My pirate's name is Bartholomew Roberts. He was also known by the name "Black Barty". He was born in 1682. Before he became a pirate he was a regular towns dweller who went to the bar quite often. He became a pirate when his captain died. He was second mate so that meant he was the new captain. Second mate is a person who is like a vice-captain. He made up a speech and at the end it said that he had dipped his hands in muddy water and he would rather be a commander than a common man. Back then that meant that if you dipped your hands in muddy water (blood) on purpose you must be a pirate. That is when he took on the name Black Batty. He tried to live up to his name ... and he did.

His first ship's name was Princess. Captain Bartholomew liked it. Princess was a fine ship. His three other ships names' were the Fortune, Good Fortune, and the Royal Fortune. The flag they flew was called the Jolly Roger. The flag sported a skeleton with devil horns and a devil's tail holding an hour glass in its right hand. In its left hand it held a harpoon about to stab a heart. They sailed to the west Indies, Cape Lopez, Guinea, Newfoundland, and Tresspassi. His crew of 150 men discovered many famous treasures. One in particular was a treasure of many trinkets and chains of value, especially a golden cross set with diamonds for the king of Portugal.

One day, when he was being attacked by a man-of-war, he fought bravely, but he took a grapeshot to the throat, and he died. His crew members threw him over board, as he requested, dressed in all his arms and ornaments. He died one cold, foggy day, February 10, 1722. His motto had been a kind of sing-song. "I have dipped my hands in muddy water and I must be a pirate and a short one will be my motto" "we'll all go merrily down together". It meant that if they were ever to be over-powered they would pile up all the gun powder, and fire at it with a pistol, and they would all go down together.