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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..67ba161 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50550 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50550) diff --git a/old/50550-0.txt b/old/50550-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 0d70e4d..0000000 --- a/old/50550-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8988 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Captain William Kidd and Others of the -Buccaneers, by John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Captain William Kidd and Others of the Buccaneers - - -Author: John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott - - - -Release Date: November 25, 2015 [eBook #50550] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAPTAIN WILLIAM KIDD AND OTHERS OF -THE BUCCANEERS*** - - -E-text prepared by WebRover, Chris Curnow, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustration. - See 50550-h.htm or 50550-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/50550/50550-h/50550-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/50550/50550-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/captainwilliamki00abbo - - - - - -CAPTAIN WILLIAM KIDD AND OTHERS OF THE BUCCANEERS - -by - -JOHN S. C. ABBOTT - - - - - - - -[Illustration] - -New York -Dodd, Mead and Company -Publishers - -Copyright 1874, -By -Dodd & Mead. - -Copyright 1902, -By -Laura Abbott Buck. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -There can scarcely anything be found in the literature of our language, -more wild and wonderful, than the narrative contained in this volume. -The extraordinary career of Captain Kidd, a New-York merchant, the -demoniac feats of those fiends in human form, Bonnet, Barthelemy, and -Lolonois; the romantic history of the innocent female pirate Mary Read, -and of the termagant Anne Bonney; the amazing career of Sir Henry -Morgan, and the fanaticism of Montbar, scarcely surpassed by that of -Mohammed or Loyola, combine in creating a story, which the imagination -of Dickens or Dumas could scarcely rival. - -And yet these incidents seem to be well authenticated. The writer has -drawn his facts from Esquemeling’s _Zee Roovers_, Amsterdam, 4to, 1684; -Oexemelin’s _Histoire des Aventuriers_, 12mo, Paris, 1688; Johnson’s -_History of the Pirates_, 2 vols., London, 1724; Thornbury’s _Monarchs -of the Main_, 3 vols., London, 1855; _History of the Buccaneers -of America_, 1 vol. 8vo, Boston, 1855; with many other pamphlets, -encyclopædias, and secondary works. - -In exploring this hitherto almost unknown field of research, the writer -has been as much surprised at the awful scenes which have opened before -him, as any of his readers can be. There are but few thinking men who -will peruse this narrative, to whom the suggestion will not arise, -“What a different world would this have been, and would it now be, were -all its inhabitants conscientiously, prayerfully, with brotherly love -striving to do right.” And this is the religion of Jesus. He has taught -us to pray “Thy kingdom come on earth as in heaven.” - - JOHN S. C. ABBOTT. - FAIR HAVEN CONN - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. - - _Origin of the Buccaneers._ PAGE - - Renown of Captain Kidd.--Wild Legends.--Demands of - Spain.--Opposition of the Maritime Powers.--The Rise of the - Buccaneers.--The Pirates’ Code.--Remonstrance of Spain.--Reply - of France and England.--Confession of a Buccaneer.--Adventures - of Peter the Great. 9 - - CHAPTER II. - - _William Kidd becomes a Pirate._ - - Ravages of the Pirates.--The King’s Interview with Earl - Bellomont.--William Kidd, the New-York Merchant.--His - Commission.--Sailing of the Adventure.--Recruiting in - New York.--Circuitous Trip to Madagascar.--Perils and - Sufferings.--Madagascar the Pirates’ Home.--Murmurings of the - Crew.--Kidd reluctantly turns Pirate.--His Repulses, and his - Captures. 29 - - CHAPTER III. - - _Piratic Adventures._ - - Audacity of Kidd.--Fate of the November.--Kidd kills William - Moore.--The Renowned Ballad.--Kidd’s Compunctions.--Kidd at - Madagascar.--Piratic Carousals.--The Artificial Hell.--Kidd’s - Return to the West Indies.--Exaggerated Reports of Avery.--His - wretched Career and wretched End. 51 - - CHAPTER IV. - - _Arrest, Trial, and Condemnation of Kidd._ - - Appalling Tidings.--Trip to Curacoa.--Disposal of the Quedagh - Merchant.--Purchase of the Antonio.--Trembling Approach toward - New York.--Measures for the Arrest of Kidd.--He enters Delaware - Bay.--Touches at Oyster Bay and Block Island.--Communications - with the Government.--Sails for Boston.--His Arrest.--Long - Delays.--Public Rumors.--His Trial and Condemnation. 75 - - CHAPTER V. - - _Kidd, and Stede Bonnet._ - - The Guilt of Kidd.--Rumors of Buried Treasure.--Mesmeric - Revelation.--Adventures of Bradish.--Strange Character of - Major Bonnet.--His Piracies.--Encounters.--Indications of - Insanity.--No Temptation to Turn Pirate.--Blackbeard.--Bonnet - Deposed. 98 - - CHAPTER VI. - - _The Adventures of Edward Teach, or Blackbeard._ - - Seizure of the Protestant Cæsar.--The Piratic Squadron.--Villany - of the Buccaneers.--The Atrocities of Blackbeard.--Illustrative - Anecdotes.--Carousals on Shore.--Alleged Complicity with the - Governor.--Hiding-place near Ocracoke Inlet.--Arrangements - for his Capture.--Boats sent from two Men-of-War.--Bloody - Battle.--The Death of the Pirate.--His Desperate and Demoniac - Character. 110 - - CHAPTER VII. - - _The Close of Stede Bonnet’s Career._ - - Bonnet’s Abandonment by Blackbeard.--Avails Himself of the - King’s Pardon.--Takes Commission as a Privateer.--Rescues - Blackbeard’s Pirates.--Piratic Career.--Enters Cape Fear River - for Repairs.--Captured by Colonel Rhet.--The Conflict.--Escapes - from Prison.--The Pursuit, and Trial and Sentence. 125 - - CHAPTER VIII. - - _The Portuguese Barthelemy._ - - Commencement of his Career.--Bold Capture.--Brutality of - the Pirates.--Reverses and Captivity.--Barthelemy doomed to - Die.--His Escape.--Sufferings in the Forest.--Reaches Gulf - Triste.--Hardening Effect of his Misfortunes.--His new Piratic - Enterprise.--Wonderful Success.--The Tornado.--Impoverishment - and Ruin. 139 - - CHAPTER IX. - - _Francis Lolonois._ - - Early Life of Lolonois.--His Desperate Character.--Joins the - Buccaneers.--His Fiend-like Cruelty.--The Desperadoes Rally - around Him.--Equips a Fleet.--Captures Rich Prizes.--Plans the - Sack of Maracaibo.--The Adventurous Voyage.--Description of - Venezuela.--Atrocities at Maracaibo and Gibraltar.--Doom of - the Victors. 151 - - CHAPTER X. - - _The Plunder; the Carousal; and the New Enterprise._ - - Gibraltar in Ashes.--The Return to Maracaibo.--Division of - the Plunder.--Peculiar Scene.--Reception of the Pirates - at Tortuga.--Fiend-like Carousal.--The Pirates Reduced - to Beggary.--Lolonois’s New Enterprise.--The “Furious - Calm.”--Days of Disaster.--Ravaging the Coast.--Capture - of San Pedro. 170 - - CHAPTER XI. - - _The End of Lolonois’s Career._ - - The Pirates’ Perfidy.--Capture of a Spanish Ship.--Misery - of the Pirates.--Desertion of Vauclin.--The Shipwreck.--Life - upon the Island.--Expedition to Nicaragua.--Its utter - Failure.--Ferocity of the Indians.--Exploring the River.--The - Retreat.--Coasting to Darien.--Capture and Death of - Lolonois.--Fate of the Remnants. 186 - - CHAPTER XII. - - _The Female Pirate, Mary Read._ - - Testimony of Charles Johnson.--Marriage of Mary Read’s - Mother.--Singular Adventure.--Reasons for Disguising her - Daughter.--Early Training of Mary as a Boy.--She Enlists on - board a Man-of-War.--The Character she Developed.--Enters - the Army.--Skill and Bravery.--Falls in Love with a - Fleming.--Reveals her Sex.--The Marriage.--Happy Days.--Death - of her Husband.--Adversity.--Resumes Male Attire. 201 - - CHAPTER XIII. - - _Anne Bonny, the Female Pirate._ - - Rackam the Pirate.--Anne Bonny his Wife.--Her Reasons for - Assuming a Boy’s Dress.--Infamous Character of Rackam.--Anne - falls in Love with Mary.--Curious Complications.--The - Duel.--Chivalry of Frank.--The Capture.--The Trial.--Testimony - of the Artist.--Death of Mary Read.--Rackam Dies on the - Scaffold. 214 - - CHAPTER XIV. - - _Sir Henry Morgan._ - - His Origin.--Goes to the West Indies.--Joins the - Buccaneers.--Meets Mansvelt the Pirate.--Conquest of St. - Catharine.--Piratic Colony there.--Ravaging the Coast of - Costa Rica.--Sympathy of the Governor of Jamaica.--Death - of Mansvelt.--Expedition of Don John.--The Island Recaptured - by the Spaniards.--Plans of Morgan.--His Fleet.--The Sack of - Puerto Principe.--Horrible Atrocities.--Retreat of the - Pirates.--The Duel.--They Sail for Puerto Velo.--Conquest - of the City.--Heroism of the Governor. 225 - - CHAPTER XV. - - _The Capture of Puerto Velo, and its Results._ - - The Torture.--Sickness and Misery.--Measures of the Governor of - Panama.--The Ambuscade.--Awful Defeat of the Spaniards.--Ferocity - of the Pirates.--Strange Correspondence.--Exchange of - Courtesies.--Return to Cuba, and Division of the Spoil.--Wild - Orgies at Jamaica.--Complicity of the British Government - with the Pirates.--The New Enterprise.--Arrival of the - Oxford.--Destruction of the Cerf Volant.--Rendezvous at - Samona. 246 - - CHAPTER XVI. - - _The Expedition to Maracaibo._ - - The Delay at Ocoa.--Hunting Excursions.--The Repulse.--Cities - of Venezuela.--The Plan of Morgan.--Suggestions of Pierre - Picard.--Sailing of the Expedition.--They Touch at - Oruba.--Traverse Venezuela.--Enter Lake Maracaibo.--Capture of - the Fort.--The City Abandoned.--Atrocities of the Pirates. 260 - - CHAPTER XVII. - - _Adventures on the Shores of Lake Maracaibo._ - - Preparations for the Defence of Gibraltar.--The Hidden - Ships.--The Hiding-place of the Governor and the - Women.--Disaster and Failure.--Capture of the Spanish - Ships.--The Retreat Commenced.--Peril of the Pirates.--Singular - Correspondence.--Strength of the Spanish Armament.--The - Public Conference of the Pirates.--The Naval Battle.--The - Fire-Ship.--Wonderful Achievement of the Pirates. 273 - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - _A New Expedition Planned._ - - The Threat to Espinosa.--Adroit Stratagem.--Wonderful - Escape.--The Storm.--Revelry at Jamaica.--History of - Hispaniola.--Plan of a New Expedition.--The Foraging - Ships.--Morgan’s Administrative Energies.--Return of - the Foragers.--Rendezvous at Cape Tiburon.--Magnitude - and Armament of the Fleet.--Preparations to Sail. 290 - - CHAPTER XIX. - - _Capture of St. Catherine and Chagres._ - - The Defences at St. Catherine.--Morgan’s Strategy.--The Midnight - Storm.--Deplorable Condition of the Pirates.--The Summons to - Surrender.--Disgraceful Conduct of the Spanish Commander.--The - Advance to Chagres.--Incidents of the Battle.--The Unexpected - Victory.--Measures of Morgan. 305 - - CHAPTER XX. - - _The March from Chagres to Panama._ - - Preparations to Ascend the River.--Crowding of the Boats.--The - Bivouac at Bracos.--Sufferings from Hunger.--The Pathless - Route.--The Boats Abandoned.--Light Canoes Employed.--Abandoned - Ambuscades.--Painful Marches, Day by Day.--The Feast on - Leathern Bags.--Murmurs and Contentions.--The Indians - Encountered.--Struggling through the Forest.--The Conflagration - at Santa Cruz.--Battle and Skirmishes.--First Sight of - Panama.--Descent into the Plain.--Feasting. 319 - - CHAPTER XXI. - - _The Capture of Panama._ - - First Sight of the City.--The Spanish Scouts Appear.--Morgan’s - Advance.--Character of the Country.--Fears of the - Spaniards.--Removal of Treasure.--Capture of the City.--The - Poisoned Wine.--Magnificent Scenery of the Bay.--Description of - Panama and its Surroundings.--Wealth of the City.--Scenes of - Crime and Cruelty. 335 - - CHAPTER XXII. - - _The Return from Panama._ - - Return of the Explorers.--The Beautiful Captive.--Sympathy - in her behalf.--Embarrassments of Morgan.--Inflexible - Virtue of the Captive.--The Conspiracy.--Efficiency of - Morgan.--His Obduracy.--The Search of the Pirates.--The - Return March.--Morgan Cheats the Pirates.--Runs Away. 349 - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - _Montbar the Fanatic._ - - Partial Solution of a Mystery.--Montbar’s Birth.--His Education - and Delusions.--Anecdote of the Dramatic Performance.--Montbar - Runs Away from Home.--Enters the Navy.--His Ferocious - Exploits.--Joins the Buccaneers.--Desperate Battles on - the Land and on the Sea.--His Final Disappearance. 360 - - - - -CAPTAIN KIDD. - -CHAPTER I. - -_Origin of the Buccaneers._ - - Renown of Captain Kidd.--Wild Legends.--Demands of - Spain.--Opposition of the Maritime Powers.--The Rise - of the Buccaneers.--The Pirates’ Code.--Remonstrance - of Spain.--Reply of France and England.--Confession - of a Buccaneer.--Adventures of Peter the Great. - - -There are but few persons, in the United States, who have not heard -the name of the renowned pirate, Captain Kidd. There are also but few -to be found who have any intelligent conception of his wild and guilty -career. The banks of the Hudson, the islands scattered through the -Sound which skirts the southern New-England coast, and the wild rivers -and craggy harbors which fringe the rugged shores of Maine, are all -rich with legends of the exploits and hiding-places of this notorious -buccaneer. - -Thousands of fanatical people have employed themselves in digging among -the rocks and sands, in search of treasure of gold and jewels supposed -to have been buried, in iron-bound chests, by this chief of outlaws. It -was well known that he had plundered many a rich Spanish galleon, laden -with golden coin, bound to or from the colonies. Many a Spanish lady -had been compelled to walk blindfolded the awful plank, until she was -jostled into the sea, while her chests of golden ingots and diamonds -fell into the hands of brutal assassins. - -It was not always easy for the pirates to dispose of these treasures. -They were sometimes pursued by men-of-war. Doubtless, as a measure of -safety, they did at times bury their spoil, intending at a convenient -hour to return and reclaim it. And it can hardly be questioned that, -in some cases, pursued, harassed, cut up, they never did return. -Therefore it may be that there is treasure still hidden in some -secluded spot, which may remain, through all coming ages unless by some -accident discovered. This belief has, in bygone days, nerved many a -treasure-seeker to months of toil, all along our northern coast, from -Passamaquoddy Bay to the Jerseys. - -Half a century ago, when superstition exerted much more powerful sway -than now, the wildest stories were told, around the fireside, of the -complicity of the robber with the Archfiend himself, and of the agency -of the Prince of the Power of the Air in protecting his subjects. -Hundreds of parties, equipped with hazel rods, whose dip should guide -them to the treasure, and with spades to dig, have gone to the most -lonely spots at dead of night, in search of these riches. It was -believed that not a word must be spoken, and particularly that Satan -was so jealous, that if the Divine name were uttered, some terrible -doom would befall them. - -The writer remembers hearing, sixty years ago at the kitchen fireside, -many of these wondrous stories. One or two may be given in illustration -of them all. A fortune-teller had told some men where Captain Kidd -had buried a chest. They were to go to the spot, in the darkness of -a moonless midnight. Not one word was to be spoken. A lantern, dimly -burning, was to guide their steps. One carrying a hazel rod was to lead -the party of four. When they reached the precise spot the hazel rod -would bend directly down to indicate it. By digging they would find, -five feet beneath the surface, an oaken chest, bound with iron, filled -with doubloons. - -They obeyed all the directions implicitly. The spot was found. In -silence and with energy they plied their spades. At the depth of five -feet they struck the chest. There it was, beyond all question, in -its massive strength of oak and iron. The size of the chest and the -difficulty with which it could be moved, proved that they had come upon -an amount of treasure which would enrich them all beyond the dreams of -romance. One thoughtlessly, in the excess of his excitement, exclaimed, -“Thank God!” In an instant there was a flash of lightning which blinded -them all; a peal of thunder which stunned them all. Those in the pit -were violently thrust out, and every one was thrown helpless and -senseless upon the ground. - -After a time they recovered one by one. The darkness was like that of -Egypt, which could be felt. The rain was falling in torrents. Their -pit was entirely closed up, and replaced by a ledge of solid granite. -Terrified, they crept to their homes, fearing ever again to seek the -treasure which the pirate, as an emissary of Satan, had seized with -bloody hands, and with bloody hands had buried. - -Again, there was a young woman who had a sacred stone into which she -looked and saw whatever she wished to have revealed. She could read -the fortunes of others. She could foresee all future events. She could -reveal any secrets of the past. Into this mysterious crystal she gazed, -and saw a small vessel, under an immense cloud of canvas, flying -before a huge man-of-war. But the smaller vessel was the fleetest. -The larger vessel was firing upon it with heavy cannon, and the balls -were bounding over the waves. She looked upon the deck of the little -schooner, and it was crowded with the fiercest-looking armed men. Among -them stood a man, in rich uniform, with drawn sword, and pistols in his -belt, who was evidently their leader. She at once recognized him as -Captain Kidd. - -It was in the evening twilight. The pirate ran in at the mouth of the -Kennebec River. The man-of-war could not venture to follow amid the -rocks and shoals. The commander, however, felt that the pirate was -caught in a trap and that he could not escape. He decided to lay off -and on until morning, carefully watching the mouth of the river. Then -he would send his war-boats thoroughly manned, and the pirates would -soon swing at his yard-arms, and their treasures would be transferred -to his chests and his ship’s hold. - -Captain Kidd had a large amount of treasure on board his vessel, -which he had plundered mainly from the rich argosies which carried -on the commerce between Spain and her colonies. At the same time he -was not at all particular in his inquiries as to what nationality the -ship belonged to, if the cargo of goods or coin were valuable. His -adventurous sail ran along the shores of both the Indies, and all -richly freighted ships he encountered were doomed. - -The swift-sailing schooner which had run into the mouth of the Kennebec -was heavily laden with gold and silver coin, rich silks, and others -of the most precious fabrics of the two Indies. To save these from -capture, so the story goes, and to lighten his vessel, so as to be able -to creep away over the shallow waters out of reach of the man-of-war, -he threw the heaviest and least valuable articles overboard. Then -landing a portion of the crew in the night, he searched out a secluded -spot, where he dug a deep hole, and placed in it an immense iron-bound -hogshead. Here he carefully packed away his gold and silver coin -in strong canvas bags. His silks and satins were wrapped in canvas -envelopes, and then protected with tarred cloth, impervious to both air -and moisture. Thus the cask soon held treasure amounting to countless -thousands. This was carefully covered up and concealed, Captain -Kidd taking notes which would enable him to find the place without -difficulty! - -Then in the darkness he again spread his sails, and stealing out of one -of the unfrequented mouths of the river, crept along the shore unseen, -and turning his course south, was soon again engaged in his piratic -cruise among the islands of the West Indies. He never returned to -regain his treasure. - -The next morning the man-of-war sent up three boats well manned and -armed to capture the pirate. But not the slightest vestige of his -vessel could be found. It was believed that Satan had aided them to -escape. Some of the sailors declared that in the night they had seen -the schooner under full sail in the clouds, passing over their heads, -and that they had heard shouts of merriment from the demoniac crew. - -The girl, looking into her enchanted stone, saw all this. She informed -those inquiring of her, of the precise spot where the treasure was -buried. To obtain it they must go at dead of night, and work in perfect -silence. The utterance of a single word would bring disaster upon all -their efforts. - -They went, and worked with a will, in the darkness, by dim torchlight. -Not a word was spoken. They reached the cask, spaded away the earth -around it, and were just ready to open it and rifle it of its contents, -when to their astonishment a little negro boy was seen sitting upon -the head of the cask, entirely naked. One of them in his surprise -thoughtlessly exclaimed, “Who are you?” - -The spell was broken. Instantly one of the blackest of thunder-clouds -enveloped them, with a tornado which wrecked the skies. Carousing -fiends were seen with bat-like wings through the gloom. Shrieks of -derisive laughter were heard. Every man was seized, and whirled -through the air to distances several miles apart. Awaking from stupor, -terror-inspired, they with difficulty found their way to their homes. -Upon subsequently revisiting the spot they found no traces of their -labor. - -Such was the general character of the legends which were floating -about very freely half a century ago. Captain Kidd was the hero of -all these marvellous tales. It is not easy to account for the fact -that his name should have attained such an ascendency over that of all -other buccaneers. Though there was nothing so very remarkable in his -achievements, there was something strange in the highest degree, in his -partnership with men in England occupying the most exalted position in -rank and power. - -After the discovery of the New World, Pope Alexander VI. issued a -proclamation dividing all the newly discovered lands, in both the East -and West Indies, between the crowns of Portugal and Spain, to the -exclusion of all other powers. This _bull_ as it was called, excited -great discontent throughout all Christendom. This was nearly two -hundred years ago. France, England, and the Netherlands, the three -remaining great maritime nations, combined against Spain and Portugal. -These courts would give any man a commission to take a ship, fill it -with armed men, and prey upon the commerce of Spain and Portugal. There -was no court to decide upon the validity of prizes. The captors were -responsible to nobody. They decided for themselves whether the prize -they had taken was their legitimate booty. The whole spoil was divided -among them according to their own agreement. - -Very soon all seas swarmed with these adventurers. They sailed in -fleets. In armed bands they landed and ravaged the coasts, battering -down forts and capturing and plundering cities. They did not deem -themselves pirates, but took the name of buccaneers. Though often -guilty of great enormities, they assumed the air of legitimate -privateersmen. With heads high uplifted they swaggered through the -streets of England, France, and the Netherlands, with lavish hand -scattering their ill-gotten gold. They were welcomed at every port -they entered, for they proved very profitable customers. They sold -their booty very cheap. They purchased very freely, regardless of -price. In drunken frolics they had been known to scatter doubloons -in the streets to see men and boys scramble for them. The merchants -all welcomed them, not deeming it necessary to ask any questions for -conscience’ sake. Their numbers became so great and their depredations -so audacious, that no ship could sail in safety under any flag. The -buccaneers were not careful to obtain any commission. Assuming that -they were warring against the enemies of their country, even when there -was no war existing between the two nations, they ravaged the seas at -their pleasure. - -Generally their bands were well organized and under very salutary -discipline. The following articles of agreement, signed by the whole -crew, were found on board one of these ships: - -“Every man is entitled to a vote in affairs of importance, and to an -equal share of all provisions and strong liquors which may be seized. -Any man who defrauds the company in plate, jewels, or money, shall be -landed on a desert island. If he rob a messmate, his ears and nose -shall be slit, and then he shall be landed on a desert island. No man -shall play at cards or dice for money. The lights are to be put out at -eight o’clock at night. No woman is to be allowed on board. Any man who -brings a woman to sea disguised shall be put to death. No man shall -strike another on board, but quarrels shall be settled on shore with -sword or pistol. - -“Any one deserting, or leaving his quarters, during an engagement, -shall be either landed on a desert island or put to death. Every man -losing a limb or becoming crippled in the service shall have eight -hundred dollars. The captain and quartermaster shall receive two shares -of every prize; the master, boatswain, and gunner, one share and a -half, and all other officers one and a quarter. Quarter always to be -given when called for. He that sees a sail first is to have the best -pistols and small arms on board of her.” - -Thus it will be seen that these buccaneers were regularly organized -bands, by no means ashamed of their calling. They were morally scarcely -inferior to the robber knights and barons of the feudal ages, from -whom the haughtiest nobles of Europe are proud to claim their lineage. -They were not petty thieves and vulgar murderers. They unfurled their -banners and waged open warfare on the sea and on the land, glorying -in their chivalric exploits, and ostentatiously displaying, in all -harbors, the trophies of their wild adventures. - -These freebooters assumed the most gorgeous and extravagant dresses. -Their favorite ornament was a broad crimson sash, of bright scarlet, -passing round the waist, and fastened on the shoulder and hip with -colored ribbons. This was so arranged that it formed a belt into which -they could thrust three or four richly mounted pistols. These pistols -were often sold at auction, on shipboard, for two hundred dollars each. -Cocked hats, with a showy embroidery of gold lace, formed a conspicuous -feature of their costume. - -The captain, in time of battle, was invested with dictatorial power. -He could stab or shoot any one who disobeyed his orders. His voice was -generally decisive as to the treatment of prisoners. The large cabin -was appropriated to his exclusive use. Often the freebooters combined, -in several armed vessels, to attack some richly freighted fleet under -convoy. Occasionally they landed, and captured and plundered very -considerable cities. - -These buccaneers were generally, as we have said, Englishmen, -Frenchmen, or Germans. Still, adventurers from all nationalities -crowded their decks. The Spanish Court remonstrated with the several -Governments of Europe against these outrages. France replied: - -“The people complained against act entirely on their own authority and -responsibility, not by any commission from us. The King of Spain is at -liberty to proceed against them according to his own pleasure.” - -Elizabeth, England’s termagant queen, with characteristic tartness -replied: - -“The Spaniards have drawn these inconveniences on themselves, by their -severe and unjust dealings in their American commerce. The Queen of -England cannot understand why her subjects, or those of any other -European prince should be debarred from traffic in the West Indies. As -she does not acknowledge the Spaniards to have any title to any portion -of the New World by the donation of the Bishop of Rome, so she knows -no right they have to any places other than those of which they are -in actual possession. Their having touched only here and there upon a -coast, and given names to a few rivers or capes, are such insignificant -things as can in no ways entitle them to a property in those parts, any -further than where they have actually settled and continue to inhabit.” - -Some curious anecdotes are told illustrative of the great respect some -of these adventurers entertained for religion and morality. In many -cases all bolts, locks, and fastenings of any kind were prohibited, as -implying a doubt of the honor of their comrades. Not a few men of noble -birth became buccaneers. A captain of one of these bands shot one of -his crew for behaving irreverently in church. Sir Raveneau de Sussan, -being deeply involved in debt, joined the freebooters because, he said, -“he wished, as every honest man should do, to have withal to satisfy -his creditors.” - -The French called the buccaneers _nos braves_. The English papers were -filled with admiring accounts of their unparalleled exploits. A French -buccaneer; Francois l’Olonnais, at the head of six hundred and fifty -men, captured the towns of Maracaibo and Gibraltar, in the Gulf of -Venezuela, and extorted half a million dollars for the ransom of those -places. A French priest extolled the deed as one of chivalric heroism. - -The pirates seized the Island of Tortuga, built a town there, and -erected a strong fort on an eminence which commanded a view of the -encircling sea to the horizon. This island is situated a few leagues -north of the magnificent Island of San Domingo, then called Hispaniola. -It is long and narrow, running east and west, and is about sixty -miles in circuit. It is mainly a mountainous island of rock, but at -that time was densely covered with a gigantic forest. The western part -of the island was uninhabited. It was very rugged and barren, and had -no harbor or even cove into which a vessel or boat could run. On the -southeastern shore there was one good harbor, so landlocked that it -could be easily defended. The island abounded with wild boars, and at -some seasons, the very air seemed darkened with the flocks of pigeons -which frequented its groves. - -The buccaneers seized this island, and sent to the French governor of -St. Christopher’s to furnish them with aid to fortify it. The governor -sent them a ship full of men, with all needful supplies. With this -assistance they built a fort on a high rock, which perfectly commanded -the harbor. There was no access to the fort but by climbing a narrow -passage, along which but two persons could pass at a time. With great -difficulty two guns were raised and mounted. There was a plentiful -supply of fresh water on the summit, from an abundant spring gushing -from the rock. - -One of these buccaneers, John Esquemeling, has given quite a minute -account of the achievements of himself and comrades. His narrative, -which is deemed authentic, was written in Dutch, but was translated -and published in London in the year 1684. He had sailed from -Havre-de-Grace, in France, for the New World, in the year 1666, to seek -his fortune. He gives the following reason for joining the buccaneers: - -“I found myself in Tortuga like unto Adam when he was first created -by the hand of his Maker; that is, naked and destitute of all human -necessaries. Not knowing how to get a living, I determined to enter -into the wicked order of pirates or robbers of the sea. Into this -society I was received by common consent both of the superior and -vulgar sort. I continued among them six years, until the year 1672. -Having assisted them in all their designs and attempts and served -them in many notable exploits, of which I here give the reader a full -account, I returned to my own native country.” - -We will give one incident illustrative of the mode in which these -buccaneers operated. - -There was at Tortuga a man born in Dieppe, Normandy. From his gigantic -stature and his bold carriage he was familiarly called Peter the Great. -He took a large boat, and with twenty-eight companions, desperate men, -thoroughly armed, set out from the harbor in search of booty. For a -long time they sailed over those tropical seas, keeping a vigilant -watch from the mast-head, but no vessel appeared in sight. Their food -was rapidly disappearing, and they began to be in despair. - -At length they espied, one afternoon, in the distant horizon, a sail. -As they approached it, they found, somewhat to their alarm, that it -was a huge Spanish galleon laden to the gunwales with treasure. It -probably contained passengers and crew, and perhaps soldiers, three or -four times outnumbering the buccaneers. The sagacious Peter immediately -surmised that the galleon was one of a merchant fleet which had -recently sailed from Spain under a strong convoy, and being heavily -laden, had, in some storm, got separated from the squadron. It was one -of the most desperate of enterprises to attack such a ship with their -little boat. The ship, though a merchantman, had, without any doubt, -some heavy guns, and the crew was well armed. - -But they were desperate men; their provisions were exhausted; they were -in danger of actual starvation. The captain assembled them all around -him, and addressed them in a very glowing and inspiring speech. We -cannot quote his identical words. But we have a record of the motives -he urged to rouse his men to a frenzy of courage. - -“Our cruise,” said he, “has been thus far a failure. We have no money. -We have no food. We must soon perish by the most miserable of all -deaths, lingering starvation. In that ship there is food in abundance, -wine in abundance, gold in abundance. We are now beggars. Let us take -that ship, and we are princes. We can revel in luxury. Our fortunes -are made for our lives. We can sail to any land we please, and there -live in independence. Even if some of us must die, it is better to die -suddenly than to starve. We can take the ship if we all do our duty. I -call upon every one now to take a solemn oath either to capture the -ship or to die in the attempt.” - -To this appeal the piratic crew responded with cheers, and the oath was -promptly taken. The captain of the Spanish ship had been informed that -there was a boat in sight, and that it probably was manned by pirates. -He came upon deck, examined it carefully with his glass, and then, -turning upon his heel, said contemptuously: - -“We need not care for such a pitiful concern as that. It is a mere -cockle-shell. If you wish, you may rig the crane out, and we will hoist -the whole thing, crew and all, on board. We need fear no ship which is -not bigger and stronger than our own.” - -The pirates had the advantage of the wind. They kept away until dark. -Peter, or Pierre as they called him, informed them of his desperate -plan. He would, in the gloom of night, put on all sail, and run -his boat directly alongside of the galleon. Grappling-irons were -immediately to be thrown over the gunwale of the ship, with ropes -attached, by which the boat’s crew were instantly to leap on board. The -carpenter was to have tools ready and bore a large hole in the bottom -of the boat, so as to sink it at once. He was then to leap on board. - -Every man was to have three or four loaded pistols in his belt, and a -sabre in his hand. Escape was impossible. If they failed to capture -the ship, and were captured themselves, their inevitable doom was death -by hanging. The programme was carried out in full. The night was dark. -There was no vigilance, no suspicion of danger on board the ship. The -boat came alongside the huge bulk of the galleon so noiselessly that it -was not perceived. - -The pirates rushed pell-mell on board. With their sharp sabres they -cut down the terrified crew on the right hand and on the left. Pierre, -leading a party, plunged into the cabin. The captain with several of -his officers was playing cards. He sprang from his seat exclaiming: - -“Lord Jesus; are these devils?” - -Pierre, presenting a pistol at his breast, demanded the surrender of -the ship. Had the captain or any of his officers raised a hand in -self-defence, death would have been their immediate fate. They were all -disarmed and bound. Another party, sweeping the decks with sword and -pistol, drove all whom they did not kill into the hold, and shut the -hatches upon them. They then seized the gun-room, where all the arms -and ammunition were stored. - -In almost less time than it has taken to describe the scene, this -majestic ship with its vast treasures was captured. Not a single pirate -was killed or wounded. With three cheers the pirates proclaimed their -astounding victory. They were nearly all seamen, and familiar with -those waters. They turned the ship to sail to Europe. Coming in sight -of an island, they landed the captain and all the ship’s company in -a cove, and giving them a small supply of provisions, left them to -shift for themselves. Several of the crew remained on board the ship, -enlisting in the service of the pirates. This being done, they set sail -for France, where they sold their ship, divided their immense booty, -scattered, and were heard of no more. - -The inhabitants of Tortuga soon received tidings of this brilliant -achievement. It seemed to inspire them all with the intense desire to -go and do likewise. All Tortuga was in an uproar. Every one applauded -a deed which they deemed so glorious as well as so profitable. They -saw that by a single enterprise, Pierre had made his fortune for life. -In a few months, more than twenty piratic vessels were fitted out at -Tortuga. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -_William Kidd becomes a Pirate._ - - Ravages of the Pirates.--The King’s Interview with Earl - Bellomont.--William Kidd, the New-York Merchant.--His - Commission.--Sailing of the Adventure.--Recruiting in - New York.--Circuitous Trip to Madagascar.--Perils and - Sufferings.--Madagascar the Pirates’ Home.--Murmurings of the - Crew.--Kidd reluctantly turns Pirate.--His Repulses, and his - Captures. - - -In the year 1695, the King of England, William III., summoned before -him the Earl of Bellomont, who had been governor of Barbadoes, and whom -he had recently appointed governor of New York, and said to him: - -“The buccaneers have so increased in the East and West Indies, and -all along the American coast, that they defiantly sail under their -own flag. They penetrate the rivers; land in numbers sufficient to -capture cities, robbing palaces and cathedrals, and extorting enormous -ransom. Their suppression is vital to commerce. They have possessed -themselves of magnificent retreats, in Madagascar and other islands of -the Indian Ocean. They have established their seraglios, and are living -in fabulous splendor and luxury. Piratic expeditions are fitted out -from the colonies of New England and Virginia; and even the Quakers -of Pennsylvania afford a market for their robberies. These successful -freebooters are making their homes in the Carolinas, in Rhode Island, -and along the south shore of Long Island, where they and their children -take positions among the most respectable in the community. - -“The buccaneers are so audacious that they seek no concealment. Their -ships are laden with the spoil of all nations. The richest prizes -which can now be taken on the high seas are the heavily laden ships of -the buccaneers. I have resolved, with the aid of others, to fit out -a private expedition against them. We have formed a company for that -purpose. By attacking the pirates we shall accomplish a double object. -We shall in the first place check their devastating operations, and we -shall also fill our purses with the proceeds of the abundant spoil with -which their ships are laden.” - -This second consideration was doubtless the leading one in the -movement. The king was in great need of money. His nobles were -impoverished by extravagance. They were ready to resort to any measures -to replenish their exhausted treasuries. This royal company was -therefore organized, not as a national movement, sustained by national -law, but as a _piratic_ expedition against the _pirates_. The reclaimed -treasure was not to be restored to its owners, nor to be placed in the -treasury of the kingdom, but to be divided among the captors as their -legitimate spoil. And still the king was to give the commission in his -kingly name. - -The king informed the Earl of Bellomont that he was about to invest him -with the government of New York, and wished him to suggest the name of -some suitable person, who was familiar with the North American coast -and the West Indian seas, to whom he could intrust the command of the -frigate they were then fitting out. It so chanced that an illustrious -Englishman, Mr. Robert Livingston, the first of that name who had -emigrated to the New World, was then in London. The earl consulted with -him. He was informed that just the man he needed had accompanied him -from New York to London, leaving his family behind. He was a merchant, -by the name of William Kidd, a man of tried courage and integrity. - -In the last war with the French, Captain Kidd had commanded a -privateersman, and had gained signal honor in many engagements. He had -sailed over all the seas frequented by the buccaneers, and was familiar -with their haunts. The commission which the king gave to Captain Kidd -is a curious document. It is here given abridged of its excessive -verbiage: - -“William the Third, by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, -France, and Ireland, to our true and well-beloved Captain William Kidd, -commander of the ship Adventure. Whereas divers wicked persons commit -many and great piracies, robberies, and depredations on the seas, upon -the coasts of America and other parts, to the hindrance of trade and -the danger of our subjects, we have thought fit to give to the said -William Kidd full authority to seize all such pirates as you may find -on the seas, whether our subjects or the subjects of other nations, -with their ships, and all merchandise or money which shall be found on -board, if they willingly yield themselves. But if they will not yield -without fighting, then you are, by force, to compel them to yield. We -do also require you to bring, or cause to be brought, such pirates, -freebooters, or sea rovers, as you shall seize, to a legal trial, to -the end they may be proceeded against according to the law in such -cases. - -“We enjoin you to keep an exact journal of your proceedings, giving the -names of the ships you may capture, the names of their officers and -crew, and the value of their cargoes, and stores. And we command you, -at your peril, that you do not molest our friends or allies under any -pretence of authority hereby granted. Given the 26th of January, 1695.” - -Captain Kidd at the same time received another document, which -was called a commission of reprisals. This authorized him, as a -privateersman, to take any French merchant ships he might chance to -meet; for there was then war between France and England. - -A ship was purchased, for thirty thousand dollars, called the -Adventure. Of this sum, Captain Kidd and Mr. Livingston furnished three -thousand each. The remainder was contributed by the Earls Bellomont -and Romney, Lord Chancellor Somers, the Lord High Admiral, the Duke -of Shrewsbury, and Sir Henry Harrison. The king, rather ingloriously, -paid nothing. He purchased his share in the enterprise by the royal -patronage. - -It seems that Captain Kidd was a man of high reputation at that time. -It was a large amount of property to be intrusted to his hands; for -the vessel and its outfit must have cost at least fifty thousand -dollars. Mr. Livingston became Kidd’s security that he would faithfully -discharge his duties and account for all his captures. It is said that -Kidd was not pleased with this arrangement, as he was very unwilling -that Mr. Livingston should be his bondsman. He probably, even then, -felt that it might prove an obstacle in his future course. The -operations of the human mind are often inexplicable. He might wish to -_steal_ the ship and turn _pirate_ on his own account. And he could not -_honorably_ do this while his friend was his bondsman. Such pressure -was put upon him that he was constrained to yield. - -Armed with the royal commission, and in command of the Adventure, -Captain Kidd sailed from Plymouth, England, in May, 1696. The frigate -had an armament of thirty guns, and a crew of eighty men. He was -ordered to render his accounts to the Earl of Bellomont in New York. -He sailed up the Narrows, into New York harbor, in July. His wife and -children were in his home there. In crossing the Atlantic, Captain -Kidd came across a French merchantman, which he captured. The prize -was valued at but seventeen hundred dollars. This was considered a -legitimate act of war. - -Captain Kidd knew full well that the enemy he was to encounter would -fight with the utmost desperation, and that he might meet a fleet of -piratic ships, or a single ship, more powerful in men and armament than -his own. He therefore sent out recruiting officers through the streets -of New York, to enlist volunteers. The terms he offered were that every -man should have an equal share of every prize that was taken, after -reserving for himself and the owners forty shares. With these offers he -soon increased his crew to one hundred and fifty-five men. - -Sailing from the harbor of New York, he made first for Madeira, to lay -in a stock of wine. Then he directed his course to the Cape de Verd -Islands, for a supply of salt and provisions. Having obtained these, he -spread his canvas for a long voyage around the Cape of Good Hope, to -the Island of Madagascar, on the eastern coast of Africa. This island -had become renowned as one of the most important rendezvouses of the -pirates. - -Madagascar is larger than Great Britain. The pirates, by aid of their -firearms, their desperate courage, and their superior intelligence, had -gained possession of a considerable portion of the island. The natives -were an inefficient race, copper-colored, with long, black hair. The -pirates had treated them with such enormous cruelty, that the savages -fled before them as if they had been demons. - -In this retreat, so far distant from the abodes of civilization, -the buccaneers had reared forts, and built mansions which they had -converted into harems. From their voyages they returned here enriched -with the plundered commerce of the world, to revel in all sensual -indulgence. They made slaves of their prisoners; married, in their -rude way any number they pleased of the most beautiful of the native -females; “so that every one,” writes one of their number, “had as great -a seraglio as the Grand Seignior at Constantinople. At length they -began to separate from each other, each living with his own wives, -slaves, and dependants, like independent princes. As power and plenty -naturally beget contention, they sometimes quarrelled, and attacked -each other at the head of their several armies. In these civil wars -many of them were killed.” - -These reckless men used their power like tyrants. They grew wanton in -cruelty. Nothing was more common than, upon the slightest displeasure, -to cause one of their dependants to be tied to a tree and shot through -the heart. The natives combined for their extermination. The plan would -have succeeded but for betrayal by a woman. They trembled in view of -their narrow escape, and combined for mutual defence. - -These ruffians assumed all the airs of the ancient baronial nobility. -Their dwellings were citadels. They generally chose for their residence -some dense forest, near running water. The house was surrounded by -a rampart and a ditch. The rampart was so high that it could not be -climbed without scaling-ladders. The dwelling was so concealed, in the -dense tropical forest, that it could not be seen until you were very -near it. The only approach was so narrow that two could not pass it -abreast. It was contrived in so intricate a manner that, to all not -perfectly familiar with it, it was a perfect labyrinth, with cross -paths where one might wander for hours, lost in the maze. - -All along these narrow paths, large and very sharp thorns, which grew -in that country, were planted in the ground, so as to pierce the feet -of the unshod natives. If any should attempt to approach the house by -night, they would certainly be pierced and torn by those cruel thorns. - -It was a long voyage to Madagascar. Before he reached the island nine -months had elapsed since leaving Plymouth. Captain Kidd had expended -all his money, and his provisions were nearly exhausted. Not a single -prize had they captured by the way. This ill luck caused a general -feeling of murmuring and contention on board. The most amiable are in -danger of losing their amiability in hours of disaster. Rude seamen, -but one remove from pirates, in such seasons of disappointment and -chagrin become almost demons in moroseness. - -One morning the whole ship’s crew were thrown into a state of the most -joyous excitement by the sight of three ships in the distant horizon. -They had no doubt that it was some buccaneer, with two prizes, -heavily laden with the treasures of the Orient. Suddenly all became -very good-natured. Eagerly they prepared for action. They had no fear -that the pirate, with his prizes, could escape their swift-sailing -frigate. The supposed pirate was apparently conscious that escape was -impossible; for he bore down boldly upon them. - -Terrible was the disappointment. Captain Kidd, gazing upon the -approaching vessels through his glass, exclaimed, with an oath, “They -are three English war-ships.” - -Captain Warren was in command of the men-of-war. Meeting thus in -mid-ocean, the two captains interchanged civilities, visited each -other, and kept company for two or three days. It was in the month -of February, 1666, that Captain Kidd, coasting along the shores of -Madagascar, approached the harbor upon the island frequented by the -pirates. Here he expected to find treasure in abundance. He had very -decidedly exceeded his orders in leaving the waters of America for the -distant shores of Africa and Asia. Triumphant success, which he was -sanguine of achieving, might cause the disobedience of instructions not -only to be forgiven but applauded. Failure would be to him disgrace and -irretrievable ruin. - -Again Captain Kidd and his crew were doomed to disappointment. It so -happened that they arrived at the island at a time when every vessel -was out on a piratic cruise. There was not a single vessel there. All -were growing desperate. Captain Kidd had but very little money left, -and nearly all his provisions were consumed. As hastily as possible he -replenished his water-casks, and taking in a few more stores, weighed -anchor, and voyaged thirteen hundred miles farther east to Malabar, as -the whole western coast of Hindostan was then called, from Cape Comorin -to Bombay. - -He came within sight of these shores in June, four months after his -arrival at Madagascar. For some time he cruised up and down this -coast unavailingly. Not a single sail was to be seen on the boundless -expanse of ocean. There was universal discontent and murmurings on -board the Adventure. The situation of the ship’s company was indeed -deplorable. One-half of the globe was between them and their homes. -Their provisions were nearly all gone, and they had no means with which -to purchase more. It was clear that unless Providence should interpose -in their favor, they must either steal or starve. - -And Providence did, for a time, singularly interpose. As they were one -day sailing by a small island, called Joanna, they saw the wreck of -a ship on shore. Captain Kidd took a boat and was rowed to the land, -where he found that it was a French vessel. The crew had escaped, -having saved quite a quantity of gold. The ship and cargo were a total -loss. The Frenchman, so the narrative goes, _loaned_ this gold to -Captain Kidd. Perhaps he did. It is more probable that it was a forced -loan. Captain Kidd had, as we have mentioned, a double commission, -one against the pirates, and the other a regular commission as a -privateersman against the French. Had he captured the ship before -the wreck it would have been his lawful prize. It is hardly probable -that he had any scruples of conscience in seizing the doubloons when -transferred to the shore. - -With this gold he sailed to one of the ports on the Malabar coast, -where he purchased food sufficient for a few weeks only. There was, -at that time, in Asia, one of the most powerful nations on the globe, -called the Mongols. The emperor, who was almost divinely worshipped, -was titled the Great Mogul. His gorgeous palaces were reared in the -city of Samarcand, in the province of Bokhara. This magnificent city, -thirty miles in circumference, glittered with palaces and mosques -of gorgeous architecture, constructed of white marble. The empire -was founded by the world-renowned Gengis Khan, and extended by the -equally celebrated Tamerlane. The sails of Mongol commerce whitened -all the East-Indian seas. Piracy then so abounded that this commerce -was generally carried on in fleets under convoy. Upon this cruise of -disappointment and anxiety, Captain Kidd passed several of the ships -of the Great Mogul. He looked upon them with a wistful eye. They were -merchantmen. With his force he could easily capture them. There could -be no doubt that they contained treasure of great value. - -There was loud murmuring among the crew. They could not understand -those scruples of conscience which would allow them to plunder a few -shipwrecked Frenchmen, and yet would turn aside from the rich argosies -of the East. - -But Captain Kidd, a respectable New-York merchant, held in high esteem -by the community, and who had been sent on this expedition expressly to -capture and punish the pirates, was not then prepared to raise himself -the black flag, and thus join the robbers of the seas. - -The struggle, in his mind, was probably very severe. He was daily -growing more desperate. Starvation stared him in the face. His crew was -growing mutinous. He had reason to fear that they would rise, throw him -overboard or land him upon some island, and then, raising the black -flag of the pirate, scour the seas on their own account, and join the -riotous band defiantly established at Madagascar. - -He had no doubt that the powerful company, who had sent him on this -cruise, would overlook any irregularities in plundering wrong vessels, -and would make no troublesome inquiries into his mode of operations, if -he would only bring them home an abundance of gold. On the other hand, -should he fail, he would be dismissed from their service in disgrace, -an utterly ruined man. - -He had learned that the Great Mogul was about to send from the Red -Sea, through the Straits of Babelmandel, a richly freighted fleet of -merchantmen, under convoy, bound to China. The Straits are but about -fifteen miles wide. Consequently there could be no difficulty in -intercepting the fleet. - -Captain Kidd had probably, in his silent thoughts, decided to turn -freebooter. Though as yet he had divulged his secret to no one, and had -committed no overt act, he had passed the Rubicon, and was in heart a -pirate. The change was at once perceptible. He ran his ship in toward -the shore, and coasted along until he came in sight of a village of the -natives, where herds were seen in the fields, and harvests were waving, -and the boughs of the groves were laden with the golden fruit of the -tropics. Doubtless he would have been glad to purchase these stores. -But he had no money. He had reached that point in his career at which -he must either steal or starve. - -He sent several armed boats to the land, and robbed the unresisting -natives without stint. He was not a man to pursue half measures. Having -well revictualled his ship, he turned her bows toward the entrance to -the Red Sea. Summoning his crew before him, he informed them of the -change in his plans. - -“We have been unsuccessful hitherto, my boys,” he said; “but take -courage. Fortune is now about to smile upon us. The fleet of the Great -Mogul, freighted with the richest treasures, is soon to come out of the -Red Sea. From the capture of those heavily laden ships we will all grow -rich.” - -This speech was greeted with shouts of applause by the desperate men -whom he had picked up in the streets of London and New York. He sent -out a swift-sailing boat well manned to enter the Red Sea, and run -along its eastern coast on a voyage of discovery. The boat returned -after an absence of a few days, with the rather alarming intelligence -that they had counted a squadron of fifteen large ships just ready -to sail. While some of them bore the flag of the Great Mogul, at the -mast-head of others floated the banners of England and of Holland. - -England was in alliance with Holland, and on the most friendly terms -with the Great Mogul. In the commission given to Captain Kidd by the -king it was written: - -“We command you at your peril, that you do not molest our friends or -allies, under any pretence of authority hereby granted.” - -Captain Kidd must have pondered the question deeply and anxiously -before he could have made up his mind to become an utter outlaw, by -attacking a fleet composed of ships belonging not only to England’s -friend, and to England’s ally, but also containing England’s ships. -Neither did he yet know how strong the convoy by which the fleet was -guarded. - -He, however, while weighing these thoughts in his anxious mind, sailed -to and fro before the mouth of the Strait, keeping a vigilant watch at -the mast-head. After the lapse of four days the squadron hove in sight, -far away on the northern horizon. As the vessels approached, Captain -Kidd carefully scrutinized them through his glass. His experienced eye -soon perceived that the fleet was convoyed by two men-of-war, the one -English, the other Dutch. This added to his embarrassment, and greatly -increased his peril in case he should attempt an assault. - -The fleet was much scattered; for, strong in its guard, no danger was -apprehended. Kidd’s vessel was concealed from the general view behind -a headland. His ship was a swift sailer, and he had an immense amount -of canvas, which he could almost instantaneously spread to the breeze. -There was a large, bulky Mongol ship, laden to the gunwales, slowly -ploughing its way through the waves, approaching the point where the -pirate lay concealed. The guard ships were at the distance of several -miles. - -Captain Kidd darted out upon the galleon like an eagle upon its prey. -He probably hoped to capture it, plunder it, and make his escape before -the war-vessels could come to its rescue. He opened fire upon the ship. -But the convoy, instantly taking the alarm, pressed all sail, and bore -rapidly down upon him, opening a vigorous fire from their heavy guns. -Kidd could not think of contending with them. His chance was gone. He -sheered off, and soon his cloud of swelling canvas disappeared beyond -the southern horizon. The armed frigates could not pursue him. They -were compelled to remain behind to protect the slowly sailing fleet. - -Captain Kidd, imbittered by constant failure, was now a disappointed, -chagrined, exasperated, desperate man. He was ready for any -enterprise, however atrocious, which would bring him money. He ran back -to the coast of Malabar. Cruising along, he soon came in sight of a -native vessel. Kidd captured it without a struggle. It was called the -Maiden, belonged to some merchants of Aden, but was commanded by an -Englishman by the name of Parker. The mate, Antonio, was a Portuguese, -familiar with the language of the country. - -There was nothing of value on board. Kidd, having resolutely embarked -on a piratic cruise, impressed the captain, Parker, as pilot in those -unknown waters. The mate he retained as an interpreter. Vexed in -finding no gold, and believing that the crew had concealed it, he -treated them with the utmost cruelty to extort a confession of where -they had hid the coin. They were hoisted up by the arms and beaten with -terrible severity. But all was in vain. No amount of torture could -bring to light gold which did not exist. - -The pirate, having robbed the poor men of a bale of pepper and a bale -of coffee, with a few pieces of Arabian gold, contemptuously turned -them adrift, bleeding and almost helpless in their exhaustion. After -continuing his cruise for some time without any success, Kidd ran into -a small port, on the Malabar coast, called Carawar. There were several -English merchants residing in that place. The tidings had already -reached them of the capture of the Aden vessel, the impressment of the -English captain and the Portuguese mate, and the cruel treatment of the -crew. - -As soon as Captain Kidd entered the port, it was suspected that he was -the pirate. Two English gentlemen, Mr. Harvey and Mr. Mason, came on -board, and charged him with the crime, asking him what he had done with -his two captives, Captain Parker and the Portuguese mate. Kidd assumed -an air of injured innocence, denied that he had any knowledge of the -event, showed them his commission from the King of England as the head -of a company of the most illustrious nobles to pursue and punish the -pirates. Triumphantly he submitted the question if it were reasonable -to suppose that a man who enjoyed the confidence of the king and his -nobles, and was intrusted by them to lead an enterprise so essential to -the national honor, should himself turn pirate. - -The gentlemen were silenced, but not convinced. All this time Parker -and Antonio the Portuguese were concealed in a private place in the -hold. There he kept them carefully guarded eight days, until he again -set sail. Just after he had left the port, a Portuguese man-of-war -entered. The English merchants communicated to the commander their -suspicions. He immediately put to sea in search of the Adventure, -resolved, should he overtake her, carefully to examine the hold, hoping -to find the captives on board, or at least some evidence of their -having been there. - -The two ships met. Kidd was by no means disposed to have his vessel -searched. A fierce battle ensued which lasted for six hours. Neither -vessel was disposed to come to close quarters until the other was -disabled. Kidd at length, finding the Portuguese ship too strong for -him, spread all his sails and escaped. With his vast amount of canvas -he could run away from almost any foe. Ten of his men were wounded in -this conflict, but none killed. - -Again these desperate men found it necessary to run into the land for -provisions. They entered a small port called Porco. Here they filled -their water-casks, and “bought,” Kidd says, a sufficient number of hogs -of the natives to victual the company. As it is known that Kidd had -no money, it is probable that the swine were obtained by that kind of -moral suasion which is found in the muzzle of a pistol and the edge of -a sabre. - -This suspicion is confirmed by the fact that the natives, in their -exasperation, killed one of his men. The retaliation was characteristic -of the crew and the times. Captain Kidd brought his guns to bear upon -the village. With broadside after broadside he laid their huts in -ruins. The torch was applied, and in an hour the peaceful village was -converted into mouldering ashes. - -One of the natives was caught. They bound him to a tree, and then a -whole boat’s company, one after another, discharged each a bullet into -his heart. Having achieved this exploit, which they probably thought -chivalric, but which others may deem fiendish, Captain Kidd again -spread his sails for a piratic cruise. - -The first vessel he came across was a large Mongol ship richly -freighted. Kidd gave chase, unfurling the French flag. The captain was -a Dutchman, by the name of Mitchel. Seeing that he was pursued under -French colors, he immediately ran up the banner of France. Captain Kidd -at once spread to the breeze the flag of England. He was very exultant. -He could lay aside the odious character of a pirate, and seize the ship -in the less disgraceful capacity of a privateersman. He exclaimed with -an oath, “I have caught you. You are a free prize to England.” - -A cannon-ball was thrown across the bows of the ship, and she was -ordered to heave to. The ship was hailed in the French language, and -some one replied in the same tongue. They were then ordered to send -their boat on board. The boat came bearing the captain of the ship, who -was a Dutchman, by the name of Mitchel, and a French gentleman by the -name of Le Roy. - -Kidd received them in his cabin, and upon inquiry ascertained that the -ship and cargo belonged to Mongol merchants; that they had intrusted -the command to a Dutch captain, as was not unfrequently the case in -those days, and that the French gentleman was merely a passenger -accidently on board, passing from one port to another. - -These tidings, to use a sailor’s phrase, “struck him all aback.” -Holland, as we have mentioned, was England’s ally. The Great Mogul was -England’s friend. Kidd must release the ship, or confess himself a -pirate and an outlaw, and run the imminent risk of being hanged should -he ever return to England. For a moment he seemed lost in thought, -bewildered. Then his wicked mind, now rapidly descending into the abyss -of sin and shame, rested in a decisive resolve. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -_Piratic Adventures._ - - Audacity of Kidd.--Fate of the November.--Kidd kills William - Moore.--The Renowned Ballad.--Kidd’s Compunctions.--Kidd at - Madagascar.--Piratic Carousals.--The Artificial Hell.--Kidd’s - Return to the West Indies.--Exaggerated Reports of Avery.--His - wretched Career, and wretched End. - - -Captain Kidd, with a piratic frown upon his brow, and piratic oaths -upon his lips, turned to Mr. Le Roy and said: - -“Do you pretend that this is not a French ship, and that you are but a -passenger on board?” - -“It is so,” Mr. Le Roy politely replied. “I am a stranger in these -parts, and have merely taken passage on board this native ship, under -Captain Mitchel, on my way to Bombay.” - -“It is a lie,” said the pirate, as he drew from his belt a pistol and -cocked it. “This is a French ship, and you are its captain; and it is -my lawful prize. If you deny this, you shall instantly die.” - -The features of Kidd, and his words blended with oaths, convinced Mr. -Le Roy that he was in the hands of a desperate man, who would shrink -from no crime. He was silent. Kidd then added: - -“I seize this ship as my legitimate prize. It belongs to a French -subject, and is sailing under the French flag. I have a commission from -his majesty the King of England to seize all such ships in his name.” - -It seems strange that Kidd, after the many lawless acts of which he -had already been guilty, should have deemed it of any consequence to -have recourse to so wretched a quibble. But the incident shows that the -New-York merchant, formerly of good reputation, still recoiled from the -thought of plunging headlong into a piratic career. By observing these -forms he could, in this case, should he ever have occasion to do so, -claim the protection of the royal commission authorizing him to capture -French ships. - -Kidd took his prize, which he called the November, because it was -captured in that month, into one of the East-Indian ports, and sold -ship and cargo for what they would fetch. What the amount was, or -how he divided it, is not known. Again he resumed his cruise. It was -evident that he had become anxious to renounce the career of pirate, -upon which he had barely entered, and resume that of privateersman. -They soon came across a Dutch ship, unmistakably such, in build and -flag and rigging. The crew clamored for its capture; Kidd resolutely -opposed it. A mutiny arose. A minority of the ship’s company adhered to -the captain. The majority declared that they would arm the boats and go -and seize her. - -The captain, with drawn sabre in his hand, and pistols in his belt, and -surrounded by those still faithful to him, stood upon her quarter-deck -and said to the mutineers, firmly: - -“You may take the boats and go. But those who thus leave this ship will -never ascend its sides again.” - -One of the men, a gunner by the name of William Moore, was particularly -violent and abusive. With threatening gestures he approached the -captain, assailing him in the most vituperative terms, saying: - -“You are ruining us all. You are keeping us in beggary and starvation. -But for your whims we might all be prosperous and rich.” - -The captain was by no means a meek man. In his ungovernable passion he -seized an iron-bound bucket, which chanced to be lying at his side, and -gave the mutineer such a blow as fractured his skull and struck him -senseless to the deck. Of the wound the gunner died the next day. Not -many will feel disposed to censure Captain Kidd very severely for this -act. It was not a premeditated murder. It was perhaps a necessary deed, -in quelling a mutiny, in which the mutineers were demanding that the -black flag of the pirate should be raised, and which demand the captain -was resisting. And yet it is probable that this blow sent Kidd to the -gallows. Upon his subsequent trial, but little evidence of piracy could -be adduced, and the death of Moore was the prominent charge brought -against him. - -Kidd ever averred that it was a virtuous act, and that it did not -trouble his conscience. It was done to prevent piracy and mutiny. He -also averred that he had no intention to _kill_ the man. Had he so -intended he would have used pistol or sabre. In the ballad which, half -a century ago, was sung in hundreds of farm-houses in New England, the -lullaby of infancy, the event is alluded to in the following words: - - “I murdered William Moore, as I sailed, as I sailed, - I murdered William Moore as I sailed; - I murdered William Moore, and left him in his gore, - Not many leagues from shore, as I sailed.” - -We will give a few more verses to show the general character of this -ballad of twenty-five stanzas, once so popular, now forgotten: - - “My name was William Kidd, when I sailed, when I sailed, - My name was William Kidd when I sailed, - My name was William Kidd, God’s laws I did forbid, - And so wickedly I did when I sailed. - - “Thus being o’ertaken at last, I must die, I must die, - Thus being o’ertaken at last, I must die; - Thus being o’ertaken at last, and into prison cast, - And sentence being pass’d, I must die. - - “To Newgate now I’m cast, and must die, and must die, - To Newgate now I’m cast, and must die, - To Newgate now I’m cast, with sad and heavy heart, - To receive my just desert, I must die. - - “To Execution Dock I must go, I must go, - To Execution Dock I must go; - To Execution Dock will many thousands flock, - But I must bear my shock, and must die. - - “Come all ye young and old, see me die, see me die, - Come all ye young and old, see me die; - Come all ye young and old, you’re welcome to my gold, - For by it I’ve lost my soul, and must die.” - -The Dutchman had no consciousness of the peril to which he had been -exposed. The two ships kept company for several days, and then -separated. Is it possible that all this time Kidd was hesitating -whether to raise the black flag and seize the prize? It looks like it; -for a few days after the Dutch ship had disappeared, quite a fleet of -Malabar boats were met with, laden with provisions and other articles -which Kidd needed. Unscrupulously he plundered them all. Probably he -had no fears that tidings of the outrage would ever reach England. And -even if a rumor of the deed were ever to reach those distant shores, he -had no apprehension that England would trouble herself to punish him -for a little harsh treatment of semi-savages on the coast of Malabar. - -A few days after this robbery a Portuguese ship hove in sight. Kidd’s -moral nature was every hour growing weaker. He could no longer resist -the temptation to seize the prize. He robbed the vessel of articles to -the estimated value of two thousand dollars, and let her go, inflicting -no injury upon the ship’s company. - -For three weeks they continued to cruise over a sailless sea, when one -morning, about the middle of December, an immense mass of canvas was -seen rising over the distant horizon. It proved to be a native ship of -four hundred tons burden. The ship was called the Quedagh Merchant, was -very richly laden, and was commanded by an Englishman, Captain Wright. -The wealthy merchants of the East were fully aware of the superior -nautical skill of the English seaman, and were eager to intrust their -important ventures to European commanders. - -Kidd unfurled the French flag, chased the ship, and soon overtook -it. A cannon-ball whistling over the heads of the crew was the very -significant hint with which the ship was commanded to heave to. Kidd -ordered the captain to lower his boat and come on board the Adventure. -The captain obeyed and informed the pirate that all the crew were East -Indians, excepting two Dutchmen and one Frenchman, and that the ship -belonged exclusively to East-Indian merchants. - -Kidd took piratic possession of the ship. He had not the shadow of a -claim to it on the ground of his commission as a privateersman. He -landed the officers and the crew, in boatload after boatload, upon -the shore, and left them to shift for themselves. One or two of the -merchants who owned the ship and cargo were on board. They offered the -pirate twenty thousand rupees, which was equivalent to about fifteen -thousand dollars, to ransom the property. Kidd declined the offer. - -His own ship, after such long voyaging, was leaky and much in want -of repairs. The Quedagh Merchant was far superior to the Adventure. -He therefore transferred all his stores to his prize. The torch was -applied to the Adventure, and the ill-fated ship soon disappeared in a -cloud of smoke and flame. Kidd, now a confirmed pirate, directed his -course toward the great rendezvous of the pirates at Madagascar. Here -the prize was valued at sixty-four thousand pounds, or about three -hundred and twenty thousand dollars. - -Still this strange man assumed that he was acting under the royal -commission, in behalf of the London company; and these treasures were -the legitimate plunder of a piratic ship. He therefore reserved forty -shares for himself and the company. There were about one hundred and -fifty men composing this piratic crew. Each man received about two -thousand dollars. Kidd’s portion amounted to nearly eighty thousand -dollars. - -In the pirates’ harbor at Madagascar, Kidd found a large ship, the -Resolution, belonging to the East India Company, which the captain, a -man by the name of Culliford, with the crew, had seized and turned into -a pirate. It was clearly Kidd’s duty, under his commission, at once -to attack and capture this piratic ship. When Captain Culliford saw -him entering the harbor with his powerful and well-armed ship, he was -terrified. The pirates had heard of Captain Kidd’s commission, and had -not yet learned that he had turned pirate himself. Captain Culliford, -with the gallows in vision before him, and trembling in every nerve, -for there was no possibility of escape, sent some officers, in a boat, -on board the Quedagh Merchant, to ascertain Captain Kidd’s intention. - -It was testified at the subsequent trial of Kidd, that he stood upon -his deck and received with open arms the piratic officers as they came -up over the ship’s side, that he invited them to his cabin, where they -had a great carouse in drinking and smoking; and that in the frenzy of -drink he offered for a toast: - -“May damnation seize my soul if I harm a hair of the head of any one on -board the Culliford.” - -It was declared that he received large presents of bales of silk from -the piratic captain, and sold him some heavy ordnance, with suitable -ammunition, for two thousand dollars; and that he was on the most -friendly terms with Culliford, exchanging frequent visits with him. - -On the other hand, Kidd emphatically denied all these charges. He said, -“I never stepped foot on board Captain Culliford’s ship. When I entered -the harbor and ascertained the character of the craft, I ordered my men -to prepare for action. But the mutinous crew, who had already compelled -me to resort to measures against which my soul revolted, peremptorily -refused, saying that they would rather fire two shots into my vessel -than one into that of Captain Culliford. The mutiny became so menacing -that my life was in danger. The turbulent crew rifled my chest, stole -my journal, took possession of the ammunition. I was compelled to -barricade myself in the cabin. The mutineers held the ship, and being -beyond all control, acted according to their own good pleasure. I was -in no degree responsible for their conduct.” - -The captain’s statement was not credited by the court. At the same -time it was quite evident that he had lost the control of his crew. -His testimony was, however, in some degree borne out by the fact that -ninety-five of his men in a body deserted him, and joined the piratic -crew of Captain Culliford. This would seem to prove conclusively that -Captain Kidd was not sufficiently piratical in his measures to satisfy -the demands of the mutineers. - -For several weeks these guilty and wretched men remained in the “own -place” of the pirates, indulging in every species of bacchanal wassail -and sensual vice, amidst their palaces and in their harems. Their -revelry could not have been exceeded by any scenes ever witnessed in -Sodom or Gomorrah. There were between five and six hundred upon the -island. They were continually coming and going. Some of them were so -rich that they remained at home cultivating quite large plantations by -slave labor. They amused themselves by hunting, and in the wide meadows -and forests found abundant game. The arrival of a ship in the harbor -was the signal for an universal carouse. They endeavored to magnify the -charms of their women by dressing them gorgeously in silks and satins, -with glittering jewelry. - -Often a pipe of wine would be placed upon the shore, the head taken -out, and the community would drink of it as they pleased, as freely -as if it were water. Drunken pirates reeled through the streets. Oaths -filled the air. Knives gleamed, and pistols were discharged, and there -were wounds and death. In the midst of all their revelry and wantonness -and brawls, it is evident from the record we have of those days, that -a more unhappy, wretched set of beings could scarcely be found this -side of the world of woe. There was not a joy to be found there. There -were no peaceful homes; no loving husbands and wives; no happy children -climbing the parental knee and enfolded in parental arms; and in death -nothing but a “fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation.” - -These wretched pirates were hateful and hating. Satiated with vice, -they knew not where to turn for a single joy. Their shouts of laughter -fell discordantly upon the ear like the revelry of demons. Satan never -allows his votaries any happiness either in this world or in that which -is to come. Wisdom’s ways only are ways of pleasantness, and her paths -alone are those of peace. - -How far Captain Kidd entered into these godless carousals is not -known. But it is not probable that he was then able to throw off all -restraint, and become hail-fellow with these vulgar, degraded, profane -wretches, whom in heart he must have despised. Neither is it probable -that one accustomed to the society in which an honored New-York -merchant would move, could so soon have formed a taste for the drunken -revelry of the lowest and vilest creatures on earth. - -It is evident that these men had occasionally reproaches of conscience, -and some faint sense of their terrible responsibility at God’s bar. -Four of them decided one day to make a little artificial hell for -themselves, that they might see who could stand its pains the longest. - -A cloudless tropical sun blistered the deck with its blazing rays. -The cabin was heated like an oven. In addition to this, they built a -fire in the stove, till the iron plates were red hot. They then with -blaspheming oaths entered this furnace, and sprinkled brimstone upon -the fire till the room was filled with its suffocating fumes. One of -these wretches, apparently as fiend-like as a man could be, bore the -pains of this little artificial hell for five minutes. None of the -others could endure them so long. The victor came out very exultant. -One would have thought that the idea would have occurred to their minds -that there was some considerable difference between five minutes and -eternity. - -We do not learn that any of these men were made better by the brief -endurance of their self-inflicted tortures. The mind is appalled by -the thought that these same men, when transferred to the spirit land, -_may_ be as persistent in their hostility to all God’s laws as they -were here. - -Captain Kidd found himself abandoned by nearly all his crew. He -remained in port only long enough to recruit sufficient men to navigate -his ship, and then, spreading the sails of his stolen vessel, the -Quedagh Merchant, he set out for the West Indies, with his ill-gotten -treasure of eighty thousand dollars. The news of Kidd’s piratic acts -had been reported to the home government by the East India Company. -Orders had accordingly been issued to all the governors of the American -colonies to arrest him wherever he should appear. - -The voyage from Madagascar to the West Indies was long and tempestuous. -Not a single sail appeared in sight. Day after day the ocean was spread -out in all its solitary grandeur before these guilty, discontented men. -At length, in a very destitute condition, the ship reached Anguilla, -or Snake Island, so called from its tortuous figure. This is the most -northerly of the Caribbee Islands, and there was a small English colony -here. - -As Kidd dropped anchor in the little harbor he was greeted by the -intelligence that he had been officially, in England, proclaimed a -pirate; that his conduct had been discussed in Parliament; that -a committee had been appointed to inquire into the character of -the company which had commissioned him, and into the nature of -the commission he had received; that a British man-of-war, the -Queensborough, had been dispatched in pursuit of him, and that a royal -proclamation had been issued, offering pardon to all who had been -guilty of piracy, eastward of the Cape of Good Hope, before the last -day of April, 1699, excepting William Kidd, and another notorious -buccaneer by the name of Avery. - -This Avery had obtained great renown, and the most extravagant -stories were reported and universally believed in reference to his -achievements. It was said that this pirate had attained almost imperial -wealth, dignity, and power; that he had become the proud founder of -a new monarchy in the East, whose sceptre he swayed in undisputed -absolutism. His exploits were celebrated in a play called, “The -Successful Pirate,” which was performed to admiring audiences in all -the theatres. - -According to these representations, Avery had captured a ship, -belonging to the Great Mogul, and laden with the richest treasures. On -board the imperial ship there was a beautiful princess, the daughter -of the Great Mogul. Avery had married her. The father, reigning over -boundless realms, had recognized the union, and had assigned to Avery -vast territories in the East, where millions were subject to his -control. He occupied one of the most magnificent of Oriental palaces, -had several children, and was surrounded with splendors of royalty -quite unknown in the Western world. He had a squadron of ships manned -by the most desperate fellows of all nations. In his own name he issued -commissions to the captains of his ships and the commanders of his -forts, and they all recognized his princely authority. - -His piracies were still continued on a scale commensurate with his -power. Many schemes were offered to the royal council of England for -fitting out a squadron to disperse his fleets and to take him captive. -Others affirmed that he was altogether too powerful to be assailed in -that way. They urged the expediency of sending an embassage to his -court, and inviting him and his companions to come to England with -all their treasures, assuring him of a hospitable reception and of -the oblivion of all the past. They feared that unless these peaceful -measures were adopted, his ever-increasing greatness would enable him -to annihilate all commerce with the East. - -These rumors were so far from having any foundation in truth, that at -the same time that such wondrous tales were told, the wretch was a -fugitive, wandering in disguise through England, trembling in view of -the scaffold, and with scarcely a shilling in his pocket. His career -was sufficiently extraordinary to merit a brief notice here. - -Avery was born in one of the western seaports of England, and from a -boy was bred to the hardships and the degradation of a rude sailor’s -life. He was educated only in profanity, intemperance, and vice. As -he grew up to stout boyhood he became a bold smuggler, even running -contraband goods on shore on the far-away coasts of Peru. The Spaniards -were poorly provided with war-ships to guard from what they deemed -illicit traffic their immense regions in the New World. - -They therefore hired at Bristol a stout English ship, called the Duke. -It was manned chiefly by English seamen. Captain Gibson was commander. -Avery was first mate. The captain was a gambler, fond of his cups, and -he often lingered many days in foreign ports, spending his time in -haunts of dissipation. - -Avery was a fellow of more cunning than courage. He despised the -captain, and formed a conspiracy with the most desperate men on board, -to get rid of the captain and any sailors who might adhere to him, run -away with the ship, and crossing over to the distant waters of the East -Indies, reap a harvest of wealth from the commerce which whitened -those seas. - -The ship was one day at anchor in a South American port. The plan had -been, that night, when the captain was on shore, to weigh anchor, -leaving the captain behind, and to set out on their cruise. But it so -happened that the captain, that night, having drank deeply, did not go -on shore as usual, but, at an early hour, went to bed. All the crew, -excepting the conspirators, were either on shore or had retired to -their berths. - -At ten o’clock at night the long-boat of the Duke came to the ship’s -side, bringing sixteen stout desperadoes, whom Avery had enlisted from -the vagabonds of all nations who thronged the port. They were received -on board; the hatches were closed; and then, everything being secure, -the anchor was leisurely weighed, and the ship put to sea. - -The motion of the ship and the noise of the running tackles awoke the -drunken captain, and he rang his bell. Avery, with two sailors, entered -the cabin. The captain was sitting up in his berth, rubbing his eyes, -and evidently much alarmed. - -“What is the matter?” he exclaimed in hurried Accents. “Something is -the matter with the ship. Does she drive? What weather is it?” - -“Nothing is the matter,” said Avery coolly; “only we are at sea, with a -fair wind and good weather.” - -“At sea!” said Gibson. “How can that be?” - -“Don’t be in a fright,” Avery replied. “Put on your clothes, and I will -tell you a little secret. _I_ am now captain of this ship. This is my -cabin, and you must walk out of it. I am bound to Madagascar, with -the design of making my own fortune and that of all the brave fellows -joined with me.” - -The captain was now completely sobered. In anticipation of immediate -death his terror was pitiable. Avery endeavored to console him with the -not very consolable words: - -“You have nothing to fear, captain, if you will join us, keep sober, -and do your duty. If you behave well, I may, perhaps, some time, make -you one of my lieutenants. Or, if you prefer, here is a boat along -side, and we will put you ashore.” - -The terror-stricken man begged to be landed. The rest of the crew -were brought up, and all who wished to go on shore with the captain -were permitted to do so. But five or six availed themselves of the -privilege. All the rest joined the piratic crew. The captain and his -few adherents were placed in the boat and turned adrift, to make their -way to the land as best they could. The carousing pirates directed -their course to Madagascar. Here they found two piratic vessels, with -whose crews they entered into close alliance. The three vessels, under -Avery as admiral, set out on a cruise. - -Upon the Arabian coast, near the mouth of the Indus, the man at the -mast-head cried out, “A sail.” They ran down upon her, and fired a -cannon-ball across her bows. But the vessel, instead of yielding at -once, hoisted the Mogul’s colors, and cleared her decks for battle. -Avery kept at a distance, cannonading her with his heavy guns, and not -approaching within reach of the shot of his foe. He thus lost greatly -reputation with his men, who regarded him as a coward. The crews of the -two accompanying sloops, with their decks swarming with pirates, ran -one upon the bow and the other upon the quarter, and clambering over -the bulwarks of the heavily laden merchantman, took her by storm. - -It is true, as the story had it, that the vessel belonged to the -emperor, or Great Mogul, himself. His daughter was on board, as well as -several of the most distinguished personages of his court. They were -bound on a pilgrimage to Mecca, with the richest treasures to present -at the shrine of Mohammed. They had costly silks, precious jewels, -vessels of gold and silver, and large sums of money. The booty obtained -from this prize was immense. - -Having plundered the ship of everything they wanted, the pirates let -her go. The Mogul, when he heard the tidings, was greatly enraged. He -threatened to send an army, with fire and sword, utterly to exterminate -the English in all their East-Indian colonies. The East India Company, -in England, was greatly alarmed. They immediately dispatched an -embassage to the Great Mogul to pacify him. They promised, in the name -of the British Government, to pursue the pirates with the utmost vigor, -and, if captured, to deliver them over into his hands. - -In the mean time the successful buccaneers were making their way back -to their rendezvous at Madagascar. There they intended to store their -booty, erect a fortification for its defence, garrison it with men of -desperate valor, and then to set out again on another cruise. As they -were sailing along, with this design, each of the vessels having a -portion of the plunder, the villanous Avery sent for the chief officers -of each of the vessels to come on board the Duke. He then said to them: - -“We have immense treasure, sufficient to enrich us all for life, if -we can only get it to some secure place on shore. But we are in great -danger of being separated by bad weather. In that case, should either -of the sloops meet any ship of force, it would be captured. But the -Duke, in build and armament, is superior to any ship to be encountered -in these waters. My ship is so well manned that she can defy any foe; -and moreover, she is such a swift sailer, that she can easily escape -any other ship, if she does not wish to fight. - -“I therefore propose, for our mutual safety, that we put all the -treasure on board the Duke. We can seal up each chest with three seals, -of which each vessel shall keep one. The chests shall not be opened -until we open them together at the rendezvous.” - -This proposal seemed so reasonable that they all agreed to it. All the -treasure was transferred to the Duke. Avery then said to the villains -who surrounded him: - -“We have now the whole treasure at our own control. Let us, at night, -give the rest a slip, and sail for unknown parts in North America. We -can go ashore, divide our wealth, and with ample riches settle wherever -we please.” - -We have heard that there is honor among thieves. Among these thieves -there was none. Not a dissentient voice was heard. All agreed to -the plan. In the darkness of the ensuing night the ship changed her -course, and in the morning the crews of the two sloops searched the -horizon in vain for any sight of her. They knew by the fairness of the -weather, and the course they were pursuing, that the flight had been -intentional. The reader must be left to surmise the scenes of confusion -and profanity which must have been witnessed on board these piratic -crafts. - -The first land the Duke made in America was the Island of Providence. -Here Avery sold the ship, pretending that it had been fitted out as a -privateer, but having been unsuccessful, the owners had ordered her -to be disposed of, as soon as any purchasers could be found. With a -portion of the proceeds a small sloop was bought, and the buccaneers -sailed for Boston, New England. Avery, thief as he was, had concealed -the greater part of the diamonds, of whose great value the crew were -ignorant. - -At Boston they landed. Many of the men received their shares, and -scattered throughout New England. Avery was afraid to offer his -diamonds for sale there, where diamonds were so unusual a commodity, -lest suspicion should be excited. He persuaded a few of his companions -to accompany him to Ireland. They landed at one of the northern ports -and there separated. Avery went to Dublin. He was still afraid to offer -his diamonds for sale, lest inquiry should lead to the discovery of his -manner of acquiring them. He thus found himself in poverty with all -his wealth. - -After remaining some time in Ireland under a feigned name, and ever -trembling at his shadow he crossed over to Bristol. Here he fell in -with some sharpers, who, getting a hint of the treasures he had to -dispose of, took him under their especial care. They wormed most of -his secrets out of him, and then recommended that he should dispose -of his jewels to an established firm of wealth and credit, who, being -accustomed to great transactions, would make no inquiries as to the way -he obtained his treasure. - -Avery, not knowing what to do, assented to this proposal. The sharpers -brought some men whom they introduced to Avery as gentlemen of the -highest standing in the jewelry business. Avery exhibited to them his -diamonds and pearls, and many vessels of massive gold. They took them -to sell on commission. This was the last he saw of his stolen wealth. -To his remonstrances he received only the reply: - -“If you speak a word out loud, we will have you hung for piracy.” - -Utterly beggared, and terrified by these menaces, he again, in -disguise, and under a feigned name, crossed over to Ireland. Here -his destitution and distress became so great, for he was absolutely -constrained to beg for his bread, that he resolved to go back to -Bristol, and demand payment for his treasure at whatever hazard. He -worked his passage in a small coasting vessel to Plymouth, and walked -to Biddeford. Here, overcome with fatigue and suffering, both mental -and bodily, he was seized with a fever, died, and, not one penny being -found in his pockets, was buried at the expense of the parish as a -vagabond pauper. - -Such was the end of the pirate Avery, of whom such extravagant stories -had been told. It was while he was in this extreme of poverty in -England, and when it was supposed that he was rioting in successful -piracy in the East, that the Government coupled his name with that of -Captain Kidd, denouncing them as outlaws, and declaring that their sins -were too great to be forgiven, and that if arrested, the gallows was -their inevitable doom. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -_Arrest, Trial, and Condemnation of Kidd._ - - Appalling Tidings.--Trip to Curacoa.--Disposal of the Quedagh - Merchant.--Purchase of the Antonio.--Trembling Approach toward - New York.--Measures for the Arrest of Kidd.--He enters Delaware - Bay.--Touches at Oyster Bay and Block Island.--Communications - with the Government.--Sails for Boston.--His Arrest.--Long - Delays.--Public Rumors.