Yes, Ginny, there was a pyrate colony, (actually more than one), down below the equator just off the eastern coast of Madagascar. The island that we’re plunderin’ for today’s adventure is in the Bay of Pyrates on Ile Sainte Marie, (yes, that Ile Sainte Marie where Adam Baldridge established his pyrate colony in 1690.) Ile Sainte Marie (also called Nosy Boraha) is a small island, just 37 miles long and less than 6 miles wide. But, it has BIG pyrate history. For more on the Ile Sainte Marie pyrate colony, you might wanna read this earlier plunder: Libertalia or Bust
What interests us today, fellow pyrates, is an even smaller island which sets in the “Bay of Pyrates”:
The island is feared by the natives and is believed to be very haunted. In fact, in the book Return to Treasure Island and the Search for Captain Kidd, author and treasure hunter Barry Clifford writes that his team had an almost impossible time of finding any locals to accompany them to the island.
One native told Clifford, “What you will find there you do not want. There are ghosts, and if you see them you will die. It is that simple,” (Return to Treasure Island and the Search for Captain Kidd, Clifford, Barry, p.78) However, Clifford and his team went anyway because…well…he’s just that kind of guy.
Now. what really intrigued Clifford, (and Bootstrap Ginny), is that this very small and very haunted island was rumored to have many, MANY caves. Natural caves. And it was believed that the pyrates had taken advantage of these caves to tuck away all sorts of goodies.
As Clifford explored, they did indeed find caves. Lots of caves. Most entrances were overgrown with vegetation while others were obviously and purposefully blocked. The caves were most unwelcoming and, at first, impossible to enter. Several of the caves were sealed with cement. The more that Clifford and his team poked around, the more they became convinced that the caves were all a part of a huge underground network of passages.
Sidebar: The first usage of cement can be traced back to a LONG LONG LONG time ago, (like 12 million years ago!) So, don’t be like Bootstrap Ginny and think that the cement somehow makes the caves less legitimate to have been sealed by pyrates in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Clifford did not find any treasure, (at least not yet), but he hasn’t completely abandoned the possibility that the caves are FULL of pyrate artifacts and probably a few coins and jewels.
Well, that was some serious plunderin’. Time for grog, eh! Fair winds to ye…Next time…Pyrate Coves. Until then…keep plunderin’
Virginia Chandler 