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 £100 for Teach. Though the whole had been planned
with great secrecy. Teach received warnings from friends on shore, but
paid no attention to them, and Maynard surprised him at anchor in a small
inlet.

Teach cut his cable and tried to stand out to sea, but ran aground.
Maynard anchored within half gunshot and set to work to lighten his sloops,
while Teach roared out curses and threats, to which Maynard replied that
he expected no quarter and would give none. Just as Maynard was ready to
attack, Teach got afloat and bore down on the sloops, giving them a
broadside that partially disabled one sloop, and killed or wounded twenty
men in Maynard's. Nothing discouraged, Maynard kept his men under cover
and ran the pirate aboard, and was at once attacked by Teach with fourteen
men. Teach and Maynard met hand to hand, and there was a desperate
encounter, Teach fighting like a ferocious animal at bay. Maynard's sword
broke, but he was saved by one of his men coming to his assistance, and
Teach at last fell dead on the deck of the sloop with twenty-five wounds.
The second sloop, meanwhile, had boarded and captured the pirate ship, and
Maynard sailed back to the James river with Teach's head at his bowsprit.