--His Trial and Condemnation. - - -Captain Kidd was greatly disturbed in learning at Anguilla that he had -been denounced as a pirate, proscribed as an outlaw, and that he with -the notorious Avery was expressly excluded from the pardon offered -by the king to other buccaneers. He had thus far flattered himself -with the hope that he could make it appear that all the prizes he had -captured belonged to the French, and were legitimately taken under his -commission as a privateersman. He also had placed much confidence in -the support of the distinguished men composing the company by which he -had been commissioned. The large wealth which he had expected to bring -back to them, he thought, would unite their powerful influence in his -support. - -But instead of this, it now appeared that the company was disposed to -make him their “scapegoat.” They had been so severely condemned, as if -responsible for the conduct of their agent, that in self-defence they -became the loudest of his assailants, denouncing him in the severest -terms, and clamoring most loudly that all seas should be explored to -catch and hang the miscreant. It was these political complications, -united with the renown of the company of king and nobles, which gave -the name of Captain Kidd prominence far above anything which his -achievements would warrant. It was known that he had been scouring the -East-Indian seas with one of the most powerful of English ships, and -it was surmised that he had accumulated wealth sufficient to found an -empire. What became of this boundless wealth? This was the question -which agitated England and America, and which set the money-diggers at -work in so many different places. - -Captain Kidd and his crew, at Anguilla, were greatly alarmed. They kept -a careful watch of the horizon from the mast-head, fearing every hour -that they should see the flag of an English man-of-war approaching to -convey them to trial and the scaffold. About a thousand miles south of -Anguilla, there was, on the coast of Venezuela, the little island of -Curacoa. It was but about forty miles long, and fourteen broad, and, -belonging to the Dutch, was quite outside of the usual course of the -British ships. - -To this place Kidd repaired to lay in supplies, of which he was greatly -in need. Though he had heard of his proscription, he was not fully -aware of the strength of hostility which was arrayed against him. He -still clung to the hope that no evidence could be brought to prove that -he had acted in any other capacity than that of a privateersman. - -But the very ship in which he sailed was evidence against him. The -Quedagh Merchant, the property of the Great Mogul, was undeniably an -East-Indian ship belonging to a friendly power, whom Kidd was expressly -prohibited from assailing. He could not safely approach any English -port in this ship. He accordingly purchased at Curacoa the small -sloop Antonio, from Philadelphia. In this he placed his most portable -treasures of doubloons, gold-dust, jewels, and vessels of silver and of -gold, and with a crew of forty men set sail for New York. He kept the -Quedagh Merchant in company with him as far as the southern coast of -San Domingo. There he left the bulky ship, with a crew of twenty-two -pirates, under command of a man by the name of Bolton. The ship had a -very valuable cargo of one hundred and fifty bales of the finest silks, -eighty tons of sugar, ten tons of junk iron, fifteen large anchors, -and forty tons of saltpetre. The ship was also well provided with -ammunition, had thirty guns mounted, and twenty more in the hold. - -This was the division of the piratic plunder. The share which fell to -Bolton and twenty-two of the men was the ship and this portion of the -cargo. These wretches are heard of no more. It is to be hoped that -the next storm which rose engulfed them all. It is more probable that -for months they continued to range the seas, perpetrating crimes over -which demons should blush, until, in drunken brawls and bloody fights, -they one by one sank into the grave, and passed to the judgment-seat -of Christ. Unreliable rumor says that Bolton transferred his cargo and -crew to a more swiftly sailing ship, and then applied the torch to -the Quedagh Merchant. Many other rumors were in circulation, but none -worthy of credence. - -Earl Bellomont was then in authority at New York. Kidd was hoping -for his protection. But the earl felt that very active measures were -requisite to exculpate himself, the king, and the ministry from all -responsibility for the robberies of Kidd. He therefore, so soon as he -heard of Kidd’s arrival upon the coast, ordered out an armed sloop in -pursuit of him. - -It is evident that Kidd was then one of the most wretched of men. His -reputation was ruined; his prospects in life were all blighted; his -companions were bloodthirsty pirates, whom he could not but despise, -and he was in imminent danger of an ignominious death upon the scaffold. - -Tremblingly he approached New York. As his vessel needed some repairs, -he ran into Delaware Bay, and tarried for a short time at Lewiston. -This was early in June, 1699. It was from this place that Bellomont -heard of his arrival. Here one of the pirates, a man by the name of -Gillam, left, being in possession of a heavy chest, laden with the -fruits of his robberies. - -Kidd soon departed from the harbor, and thus escaped the sloop sent -in pursuit of him. Instead of sailing directly to New York, in his -perplexity he followed along the southern coast of Long Island, until -he reached its eastern extremity, and then, turning into the Sound, -crept cautiously along to Oyster Bay. From this place he wrote a letter -to Bellomont, and also another very loving letter to his wife and -children. In his letter to the earl he wrote: - -“The reason why I have not gone directly to New York, is that the -clamorous and false stories that have been repeated of me, have made me -fearful of visiting or coming into any harbor, till I could hear from -your lordship.” - -In response to these letters, a lawyer by the name of Emot came from -New York, and visited Kidd on board the Antonio. He brought the captain -tidings respecting his family, and also the important intelligence that -the Earl of Bellomont was then absent in Boston. Kidd employed Emot to -repair immediately to Boston, to secure from the earl the promise of -safety if Kidd should visit him there. - -“Inform the earl,” said Kidd, “that unquestionable piracies have been -committed by men nominally under my command. But this has never been by -my connivance or consent. When these deeds have been performed, the men -have been in a state of mutiny, utterly beyond my control. Disregarding -my imperative commands, they locked me up in the cabin, and committed -crimes over which I had no control, and for which I am in no sense -responsible.” - -To this the earl replied, “Say to Captain Kidd that I give him the -promise of my protection if his statement can be proved to be true.” - -Kidd was still in a state of pitiable agitation. It might not be -easy to prove his declarations. There was no evidence which he could -possibly bring forward but that of the pirates themselves. And it was -not at all probable that they would be willing greatly to exaggerate -their own guilt by exonerating him. He, however, ventured as far as -Block Island. From that place he wrote to Bellomont again, protesting -his innocence, and dwelling much upon the devotion with which he had -consecrated himself to the interests of the owners of the Adventure. He -also sent to Lady Bellomont a present of jewels, to the value of three -hundred dollars. The earl’s lady, for a time, retained these presents -from the proscribed pirate and outlaw. When subsequently reproached -with this, they were surrendered to the general inventory of Kidd’s -effects. The earl apologized for retaining them by saying that he -feared, if they were rejected, the giver would be so offended that the -earl would not be able to get the developments he wished to obtain. - -While at Block Island, Mrs. Kidd and the children joined Captain Kidd, -under the care of Mr. Clark. They were all received on board the -Antonio, and Kidd, with a pale cheek and a trembling heart, set sail -for Boston. As Mr. Clark wished to return to New York, Kidd turned -from his course and landed him at Gardiner’s Island. Captain Kidd did -not venture ashore at this place. But, for some unexplained reason, he -deposited with Mr. Gardiner, the proprietor of the island, for safe -keeping, a very considerable portion of his treasures. He then sailed -for Boston, and entered the harbor on the first of July, 1699. - -For nearly a week he remained in his vessel or traversed the streets -unmolested. On the sixth of July, an officer approached him, placed his -hand upon Kidd’s shoulder, and said, “You are my prisoner.” The pirate -endeavored to draw his sword. It might have been an instinctive motion. -It might have been that he deliberately preferred to be cut down upon -the spot rather than undergo a trial. Others interposed. He was seized -and disarmed, while his sword remained in its scabbard. - -It is evident that there were very many chances that the trial might -terminate in Kidd’s favor. It is a maxim of law that every man is to be -considered innocent until _proved_ to be guilty. Kidd’s piracies were -perpetrated on the other side of the globe. None of his victims could -possibly appear against him. There were none to be brought upon the -witness’s stand but his own sailors, who would be slow to admit that -they had been engaged in a piratic cruise, which would condemn them -to the gallows. It would seem, therefore, that there were insuperable -difficulties in the way of his condemnation. - -Mrs. Kidd, in coming from New York to Block Island with her children -to join her husband, had brought with her a servant-girl, about three -hundred dollars in money, and several valuable pieces of plate. These -were all seized, together with all the effects on board the Antonio, -and the treasure deposited at Gardiner’s Island, which was brought to -Boston by a vessel sent to the island for that purpose. - -The whole amount proved much less than had been expected. There were -eleven hundred and eleven ounces of gold, two thousand three hundred -and fifty-three ounces of silver, fifty-seven bags of sugar, forty-one -bales of goods, and seventeen pieces of canvas. Mrs. Kidd petitioned -the governor and council to have her property restored to her, which -was done. - -The small amount of property found led to the suspicion, that as Kidd -slowly passed over the waters of Long Island Sound, he must have -buried, at Thimble Island and other places along the coast, a large -amount of gold and jewels. And it is indeed difficult to account for -what became of the vast treasures of that kind which it is supposed he -found in the Quedagh Merchant. These rumors were intensified by the -statement that while Kidd was at Block Island, three sloops came from -New York and departed with a portion of his treasure. Kidd admitted -this, but said that the goods belonged to his men and were shipped by -them. - -Immediately upon Kidd’s arrival the earl sent for him, and held quite -a long interview, though he was careful to do so in the presence of -witnesses. A narrative was very carefully drawn up of his alleged -proceedings. Mrs Kidd took up her residence in a boarding-house kept -by Mr. Duncan Campbell. The earl kept a close watch upon Kidd, fully -intending, as he said, eventually to arrest him. But he thought it -expedient to dally with him for a while, in order to discover the -extent of his adventures, and the disposition he had made of the -property acquired. Kidd sent to the boarding-house some gold-dust and -ingots, which he said were intended as a present for the earl’s lady. -They were valued at about four thousand dollars. When searching the -house they were found between two feather beds. - -As Kidd did not seem disposed to unbosom himself very freely, and as -the earl feared that some stormy night he might escape, he decided -to hold him secure in prison. This led to his arrest, which we have -already alluded to, on the sixth day after his arrival. The arrest took -place in the streets of Boston, near the door of the earl’s residence. -At the same time some commissioners took possession of his sloop. -They seized and examined all his papers, and placed a guard over the -property. Quite a number of his men were also arrested, twelve in all, -under charge of piracy and robbery on the high seas. It is supposed -that the others escaped. - -On the seventeenth of July, Captain Nicholas Evertse arrived in Boston, -with the statement to which we have referred, that Bolton, who was left -in charge of the Quedagh Merchant, had transferred her cargo to another -vessel, conveyed the goods to Curacoa, and set the Merchant on fire. He -testified that he saw the flames of the burning ship as he was skirting -the coast of San Domingo. - -Kidd and his confederate pirates were held in close custody in Boston -for several months. In the mean time intelligence of their capture was -sent to London. The home government dispatched a ship of war to take -them to England for trial. The excitement throughout Great Britain and -in this country was intense, in consequence of the rumor which had so -extensively prevailed of Kidd’s partnership with the king and several -of the ministry. Many months had already elapsed since his arrest, -and yet he had not been brought to trial. The ship sent to transport -him to London encountered a severe storm and put back. This caused an -additional delay, and increased the excitement. It was said that the -ministry, out of regard to their own reputation, were determined not to -bring him to justice. Thus, throughout all England, he ceased to be -regarded as an ordinary pirate, and was raised to the dignity of one -entitled to a state trial. - -Immediately upon Kidd’s arrival, the House of Commons addressed a -petition to the king, praying to have his trial postponed until the -next Parliament. The question of his guilt or innocence had become so -involved in political issues, that there was a strong party ready to -make the greatest exertions to secure his condemnation. They urged the -postponement on the ground that this length of time was requisite to -obtain, from the Indies, documents and affidavits in reference to his -transactions. Kidd and his companions were consequently confined in -Newgate prison for a whole year. - -At that very time the House of Commons had impeached the Earl of -Oxford and Lord Somers, for their connection with Kidd, and for the -extraordinary commission which they had been instrumental in placing in -his hands. It was said that commission and grants had been conferred -upon him, which were highly prejudicial to the interests of trade and -dishonorable to the king. In accordance with this commission, Kidd -could capture any ship, and, without referring the question to any -court of inquiry, could, of his own pleasure, declare the ship to be -a pirate. He could then confiscate ship and cargo to his own use, and -dispose of the crew in any way which to him might seem best. This was -the course which, under the commission, he did pursue. - -These were certainly very extraordinary powers. It was contended that -they were contrary to the law of England and to the Bill of Rights. -To these arguments it was replied, by the friends of the impeached -nobles, that pirates were the enemies of the human race; that as such -any person had a right to destroy them, and seize the property they -had so iniquitously acquired, and to which they had no legitimate -title. It was also declared, though perhaps the royal commission -would hardly sustain the statement, that Kidd was authorized to seize -only that property for which no other owner could be found. Certainly -there was no provision made for searching out such ownership. It was, -however, urged, and very truthfully, that the commission contained the -all-important clause: - -“We do also require you to bring, or cause to be brought, such pirates, -freebooters, or sea-rovers, as you shall seize, to legal trial, to the -end they may be proceeded against according to the law in such cases.” - -The fact that Kidd entirely ignored these instructions, constituting -himself the court to try and condemn, could not justly be brought as a -charge against the ministers who commissioned him. - -Upon these questions popular feeling ran high. Parties took sides. -Agitating rumors filled the air. It was confidently affirmed that the -lords then on trial, with the connivance of the ministry, that they -might escape the investigation which the trial of Kidd would involve, -had set the Great Seal of England to the pardon of the pirate. This -roused the anti-ministerial party to the highest state of exasperation. -They resolved at all events to hang Kidd, hoping thus to prove that -the ministers were alike guilty with him. And on the other hand, the -ministers themselves had come to the conclusion that any attempt to -shield Kidd would redound to their own ruin. It had become essential -to their own reputation that they should manifest more zeal than any -others to bring Kidd to the scaffold. - -Thus the wretched pirate had no chance of a fair trial. Undoubtedly he -was guilty. But it is very doubtful whether he were proved to be guilty -when called before the court. The bill of impeachment against the lords -was not carried. Though their participation with Kidd in the profits -of an expedition which was authorized only by their own official acts -was deemed very censurable, when the vote was taken there were but -twenty-three in favor of the impeachment, while there were fifty-six -opposed to the bill. - -The Earl of Bellomont, harassed by the procedure in the House of -Commons, and knowing that measures were about to be instituted against -him for his recall from the provincial government, and perhaps for his -still more severe punishment, was taken sick and died in New York, -in March, 1700. Thus he escaped from the further troubles of this -ever-troubled world. - -At the close of the year 1700, the papers which had been sent for -arrived from the East Indies. A petition came from several of the -East-Indian merchants, subjects of the King of Persia, giving a minute -recital of the capture of the Quedagh Merchant, and praying that the -property of which they had thus been robbed, and much of which had been -conveyed to the North American colonies, might be restored to them. -A very distinguished East Indian, by the name of Cogi Baba, came to -London in behalf of the petitioners. He was summoned to appear before -the House of Commons. At the same time Kidd himself was brought from -his prison before the bar. - -After an examination, a motion was made to the House to declare the -grant made to the Earl of Bellomont and others of the company, of all -the treasure taken by Kidd, to be null and void. But this motion was -negatived. A vote was then taken requesting the king to institute -immediate proceedings against Captain Kidd for piracy and murder. He -was accordingly brought to trial, under this indictment, at the Old -Bailey, in the year 1701. - -Several of Kidd’s confederates were tried with him. Some of them -pleaded the king’s pardon, saying that they had surrendered themselves -within the time limited in the royal proclamation. The governor of New -Jersey, Colonel Bass, then in court, testified to the truth of this -assertion, the surrender having been made to him. - -To this it was replied, “There were four commissioners named in -the proclamation, Thomas Warren, Israel Hayes, Peter Delanoye, and -Christopher Pollard. These commissioners were sent to America to -receive the submission of such pirates as should surrender. No other -persons were entitled, to receive their surrender. They therefore have -not complied with the conditions of the proclamation.” - -They were condemned and hanged. One of the crew, Darby Mullens, made -the following strong defence: - -“I served under the king’s commission. I could not therefore disobey -my commander, without exposing myself to the most severe punishment. -Whenever a ship goes out upon any expedition, under the king’s -commission, the men are never allowed to call their officers to -account. Implicit obedience is required of them. Any other course would -destroy all discipline. If anything unlawful is done, the officers -are to answer for it, for the men, in obeying orders, only do what is -imperiously their duty.” - -The court replied, “When a man is acting under a commission, he is -justified only in doing that which is lawful, not in that which is -unlawful.” - -The prisoner responded, “I stand in need of nothing to justify me in -what is lawful. But the case of a seaman is very hard, if he is exposed -to being scourged or shot if he refuse to obey his commander, and of -being hung if he obey him. If the seaman were allowed to dispute the -orders of his captain, there could be no such thing as command kept up -at sea.” - -The court replied, “The crew, of which you were one, took a share of -the plunder; they mutinied several times; they undertook to control -the captain; they paid no regard to the commission; they acted in all -things according to the customs of pirates. You are guilty, and must be -hanged.” He was hanged. - -Kidd was tried for piracy, and for the murder of William Moore. He -was not allowed counsel, but was left to make his own defence. On the -whole, he appeared remarkably well while passing through this dreadful -ordeal. In opening his defence, he said: - -“I was a merchant in New York, in good repute and in good -circumstances, when I was solicited to engage, under the royal -commission, in the laudable employment of suppressing piracy. I had no -need of embarking myself in piratic adventures. The men were generally -desperate characters, and they rose in mutiny against me. I lost all -control over them. They did as they pleased. They threatened to shoot -me in my cabin. Ninety-five deserted at one time, and destroyed my -boat. I was thus disabled from bringing the ship home. Consequently -I could not bring the prizes before any court to have them regularly -condemned. They were all taken by virtue of the commission, under the -Broad Seal, and they had French papers.” - -When the jury was impanelled, and he was invited to find cause, if he -wished to do so, for the exclusion of any of them, he replied: - -“I shall challenge none. I know nothing to the contrary but that they -are all honest men.” - -Kidd was greatly agitated during the trial, and frequently interrupted -the court with his exclamations and explanations. He was first tried -for the murder of William Moore. This indictment gave a very particular -account of the event, stating that the gunner died of a mortal bruise -received at the hands of the captain; that from the thirtieth day of -October to the one-and-thirtieth day, he did languish and languishing -did live, but that on the one-and-thirtieth day he did die; and that -William Kidd, feloniously, voluntarily, and of malice aforethought, did -kill and murder him. - -To this Kidd replied, and probably with entire truth, as we have before -said, that he had no intention of killing the man; that he struck him -down to quell a mutiny, and to prevent the crew from engaging in an -atrocious act of piracy; that his conscience never had condemned him -for the deed, and that he then felt that for it he merited approbation -rather than censure. - -He told a very plain, simple story, which, if true, and its truth could -not be disproved, would exonerate him in this affair from blame. The -intelligent reader of this narrative will perceive that there were many -corroborative circumstances to substantiate the accuracy of his account. - -“I will inform the court,” he said, “of the facts precisely as they -occurred in this case. We were within about three miles of the Dutch -ship, when I perceived that many of my men were in a state of mutiny, -clamoring for her capture. Moore, addressing the mutineers, said that -he could propose a plan by which the ship could be captured, and yet -all who were engaged in the enterprise might be perfectly safe. - -“‘And how is that to be done,’ I inquired? - -“He replied, ‘We will hail the ship, and have the captain and officers -invited on board to visit our officers. While they are in the cabin -with our captain, we will man the boats and plunder the ship. The -captain will shut his eyes and close his ears, and then he and the -officers can testify that the ship was not captured.’ - -“To this I said, ‘This would be Judas-like treachery, to rob the ship -under the guise of friendship. I dare not do such a thing.’ - -“‘We must do it,’ Moore replied. ‘We are already beggars. We have no -other resource. You have brought us to utter ruin.’ - -“‘Shall we be guilty of the crime,’ I said, ‘of capturing this ship -because we are poor?’ - -“Upon this Moore and the mutineers were so violent that I seized a -slush-bucket, which chanced to be at hand. With it I struck him in my -passion, not intending to kill him. If I had premeditated his death, I -should not have made use of so rude and chance-directed a weapon. I am -heartily sorry that I killed him. And if the deed cannot be justified -as a preventive of mutiny, it certainly should not be adjudged -anything more than manslaughter.” - -There was much force in these arguments. It is at least doubtful -whether an intelligent jury of the present day would under such -testimony have brought in a verdict of guilty of murder in the first -degree. One who has carefully examined all the proceedings of the court -on this occasion, writes: - -“Yet, it being determined to hang him at all odds, the lawyers -were given hints, the witnesses were browbeaten, and the jury were -instructed, after tedious iteration, to bring him in guilty.” - -This was done. He was pronounced to be the murderer of John Moore, and -was, for that crime, doomed to die. - -The next day he was tried on the indictment for piracy. Two of his -crew, who, by their confession, were sharers in his piratic adventures, -turned state’s evidence. One of these was a deck hand, by the name -of Palmer. The other was a surgeon, Bradingham by name. Kidd closely -cross-examined them, but their stories perfectly agreed, being -straightforward and consistent. - -Kidd’s only defence was that he had acted only as a privateersman, -under his Majesty’s commission. He declared that he had never captured -a ship which he had not evidence was a French ship, belonging to -French owners, and sailing under French papers. It scarcely admits of -a doubt that this statement was utterly false. Kidd assumed of both of -the witnesses against him that they were miserable vagabonds, whose -testimony was unworthy of the slightest credence. In reference to the -testimony of Bradingham, he exclaimed: - -“This man contradicts himself in a hundred places. He tells a thousand -lies. He knows no more of these things than you do. This fellow used to -sleep five or six months together in the hold.” - -At another time, when the testimony was going strongly against him, he -cried out bitterly: - -“It is hard that the life of one of the king’s subjects should be taken -away upon the perjured oaths of such villains as these. Because I would -not yield to their wishes, and turn pirate, they now endeavor to prove -that I was one.” - -When the solicitor general asked if Kidd had any further questions to -put to the witnesses, he despairingly replied: - -“No! no. Bradingham is saving his life by taking away mine. I will not -trouble the court any more, for it is a folly. So long as these men -swear as they do, no oaths of mine will be of any avail.” - -The verdict of _guilty_ was rendered. The judge pronounced the awful -doom: - -“William Kidd, the sentence that the law hath appointed to pass upon -you for your offences, and which this court doth therefore award, is, -that you, the said William Kidd, shall go from hence to the place from -whence you came, and from thence to the place of execution, where you -shall be hanged by the neck until you are dead. And may the God of -infinite mercy be merciful to your soul.” - -Kidd replied, “My lord, it is a very hard sentence. For my part, I am -the most innocent person of them all. I have been sworn against by -perjured persons.” - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -_Kidd, and Stede Bonnet._ - - The Guilt of Kidd.--Rumors of Buried Treasure.--Mesmeric - Revelation.--Adventures of Bradish.--Strange Character of Major - Bonnet.--His Piracies.--Encounters.--Indications of Insanity.--No - Temptation to Turn Pirate.--Blackbeard.--Bonnet Deposed. - - -Mr. Charles Elliot, in his History of New England, writes: “It seems -to have been felt necessary by those who were charged, in England, -with complicity with Captain Kidd, that a vigorous prosecution should -be urged, and that an example should be made of him, to satisfy a -clamorous public opinion. He was brought to trial, and was convicted -and sentenced for the murder of William Moore, one of his own sailors, -whom he had struck in an altercation. - -“This appears to have been the only blood laid against him; and the -charge of piracy could hardly have been proved. As was the custom of -that day, Kidd was not allowed counsel. He plead his commissions for -what he had done, but was roughly treated by the court; and Livingston, -who was one of his partners and sureties, had got possession of his -papers, and refused to give them up to him. - -“Kidd probably had no idea of being charged with piracy, nor did he -consider himself a pirate; and if there had been no charge made against -his partners, he would not have died on the gallows. He was hanged at -Execution Dock, May 12, 1701; and all England was agog with the doings -of the pirate Kidd. It was a mere accident that Kidd was hanged as a -pirate instead of being feasted as a victor.” - -These scenes occurred one hundred and seventy-five years ago. And -yet, for some inexplicable reason, while hundreds of other events of -vastly greater moment have passed into oblivion, the name of Captain -Kidd, from that hour to this, has been almost a household word in both -England and America. - -Many believed that the Quedagh Merchant, instead of being burned at -sea, was brought into the Hudson River at night, and sunk near the -Highlands, with most of her treasure on board. Several circumstances -seemed to corroborate this assertion. At the base of the Dunderberg, -there could be seen sunk, deep in the bed of the river, and almost -buried in its sands, the wreck of some large ship. A pamphlet was -published, entitled: - -“An Account of Some of the Traditions and Experiments Respecting -Captain Kidd’s Piratical Vessel.” - -The traditions here referred to asserted that Kidd’s vessel, the -Quedagh Merchant, laden with the treasures of the East, was chased -up the North River by an English man-of-war. Kidd, finding escape -impossible, collected as much money as he could carry, and set fire to -the ship, having left by far the larger part of the gold and silver on -board. With a portion of the crew he ascended the river much farther, -in boats, and then crossed the country, through the wilderness, to -Boston. - -These traditions are embellished with many romantic stories. It is said -that as he and his piratic comrades were journeying along, they came to -a log house in the woods. The man of the household was absent at his -work. The woman, thinking that they were savages, in terror fled at -their approach. In her fright she left one of her children behind. The -bloodthirsty pirate, Kidd, in pure wantoness thrust his sword through -the child. - -An old Indian, who had wandered far away to Michigan, declared that he -was on the river-bank when the pirates set fire to the ship and took -to their boats. Very graphically he described the midnight scene as, -buried in the glooms of the forest, he witnessed it in the brilliant -illumination of the blazing vessel. He was induced to come all the way -from Michigan to the Hudson to point out the spot of the sunken vessel. -And deep in the water the charred timbers were to be seen. Another -pamphlet was published, entitled: - -“A Wonderful Mesmeric Revelation, giving an Account of the Discovery -and Description of a Sunken Vessel, near Caldwell’s Landing, supposed -to be that of the Pirate Kidd; including an Account of his Character -and Death, at a distance of nearly three hundred miles from the place.” - -This strange mesmeric revelation came from a Mrs. Chester, the wife -of Charles Chester, of Lynn, Massachusetts. She declared that she had -never heard anything about the sunken vessel; that never had she been -upon the Hudson River; that she had never read or heard of the career -of Kidd; and that she had never even been spoken to upon the subject, -until, when placed in the magnetic state, the extraordinary revelation -had been made to her. - -While in this mesmeric condition, she saw, with clearest vision, the -sunken vessel. Her eyes, with supernatural powers, pierced water, -timbers, sand, and chests. There she saw bars of massive gold, heaps -of silver coin, and precious jewels including many large and brilliant -diamonds. The jewels had been enclosed in shot-bags of stout canvas. -The bags had decayed, and the jewels were clustered in brilliant -heaps. She also saw “gold watches, like ducks’ eggs in a pond of -water,” and the wonderfully preserved remains of a very beautiful -woman, with a necklace of large and lustrous diamonds around her neck. - -A man was seen just leaving the spot, who was preternaturally revealed -to Mrs. Chester as Captain Kidd. He was a large, stout man, not very -tall, with broad chest and shoulders, thick neck, aquiline nose, -piercing eyes, and a head indicative of great power and all destructive -qualities. - -A very able writer in the Merchant’s Magazine, of 1846, writes -sarcastically of this mesmeric announcement: - -“This most singular revelation, as it is corroborated by the -traditions, presents us with another triumph of animal magnetism, and -must serve not only to advance that science, but to demonstrate how -much safer it is to rely upon tradition, than upon record evidence -made in courts of justice held contemporaneously with the events, or -official documents preserved in the public archives. - -“In the present case, mesmerism has taken a progressive step; for it -has not only disclosed what _is now_ to be found in the waters of -_Cocks-rack_, but also who _was there_ one hundred and forty-five -years ago. In this new application of the science we may hope not only -to see the earth disembowelled, but the very forms and features of the -ancient time brought up to our present view. - -“What is more remarkable, if the traditions existed, as is pretended, -is, that no individual or company should have undertaken, when the -witnesses were living, to raise the vessel, especially as so many -persons were found, near the time of the transactions of Kidd, -credulous enough to ruin themselves in vain explorations after his -money. But that perhaps was not an age of enterprise like the present, -nor of humbug.” - -There is usually some ground for a tradition. Its basis is generally -truth. - -As we have mentioned, in the days of Captain Kidd the seas were -swarming with pirates. It would require volumes to relate their -adventures. Many of these lawless men performed deeds far more -extraordinary and infamous than any perpetrated by Kidd. There was, -however, at that time, a pirate by the name of Bradish, whose actions, -in the popular mind, were blended with those of Kidd. - -He was boatswain of a ship, of the same name with that in which Kidd -sailed from New York, the Adventure. The ship was bound to Borneo, -the largest island in the world, if Australia is recognized as a -continent, and sailed from England in March, 1697. On the voyage -the vessel stopped at the Island of Polonais for water. Bradish, a -desperate man, had formed a conspiracy with several of the sailors -to watch their opportunity, seize the ship, and set out on a piratic -cruise. - -At Polonais, the captain and several of his officers went on shore in -one of the boats. Bradish assumed the command, silently raised the -anchor, spread the sail, and ran out to sea. The wide world was before -them to go where they pleased. The commerce of the seas spread its -wealth for their plunder. There was the sum of about forty thousand -dollars in gold on board. This money Bradish divided equally with his -piratic crew. He then cleared his decks for action, placed a lookout -at the mast-head, and commenced his cruise in search of additional -treasure. - -They directed their course toward the American coast. What vessels they -captured on the way is not known. Upon reaching Long Island, Bradish -went ashore and deposited with some confederate there a large amount of -money and jewels. If pursued by a man-of-war, he could easily run his -vessel ashore, and the crew could disperse through the woods. Much of -his treasure would still be safe. - -He ran along to Block Island. Here they purchased two small vessels, -and, dividing into two parties, separated, each party taking its -share of the remaining treasure. It is said that there was enough to -load both of the small vessels. Many of the men landed on the Rhode -Island and Connecticut shore. They behaved very civilly; called at -the farm-houses, and bought horses and food, for which they paid -abundantly. The rumor of the landing and dispersion of the pirates -spread. A proclamation was issued for their arrest. The captain and -about eighteen of the men were apprehended, sent to England, tried, and -executed. What became of the large ship, the Adventure, is not known. - -By many it was supposed that she ran into the North River, and was -scuttled and abandoned when near the Highlands. - -We now bid adieu to Captain Kidd, leaving it with our readers to form -their own opinion, from the facts here given, of the degree of praise -or blame to be attached to his character. - -About the same time when William Kidd was passing through his strange -adventures, there was another buccaneer appearing upon the stage, -whose character and career were still more astonishing. There was a -gentleman in Barbadoes, of wealth, position, and education, by the -name of Stede Bonnet. He had a large fortune, and was highly esteemed -for his intellectual culture and his honorable character. He seemed -to be exposed to no temptation whatever to enter upon the guilty and -perilous life of a pirate. His melancholy fate excited pity rather -than condemnation, as it was generally believed that he was the victim -of some strange mental hallucination, which, in some degree at least, -exonerated him from moral responsibility. - -Some domestic griefs rendered him unhappy in his home. He fitted out, -entirely at his own expense, a sloop armed with ten guns, and manned -by seventy sailors, desperate men, ready for any deeds of violence and -crime. The sloop he named the Revenge. It was his avowed intention to -prey upon the Spanish commerce, which none of the English courts would -then punish as piracy. - -But he immediately entered upon the career of a pirate, capturing and -plundering every vessel he came across, without any regard to the flag -under which she sailed. His first cruise was off the Capes of Virginia. -The first vessel he encountered was the Anne, from Glasgow. A few -cannon-balls thrown across her bows brought her to. His boats, filled -with demoniac men armed to the teeth, boarded the ill-fated prize, -and plundered her of everything the pirates desired, money, clothes, -provisions, and ammunition. The ship was then allowed to go on her way. - -A day or two passed, and another sail was discerned in the distant -horizon. She was soon overtaken by the swift-sailing sloop, which -spread a wonderful cloud of canvas. It proved to be the Turbet, from -his own island, Barbadoes. Instead of treating her kindly on that -account, he plundered her mercilessly, put the crew in boats, to find -their way to the shore as they best could, and set the vessel on fire. - -Scarcely had the smoke and flame of the burning vessel vanished from -their view, when another sail was descried. She proved to be the -Endeavor, from Bristol. She was robbed of everything valuable. Another -vessel soon underwent the same fate. It was the Young, from Leith. - -Stede Bonnet was no sailor. He had no acquaintance with navigation. He, -however, employed a skilled seaman to manage the ship in obedience to -his commands as owner of the whole concern. After this short and very -successful cruise on the Virginia coast, he ordered the sloop to be -taken to the shores of New England. As they were passing the eastern -end of Long Island, they met a vessel bound from one of the New England -colonies to the West Indies. It was promptly plundered. - -Stede Bonnet stood in for Gardiner’s Island, where he landed with a -portion of his crew. He behaved in a very gentlemanly way, addressing -all whom he met courteously, making many purchases and paying -liberally for all he took. He then directed his course to South -Carolina, and ran up and down before the harbor of Charleston. Two -vessels, entering the harbor, he seized almost at the same time. One -was a sloop from Barbadoes, laden with rum, sugar, and negroes. The -other was a brigantine from New England. The hold of the Revenge was -already packed full of plunder; and they had no room for the negroes. -Taking, therefore, such few articles as they needed, they landed the -crew and the negroes on an island, and wantonly ran the Barbadoes sloop -ashore and set her on fire. The New England brigantine they plundered -of all the money on board and such other articles of value as they -needed, and let her go. - -While on this cruise they met, in rogues’ companionship, another -piratic ship, commanded by a desperado, an Englishman, by the name of -Edward Teach. From the mass of hair which covered his face he was known -by the name of Blackbeard. His beard came up to his eyes, was intensely -black, and so long that he was accustomed to braid it and twist it -with ribbons into cues, or tails, which he would hang over his ears. -It is said that in aspect he was a revolting monster. This villain had -captured a large and very strongly built East-Indian ship, upon which -he had mounted forty heavy guns. With this powerful armament he swept -the seas, bidding defiance to all assailants. Upon one occasion he -encountered a British man-of-war of thirty guns. After sustaining an -action of some hours, the man-of-war fled before him, and took shelter -in the harbor of Barbadoes, under protection of the guns of the fort. - -As Teach continued his triumphant cruise, he came across Bonnet’s -piratic sloop. Finding that Bonnet understood nothing of maritime -affairs, he, without difficulty, got up a conspiracy among his men, -deposed him, and placed one of his own crew, a man by the name of -Richards, in command of the Revenge. Thus he had two vessels with which -to prosecute his lawless career. He took the deposed captain on board -his own ship, saying to him with a sarcastic smile: - -“I perceive, my dear sir, that you are not used to the cares and -fatigues of commanding a vessel, and I will relieve you from them. It -will be much pleasanter for you to live at your ease in my cabin. There -you will have no duty to perform, and can follow your own inclinations.” - -The career of this most ferocious of pirates was so strange that we -must leave Stede Bonnet for a time, and devote a chapter to that fiend -in human form, called Blackbeard. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -_The Adventures of Edward Teach, or Blackbeard._ - - Seizure of the Protestant Cæsar.--The Piratic Squadron.--Villany - of the Buccaneers.--The Atrocities of Blackbeard.--Illustrative - Anecdotes.--Carousals on Shore.--Alleged Complicity with the - Governor.--Hiding-place near Ocracoke Inlet.--Arrangements - for his Capture.--Boats sent from two Men-of-war.--Bloody - Battle.--The Death of the Pirate.--His Desperate and Demoniac - Character. - - -Blackbeard having, as it were, captured the Revenge, raised the black -flag of piracy upon both of his vessels. Soon he captured a third -vessel, which he manned and armed and added to his piratic squadron. -Entering the Bay of Honduras, he took a ship, from Boston, called the -Protestant Cæsar, and four sloops. Captain Wyar, of the Protestant -Cæsar, as the pirates’ balls whistled over his decks, abandoned his -ship, and taking to his boats, with all his crew, escaped to the -shore. One of the sloops also belonged to Boston. After plundering the -ship and sloop of all they wanted, they set both on fire, in revenge, -because they belonged to Boston, where some men had been hung for -piracy. The other three sloops they plundered and then let go. - -They then continued their cruise, for some time, among the West India -Islands, capturing vessel after vessel. Thence sailing to the South -Carolinian coast, they ran up and down before the harbor of Charleston -for a week. Here they took a ship, bound out for London, with several -passengers, Captain Robert Clark commander. They also captured three -vessels entering the port, one of which had fourteen negroes on board. - -Such a strong piratic force appearing before that important harbor, -struck the whole province with terror. They were quite unable to resist -such an armament. There were eight vessels in the harbor ready for sea. -They dared not venture out, and even feared that the pirates would come -into the harbor and take them. The trade of the place was thus, for a -season, utterly destroyed. It added much to the weight of this calamity -that the province had just passed through an expensive and exhaustive -war with the Indians. - -Teach was in great want of medicines. He therefore detained all the -vessels he had taken, with their crews and passengers, and sent Captain -Richards, in the Revenge, to Charleston, with the following message to -the governor: - -“I want a chest of medicines. Send me such a chest, by the bearer. If -you do not comply with this my demand immediately, without offering -any violence to the persons of my ambassadors, I will cut off the heads -of all the prisoners in my hands, and send them to you, and will burn -all the ships.” - -Mr. Marks, one of the prisoners, was sent with Richards and the other -pirates to present this demand. While Mr. Marks was making this -application to the governor and council, Richards and his piratic gang -were insolently riding through the streets, with sabres in their hands -and pistols in their belts. The citizens were in a state of the highest -indignation; and yet they dared not speak a word or even look with a -frown. The villains returned to their ships with impunity, bearing a -chest of medicines valued at two thousand dollars. The lives of so many -husbands, sons, and brothers were at stake that the community was eager -to conciliate the pirates. - -Blackbeard, having received the chest, liberated the vessels and the -prisoners. He had taken from the vessels gold and silver coin to the -amount of seven thousand dollars, besides provisions and other articles -of much value. They then sailed to the coast of North Carolina. -Blackbeard’s ship they called the Man-of-War. One sloop, as we have -mentioned, was commanded by Richards. Blackbeard placed upon another, -as commander, a fellow by the name of Hands. He had also another -vessel, which served as a tender. Thus this piratic squadron was now -composed of four vessels. - -The amount of plunder, in money and goods, was very great. Blackbeard -formed a plan to secure nearly the whole for himself, and for a few -others of his favorites in the gang. He therefore, under pretence of -running his ship into Ocracoke Inlet for repairs, grounded her. He -summoned Hands’ sloop to his aid and ran her on shore. - -He then went on board the tender sloop, where he had assembled his -confederates, forty in number, and had stored all the coin and many -of the most valuable goods. Seventeen of the crew, whom he wished to -get rid of, he landed on a small, sandy island three miles from the -mainland. Here they were exposed to perish, without food or water, or -any opportunity to escape. There was neither bird, beast, nor herbs on -the island. - -The king, as we have mentioned, had issued a proclamation of pardon -for all the pirates who would surrender themselves. This consummate -villain, with about twenty of his comrades, sailed to the residence -of the governor, and surrendered themselves to his majesty’s -proclamation, and received a full pardon for all their past offences, -while they still retained their ill-gotten wealth. This was done with -no intention of abandoning their mode of life, but only to obtain a -respite, and prepare for future operations. - -Bonnet was left behind, with the Revenge. He again, with a portion of -the men, assumed the command of the ship, of which he had been robbed. -But we must leave him for a time until we have followed out the career -of Blackbeard. - -Charles Eden was then governor of North Carolina. He was either a very -corrupt man or a very simple one. The governor gave Blackbeard full -possession of the ship he had captured, and which he had named the -Queen Anne’s Revenge. A court of admiralty was held, and though Teach -had never received any commission as a privateersman, and it was a time -of peace, and the Queen Anne belonged to English merchants, she was -condemned as a prize taken from the Spaniards, and adjudged to belong -to Teach. - -Blackbeard remained for a few weeks at the capital of the province; -paid his addresses to a beautiful young girl of sixteen, and was -married to her by the governor, who had probably received very rich -presents from the pirate. His biographer says that this was the -fourteenth wife of Teach, twelve of whom were still living. Soon he -again went to sea, beneath the pirate’s black flag. He directed his -course toward the West Indies, capturing two or three English ships by -the way, which he plundered, but left the ships and crew unharmed. He -then captured two French ships. The cargoes of both he stored in one. -The crews of both he placed in the other, and turned them adrift. With -his rich prize he returned to North Carolina, and shared the booty with -the governor. - -Blackbeard and four of his crew went ashore, and took a solemn oath -that they found the French ship at sea abandoned, and without a soul -on board. It is curious to witness the expedients to which men will -resort to appease the qualms of conscience. After removing all the -ship’s company from their prize the captain and a boat’s crew boarded -her, and truly found her “without a soul on board.” Thus they satisfied -themselves that they did not take a false oath. In accordance with this -testimony the court adjudged the French vessel to be a lawful prize. -The governor had sixty hogsheads of sugar for his share. Mr. Knight, -his secretary, collector of the port, had twenty. All the remainder of -the booty the pirates divided among themselves. - -The French vessel was still on the pirate’s hands. He greatly feared -that some vessel might come into the river acquainted with her, and -that his villany might be discovered. He set her on fire and burning -her to the water’s edge, her bottom sunk. Blackbeard remained for -some time cruising along the shores of Pamlico Sound. He was rich, and -prodigal of his wealth. Sometimes, in mere wantonness, he would plunder -a vessel. Again he would purchase articles, paying for them three or -four times their worth. - -He often went ashore with his armed followers, and spent the night and -sometimes days in boisterous revelry. The planters did not dare to make -any remonstrances. He was a brutal wretch, and often, when frenzied -with drink, the wives and daughters of the planters were exposed to the -most terrible indignities. At times he was very courteous, presenting -his entertainers with rum, sugar, and other valuable articles. He -frequently assumed a very lordly air, levying heavy contributions, and -even bullying the governor, simply to show him what he dared to do. - -The traders and planters consulted together to decide what course to -pursue in this terrible emergence. It was plain that the governor was -either in complicity with the pirate or was overawed by him. It was in -vain, therefore, to hope for redress through his interposition. They, -therefore, as secretly as possible, sent to the governor of Virginia, -soliciting an armed force from the men-of-war then lying before -Jamestown, to take and destroy this formidable pirate. - -There were two men-of-war in the James River, the Pearl and the -Lime. The governor consulted with the two commanders. It was agreed -between them that the governor should hire two small sloops, of light -draft, which could run easily into the coves and among the shoals of -Pamlico Sound. The men-of-war were to place on board these sloops a -strong picked crew of thoroughly armed men. They were to take small -arms alone, as mounted cannon would require such depths of water as -to embarrass their operations. These sloops, rapidly propelled by -both sails and oars, could follow the pirate in all his coverts; -could overtake him should he attempt to escape by flight, and, by -simultaneously boarding the piratic craft, could overpower and cut down -the crew. - -The expedition was speedily fitted out. At the same time the Virginia -governor issued a proclamation, offering a reward of five hundred -dollars for the capture, dead or alive, of Captain Teach, commonly -called Blackbeard; two hundred dollars for every other commander of a -pirate ship; for all inferior officers seventy-five dollars; for every -pirate on board such ship forty dollars. This proclamation, a copy of -which now lies before me, was dated at Williamsburg, November 24th, -1718, and was signed by the governor, A. Spottswood. - -On the 21st of November the two sloops entered the mouth of Ocracoke -Inlet, and caught sight of the pirate. The governor of North Carolina, -and his secretary, Mr. Knight, hearing of these preparations, and -fearing that the capture of the pirate would bring their misdeeds to -light, sent him warning of his danger. Knight wrote to him: - -“I have sent you four of your men. They are all I can meet with about -town. Be upon your guard.” - -Blackbeard, one of the most reckless and determined of desperadoes, put -his vessel in posture for defence. He had with him then a crew of but -twenty-five men. Seeing the approach of the sloops, and anticipating -a battle with the morning’s dawn, he spent the night in drunken -carousals. Lieutenant Maynard, in command of the expedition, found the -water too shoal and the channel too intricate for him to reach the ship -that night. Under cover of the darkness he sent out a boat to mark the -way. - -The morning was cloudless and calm. There was scarcely a breath of -wind; and not a ripple was to be seen on the mirrored surface of the -Sound. There was no escape for the pirate. The gentle breath which -swept the waters was fair. The sloops spread their sails, and with -lusty arms at the oars bore down upon the pirate. As they approached, -Blackbeard stood upon his deck, and with revolting oaths, which we -shall omit, interlarding his speech, shouted out: - -“You villains, who are you, and what do you want?” - -“Our colors show,” Lieutenant Maynard replied, “that we are no pirates.” - -“Send your boat on board,” exclaimed Blackbeard, “that I may learn who -you are.” - -“I have no boat to spare,” Maynard responded; “but as soon as I can -reach you with my sloops, I will come on board myself.” - -Blackbeard took a tumbler of raw brandy. As he poured the burning fluid -down his throat he exclaimed in tones of rage and in that fearful -profanity with which his every utterance was mingled, that if they fell -into his hands they should receive no quarter. - -“I expect no quarter,” Maynard responded, “neither do I ask for any.” - -The gunwale of Maynard’s sloop, which took the lead, was scarcely -a foot high. The men on the deck were entirely exposed. Blackbeard -poured in upon them a broadside of grape-shot. The carnage was awful. -Twenty men, by that one discharge, were either killed or wounded. -Maynard, apprehensive of another discharge, ordered all the survivors -immediately into the hold, he alone remaining on deck, at the helm. The -men were directed to have their swords and pistols ready for a rush in -boarding, the moment the command should be given. - -As the sloop approached the pirate they threw in upon her deck a new -sort of hand-grenades. They consisted of common junk bottles, filled -with powder, balls, and slugs, and were exploded by a fuse passing -through the mouth. They would have done great execution had not the men -been concealed in the hold. - -The moment the bows of the sloop touched the pirate’s ship, as the -smoke cleared away a little, Blackbeard, seeing but few on deck, -shouted to his men: - -“The villains are all knocked in the head, excepting three or four. Let -us jump on board and cut them down.” - -The order was instantly obeyed. Fourteen pirates, with flashing sabres, -leaped over the bows of Maynard’s sloop, upon his deck. There were but -twelve men unwounded in the hold. At a given signal they rushed up, and -a battle of utter desperation ensued. - -Blackbeard sprang toward Lieutenant Maynard, who was at the helm. -Their pistols were discharged simultaneously. The pirate received a -slight, but not a disabling wound. They rushed upon each other with -their swords. In the fierce conflict the blade of Maynard’s sword broke -in his hand. He stepped back to cock a pistol. Blackbeard was just in -the act of cutting him down, when one of Maynard’s men struck him from -behind, inflicting a terrible gash upon his neck. At the same moment -the desperado, who seemed to be almost insensible to wounds, received a -shot in his body from the lieutenant’s pistol. - -The other sloop, called the Ranger, now came up and boarded the pirate. -Blackbeard fought like a tiger. At length a pistol-shot pierced -some vital part and he fell dead, after having received twenty-five -wounds. Eight more of the pirates who had boarded Maynard’s sloop were -weltering in their blood. The rest, many of them severely wounded, -leaped overboard. The drowning wretches cried for quarter. It was -granted. They were reserved only that they might be hanged. - -Blackbeard’s head was cut from his body, and hung at the end of the -bowsprit of Maynard’s sloop. With this revolting trophy he sailed into -Newbern to obtain relief for his wounded men. In examining the papers -found on board the pirate’s vessel, the correspondence was discovered -between Governor Eden and his secretary with the pirate. There were -also several merchants in New York who were in friendly communication -with him. These papers would doubtless have been destroyed had it not -been for the desperate resolve which the pirate had formed. - -Blackbeard had but little hope of escaping. He therefore posted one of -the most demoniac of the pirates, with a match, in the powder-room. -Assuring him that if they were taken they would assuredly be hanged, -and that it was far better to die by their own action, in an instant, -than to perish upon the scaffold, he instructed him that should the -ship be boarded and captured, he was to apply the match and blow them -all up together. It chanced that there were two prisoners in the ship’s -hold. They seized the pirate, and prevented him from executing his -design. - -It was this same Blackbeard, to whom we have already alluded, who one -day, when flushed with drink, said to his boon companions: - -“Come, let us make a hell of our own, and see who can stand it longest.” - -One night, when drinking, in his cabin, with two or three companions, -he secretly drew out a small pair of pistols, blew out the candle, -and, crossing his hands, discharged them at random into the midst of -the company. One of the bullets struck an officer on the knee, and -crippled him for life. The other bullet fortunately harmed no one. -Being asked why he did this, he replied: - -“If I did not now and then kill some of you, you would forget who I am.” - -The following entries were found in his logbook, written with his own -hand, under different dates: - -“Rum all out; our company somewhat sober. - -“Confusion among us; rogues a-plotting. - -“Great talk of separation. - -“Took a vessel with a great deal of liquor on board; so kept the -company hot.” - -It is evident that these godless wretches passed joyless and miserable -lives. Experience verifies the declaration of the Bible that “the way -of the transgressor is hard.” - -The ship and stores captured by Lieutenant Maynard were in value -estimated at but twelve thousand five hundred dollars. Though this -wretched pirate had squandered his plunder with great prodigality, it -was generally supposed that he had valuable treasure secreted. In the -carousal of the night before his capture, one of the men asked if, in -case anything should happen to him in the engagement, his wife knew -where he had buried his money. He replied, “The devil and I alone knew -where it is. The one of us two who lives the longest will have the -whole.” - -There were sixteen pirates, all of whom were wounded, who were taken -prisoners. They were conveyed to Virginia and hanged, excepting two who -were pardoned. Governor Eden was so terrified by the discovery which -had been made of his complicity with Blackbeard, and so apprehensive -that he would be called to account for his conduct, that he fell -sick with the fright, and in a few days died. His sixty hogsheads of -sugar, and the twenty which had been given to Knight, were seized by -Lieutenant Maynard, and confiscated. Thus all these guilty ones were -ruined. It is often and truly said, that Satan helps his dupes into -difficulty, but never helps them out. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -_The Close of Stede Bonnet’s Career._ - - Bonnet’s Abandonment by Blackbeard.--Avails Himself of the - King’s Pardon.--Takes Commission as a Privateer.--Rescues - Blackbeard’s Pirates.--Piratic Career.--Enters Cape Fear River - for Repairs.--Captured by Colonel Rhet.--The Conflict.--Escapes - from Prison.--The Pursuit, and Trial and Sentence. - - -It will be remembered that Stede Bonnet was deposed by Blackbeard. When -Blackbeard abandoned most of his crew, at Ocracoke Inlet, and landed -others on a desert island, that he might rob them of their share of -the spoil, Bonnet was left behind with the rest. His own sloop, the -Revenge, was ashore. He got her off, assumed the command, manned her -with pirates, and sailed to Bathtown, where he surrendered himself, -taking advantage of the king’s proclamation, and received a certificate -of pardon. - -Just then war broke out between England, France, and Holland, as -allies, on the one hand, and Spain upon the other. Bonnet sailed from -Bathtown for the Island of St. Thomas, to get a commission to go -privateering against the Spaniards. When he was on his way to the -inlet he accidentally learned from two of the pirates that Blackbeard -and his gang were gone; and that, carrying away all the money and -effects of value, they had left several men to perish on a desert -island. Bonnet sailed for their relief. They were nearly starved, -and had been a day and two nights without any food. Bonnet found the -island, and rescued them, adding them to his crew. - -Then, instead of going to St. Thomas for his commission, he directed -his course to the coast of Virginia. Meeting a vessel loaded with -provisions, he took from it twelve barrels of pork and four hundred -weight of bread. Assuming that he was an honest man, and not a pirate, -he gave in return eight casks of rice and an old cable. No bargain was -made. He took what he wanted, and gave what he pleased. Two days after -this, Bonnet pursued and captured a sloop of sixty tons. It was an act -of unmitigated piracy. He took from his prize two hogsheads of rum and -two of molasses. The crew were turned adrift. Eight men were sent to -take charge of the prize. In the night they ran away, to go pirating on -their own account. - -Bonnet threw off all restraint. Assuming the name of Captain Thomas, -he ranged the seas, plundering every vessel he encountered. A few -miles off from Cape Henry he captured two ships from Virginia, bound -to Glasgow. They were comparatively valueless prizes, containing only -tobacco. The next day he captured a small sloop. With the strange -inconsistency which marked his character, he took from the sloop -twenty barrels of pork, which he replaced by two barrels of rice and a -hogshead of molasses. From this sloop two men voluntarily joined his -company. - -The next ship they captured was bound to Glasgow from Virginia. They -found nothing on board they wanted but some combs, pins, and needles. -For these Bonnet paid a barrel of pork and two barrels of bread. -Directing his course toward Philadelphia, he captured a schooner bound -to Boston. It proved a barren prize. - -Soon after this he took three vessels, two bound from Philadelphia to -Bristol, England, and one to Barbadoes. In these Bonnet found nearly a -thousand dollars in coin. He robbed them and let them go. The two last -days in July he captured two quite rich prizes. They were well supplied -with provisions, and had between two and three thousand dollars in -money on board. He turned the crews adrift in their boats and kept both -the vessels and cargo. His own sloop of war, which he had renamed the -Royal James, had become leaky, and needed repairs. He ran into Cape -Fear River to find some secluded cove, where, far from observation, he -could careen his vessel. One hundred and fifty years ago this stream -presented a vast solitude, fringed by the dense and boundless forest. - -As Bonnet was entering the river he captured a small vessel, which he -ripped to pieces to mend his own. In one of the coves of the broad -stream he was detained two months in making repairs. In the mean time -a new governor had come to South Carolina. Tidings reached Charleston -that a piratic vessel, with two prizes, was concealed up the river. The -whole community was alarmed, fearing another visit. The governor and -council met to deliberate. - -Colonel William Rhet appeared before them and generously offered to -fit out two vessels, at his own expense, and attack the pirates. His -proposal was accepted, and a commission granted him accordingly. In a -few days two sloops were equipped. One, called the Henry, had eight -guns and seventy men and was commanded by Captain John Masters. The -other, the Sea Nymph, of eight guns and sixty men, Captain Fayser Hall -commanded. Both were under the direction of Colonel Rhet. - -On the 14th of September the two vessels sailed. When they reached -Sullivan’s Island, a small ship from Antigua came in. The captain -brought the intelligence that just off the bar he was taken and -plundered by a piratic vessel of twelve guns and ninety men, commanded -by Charles Vane; that two other vessels had also been captured, one -from the coast of Guinea, with between ninety and a hundred negro -slaves on board. A pirate, by the name of Yeats, with twenty-five men, -had been placed in command of the slaver. Vane had also captured two -ships bound from Charleston to London. - -Colonel Rhet, upon hearing these tidings, resolved to pursue Vane. It -was rumored that the pirates had sailed south. Colonel Rhet, with his -two sloops, crossed the bar, on the 15th of September, and directed his -course along the southern coast, searching every bay and inlet. Not -finding Vane, he turned north, and entered Cape Fear River in pursuit -of his first design. In ascending the river both sloops ran aground, -which caused considerable delay. Thus the watchful pirates learned that -there were two sloops aground in the river. Bonnet sent down three -boats, crowded with pirates, to attack them. The crews soon found their -mistake, and rowing hastily back to Bonnet, gave him the unwelcome news -that two well-armed sloops were ascending the river with the evident -design to attack him. - -Bonnet made immediate preparations for a battle. He had several -prisoners with him. He wrote a letter to the governor, intrusting it to -one of these prisoners, Captain Mannering. It was as follows: - -“If the sloops now ascending the river are sent out against me by the -governor, I shall get clear off. And I will burn and destroy all ships -or vessels going in or coming out of South Carolina.” - -What effect this letter had upon the governor we know not. But the next -morning the tide floated Colonel Rhet’s sloops, and he advanced to the -attack. The masts of the three piratical vessels were soon plainly seen -over a forest-crowned point of land. The sloops pressed forward to -attack on each quarter of the pirate, intending to board him. Bonnet, -perceiving this, edged in as near the shore as possible. The water was -shoal, and the tide being out, soon both sloops ran upon sandbanks. One -was very near the Royal James, and could open fire upon her. The other -was at more than gunshot distance. The pirates’ ship also grounded, -and, fortunately for them, careened over with her deck sloping from her -foe. Thus the sides of the vessel afforded a rampart, which protected -the pirates from shot, and over which they could take deliberate aim at -their antagonists. - -To add to this calamity, the Henry, in which Colonel Rhet was, and -which had grounded within pistol-shot of the pirate, leaned with her -deck inclined toward the pirate. Thus every man was exposed. This gave -the pirates an immense advantage, which they were not slow to improve. -Neither of them could use their cannon. For five hours the antagonists -kept up a brisk fire with their small arms. The pirates spread to -the breeze their blood-red flag, and assailed their foes with oaths, -taunts, and insults. - -“Why don’t you come on board?” they shouted. “We are all waiting for -you. Come as quick as you can. We will give you the warmest reception -you ever had.” - -Rhet’s men replied, “Be patient. We are busy just now. Very soon we -will pay you a visit which you will never forget.” - -The rising tide first floated Colonel Rhet’s sloop. Hastily repairing -his rigging, which had been much shattered by the fire, he bore down -upon the pirate, intending to give a finishing stroke by boarding -him. The other sloop would, in a few moments, be afloat to join in -the assault. Bonnet saw his case to be hopeless, and sent a boat to -Colonel Rhet bearing the white flag of truce. After some time spent in -capitulating, Bonnet was compelled to surrender unconditionally. - -In the severe battle which had taken place, ten men had been killed -and fourteen wounded on board Rhet’s sloop, the Henry. Six of the -wounded died of their wounds. A few shot had struck the other sloop, -the Sea Nymph, killing two men, and wounding four. The pirates, -protected by the position of their vessel, lost seven killed, and five -wounded. Two of the latter soon died of their wounds. - -Colonel Rhet weighed anchor on the 13th of September, and on the 3d -of October entered Charleston with thirty-four pirates as prisoners, -and their vessels. The capture excited great rejoicing throughout the -whole province. As there was no public prison on the shore, the pirates -were all kept, for two days, under a careful guard, in the hold of -one of the vessels. The watch-house was in the mean time enlarged and -strengthened, and they were transferred to that building, over which a -guard of the provincial militia was placed. - -Major Bonnet was committed into the custody of the marshal, and -imprisoned in a strong room in his house. Two of these miserable men, -David Hariot, the sailing-master, and Ignatius Pell, the boatswain, -offered to turn state’s evidence. They were also taken to the house -of the marshal, that they might be separated from the rest of the -crew. They were carefully locked up, and two sentinels, every night, -patrolled the house with loaded muskets. - -Three weeks passed before suitable preparations could be made for -the trial. On the night of the 24th of October, Bonnet and his -sailing-master made their escape. The boatswain refused to go with -them, as he was assured of pardon in consideration of the evidence he -bore against his comrades. The flight of the prisoners made a great -noise throughout the province. The people were open in their indignant -declaration that the governor, and others of the magistracy, had -connived at their escape. - -The whole community was panic-stricken. It was feared that Bonnet would -get up another company of pirates, and take a terrible revenge for -the hanging of his comrades. The government was alarmed both by the -reproaches and the peril. A proclamation was issued offering a reward -of three thousand five hundred dollars for the capture of the fugitive -pirate. Several armed boats were sent to skirt the shore, north and -south, in pursuit of him. - -Bonnet had, in some way, got on board a small sail-boat in the harbor, -and put to sea. But a storm arose, and he had no provisions. He was -therefore compelled to put back to Sullivan’s Island. In some way -the governor got an intimation of this. He promptly communicated the -intelligence to Colonel Rhet, and gave him a commission to pursue -Bonnet. That night the energetic colonel set out in his sloop, with a -number of men for Sullivan’s Island. The two pirates had left their -boat at the shore and wandered into the woods, where they had concealed -themselves. Colonel Rhet tracked them to their covert. They were -discovered in a thicket, with a negro and an Indian. As they endeavored -to escape they were fired upon. A bullet pierced Hariot’s heart, and -he fell dead. Both the negro and the Indian were struck down severely -wounded. The wretched Bonnet, seeing escape hopeless, and utterly -disheartened, surrendered. He was carried back to Charleston in irons. - -On the twenty-eighth of October, 1718, a court of vice-admiralty -was held, and continued, by several adjournments, until the twelfth -of November. Nicholas Trot, chief justice of the province of South -Carolina, presided, with other assistant judges. Before this tribunal, -Bonnet, and thirty-four of his crew, were arraigned. The indictment -enumerated the various acts of piracy which they had committed. All but -two pleaded not guilty. - -There was but little defence attempted. The crew pleaded that they had -been taken off a desert island, and shipped to go to St. Thomas. Being -at sea, without provisions, and in a starving condition, they were -compelled, to save their lives, to take some food from other vessels. -Major Bonnet took the same ground--that they had helped themselves to -food which did not belong to them, but as the only way by which they -could save their lives. - -But their piratic acts were clearly proved, and that they had shared -among themselves their ill-gotten booty. The speech of the lord -chief-justice, in pronouncing sentence upon Bonnet, was so admirable in -tone, that it deserves, with slight abbreviation, insertion here: - -“You, Stede Bonnet, stand convicted of piracy. It is fully proved that -you piratically took and rifled no less than thirteen vessels since you -sailed from North Carolina, having accepted the king’s act of grace, -and pretended to leave that wicked course of life. - -“You know that the crimes you have committed are contrary to the law -of nature, as well as to the law of God, by which you are commanded -that you shall not steal. And the apostle Paul expressly affirms that -‘thieves shall not inherit the kingdom of God.’ - -“To theft you have added the greater sin of murder. How many you have -killed, in your piracies, I know not. But this we know, that you killed -no less than eighteen persons of those sent, by lawful authority, to -put a stop to your rapines. - -“However you may fancy that that was killing men fairly in open fight, -yet this know, that the power of the sword not being committed into -your hands, you were not empowered to use any force, or fight any one. -Therefore those persons that fell in the action, in doing their duty to -their king and country, were murdered. And their blood now cries out -for vengeance against you. For it is the voice of nature, confirmed by -the law of God, that ‘whosoever sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his -blood be shed.’ - -“And consider that death is not the only punishment due to murderers; -for they are threatened to have ‘their part in that lake which burneth -with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.’ - -“As your own conscience must convince you of the many and great evils -you have committed, by which you have highly offended God, so I suppose -I need not tell you that the only way of obtaining pardon and the -remission of your sins from God, is by a true and unfeigned repentance, -and faith in Christ, by whose death and passion you can alone hope for -salvation. - -“You, being a gentleman, and having had the advantage of a liberal -education, I believe it will be needless for me to explain to you the -nature of repentance and faith in Christ. They are so fully mentioned -in the Scriptures that you can not but know them. But, considering -the course of your life, I have reason to fear that the principles of -religion which had been instilled into you by your education, have been -corrupted, if not entirely defaced by the infidelity of this wicked -age; and that the time you allowed for study was rather applied to the -polite literature than to a serious search after the law and will of -God. - -“In the Scriptures is found the great mystery of fallen man’s -redemption. They would have taught you that sin is the debasing of -human nature, and that religion and walking by the laws of God are -altogether preferable to the ways of sin and Satan. I hope that the -present afflictions, which God has laid upon you, have now convinced -you of this. - -“And consider how he invites all sinners to come to Him, and He will -give them rest; for He has assured us that ‘He came to seek and to save -that which was lost;’ and that ‘whosoever cometh to Him, He will in -nowise cast out.’ So that now, even at the eleventh hour, if you will -sincerely turn to Him, He will receive you. - -“But do not mistake the nature of repentance to be only bare sorrow for -the evil and punishment which sin has brought upon you. Your sorrow -must arise from the consideration of your having offended a gracious -and merciful God. But I need not give you any particular directions -as to the nature of repentance. I speak to one whose offences have -proceeded, not so much from his not knowing, as from his slighting and -neglecting his duty. - -“I only heartily wish that what, in compassion to your soul, I have -now said, may have that effect upon you that you may become a true -penitent. Having now discharged my duty to you as a Christian, by -giving you the best council I can with respect to the salvation of your -soul, I must now do my office as a judge. The sentence which this court -awards to you is: - -“That you, Stede Bonnet, shall go from hence to the place whence you -came, and from thence to the place of execution; where you shall be -hanged by the neck until you are dead. And may God have mercy upon you.” - -On Saturday, November 8th, 1718, twenty-two of the pirates were hung -upon the same gallows, at White Point, near the provincial city of -Charleston. A few days after, Stede Bonnet, the gentleman of wealth, -position, and culture, swung from the same gallows. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -_The Portuguese Barthelemy._ - - Commencement of his Career.--Bold Capture.--Brutality of - the Pirates.--Reverses and Captivity.--Barthelemy doomed to - Die.--His Escape.--Sufferings in the Forest.--Reaches Gulf - Triste.--Hardening Effect of his Misfortunes.--His new Piratic - Enterprize.--Wonderful Success.--The Tornado.--Impoverishment - and Ruin. - - -One of the most bold and renowned of the buccaneers was a Portuguese, -by the name of Barthelemy. He was a man of some property, and followed -the great tide of emigration to the West Indies. At Kingston, Jamaica, -he heard of the great fortunes which were made by buccaneers preying -upon Spanish commerce. Engaging in several expeditions, he became quite -rich. Finally he fitted out a small vessel, at his own expense, which -he armed with four three-pounders, and a crew of thirty desperate men, -armed with muskets, pistols, and sabres. This sloop was fitted out in a -British port, to rob the ships of Spain, just as openly as if it were -bound upon a fishing excursion. - -He commenced his cruise upon the southern coast of Cuba. But a few -days passed ere he caught sight of a large ship, richly laden and well -armed, bound from the Spanish colonies in Venezuela to Havana. It had, -as he afterward found, a crew of seventy men, with about the same -number of passengers and marines, and carried twenty guns. - -When Barthelemy’s crew saw the size of the ship and the indications of -her strong armament, they hesitated to venture upon an attack. All were -assembled around the mast to discuss the question. The general voice -was discouraging. Barthelemy’s speech was short and decisive. He was a -man of few words and prompt action. - -“We came out,” said he, “for prizes. Here is a splendid one. The -opportunity must not be lost. Nothing great can be accomplished without -risk.” - -They gave chase. The ship quietly awaited their approach; “as much -astonished at the attack,” writes Thornbury, “as a swallow would be if -it were pursued by a gnat.” The pirates made a desperate endeavor to -board the ship. We are not informed of the particulars of the fight. -The result only is known. After several repulses, and a long and bloody -conflict, the pirates raised shouts of victory on the blood-stained -deck of their prize. Ten of them were killed; four wounded. All on -board the ship but forty were killed. Many of these were severely -maimed with bullet wounds and sword-cuts. - -The pirates, having searched the pockets of the dead for their loose -doubloons, threw the bodies overboard. Those helplessly wounded -suffered the same fate. The survivors, after being stripped of -everything valuable, were placed in a boat and cut adrift, to fare -as they might. The prize proved to be worth between eighty and a -hundred thousand dollars. Barthelemy found himself in command of a -truly splendid ship, well armed, and well stored with ammunition and -provisions. He had also his little sloop as a tender. Though he had -a crew of but twenty men, he could at any time double or treble his -number in the thronged ports of Kingston or Tortuga. As he was sailing -around the western end of the Island of Cuba, he came unexpectedly upon -three large ships bound to Havana. The pirate ship was heavily laden -and ploughed the waves slowly. The Spanish ships gave chase; captured -the buccaneers; stripped them; drove them with sabre-strokes under the -hatches, and left them there to meditate upon the reverses of fortune -and their own approaching ignominious death by hanging. - -The notoriety of Barthelemy, as one of the most terrible of human -monsters, had spread far and wide. He concealed his name, and his -captors were not aware what a prize they had taken. The ship, -containing the crew of pirates, was separated from the rest by a storm. -She took refuge at Campeachy, on the western coast of the immense -peninsula of Yucatan. Crowds flocked on board to see the pirates -in irons. Among them came one who, in former years, had well known -Barthelemy. Lifting up his hands in astonishment, he proclaimed in -presence of the multitude: - -“This is Barthelemy the Portuguese. He is the most wicked rascal in the -world. He has done more harm to Spanish commerce than all the other -pirates put together.” - -The glad news spread through the town. There were joyful assemblages in -the streets. All hearts were glowing with the desire to take vengeance -on the man who had put so many Spaniards to death. The people appealed -to the governor to demand the pirate in the name of the king. He was -arrested, more heavily ironed, and placed on board another vessel. A -gibbet was erected upon which to hang him. The governor did not deem -any trial necessary. From his cabin window Barthelemy could see the -workmen building the gallows, upon which he was to be hung in chains, -there to swing, in sunshine and storm, till the action of the elements -should dissolve both skin and bones. - -The wretch had a strange power of winning friends. The captain by whom -he was captured wished to save him. Some one secretly conveyed to him -a file. He soon freed himself from his irons. There were in his cabin -two large earthern jars, empty and very buoyant. Carefully he closed -the orifices; bound them loosely together by a strong cord; lowered -them cautiously into the water, when midnight darkness covered the sea. -A sentry was placed at the door of the cabin. He had fallen asleep. -Fearful that he might awake and give the alarm, the pirate stealthily -approached him with a huge knife in his hand. By a well-directed blow -the glittering blade pierced his heart, and the sentinel died without a -struggle or a groan. - -The pirate noiselessly dropped himself down into the water. Grasping, -with one hand, the strong cord attached to the two jars, with the other -he slowly paddled himself to the shore. The current floated him to the -very spot where the gibbet was erected. There it stood, in its awful -gloom, with the hangman’s chain dangling from its timbers. Even the -iron-hearted Barthelemy shuddered, as at midnight’s dismal hour, he -contemplated the doom from which he was endeavoring to escape. - -He took to the woods. But few of our readers can imagine the -entanglements of the tropical forest through which he struggled. -Conscious that blood-hounds might be put upon his track, he sought a -running stream, and waded along for a great distance in the darkness. -He was torn cruelly by overhanging thorns, and bruised as he stumbled -over rocks and stones. As the morning dawned he hid himself in a pile -of brush, half covered with water. - -The windings of the stream were such that he had advanced but a short -distance from the town. The tidings of his escape roused the whole -population. It was known that he could not have forced his way far -through the entanglement of briers and thorns and interlacing vines, -in the few hours between midnight and the dawn. The whole forest -seemed alive with his pursuers. A thousand slaves were shouting in -their barbarian eagerness. Packs of blood-hounds were rushing to and -fro, smelling at every track, and making the forest resound with -their deep-mouthed bayings. The alarm-bells of the city were rolling -forth their loud and solemn peals. Bands of Spanish cavaliers, with -indignation in their hearts and oaths upon their lips, passed within -sight of the hiding wretch; and he heard their vows of vengeance. Thus -passed the wretched day. “The way of the transgressor is indeed hard.” - -Barthelemy, bleeding, exhausted, starving and tormented with the bite -of insects, endured these long hours of mental and bodily torture, -until night again darkened the scene. With the darkness he resumed his -terrified flight, he scarcely knew where. His general plan was to reach -some distant seaport in disguise, where he hoped to effect his escape -as a sailor. Every hour he trembled in danger of being caught, and his -only food was roots and berries, and the raw shell-fish he scraped from -the rocks. - -He forded streams where he was in imminent danger of being snapped -up by the jaws of crocodiles. He waded through swamps, and narrowly -escaped being suffocated in the mire. His shoes were torn from his -feet, his clothes from his limbs. For fourteen days and nights he -endured these tortures. His only guide was the roar of the ocean. -He was travelling in a southwesterly direction. It was his constant -endeavor to keep the ocean within hearing distance on his right. - -There is manifestly no tendency in misery to make men better. The -pirate, with all his woes, grew more obdurate and more cruel. “In -these fourteen days,” writes one of his biographers, “he must have -literally tasted death and anticipated the horrors of hell.” But this -almost demoniac wretchedness led him to no prayers of penitence, and -to no promises of amendment. They served only to whet his appetite for -revenge. - -At length he reached a large ocean bay, about one hundred and twenty -miles from Campeachy, appropriately called Gulf Triste. Here, to his -immense relief, he found a large ship of buccaneers riding at anchor. -He signalled the ship, and a boat was sent to take him on board. With -feigned glee the wretch told the story of his adventures. Not a word of -penitence was uttered. There was not the slightest recognition that the -punishment he had received was merited. On the contrary, he said to the -pirates: - -“I know of a ship at Campeachy, which is richly laden, and but feebly -armed. It can be captured with all ease. Furnish me with a boat and -thirty good men, and in a few days I will bring the ship and all its -cargo to you.” - -His request was granted. The boat was equipped, and he sailed along -the coast, assuming that he was a smuggler, with contraband goods. In -eight days he reached Campeachy. As the boat entered the harbor, the -piratic character of the craft was so concealed that no suspicions -were excited. At midnight the pirates cautiously approached the doomed -vessel. As the crew supposed themselves safe in the harbor, there was -but one sentry pacing the deck. He hailed the boat. Barthelemy, who -spoke Spanish perfectly, stood upon the bows, and replied: - -“We are a part of the crew. We have a boatload of goods from the land -for the vessel, upon which no duty has been paid.” - -At that moment the bows of the boat touched the ship. Barthelemy and -his crew leaped on board, drawn cutlass in hand. One plunge of a sabre -pierced the heart of the sentinel, and he fell dead. A few others who -chanced to be on deck were driven below, and the hatches were closed -upon them. Scarcely five minutes elapsed ere the thirty pirates, all -veteran sailors, were in perfect command of the ship, and all the -officers and crew were firmly barricaded, as prisoners, beneath the -deck. No noise had been made. No alarm was given to other ships in the -harbor. They raised the anchors, spread the sails, and put out to sea. - -Thus suddenly the wheel of fortune turned. The trembling fugitive, in -danger of the gallows, in rags and starvation, wandering through the -wilderness, but a few days before, now found himself treading the deck -of one of the finest of Spanish ships, well provisioned, well armed, -and with a rich cargo stored in her hold. He was the captain and mostly -the owner of the majestic craft. His dictatorial power was recognized -by thirty desperate men, ready implicitly to obey his will. The -commerce of all seas was apparently within the reach of his piratical -grasp. - -The imprisoned crew were disposed of as these pirates usually got rid -of those who were a trouble to them. They were either crowded into a -boat and cut adrift, or landed upon the nearest shore, or thrown into -the sea. Familiarity with misery and death rendered the pirates as -insensible to human suffering as the fisherman becomes to the struggles -of the fish in the bottom of his boat. - -Barthelemy, instead of returning with his prize to his comrades in -Gulf Triste, spread his sails for Jamaica. He was greatly elated, and -boasted loudly of the still greater enterprises which he was about to -undertake. With his suddenly found wealth he would create a fleet; he -would have crews of five hundred men at his command; his blood-red flag -should sweep all seas; he would collect an army and ravage provinces; -he would seize some large island, of which he would be the monarch, -with his fleets and his armies. Thus the Portuguese pirate dreamed. He -did not take God into the account. God had decided otherwise. - -It was a beautiful morning, as Barthelemy paced the deck, lost in these -ambitious imaginings. The sky was cloudless. A fresh breeze swelled the -sails, and delightfully tempered the heat of a tropical sun. - -A few leagues south of the Island of Cuba is the majestic Isle of -Pines. Large as it is, its prominence is lost in the overpowering -grandeur of its sister island. The ship was running along its southern -coast. - -A small cloud was seen in the southwestern horizon. Rapidly it -increased in size and blackness. It was a tropical tornado. Already its -roar could be heard as it ploughed and lashed the seas. The terrible -gale struck the ship and whirled it along as though it had been a -bubble. God was there, in his sore displeasure. What could man do? -Nothing. The pirates threw themselves upon their knees, and called upon -the Virgin and all the saints to come and help them. But neither Virgin -nor saint came. - -The ship struck the rocks--was dashed to pieces; the silver, the gold, -the cargo, everything disappeared before those terrific blasts. Many -were drowned. Barthelemy and a few of the crew were swept ashore by -the mountain billows. Their clothes were torn from their backs. Their -bodies were sorely bruised, and some of their bones broken, by being -dashed against the rocks. Exhausted, panting, maimed, and half dead, -Barthelemy found himself utterly beggared upon a lonely isle. This was -the work of one short half-hour. This was the disposal God made of the -pirates’ stolen spoil. - -A wretched, starving straggler, Barthelemy found his way to Jamaica. -Here he enlisted as a common sailor on board a pirate ship, and we hear -of him no more. Without doubt, he came to a miserable end; and his body -was probably thrown into the sea as food for sharks. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -_Francis Lolonois._ - - Early Life of Lolonois.--His Desperate Character.--Joins the - Buccaneers.--His Fiend-like Cruelty.--The Desperadoes Rally - around Him.--Equips a Fleet.--Captures Rich Prizes.--Plans the - Sack of Maracaibo.--The Adventurous Voyage.--Description of - Venezuela.--Atrocities at Maracaibo and Gibraltar.--Doom of - the Victors. - - -One of the most demoniac of those pirates who were ravaging sea and -land, calling themselves buccaneers, and assuming that they were -conducting a sort of legitimate warfare on their own private account, -was a bold wretch by the name of Francis Lolonois. He was a Frenchman. -When quite a young man, he, with other adventurers, went to the West -Indies, paying for his passage, in accordance with a custom of the -times, by being sold as a servant for a certain term. - -Having obtained his freedom, he went to the Island of St. Domingo. -Here he lived a vagabond life, sometimes hunting, and again engaged -as a common sailor in the commerce of the islands. He soon acquired -the reputation of being a reckless desperate fellow, and attracted -the attention of the piratic governor of the piratic rendezvous, at -the Island of Tortugas. He was intrusted with the command of a small -vessel, to prey upon Spanish commerce. His success was extraordinary. -He became rich. So terrible were his cruelties, that his fame extended -through both of the Indies. Death was the doom of his captives; often -death by torture. - -He had all his wealth, gold, jewels, and goods in a great ship, armed -with heavy guns. It was wrecked on the coast of Campeachy. The crew -barely escaped with their lives. The angry waves dashed to pieces and -swallowed up the ill-gotten gains of the pirate. The enraged Spaniards, -overjoyed at the wreck, pursued those who had escaped to the dry land, -and shot most of them down, mercilessly. Lolonois, disguised as a -common sailor, was severely wounded. He smeared himself with blood, and -feigned death. Being left on the field unburied, when the Spaniards -left, he crept into the woods. It was universally believed that he -was dead. The removal of such a wretch from the world was a matter of -almost national rejoicing. Bonfires blazed. Cannon were fired. The -undevout drank, and swore in their carousal. The devout repaired to -the churches, and thanked God that the world was delivered from so -cruel a pirate. - -Lolonois, slowly recovering from his wounds, disguised in a Spanish -habit, entered Campeachy. He made friends with a few slaves, stole a -small boat, and, as his piratic biographer has it, “came to Tortugas, -the common place of refuge of all sorts of wickedness, and the -seminary, as it were, of all manner of pirates and thieves.” - -His reputation as a successful pirate was such, that he speedily -obtained command of another vessel, manned by a crew of twenty-one -desperadoes. On the south side of the Island of Cuba, there was a -flourishing little village called Cayos. The inhabitants carried on -an active trade in tobacco, sugar and hides. Their harbor had not -sufficient depth of water for large vessels. The traffic was in boats. -Lolonois decided to sack the place. - -It was not far across the island to Havana. Some fishermen informed -the inhabitants of the approach of the pirate. In terror they sent to -Havana for aid. The governor instantly dispatched a war-ship, of ten -guns and seventy-five men, for their relief. The governor, astonished -that Lolonois had again come to life, issued written orders, as follows: - -“You are not to return until you have utterly destroyed all those -pirates. Every one is to be immediately hung, excepting Lolonois, their -captain. If possible, you are to bring him alive to Havana.” - -The ship arrived at Cayos before the pirates had made their attack. -They cast anchor just outside the harbor. The pirates, through their -confederates, had been informed of their approach. They captured two -fishing boats. In the darkness of the ensuing night, they ran these -boats, one on each side of the ship, and with sword and pistol leaped -on board. The attack was so sudden, so entirely unprovided for, that -the few of the crew who were on deck were speedily struck down or -driven below. - -Lolonois was in command of the ship, with all his prisoners beneath -the hatches. One by one they were brought up, and their heads cut off. -Not one was spared. The dismembered bodies were cast into the sea. The -bloody decks were washed. The pirate, proud of his achievement, and -admired by his men, strode to and fro, the proprietor of a strong, -well-armed ship, amply provided with everything he could need to -aid him in his career of rapine and blood. He wrote a letter to the -governor, and sent it to him by one of his captive fishermen. It was as -follows: - -“I shall never, hereafter, give quarter to any Spaniard. I have great -hopes that I shall yet have the pleasure of exercising upon your own -person, the punishment I have now inflicted upon those you have sent -against me. It is thus that I requite the kindness, which you designed -for me and my companions.” - -The governor was greatly troubled and perplexed by these tidings. In -his anger he took a solemn oath that he would never hereafter grant -quarter to any buccaneer who should fall into his hands. But the -citizens of Havana implored him not to persist in the execution of this -oath. They sent a delegation to him to say: - -“If this threat is followed out, the pirates will certainly do the -same. They have a hundred times more opportunity of revenge than the -governor can have. We must get our living by fishery. Hereafter, if -this threat is executed, we shall always be at the peril of our lives.” - -Lolonois cruised for some time among the islands, without success. He -then directed his course south toward Maracaibo, an important port in -the extreme north of the South American continent. After a run of six -or eight hundred miles, he reached the entrance of the vast bay which -leads up to the city. Here he captured an outward-bound ship, richly -laden with plate and silver from the mines. - -What he did with the crew we know not. They vanished. They were -probably all thrown into the sea. With ship and cargo he returned to -Tortugas, where he was received with public rejoicing. Though now -rich enough to live at his ease, his ambition was roused to attain -still greater renown. Publicly he proclaimed to all the pirates on the -island, that he was about to fit out a fleet sufficient to carry five -hundred men. With these he would sail to the Spanish dominions in South -America, and sack all the cities, towns, and villages along the coast. -He would then capture Maracaibo itself. - -All the desperadoes were eager to engage in the service of so brave and -successful a leader. His fleet was soon equipped, and his gang engaged. -There was a celebrated buccaneer at Tortugas, by the name of Michael -Basco. He had become very rich, and filled an important governmental -office. The proclamation of Lolonois fired anew his piratic zeal. He -had in former years ravaged all those regions by sea and by land. He -proposed to Lolonois to become a partner in his enterprise, if he could -be placed in command over the land forces. The articles of agreement -were soon signed. Eight vessels sailed. The crews amounted to six -hundred and seventy-five men. First they directed their course to St. -Domingo, and cast anchor in a little harbor called Bayala. Here they -laid in stores for their voyage, and added to their crews quite a -number of vagabond Frenchmen. - -On the last day of July they again spread their sails. Whether they -implored the Divine blessing upon their enterprise we know not. It is -not improbable. One of these pirates ran his sword through one of the -crew for behaving irreverently in church. - -“How can we expect,” he said indignantly, “the blessing of the Virgin, -if we behave in an unseemly way in her presence?” - -Lolonois was admiral of the fleet. He occupied the largest ship, which -mounted ten guns. They ran along the northern shore of St. Domingo, and -just as they were doubling its most eastern cape, they came in sight -of a large, heavily laden Spanish merchantman, bound from Spain to her -colonies. But a few leagues beyond them, on the south-east side of St. -Domingo, was the Island of Savona. Lolonois ordered the fleet to make a -harbor there, and wait for him. He then sailed to capture the Spanish -galleon. - -Unexpected resistance was encountered. The Spaniards knew that they -had no mercy to expect from Lolonois. They fought with desperation, -preferring to die in the fierce battle, rather than be massacred by the -pirates. The conflict lasted three hours. The ship was captured, and -the survivors put to the sword. - -Lolonois was delighted on finding the prize much richer than he had -anticipated. The ship was one of the strongest and best built of -Spanish vessels, and mounted sixteen guns. There were fifty men on -board, some doubtless passengers. But they were no match for the -reckless pirates, who were veterans in such warfare. The ship, in -addition to a very rich cargo, had forty thousand dollars in coin, and -ten thousand more in jewels. - -Lolonois sent the ship back to Tortugas to be unloaded, and then -immediately to rejoin him at Savona, to accompany the expedition. -In the mean time another large ship was captured, which was bound -to Hispaniola with military supplies and a sum of money to pay the -garrison. The ship mounted eight guns. Being entirely surrounded by the -hostile fleet, the captain surrendered without resistance. - -The passengers and crew were disposed of after the pirates’ usual -fashion. This important capture contained seven thousand pounds of -powder, a large number of muskets and other small arms, and twelve -thousand dollars in specie. The governor of Tortugas, a Frenchman, -ordered the cargo to be removed as quickly as possible from the ship, -and placing on board fresh provisions and a reënforcement of pirates, -to make good the loss of those who had fallen in battle or by sickness, -sent it back to Savona. - -Lolonois made this his flagship, as the largest and best of the fleet. -The city of Maracaibo was situated on an island, in the lake of the -same name, and at the head of the Bay of Venezuela. The island was -about sixty miles long by thirty-six broad. The passage to the city was -by a narrow channel which was guarded by a fort. The city contained -a mixed population of about four thousand, and carried on a thriving -trade in hides and tobacco. The dwellings were delightfully situated, -on an eminence running along the western shore of the lake, and -commanding a charming view of land and water scenery. There was a large -stone church in the place, four capacious monasteries, and a hospital. -A deputy governor, subject to the governor at Caraccas, administered -alike both civil and military affairs. - -The inhabitants of the province were rich in cattle. Immense herds -grazed over the luxuriant pastures, extending nearly one hundred -miles around. The cattle were kept mainly for their hides, which ever -commanded a ready market. Oranges, lemons, bananas, and other tropical -fruits were also very abundant. The harbor was spacious and secure, -with the very best of timber at hand. There were many fierce Indians in -the morasses and thickets around. They were comparatively powerless, -though occasionally committing wolfish depredations. - -About one hundred and twenty miles beyond Maracaibo, farther up the -lake, there was another quite important colonial Spanish town, called -Gibraltar. It had a population of about fifteen hundred. These were -nearly all engaged in trade, purchasing the products of the country -and sending them to other markets. On the plantations around, large -quantities of sugar were made. Also immense stores of cacao, from which -our word cocoa is derived, were gathered. This was the flat oblong seed -of the chocolate-tree, which was one of the most important articles of -commerce. They also raised a very superior kind of tobacco, which was -in great demand in Europe, called priests’ tobacco. - -Still farther south, over a high ridge of mountains, there was another -settlement called Merida. The summits of these mountains reached the -region of intense cold, and were covered with perpetual snow. There -were a few narrow passes through this craggy barrier, which could be -traversed only by the sure-footed mule. - -As soon as Lolonois entered the Gulf of Venezuela, he crept cautiously -along its shores, and cast anchor behind a wooded promontory, where -he was concealed from all observation. In the early dawn of the next -morning he again unfurled his sails, and, with a fair wind, swept -rapidly toward the Lake of Maracaibo. Secretly all the men were landed. -They marched to attack, on the land side, the fort, about four or five -leagues from the city, which guarded the entrance to the harbor. The -defences here consisted only of stout wicker baskets, about seven feet -high, filled with earth and stones. Within the fort there were sixteen -heavy guns. - -Notwithstanding all their precautions to attack the fort by surprise, -eagle eyes had detected their approach, and had given the alarm. The -commandant sent out a party of men to place themselves in ambuscade, -on the only route by which the pirates could approach the fort. They -were to wait until the pirates had passed that point, then, at a given -signal, when the governor attacked them in front, from behind his -rampart, they were to fall fiercely upon the rear of the foe. - -Lolonois was a demon, with a demon’s ability. He discovered the -stratagem; crept around the ambuscade; attacked the detachment in -its rear, and cut nearly every man to pieces. He then marched upon -the fort. The Spaniards were not cowards. For three hours the battle -raged, with equal desperation on either side. The reverberation of the -artillery explosions alarmed the whole city. The tidings ran through -the streets, exaggerated of course: - -“The pirates, two thousand strong, are marching upon us.” - -Their atrocities were well known. The whole community fled, seizing -such articles of value as they could--some in boats, some on land. Men, -fainting women, and crying babes, they pressed along, in a tumultuous -mass, to seek refuge in Gibraltar. - -The fort was taken. Nearly all its defenders lay silent in death. The -ships, having nothing more to fear, spread their sails and entered the -harbor. The pirates demolished the fort, burst all the cannon they -could, and spiked the rest. Lolonois practised his accustomed caution. -All the adjacent thickets were swept with grape-shot. Under the -protection of his guns, the boats, crowded with armed men, approached -the shore. One-half landed. The others remained in the boats with guns -in their hands, sabres at their sides, and pistols in their belts, to -act as reserves. - -To their assault there was no response. Not a human being was to be -seen. The town was utterly abandoned. They found provisions in great -abundance, with large quantities of wine and other intoxicating -liquors. These fiend-like men then commenced a scene of feasting, which -continued for several days. Their hideous orgies cannot be described. -Probably they experienced something of what they called joy, in these -revels. But they were only such joys as demons have. Milton describes -Satan, exulting over some of his plots, as “grinning horribly a ghastly -smile.” - -At length, satiated with their unrestrained excesses, they turned -their attention to the collection of plunder. It will be remembered -that it was a hundred and twenty miles to Gibraltar. There were aged -men, feeble women, the sick, and newly born babes in the place. It was -evident that many of these could not have escaped far, and that they -must be concealed in the woods around. Neither could it be doubted that -much treasure, which could not be transported to a distance, had been -buried. - -Gangs of armed men, amounting in all to over two hundred, were sent -to explore the woods. They went out every morning, for several days, -and returned at night. The first night they brought in twenty thousand -dollars in coin, eight mule-loads of goods, and twenty prisoners, -men, women, and children. Lolonois put several of these to the rack, -to compel them to reveal where other people were concealed, and where -other treasures were buried. The fiend tortured little children, before -the eyes of their parents, to extort confession. - -Terrible was the condition of the Spaniards in the woods. They were -suffering from every kind of exposure. They were devoured by insects. -They were starving. They were watching over sick and dying friends. And -they were every moment in danger of being captured, and exposed to the -most horrible torments, to extort the confession of hidden treasures, -when they had no treasure to hide. - -The next night another party of prisoners was brought in, with other -plunder. Lolonois summoned the captives before him. Drawing his sharp -sabre, he, without apparently the slightest emotion, hewed one of them -to pieces before the eyes of all the rest. He did this slowly and -deliberately, so as to prolong life as much as possible. Then, turning -to the rest, he said, with a pirate’s oath: - -“If you do not reveal to me where you have concealed the rest of your -goods, I will serve every one of you in the same manner.” - -For fifteen days the pirates remained at Maracaibo. They perpetrated -cruelties upon their captives so terrible, that we are compelled to -spread a veil over them. They then prepared to move on to Gibraltar. - -The governor of this province, which was called Venezuela, or Little -Venice, from its many marshes, resided at Merida. He was a veteran -soldier, who had gained renown in the wars in Flanders. He was, -moreover, somewhat of a braggadocio. The panic-stricken inhabitants -of Gibraltar, sent imploring appeals to him for aid. He returned the -boastful reply: - -“Give yourselves no uneasiness. I will soon be with you, at the head -of four hundred experienced soldiers. The pirates shall be utterly -exterminated.” - -He reached Gibraltar with his little army. Rallying the inhabitants, -he soon had at his command a force of eight hundred well-armed men. He -raised two batteries to command the approaches to the town. Upon one he -mounted twenty guns; upon the other eight. He also barricaded the main -entrance to the town. To deceive the pirates, he opened a road which -led circuitously away into impassable swamps. - -As Lolonois approached the town he saw the royal banner of Spain -floating over its defences, indicating that he could not take -possession of the place without a battle. He called his officers around -him, and thus addressed them: - -“The difficulties of our enterprise have become very great. The -Spaniards have had much time to prepare for their defence. They have -an ample supply of ammunition, and have assembled a large number of -men. Still, let us be of good courage. We must either defend ourselves -like valiant soldiers, or lose our lives with all the riches we have -gained. I am your captain. Do as I do. We have fought with fewer -men than we have now. We have conquered foes more numerous than can -possibly oppose us here. The more they are, the greater our glory, and -the greater our riches. But know ye this, that the first man who gives -any indication of fear, I will pistol with my own hand.” - -They landed from their ships, a little after midnight. In all, they -numbered three hundred and eighty. Each man had a musket with thirty -bullets, cartridges, a cutlass, and two or three loaded pistols in his -belt. As they commenced their march, which they knew must lead to the -death of some of them, they shook hands with each other in pledge of -mutual support. - -“Come, my brothers,” said Lolonois, “follow me, and be of good courage.” - -Upon reaching the barricade, where they encountered a heavy fire, they -turned aside into the new road which had been opened to insnare them. -This battle in the woods, amid swamps and thickets, and intertwining -vines and torturing thorns, can not be described. The combatants were -sometimes up to their waists in mire. The entanglements of a tropical -forest were such that they often could not see or approach each other. -Much of the firing was at random. The air was heavy with moisture. -The large guns of the batteries hurled balls and grape-shot, crashing -through the branches. The sulphurous smoke settled down upon the morass -in stifling folds. - -The pirates cut down branches of the trees and threw them into the -marsh, and thus gradually struggled through, until they reached the -firm ground beyond. Here the Spaniards were again ready to receive -them, with opposing batteries. Many of the pirates had perished in the -swamp. Their situation now seemed desperate. Lolonois was equal to the -occasion. He feigned a panic. The pirates fled tumultuously, crying -out, “Save himself who can.” Their flight was toward the ships. - -The Spaniards, deceived by the feigned discomfiture, rushed from behind -their intrenchments in eager pursuit, shouting joyfully, “They fly; -they fly!” Lolonois and his men, having drawn them some distance from -their batteries, turned upon them with the reckless ferocity of tigers. -Their bloody work was soon accomplished. A few of the Spaniards escaped -in terror to the woods. All the rest were cut down. Gibraltar was at -the mercy of the pirates. - -Five hundred Spaniards lay dead upon the ground. Many of those who -escaped to the woods were wounded, and of these not a few died, for -they were destitute of all aid in dressing their wounds. Fearing that -so many dead bodies might create contagion, the pirates piled them all -in two large boats, and sunk them in the lake. Still many putrefying -corpses were left scattered through the woods. The pirates admit that -they lost eighty in the conflict. The number was probably greater. -Though most of the inhabitants escaped from the town, the victors held -about one hundred and fifty prisoners, men, women, and children. They -prized these captives because, by torturing them, they hoped to find -where money was concealed. - -The town was plundered effectually. Every nook and corner they -searched. The miserable captives were shut up in the church. Gangs -of men were sent out to ravage the plantations around. As provisions -became scarce, the prisoners were left without any supply of bread or -water. The hearts of the pirates were no more moved by their piteous -moans than were the stone blocks with which the church was built. -During the four weeks the pirates held Gibraltar, nearly all these -captives died of actual starvation. - -Their gangs ranged the woods for great distances, bringing in plunder -and prisoners. Many women were brought in. Every conceivable measure -was resorted to, to get money. The whole region was wantonly turned -into a blackened, smouldering desert. Lolonois wished to pursue his mad -career over the mountains to Merida. But a pestilential and contagious -disease sprang up among his men. God’s hand seemed to smite them. All -were sick. Skeleton forms staggered through the streets. These men -were not ignorant of the crimes they were committing. There were no -loving hands to attend them in the languor of sickness, in the agonies -of death. In misery, many of these wretches were burned with fever. -Moaning and blaspheming they died, and their guilty souls passed to the -tribunal of that God who cannot look upon sin but with abhorrence. They -had seized their ill-gotten gold, and it had indeed turned to ashes in -their grasp. