The Boarding of the Maria Aleyne was a naval engagement where the pirate crew of the Walrus, led by Captain Flint, tracked down the merchant vessel and attacked them after they refused to surrender. Unbeknownst to the crew, the purpose of the mission was for Flint to kill Lord Alfred Hamilton, who was traveling aboard the ship under an assumed name.
History[]
Background[]
Lieutenant James McGraw and Lady Miranda Hamilton were exiled after Lord Alfred Hamilton exposed the former's affair with his son and Miranda's husband Thomas Hamilton. Thomas was imprisoned in a mental asylum, Bethlem Royal Hospital, where he later committed suicide.
The pair had gone to Nassau, and the Lieutenant became the fearsome pirate captain Flint, and Miranda adopted the name "Barlow" and moved to a small estate on the interior of the island. Word eventually reached them of Thomas' death.
A former servant innocently mentioned that Lord Alfred would be traveling on the Maria Aleyne under an assumed name. Miranda pushed Flint to pursue Lord Alfred, to avenge Thomas' death and all the pain he caused them.
Flint told his crew that the ship would be carrying gold and gems and that they would be rich after taking the prize.
The Battle[]
After tracking the ship for months without careening or refitting, the pirates finally caught her. The ship refused to surrender, and a bloody fight ensued and a number of pirates were killed. However, the haul proved to be far less than what Flint had promised. Belowdecks, Morley overheard a man and a woman begging for their lives (he was unaware of their identities), promising their fortune if they were spared. Morley thought that this would be the thing that increased all their shares. However, the person in the room killed them, and when he exited, Morley saw that it was Flint.
Aftermath[]
Morley told Gates, his quartermaster, about what he had witnessed. Gates told him that it was just one less "rich bastard" in the world. When Gates brought this to Flint, Flint said that the man reached for a weapon and he was forced to kill him. Gates inspected the cabin himself, and found no weapons inside.
When they returned, Morley witnessed Flint whisper to Miranda "they're dead" and realized that chasing the Maria Aleyne was about solving some personal vendetta. This event would lead to Morley and others developing a deep distrust of Flint.