ABSTRACT
Pirating sounds like a grand life. Sailing on the warm sunny seas just looking for the next ship that could be filled with treasure. The true life of a pirate was actually very short and hard. Most people who became pirates were either killed in battles or were caught and hanged. Some of the pirates, like Blackbeard, had their heads cut off and put on public display to warn other people not to go into the pirate business. When pirates raided ships, many of the sailors volunteered to join the pirate crew. On a pirate ship, the crew split their plunder equally and every crewman got a share. At least they had a hope of being paid and a chance of living a free life. Some people volunteered to become pirates because they had “learned the ropes” (how to run the ship’s rigging) on a navy vessel and thought they could earn a better living on a pirate ship.