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -_The Plunder; the Carousal; and the New Enterprise._ - - Gibraltar in Ashes.--The Return to Maracaibo.--Division of - the Plunder.--Peculiar Scene.--Reception of the Pirates - at Tortuga.--Fiend-like Carousal.--The Pirates Reduced - to Beggary.--Lolonois’s New Enterprise.--The “Furious - Calm.”--Days of Disaster.--Ravaging the Coast.--Capture - of San Pedro. - - -Disease was now cutting down the pirates faster than the bullets or -sabres of the Spaniards had done. The victors, with an abundance of -gold and booty, were starving. The provisions in the place were all -consumed, and no fresh supplies had been brought in. The woe-stricken -wretches were quarrelling among themselves about the division of the -spoil. - -Lolonois sent several parties of men into the region around, to search -out fugitives from Gibraltar, and say to them that if, within two days, -they would send in to him fifty-eight thousand dollars, he would not -burn the city; otherwise he would lay every building in ashes. He set -at liberty several of his prisoners also, to convey to their friends -the same information. Disappointed in the money he had found, he still -believed that large sums had been secreted by the fugitives. - -The two days passed, and the money did not come. Lolonois set fire to -the four corners of the town, and in six hours reduced it to ashes. -By beat of drum he assembled his sick and starving men, and embarked, -with all the riches which were movable. He took several captives with -him, male and female. Sailing down the bay, they soon reached Maracaibo. -Quite a number of the inhabitants, who had returned tremblingly to -their desolated homes, he captured. Beggared as the poor creatures -already were, the merciless pirate said to them: - -“If you will supply me with five hundred cows, and bring me thirty -thousand dollars in coin, I will spare your city. If you do not yield -to this demand, I will treat your city as I have served Gibraltar. Not -one building shall be left standing.” - -The cows were driven in. The money was paid. The people, still -trembling, and not daring to manifest their joy, saw these Goths and -Vandals of modern times, spread their sails, and slowly disappear -in the distant horizon. But who can imagine the condition in which -the town was left? The people were utterly despoiled. The homes were -desolated. Widows and orphans wept and wailed, with life-long penury -before them. Not a few of the people with ruined constitutions, -tottered through the streets, slowly recovering from the crushings and -the lacerations of the rack. When we read of such crimes perpetrated by -man upon his brother, one almost shrinks from owning himself a man. And -the weary heart finds little comfort in the thought that the Spaniards -deserved it all. These woes came upon them as a righteous retribution. -With equal cruelty they had treated the native Cubans, the Mexicans, -and the Peruvians. - -The fleet sailed for Gonaves on the Island of Hispaniola. There the -spoil was to be divided. Each one took a solemn oath, on the Bible, -that he had concealed nothing, but that he had thrown everything into -the public stock. - -The gathering of the pirates for this distribution on the shores of a -lovely bay of the Island of St. Domingo, must have presented a very -singular spectacle. In the centre of a small verdant lawn, spread upon -the grass, were bales of richest silk; cloths of great variety of -texture; baskets of gold and silver coin, pistols, sabres, and muskets -of the best construction, and costly jewels, and golden cups, vases, -and ornaments, of which the churches had been despoiled. Around stood -wild groups of heavily armed, half-naked pirates, in ferocity of aspect -resembling fiends rather than men. Some countenances were disfigured -with sabre gashes; while some hobbled upon crutches. Native Indians -had gathered around, their long, black hair streaming in the wind, -and their almost naked bodies shining like coin fresh from the mint. -Several Spanish captives were there, men and women, looking sadly on -at the distribution of the wealth of which their own homes had been -plundered. There were also a large number of negro slaves present, -with their black limbs and woolly, hatless heads, whom the pirates had -brought with them to perform their heavy or menial tasks. - -After an exact calculation of the whole spoil in coin, jewels, and -goods, the sum total was estimated at only about five hundred thousand -dollars. The property was really worth much more. But a very low -estimate was placed upon most of the goods. Silver in bullion was -valued at eight dollars a pound. The pirates were so ignorant of the -real value of jewels, that they were prized at nothing like their real -worth. Many of the stores and fabrics were also greatly undervalued. - -Still, even at this low estimate, the average was over a thousand -dollars for each pirate. Having finished this important business, -they set sail for Tortuga, where most of them were, in a few days, to -squander all the fruits of their robberies and murders, in the most -riotous dissipation. After a four-weeks’ voyage they reached the great -rendezvous of the buccaneers. The island was crowded with gamblers and -abandoned women, and every conceivable haunt of dissipation. - -For three weeks Tortuga presented a spectacle of frenzied and maddened -carousal, which could not have been surpassed. Men, insane with -drink, rushed through the streets, slashing with their sabres in all -directions. Casks of rum and wine were placed in the streets, standing -on end, with the heads knocked out, and every passer-by was compelled -to drink. The women, more loathsome in their wickedness than the men, -reeled through the thoroughfares, in the richest silks and satins, and -bedecked with glittering jewelry of which a duchess might be proud. -There were oaths and brawls and bloody duels. In the delirium of these -demoniac orgies gold watches were fried for a costly breakfast, and -were served up with boiled pearls and jewels. - -Two French vessels chanced just then to enter the port, laden with wine -and brandy. This was throwing fresh fuel upon the fiery conflagration -of violence, sin, and shame then raging in this miniature city of all -the fiends. In the course of three weeks nearly all of these thieves -had squandered everything. The riches they had gained by murder and -the endurance and the infliction of untold miseries, had all passed -into the hands of the gamblers, the liquor dealers, and the abandoned -women. John Esquemeling, who witnessed these scenes, of which he wrote -an account, says that the governor of the island bought of these -buccaneers a shipload of cocoa, for not one-twentieth part its real -value. He sent it to Europe, and realized over five hundred thousand -dollars from the profits. Lolonois, though fiercely brave, and with -unusual native strength of mind, was a low, degraded, brutal man. He -indulged in these bacchanal orgies with the meanest of his crew. No one -was guilty of greater excesses. No one sank to greater depths in the -mire of loathsome wickedness. Not one short month had passed ere he was -reeling through the streets a filthy and ragged beggar. He was also -deeply involved in debt. - -He could conceive of but one mode of extrication. That was to set out -upon another piratic expedition. The ravages of the pirates had been so -great that the commerce of those seas was almost annihilated. Merchant -ships abandoned the ocean, unless attended by a very strong convoy. -This it was which led the buccaneers to go in fleets, so as to land -in sufficient strength to desolate the coasts and to sack towns and -cities. - -Lolonois’s success had given him high reputation as a pirate. There -were many on the island ready to furnish him with the means for -another adventure. There were hundreds of penniless, starving wretches -staggering through the streets, eager to enlist under his banner for -any service whatever. Inscrutable is the mystery of God’s government. -He has allowed miniature hells to exist on earth, and to be crowded -with demons in human form. No philosophy, no theology can explain this. -The heart, in its anguish, often cries out, “O Lord, how long! how -long!” Faith tremblingly and sadly exclaims, “What we know not now we -shall know hereafter.” - -This demoniac man had sense enough to abandon his cups, until his brain -was sufficiently clear to organize, even to its details, the plan for a -new expedition. The enterprise was communicated to a few men of capital -and unscrupulous shrewdness. Money was promptly raised. Six vessels -were purchased. There were generally vessels enough in the harbor, from -the prizes that were brought in, and from the large number of piratic -ships. - -Lolonois placarded a proclamation upon the walls, calling for -volunteers. More than seven hundred eager applicants thronged his -doors. Three hundred of these he took, with himself, on board his -largest ship. The rest were placed in five other ships. None but the -leading officers were informed of the destination of the fleet. - -They first sailed to a port called Bayaha, on the Island of San -Domingo, then, as we have mentioned, called Hispaniola; or Little -Spain. Here they filled their water-casks and supplied themselves with -provisions. Thence they sailed to Matamana, a solitary but commodious -harbor on the south side of Cuba. This region was famous for its rich -turtles. Native Cuban fishermen, in large boats, pursued these animals, -alike valuable for their flesh and their shells. The pirates were fond -of turtle soup. Lolonois needed a large number of boats, that he might -simultaneously land the crews, from his ships, upon any doomed city. - -These poor men were mercilessly robbed of their boats, into many of -which forty sailors could be crowded. The poor fishermen, having no -other means of subsistence, were overwhelmed with grief and dismay. -Lolonois was as heedless of their sorrows as he was of the manifest -trouble of the tortoise when deprived of its young. Again they spread -their sails, and had advanced about three hundred miles along the -southern coast of Cuba, when they were overtaken by what the Spaniards -call a “furious calm.” - -For four weeks there was not a breath of air. Day after day the -tropical sun rose, pouring down upon their blistered decks his -scorching rays. The cabins became as furnaces. There was relief -nowhere. The pirates swore, prayed, called upon the Virgin and -the saints. All was in vain. Twenty eight days of this terrible -imprisonment passed slowly away. In the mean time a strong, but -imperceptible and resistless current swept them along into the Gulf of -Honduras, which deeply penetrates the eastern coast of Central America. -Upon leaving Cuba, the crews had been informed of the enterprise before -them. They were to coast along the province of Nicaragua and plunder -all its settlements, great and small. - -This important Spanish province extended entirely across the Isthmus -of Panama, then called Darien, from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific -Ocean. It was bounded on the north by Honduras, and on the south by -Costa Rica. By the current, the pirates had been swept nearly five -hundred miles west of the point which they wished to make. To return, -they must coast, for that distance, along the bleak, almost uninhabited -northern shore of Honduras. - -The Gulf stream, pouring into the Bay of Honduras, pressed strongly -against them. The calm was followed by fresh winds. But these winds -were strong and contrary. It was impossible to beat against both wind -and current. - -Another dreary month thus passed away, as they struggled against -adversity. Their provisions were consumed. Their water-casks were -empty. Famine compelled them to seek the land. Entering the mouth of a -large river, which they called Xagua, and which afforded a harbor for -their fleet, they cast anchor. The region was quite densely inhabited -by Indians, inoffensive and friendly. They had for some years conducted -trade with the Spaniards, which was profitable to both parties. The -Indians received, in exchange for cocoa, articles from Europe, to them -of priceless value. - -There were many picturesque Indian villages, scattered along the -banks of the river, beneath cocoa groves, and surrounded by orange -plantations and fields of Indian corn. The natives had also learned -the value of swine and poultry, and were well supplied with both. When -they saw the fleet approaching they were not alarmed, but rejoiced, as -they were eager both to sell and to buy. They sprang into their canoes, -loading them with vegetables, fruit, and fowls, and with smiling faces -paddled out to the ships. - -How shall I describe the scenes which ensued? Burke, I think, says, -“to speak of atrocious crime in mild language is treason to virtue.” -These incarnate fiends shot down the poor Indians, men and women, in -mere wantonness--for the fun of it. Boats filled with these armed -demons then went ashore. They shot the men, as they could. They took -many women captives. They stripped the Indians of everything, swine, -poultry, fruit, corn, and then burned their villages. - -The renowned French historian, Michelet, though an unbeliever in -the Christian religion, says that when writing the account of the -atrocities perpetrated by the ancient nobility of France upon the -peasantry, he found himself praying to God that there might be -some future punishment, where these tyrants, clothed in purple and -sumptuously feeding, might receive the due award for their crimes. - -The amount of food obtained, furnished but a few days’ supply for seven -hundred hungry mouths. Lolonois decided to remain there at anchor until -the weather should prove more favorable. In the mean time he sent his -armed boats up the river and along the shores in both directions for -indiscriminate plunder. The whole region was devastated. The terrified -Indians fled in all directions, taking with them what they could. -Notwithstanding the utmost diligence of the plunderers, they could each -day bring in barely enough for the day’s supply. - -When the pirates had got everything here upon which they could lay -their hands, they weighed anchor and worked their way slowly along -the coast several leagues, until they reached a harbor called Port -Cavallo. This was a trading-post of the Spaniards. They had here two -capacious store-houses, to hold the goods which they received from the -natives, and the articles brought from Spain to give to them in return. -Ships occasionally arrived with fresh supplies, and to transport the -purchases to Spain. - -There was at that time in the harbor a large Spanish ship, which -mounted twenty-four guns and sixteen mortars. But this one ship could -make no effectual resistance against the fleet of the pirates. It was -immediately seized. Its cargo had been mostly unloaded and carried back -into the country, to be exchanged, in barter, with the Indians. They -stripped the store-houses, and plundered and destroyed all the adjacent -dwellings. They captured many prisoners, and put them to dreadful -torture to compel them to confess, often when they had nothing which -they could disclose. - -Lolonois hacked them to pieces with his sabre; tore out their tongues; -dislocated their joints with the rack. He committed upon them, writes -Esquemeling, “the most insolent and inhuman cruelties that ever -heathens invented, putting them to the cruelest tortures they could -imagine or devise. Oftentimes it happened that some of these miserable -prisoners, being forced thereunto by the rack, would promise to -discover the places where the fugitive Spaniards lay hidden; which, -being not able afterward to perform, they were put to more enormous and -cruel deaths than they who were killed before.” - -About twenty miles from Port Cavallo there was, not far from the coast, -a small but thriving town called San Pedro. Lolonois took three hundred -men and commenced his march to sack the place. He left his lieutenant, -Moses Vauclin, in command of the men who were left behind with the -ships. A few boats, well armed, were sent along the coast to render -such assistance as might be needful. Before starting he told his troops -that he would always march at their head, sharing all their dangers; -but that he would cut down the first one who manifested any disposition -to retreat or gave the least sign of fear. - -There were no broad roads to traverse, but only intricate mule-paths, -which could with difficulty be followed through the dense growth of -a tropical forest. Two Spanish captives were taken as guides. The -inhabitants of San Pedro, informed of their approach, sent out a party -of men to intrench themselves in ambush on the way. The narrow road led -through gigantic forests with almost impenetrable thickets of brambles -and thorns and interlacing vines on either side. - -When the pirates had advanced about nine miles, the Spaniards in ambush -opened fire upon them. Taking deliberate aim, at the first discharge -many of the pirates were killed, and more wounded. The battle which -ensued was desperate on both sides. Lolonois, assuming that his guides -had led him into the ambush, instantly cut them both down. - -The fury of the pirates was irresistible, and the Spaniards were put -to flight. They left behind many dead and wounded. The pirates put to -death all of the wounded, excepting one or two whom they reserved as -guides. These they threatened with instant death if they did not guide -them safely to the city. There was but one available path leading -there. Intimidated by the awful threats of Lolonois, when he asked them -if there were other ambuscades farther on, they said that there were. -He then asked them if there were not some other path to the city, by -which they could avoid the ambuscades. The guides replied that they did -not know of any. - -Lolonois was in a great rage. He drew his sabre and cut one of the -captives to pieces before the rest. He cut out his heart, seized it, -and began to gnaw it, like a ravenous wolf. Then turning to the other -captives, he said: - -“I swear unto you, by the death of God, that I will serve you all the -same way if you do not lead me to the city by another route.” - -Terror-stricken, the poor creatures endeavored to lead through the -thickets. But they could not force their way. Lolonois was compelled -to return to the former path. But he swore the most terrible oaths -that the Spaniards should pay dearly for causing him so much trouble. -The same evening they encountered another ambuscade. Lolonois fell -upon his foes with the same fury with which the tiger leaps upon its -prey, apparently regardless of his own life, if he can but destroy his -victim. In less than an hour the Spaniards were routed, and scarcely -one escaped. - -The pirates, though victorious, were faint with fatigue, hunger, and -thirst. They threw themselves down in the woods that night, and, -probably with consciences utterly seared, slept that sound sleep which -toil and danger often bring. - -The next morning, at break of day, the pirates resumed their march. -Ere long, they came upon a third ambuscade. This was much stronger and -better planned than either of the others. The pirates had provided -themselves with a large number of fire-balls, which they showered down -with much effect upon their foes. Lolonois seemed inspired with the -fury of a madman. He foamed at the mouth and gnashed his teeth as he -shouted: - -“No quarter; no quarter! The more we kill here, the less we shall meet -in the town.” - -But few of the Spaniards escaped to San Pedro. Nearly all were killed; -for the wounded were immediately dispatched. The pirates had now -arrived within sight of the town. There was but one narrow approach, -and that the Spaniards had thoroughly barricaded. The thorny shrubs -which grew densely around were utter impenetrable. Nothing remained for -the pirates but to make an instantaneous attempt to storm the works. -Several times they were driven back, but only to renew the conflict -with increasing fury. This conflict, of fiend-like ferocity, continued -four hours. The white flag of surrender was then unfurled from the town. - -After a brief parley, the citizens agreed to yield up the town, without -further resistance, if they were allowed two hours to retire with such -articles as they could take away with them. Lolonois, who in this last -battle had lost forty men, agreed to the terms. The Spaniards, with -their wives and children, fled, with such few articles as they could -carry in their arms or on the backs of mules. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -_The End of Lolonois’s Career._ - - The Pirates’ Perfidy.--Capture of a Spanish Ship.--Misery of the - Pirates.--Desertion of Vauclin.--The Shipwreck.--Life upon the - Island.--Expedition to Nicaragua.--Its utter Failure.--Ferocity - of the Indians.--Exploring the River.--The Retreat.--Coasting to - Darien.--Capture and Death of Lolonois.--Fate of the Remnants. - - -Lolonois waited patiently the two hours which he had agreed to grant -the inhabitants to vacate the place. He then entered the town, and, in -perfidious disregard of the spirit of his engagement, dispatched armed -bands to pursue the fugitives, and not only rob them of everything in -their possession, but also to bring them all back as prisoners. - -This was done. But the thieves were much disappointed in the amount -of plunder they found, San Pedro was by no means a wealthy place. The -inhabitants gained a comfortable but frugal living, mainly by raising -indigo. - -The pirates, in their great disappointment, supposed, as usual, that -much treasure had been concealed. They therefore put their captives to -the torture, to force them to point out the places of concealment. -Though many died under the terrible infliction, no discoveries were -made. The pirates, in revenge, laid the town in ashes. In this -fruitless expedition they lost about one hundred men in killed and -wounded, endured great suffering, and inflicted inconceivable misery -upon their brother man. - -About one hundred and fifty miles southwest of San Pedro was the rich -old Spanish town of Guatemala, capital of the capacious province of -that name. Lolonois, in his frenzied state of mind, was determined -to send back to the ship for reënforcements, and then to march upon -Guatemala. But his piratic crew refused to accede to so insane a -proposal. - -For eighteen days these marauders lingered around San Pedro, before -they applied the torch. They then, leaving only ruins and misery behind -them, returned to the fleet. Those left there had employed their time -in robbing the Indians, burning their huts, and inflicting all manner -of evil upon their families. Some of these captives on the coast -informed them that about sixty miles west, at the mouth of the great -river of Guatemala, called Montagua, there was a large Spanish ship, -which had recently arrived from Spain. - -As soon as Lolonois arrived, several boats filled with pirates, -thoroughly armed, were sent to capture the ship. The Indians had -informed the inmates of the ship of the presence of the pirates. -Anticipating a visit, they had made such preparations as they could to -repel them. The ship mounted forty-two guns, was well supplied with -small arms, and had a select crew of one hundred and thirty fighting -men. - -The pirates, after opening fire upon the ship for some time, from one -of their vessels with twenty-two heavy guns, sent four boats, each -carrying about forty men, to clamber over the bulwarks of the ship, -cutlass in hand, at four points. In this assault they were much aided -by a dense fog, which, blending with the smoke of the powder, had -settled down so heavily as to conceal the approach of the boats. - -The crew were sailors. The pirates were veteran soldiers. The conflict -was like that between well-trained regulars and raw militia. Very -soon the pirates were masters of the ship, and the deck was covered -with the dead and the dying. But again these wretched plunderers -were disappointed. The vessel had been almost entirely unladen. Its -remaining cargo consisted of twenty thousand reams of paper and one -hundred tons of iron bars. Neither of these were of any use to the -pirates. The ship, however, with its great guns, its small arms, and -its abundance of ammunition, was deemed a great acquisition. But God -so ordered it that even this capture proved a calamity rather than an -aid to the enterprises of Lolonois. - -The desperate leader of this piratic gang called a general council, -and insisted upon the march across the country to Guatemala. It was -a stormy session. The general discontent was expressed in curses and -oaths, and bitter recriminations. Nearly one-fourth of their number -had perished. They had endured almost intolerable sufferings. As yet -they had accomplished nothing in the way of enriching themselves. And -now they were urged to embark on a desperate enterprise, where they -certainly would be exposed to the greatest hardships, and where all -would probably perish. - -These men had embarked from Tortuga, with the expectation that dollars -and doubloons would be gathered by shovelfuls. They were now poor, -hungry, mutinous, angry with each other, and the prospect before them -was discouraging in the extreme. All thoughts of ravaging Nicaragua, -in their present state of despondency and with the great diminution of -their numbers, were relinquished. - -Moses Vauclin had charge of the splendid ship recently captured. His -ship was a swift sailer. With one or two officers conspiring with him, -and his crew of nearly one hundred and fifty men gained over, they -decided to run away and cruise on their own account. In the night -they silently raised their anchors, took advantage of a fresh breeze, -and, before the morning’s dawn, disappeared beyond the horizon. When -Lolonois awoke and found that he was thus deserted, the madman paced -his deck in a frenzy of impotent rage. - -The fugitives could not endure the idea of returning penniless to -Tortuga, where they would thus become the laughing-stock of the whole -community. The wind favored them. They ran along the coast of Honduras -and Nicaragua to the south, until they reached the province of Costa -Rica. In their desperation, being resolved to accomplish something, -they landed and attacked and sacked the poor little town of Veruguas, -killing many of the inhabitants. The furniture in the huts of these -poor people was of no value to them. They gained only the pitiful sum -of about forty dollars’ worth of gold, which the slaves had washed out -from the mud of the rivers. - -This region was low and unhealthy. The Spanish grandees, who owned -the mines and cultivated them by the compulsory labor of slaves, had -their residences in the more healthy region of Nata, at the distance -of several leagues. The Spaniards began to gather in large numbers to -repel the invaders. The pirates, alarmed, fled to their ship, and -returned to Tortuga. Here they disbanded, and we learn no more of the -fate of this portion of Lolonois’s army. Each one, doubtless, found his -way, through crime and misery, to death and to the judgment-seat of -Christ. - -Lolonois was left at Port Cavallo, with but about two hundred men. He -was almost destitute of food; most of his ammunition was consumed; -many were sick from the insalubrity of the climate, and all were -dissatisfied, clamorous, and angry. - -Lolonois remained for some time in the Bay of Honduras. Esquemeling -writes: “His ship was too great to get out at the time of the reflux of -those seas, which the smaller vessels could more easily do.” - -Every day he sent his boats ashore for food. The fruit of the region -was soon all consumed, and they fed on the flesh of parrots and -monkeys. Slowly working their way along the coast by the night breeze, -they found the days generally calm. Casting anchor in the morning, they -sought provisions in fishing and hunting. At length they rounded the -extreme eastern point of Honduras, at Cape Gracios à Dios. Just beyond, -a group of islands called the Pearl Islands, hove in sight. - -The indomitable Lolonois was still determined to ravage a portion of -the rich province of Nicaragua. It was his plan to anchor his vessels -at the mouth of the river St. John, by which the great inland sea -called Lake Nicaragua empties its waters into the ocean, and then to -ascend the majestic stream in his armed boats. While sailing among the -islands in an almost unknown sea, he ran his ship upon a sandbank. All -his efforts to float the ship again were in vain. With infinite labor -he took out the heavy guns and the iron; but the ship had sunk too deep -in the sand to be moved. - -Finding his ship thus hopelessly wrecked, he decided to break her to -pieces, and with her planks and nails to construct a large and strong -boat with which he could ascend the river. The crew all landed upon -an island, built themselves huts in the Indian fashion, and, with -a reckless disregard of misfortune, commenced building their boat. -Expecting that it might be necessary to spend some time there, they dug -gardens and planted peas and other vegetables. - -The island upon which they were was large, and was inhabited by a -very fierce tribe of Indians. But their clubs and lances armed with -crocodiles’ teeth were but impotent weapons, when met by the muskets, -the pistols, and the sabres of the pirates. The Indians had doubtless -heard of the atrocities committed by these rovers over seas and land, -for they fled precipitally at their approach, and taking to their -canoes, actually abandoned the island. - -The vegetables which the pirates sowed grew rapidly. It was six months -before their large boat, or rather small vessel, was completed. In the -mean time they raised quite large crops of beans, wheat, potatoes, and -bananas. It is strange that this experience did not teach them that -they could much more easily and happily gain a living by honest than by -dishonest means. But still they clung to the misery of piracy, with its -crime, its cruelty, and its wild revelry. - -When the vessel was finished, Lolonois took one-half of his company, -or about one hundred men, in this vessel and a ship which remained to -him, and sailed for the mouth of St. John’s River. The other half were -left behind. As nothing was said about the other smaller vessels of -the fleet, it is probable that they all had been lost in the various -casualties of their voyage, or had escaped with Vauclin. It was known -that the Indians on the river had very large boats, formed by hollowing -out the trunk of a gigantic tree. These boats, ingeniously made, and -the result of almost incredible labor, would accommodate forty or fifty -warriors. It was Lolonois’s intention to rob the Indians of some of -their boats, send them back to the island for the pirates who were -left behind, and then, with his whole party, to ascend the river in an -invincible fleet. - -Lolonois set sail, and in a short time reached the mouth of the St. -John’s River. But the Indians, who had fled from the island, had spread -the news, all along the coast, of the arrival of the terrible pirates. -Spaniards and Indians were thus influenced to combine to meet them -wherever they might land. Their progress in building their vessel had -been carefully watched by spies, who effectually concealed themselves -from sight. - -As Lolonois and his party entered the river they expected to take -the inhabitants by surprise, and had not the slightest idea of -being surprised themselves. But their vessel had been watched as it -approached. There was a pleasant sheltered cove surrounded by the -luxuriant and magnificent growth of the tropics. It could not be -doubted that this spot would be selected for their landing-place. -Nature had decked it with the charms of Eden. Here a well-armed band of -Spaniards and Indians posted themselves in ambuscade. Palm-trees and -cocoanut-trees rose gracefully around them. Golden oranges and lemons -hung profusely from orchards which God had planted and cultivated. -Birds of every variety of brilliant plumage flitted from bough to -bough. All the sights and sounds of nature seemed to say that God -had made this for a happy world; that his children might live here in -fraternal love, surrounded by abundance. - -The pirates cast anchor in the lovely cove, where the glittering sand -could be seen fathoms deep, beneath the water of crystal clearness. -They had several small boats. All were impatient to reach the land. -Scarcely had their boats touched the beach, and the men were clustered -together in landing, when the Eden-like scene of peace and loveliness, -was changed into an earth-like scene of noise and tumult and smoke and -groans and blood. - -There was a sudden discharge of musketry from the surrounding thickets -within half gun-shot. The Spaniards had armed the Indians and taught -them to take unerring aim. Both Spaniards and savages united in -the most hideous yells to appal the pirates with an idea of their -superior numbers. Rapidly the unseen foe continued the discharge of -the murderous bullets. Scarcely a minute elapsed ere many were dead, -weltering in their blood. Others were severely wounded. And still the -pitiless storm of leaden hail swept through the group, crashing bones -and tearing nerves, and still the yells of the invisible assailants -resounded through the forest. There was not a breath of air. The -sulphurous smoke settled down, half concealing the awful spectacle of -blood and death. - -Even the demoniac pirates were so panic-stricken that they dared not by -a charge rush into the very jaws of destruction. Every instant their -comrades were dropping. There was no time for thought. Those not yet -struck leaped into the boats and pushed from the shore, leaving the -dying and the dead in the water and upon the sand. Still the pelting -storm pursued them till they were beyond gun-shot reach. - -Lolonois, the greatest villain of them all, escaped unharmed. Did God -preserve him that he might drain to the dregs the cup of mental and -bodily misery which he had so often presented to the lips of others? In -view of what he had yet to endure, he might indeed have deemed it one -of the richest of mercies had a bullet pierced heart or brain, and laid -him instantly with the dead. - -The wretch had sufficient intelligence to perceive that he was ruined. -There was no longer any hope of ravaging Nicaragua. His provisions -were exhausted. He had no doubt that the whole coast was armed against -them. As by lightning-bolts he had lost nearly one-half of his crews. -Desponding, starving, he divided his company into two bands, to sail -where they could, to save themselves from perishing by hunger. - -Lolonois, with thirty or forty men ran along the coast toward South -America, till they reached the region of Carthagena. They were few and -feeble, and feared to land. The atrocities committed by the pirates -were everywhere known. Upon every league of the coast either the -Spaniards or the Indians were watching for their approach, ready to -give the general alarm, and to summon all who could be rallied to repel -them. - -Their water-casks were empty. They must obtain fresh water or perish of -thirst. Having passed the Gulf of Darien, he ventured to land, taking -his whole force with him. It so chanced, or Providence so ordered -it, that he landed on the territory of one of the fiercest tribes -of Indians known in all that region. They were called Bravos. The -Spaniards had never been able to subdue them. These fierce and cunning -savages surrounded the pirates and shot down or captured the whole -band. Still not a bullet struck Lolonois. He was reserved for another -doom. Most of the captured pirates were burned alive. But the savages -thought that too merciful a death for the leader of the band. - -They bound him to a tree. Hour after hour, according to their custom, -they tortured him, being careful to prolong his sufferings by not -piercing any vital point. Every device of savage ingenuity was resorted -to, which might extort agony from his quivering nerves. There was no -one to pity. Even humanity says he merited it all. At last the savages, -howling in frenzied merriment around him, and raising new shouts -whenever they could force from him new shrieks of agony, weary with -the demoniac pastime, hewed off one of his arms and threw it into the -fire. They then hewed off the other and committed it to the flames. The -same was done with his legs. Then his head was cut off, and with his -memberless body was consumed to ashes. Such was the earthly life, and -such the earthly death of Francis Lolonois. We say the _earthly_ life. -There is another life. There is a second death. Lolonois still lives in -the spirit-land. What is his character there? - -The pirates who remained upon the island, weary of waiting for the -boats, were quite in despair. But one morning their eyes were cheered -by the sight of a very large ship passing near by. Their signals were -seen and the ship hove to. It proved to be a pirate bound for the sack -of Carthagena. The captain was delighted to add a hundred desperate -fellows to his gang. The pirates, who had now been ten months upon the -island, and were in a state of great despondency, destitution, and -suffering, were as glad as such wicked men could be in this escape from -their miseries, and this new opportunity to renew their ravages. - -There were several Carthagenas in the various provinces of the New -World. The one they were to attack was in Honduras, on the river -Segoria, which empties into Cape Gracios à Dios. Their plan was to -cast anchor in the mouth of the river, and ascend the stream in boats. -The piratic captain was greatly elated, for he had now at his command -between five and six hundred men. - -They reached the mouth of the river in safety. A few men were left in -charge of the ship. Over five hundred were crowded into the boats. -There was no space for storing provisions; neither was it thought -necessary. It was supposed that an ample supply of food would be -found in the villages on the river banks. But the Indians transmitted -intelligence with almost the rapidity of telegraphic dispatches. From -village to village the tidings ran. - -The Indians, conscious of their inability to contend with the -well-armed pirates, fled. They took with them all the food they could. -The rest they destroyed. The invaders found themselves reduced almost -to starvation. They ate roots and herbs, and even the leaves of the -trees. A blazing tropical sun poured its rays down upon their crowded -open boats, blistering their skin with the intense heat. Sickness came, -with languor, pain, wretchedness. Their own crimes were chastising them -with scorpion lashes. - -There was but misery in those boats, with universal discontent and -oaths and fightings. In their despair they landed, five hundred -maddened, starving men, hating themselves and hating each other. -They hoped that at a little distance back from the river they might -find some villages which had not been abandoned. In this they were -disappointed. The natives watched them closely, and fled before them. - -They commenced a retreat back to the ship. Many died. Many fell by the -wayside and were captured by the savages. The Indians pursued them, -watching every opportunity to strike a blow. They were too weak to -resist. They could scarcely wield a paddle or lift a musket. Their -starvation and misery was so great that they resolved to kill and -devour the first Indian they could meet. But this kind of game kept -beyond the reach of their balls. They ate their shoes, their leather -belts, even the sheaths of their swords. - -At length a skeleton band reached the ship. There was but little food -there. Still they spread their sails, and disappeared. We hear of them -no more. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -_The Female Pirate, Mary Read._ - - Testimony of Charles Johnson.--Marriage of Mary - Read’s Mother.--Singular Adventure.--Reasons for - Disguising her Daughter.--Early Training of Mary - as a Boy.--She Enlists on board a Man-of-war.--The - Character she Developed.--Enters the Army.--Skill - and Bravery.--Falls in Love with a Fleming.--Reveals - her Sex.--The Marriage.--Happy Days.--Death of her - Husband.--Adversity.--Resumes Male Attire. - - -In writing the account of Captain Kidd and other conspicuous pirates of -his day, we have had occasion to refer to many ancient documents. In -their examination we have come across numerous incidents, extraordinary -in their character. Among these are the well-accredited careers of -two female pirates, Mary Read and Anne Bonny. Their lives illustrate -the common remark that fact is often stranger than fiction. We are -mainly indebted, for the wild and wondrous story of their adventures, -to the narrative of Captain Charles Johnson. The second edition of his -valuable history of the pirates now lies before me. It was published in -London, in the year 1724. In the preface to this work the writer says: - -“As to the lives of our two female pirates, we must confess they may -appear a little extravagant, yet they are nevertheless true. But as -they were publicly tried for their piracies, there are living witnesses -enough to justify what we have laid down concerning them. It is certain -that we have produced some particulars which were not publicly known. -The reason is we were more inquisitive into the circumstances of their -past lives than other people who had no other design than that of -gratifying their own private curiosity. If there are some incidents -and turns in their stories, which may give them a little the air of a -novel, they are not invented or contrived for that purpose. It is a -kind of reading this author is but little acquainted with. But as he -himself was exceedingly diverted with them, when they were related to -him, he thought they might have the same effect on the reader.” - -A young girl in one of the seaports in England, about one hundred and -seventy-five years ago, married a sailor. Not many months after their -marriage the sailor left home for a distant voyage, and never returned. -She never knew whether he deserted her, or whether he died far away. -When he sailed she was expecting soon to become a mother. She resided -with her husband’s relatives. In due time the child was born, and -proved to be a boy. - -The mother was a young, light, trifling girl, of fair reputation, and -not very careful habits, who ere long found that she was about to -become a mother again. As the months advanced, in order to conceal her -shame, she took leave of her husband’s relatives, informing them that -she was going to visit her own friends at some distance in the country. -Her little boy, who accompanied her, was then not a year old. - -Soon after her departure her son died; and she, ere long, gave birth -to another child, who proved to be a girl. The mother remained away -four years. In the mean time she had very little communication with -her former relatives; and they had no knowledge of the death of her -son, or of the birth of her daughter. Her husband’s mother was still -living. She was in comfortable circumstances, though aged and infirm, -with impaired vision. The mother of the little girl thought that if -she could pass her child upon the aged mother of her husband, as his -son, whom she had seen and loved, the child would be liberally provided -for. But the changing of a girl into a boy seemed to be an insuperable -difficulty. She, however, dressed the child up as a boy, and presented -it to her mother-in-law as her husband’s son. No one suspected the -deception. The good old woman embraced it cordially, and was anxious -to adopt it as her own, promising amply to provide for it. - -But the cunning mother declared that it would break her heart to -part with the child that she could not be separated from it. It was, -however, agreed that the child should reside with the mother, while the -supposed grandmother should allow a crown a week for its maintenance. -The child was thus brought up as a boy. The mother watched over her -with the utmost vigilance, instructing her to guard the secret of her -sex with the greatest possible care. - -At length the grandmother died: the little property vanished, and the -mother and child were in a situation of much destitution. The child -was now thirteen years of age, bright, well formed, and good looking, -with a thoroughly boyish character. There was a French lady, in the -neighborhood, who took the child into her service, as page and footboy. -The feminine nature was soon entirely swallowed up in manly yearnings -and desires. - -She was bold and strong, and developed a roving disposition and a -love for wild adventures. We are not informed of her masculine name. -Her feminine name was Mary. For convenience’ sake we will call her -Frank, during the period of her disguise. Frank enlisted on board a -man-of-war, and served in the capacity of a sailor, energetically and -successfully, for several months. No one was more nimble in running up -the shrouds, or in taking in reefs when the majestic fabric was tossed -like a bubble upon the gigantic waves. - -Soon weary of this employment, Frank, apparently a graceful, well-built -boy of nineteen, enlisted in the army. Shouldering a musket, and -very rapidly becoming a proficient in military drill, she fell into -the line and accompanied a regiment of foot to Flanders. She was in -several severe battles. It is said that in time of action, no one -of the regiment conducted with more reckless bravery. She seemed to -lose all consciousness of danger, and, if we may so express it, in a -state of frenzy which rendered her calm by its very intensity, was as -regardless of shells, cannon-balls, and bullets, as though they had -been snowflakes. - -She would certainly have been promoted could merit have secured that -honor. But in mercenary England, at that time, no commission could be -obtained but such as was purchased with gold. Ever consumed by restless -desires, Frank, ere long, succeeded in exchanging the infantry service -for a situation in a regiment of horse. Here Frank’s lithe and graceful -figure showed to great advantage. There was not in the company a bolder -rider, a more dexterous manager of the war-horse than she. - -Even the steed she strode seemed conscious that he bore a more than -ordinarily precious burden. There was something in the gentle tones -of her voice, and in her caressings, which the proud horse seemed -to recognize, ever welcoming her approach with his neighings. The -officers greatly admired Frank, and felt a strange kind of interest in -the unboastful yet chivalric heroism he displayed in several bloody -engagements. - -The old Latin maxim hath it, “Amor omnia vincit,” _Love conquers all -things_. It so happened that there was in the ranks a comrade, ever -riding by the side of Frank, who was a very handsome young Fleming, -about twenty-three years of age. He was a gentle, lovable fellow, and -equally brave as his gentle, lovable comrade, for whom he formed a very -strong friendship. He slept in the same tent, and by the side of Frank. -They were ever together helping each other. - -The girl nature of Frank could not resist all this. She fell -desperately in love with the fair-faced, flaxen-haired Flemish boy. -Whenever the young Fleming was ordered out upon any party, Frank -insisted upon accompanying him; and the more desperate the adventure, -the more resolute were her importunities to share the peril with him. -It was observed that frequently Frank would rush into the greatest -danger, simply that she might be near her friend, even when she could -render him no assistance. - -This extraordinary devotion of Frank to her comrade the Fleming, -attracted the attention of the whole company. As no one suspected, in -the slightest degree, her disguise, it was supposed that there must -be a vein of insanity in the nature of the quiet, retiring, handsome -soldier boy. - -One morning, in her tent, she made known to her fellow soldier that she -was a woman. The Fleming was speechless with astonishment. Here, then, -was the secret of the wild devotion that had led her to expose her life -recklessly wherever his own had been in peril. - -The strangeness of the situation added to its romance. From being a -warm friend he became a devoted lover. As his memory went back to the -many scenes of danger they had together faced, and the cool bravery -she had shown, he could not but see that here was a helpmeet worth -having. Mary was instinctively proud. Though for years she had led the -rough life of the camp with all its hardships, she was no whit less a -true woman. She was more than ready to be wooed and won as a wife. -But no lady in the parlor of home could be more modest and reserved in -receiving the addresses of a lover, than was Mary in her intercourse -with the lover who shared her tent. Her good sense taught her that if -she would secure and maintain his love, she must, by indubitable proof, -win his highest confidence and respect. - -Strange as this story may appear to the reader there seems to be no -reason to doubt its accuracy. The young Fleming urged her to become -his wife. To this proposal she did not long hesitate to accede. They -plighted their mutual faith. The campaign soon ended. The regiment went -into winter quarters. The two lovers united their purses, and purchased -a woman’s wardrobe as the bridal outfit for Frank. She assumed her new -garb, and announced her sex to her amazed fellow-soldiers. - -These strange tidings created great excitement an the camp. They -were publicly married. A great crowd attended the espousals. Many of -the officers assisted in the ceremony, and the bride received many -presents. There was a general contribution among all her comrades to -raise a sum to assist her in commencing housekeeping. Frank had been a -universal favorite, and had secured the esteem of all. - -Being thus comfortably established, they both had a desire to quit the -service. The circumstances were so romantic and peculiar that they -found no difficulty in obtaining their discharge. They then established -themselves in Flanders, in a restaurant or eating house. Their little -inn, kept with British neatness, was near the Castle of Breda, and was -known far and wide by the name of its sign, “The Three Horse Shoes.” -They had a large run of custom, and were particularly patronized by the -officers of the army. - -They were very happy. But prosperity, in this world, does not long -shine upon any one. Peace came. The army was dispersed. There were no -longer any guests at “The Three Horse-Shoes;” and Mary’s husband was -taken sick, and died. She was left childless and without any means of -support. She had been trained to the pursuits of manhood. She was a -young widow, but little more than twenty years of age. As a woman, she -knew not in what direction to turn to obtain a living. Only for a few -months had she assumed the character of a woman, and worn the garb of -a woman. All the rest of her years she had worn the dress and followed -the pursuits of a man. As a man, there were many opportunities opening -before her, and all congenial ones, for obtaining a support. - -Again she assumed her masculine attire, sold out all her effects, and -with gold enough in her purse to meet her immediate wants, set out -for Holland, where, a perfect stranger, she entered again upon her -masculine career, without any fear of detection. Quartered upon one of -the frontier towns of Holland there was an English regiment of foot. It -was a time of peace, and the soldiers were living in indolence, with -nothing to do. It was easy, under these circumstances, to join the -regiment, and to purchase a release, at any time when one might wish to -do so. - -Again Frank enlisted. After a few months, weary of the monotonous life, -she obtained a discharge, and shipped herself, as a common sailor, on -board a vessel bound for the West Indies. It was a Dutch vessel. Frank -was the only English person on board. On the voyage, an English pirate -hove in sight and ran down upon the merchant-ship. The pirate was so -well armed, and such a throng of desperate men crowded its decks, that -resistance would have been but folly. The ship was captured without a -struggle. - -The pirate, after plundering the ship of all its treasures, impressed -the English Frank as an addition to its own crew; and then turned the -despoiled ship adrift, inflicting no personal injury upon the officers -or sailors. As we have before mentioned, these buccaneers did not -regard themselves, at that time, neither were they regarded by others, -as ordinary pirates would now be judged. They were acting in a certain -sense under the royal commission. They were authorized to plunder all -_Spanish_ ships. And if they occasionally made a mistake, and did not -read the flag aright, it was an irregularity not entirely unpardonable. - -This piratic ship continued its cruise of plundering for several -months. Frank had been impressed on board, and could not escape had she -wished to do. Probably her moral sense was not sufficiently instructed -to lead her to make any remonstrances, which would, of course, have -been entirely unavailing, or to feel any special qualms of conscience. -Accustomed as she ever had been to the masculine dress, and to all -the habits of the sailor and the soldier, she did not feel the least -embarrassment in her new situation. No one moved about the decks or -clambered the shrouds with more free motion than Frank. - -Just about this time the royal proclamation, to which we have -referred, came out, offering pardon to all pirates who would surrender -themselves, excepting Kidd and Avery. The crew of this ship of -buccaneers decided to take advantage of this proclamation. - -The West-Indian group, called the Bahamas, consists of several -hundred islands of various magnitudes. One of these, San Salvador, was -the first land, in the New World, which was discovered by Columbus. -The most important of the group, from its excellent harbor, and its -situation in reference to Florida, is New Providence. The island -was originally settled by the English in 1629. It was captured by -the Spaniards, and the English were expelled, in the year 1641. The -merciless Spaniards murdered the governor, and committed many other -great outrages. Again, in the year 1666, the thunders of British -broadsides echoed along its shores, and the banners of England were -again unfurled over its mountains and fertile vales. Forty-seven years -passed away, over this war-cursed globe, when, in 1703, a united fleet -of French and Spanish ships expelled the English, and, neglecting -to take military possession of the island, it became a rendezvous -for pirates, where scenes of revelry, sensuality, and crime were -perpetrated which no pen can describe. - -Thus for eighty years Heaven looked down upon its enormities. It was -then again formally ceded to the English, and has since remained in -their possession. At the time of which we are writing, England held the -island, and a British governor was in command there. The buccaneers, -with their purses well filled with gold, the result of their cruises as -freebooters, ran into the harbor of New Providence. They made their -surrender to the governor, and received the royal pardon. - -Frank had been but a short time among them. Her purse was not a heavy -one. It is not known that she added anything to it during her short -and compulsory cruise on board the buccaneer. Her money was soon -expended. The British governor at New Providence was at that very time -fitting out several armed vessels to cruise against the Spaniards, as -privateersmen. He was eager to enlist any of the bold buccaneers who -could be lured to enter that service. Nothing could be more congenial -to the wishes of these desperate men. Frank, being out of employment, -enlisted as privateersman, on board of one of these Government ships. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -_Anne Bonny, the Female Pirate._ - - Rackam the Pirate.--Anne Bonny his Wife.--Reasons for Assuming - a Boy’s Dress.--Infamous Character of Rackam.--Anne falls in - Love with Mary.--Curious Complications.--The Duel.--Chivalry of - Frank.--The Capture.--The Trial.--Testimony of the Artist.--Death - of Mary Read.--Rackam Dies on the Scaffold. - - -There was upon the island of New Providence, at that time, a very -consummate villain by the name of Rackam. He had been captain of a -pirate ship, and shared his cabin with his wife, a very depraved -woman, who was disguised in boy’s clothes. She apparently discharged -the duties of a cabin-boy. This Captain Rackam had taken advantage of -the king’s proclamation, had surrendered himself as a pirate, and had -received a pardon. - -Eagerly he enlisted, with his wife in man’s garb, as a messmate, in -one of the governor’s privateers. No one on board the ship was aware -of the sex of his companion. She was truly his wife, and her real name -was Anne Bonny. She had been a rude, ungovernable girl, and her parents -were so displeased that she should have married such a worthless -wretch as Rackam was known to be, that they would no longer recognize -her. Having nothing to live upon, she assumed a sailor’s dress, and -they both shipped for New Providence. He doubtless intended there to -resume the career of a pirate. - -Rackam and Anne Bonny enlisted on board the same ship. Here then there -were two women in male attire, neither of whom had any suspicion of -the real sex of the other. No one could associate with such companions -as those of Mary Read, or encounter the influences to which she was -constantly exposed, without becoming in some degree corrupted. - -The privateersman had been out but a few days when Rackam, who had -many of his old confederates on board, formed a conspiracy, rose -upon the officers, set them adrift, seized the ship, and turned to -his old trade. Mary Read, in the character of Frank, was, as we have -mentioned, a very handsome young fellow. The captain’s cabin-boy, -Anne Bonney, fell desperately in love with Frank, and revealed to -_him_, as she supposed, her sex. She approached Frank with all the -seductions and allurements with which Potiphar’s wife solicited Joseph. -Thus importuned, Frank confided to her that she was also a woman in -disguise. This led to increased intimacy between the two young sailor -women. - -Captain Rackam became intensely jealous of his wife, in consequence of -her familiarity with Frank. He threatened Anne that he would certainly -cut Frank’s throat. Anne, well aware of the desperate character of the -pirate, felt constrained, that she might save Mary’s life, to let the -captain into the secret also. He did not divulge it, knowing that she -might be exposed to very cruel treatment from the unprincipled wretches -who thronged his decks. - -But again the all-devouring passion took possession of the bosom of -Frank. Many vessels were captured. After being plundered they were -generally turned adrift again, with their crews. If the pirates, -however, found on board these ships any one who could be of use to -them, he was detained on board their ship. It so chanced that one -day they took a ship where there was a young English artist. Rackam, -thinking that the artist might be of service to him, in sketching -scenes and drawing charts, detained him as a captive. He was a genteel -young fellow, handsome, of fascinating manners, very skilful with his -pencil, and possessed of very attractive conversational powers. Frank -and the young artist were instinctively drawn toward each other. - -And when Frank told her companion that she loathed the life of a -pirate, that she was one of the crew by compulsion, and that she -should embrace the first possible opportunity to escape, a new bond -of union was formed between them. They became messmates, and were -always together. He never had a doubt that the masculine pronoun, _he_, -belonged to his bronzed but smooth-cheeked and soft-voiced companion. - -Even on board a pirate ship there are many opportunities for seclusion. -In the dark and tempestuous night, when the wine-heated officers were -carousing in the cabin, and the crew were rioting in the forecastle, -Frank and the artist, wrapped in those thick sailor-jackets which defy -both wind and rain, would seek some retired position upon the deck, -beneath the stormy sky, and beguile the weary hours in relating to each -other the story of the past, and in planning measures for escape. Frank -was the younger of the two, and in these hours of midnight communings, -loved to recline with her head in the lap of her unsuspecting comrade. - -The inevitable result ensued. The whole passionate nature of the -woman, still almost in her girlhood, became aglow with love of the -young artist. In one of these midnight communings she revealed to -her astonished friend her sex. His friendship was speedily converted -into impassioned love. He had ever, under her assumed character, -had occasion to respect her. He could not recall a single action of -immodesty or impropriety. Alone in the darkness of the night, upon the -solitary deck with the stars alone looking down upon them, they went -through the ceremony of what they both deemed a secret _marriage_. - -Mary Read ever averred that she regarded those nuptials as sacred as if -the rite had been performed in the church, by the robed priest, and in -the presence of any number of witnesses. She was never accused of being -unfaithful to her marriage vows, or of ever having been even indiscreet -in her conduct. - -Still the months passed away. The ship continued its piratic cruise. -Frank, though secretly the wife of the artist, had excited no suspicion -of her disguise. In her sailor’s garb she still performed every duty -imposed upon others of the crew. There were several bloody actions -fought. In these engagements both she and Anne Bonny were called upon, -like the rest, to work at the guns. - -It was one of the laws of the ship, that if any quarrel arose between -any two of the crew, there should be no contention on board the ship, -but that when they next approached an island, they should, with their -friends, land in a boat, and settle the quarrel in a duel on the -shore. The artist was so grossly incited by one of the pirates, that -he either challenged him, or accepted a challenge from him to fight a -duel. Frank would not have had her husband, on any account, refuse the -hostile meeting. Public sentiment was such among the pirates, that had -he done this, there would have been no end to the insults and abuse he -would have received as a reward. - -Frank was in a state of great agitation and anxiety for the fate of her -lover. She was an admirable swordsman, and no one of the piratic crew -was a truer shot with the pistol. Her love was so passionate that she -felt that she could not live without that husband, whose union with her -was so enhanced by the attractions which secrecy and romance give. She -was far more ready to peril her own life than to have his endangered. - -She therefore deliberately provoked such a quarrel with the pirate who -was soon to have a hostile meeting with her husband, as to compel him -to an immediate and angry challenge. Adroitly she succeeded in having -the time appointed for their meeting two hours before the duel was to -be fought with her husband. In her intensely excited frame of mind she -resolved to make sure work of it. - -They were to meet at but a few paces distance, discharge their pistols -at each other, and then, with drawn swords, advance and fight until -one or the other was effectually disabled or killed. The pistols were -discharged. Neither of them was seriously wounded. They then crossed -swords. There was a fierce clashing of the weapons for a few minutes -and then the agile Frank passed her sword through the body of her -adversary, and he fell before her a bloody corpse. - -Such rencontres were too common with that ship’s crew, and Frank had -been too conversant all her days with such scenes of blood to have it -produce any serious impression upon her mind. With much composure she -wiped her crimsoned sword and returned to the ship, exulting in the -thought that she had saved her husband’s life. The attachment between -Frank and her lover before this seems to have been very strong. But -this event bound them more firmly together than ever before. - -Almost invariably, even in this world, retribution follows crime. -After many successful captures, and much rioting and revelry with this -godless crew, the hour of vengeance came. One day a swift-sailing -English frigate, of powerful armament, caught sight of the pirate and -gave chase. The vessel was overtaken and captured, and all her crew, -in irons, were carried to England for trial. There was no disposition -to deal tenderly with these wretches, whose crimes could scarcely be -numbered. The trial was expeditious and the execution prompt. The -young artist easily proved that he was a prisoner on board the ship, -and had never taken any part in their piratic exploits. He was promptly -released. Frank was one of the pirates. Her assertion that she was -reluctantly so, was of no avail. She had been of their recognized -number; she had been identified with them in all the employments of a -sailor; she had taken an active part in their battles. - -One of the witnesses, who had been taken a prisoner by Rackam, and -detained for some time on board the pirates’ craft, gave the following -testimony against Frank, or rather against Mary Read; for during the -trial her sex had been divulged, and the embarrassing fact had been -discovered that, ere long, she was to become a mother. The testimony -was as follows: - -“I was taken prisoner by Rackam, and was detained for some time on -board the pirate ship. One day I accidentally fell into discourse with -the prisoner at the bar. She was dressed like the ordinary seamen, and -I did not suppose her to be anything different. Taking her for a young -man, I asked her what pleasure she could find in such enterprises, -where her life was continually in danger by fire or sword; and not only -so, but she must be sure of dying an ignominious death if she should -be taken alive? - -“She replied, that as to hanging, she deemed it no great hardship; for -were it not for that, every cowardly fellow would turn pirate, and so -infest the seas that men of courage must starve. She said that were it -put to the choice of the pirates, they would not have the punishment -less than death; for it was only the fear of death which kept many -dastardly rogues honest. Many of those, she said, who are now cheating -the widows and orphans, and oppressing their poor neighbors who have no -money to obtain justice, would then rob at sea. Thus the ocean would -be crowded with rogues like the land. No merchant would venture out. -Trade in a little time would not be worth following. It is the fear of -hanging alone which restrains thousands from piracy.” - -When we consider the impossibility of making an exact report of -conversation, and when we consider the situation of Frank among the -pirates, and that her life would instantly have been forfeited if they -had suspected her of unfaithfulness, we can imagine that essentially -these remarks might have been made, without indicating any special -moral delinquency. Frank did not deny having made them. - -Several of the crew, however, brought forward much more damaging -testimony. When, to the astonishment of all, the sex both of Mary -Read and Anne Bonny was made known to the court, the pirates seemed -very desirous that their fate should be inseparably connected with -their own. The testimony against Anne Bonny was very strong. She had -accompanied her infamous husband in most of his adventures, and had -rendered herself very conspicuous by her courage and her energetic -action. - -When the frigate took the pirate there was a short conflict. But the -great guns of the frigate swept the pirate’s deck with such a storm of -grape-shot, that every one rushed into the hold, excepting Mary Read -and Anne Bonny. Mary Read, it was said, called upon those under the -deck to come up and fight like men. As they refused, in her rage she -fired her pistol down among them, killing one and wounding others. This -latter charge, which went far to condemn her, she utterly denied. Such -bravado was not at all in accordance with her general character. But it -was just the conduct to be expected of Anne Bonny. She was a desperado, -as robust in person as she was masculine in character. Rumor said that -before she entered upon her piratic career she stabbed a servant-maid -with a carving-knife, and so severely beat a young fellow whom she -disliked that he narrowly escaped with his life. - -They were both pronounced guilty of piracy, and condemned to be hung. -As it was not deemed right that Mary Read’s child should forfeit its -life in consequence of its mother’s sins, Mary was allowed a reprieve, -until after the birth of her child. Being remanded to her gloomy -and solitary cell in Newgate prison, she awaited, with anguish, her -approaching maternity, to be immediately followed by an ignominious -death upon the scaffold. The horror of her situation threw her into a -fever, of which she fortunately died. Thus she escaped the scaffold: -and she and her unborn babe slept in the grave together. - -Rackam was hanged just before the time appointed for the execution of -his wife. The morning on which he was led to the scaffold, he was first -conducted to the cell of Anne Bonny. Her characteristic speech to him -was: - -“I am sorry to see you here; but if you had fought like a man, you need -not have been hanged like a dog.” - -In an hour from that time he was struggling in death’s agonies. Anne -was reprieved from time to time, and finally escaped execution. What at -last became of her no one knows. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -_Sir Henry Morgan_ - - His Origin.--Goes to the West Indies.--Joins the - Buccaneers.--Meets Mansvelt the Pirate.--Conquest of St. - Catharine.--Piratic Colony there.--Ravaging the Coast of - Costa Rica.--Sympathy of the Governor of Jamaica.--Death of - Mansvelt.--Expedition of Don John.--The Island Recaptured by the - Spaniards.--Plans of Morgan.--His Fleet.--The Sack of Puerto - Principe.--Horrible Atrocities.--Retreat of the Pirates.--The - Duel.--They Sail for Puerto Velo.--Conquest of the City.--Heroism - of the Governor. - - -Though the name of Sir Henry Morgan has not attained equal notoriety -with that of Captain William Kidd, his achievements were far more -wonderful and infamous. He was born of a good and wealthy family in -Wales. Early developing a roaming disposition, he left his home for the -seacoast, and there took passage for Barbadoes. In those days any man -could obtain a passage to the colonies; by agreeing to pay the fare in -service on the other side. Labor was in great demand. Upon the arrival -of the ship the planters would hasten on board and pay the passage -money, which the emigrant was to repay by certain stipulated months of -labor. - -In this way Henry Morgan reached Barbadoes. Here his labor was sold to -pay his passage, and he faithfully served out his term. He had come -from a virtuous home, but rapidly the reckless boy yielded to the -influences which surrounded him, until he became the worst of the bad. -From Barbadoes he wandered over to Jamaica, seeking his fortune. Though -there was then peace between England and Spain, the British Government -was encouraging private piratical excursions against the commerce of -Spain. As we have had frequent occasion to mention, these buccaneers -had nothing to fear from the English courts so long as they confined -themselves to robbing the Spanish ships. - -At Jamaica, Morgan found two vessels openly fitting out for these -buccaneering expeditions. He shipped on board one of them, and made -two or three very successful voyages. Some men seem born to command. -Such do not long remain in a subordinate position. Morgan was a man of -the imperial mould. As he now had considerable money at his disposal, -he proposed, to some of his comrades, that they should join stocks, -purchase a vessel, and cruise on their own account. This was promptly -done, and Morgan was unanimously chosen commander. - -Morgan was already a desperado. With a numerous crew and a well-armed -vessel he set out to cruise along that portion of the Mexican coast -called Campeachy. After an absence of a few months, he returned -triumphantly to Jamaica, his ship laden with the spoil of many -captures. This pirate took refuge beneath the flag of England and under -the guns of her fort. At that time the British Government was the most -atrocious pirate earth had ever known; for while at peace with Spain, -the Government encouraged all private piratical expeditions against her -commerce. - -In the streets of Jamaica, Morgan met a notorious pirate by the name -of Mansvelt. The renown of this sea-robber had spread far and wide. He -was then equipping a very considerable fleet, intending to man it with -a sufficiency of troops to enable him to land upon the territory of the -Spaniards and to plunder their cities. Mansvelt, seeing Morgan return -with so many prizes, formed a high opinion of his skill and courage, -and appointed him vice-admiral of his squadron. - -A fleet of fifteen ships was soon ready for sea, with a crew of five -hundred pirates. About a thousand miles southwest of Jamaica, in -Central America, was the Spanish province of Costa Rica, reaching -across the narrow Isthmus of Panama from sea to sea. A few leagues from -the shore, and but about one hundred miles north of the river Chagres, -was the Island of St. Catharine, where the Spaniards had a small -garrison. The pirates landed, captured the island, took the Spanish -soldiers prisoners, and garrisoned the fort with a hundred of their own -men. They left a numerous band of slaves, taken from the Spaniards, -to cultivate the soil for their new masters. A Frenchman, by the name -of Le Sieur Simon, was placed in command. He was directed to put the -island in the best posture for defence, and to set all the slaves -at work to raise provisions on the fertile plantations. He was thus -expected to revictual the fleet upon its return. It was evidently the -intention of Mansvelt to establish there a colony of buccaneers, with -fleet and army, of which colony he was to be the king. He had no fears -of being interrupted in his operations by the British Government. - -Mansvelt again spread his sails, and, accompanied by his energetic -vice-admiral Morgan, cruised along the eastern coast of Costa Rica. At -various points he sent boats, armed with pirates, ashore to rob the -villages. The Spanish governor of the adjacent province of Panama, -on the south, hearing of these depredations, gathered all the forces -at his disposal, and rousing the whole country, advanced to expel -the pirates. Mansvelt retreated, and returned with his fleet to St. -Catharine. Here he found that his agent had been very efficient, and -that an ample supply of provisions was ready for his ships. - -This most infamous of pirates returned to the Island of Jamaica, held -an interview with the governor, informed him frankly of his plans, -and solicited the loan of a portion of his garrison to enable him to -hold the island against any attempt of the Spaniards to regain it. -The governor received the pirate courteously, expressed the fear that -the King of England might not exactly approve of such undisguised -hostility, when there was peace between the two countries, and stating -also that his garrison was then so feeble that he could not with safety -diminish its strength. - -Mansvelt then repaired, with one of his ships, to the celebrated -rendezvous of the buccaneers at Tortuga. While endeavoring to raise -recruits among the desperadoes assembled there, he was taken sick, and -passed away, to answer for his guilty life at the tribunal of God. - -In the mean time, on the 14th of July, 1665, Don John, the governor of -Panama, commenced organizing an expedition to regain the island. He -sent a ship, under Captain Joseph Ximines, thoroughly equipped, and -manned by three hundred and eighty-two soldiers. The ship touched at -Carthagena, with a letter to the commandant of the Spanish settlement -there. He promptly added to the expedition three small armed vessels, -with one hundred and twenty-six men. On the 2d of August this little -fleet came in sight of the western end of the Island of St. Catharine. -The wind was contrary. It was not until the 12th they entered the -harbor and cast anchor before the pirates’ strong fort. - -There was an interchange of a few shots between the stone castle and -the fleet, which effected but little injury on either side. Ximines -sent one of his officers on shore bearing a flag of truce, with the -following summons: - -“In the name of the King of Spain, I demand the surrender of this -island. It was taken in the midst of peace between England and Spain. -If the surrender is refused, and I am forced to take the works by -storm, I shall certainly put all the garrison to the sword.” - -The piratic commander returned the answer. “This island once belonged -to the King of England. It rightly belongs to him now. We will sooner -die than surrender.” - -During the night of Friday, the 13th, three slaves swam off to the -ships, and informed the commandant that there were but seventy-two -soldiers in the fort and that they were in great consternation in view -of the force brought against them. Saturday was devoted to preparations -for landing in the boats and storming the works. - -The morning of the Sabbath dawned beautifully over the Eden-like -luxuriance of the tropical isle. - -The vessels brought their broadsides to bear upon the fort, and, under -cover of their fire, three strong parties were landed in the boats. -Captain Leyva led sixty men to attack the principal gate. Captain -Galeno, at the head of ninety men, took a circuitous route through -the forest to attack the castle in the rear. The commander-in-chief, -Ximines, with a still stronger force, assailed one of the sides. The -conflict was short, but not very bloody. Six of the pirates were -killed, and a pretty large number wounded. The Spaniards lost but one -man killed and four wounded. - -The pirates endeavored to escape into the woods, but were cut off and -all captured. There were found, in the fort, eight hundred pounds of -powder, two hundred and fifty pounds of bullets, and also a large -supply of provisions and other material of war. Two Spaniards were -taken who had enlisted with the buccaneers, to rob the commerce of -Spain. They were immediately led out and shot. - -The fort proved to be very strong, and an excellent piece of -workmanship. It was built of stone, quadrangular in form, with walls -eighty-eight feet high. While these scenes were transpiring, Captain -Morgan, unconscious of them, was at Jamaica. Hearing of the death of -Mansvelt, he, without opposition, assumed the admiralship. He was -straining every nerve to retain possession of St. Catharine, and so -to strengthen the works as to make the island a safe and convenient -store-house for the vast plunder of the buccaneers. - -As the governor of Jamaica declined adding to the piratic force, in St. -Catharine, at the expense of his own garrison, Morgan wrote to leading -merchants in Virginia and New England, urging them, by the promise of -the most liberal pay, to send him provisions, ammunition, and other -necessary articles. When the tidings reached him that the Spaniards -had regained the island, he lost no time in unavailing regrets, but -immediately turned, with demoniac energy, to other enterprises. - -With great vigor he commenced organizing a new fleet. His agents -proudly strode through every English port, openly purchasing vessels -and ammunition, and mounting the guns. All the vessels were ordered to -rendezvous, within a given time, at a solitary harbor on the south side -of the Island of Cuba. - -This magnificent island is eight hundred miles in length, and from -twenty-five to one hundred and thirty in breadth. The principal towns -of Cuba, at that time, were Havana on the north and Santiago on the -south. Havana was fortified by three strong forts. There were many -other small and flourishing settlements scattered along the extended -coast. There were ten thousand families in Havana, and its commerce was -immense. - -Captain Morgan had, in the course of two months, assembled in his -retired harbor a fleet of twelve vessels, large and small, with over -eight hundred fighting men. He called a council of his officers to -decide as to the enterprise upon which they should embark. Several -urged a midnight attack upon Havana. They said that there was immense -wealth in the city, that it might be attacked by surprise, as no one -suspected danger; and that the city could be plundered before the -inhabitants would have any time to organize for defence. - -Others affirmed that they were not strong enough for so great an -achievement; that they needed at least fifteen hundred men to attempt -the capture of a city of fifty thousand inhabitants. After much -discussion it was decided to attack a flourishing inland town of Cuba, -called Puerto Principe. It was situated a few leagues from the southern -shore, and was utterly unprepared for such an attack as the pirates -could bring against it. One of the pirates was familiar with the place -and with all of its approaches. He said that the town had never been -sacked, and consequently was very rich. - -The whole fleet speedily set sail, and ran along the southern shore -of Cuba toward the doomed town. The nearest available landing-place, -for Principe, was at a bay called St. Mary’s. Here, in the night, a -Spanish prisoner, on board one of the ships, secretly let himself down -into the dark water, and, at the imminent danger of being devoured by -sharks, swam ashore. He hastened through the mule-paths of the forest -to Principe, with the tidings of the terrible danger impending over the -town. - -The inhabitants were thrown into an awful state of consternation. They -knew full well that they had as much to dread from the pirates as from -so many fiends from the bottomless pit. Men, women, and children were -running in all directions to convey away and hide their treasures. - -All these Spanish towns had a governor appointed over them by the king. -The governor summoned all the able-bodied men he could, and armed the -slaves, and placed his little force in ambush along the route which -he supposed that the pirates must of necessity traverse. He had also -the immense trees of the dense tropical forest felled across the path, -and other obstructions thrown in the way, to retard their march. -But Morgan, as he approached these impediments, cut a new road with -great difficulty through the woods, and thus escaped falling into the -ambuscades. - -Morgan had left but a small guard to keep the fleet. Nearly eight -hundred men were on the march with him. The pirates advanced in three -divisions, with beating of drums, flying banners, and an ostentatious -display of military array. The town was in the centre of a smooth -plain. The governor had retreated from his ambush, and, as the pirates -approached, stood before the town at the head of a troop of horsemen. -Morgan formed his men in a semicircle, and marched down upon them. - -Both parties fought with desperation. The greatly outnumbering pirates -soon shot down the governor, and so many of his soldiers, that the -remainder attempted to escape to the woods. They were hotly pursued, -and most of them were killed. The battle, with the skirmishing, lasted -nearly four hours. - -The pirates, having encountered but little loss, entered the town. -Still, as they marched through the narrow streets which were ever found -in these old Spanish towns, many of the inhabitants continued a brave -resistance. They fired upon the pirates from the windows of their stone -houses, and hurled down heavy articles of furniture upon their heads -from the roofs. Morgan had it loudly proclaimed that if they continued -this resistance he would lay the whole town in ashes, and put every -man, woman, and child to the sword. - -The Spaniards, hoping that by submission they might save their own -lives and their houses from conflagration, threw down their arms and -raised the white flag. There were several large stone churches in the -place. The demoniac pirates drove the whole population, men, women, -and children, into these churches, and imprisoned them there. They -then commenced their system of plunder and wanton destruction. Every -house and by-place, and the region all around, were searched. The night -was rendered hideous by their drunken orgies. There was scarcely a -conceivable crime of which these wretches were not guilty. They were -fiends of the foulest dye, with no pity. Their outrages cannot be -described. Even the imagination of most readers cannot conceive of the -crimes they perpetrated. - -They either forgot the captives they had crowded into the churches or -intentionally left them to starve. No provision whatever was made for -their wants, and they were not furnished with any food. The piteous -moans of women and children touched not their hearts. Large numbers -perished in the lingering agonies of starvation. - -Disappointed in the amount of treasure they found, they began to put -their prisoners to the torture, men, young girls, and even little -children, to extort from them the confession of where riches were -secreted. While perpetrating atrocities which cannot be named, a man -was captured who had letters from the governor of Santiago to some of -the leading inhabitants. In these documents the governor wrote: - -“Do not be in too much haste to ransom your town or persons from the -pirates. Put them off as long as you can, with excuses and delays. In a -short time I will certainly come to your aid.” - -This alarmed Morgan. He feared that the governor of Santiago might -rally a sufficient force perhaps to seize his ships, perhaps to cut -off his retreat. He ordered his men immediately to march, as rapidly -as possible, to their fleet, with all the plunder they had gathered. -He also made renewed efforts, by all the energies of torture, to wrest -from the wretched inhabitants the treasure which he supposed they had -hidden. Those who had nothing to reveal, had their nerves lacerated and -their bones crushed to force a confession of that which did not exist. -He compelled his captives to drive all the cattle to the bay, kill -them and salt them, and convey the barrels to his ships. - -A quarrel arose between two of the pirates. One challenged the other to -a duel. The party consequently went ashore in the boats. As they drew -near the appointed spot, one of the two, treacherously approaching the -other from behind, ran him through the back with his sword, and he fell -dead. Morgan, who had just committed crimes which should cause the foul -fiend himself to blush, said that it was not _just_ and _honorable_ to -kill a comrade thus treacherously. He therefore, with the assent of the -whole demoniac gang, put the offender in irons and hung him. - -The fleet speedily set sail for a distant island, where they were to -divide their ill-gotten plunder. Here they were greatly disappointed -in the amount which they had taken. It was all estimated at but fifty -thousand dollars. This was a small sum to be divided among so many -greedy claimants. This being known, it excited a general commotion. -Many of the pirates owed debts in Jamaica, which they were anxious -_honorably_ to pay. - -Some of the gang were so dissatisfied that they left, with a part of -the vessels, to cruise on their own account. Morgan soon inspired -those who remained with his own indomitable energy. In a few days he -gathered a fleet of nine sail, manned by four hundred and seventy-five -pirates. Morgan told them that he had formed a plan which would -enrich them all. It was, however, necessary to keep it a profound -secret. If any one should turn traitor and reveal it, the plan might -be frustrated. They must therefore, for the present, trust in him and -implicitly follow his directions. He had already inspired them with -such confidence in his sagacity, zeal, and courage, that, without a -murmur, they yielded to these demands. - -The whole fleet set sail for the continent, and, in a few days, arrived -off the coast of Costa Rica. Then Morgan assembled the captains of all -the vessels in his cabin, and informed them of his plan, which they -were to communicate to their several crews. - -“I intend,” said Morgan, “to attack and plunder the city of Puerto -Velo. I am resolved to sack the whole city. Not a single corner shall -escape my vigilance. Large as the city is, the enterprise cannot fail -to succeed. We shall strike the people entirely by surprise; for I have -kept my plan an entire secret, and they cannot possibly know of our -coming.” - -Some of the captains were alarmed in view of so bold an undertaking. -They said: - -“Puerto Velo is the largest Spanish city in the New World excepting -Havana and Carthagena. It contains a population of between two and -three thousand, and has a garrison of three hundred soldiers. It has -two forts, which are deemed impregnable. These forts guard the entry -to the harbor, so that no ship or boat can pass without permission. We -have not a sufficient number of men to assault so strong a place.” - -Morgan replied: “If we are few in numbers, we are bold in heart. The -fewer we are the greater will be each man’s share of the plunder.” - -This last consideration had great weight with the pirates. The number -engaged in the sack of Puerto Principe was so great, that each one -murmured at the meagre share he received. Morgan was very familiar -with all this region, and was thoroughly acquainted with the avenues -to the city. In the dusk of the evening he ran his little fleet into -a solitary harbor, called Naos, about thirty miles from Puerto Velo. -There was a river, flowing into the harbor from the west, threading a -dense, tangled, almost uninhabited wilderness. Leaving their ships at -anchor, under guard of a few men, the pirates, “armed to the teeth,” -in crowded boats and canoes, ascended the river until, at midnight, -they reached a point but a few miles distant from the city. They -then landed and rapidly marched through a solitary Indian trail, -overshadowed by the gloom of a dense tropical forest, until they came -within sight of the lights gleaming from the battlements of the forts. - -On the main avenue to the city, not far from the gate, they came upon -a solitary sentry, pacing his beat. Four men crept cautiously forward -in the darkness, seized him, gagged him, and brought him a prisoner -to Morgan. The pirate questioned his captive minutely, respecting the -troops in the city, and the means for defence. The trembling man was -threatened with death by the most horrible tortures, should it be found -that he had in the slightest degree deceived them. Having gained this -important information, they advanced upon the city. - -The march of a mile brought them to the main fort, or Castle, as it was -called. The morning had not yet dawned. In the darkness they surrounded -it so completely that no one could either go in or out. Morgan then -sent the sentinel, whom he had captured, into the fort, with a demand -for its immediate surrender. - -“If you yield at once,” said the message of the pirate, “your lives -shall be spared. But if there be the least resistance, or any delay, -I will cut to pieces every individual within the fort. Not one shall -escape.” - -The commandant of the castle heeded not the threat, but opened fire -upon his foes. The report of his guns roused the city. The governor, as -speedily as possible, rallied all his forces and made such preparation -as he could for defence. The slumbering garrison, attacked so utterly -by surprise, were speedily overpowered. The pirates, breaking down the -gates, rushed in, and soon gained possession of the works. The castle -was but feebly prepared to repel an assault from the land side. - -Morgan wished to strike a blow which should appal the whole city. The -magazine was abundantly stored with powder. There was a room by its -side, into which Morgan drove all his prisoners. Barring them in, -he laid a slow match, applied the torch, and with his gang retired. -There were a few moments of appalling silence. Then came a roar as -of ten thousand thunders. The very earth shook beneath the terrific -convulsion. There seemed to be a volcanic eruption of forked flame, -rocks, earth, guns, and mangled limbs, and the castle disappeared. -Every one of its inmates perished beneath its ruins. - -The consternation in the city was terrible. There were runnings to and -fro, cries of anguish from mothers and maidens, while some were seeking -to conceal their treasures by throwing them into the wells or hastily -burying them in the cellars and the fields. In the frenzy of the hour -the governor found his attempts to rally the citizens utterly in vain. -With a few soldiers he threw himself into the second and only remaining -castle. The little band here assembled, knowing that no mercy could be -expected from the pirates, resolved to make as many of them bite the -dust as possible, before they themselves should fall. They therefore -opened an incessant and well-directed fire upon their assailants. - -Near by there was a cloister, where there were priests and nuns. The -Spaniards regarded these religious orders with superstitious reverence. -Morgan seized them all as prisoners. He ordered his carpenters -immediately to make a number of scaling-ladders, so broad that four men -could ascend them abreast. He then compelled the ecclesiastics and the -nuns to carry the ladders and place them upon the walls of the fort. -The armed soldiers followed closely behind, shielded by their bodies. - -The governor believed that the life of every Spaniard would be -sacrificed should they be taken. And he thought it better for both -priests and nuns that they should die outright than that they should -be left in the hands of the pirates. He therefore opened a vigorous -fire upon the approaching assailants, notwithstanding the rampart of -living bodies they had so infamously placed before them. The unhappy -inhabitants of the cloister cried out piteously to the governor, -imploring him to surrender the castle and thus spare their lives. - -But the governor steeled his heart against their appeal. He fought -with desperation. Many of the priests and nuns were shot down. But -the pirates, in overpowering numbers, rushed on. They reached the top -of the wall. They threw down fire-balls and hand-grenades upon the -despairing defenders. When many had perished they leaped down, sword -in hand, amidst smoke and flame, and mercilessly slaughtered all the -survivors. - -The heroic governor fought to the last. His wife and children, weeping -bitterly and upon their knees, entreated him to yield, hoping that thus -his life might be spared. - -“No!” he exclaimed, “never. I had rather die like a soldier than be -hanged like a coward.” - -Covered with wounds, he was at length cut down, and his gory, mangled -body was left uncared for. The castle was taken. The soldiers were -destroyed. The city was at the mercy of the captors. All the surviving -inhabitants of the town, who had not escaped into the woods, were -driven into the castle. Then the pirates commenced a scene of carousal -which pandemonium could not outrival. The nuns and all the mothers -and maidens were at their mercy. A veil must be cast over their horrid -deeds. When satiated with drunkenness, and every conceivable excess, -they commenced plundering the city. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -_The Capture of Puerto Velo, and its Results._ - - The Torture.--Sickness and Misery.--Measures of the Governor of - Panama.--The Ambuscade.--Awful Defeat of the Spaniards.--Ferocity - of the Pirates.--Strange Correspondence.--Exchange of - Courtesies.--Return to Cuba, and Division of the Spoil.--Wild - Orgies at Jamaica.--Complicity of the British Government - with the Pirates.--The New Enterprise.--Arrival of the - Oxford.--Destruction of the Cerf Volant.--Rendezvous at Samona. - - -The wretched citizens of the captured city of Puerto Velo were exposed -to every species of torture to force from them the discovery of where -their riches were concealed. Many of them had no knowledge they could -give of any hidden treasure. Day after day the most horrid scenes -of cruelty were enacted. Multitudes of men and women died under the -torture. For fifteen days the pirates remained amidst the ruins they -had created. - -But in this world blows are seldom given without others being received -in return. Sickness came, with languor, pain, and groans of agony. -The deathbed is cheerless enough even when surrounded with all the -attentions of sympathy and love and tender care. To these wretched -men, in their homelessness and their terrible guilt, death must indeed -have come as the king of terrors. A painful, pestilential disease -seized them. Surrounded by the oaths and the clamor of demoniac men -they passed to the seat of final judgment. - -In consequence of the unhealthiness of the climate at Puerto Velo, many -of the merchants, who had their warehouses at that port, resided in the -far more attractive city of Panama, but a few leagues distant, on the -Pacific coast. The governor of the province also resided at Panama. -Morgan sent two prisoners to the city to say to the residents there -that unless one hundred thousand dollars were sent to him he would lay -Puerto Velo in ashes. - -But the governor had already heard of the arrival of the pirates. He -had collected an armed force, and was on the march to cut off their -retreat. In the mean time the vessels were brought up into the harbor -and were laden with the plunder. The ramparts were repaired, the -guns remounted, and all things put in readiness to repel an attack. -Every day many were put to the torture. Some died under the terrible -infliction. Many were maimed for life. - -Hearing that the governor was on the march to attack them, Morgan -placed himself at the head of a hundred of his most determined men, -and marched forward to meet the foe. Every man was armed, in pirate -fashion, with a musket, several pistols in his belt, and a keen-edged -sabre. At a few leagues from the city they came to a narrow defile, -along whose circuitous path but two could march abreast. The tangled -thicket was on each side, with gigantic trees, and huge rocks buried in -the luxuriant verdure of the tropics. Here a whole army might lie in -impenetrable concealment. - -And here Morgan, with great skill, placed his troops. Every man took -a position where he could have perfect command of some portion of the -track. With his hatchet he cut a loop-hole through the dense growth of -shrubs and interlacing vines. Thus, while quite invisible, he could -take deliberate aim. They were to wait in perfect silence until the -winding defile was filled with unsuspecting troops. Then, at a signal -from Morgan, every man was to fire. And every man was to take such aim -as to be sure that his bullet would strike down his victim. - -The Spaniards, four or five hundred in number, soon appeared in rapid -march. Anticipating a bloody struggle with the pirates behind their -ramparts, they had no thought that they would leave such vantage-ground -to march forth to the encounter. Their only fear was that the pirates -might rush to their ships and thus escape. Hurrying heedlessly along, -they had filled the labyrinthine trail, when the deadly signal was -given. One hundred muskets were instantaneously exploded. One hundred -bullets were sent on their fatal mission. One hundred Spaniards were -either struck down in instantaneous death or wounded. - -There was no time for thought; no time to rally. The case was clear. -The defeat was entire and remediless. Rapidly the pirates reloaded and -kept up a continuous fire. The Spaniards discharged their muskets at -random, hitting no one. Pell-mell, in awful confusion, they turned, and -struggling against their own numbers, rushed, as best they could, from -the defile. The narrow path was strewed with the dying and the dead. -With a shattered and bleeding remnant the governor returned to Panama -for reënforcements. - -Morgan and his men, wishing that their deeds should strike terror -all around, emerged from their covert, dispatched the wounded with -pistol-shots or sabre-thrusts, searched the pockets of the dead, and, -leaving their bodies unburied, returned in triumph to their comrades. - -In triumph! But what a triumph! They had now been fifteen days in -Puerto Velo. Famine and disease were assailing them with more cruel -attacks than sabre or pistol can inflict. Recklessly they had wasted -their provisions. They could not eat their gold or their silver, or the -spoil which they had stored away in the holds of their ships. They had -already consumed the mules and the horses. Their blood, inflamed by -debaucheries and almost boiling beneath a meridian sun, produced the -most loathsome and painful disorders. The slightest wound would fester -and cause death. No wonder they were reckless. Better far to die than -to live in such misery. This was the triumph to which the pirate Morgan -returned. - -The Spanish prisoners suffered still more than their captors. Crowded -together in apartments whose awful impurity tainted the air; deprived -of every comfort; witnessing intense sufferings which they could -not alleviate, but which they were compelled to share; despondent, -starving, dying, there was for them no relief but such as death gives. - -The Spanish governor, who had shown such utter want of military ability -in marching into the ambuscade, was as self-conceited and boastful as -he was incompetent. Notwithstanding his ignominious repulse, he sent to -Morgan the following message: - -“If you do not immediately withdraw, with your ships, from Porto Velo, -I will march upon you with a resistless force. You shall receive no -quarter. Every man shall be put to death.” - -Morgan sent back the reply, “If you do not immediately send me one -hundred and eighty thousand dollars in gold, I will lay every building -in Puerto Velo in ashes; I will blow up the forts; and I will put every -captive I have to the sword, man, woman, and child.” - -The pride of the governor would not allow him to purchase the retreat -of the pirates. He sent to Carthagena imploring that some ships might -be sent from there to block up the pirates in the river. But they had -no sufficient force to make the attempt. The citizens were very anxious -to have the money sent. But the governor kept them in suspense in hopes -of gaining time. - -“He was deaf and obdurate to all the entreaties of the citizens, who -sent to inform him that the pirates were not men, but devils, and -that they fought with such fury that the Spanish officers had stabbed -themselves in very despair, at seeing a supposed impregnable fortress -taken by a handful of people, when it should have held out against -twice that number.”