- "They'll use resistance routes to evade detection by the governor's soldiers. They're probably already nearing town by now. They'll find friends there, discover through them where Madi is being held, and be back to the beach for us to recover by morning. Once we know where she is, we'll move to get her out of there."
- ―Flint to John Silver in XXXVI.
The Mission into Nassau was an attempt by Captain Flint and Long John Silver to gather information on where Madi, the leader of the Maroons and Silver's wife, was being held in order to then formulate a rescue plan.
History[]
Background[]
Captain Flint made a deal with Eleanor Rogers to exchange the cache of gems in return for the complete evacuation of all of Governor Woodes Rogers' forces and allies from New Providence Island. Governor Rogers refused to accept the deal, and instead invited the Spanish to sack Nassau, which resulted in the pirates' retreat as well as Eleanor's death. During the battle, Madi was captured by Rogers' forces. Her identity was revealed by Billy Bones, who decided to join Rogers after having been cast out of the pirate alliance.
Rogers sent a letter to the Maroon Island written by Madi, which revealed to the pirate-Maroon alliance that she was alive. Rogers demanded the cache as ransom for her life. Flint and the Maroon Queen argued that giving up the cache would break the fragile alliance apart, but Silver desired to try and do whatever necessary to rescue her. Before the Walrus departed, he secretly had the cache dug up and placed in the hold under the guard of Kofi and Obi.
The Mission[]
Kofi and a small troop of men are sent ashore. Their orders are to use the routes used by the Pirate Resistance to get into Nassau and then find allies in town. They are then to determine Madi's location and report back to the Walrus so they can plan a rescue.
During the night, the entire reconnaissance team is captured, likely because Billy informed Rogers about the resistance routes. Rogers then puts Madi and the captured pirates aboard his ship, the Eurydice, and slips around the pirates and waits for morning. When the sun rises, the pirates sail towards them, and Rogers leads his prisoners onto the rails of his ship, within view of the pirates. He then executes Kofi, and dumps his body overboard. As Rogers continues executing his prisoners one by one, Flint orders that they ready their guns in order to cow Rogers. Silver belays that order and orders that the cache be brought up, to Flint's shock. He then signals the Eurydice, and when Rogers sees that they brought the cache, he spares Madi and sets sail for Skeleton Island.
Aftermath[]
This event drives a massive wedge between Silver and Flint, just as Billy and Rogers hoped it would. When the the ships arrive at Skeleton Island, Flint and Dooley abscond with the cache, forcing Silver to send a party after him to retrieve the treasure and kill him.