The Legend of Graybeard - PART III:
Queen Anne's Revenge - The Real Story
As the unpopular War of the Spanish Succession dragged on, Queen Anne eventually grew impatient waiting for Captain Jay Hawkins to return with Graybeard and the stolen Spanish treasure. However, she possessed no way of knowing that Hawkins' quest for Graybeard would have taken him all the way to the Isle of Delmarva on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Through precise navigation and by skillfully following a lengthy trail of empty beer cans, the relentless pursuer and his armada of tiny ships had not only ensnared his nemesis in the small fishing village named after its beloved founder, Graybeard, (Capt. Albert Kendall Hall) but Hawkins unexpectedly rediscovered his long lost love, Pearl, who had hitherto become the object of Graybeard's (rather embarrassing) affection. A rowdy brawl and a terrifying abduction of Graybeard's saucy wench ended with a startling revelation that Pearl actually had little interest in either Graybeard or Hawkins, but rather, preferred the wickedly gallant and robust, Captain Black, a fierce fighter with renowned strength! Thus, our protagonist and antagonist are left together with their respective shipmates, brooding in despair.
   Although it is not quite clear in the log books, legend recounts that because Hawkins had no true desire to return to England - and because his hopes remained that Pearl would soon grow tired of Captain Black, he chose to stay behind in the town of Rock Hall while the rest of his armada sailed home without either Graybeard or the stolen treasure. Moreover, because they soon discovered that they had much in common, such as sailing, fishing, sword fighting and drinking grog, Hawkins and Graybeard went on to become hearty mates in the Land of Pleasant Living. They even built a road sign declaring "Nice Pirates Live Here".
   Then, one day, while the two pirates sat at the bar, Hawkins decided to divulge to Graybeard the contents of the envelope that had been dispatched by the Queen. Opening the envelope he removed a letter written by the Queen herself. Graybeard took a long drink from his mug, and then began to read:

"Alas, Graybeard, my poem has found thee,
O treasonous rogue who hath stolen my bounty"
To ye, naughty pirate, who causeth this mess
I have a little secret that I must confess".

Then he began to squint his unpatched eye...

"Give me me spyglass", cried Graybeard, the writin's too small. There's somethin' in the fine print, but I can't read it all.

As he read the fine print with a horrified gasp, he dropped his grog to the floor and disappeared, screaming into the sunset.

   Meanwhile, back in merry old England, Her Majesty, Queen Anne, would learn of Graybeard's hiding place after interrogating Bud the Wiser upon his return. Consequently, the furious ruler appointed herself "Lady High Admiral of the Royal Navy" and vowed to pursue and abduct Graybeard herself. (Her recently deceased husband, the former Lord High Admiral, Prince George of Denmark had suddenly expired amid political tension resulting from the war). In short, the armada of tiny ships would sail, yet again, for the distant Isle of Delmarva - only this time, it would be commanded by the Queen.

* Come to Rock Hall on August 14th and 15th to find out what the fine print says...

** And why Graybeard has gone incognito...