[A] - -[Footnote A: The Monarchs of the Main, by George W. Thornbury, Esq., -vol. ii. p. 35.] - -The governor was astonished at their exploits. Four hundred men had -captured a city which he said any general in Europe would have found -it necessary to blockade in due form. It is indicative of the almost -inconceivable state of public opinion in those times, that the governor -of Panama, Don Juan Perez de Guzman, who had acquired considerable -renown for his bravery in the wars in Flanders, should have sent -a courteous message to Morgan, expressive of his astonishment and -admiration in view of his heroic achievement, and begging Morgan to -send him a pattern of the arms with which he had gained so wonderful -a victory. The scornful pirate sent a common musket and a handful of -bullets to the governor, with the following sarcastic message: - -“I beg your excellency to accept these as a small pattern of the arms -with which I have taken Puerto Velo. Your excellency need not trouble -yourself to return them. In the course of a twelvemonth I will visit -Panama in person, and will fetch them away myself.” - -The governor replied: “I return the weapons you sent me, and thank you -for the loan of them. It is a pity that a man of so much courage is not -in the service of a great and good prince. I hope that Captain Morgan -will not trouble himself to come and see me at Panama. Should he do so, -he surely will not fare so well as he has at Puerto Velo.” - -It is very difficult to credit the statement made by Thornbury that -“the envoy, having delivered this message, so chivalrous in its tone, -presented Morgan with a beautiful gold ring, set with a costly emerald, -as a remembrance of his master Don Guzman, who had already supplied the -English chief with fresh provisions.”[A] - -[Footnote A: Monarchs of the Main, vol. i. p. 38.] - -Puerto Velo was left to its fate. The pirates left scarcely anything -behind but the tiles and the paving-stones. Many of the best guns -Morgan carried off. Of the rest, all which he could not burst -he spiked. He then set sail. Behind him were smouldering ruins, -pestilence, poverty, misery, and death. - -Eight days’ sail brought the fleet to Cuba. Upon that vast and sparsely -inhabited island there were many solitary harbors and coves where the -silence of the wilderness reigned. Into one of these lonely spots -Morgan ran his fleet. Here he divided the spoil. It was indeed a -beggarly pittance which they had obtained as the fruit of so much toil, -suffering, and crime. In coin or bullion they counted but two hundred -and sixty thousand dollars. There was a large amount of silks and other -merchandise, which, was not deemed of much value. - -The division was amicably made, and they spread their sails to return -to Jamaica, there to squander, in a few days of insane excess, all -that they had gained through weary months of danger, toil, suffering, -and crime. The entrance of a richly laden piratic fleet into the -harbor of Kingston was an occasion of public rejoicing. The gamblers, -the courtezans, the rumsellers were all overjoyed. Even the children -expected to see the strange visitors scatter their doubloons through -the streets to be scrambled for. - -We are told that every door was open to them, and that, for a whole -week, all loudly praised their generosity and their courage. At the -end of a month they had squandered all, and every door was shut in -their faces. Morgan was a drunkard as well as a robber. He spent his -gains as infamously and as speedily as did the rest. Shrewder men than -he emptied his purse at the gambling-table. The Delilahs of Jamaica -speedily transferred his jewels to their necks. But one short month had -passed away when Morgan and all his crew, utterly impoverished, were -eager for another expedition. - -Undismayed by the past, this bold adventurer planned an enterprise of -such magnitude that he boasted that, at its close, both he and his men -might be able to retire, if they wished, with a sufficiency for the -rest of their days. - -A rendezvous was appointed at De la Vaca or Cow Island, on the south -side of the Island of Hispaniola. This would be easily accessible by -the pirates, both French and English, ever swaggering through the -streets of Tortuga. Again the desperadoes rushed to his banner. They -came in boats and in small vessels and by land. Men enough were found -to furnish the adventurer with funds. - -A large English ship, which mounted thirty-six guns, entered the harbor -of Kingston, Jamaica, from New England. This ship, the Oxford, carried -a crew of three hundred men. It was on a buccaneering cruise against -Spanish commerce. Oexemelin says that the ship actually belonged to the -King of England, Charles II. He had fitted it out at his own expense, -and the captain was employed in his service. What authority he had for -this astonishing assertion we know not. But it is certain that the -governor at Jamaica felt at liberty to send this ship to join Morgan’s -expedition. And when we subsequently find Charles II. conferring the -honor of knighthood on this desperate marauder, and appointing him -governor of Jamaica, the report receives much confirmation. - -The harbor at Isle de la Vaca was a fine one. A large French ship, -the Cerf Volant, on a trading excursion, entered the port. The ship -was well armed, mounting twenty-four iron guns and twelve guns of -brass. The captain and crew, disappointed in the results of trade, were -disposed to try their luck as buccaneers. Morgan, anxious to secure -so powerful a ship, urged them to join his expedition. But the French -officers would not accede to his terms. - -The Frenchman was about to weigh anchor and return to Tortuga. Several -of his crew, who were English sailors, had deserted him, and had been -received on board Morgan’s ships. Through them Morgan learned that -the captain of the Cerf Volant, being out of provisions, had stopped -an English vessel, taken from her sundry articles of food, for which -he had paid, not in coin, for he had none on hand, but in bills of -exchange cashable at Jamaica. - -Morgan, who was seeking for some pretext under which he might seize the -French ship, decided to consider this an act of piracy. He invited the -officers of the Volant to dine with him, on board the splendid ship -which the governor of Jamaica had sent him. Unsuspicious of treachery, -the captain and his officers all came. While in the cabin, drinking -their wine, Morgan rose and denounced them as pirates who had robbed -an English vessel, and declared them to be his prisoners. At the same -moment a band of armed men came in and put them in irons. They could -make no resistance. He then took possession of the ship. - -Soon after this he called a council of his officers to decide upon -their first expedition. They met in the cabin of the Volant. Several of -the French who had refused to join Morgan were prisoners in the hold. -After much deliberation they decided first to repair to the Island -of Savona, a few leagues south-east of San Domingo. A flotilla of -merchant-ships, under convoy, was daily looked for from Spain. It was -to be expected that, during this long voyage, some vessels would get -separated from the rest. These stragglers they hoped to cut off. - -Having settled this question, the desperadoes commenced drinking and -carousing. A scene of uproar ensued with the intermingling of drunken -songs and unintelligible blasphemies. While the officers were thus -carousing in the cabin, the sailors, four hundred in number, were -engaged in equally wild orgies in their quarters of the ship. As -the toasts were drained, broadsides were discharged, by men reeling -in drunkenness around their smoking guns. Some were cursing, some -fighting, some sleeping in deathly stupor. - -The magazine, amply stored with powder, was near the bows of the boat. -Powder was carelessly scattered over the decks. Suddenly there was a -terrific explosion. The whole ship seemed lifted into the air, as by -some volcanic power. Dense volumes of sulphurous smoke, pierced with -forked flame, enveloped the scene, shutting it out from the view of all -around. Then there were seen, ejected hundreds of feet into the air, -massive timbers, and ponderous cannon, and the mangled bodies of three -hundred and fifty men. But thirty of the crew escaped. - -The officers’ cabin, far in the stern of the boat, escaped the force -of the explosion. Though the revellers there were terrified, stunned, -almost smothered with smoke, and many of them severely wounded, they -escaped with their lives. - -Such was the end of the Cerf Volant. This only did Morgan gain by his -treachery. “Morgan,” says Esquemeling, “had captured the ship. And God -only could take it from him. And God did so.” - -For eight days the bodies of the dead were seen floating upon the -waters of the bay. Morgan sent out boats to collect these bodies, not -for burial, but for plunder. The pockets were searched. The clothing, -when good, was stripped off. The heavy gold rings, which nearly all the -sailors wore, were taken, and then the bodies were abandoned to the -sharks and the carrion birds. - -Morgan, upon a review of his forces, found that he had fifteen -vessels, large and small, and eight hundred and sixty men. With these -he set sail for Savona. Head winds impeded their progress. Three weeks -had elapsed ere they reached the eastern extremity of Hispaniola. -Eight hundred hungry men consume a vast amount of food each day. Their -provisions ran short. They chanced to meet an English ship which had -a superfluity for sale. Thus recruited, they pressed on, in a long -straggling line, until eight of the ships reached a harbor called Ocoa, -on the southern coast of the great island. Here he cast anchor to wait -the arrival of the rest of the fleet. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -_The Expedition to Maracaibo._ - - The Delay at Ocoa.--Hunting Excursions.--The Repulse.--Cities - of Venezuela.--The Plan of Morgan.--Suggestions of Pierre - Picard.--Sailing of the Expedition.--They Touch at - Oruba.--Traverse Venezuela.--Enter Lake Maracaibo.--Capture of - the Fort.--The City Abandoned.--Atrocities of the Pirates. - - -At Ocoa, on the Island of Hispaniola, the pirates remained several days -waiting for the arrival of the other vessels, which were unaccountably -lagging behind. Every morning Morgan sent a party of eight men, from -each ship, upon the island as hunters, in search of game. He also sent -a body of armed men to protect them from any attack by the Spaniards. -Though there were many Spaniards upon the island, they did not feel -strong enough to assail so great a force as the pirates could muster. -They, however, sent to the city of San Domingo for three or four -hundred men, to kill or drive away all the cattle and game around the -Bay of Ocoa. They hoped thus to starve out the buccaneers, and compel -them to depart. - -Goaded by hunger, a band of fifty of Morgan’s men ventured far into -the woods. The Spaniards, who were watching them, drew them into an -ambuscade. The pirates were outnumbered and surrounded. With cries of -“Kill, kill,” the Spaniards opened a sudden and deadly fire. But these -desperadoes, accustomed to every kind of danger, could not be thrown -into a panic. Instantly they formed themselves into a hollow square, -and keeping a rolling fire from the four sides, slowly retreated -to their ships. Many fell by the way, dead or wounded. Many of the -Spaniards were also slain. - -The next day, Morgan, rendered furious by the discomfiture, landed -himself, at the head of two hundred men, to take dire revenge upon his -foes. But no foe was to be met. Finding his search useless, he gave -vent to his rage in burning all the dwellings he encountered, from -which the Spaniards had fled. - -Still the seven missing ships did not appear. After waiting a few days -more, he decided to delay no longer. Spreading his sails, he steered -his course for the Island of Savona. But none of the missing vessels -were there. While waiting, he sent several boats, with crews amounting -to one hundred and fifty well-armed men, to plunder several of the -small towns upon the San Domingo coast. But in the capital city and -all along the shore scouts were on the watch. Sentinels were placed -upon every headland. The moment the boats appeared in sight, signals -were given. At every point where a landing was attempted such energetic -resistance was presented, that the pirates were compelled to retreat. - -They returned to Morgan with this discouraging report. He was in a -towering rage, and with sneers and curses denounced them as cowardly -poltroons. As no longer delay could be safely indulged in, and as the -missing vessels did not arrive, he made another review of his fleet and -army, and found that he had eight vessels of various sizes and about -five hundred men. - -Upon the coast of Venezuela there was a large and opulent city, called -Caraccas. It was the capital of the province of Venezuela, and had -been founded nearly one hundred years before, in 1567, by the Spanish -Government. It was a well-built and beautiful city, delightfully -situated, in the enjoyment of a salubrious climate, and enriched by -extensive commerce. Near by were Valencia, Barcelona, and Cumana, all -important commercial ports. The latter place was the oldest city on the -continent of South America. It was established in 1523. The plunder of -these four cities would indeed enrich the marauders. And Morgan, in -command of fifteen vessels, and with an army of fifteen hundred men did -not doubt that he could effect their capture, one by one, if he could -strike them entirely by surprise. But it was folly to attempt it with -eight vessels and five hundred men. - -There was a Frenchman in command of one of Morgan’s ships, by the name -of Pierre Picard. This man, several years before, had been the pilot -of Lolonois’s fleet, in his capture and destruction of Maracaibo and -Gibraltar, of which expedition we have already given an account. During -the intervening years those places had, in a very considerable degree, -recovered from their disasters. Again they presented riches sufficient -to entice the buccaneers. - -Picard was a remarkable man, of great resources. He was a bold soldier -and a skilful sailor. Familiar with all these waters, fearless and -unscrupulous, with French plausibility of address, and speaking the -English language with volubility and correctness, he gained great -influence over Morgan. - -A council of the officers was called. He proposed an attack upon -Maracaibo and Gibraltar. A chart was presented exhibiting the course to -be run, the channels to be threaded, the forces to be encountered, and -the means of overcoming them. - -His proposition was received with general acclaim, and the fleet -weighed anchor. After several days’ sail to the south, they reached -an island called Oruba. It was inhabited only by natives. They had a -large stock of sheep, lambs, goats, and kids. Here the pirates cast -anchor, to take in water and provisions. For once these marauders -seemed to come to the conclusion that honesty was more politic than -thievery, and that it was easier to buy a goat with a skein of thread, -than to steal it, and thus rouse the hostility of the whole native -population. They remained here twenty-four hours, acting as nearly -like honest men as such a gang of thieves, drunkards, and desperadoes -could do. They filled their water-casks, and laid in quite a store of -provisions, which they bought, though without money and almost without -price. - -They were now within a day’s sail of Maracaibo. They were anxious that -the natives should not know their destination, lest in some way they -might give the alarm. Therefore the anchors were raised and the sails -spread in the night. When the morning dawned the islanders looked in -vain for the fleet. - -During the day the ships came in sight of the cluster of islands which -are found at the entrance of the Lake of Maracaibo. A fair breeze from -the north had swept them rapidly through the Gulf of Venezuela. Just -within the narrows which connected the gulf with the lake, there was -a mountainous island called Vigilia. Upon one of its eminences there -was a watch-tower erected, where sentinels were stationed, ever on the -lookout to give warning of the approach of any suspicious craft. - -Just as the fleet reached this point the wind died away into a perfect -calm. Though Morgan made every endeavor to cast anchor out of sight -of the watch-tower, the vigilant eyes of the sentinels detected him. -The alarm was instantly sent up to the city. Twelve hours passed away -before there was a breath of wind to ripple the crystal surface of the -lake. It was then four o’clock in the morning. All this time had been -granted the Spaniards to prepare for their defence. - -At a little distance beyond Vigilia there was a narrow channel to be -threaded, which was defended by a fort. Not deeming it safe to expose -his vessels to the heavy guns of the Spaniards, and knowing that the -works would be weak on the land side, he manned his boats, and marching -through the woods struck his foes in the rear. The garrison had made -arrangements for the most desperate resistance. They had burned all the -huts around the walls of the fort, and had removed everything which -could afford the assailants any shelter. - -The defenders of the works numbered probably not more than thirty or -forty men. Nearly five hundred reckless desperadoes emerged from the -woods for the assault. They were all veterans, and all sharpshooters. -Not a hand could be exposed but a bullet would strike it. Such a storm -of balls were thrown with unerring aim in at every embrasure, that the -guns could not be worked. - -When the pirates, in their large numbers, first appeared emerging from -the forest, the fort opened a fire so intense and continuous that it -resembled the crater of a small volcano in most rapid eruption. But -the pirates, who could return ten bullets for every one received, and -who were careful that every bullet should accomplish its mission, soon -caused the fire to slacken. Still the fight continued for many hours, -till night came, with no apparent advantage on either side. - -With the darkness the conflict ceased. Morgan sent a party cautiously -forward to reconnoitre. No light was to be seen. No sound was to be -heard. Solitude and silence reigned. The fort was deserted. With shouts -the pirates rushed forward to take possession of the works. The loud -voice of Morgan arrested them. He was as cautious as he was brave. A -party of engineers was dispatched, led by Morgan himself, to search -lest there might be lighted fuses leading to the magazine. Morgan was -the first to enter. His quick eye discerned the gleam of a fuse slowly -creeping toward the magazine, where three thousand pounds of gunpowder -were stored. It was instantly trampled out. - -But for this caution, five hundred pirates would have swarmed all -over the fort. There would have been an earthquake roar, a volcanic -upheaval, and not one of those five hundred desperadoes would have -survived to tell the story of the retribution which had so suddenly -befallen them. - -The fort was a small but strong redoubt, or outwork, built of stone, -circular in form, with a massive wall thirty feet high. It was only -accessible by an iron ladder which could be let down from a guard-room. -It mounted fourteen cannons, of eight, twelve, and fourteen pound -calibre. There was also found a quantity of fire-pots, hand-grenades, -pikes, and muskets. - -The pirates had no time to lose. It was needful to press forward as -rapidly as possible, for every hour the inhabitants of the city might -be adding to their defences. They blew up a portion of the wall; spiked -the cannon, and threw them over the ramparts; burned the gun-carriages, -and destroyed all the material of war which they could not carry away -with them. - -The way was now open for the passage of the fleet up the lake to the -very entrance of the harbor. With the earliest dawn the fleet spread -its sails, leaving behind the smouldering ruins of the fort. The -breeze was light, the shoals many, the channel intricate. It was not -until the next day that they came within sight of the city. There was -still another fort to be passed at the very mouth of the port. Morgan -stood upon his quarter-deck, spy-glass in hand. He could see the -Spanish cavaliers at work on the ramparts, and had reason to expect a -very desperate resistance. Again he decided not to expose his ships to -the cannonade which the heavy guns of the fort could bring to bear upon -them. - -Casting anchor out of gun-shot, he disembarked his forces in the boats. -They were ordered not to meddle with the fort, but to march in two -divisions through the woods, and attack the town at points which the -artillery of the fort could not protect. The guns of the fleet were -brought to bear upon all the adjacent thickets, that no foe might find -there a lurking-place. - -The landing was effected without opposition. The march, through the -narrow mule-paths, was undisputed. The town was reached. But there -was no foe there; no inhabitant there. All had fled. Warned by the -awful fate which had befallen Maracaibo, but a few years before, when -sacked by the pirates under Lolonois, the citizens, men, women, and -children, had fled utterly panic-stricken. It is easy for a man of any -ordinary courage to brave death in the performance of duty. But who can -endure demoniac torture? Who can bear the idea of seeing his wife, his -daughter, his child exposed to every indignity, every cruelty which -demons in human form can devise? - -Maracaibo was emptied of its population. All had sought refuge in the -forest, with speed to which terror lent wings. The aged, the sick had -fled. Even the dying were carried away. And it is stated without denial -that the ship, the Oxford, which took the lead in this enterprise, -belonged to Charles II., King of England. This royal buccaneer had -equipped it, had manned it, and was to share in the spoil. And he -rewarded the demoniac leader of this demoniac gang with the honors of -a baronetcy; and appointed him governor over one of the most important -colonies of Great Britain. Such scenes were enacted only two hundred -years ago. Surely the world has made some progress. - -The fugitives had taken with them everything they could carry. There -were no carriage roads in those parts. But there were many narrow -mule-paths, leading in various directions. On pack-mules and horses -much treasure had been removed. Two days had elapsed since the alarm -had resounded through the streets, “The pirates are coming.” - -The houses were empty. The doors were left wide open. The chambers -were stripped of everything valuable. Nearly all the gold and silver -and jewels had of course disappeared. There were some houses of much -elegance in the place, sumptuously furnished. The pirates rushed -through the streets, searching for the richest palaces for their -barracks. The churches they wantonly defiled and converted into -prison-houses. Not a vessel or a boat was left in the port. All had -been used, by the terrified fugitives, to escape far away upon the wide -lake beyond. - -Morgan, chagrined at the loss of so much anticipated treasure, -instantly dispatched one hundred fleet-footed men to pursue the -encumbered and heavily laden refugees, along all the trails. Scarcely -any provisions could be found in the town. The fugitives had taken the -wise precaution to destroy what they could not carry away. The little -fort which guarded the harbor was merely a half-moon rampart facing the -water, and mounting but four cannon. These works the Spaniards had of -course abandoned. - -The men who had been dispatched in pursuit of the Spaniards returned -the next evening. They brought with them thirty prisoners, and fifty -mules laden with valuables. The prisoners were feeble men and women -of the poorest class. The owners of the richly laden mules, seeing -the approach of the pirates, had abandoned all, and outstripped the -pursuers in their flight. The unhappy captives were put to the torture, -but nothing could be wrested from them. - -This Morgan, subsequently Sir Henry Morgan, governor of Jamaica, -suspended his prisoners by the beard; hung them up horizontally by -cords bound around their toes and thumbs; placed burning matches -between their fingers; scourged them; twisted cords around their -heads till their eyes burst from their sockets, and perpetrated other -enormities too horrible to be mentioned. - -“Thus,” writes Esquemeling, “all sort of inhuman cruelties were -executed upon these innocent people. Those who would not confess, or -who had nothing to declare, died under the hands of those tyrannical -men. These tortures and racks continued for the space of three whole -weeks; in which time they ceased not to send out daily parties of men -to seek for more people to torment and rob: they never returned home -without booty and new riches.” - -In one of these excursions they captured two negro slaves, who were -faint for loss of food. They were both put to the torture, to compel -them to reveal where their master was concealed. One, the elder of the -two, endured the horrible torment without a word, and almost without -a groan, till death came to his release. The other captive, a young -man, just emerging from boyhood, bore up bravely until the agony became -utterly unendurable. He then offered to lead them to his master. The -wealthy Spaniard was soon taken, and with him the exultant pirates -seized thirty thousand dollars in silver. - -In such days of disaster and woe, families, flying into the wilderness, -would cling together. Morgan had gradually captured one hundred of the -most prominent families. He had also acquired an unexpectedly large -amount of plunder, in silver, gold, bullion, and rich merchandise. - -Captain Picard was very exultant in view of the success of the -enterprise which he had suggested and guided. He now urged that they -should advance upon the city of Gibraltar. It will be remembered that -this place was at the head of the lake, about one hundred miles south -from Maracaibo. Morgan embarked his prisoners and all of his plunder on -board his fleet and spread his sails for this new enterprise. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -_Adventures on the Shores of Lake Maracaibo._ - - Preparations for the Defence of Gibraltar.--The Hidden - Ships.--The Hiding-place of the Governor and the - Women.--Disasters and Failure.--Capture of the Spanish - Ships.--The Retreat Commenced.--Peril of the Pirates.--Singular - Correspondence.--Strength of the Spanish Armament.--The - Public Conference of the Pirates.--The Naval Battle.--The - Fire-Ship.--Wonderful Achievement of the Pirates. - - -Before Morgan weighed anchor for his expedition to Gibraltar, he sent -two Spanish prisoners to the city to say that if they made a peaceable -surrender of the place, without attempting to conceal or carry off -their valuables, their lives should be spared. But if any resistance -were offered, the city should be laid in ashes and every individual put -to the sword. - -But ample time had been given to the citizens of Gibraltar to prepare -for a vigorous defence. The garrison from Maracaibo had also fled to -her forts. The troops were landed a mile and a half from the town, and -marched through the woods to attack the foe in the rear. The Spaniards -had anticipated this movement and were prepared to meet it. Still -they were baffled by the strategy of Morgan. Instead of advancing by -the regular route, he employed a large party of sappers and miners to -cut a new path through the woods. Thus he approached the city without -exposing his men to storm ramparts bristling with artillery and -musketry. - -The Spaniards had no time to throw up new intrenchments. It was -evident, even to the most unintelligent soldier, that all was lost. -Their hearts sank within them, and soldiers and citizens fled with the -utmost precipitation. So general was the flight that the pirates, when -they entered the streets of Gibraltar, found but one single man there, -and he was a semi-idiot. Even that weak creature they tortured. The -poor wretch cried out: - -“Do not torture me any more, and I will show you my riches.” - -The pirates thought, or pretended to think, that he was some rich -person assuming the disguise of poverty and semi-insanity. He led -them to a miserable hovel containing only a few earthern pots. He dug -up, from under the hearth, three dollars which he had buried there. -Still they affirmed that he was a grandee in disguise, and commenced -torturing him anew. In his agony he cried out: - -“In the name of Jesus; in the name of the Virgin Mary, what will you do -with me, Englishmen? I am a poor man. I live on alms. I sleep in the -hospital.” - -He died under their hands. They dragged him aside and covered him -with a few shovelfuls of earth. Some of the slaves, who had been -inhumanly treated by their masters, now took revenge, and revealed -their hiding-places to the pirates. A poor lame peasant, with his two -daughters, was brought in. Appalled by the terrors of the rack, he -promised to lead them through the woods to a retreat where several of -the Spaniards were concealed. But the Spaniards, vigilantly on the -watch, fled. The pirates, in the rage of their disappointment, hung the -poor peasant. What became of his daughters we are not informed. - -But I cannot torture my readers with a narrative of these horrors. They -were dreadful beyond all powers of description. It seems inexplicable -that God could have permitted such awful deeds. - -Parties, thoroughly armed, were sent out to explore the region for many -miles around. One of the slaves promised to conduct Captain Morgan to -a river flowing into the lake, where there was a ship and four large -boats richly laden with merchandise, taken both from Gibraltar and -from Maracaibo. He also promised to lead a party to the place where -the governor of Gibraltar was concealed, with most of the females of -the city. The capture of the governor, for whom a great ransom could -be expected to save him from death by torture, and the capture of the -females, were deemed matters of the greatest moment by these demoniac -pirates. - -Morgan himself took a party of two hundred men, with the slave as a -guide, and set out on an expedition to capture the governor and the -women. At the same time he dispatched another party of one hundred men -in two large boats, to seize the ships. They were to coast along the -shores of the solitary lake until they reached the mouth of the river -where the vessels of the refugees were concealed. - -The governor was on the alert. His scouts watched all the approaches to -his retreat. It required a very painful and laborious march of two days -for the pirates to reach the spot where the fugitives were intrenched. -The governor, with much sagacity, had selected a large island in a -river. The region was difficult of approach, leading through the -roughest paths of tangled thickets and bogs. God seemed to frown upon -the pirates. The rain fell in floods upon them. They were drenched to -the skin. Many mountain torrents they were compelled to ford, wading up -to the waist through the foaming water. They sank to the hips in the -softened marshes. Their shoes were torn from their feet. Their clothes -were rent and their skin pierced by the thorns. - -When they reached the river they found the current rapid and the -channel deep. There were no boats with which to cross. These desperate -men were provided for every emergence. They soon constructed canoes -and crossed the stream. But in the hurried passage many of the canoes -were swamped and the men lost. Upon reaching the island they found that -the governor had taken refuge on a densely wooded and craggy mountain. -The path which led to the summit, winding through the thickets and the -immense rocks, was so narrow that it could only be mounted in single -file. - -In fording the rivers and wading through the bogs, and breasting the -rain and the gale, all of the ammunition of the pirates had been -injured, and much of it utterly spoiled. The whole party was in such a -condition, that Esquemeling writes: - -“If the Spaniards, in that juncture of time, had had but a troop of -fifty men, well armed with pikes or spears, they might have entirely -destroyed the pirates, without any possible resistance on their side.” - -The governor was not aware of this. Prudently he remained upon the -defensive. He had several of the soldiers of the garrison with him, -and an ample supply of ammunition. His men were admirably posted behind -rocks and trees, so that had the pirates persisted in their endeavor to -ascend the mountain, every man must have perished. And it is doubtful -whether they could have inflicted even a wound upon their unseen -assailants. - -Morgan perceived that the case was hopeless. Discouraged and maddened -he commenced a retreat. Twelve days passed from the time they commenced -their enterprise before Morgan, with his diminished and shattered -party, returned to Gibraltar. They had, however, captured on the way -quite a number of fugitives whom they had found scattered through -the woods, and also a considerable amount of money. They took a sort -of fiendish pleasure, on their return, in seeing the aged women and -the children swept away by the foaming mountain torrents, which they -forded. They returned to Gibraltar exasperated, and prepared to inflict -severer torture upon all their captives. - -The party sent to take the vessels were a little more successful. The -Spaniards had unloaded the vessels and conveyed to unknown distances -much of their cargoes. Hearing of the approach of the pirates, they -fled precipitately, leaving behind them all which they had not removed, -or which they could not immediately destroy. Still there were many -bales of goods left in the vessels and on the shore. These the pirates -seized and carried back to their ships. - -When the pirates had been five weeks in Gibraltar, plundering, -torturing, carousing, the failure of provisions rendered it necessary -for them to depart. But first they sent some of their prisoners back -into the woods to find their hidden companions, and to say to them -that unless they sent Morgan, as a ransom for the city, five thousand -dollars, in gold or silver, he would lay every building of the city in -ashes. Those ruined men went forth on this sad mission. After searching -every nook and corner for a long time, they came back to state that -they could not find anybody. The terrified Spaniards had fled far -beyond the reach of a day’s exploration. - -They said, however, that if Morgan would have a little patience and -give them eight days, they would endeavor to raise the money. The -pirate replied: - -“I am going to Maracaibo. I shall take with me eight of your most -prominent citizens, whom I hold as captives. I shall regard them as -hostages for the payment of the ransom. If within eight days the money -is paid, they will be set at liberty. If the money is not paid, they -must suffer the penalty.” - -And what was that penalty? Death; and probably death by torture. Morgan -began to feel a little solicitude about his retreat. In five weeks the -Spaniards must have had time to assemble troops from various parts of -the province, to repair the fortifications of Maracaibo, and to throw -very serious obstacles in the way of his passing through the straits -which connected Lake Maracaibo with the Gulf of Venezuela. - -Influenced by this consideration, they moved with haste. Weighing their -anchors and spreading their sails, with their fleet laden with plunder, -they now directed their course toward Maracaibo. Baffled by light or -contrary winds, four days passed before they reached the city. Here -they found the same silence and desolation which they had left behind -them. There was but one person in the place--a poor old man, sick and -almost bed-ridden. - -He gave them the alarming intelligence that three Spanish men-of-war -were cruising off the head of the lake, watching their return. They -had also repaired the fort which Morgan had partially destroyed, -had mounted the guns anew, garrisoned the works with experienced -artillerymen, and placed all things in posture for a vigorous defence. -Over the redoubt the flag of Castile was proudly waving. - -Morgan sent one of his swiftest boats down the lake to reconnoitre -the state of affairs. The boat came back the next day, confirming the -statements. The ships were large and evidently well manned, as well -as powerfully armed. The largest mounted forty-nine guns; the next, -thirty-eight guns of different calibre, and the smallest, sixteen guns -of large calibre, and eight of less. Morgan could not hope to contend -successfully against forces so much superior to his own. The commander -of this fleet was Don Alonzo Espinosa. He was vice-admiral of the -West-Indian fleet. His little squadron had been sent to those seas to -protect Spanish commerce, and to put to the sword every pirate he could -take. The pirates were thrown into a state of great consternation. -Their largest ship carried but fourteen guns. There seemed no possible -escape for them by sea or by land. - -Whatever might have been Morgan’s secret feeling, he assumed an air of -the utmost confidence. With audacity most extraordinary, considering -the circumstances, he sent a Spanish prisoner to Admiral Espinosa, with -the message that unless he immediately forwarded to him twenty-eight -thousand dollars, in silver or gold, he would apply the torch to -Maracaibo, and every building should be consumed. - -The reply of the admiral was dated “On board the royal ship Magdalen, -lying at anchor at the entry of Lake Maracaibo, this 24th day of April, -1669.” In it Espinosa wrote: - -“My intention is to dispute your passage out of the lake, and to -pursue you wherever you may go. But if you will surrender all that -you have taken, with all your prisoners, I will let you pass without -molestation. But if you make any resistance, I will send my boats up to -Maracaibo, and you shall be utterly destroyed. Every man shall be put -to the sword. This is my fixed determination. I have good soldiers, who -desire nothing more earnestly than to revenge on you, and your people, -the outrages and cruelties you have committed on the Spanish nation.” - -Morgan, upon the reception of this letter, summoned all his men to meet -in the market-place of Maracaibo. He submitted the question to them -whether they would avail themselves of this offer, and thus escape with -their lives, or run the risk of a battle with the Spanish squadron. The -vote was unanimous that they would rather shed the last drop of blood -they had, than give up the treasure they had obtained at the expense of -so much danger and suffering. One of the pirates stepped forward, and -said: - -“Captain Morgan, I will undertake, with twelve men, to destroy the -largest of those ships. I will convert the large vessel we captured -up the river into a fire-ship. We will fill her full of the most -combustible matter. Then we will place images of men around, and sham -guns, made of logs of wood, at the port-holes, and unfurl the English -flag. The crew of the admiral’s ship, not doubting that we are bearing -down to give them battle, will not think of attempting to escape. We -will run directly upon the Magdalen, throw our grappling-irons aboard, -and, when both ships are instantly wrapped in flames, will, in the -confusion, take to our boats, and reach some vessel near by.” - -The proposition was accepted with general acclaim. Still Morgan decided -to make one more effort to escape without the peril and inevitable loss -of a battle. Even should it utterly fail, he would gain time to prepare -for the attack by the fire-ship. He therefore sent two of his prisoners -to Espinosa, with this announcement: - -“If the vice-admiral will pledge his honor that I may retire without -being attacked, I will abandon Maracaibo, without burning the town -or exacting any ransom. I will also set at liberty all the Spanish -prisoners I have taken. The hostages I hold from Gibraltar shall be -sent home, without exacting the ransom which was promised.” The admiral -replied: - -“I will listen to no terms of accommodation different from those which -I have proposed. If the prisoners and the booty are not voluntarily -surrendered to me within two days, I will advance to your destruction.” - -In the mean time all hands were at work constructing the fire-ship. -All the pitch, tar, and brimstone in the city were collected. Dried -palm-leaves were gathered, in vast numbers, and smeared over with tar. -Packages, containing several pounds of powder, were scattered through -the loose mass. New port-holes were cut to let the air in to fan the -flames. Many images of men were stationed along the decks, with caps on -their heads and armed with muskets and pikes. The ship was so disguised -that no one would doubt that it was a war-ship. From such the admiral -of the Spanish fleet would surely make no effort to escape. - -All things being ready, Morgan exacted an oath from every man that -he would fight to the last drop of his blood; that he would neither -give nor take quarter. The Spanish fleet had passed through the strait -to the entrance of the lake, and was riding at anchor just above the -fort, which it will be remembered they had occupied, strengthened, and -strongly garrisoned. Thus the pirates, before they could escape into -the Gulf of Venezuela, must not only destroy the fleet, but also sail -by the fort exposed to the terrible cannonade of its heavy ordnance. - -On the evening of April 30th, 1669, Morgan spread his sails, and ran -down the lake until he came in sight of the foe. Darkness was then -coming on and he cast anchor. The morning of the first of May dawned -cloudless, over those vast solitudes of land and water, where a few -adventurers from a distance of nearly ten thousand miles had met to -crimson the waves with their blood, and to cause forest and lake and -mountain to resound with the thunders of their demoniac fightings. - -With the first gleam of light in the east, Morgan’s fleet weighed its -anchors and spread its sails. A fresh breeze from the south swelled -their canvas. The fire-ship, with its wooden men and wooden guns, and -which was prepared in an instant to flame into a volcano, bore down -upon the Magdalen. Promptly the crew cleared the decks for action. -Little did they dream of the foe whose resistless fury they were to -encounter. - -The fire-ship ran with a crash against the Spanish frigate. The boat -of escape was ready with the men at the oars. The torch was applied at -several places to make certainty doubly certain. The boat pushed off -with rapid strokes, and scarcely one single moment elapsed before both -ships were enveloped in densest smoke and flashing, consuming flame. - -In an instant it was seen by all that the great achievement was -accomplished; that the majestic man-of-war, in all its pride and -strength, was doomed to immediate destruction. No escape was possible. -No resistance could be of the slightest avail. Not a boat could be -launched. There was no time for thought even. Many of the sailors were -instantly burned to a crisp as the forked flames encircled among them, -wrapping them in its cruel embrace. All, who could, plunged into the -sea. Many were drowned. A few strong swimmers reached the other vessels -and were saved. Among these was the Admiral Espinosa. - -The pirates gazed upon the awful spectacle with shouts of exultation. -They had sworn to give no quarter. The drowning wretches presented but -attractive targets for their sharpshooters. Boats put off from several -of their nearer vessels to knock them in the head. - -The second Spanish ship in size, which was called the St. Louis, -mounted, as we have said, thirty-eight guns in all. The crew consisted -of two hundred sailors. Seeing the utter destruction of the flagship, -and that they were exposed to be attacked by the whole force of the -pirates, they ran back beneath the guns of the fort. To prevent the -ship from falling into the hands of the pirates they ran her ashore, -scuttled her, and took refuge behind the intrenchments. - -The third ship was called the Marquesas. It carried, as we have -mentioned, twenty-four guns, large and small, and a crew of one hundred -and fifty men. This vessel was so surrounded by the pirates that she -could not escape. Her capture was effected with scarcely any conflict. -Infamous as was the cause in which these pirates were engaged, it is -difficult to withhold our admiration from the skill and the courage -with which the great achievement was accomplished. - -In less than one hour these Spanish war-ships, armed with the best -Spanish ordnance, and manned by over six hundred combatants, were -utterly destroyed or taken by the pirates, now but about three hundred -in number, and whose largest ship mounted but fourteen guns. It is one -of the most extraordinary feats in naval warfare. One of the historians -of the time says: “The fire-ship fell upon the Spaniard, and clung to -its sides like a wildcat on an elephant.” - -But still the pirates were by no means out of their difficulties. -Their ships were all in Lake Maracaibo. A narrow and serpentine strait -was to be threaded before they could enter the Gulf of Venezuela, by -which alone they could gain access to the ocean. Here again the genius -of Morgan came to the rescue. In the first place he collected all the -prisoners he could, men, women, and children, and had them firmly -secured. His plan was to compel the admiral to let him pass the fort -unmolested, by threatening otherwise to put them all to death. - -Among his captives there was a pilot of one of the Spanish ships. Upon -being closely questioned, he made the following statement: - -“We were sent by orders from the Supreme Council of Spain, with -instructions to exterminate the English pirates. The Spanish court -has made many complaints to the King of England of the hostilities -committed here by the English. The king has ever replied that he had -never given any commissions for such hostilities; that these were -individual acts which the Government could not control, and for which -they were not responsible. - -“Hereupon the King of Spain resolved to protect his subjects and punish -the perpetrators of these outrages. He fitted a fleet of six ships. -Three of these, after an extended cruise, hearing of the attack upon -Maracaibo, arrived here. The vice-admiral took possession of the fort, -remounted its guns, adding several of large calibre, and added a -hundred men to its original garrison whom he recalled.” - -Morgan returned to Maracaibo to plan for his escape. The Marquesas, -which he had captured, was larger than any vessel of his own, and more -heavily armed. He refitted this, making it his flagship. The one he had -before occupied was intrusted to one of his captains. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -_A New Expedition Planned._ - - The Threat to Espinosa.--Adroit Stratagem.--Wonderful - Escape.--The Storm.--Revelry at Jamaica.--History of - Hispaniola.--Plan of a New Expedition.--The Foraging - Ships.--Morgan’s Administrative Energies.--Return of - the Foragers.--Rendezvous at Cape Tiburon.--Magnitude - and Armament of the Fleet.--Preparations to Sail. - - -Morgan, in the self-assurance of triumph, sent word to the governor of -Maracaibo, that unless he sent him, within eight days, five hundred -beef cattle, the city of Maracaibo should be reduced to smouldering -ruins. They were sent in within two days. All hands were employed in -butchering, salting, and storing away the meat in preparation for sea. - -Returning with his fleet to the mouth of the lake, Morgan sent word -to Admiral Espinosa that he had, on board his ships, between two and -three hundred prisoners, including one hundred and fifty sailors of the -Spanish fleet, who were captured in the Marquesas. He demanded a free -passage, promising, if that were granted him, he would send all his -prisoners unharmed ashore, as soon as his fleet was safe on the other -side of the fort. - -If this free passage were not granted him, he declared that he would -force his way through; and that he would bind all his prisoners to the -rigging, that they might be the most exposed to the shot from the fort; -and that having passed by, every one who survived the cannonade should -be killed and thrown overboard. The prisoners, well instructed in the -cruelty and the inflexible will of this demoniac pirate, sent the -most pathetic appeals to the admiral to save them from this dreadful -fate. He, influenced by the pride of the soldier rather than by human -sympathies, unfeelingly replied: - -“If you had been as loyal to the king in hindering the entrance of -these pirates as I shall be in hindering their going out, you would -never have caused these troubles either to yourselves or to our whole -nation, which hath suffered so much through your pusillanimity. I shall -not grant your request; but shall endeavor, according to my duty, to -maintain that respect which is due to my king.” - -When Morgan heard of this reply he said: “Very well; if the admiral -will not give me permission to pass, I will find a way of passing -without his permission.” - -Before attempting to run through the strait, all the pirates landed -for a division of the booty. In making an inventory of their effects it -was found that they had, in gold, silver, and jewels, two hundred and -fifty thousand dollars. They had a still larger sum than this in the -vast amount of merchandise which they had gathered from all the ships -and store-houses of the two cities. They had also a large number of -slaves, who brought cash prices in all the ports of the West Indies. - -The escape was effected by the following ingenious stratagem. Morgan -filled his boats with men, and rowed beneath the boughs which hung -densely over the banks of the river, until he arrived at a concealed -spot, where he pretended to land them. He took care, however, so to -conduct the movement that the Spaniards in the fort should catch -glimpses of it. The landing, however, was merely feigned. The men -concealed themselves in the bottom of the boats, and were rowed back -to the ships. Not one was left on the shore. In this way, by repeated -excursions with the boats, apparently several hundred men were -disembarked. - -The admiral, well aware of the ferocious courage of the pirates, and -not doubting that they would make a desperate assault upon the fort on -the land side, immediately, and in the greatest haste, removed their -eighteen-pounders to command the approaches by the land. In this way -the sea-coast was left almost defenceless. - -The ensuing night the moon rose full-orbed over the silent waters of -the lake. A fresh breeze sprang up from the south. Providence seemed -to be favoring these desperate men. The tide was also in their favor. -And there was always a gentle current flowing through the narrow strait -from the lake into the gulf. - -Thus, with their path illumined by the moon’s brilliant rays, and aided -by wind, tide, and current, the pirates spread their sails, and, almost -as by magic, glided by the fort. Every precaution was taken to protect -the crews. No attempt was made to return the fire of the Spaniards. -Most of the crews were placed in the holds of the ships. Only enough -were left on deck for the purpose of navigation. The Spaniards, -astonished, bewildered, and with but few guns at their command, fired -hastily, furiously, and with very inaccurate aim at the ships so -rapidly passing beyond their grasp. But little damage was done, and but -few men were killed. - -We are not informed whether Morgan carried out his threat of exposing -his prisoners to the cannonade by binding them to the rigging. What -became of the one hundred and fifty Spanish sailors, is not known. They -were probably all put to death. The prisoners from Maracaibo he sent -ashore. Those from Gibraltar he carried away with him, and probably -relieved himself of the incumbrance by throwing them all into the sea. -As Morgan again set sail, his crews raised three cheers of triumph, and -discharged eight heavy guns, loaded with balls, against the fort, as -his parting salute. - -But the very next day, heaven’s frown seemed to succeed heaven’s smile. -One of the most terrible of tropical tornadoes assailed the fleet. All -were in despair. The sailors threw themselves upon their knees, and -called upon the Virgin and all the saints to help them. The gleaming -lightning seemed to be the symbol of God’s wrath, and the pealing -thunder sounded like His angry voice. - -Esquemeling, who accompanied this expedition, and to whose pen we -are mainly indebted for an account of its events, says that the ship -which bore him lost both anchors and mainsail. It was with the utmost -difficulty they kept the ship afloat, working at the pumps for weary -hours. The thunder he represents as deafening, and the mountain -billows, rushing by, threatened every moment to ingulf them. - -“Indeed,” he writes, “though worn out with fatigue and toil, we could -not make up our minds to close our eyes to that blessed light which -we might soon lose sight of forever. No hope of safety remained. -The storm had lasted four days, and there was no probability of -its termination. On the one side we saw rocks, on which our vessel -threatened every instant to drive. Before us were the Indians, from -whom we could hope for no mercy. Behind us were the Spaniards, -hungering for revenge.” - -At length the storm ceased. The fleet put into a harbor, in the Bay of -Venezuela, to repair damages. There seems to be but little reformatory -power in punishment. These wretched men were not made better by the -chastisement which they had received. All unmindful of their prayers to -Virgin and saint, while some were at work on the ships, others formed -themselves into bands to ravage the country far and wide, plundering -all the Spanish and Indian villages within their reach, and inflicting -the most atrocious outrages upon the inhabitants. It is very clear -that there is no hope for this lost world, unless it may be found in -that _change in the heart_ of man which the religion of Jesus Christ -inculcates. “The mind is its own place.” The pirates after the storm -were the same men as before. - -Morgan, having refitted his ships, and having added very considerably -to his amount of plunder again spread his sails for Kingston, the -capital of Jamaica. He reached that port in safety, and was very -cordially welcomed by the inhabitants and the British authorities -there. They seemed to regard him as one of the heroes of the age, -worthy of all honor. The sentiments of the English generally, at -that time, in reference to these exploits, may be inferred from the -following: - -In a book published in London, in the year 1684, and which now lies -before me, a glowing account is given of these adventures. The book had -then attained to a second edition. The title-page says: - -“A True Account of the most remarkable Assaults, committed of late -years upon the Coasts of the West Indies, by the Buccaneers of Jamaica -and Tortuga, wherein are contained more especially the unparalleled -Exploits of Sir Henry Morgan, our English Jamaican Hero, who sacked -Puerto Velo, burnt Panama, etc.” - -At Jamaica new scenes of rioting and profligacy were enacted. The -money soon passed from the hands of the pirates to the sharpers in -liquor-shops, gambling-houses, and dancing-halls, who were eager to -grasp it. Morgan’s eulogistic biographer writes: - -“Morgan, encouraged by success, soon determined on fresh enterprises. -On arriving at Jamaica, he found many of his officers and soldiers -already reduced to their former indigency by their vices and -debaucheries. Hence they perpetually importuned him for new exploits, -thereby to get something to expend in wine and strumpets, as they had -already done with what they got before. - -“Captain Morgan, willing to follow fortune’s call, stopped the mouths -of many inhabitants of Jamaica, who were creditors to his men for -large sums, with the hopes and promises of greater achievements than -ever, in a new expedition. This done, he could easily levy men for any -enterprise. His name was so famous through all those islands, that it -alone would bring him in more men than he could well employ.” - -Morgan scattered his proclamations far and wide through all the English -and French ports on the various islands. He wrote particularly to -the governor of Tortuga, soliciting his coöperation. The south side -of this island was appointed as a rendezvous, where Morgan, sailing -from Jamaica, would meet the pirates of Tortuga who wished to join -the expedition. Another and general rendezvous was designated, for -adventurers from all the islands, at Port Couillon, on the south -side of Hispaniola. And here let me give a few explanatory words in -reference to this latter island. - -Columbus discovered this magnificent island on the 5th of December, -1495. It was called by the natives Hayti. Its population was estimated -at one million. It was four hundred miles long, with a breadth of -from forty to one hundred and fifty miles, covering an area of nearly -thirty thousand square miles. Columbus called it Hispaniola, or Little -Spain. He established a colony on the northern coast, which he called -Isabella. His brother, Diego, was intrusted with its command. This was -the first colony planted by the Europeans in the New World. - -In the year 1665, the French obtained possession of a large portion -of the island, and gave it the name St. Domingo. This was about one -hundred and seventy years after its discovery, and about five years -before Morgan selected a bay on its southern coast as a rendezvous for -his piratic fleet. It is in consequence of these changes that Hayti, -Hispaniola, and St. Domingo frequently occupy so confused a relation in -the public mind. - -Punctuality is an essential element of success alike in good and bad -enterprises. With singular promptness, Morgan sailed into the harbor -of Couillon, in a large ship which he called the Flying Stag. It was -crowded with pirates, or buccaneers as they would perhaps prefer to -have been called, whom he had taken from Tortuga. It was the 24th day -of October, 1670. He found twenty-four vessels already there, and -sixteen hundred men. Almost every hour there were new arrivals of both -ships and sailors. Morgan had selected for his flagship a large vessel, -which mounted twenty-two guns. His arrival was greeted with shoutings, -cannon-firing, flag-waving, and the most boisterous drunken revelry. - -With energy and administrative ability characteristic of this very able -and yet infamous man, he dispatched four vessels to the mainland, to -cruise along the coast and plunder Spaniards and Indians of provisions, -of corn, poultry, swine, and beeves, to victual his ships. They were -also to sack such small towns as they were able to capture. All this -was merely in preparation for the great enterprise before them. - -While the four vessels were absent on this foraging expedition, Morgan -kept his men busy careening, rigging, and calking their vessels, so -as to be ready, immediately upon the return of the foragers, to put -to sea. The magnitude of the enterprise in which this arch-pirate was -engaged may be inferred from the fact that wide regions were to be -devastated, and several towns sacked, merely to gather provisions for -his army. - -Hunters were sent into the woods of St. Domingo in search of game. All -cattle and swine were considered fair booty, no matter to whom they -might belong. Each hunting party had a certain region allotted to it. -Portions of the crews were engaged in salting down provisions for the -voyage. There were many swine roving through the woods. Frequently a -hunting party would bring in as many as twenty or thirty men could -carry. The most admirable discipline marked all these arrangements, -over which Morgan presided. - -The expedition sent to the continent reached its destination in six -days. Fortunately for the Spaniards, just as the ships arrived within -sight of land, they were becalmed. This gave the Spaniards time to -conceal their treasures and to throw up intrenchments. The little fleet -was at anchor just off the mouth of the river De la Hacha. There was in -the river a large ship from Carthagena, laden with corn. The vessel, -with all its cargo, fell into the hands of the pirates. - -The next morning, just at break of day, a gentle breeze sprang up, and -the ships ran in toward the shore. A landing of the men was effected, -notwithstanding a valiant resistance by a small party of Spaniards. -The pirates drove their foes from behind intrenchments which they had -suddenly reared, and pursued them toward a strongly fortified town in -the vicinity, called Rancheria. Here the Spaniards rallied again, and -a desperate battle ensued. Many fell on both sides, for the Spaniards -were by no means cowards. But the pirates were the victors, though at a -heavy loss. They drove their foes into the woods, and took possession -of the town. Several of the Spaniards were captured. As usual, they -were exposed to the most diabolical tortures to compel the confession -of where they had concealed their goods. The pirates remained here -fifteen days. During this time, they were actively employed in taking -captives and collecting booty. Just before their departure, they sent a -number of prisoners to the fugitives dispersed through the woods, with -the message that unless they sent, within a certain number of days, -four thousand bushels of corn, they would destroy the town. The corn -was sent in. The pirates sailed, greatly enriched with booty, and with -all their ships heavily freighted with provisions. - -They had been gone five weeks. Morgan began to despair of their return. -The pirates had no confidence in each other. Morgan knew full well that -if they had been triumphantly successful, amassing large quantities of -gold and silver, they would prefer to go to some port where they could -squander all their gains in every species of sensual indulgence. He -also knew that there were large towns, like Carthagena and Santa Maria, -in the region the ships were sent to plunder. There was no little -danger that they might have been cut off by these combined garrisons. - -Great, therefore, was his joy when, from the lookout, the returning -ships were discerned in the distance. The provisions were divided among -the fleet. The other booty, of precious metals, jewels, and goods, was -awarded to the plunderers. - -Morgan personally inspected every vessel. He then set sail for Cape -Tiburon, at the west end of Hispaniola. This was a convenient spot -to lay in wood and water. Here he was joined by several ships, which -had been refitted at Jamaica to join the expedition. Morgan now found -himself in command of a fleet of thirty-seven vessels, manned by two -thousand two hundred sailors. The admiral’s ship mounted twenty-eight -guns, large and small. Many of the others carried twenty, eighteen, and -sixteen guns. The smallest vessel had four. He had an abundant supply -of ammunition, of fire-balls, hand-grenades, and pots which, upon being -broken, diffused an intolerable suffocating odor. - -The fleet was divided into two squadrons. The second squadron was -placed under a vice-admiral. To every captain he gave a commission to -practise every species of hostility against the Spanish nation. “You -are to seize,” he said, “their ships, wherever you can, whether at sea -or in harbor, just as if they were the open and declared enemies of the -King of England, Charles II., my master.” - -He assembled all the captains in his cabin to sign certain articles -of agreement. It was stipulated that Morgan should have one hundredth -part of all their booty. Every captain should draw the shares of eight -men. The surgeons were to have two hundred dollars each, besides their -regular share. The loss of both legs entitled one to an addition of -fifteen hundred dollars; both arms, eighteen hundred dollars; one hand -or one foot, six hundred dollars; an eye, one hundred dollars. Whoever -should first pull down a Spanish flag, and raise the English in its -stead, was to receive fifty dollars. - -For a little time, it was debated whether they should attack -Carthagena, Vera Cruz, or Panama. The lot fell upon Panama. It was the -richest of the three. Though this city was situated on the western or -Pacific shores of the Isthmus, and though it would be necessary to -leave their fleet in some harbor, and march for several days over an -unknown country, still there would be no difficulty in finding guides, -the Spaniards would be but poorly prepared for so unexpected an attack, -and the amount of booty, particularly in gold and silver, would be -immense. Morgan proudly unfurled from his squadron the royal English -flag. Upon the other squadron he spread to the breeze the blood-red -banner of the pirate; and, strange to say, upon that piratic banner -he placed a white cross, the emblem of the religion of our Lord and -Saviour Jesus Christ, who came to this lost world proclaiming “Glory to -God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -_Capture of St. Catherine and Chagres._ - - The Defences at St. Catherine.--Morgan’s Strategy.--The Midnight - Storm.--Deplorable Condition of the Pirates.--The Summons to - Surrender.--Disgraceful Conduct of the Spanish Commander.--The - Advance to Chagres.--Incidents of the Battle.--The Unexpected - Victory.--Measures of Morgan. - - -On the 16th day of December, 1670, the piratic fleet weighed anchor -from Cape Tiburon. They first directed their course to the recapture of -the Island of St. Catherine upon the coast of Costa Rica. This island -had become a penal colony, the Botany Bay, of Spain. The malefactors -from all the Spanish dominions in the West Indies were transported here. - -Four days’ sail brought the fleet within sight of the island. The -settlement was near the mouth of one of the rivers. Morgan sent forward -one of his best sailing vessels to reconnoitre the defences. The river -emptied into a large bay or harbor called the Grande Aguada. Upon the -shores of this harbor the town was beautifully situated, surrounded by -massive and well-garrisoned forts. Several of Morgan’s desperadoes had -been there before. With his whole fleet he entered the harbor in the -night-time. - -Guided by instinctive military ability, with his usual promptness -he landed one thousand men. Instead of marching directly upon the -batteries, a corps of able engineers, with their axes, cut a new path -through the tangled forest to the residence of the governor. Here they -found a small rampart which was abandoned. The Spaniards, not being -able to cope with so large a force as Morgan led, had retired to a -stronger position. The pirates pursued. Soon they came upon a massive -fort so fortified with encircling batteries as to seem impregnable. As -soon as the pirates arrived within gun-shot the Spaniards opened upon -them so deadly a fire from their heavy guns, that they were compelled -to retire beyond reach of the balls, and take a position upon the grass -of the open fields. - -Night came. The pirates were weary and hungry. No food had been brought -from the ships. It was supposed that food would be found in abundance. -But the Spaniards had destroyed all which they could not remove; and -it took a very large quantity to satisfy the appetites of a thousand -hungry men. Faint from hunger, they threw themselves unsheltered upon -the grass to sleep. - -At midnight a tropical tempest arose. The glare of the lightning and -the crashing peals of thunder were terrific. The windows of heaven -seemed to be opened, and the flood fell in sheets. The sailors had -left the ships with no clothing but their trousers and a shirt. In -one moment they were drenched. And yet, hour after hour, in blackest -darkness, the deluge descended, smothering them with its volume and -flooding the fields. Notwithstanding all their efforts, nearly all of -their powder was injured, and much was utterly destroyed. - -In the morning, for an hour the rain ceased. They had just begun to -flatter themselves that a pleasant day was opening upon them, when -the clouds again gathered blackness, and the tempest assailed them -with redoubled fury. It did seem as though they were exposed to the -frown and the chastising blows of an indignant God. They found in the -fields a poor old sick horse, “which was,” writes Esquemeling, who was -present, “both lean and full of scabs and blotches, with galled back -and sides. This horrid animal they instantly killed and skinned, and -divided into small pieces among themselves as far as it would reach; -for many could not obtain one morsel. This they roasted and devoured -without either salt or bread more like unto ravenous wolves than men.” - -They were at that time, Esquemeling says, in so deplorable a condition -that had the Spaniards fallen upon them with one hundred men they might -have cut them all to pieces. The rain fell in such blinding torrents -that the pirates could not even retreat. At noon there was another -lull. Morgan, assuming an air of great boldness and confidence, sent a -flag of truce to the governor, with the following summons to surrender: - -“I solemnly swear unto you, that unless you immediately deliver your -works, yourself, and all your men into my hands, I will put every one -to the sword.” - -The governor was appalled. A piratic fleet of thirty-seven vessels of -war, manned by over two thousand of the most fiend-like desperadoes -earth could furnish, presented a force greater than the governor -thought he could withstand. He sent back a request that two hours’ time -might be allowed him to deliberate with his officers, when he would -return a decisive answer. At the appointed time he sent to Morgan the -following humiliating proposal: - -“The governor is willing to surrender the island, as he has not -sufficient force to repel the English fleet. But for the saving of -his reputation and that of his officers, he begs that Captain Morgan -would attack him by night, with all his marine and land forces. The -governor will feign an attempt to escape from one fort to another, when -Captain Morgan’s troops can intercept and capture him. There shall be a -continued firing on both sides, but without bullets.” - -To these terms, so degrading to the governor, Morgan rejoicingly -acceded. Thus, from apparently hopeless defeat, his sagacity won a -signal and bloodless victory. The sham fight took place according to -the programme. That night there was a great and ridiculous roar of all -the big guns in the fort and on the ships. Powder was burned freely. -The white flag was raised by the governor, the surrender made, and the -island, with all it contained, passed into the hands of the pirates. - -The buccaneers were half starved. Several days were spent in feasting. -The island was well stocked with beef cattle, swine, and poultry. -Recklessly they were destroyed. The houses were torn down to build -their fires. Two thousand men, by day and by night, indulged in the -wildest orgies of revelry. Many of the people of the settlement -fled into the woods. But the pirates counted four hundred and fifty -captives. The women, who were subject to every indignity, were -imprisoned in a church. - -Morgan, upon inspecting the works, was astonished at their strength -and at his own victory. The main fort, or castle as it was called, was -very strong, built of stone, and surrounded by a wide ditch twenty -feet deep. Heavy guns commanded the port. There were other supporting -batteries which mounted nearly sixty guns. An immense amount of -ammunition, including thirty thousand pounds of powder, were found -in the fort. These were all transferred on board the ships. The guns -were spiked, the gun-carriages burned, and the pirates, with shouts of -victory, again spread their sails. - -Among the prisoners there were three desperadoes, notorious robbers, -who professed to be familiar with the route to Panama, and with all the -region around. Eagerly they joined in the expedition with the promise -of sharing in the spoil. Esquemeling, speaking of the proposition made -to these wretches by Morgan, says: - -“These propositions pleased the banditti very well. They readily -accepted his proffers, promising to serve him very faithfully; -especially one of these three, who was the greatest rogue, thief, and -assassin among them, and who deserved, for his crimes, to be broken -alive upon the wheel. This wicked fellow had a great ascendency over -the other two, and could domineer over them as he pleased, they not -daring to refuse obedience to his orders.” - -The Isthmus of Panama was then celebrated for its gold and silver -mines. It was the seat of a very extensive commerce, and was perhaps -more strongly fortified and more populous than any other of the Spanish -colonies. This narrow tongue of land, which separates the Atlantic and -Pacific oceans, is about three hundred miles in length, and from thirty -to forty in breadth. - -Chagres, on the Atlantic coast, was a very strongly fortified -settlement at the mouth of the Chagres River. On the other side of the -isthmus, on the Pacific shore, was Panama, a far more important place, -abounding in wealth. Morgan’s plan was to capture Chagres; leave his -fleet in the harbor there; ascend the river in his boats as far as the -stream was navigable, and then to march to the doomed city. With his -two thousand well-armed desperadoes he doubted not his ability to crush -any force which might be brought against him. - -Morgan sent, in advance, four ships and a large boat to capture -Chagres. The expedition was intrusted to the vice-admiral Bradley, -the same one who had so successfully led the foraging party to -Rancheria. He was a notorious buccaneer, renowned for his exploits. -Three days’ sail brought his squadron to Chagres. Upon an eminence, -commanding the entrance to the river, there was a strong fort, called -Castle Lawrence. As Bradley approached the harbor, he unfurled at his -mast-head the blood-red flag of the pirate. The garrison immediately -displayed the royal banner of Spain, and foolishly saluted them with a -volley of shot which did not reach their ships. - -The buccaneers, according to their usual stratagem, instead of bringing -their wooden walls up to be battered by the guns of the fort, cast -anchor about a mile from the castle, and landing, cut a path with -hatchet and sabre through the tangled forest, to attack the works upon -their weakest side. Early in the morning the landing was effected. By -the middle of the afternoon they had reached a hill, from whose summit -they could throw their shot into the fort, could they but have drawn -their cannon to that spot. - -But the marshy ground would not admit of this. The garrison had brought -their guns to bear upon the eminence, and opened a fire before which -many of the pirates fell. Bradley was greatly disheartened. The fort -proved to be of very unexpected strength. It was surrounded by two -high parallel walls of timber, filled in with earth. Well-constructed -bastions were at each corner. The works were enclosed by a ditch, -thirty feet deep. There was but one entrance, and that was by a -drawbridge across this ditch. The north side of the castle was washed -by the broad and rapid river. On the south there was a precipitous -inaccessible crag. Strong batteries guarded the approaches to both the -other sides. - -Even the most desperate of the pirates recoiled from the idea of -attempting to carry works so formidable by assault. But Bradley could -not endure the thought of the scorn and rage he would encounter from -Morgan should he retreat without making the attempt. After much -perplexity and disputing it was resolved to hazard the assault. They -hoped with hatchet and sabre to cut down the timber, and then to -clamber over the crumbling earth. The interior of the works was all -of wood. There were barracks and huts, which, beneath the blaze of a -tropical sun, had become dry as powder. - -Cautiously the buccaneers descended the hill, throwing themselves upon -their faces as the explosions of the massive guns showered the balls -around them. Their sharpshooters threw bullets through the loops of the -walls, and through the embrasures, to strike down the artillery-men at -the guns. This skirmishing was continued until night, but nothing was -accomplished. Many of the pirates were killed, and Bradley himself had -one of his legs broken by a cannon-ball. The reckless men charged up to -the very walls, threw over fire-balls, and hacked at the timbers. - -The pirates, as darkness approached, began to retreat. The Spaniards -shouted to them from the walls: - -“Come on, you English devils; you heretics; the enemies of God and of -the king. Let your comrades, who are behind, come also. We will serve -them as we have served you. You shall not get to Panama this time.” - -This shout alarmed them. It revealed the fact that, in some way, the -Spaniards had been warned of the expected attack upon Panama, and would -prepare for resistance. As a group of the pirates were conferring -together, in the dusk, an arrow from the castle struck one of them in -the shoulder. He coolly drew the point from the bleeding wound, and -addressing his companions, said: - -“Look here, my comrades, I will make this accursed arrow the means of -the destruction of all the Spaniards.” - -He then drew from his pocket a quantity of wild cotton, which the -buccaneers carried with them as lint to staunch their wounds. This he -wound around the head of the arrow. Charging his musket with powder -only, he inserted the arrow and fired it back into the castle. It -lighted upon a roof of thatch. The powder set fire to the cotton, and -the cotton to the dry leaves. The roof was instantly in a flame. - -The Indians had aided the garrison, and their arrows lay thick around. -Instantly the air was filled with a shower of these flaming meteors. -They fell upon the thatched roofs, and tongues of fire flashed in all -directions. One chanced to fall upon a large quantity of powder, and a -fearful explosion followed. A terrible conflagration blazed forth. A -scene of shrieks, confusion, and horror ensued which is indescribable. -The inmates of the fort found themselves in the crater of a volcano -in its most violent state of eruption. It was in vain to attempt to -extinguish the flames. No one could live in such a furnace. - -The night was dark, moonless and starless. The bodies of the Spaniards -were clearly defined against the glowing background of flame. The -pirates, with unerring aim, shot them down. Every bullet struck -its target. The Spaniards, in the horrible tumult, could make but -little resistance. They still, however, taking refuge as they could -in different parts of the fort, fought with impotent desperation. -Oexemelin relates an incident illustrative of the indomitable fury of -the assailants. - -One of the pirates was pierced in the eye by an Indian arrow. In -terrible agony he came to Oexemelin to draw it out. Its barbed point -had sunk deep in the socket of the eye, and could only be withdrawn -by cruelly tearing it out. Oexemelin hesitated; he had not sufficient -nerve to inflict such torture. The pirate seized it with both hands, -tore it out with its mangled and bloody adhesions, bound a handkerchief -over the wound, and with a curse rushed forward again to the assault. - -The fire raged through the whole night. All the wood-work was consumed. -The walls of earth crumbled down. The pirates, mounting upon each -other’s shoulders, climbed the ramparts and threw down hand-grenades -and fire-balls, and pots of suffocating odors upon the helpless -garrison. “The armor had fallen piecemeal from their giant adversary, -and he now stood before them bare, wounded, and defenceless.” - -Still, in one corner of the fort, the heroic governor rallied the few -survivors, twenty-five only in number, resolved to fight to the bitter -end. They were slightly protected from a charge by a deep ditch, which -ran directly before them. This, however, afforded them no shelter from -the bullets of their foes. A dreadful storm of fire-balls and lead fell -upon them. They had no hope of victory--no hope of escape even. Their -only desire was to kill as many of the pirates as they could before -they should die themselves. At last a shot pierced the brain of the -governor. The feeble remnant was easily overpowered. - -The garrison had consisted of three hundred and fourteen men. All of -these, excepting fourteen, were either killed or helplessly wounded. -Not a single officer was left alive. The governor had previously -dispatched a courier to Panama to alarm the city. In this sanguinary -conflict the pirates had lost very heavily. One hundred were killed and -seventy grievously wounded. A large pit was dug and the one hundred -dead bodies of the pirates were thrown in and covered up from sight -and smell. The prisoners were compelled to drag the bodies of the dead -Spaniards to the cliff, and cast them into the sea. A large amount of -ammunition and provisions were found in the fort. - -Morgan, informed of the fall of Chagres, devastated the Island of St. -Catherine as much as possible, so as to render it quite indefensible. -It was his intention to return and recover the place, so as to make -it a rendezvous for his fleet in future operations. On the cruise to -Chagres a violent storm arose. His fleet was scattered, so that they -were detained many days at sea. But as ship after ship entered the bay, -and the crews beheld the English flag floating from the blackened -walls of Chagres Castle, the bay resounded with their cheers, and with -salutes from their cannon. So eager was the admiral and some of the -others in their heedless joy, that, without waiting for a pilot, his -own and three other vessels were driven upon sunken rocks, where they -broke to pieces. The crew and cargoes were saved. - -Morgan immediately set to work with great energy, employing all his -force of engineers, carpenters, and laborers in repairing the castle. -Here he stationed a garrison of picked men, storing the magazines with -provisions and ammunition, as a refuge from any possible disaster at -Panama. The fortunes of war are proverbially inconstant. The pirate -Morgan was a very able general. His plans were generally well formed to -meet adversity as well as prosperity. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -_The March from Chagres to Panama._ - - Preparations to Ascend the River.--Crowding of the Boats.--The - Bivouac at Bracos.--Sufferings from Hunger.--The Pathless - Route.--The Boats Abandoned.--Light Canoes Employed.--Abandoned - Ambuscades.--Painful Marches, Day by Day.--The Feast on - Leathern Bags.--Murmurs and Contentions.--The Indians - Encountered.--Struggling through the Forest.--The Conflagration - at Santa Cruz.--Battle and Skirmishes.--First Sight of - Panama.--Descent into the Plain.--Feasting. - - -From the prisoners Morgan learned that three weeks before their arrival -the garrison at Chagres was informed, by a message from Carthagena, -that the English were equipping a fleet at Hispaniola for the capture -of Panama. The governor immediately sent one hundred and sixty-four -soldiers to strengthen the garrison at Chagres, which had previously -numbered but one hundred and fifty. Morgan was also informed that the -governor of Panama had placed several ambuscades along the Chagres -River, and that a force of three thousand six hundred men was awaiting -his arrival at Chagres. - -These were tidings sufficient to appal any ordinary mind. But the -pirates were accustomed to triumph over vastly superior numbers. -There were several large Spanish boats at Chagres, adapted to river -navigation. All these Morgan seized. They generally mounted two great -iron guns and four smaller ones of brass. These vessels, with those -he took from his ships, made a flotilla of thirty-two gunboats. They -were manned by twelve hundred sailors. Five hundred were left behind to -garrison the castle. One hundred and fifty had charge of the ships. - -On the 18th of August, 1670, Morgan put his fleet in motion to ascend -the Chagres River on his advance to Panama. His boats were greatly -crowded, and so heavily laden with men, ammunition, and arms, that he -could take but a small supply of provisions. He expected to provide -himself abundantly from the supplies he should find in the Spanish -ambuscades. - -The first day the little fleet ascended the river but eighteen miles, -to a place called Bracos. The men on board his boats were greatly -cramped in their limbs, having but little room to move, and none in -which to lie down. They therefore found it necessary to land for the -night, that they might enjoy a few hours of sleep. They also hoped to -rob some of the neighboring plantations. Nearly all their food had -disappeared in this one day’s sail. - -The cheer of camp-fires seems to be essential to all bivouacs. The -gloom of the dense tropical forest was soon illumined by the flames -around which twelve hundred men were congregated. Most of them went -supperless to their mossy beds, consoled only by their pipes of -tobacco. In the morning they ranged the country in vain for food. The -planters had fled, taking with them or destroying everything that could -be eaten. - -Again they repaired to their boats. Hungry, disappointed, and -murmuring, they ascended the river about twenty miles farther until -they reached a place called Juan Gallego. Here they were compelled -to leave their boats, as the river was so shallow from want of rain; -it was also much impeded by decayed and fallen trees. Thus ended the -second day. - -There was no road for an army through the rough, miry, tangled maze. -They were told by the guides that, at the distance of two leagues, they -would find the country more favorable. With sabre and hatchet these -half-famished men hewed a narrow path for themselves. They fed upon -berries, roots, and leaves. One hundred and sixty men were left to -guard the boats, and to feed themselves as best they could by hunting -or plundering, or obtaining supplies from the fleet. - -Morgan had advanced but a mile or two when the gigantic growth and -interlacing vines seemed to render the forest impenetrable. The -river also deepened a little, so that some of his boats would float. -There was imminent danger every moment that he would fall into some -ambuscade. He sent back for some light canoes to be brought up. This -was accomplished with great labor. He then embarked his men, taking -a part at a time, and thus, ascending the river a few miles farther, -reached a place called Cedro Bueno. To accomplish this, the canoes -made several passages. The pirates were very eager to encounter the -Spaniards, as their only means of obtaining any food. But the Spaniards -wisely left them to the hardships of their march and to the pangs of -starvation. - -The morning of the fourth day dawned upon these wretched marauders. -Most of them struggled along the banks of the river, led by one of -their guides. Others toiled against the stream, in the canoes, being -often compelled to alight in the water, to cross sandbars or surmount -rapids. To guard against ambuscades the guides were kept a quarter of -a mile in advance. The Spaniards had sent forward their Indian scouts, -and kept themselves informed of every movement of the foe. About noon -of this day they reached a place which from its extreme ruggedness was -called Torna Cavallos. - -Here the guides came rushing back to the main body with the -announcement that they had discovered an ambuscade. The half-starved -men were delighted. They knew that the Spaniards, on all their -expeditions, provided themselves luxuriously with food. Examining -their muskets, their priming, and their sabres, that they might be -prepared for a resistless charge, they pressed eagerly yet cautiously -forward. They soon came in sight of an intrenchment, which was shaped -like a half-moon. Their practised eyes told them that it would protect -a garrison of about four hundred men. Twelve hundred men, impelled by -rage and hunger, with hideous yells rushed upon it. Bitter was their -disappointment when they found no foe there. They had captured but an -abandoned and crumbling rampart. There were some coarsely tanned, hairy -leather bags scattered around. Their hunger was so great that these -were cut up, cooked, and eaten. We have a minute account of the cookery -of these unsavory morsels. - -First they took the leather and sliced it in pieces. Then they beat -the pieces between two stones rubbing them and dipping them in the -water, to render them supple and tender. Lastly they scraped off the -hair, and roasted or broiled the pieces upon the fire. Being thus -cooked, they cut it into very fine pieces, which “they helped down with -frequent gulps of water, which by good fortune they had nigh at hand.” - -“I can assure the reader,” writes Oexemelin, “that a man can live on -such food, though he can hardly get very fat.” - -Esquemeling adds, “Some who were never out of their mothers’ kitchens -may ask how these pirates could eat, swallow, and digest those pieces -of leather so hard and dry? Unto whom I would answer that could they -once experience what hunger, or rather famine is, they would certainly -find the manner, as the pirates did, by their own experience.” - -On the morning of the fifth day the weary march was resumed. Having -had but little food, save the leather bags, they were in a deplorable -condition. The pirates were not amiable men. They staggered along, -in their weakness, over the rough ways, murmuring, quarrelling, and -cursing each other. As night approached they came to a place called -Barbacoa. Here they found another abandoned ambuscade. Not a particle -of food was to be obtained. Loud and bitter were their oaths against -the Spaniards. Dreadful would have been the fate of any of them who -might have fallen into their hands. Esquemeling says that they were so -consumed by hunger, that if they had caught any of the Spaniards they -would certainly have roasted and eaten them. - -Parties were sent out to explore the woods in search of habitations. -But none could be found. The inhabitants, in all directions, had fled, -carrying with them their provisions. The day was spent here. It was a -day of dreadful suffering. Life was preserved by devouring berries, -roots, and leaves. Several plantations were discovered, but there -was generally not an individual, an animal, or a kernel of corn left -behind. In one place they found concealed two sacks of wheat, two jars -of wine, and a few plantains. These Morgan divided among those who were -nearest to perishing of hunger. - -The sixth day they continued their march, still along the banks of -the Chagres River. Such as could not walk were paddled along in light -canoes. At night they came to a plantation, which, as usual, was -entirely abandoned. Their supper consisted mainly of leaves and grass. - -The next day, at noon, they discovered a barn, full of Indian corn in -the husk. They fell upon it and devoured it dry, with the rapacity of a -herd of swine. Having satiated their hunger, each man loaded himself -with as much as he could carry. With renovated spirits, they pressed -on their way. After journeying along for a couple of hours, they came -upon a band of about two hundred Indians, who fled with the utmost -precipitation. They were far more fleet of foot than the exhausted -pirates, and not one of them was shot or captured. In their flight, the -Indians threw back a shower of arrows, which wounded several of the -pirates, and killed three of them. They shouted out in Spanish: “Ha! ye -dogs, go to the plain, go to the plain.” - -They now reached such a bend in the river that it was necessary to -cross it. They therefore bivouacked for the night. This place was -called Santa Cruz. - -Loud murmurings filled the camp. Morgan was denounced in unmeasured -terms. They were indeed involved in gloom. To go back was certain -starvation. And destruction seemed equally to threaten them in a -farther advance. There were some, however, who still kept up their -courage, and shouted, “Onward! onward!” - -The morning of the seventh day they crossed the river. As it was -supposed that they must soon meet the Spaniards, every man was -required carefully to examine his musket and pistols, to be ready for -any engagement. The guides told them that they were approaching the -important town of Cruz, where they would find provisions and other -stores in abundance. This was called the halfway house between Chagres -and Panama, though it was sixty-eight miles from the former place and -but twenty-four from the latter. To this point the Chagres merchandise -was taken in boats, when the river was full, and, being landed, was -conveyed to Panama on the backs of mules. To give the reader some idea -of the style of Esquemeling’s narrative, written two hundred years -ago,[A] I will quote his graphic description of what ensued: - -[Footnote A: His account was written in Dutch, but translated into -English and published in London.] - -“While yet at a considerable distance from Cruz, they perceived much -smoke to arise out of the chimneys. The sight thereof afforded them -great joy, and hopes of finding people in the town; and afterwards what -they most desired was plenty of good cheer. Thus they went on, with as -much haste as they could, making several arguments to one another upon -those external signs, though all like castles built in the air. For -said they, ‘There is smoke cometh out of every house. Therefore they -are making good fires for to roast and boil what we are to eat,’ with -other things to this purpose. - -“At length they arrived there, in great haste, all sweating and -panting; but found no person in the town, nor any thing that was -eatable, wherewith to refresh themselves, unless it were good fires to -warm themselves, which they wanted not. For the Spaniards, before their -departure, had every one set fire to his own house, excepting only the -store-houses and stables belonging to the king. - -“They had not left behind them any beast whatever, either alive or -dead. This occasioned much confusion in their minds; they not finding -the least thing to take hold of, unless it were some few cats and dogs, -which they immediately killed and devoured with great appetite. At -last, in the king’s stables, they found, by good fortune, fifteen or -sixteen jars of Peru wine, and a leather sack full of bread. But no -sooner had they begun to drink of the said wine, when they fell sick, -almost every man. - -“This sudden disaster made them think that the wine was poisoned, which -caused a new consternation in the whole camp, as judging themselves now -to be irrecoverably lost. But the true reason was their huge want of -sustenance in that whole voyage, and the manifold sorts of trash which -they had eaten upon that occasion. Their sickness was so great that day -as caused them to remain there till the next morning, without being -able to prosecute their journey, as they used to do, in the afternoon. - -“Here Captain Morgan was constrained to leave his canoes and land -all his men, though never so weak in their bodies. But lest the -canoes should be surprised, or take too many men for their defence, -he resolved to send them all back to the place where the boats were, -excepting one, which he caused to be hidden, to the intent it might -serve to carry intelligence, according to the exigency of affairs. Many -of the Spaniards and Indians, belonging to this village, were fled -unto the plantations thereabouts. Hereupon Captain Morgan gave express -orders that none should dare to go out of the village except in whole -companies of one hundred together. - -“The occasion hereof was his fear lest the enemies should take an -advantage upon his men by any sudden assault. Notwithstanding, one -party of English soldiers stickled not to contravene these commands, -being thereunto tempted with the desire of finding victuals. But these -were soon glad to fly into the town again, being assaulted with great -fury by some Spaniards and Indians, who snatched up one of the pirates -and carried him away prisoner. Thus the vigilancy and care of Captain -Morgan was not sufficient to prevent every accident which might happen.” - -On the morning of the 8th, Morgan reviewed his troops. He found that -he had still eleven hundred resolute men at his command. He selected a -band of two hundred of his best marksmen as an advance guard. They were -to watch vigilantly for ambuscades. The path they were to traverse was -very narrow. At many places but two could pass abreast. Cautiously they -proceeded for ten hours, encountering no sign of an enemy. - -At length they reached a dark wooded gorge, which the sunlight could -scarcely penetrate. Apparently no one could enter the dense thickets -around, of bushes, thorns, and intertwining vines, but by hewing his -way with the hatchet. A high mountain rose before them. But nature had -tunnelled it, so that there was a narrow path through. This remarkable -place was called Quebrada Obscura. - -Suddenly, from the impenetrable forest which enveloped the mountain, a -shower of arrows fell upon them, like hailstones from the clouds. They -probably exaggerated the number in estimating them at between three -and four thousand. They came rushing, as by some supernatural impulse, -through the leaves. No hand was seen. No sound was heard. No movement -was perceptible. There was but that one flight of arrows and no more. -Those who, with sinewy arms, had thrown them, in some mysterious way -escaped--as it were, vanished. - -This singular and inexplicable assault threw the army into great -confusion. For a moment, these reckless men were staggered. It seems -strange that but eight of the pirates were killed and ten wounded by -this shower of arrows. After a few moments’ delay, the pirates moved -cautiously forward, threading the narrow tunnel, through which but two -could walk abreast, until they came out upon a very rough plain on the -other side, encumbered with huge rocks and a growth of gigantic trees. -To this vantage-ground the Indians had retreated, and here they seemed -disposed to make a stand. - -Quite a fierce battle ensued. The Indians could be seen, in large -numbers, dodging from rock to rock, and from tree to tree. They fought -with great bravery. Their chief was a very handsome young fellow, -gorgeously dressed, and with a very brilliant coronet of variegated -feathers. He seemed to have no fear. At length, in his zeal, he -plunged headlong upon the pirates, utterly regardless of numbers, and -endeavored to thrust his javelin through one a little in the advance. -The blow was parried, and he was instantly shot down. - -As he was seen to fall, there was a loud cry from his followers -and, without discharging another shaft, they all fled. The pirates -impetuously pursued. The fugitives could not be overtaken. A few of the -boldest concealed themselves behind trees and thickets, whence they -could make good their retreat, and worried the pirates with a random -fire, which sorely wounded a few, without accomplishing any important -results. - -The buccaneers entered soon upon a broad, treeless prairie. Here -they halted to tend the wounded. At some distance before them there -was another rocky and wooded eminence. The Indians, who seemed to be -swarming there, were evidently preparing for another battle. A party of -fifty men was sent, by a circuitous route, to attack them in the rear. -Their watchful eyes detected the movement. With nimble feet, they fled, -shouting to their assailants, “To the plain, to the plain, you English -dogs.” - -The pirates rightly interpreted these words to mean that on the plain -before Panama a large body of Spaniards was assembled, and that there -the great struggle was to take place. Many Spaniards were with the -Indians. At this point, which was but a few miles from Panama, they -disappeared. The next night there came one of those flooding rains with -which tropical lands were so often deluged. The pirates in vain sought -shelter from the drenching storm. There was the blackness of darkness, -with thunderings and lightnings, and the howlings of the tornado. -There were many plantations on the route where houses and huts had -been reared. But the Indians had applied the torch. Every building was -in ashes. The cattle were driven away. All provisions were removed or -consumed. These wretched men, on their fiend-like mission, were still -starving. - -The next morning, which was the ninth of their journey, the rain -ceased. Heavy clouds floated through the sky, darkening the sun, and -thus enabling them to march sheltered from its scorching rays. A -well-mounted troop of twenty Spaniards appeared at some distance in the -advance, watching all the movements of the invaders. During the day -they came to quite a high mountain, which it was necessary to cross. -From its summit they first caught sight of the Pacific Ocean, and of -the Bay of Panama, upon whose shores the city of the same name was -situated. In the bay there was a large Spanish ship riding at anchor. -Six boats were under sail, directing their course toward the islands of -Tavoga and Tavogilla, which were about eighteen miles distant. - -At this sight the pirates raised shouts of joy. Never doubting their -own prowess, they considered their toils as ended, and the city, with -all its treasures, as already in their possession. At the foot of the -mountain there was a large grassy plain, over which thousands of cattle -were grazing, cows, horses, bulls, mules, and donkeys. With a rush, -the piratic gangs descended the mountain, and, with the voracity of -famished wolves, fell upon the cattle. - -“One shot a horse. Another felled a cow. But the greater part -slaughtered the mules, which were most numerous. Some kindled fires; -others collected wood; and the strongest hunted the cattle, while the -invalids slew and skinned and flayed. The whole plain was soon alight -with a hundred fires. The hungry men cut off lumps of flesh, carbonaded -them in the flame, and ate them half raw, with incredible haste and -ferocity. ‘They resembled,’ Esquemeling says, ‘rather cannibals than -Christians, the blood running down their beards to the middle of their -bodies.’”[A] - -[Footnote A: Monarchs of the Main, vol. ii. p. 114.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -_The Capture of Panama._ - - First Sight of the City.--The Spanish Scouts Appear.--Morgan’s - Advance.--Character of the Country.--Fears of the - Spaniards.--Removal of Treasure.--Capture of the City.--The - Poisoned Wine.--Magnificent Scenery of the Bay.--Description of - Panama and its Surroundings.--Wealth of the City.