Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
AVAST! LADIES OF PLUNDER
Boatloads of pirates sailed through the Virgin Islands in the early 1700s. Most were
indistinguishable in their eye patches and wooden legs, except for two buccaneers:
Anne Bonny and Mary Read.
Anne was the daughter of a respectable Charleston, South Carolina, family, who
showed her wild ways early by marrying James Bonny against her father's wishes.
Bonny was a small-time pirate working out of Nassau and, while he was out cavort-
ing, he wanted Anne to stay home and cook for him. Instead, she began a series of
affairs.
'Calico' Jack Rackham ultimately won her heart. 'Come sail away with me,' the
sharp-dressed scallywag presumably said.
Anne disguised herself in men's clothing (women on ships were considered bad
luck), and wielded her pistol and cutlass so fiercely no one questioned her gender.
Well, one pirate did, and she stabbed him through the heart.
The thing that finally gave her away was pregnancy. Jack dropped her off in Cuba
to have the baby, which died shortly after birth.
After Anne returned she discovered another woman on board. Mary Read also
donned men's garb as a disguise. Anne walked in on her getting dressed and found
out the truth. The two became pals.
The good times ended in 1720. The governor of Jamaica sent his troops to capture
Jack's gang. They waited until the pirates were drunk and celebrating a recent ship-
taking. The only crew left sober to defend the ship? Anne and Mary. They tried their
best, but were outgunned.
The crew was condemned to hang, except for Anne and Mary, who were both
pregnant. Mary died in jail. Anne was ransomed by her rich father and returned to
Charleston. Some stories say she became a respectable society lady and lived to age
84. Others say she went back to life on the high seas.
