Although it may seem counterintuitive, the reason pirates buried their treasure was so that they could retrieve their plunder at a later time. But the pirate life doesn’t come without risks, and many pirates were caught by authorities (or by other pirates) before they could take their share.
That’s what happened to Captain Kidd, whose notorious hidden treasure was thought to be the stuff of legends. But recently, an archaeological research team found a huge 55 kg bar of silver off the coast of Madagascar that they say may be the booty of this swashbuckling Scottish pirate.
Captain William Kidd was originally a captain for a private British ship. He quickly switched to pirating when he heard about the awesome payout.
Kidd’s biggest prize was a 400-ton Armenian ship called the Quedah Merchant, which carried silver, gold, and many extremely valuable silks. It is said that his treasure, if found, would be worth around $16 million.
A team who had already recently found the remains of the Adventure Galley, Kidd’s famous ship, found the silver slab in the shallow waters around Saint Marie Island off the coast of Madagascar.
The president of Madagascar, Hery Rajaonarimampianina, posted the first photos of the find on his Twitter account.
British and American diplomats presented the slab to Rajaonarimampianina during a ceremony. The country hopes that rekindled interest in Captain Kidd and his treasure will boost tourism to the island nation.
It’s crazy that even though Captain Kidd was arrested for piracy and hanged more than 300 years ago, his treasure, which he accumulated through force and violence, is now being used as a gesture of peace. Not that Kidd’s complaining. As the saying goes, “Dead men tell no tales.”