--Scenes of - Crime and Cruelty. - - -Morgan was an extraordinary man. Fear never appalled him. He was never -discouraged by disasters. Passion was never allowed to throw him off -his guard. He shared, in full, all the hardships of his demoniac crew. -Though hungry and weary himself, and sympathizing with his starving -men in their sufferings, he did not in the least degree remit his -watchfulness or lose his self-control. - -Perceiving the danger that his men, in their famished condition, -indulging in such reckless gluttony might induce sickness which would -incapacitate them for battle, he ordered a false alarm to be sounded. -Instantly every man seized his musket and ran to his appointed place -in the ranks. Morgan had taken the precaution, before descending the -mountain, to order every musket to be discharged and loaded afresh, -from fear that the powder might have become damp. - -There were several miles yet to be traversed over plains and through -forests, before the pirates could enter the streets of the city, which -they had discerned in the distance. Cautiously they continued their -march until the approach of evening when they ascended an eminence -which commanded a perfect view of the city, with its steeples, houses, -and streets all aglow with the rays of the setting sun. Here the shouts -of exultation were renewed. The pirates, strengthened by their feast, -danced for joy, beating their drums, sounding their trumpets, firing -off their muskets, and exulting as in the hour of perfect victory. Here -they encamped for the night, waiting impatiently for the morning, which -would usher in the decisive battle. - -In the evening two hundred mounted Spaniards rode out from the city, -dashed along until they came within hailing distance of the pirates, -and shouted out to them words which could not be understood. Morgan -established double sentinels, and all his men slept upon their arms. - -At daybreak on the tenth day the Spaniards, from their walls, sounded -with bugle-peal and drum-beat a challenge to their foes. The pirates -were equally eager for the fight. Rapidly they advanced into the -plain. The Spaniards, on horseback and on foot, crowded out to meet -them. In glittering battalions they were drawn up upon the plain, -outnumbering the pirates three to one. There were two squadrons of -cavalry, four regiments of foot, and, most singular to relate, “a huge -number of wild bulls, roaring and tossing their horns, driven by a -great number of Indians and a few mounted matadores.” - -It is recorded that the pirates were surprised and alarmed in view of -the force thus to be encountered. Many of them wished they were at -home. No quarter was to be expected. There was no hope for them but in -fighting with the utmost desperation. All were conscious of this. They -therefore bound themselves, by the most solemn oaths, to conquer or to -spend the last drop of their blood. - -Morgan formed his men into three battalions, after selecting a band -of two hundred sharpshooters to skirmish in the advance. Many of the -Spaniards were armed in glittering coats of mail. Their silken banners, -richly embroidered, presented a beautiful appearance as they fluttered -in the rays of the morning sun. The Spaniards sent forward a squadron -of horse. As they came galloping over the plain, Morgan’s skirmishers -fell upon one knee, in the tall grass, and opened upon them a very -destructive fire. Several riders dropped from their horses. Several -horses, struck by the bullets, and appalled by the sudden explosion of -two hundred guns, became uncontrollable, and rushed wildly over the -plain in all directions. - -“The bulls,” writes Thornbury, “proved as fatal to those who employed -them as the elephants to Porus. Driven on the rear of the buccaneers, -they took fright at the noise of the battle, a few only broke through -the English companies, and trampled the red colors under foot; but -these were soon shot by the old hunters. A few fled to the savanna, and -the rest tore back and carried havoc through the Spanish ranks.” - -The plain was rough with ravines and quagmires, so that the cavalry -could not operate to advantage. The desperate pirates were all reckless -in their courage, and nearly all unerring in their aim. The Spaniards -were also men of war and blood, who had been guilty of the greatest -atrocities as they had cut down and robbed the native tribes. They -fought with ferocity equal to that of the pirates. In this battle it -was, in reality, fiend against fiend. The Spaniards were as bad as the -pirates. - -For two hours the battle raged with intensest fury. There was neither -tree, stump, nor rock to protect either party from the bullets which -with deadly velocity swept the plain. On the one side there were eleven -hundred pirates. Esquemeling estimated the force of the Spaniards at -four hundred cavalry and two thousand four hundred infantry. There were -also one or two hundred Indians and negroes to drive the wild bulls -through the English camp, hoping thus to break their lines and throw -them into confusion. The Spaniards had also dug trenches and raised -batteries to arrest the advance of their foes. - -Morgan, as usual, ordered his men to approach the city by a circuitous -route, so as to avoid the batteries. In preparation for this movement -he ordered a review of the troops. He concealed from his troops the -number of pirates who had fallen, but announced, probably with some -exaggeration, that six hundred of the Spaniards lay dead upon the field. - -It would seem that the Spaniards had not been very sanguine as to the -result of the battle; for they had shipped to the Island of Tavoga much -of their portable wealth and all of their women. In the battle thus -far, the Spaniards had been so decidedly beaten that they had abandoned -the field, and horse and foot had taken a new stand behind the -ramparts. Many prisoners had been taken, including quite a number of -Catholic priests. Morgan, not wishing to be encumbered with prisoners, -ordered them all to be pistolled. The pirates had lost heavily, but -their loss exasperated instead of disheartening them. - -Esquemeling writes: “The pirates were nothing discouraged, seeing their -numbers so much diminished, but rather filled with greater pride than -before, perceiving what huge advantage they had obtained against their -enemies. Thus, having rested themselves some while, they prepared to -march courageously towards the city, plighting their oaths to one -another that they would fight till never a man were left alive. With -this courage they recommenced their march either to conquer or to be -conquered. - -“They found much difficulty in their approach unto the city. For within -the town the Spaniards had placed many great guns at several quarters -thereof, some of which were charged with small pieces of iron and -others with musket bullets. With all these they saluted the pirates -at their drawing nigh unto the place, and gave them full and frequent -broadsides, firing at them incessantly. From whence it happened that -they lost, at every step they advanced, great numbers of men. - -“But neither these manifest dangers of their lives, nor the sight of -so many of their own dropping down continually at their sides, could -deter them from advancing farther and gaining ground every moment upon -the enemy. Thus, although the Spaniards never ceased to fire and act -the best they could for their defence, yet, notwithstanding, they were -forced to deliver the city after the space of three hours’ combat. And -the pirates, having now possessed themselves thereof, both killed and -destroyed as many as attempted to make the least opposition against -them. - -“The inhabitants had caused the best of their goods to be transported -unto more remote and occult places. Howbeit, they found within the -city, as yet, several warehouses well stocked with all sorts of -merchandise, as well silks and cloths as linen and other things of -considerable value. As soon as the first fury of their entrance into -the city was over, Captain Morgan assembled all his men, at a certain -place which he assigned, and there commanded them, under very great -penalties, that none of them should dare to drink or taste any wine. - -“The reason he gave for this injunction was because he had received -private intelligence that it had been all poisoned by the Spaniards. -Howbeit it was the opinion of many that he gave those prudent orders -to prevent the debauchery of his people, which he foresaw would be -very great at the beginning, after so much hunger sustained by the -way; fearing withal lest the Spaniards, seeing them in wine, should -rally their forces, and use them as inhumanly as they had used the -inhabitants before.” - -Morgan was now master of Panama. The city, with nearly all of its -wealth, had fallen into his hands. And still the vanquished Spaniards -could rally a force greatly outnumbering his own. The Bay of Panama -is one of peculiar beauty. At that time its shores were fringed with -luxuriant groves of oranges, figs, and limes. The feathery tops of the -cocoanut trees towered over all the rest, rivalled only by the lofty -tamarinds. Through the rich foliage there peeped, in much picturesque -beauty, numerous cane-built huts. Indian children, entirely unclothed, -were running about upon the beach, while birch canoes, light as -bubbles, were skimming the placid waves. - -The islands of Tavoga and Tavogilla appeared in the distance as masses -of foliage. The mines of Mexico and Peru had emptied their floods -of wealth into that port. Many of the mansions were architecturally -magnificent. They were adorned with the richest paintings and with the -most costly furniture. The Spanish grandees had hung upon their walls -the masterpieces of Titian, Murillo, and Velasquez. The streets of the -city were broad, an unusual circumstance in Spanish cities, and were -lined with the most beautiful and ever-flowering of tropical trees. - -Within the walls of the city there was a cathedral of imposing -magnitude and towering splendor. There were also eight monasteries, -massive buildings, occupied by the religious orders, and abundantly -supplied with works of art. The broad avenues were lined with two -thousand mansions of the wealthy; and five thousand smaller houses and -shops crowded the more busy streets. The most imposing block in the -city was what was called the Genoese Warehouses. These belonged to a -company who had enriched themselves by the slave trade. An immense -number of horses and mules were used in transporting goods across the -isthmus, from one ocean to the other. These were kept in long rows -of stables admirably arranged. The products of the mines of gold and -silver were melted down into solid bars called plate or bullion, and in -that form were sent to the Old World. The city was surrounded with rich -plantations and highly artistic gardens. - -“Panama was the city to which all the treasures of Peru were annually -brought. The plate fleet, laden with bars of gold and silver, arrived -here at certain periods, brimming with the crown wealth, as well as -that of private merchants. It returned laden with the merchandise of -Panama and the Spanish main, to be sold in Peru and Chili; and still -oftener with droves of negro slaves that the Genoese imported from the -coast of Guinea to toil and die in the Peruvian mines. - -“So wealthy was this golden city that more than two thousand mules were -employed in the transport of the gold and silver from thence to Porto -Bello, where the galleons were loaded. The merchants of Panama were -proverbially the richest in the whole Spanish West Indies. The governor -of Panama was the suzerain of Porto Bello, Nata, Cruz, and Veragua. The -bishop of Panama was primate of the Terra Firma and the suffragan to -the archbishop of Peru. The district of Panama was the most healthy of -all the Spanish colonies, rich in mines, and so well wooded that its -ship-timber covered with vessels both the northern and the southern -seas. Its land yielded full crops, and its broad savannas pastured -innumerable herds of wild cattle.”[A] - -[Footnote A: Monarchs of the Main, vol. ii. p. 159.] - -Such was the city and province which had fallen into the hands of -this gang of pirates. They found the booty, notwithstanding all the -Spaniards had removed, rich beyond their most sanguine expectations. -The stores were still crowded with goods of great value. Wine, spices, -olive oil, silks and cloths of every variety of fabric were found in -great abundance. The magazines were amply supplied with corn and other -provisions. - -Morgan himself was surprised at the grandeur of his capture. He was -also alarmed in view of his own peril. The force which could still be -arrayed against him was far greater than he had anticipated. He was in -imminent danger of being cut off from his return to the ships. There -were several Spanish vessels aground in the port. Morgan seized them. -With the high tide they were floated. He manned them with the most -desperate of his gang and sent them to the islands, and to pursue the -vessels which had escaped with treasure along the coast. - -There was one royal Spanish mercantile vessel, in particular, of four -hundred tons, which had escaped, laden with church plate and jewels, -and the richest merchandise. It had put to sea in the greatest haste, -with but seven guns and but about a dozen muskets. It was poorly -supplied with food and water, and had only the uppermost sails of the -mainmast to spread. All the females of the nunnery were on board this -ship, with the most valuable ornaments of the church. - -Morgan was anxious to make an immediate pursuit of this vessel. Had -he done so the vessel would easily have been captured. But for a time -he lost the control of his demoniac crew. Inflamed with wine--for -Morgan’s prohibition had no effect--and rushing into the most pitiless -debauchery, they spent many hours in scenes which neither Sodom nor -Gomorrah could ever have outrivalled. Thus the ship escaped. It is -said that it contained gold and silver of greater value than all the -treasures found in Panama. - -Morgan probably foresaw that unless he could destroy these liquors, -with which the city was filled, his men would become entirely -disorganized, and the Spaniards, falling upon the drunken rabble, would -easily cut them to pieces. He could not destroy liquors before the eyes -of the pirates, for they would not permit it. - -He set fire to the city in various quarters, carefully spreading the -report that the conflagration was kindled by the Spaniards themselves. -The fire spread with such rapidity that, in a few hours, nearly all of -the business portion was laid in ashes. Most of the humbler buildings -were of wood, with thatched roofs. They burned like tinder. Two hundred -stores, with all their contents, were destroyed. The Genoese Warehouses -were burned. There were many poor slaves imprisoned in them. They were -consumed by the all-devouring flames. - -This energetic commander, as pitiless as any beast which ever howled -in the jungle, had accomplished his purpose. His troops were driven out -of the flaming streets into the fields, and there they were compelled -to encamp. These wretched men, satiated with gluttony, drunkenness, -and debauchery, began now to awake, with new eagerness, to their old -passion for plunder. - -Four vessels were dispatched to visit the islands and to cruise along -the coast in both directions. One hundred and sixty men were sent back -to Chagres to convey supplies to the troops in garrison there, and -to inform them of the great victory. Daily companies of two hundred -men, one party relieving another, were sent out to explore the region -around. They returned every night with a group of pale and trembling -prisoners, and with mules laden with treasure. These unhappy captives -were tortured to compel them to reveal where treasure, of which they -knew nothing, was concealed. The father, the mother, the maiden -daughter, and the child were alike stretched on the bed of torture. -Neither innocence, beauty, nor virtue afforded the female captive any -protection. - -A pauper Spaniard, not much more than half-witted, wandered, during -the confusion, into a rich man’s house, stripped off his rags, and -clothed himself in costly linen with breeches of bright red taffeta -and a coat of silk velvet. As he was foolishly strutting about admiring -his finery, the pirates broke in, and seized him as their prize. They -believed, or assumed to believe, that he was the master of the house, -and demanded that he should inform them where he had concealed his -treasure. - -In vain he pointed to his rags and protested, by all the saints, that -he had lived upon charity. There was nothing he could reveal. These -cruel men stretched him on the rack. They dislocated his joints. They -twisted a cord around his forehead, “till his eyes appeared as big as -eggs, and were ready to fall out.” They hung him up by the thumbs and -scourged him. They cut off his nose and ears and singed his face with -blazing straw. Then with the thrusts of their lances they put him to -death. - -“After this execrable manner,” writes Esquemeling, “did many others -of these miserable prisoners finish their days; the common sport and -recreation of these pirates being these, and other tragedies not -inferior to these.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -_The Return from Panama._ - - Return of the Explorers.--The Beautiful Captive.--Sympathy - in her behalf.--Embarrassments of Morgan.--Inflexible Virtue - of the Captive.--The Conspiracy.--Efficiency of Morgan.--His - Obduracy.--The Search of the Pirates.--The Return March.--Morgan - Cheats the Pirates.--Runs Away. - - -The vessels which Morgan sent out to the islands, and to cruise along -the shore, all returned within about eight days. They came laden with -merchandise and with captives. The fate of the female captives was -dreadful. In this treatment none of the men were worse than Morgan -himself. In one of the shiploads of captives there was a Spanish lady -of exquisite beauty. She was quite young, and the wife of a wealthy -merchant, then absent in Peru. She is described by both Esquemeling and -Oexemelin as a lady endowed with such loveliness as is rarely seen upon -earth. Esquemeling writes: - -“Her years were few, and her beauty so great as, peradventure, I may -doubt whether, in all Christendom any could be found to surpass her -perfections, either of comeliness or honesty.” - -Oexemelin gives a more detailed account of her charms. He says that her -hair was in glossy, silken ringlets of jet black. Though a brunette, -her complexion was of dazzling purity. Her large, lustrous black -eyes beamed with a peculiar expression of tenderness, which won the -admiration of all who beheld her. The roughest pirates were subdued and -softened by her presence. To them she presented almost the image of the -Virgin Mary, and they regarded her charms as angelic. - -The moment Morgan cast his eyes upon her he was overawed and captivated -by her beauty, and was inspired with the most intense desire to win her -love. Others had been his slaves, subject to his brutal will. But this -lady, with her beauty, her grace, her accomplishments, her virtue, so -far vanquished him, that he could not approach her but as a suppliant -for her favor. - -Love, the essence of the deity, is, under some circumstances, in its -legitimate bearing, the most purifying of influences. Under other -circumstances it is the most debasing and brutalizing of passions. -It was observed that the demeanor of Morgan became quite changed. He -became more social, more gentle, and was particularly attentive to his -dress, clothing himself in his richest attire. He ordered his beautiful -captive to be separated from the other prisoners, appointed a negress -to wait upon her, sent her delicate viands from his own table, and -treated her, in all respects, with the greatest consideration. The -negress was instructed to do everything in her power to convince the -captive lady that her captor was not a beast and a heretic, as she had -been taught to believe, but a gentleman, and a Christian, a man of -polished manners and cultivated mind. Esquemeling writes: - -“This lady had formerly heard strange reports concerning the pirates, -before their arrival at Panama, as if they were not men, but heretics, -who did neither invoke the blessed Trinity, nor believe in Jesus -Christ. But now she began to have better thoughts of them than ever -before, having experienced the manifold civilities of Captain Morgan; -especially as she heard him many times swear by the name of God and of -Jesus Christ, in whom she had been persuaded that they did not believe. - -“Neither did she now think them to be so bad, or to have the shapes -of beasts, as she had often heard. For as to the names of robbers or -thieves, which was commonly given them, she wondered not much at it, -seeing, as she said, that among all nations there were to be found some -wicked men who naturally coveted to possess the goods of others.” - -Morgan visited the lady with smiles and bows and costly presents. -He flooded her chamber with robes, jewels, and perfumes. She was not -deceived. And when he ventured to propose that she should abandon her -husband, and become virtually his wife, and accompany him to the home -of splendor with which he would provide her, she repelled him with -indignation and loathing. Replying to him with all the eloquence of -impassioned innocence, she said: - -“Sir, my life is in your hands. But sooner shall my soul be separated -from my body than I will surrender myself to your demands.” - -This repulse stirred up the rage of the infamous pirate. He stripped -her of her rich attire, left her only the coarsest garments, and threw -her into a dark and loathsome dungeon. She was supplied with only -enough food to support life. By these brutalities he hoped to break her -spirit, and to compel her to acquiesce in his wishes. - -Even demons can appreciate true nobility of character. The beauty and -virtues of this lady had won, in some degree, the sympathy of the -vilest of these wretches. Morgan could not conceal his treatment from -them. They began to murmur, to denounce him, to curse him as a brute. - -“I myself,” says Esquemeling, “was an eye-witness of the lady’s -sufferings, and could never have believed that such constancy and -virtue could have been found in the world, had I not been assured -thereof by my own eyes and ears.” - -Morgan became alarmed by the threatening aspect assumed by his men. -Various causes had been for some time undermining his authority. He -knew full well that there was not one of these desperadoes who would -hesitate, for one moment, to thrust a poniard into his heart, or to -pierce his brain with a bullet. These pirates were all consummate -villains. There was no sense of honor among them. There was no crime -from which they would shrink did they deem it for their interest to -commit it. Even their sympathy for the beautiful captive lady resolved -itself mainly into jealousy of the captain. Had they seized her -unprotected in the halls of a nunnery, she would have experienced no -mercy whatever at their hands. - -The pirates, flushed with their great victory, and the vast amount of -wealth, of every kind, at their disposal, had formed a conspiracy, in -which more than a hundred were implicated. Their plan was to get rid of -Morgan, then to seize one of the islands in the neighborhood as their -rendezvous, and to make it their stronghold. With the vessels they -already had, and the ships they would soon capture, they would have an -invincible fleet. Then they would sweep the Pacific Ocean, and ravage -all the coasts of Chili and Peru. After they had acquired sufficient -plunder to make them all millionnaires, they would return to Europe, -by the way of the East Indies, picking up ships by the way, and would -then disperse to seek new homes and riot in luxury for the remainder of -their days. - -In preparation for this movement they had secreted several of the large -guns of the town and an ample store of ammunition. But Morgan was equal -to this emergency. One of the conspirators betrayed the rest. The first -intimation the conspirators had that their design was discovered was in -seeing every vessel and boat in the harbor in flames. Every piece of -artillery in the place was spiked. Thus they were entirely frustrated -in their plan. Orders were then given to pack the mules with treasure, -and to make immediate preparation to return to Chagres. - -The plunder of Panama had not yet been divided. Though every pirate -had taken the most solemn oath that all the booty should be thrown -into common stock, and that he would not secrete anything, no one had -any confidence in the oath of another. Morgan ordered every man to -be searched, from the crown of his head to the soles of his shoes. -Though Morgan himself submitted to be first searched, they were all -exasperated by this. Every man was compelled to discharge his musket -to prove that no jewels were hidden in its barrel. - -The French portion of the pirates were especially enraged against -Morgan. Many oaths were uttered that they would put him to death before -they reached Jamaica. In a few days all the treasure was packed in -convenient bales, and placed upon the backs of the mules. The church -plate was beaten into shapeless lumps for more convenient stowage. -The treasure which could not be removed they wantonly destroyed. One -hundred and fifty men were sent to Chagres to bring the boats as far up -the river as the stream was navigable. He informed the prisoners that -he should take all, as slaves, to Jamaica, who did not, through their -friends, obtain an ample ransom. - -For the ransom of his beautiful captive, from whom he now rather -desired to be relieved, he demanded thirty thousand dollars. Two of -the ecclesiastics were permitted to go to her friends to obtain this -money. It was immediately furnished them. They returned with it, and -treacherously, instead of ransoming her, employed the money for the -ransom of their own particular friends. - -This treachery was known throughout the army. Even the pirates -denounced it. The murmurs in the camp were so loud, that Morgan was -compelled to heed them, and he gave the lady her liberty. - -On the morning of the 24th of February, 1671, these robbers set out on -their return to Chagres. Many of the captive women implored Captain -Morgan, upon their knees, with loud lamentations, to permit them to -remain with their husbands and their children. Unfeelingly he replied: - -“I did not come here to listen to the cries of women, but to obtain -money. Bring me money, and you shall be released. If you do not, you -shall surely go to Jamaica.” - -“When the march began,” writes Esquemeling, “those lamentable cries and -shrieks were renewed, insomuch that it would have caused compassion in -the hardest heart to hear them. But Captain Morgan, as a man little -given to mercy, was not moved therewith in the least.” - -The line of march was as before. First there were scouts a quarter of a -mile in advance of the troops. Then followed the advance guard in great -strength. The prisoners came next, with the heavily laden mules. The -remainder of the pirates formed the rear guard. They goaded forward the -fainting, tottering, despairing captives with push of javelin and prick -of sabre. - -When they reached the blackened ruins of the town of Cruz, which was -at the head of boat navigation, the mules were unloaded, and their -burdens were placed in the canoes. There was a necessary delay here -of several days, and quite a number of the prisoners, who had written -agonizing letters to their friends, received their money and paid their -ransom. Morgan still had with him many woe-stricken Spaniards, and one -hundred and fifty negro slaves. These last he deemed cash articles, for -they would bring the money in any of the ports of the West Indies. - -From Cruz the pirates advanced in two parties, one in the boats, and -another on the land. Chagres was reached without any event occurring -of special importance. Immediately after his arrival, Morgan, with his -characteristic energy, sent some of his prisoners to the important town -of Puerto Velo, frequently called Puerto Bello, with the announcement -that if the citizens did not forthwith send him a large ransom, he -would utterly demolish the castle and lay all the works there in ruins. -As Chagres was the all-important port of entry for the whole province, -he thought that this threat would bring the money. They, however, paid -no heed to it. - -The booty was now divided. The pirates were bitterly disappointed -in finding that the whole estimated value amounted to but about two -million dollars. Probably ten times that sum, which they could not -remove, had been destroyed in their rapacity. Every man had expected -at least ten thousand dollars. When they found that but one thousand -was their share they were greatly enraged. This pittance was scarcely -sufficient for the carouse of a single week. - -Loud and threatening murmurs rose from nearly all lips. They accused -Morgan of cheating them. The consummate knave with great adroitness had -done so. Many of his men had conspired against him. With far greater -ability he was now conspiring against them. He had taken a few into -his confidence to share the spoil which they were to steal from the -rest. The common sailors had no idea of the value of diamonds and other -precious stones. His partisans bought them up at not one hundredth part -of their real value. Massive bars of gold were easily concealed. - -Morgan endeavored to engross the attention of his men in plundering, -burning, and destroying Chagres. While apparently his whole force, -in the delirium of intoxication, were engaged in this work, Morgan -and his accomplices repaired on board the ships, quietly in the night -weighed anchor, and taking advantage of a fair wind, before the morning -were out of sight with all their treasure. Their dupes, consisting -of nearly one-half of the piratic crew, were left on the shore amid -the ruins, without food, without a boat, without shelter, in utter -destitution. What ultimately became of them is not known. Probably some -starved; some were shot by the Spaniards; some were caught and hung. -“Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” - -We have no more details respecting the final career of this very able, -sagacious, and infamous man. We simply know that he reached Jamaica in -possession of an immense fortune. There he was honored as one of the -great men of his age. Charles II., King of England, whose accomplice -he is said to have been in his piracies, rewarded him for his -achievements, appointed him governor of the island, and conferred upon -him the honors of a baronetcy. We know not when he died. But we do know -that, however Sir Henry Morgan may have escaped the penalty of his sins -in this world, he has long ago appeared before the tribunal of that God -“who will render to every man according to his deeds.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -_Montbar the Fanatic._ - - Partial Solution of a Mystery.--Montbar’s Birth.--His Education - and Delusions.--Anecdote of the Dramatic Performance.--Montbar - Runs Away from Home.--Enters the Navy.--His Ferocious - Exploits.--Joins the Buccaneers.--Desperate Battles on the Land - and on the Sea.--His Final Disappearance. - - -In reading the narrative of the cruelties practised by the pirates upon -the Spaniards, the mind is often oppressed with the thought that a God -of infinite love and power should have allowed such scenes to have -been enacted. There is nothing conceivable, in intense and protracted -torture, which was not inflicted upon men, women, and children. There -is no satisfactory explanation of this great mystery of earth. Still -there are considerations which may perhaps point in the direction of a -solution. - -The pirates seem to have been permitted to revenge upon the Spaniards -the awful sufferings which they had inflicted upon the Indians. The -Spanish armies of Cortez and Pizarro ravaged the homes of the innocent -native inhabitants of those countries with ferocity and cruelty which -Satan and his legions could not possibly have surpassed. The Spaniards -had thrown the Indian into the flames of the most awful misery. And -then God allowed the pirate to throw the Spaniard into the same flames. - -There was a celebrated pirate by the name of Montbar, who seemed to -have been inspired with fanatical frenzy approaching maniacal fury -against the whole Spanish nation. He was the child of one of the most -opulent and respected families in Languedoc, in France. He had received -all the advantages of education which wealth could afford. In the -process of this education he had read the account of the atrocities -practised by the Spaniards in their conquest of the islands and the -continents of the New World. - -The blood of this ardent young man seemed to boil in his veins, while -pondering these fiend-like crimes. As a child he brooded over these -tortures until he became almost insane. Soon he devoted himself to all -martial exercises, that he might avenge the wrongs of the Indians. -This generous but cruel determination grew rapidly into monomania. The -animal forces of a mind of unusual energy were all concentrated in -this direction. Revenge for the wrongs practised upon the Cubans, the -Peruvians, the Mexicans occupied his thoughts by day and his dreams by -night. This became the all-absorbing passion of his soul. - -Even when a child, practising with his cross-bow, he said, “I wish to -shoot well, only that I may know how to kill the Spaniards.” George W. -Thornbury, in his sketch of this singular man, alluding to the Spanish -enormities in the New World, writes: - -“Fanaticism, avarice, and ambition had ruled like a trinity of devils, -over the beautiful regions desolated and plague-smitten by the -Spaniards. Whole nations had become extinct. The name of Christ was -polluted into the mere cipher of an armed and aggressive commerce. -These books had impressed the gloomy boy with a deep, absorbing, -fanatical hatred of the conquerors, and a fierce pity for the conquered. - -“He believed himself marked out by God, as the Gideon sent to -their relief. Dreams of riches and gratified ambition spurred him -unconsciously to the task. He thought and dreamed of nothing but the -murdered Indians. He inquired eagerly from travellers for news from -America, and testified prodigious and ungovernable joy when he heard -that the Spaniards had been defeated by the Caribs and the Bravos. - -“He indeed knew by heart every deed of atrocity that history recorded -of his enemies, and would dilate upon each one, with a rude and -impatient eloquence. The following story he was frequently accustomed -to relate, and to gloat over with a look that indicated a mind capable -of even greater cruelty, if once led away by a fanatic spirit of -retaliation. - -“‘A Spaniard’ the story ran, ‘was once upon a time appointed governor -of an Indian province, which was inhabited by a fierce and warlike race -of savages. He proved a cruel governor, unforgiving in his resentments, -and insatiable in his avarice. The Indians, unable any longer to endure -either his barbarities or his exactions, seized him, and showing him -gold, told him that they had at last been able, by great good luck, -to find enough to satisfy his demands. They then held him firm, and -melting the ore, poured it down his throat, till he expired in torments -under their hands.’” - -The peculiarities of this young man were singularly exhibited on one -occasion, which showed that his mental operations were so deranged -that he could not calmly reflect upon anything connected with the -Spanish nation. At one of the college exhibitions, a comedy was to be -enacted by the students, in which Montbar was to take a part. During -the performance there was a dialogue to take place between a Spaniard -and a Frenchman. Montbar represented the Frenchman, and one of his -companions the Spaniard. - -The Spaniard appeared first upon the stage, and began to utter a -tirade of extravagancies against France, denouncing and ridiculing the -French in unmeasured terms. Montbar listened, with ever-increasing -excitement, until he lost all self-control. The mimic scene in his mind -became a reality. In a perfect fury he broke upon the stage; assailed -the representative Spaniard like a maniac; called him a liar and a -murderer; knocked him down, and would inevitably have killed him, had -he not been dragged away by the terrified bystanders. - -The boy developed a very active and powerful mind, and his wealthy -father was very proud of him. His eccentricities did not alarm him, -as he thought that contact with the world would soon remove them all. -He wished his son to study some profession. But Montbar insisted upon -entering the army. “I wish to learn to fight,” said he, “that I may -kill the Spaniards.” - -As his friends opposed his entering the army, he ran away from home, -and found his way to Havre. Here he had an uncle who was in command -of one of the king’s ships. France was then at war with Spain. The -ship was just entering upon a cruise against the Spaniards. The uncle, -pleased with the enthusiasm of the boy, and with the intensity of his -desire to join the expedition, wrote to the father, and obtained his -reluctant consent. In a few days the ship sailed. - -The young fanatic kept a constant watch for the foe, evincing the most -intense eagerness for an engagement. The moment any sail appeared, he -armed himself, and seemed overjoyed with the thought that he might soon -wreak vengeance on the Spaniards. At length, a Spanish ship appeared. -Soon they met and exchanged broadsides. Montbar was quite intoxicated -with joy. He was perfectly reckless. Not a thought of danger entered -his mind. When the order was given to board, Montbar, sabre in hand, -led the party, and was the first to leap on board the Spanish ship. -He seemed to bear a charmed life, and to be endowed with herculean -strength. He sought no assistance from his comrades, but plunged into -the thickest of the enemy, hewing on his right hand and his left, with -marvellous strength. Twice he rushed from end to end of the vessel, -mowing down all who opposed him. He would give no quarter. - -The Spaniards were overpowered. Their slaughter was awful. Montbar, -dreaming that he was God’s appointed minister of vengeance, was in an -ecstasy of exultation, as he cut down some, ran his sabre through the -heart of others, and drove others into the sea. His spirit inspired the -rest. Nearly every Spaniard was killed. His uncle succeeded in saving -one or two. - -The prize was found to be of immense value. The hold was crammed with -riches. There was one casket of diamonds of almost priceless worth. -While the captain and the crew were examining these treasures, and -rejoicing over them, Montbar regarded them with entire indifference. He -was counting the dead. Blood, not plunder, was what his soul craved. - -As there was now war between France and Spain, the French buccaneers, -even when acting without any formal commission, were regarded by the -Government as engaged in legitimate warfare. The buccaneers of England, -robbing Spanish commerce and Spanish colonies, were encouraged and -aided by the French navy. The conflict we have described took place -near the shores of St. Domingo. Montbar’s uncle learned, from his -prisoners, that the ship he had captured had been separated by a storm -from two others, and that they were bound to Port Margot on the island. - -He immediately sailed to the vicinity of that port, where he kept -watch. The vessel he had captured was used as a decoy. He placed French -soldiers on board, unfurled the flag of Spain, and stood off and on, -waiting the arrival of the two vessels. While thus on the watch, some -buccaneers, from the shore, came on board in canoes, with provisions to -sell. They had been wrecked upon the coast; and while a part of their -number had been at a distance from the camp hunting, the Spaniards had -fallen upon them, put them to flight, and plundered their stores. - -“Why do you suffer this?” exclaimed Montbar, indignantly. - -“We do not mean to suffer it,” they replied. “We know what the -Spaniards are, and what our power is. We are collecting our forces, and -will soon take signal vengeance upon them.” - -“Let me go with you,” said Montbar. “I do not ask to be your leader, -but I will go at your head. I will be the first to expose myself, and -will show you how I can fight these accursed Spaniards.” - -Gladly they accepted his offer. His ardor and energy inspired them with -great confidence in him. His uncle very reluctantly allowed him to -go, cursing him as a foolish, hair-brained madcap, ever eager to push -his head into danger. Yet the uncle was very proud of him. As young -Montbar descended the side of the ship into a canoe, the captain said -exultingly to one at his side, “There goes as brave a lad as ever trod -a plank.” - -The buccaneers returned to their camp, and immediately, in a strong -war-party, set out in search of the Spaniards. They threaded intricate -paths through the woods, until they opened upon a small treeless -prairie, which they called a savanna. Just before entering this field, -which was surrounded by hills and woods, they saw, in the distance, a -mounted party of Spaniards who were evidently on the march to attack -them. - -Montbar was transported with rage at the sight of the Spaniards. He -was ready, single-handed, to rush upon them at once--he alone, against -several hundred, regardless whether the others followed him or not. But -an old, experienced buccaneer, who led the party, held him back. - -“Stop,” said he; “there is plenty of time. If you do as I tell you, not -one of those fellows shall escape.” - -These words, “Not one of those fellows shall escape,” arrested the -impetuous young man. The buccaneers halted, pretending not to have -seen the Spaniards. They allowed one or two of their number to exhibit -themselves, as if belonging to a hunting party. They then pitched their -tent of linen, apparently entirely unconscious that they were near -any foe. Drawing out their brandy-flasks, they feigned a great revel, -singing songs, shouting, and passing the flasks from one to another, as -if in the wildest of drunken bouts. This was done by a small portion of -the company, while most of the buccaneers were hidden in ambush. - -The Spaniards, having secreted themselves, watched all these movements. -They supposed that the buccaneers, stupefied with drink, would ere long -fall helplessly asleep. The Spaniards would then creep cautiously upon -them, and kill them all. But the cunning old buccaneer had taken good -care that the brandy-flasks should all be empty. Not a single drop of -intoxicating drink had the feigned revellers taken. - -As soon as darkness veiled the scene the buccaneers all assembled in -ambuscade, anticipating a midnight attack. Every musket was in order, -and their brains were cool and uninflamed with drink. The Spaniards -delayed their attack until daylight. As the hours lingered away, -Montbar was restless, and chafed like a caged lion, saying that they -would never come, and imploring permission to march out and attack them. - -At daybreak the buccaneers discerned a dark line moving noiselessly -over the ridge, and descending into the plain. They knew full well what -this meant. Every movement was watched by the ambushed buccaneers. -Cautiously the Spaniards advanced. They crossed the prairie, and -entered the forest, intending to encircle the tent, which they supposed -held the sleeping buccaneers. - -Suddenly the woods seemed to burst into volcanic flame. The report of -the musketry was followed with shout and yell, and the storm of lead -swept through the ranks of the Spaniards, striking down scores, either -in death or grievously wounded. The buccaneers rushed instantaneously -upon their bewildered, staggered, bleeding foe. Montbar seemed -animated by demonaical frenzy. He rushed upon the Spaniards in utter -recklessness, regardless of their numbers, or of the support he should -receive from his comrades. His heavy sabre flashed in all directions, -as if wielded by tireless sinews of steel. - -Soon he was quite in advance of his companions, and was alone in the -very thickest of the Spanish squadron. He would inevitably have been -cut down, had not the other buccaneers, astonished at his audacity, -rushed to his rescue. Montbar’s sword was dripping with blood. He -was in a frenzy of joy. Every blow he struck cut down a Spaniard. He -exulted in the carnage, and ever after declared that this was the -happiest day of his life. One grounded Spaniard clung to his knee -begging for mercy. Montbar brought down his sabre upon his head, -splitting it from crown to chin, fiercely exclaiming, “I wish that you -were the last of this accursed race.” An eye-witness of the battle -describes the carnage as horrible. Nearly every Spaniard was destroyed. -The victors, all absorbed in their bloody work, stumbled over the dying -and the dead, deaf to every cry for mercy. - -The buccaneers were astonished and delighted by the prowess which -Montbar had displayed. They entreated him to remain and become their -captain. But a signal gun, fired by his uncle, called him back to the -ship. Montbar was placed as captain on board the large ship which his -uncle had captured. Many of the pirates eagerly engaged to serve under -him. - -After a sail of eight days these two vessels encountered four Spanish -war-ships, each one larger than either of those commanded by Montbar -or his uncle. One of the most desperate of naval battles ensued. The -elder Montbar was attacked by two of the ships. For three hours they -struggled, grappled together, receiving and giving the most terrible -broadsides. At last the three sank together in one watery grave. The -uncle, it is said, rejoicing to drag the two other ships with him, went -down laughing. - -Montbar, with his crashing shot, succeeded at length in sinking -one of the ships assailing him, and then he boarded the other. The -terror-stricken crew threw themselves into the water. The floating -bodies presented targets for the buccaneers. No quarter was shown. -Montbar rushed up and down the decks killing all he could reach. His -courage and accomplishments were so marvellous, that his comrades -regarded him with superstitious reverence, as endowed with more than -mortal powers. He himself ever averred that he was God’s appointed -messenger, to avenge the wrongs the Spaniards had inflicted upon the -Indians. It is not known that a single individual escaped from these -four Spanish ships. - -Montbar had now two vessels at his command. He engaged many other -buccaneers in his service, and soon had an army of nearly eight -hundred men ready to follow him to the death. He swept the seas, and, -often landing, ravaged the coasts. We have no detailed account of his -subsequent career. One of his biographers writes: - -“And this completes all that history has preserved of one of -the strangest combinations of fanatic and soldier that has ever -appeared since the days of Loyola. In another age, and under other -circumstances, he might have been a second Mohammed. Equally -remorseless, his ambition, though narrower, seems to have been no less -fervid. If he was cruel, we must allow him to have been sincere even in -his fanaticism. Daring, untiring, of unequalled courage and unmatched -resolution, the cruelty of the Spaniards he put down by greater -cruelty. He passes from us into unknown seas, and we hear of him no -more. He died probably unconscious of crime, unpitying and unpitied. - -“Oexemelin, who saw Montbar at Honduras, describes him as active, -vivacious, and full of fire, like all the Gascons. He was of tall -stature, erect and firm, his air grand, noble, martial. His complexion -was sunburnt, and the color of his eyes could not be discerned under -the deep, arched vaulting of his bushy eyebrows. His very glance in -battle was said to intimidate the Spaniards, and to drive them to -despair.” - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber’s note: - -Punctuation has been standardised. Changes to the original publication -have been made as follows: - - Pages v and 29 - William Kidd, the New York Merchant _changed to_ - William Kidd, the New-York Merchant - - Page 19 - was a broad crimsom sash _changed to_ - was a broad crimson sash - - Page 20 - queen, with charteristic tartness _changed to_ - queen, with characteristic tartness - - Page 26 - turning upon his heel, said contemptously _changed to_ - turning upon his heel, said contemptuously - - Page 38 - of February, 1666, that Captain Kidd _changed to_ - of February, 1696, that Captain Kidd - - Page 89 - taken sick and died in New-York _changed to_ - taken sick and died in New York - - Page 105 - dividing into two partions _changed to_ - dividing into two parties - - Page 107 - employed skilled seaman to manage the ship _changed to_ - employed a skilled seaman to manage the ship - - Page 170 - The Carousal; and the New Enterprise _changed to_ - the Carousal; and the New Enterprise - - Page 182 - coast to render such asssistance _changed to_ - coast to render such assistance - - Page 183 - they threatented with instant _changed to_ - they threatened with instant - - Page 187 - mouth of the great river of Gautemala _changed to_ - mouth of the great river of Guatemala - - Page 192 - was inhabitated by a very fierce tribe _changed to_ - was inhabited by a very fierce tribe - - Page 201 - Mary Read and Ann Bonny _changed to_ - Mary Read and Anne Bonny - - Page 204 - week for its maintainance _changed to_ - week for its maintenance - - Page 222 - dying an ignominous death _changed to_ - dying an ignominious death - - Page 242 - repel an asault from the land _changed to_ - repel an assault from the land - - Page 252 - expressive of his astonishmeut _changed to_ - expressive of his astonishment - - Page 315 - They roof was instantly _changed to_ - The roof was instantly - - Page 358 - bought them up at not one hundreth _changed to_ - bought them up at not one hundredth - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAPTAIN WILLIAM KIDD AND OTHERS OF -THE BUCCANEERS*** - - -******* This file should be named 50550-0.txt or 50550-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/0/5/5/50550 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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(John Stevens Cabot) Abbott</title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css"> - body {margin: 0 10%;} - - h1,h2,h3,h4 {text-align: center; clear: both;} - h2 {line-height: 2em; font-size: 1.4em;} - h2 span {letter-spacing: .3em;} - p.title {font-size: 2em; text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold;} - - p {margin-top: 1em; text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 1em; text-indent: 1em;} - - /* General */ - .noi {text-indent: 0;} - .center {text-align: center; text-indent: 0;} - .right {text-align: right; padding-right: 2em;} - .smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - .nmt {margin-top: 0em;} - .nmb {margin-bottom: 0em;} - blockquote {margin: 0; font-weight: bold; font-size: .8em;} - .p120 {font-size: 1.2em;} - .p130 {font-size: 1.3em;} - .p150 {font-size: 1.5em;} - .p180 {font-size: 1.8em;} - - /* Table */ - table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-collapse: collapse;} - .tdr {text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; padding-left: 1em;} - .tdc {text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-top: 2em; line-height: 2em;} - .tdc2 {text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-top: 0em; line-height: 2em;} - .hang {vertical-align: top; margin-left: 0em; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; text-align: justify;} - - /* Notes */ - ins {text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 1px dotted #dcdcdc;} - em {font-style: italic;} - .tn {width: 60%; margin: 2em 20%; background: #dcdcdc; padding: 1em;} - ul {list-style: square;} - ul.nobullet {list-style: none; text-align: left;} - li {margin-bottom: .5em;} - a:link {text-decoration: none;} - - /* Horizontal rules */ - hr {width: 40%; margin: 2em 30%; clear: both;} - hr.short {width: 40%; margin: 2em 30%;} - hr.divider {width: 65%; margin: 4em 17.5%;} - - /* Page numbers */ - .pagenum {position: absolute; right: 2%; text-indent: 0em; - text-align: right; font-size: x-small; - font-weight: normal; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; - letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; - color: #999; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid; - background-color: inherit; padding: 1px 4px;} - - /* Images */ - .figcenter {clear: both; margin: 2em auto; text-align: center; max-width: 100%;} - img {max-width: 100%; width: 100%; height: auto;} - .width500 {width: 500px;} - .width400 {width: 400px;} - .width126 {width: 126px;} - - /* Footnotes */ - a.label:link, .fnanchor {vertical-align: text-top; font-size: .8em; text-decoration: none;} - .border {border: solid thin silver; margin: 1em 4em;} - .footnote {margin: 0em 4em;} - .footnote .outdent {text-indent: -1.4em;} - - /* Poetry */ - .poetry-container {text-align: center; margin: 0;} - .poem {display: inline-block; text-align: left;} - .poem .verse {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} - .poem .line {text-indent: -3em; padding-left: 3em;} - .poem .outdent {text-indent: -3.4em;} - - @media handheld { - body {margin: .5em; padding: 0; width: 95%;} - p {margin-top: .1em; text-align: justify; margin-bottom: .1em; text-indent: 1em;} - hr {border-width: 0; margin: 0;} - img {max-width: 100%; width: auto; height: auto;} - .tn {width: 80%; margin: 0 10%; background: #dcdcdc; padding: 1em;} - .hidehand {display: none; visibility: hidden;} - .poem {display: block; margin-left: 1.5em;} - .hidehand {display: none; visibility: hidden;} - a.label:link {vertical-align: top; text-decoration: none;} - .footnote {margin: 0;} - a {color: inherit; text-decoration: inherit;} - } - - h2.pg { line-height: 1em; } - hr.full { width: 100%; - margin-top: 3em; - margin-bottom: 0em; - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; - height: 4px; - border-width: 4px 0 0 0; /* remove all borders except the top one */ - border-style: solid; - border-color: #000000; - clear: both; } - </style> -</head> -<body> -<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, Captain William Kidd and Others of the -Buccaneers, by John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott</h1> -<p>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States -and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no -restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you are not -located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this ebook.</p> -<p>Title: Captain William Kidd and Others of the Buccaneers</p> -<p>Author: John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott</p> -<p>Release Date: November 25, 2015 [eBook #50550]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: UTF-8</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAPTAIN WILLIAM KIDD AND OTHERS OF THE BUCCANEERS***</p> -<p> </p> -<h4>E-text prepared by WebRover, Chris Curnow,<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net">http://www.pgdp.net</a>)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive<br /> - (<a href="https://archive.org">https://archive.org</a>)</h4> -<p> </p> -<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> - <tr> - <td valign="top"> - Note: - </td> - <td> - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - <a href="https://archive.org/details/captainwilliamki00abbo"> - https://archive.org/details/captainwilliamki00abbo</a> - </td> - </tr> -</table> -<p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<div class="hidehand"> -<div class="figcenter width500"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="500" height="844" alt="Cover" /> -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="divider" /> -<h1>Captain William Kidd<br /> -and Others of the<br /> -Buccaneers</h1> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="short" /> -<div class="figcenter width400"> -<img src="images/i_frontis.jpg" width="400" height="604" alt="Frontispiece" /> -</div> -</div> - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -</div> -<p class="center p180">Captain William Kidd<br /> -and Others of the<br /> -Buccaneers</p> - - -<p class="center p130">By<br /><br /> -JOHN S. C. ABBOTT</p> - - -<div class="figcenter width126"> -<img src="images/colophon.png" width="126" height="126" alt="Colophon" /> -</div> - - -<p class="center p150">New York<br /> -Dodd, Mead and Company<br /> -Publishers</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="short" /> -</div> -<p class="center smcap">Copyright 1874,<br /> -BY<br /> -DODD & MEAD.</p> - -<p class="center smcap">Copyright 1902,<br /> -BY<br /> -LAURA ABBOTT BUCK.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<h2><span><a name="PREFACE" id="PREFACE"></a>PREFACE</span>.</h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">There</span> can scarcely anything be found in the literature of our language, -more wild and wonderful, than the narrative contained in this volume. -The extraordinary career of Captain Kidd, a New-York merchant, the -demoniac feats of those fiends in human form, Bonnet, Barthelemy, and -Lolonois; the romantic history of the innocent female pirate Mary Read, -and of the termagant Anne Bonney; the amazing career of Sir Henry -Morgan, and the fanaticism of Montbar, scarcely surpassed by that of -Mohammed or Loyola, combine in creating a story, which the imagination -of Dickens or Dumas could scarcely rival.</p> - -<p>And yet these incidents seem to be well authenticated. The writer has -drawn his facts from Esquemeling’s <cite>Zee Roovers</cite>, Amsterdam, 4to, 1684; -Oexemelin’s <cite>Histoire des Aventuriers</cite>, 12mo, Paris,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">iv</a></span> 1688; Johnson’s -<cite>History of the Pirates</cite>, 2 vols., London, 1724; Thornbury’s <cite>Monarchs -of the Main</cite>, 3 vols., London, 1855; <cite>History of the Buccaneers -of America</cite>, 1 vol. 8vo, Boston, 1855; with many other pamphlets, -encyclopædias, and secondary works.</p> - -<p class="nmb">In exploring this hitherto almost unknown field of research, the writer -has been as much surprised at the awful scenes which have opened before -him, as any of his readers can be. There are but few thinking men who -will peruse this narrative, to whom the suggestion will not arise, -“What a different world would this have been, and would it now be, were -all its inhabitants conscientiously, prayerfully, with brotherly love -striving to do right.” And this is the religion of Jesus. He has taught -us to pray “Thy kingdom come on earth as in heaven.”</p> - -<p class="nmt nmb right smcap">John S. C. Abbott.</p> -<p class="nmt nmb smcap">Fair Haven Conn</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">v</a></span> -<hr class="divider" /> -<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a><span>CONTENTS</span>.</h2> - -<table summary="Contents"> -<tr> -<th class="tdr" colspan="2"><small>PAGE</small></th> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc2" colspan="2">CHAPTER I.<br /> -<em>Origin of the Buccaneers.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang">Renown of Captain Kidd.—Wild Legends.—Demands of Spain.—Opposition -of the Maritime Powers.—The Rise of the -Buccaneers.—The Pirates’ Code.—Remonstrance of Spain.—Reply -of France and England.—Confession of a Buccaneer.—Adventures -of Peter the Great.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#i">9</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER II.<br /> -<em>William Kidd becomes a Pirate.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang">Ravages of the Pirates.—The King’s Interview with Earl Bellomont.—William -Kidd, the New-York Merchant.—His Commission.—Sailing -of the Adventure.—Recruiting in New -York.—Circuitous Trip to Madagascar.—Perils and Sufferings.—Madagascar -the Pirates’ Home.—Murmurings of the -Crew.—Kidd reluctantly turns Pirate.—His Repulses, and -his Captures.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#ii">29</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER III.<br /> -<em>Piratic Adventures.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang">Audacity of Kidd.—Fate of the November.—Kidd kills William -Moore.—The Renowned Ballad.—Kidd’s Compunctions.—Kidd -at Madagascar.—Piratic Carousals.—The Artificial -Hell.—Kidd’s Return to the West Indies.—Exaggerated -Reports of Avery.—His wretched Career and wretched -End.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#iii">51</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">vi</a></span> -CHAPTER IV.<br /> -<em>Arrest, Trial, and Condemnation of Kidd.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang">Appalling Tidings.—Trip to Curacoa.—Disposal of the Quedagh -Merchant.—Purchase of the Antonio.—Trembling Approach -toward New York.—Measures for the Arrest of Kidd.—He -enters Delaware Bay.—Touches at Oyster Bay and Block -Island.—Communications with the Government.—Sails for -Boston.—His Arrest.—Long Delays.—Public Rumors.—His -Trial and Condemnation.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#iv">75</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER V.<br /> -<em>Kidd, and Stede Bonnet.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang">The Guilt of Kidd.—Rumors of Buried Treasure.—Mesmeric -Revelation.—Adventures of Bradish.—Strange Character of -Major Bonnet.—His Piracies.—Encounters.—Indications -of Insanity.—No Temptation to Turn Pirate.—Blackbeard.—Bonnet -Deposed.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#v">98</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER VI.<br /> -<em>The Adventures of Edward Teach, or Blackbeard.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang">Seizure of the Protestant Cæsar.—The Piratic Squadron.—Villany -of the Buccaneers.—The Atrocities of Blackbeard.—Illustrative -Anecdotes.—Carousals on Shore.—Alleged Complicity -with the Governor.—Hiding-place near Ocracoke -Inlet.—Arrangements for his Capture.—Boats sent from two -Men-of-War.—Bloody Battle.—The Death of the Pirate.—His -Desperate and Demoniac Character.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#vi">110</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER VII.<br /> -<em>The Close of Stede Bonnet’s Career.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang">Bonnet’s Abandonment by Blackbeard.—Avails Himself of the -King’s Pardon.—Takes Commission as a Privateer.—Rescues -Blackbeard’s Pirates.—Piratic Career.—Enters Cape<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">vii</a></span> -Fear River for Repairs.—Captured by Colonel Rhet.—The -Conflict.—Escapes from Prison.—The Pursuit, and Trial -and Sentence.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#vii">125</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER VIII.<br /> -<em>The Portuguese Barthelemy.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang">Commencement of his Career.—Bold Capture.—Brutality of the -Pirates.—Reverses and Captivity.—Barthelemy doomed to -Die.—His Escape.—Sufferings in the Forest.—Reaches Gulf -Triste.—Hardening Effect of his Misfortunes.—His new -Piratic Enterprise.—Wonderful Success.—The Tornado.—Impoverishment -and Ruin.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#viii">139</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER IX.<br /> -<em>Francis Lolonois.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang"> -Early Life of Lolonois.—His Desperate Character.—Joins the -Buccaneers.—His Fiend-like Cruelty.—The Desperadoes -Rally around Him.—Equips a Fleet.—Captures Rich Prizes.—Plans -the Sack of Maracaibo.—The Adventurous Voyage.—Description -of Venezuela.—Atrocities at Maracaibo and -Gibraltar.—Doom of the Victors.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#x">151</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER X.<br /> -<em>The Plunder; the Carousal; and the New Enterprise.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang">Gibraltar in Ashes.—The Return to Maracaibo.—Division of the -Plunder.—Peculiar Scene.—Reception of the Pirates at Tortuga.—Fiend-like -Carousal.—The Pirates Reduced to Beggary.—Lolonois’s -New Enterprise.—The “Furious Calm.”—Days -of Disaster.—Ravaging the Coast.—Capture of San -Pedro.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#x">170</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XI.<br /> -<em>The End of Lolonois’s Career.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang"> -The Pirates’ Perfidy.—Capture of a Spanish Ship.—Misery of the -Pirates.—Desertion of Vauclin.—The Shipwreck.—Life upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">viii</a></span> -the Island.—Expedition to Nicaragua.—Its utter Failure.—Ferocity -of the Indians.—Exploring the River.—The Retreat.—Coasting -to Darien.—Capture and Death of Lolonois.—Fate -of the Remnants.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xi">186</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XII.<br /> -<em>The Female Pirate, Mary Read.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang"> -Testimony of Charles Johnson.—Marriage of Mary Read’s -Mother.—Singular Adventure.—Reasons for Disguising her -Daughter.—Early Training of Mary as a Boy.—She Enlists -on board a Man-of-War.—The Character she Developed.—Enters -the Army.—Skill and Bravery.—Falls in Love with -a Fleming.—Reveals her Sex.—The Marriage.—Happy -Days.—Death of her Husband.—Adversity.—Resumes Male -Attire.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xii">201</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XIII.<br /> -<em>Anne Bonny, the Female Pirate.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang"> -Rackam the Pirate.—Anne Bonny his Wife.—Her Reasons for -Assuming a Boy’s Dress.—Infamous Character of Rackam.—Anne -falls in Love with Mary.—Curious Complications.—The -Duel.—Chivalry of Frank.—The Capture.—The Trial.—Testimony -of the Artist.—Death of Mary Read.—Rackam -Dies on the Scaffold.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xiii">214</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XIV.<br /> -<em>Sir Henry Morgan.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang"> -His Origin.—Goes to the West Indies.—Joins the Buccaneers.—Meets -Mansvelt the Pirate.—Conquest of St. Catharine.—Piratic -Colony there.—Ravaging the Coast of Costa Rica.—Sympathy -of the Governor of Jamaica.—Death of Mansvelt.—Expedition -of Don John.—The Island Recaptured by -the Spaniards.—Plans of Morgan.—His Fleet.—The Sack -of Puerto Principe.—Horrible Atrocities.—Retreat of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">ix</a></span> -Pirates.—The Duel.—They Sail for Puerto Velo.—Conquest -of the City.—Heroism of the Governor.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xiv">225</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XV.<br /> -<em>The Capture of Puerto Velo, and its Results.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang"> -The Torture.—Sickness and Misery.—Measures of the Governor -of Panama.—The Ambuscade.—Awful Defeat of the Spaniards.—Ferocity -of the Pirates.—Strange Correspondence.—Exchange -of Courtesies.—Return to Cuba, and Division -of the Spoil.—Wild Orgies at Jamaica.—Complicity of the -British Government with the Pirates.—The New Enterprise.—Arrival -of the Oxford.—Destruction of the Cerf Volant.—Rendezvous -at Samona.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xv">246</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XVI.<br /> -<em>The Expedition to Maracaibo.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang"> -The Delay at Ocoa.—Hunting Excursions.—The Repulse.—Cities -of Venezuela.—The Plan of Morgan.—Suggestions of -Pierre Picard.—Sailing of the Expedition.—They Touch -at Oruba.—Traverse Venezuela.—Enter Lake Maracaibo.—Capture -of the Fort.—The City Abandoned.—Atrocities of -the Pirates.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xvi">260</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XVII.<br /> -<em>Adventures on the Shores of Lake Maracaibo.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang"> -Preparations for the Defence of Gibraltar.—The Hidden Ships.—The -Hiding-place of the Governor and the Women.—Disaster -and Failure.—Capture of the Spanish Ships.—The Retreat -Commenced.—Peril of the Pirates.—Singular Correspondence.—Strength -of the Spanish Armament.—The -Public Conference of the Pirates.—The Naval Battle.—The -Fire-Ship.—Wonderful Achievement of the Pirates.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xvii">273</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">x</a></span> -CHAPTER XVIII.<br /> -<em>A New Expedition Planned.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang"> -The Threat to Espinosa.—Adroit Stratagem.—Wonderful Escape.—The -Storm.—Revelry at Jamaica.—History of Hispaniola.—Plan -of a New Expedition.—The Foraging Ships.—Morgan’s -Administrative Energies.—Return of the Foragers.—Rendezvous -at Cape Tiburon.—Magnitude and Armament -of the Fleet.—Preparations to Sail.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xviii">290</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XIX.<br /> -<em>Capture of St. Catherine and Chagres.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang"> -The Defences at St. Catherine.—Morgan’s Strategy.—The Midnight -Storm.—Deplorable Condition of the Pirates.—The -Summons to Surrender.—Disgraceful Conduct of the Spanish -Commander.—The Advance to Chagres.—Incidents of the -Battle.—The Unexpected Victory.—Measures of Morgan.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xix">305</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XX.<br /> -<em>The March from Chagres to Panama.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang"> -Preparations to Ascend the River.—Crowding of the Boats.—The -Bivouac at Bracos.—Sufferings from Hunger.—The Pathless -Route.—The Boats Abandoned.—Light Canoes Employed.—Abandoned -Ambuscades.—Painful Marches, Day by Day.—The -Feast on Leathern Bags.—Murmurs and Contentions.—The -Indians Encountered.—Struggling through the -Forest.—The Conflagration at Santa Cruz.—Battle and -Skirmishes.—First Sight of Panama.—Descent into the -Plain.—Feasting.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xx">319</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XXI.<br /> -<em>The Capture of Panama.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang"> -First Sight of the City.—The Spanish Scouts Appear.—Morgan’s -Advance.—Character of the Country.—Fears of the Spaniards.—Removal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xi" id="Page_xi">xi</a></span> -of Treasure.—Capture of the City.—The -Poisoned Wine.—Magnificent Scenery of the Bay.—Description -of Panama and its Surroundings.—Wealth of the City.—Scenes -of Crime and Cruelty.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxi">335</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XXII.<br /> -<em>The Return from Panama.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang"> -Return of the Explorers.—The Beautiful Captive.—Sympathy -in her behalf.—Embarrassments of Morgan.—Inflexible -Virtue of the Captive.—The Conspiracy.—Efficiency of -Morgan.—His Obduracy.—The Search of the Pirates.—The -Return March.—Morgan Cheats the Pirates.—Runs -Away.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxii">349</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XXIII.<br /> -<em>Montbar the Fanatic.</em></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="hang"> -Partial Solution of a Mystery.—Montbar’s Birth.—His Education -and Delusions.—Anecdote of the Dramatic Performance.—Montbar -Runs Away from Home.—Enters the Navy.—His -Ferocious Exploits.—Joins the Buccaneers.—Desperate Battles -on the Land and on the Sea.—His Final Disappearance.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxiii">360</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - - - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">9</a></span> -</div> - -<p class="smcap title">Captain Kidd.</p> -<hr class="short" /> -<h2><a name="i" id="i"></a>CHAPTER I.<br /> -<em>Origin of the Buccaneers.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">Renown of Captain Kidd.—Wild Legends.—Demands of -Spain.—Opposition of the Maritime Powers.—The Rise of -the Buccaneers.—The Pirates’ Code.—Remonstrance of -Spain.—Reply of France and England.—Confession of a -Buccaneer.—Adventures of Peter the Great.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">There</span> are but few persons, in the United States, who have not heard -the name of the renowned pirate, Captain Kidd. There are also but few -to be found who have any intelligent conception of his wild and guilty -career. The banks of the Hudson, the islands scattered through the -Sound which skirts the southern New-England coast, and the wild rivers -and craggy harbors which fringe the rugged shores of Maine, are all -rich with legends of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">10</a></span> the exploits and hiding-places of this notorious -buccaneer.</p> - -<p>Thousands of fanatical people have employed themselves in digging among -the rocks and sands, in search of treasure of gold and jewels supposed -to have been buried, in iron-bound chests, by this chief of outlaws. It -was well known that he had plundered many a rich Spanish galleon, laden -with golden coin, bound to or from the colonies. Many a Spanish lady -had been compelled to walk blindfolded the awful plank, until she was -jostled into the sea, while her chests of golden ingots and diamonds -fell into the hands of brutal assassins.</p> - -<p>It was not always easy for the pirates to dispose of these treasures. -They were sometimes pursued by men-of-war. Doubtless, as a measure of -safety, they did at times bury their spoil, intending at a convenient -hour to return and reclaim it. And it can hardly be questioned that, -in some cases, pursued, harassed, cut up, they never did return. -Therefore it may be that there is treasure still hidden in some -secluded spot, which may remain, through all coming ages unless by some -accident discovered. This belief has, in bygone days, nerved many a -treasure-seeker to months of toil, all along our northern coast, from -Passamaquoddy Bay to the Jerseys.</p> - -<p>Half a century ago, when superstition exerted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">11</a></span> much more powerful sway -than now, the wildest stories were told, around the fireside, of the -complicity of the robber with the Archfiend himself, and of the agency -of the Prince of the Power of the Air in protecting his subjects. -Hundreds of parties, equipped with hazel rods, whose dip should guide -them to the treasure, and with spades to dig, have gone to the most -lonely spots at dead of night, in search of these riches. It was -believed that not a word must be spoken, and particularly that Satan -was so jealous, that if the Divine name were uttered, some terrible -doom would befall them.</p> - -<p>The writer remembers hearing, sixty years ago at the kitchen fireside, -many of these wondrous stories. One or two may be given in illustration -of them all. A fortune-teller had told some men where Captain Kidd -had buried a chest. They were to go to the spot, in the darkness of -a moonless midnight. Not one word was to be spoken. A lantern, dimly -burning, was to guide their steps. One carrying a hazel rod was to lead -the party of four. When they reached the precise spot the hazel rod -would bend directly down to indicate it. By digging they would find, -five feet beneath the surface, an oaken chest, bound with iron, filled -with doubloons.</p> - -<p>They obeyed all the directions implicitly. The spot was found. In -silence and with energy they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">12</a></span> plied their spades. At the depth of five -feet they struck the chest. There it was, beyond all question, in -its massive strength of oak and iron. The size of the chest and the -difficulty with which it could be moved, proved that they had come upon -an amount of treasure which would enrich them all beyond the dreams of -romance. One thoughtlessly, in the excess of his excitement, exclaimed, -“Thank God!” In an instant there was a flash of lightning which blinded -them all; a peal of thunder which stunned them all. Those in the pit -were violently thrust out, and every one was thrown helpless and -senseless upon the ground.</p> - -<p>After a time they recovered one by one. The darkness was like that of -Egypt, which could be felt. The rain was falling in torrents. Their -pit was entirely closed up, and replaced by a ledge of solid granite. -Terrified, they crept to their homes, fearing ever again to seek the -treasure which the pirate, as an emissary of Satan, had seized with -bloody hands, and with bloody hands had buried.</p> - -<p>Again, there was a young woman who had a sacred stone into which she -looked and saw whatever she wished to have revealed. She could read -the fortunes of others. She could foresee all future events. She could -reveal any secrets of the past. Into this mysterious crystal she gazed, -and saw a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">13</a></span> small vessel, under an immense cloud of canvas, flying -before a huge man-of-war. But the smaller vessel was the fleetest. -The larger vessel was firing upon it with heavy cannon, and the balls -were bounding over the waves. She looked upon the deck of the little -schooner, and it was crowded with the fiercest-looking armed men. Among -them stood a man, in rich uniform, with drawn sword, and pistols in his -belt, who was evidently their leader. She at once recognized him as -Captain Kidd.</p> - -<p>It was in the evening twilight. The pirate ran in at the mouth of the -Kennebec River. The man-of-war could not venture to follow amid the -rocks and shoals. The commander, however, felt that the pirate was -caught in a trap and that he could not escape. He decided to lay off -and on until morning, carefully watching the mouth of the river. Then -he would send his war-boats thoroughly manned, and the pirates would -soon swing at his yard-arms, and their treasures would be transferred -to his chests and his ship’s hold.</p> - -<p>Captain Kidd had a large amount of treasure on board his vessel, -which he had plundered mainly from the rich argosies which carried -on the commerce between Spain and her colonies. At the same time he -was not at all particular in his inquiries as to what nationality the -ship belonged to, if the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">14</a></span> cargo of goods or coin were valuable. His -adventurous sail ran along the shores of both the Indies, and all -richly freighted ships he encountered were doomed.</p> - -<p>The swift-sailing schooner which had run into the mouth of the Kennebec -was heavily laden with gold and silver coin, rich silks, and others -of the most precious fabrics of the two Indies. To save these from -capture, so the story goes, and to lighten his vessel, so as to be able -to creep away over the shallow waters out of reach of the man-of-war, -he threw the heaviest and least valuable articles overboard. Then -landing a portion of the crew in the night, he searched out a secluded -spot, where he dug a deep hole, and placed in it an immense iron-bound -hogshead. Here he carefully packed away his gold and silver coin -in strong canvas bags. His silks and satins were wrapped in canvas -envelopes, and then protected with tarred cloth, impervious to both air -and moisture. Thus the cask soon held treasure amounting to countless -thousands. This was carefully covered up and concealed, Captain -Kidd taking notes which would enable him to find the place without -difficulty!</p> - -<p>Then in the darkness he again spread his sails, and stealing out of one -of the unfrequented mouths of the river, crept along the shore unseen, -and turning<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">15</a></span> his course south, was soon again engaged in his piratic -cruise among the islands of the West Indies. He never returned to -regain his treasure.</p> - -<p>The next morning the man-of-war sent up three boats well manned and -armed to capture the pirate. But not the slightest vestige of his -vessel could be found. It was believed that Satan had aided them to -escape. Some of the sailors declared that in the night they had seen -the schooner under full sail in the clouds, passing over their heads, -and that they had heard shouts of merriment from the demoniac crew.</p> - -<p>The girl, looking into her enchanted stone, saw all this. She informed -those inquiring of her, of the precise spot where the treasure was -buried. To obtain it they must go at dead of night, and work in perfect -silence. The utterance of a single word would bring disaster upon all -their efforts.</p> - -<p>They went, and worked with a will, in the darkness, by dim torchlight. -Not a word was spoken. They reached the cask, spaded away the earth -around it, and were just ready to open it and rifle it of its contents, -when to their astonishment a little negro boy was seen sitting upon -the head of the cask, entirely naked. One of them in his surprise -thoughtlessly exclaimed, “Who are you?”</p> - -<p>The spell was broken. Instantly one of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">16</a></span> blackest of thunder-clouds -enveloped them, with a tornado which wrecked the skies. Carousing -fiends were seen with bat-like wings through the gloom. Shrieks of -derisive laughter were heard. Every man was seized, and whirled -through the air to distances several miles apart. Awaking from stupor, -terror-inspired, they with difficulty found their way to their homes. -Upon subsequently revisiting the spot they found no traces of their -labor.</p> - -<p>Such was the general character of the legends which were floating -about very freely half a century ago. Captain Kidd was the hero of -all these marvellous tales. It is not easy to account for the fact -that his name should have attained such an ascendency over that of all -other buccaneers. Though there was nothing so very remarkable in his -achievements, there was something strange in the highest degree, in his -partnership with men in England occupying the most exalted position in -rank and power.</p> - -<p>After the discovery of the New World, Pope Alexander VI. issued a -proclamation dividing all the newly discovered lands, in both the East -and West Indies, between the crowns of Portugal and Spain, to the -exclusion of all other powers. This <em>bull</em> as it was called, excited -great discontent throughout all Christendom. This was nearly two -hundred<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">17</a></span> years ago. France, England, and the Netherlands, the three -remaining great maritime nations, combined against Spain and Portugal. -These courts would give any man a commission to take a ship, fill it -with armed men, and prey upon the commerce of Spain and Portugal. There -was no court to decide upon the validity of prizes. The captors were -responsible to nobody. They decided for themselves whether the prize -they had taken was their legitimate booty. The whole spoil was divided -among them according to their own agreement.</p> - -<p>Very soon all seas swarmed with these adventurers. They sailed in -fleets. In armed bands they landed and ravaged the coasts, battering -down forts and capturing and plundering cities. They did not deem -themselves pirates, but took the name of buccaneers. Though often -guilty of great enormities, they assumed the air of legitimate -privateersmen. With heads high uplifted they swaggered through the -streets of England, France, and the Netherlands, with lavish hand -scattering their ill-gotten gold. They were welcomed at every port -they entered, for they proved very profitable customers. They sold -their booty very cheap. They purchased very freely, regardless of -price. In drunken frolics they had been known to scatter doubloons -in the streets to see men and boys scramble for them. The merchants<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">18</a></span> -all welcomed them, not deeming it necessary to ask any questions for -conscience’ sake. Their numbers became so great and their depredations -so audacious, that no ship could sail in safety under any flag. The -buccaneers were not careful to obtain any commission. Assuming that -they were warring against the enemies of their country, even when there -was no war existing between the two nations, they ravaged the seas at -their pleasure.</p> - -<p>Generally their bands were well organized and under very salutary -discipline. The following articles of agreement, signed by the whole -crew, were found on board one of these ships:</p> - -<p>“Every man is entitled to a vote in affairs of importance, and to an -equal share of all provisions and strong liquors which may be seized. -Any man who defrauds the company in plate, jewels, or money, shall be -landed on a desert island. If he rob a messmate, his ears and nose -shall be slit, and then he shall be landed on a desert island. No man -shall play at cards or dice for money. The lights are to be put out at -eight o’clock at night. No woman is to be allowed on board. Any man who -brings a woman to sea disguised shall be put to death. No man shall -strike another on board, but quarrels shall be settled on shore with -sword or pistol.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">19</a></span> -“Any one deserting, or leaving his quarters, during an engagement, -shall be either landed on a desert island or put to death. Every man -losing a limb or becoming crippled in the service shall have eight -hundred dollars. The captain and quartermaster shall receive two shares -of every prize; the master, boatswain, and gunner, one share and a -half, and all other officers one and a quarter. Quarter always to be -given when called for. He that sees a sail first is to have the best -pistols and small arms on board of her.”</p> - -<p>Thus it will be seen that these buccaneers were regularly organized -bands, by no means ashamed of their calling. They were morally scarcely -inferior to the robber knights and barons of the feudal ages, from -whom the haughtiest nobles of Europe are proud to claim their lineage. -They were not petty thieves and vulgar murderers. They unfurled their -banners and waged open warfare on the sea and on the land, glorying -in their chivalric exploits, and ostentatiously displaying, in all -harbors, the trophies of their wild adventures.</p> - -<p>These freebooters assumed the most gorgeous and extravagant dresses. -Their favorite ornament was a broad -<a name="crimson" id="crimson"></a><ins title="Original has crimsom">crimson</ins> sash, of bright -scarlet, passing round the waist, and fastened on the shoulder and hip -with colored ribbons. This was so arranged<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">20</a></span> that it formed a belt into -which they could thrust three or four richly mounted pistols. These -pistols were often sold at auction, on shipboard, for two hundred -dollars each. Cocked hats, with a showy embroidery of gold lace, formed -a conspicuous feature of their costume.</p> - -<p>The captain, in time of battle, was invested with dictatorial power. -He could stab or shoot any one who disobeyed his orders. His voice was -generally decisive as to the treatment of prisoners. The large cabin -was appropriated to his exclusive use. Often the freebooters combined, -in several armed vessels, to attack some richly freighted fleet under -convoy. Occasionally they landed, and captured and plundered very -considerable cities.</p> - -<p>These buccaneers were generally, as we have said, Englishmen, -Frenchmen, or Germans. Still, adventurers from all nationalities -crowded their decks. The Spanish Court remonstrated with the several -Governments of Europe against these outrages. France replied:</p> - -<p>“The people complained against act entirely on their own authority and -responsibility, not by any commission from us. The King of Spain is at -liberty to proceed against them according to his own pleasure.”</p> - -<p>Elizabeth, England’s termagant queen, with -<a name="characteristic" id="characteristic"></a><ins title="Original has charteristic">characteristic</ins> tartness replied:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">21</a></span> -“The Spaniards have drawn these inconveniences on themselves, by their -severe and unjust dealings in their American commerce. The Queen of -England cannot understand why her subjects, or those of any other -European prince should be debarred from traffic in the West Indies. As -she does not acknowledge the Spaniards to have any title to any portion -of the New World by the donation of the Bishop of Rome, so she knows -no right they have to any places other than those of which they are -in actual possession. Their having touched only here and there upon a -coast, and given names to a few rivers or capes, are such insignificant -things as can in no ways entitle them to a property in those parts, any -further than where they have actually settled and continue to inhabit.”</p> - -<p>Some curious anecdotes are told illustrative of the great respect some -of these adventurers entertained for religion and morality. In many -cases all bolts, locks, and fastenings of any kind were prohibited, as -implying a doubt of the honor of their comrades. Not a few men of noble -birth became buccaneers. A captain of one of these bands shot one of -his crew for behaving irreverently in church. Sir Raveneau de Sussan, -being deeply involved in debt, joined the freebooters because, he said, -“he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">22</a></span> wished, as every honest man should do, to have withal to satisfy -his creditors.”</p> - -<p>The French called the buccaneers <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">nos braves</i>. The English papers were -filled with admiring accounts of their unparalleled exploits. A French -buccaneer; Francois l’Olonnais, at the head of six hundred and fifty -men, captured the towns of Maracaibo and Gibraltar, in the Gulf of -Venezuela, and extorted half a million dollars for the ransom of those -places. A French priest extolled the deed as one of chivalric heroism.</p> - -<p>The pirates seized the Island of Tortuga, built a town there, and -erected a strong fort on an eminence which commanded a view of the -encircling sea to the horizon. This island is situated a few leagues -north of the magnificent Island of San Domingo, then called Hispaniola. -It is long and narrow, running east and west, and is about sixty -miles in circuit. It is mainly a mountainous island of rock, but at -that time was densely covered with a gigantic forest. The western part -of the island was uninhabited. It was very rugged and barren, and had -no harbor or even cove into which a vessel or boat could run. On the -southeastern shore there was one good harbor, so landlocked that it -could be easily defended. The island abounded with wild boars, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">23</a></span> at -some seasons, the very air seemed darkened with the flocks of pigeons -which frequented its groves.</p> - -<p>The buccaneers seized this island, and sent to the French governor of -St. Christopher’s to furnish them with aid to fortify it. The governor -sent them a ship full of men, with all needful supplies. With this -assistance they built a fort on a high rock, which perfectly commanded -the harbor. There was no access to the fort but by climbing a narrow -passage, along which but two persons could pass at a time. With great -difficulty two guns were raised and mounted. There was a plentiful -supply of fresh water on the summit, from an abundant spring gushing -from the rock.</p> - -<p>One of these buccaneers, John Esquemeling, has given quite a minute -account of the achievements of himself and comrades. His narrative, -which is deemed authentic, was written in Dutch, but was translated -and published in London in the year 1684. He had sailed from -Havre-de-Grace, in France, for the New World, in the year 1666, to seek -his fortune. He gives the following reason for joining the buccaneers:</p> - -<p>“I found myself in Tortuga like unto Adam when he was first created -by the hand of his Maker; that is, naked and destitute of all human -necessaries. Not knowing how to get a living, I determined to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">24</a></span> enter -into the wicked order of pirates or robbers of the sea. Into this -society I was received by common consent both of the superior and -vulgar sort. I continued among them six years, until the year 1672. -Having assisted them in all their designs and attempts and served -them in many notable exploits, of which I here give the reader a full -account, I returned to my own native country.”</p> - -<p>We will give one incident illustrative of the mode in which these -buccaneers operated.</p> - -<p>There was at Tortuga a man born in Dieppe, Normandy. From his gigantic -stature and his bold carriage he was familiarly called Peter the Great. -He took a large boat, and with twenty-eight companions, desperate men, -thoroughly armed, set out from the harbor in search of booty. For a -long time they sailed over those tropical seas, keeping a vigilant -watch from the mast-head, but no vessel appeared in sight. Their food -was rapidly disappearing, and they began to be in despair.</p> - -<p>At length they espied, one afternoon, in the distant horizon, a sail. -As they approached it, they found, somewhat to their alarm, that it -was a huge Spanish galleon laden to the gunwales with treasure. It -probably contained passengers and crew, and perhaps soldiers, three or -four times outnumbering the buccaneers. The sagacious Peter immediately -surmised<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">25</a></span> that the galleon was one of a merchant fleet which had -recently sailed from Spain under a strong convoy, and being heavily -laden, had, in some storm, got separated from the squadron. It was one -of the most desperate of enterprises to attack such a ship with their -little boat. The ship, though a merchantman, had, without any doubt, -some heavy guns, and the crew was well armed.</p> - -<p>But they were desperate men; their provisions were exhausted; they were -in danger of actual starvation. The captain assembled them all around -him, and addressed them in a very glowing and inspiring speech. We -cannot quote his identical words. But we have a record of the motives -he urged to rouse his men to a frenzy of courage.</p> - -<p>“Our cruise,” said he, “has been thus far a failure. We have no money. -We have no food. We must soon perish by the most miserable of all -deaths, lingering starvation. In that ship there is food in abundance, -wine in abundance, gold in abundance. We are now beggars. Let us take -that ship, and we are princes. We can revel in luxury. Our fortunes -are made for our lives. We can sail to any land we please, and there -live in independence. Even if some of us must die, it is better to die -suddenly than to starve. We can take the ship if we all do our duty. I -call upon every one now to take<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">26</a></span> a solemn oath either to capture the -ship or to die in the attempt.”</p> - -<p>To this appeal the piratic crew responded with cheers, and the oath was -promptly taken. The captain of the Spanish ship had been informed that -there was a boat in sight, and that it probably was manned by pirates. -He came upon deck, examined it carefully with his glass, and then, -turning upon his heel, said -<a name="contemptuously" id="contemptuously"></a><ins title="Original has contemptously">contemptuously</ins>:</p> - -<p>“We need not care for such a pitiful concern as that. It is a mere -cockle-shell. If you wish, you may rig the crane out, and we will hoist -the whole thing, crew and all, on board. We need fear no ship which is -not bigger and stronger than our own.”</p> - -<p>The pirates had the advantage of the wind. They kept away until dark. -Peter, or Pierre as they called him, informed them of his desperate -plan. He would, in the gloom of night, put on all sail, and run -his boat directly alongside of the galleon. Grappling-irons were -immediately to be thrown over the gunwale of the ship, with ropes -attached, by which the boat’s crew were instantly to leap on board. The -carpenter was to have tools ready and bore a large hole in the bottom -of the boat, so as to sink it at once. He was then to leap on board.</p> - -<p>Every man was to have three or four loaded pistols in his belt, and a -sabre in his hand. Escape<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">27</a></span> was impossible. If they failed to capture -the ship, and were captured themselves, their inevitable doom was death -by hanging. The programme was carried out in full. The night was dark. -There was no vigilance, no suspicion of danger on board the ship. The -boat came alongside the huge bulk of the galleon so noiselessly that it -was not perceived.</p> - -<p>The pirates rushed pell-mell on board. With their sharp sabres they -cut down the terrified crew on the right hand and on the left. Pierre, -leading a party, plunged into the cabin. The captain with several of -his officers was playing cards. He sprang from his seat exclaiming:</p> - -<p>“Lord Jesus; are these devils?”</p> - -<p>Pierre, presenting a pistol at his breast, demanded the surrender of -the ship. Had the captain or any of his officers raised a hand in -self-defence, death would have been their immediate fate. They were all -disarmed and bound. Another party, sweeping the decks with sword and -pistol, drove all whom they did not kill into the hold, and shut the -hatches upon them. They then seized the gun-room, where all the arms -and ammunition were stored.</p> - -<p>In almost less time than it has taken to describe the scene, this -majestic ship with its vast treasures was captured. Not a single pirate -was killed or wounded. With three cheers the pirates proclaimed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">28</a></span> their -astounding victory. They were nearly all seamen, and familiar with -those waters. They turned the ship to sail to Europe. Coming in sight -of an island, they landed the captain and all the ship’s company in -a cove, and giving them a small supply of provisions, left them to -shift for themselves. Several of the crew remained on board the ship, -enlisting in the service of the pirates. This being done, they set sail -for France, where they sold their ship, divided their immense booty, -scattered, and were heard of no more.</p> - -<p>The inhabitants of Tortuga soon received tidings of this brilliant -achievement. It seemed to inspire them all with the intense desire to -go and do likewise. All Tortuga was in an uproar. Every one applauded -a deed which they deemed so glorious as well as so profitable. They -saw that by a single enterprise, Pierre had made his fortune for life. -In a few months, more than twenty piratic vessels were fitted out at -Tortuga.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">29</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="ii" id="ii"></a>CHAPTER II.<br /> -<em>William Kidd becomes a Pirate.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">Ravages of the Pirates.—The King’s Interview with Earl -Bellomont.—William Kidd, the <a name="newyork" id="newyork"></a><ins title="Original has New York">New-York</ins> Merchant.—His -Commission.—Sailing of the Adventure.—Recruiting in -New York.—Circuitous Trip to Madagascar.—Perils and -Sufferings.—Madagascar the Pirates’ Home.—Murmurings of the -Crew.—Kidd reluctantly turns Pirate.—His Repulses, and his -Captures.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">In</span> the year 1695, the King of England, William III., summoned before -him the Earl of Bellomont, who had been governor of Barbadoes, and whom -he had recently appointed governor of New York, and said to him:</p> - -<p>“The buccaneers have so increased in the East and West Indies, and -all along the American coast, that they defiantly sail under their -own flag. They penetrate the rivers; land in numbers sufficient to -capture cities, robbing palaces and cathedrals, and extorting enormous -ransom. Their suppression is vital to commerce. They have possessed -themselves of magnificent retreats, in Madagascar and other islands of -the Indian Ocean. They have established their seraglios, and are living -in fabulous splendor<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">30</a></span> and luxury. Piratic expeditions are fitted out -from the colonies of New England and Virginia; and even the Quakers -of Pennsylvania afford a market for their robberies. These successful -freebooters are making their homes in the Carolinas, in Rhode Island, -and along the south shore of Long Island, where they and their children -take positions among the most respectable in the community.</p> - -<p>“The buccaneers are so audacious that they seek no concealment. Their -ships are laden with the spoil of all nations. The richest prizes -which can now be taken on the high seas are the heavily laden ships of -the buccaneers. I have resolved, with the aid of others, to fit out -a private expedition against them. We have formed a company for that -purpose. By attacking the pirates we shall accomplish a double object. -We shall in the first place check their devastating operations, and we -shall also fill our purses with the proceeds of the abundant spoil with -which their ships are laden.”</p> - -<p>This second consideration was doubtless the leading one in the -movement. The king was in great need of money. His nobles were -impoverished by extravagance. They were ready to resort to any measures -to replenish their exhausted treasuries. This royal company was -therefore organized, not as a national movement, sustained by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">31</a></span> national -law, but as a <em>piratic</em> expedition against the <em>pirates</em>. The reclaimed -treasure was not to be restored to its owners, nor to be placed in the -treasury of the kingdom, but to be divided among the captors as their -legitimate spoil. And still the king was to give the commission in his -kingly name.</p> - -<p>The king informed the Earl of Bellomont that he was about to invest him -with the government of New York, and wished him to suggest the name of -some suitable person, who was familiar with the North American coast -and the West Indian seas, to whom he could intrust the command of the -frigate they were then fitting out. It so chanced that an illustrious -Englishman, Mr. Robert Livingston, the first of that name who had -emigrated to the New World, was then in London. The earl consulted with -him. He was informed that just the man he needed had accompanied him -from New York to London, leaving his family behind. He was a merchant, -by the name of William Kidd, a man of tried courage and integrity.</p> - -<p>In the last war with the French, Captain Kidd had commanded a -privateersman, and had gained signal honor in many engagements. He had -sailed over all the seas frequented by the buccaneers, and was familiar -with their haunts. The commission which the king gave to Captain Kidd -is a curious<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">32</a></span> document. It is here given abridged of its excessive -verbiage:</p> - -<p>“William the Third, by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, -France, and Ireland, to our true and well-beloved Captain William Kidd, -commander of the ship Adventure. Whereas divers wicked persons commit -many and great piracies, robberies, and depredations on the seas, upon -the coasts of America and other parts, to the hindrance of trade and -the danger of our subjects, we have thought fit to give to the said -William Kidd full authority to seize all such pirates as you may find -on the seas, whether our subjects or the subjects of other nations, -with their ships, and all merchandise or money which shall be found on -board, if they willingly yield themselves. But if they will not yield -without fighting, then you are, by force, to compel them to yield. We -do also require you to bring, or cause to be brought, such pirates, -freebooters, or sea rovers, as you shall seize, to a legal trial, to -the end they may be proceeded against according to the law in such -cases.</p> - -<p>“We enjoin you to keep an exact journal of your proceedings, giving the -names of the ships you may capture, the names of their officers and -crew, and the value of their cargoes, and stores. And we command you, -at your peril, that you do not molest<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">33</a></span> our friends or allies under any -pretence of authority hereby granted. Given the 26th of January, 1695.”</p> - -<p>Captain Kidd at the same time received another document, which -was called a commission of reprisals. This authorized him, as a -privateersman, to take any French merchant ships he might chance to -meet; for there was then war between France and England.</p> - -<p>A ship was purchased, for thirty thousand dollars, called the -Adventure. Of this sum, Captain Kidd and Mr. Livingston furnished three -thousand each. The remainder was contributed by the Earls Bellomont -and Romney, Lord Chancellor Somers, the Lord High Admiral, the Duke -of Shrewsbury, and Sir Henry Harrison. The king, rather ingloriously, -paid nothing. He purchased his share in the enterprise by the royal -patronage.