So impressed were his crew with his wickedness, that they believed they carried the devil on board, who appeared at intervals among them as one of the crew, but could not be identified as belonging to the ship's company.

Once he fought the _Scarborough_, a man-of-war of thirty guns, and beat her off.

He boldly went ashore when he pleased, forcing the Governor of North Carolina to marry him, and to supply him with medicines for his crew.

With his face covered with black hair, and a beard of extravagant length, fantastically tied up in ribbons, he presented a wild and truculent figure that was the terror of the coast.
An extract of a journal he kept, found after his death, is given by Johnson-- "Such a day, Rum all out:--Our company somewhat sober: A damn'd confusion amongst us!--Rogues a plotting;--great talk of separation .-- So I look'd sharp for a Prize;--such a day took one, with a great deal of Liquor on board, so kept the Company hot, damned hot, then all things went well again." Eden, the Governor of North Carolina, was suspected of sharing in Teach's plunder, and his conduct was so suspicious that it could only be set down to dishonesty or to extreme pusillanimity; so, in their distress, the North Carolina planters sought the assistance of the Governor of Virginia.
There were at this time two men-of-war, the _Pearl_ and the _Lime_, lying in the James river, but their size was too great to permit of their searching the creeks and inlets frequented by Teach; therefore, two small sloops, without guns, were fitted out and placed under command of Maynard, first lieutenant of the _Pearl_.

At the same time a proclamation was published in Virginia offering rewards for the apprehension of pirates, with a special reward of L100 for Teach.