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One of his best known engagements took place that same year off the eastern coast of Florida, where a Spanish treasure galleon had struck a submerged reef and partially sunk. A second Spanish vessel attempting to unload the sinking galleon was soon surrounded by a number of pirate ships, including the Ranger, bent on a similar mission. Most of the pirates were driven from the area by the sudden appearance of two Spanish men-of-war. Vane, however, waited patiently until the men-of-war departed on another duty, captured the rescue vessel, seized its treasure, and returned to his home base in New Providence (Bahamas).
While Vane and his crew were pursuing their fortune at sea, the English monarch had appointed a new Royal Governor, Woodes Rogers, in New Providence. His sole and extremely challenging mission was to rid the area of its unwanted pirate inhabitants. Rogers established a policy commonly employed during this era; namely, he offered a royal pardon to everyone who would renounce their pirate ways. While many of New Providence’s undesirable occupants were quick to take advantage of the Governor’s offer, Vane, after careful thought, sent the following letter to the Governor instead (see Zepke, Pirates of the Carolinas):
To His Excellency The Governor of New Providence
Your Excellency may please to understand that we are willing to accept His Majesty’s most gracious pardon on the following terms, viz. That you will suffer us to dispose of all our goods now in our possession. Likewise, to act as we see fit with everything belonging to us, as His Majesty’s Act of Grace specifies. If your Excellency shall please to comply with this we shall with all readiness accept of His Majesty’s Act of Grace. If not, we are obliged to stand on our defense.
So conclude
Your humble servants
Charles Vane and company
Not surprisingly, Governor Rogers was incensed by Vane’s response to his generous offer of a pardon. Determined to make an example of Vane, Rogers sent his flagship to capture him and his crew before they could escape from New Providence. While attempting to escape, Vane set one of his captured vessels on fire and had it sailed directly toward Rogers’ flagship. As the flagship turned to maneuver out of the path of the fireship, Vane and his men sailed around their would-be captors and fled with their treasure intact. It is reported that as they sailed past the flagship, the pirates jeered at and fired on its crew. Thus, while Charles Vane failed to secure a royal pardon, he certainly earned a reputation as a cunning and skillful pirate captain.
Given his daring and ability on the high seas and his skill in locating and accumulating treasure, one might be inclined to think that Vane would have been quite popular with his crew. However, such was not the case. In the first place he was extremely cruel, known for torturing and murdering many of his captives.
He also paid scant attention to the “Pirates Code”, often trying to cheat his crew out of their proper share of stolen booty. When Vane wisely decided to disengage from a bigger and more heavily armed French man-of-war that he should never have attacked, his disgruntled crew inappropriately accused him of behaving in a cowardly fashion. As a result, they voted to replace him as captain with his first mate, Calico Jack Rackham (see Part III). Vane was placed in a small boat with the few members of his crew who had remained loyal to him and set adrift.
He didn’t take long to get back on his feet, however, and soon had rebuilt his fleet and returned to plundering the merchant seas. While in the Bay of Honduras, Vane’s small fleet was scattered in a deadly hurricane. Vane’s flagship was thrown on rocks in the Bay and sunk, with only Vane and one other sailor surviving by swimming to a deserted island. Although it is not clear what happened to Vane’s companion, Vane himself (and, perhaps, his crew member as well) lived for several months on turtles and locally obtained water. Eventually, a merchantman docked at the island to take on fresh drinking water. Vane was initially pleased to discover that the merchantman’s commander was Captain Holford, a former sailing mate who had renounced his pirate ways. Unfortunately, when Vane asked Holford to take him aboard his ship, the latter replied, according to Terrance Zepke, that “I shan’t trust you aboard my ship unless I carry you a Prisoner, for I shall have you caballing with my Men, knock me on the Head, & run away with my Ship a pyrating.” In spite of Vane’s assurances that such was not his intention, Holford remained firm in his suspicions and resolve. Therefore, Vane was forced to remain alone on the deserted island when Holford departed.
A few weeks later a second merchantman put into the island to replenish its water supply, and this time its captain, who didn’t know Charles Vane, agreed to take him onboard as a new crewmember. While at sea with his new ship and crew, a chance event occurred that would render Vane, in my opinion, the unluckiest pirate ever to pursue his craft. His new vessel happened to encounter the merchantman commanded by Captain Holford. Since the two captains were close friends, they agreed to dine together aboard Vane’s new savior’s ship. During the meal, Captain Holford chanced to glance down into the ship’s open hole where several of the crew, including Charles Vane, were hard at work.
Holford immediately informed his friend that Vane was actually a notorious pirate. His friend then had Vane arrested and put in irons. He delivered Vane to Port Royal where he was tried, convicted of piracy, and on March 29, 1720, hung at Gallows Point. ............end