</p> - -<p>It seems that Captain Kidd was a man of high reputation at that time. -It was a large amount of property to be intrusted to his hands; for -the vessel and its outfit must have cost at least fifty thousand -dollars. Mr. Livingston became Kidd’s security that he would faithfully -discharge his duties and account for all his captures. It is said that -Kidd was not pleased with this arrangement, as he was very unwilling -that Mr. Livingston should be his bondsman. He probably, even then, -felt that it might<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">34</a></span> prove an obstacle in his future course. The -operations of the human mind are often inexplicable. He might wish to -<em>steal</em> the ship and turn <em>pirate</em> on his own account. And he could not -<em>honorably</em> do this while his friend was his bondsman. Such pressure -was put upon him that he was constrained to yield.</p> - -<p>Armed with the royal commission, and in command of the Adventure, -Captain Kidd sailed from Plymouth, England, in May, 1696. The frigate -had an armament of thirty guns, and a crew of eighty men. He was -ordered to render his accounts to the Earl of Bellomont in New York. -He sailed up the Narrows, into New York harbor, in July. His wife and -children were in his home there. In crossing the Atlantic, Captain -Kidd came across a French merchantman, which he captured. The prize -was valued at but seventeen hundred dollars. This was considered a -legitimate act of war.</p> - -<p>Captain Kidd knew full well that the enemy he was to encounter would -fight with the utmost desperation, and that he might meet a fleet of -piratic ships, or a single ship, more powerful in men and armament than -his own. He therefore sent out recruiting officers through the streets -of New York, to enlist volunteers. The terms he offered were that every -man should have an equal share of every prize<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">35</a></span> that was taken, after -reserving for himself and the owners forty shares. With these offers he -soon increased his crew to one hundred and fifty-five men.</p> - -<p>Sailing from the harbor of New York, he made first for Madeira, to lay -in a stock of wine. Then he directed his course to the Cape de Verd -Islands, for a supply of salt and provisions. Having obtained these, he -spread his canvas for a long voyage around the Cape of Good Hope, to -the Island of Madagascar, on the eastern coast of Africa. This island -had become renowned as one of the most important rendezvouses of the -pirates.</p> - -<p>Madagascar is larger than Great Britain. The pirates, by aid of their -firearms, their desperate courage, and their superior intelligence, had -gained possession of a considerable portion of the island. The natives -were an inefficient race, copper-colored, with long, black hair. The -pirates had treated them with such enormous cruelty, that the savages -fled before them as if they had been demons.</p> - -<p>In this retreat, so far distant from the abodes of civilization, -the buccaneers had reared forts, and built mansions which they had -converted into harems. From their voyages they returned here enriched -with the plundered commerce of the world, to revel in all sensual -indulgence. They made slaves of their prisoners; married, in their -rude way any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">36</a></span> number they pleased of the most beautiful of the native -females; “so that every one,” writes one of their number, “had as great -a seraglio as the Grand Seignior at Constantinople. At length they -began to separate from each other, each living with his own wives, -slaves, and dependants, like independent princes. As power and plenty -naturally beget contention, they sometimes quarrelled, and attacked -each other at the head of their several armies. In these civil wars -many of them were killed.”</p> - -<p>These reckless men used their power like tyrants. They grew wanton in -cruelty. Nothing was more common than, upon the slightest displeasure, -to cause one of their dependants to be tied to a tree and shot through -the heart. The natives combined for their extermination. The plan would -have succeeded but for betrayal by a woman. They trembled in view of -their narrow escape, and combined for mutual defence.</p> - -<p>These ruffians assumed all the airs of the ancient baronial nobility. -Their dwellings were citadels. They generally chose for their residence -some dense forest, near running water. The house was surrounded by -a rampart and a ditch. The rampart was so high that it could not be -climbed without scaling-ladders. The dwelling was so concealed, in the -dense tropical forest, that it could not be seen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">37</a></span> until you were very -near it. The only approach was so narrow that two could not pass it -abreast. It was contrived in so intricate a manner that, to all not -perfectly familiar with it, it was a perfect labyrinth, with cross -paths where one might wander for hours, lost in the maze.</p> - -<p>All along these narrow paths, large and very sharp thorns, which grew -in that country, were planted in the ground, so as to pierce the feet -of the unshod natives. If any should attempt to approach the house by -night, they would certainly be pierced and torn by those cruel thorns.</p> - -<p>It was a long voyage to Madagascar. Before he reached the island nine -months had elapsed since leaving Plymouth. Captain Kidd had expended -all his money, and his provisions were nearly exhausted. Not a single -prize had they captured by the way. This ill luck caused a general -feeling of murmuring and contention on board. The most amiable are in -danger of losing their amiability in hours of disaster. Rude seamen, -but one remove from pirates, in such seasons of disappointment and -chagrin become almost demons in moroseness.</p> - -<p>One morning the whole ship’s crew were thrown into a state of the most -joyous excitement by the sight of three ships in the distant horizon. -They had no doubt that it was some buccaneer, with two<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">38</a></span> prizes, -heavily laden with the treasures of the Orient. Suddenly all became -very good-natured. Eagerly they prepared for action. They had no fear -that the pirate, with his prizes, could escape their swift-sailing -frigate. The supposed pirate was apparently conscious that escape was -impossible; for he bore down boldly upon them.</p> - -<p>Terrible was the disappointment. Captain Kidd, gazing upon the -approaching vessels through his glass, exclaimed, with an oath, “They -are three English war-ships.”</p> - -<p>Captain Warren was in command of the men-of-war. Meeting thus in -mid-ocean, the two captains interchanged civilities, visited each -other, and kept company for two or three days. It was in the month -of February, <a name="date" id="date"></a><ins title="Orignal has 1666">1696</ins>, that Captain Kidd, coasting along the shores of -Madagascar, approached the harbor upon the island frequented by the -pirates. Here he expected to find treasure in abundance. He had very -decidedly exceeded his orders in leaving the waters of America for the -distant shores of Africa and Asia. Triumphant success, which he was -sanguine of achieving, might cause the disobedience of instructions not -only to be forgiven but applauded. Failure would be to him disgrace and -irretrievable ruin.</p> - -<p>Again Captain Kidd and his crew were doomed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">39</a></span> to disappointment. It so -happened that they arrived at the island at a time when every vessel -was out on a piratic cruise. There was not a single vessel there. All -were growing desperate. Captain Kidd had but very little money left, -and nearly all his provisions were consumed. As hastily as possible he -replenished his water-casks, and taking in a few more stores, weighed -anchor, and voyaged thirteen hundred miles farther east to Malabar, as -the whole western coast of Hindostan was then called, from Cape Comorin -to Bombay.</p> - -<p>He came within sight of these shores in June, four months after his -arrival at Madagascar. For some time he cruised up and down this -coast unavailingly. Not a single sail was to be seen on the boundless -expanse of ocean. There was universal discontent and murmurings on -board the Adventure. The situation of the ship’s company was indeed -deplorable. One-half of the globe was between them and their homes. -Their provisions were nearly all gone, and they had no means with which -to purchase more. It was clear that unless Providence should interpose -in their favor, they must either steal or starve.</p> - -<p>And Providence did, for a time, singularly interpose. As they were one -day sailing by a small island, called Joanna, they saw the wreck of -a ship<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">40</a></span> on shore. Captain Kidd took a boat and was rowed to the land, -where he found that it was a French vessel. The crew had escaped, -having saved quite a quantity of gold. The ship and cargo were a total -loss. The Frenchman, so the narrative goes, <em>loaned</em> this gold to -Captain Kidd. Perhaps he did. It is more probable that it was a forced -loan. Captain Kidd had, as we have mentioned, a double commission, -one against the pirates, and the other a regular commission as a -privateersman against the French. Had he captured the ship before -the wreck it would have been his lawful prize. It is hardly probable -that he had any scruples of conscience in seizing the doubloons when -transferred to the shore.</p> - -<p>With this gold he sailed to one of the ports on the Malabar coast, -where he purchased food sufficient for a few weeks only. There was, -at that time, in Asia, one of the most powerful nations on the globe, -called the Mongols. The emperor, who was almost divinely worshipped, -was titled the Great Mogul. His gorgeous palaces were reared in the -city of Samarcand, in the province of Bokhara. This magnificent city, -thirty miles in circumference, glittered with palaces and mosques -of gorgeous architecture, constructed of white marble. The empire -was founded by the world-renowned Gengis Khan, and extended by the -equally celebrated Tamerlane. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">41</a></span> sails of Mongol commerce whitened -all the East-Indian seas. Piracy then so abounded that this commerce -was generally carried on in fleets under convoy. Upon this cruise of -disappointment and anxiety, Captain Kidd passed several of the ships -of the Great Mogul. He looked upon them with a wistful eye. They were -merchantmen. With his force he could easily capture them. There could -be no doubt that they contained treasure of great value.</p> - -<p>There was loud murmuring among the crew. They could not understand -those scruples of conscience which would allow them to plunder a few -shipwrecked Frenchmen, and yet would turn aside from the rich argosies -of the East.</p> - -<p>But Captain Kidd, a respectable New-York merchant, held in high esteem -by the community, and who had been sent on this expedition expressly to -capture and punish the pirates, was not then prepared to raise himself -the black flag, and thus join the robbers of the seas.</p> - -<p>The struggle, in his mind, was probably very severe. He was daily -growing more desperate. Starvation stared him in the face. His crew was -growing mutinous. He had reason to fear that they would rise, throw him -overboard or land him upon some island, and then, raising the black -flag of the pirate<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">42</a></span>, scour the seas on their own account, and join the -riotous band defiantly established at Madagascar.</p> - -<p>He had no doubt that the powerful company, who had sent him on this -cruise, would overlook any irregularities in plundering wrong vessels, -and would make no troublesome inquiries into his mode of operations, if -he would only bring them home an abundance of gold. On the other hand, -should he fail, he would be dismissed from their service in disgrace, -an utterly ruined man.</p> - -<p>He had learned that the Great Mogul was about to send from the Red -Sea, through the Straits of Babelmandel, a richly freighted fleet of -merchantmen, under convoy, bound to China. The Straits are but about -fifteen miles wide. Consequently there could be no difficulty in -intercepting the fleet.</p> - -<p>Captain Kidd had probably, in his silent thoughts, decided to turn -freebooter. Though as yet he had divulged his secret to no one, and had -committed no overt act, he had passed the Rubicon, and was in heart a -pirate. The change was at once perceptible. He ran his ship in toward -the shore, and coasted along until he came in sight of a village of the -natives, where herds were seen in the fields, and harvests were waving, -and the boughs of the groves were laden with the golden fruit of the -tropics. Doubtless he would have been glad to purchase<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">43</a></span> these stores. -But he had no money. He had reached that point in his career at which -he must either steal or starve.</p> - -<p>He sent several armed boats to the land, and robbed the unresisting -natives without stint. He was not a man to pursue half measures. Having -well revictualled his ship, he turned her bows toward the entrance to -the Red Sea. Summoning his crew before him, he informed them of the -change in his plans.</p> - -<p>“We have been unsuccessful hitherto, my boys,” he said; “but take -courage. Fortune is now about to smile upon us. The fleet of the Great -Mogul, freighted with the richest treasures, is soon to come out of the -Red Sea. From the capture of those heavily laden ships we will all grow -rich.”</p> - -<p>This speech was greeted with shouts of applause by the desperate men -whom he had picked up in the streets of London and New York. He sent -out a swift-sailing boat well manned to enter the Red Sea, and run -along its eastern coast on a voyage of discovery. The boat returned -after an absence of a few days, with the rather alarming intelligence -that they had counted a squadron of fifteen large ships just ready -to sail. While some of them bore the flag of the Great Mogul, at the -mast-head of others floated the banners of England and of Holland.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">44</a></span> -England was in alliance with Holland, and on the most friendly terms -with the Great Mogul. In the commission given to Captain Kidd by the -king it was written:</p> - -<p>“We command you at your peril, that you do not molest our friends or -allies, under any pretence of authority hereby granted.”</p> - -<p>Captain Kidd must have pondered the question deeply and anxiously -before he could have made up his mind to become an utter outlaw, by -attacking a fleet composed of ships belonging not only to England’s -friend, and to England’s ally, but also containing England’s ships. -Neither did he yet know how strong the convoy by which the fleet was -guarded.</p> - -<p>He, however, while weighing these thoughts in his anxious mind, sailed -to and fro before the mouth of the Strait, keeping a vigilant watch at -the mast-head. After the lapse of four days the squadron hove in sight, -far away on the northern horizon. As the vessels approached, Captain -Kidd carefully scrutinized them through his glass. His experienced eye -soon perceived that the fleet was convoyed by two men-of-war, the one -English, the other Dutch. This added to his embarrassment, and greatly -increased his peril in case he should attempt an assault.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">45</a></span> -The fleet was much scattered; for, strong in its guard, no danger was -apprehended. Kidd’s vessel was concealed from the general view behind -a headland. His ship was a swift sailer, and he had an immense amount -of canvas, which he could almost instantaneously spread to the breeze. -There was a large, bulky Mongol ship, laden to the gunwales, slowly -ploughing its way through the waves, approaching the point where the -pirate lay concealed. The guard ships were at the distance of several -miles.</p> - -<p>Captain Kidd darted out upon the galleon like an eagle upon its prey. -He probably hoped to capture it, plunder it, and make his escape before -the war-vessels could come to its rescue. He opened fire upon the ship. -But the convoy, instantly taking the alarm, pressed all sail, and bore -rapidly down upon him, opening a vigorous fire from their heavy guns. -Kidd could not think of contending with them. His chance was gone. He -sheered off, and soon his cloud of swelling canvas disappeared beyond -the southern horizon. The armed frigates could not pursue him. They -were compelled to remain behind to protect the slowly sailing fleet.</p> - -<p>Captain Kidd, imbittered by constant failure, was now a disappointed, -chagrined, exasperated,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">46</a></span> desperate man. He was ready for any -enterprise, however atrocious, which would bring him money. He ran back -to the coast of Malabar. Cruising along, he soon came in sight of a -native vessel. Kidd captured it without a struggle. It was called the -Maiden, belonged to some merchants of Aden, but was commanded by an -Englishman by the name of Parker. The mate, Antonio, was a Portuguese, -familiar with the language of the country.</p> - -<p>There was nothing of value on board. Kidd, having resolutely embarked -on a piratic cruise, impressed the captain, Parker, as pilot in those -unknown waters. The mate he retained as an interpreter. Vexed in -finding no gold, and believing that the crew had concealed it, he -treated them with the utmost cruelty to extort a confession of where -they had hid the coin. They were hoisted up by the arms and beaten with -terrible severity. But all was in vain. No amount of torture could -bring to light gold which did not exist.</p> - -<p>The pirate, having robbed the poor men of a bale of pepper and a bale -of coffee, with a few pieces of Arabian gold, contemptuously turned -them adrift, bleeding and almost helpless in their exhaustion. After -continuing his cruise for some time without any success, Kidd ran into -a small port, on the Malabar coast, called Carawar. There were several -English<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">47</a></span> merchants residing in that place. The tidings had already -reached them of the capture of the Aden vessel, the impressment of the -English captain and the Portuguese mate, and the cruel treatment of the -crew.</p> - -<p>As soon as Captain Kidd entered the port, it was suspected that he was -the pirate. Two English gentlemen, Mr. Harvey and Mr. Mason, came on -board, and charged him with the crime, asking him what he had done with -his two captives, Captain Parker and the Portuguese mate. Kidd assumed -an air of injured innocence, denied that he had any knowledge of the -event, showed them his commission from the King of England as the head -of a company of the most illustrious nobles to pursue and punish the -pirates. Triumphantly he submitted the question if it were reasonable -to suppose that a man who enjoyed the confidence of the king and his -nobles, and was intrusted by them to lead an enterprise so essential to -the national honor, should himself turn pirate.</p> - -<p>The gentlemen were silenced, but not convinced. All this time Parker -and Antonio the Portuguese were concealed in a private place in the -hold. There he kept them carefully guarded eight days, until he again -set sail. Just after he had left the port, a Portuguese man-of-war -entered. The English<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">48</a></span> merchants communicated to the commander their -suspicions. He immediately put to sea in search of the Adventure, -resolved, should he overtake her, carefully to examine the hold, hoping -to find the captives on board, or at least some evidence of their -having been there.</p> - -<p>The two ships met. Kidd was by no means disposed to have his vessel -searched. A fierce battle ensued which lasted for six hours. Neither -vessel was disposed to come to close quarters until the other was -disabled. Kidd at length, finding the Portuguese ship too strong for -him, spread all his sails and escaped. With his vast amount of canvas -he could run away from almost any foe. Ten of his men were wounded in -this conflict, but none killed.</p> - -<p>Again these desperate men found it necessary to run into the land for -provisions. They entered a small port called Porco. Here they filled -their water-casks, and “bought,” Kidd says, a sufficient number of hogs -of the natives to victual the company. As it is known that Kidd had -no money, it is probable that the swine were obtained by that kind of -moral suasion which is found in the muzzle of a pistol and the edge of -a sabre.</p> - -<p>This suspicion is confirmed by the fact that the natives, in their -exasperation, killed one of his men. The retaliation was characteristic -of the crew and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">49</a></span> the times. Captain Kidd brought his guns to bear upon -the village. With broadside after broadside he laid their huts in -ruins. The torch was applied, and in an hour the peaceful village was -converted into mouldering ashes.</p> - -<p>One of the natives was caught. They bound him to a tree, and then a -whole boat’s company, one after another, discharged each a bullet into -his heart. Having achieved this exploit, which they probably thought -chivalric, but which others may deem fiendish, Captain Kidd again -spread his sails for a piratic cruise.</p> - -<p>The first vessel he came across was a large Mongol ship richly -freighted. Kidd gave chase, unfurling the French flag. The captain was -a Dutchman, by the name of Mitchel. Seeing that he was pursued under -French colors, he immediately ran up the banner of France. Captain Kidd -at once spread to the breeze the flag of England. He was very exultant. -He could lay aside the odious character of a pirate, and seize the ship -in the less disgraceful capacity of a privateersman. He exclaimed with -an oath, “I have caught you. You are a free prize to England.”</p> - -<p>A cannon-ball was thrown across the bows of the ship, and she was -ordered to heave to. The ship was hailed in the French language, and -some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">50</a></span> one replied in the same tongue. They were then ordered to send -their boat on board. The boat came bearing the captain of the ship, who -was a Dutchman, by the name of Mitchel, and a French gentleman by the -name of Le Roy.</p> - -<p>Kidd received them in his cabin, and upon inquiry ascertained that the -ship and cargo belonged to Mongol merchants; that they had intrusted -the command to a Dutch captain, as was not unfrequently the case in -those days, and that the French gentleman was merely a passenger -accidently on board, passing from one port to another.</p> - -<p>These tidings, to use a sailor’s phrase, “struck him all aback.” -Holland, as we have mentioned, was England’s ally. The Great Mogul was -England’s friend. Kidd must release the ship, or confess himself a -pirate and an outlaw, and run the imminent risk of being hanged should -he ever return to England. For a moment he seemed lost in thought, -bewildered. Then his wicked mind, now rapidly descending into the abyss -of sin and shame, rested in a decisive resolve.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">51</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="iii" id="iii"></a>CHAPTER III.<br /> -<em>Piratic Adventures.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">Audacity of Kidd.—Fate of the November.—Kidd kills William -Moore.—The Renowned Ballad.—Kidd’s Compunctions.—Kidd at -Madagascar.—Piratic Carousals.—The Artificial Hell.—Kidd’s -Return to the West Indies.—Exaggerated Reports of -Avery.—His wretched Career, and wretched End.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Captain Kidd</span>, with a piratic frown upon his brow, and piratic oaths -upon his lips, turned to Mr. Le Roy and said:</p> - -<p>“Do you pretend that this is not a French ship, and that you are but a -passenger on board?”</p> - -<p>“It is so,” Mr. Le Roy politely replied. “I am a stranger in these -parts, and have merely taken passage on board this native ship, under -Captain Mitchel, on my way to Bombay.”</p> - -<p>“It is a lie,” said the pirate, as he drew from his belt a pistol and -cocked it. “This is a French ship, and you are its captain; and it is -my lawful prize. If you deny this, you shall instantly die.”</p> - -<p>The features of Kidd, and his words blended with oaths, convinced Mr. -Le Roy that he was in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">52</a></span> the hands of a desperate man, who would shrink -from no crime. He was silent. Kidd then added:</p> - -<p>“I seize this ship as my legitimate prize. It belongs to a French -subject, and is sailing under the French flag. I have a commission from -his majesty the King of England to seize all such ships in his name.”</p> - -<p>It seems strange that Kidd, after the many lawless acts of which he -had already been guilty, should have deemed it of any consequence to -have recourse to so wretched a quibble. But the incident shows that the -New-York merchant, formerly of good reputation, still recoiled from the -thought of plunging headlong into a piratic career. By observing these -forms he could, in this case, should he ever have occasion to do so, -claim the protection of the royal commission authorizing him to capture -French ships.</p> - -<p>Kidd took his prize, which he called the November, because it was -captured in that month, into one of the East-Indian ports, and sold -ship and cargo for what they would fetch. What the amount was, or -how he divided it, is not known. Again he resumed his cruise. It was -evident that he had become anxious to renounce the career of pirate, -upon which he had barely entered, and resume that of privateersman. -They soon came across a Dutch ship, unmistakably such, in build and -flag and rigging.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">53</a></span> The crew clamored for its capture; Kidd resolutely -opposed it. A mutiny arose. A minority of the ship’s company adhered to -the captain. The majority declared that they would arm the boats and go -and seize her.</p> - -<p>The captain, with drawn sabre in his hand, and pistols in his belt, and -surrounded by those still faithful to him, stood upon her quarter-deck -and said to the mutineers, firmly:</p> - -<p>“You may take the boats and go. But those who thus leave this ship will -never ascend its sides again.”</p> - -<p>One of the men, a gunner by the name of William Moore, was particularly -violent and abusive. With threatening gestures he approached the -captain, assailing him in the most vituperative terms, saying:</p> - -<p>“You are ruining us all. You are keeping us in beggary and starvation. -But for your whims we might all be prosperous and rich.”</p> - -<p>The captain was by no means a meek man. In his ungovernable passion he -seized an iron-bound bucket, which chanced to be lying at his side, and -gave the mutineer such a blow as fractured his skull and struck him -senseless to the deck. Of the wound the gunner died the next day. Not -many will feel disposed to censure Captain Kidd very severely for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">54</a></span> this -act. It was not a premeditated murder. It was perhaps a necessary deed, -in quelling a mutiny, in which the mutineers were demanding that the -black flag of the pirate should be raised, and which demand the captain -was resisting. And yet it is probable that this blow sent Kidd to the -gallows. Upon his subsequent trial, but little evidence of piracy could -be adduced, and the death of Moore was the prominent charge brought -against him.</p> - -<p>Kidd ever averred that it was a virtuous act, and that it did not -trouble his conscience. It was done to prevent piracy and mutiny. He -also averred that he had no intention to <em>kill</em> the man. Had he so -intended he would have used pistol or sabre. In the ballad which, half -a century ago, was sung in hundreds of farm-houses in New England, the -lullaby of infancy, the event is alluded to in the following words:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poem"><div class="verse"> -<div class="line outdent">“I murdered William Moore, as I sailed, as I sailed,</div> -<div class="line">I murdered William Moore as I sailed;</div> -<div class="line">I murdered William Moore, and left him in his gore,</div> -<div class="line">Not many leagues from shore, as I sailed.”</div> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>We will give a few more verses to show the general character of this -ballad of twenty-five stanzas, once so popular, now forgotten:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poem"> -<div class="verse"> -<div class="line outdent">“My name was William Kidd, when I sailed, when I sailed,</div> -<div class="line">My name was William Kidd when I sailed,</div> -<div class="line">My name was William Kidd, God’s laws I did forbid,</div> -<div class="line">And so wickedly I did when I sailed.</div><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">55</a></span> -</div> -<div class="verse"> -<div class="line outdent">“Thus being o’ertaken at last, I must die, I must die,</div> -<div class="line">Thus being o’ertaken at last, I must die;</div> -<div class="line">Thus being o’ertaken at last, and into prison cast,</div> -<div class="line">And sentence being pass’d, I must die.</div> -</div> -<div class="verse"> -<div class="line outdent">“To Newgate now I’m cast, and must die, and must die,</div> -<div class="line">To Newgate now I’m cast, and must die,</div> -<div class="line">To Newgate now I’m cast, with sad and heavy heart,</div> -<div class="line">To receive my just desert, I must die.</div> -</div> -<div class="verse"> -<div class="line outdent">“To Execution Dock I must go, I must go,</div> -<div class="line">To Execution Dock I must go;</div> -<div class="line">To Execution Dock will many thousands flock,</div> -<div class="line">But I must bear my shock, and must die.</div> -</div> -<div class="verse"> -<div class="line outdent">“Come all ye young and old, see me die, see me die,</div> -<div class="line">Come all ye young and old, see me die;</div> -<div class="line">Come all ye young and old, you’re welcome to my gold,</div> -<div class="line">For by it I’ve lost my soul, and must die.”</div> -</div></div> - -<p>The Dutchman had no consciousness of the peril to which he had been -exposed. The two ships kept company for several days, and then -separated. Is it possible that all this time Kidd was hesitating -whether to raise the black flag and seize the prize? It looks like it; -for a few days after the Dutch ship had disappeared, quite a fleet of -Malabar boats were met with, laden with provisions and other articles -which Kidd needed. Unscrupulously he plundered them all. Probably he -had no fears that tidings of the outrage would ever reach England. And -even if a rumor of the deed were ever to reach those distant shores, he -had no apprehension that England<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">56</a></span> would trouble herself to punish him -for a little harsh treatment of semi-savages on the coast of Malabar.</p> - -<p>A few days after this robbery a Portuguese ship hove in sight. Kidd’s -moral nature was every hour growing weaker. He could no longer resist -the temptation to seize the prize. He robbed the vessel of articles to -the estimated value of two thousand dollars, and let her go, inflicting -no injury upon the ship’s company.</p> - -<p>For three weeks they continued to cruise over a sailless sea, when one -morning, about the middle of December, an immense mass of canvas was -seen rising over the distant horizon. It proved to be a native ship of -four hundred tons burden. The ship was called the Quedagh Merchant, was -very richly laden, and was commanded by an Englishman, Captain Wright. -The wealthy merchants of the East were fully aware of the superior -nautical skill of the English seaman, and were eager to intrust their -important ventures to European commanders.</p> - -<p>Kidd unfurled the French flag, chased the ship, and soon overtook -it. A cannon-ball whistling over the heads of the crew was the very -significant hint with which the ship was commanded to heave to. Kidd -ordered the captain to lower his boat and come on board the Adventure. -The captain obeyed and informed the pirate that all the crew were East<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">57</a></span> -Indians, excepting two Dutchmen and one Frenchman, and that the ship -belonged exclusively to East-Indian merchants.</p> - -<p>Kidd took piratic possession of the ship. He had not the shadow of a -claim to it on the ground of his commission as a privateersman. He -landed the officers and the crew, in boatload after boatload, upon -the shore, and left them to shift for themselves. One or two of the -merchants who owned the ship and cargo were on board. They offered the -pirate twenty thousand rupees, which was equivalent to about fifteen -thousand dollars, to ransom the property. Kidd declined the offer.</p> - -<p>His own ship, after such long voyaging, was leaky and much in want -of repairs. The Quedagh Merchant was far superior to the Adventure. -He therefore transferred all his stores to his prize. The torch was -applied to the Adventure, and the ill-fated ship soon disappeared in a -cloud of smoke and flame. Kidd, now a confirmed pirate, directed his -course toward the great rendezvous of the pirates at Madagascar. Here -the prize was valued at sixty-four thousand pounds, or about three -hundred and twenty thousand dollars.</p> - -<p>Still this strange man assumed that he was acting under the royal -commission, in behalf of the London company; and these treasures were -the legitimate<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">58</a></span> plunder of a piratic ship. He therefore reserved forty -shares for himself and the company. There were about one hundred and -fifty men composing this piratic crew. Each man received about two -thousand dollars. Kidd’s portion amounted to nearly eighty thousand -dollars.</p> - -<p>In the pirates’ harbor at Madagascar, Kidd found a large ship, the -Resolution, belonging to the East India Company, which the captain, a -man by the name of Culliford, with the crew, had seized and turned into -a pirate. It was clearly Kidd’s duty, under his commission, at once -to attack and capture this piratic ship. When Captain Culliford saw -him entering the harbor with his powerful and well-armed ship, he was -terrified. The pirates had heard of Captain Kidd’s commission, and had -not yet learned that he had turned pirate himself. Captain Culliford, -with the gallows in vision before him, and trembling in every nerve, -for there was no possibility of escape, sent some officers, in a boat, -on board the Quedagh Merchant, to ascertain Captain Kidd’s intention.</p> - -<p>It was testified at the subsequent trial of Kidd, that he stood upon -his deck and received with open arms the piratic officers as they came -up over the ship’s side, that he invited them to his cabin, where they -had a great carouse in drinking and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">59</a></span> smoking; and that in the frenzy of -drink he offered for a toast:</p> - -<p>“May damnation seize my soul if I harm a hair of the head of any one on -board the Culliford.”</p> - -<p>It was declared that he received large presents of bales of silk from -the piratic captain, and sold him some heavy ordnance, with suitable -ammunition, for two thousand dollars; and that he was on the most -friendly terms with Culliford, exchanging frequent visits with him.</p> - -<p>On the other hand, Kidd emphatically denied all these charges. He said, -“I never stepped foot on board Captain Culliford’s ship. When I entered -the harbor and ascertained the character of the craft, I ordered my men -to prepare for action. But the mutinous crew, who had already compelled -me to resort to measures against which my soul revolted, peremptorily -refused, saying that they would rather fire two shots into my vessel -than one into that of Captain Culliford. The mutiny became so menacing -that my life was in danger. The turbulent crew rifled my chest, stole -my journal, took possession of the ammunition. I was compelled to -barricade myself in the cabin. The mutineers held the ship, and being -beyond all control, acted according to their own good pleasure. I was -in no degree responsible for their conduct.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">60</a></span> -The captain’s statement was not credited by the court. At the same -time it was quite evident that he had lost the control of his crew. -His testimony was, however, in some degree borne out by the fact that -ninety-five of his men in a body deserted him, and joined the piratic -crew of Captain Culliford. This would seem to prove conclusively that -Captain Kidd was not sufficiently piratical in his measures to satisfy -the demands of the mutineers.</p> - -<p>For several weeks these guilty and wretched men remained in the “own -place” of the pirates, indulging in every species of bacchanal wassail -and sensual vice, amidst their palaces and in their harems. Their -revelry could not have been exceeded by any scenes ever witnessed in -Sodom or Gomorrah. There were between five and six hundred upon the -island. They were continually coming and going. Some of them were so -rich that they remained at home cultivating quite large plantations by -slave labor. They amused themselves by hunting, and in the wide meadows -and forests found abundant game. The arrival of a ship in the harbor -was the signal for an universal carouse. They endeavored to magnify the -charms of their women by dressing them gorgeously in silks and satins, -with glittering jewelry.</p> - -<p>Often a pipe of wine would be placed upon the shore, the head taken -out, and the community would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">61</a></span> drink of it as they pleased, as freely -as if it were water. Drunken pirates reeled through the streets. Oaths -filled the air. Knives gleamed, and pistols were discharged, and there -were wounds and death. In the midst of all their revelry and wantonness -and brawls, it is evident from the record we have of those days, that -a more unhappy, wretched set of beings could scarcely be found this -side of the world of woe. There was not a joy to be found there. There -were no peaceful homes; no loving husbands and wives; no happy children -climbing the parental knee and enfolded in parental arms; and in death -nothing but a “fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation.”</p> - -<p>These wretched pirates were hateful and hating. Satiated with vice, -they knew not where to turn for a single joy. Their shouts of laughter -fell discordantly upon the ear like the revelry of demons. Satan never -allows his votaries any happiness either in this world or in that which -is to come. Wisdom’s ways only are ways of pleasantness, and her paths -alone are those of peace.</p> - -<p>How far Captain Kidd entered into these godless carousals is not -known. But it is not probable that he was then able to throw off all -restraint, and become hail-fellow with these vulgar, degraded, profane -wretches, whom in heart he must have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">62</a></span> despised. Neither is it probable -that one accustomed to the society in which an honored New-York -merchant would move, could so soon have formed a taste for the drunken -revelry of the lowest and vilest creatures on earth.</p> - -<p>It is evident that these men had occasionally reproaches of conscience, -and some faint sense of their terrible responsibility at God’s bar. -Four of them decided one day to make a little artificial hell for -themselves, that they might see who could stand its pains the longest.</p> - -<p>A cloudless tropical sun blistered the deck with its blazing rays. -The cabin was heated like an oven. In addition to this, they built a -fire in the stove, till the iron plates were red hot. They then with -blaspheming oaths entered this furnace, and sprinkled brimstone upon -the fire till the room was filled with its suffocating fumes. One of -these wretches, apparently as fiend-like as a man could be, bore the -pains of this little artificial hell for five minutes. None of the -others could endure them so long. The victor came out very exultant. -One would have thought that the idea would have occurred to their minds -that there was some considerable difference between five minutes and -eternity.</p> - -<p>We do not learn that any of these men were made better by the brief -endurance of their self-inflicted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">63</a></span> tortures. The mind is appalled by -the thought that these same men, when transferred to the spirit land, -<em>may</em> be as persistent in their hostility to all God’s laws as they -were here.</p> - -<p>Captain Kidd found himself abandoned by nearly all his crew. He -remained in port only long enough to recruit sufficient men to navigate -his ship, and then, spreading the sails of his stolen vessel, the -Quedagh Merchant, he set out for the West Indies, with his ill-gotten -treasure of eighty thousand dollars. The news of Kidd’s piratic acts -had been reported to the home government by the East India Company. -Orders had accordingly been issued to all the governors of the American -colonies to arrest him wherever he should appear.</p> - -<p>The voyage from Madagascar to the West Indies was long and tempestuous. -Not a single sail appeared in sight. Day after day the ocean was spread -out in all its solitary grandeur before these guilty, discontented men. -At length, in a very destitute condition, the ship reached Anguilla, -or Snake Island, so called from its tortuous figure. This is the most -northerly of the Caribbee Islands, and there was a small English colony -here.</p> - -<p>As Kidd dropped anchor in the little harbor he was greeted by the -intelligence that he had been officially, in England, proclaimed a -pirate; that his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">64</a></span> conduct had been discussed in Parliament; that -a committee had been appointed to inquire into the character of -the company which had commissioned him, and into the nature of -the commission he had received; that a British man-of-war, the -Queensborough, had been dispatched in pursuit of him, and that a royal -proclamation had been issued, offering pardon to all who had been -guilty of piracy, eastward of the Cape of Good Hope, before the last -day of April, 1699, excepting William Kidd, and another notorious -buccaneer by the name of Avery.</p> - -<p>This Avery had obtained great renown, and the most extravagant -stories were reported and universally believed in reference to his -achievements. It was said that this pirate had attained almost imperial -wealth, dignity, and power; that he had become the proud founder of -a new monarchy in the East, whose sceptre he swayed in undisputed -absolutism. His exploits were celebrated in a play called, “The -Successful Pirate,” which was performed to admiring audiences in all -the theatres.</p> - -<p>According to these representations, Avery had captured a ship, -belonging to the Great Mogul, and laden with the richest treasures. On -board the imperial ship there was a beautiful princess, the daughter -of the Great Mogul. Avery had married her. The father, reigning over -boundless realms, had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">65</a></span> recognized the union, and had assigned to Avery -vast territories in the East, where millions were subject to his -control. He occupied one of the most magnificent of Oriental palaces, -had several children, and was surrounded with splendors of royalty -quite unknown in the Western world. He had a squadron of ships manned -by the most desperate fellows of all nations. In his own name he issued -commissions to the captains of his ships and the commanders of his -forts, and they all recognized his princely authority.</p> - -<p>His piracies were still continued on a scale commensurate with his -power. Many schemes were offered to the royal council of England for -fitting out a squadron to disperse his fleets and to take him captive. -Others affirmed that he was altogether too powerful to be assailed in -that way. They urged the expediency of sending an embassage to his -court, and inviting him and his companions to come to England with -all their treasures, assuring him of a hospitable reception and of -the oblivion of all the past. They feared that unless these peaceful -measures were adopted, his ever-increasing greatness would enable him -to annihilate all commerce with the East.</p> - -<p>These rumors were so far from having any foundation in truth, that at -the same time that such wondrous tales were told, the wretch was a -fugitive,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">66</a></span> wandering in disguise through England, trembling in view of -the scaffold, and with scarcely a shilling in his pocket. His career -was sufficiently extraordinary to merit a brief notice here.</p> - -<p>Avery was born in one of the western seaports of England, and from a -boy was bred to the hardships and the degradation of a rude sailor’s -life. He was educated only in profanity, intemperance, and vice. As -he grew up to stout boyhood he became a bold smuggler, even running -contraband goods on shore on the far-away coasts of Peru. The Spaniards -were poorly provided with war-ships to guard from what they deemed -illicit traffic their immense regions in the New World.</p> - -<p>They therefore hired at Bristol a stout English ship, called the Duke. -It was manned chiefly by English seamen. Captain Gibson was commander. -Avery was first mate. The captain was a gambler, fond of his cups, and -he often lingered many days in foreign ports, spending his time in -haunts of dissipation.</p> - -<p>Avery was a fellow of more cunning than courage. He despised the -captain, and formed a conspiracy with the most desperate men on board, -to get rid of the captain and any sailors who might adhere to him, run -away with the ship, and crossing over to the distant waters of the East -Indies, reap a harvest of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">67</a></span> wealth from the commerce which whitened -those seas.</p> - -<p>The ship was one day at anchor in a South American port. The plan had -been, that night, when the captain was on shore, to weigh anchor, -leaving the captain behind, and to set out on their cruise. But it so -happened that the captain, that night, having drank deeply, did not go -on shore as usual, but, at an early hour, went to bed. All the crew, -excepting the conspirators, were either on shore or had retired to -their berths.</p> - -<p>At ten o’clock at night the long-boat of the Duke came to the ship’s -side, bringing sixteen stout desperadoes, whom Avery had enlisted from -the vagabonds of all nations who thronged the port. They were received -on board; the hatches were closed; and then, everything being secure, -the anchor was leisurely weighed, and the ship put to sea.</p> - -<p>The motion of the ship and the noise of the running tackles awoke the -drunken captain, and he rang his bell. Avery, with two sailors, entered -the cabin. The captain was sitting up in his berth, rubbing his eyes, -and evidently much alarmed.</p> - -<p>“What is the matter?” he exclaimed in hurried Accents. “Something is -the matter with the ship. Does she drive? What weather is it?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">68</a></span> -“Nothing is the matter,” said Avery coolly; “only we are at sea, with a -fair wind and good weather.”</p> - -<p>“At sea!” said Gibson. “How can that be?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be in a fright,” Avery replied. “Put on your clothes, and I will -tell you a little secret. <em>I</em> am now captain of this ship. This is my -cabin, and you must walk out of it. I am bound to Madagascar, with -the design of making my own fortune and that of all the brave fellows -joined with me.”</p> - -<p>The captain was now completely sobered. In anticipation of immediate -death his terror was pitiable. Avery endeavored to console him with the -not very consolable words:</p> - -<p>“You have nothing to fear, captain, if you will join us, keep sober, -and do your duty. If you behave well, I may, perhaps, some time, make -you one of my lieutenants. Or, if you prefer, here is a boat along -side, and we will put you ashore.”</p> - -<p>The terror-stricken man begged to be landed. The rest of the crew -were brought up, and all who wished to go on shore with the captain -were permitted to do so. But five or six availed themselves of the -privilege. All the rest joined the piratic crew. The captain and his -few adherents were placed in the boat and turned adrift, to make their -way to the land as best they could. The carousing pirates<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">69</a></span> directed -their course to Madagascar. Here they found two piratic vessels, with -whose crews they entered into close alliance. The three vessels, under -Avery as admiral, set out on a cruise.</p> - -<p>Upon the Arabian coast, near the mouth of the Indus, the man at the -mast-head cried out, “A sail.” They ran down upon her, and fired a -cannon-ball across her bows. But the vessel, instead of yielding at -once, hoisted the Mogul’s colors, and cleared her decks for battle. -Avery kept at a distance, cannonading her with his heavy guns, and not -approaching within reach of the shot of his foe. He thus lost greatly -reputation with his men, who regarded him as a coward. The crews of the -two accompanying sloops, with their decks swarming with pirates, ran -one upon the bow and the other upon the quarter, and clambering over -the bulwarks of the heavily laden merchantman, took her by storm.</p> - -<p>It is true, as the story had it, that the vessel belonged to the -emperor, or Great Mogul, himself. His daughter was on board, as well as -several of the most distinguished personages of his court. They were -bound on a pilgrimage to Mecca, with the richest treasures to present -at the shrine of Mohammed. They had costly silks, precious jewels, -vessels of gold and silver, and large sums of money. The booty obtained -from this prize was immense.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">70</a></span> -Having plundered the ship of everything they wanted, the pirates let -her go. The Mogul, when he heard the tidings, was greatly enraged. He -threatened to send an army, with fire and sword, utterly to exterminate -the English in all their East-Indian colonies. The East India Company, -in England, was greatly alarmed. They immediately dispatched an -embassage to the Great Mogul to pacify him. They promised, in the name -of the British Government, to pursue the pirates with the utmost vigor, -and, if captured, to deliver them over into his hands.</p> - -<p>In the mean time the successful buccaneers were making their way back -to their rendezvous at Madagascar. There they intended to store their -booty, erect a fortification for its defence, garrison it with men of -desperate valor, and then to set out again on another cruise. As they -were sailing along, with this design, each of the vessels having a -portion of the plunder, the villanous Avery sent for the chief officers -of each of the vessels to come on board the Duke. He then said to them:</p> - -<p>“We have immense treasure, sufficient to enrich us all for life, if -we can only get it to some secure place on shore. But we are in great -danger of being separated by bad weather. In that case, should either -of the sloops meet any ship of force,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">71</a></span> it would be captured. But the -Duke, in build and armament, is superior to any ship to be encountered -in these waters. My ship is so well manned that she can defy any foe; -and moreover, she is such a swift sailer, that she can easily escape -any other ship, if she does not wish to fight.</p> - -<p>“I therefore propose, for our mutual safety, that we put all the -treasure on board the Duke. We can seal up each chest with three seals, -of which each vessel shall keep one. The chests shall not be opened -until we open them together at the rendezvous.”</p> - -<p>This proposal seemed so reasonable that they all agreed to it. All the -treasure was transferred to the Duke. Avery then said to the villains -who surrounded him:</p> - -<p>“We have now the whole treasure at our own control. Let us, at night, -give the rest a slip, and sail for unknown parts in North America. We -can go ashore, divide our wealth, and with ample riches settle wherever -we please.”</p> - -<p>We have heard that there is honor among thieves. Among these thieves -there was none. Not a dissentient voice was heard. All agreed to -the plan. In the darkness of the ensuing night the ship changed her -course, and in the morning the crews of the two sloops searched the -horizon in vain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">72</a></span> for any sight of her. They knew by the fairness of the -weather, and the course they were pursuing, that the flight had been -intentional. The reader must be left to surmise the scenes of confusion -and profanity which must have been witnessed on board these piratic -crafts.</p> - -<p>The first land the Duke made in America was the Island of Providence. -Here Avery sold the ship, pretending that it had been fitted out as a -privateer, but having been unsuccessful, the owners had ordered her -to be disposed of, as soon as any purchasers could be found. With a -portion of the proceeds a small sloop was bought, and the buccaneers -sailed for Boston, New England. Avery, thief as he was, had concealed -the greater part of the diamonds, of whose great value the crew were -ignorant.</p> - -<p>At Boston they landed. Many of the men received their shares, and -scattered throughout New England. Avery was afraid to offer his -diamonds for sale there, where diamonds were so unusual a commodity, -lest suspicion should be excited. He persuaded a few of his companions -to accompany him to Ireland. They landed at one of the northern ports -and there separated. Avery went to Dublin. He was still afraid to offer -his diamonds for sale, lest inquiry should lead to the discovery of his -manner<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">73</a></span> of acquiring them. He thus found himself in poverty with all -his wealth.</p> - -<p>After remaining some time in Ireland under a feigned name, and ever -trembling at his shadow he crossed over to Bristol. Here he fell in -with some sharpers, who, getting a hint of the treasures he had to -dispose of, took him under their especial care. They wormed most of -his secrets out of him, and then recommended that he should dispose -of his jewels to an established firm of wealth and credit, who, being -accustomed to great transactions, would make no inquiries as to the way -he obtained his treasure.</p> - -<p>Avery, not knowing what to do, assented to this proposal. The sharpers -brought some men whom they introduced to Avery as gentlemen of the -highest standing in the jewelry business. Avery exhibited to them his -diamonds and pearls, and many vessels of massive gold. They took them -to sell on commission. This was the last he saw of his stolen wealth. -To his remonstrances he received only the reply:</p> - -<p>“If you speak a word out loud, we will have you hung for piracy.”</p> - -<p>Utterly beggared, and terrified by these menaces, he again, in -disguise, and under a feigned name, crossed over to Ireland. Here -his destitution and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">74</a></span> distress became so great, for he was absolutely -constrained to beg for his bread, that he resolved to go back to -Bristol, and demand payment for his treasure at whatever hazard. He -worked his passage in a small coasting vessel to Plymouth, and walked -to Biddeford. Here, overcome with fatigue and suffering, both mental -and bodily, he was seized with a fever, died, and, not one penny being -found in his pockets, was buried at the expense of the parish as a -vagabond pauper.</p> - -<p>Such was the end of the pirate Avery, of whom such extravagant stories -had been told. It was while he was in this extreme of poverty in -England, and when it was supposed that he was rioting in successful -piracy in the East, that the Government coupled his name with that of -Captain Kidd, denouncing them as outlaws, and declaring that their sins -were too great to be forgiven, and that if arrested, the gallows was -their inevitable doom.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">75</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="iv" id="iv"></a>CHAPTER IV<br /> -<em>Arrest, Trial, and Condemnation of Kidd.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">Appalling Tidings.—Trip to Curacoa.—Disposal of the Quedagh -Merchant.—Purchase of the Antonio.—Trembling Approach -toward New York.—Measures for the Arrest of Kidd.—He -enters Delaware Bay.—Touches at Oyster Bay and Block -Island.—Communications with the Government.—Sails for -Boston.—His Arrest.—Long Delays.—Public Rumors.—His Trial -and Condemnation.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Captain Kidd</span> was greatly disturbed in learning at Anguilla that he had -been denounced as a pirate, proscribed as an outlaw, and that he with -the notorious Avery was expressly excluded from the pardon offered -by the king to other buccaneers. He had thus far flattered himself -with the hope that he could make it appear that all the prizes he had -captured belonged to the French, and were legitimately taken under his -commission as a privateersman. He also had placed much confidence in -the support of the distinguished men composing the company by which he -had been commissioned. The large wealth which he had expected to bring -back to them, he thought, would unite their powerful influence in his -support.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">76</a></span> -But instead of this, it now appeared that the company was disposed to -make him their “scapegoat.” They had been so severely condemned, as if -responsible for the conduct of their agent, that in self-defence they -became the loudest of his assailants, denouncing him in the severest -terms, and clamoring most loudly that all seas should be explored to -catch and hang the miscreant. It was these political complications, -united with the renown of the company of king and nobles, which gave -the name of Captain Kidd prominence far above anything which his -achievements would warrant. It was known that he had been scouring the -East-Indian seas with one of the most powerful of English ships, and -it was surmised that he had accumulated wealth sufficient to found an -empire. What became of this boundless wealth? This was the question -which agitated England and America, and which set the money-diggers at -work in so many different places.</p> - -<p>Captain Kidd and his crew, at Anguilla, were greatly alarmed. They kept -a careful watch of the horizon from the mast-head, fearing every hour -that they should see the flag of an English man-of-war approaching to -convey them to trial and the scaffold. About a thousand miles south of -Anguilla, there was, on the coast of Venezuela, the little island of -Curacoa. It was but about forty miles long, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">77</a></span> fourteen broad, and, -belonging to the Dutch, was quite outside of the usual course of the -British ships.</p> - -<p>To this place Kidd repaired to lay in supplies, of which he was greatly -in need. Though he had heard of his proscription, he was not fully -aware of the strength of hostility which was arrayed against him. He -still clung to the hope that no evidence could be brought to prove that -he had acted in any other capacity than that of a privateersman.</p> - -<p>But the very ship in which he sailed was evidence against him. The -Quedagh Merchant, the property of the Great Mogul, was undeniably an -East-Indian ship belonging to a friendly power, whom Kidd was expressly -prohibited from assailing. He could not safely approach any English -port in this ship. He accordingly purchased at Curacoa the small -sloop Antonio, from Philadelphia. In this he placed his most portable -treasures of doubloons, gold-dust, jewels, and vessels of silver and of -gold, and with a crew of forty men set sail for New York. He kept the -Quedagh Merchant in company with him as far as the southern coast of -San Domingo. There he left the bulky ship, with a crew of twenty-two -pirates, under command of a man by the name of Bolton. The ship had a -very valuable cargo of one hundred and fifty bales of the finest silks, -eighty tons of sugar, ten tons of junk iron, fifteen large anchors, -and forty<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">78</a></span> tons of saltpetre. The ship was also well provided with -ammunition, had thirty guns mounted, and twenty more in the hold.</p> - -<p>This was the division of the piratic plunder. The share which fell to -Bolton and twenty-two of the men was the ship and this portion of the -cargo. These wretches are heard of no more. It is to be hoped that -the next storm which rose engulfed them all. It is more probable that -for months they continued to range the seas, perpetrating crimes over -which demons should blush, until, in drunken brawls and bloody fights, -they one by one sank into the grave, and passed to the judgment-seat -of Christ. Unreliable rumor says that Bolton transferred his cargo and -crew to a more swiftly sailing ship, and then applied the torch to -the Quedagh Merchant. Many other rumors were in circulation, but none -worthy of credence.</p> - -<p>Earl Bellomont was then in authority at New York. Kidd was hoping -for his protection. But the earl felt that very active measures were -requisite to exculpate himself, the king, and the ministry from all -responsibility for the robberies of Kidd. He therefore, so soon as he -heard of Kidd’s arrival upon the coast, ordered out an armed sloop in -pursuit of him.</p> - -<p>It is evident that Kidd was then one of the most<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">79</a></span> wretched of men. His -reputation was ruined; his prospects in life were all blighted; his -companions were bloodthirsty pirates, whom he could not but despise, -and he was in imminent danger of an ignominious death upon the scaffold.</p> - -<p>Tremblingly he approached New York. As his vessel needed some repairs, -he ran into Delaware Bay, and tarried for a short time at Lewiston. -This was early in June, 1699. It was from this place that Bellomont -heard of his arrival. Here one of the pirates, a man by the name of -Gillam, left, being in possession of a heavy chest, laden with the -fruits of his robberies.</p> - -<p>Kidd soon departed from the harbor, and thus escaped the sloop sent -in pursuit of him. Instead of sailing directly to New York, in his -perplexity he followed along the southern coast of Long Island, until -he reached its eastern extremity, and then, turning into the Sound, -crept cautiously along to Oyster Bay. From this place he wrote a letter -to Bellomont, and also another very loving letter to his wife and -children. In his letter to the earl he wrote:</p> - -<p>“The reason why I have not gone directly to New York, is that the -clamorous and false stories that have been repeated of me, have made me -fearful of visiting or coming into any harbor, till I could hear from -your lordship.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">80</a></span> -In response to these letters, a lawyer by the name of Emot came from -New York, and visited Kidd on board the Antonio. He brought the captain -tidings respecting his family, and also the important intelligence that -the Earl of Bellomont was then absent in Boston. Kidd employed Emot to -repair immediately to Boston, to secure from the earl the promise of -safety if Kidd should visit him there.</p> - -<p>“Inform the earl,” said Kidd, “that unquestionable piracies have been -committed by men nominally under my command. But this has never been by -my connivance or consent. When these deeds have been performed, the men -have been in a state of mutiny, utterly beyond my control. Disregarding -my imperative commands, they locked me up in the cabin, and committed -crimes over which I had no control, and for which I am in no sense -responsible.”</p> - -<p>To this the earl replied, “Say to Captain Kidd that I give him the -promise of my protection if his statement can be proved to be true.”</p> - -<p>Kidd was still in a state of pitiable agitation. It might not be -easy to prove his declarations. There was no evidence which he could -possibly bring forward but that of the pirates themselves. And it was -not at all probable that they would be willing greatly to exaggerate -their own guilt by exonerating him. He, however, ventured as far as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">81</a></span> -Block Island. From that place he wrote to Bellomont again, protesting -his innocence, and dwelling much upon the devotion with which he had -consecrated himself to the interests of the owners of the Adventure. He -also sent to Lady Bellomont a present of jewels, to the value of three -hundred dollars. The earl’s lady, for a time, retained these presents -from the proscribed pirate and outlaw. When subsequently reproached -with this, they were surrendered to the general inventory of Kidd’s -effects. The earl apologized for retaining them by saying that he -feared, if they were rejected, the giver would be so offended that the -earl would not be able to get the developments he wished to obtain.</p> - -<p>While at Block Island, Mrs. Kidd and the children joined Captain Kidd, -under the care of Mr. Clark. They were all received on board the -Antonio, and Kidd, with a pale cheek and a trembling heart, set sail -for Boston. As Mr. Clark wished to return to New York, Kidd turned -from his course and landed him at Gardiner’s Island. Captain Kidd did -not venture ashore at this place. But, for some unexplained reason, he -deposited with Mr. Gardiner, the proprietor of the island, for safe -keeping, a very considerable portion of his treasures. He then sailed -for Boston, and entered the harbor on the first of July, 1699.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">82</a></span> -For nearly a week he remained in his vessel or traversed the streets -unmolested. On the sixth of July, an officer approached him, placed his -hand upon Kidd’s shoulder, and said, “You are my prisoner.” The pirate -endeavored to draw his sword. It might have been an instinctive motion. -It might have been that he deliberately preferred to be cut down upon -the spot rather than undergo a trial. Others interposed. He was seized -and disarmed, while his sword remained in its scabbard.</p> - -<p>It is evident that there were very many chances that the trial might -terminate in Kidd’s favor. It is a maxim of law that every man is to be -considered innocent until <em>proved</em> to be guilty. Kidd’s piracies were -perpetrated on the other side of the globe. None of his victims could -possibly appear against him. There were none to be brought upon the -witness’s stand but his own sailors, who would be slow to admit that -they had been engaged in a piratic cruise, which would condemn them -to the gallows. It would seem, therefore, that there were insuperable -difficulties in the way of his condemnation.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Kidd, in coming from New York to Block Island with her children -to join her husband, had brought with her a servant-girl, about three -hundred dollars in money, and several valuable pieces<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">83</a></span> of plate. These -were all seized, together with all the effects on board the Antonio, -and the treasure deposited at Gardiner’s Island, which was brought to -Boston by a vessel sent to the island for that purpose.</p> - -<p>The whole amount proved much less than had been expected. There were -eleven hundred and eleven ounces of gold, two thousand three hundred -and fifty-three ounces of silver, fifty-seven bags of sugar, forty-one -bales of goods, and seventeen pieces of canvas. Mrs. Kidd petitioned -the governor and council to have her property restored to her, which -was done.</p> - -<p>The small amount of property found led to the suspicion, that as Kidd -slowly passed over the waters of Long Island Sound, he must have -buried, at Thimble Island and other places along the coast, a large -amount of gold and jewels. And it is indeed difficult to account for -what became of the vast treasures of that kind which it is supposed he -found in the Quedagh Merchant. These rumors were intensified by the -statement that while Kidd was at Block Island, three sloops came from -New York and departed with a portion of his treasure. Kidd admitted -this, but said that the goods belonged to his men and were shipped by -them.</p> - -<p>Immediately upon Kidd’s arrival the earl sent<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">84</a></span> for him, and held quite -a long interview, though he was careful to do so in the presence of -witnesses. A narrative was very carefully drawn up of his alleged -proceedings. Mrs Kidd took up her residence in a boarding-house kept -by Mr. Duncan Campbell. The earl kept a close watch upon Kidd, fully -intending, as he said, eventually to arrest him. But he thought it -expedient to dally with him for a while, in order to discover the -extent of his adventures, and the disposition he had made of the -property acquired. Kidd sent to the boarding-house some gold-dust and -ingots, which he said were intended as a present for the earl’s lady. -They were valued at about four thousand dollars. When searching the -house they were found between two feather beds.</p> - -<p>As Kidd did not seem disposed to unbosom himself very freely, and as -the earl feared that some stormy night he might escape, he decided -to hold him secure in prison. This led to his arrest, which we have -already alluded to, on the sixth day after his arrival. The arrest took -place in the streets of Boston, near the door of the earl’s residence. -At the same time some commissioners took possession of his sloop. -They seized and examined all his papers, and placed a guard over the -property. Quite a number of his men were also arrested, twelve in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">85</a></span> all, -under charge of piracy and robbery on the high seas. It is supposed -that the others escaped.</p> - -<p>On the seventeenth of July, Captain Nicholas Evertse arrived in Boston, -with the statement to which we have referred, that Bolton, who was left -in charge of the Quedagh Merchant, had transferred her cargo to another -vessel, conveyed the goods to Curacoa, and set the Merchant on fire. He -testified that he saw the flames of the burning ship as he was skirting -the coast of San Domingo.</p> - -<p>Kidd and his confederate pirates were held in close custody in Boston -for several months. In the mean time intelligence of their capture was -sent to London. The home government dispatched a ship of war to take -them to England for trial. The excitement throughout Great Britain and -in this country was intense, in consequence of the rumor which had so -extensively prevailed of Kidd’s partnership with the king and several -of the ministry. Many months had already elapsed since his arrest, -and yet he had not been brought to trial. The ship sent to transport -him to London encountered a severe storm and put back. This caused an -additional delay, and increased the excitement. It was said that the -ministry, out of regard to their own reputation, were determined not to -bring him to justice. Thus, throughout all England, he ceased to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">86</a></span> -regarded as an ordinary pirate, and was raised to the dignity of one -entitled to a state trial.</p> - -<p>Immediately upon Kidd’s arrival, the House of Commons addressed a -petition to the king, praying to have his trial postponed until the -next Parliament. The question of his guilt or innocence had become so -involved in political issues, that there was a strong party ready to -make the greatest exertions to secure his condemnation. They urged the -postponement on the ground that this length of time was requisite to -obtain, from the Indies, documents and affidavits in reference to his -transactions. Kidd and his companions were consequently confined in -Newgate prison for a whole year.</p> - -<p>At that very time the House of Commons had impeached the Earl of -Oxford and Lord Somers, for their connection with Kidd, and for the -extraordinary commission which they had been instrumental in placing in -his hands. It was said that commission and grants had been conferred -upon him, which were highly prejudicial to the interests of trade and -dishonorable to the king. In accordance with this commission, Kidd -could capture any ship, and, without referring the question to any -court of inquiry, could, of his own pleasure, declare the ship to be -a pirate. He could then confiscate ship and cargo to his own use, and -dispose of the crew in any way<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">87</a></span> which to him might seem best. This was -the course which, under the commission, he did pursue.</p> - -<p>These were certainly very extraordinary powers. It was contended that -they were contrary to the law of England and to the Bill of Rights. -To these arguments it was replied, by the friends of the impeached -nobles, that pirates were the enemies of the human race; that as such -any person had a right to destroy them, and seize the property they -had so iniquitously acquired, and to which they had no legitimate -title. It was also declared, though perhaps the royal commission -would hardly sustain the statement, that Kidd was authorized to seize -only that property for which no other owner could be found. Certainly -there was no provision made for searching out such ownership. It was, -however, urged, and very truthfully, that the commission contained the -all-important clause:</p> - -<p>“We do also require you to bring, or cause to be brought, such pirates, -freebooters, or sea-rovers, as you shall seize, to legal trial, to the -end they may be proceeded against according to the law in such cases.”</p> - -<p>The fact that Kidd entirely ignored these instructions, constituting -himself the court to try and condemn, could not justly be brought as a -charge against the ministers who commissioned him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">88</a></span> -Upon these questions popular feeling ran high. Parties took sides. -Agitating rumors filled the air. It was confidently affirmed that the -lords then on trial, with the connivance of the ministry, that they -might escape the investigation which the trial of Kidd would involve, -had set the Great Seal of England to the pardon of the pirate. This -roused the anti-ministerial party to the highest state of exasperation. -They resolved at all events to hang Kidd, hoping thus to prove that -the ministers were alike guilty with him. And on the other hand, the -ministers themselves had come to the conclusion that any attempt to -shield Kidd would redound to their own ruin. It had become essential -to their own reputation that they should manifest more zeal than any -others to bring Kidd to the scaffold.</p> - -<p>Thus the wretched pirate had no chance of a fair trial. Undoubtedly he -was guilty. But it is very doubtful whether he were proved to be guilty -when called before the court. The bill of impeachment against the lords -was not carried. Though their participation with Kidd in the profits -of an expedition which was authorized only by their own official acts -was deemed very censurable, when the vote was taken there were but -twenty-three in favor of the impeachment, while there were fifty-six -opposed to the bill.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">89</a></span> -The Earl of Bellomont, harassed by the procedure in the House of -Commons, and knowing that measures were about to be instituted against -him for his recall from the provincial government, and perhaps for his -still more severe punishment, was taken sick and died in -<a name="new" id="new"></a><ins title="Orignal has New-York">New -York</ins>, in March, 1700. Thus he escaped from the further troubles of -this ever-troubled world.</p> - -<p>At the close of the year 1700, the papers which had been sent for -arrived from the East Indies. A petition came from several of the -East-Indian merchants, subjects of the King of Persia, giving a minute -recital of the capture of the Quedagh Merchant, and praying that the -property of which they had thus been robbed, and much of which had been -conveyed to the North American colonies, might be restored to them. -A very distinguished East Indian, by the name of Cogi Baba, came to -London in behalf of the petitioners. He was summoned to appear before -the House of Commons. At the same time Kidd himself was brought from -his prison before the bar.</p> - -<p>After an examination, a motion was made to the House to declare the -grant made to the Earl of Bellomont and others of the company, of all -the treasure taken by Kidd, to be null and void. But this motion was -negatived. A vote was then taken requesting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">90</a></span> the king to institute -immediate proceedings against Captain Kidd for piracy and murder. He -was accordingly brought to trial, under this indictment, at the Old -Bailey, in the year 1701.</p> - -<p>Several of Kidd’s confederates were tried with him. Some of them -pleaded the king’s pardon, saying that they had surrendered themselves -within the time limited in the royal proclamation. The governor of New -Jersey, Colonel Bass, then in court, testified to the truth of this -assertion, the surrender having been made to him.</p> - -<p>To this it was replied, “There were four commissioners named in -the proclamation, Thomas Warren, Israel Hayes, Peter Delanoye, and -Christopher Pollard. These commissioners were sent to America to -receive the submission of such pirates as should surrender. No other -persons were entitled, to receive their surrender. They therefore have -not complied with the conditions of the proclamation.”</p> - -<p>They were condemned and hanged. One of the crew, Darby Mullens, made -the following strong defence:</p> - -<p>“I served under the king’s commission. I could not therefore disobey -my commander, without exposing myself to the most severe punishment. -Whenever a ship goes out upon any expedition, under the king’s -commission, the men are never<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">91</a></span> allowed to call their officers to -account. Implicit obedience is required of them. Any other course would -destroy all discipline. If anything unlawful is done, the officers -are to answer for it, for the men, in obeying orders, only do what is -imperiously their duty.”</p> - -<p>The court replied, “When a man is acting under a commission, he is -justified only in doing that which is lawful, not in that which is -unlawful.”</p> - -<p>The prisoner responded, “I stand in need of nothing to justify me in -what is lawful. But the case of a seaman is very hard, if he is exposed -to being scourged or shot if he refuse to obey his commander, and of -being hung if he obey him. If the seaman were allowed to dispute the -orders of his captain, there could be no such thing as command kept up -at sea.”</p> - -<p>The court replied, “The crew, of which you were one, took a share of -the plunder; they mutinied several times; they undertook to control -the captain; they paid no regard to the commission; they acted in all -things according to the customs of pirates. You are guilty, and must be -hanged.” He was hanged.</p> - -<p>Kidd was tried for piracy, and for the murder of William Moore. He -was not allowed counsel, but was left to make his own defence. On the -whole, he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">92</a></span> appeared remarkably well while passing through this dreadful -ordeal. In opening his defence, he said:</p> - -<p>“I was a merchant in New York, in good repute and in good -circumstances, when I was solicited to engage, under the royal -commission, in the laudable employment of suppressing piracy. I had no -need of embarking myself in piratic adventures. The men were generally -desperate characters, and they rose in mutiny against me. I lost all -control over them. They did as they pleased. They threatened to shoot -me in my cabin. Ninety-five deserted at one time, and destroyed my -boat. I was thus disabled from bringing the ship home. Consequently -I could not bring the prizes before any court to have them regularly -condemned. They were all taken by virtue of the commission, under the -Broad Seal, and they had French papers.”</p> - -<p>When the jury was impanelled, and he was invited to find cause, if he -wished to do so, for the exclusion of any of them, he replied:</p> - -<p>“I shall challenge none. I know nothing to the contrary but that they -are all honest men.”</p> - -<p>Kidd was greatly agitated during the trial, and frequently interrupted -the court with his exclamations and explanations. He was first tried -for the murder of William Moore. This indictment gave a very particular -account of the event, stating that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">93</a></span> the gunner died of a mortal bruise -received at the hands of the captain; that from the thirtieth day of -October to the one-and-thirtieth day, he did languish and languishing -did live, but that on the one-and-thirtieth day he did die; and that -William Kidd, feloniously, voluntarily, and of malice aforethought, did -kill and murder him.</p> - -<p>To this Kidd replied, and probably with entire truth, as we have before -said, that he had no intention of killing the man; that he struck him -down to quell a mutiny, and to prevent the crew from engaging in an -atrocious act of piracy; that his conscience never had condemned him -for the deed, and that he then felt that for it he merited approbation -rather than censure.</p> - -<p>He told a very plain, simple story, which, if true, and its truth could -not be disproved, would exonerate him in this affair from blame. The -intelligent reader of this narrative will perceive that there were many -corroborative circumstances to substantiate the accuracy of his account.</p> - -<p>“I will inform the court,” he said, “of the facts precisely as they -occurred in this case. We were within about three miles of the Dutch -ship, when I perceived that many of my men were in a state of mutiny, -clamoring for her capture. Moore, addressing the mutineers, said that -he could propose a plan<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">94</a></span> by which the ship could be captured, and yet -all who were engaged in the enterprise might be perfectly safe.</p> - -<p>“‘And how is that to be done,’ I inquired?</p> - -<p>“He replied, ‘We will hail the ship, and have the captain and officers -invited on board to visit our officers. While they are in the cabin -with our captain, we will man the boats and plunder the ship. The -captain will shut his eyes and close his ears, and then he and the -officers can testify that the ship was not captured.’</p> - -<p>“To this I said, ‘This would be Judas-like treachery, to rob the ship -under the guise of friendship. I dare not do such a thing.’</p> - -<p>“‘We must do it,’ Moore replied. ‘We are already beggars. We have no -other resource. You have brought us to utter ruin.’</p> - -<p>“‘Shall we be guilty of the crime,’ I said, ‘of capturing this ship -because we are poor?’</p> - -<p>“Upon this Moore and the mutineers were so violent that I seized a -slush-bucket, which chanced to be at hand. With it I struck him in my -passion, not intending to kill him. If I had premeditated his death, I -should not have made use of so rude and chance-directed a weapon. I am -heartily sorry that I killed him. And if the deed cannot be justified -as a preventive of mutiny, it certainly should<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">95</a></span> not be adjudged -anything more than manslaughter.”</p> - -<p>There was much force in these arguments. It is at least doubtful -whether an intelligent jury of the present day would under such -testimony have brought in a verdict of guilty of murder in the first -degree. One who has carefully examined all the proceedings of the court -on this occasion, writes:</p> - -<p>“Yet, it being determined to hang him at all odds, the lawyers -were given hints, the witnesses were browbeaten, and the jury were -instructed, after tedious iteration, to bring him in guilty.”</p> - -<p>This was done. He was pronounced to be the murderer of John Moore, and -was, for that crime, doomed to die.</p> - -<p>The next day he was tried on the indictment for piracy. Two of his -crew, who, by their confession, were sharers in his piratic adventures, -turned state’s evidence. One of these was a deck hand, by the name -of Palmer. The other was a surgeon, Bradingham by name. Kidd closely -cross-examined them, but their stories perfectly agreed, being -straightforward and consistent.</p> - -<p>Kidd’s only defence was that he had acted only as a privateersman, -under his Majesty’s commission. He declared that he had never captured -a ship which he had not evidence was a French ship, belonging<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">96</a></span> to -French owners, and sailing under French papers. It scarcely admits of -a doubt that this statement was utterly false. Kidd assumed of both of -the witnesses against him that they were miserable vagabonds, whose -testimony was unworthy of the slightest credence. In reference to the -testimony of Bradingham, he exclaimed:</p> - -<p>“This man contradicts himself in a hundred places. He tells a thousand -lies. He knows no more of these things than you do. This fellow used to -sleep five or six months together in the hold.”</p> - -<p>At another time, when the testimony was going strongly against him, he -cried out bitterly:</p> - -<p>“It is hard that the life of one of the king’s subjects should be taken -away upon the perjured oaths of such villains as these. Because I would -not yield to their wishes, and turn pirate, they now endeavor to prove -that I was one.”</p> - -<p>When the solicitor general asked if Kidd had any further questions to -put to the witnesses, he despairingly replied:</p> - -<p>“No! no. Bradingham is saving his life by taking away mine. I will not -trouble the court any more, for it is a folly. So long as these men -swear as they do, no oaths of mine will be of any avail.”</p> - -<p>The verdict of <em>guilty</em> was rendered. The judge pronounced the awful -doom:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">97</a></span> -“William Kidd, the sentence that the law hath appointed to pass upon -you for your offences, and which this court doth therefore award, is, -that you, the said William Kidd, shall go from hence to the place from -whence you came, and from thence to the place of execution, where you -shall be hanged by the neck until you are dead. And may the God of -infinite mercy be merciful to your soul.”</p> - -<p>Kidd replied, “My lord, it is a very hard sentence. For my part, I am -the most innocent person of them all. I have been sworn against by -perjured persons.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">98</a></span> -</div> - - - - -<h2><a name="v" id="v"></a>CHAPTER V.<br /> -<em>Kidd, and Stede Bonnet.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">The Guilt of Kidd.—Rumors of Buried Treasure.—Mesmeric -Revelation.—Adventures of Bradish.—Strange Character of -Major Bonnet.—His Piracies.—Encounters.—Indications of -Insanity.—No Temptation to Turn Pirate.—Blackbeard.—Bonnet -Deposed.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Mr. Charles Elliot</span>, in his History of New England, writes: “It seems -to have been felt necessary by those who were charged, in England, -with complicity with Captain Kidd, that a vigorous prosecution should -be urged, and that an example should be made of him, to satisfy a -clamorous public opinion. He was brought to trial, and was convicted -and sentenced for the murder of William Moore, one of his own sailors, -whom he had struck in an altercation.</p> - -<p>“This appears to have been the only blood laid against him; and the -charge of piracy could hardly have been proved. As was the custom of -that day, Kidd was not allowed counsel. He plead his commissions for -what he had done, but was roughly treated by the court; and Livingston, -who was one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">99</a></span> of his partners and sureties, had got possession of his -papers, and refused to give them up to him.</p> - -<p>“Kidd probably had no idea of being charged with piracy, nor did he -consider himself a pirate; and if there had been no charge made against -his partners, he would not have died on the gallows. He was hanged at -Execution Dock, May 12, 1701; and all England was agog with the doings -of the pirate Kidd. It was a mere accident that Kidd was hanged as a -pirate instead of being feasted as a victor.”</p> - -<p>These scenes occurred one hundred and seventy-five years ago. And -yet, for some inexplicable reason, while hundreds of other events of -vastly greater moment have passed into oblivion, the name of Captain -Kidd, from that hour to this, has been almost a household word in both -England and America.</p> - -<p>Many believed that the Quedagh Merchant, instead of being burned at -sea, was brought into the Hudson River at night, and sunk near the -Highlands, with most of her treasure on board. Several circumstances -seemed to corroborate this assertion. At the base of the Dunderberg, -there could be seen sunk, deep in the bed of the river, and almost -buried in its sands, the wreck of some large ship. A pamphlet was -published, entitled:</p> - -<p>“An Account of Some of the Traditions and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">100</a></span> Experiments Respecting -Captain Kidd’s Piratical Vessel.”</p> - -<p>The traditions here referred to asserted that Kidd’s vessel, the -Quedagh Merchant, laden with the treasures of the East, was chased -up the North River by an English man-of-war. Kidd, finding escape -impossible, collected as much money as he could carry, and set fire to -the ship, having left by far the larger part of the gold and silver on -board. With a portion of the crew he ascended the river much farther, -in boats, and then crossed the country, through the wilderness, to -Boston.</p> - -<p>These traditions are embellished with many romantic stories. It is said -that as he and his piratic comrades were journeying along, they came to -a log house in the woods. The man of the household was absent at his -work. The woman, thinking that they were savages, in terror fled at -their approach. In her fright she left one of her children behind. The -bloodthirsty pirate, Kidd, in pure wantoness thrust his sword through -the child.</p> - -<p>An old Indian, who had wandered far away to Michigan, declared that he -was on the river-bank when the pirates set fire to the ship and took -to their boats. Very graphically he described the midnight scene as, -buried in the glooms of the forest, he witnessed it in the brilliant -illumination of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">101</a></span> the blazing vessel. He was induced to come all the way -from Michigan to the Hudson to point out the spot of the sunken vessel. -And deep in the water the charred timbers were to be seen. Another -pamphlet was published, entitled:</p> - -<p>“A Wonderful Mesmeric Revelation, giving an Account of the Discovery -and Description of a Sunken Vessel, near Caldwell’s Landing, supposed -to be that of the Pirate Kidd; including an Account of his Character -and Death, at a distance of nearly three hundred miles from the place.”</p> - -<p>This strange mesmeric revelation came from a Mrs. Chester, the wife -of Charles Chester, of Lynn, Massachusetts. She declared that she had -never heard anything about the sunken vessel; that never had she been -upon the Hudson River; that she had never read or heard of the career -of Kidd; and that she had never even been spoken to upon the subject, -until, when placed in the magnetic state, the extraordinary revelation -had been made to her.</p> - -<p>While in this mesmeric condition, she saw, with clearest vision, the -sunken vessel. Her eyes, with supernatural powers, pierced water, -timbers, sand, and chests. There she saw bars of massive gold, heaps -of silver coin, and precious jewels including many large and brilliant -diamonds. The jewels had been enclosed in shot-bags of stout canvas. -The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">102</a></span> bags had decayed, and the jewels were clustered in brilliant -heaps. She also saw “gold watches, like ducks’ eggs in a pond of -water,” and the wonderfully preserved remains of a very beautiful -woman, with a necklace of large and lustrous diamonds around her neck.</p> - -<p>A man was seen just leaving the spot, who was preternaturally revealed -to Mrs. Chester as Captain Kidd. He was a large, stout man, not very -tall, with broad chest and shoulders, thick neck, aquiline nose, -piercing eyes, and a head indicative of great power and all destructive -qualities.</p> - -<p>A very able writer in the Merchant’s Magazine, of 1846, writes -sarcastically of this mesmeric announcement:</p> - -<p>“This most singular revelation, as it is corroborated by the -traditions, presents us with another triumph of animal magnetism, and -must serve not only to advance that science, but to demonstrate how -much safer it is to rely upon tradition, than upon record evidence -made in courts of justice held contemporaneously with the events, or -official documents preserved in the public archives.</p> - -<p>“In the present case, mesmerism has taken a progressive step; for it -has not only disclosed what <em>is now</em> to be found in the waters of -<em>Cocks-rack</em>, but also who <em>was there</em> one hundred and forty-five -years<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">103</a></span> ago. In this new application of the science we may hope not only -to see the earth disembowelled, but the very forms and features of the -ancient time brought up to our present view.</p> - -<p>“What is more remarkable, if the traditions existed, as is pretended, -is, that no individual or company should have undertaken, when the -witnesses were living, to raise the vessel, especially as so many -persons were found, near the time of the transactions of Kidd, -credulous enough to ruin themselves in vain explorations after his -money. But that perhaps was not an age of enterprise like the present, -nor of humbug.”</p> - -<p>There is usually some ground for a tradition. Its basis is generally -truth.</p> - -<p>As we have mentioned, in the days of Captain Kidd the seas were -swarming with pirates. It would require volumes to relate their -adventures. Many of these lawless men performed deeds far more -extraordinary and infamous than any perpetrated by Kidd. There was, -however, at that time, a pirate by the name of Bradish, whose actions, -in the popular mind, were blended with those of Kidd.</p> - -<p>He was boatswain of a ship, of the same name with that in which Kidd -sailed from New York, the Adventure. The ship was bound to Borneo, -the largest island in the world, if Australia is recognized<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">104</a></span> as a -continent, and sailed from England in March, 1697. On the voyage -the vessel stopped at the Island of Polonais for water. Bradish, a -desperate man, had formed a conspiracy with several of the sailors -to watch their opportunity, seize the ship, and set out on a piratic -cruise.</p> - -<p>At Polonais, the captain and several of his officers went on shore in -one of the boats. Bradish assumed the command, silently raised the -anchor, spread the sail, and ran out to sea. The wide world was before -them to go where they pleased. The commerce of the seas spread its -wealth for their plunder. There was the sum of about forty thousand -dollars in gold on board. This money Bradish divided equally with his -piratic crew. He then cleared his decks for action, placed a lookout -at the mast-head, and commenced his cruise in search of additional -treasure.</p> - -<p>They directed their course toward the American coast. What vessels they -captured on the way is not known. Upon reaching Long Island, Bradish -went ashore and deposited with some confederate there a large amount of -money and jewels. If pursued by a man-of-war, he could easily run his -vessel ashore, and the crew could disperse through the woods. Much of -his treasure would still be safe.</p> - -<p>He ran along to Block Island. Here they purchased<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">105</a></span> two small vessels, -and, dividing into two -<a name="parties" id="parties"></a><ins title="Original has partions">parties,</ins> separated, each party -taking its share of the remaining treasure. It is said that there was -enough to load both of the small vessels. Many of the men landed on the -Rhode Island and Connecticut shore. They behaved very civilly; called -at the farm-houses, and bought horses and food, for which they paid -abundantly. The rumor of the landing and dispersion of the pirates -spread. A proclamation was issued for their arrest. The captain and -about eighteen of the men were apprehended, sent to England, tried, and -executed. What became of the large ship, the Adventure, is not known.</p> - -<p>By many it was supposed that she ran into the North River, and was -scuttled and abandoned when near the Highlands.</p> - -<p>We now bid adieu to Captain Kidd, leaving it with our readers to form -their own opinion, from the facts here given, of the degree of praise -or blame to be attached to his character.</p> - -<p>About the same time when William Kidd was passing through his strange -adventures, there was another buccaneer appearing upon the stage, -whose character and career were still more astonishing. There was a -gentleman in Barbadoes, of wealth, position, and education, by the -name of Stede Bonnet. He had a large fortune, and was highly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">106</a></span> esteemed -for his intellectual culture and his honorable character. He seemed -to be exposed to no temptation whatever to enter upon the guilty and -perilous life of a pirate. His melancholy fate excited pity rather -than condemnation, as it was generally believed that he was the victim -of some strange mental hallucination, which, in some degree at least, -exonerated him from moral responsibility.</p> - -<p>Some domestic griefs rendered him unhappy in his home. He fitted out, -entirely at his own expense, a sloop armed with ten guns, and manned -by seventy sailors, desperate men, ready for any deeds of violence and -crime. The sloop he named the Revenge. It was his avowed intention to -prey upon the Spanish commerce, which none of the English courts would -then punish as piracy.</p> - -<p>But he immediately entered upon the career of a pirate, capturing and -plundering every vessel he came across, without any regard to the flag -under which she sailed. His first cruise was off the Capes of Virginia. -The first vessel he encountered was the Anne, from Glasgow. A few -cannon-balls thrown across her bows brought her to. His boats, filled -with demoniac men armed to the teeth, boarded the ill-fated prize, -and plundered her of everything the pirates desired, money, clothes, -provisions, and ammunition. The ship was then allowed to go on her way.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">107</a></span> -A day or two passed, and another sail was discerned in the distant -horizon. She was soon overtaken by the swift-sailing sloop, which -spread a wonderful cloud of canvas. It proved to be the Turbet, from -his own island, Barbadoes. Instead of treating her kindly on that -account, he plundered her mercilessly, put the crew in boats, to find -their way to the shore as they best could, and set the vessel on fire.</p> - -<p>Scarcely had the smoke and flame of the burning vessel vanished from -their view, when another sail was descried. She proved to be the -Endeavor, from Bristol. She was robbed of everything valuable. Another -vessel soon underwent the same fate. It was the Young, from Leith.</p> - -<p>Stede Bonnet was no sailor. He had no acquaintance with navigation. -He, however, employed -<a name="skilled" id="skilled"></a><ins title="Original has skilled seaman">a skilled seaman</ins> to manage the ship -in obedience to his commands as owner of the whole concern. After this -short and very successful cruise on the Virginia coast, he ordered the -sloop to be taken to the shores of New England. As they were passing -the eastern end of Long Island, they met a vessel bound from one of the -New England colonies to the West Indies. It was promptly plundered.</p> - -<p>Stede Bonnet stood in for Gardiner’s Island, where he landed with a -portion of his crew. He behaved in a very gentlemanly way, addressing -all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">108</a></span> whom he met courteously, making many purchases and paying -liberally for all he took. He then directed his course to South -Carolina, and ran up and down before the harbor of Charleston. Two -vessels, entering the harbor, he seized almost at the same time. One -was a sloop from Barbadoes, laden with rum, sugar, and negroes. The -other was a brigantine from New England. The hold of the Revenge was -already packed full of plunder; and they had no room for the negroes. -Taking, therefore, such few articles as they needed, they landed the -crew and the negroes on an island, and wantonly ran the Barbadoes sloop -ashore and set her on fire. The New England brigantine they plundered -of all the money on board and such other articles of value as they -needed, and let her go.</p> - -<p>While on this cruise they met, in rogues’ companionship, another -piratic ship, commanded by a desperado, an Englishman, by the name of -Edward Teach. From the mass of hair which covered his face he was known -by the name of Blackbeard. His beard came up to his eyes, was intensely -black, and so long that he was accustomed to braid it and twist it -with ribbons into cues, or tails, which he would hang over his ears. -It is said that in aspect he was a revolting monster. This villain had -captured a large and very strongly built East-Indian ship, upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">109</a></span> which -he had mounted forty heavy guns. With this powerful armament he swept -the seas, bidding defiance to all assailants. Upon one occasion he -encountered a British man-of-war of thirty guns. After sustaining an -action of some hours, the man-of-war fled before him, and took shelter -in the harbor of Barbadoes, under protection of the guns of the fort.</p> - -<p>As Teach continued his triumphant cruise, he came across Bonnet’s -piratic sloop. Finding that Bonnet understood nothing of maritime -affairs, he, without difficulty, got up a conspiracy among his men, -deposed him, and placed one of his own crew, a man by the name of -Richards, in command of the Revenge. Thus he had two vessels with which -to prosecute his lawless career. He took the deposed captain on board -his own ship, saying to him with a sarcastic smile:</p> - -<p>“I perceive, my dear sir, that you are not used to the cares and -fatigues of commanding a vessel, and I will relieve you from them. It -will be much pleasanter for you to live at your ease in my cabin. There -you will have no duty to perform, and can follow your own inclinations.”</p> - -<p>The career of this most ferocious of pirates was so strange that we -must leave Stede Bonnet for a time, and devote a chapter to that fiend -in human form, called Blackbeard.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">110</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="vi" id="vi"></a>CHAPTER VI.<br /> -<em>The Adventures of Edward Teach, or Blackbeard.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">Seizure of the Protestant Cæsar.—The Piratic -Squadron.—Villany of the Buccaneers.—The Atrocities -of Blackbeard.—Illustrative Anecdotes.—Carousals on -Shore.—Alleged Complicity with the Governor.—Hiding-place -near Ocracoke Inlet.—Arrangements for his Capture.—Boats -sent from two Men-of-war.—Bloody Battle.—The Death of the -Pirate.—His Desperate and Demoniac Character.