PIRATE ISLAND

From Norfolk harbor, coastwise to Albemarle Sound and Pamlico Sound and Ocracoke Island, haunt of pirates, the early colonies of Virginia and Carolina had stormy passage. Not only were there treacherous waters, but the pirates took toll of the coastal towns. This is an adventure tale of those days, when Blackbeard was a name of terror. And when two lads, sons of a Norfolk pilot, set out for Carolina to try to find their missing father, they stumbled in and out of more than their due allotment of adventure; they are separated by circumstances-and intent; they play their part, ultimately, in getting a message from besieged Bath to Williamsburg- and in saving Carolina from extinction. Fast paced story telling, one can forgive the superfluity of thrills for the sake of a sustained mood and tempo.