On the 10th of February 1722, at Cape Lopez in what is now the
West African state of Gabon a Captain Challoner Ogle of the
Royal Navy engaged and defeated one of the worlds most notorious
outlaws, Bartholomew Roberts. Roberts had come a long way from
his roots in the little Welsh town of Haverfordwest both
figuratively and literally. His journey so far had taken him
across the Atlantic from the cool waters of Newfoundland to the
blistering equatorial heat he and his crew now suffered. Years
of constant running had taken its toll on the men and their
vessels, 'The Royal Fortune' and 'The Ranger'. Piracy was losing
its appeal, living 'on the run' was part of their occupation but
now they were being hunted. Black Bart, A prize for the
plundering. (page 2) On a few occasions each year the Portuguese
would mass a convoy to take produce from Brazil back to Europe.
After a few weeks of aimless sailing off the Brazilian coast one
such convoy, forty-two ships, came into view. It had not yet
fully configured itself, tw