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p>Blackbeard having, as it were, captured the Revenge, raised the black -flag of piracy upon both of his vessels. Soon he captured a third -vessel, which he manned and armed and added to his piratic squadron. -Entering the Bay of Honduras, he took a ship, from Boston, called the -Protestant Cæsar, and four sloops. Captain Wyar, of the Protestant -Cæsar, as the pirates’ balls whistled over his decks, abandoned his -ship, and taking to his boats, with all his crew, escaped to the -shore. One of the sloops also belonged to Boston. After plundering the -ship and sloop of all they wanted, they set both on fire, in revenge, -because they belonged to Boston, where some men had been hung for -piracy. The other three sloops they plundered and then let go.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">111</a></span> -They then continued their cruise, for some time, among the West India -Islands, capturing vessel after vessel. Thence sailing to the South -Carolinian coast, they ran up and down before the harbor of Charleston -for a week. Here they took a ship, bound out for London, with several -passengers, Captain Robert Clark commander. They also captured three -vessels entering the port, one of which had fourteen negroes on board.</p> - -<p>Such a strong piratic force appearing before that important harbor, -struck the whole province with terror. They were quite unable to resist -such an armament. There were eight vessels in the harbor ready for sea. -They dared not venture out, and even feared that the pirates would come -into the harbor and take them. The trade of the place was thus, for a -season, utterly destroyed. It added much to the weight of this calamity -that the province had just passed through an expensive and exhaustive -war with the Indians.</p> - -<p>Teach was in great want of medicines. He therefore detained all the -vessels he had taken, with their crews and passengers, and sent Captain -Richards, in the Revenge, to Charleston, with the following message to -the governor:</p> - -<p>“I want a chest of medicines. Send me such a chest, by the bearer. If -you do not comply with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">112</a></span> this my demand immediately, without offering -any violence to the persons of my ambassadors, I will cut off the heads -of all the prisoners in my hands, and send them to you, and will burn -all the ships.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Marks, one of the prisoners, was sent with Richards and the other -pirates to present this demand. While Mr. Marks was making this -application to the governor and council, Richards and his piratic gang -were insolently riding through the streets, with sabres in their hands -and pistols in their belts. The citizens were in a state of the highest -indignation; and yet they dared not speak a word or even look with a -frown. The villains returned to their ships with impunity, bearing a -chest of medicines valued at two thousand dollars. The lives of so many -husbands, sons, and brothers were at stake that the community was eager -to conciliate the pirates.</p> - -<p>Blackbeard, having received the chest, liberated the vessels and the -prisoners. He had taken from the vessels gold and silver coin to the -amount of seven thousand dollars, besides provisions and other articles -of much value. They then sailed to the coast of North Carolina. -Blackbeard’s ship they called the Man-of-War. One sloop, as we have -mentioned, was commanded by Richards. Blackbeard placed upon another, -as commander, a fellow by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">113</a></span> name of Hands. He had also another -vessel, which served as a tender. Thus this piratic squadron was now -composed of four vessels.</p> - -<p>The amount of plunder, in money and goods, was very great. Blackbeard -formed a plan to secure nearly the whole for himself, and for a few -others of his favorites in the gang. He therefore, under pretence of -running his ship into Ocracoke Inlet for repairs, grounded her. He -summoned Hands’ sloop to his aid and ran her on shore.</p> - -<p>He then went on board the tender sloop, where he had assembled his -confederates, forty in number, and had stored all the coin and many -of the most valuable goods. Seventeen of the crew, whom he wished to -get rid of, he landed on a small, sandy island three miles from the -mainland. Here they were exposed to perish, without food or water, or -any opportunity to escape. There was neither bird, beast, nor herbs on -the island.</p> - -<p>The king, as we have mentioned, had issued a proclamation of pardon -for all the pirates who would surrender themselves. This consummate -villain, with about twenty of his comrades, sailed to the residence -of the governor, and surrendered themselves to his majesty’s -proclamation, and received a full pardon for all their past offences, -while they still retained their ill-gotten wealth. This was done with -no intention<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">114</a></span> of abandoning their mode of life, but only to obtain a -respite, and prepare for future operations.</p> - -<p>Bonnet was left behind, with the Revenge. He again, with a portion of -the men, assumed the command of the ship, of which he had been robbed. -But we must leave him for a time until we have followed out the career -of Blackbeard.</p> - -<p>Charles Eden was then governor of North Carolina. He was either a very -corrupt man or a very simple one. The governor gave Blackbeard full -possession of the ship he had captured, and which he had named the -Queen Anne’s Revenge. A court of admiralty was held, and though Teach -had never received any commission as a privateersman, and it was a time -of peace, and the Queen Anne belonged to English merchants, she was -condemned as a prize taken from the Spaniards, and adjudged to belong -to Teach.</p> - -<p>Blackbeard remained for a few weeks at the capital of the province; -paid his addresses to a beautiful young girl of sixteen, and was -married to her by the governor, who had probably received very rich -presents from the pirate. His biographer says that this was the -fourteenth wife of Teach, twelve of whom were still living. Soon he -again went to sea, beneath the pirate’s black flag. He directed his -course toward the West Indies, capturing two or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">115</a></span> three English ships by -the way, which he plundered, but left the ships and crew unharmed. He -then captured two French ships. The cargoes of both he stored in one. -The crews of both he placed in the other, and turned them adrift. With -his rich prize he returned to North Carolina, and shared the booty with -the governor.</p> - -<p>Blackbeard and four of his crew went ashore, and took a solemn oath -that they found the French ship at sea abandoned, and without a soul -on board. It is curious to witness the expedients to which men will -resort to appease the qualms of conscience. After removing all the -ship’s company from their prize the captain and a boat’s crew boarded -her, and truly found her “without a soul on board.” Thus they satisfied -themselves that they did not take a false oath. In accordance with this -testimony the court adjudged the French vessel to be a lawful prize. -The governor had sixty hogsheads of sugar for his share. Mr. Knight, -his secretary, collector of the port, had twenty. All the remainder of -the booty the pirates divided among themselves.</p> - -<p>The French vessel was still on the pirate’s hands. He greatly feared -that some vessel might come into the river acquainted with her, and -that his villany might be discovered. He set her on fire and burning -her to the water’s edge, her bottom sunk.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">116</a></span> Blackbeard remained for -some time cruising along the shores of Pamlico Sound. He was rich, and -prodigal of his wealth. Sometimes, in mere wantonness, he would plunder -a vessel. Again he would purchase articles, paying for them three or -four times their worth.</p> - -<p>He often went ashore with his armed followers, and spent the night and -sometimes days in boisterous revelry. The planters did not dare to make -any remonstrances. He was a brutal wretch, and often, when frenzied -with drink, the wives and daughters of the planters were exposed to the -most terrible indignities. At times he was very courteous, presenting -his entertainers with rum, sugar, and other valuable articles. He -frequently assumed a very lordly air, levying heavy contributions, and -even bullying the governor, simply to show him what he dared to do.</p> - -<p>The traders and planters consulted together to decide what course to -pursue in this terrible emergence. It was plain that the governor was -either in complicity with the pirate or was overawed by him. It was in -vain, therefore, to hope for redress through his interposition. They, -therefore, as secretly as possible, sent to the governor of Virginia, -soliciting an armed force from the men-of-war then lying<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">117</a></span> before -Jamestown, to take and destroy this formidable pirate.</p> - -<p>There were two men-of-war in the James River, the Pearl and the -Lime. The governor consulted with the two commanders. It was agreed -between them that the governor should hire two small sloops, of light -draft, which could run easily into the coves and among the shoals of -Pamlico Sound. The men-of-war were to place on board these sloops a -strong picked crew of thoroughly armed men. They were to take small -arms alone, as mounted cannon would require such depths of water as -to embarrass their operations. These sloops, rapidly propelled by -both sails and oars, could follow the pirate in all his coverts; -could overtake him should he attempt to escape by flight, and, by -simultaneously boarding the piratic craft, could overpower and cut down -the crew.</p> - -<p>The expedition was speedily fitted out. At the same time the Virginia -governor issued a proclamation, offering a reward of five hundred -dollars for the capture, dead or alive, of Captain Teach, commonly -called Blackbeard; two hundred dollars for every other commander of a -pirate ship; for all inferior officers seventy-five dollars; for every -pirate on board such ship forty dollars. This proclamation, a copy of -which now lies before me, was dated at Williamsburg,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">118</a></span> November 24th, -1718, and was signed by the governor, A. Spottswood.</p> - -<p>On the 21st of November the two sloops entered the mouth of Ocracoke -Inlet, and caught sight of the pirate. The governor of North Carolina, -and his secretary, Mr. Knight, hearing of these preparations, and -fearing that the capture of the pirate would bring their misdeeds to -light, sent him warning of his danger. Knight wrote to him:</p> - -<p>“I have sent you four of your men. They are all I can meet with about -town. Be upon your guard.”</p> - -<p>Blackbeard, one of the most reckless and determined of desperadoes, put -his vessel in posture for defence. He had with him then a crew of but -twenty-five men. Seeing the approach of the sloops, and anticipating -a battle with the morning’s dawn, he spent the night in drunken -carousals. Lieutenant Maynard, in command of the expedition, found the -water too shoal and the channel too intricate for him to reach the ship -that night. Under cover of the darkness he sent out a boat to mark the -way.</p> - -<p>The morning was cloudless and calm. There was scarcely a breath of -wind; and not a ripple was to be seen on the mirrored surface of the -Sound. There was no escape for the pirate. The gentle breath which -swept the waters was fair. The sloops<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">119</a></span> spread their sails, and with -lusty arms at the oars bore down upon the pirate. As they approached, -Blackbeard stood upon his deck, and with revolting oaths, which we -shall omit, interlarding his speech, shouted out:</p> - -<p>“You villains, who are you, and what do you want?”</p> - -<p>“Our colors show,” Lieutenant Maynard replied, “that we are no pirates.”</p> - -<p>“Send your boat on board,” exclaimed Blackbeard, “that I may learn who -you are.”</p> - -<p>“I have no boat to spare,” Maynard responded; “but as soon as I can -reach you with my sloops, I will come on board myself.”</p> - -<p>Blackbeard took a tumbler of raw brandy. As he poured the burning fluid -down his throat he exclaimed in tones of rage and in that fearful -profanity with which his every utterance was mingled, that if they fell -into his hands they should receive no quarter.</p> - -<p>“I expect no quarter,” Maynard responded, “neither do I ask for any.”</p> - -<p>The gunwale of Maynard’s sloop, which took the lead, was scarcely -a foot high. The men on the deck were entirely exposed. Blackbeard -poured in upon them a broadside of grape-shot. The carnage was awful. -Twenty men, by that one discharge, were either killed or wounded. -Maynard, apprehensive<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">120</a></span> of another discharge, ordered all the survivors -immediately into the hold, he alone remaining on deck, at the helm. The -men were directed to have their swords and pistols ready for a rush in -boarding, the moment the command should be given.</p> - -<p>As the sloop approached the pirate they threw in upon her deck a new -sort of hand-grenades. They consisted of common junk bottles, filled -with powder, balls, and slugs, and were exploded by a fuse passing -through the mouth. They would have done great execution had not the men -been concealed in the hold.</p> - -<p>The moment the bows of the sloop touched the pirate’s ship, as the -smoke cleared away a little, Blackbeard, seeing but few on deck, -shouted to his men:</p> - -<p>“The villains are all knocked in the head, excepting three or four. Let -us jump on board and cut them down.”</p> - -<p>The order was instantly obeyed. Fourteen pirates, with flashing sabres, -leaped over the bows of Maynard’s sloop, upon his deck. There were but -twelve men unwounded in the hold. At a given signal they rushed up, and -a battle of utter desperation ensued.</p> - -<p>Blackbeard sprang toward Lieutenant Maynard, who was at the helm. -Their pistols were discharged<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">121</a></span> simultaneously. The pirate received a -slight, but not a disabling wound. They rushed upon each other with -their swords. In the fierce conflict the blade of Maynard’s sword broke -in his hand. He stepped back to cock a pistol. Blackbeard was just in -the act of cutting him down, when one of Maynard’s men struck him from -behind, inflicting a terrible gash upon his neck. At the same moment -the desperado, who seemed to be almost insensible to wounds, received a -shot in his body from the lieutenant’s pistol.</p> - -<p>The other sloop, called the Ranger, now came up and boarded the pirate. -Blackbeard fought like a tiger. At length a pistol-shot pierced -some vital part and he fell dead, after having received twenty-five -wounds. Eight more of the pirates who had boarded Maynard’s sloop were -weltering in their blood. The rest, many of them severely wounded, -leaped overboard. The drowning wretches cried for quarter. It was -granted. They were reserved only that they might be hanged.</p> - -<p>Blackbeard’s head was cut from his body, and hung at the end of the -bowsprit of Maynard’s sloop. With this revolting trophy he sailed into -Newbern to obtain relief for his wounded men. In examining the papers -found on board the pirate’s vessel, the correspondence was discovered -between Governor Eden<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">122</a></span> and his secretary with the pirate. There were -also several merchants in New York who were in friendly communication -with him. These papers would doubtless have been destroyed had it not -been for the desperate resolve which the pirate had formed.</p> - -<p>Blackbeard had but little hope of escaping. He therefore posted one of -the most demoniac of the pirates, with a match, in the powder-room. -Assuring him that if they were taken they would assuredly be hanged, -and that it was far better to die by their own action, in an instant, -than to perish upon the scaffold, he instructed him that should the -ship be boarded and captured, he was to apply the match and blow them -all up together. It chanced that there were two prisoners in the ship’s -hold. They seized the pirate, and prevented him from executing his -design.</p> - -<p>It was this same Blackbeard, to whom we have already alluded, who one -day, when flushed with drink, said to his boon companions:</p> - -<p>“Come, let us make a hell of our own, and see who can stand it longest.”</p> - -<p>One night, when drinking, in his cabin, with two or three companions, -he secretly drew out a small pair of pistols, blew out the candle, -and, crossing his hands, discharged them at random into the midst of -the company. One of the bullets struck an officer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">123</a></span> on the knee, and -crippled him for life. The other bullet fortunately harmed no one. -Being asked why he did this, he replied:</p> - -<p>“If I did not now and then kill some of you, you would forget who I am.”</p> - -<p>The following entries were found in his logbook, written with his own -hand, under different dates:</p> - -<p>“Rum all out; our company somewhat sober.</p> - -<p>“Confusion among us; rogues a-plotting.</p> - -<p>“Great talk of separation.</p> - -<p>“Took a vessel with a great deal of liquor on board; so kept the -company hot.”</p> - -<p>It is evident that these godless wretches passed joyless and miserable -lives. Experience verifies the declaration of the Bible that “the way -of the transgressor is hard.”</p> - -<p>The ship and stores captured by Lieutenant Maynard were in value -estimated at but twelve thousand five hundred dollars. Though this -wretched pirate had squandered his plunder with great prodigality, it -was generally supposed that he had valuable treasure secreted. In the -carousal of the night before his capture, one of the men asked if, in -case anything should happen to him in the engagement, his wife knew -where he had buried his money. He replied, “The devil and I alone knew<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">124</a></span> -where it is. The one of us two who lives the longest will have the -whole.”</p> - -<p>There were sixteen pirates, all of whom were wounded, who were taken -prisoners. They were conveyed to Virginia and hanged, excepting two who -were pardoned. Governor Eden was so terrified by the discovery which -had been made of his complicity with Blackbeard, and so apprehensive -that he would be called to account for his conduct, that he fell -sick with the fright, and in a few days died. His sixty hogsheads of -sugar, and the twenty which had been given to Knight, were seized by -Lieutenant Maynard, and confiscated. Thus all these guilty ones were -ruined. It is often and truly said, that Satan helps his dupes into -difficulty, but never helps them out.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">125</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="vii" id="vii"></a>CHAPTER VII.<br /> -<em>The Close of Stede Bonnet’s Career.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">Bonnet’s Abandonment by Blackbeard.—Avails Himself of the -King’s Pardon.—Takes Commission as a Privateer.—Rescues -Blackbeard’s Pirates.—Piratic Career.—Enters Cape -Fear River for Repairs.—Captured by Colonel Rhet.—The -Conflict.—Escapes from Prison.—The Pursuit, and Trial and -Sentence.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">It</span> will be remembered that Stede Bonnet was deposed by Blackbeard. When -Blackbeard abandoned most of his crew, at Ocracoke Inlet, and landed -others on a desert island, that he might rob them of their share of -the spoil, Bonnet was left behind with the rest. His own sloop, the -Revenge, was ashore. He got her off, assumed the command, manned her -with pirates, and sailed to Bathtown, where he surrendered himself, -taking advantage of the king’s proclamation, and received a certificate -of pardon.</p> - -<p>Just then war broke out between England, France, and Holland, as -allies, on the one hand, and Spain upon the other. Bonnet sailed from -Bathtown for the Island of St. Thomas, to get a commission to go -privateering against the Spaniards. When he was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">126</a></span> on his way to the -inlet he accidentally learned from two of the pirates that Blackbeard -and his gang were gone; and that, carrying away all the money and -effects of value, they had left several men to perish on a desert -island. Bonnet sailed for their relief. They were nearly starved, -and had been a day and two nights without any food. Bonnet found the -island, and rescued them, adding them to his crew.</p> - -<p>Then, instead of going to St. Thomas for his commission, he directed -his course to the coast of Virginia. Meeting a vessel loaded with -provisions, he took from it twelve barrels of pork and four hundred -weight of bread. Assuming that he was an honest man, and not a pirate, -he gave in return eight casks of rice and an old cable. No bargain was -made. He took what he wanted, and gave what he pleased. Two days after -this, Bonnet pursued and captured a sloop of sixty tons. It was an act -of unmitigated piracy. He took from his prize two hogsheads of rum and -two of molasses. The crew were turned adrift. Eight men were sent to -take charge of the prize. In the night they ran away, to go pirating on -their own account.</p> - -<p>Bonnet threw off all restraint. Assuming the name of Captain Thomas, -he ranged the seas, plundering every vessel he encountered. A few -miles<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">127</a></span> off from Cape Henry he captured two ships from Virginia, bound -to Glasgow. They were comparatively valueless prizes, containing only -tobacco. The next day he captured a small sloop. With the strange -inconsistency which marked his character, he took from the sloop -twenty barrels of pork, which he replaced by two barrels of rice and a -hogshead of molasses. From this sloop two men voluntarily joined his -company.</p> - -<p>The next ship they captured was bound to Glasgow from Virginia. They -found nothing on board they wanted but some combs, pins, and needles. -For these Bonnet paid a barrel of pork and two barrels of bread. -Directing his course toward Philadelphia, he captured a schooner bound -to Boston. It proved a barren prize.</p> - -<p>Soon after this he took three vessels, two bound from Philadelphia to -Bristol, England, and one to Barbadoes. In these Bonnet found nearly a -thousand dollars in coin. He robbed them and let them go. The two last -days in July he captured two quite rich prizes. They were well supplied -with provisions, and had between two and three thousand dollars in -money on board. He turned the crews adrift in their boats and kept both -the vessels and cargo. His own sloop of war, which he had renamed the -Royal James, had become leaky, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">128</a></span> needed repairs. He ran into Cape -Fear River to find some secluded cove, where, far from observation, he -could careen his vessel. One hundred and fifty years ago this stream -presented a vast solitude, fringed by the dense and boundless forest.</p> - -<p>As Bonnet was entering the river he captured a small vessel, which he -ripped to pieces to mend his own. In one of the coves of the broad -stream he was detained two months in making repairs. In the mean time -a new governor had come to South Carolina. Tidings reached Charleston -that a piratic vessel, with two prizes, was concealed up the river. The -whole community was alarmed, fearing another visit. The governor and -council met to deliberate.</p> - -<p>Colonel William Rhet appeared before them and generously offered to -fit out two vessels, at his own expense, and attack the pirates. His -proposal was accepted, and a commission granted him accordingly. In a -few days two sloops were equipped. One, called the Henry, had eight -guns and seventy men and was commanded by Captain John Masters. The -other, the Sea Nymph, of eight guns and sixty men, Captain Fayser Hall -commanded. Both were under the direction of Colonel Rhet.</p> - -<p>On the 14th of September the two vessels sailed. When they reached -Sullivan’s Island, a small ship from Antigua came in. The captain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">129</a></span> -brought the intelligence that just off the bar he was taken and -plundered by a piratic vessel of twelve guns and ninety men, commanded -by Charles Vane; that two other vessels had also been captured, one -from the coast of Guinea, with between ninety and a hundred negro -slaves on board. A pirate, by the name of Yeats, with twenty-five men, -had been placed in command of the slaver. Vane had also captured two -ships bound from Charleston to London.</p> - -<p>Colonel Rhet, upon hearing these tidings, resolved to pursue Vane. It -was rumored that the pirates had sailed south. Colonel Rhet, with his -two sloops, crossed the bar, on the 15th of September, and directed his -course along the southern coast, searching every bay and inlet. Not -finding Vane, he turned north, and entered Cape Fear River in pursuit -of his first design. In ascending the river both sloops ran aground, -which caused considerable delay. Thus the watchful pirates learned that -there were two sloops aground in the river. Bonnet sent down three -boats, crowded with pirates, to attack them. The crews soon found their -mistake, and rowing hastily back to Bonnet, gave him the unwelcome news -that two well-armed sloops were ascending the river with the evident -design to attack him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">130</a></span> -Bonnet made immediate preparations for a battle. He had several -prisoners with him. He wrote a letter to the governor, intrusting it to -one of these prisoners, Captain Mannering. It was as follows:</p> - -<p>“If the sloops now ascending the river are sent out against me by the -governor, I shall get clear off. And I will burn and destroy all ships -or vessels going in or coming out of South Carolina.”</p> - -<p>What effect this letter had upon the governor we know not. But the next -morning the tide floated Colonel Rhet’s sloops, and he advanced to the -attack. The masts of the three piratical vessels were soon plainly seen -over a forest-crowned point of land. The sloops pressed forward to -attack on each quarter of the pirate, intending to board him. Bonnet, -perceiving this, edged in as near the shore as possible. The water was -shoal, and the tide being out, soon both sloops ran upon sandbanks. One -was very near the Royal James, and could open fire upon her. The other -was at more than gunshot distance. The pirates’ ship also grounded, -and, fortunately for them, careened over with her deck sloping from her -foe. Thus the sides of the vessel afforded a rampart, which protected -the pirates from shot, and over which they could take deliberate aim at -their antagonists.</p> - -<p>To add to this calamity, the Henry, in which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">131</a></span> Colonel Rhet was, and -which had grounded within pistol-shot of the pirate, leaned with her -deck inclined toward the pirate. Thus every man was exposed. This gave -the pirates an immense advantage, which they were not slow to improve. -Neither of them could use their cannon. For five hours the antagonists -kept up a brisk fire with their small arms. The pirates spread to -the breeze their blood-red flag, and assailed their foes with oaths, -taunts, and insults.</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you come on board?” they shouted. “We are all waiting for -you. Come as quick as you can. We will give you the warmest reception -you ever had.”</p> - -<p>Rhet’s men replied, “Be patient. We are busy just now. Very soon we -will pay you a visit which you will never forget.”</p> - -<p>The rising tide first floated Colonel Rhet’s sloop. Hastily repairing -his rigging, which had been much shattered by the fire, he bore down -upon the pirate, intending to give a finishing stroke by boarding -him. The other sloop would, in a few moments, be afloat to join in -the assault. Bonnet saw his case to be hopeless, and sent a boat to -Colonel Rhet bearing the white flag of truce. After some time spent in -capitulating, Bonnet was compelled to surrender unconditionally.</p> - -<p>In the severe battle which had taken place, ten<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">132</a></span> men had been killed -and fourteen wounded on board Rhet’s sloop, the Henry. Six of the -wounded died of their wounds. A few shot had struck the other sloop, -the Sea Nymph, killing two men, and wounding four. The pirates, -protected by the position of their vessel, lost seven killed, and five -wounded. Two of the latter soon died of their wounds.</p> - -<p>Colonel Rhet weighed anchor on the 13th of September, and on the 3d -of October entered Charleston with thirty-four pirates as prisoners, -and their vessels. The capture excited great rejoicing throughout the -whole province. As there was no public prison on the shore, the pirates -were all kept, for two days, under a careful guard, in the hold of -one of the vessels. The watch-house was in the mean time enlarged and -strengthened, and they were transferred to that building, over which a -guard of the provincial militia was placed.</p> - -<p>Major Bonnet was committed into the custody of the marshal, and -imprisoned in a strong room in his house. Two of these miserable men, -David Hariot, the sailing-master, and Ignatius Pell, the boatswain, -offered to turn state’s evidence. They were also taken to the house -of the marshal, that they might be separated from the rest of the -crew. They were carefully locked up, and two sentinels, every night, -patrolled the house with loaded muskets.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">133</a></span> -Three weeks passed before suitable preparations could be made for -the trial. On the night of the 24th of October, Bonnet and his -sailing-master made their escape. The boatswain refused to go with -them, as he was assured of pardon in consideration of the evidence he -bore against his comrades. The flight of the prisoners made a great -noise throughout the province. The people were open in their indignant -declaration that the governor, and others of the magistracy, had -connived at their escape.</p> - -<p>The whole community was panic-stricken. It was feared that Bonnet would -get up another company of pirates, and take a terrible revenge for -the hanging of his comrades. The government was alarmed both by the -reproaches and the peril. A proclamation was issued offering a reward -of three thousand five hundred dollars for the capture of the fugitive -pirate. Several armed boats were sent to skirt the shore, north and -south, in pursuit of him.</p> - -<p>Bonnet had, in some way, got on board a small sail-boat in the harbor, -and put to sea. But a storm arose, and he had no provisions. He was -therefore compelled to put back to Sullivan’s Island. In some way -the governor got an intimation of this. He promptly communicated the -intelligence to Colonel Rhet, and gave him a commission to pursue -Bonnet.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">134</a></span> That night the energetic colonel set out in his sloop, with a -number of men for Sullivan’s Island. The two pirates had left their -boat at the shore and wandered into the woods, where they had concealed -themselves. Colonel Rhet tracked them to their covert. They were -discovered in a thicket, with a negro and an Indian. As they endeavored -to escape they were fired upon. A bullet pierced Hariot’s heart, and -he fell dead. Both the negro and the Indian were struck down severely -wounded. The wretched Bonnet, seeing escape hopeless, and utterly -disheartened, surrendered. He was carried back to Charleston in irons.</p> - -<p>On the twenty-eighth of October, 1718, a court of vice-admiralty -was held, and continued, by several adjournments, until the twelfth -of November. Nicholas Trot, chief justice of the province of South -Carolina, presided, with other assistant judges. Before this tribunal, -Bonnet, and thirty-four of his crew, were arraigned. The indictment -enumerated the various acts of piracy which they had committed. All but -two pleaded not guilty.</p> - -<p>There was but little defence attempted. The crew pleaded that they had -been taken off a desert island, and shipped to go to St. Thomas. Being -at sea, without provisions, and in a starving condition, they were -compelled, to save their lives, to take<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">135</a></span> some food from other vessels. -Major Bonnet took the same ground—that they had helped themselves to -food which did not belong to them, but as the only way by which they -could save their lives.</p> - -<p>But their piratic acts were clearly proved, and that they had shared -among themselves their ill-gotten booty. The speech of the lord -chief-justice, in pronouncing sentence upon Bonnet, was so admirable in -tone, that it deserves, with slight abbreviation, insertion here:</p> - -<p>“You, Stede Bonnet, stand convicted of piracy. It is fully proved that -you piratically took and rifled no less than thirteen vessels since you -sailed from North Carolina, having accepted the king’s act of grace, -and pretended to leave that wicked course of life.</p> - -<p>“You know that the crimes you have committed are contrary to the law -of nature, as well as to the law of God, by which you are commanded -that you shall not steal. And the apostle Paul expressly affirms that -‘thieves shall not inherit the kingdom of God.’</p> - -<p>“To theft you have added the greater sin of murder. How many you have -killed, in your piracies, I know not. But this we know, that you killed -no less than eighteen persons of those sent, by lawful authority, to -put a stop to your rapines.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">136</a></span> -“However you may fancy that that was killing men fairly in open fight, -yet this know, that the power of the sword not being committed into -your hands, you were not empowered to use any force, or fight any one. -Therefore those persons that fell in the action, in doing their duty to -their king and country, were murdered. And their blood now cries out -for vengeance against you. For it is the voice of nature, confirmed by -the law of God, that ‘whosoever sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his -blood be shed.’</p> - -<p>“And consider that death is not the only punishment due to murderers; -for they are threatened to have ‘their part in that lake which burneth -with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.’</p> - -<p>“As your own conscience must convince you of the many and great evils -you have committed, by which you have highly offended God, so I suppose -I need not tell you that the only way of obtaining pardon and the -remission of your sins from God, is by a true and unfeigned repentance, -and faith in Christ, by whose death and passion you can alone hope for -salvation.</p> - -<p>“You, being a gentleman, and having had the advantage of a liberal -education, I believe it will be needless for me to explain to you the -nature of repentance and faith in Christ. They are so fully<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">137</a></span> mentioned -in the Scriptures that you can not but know them. But, considering -the course of your life, I have reason to fear that the principles of -religion which had been instilled into you by your education, have been -corrupted, if not entirely defaced by the infidelity of this wicked -age; and that the time you allowed for study was rather applied to the -polite literature than to a serious search after the law and will of -God.</p> - -<p>“In the Scriptures is found the great mystery of fallen man’s -redemption. They would have taught you that sin is the debasing of -human nature, and that religion and walking by the laws of God are -altogether preferable to the ways of sin and Satan. I hope that the -present afflictions, which God has laid upon you, have now convinced -you of this.</p> - -<p>“And consider how he invites all sinners to come to Him, and He will -give them rest; for He has assured us that ‘He came to seek and to save -that which was lost;’ and that ‘whosoever cometh to Him, He will in -nowise cast out.’ So that now, even at the eleventh hour, if you will -sincerely turn to Him, He will receive you.</p> - -<p>“But do not mistake the nature of repentance to be only bare sorrow for -the evil and punishment which sin has brought upon you. Your sorrow -must arise from the consideration of your having offended<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">138</a></span> a gracious -and merciful God. But I need not give you any particular directions -as to the nature of repentance. I speak to one whose offences have -proceeded, not so much from his not knowing, as from his slighting and -neglecting his duty.</p> - -<p>“I only heartily wish that what, in compassion to your soul, I have -now said, may have that effect upon you that you may become a true -penitent. Having now discharged my duty to you as a Christian, by -giving you the best council I can with respect to the salvation of your -soul, I must now do my office as a judge. The sentence which this court -awards to you is:</p> - -<p>“That you, Stede Bonnet, shall go from hence to the place whence you -came, and from thence to the place of execution; where you shall be -hanged by the neck until you are dead. And may God have mercy upon you.”</p> - -<p>On Saturday, November 8th, 1718, twenty-two of the pirates were hung -upon the same gallows, at White Point, near the provincial city of -Charleston. A few days after, Stede Bonnet, the gentleman of wealth, -position, and culture, swung from the same gallows.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">139</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="viii" id="viii"></a>CHAPTER VIII.<br /> -<em>The Portuguese Barthelemy.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">Commencement of his Career.—Bold Capture.—Brutality of -the Pirates.—Reverses and Captivity.—Barthelemy doomed -to Die.—His Escape.—Sufferings in the Forest.—Reaches -Gulf Triste.—Hardening Effect of his Misfortunes.—His -new Piratic Enterprize.—Wonderful Success.—The -Tornado.—Impoverishment and Ruin.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">One</span> of the most bold and renowned of the buccaneers was a Portuguese, -by the name of Barthelemy. He was a man of some property, and followed -the great tide of emigration to the West Indies. At Kingston, Jamaica, -he heard of the great fortunes which were made by buccaneers preying -upon Spanish commerce. Engaging in several expeditions, he became quite -rich. Finally he fitted out a small vessel, at his own expense, which -he armed with four three-pounders, and a crew of thirty desperate men, -armed with muskets, pistols, and sabres. This sloop was fitted out in a -British port, to rob the ships of Spain, just as openly as if it were -bound upon a fishing excursion.</p> - -<p>He commenced his cruise upon the southern<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">140</a></span> coast of Cuba. But a few -days passed ere he caught sight of a large ship, richly laden and well -armed, bound from the Spanish colonies in Venezuela to Havana. It had, -as he afterward found, a crew of seventy men, with about the same -number of passengers and marines, and carried twenty guns.</p> - -<p>When Barthelemy’s crew saw the size of the ship and the indications of -her strong armament, they hesitated to venture upon an attack. All were -assembled around the mast to discuss the question. The general voice -was discouraging. Barthelemy’s speech was short and decisive. He was a -man of few words and prompt action.</p> - -<p>“We came out,” said he, “for prizes. Here is a splendid one. The -opportunity must not be lost. Nothing great can be accomplished without -risk.”</p> - -<p>They gave chase. The ship quietly awaited their approach; “as much -astonished at the attack,” writes Thornbury, “as a swallow would be if -it were pursued by a gnat.” The pirates made a desperate endeavor to -board the ship. We are not informed of the particulars of the fight. -The result only is known. After several repulses, and a long and bloody -conflict, the pirates raised shouts of victory on the blood-stained -deck of their prize. Ten of them were killed; four wounded. All on -board the ship but forty were killed. Many of these were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">141</a></span> severely -maimed with bullet wounds and sword-cuts.</p> - -<p>The pirates, having searched the pockets of the dead for their loose -doubloons, threw the bodies overboard. Those helplessly wounded -suffered the same fate. The survivors, after being stripped of -everything valuable, were placed in a boat and cut adrift, to fare -as they might. The prize proved to be worth between eighty and a -hundred thousand dollars. Barthelemy found himself in command of a -truly splendid ship, well armed, and well stored with ammunition and -provisions. He had also his little sloop as a tender. Though he had -a crew of but twenty men, he could at any time double or treble his -number in the thronged ports of Kingston or Tortuga. As he was sailing -around the western end of the Island of Cuba, he came unexpectedly upon -three large ships bound to Havana. The pirate ship was heavily laden -and ploughed the waves slowly. The Spanish ships gave chase; captured -the buccaneers; stripped them; drove them with sabre-strokes under the -hatches, and left them there to meditate upon the reverses of fortune -and their own approaching ignominious death by hanging.</p> - -<p>The notoriety of Barthelemy, as one of the most terrible of human -monsters, had spread far and wide. He concealed his name, and his -captors were not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">142</a></span> aware what a prize they had taken. The ship, -containing the crew of pirates, was separated from the rest by a storm. -She took refuge at Campeachy, on the western coast of the immense -peninsula of Yucatan. Crowds flocked on board to see the pirates -in irons. Among them came one who, in former years, had well known -Barthelemy. Lifting up his hands in astonishment, he proclaimed in -presence of the multitude:</p> - -<p>“This is Barthelemy the Portuguese. He is the most wicked rascal in the -world. He has done more harm to Spanish commerce than all the other -pirates put together.”</p> - -<p>The glad news spread through the town. There were joyful assemblages in -the streets. All hearts were glowing with the desire to take vengeance -on the man who had put so many Spaniards to death. The people appealed -to the governor to demand the pirate in the name of the king. He was -arrested, more heavily ironed, and placed on board another vessel. A -gibbet was erected upon which to hang him. The governor did not deem -any trial necessary. From his cabin window Barthelemy could see the -workmen building the gallows, upon which he was to be hung in chains, -there to swing, in sunshine and storm, till the action of the elements -should dissolve both skin and bones.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">143</a></span> -The wretch had a strange power of winning friends. The captain by whom -he was captured wished to save him. Some one secretly conveyed to him -a file. He soon freed himself from his irons. There were in his cabin -two large earthern jars, empty and very buoyant. Carefully he closed -the orifices; bound them loosely together by a strong cord; lowered -them cautiously into the water, when midnight darkness covered the sea. -A sentry was placed at the door of the cabin. He had fallen asleep. -Fearful that he might awake and give the alarm, the pirate stealthily -approached him with a huge knife in his hand. By a well-directed blow -the glittering blade pierced his heart, and the sentinel died without a -struggle or a groan.</p> - -<p>The pirate noiselessly dropped himself down into the water. Grasping, -with one hand, the strong cord attached to the two jars, with the other -he slowly paddled himself to the shore. The current floated him to the -very spot where the gibbet was erected. There it stood, in its awful -gloom, with the hangman’s chain dangling from its timbers. Even the -iron-hearted Barthelemy shuddered, as at midnight’s dismal hour, he -contemplated the doom from which he was endeavoring to escape.</p> - -<p>He took to the woods. But few of our readers can imagine the -entanglements of the tropical forest<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">144</a></span> through which he struggled. -Conscious that blood-hounds might be put upon his track, he sought a -running stream, and waded along for a great distance in the darkness. -He was torn cruelly by overhanging thorns, and bruised as he stumbled -over rocks and stones. As the morning dawned he hid himself in a pile -of brush, half covered with water.</p> - -<p>The windings of the stream were such that he had advanced but a short -distance from the town. The tidings of his escape roused the whole -population. It was known that he could not have forced his way far -through the entanglement of briers and thorns and interlacing vines, -in the few hours between midnight and the dawn. The whole forest -seemed alive with his pursuers. A thousand slaves were shouting in -their barbarian eagerness. Packs of blood-hounds were rushing to and -fro, smelling at every track, and making the forest resound with -their deep-mouthed bayings. The alarm-bells of the city were rolling -forth their loud and solemn peals. Bands of Spanish cavaliers, with -indignation in their hearts and oaths upon their lips, passed within -sight of the hiding wretch; and he heard their vows of vengeance. Thus -passed the wretched day. “The way of the transgressor is indeed hard.”</p> - -<p>Barthelemy, bleeding, exhausted, starving and tormented with the bite -of insects, endured these<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">145</a></span> long hours of mental and bodily torture, -until night again darkened the scene. With the darkness he resumed his -terrified flight, he scarcely knew where. His general plan was to reach -some distant seaport in disguise, where he hoped to effect his escape -as a sailor. Every hour he trembled in danger of being caught, and his -only food was roots and berries, and the raw shell-fish he scraped from -the rocks.</p> - -<p>He forded streams where he was in imminent danger of being snapped -up by the jaws of crocodiles. He waded through swamps, and narrowly -escaped being suffocated in the mire. His shoes were torn from his -feet, his clothes from his limbs. For fourteen days and nights he -endured these tortures. His only guide was the roar of the ocean. -He was travelling in a southwesterly direction. It was his constant -endeavor to keep the ocean within hearing distance on his right.</p> - -<p>There is manifestly no tendency in misery to make men better. The -pirate, with all his woes, grew more obdurate and more cruel. “In -these fourteen days,” writes one of his biographers, “he must have -literally tasted death and anticipated the horrors of hell.” But this -almost demoniac wretchedness led him to no prayers of penitence, and -to no promises of amendment. They served only to whet his appetite for -revenge.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">146</a></span> -At length he reached a large ocean bay, about one hundred and twenty -miles from Campeachy, appropriately called Gulf Triste. Here, to his -immense relief, he found a large ship of buccaneers riding at anchor. -He signalled the ship, and a boat was sent to take him on board. With -feigned glee the wretch told the story of his adventures. Not a word of -penitence was uttered. There was not the slightest recognition that the -punishment he had received was merited. On the contrary, he said to the -pirates:</p> - -<p>“I know of a ship at Campeachy, which is richly laden, and but feebly -armed. It can be captured with all ease. Furnish me with a boat and -thirty good men, and in a few days I will bring the ship and all its -cargo to you.”</p> - -<p>His request was granted. The boat was equipped, and he sailed along -the coast, assuming that he was a smuggler, with contraband goods. In -eight days he reached Campeachy. As the boat entered the harbor, the -piratic character of the craft was so concealed that no suspicions -were excited. At midnight the pirates cautiously approached the doomed -vessel. As the crew supposed themselves safe in the harbor, there was -but one sentry pacing the deck. He hailed the boat. Barthelemy, who -spoke Spanish perfectly, stood upon the bows, and replied:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">147</a></span> -“We are a part of the crew. We have a boatload of goods from the land -for the vessel, upon which no duty has been paid.”</p> - -<p>At that moment the bows of the boat touched the ship. Barthelemy and -his crew leaped on board, drawn cutlass in hand. One plunge of a sabre -pierced the heart of the sentinel, and he fell dead. A few others who -chanced to be on deck were driven below, and the hatches were closed -upon them. Scarcely five minutes elapsed ere the thirty pirates, all -veteran sailors, were in perfect command of the ship, and all the -officers and crew were firmly barricaded, as prisoners, beneath the -deck. No noise had been made. No alarm was given to other ships in the -harbor. They raised the anchors, spread the sails, and put out to sea.</p> - -<p>Thus suddenly the wheel of fortune turned. The trembling fugitive, in -danger of the gallows, in rags and starvation, wandering through the -wilderness, but a few days before, now found himself treading the deck -of one of the finest of Spanish ships, well provisioned, well armed, -and with a rich cargo stored in her hold. He was the captain and mostly -the owner of the majestic craft. His dictatorial power was recognized -by thirty desperate men, ready implicitly to obey his will. The -commerce<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">148</a></span> of all seas was apparently within the reach of his piratical -grasp.</p> - -<p>The imprisoned crew were disposed of as these pirates usually got rid -of those who were a trouble to them. They were either crowded into a -boat and cut adrift, or landed upon the nearest shore, or thrown into -the sea. Familiarity with misery and death rendered the pirates as -insensible to human suffering as the fisherman becomes to the struggles -of the fish in the bottom of his boat.</p> - -<p>Barthelemy, instead of returning with his prize to his comrades in -Gulf Triste, spread his sails for Jamaica. He was greatly elated, and -boasted loudly of the still greater enterprises which he was about to -undertake. With his suddenly found wealth he would create a fleet; he -would have crews of five hundred men at his command; his blood-red flag -should sweep all seas; he would collect an army and ravage provinces; -he would seize some large island, of which he would be the monarch, -with his fleets and his armies. Thus the Portuguese pirate dreamed. He -did not take God into the account. God had decided otherwise.</p> - -<p>It was a beautiful morning, as Barthelemy paced the deck, lost in these -ambitious imaginings. The sky was cloudless. A fresh breeze swelled the -sails, and delightfully tempered the heat of a tropical sun.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">149</a></span> -A few leagues south of the Island of Cuba is the majestic Isle of -Pines. Large as it is, its prominence is lost in the overpowering -grandeur of its sister island. The ship was running along its southern -coast.</p> - -<p>A small cloud was seen in the southwestern horizon. Rapidly it -increased in size and blackness. It was a tropical tornado. Already its -roar could be heard as it ploughed and lashed the seas. The terrible -gale struck the ship and whirled it along as though it had been a -bubble. God was there, in his sore displeasure. What could man do? -Nothing. The pirates threw themselves upon their knees, and called upon -the Virgin and all the saints to come and help them. But neither Virgin -nor saint came.</p> - -<p>The ship struck the rocks—was dashed to pieces; the silver, the gold, -the cargo, everything disappeared before those terrific blasts. Many -were drowned. Barthelemy and a few of the crew were swept ashore by -the mountain billows. Their clothes were torn from their backs. Their -bodies were sorely bruised, and some of their bones broken, by being -dashed against the rocks. Exhausted, panting, maimed, and half dead, -Barthelemy found himself utterly beggared upon a lonely isle. This was -the work of one short half-hour. This was the disposal God made of the -pirates’ stolen spoil.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">150</a></span> -A wretched, starving straggler, Barthelemy found his way to Jamaica. -Here he enlisted as a common sailor on board a pirate ship, and we hear -of him no more. Without doubt, he came to a miserable end; and his body -was probably thrown into the sea as food for sharks.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">151</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="ix" id="ix"></a>CHAPTER IX<br /> -<em>Francis Lolonois.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">Early Life of Lolonois.—His Desperate Character.—Joins the -Buccaneers.—His Fiend-like Cruelty.—The Desperadoes Rally -around Him.—Equips a Fleet.—Captures Rich Prizes.—Plans -the Sack of Maracaibo.—The Adventurous Voyage.—Description -of Venezuela.—Atrocities at Maracaibo and Gibraltar.—Doom -of the Victors.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">One</span> of the most demoniac of those pirates who were ravaging sea and -land, calling themselves buccaneers, and assuming that they were -conducting a sort of legitimate warfare on their own private account, -was a bold wretch by the name of Francis Lolonois. He was a Frenchman. -When quite a young man, he, with other adventurers, went to the West -Indies, paying for his passage, in accordance with a custom of the -times, by being sold as a servant for a certain term.</p> - -<p>Having obtained his freedom, he went to the Island of St. Domingo. -Here he lived a vagabond life, sometimes hunting, and again engaged -as a common sailor in the commerce of the islands. He soon acquired -the reputation of being a reckless<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">152</a></span> desperate fellow, and attracted -the attention of the piratic governor of the piratic rendezvous, at -the Island of Tortugas. He was intrusted with the command of a small -vessel, to prey upon Spanish commerce. His success was extraordinary. -He became rich. So terrible were his cruelties, that his fame extended -through both of the Indies. Death was the doom of his captives; often -death by torture.</p> - -<p>He had all his wealth, gold, jewels, and goods in a great ship, armed -with heavy guns. It was wrecked on the coast of Campeachy. The crew -barely escaped with their lives. The angry waves dashed to pieces and -swallowed up the ill-gotten gains of the pirate. The enraged Spaniards, -overjoyed at the wreck, pursued those who had escaped to the dry land, -and shot most of them down, mercilessly. Lolonois, disguised as a -common sailor, was severely wounded. He smeared himself with blood, and -feigned death. Being left on the field unburied, when the Spaniards -left, he crept into the woods. It was universally believed that he -was dead. The removal of such a wretch from the world was a matter of -almost national rejoicing. Bonfires blazed. Cannon were fired. The -undevout drank, and swore in their carousal. The devout repaired to -the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">153</a></span> churches, and thanked God that the world was delivered from so -cruel a pirate.</p> - -<p>Lolonois, slowly recovering from his wounds, disguised in a Spanish -habit, entered Campeachy. He made friends with a few slaves, stole a -small boat, and, as his piratic biographer has it, “came to Tortugas, -the common place of refuge of all sorts of wickedness, and the -seminary, as it were, of all manner of pirates and thieves.”</p> - -<p>His reputation as a successful pirate was such, that he speedily -obtained command of another vessel, manned by a crew of twenty-one -desperadoes. On the south side of the Island of Cuba, there was a -flourishing little village called Cayos. The inhabitants carried on -an active trade in tobacco, sugar and hides. Their harbor had not -sufficient depth of water for large vessels. The traffic was in boats. -Lolonois decided to sack the place.</p> - -<p>It was not far across the island to Havana. Some fishermen informed -the inhabitants of the approach of the pirate. In terror they sent to -Havana for aid. The governor instantly dispatched a war-ship, of ten -guns and seventy-five men, for their relief. The governor, astonished -that Lolonois had again come to life, issued written orders, as follows:</p> - -<p>“You are not to return until you have utterly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">154</a></span> destroyed all those -pirates. Every one is to be immediately hung, excepting Lolonois, their -captain. If possible, you are to bring him alive to Havana.”</p> - -<p>The ship arrived at Cayos before the pirates had made their attack. -They cast anchor just outside the harbor. The pirates, through their -confederates, had been informed of their approach. They captured two -fishing boats. In the darkness of the ensuing night, they ran these -boats, one on each side of the ship, and with sword and pistol leaped -on board. The attack was so sudden, so entirely unprovided for, that -the few of the crew who were on deck were speedily struck down or -driven below.</p> - -<p>Lolonois was in command of the ship, with all his prisoners beneath -the hatches. One by one they were brought up, and their heads cut off. -Not one was spared. The dismembered bodies were cast into the sea. The -bloody decks were washed. The pirate, proud of his achievement, and -admired by his men, strode to and fro, the proprietor of a strong, -well-armed ship, amply provided with everything he could need to -aid him in his career of rapine and blood. He wrote a letter to the -governor, and sent it to him by one of his captive fishermen. It was as -follows:</p> - -<p>“I shall never, hereafter, give quarter to any Spaniard. I have great -hopes that I shall yet have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">155</a></span> the pleasure of exercising upon your own -person, the punishment I have now inflicted upon those you have sent -against me. It is thus that I requite the kindness, which you designed -for me and my companions.”</p> - -<p>The governor was greatly troubled and perplexed by these tidings. In -his anger he took a solemn oath that he would never hereafter grant -quarter to any buccaneer who should fall into his hands. But the -citizens of Havana implored him not to persist in the execution of this -oath. They sent a delegation to him to say:</p> - -<p>“If this threat is followed out, the pirates will certainly do the -same. They have a hundred times more opportunity of revenge than the -governor can have. We must get our living by fishery. Hereafter, if -this threat is executed, we shall always be at the peril of our lives.”</p> - -<p>Lolonois cruised for some time among the islands, without success. He -then directed his course south toward Maracaibo, an important port in -the extreme north of the South American continent. After a run of six -or eight hundred miles, he reached the entrance of the vast bay which -leads up to the city. Here he captured an outward-bound ship, richly -laden with plate and silver from the mines.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">156</a></span> -What he did with the crew we know not. They vanished. They were -probably all thrown into the sea. With ship and cargo he returned to -Tortugas, where he was received with public rejoicing. Though now -rich enough to live at his ease, his ambition was roused to attain -still greater renown. Publicly he proclaimed to all the pirates on the -island, that he was about to fit out a fleet sufficient to carry five -hundred men. With these he would sail to the Spanish dominions in South -America, and sack all the cities, towns, and villages along the coast. -He would then capture Maracaibo itself.</p> - -<p>All the desperadoes were eager to engage in the service of so brave and -successful a leader. His fleet was soon equipped, and his gang engaged. -There was a celebrated buccaneer at Tortugas, by the name of Michael -Basco. He had become very rich, and filled an important governmental -office. The proclamation of Lolonois fired anew his piratic zeal. He -had in former years ravaged all those regions by sea and by land. He -proposed to Lolonois to become a partner in his enterprise, if he could -be placed in command over the land forces. The articles of agreement -were soon signed. Eight vessels sailed. The crews amounted to six -hundred and seventy-five men. First they directed their course to St. -Domingo, and cast anchor in a little harbor called<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">157</a></span> Bayala. Here they -laid in stores for their voyage, and added to their crews quite a -number of vagabond Frenchmen.</p> - -<p>On the last day of July they again spread their sails. Whether they -implored the Divine blessing upon their enterprise we know not. It is -not improbable. One of these pirates ran his sword through one of the -crew for behaving irreverently in church.</p> - -<p>“How can we expect,” he said indignantly, “the blessing of the Virgin, -if we behave in an unseemly way in her presence?”</p> - -<p>Lolonois was admiral of the fleet. He occupied the largest ship, which -mounted ten guns. They ran along the northern shore of St. Domingo, and -just as they were doubling its most eastern cape, they came in sight -of a large, heavily laden Spanish merchantman, bound from Spain to her -colonies. But a few leagues beyond them, on the south-east side of St. -Domingo, was the Island of Savona. Lolonois ordered the fleet to make a -harbor there, and wait for him. He then sailed to capture the Spanish -galleon.</p> - -<p>Unexpected resistance was encountered. The Spaniards knew that they -had no mercy to expect from Lolonois. They fought with desperation, -preferring to die in the fierce battle, rather than be massacred by the -pirates. The conflict lasted three<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">158</a></span> hours. The ship was captured, and -the survivors put to the sword.</p> - -<p>Lolonois was delighted on finding the prize much richer than he had -anticipated. The ship was one of the strongest and best built of -Spanish vessels, and mounted sixteen guns. There were fifty men on -board, some doubtless passengers. But they were no match for the -reckless pirates, who were veterans in such warfare. The ship, in -addition to a very rich cargo, had forty thousand dollars in coin, and -ten thousand more in jewels.</p> - -<p>Lolonois sent the ship back to Tortugas to be unloaded, and then -immediately to rejoin him at Savona, to accompany the expedition. -In the mean time another large ship was captured, which was bound -to Hispaniola with military supplies and a sum of money to pay the -garrison. The ship mounted eight guns. Being entirely surrounded by the -hostile fleet, the captain surrendered without resistance.</p> - -<p>The passengers and crew were disposed of after the pirates’ usual -fashion. This important capture contained seven thousand pounds of -powder, a large number of muskets and other small arms, and twelve -thousand dollars in specie. The governor of Tortugas, a Frenchman, -ordered the cargo to be removed as quickly as possible from the ship, -and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">159</a></span> placing on board fresh provisions and a reënforcement of pirates, -to make good the loss of those who had fallen in battle or by sickness, -sent it back to Savona.</p> - -<p>Lolonois made this his flagship, as the largest and best of the fleet. -The city of Maracaibo was situated on an island, in the lake of the -same name, and at the head of the Bay of Venezuela. The island was -about sixty miles long by thirty-six broad. The passage to the city was -by a narrow channel which was guarded by a fort. The city contained -a mixed population of about four thousand, and carried on a thriving -trade in hides and tobacco. The dwellings were delightfully situated, -on an eminence running along the western shore of the lake, and -commanding a charming view of land and water scenery. There was a large -stone church in the place, four capacious monasteries, and a hospital. -A deputy governor, subject to the governor at Caraccas, administered -alike both civil and military affairs.</p> - -<p>The inhabitants of the province were rich in cattle. Immense herds -grazed over the luxuriant pastures, extending nearly one hundred -miles around. The cattle were kept mainly for their hides, which ever -commanded a ready market. Oranges, lemons, bananas, and other tropical -fruits were also very abundant. The harbor was spacious and secure,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">160</a></span> -with the very best of timber at hand. There were many fierce Indians in -the morasses and thickets around. They were comparatively powerless, -though occasionally committing wolfish depredations.</p> - -<p>About one hundred and twenty miles beyond Maracaibo, farther up the -lake, there was another quite important colonial Spanish town, called -Gibraltar. It had a population of about fifteen hundred. These were -nearly all engaged in trade, purchasing the products of the country -and sending them to other markets. On the plantations around, large -quantities of sugar were made. Also immense stores of cacao, from which -our word cocoa is derived, were gathered. This was the flat oblong seed -of the chocolate-tree, which was one of the most important articles of -commerce. They also raised a very superior kind of tobacco, which was -in great demand in Europe, called priests’ tobacco.</p> - -<p>Still farther south, over a high ridge of mountains, there was another -settlement called Merida. The summits of these mountains reached the -region of intense cold, and were covered with perpetual snow. There -were a few narrow passes through this craggy barrier, which could be -traversed only by the sure-footed mule.</p> - -<p>As soon as Lolonois entered the Gulf of Venezuela, he crept cautiously -along its shores, and cast<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">161</a></span> anchor behind a wooded promontory, where -he was concealed from all observation. In the early dawn of the next -morning he again unfurled his sails, and, with a fair wind, swept -rapidly toward the Lake of Maracaibo. Secretly all the men were landed. -They marched to attack, on the land side, the fort, about four or five -leagues from the city, which guarded the entrance to the harbor. The -defences here consisted only of stout wicker baskets, about seven feet -high, filled with earth and stones. Within the fort there were sixteen -heavy guns.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding all their precautions to attack the fort by surprise, -eagle eyes had detected their approach, and had given the alarm. The -commandant sent out a party of men to place themselves in ambuscade, -on the only route by which the pirates could approach the fort. They -were to wait until the pirates had passed that point, then, at a given -signal, when the governor attacked them in front, from behind his -rampart, they were to fall fiercely upon the rear of the foe.</p> - -<p>Lolonois was a demon, with a demon’s ability. He discovered the -stratagem; crept around the ambuscade; attacked the detachment in -its rear, and cut nearly every man to pieces. He then marched upon -the fort. The Spaniards were not cowards. For three hours the battle -raged, with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">162</a></span> equal desperation on either side. The reverberation of the -artillery explosions alarmed the whole city. The tidings ran through -the streets, exaggerated of course:</p> - -<p>“The pirates, two thousand strong, are marching upon us.”</p> - -<p>Their atrocities were well known. The whole community fled, seizing -such articles of value as they could—some in boats, some on land. Men, -fainting women, and crying babes, they pressed along, in a tumultuous -mass, to seek refuge in Gibraltar.</p> - -<p>The fort was taken. Nearly all its defenders lay silent in death. The -ships, having nothing more to fear, spread their sails and entered the -harbor. The pirates demolished the fort, burst all the cannon they -could, and spiked the rest. Lolonois practised his accustomed caution. -All the adjacent thickets were swept with grape-shot. Under the -protection of his guns, the boats, crowded with armed men, approached -the shore. One-half landed. The others remained in the boats with guns -in their hands, sabres at their sides, and pistols in their belts, to -act as reserves.</p> - -<p>To their assault there was no response. Not a human being was to be -seen. The town was utterly abandoned. They found provisions in great -abundance, with large quantities of wine and other intoxicating<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">163</a></span> -liquors. These fiend-like men then commenced a scene of feasting, which -continued for several days. Their hideous orgies cannot be described. -Probably they experienced something of what they called joy, in these -revels. But they were only such joys as demons have. Milton describes -Satan, exulting over some of his plots, as “grinning horribly a ghastly -smile.”</p> - -<p>At length, satiated with their unrestrained excesses, they turned -their attention to the collection of plunder. It will be remembered -that it was a hundred and twenty miles to Gibraltar. There were aged -men, feeble women, the sick, and newly born babes in the place. It was -evident that many of these could not have escaped far, and that they -must be concealed in the woods around. Neither could it be doubted that -much treasure, which could not be transported to a distance, had been -buried.</p> - -<p>Gangs of armed men, amounting in all to over two hundred, were sent -to explore the woods. They went out every morning, for several days, -and returned at night. The first night they brought in twenty thousand -dollars in coin, eight mule-loads of goods, and twenty prisoners, -men, women, and children. Lolonois put several of these to the rack, -to compel them to reveal where other people were concealed, and where -other treasures were buried.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">164</a></span> The fiend tortured little children, before -the eyes of their parents, to extort confession.</p> - -<p>Terrible was the condition of the Spaniards in the woods. They were -suffering from every kind of exposure. They were devoured by insects. -They were starving. They were watching over sick and dying friends. And -they were every moment in danger of being captured, and exposed to the -most horrible torments, to extort the confession of hidden treasures, -when they had no treasure to hide.</p> - -<p>The next night another party of prisoners was brought in, with other -plunder. Lolonois summoned the captives before him. Drawing his sharp -sabre, he, without apparently the slightest emotion, hewed one of them -to pieces before the eyes of all the rest. He did this slowly and -deliberately, so as to prolong life as much as possible. Then, turning -to the rest, he said, with a pirate’s oath:</p> - -<p>“If you do not reveal to me where you have concealed the rest of your -goods, I will serve every one of you in the same manner.”</p> - -<p>For fifteen days the pirates remained at Maracaibo. They perpetrated -cruelties upon their captives so terrible, that we are compelled to -spread a veil over them. They then prepared to move on to Gibraltar.</p> - -<p>The governor of this province, which was called<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">165</a></span> Venezuela, or Little -Venice, from its many marshes, resided at Merida. He was a veteran -soldier, who had gained renown in the wars in Flanders. He was, -moreover, somewhat of a braggadocio. The panic-stricken inhabitants -of Gibraltar, sent imploring appeals to him for aid. He returned the -boastful reply:</p> - -<p>“Give yourselves no uneasiness. I will soon be with you, at the head -of four hundred experienced soldiers. The pirates shall be utterly -exterminated.”</p> - -<p>He reached Gibraltar with his little army. Rallying the inhabitants, -he soon had at his command a force of eight hundred well-armed men. He -raised two batteries to command the approaches to the town. Upon one he -mounted twenty guns; upon the other eight. He also barricaded the main -entrance to the town. To deceive the pirates, he opened a road which -led circuitously away into impassable swamps.</p> - -<p>As Lolonois approached the town he saw the royal banner of Spain -floating over its defences, indicating that he could not take -possession of the place without a battle. He called his officers around -him, and thus addressed them:</p> - -<p>“The difficulties of our enterprise have become very great. The -Spaniards have had much time to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">166</a></span> prepare for their defence. They have -an ample supply of ammunition, and have assembled a large number of -men. Still, let us be of good courage. We must either defend ourselves -like valiant soldiers, or lose our lives with all the riches we have -gained. I am your captain. Do as I do. We have fought with fewer -men than we have now. We have conquered foes more numerous than can -possibly oppose us here. The more they are, the greater our glory, and -the greater our riches. But know ye this, that the first man who gives -any indication of fear, I will pistol with my own hand.”</p> - -<p>They landed from their ships, a little after midnight. In all, they -numbered three hundred and eighty. Each man had a musket with thirty -bullets, cartridges, a cutlass, and two or three loaded pistols in his -belt. As they commenced their march, which they knew must lead to the -death of some of them, they shook hands with each other in pledge of -mutual support.</p> - -<p>“Come, my brothers,” said Lolonois, “follow me, and be of good courage.”</p> - -<p>Upon reaching the barricade, where they encountered a heavy fire, they -turned aside into the new road which had been opened to insnare them. -This battle in the woods, amid swamps and thickets, and intertwining -vines and torturing thorns, can not be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">167</a></span> described. The combatants were -sometimes up to their waists in mire. The entanglements of a tropical -forest were such that they often could not see or approach each other. -Much of the firing was at random. The air was heavy with moisture. -The large guns of the batteries hurled balls and grape-shot, crashing -through the branches. The sulphurous smoke settled down upon the morass -in stifling folds.</p> - -<p>The pirates cut down branches of the trees and threw them into the -marsh, and thus gradually struggled through, until they reached the -firm ground beyond. Here the Spaniards were again ready to receive -them, with opposing batteries. Many of the pirates had perished in the -swamp. Their situation now seemed desperate. Lolonois was equal to the -occasion. He feigned a panic. The pirates fled tumultuously, crying -out, “Save himself who can.” Their flight was toward the ships.</p> - -<p>The Spaniards, deceived by the feigned discomfiture, rushed from behind -their intrenchments in eager pursuit, shouting joyfully, “They fly; -they fly!” Lolonois and his men, having drawn them some distance from -their batteries, turned upon them with the reckless ferocity of tigers. -Their bloody work was soon accomplished. A few of the Spaniards escaped -in terror to the woods. All the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">168</a></span> rest were cut down. Gibraltar was at -the mercy of the pirates.</p> - -<p>Five hundred Spaniards lay dead upon the ground. Many of those who -escaped to the woods were wounded, and of these not a few died, for -they were destitute of all aid in dressing their wounds. Fearing that -so many dead bodies might create contagion, the pirates piled them all -in two large boats, and sunk them in the lake. Still many putrefying -corpses were left scattered through the woods. The pirates admit that -they lost eighty in the conflict. The number was probably greater. -Though most of the inhabitants escaped from the town, the victors held -about one hundred and fifty prisoners, men, women, and children. They -prized these captives because, by torturing them, they hoped to find -where money was concealed.</p> - -<p>The town was plundered effectually. Every nook and corner they -searched. The miserable captives were shut up in the church. Gangs -of men were sent out to ravage the plantations around. As provisions -became scarce, the prisoners were left without any supply of bread or -water. The hearts of the pirates were no more moved by their piteous -moans than were the stone blocks with which the church was built. -During the four weeks the pirates<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">169</a></span> held Gibraltar, nearly all these -captives died of actual starvation.</p> - -<p>Their gangs ranged the woods for great distances, bringing in plunder -and prisoners. Many women were brought in. Every conceivable measure -was resorted to, to get money. The whole region was wantonly turned -into a blackened, smouldering desert. Lolonois wished to pursue his mad -career over the mountains to Merida. But a pestilential and contagious -disease sprang up among his men. God’s hand seemed to smite them. All -were sick. Skeleton forms staggered through the streets. These men -were not ignorant of the crimes they were committing. There were no -loving hands to attend them in the languor of sickness, in the agonies -of death. In misery, many of these wretches were burned with fever. -Moaning and blaspheming they died, and their guilty souls passed to the -tribunal of that God who cannot look upon sin but with abhorrence. They -had seized their ill-gotten gold, and it had indeed turned to ashes in -their grasp.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">170</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="x" id="x"></a>CHAPTER X.<br /> -<em>The Plunder; <a name="the" id="the"></a><ins title="Original has The">the</ins> Carousal; and the New Enterprise.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">Gibraltar in Ashes.—The Return to Maracaibo.—Division of -the Plunder.—Peculiar Scene.—Reception of the Pirates -at Tortuga.—Fiend-like Carousal.—The Pirates Reduced -to Beggary.—Lolonois’s New Enterprise.—The “Furious -Calm.”—Days of Disaster.—Ravaging the Coast.—Capture of -San Pedro.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Disease</span> was now cutting down the pirates faster than the bullets or -sabres of the Spaniards had done. The victors, with an abundance of -gold and booty, were starving. The provisions in the place were all -consumed, and no fresh supplies had been brought in. The woe-stricken -wretches were quarrelling among themselves about the division of the -spoil.</p> - -<p>Lolonois sent several parties of men into the region around, to search -out fugitives from Gibraltar, and say to them that if, within two days, -they would send in to him fifty-eight thousand dollars, he would not -burn the city; otherwise he would lay every building in ashes. He set -at liberty several of his prisoners also, to convey to their friends -the same information. Disappointed in the money he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">171</a></span> had found, he still -believed that large sums had been secreted by the fugitives.</p> - -<p>The two days passed, and the money did not come. Lolonois set fire to -the four corners of the town, and in six hours reduced it to ashes. -By beat of drum he assembled his sick and starving men, and embarked, -with all the riches which were movable. He took several captives with -him, male and female. Sailing down the bay, they soon reached Maracaibo. -Quite a number of the inhabitants, who had returned tremblingly to -their desolated homes, he captured. Beggared as the poor creatures -already were, the merciless pirate said to them:</p> - -<p>“If you will supply me with five hundred cows, and bring me thirty -thousand dollars in coin, I will spare your city. If you do not yield -to this demand, I will treat your city as I have served Gibraltar. Not -one building shall be left standing.”</p> - -<p>The cows were driven in. The money was paid. The people, still -trembling, and not daring to manifest their joy, saw these Goths and -Vandals of modern times, spread their sails, and slowly disappear -in the distant horizon. But who can imagine the condition in which -the town was left? The people were utterly despoiled. The homes were -desolated. Widows and orphans wept and wailed, with life-long penury -before them. Not a few of the people with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">172</a></span> ruined constitutions, -tottered through the streets, slowly recovering from the crushings and -the lacerations of the rack. When we read of such crimes perpetrated by -man upon his brother, one almost shrinks from owning himself a man. And -the weary heart finds little comfort in the thought that the Spaniards -deserved it all. These woes came upon them as a righteous retribution. -With equal cruelty they had treated the native Cubans, the Mexicans, -and the Peruvians.</p> - -<p>The fleet sailed for Gonaves on the Island of Hispaniola. There the -spoil was to be divided. Each one took a solemn oath, on the Bible, -that he had concealed nothing, but that he had thrown everything into -the public stock.</p> - -<p>The gathering of the pirates for this distribution on the shores of a -lovely bay of the Island of St. Domingo, must have presented a very -singular spectacle. In the centre of a small verdant lawn, spread upon -the grass, were bales of richest silk; cloths of great variety of -texture; baskets of gold and silver coin, pistols, sabres, and muskets -of the best construction, and costly jewels, and golden cups, vases, -and ornaments, of which the churches had been despoiled. Around stood -wild groups of heavily armed, half-naked pirates, in ferocity of aspect -resembling fiends rather than men. Some countenances<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">173</a></span> were disfigured -with sabre gashes; while some hobbled upon crutches. Native Indians -had gathered around, their long, black hair streaming in the wind, -and their almost naked bodies shining like coin fresh from the mint. -Several Spanish captives were there, men and women, looking sadly on -at the distribution of the wealth of which their own homes had been -plundered. There were also a large number of negro slaves present, -with their black limbs and woolly, hatless heads, whom the pirates had -brought with them to perform their heavy or menial tasks.</p> - -<p>After an exact calculation of the whole spoil in coin, jewels, and -goods, the sum total was estimated at only about five hundred thousand -dollars. The property was really worth much more. But a very low -estimate was placed upon most of the goods. Silver in bullion was -valued at eight dollars a pound. The pirates were so ignorant of the -real value of jewels, that they were prized at nothing like their real -worth. Many of the stores and fabrics were also greatly undervalued.</p> - -<p>Still, even at this low estimate, the average was over a thousand -dollars for each pirate. Having finished this important business, -they set sail for Tortuga, where most of them were, in a few days, to -squander all the fruits of their robberies and murders,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">174</a></span> in the most -riotous dissipation. After a four-weeks’ voyage they reached the great -rendezvous of the buccaneers. The island was crowded with gamblers and -abandoned women, and every conceivable haunt of dissipation.</p> - -<p>For three weeks Tortuga presented a spectacle of frenzied and maddened -carousal, which could not have been surpassed. Men, insane with -drink, rushed through the streets, slashing with their sabres in all -directions. Casks of rum and wine were placed in the streets, standing -on end, with the heads knocked out, and every passer-by was compelled -to drink. The women, more loathsome in their wickedness than the men, -reeled through the thoroughfares, in the richest silks and satins, and -bedecked with glittering jewelry of which a duchess might be proud. -There were oaths and brawls and bloody duels. In the delirium of these -demoniac orgies gold watches were fried for a costly breakfast, and -were served up with boiled pearls and jewels.</p> - -<p>Two French vessels chanced just then to enter the port, laden with wine -and brandy. This was throwing fresh fuel upon the fiery conflagration -of violence, sin, and shame then raging in this miniature city of all -the fiends. In the course of three weeks nearly all of these thieves -had squandered everything. The riches they had gained by murder and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">175</a></span> -the endurance and the infliction of untold miseries, had all passed -into the hands of the gamblers, the liquor dealers, and the abandoned -women. John Esquemeling, who witnessed these scenes, of which he wrote -an account, says that the governor of the island bought of these -buccaneers a shipload of cocoa, for not one-twentieth part its real -value. He sent it to Europe, and realized over five hundred thousand -dollars from the profits. Lolonois, though fiercely brave, and with -unusual native strength of mind, was a low, degraded, brutal man. He -indulged in these bacchanal orgies with the meanest of his crew. No one -was guilty of greater excesses. No one sank to greater depths in the -mire of loathsome wickedness. Not one short month had passed ere he was -reeling through the streets a filthy and ragged beggar. He was also -deeply involved in debt.</p> - -<p>He could conceive of but one mode of extrication. That was to set out -upon another piratic expedition. The ravages of the pirates had been so -great that the commerce of those seas was almost annihilated. Merchant -ships abandoned the ocean, unless attended by a very strong convoy. -This it was which led the buccaneers to go in fleets, so as to land -in sufficient strength to desolate the coasts and to sack towns and -cities.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">176</a></span> -Lolonois’s success had given him high reputation as a pirate. There -were many on the island ready to furnish him with the means for -another adventure. There were hundreds of penniless, starving wretches -staggering through the streets, eager to enlist under his banner for -any service whatever. Inscrutable is the mystery of God’s government. -He has allowed miniature hells to exist on earth, and to be crowded -with demons in human form. No philosophy, no theology can explain this. -The heart, in its anguish, often cries out, “O Lord, how long! how -long!” Faith tremblingly and sadly exclaims, “What we know not now we -shall know hereafter.”</p> - -<p>This demoniac man had sense enough to abandon his cups, until his brain -was sufficiently clear to organize, even to its details, the plan for a -new expedition. The enterprise was communicated to a few men of capital -and unscrupulous shrewdness. Money was promptly raised. Six vessels -were purchased. There were generally vessels enough in the harbor, from -the prizes that were brought in, and from the large number of piratic -ships.</p> - -<p>Lolonois placarded a proclamation upon the walls, calling for -volunteers. More than seven hundred eager applicants thronged his -doors. Three hundred of these he took, with himself, on board his -largest ship. The rest were placed in five other<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">177</a></span> ships. None but the -leading officers were informed of the destination of the fleet.</p> - -<p>They first sailed to a port called Bayaha, on the Island of San -Domingo, then, as we have mentioned, called Hispaniola; or Little -Spain. Here they filled their water-casks and supplied themselves with -provisions. Thence they sailed to Matamana, a solitary but commodious -harbor on the south side of Cuba. This region was famous for its rich -turtles. Native Cuban fishermen, in large boats, pursued these animals, -alike valuable for their flesh and their shells. The pirates were fond -of turtle soup. Lolonois needed a large number of boats, that he might -simultaneously land the crews, from his ships, upon any doomed city.</p> - -<p>These poor men were mercilessly robbed of their boats, into many of -which forty sailors could be crowded. The poor fishermen, having no -other means of subsistence, were overwhelmed with grief and dismay. -Lolonois was as heedless of their sorrows as he was of the manifest -trouble of the tortoise when deprived of its young. Again they spread -their sails, and had advanced about three hundred miles along the -southern coast of Cuba, when they were overtaken by what the Spaniards -call a “furious calm.”</p> - -<p>For four weeks there was not a breath of air.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">178</a></span> Day after day the -tropical sun rose, pouring down upon their blistered decks his -scorching rays. The cabins became as furnaces. There was relief -nowhere. The pirates swore, prayed, called upon the Virgin and -the saints. All was in vain. Twenty eight days of this terrible -imprisonment passed slowly away. In the mean time a strong, but -imperceptible and resistless current swept them along into the Gulf of -Honduras, which deeply penetrates the eastern coast of Central America. -Upon leaving Cuba, the crews had been informed of the enterprise before -them. They were to coast along the province of Nicaragua and plunder -all its settlements, great and small.</p> - -<p>This important Spanish province extended entirely across the Isthmus -of Panama, then called Darien, from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific -Ocean. It was bounded on the north by Honduras, and on the south by -Costa Rica. By the current, the pirates had been swept nearly five -hundred miles west of the point which they wished to make. To return, -they must coast, for that distance, along the bleak, almost uninhabited -northern shore of Honduras.</p> - -<p>The Gulf stream, pouring into the Bay of Honduras, pressed strongly -against them. The calm was followed by fresh winds. But these winds -were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">179</a></span> strong and contrary. It was impossible to beat against both wind -and current.</p> - -<p>Another dreary month thus passed away, as they struggled against -adversity. Their provisions were consumed. Their water-casks were -empty. Famine compelled them to seek the land. Entering the mouth of a -large river, which they called Xagua, and which afforded a harbor for -their fleet, they cast anchor. The region was quite densely inhabited -by Indians, inoffensive and friendly. They had for some years conducted -trade with the Spaniards, which was profitable to both parties. The -Indians received, in exchange for cocoa, articles from Europe, to them -of priceless value.</p> - -<p>There were many picturesque Indian villages, scattered along the -banks of the river, beneath cocoa groves, and surrounded by orange -plantations and fields of Indian corn. The natives had also learned -the value of swine and poultry, and were well supplied with both. When -they saw the fleet approaching they were not alarmed, but rejoiced, as -they were eager both to sell and to buy. They sprang into their canoes, -loading them with vegetables, fruit, and fowls, and with smiling faces -paddled out to the ships.</p> - -<p>How shall I describe the scenes which ensued? Burke, I think, says, -“to speak of atrocious crime in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">180</a></span> mild language is treason to virtue.” -These incarnate fiends shot down the poor Indians, men and women, in -mere wantonness—for the fun of it. Boats filled with these armed -demons then went ashore. They shot the men, as they could. They took -many women captives. They stripped the Indians of everything, swine, -poultry, fruit, corn, and then burned their villages.</p> - -<p>The renowned French historian, Michelet, though an unbeliever in -the Christian religion, says that when writing the account of the -atrocities perpetrated by the ancient nobility of France upon the -peasantry, he found himself praying to God that there might be -some future punishment, where these tyrants, clothed in purple and -sumptuously feeding, might receive the due award for their crimes.</p> - -<p>The amount of food obtained, furnished but a few days’ supply for seven -hundred hungry mouths. Lolonois decided to remain there at anchor until -the weather should prove more favorable. In the mean time he sent his -armed boats up the river and along the shores in both directions for -indiscriminate plunder. The whole region was devastated. The terrified -Indians fled in all directions, taking with them what they could. -Notwithstanding the utmost diligence of the plunderers, they could each -day bring in barely enough for the day’s supply.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">181</a></span> -When the pirates had got everything here upon which they could lay -their hands, they weighed anchor and worked their way slowly along -the coast several leagues, until they reached a harbor called Port -Cavallo. This was a trading-post of the Spaniards. They had here two -capacious store-houses, to hold the goods which they received from the -natives, and the articles brought from Spain to give to them in return. -Ships occasionally arrived with fresh supplies, and to transport the -purchases to Spain.</p> - -<p>There was at that time in the harbor a large Spanish ship, which -mounted twenty-four guns and sixteen mortars. But this one ship could -make no effectual resistance against the fleet of the pirates. It was -immediately seized. Its cargo had been mostly unloaded and carried back -into the country, to be exchanged, in barter, with the Indians. They -stripped the store-houses, and plundered and destroyed all the adjacent -dwellings. They captured many prisoners, and put them to dreadful -torture to compel them to confess, often when they had nothing which -they could disclose.</p> - -<p>Lolonois hacked them to pieces with his sabre; tore out their tongues; -dislocated their joints with the rack. He committed upon them, writes -Esquemeling, “the most insolent and inhuman cruelties<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">182</a></span> that ever -heathens invented, putting them to the cruelest tortures they could -imagine or devise. Oftentimes it happened that some of these miserable -prisoners, being forced thereunto by the rack, would promise to -discover the places where the fugitive Spaniards lay hidden; which, -being not able afterward to perform, they were put to more enormous and -cruel deaths than they who were killed before.”</p> - -<p>About twenty miles from Port Cavallo there was, not far from the coast, -a small but thriving town called San Pedro. Lolonois took three hundred -men and commenced his march to sack the place. He left his lieutenant, -Moses Vauclin, in command of the men who were left behind with the -ships. A few boats, well armed, were sent along the coast to render -such <a name="assistance" id="assistance"></a><ins title="Original has asssistance">assistance</ins> as might be needful. Before starting he -told his troops that he would always march at their head, sharing all -their dangers; but that he would cut down the first one who manifested -any disposition to retreat or gave the least sign of fear.</p> - -<p>There were no broad roads to traverse, but only intricate mule-paths, -which could with difficulty be followed through the dense growth of -a tropical forest. Two Spanish captives were taken as guides. The -inhabitants of San Pedro, informed of their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">183</a></span> approach, sent out a party -of men to intrench themselves in ambush on the way. The narrow road led -through gigantic forests with almost impenetrable thickets of brambles -and thorns and interlacing vines on either side.</p> - -<p>When the pirates had advanced about nine miles, the Spaniards in ambush -opened fire upon them. Taking deliberate aim, at the first discharge -many of the pirates were killed, and more wounded. The battle which -ensued was desperate on both sides. Lolonois, assuming that his guides -had led him into the ambush, instantly cut them both down.</p> - -<p>The fury of the pirates was irresistible, and the Spaniards were put -to flight. They left behind many dead and wounded. The pirates put to -death all of the wounded, excepting one or two whom they reserved as -guides. These they -<a name="threatened" id="threatened"></a><ins title="Original has threatented">threatened</ins> with instant death if they -did not guide them safely to the city. There was but one available path -leading there. Intimidated by the awful threats of Lolonois, when he -asked them if there were other ambuscades farther on, they said that -there were. He then asked them if there were not some other path to the -city, by which they could avoid the ambuscades. The guides replied that -they did not know of any.</p> - -<p>Lolonois was in a great rage. He drew his sabre and cut one of the -captives to pieces before<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">184</a></span> the rest. He cut out his heart, seized it, -and began to gnaw it, like a ravenous wolf. Then turning to the other -captives, he said:</p> - -<p>“I swear unto you, by the death of God, that I will serve you all the -same way if you do not lead me to the city by another route.”</p> - -<p>Terror-stricken, the poor creatures endeavored to lead through the -thickets. But they could not force their way. Lolonois was compelled -to return to the former path. But he swore the most terrible oaths -that the Spaniards should pay dearly for causing him so much trouble. -The same evening they encountered another ambuscade. Lolonois fell -upon his foes with the same fury with which the tiger leaps upon its -prey, apparently regardless of his own life, if he can but destroy his -victim. In less than an hour the Spaniards were routed, and scarcely -one escaped.</p> - -<p>The pirates, though victorious, were faint with fatigue, hunger, and -thirst. They threw themselves down in the woods that night, and, -probably with consciences utterly seared, slept that sound sleep which -toil and danger often bring.</p> - -<p>The next morning, at break of day, the pirates resumed their march. -Ere long, they came upon a third ambuscade. This was much stronger and -better planned than either of the others. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">185</a></span> pirates had provided -themselves with a large number of fire-balls, which they showered down -with much effect upon their foes. Lolonois seemed inspired with the -fury of a madman. He foamed at the mouth and gnashed his teeth as he -shouted:</p> - -<p>“No quarter; no quarter! The more we kill here, the less we shall meet -in the town.”</p> - -<p>But few of the Spaniards escaped to San Pedro. Nearly all were killed; -for the wounded were immediately dispatched. The pirates had now -arrived within sight of the town. There was but one narrow approach, -and that the Spaniards had thoroughly barricaded. The thorny shrubs -which grew densely around were utter impenetrable. Nothing remained for -the pirates but to make an instantaneous attempt to storm the works. -Several times they were driven back, but only to renew the conflict -with increasing fury. This conflict, of fiend-like ferocity, continued -four hours. The white flag of surrender was then unfurled from the town.</p> - -<p>After a brief parley, the citizens agreed to yield up the town, without -further resistance, if they were allowed two hours to retire with such -articles as they could take away with them. Lolonois, who in this last -battle had lost forty men, agreed to the terms. The Spaniards, with -their wives and children, fled, with such few articles as they could -carry in their arms or on the backs of mules.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">186</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xi" id="xi"></a>CHAPTER XI.<br /> -<em>The End of Lolonois’s Career.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">The Pirates’ Perfidy.—Capture of a Spanish Ship.—Misery of -the Pirates.—Desertion of Vauclin.—The Shipwreck.—Life -upon the Island.—Expedition to Nicaragua.—Its utter -Failure.—Ferocity of the Indians.—Exploring the River.—The -Retreat.—Coasting to Darien.—Capture and Death of -Lolonois.—Fate of the Remnants.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Lolonois</span> waited patiently the two hours which he had agreed to grant -the inhabitants to vacate the place. He then entered the town, and, in -perfidious disregard of the spirit of his engagement, dispatched armed -bands to pursue the fugitives, and not only rob them of everything in -their possession, but also to bring them all back as prisoners.</p> - -<p>This was done. But the thieves were much disappointed in the amount -of plunder they found, San Pedro was by no means a wealthy place. The -inhabitants gained a comfortable but frugal living, mainly by raising -indigo.</p> - -<p>The pirates, in their great disappointment, supposed, as usual, that -much treasure had been concealed. They therefore put their captives to -the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">187</a></span> torture, to force them to point out the places of concealment. -Though many died under the terrible infliction, no discoveries were -made. The pirates, in revenge, laid the town in ashes. In this -fruitless expedition they lost about one hundred men in killed and -wounded, endured great suffering, and inflicted inconceivable misery -upon their brother man.</p> - -<p>About one hundred and fifty miles southwest of San Pedro was the rich -old Spanish town of Guatemala, capital of the capacious province of -that name. Lolonois, in his frenzied state of mind, was determined -to send back to the ship for reënforcements, and then to march upon -Guatemala. But his piratic crew refused to accede to so insane a -proposal.</p> - -<p>For eighteen days these marauders lingered around San Pedro, before -they applied the torch. They then, leaving only ruins and misery behind -them, returned to the fleet. Those left there had employed their time -in robbing the Indians, burning their huts, and inflicting all manner -of evil upon their families. Some of these captives on the coast -informed them that about sixty miles west, at the mouth of the great -river of -<a name="Guatemala" id="Guatemala"></a><ins title="Original has Gautemala">Guatemala</ins>, called Montagua, there was a large -Spanish ship, which had recently arrived from Spain.</p> - -<p>As soon as Lolonois arrived, several boats filled with pirates, -thoroughly armed, were sent to capture<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">188</a></span> the ship. The Indians had -informed the inmates of the ship of the presence of the pirates. -Anticipating a visit, they had made such preparations as they could to -repel them. The ship mounted forty-two guns, was well supplied with -small arms, and had a select crew of one hundred and thirty fighting -men.</p> - -<p>The pirates, after opening fire upon the ship for some time, from one -of their vessels with twenty-two heavy guns, sent four boats, each -carrying about forty men, to clamber over the bulwarks of the ship, -cutlass in hand, at four points. In this assault they were much aided -by a dense fog, which, blending with the smoke of the powder, had -settled down so heavily as to conceal the approach of the boats.