70 SOCIAL SCIENTIST *But, behind it alL* argues Black, *this heavy drinking probably took the place of something that was missing or lost, as drinking often does, and beneath the comradeship and the swagger, the oaths and the bowls of punch, was pathos and a sense of tragedy. The dream of the return home, for those who cherished it/ grew dimmer with each voyage and each day* (p. 18). Then why did they continue with this 'pointless existence*? Apparently 'the wretched conditions from which they had escaped* (p. 23) forced them to continue with piracy. Merchant capitalism offered the pirate the option of death as a slave on the plantation; of getting flogged to death on a merchant or navy ship; of getting *hanged like a dog* (p. 116) once caught as a pirate, or of death in action on the sea as a pirate. It was this societal situation which made the amnesties offered under several Parliamnet Acts of Pardon pointless. Continuing with piracy did not however, mean amassed fortunes. For most of them, if alive, could retire only with a paltry sum, not enough to survive even for a few months. Believe it or not, but the stories of "burned treasures* by pirates are mainly myths. Atlury Murali, Dept. of History, Central University, Hyderabad