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Part I

Life

"Surrender, y’ scurvy bastard!" Bartholomew Miller cried harshly

There was no hope for the wounded Hellion, a ship captained by Pie-Eyed Wallace, one of the pirates who had been plaguing ships bound for Key West, Florida Bartholo per request of Craig Beckett, one of the most respected civilians in Key West who had cast his lot with David Porter, coroup sworn to rid the south Florida waters of the dreaded scourge of piracy

Bartholome the waters, the depths and shallows and reefs, as few men did He had chased the Hellion to a reef, and there pounded her with his guns The Hellion was sinking Half her crew floated dead in the water, and otherswith the sea

Just as he knew the reefs, Bartholome sea battles, and he knew pirates He had never been a pirate, he had been a privateer He had taken ships by license of the Crown, until he had becoht the Crown of England, as he would fight anyone noho brought death, danger and mayhem to his new country

"No surrender!" Pie-Eyed Wallace called, looking him in the eye across the expanse of water that separated them Bartholomew had carefully maintained his shallow-drafted sloop in the deeper waters off the reef His boats to collect survivors--those ished to be taken to town for trial--when the inevitable happened and the Hellion went down to her watery grave

"There’s a chance for life!" Bartholo fro tree ’neath the merciless order of the tyrant Porter Trial! ’Tis a travesty--there is no hope for justice We will die at sea! Ye’ll grant me that!" Wallace cried

"Nay, Cap’n, there’s hope!" one of his men shouted from the deck "We could find mercy!"

Wallace turned to eye the woundedholster across his chest--and shot him

"There, there is the only ht; David Porter was ood he had done, it was true that the ent military rule

Those ere esteemed in Key West lived well and nicely And in certain fine hoe, one could pretend to be in one of the finest drawing rooms in Richmond, New York or even New Orleans

Those who broke the law discovered that Porter’s justice was harsh

Wallace stared at Bartholomew "Will you haveenough to cover the many yards of distance between them He took aim at Bartholomew

No choice Bartholomew quickly drew his own rifle, Bess, and fired in return The sound of the bullets frouns was explosive; the air filled with black powder again where it had just begun to settle

Wallace’s bullet crashed into the mast; Bartholomew’s aim was true, and the pirate Pie-Eyed Wallace dropped dead where he stood

Mercy