thump. I looked out my jail cell and saw a fearsome man with a beard as black as the night. I felt his presents and I knew who he was, Blackbeard. The most fearsome pirate in the 7 seas. He took the keys from the guard and went over to the cells. “Let’s go me matey’s before the alarm sounds” He said in a voice I had never heard. I had never met a pirate in my 20 years. We all followed him and his crew and ran towards a little row boat. I did not know why he would come here. This place was not a safe place for pirates. If he was found he would be ripped apart and his body parts would be hung all around the city for people to see. I could see the giant Queen Anne’s Revenge on the water. With a crew of over 300 on the ship standing guard with their axes, cutlasses and blunderbusses. I thought what it would be like as a pirate because once I got to that boat I would choose to die or to become a pirate. All those riches that I can get and the gold, it made my mouth water. We got to the boat and went up the ladder on the side. The wood was rough and cold and dark. I looked up at the sails. They were black and the flag was ripped and flying all the way up at the top of the dark spine chilling sails, not like any sail in the whole new world. I looked at the crew. They had scars deeper than the sea and eye patches as dark as a raven. Never had I seen before such a ship.

“Let’s set sail!” Said Blackbeard in that deathlike voice. “You two come with me into my cabin” He was looking at me and the other person saved from jail. We looked at each other I could tell we were both scared. We went to the captain’s cabin and there was Blackbeard. The one and only playing with his black, black beard. “What is your name.” He said

“I’m Israel Hans”

“I’m William Howard” Said the guy next to me. Neither did we know that we would become the 3rd and 2nd in command on Blackbeard’s ship.