</p> - -<p>The crew were sailors. The pirates were veteran soldiers. The conflict -was like that between well-trained regulars and raw militia. Very -soon the pirates were masters of the ship, and the deck was covered -with the dead and the dying. But again these wretched plunderers -were disappointed. The vessel had been almost entirely unladen. Its -remaining cargo consisted of twenty thousand reams of paper and one -hundred tons of iron bars. Neither of these were of any use to the -pirates. The ship, however, with its great guns, its small arms, and -its abundance of ammunition, was deemed a great<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">189</a></span> acquisition. But God -so ordered it that even this capture proved a calamity rather than an -aid to the enterprises of Lolonois.</p> - -<p>The desperate leader of this piratic gang called a general council, -and insisted upon the march across the country to Guatemala. It was -a stormy session. The general discontent was expressed in curses and -oaths, and bitter recriminations. Nearly one-fourth of their number -had perished. They had endured almost intolerable sufferings. As yet -they had accomplished nothing in the way of enriching themselves. And -now they were urged to embark on a desperate enterprise, where they -certainly would be exposed to the greatest hardships, and where all -would probably perish.</p> - -<p>These men had embarked from Tortuga, with the expectation that dollars -and doubloons would be gathered by shovelfuls. They were now poor, -hungry, mutinous, angry with each other, and the prospect before them -was discouraging in the extreme. All thoughts of ravaging Nicaragua, -in their present state of despondency and with the great diminution of -their numbers, were relinquished.</p> - -<p>Moses Vauclin had charge of the splendid ship recently captured. His -ship was a swift sailer. With one or two officers conspiring with him, -and his crew of nearly one hundred and fifty men gained<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">190</a></span> over, they -decided to run away and cruise on their own account. In the night -they silently raised their anchors, took advantage of a fresh breeze, -and, before the morning’s dawn, disappeared beyond the horizon. When -Lolonois awoke and found that he was thus deserted, the madman paced -his deck in a frenzy of impotent rage.</p> - -<p>The fugitives could not endure the idea of returning penniless to -Tortuga, where they would thus become the laughing-stock of the whole -community. The wind favored them. They ran along the coast of Honduras -and Nicaragua to the south, until they reached the province of Costa -Rica. In their desperation, being resolved to accomplish something, -they landed and attacked and sacked the poor little town of Veruguas, -killing many of the inhabitants. The furniture in the huts of these -poor people was of no value to them. They gained only the pitiful sum -of about forty dollars’ worth of gold, which the slaves had washed out -from the mud of the rivers.</p> - -<p>This region was low and unhealthy. The Spanish grandees, who owned -the mines and cultivated them by the compulsory labor of slaves, had -their residences in the more healthy region of Nata, at the distance -of several leagues. The Spaniards began to gather in large numbers to -repel the invaders. The pirates, alarmed, fled to their ship, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">191</a></span> -returned to Tortuga. Here they disbanded, and we learn no more of the -fate of this portion of Lolonois’s army. Each one, doubtless, found his -way, through crime and misery, to death and to the judgment-seat of -Christ.</p> - -<p>Lolonois was left at Port Cavallo, with but about two hundred men. He -was almost destitute of food; most of his ammunition was consumed; -many were sick from the insalubrity of the climate, and all were -dissatisfied, clamorous, and angry.</p> - -<p>Lolonois remained for some time in the Bay of Honduras. Esquemeling -writes: “His ship was too great to get out at the time of the reflux of -those seas, which the smaller vessels could more easily do.”</p> - -<p>Every day he sent his boats ashore for food. The fruit of the region -was soon all consumed, and they fed on the flesh of parrots and -monkeys. Slowly working their way along the coast by the night breeze, -they found the days generally calm. Casting anchor in the morning, they -sought provisions in fishing and hunting. At length they rounded the -extreme eastern point of Honduras, at Cape Gracios à Dios. Just beyond, -a group of islands called the Pearl Islands, hove in sight.</p> - -<p>The indomitable Lolonois was still determined to ravage a portion of -the rich province of Nicaragua.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">192</a></span> It was his plan to anchor his vessels -at the mouth of the river St. John, by which the great inland sea -called Lake Nicaragua empties its waters into the ocean, and then to -ascend the majestic stream in his armed boats. While sailing among the -islands in an almost unknown sea, he ran his ship upon a sandbank. All -his efforts to float the ship again were in vain. With infinite labor -he took out the heavy guns and the iron; but the ship had sunk too deep -in the sand to be moved.</p> - -<p>Finding his ship thus hopelessly wrecked, he decided to break her to -pieces, and with her planks and nails to construct a large and strong -boat with which he could ascend the river. The crew all landed upon -an island, built themselves huts in the Indian fashion, and, with -a reckless disregard of misfortune, commenced building their boat. -Expecting that it might be necessary to spend some time there, they dug -gardens and planted peas and other vegetables.</p> - -<p>The island upon which they were was large, and was -<a name="inhabited" id="inhabited"></a><ins title="Original has inhabitated">inhabited</ins> by a very fierce tribe of Indians. But their -clubs and lances armed with crocodiles’ teeth were but impotent -weapons, when met by the muskets, the pistols, and the sabres of the -pirates. The Indians had doubtless heard of the atrocities committed by -these rovers over seas and land, for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">193</a></span> they fled precipitally at their -approach, and taking to their canoes, actually abandoned the island.</p> - -<p>The vegetables which the pirates sowed grew rapidly. It was six months -before their large boat, or rather small vessel, was completed. In the -mean time they raised quite large crops of beans, wheat, potatoes, and -bananas. It is strange that this experience did not teach them that -they could much more easily and happily gain a living by honest than by -dishonest means. But still they clung to the misery of piracy, with its -crime, its cruelty, and its wild revelry.</p> - -<p>When the vessel was finished, Lolonois took one-half of his company, -or about one hundred men, in this vessel and a ship which remained to -him, and sailed for the mouth of St. John’s River. The other half were -left behind. As nothing was said about the other smaller vessels of -the fleet, it is probable that they all had been lost in the various -casualties of their voyage, or had escaped with Vauclin. It was known -that the Indians on the river had very large boats, formed by hollowing -out the trunk of a gigantic tree. These boats, ingeniously made, and -the result of almost incredible labor, would accommodate forty or fifty -warriors. It was Lolonois’s intention to rob the Indians of some of -their boats, send them back to the island for the pirates who were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">194</a></span> -left behind, and then, with his whole party, to ascend the river in an -invincible fleet.</p> - -<p>Lolonois set sail, and in a short time reached the mouth of the St. -John’s River. But the Indians, who had fled from the island, had spread -the news, all along the coast, of the arrival of the terrible pirates. -Spaniards and Indians were thus influenced to combine to meet them -wherever they might land. Their progress in building their vessel had -been carefully watched by spies, who effectually concealed themselves -from sight.</p> - -<p>As Lolonois and his party entered the river they expected to take -the inhabitants by surprise, and had not the slightest idea of -being surprised themselves. But their vessel had been watched as it -approached. There was a pleasant sheltered cove surrounded by the -luxuriant and magnificent growth of the tropics. It could not be -doubted that this spot would be selected for their landing-place. -Nature had decked it with the charms of Eden. Here a well-armed band of -Spaniards and Indians posted themselves in ambuscade. Palm-trees and -cocoanut-trees rose gracefully around them. Golden oranges and lemons -hung profusely from orchards which God had planted and cultivated. -Birds of every variety of brilliant plumage flitted from bough to -bough. All the sights and sounds of nature seemed to say<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">195</a></span> that God -had made this for a happy world; that his children might live here in -fraternal love, surrounded by abundance.</p> - -<p>The pirates cast anchor in the lovely cove, where the glittering sand -could be seen fathoms deep, beneath the water of crystal clearness. -They had several small boats. All were impatient to reach the land. -Scarcely had their boats touched the beach, and the men were clustered -together in landing, when the Eden-like scene of peace and loveliness, -was changed into an earth-like scene of noise and tumult and smoke and -groans and blood.</p> - -<p>There was a sudden discharge of musketry from the surrounding thickets -within half gun-shot. The Spaniards had armed the Indians and taught -them to take unerring aim. Both Spaniards and savages united in -the most hideous yells to appal the pirates with an idea of their -superior numbers. Rapidly the unseen foe continued the discharge of -the murderous bullets. Scarcely a minute elapsed ere many were dead, -weltering in their blood. Others were severely wounded. And still the -pitiless storm of leaden hail swept through the group, crashing bones -and tearing nerves, and still the yells of the invisible assailants -resounded through the forest. There was not a breath of air. The -sulphurous smoke settled down, half concealing the awful spectacle of -blood and death.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">196</a></span> -Even the demoniac pirates were so panic-stricken that they dared not by -a charge rush into the very jaws of destruction. Every instant their -comrades were dropping. There was no time for thought. Those not yet -struck leaped into the boats and pushed from the shore, leaving the -dying and the dead in the water and upon the sand. Still the pelting -storm pursued them till they were beyond gun-shot reach.</p> - -<p>Lolonois, the greatest villain of them all, escaped unharmed. Did God -preserve him that he might drain to the dregs the cup of mental and -bodily misery which he had so often presented to the lips of others? In -view of what he had yet to endure, he might indeed have deemed it one -of the richest of mercies had a bullet pierced heart or brain, and laid -him instantly with the dead.</p> - -<p>The wretch had sufficient intelligence to perceive that he was ruined. -There was no longer any hope of ravaging Nicaragua. His provisions -were exhausted. He had no doubt that the whole coast was armed against -them. As by lightning-bolts he had lost nearly one-half of his crews. -Desponding, starving, he divided his company into two bands, to sail -where they could, to save themselves from perishing by hunger.</p> - -<p>Lolonois, with thirty or forty men ran along the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">197</a></span> coast toward South -America, till they reached the region of Carthagena. They were few and -feeble, and feared to land. The atrocities committed by the pirates -were everywhere known. Upon every league of the coast either the -Spaniards or the Indians were watching for their approach, ready to -give the general alarm, and to summon all who could be rallied to repel -them.</p> - -<p>Their water-casks were empty. They must obtain fresh water or perish of -thirst. Having passed the Gulf of Darien, he ventured to land, taking -his whole force with him. It so chanced, or Providence so ordered -it, that he landed on the territory of one of the fiercest tribes -of Indians known in all that region. They were called Bravos. The -Spaniards had never been able to subdue them. These fierce and cunning -savages surrounded the pirates and shot down or captured the whole -band. Still not a bullet struck Lolonois. He was reserved for another -doom. Most of the captured pirates were burned alive. But the savages -thought that too merciful a death for the leader of the band.</p> - -<p>They bound him to a tree. Hour after hour, according to their custom, -they tortured him, being careful to prolong his sufferings by not -piercing any vital point. Every device of savage ingenuity was resorted -to, which might extort agony from his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">198</a></span> quivering nerves. There was no -one to pity. Even humanity says he merited it all. At last the savages, -howling in frenzied merriment around him, and raising new shouts -whenever they could force from him new shrieks of agony, weary with -the demoniac pastime, hewed off one of his arms and threw it into the -fire. They then hewed off the other and committed it to the flames. The -same was done with his legs. Then his head was cut off, and with his -memberless body was consumed to ashes. Such was the earthly life, and -such the earthly death of Francis Lolonois. We say the <em>earthly</em> life. -There is another life. There is a second death. Lolonois still lives in -the spirit-land. What is his character there?</p> - -<p>The pirates who remained upon the island, weary of waiting for the -boats, were quite in despair. But one morning their eyes were cheered -by the sight of a very large ship passing near by. Their signals were -seen and the ship hove to. It proved to be a pirate bound for the sack -of Carthagena. The captain was delighted to add a hundred desperate -fellows to his gang. The pirates, who had now been ten months upon the -island, and were in a state of great despondency, destitution, and -suffering, were as glad as such wicked men could be in this escape from -their miseries, and this new opportunity to renew their ravages.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">199</a></span> -There were several Carthagenas in the various provinces of the New -World. The one they were to attack was in Honduras, on the river -Segoria, which empties into Cape Gracios à Dios. Their plan was to -cast anchor in the mouth of the river, and ascend the stream in boats. -The piratic captain was greatly elated, for he had now at his command -between five and six hundred men.</p> - -<p>They reached the mouth of the river in safety. A few men were left in -charge of the ship. Over five hundred were crowded into the boats. -There was no space for storing provisions; neither was it thought -necessary. It was supposed that an ample supply of food would be -found in the villages on the river banks. But the Indians transmitted -intelligence with almost the rapidity of telegraphic dispatches. From -village to village the tidings ran.</p> - -<p>The Indians, conscious of their inability to contend with the -well-armed pirates, fled. They took with them all the food they could. -The rest they destroyed. The invaders found themselves reduced almost -to starvation. They ate roots and herbs, and even the leaves of the -trees. A blazing tropical sun poured its rays down upon their crowded -open boats, blistering their skin with the intense heat. Sickness came, -with languor, pain, wretchedness.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">200</a></span> Their own crimes were chastising them -with scorpion lashes.</p> - -<p>There was but misery in those boats, with universal discontent and -oaths and fightings. In their despair they landed, five hundred -maddened, starving men, hating themselves and hating each other. -They hoped that at a little distance back from the river they might -find some villages which had not been abandoned. In this they were -disappointed. The natives watched them closely, and fled before them.</p> - -<p>They commenced a retreat back to the ship. Many died. Many fell by the -wayside and were captured by the savages. The Indians pursued them, -watching every opportunity to strike a blow. They were too weak to -resist. They could scarcely wield a paddle or lift a musket. Their -starvation and misery was so great that they resolved to kill and -devour the first Indian they could meet. But this kind of game kept -beyond the reach of their balls. They ate their shoes, their leather -belts, even the sheaths of their swords.</p> - -<p>At length a skeleton band reached the ship. There was but little food -there. Still they spread their sails, and disappeared. We hear of them -no more.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">201</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xii" id="xii"></a>CHAPTER XII.<br /> -<em>The Female Pirate, Mary Read.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">Testimony of Charles Johnson.—Marriage of Mary Read’s -Mother.—Singular Adventure.—Reasons for Disguising her -Daughter.—Early Training of Mary as a Boy.—She Enlists on -board a Man-of-war.—The Character she Developed.—Enters -the Army.—Skill and Bravery.—Falls in Love with a -Fleming.—Reveals her Sex.—The Marriage.—Happy Days.—Death -of her Husband.—Adversity.—Resumes Male Attire.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">In</span> writing the account of Captain Kidd and other conspicuous pirates of -his day, we have had occasion to refer to many ancient documents. In -their examination we have come across numerous incidents, extraordinary -in their character. Among these are the well-accredited careers of -two female pirates, Mary Read and <a name="Anne" id="Anne"></a><ins title="Original has Ann">Anne</ins> Bonny. Their lives illustrate -the common remark that fact is often stranger than fiction. We are -mainly indebted, for the wild and wondrous story of their adventures, -to the narrative of Captain Charles Johnson. The second edition of his -valuable history of the pirates now lies before me. It was published in -London, in the year 1724. In the preface to this work the writer says:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">202</a></span> -“As to the lives of our two female pirates, we must confess they may -appear a little extravagant, yet they are nevertheless true. But as -they were publicly tried for their piracies, there are living witnesses -enough to justify what we have laid down concerning them. It is certain -that we have produced some particulars which were not publicly known. -The reason is we were more inquisitive into the circumstances of their -past lives than other people who had no other design than that of -gratifying their own private curiosity. If there are some incidents -and turns in their stories, which may give them a little the air of a -novel, they are not invented or contrived for that purpose. It is a -kind of reading this author is but little acquainted with. But as he -himself was exceedingly diverted with them, when they were related to -him, he thought they might have the same effect on the reader.”</p> - -<p>A young girl in one of the seaports in England, about one hundred and -seventy-five years ago, married a sailor. Not many months after their -marriage the sailor left home for a distant voyage, and never returned. -She never knew whether he deserted her, or whether he died far away. -When he sailed she was expecting soon to become a mother. She resided -with her husband’s relatives. In due time the child was born, and -proved to be a boy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">203</a></span> -The mother was a young, light, trifling girl, of fair reputation, and -not very careful habits, who ere long found that she was about to -become a mother again. As the months advanced, in order to conceal her -shame, she took leave of her husband’s relatives, informing them that -she was going to visit her own friends at some distance in the country. -Her little boy, who accompanied her, was then not a year old.</p> - -<p>Soon after her departure her son died; and she, ere long, gave birth -to another child, who proved to be a girl. The mother remained away -four years. In the mean time she had very little communication with -her former relatives; and they had no knowledge of the death of her -son, or of the birth of her daughter. Her husband’s mother was still -living. She was in comfortable circumstances, though aged and infirm, -with impaired vision. The mother of the little girl thought that if -she could pass her child upon the aged mother of her husband, as his -son, whom she had seen and loved, the child would be liberally provided -for. But the changing of a girl into a boy seemed to be an insuperable -difficulty. She, however, dressed the child up as a boy, and presented -it to her mother-in-law as her husband’s son. No one suspected the -deception. The good old woman embraced it cordially, and was anxious -to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">204</a></span> adopt it as her own, promising amply to provide for it.</p> - -<p>But the cunning mother declared that it would break her heart to -part with the child that she could not be separated from it. It -was, however, agreed that the child should reside with the mother, -while the supposed grandmother should allow a crown a week for its -<a name="maintenance" id="maintenance"></a><ins title="Original has maintainance">maintenance</ins>. The child was thus brought up as a boy. -The mother watched over her with the utmost vigilance, instructing her -to guard the secret of her sex with the greatest possible care.</p> - -<p>At length the grandmother died: the little property vanished, and the -mother and child were in a situation of much destitution. The child -was now thirteen years of age, bright, well formed, and good looking, -with a thoroughly boyish character. There was a French lady, in the -neighborhood, who took the child into her service, as page and footboy. -The feminine nature was soon entirely swallowed up in manly yearnings -and desires.</p> - -<p>She was bold and strong, and developed a roving disposition and a -love for wild adventures. We are not informed of her masculine name. -Her feminine name was Mary. For convenience’ sake we will call her -Frank, during the period of her disguise. Frank enlisted on board a -man-of-war, and served in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">205</a></span> capacity of a sailor, energetically and -successfully, for several months. No one was more nimble in running up -the shrouds, or in taking in reefs when the majestic fabric was tossed -like a bubble upon the gigantic waves.</p> - -<p>Soon weary of this employment, Frank, apparently a graceful, well-built -boy of nineteen, enlisted in the army. Shouldering a musket, and -very rapidly becoming a proficient in military drill, she fell into -the line and accompanied a regiment of foot to Flanders. She was in -several severe battles. It is said that in time of action, no one -of the regiment conducted with more reckless bravery. She seemed to -lose all consciousness of danger, and, if we may so express it, in a -state of frenzy which rendered her calm by its very intensity, was as -regardless of shells, cannon-balls, and bullets, as though they had -been snowflakes.</p> - -<p>She would certainly have been promoted could merit have secured that -honor. But in mercenary England, at that time, no commission could be -obtained but such as was purchased with gold. Ever consumed by restless -desires, Frank, ere long, succeeded in exchanging the infantry service -for a situation in a regiment of horse. Here Frank’s lithe and graceful -figure showed to great advantage. There was not in the company a bolder -rider, a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">206</a></span> more dexterous manager of the war-horse than she.</p> - -<p>Even the steed she strode seemed conscious that he bore a more than -ordinarily precious burden. There was something in the gentle tones -of her voice, and in her caressings, which the proud horse seemed -to recognize, ever welcoming her approach with his neighings. The -officers greatly admired Frank, and felt a strange kind of interest in -the unboastful yet chivalric heroism he displayed in several bloody -engagements.</p> - -<p>The old Latin maxim hath it, “Amor omnia vincit,” <em>Love conquers all -things</em>. It so happened that there was in the ranks a comrade, ever -riding by the side of Frank, who was a very handsome young Fleming, -about twenty-three years of age. He was a gentle, lovable fellow, and -equally brave as his gentle, lovable comrade, for whom he formed a very -strong friendship. He slept in the same tent, and by the side of Frank. -They were ever together helping each other.</p> - -<p>The girl nature of Frank could not resist all this. She fell -desperately in love with the fair-faced, flaxen-haired Flemish boy. -Whenever the young Fleming was ordered out upon any party, Frank -insisted upon accompanying him; and the more desperate the adventure, -the more resolute were her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">207</a></span> importunities to share the peril with him. -It was observed that frequently Frank would rush into the greatest -danger, simply that she might be near her friend, even when she could -render him no assistance.</p> - -<p>This extraordinary devotion of Frank to her comrade the Fleming, -attracted the attention of the whole company. As no one suspected, in -the slightest degree, her disguise, it was supposed that there must -be a vein of insanity in the nature of the quiet, retiring, handsome -soldier boy.</p> - -<p>One morning, in her tent, she made known to her fellow soldier that she -was a woman. The Fleming was speechless with astonishment. Here, then, -was the secret of the wild devotion that had led her to expose her life -recklessly wherever his own had been in peril.</p> - -<p>The strangeness of the situation added to its romance. From being a -warm friend he became a devoted lover. As his memory went back to the -many scenes of danger they had together faced, and the cool bravery -she had shown, he could not but see that here was a helpmeet worth -having. Mary was instinctively proud. Though for years she had led the -rough life of the camp with all its hardships, she was no whit less a -true woman. She was more than ready to be wooed and won as a wife.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">208</a></span> -But no lady in the parlor of home could be more modest and reserved in -receiving the addresses of a lover, than was Mary in her intercourse -with the lover who shared her tent. Her good sense taught her that if -she would secure and maintain his love, she must, by indubitable proof, -win his highest confidence and respect.</p> - -<p>Strange as this story may appear to the reader there seems to be no -reason to doubt its accuracy. The young Fleming urged her to become -his wife. To this proposal she did not long hesitate to accede. They -plighted their mutual faith. The campaign soon ended. The regiment went -into winter quarters. The two lovers united their purses, and purchased -a woman’s wardrobe as the bridal outfit for Frank. She assumed her new -garb, and announced her sex to her amazed fellow-soldiers.</p> - -<p>These strange tidings created great excitement an the camp. They -were publicly married. A great crowd attended the espousals. Many of -the officers assisted in the ceremony, and the bride received many -presents. There was a general contribution among all her comrades to -raise a sum to assist her in commencing housekeeping. Frank had been a -universal favorite, and had secured the esteem of all.</p> - -<p>Being thus comfortably established, they both had a desire to quit the -service. The circumstances<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">209</a></span> were so romantic and peculiar that they -found no difficulty in obtaining their discharge. They then established -themselves in Flanders, in a restaurant or eating house. Their little -inn, kept with British neatness, was near the Castle of Breda, and was -known far and wide by the name of its sign, “The Three Horse Shoes.” -They had a large run of custom, and were particularly patronized by the -officers of the army.</p> - -<p>They were very happy. But prosperity, in this world, does not long -shine upon any one. Peace came. The army was dispersed. There were no -longer any guests at “The Three Horse-Shoes;” and Mary’s husband was -taken sick, and died. She was left childless and without any means of -support. She had been trained to the pursuits of manhood. She was a -young widow, but little more than twenty years of age. As a woman, she -knew not in what direction to turn to obtain a living. Only for a few -months had she assumed the character of a woman, and worn the garb of -a woman. All the rest of her years she had worn the dress and followed -the pursuits of a man. As a man, there were many opportunities opening -before her, and all congenial ones, for obtaining a support.</p> - -<p>Again she assumed her masculine attire, sold out all her effects, and -with gold enough in her purse to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">210</a></span> meet her immediate wants, set out -for Holland, where, a perfect stranger, she entered again upon her -masculine career, without any fear of detection. Quartered upon one of -the frontier towns of Holland there was an English regiment of foot. It -was a time of peace, and the soldiers were living in indolence, with -nothing to do. It was easy, under these circumstances, to join the -regiment, and to purchase a release, at any time when one might wish to -do so.</p> - -<p>Again Frank enlisted. After a few months, weary of the monotonous life, -she obtained a discharge, and shipped herself, as a common sailor, on -board a vessel bound for the West Indies. It was a Dutch vessel. Frank -was the only English person on board. On the voyage, an English pirate -hove in sight and ran down upon the merchant-ship. The pirate was so -well armed, and such a throng of desperate men crowded its decks, that -resistance would have been but folly. The ship was captured without a -struggle.</p> - -<p>The pirate, after plundering the ship of all its treasures, impressed -the English Frank as an addition to its own crew; and then turned the -despoiled ship adrift, inflicting no personal injury upon the officers -or sailors. As we have before mentioned, these buccaneers did not -regard themselves, at that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">211</a></span> time, neither were they regarded by others, -as ordinary pirates would now be judged. They were acting in a certain -sense under the royal commission. They were authorized to plunder all -<em>Spanish</em> ships. And if they occasionally made a mistake, and did not -read the flag aright, it was an irregularity not entirely unpardonable.</p> - -<p>This piratic ship continued its cruise of plundering for several -months. Frank had been impressed on board, and could not escape had she -wished to do. Probably her moral sense was not sufficiently instructed -to lead her to make any remonstrances, which would, of course, have -been entirely unavailing, or to feel any special qualms of conscience. -Accustomed as she ever had been to the masculine dress, and to all -the habits of the sailor and the soldier, she did not feel the least -embarrassment in her new situation. No one moved about the decks or -clambered the shrouds with more free motion than Frank.</p> - -<p>Just about this time the royal proclamation, to which we have -referred, came out, offering pardon to all pirates who would surrender -themselves, excepting Kidd and Avery. The crew of this ship of -buccaneers decided to take advantage of this proclamation.</p> - -<p>The West-Indian group, called the Bahamas, consists<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">212</a></span> of several -hundred islands of various magnitudes. One of these, San Salvador, was -the first land, in the New World, which was discovered by Columbus. -The most important of the group, from its excellent harbor, and its -situation in reference to Florida, is New Providence. The island -was originally settled by the English in 1629. It was captured by -the Spaniards, and the English were expelled, in the year 1641. The -merciless Spaniards murdered the governor, and committed many other -great outrages. Again, in the year 1666, the thunders of British -broadsides echoed along its shores, and the banners of England were -again unfurled over its mountains and fertile vales. Forty-seven years -passed away, over this war-cursed globe, when, in 1703, a united fleet -of French and Spanish ships expelled the English, and, neglecting -to take military possession of the island, it became a rendezvous -for pirates, where scenes of revelry, sensuality, and crime were -perpetrated which no pen can describe.</p> - -<p>Thus for eighty years Heaven looked down upon its enormities. It was -then again formally ceded to the English, and has since remained in -their possession. At the time of which we are writing, England held the -island, and a British governor was in command there. The buccaneers, -with their purses well filled with gold, the result of their cruises as -freebooters,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">213</a></span> ran into the harbor of New Providence. They made their -surrender to the governor, and received the royal pardon.</p> - -<p>Frank had been but a short time among them. Her purse was not a heavy -one. It is not known that she added anything to it during her short -and compulsory cruise on board the buccaneer. Her money was soon -expended. The British governor at New Providence was at that very time -fitting out several armed vessels to cruise against the Spaniards, as -privateersmen. He was eager to enlist any of the bold buccaneers who -could be lured to enter that service. Nothing could be more congenial -to the wishes of these desperate men. Frank, being out of employment, -enlisted as privateersman, on board of one of these Government ships.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">214</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xiii" id="xiii"></a>CHAPTER XIII.<br /> -<em>Anne Bonny, the Female Pirate.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">Rackam the Pirate.—Anne Bonny his Wife.—Reasons for -Assuming a Boy’s Dress.—Infamous Character of Rackam.—Anne -falls in Love with Mary.—Curious Complications.—The -Duel.—Chivalry of Frank.—The Capture.—The -Trial.—Testimony of the Artist.—Death of Mary Read.—Rackam -Dies on the Scaffold.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">There</span> was upon the island of New Providence, at that time, a very -consummate villain by the name of Rackam. He had been captain of a -pirate ship, and shared his cabin with his wife, a very depraved -woman, who was disguised in boy’s clothes. She apparently discharged -the duties of a cabin-boy. This Captain Rackam had taken advantage of -the king’s proclamation, had surrendered himself as a pirate, and had -received a pardon.</p> - -<p>Eagerly he enlisted, with his wife in man’s garb, as a messmate, in -one of the governor’s privateers. No one on board the ship was aware -of the sex of his companion. She was truly his wife, and her real name -was Anne Bonny. She had been a rude, ungovernable girl, and her parents -were so displeased that she should have married such a worthless<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">215</a></span> -wretch as Rackam was known to be, that they would no longer recognize -her. Having nothing to live upon, she assumed a sailor’s dress, and -they both shipped for New Providence. He doubtless intended there to -resume the career of a pirate.</p> - -<p>Rackam and Anne Bonny enlisted on board the same ship. Here then there -were two women in male attire, neither of whom had any suspicion of -the real sex of the other. No one could associate with such companions -as those of Mary Read, or encounter the influences to which she was -constantly exposed, without becoming in some degree corrupted.</p> - -<p>The privateersman had been out but a few days when Rackam, who had -many of his old confederates on board, formed a conspiracy, rose -upon the officers, set them adrift, seized the ship, and turned to -his old trade. Mary Read, in the character of Frank, was, as we have -mentioned, a very handsome young fellow. The captain’s cabin-boy, -Anne Bonney, fell desperately in love with Frank, and revealed to -<em>him</em>, as she supposed, her sex. She approached Frank with all the -seductions and allurements with which Potiphar’s wife solicited Joseph. -Thus importuned, Frank confided to her that she was also a woman in -disguise. This led to increased intimacy between the two young sailor -women.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">216</a></span> -Captain Rackam became intensely jealous of his wife, in consequence of -her familiarity with Frank. He threatened Anne that he would certainly -cut Frank’s throat. Anne, well aware of the desperate character of the -pirate, felt constrained, that she might save Mary’s life, to let the -captain into the secret also. He did not divulge it, knowing that she -might be exposed to very cruel treatment from the unprincipled wretches -who thronged his decks.</p> - -<p>But again the all-devouring passion took possession of the bosom of -Frank. Many vessels were captured. After being plundered they were -generally turned adrift again, with their crews. If the pirates, -however, found on board these ships any one who could be of use to -them, he was detained on board their ship. It so chanced that one -day they took a ship where there was a young English artist. Rackam, -thinking that the artist might be of service to him, in sketching -scenes and drawing charts, detained him as a captive. He was a genteel -young fellow, handsome, of fascinating manners, very skilful with his -pencil, and possessed of very attractive conversational powers. Frank -and the young artist were instinctively drawn toward each other.</p> - -<p>And when Frank told her companion that she loathed the life of a -pirate, that she was one of the crew by compulsion, and that she -should embrace<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">217</a></span> the first possible opportunity to escape, a new bond -of union was formed between them. They became messmates, and were -always together. He never had a doubt that the masculine pronoun, <em>he</em>, -belonged to his bronzed but smooth-cheeked and soft-voiced companion.</p> - -<p>Even on board a pirate ship there are many opportunities for seclusion. -In the dark and tempestuous night, when the wine-heated officers were -carousing in the cabin, and the crew were rioting in the forecastle, -Frank and the artist, wrapped in those thick sailor-jackets which defy -both wind and rain, would seek some retired position upon the deck, -beneath the stormy sky, and beguile the weary hours in relating to each -other the story of the past, and in planning measures for escape. Frank -was the younger of the two, and in these hours of midnight communings, -loved to recline with her head in the lap of her unsuspecting comrade.</p> - -<p>The inevitable result ensued. The whole passionate nature of the -woman, still almost in her girlhood, became aglow with love of the -young artist. In one of these midnight communings she revealed to -her astonished friend her sex. His friendship was speedily converted -into impassioned love. He had ever, under her assumed character,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">218</a></span> -had occasion to respect her. He could not recall a single action of -immodesty or impropriety. Alone in the darkness of the night, upon the -solitary deck with the stars alone looking down upon them, they went -through the ceremony of what they both deemed a secret <em>marriage</em>.</p> - -<p>Mary Read ever averred that she regarded those nuptials as sacred as if -the rite had been performed in the church, by the robed priest, and in -the presence of any number of witnesses. She was never accused of being -unfaithful to her marriage vows, or of ever having been even indiscreet -in her conduct.</p> - -<p>Still the months passed away. The ship continued its piratic cruise. -Frank, though secretly the wife of the artist, had excited no suspicion -of her disguise. In her sailor’s garb she still performed every duty -imposed upon others of the crew. There were several bloody actions -fought. In these engagements both she and Anne Bonny were called upon, -like the rest, to work at the guns.</p> - -<p>It was one of the laws of the ship, that if any quarrel arose between -any two of the crew, there should be no contention on board the ship, -but that when they next approached an island, they should, with their -friends, land in a boat, and settle the quarrel in a duel on the -shore. The artist was so grossly incited by one of the pirates, that -he either<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">219</a></span> challenged him, or accepted a challenge from him to fight a -duel. Frank would not have had her husband, on any account, refuse the -hostile meeting. Public sentiment was such among the pirates, that had -he done this, there would have been no end to the insults and abuse he -would have received as a reward.</p> - -<p>Frank was in a state of great agitation and anxiety for the fate of her -lover. She was an admirable swordsman, and no one of the piratic crew -was a truer shot with the pistol. Her love was so passionate that she -felt that she could not live without that husband, whose union with her -was so enhanced by the attractions which secrecy and romance give. She -was far more ready to peril her own life than to have his endangered.</p> - -<p>She therefore deliberately provoked such a quarrel with the pirate who -was soon to have a hostile meeting with her husband, as to compel him -to an immediate and angry challenge. Adroitly she succeeded in having -the time appointed for their meeting two hours before the duel was to -be fought with her husband. In her intensely excited frame of mind she -resolved to make sure work of it.</p> - -<p>They were to meet at but a few paces distance, discharge their pistols -at each other, and then, with drawn swords, advance and fight until -one or the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">220</a></span> other was effectually disabled or killed. The pistols were -discharged. Neither of them was seriously wounded. They then crossed -swords. There was a fierce clashing of the weapons for a few minutes -and then the agile Frank passed her sword through the body of her -adversary, and he fell before her a bloody corpse.</p> - -<p>Such rencontres were too common with that ship’s crew, and Frank had -been too conversant all her days with such scenes of blood to have it -produce any serious impression upon her mind. With much composure she -wiped her crimsoned sword and returned to the ship, exulting in the -thought that she had saved her husband’s life. The attachment between -Frank and her lover before this seems to have been very strong. But -this event bound them more firmly together than ever before.</p> - -<p>Almost invariably, even in this world, retribution follows crime. -After many successful captures, and much rioting and revelry with this -godless crew, the hour of vengeance came. One day a swift-sailing -English frigate, of powerful armament, caught sight of the pirate and -gave chase. The vessel was overtaken and captured, and all her crew, -in irons, were carried to England for trial. There was no disposition -to deal tenderly with these wretches, whose crimes could scarcely be -numbered. The trial was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">221</a></span> expeditious and the execution prompt. The -young artist easily proved that he was a prisoner on board the ship, -and had never taken any part in their piratic exploits. He was promptly -released. Frank was one of the pirates. Her assertion that she was -reluctantly so, was of no avail. She had been of their recognized -number; she had been identified with them in all the employments of a -sailor; she had taken an active part in their battles.</p> - -<p>One of the witnesses, who had been taken a prisoner by Rackam, and -detained for some time on board the pirates’ craft, gave the following -testimony against Frank, or rather against Mary Read; for during the -trial her sex had been divulged, and the embarrassing fact had been -discovered that, ere long, she was to become a mother. The testimony -was as follows:</p> - -<p>“I was taken prisoner by Rackam, and was detained for some time on -board the pirate ship. One day I accidentally fell into discourse with -the prisoner at the bar. She was dressed like the ordinary seamen, and -I did not suppose her to be anything different. Taking her for a young -man, I asked her what pleasure she could find in such enterprises, -where her life was continually in danger by fire or sword; and not only -so, but she must be sure of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">222</a></span> dying an -<a name="ignominious" id="ignominious"></a><ins title="Original has ignominous">ignominious</ins> death -if she should be taken alive?</p> - -<p>“She replied, that as to hanging, she deemed it no great hardship; for -were it not for that, every cowardly fellow would turn pirate, and so -infest the seas that men of courage must starve. She said that were it -put to the choice of the pirates, they would not have the punishment -less than death; for it was only the fear of death which kept many -dastardly rogues honest. Many of those, she said, who are now cheating -the widows and orphans, and oppressing their poor neighbors who have no -money to obtain justice, would then rob at sea. Thus the ocean would -be crowded with rogues like the land. No merchant would venture out. -Trade in a little time would not be worth following. It is the fear of -hanging alone which restrains thousands from piracy.”</p> - -<p>When we consider the impossibility of making an exact report of -conversation, and when we consider the situation of Frank among the -pirates, and that her life would instantly have been forfeited if they -had suspected her of unfaithfulness, we can imagine that essentially -these remarks might have been made, without indicating any special -moral delinquency. Frank did not deny having made them.</p> - -<p>Several of the crew, however, brought forward<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">223</a></span> much more damaging -testimony. When, to the astonishment of all, the sex both of Mary -Read and Anne Bonny was made known to the court, the pirates seemed -very desirous that their fate should be inseparably connected with -their own. The testimony against Anne Bonny was very strong. She had -accompanied her infamous husband in most of his adventures, and had -rendered herself very conspicuous by her courage and her energetic -action.</p> - -<p>When the frigate took the pirate there was a short conflict. But the -great guns of the frigate swept the pirate’s deck with such a storm of -grape-shot, that every one rushed into the hold, excepting Mary Read -and Anne Bonny. Mary Read, it was said, called upon those under the -deck to come up and fight like men. As they refused, in her rage she -fired her pistol down among them, killing one and wounding others. This -latter charge, which went far to condemn her, she utterly denied. Such -bravado was not at all in accordance with her general character. But it -was just the conduct to be expected of Anne Bonny. She was a desperado, -as robust in person as she was masculine in character. Rumor said that -before she entered upon her piratic career she stabbed a servant-maid -with a carving-knife, and so severely beat a young fellow whom she -disliked that he narrowly escaped with his life.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">224</a></span> -They were both pronounced guilty of piracy, and condemned to be hung. -As it was not deemed right that Mary Read’s child should forfeit its -life in consequence of its mother’s sins, Mary was allowed a reprieve, -until after the birth of her child. Being remanded to her gloomy -and solitary cell in Newgate prison, she awaited, with anguish, her -approaching maternity, to be immediately followed by an ignominious -death upon the scaffold. The horror of her situation threw her into a -fever, of which she fortunately died. Thus she escaped the scaffold: -and she and her unborn babe slept in the grave together.</p> - -<p>Rackam was hanged just before the time appointed for the execution of -his wife. The morning on which he was led to the scaffold, he was first -conducted to the cell of Anne Bonny. Her characteristic speech to him -was:</p> - -<p>“I am sorry to see you here; but if you had fought like a man, you need -not have been hanged like a dog.”</p> - -<p>In an hour from that time he was struggling in death’s agonies. Anne -was reprieved from time to time, and finally escaped execution. What at -last became of her no one knows.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">225</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xiv" id="xiv"></a>CHAPTER XIV.<br /> -<em>Sir Henry Morgan</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">His Origin.—Goes to the West Indies.—Joins the -Buccaneers.—Meets Mansvelt the Pirate.—Conquest of St. -Catharine.—Piratic Colony there.—Ravaging the Coast of -Costa Rica.—Sympathy of the Governor of Jamaica.—Death of -Mansvelt.—Expedition of Don John.—The Island Recaptured -by the Spaniards.—Plans of Morgan.—His Fleet.—The Sack -of Puerto Principe.—Horrible Atrocities.—Retreat of the -Pirates.—The Duel.—They Sail for Puerto Velo.—Conquest of -the City.—Heroism of the Governor.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Though</span> the name of Sir Henry Morgan has not attained equal notoriety -with that of Captain William Kidd, his achievements were far more -wonderful and infamous. He was born of a good and wealthy family in -Wales. Early developing a roaming disposition, he left his home for the -seacoast, and there took passage for Barbadoes. In those days any man -could obtain a passage to the colonies; by agreeing to pay the fare in -service on the other side. Labor was in great demand. Upon the arrival -of the ship the planters would hasten on board and pay the passage -money, which the emigrant was to repay by certain stipulated months of -labor.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">226</a></span> -In this way Henry Morgan reached Barbadoes. Here his labor was sold to -pay his passage, and he faithfully served out his term. He had come -from a virtuous home, but rapidly the reckless boy yielded to the -influences which surrounded him, until he became the worst of the bad. -From Barbadoes he wandered over to Jamaica, seeking his fortune. Though -there was then peace between England and Spain, the British Government -was encouraging private piratical excursions against the commerce of -Spain. As we have had frequent occasion to mention, these buccaneers -had nothing to fear from the English courts so long as they confined -themselves to robbing the Spanish ships.</p> - -<p>At Jamaica, Morgan found two vessels openly fitting out for these -buccaneering expeditions. He shipped on board one of them, and made -two or three very successful voyages. Some men seem born to command. -Such do not long remain in a subordinate position. Morgan was a man of -the imperial mould. As he now had considerable money at his disposal, -he proposed, to some of his comrades, that they should join stocks, -purchase a vessel, and cruise on their own account. This was promptly -done, and Morgan was unanimously chosen commander.</p> - -<p>Morgan was already a desperado. With a numerous<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">227</a></span> crew and a well-armed -vessel he set out to cruise along that portion of the Mexican coast -called Campeachy. After an absence of a few months, he returned -triumphantly to Jamaica, his ship laden with the spoil of many -captures. This pirate took refuge beneath the flag of England and under -the guns of her fort. At that time the British Government was the most -atrocious pirate earth had ever known; for while at peace with Spain, -the Government encouraged all private piratical expeditions against her -commerce.</p> - -<p>In the streets of Jamaica, Morgan met a notorious pirate by the name -of Mansvelt. The renown of this sea-robber had spread far and wide. He -was then equipping a very considerable fleet, intending to man it with -a sufficiency of troops to enable him to land upon the territory of the -Spaniards and to plunder their cities. Mansvelt, seeing Morgan return -with so many prizes, formed a high opinion of his skill and courage, -and appointed him vice-admiral of his squadron.</p> - -<p>A fleet of fifteen ships was soon ready for sea, with a crew of five -hundred pirates. About a thousand miles southwest of Jamaica, in -Central America, was the Spanish province of Costa Rica, reaching -across the narrow Isthmus of Panama from sea to sea. A few leagues from -the shore, and but about<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">228</a></span> one hundred miles north of the river Chagres, -was the Island of St. Catharine, where the Spaniards had a small -garrison. The pirates landed, captured the island, took the Spanish -soldiers prisoners, and garrisoned the fort with a hundred of their own -men. They left a numerous band of slaves, taken from the Spaniards, -to cultivate the soil for their new masters. A Frenchman, by the name -of Le Sieur Simon, was placed in command. He was directed to put the -island in the best posture for defence, and to set all the slaves -at work to raise provisions on the fertile plantations. He was thus -expected to revictual the fleet upon its return. It was evidently the -intention of Mansvelt to establish there a colony of buccaneers, with -fleet and army, of which colony he was to be the king. He had no fears -of being interrupted in his operations by the British Government.</p> - -<p>Mansvelt again spread his sails, and, accompanied by his energetic -vice-admiral Morgan, cruised along the eastern coast of Costa Rica. At -various points he sent boats, armed with pirates, ashore to rob the -villages. The Spanish governor of the adjacent province of Panama, -on the south, hearing of these depredations, gathered all the forces -at his disposal, and rousing the whole country, advanced to expel -the pirates. Mansvelt retreated, and returned with his fleet to St. -Catharine. Here he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">229</a></span> found that his agent had been very efficient, and -that an ample supply of provisions was ready for his ships.</p> - -<p>This most infamous of pirates returned to the Island of Jamaica, held -an interview with the governor, informed him frankly of his plans, -and solicited the loan of a portion of his garrison to enable him to -hold the island against any attempt of the Spaniards to regain it. -The governor received the pirate courteously, expressed the fear that -the King of England might not exactly approve of such undisguised -hostility, when there was peace between the two countries, and stating -also that his garrison was then so feeble that he could not with safety -diminish its strength.</p> - -<p>Mansvelt then repaired, with one of his ships, to the celebrated -rendezvous of the buccaneers at Tortuga. While endeavoring to raise -recruits among the desperadoes assembled there, he was taken sick, and -passed away, to answer for his guilty life at the tribunal of God.</p> - -<p>In the mean time, on the 14th of July, 1665, Don John, the governor of -Panama, commenced organizing an expedition to regain the island. He -sent a ship, under Captain Joseph Ximines, thoroughly equipped, and -manned by three hundred and eighty-two soldiers. The ship touched at -Carthagena, with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">230</a></span> a letter to the commandant of the Spanish settlement -there. He promptly added to the expedition three small armed vessels, -with one hundred and twenty-six men. On the 2d of August this little -fleet came in sight of the western end of the Island of St. Catharine. -The wind was contrary. It was not until the 12th they entered the -harbor and cast anchor before the pirates’ strong fort.</p> - -<p>There was an interchange of a few shots between the stone castle and -the fleet, which effected but little injury on either side. Ximines -sent one of his officers on shore bearing a flag of truce, with the -following summons:</p> - -<p>“In the name of the King of Spain, I demand the surrender of this -island. It was taken in the midst of peace between England and Spain. -If the surrender is refused, and I am forced to take the works by -storm, I shall certainly put all the garrison to the sword.”</p> - -<p>The piratic commander returned the answer. “This island once belonged -to the King of England. It rightly belongs to him now. We will sooner -die than surrender.”</p> - -<p>During the night of Friday, the 13th, three slaves swam off to the -ships, and informed the commandant that there were but seventy-two -soldiers in the fort and that they were in great consternation in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">231</a></span> view -of the force brought against them. Saturday was devoted to preparations -for landing in the boats and storming the works.</p> - -<p>The morning of the Sabbath dawned beautifully over the Eden-like -luxuriance of the tropical isle.</p> - -<p>The vessels brought their broadsides to bear upon the fort, and, under -cover of their fire, three strong parties were landed in the boats. -Captain Leyva led sixty men to attack the principal gate. Captain -Galeno, at the head of ninety men, took a circuitous route through -the forest to attack the castle in the rear. The commander-in-chief, -Ximines, with a still stronger force, assailed one of the sides. The -conflict was short, but not very bloody. Six of the pirates were -killed, and a pretty large number wounded. The Spaniards lost but one -man killed and four wounded.</p> - -<p>The pirates endeavored to escape into the woods, but were cut off and -all captured. There were found, in the fort, eight hundred pounds of -powder, two hundred and fifty pounds of bullets, and also a large -supply of provisions and other material of war. Two Spaniards were -taken who had enlisted with the buccaneers, to rob the commerce of -Spain. They were immediately led out and shot.</p> - -<p>The fort proved to be very strong, and an excellent piece of -workmanship. It was built of stone,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">232</a></span> quadrangular in form, with walls -eighty-eight feet high. While these scenes were transpiring, Captain -Morgan, unconscious of them, was at Jamaica. Hearing of the death of -Mansvelt, he, without opposition, assumed the admiralship. He was -straining every nerve to retain possession of St. Catharine, and so -to strengthen the works as to make the island a safe and convenient -store-house for the vast plunder of the buccaneers.</p> - -<p>As the governor of Jamaica declined adding to the piratic force, in St. -Catharine, at the expense of his own garrison, Morgan wrote to leading -merchants in Virginia and New England, urging them, by the promise of -the most liberal pay, to send him provisions, ammunition, and other -necessary articles. When the tidings reached him that the Spaniards -had regained the island, he lost no time in unavailing regrets, but -immediately turned, with demoniac energy, to other enterprises.</p> - -<p>With great vigor he commenced organizing a new fleet. His agents -proudly strode through every English port, openly purchasing vessels -and ammunition, and mounting the guns. All the vessels were ordered to -rendezvous, within a given time, at a solitary harbor on the south side -of the Island of Cuba.</p> - -<p>This magnificent island is eight hundred miles in length, and from -twenty-five to one hundred and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">233</a></span> thirty in breadth. The principal towns -of Cuba, at that time, were Havana on the north and Santiago on the -south. Havana was fortified by three strong forts. There were many -other small and flourishing settlements scattered along the extended -coast. There were ten thousand families in Havana, and its commerce was -immense.</p> - -<p>Captain Morgan had, in the course of two months, assembled in his -retired harbor a fleet of twelve vessels, large and small, with over -eight hundred fighting men. He called a council of his officers to -decide as to the enterprise upon which they should embark. Several -urged a midnight attack upon Havana. They said that there was immense -wealth in the city, that it might be attacked by surprise, as no one -suspected danger; and that the city could be plundered before the -inhabitants would have any time to organize for defence.</p> - -<p>Others affirmed that they were not strong enough for so great an -achievement; that they needed at least fifteen hundred men to attempt -the capture of a city of fifty thousand inhabitants. After much -discussion it was decided to attack a flourishing inland town of Cuba, -called Puerto Principe. It was situated a few leagues from the southern -shore, and was utterly unprepared for such an attack as the pirates -could bring against it. One of the pirates<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">234</a></span> was familiar with the place -and with all of its approaches. He said that the town had never been -sacked, and consequently was very rich.</p> - -<p>The whole fleet speedily set sail, and ran along the southern shore -of Cuba toward the doomed town. The nearest available landing-place, -for Principe, was at a bay called St. Mary’s. Here, in the night, a -Spanish prisoner, on board one of the ships, secretly let himself down -into the dark water, and, at the imminent danger of being devoured by -sharks, swam ashore. He hastened through the mule-paths of the forest -to Principe, with the tidings of the terrible danger impending over the -town.</p> - -<p>The inhabitants were thrown into an awful state of consternation. They -knew full well that they had as much to dread from the pirates as from -so many fiends from the bottomless pit. Men, women, and children were -running in all directions to convey away and hide their treasures.</p> - -<p>All these Spanish towns had a governor appointed over them by the king. -The governor summoned all the able-bodied men he could, and armed the -slaves, and placed his little force in ambush along the route which -he supposed that the pirates must of necessity traverse. He had also -the immense trees of the dense tropical forest felled across the path, -and other obstructions thrown in the way, to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">235</a></span> retard their march. -But Morgan, as he approached these impediments, cut a new road with -great difficulty through the woods, and thus escaped falling into the -ambuscades.</p> - -<p>Morgan had left but a small guard to keep the fleet. Nearly eight -hundred men were on the march with him. The pirates advanced in three -divisions, with beating of drums, flying banners, and an ostentatious -display of military array. The town was in the centre of a smooth -plain. The governor had retreated from his ambush, and, as the pirates -approached, stood before the town at the head of a troop of horsemen. -Morgan formed his men in a semicircle, and marched down upon them.</p> - -<p>Both parties fought with desperation. The greatly outnumbering pirates -soon shot down the governor, and so many of his soldiers, that the -remainder attempted to escape to the woods. They were hotly pursued, -and most of them were killed. The battle, with the skirmishing, lasted -nearly four hours.</p> - -<p>The pirates, having encountered but little loss, entered the town. -Still, as they marched through the narrow streets which were ever found -in these old Spanish towns, many of the inhabitants continued a brave -resistance. They fired upon the pirates from the windows of their stone -houses, and hurled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">236</a></span> down heavy articles of furniture upon their heads -from the roofs. Morgan had it loudly proclaimed that if they continued -this resistance he would lay the whole town in ashes, and put every -man, woman, and child to the sword.</p> - -<p>The Spaniards, hoping that by submission they might save their own -lives and their houses from conflagration, threw down their arms and -raised the white flag. There were several large stone churches in the -place. The demoniac pirates drove the whole population, men, women, -and children, into these churches, and imprisoned them there. They -then commenced their system of plunder and wanton destruction. Every -house and by-place, and the region all around, were searched. The night -was rendered hideous by their drunken orgies. There was scarcely a -conceivable crime of which these wretches were not guilty. They were -fiends of the foulest dye, with no pity. Their outrages cannot be -described. Even the imagination of most readers cannot conceive of the -crimes they perpetrated.</p> - -<p>They either forgot the captives they had crowded into the churches or -intentionally left them to starve. No provision whatever was made for -their wants, and they were not furnished with any food. The piteous -moans of women and children<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">237</a></span> touched not their hearts. Large numbers -perished in the lingering agonies of starvation.</p> - -<p>Disappointed in the amount of treasure they found, they began to put -their prisoners to the torture, men, young girls, and even little -children, to extort from them the confession of where riches were -secreted. While perpetrating atrocities which cannot be named, a man -was captured who had letters from the governor of Santiago to some of -the leading inhabitants. In these documents the governor wrote:</p> - -<p>“Do not be in too much haste to ransom your town or persons from the -pirates. Put them off as long as you can, with excuses and delays. In a -short time I will certainly come to your aid.”</p> - -<p>This alarmed Morgan. He feared that the governor of Santiago might -rally a sufficient force perhaps to seize his ships, perhaps to cut -off his retreat. He ordered his men immediately to march, as rapidly -as possible, to their fleet, with all the plunder they had gathered. -He also made renewed efforts, by all the energies of torture, to wrest -from the wretched inhabitants the treasure which he supposed they had -hidden. Those who had nothing to reveal, had their nerves lacerated and -their bones crushed to force a confession of that which did not exist. -He compelled his captives to drive all the cattle to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">238</a></span> bay, kill -them and salt them, and convey the barrels to his ships.</p> - -<p>A quarrel arose between two of the pirates. One challenged the other to -a duel. The party consequently went ashore in the boats. As they drew -near the appointed spot, one of the two, treacherously approaching the -other from behind, ran him through the back with his sword, and he fell -dead. Morgan, who had just committed crimes which should cause the foul -fiend himself to blush, said that it was not <em>just</em> and <em>honorable</em> to -kill a comrade thus treacherously. He therefore, with the assent of the -whole demoniac gang, put the offender in irons and hung him.</p> - -<p>The fleet speedily set sail for a distant island, where they were to -divide their ill-gotten plunder. Here they were greatly disappointed -in the amount which they had taken. It was all estimated at but fifty -thousand dollars. This was a small sum to be divided among so many -greedy claimants. This being known, it excited a general commotion. -Many of the pirates owed debts in Jamaica, which they were anxious -<em>honorably</em> to pay.</p> - -<p>Some of the gang were so dissatisfied that they left, with a part of -the vessels, to cruise on their own account. Morgan soon inspired -those who remained with his own indomitable energy. In a few<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">239</a></span> days he -gathered a fleet of nine sail, manned by four hundred and seventy-five -pirates. Morgan told them that he had formed a plan which would -enrich them all. It was, however, necessary to keep it a profound -secret. If any one should turn traitor and reveal it, the plan might -be frustrated. They must therefore, for the present, trust in him and -implicitly follow his directions. He had already inspired them with -such confidence in his sagacity, zeal, and courage, that, without a -murmur, they yielded to these demands.</p> - -<p>The whole fleet set sail for the continent, and, in a few days, arrived -off the coast of Costa Rica. Then Morgan assembled the captains of all -the vessels in his cabin, and informed them of his plan, which they -were to communicate to their several crews.</p> - -<p>“I intend,” said Morgan, “to attack and plunder the city of Puerto -Velo. I am resolved to sack the whole city. Not a single corner shall -escape my vigilance. Large as the city is, the enterprise cannot fail -to succeed. We shall strike the people entirely by surprise; for I have -kept my plan an entire secret, and they cannot possibly know of our -coming.”</p> - -<p>Some of the captains were alarmed in view of so bold an undertaking. -They said:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">240</a></span> -“Puerto Velo is the largest Spanish city in the New World excepting -Havana and Carthagena. It contains a population of between two and -three thousand, and has a garrison of three hundred soldiers. It has -two forts, which are deemed impregnable. These forts guard the entry -to the harbor, so that no ship or boat can pass without permission. We -have not a sufficient number of men to assault so strong a place.”</p> - -<p>Morgan replied: “If we are few in numbers, we are bold in heart. The -fewer we are the greater will be each man’s share of the plunder.”</p> - -<p>This last consideration had great weight with the pirates. The number -engaged in the sack of Puerto Principe was so great, that each one -murmured at the meagre share he received. Morgan was very familiar -with all this region, and was thoroughly acquainted with the avenues -to the city. In the dusk of the evening he ran his little fleet into -a solitary harbor, called Naos, about thirty miles from Puerto Velo. -There was a river, flowing into the harbor from the west, threading a -dense, tangled, almost uninhabited wilderness. Leaving their ships at -anchor, under guard of a few men, the pirates, “armed to the teeth,” -in crowded boats and canoes, ascended the river until, at midnight, -they reached a point but a few miles distant from the city. They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">241</a></span> -then landed and rapidly marched through a solitary Indian trail, -overshadowed by the gloom of a dense tropical forest, until they came -within sight of the lights gleaming from the battlements of the forts.</p> - -<p>On the main avenue to the city, not far from the gate, they came upon -a solitary sentry, pacing his beat. Four men crept cautiously forward -in the darkness, seized him, gagged him, and brought him a prisoner -to Morgan. The pirate questioned his captive minutely, respecting the -troops in the city, and the means for defence. The trembling man was -threatened with death by the most horrible tortures, should it be found -that he had in the slightest degree deceived them. Having gained this -important information, they advanced upon the city.</p> - -<p>The march of a mile brought them to the main fort, or Castle, as it was -called. The morning had not yet dawned. In the darkness they surrounded -it so completely that no one could either go in or out. Morgan then -sent the sentinel, whom he had captured, into the fort, with a demand -for its immediate surrender.</p> - -<p>“If you yield at once,” said the message of the pirate, “your lives -shall be spared. But if there be the least resistance, or any delay, -I will cut to pieces every individual within the fort. Not one shall -escape.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">242</a></span> -The commandant of the castle heeded not the threat, but opened fire -upon his foes. The report of his guns roused the city. The governor, as -speedily as possible, rallied all his forces and made such preparation -as he could for defence. The slumbering garrison, attacked so utterly -by surprise, were speedily overpowered. The pirates, breaking down the -gates, rushed in, and soon gained possession of the works. The castle -was but feebly prepared to repel an -<a name="assault" id="assault"></a><ins title="Original has asault">assault</ins> from the land -side.</p> - -<p>Morgan wished to strike a blow which should appal the whole city. The -magazine was abundantly stored with powder. There was a room by its -side, into which Morgan drove all his prisoners. Barring them in, -he laid a slow match, applied the torch, and with his gang retired. -There were a few moments of appalling silence. Then came a roar as -of ten thousand thunders. The very earth shook beneath the terrific -convulsion. There seemed to be a volcanic eruption of forked flame, -rocks, earth, guns, and mangled limbs, and the castle disappeared. -Every one of its inmates perished beneath its ruins.</p> - -<p>The consternation in the city was terrible. There were runnings to and -fro, cries of anguish from mothers and maidens, while some were seeking -to conceal their treasures by throwing them into the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">243</a></span> wells or hastily -burying them in the cellars and the fields. In the frenzy of the hour -the governor found his attempts to rally the citizens utterly in vain. -With a few soldiers he threw himself into the second and only remaining -castle. The little band here assembled, knowing that no mercy could be -expected from the pirates, resolved to make as many of them bite the -dust as possible, before they themselves should fall. They therefore -opened an incessant and well-directed fire upon their assailants.</p> - -<p>Near by there was a cloister, where there were priests and nuns. The -Spaniards regarded these religious orders with superstitious reverence. -Morgan seized them all as prisoners. He ordered his carpenters -immediately to make a number of scaling-ladders, so broad that four men -could ascend them abreast. He then compelled the ecclesiastics and the -nuns to carry the ladders and place them upon the walls of the fort. -The armed soldiers followed closely behind, shielded by their bodies.</p> - -<p>The governor believed that the life of every Spaniard would be -sacrificed should they be taken. And he thought it better for both -priests and nuns that they should die outright than that they should -be left in the hands of the pirates. He therefore opened a vigorous -fire upon the approaching assailants, notwithstanding the rampart of -living bodies<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">244</a></span> they had so infamously placed before them. The unhappy -inhabitants of the cloister cried out piteously to the governor, -imploring him to surrender the castle and thus spare their lives.</p> - -<p>But the governor steeled his heart against their appeal. He fought -with desperation. Many of the priests and nuns were shot down. But -the pirates, in overpowering numbers, rushed on. They reached the top -of the wall. They threw down fire-balls and hand-grenades upon the -despairing defenders. When many had perished they leaped down, sword -in hand, amidst smoke and flame, and mercilessly slaughtered all the -survivors.</p> - -<p>The heroic governor fought to the last. His wife and children, weeping -bitterly and upon their knees, entreated him to yield, hoping that thus -his life might be spared.</p> - -<p>“No!” he exclaimed, “never. I had rather die like a soldier than be -hanged like a coward.”</p> - -<p>Covered with wounds, he was at length cut down, and his gory, mangled -body was left uncared for. The castle was taken. The soldiers were -destroyed. The city was at the mercy of the captors. All the surviving -inhabitants of the town, who had not escaped into the woods, were -driven into the castle. Then the pirates commenced a scene of carousal -which pandemonium could not outrival.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">245</a></span> The nuns and all the mothers -and maidens were at their mercy. A veil must be cast over their horrid -deeds. When satiated with drunkenness, and every conceivable excess, -they commenced plundering the city.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">246</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xv" id="xv"></a>CHAPTER XV.<br /> -<em>The Capture of Puerto Velo, and its Results.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">The Torture.—Sickness and Misery.—Measures of the -Governor of Panama.—The Ambuscade.—Awful Defeat of -the Spaniards.—Ferocity of the Pirates.—Strange -Correspondence.—Exchange of Courtesies.—Return to Cuba, and -Division of the Spoil.—Wild Orgies at Jamaica.—Complicity -of the British Government with the Pirates.—The New -Enterprise.—Arrival of the Oxford.—Destruction of the Cerf -Volant.—Rendezvous at Samona.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> wretched citizens of the captured city of Puerto Velo were exposed -to every species of torture to force from them the discovery of where -their riches were concealed. Many of them had no knowledge they could -give of any hidden treasure. Day after day the most horrid scenes -of cruelty were enacted. Multitudes of men and women died under the -torture. For fifteen days the pirates remained amidst the ruins they -had created.</p> - -<p>But in this world blows are seldom given without others being received -in return. Sickness came, with languor, pain, and groans of agony. -The deathbed is cheerless enough even when surrounded with all the -attentions of sympathy and love and tender<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">247</a></span> care. To these wretched -men, in their homelessness and their terrible guilt, death must indeed -have come as the king of terrors. A painful, pestilential disease -seized them. Surrounded by the oaths and the clamor of demoniac men -they passed to the seat of final judgment.</p> - -<p>In consequence of the unhealthiness of the climate at Puerto Velo, many -of the merchants, who had their warehouses at that port, resided in the -far more attractive city of Panama, but a few leagues distant, on the -Pacific coast. The governor of the province also resided at Panama. -Morgan sent two prisoners to the city to say to the residents there -that unless one hundred thousand dollars were sent to him he would lay -Puerto Velo in ashes.</p> - -<p>But the governor had already heard of the arrival of the pirates. He -had collected an armed force, and was on the march to cut off their -retreat. In the mean time the vessels were brought up into the harbor -and were laden with the plunder. The ramparts were repaired, the -guns remounted, and all things put in readiness to repel an attack. -Every day many were put to the torture. Some died under the terrible -infliction. Many were maimed for life.</p> - -<p>Hearing that the governor was on the march to attack them, Morgan -placed himself at the head of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">248</a></span> hundred of his most determined men, -and marched forward to meet the foe. Every man was armed, in pirate -fashion, with a musket, several pistols in his belt, and a keen-edged -sabre. At a few leagues from the city they came to a narrow defile, -along whose circuitous path but two could march abreast. The tangled -thicket was on each side, with gigantic trees, and huge rocks buried in -the luxuriant verdure of the tropics. Here a whole army might lie in -impenetrable concealment.</p> - -<p>And here Morgan, with great skill, placed his troops. Every man took -a position where he could have perfect command of some portion of the -track. With his hatchet he cut a loop-hole through the dense growth of -shrubs and interlacing vines. Thus, while quite invisible, he could -take deliberate aim. They were to wait in perfect silence until the -winding defile was filled with unsuspecting troops. Then, at a signal -from Morgan, every man was to fire. And every man was to take such aim -as to be sure that his bullet would strike down his victim.</p> - -<p>The Spaniards, four or five hundred in number, soon appeared in rapid -march. Anticipating a bloody struggle with the pirates behind their -ramparts, they had no thought that they would leave such vantage-ground -to march forth to the encounter. Their only fear was that the pirates -might<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">249</a></span> rush to their ships and thus escape. Hurrying heedlessly along, -they had filled the labyrinthine trail, when the deadly signal was -given. One hundred muskets were instantaneously exploded. One hundred -bullets were sent on their fatal mission. One hundred Spaniards were -either struck down in instantaneous death or wounded.</p> - -<p>There was no time for thought; no time to rally. The case was clear. -The defeat was entire and remediless. Rapidly the pirates reloaded and -kept up a continuous fire. The Spaniards discharged their muskets at -random, hitting no one. Pell-mell, in awful confusion, they turned, and -struggling against their own numbers, rushed, as best they could, from -the defile. The narrow path was strewed with the dying and the dead. -With a shattered and bleeding remnant the governor returned to Panama -for reënforcements.</p> - -<p>Morgan and his men, wishing that their deeds should strike terror -all around, emerged from their covert, dispatched the wounded with -pistol-shots or sabre-thrusts, searched the pockets of the dead, and, -leaving their bodies unburied, returned in triumph to their comrades.</p> - -<p>In triumph! But what a triumph! They had now been fifteen days in -Puerto Velo. Famine and disease were assailing them with more cruel -attacks<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">250</a></span> than sabre or pistol can inflict. Recklessly they had wasted -their provisions. They could not eat their gold or their silver, or the -spoil which they had stored away in the holds of their ships. They had -already consumed the mules and the horses. Their blood, inflamed by -debaucheries and almost boiling beneath a meridian sun, produced the -most loathsome and painful disorders. The slightest wound would fester -and cause death. No wonder they were reckless. Better far to die than -to live in such misery. This was the triumph to which the pirate Morgan -returned.</p> - -<p>The Spanish prisoners suffered still more than their captors. Crowded -together in apartments whose awful impurity tainted the air; deprived -of every comfort; witnessing intense sufferings which they could -not alleviate, but which they were compelled to share; despondent, -starving, dying, there was for them no relief but such as death gives.</p> - -<p>The Spanish governor, who had shown such utter want of military ability -in marching into the ambuscade, was as self-conceited and boastful as -he was incompetent. Notwithstanding his ignominious repulse, he sent to -Morgan the following message:</p> - -<p>“If you do not immediately withdraw, with your ships, from Porto Velo, -I will march upon you with a resistless force. You shall receive no -quarter. Every man shall be put to death.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">251</a></span> -Morgan sent back the reply, “If you do not immediately send me one -hundred and eighty thousand dollars in gold, I will lay every building -in Puerto Velo in ashes; I will blow up the forts; and I will put every -captive I have to the sword, man, woman, and child.”</p> - -<p>The pride of the governor would not allow him to purchase the retreat -of the pirates. He sent to Carthagena imploring that some ships might -be sent from there to block up the pirates in the river. But they had -no sufficient force to make the attempt. The citizens were very anxious -to have the money sent. But the governor kept them in suspense in hopes -of gaining time.</p> - -<p>“He was deaf and obdurate to all the entreaties of the citizens, who -sent to inform him that the pirates were not men, but devils, and -that they fought with such fury that the Spanish officers had stabbed -themselves in very despair, at seeing a supposed impregnable fortress -taken by a handful of people, when it should have held out against -twice that number.”<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1" href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a></p> - -<div class="border"> -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="outdent"><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_1" class="label">[A]</a> -The Monarchs of the Main, by George W. Thornbury, Esq., -vol. ii. p. 35.</p> -</div></div> - -<p>The governor was astonished at their exploits. Four hundred men -had captured a city which he said any general in Europe would have -found it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">252</a></span> necessary to blockade in due form. It is indicative of -the almost inconceivable state of public opinion in those times, -that the governor of Panama, Don Juan Perez de Guzman, who had -acquired considerable renown for his bravery in the wars in Flanders, -should have sent a courteous message to Morgan, expressive of his -<a name="astonishment" id="astonishment"></a><ins title="Original has astonishmeut">astonishment</ins> and admiration in view of his heroic -achievement, and begging Morgan to send him a pattern of the arms with -which he had gained so wonderful a victory. The scornful pirate sent -a common musket and a handful of bullets to the governor, with the -following sarcastic message:</p> - -<p>“I beg your excellency to accept these as a small pattern of the arms -with which I have taken Puerto Velo. Your excellency need not trouble -yourself to return them. In the course of a twelvemonth I will visit -Panama in person, and will fetch them away myself.”</p> - -<p>The governor replied: “I return the weapons you sent me, and thank you -for the loan of them. It is a pity that a man of so much courage is not -in the service of a great and good prince. I hope that Captain Morgan -will not trouble himself to come and see me at Panama. Should he do so, -he surely will not fare so well as he has at Puerto Velo.”</p> - -<p>It is very difficult to credit the statement made<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">253</a></span> by Thornbury that -“the envoy, having delivered this message, so chivalrous in its tone, -presented Morgan with a beautiful gold ring, set with a costly emerald, -as a remembrance of his master Don Guzman, who had already supplied the -English chief with fresh provisions.”<a name="FNanchor_A_2" id="FNanchor_A_2" href="#Footnote_A_2" class="fnanchor">[A]</a></p> - -<div class="border"> -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="outdent"><a name="Footnote_A_2" id="Footnote_A_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_2" class="label">[A]</a> -Monarchs of the Main, vol. i. p. 38.</p> -</div></div> - -<p>Puerto Velo was left to its fate. The pirates left scarcely anything -behind but the tiles and the paving-stones. Many of the best guns -Morgan carried off. Of the rest, all which he could not burst -he spiked. He then set sail. Behind him were smouldering ruins, -pestilence, poverty, misery, and death.</p> - -<p>Eight days’ sail brought the fleet to Cuba. Upon that vast and sparsely -inhabited island there were many solitary harbors and coves where the -silence of the wilderness reigned. Into one of these lonely spots -Morgan ran his fleet. Here he divided the spoil. It was indeed a -beggarly pittance which they had obtained as the fruit of so much toil, -suffering, and crime. In coin or bullion they counted but two hundred -and sixty thousand dollars. There was a large amount of silks and other -merchandise, which, was not deemed of much value.</p> - -<p>The division was amicably made, and they spread their sails to return -to Jamaica, there to squander,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">254</a></span> in a few days of insane excess, all -that they had gained through weary months of danger, toil, suffering, -and crime. The entrance of a richly laden piratic fleet into the -harbor of Kingston was an occasion of public rejoicing. The gamblers, -the courtezans, the rumsellers were all overjoyed. Even the children -expected to see the strange visitors scatter their doubloons through -the streets to be scrambled for.</p> - -<p>We are told that every door was open to them, and that, for a whole -week, all loudly praised their generosity and their courage. At the -end of a month they had squandered all, and every door was shut in -their faces. Morgan was a drunkard as well as a robber. He spent his -gains as infamously and as speedily as did the rest. Shrewder men than -he emptied his purse at the gambling-table. The Delilahs of Jamaica -speedily transferred his jewels to their necks. But one short month had -passed away when Morgan and all his crew, utterly impoverished, were -eager for another expedition.</p> - -<p>Undismayed by the past, this bold adventurer planned an enterprise of -such magnitude that he boasted that, at its close, both he and his men -might be able to retire, if they wished, with a sufficiency for the -rest of their days.</p> - -<p>A rendezvous was appointed at De la Vaca or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">255</a></span> Cow Island, on the south -side of the Island of Hispaniola. This would be easily accessible by -the pirates, both French and English, ever swaggering through the -streets of Tortuga. Again the desperadoes rushed to his banner. They -came in boats and in small vessels and by land. Men enough were found -to furnish the adventurer with funds.</p> - -<p>A large English ship, which mounted thirty-six guns, entered the harbor -of Kingston, Jamaica, from New England. This ship, the Oxford, carried -a crew of three hundred men. It was on a buccaneering cruise against -Spanish commerce. Oexemelin says that the ship actually belonged to the -King of England, Charles II. He had fitted it out at his own expense, -and the captain was employed in his service. What authority he had for -this astonishing assertion we know not. But it is certain that the -governor at Jamaica felt at liberty to send this ship to join Morgan’s -expedition. And when we subsequently find Charles II. conferring the -honor of knighthood on this desperate marauder, and appointing him -governor of Jamaica, the report receives much confirmation.</p> - -<p>The harbor at Isle de la Vaca was a fine one. A large French ship, -the Cerf Volant, on a trading excursion, entered the port. The ship -was well armed, mounting twenty-four iron guns and twelve<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">256</a></span> guns of -brass. The captain and crew, disappointed in the results of trade, were -disposed to try their luck as buccaneers. Morgan, anxious to secure -so powerful a ship, urged them to join his expedition. But the French -officers would not accede to his terms.</p> - -<p>The Frenchman was about to weigh anchor and return to Tortuga. Several -of his crew, who were English sailors, had deserted him, and had been -received on board Morgan’s ships. Through them Morgan learned that -the captain of the Cerf Volant, being out of provisions, had stopped -an English vessel, taken from her sundry articles of food, for which -he had paid, not in coin, for he had none on hand, but in bills of -exchange cashable at Jamaica.</p> - -<p>Morgan, who was seeking for some pretext under which he might seize the -French ship, decided to consider this an act of piracy. He invited the -officers of the Volant to dine with him, on board the splendid ship -which the governor of Jamaica had sent him. Unsuspicious of treachery, -the captain and his officers all came. While in the cabin, drinking -their wine, Morgan rose and denounced them as pirates who had robbed -an English vessel, and declared them to be his prisoners. At the same -moment a band of armed men came in and put them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">257</a></span> in irons. They could -make no resistance. He then took possession of the ship.</p> - -<p>Soon after this he called a council of his officers to decide upon -their first expedition. They met in the cabin of the Volant. Several of -the French who had refused to join Morgan were prisoners in the hold. -After much deliberation they decided first to repair to the Island -of Savona, a few leagues south-east of San Domingo. A flotilla of -merchant-ships, under convoy, was daily looked for from Spain. It was -to be expected that, during this long voyage, some vessels would get -separated from the rest. These stragglers they hoped to cut off.</p> - -<p>Having settled this question, the desperadoes commenced drinking and -carousing. A scene of uproar ensued with the intermingling of drunken -songs and unintelligible blasphemies. While the officers were thus -carousing in the cabin, the sailors, four hundred in number, were -engaged in equally wild orgies in their quarters of the ship. As -the toasts were drained, broadsides were discharged, by men reeling -in drunkenness around their smoking guns. Some were cursing, some -fighting, some sleeping in deathly stupor.</p> - -<p>The magazine, amply stored with powder, was near the bows of the boat. -Powder was carelessly scattered over the decks. Suddenly there was a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">258</a></span> -terrific explosion. The whole ship seemed lifted into the air, as by -some volcanic power. Dense volumes of sulphurous smoke, pierced with -forked flame, enveloped the scene, shutting it out from the view of all -around. Then there were seen, ejected hundreds of feet into the air, -massive timbers, and ponderous cannon, and the mangled bodies of three -hundred and fifty men. But thirty of the crew escaped.</p> - -<p>The officers’ cabin, far in the stern of the boat, escaped the force -of the explosion. Though the revellers there were terrified, stunned, -almost smothered with smoke, and many of them severely wounded, they -escaped with their lives.</p> - -<p>Such was the end of the Cerf Volant. This only did Morgan gain by his -treachery. “Morgan,” says Esquemeling, “had captured the ship. And God -only could take it from him. And God did so.”</p> - -<p>For eight days the bodies of the dead were seen floating upon the -waters of the bay. Morgan sent out boats to collect these bodies, not -for burial, but for plunder. The pockets were searched. The clothing, -when good, was stripped off. The heavy gold rings, which nearly all the -sailors wore, were taken, and then the bodies were abandoned to the -sharks and the carrion birds.</p> - -<p>Morgan, upon a review of his forces, found that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">259</a></span> he had fifteen -vessels, large and small, and eight hundred and sixty men. With these -he set sail for Savona. Head winds impeded their progress. Three weeks -had elapsed ere they reached the eastern extremity of Hispaniola. -Eight hundred hungry men consume a vast amount of food each day. Their -provisions ran short. They chanced to meet an English ship which had -a superfluity for sale. Thus recruited, they pressed on, in a long -straggling line, until eight of the ships reached a harbor called Ocoa, -on the southern coast of the great island. Here he cast anchor to wait -the arrival of the rest of the fleet.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">260</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xvi" id="xvi"></a>CHAPTER XVI.<br /> -<em>The Expedition to Maracaibo.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">The Delay at Ocoa.—Hunting Excursions.—The Repulse.—Cities -of Venezuela.—The Plan of Morgan.—Suggestions of Pierre -Picard.—Sailing of the Expedition.—They Touch at -Oruba.—Traverse Venezuela.—Enter Lake Maracaibo.—Capture -of the Fort.—The City Abandoned.—Atrocities of the Pirates.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">At</span> Ocoa, on the Island of Hispaniola, the pirates remained several days -waiting for the arrival of the other vessels, which were unaccountably -lagging behind. Every morning Morgan sent a party of eight men, from -each ship, upon the island as hunters, in search of game. He also sent -a body of armed men to protect them from any attack by the Spaniards. -Though there were many Spaniards upon the island, they did not feel -strong enough to assail so great a force as the pirates could muster. -They, however, sent to the city of San Domingo for three or four -hundred men, to kill or drive away all the cattle and game around the -Bay of Ocoa. They hoped thus to starve out the buccaneers, and compel -them to depart.</p> - -<p>Goaded by hunger, a band of fifty of Morgan’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">261</a></span> men ventured far into -the woods. The Spaniards, who were watching them, drew them into an -ambuscade. The pirates were outnumbered and surrounded. With cries of -“Kill, kill,” the Spaniards opened a sudden and deadly fire. But these -desperadoes, accustomed to every kind of danger, could not be thrown -into a panic. Instantly they formed themselves into a hollow square, -and keeping a rolling fire from the four sides, slowly retreated -to their ships. Many fell by the way, dead or wounded. Many of the -Spaniards were also slain.</p> - -<p>The next day, Morgan, rendered furious by the discomfiture, landed -himself, at the head of two hundred men, to take dire revenge upon his -foes. But no foe was to be met. Finding his search useless, he gave -vent to his rage in burning all the dwellings he encountered, from -which the Spaniards had fled.</p> - -<p>Still the seven missing ships did not appear. After waiting a few days -more, he decided to delay no longer. Spreading his sails, he steered -his course for the Island of Savona. But none of the missing vessels -were there. While waiting, he sent several boats, with crews amounting -to one hundred and fifty well-armed men, to plunder several of the -small towns upon the San Domingo coast. But in the capital city and -all along the shore scouts were on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">262</a></span> watch. Sentinels were placed -upon every headland. The moment the boats appeared in sight, signals -were given. At every point where a landing was attempted such energetic -resistance was presented, that the pirates were compelled to retreat.</p> - -<p>They returned to Morgan with this discouraging report. He was in a -towering rage, and with sneers and curses denounced them as cowardly -poltroons. As no longer delay could be safely indulged in, and as the -missing vessels did not arrive, he made another review of his fleet and -army, and found that he had eight vessels of various sizes and about -five hundred men.</p> - -<p>Upon the coast of Venezuela there was a large and opulent city, called -Caraccas. It was the capital of the province of Venezuela, and had -been founded nearly one hundred years before, in 1567, by the Spanish -Government. It was a well-built and beautiful city, delightfully -situated, in the enjoyment of a salubrious climate, and enriched by -extensive commerce. Near by were Valencia, Barcelona, and Cumana, all -important commercial ports. The latter place was the oldest city on the -continent of South America. It was established in 1523. The plunder of -these four cities would indeed enrich the marauders. And Morgan, in -command of fifteen vessels, and with an army of fifteen hundred men did -not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">263</a></span> doubt that he could effect their capture, one by one, if he could -strike them entirely by surprise. But it was folly to attempt it with -eight vessels and five hundred men.</p> - -<p>There was a Frenchman in command of one of Morgan’s ships, by the name -of Pierre Picard. This man, several years before, had been the pilot -of Lolonois’s fleet, in his capture and destruction of Maracaibo and -Gibraltar, of which expedition we have already given an account. During -the intervening years those places had, in a very considerable degree, -recovered from their disasters. Again they presented riches sufficient -to entice the buccaneers.</p> - -<p>Picard was a remarkable man, of great resources. He was a bold soldier -and a skilful sailor. Familiar with all these waters, fearless and -unscrupulous, with French plausibility of address, and speaking the -English language with volubility and correctness, he gained great -influence over Morgan.</p> - -<p>A council of the officers was called. He proposed an attack upon -Maracaibo and Gibraltar. A chart was presented exhibiting the course to -be run, the channels to be threaded, the forces to be encountered, and -the means of overcoming them.</p> - -<p>His proposition was received with general acclaim, and the fleet -weighed anchor. After several days’ sail to the south, they reached -an island called<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">264</a></span> Oruba. It was inhabited only by natives. They had a -large stock of sheep, lambs, goats, and kids. Here the pirates cast -anchor, to take in water and provisions. For once these marauders -seemed to come to the conclusion that honesty was more politic than -thievery, and that it was easier to buy a goat with a skein of thread, -than to steal it, and thus rouse the hostility of the whole native -population. They remained here twenty-four hours, acting as nearly -like honest men as such a gang of thieves, drunkards, and desperadoes -could do. They filled their water-casks, and laid in quite a store of -provisions, which they bought, though without money and almost without -price.</p> - -<p>They were now within a day’s sail of Maracaibo. They were anxious that -the natives should not know their destination, lest in some way they -might give the alarm. Therefore the anchors were raised and the sails -spread in the night. When the morning dawned the islanders looked in -vain for the fleet.</p> - -<p>During the day the ships came in sight of the cluster of islands which -are found at the entrance of the Lake of Maracaibo. A fair breeze from -the north had swept them rapidly through the Gulf of Venezuela. Just -within the narrows which connected the gulf with the lake, there was -a mountainous island called Vigilia. Upon one of its eminences there -was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">265</a></span> a watch-tower erected, where sentinels were stationed, ever on the -lookout to give warning of the approach of any suspicious craft.</p> - -<p>Just as the fleet reached this point the wind died away into a perfect -calm. Though Morgan made every endeavor to cast anchor out of sight -of the watch-tower, the vigilant eyes of the sentinels detected him. -The alarm was instantly sent up to the city. Twelve hours passed away -before there was a breath of wind to ripple the crystal surface of the -lake. It was then four o’clock in the morning. All this time had been -granted the Spaniards to prepare for their defence.</p> - -<p>At a little distance beyond Vigilia there was a narrow channel to be -threaded, which was defended by a fort. Not deeming it safe to expose -his vessels to the heavy guns of the Spaniards, and knowing that the -works would be weak on the land side, he manned his boats, and marching -through the woods struck his foes in the rear. The garrison had made -arrangements for the most desperate resistance. They had burned all the -huts around the walls of the fort, and had removed everything which -could afford the assailants any shelter.</p> - -<p>The defenders of the works numbered probably not more than thirty or -forty men. Nearly five hundred reckless desperadoes emerged from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">266</a></span> -woods for the assault. They were all veterans, and all sharpshooters. -Not a hand could be exposed but a bullet would strike it. Such a storm -of balls were thrown with unerring aim in at every embrasure, that the -guns could not be worked.</p> - -<p>When the pirates, in their large numbers, first appeared emerging from -the forest, the fort opened a fire so intense and continuous that it -resembled the crater of a small volcano in most rapid eruption. But -the pirates, who could return ten bullets for every one received, and -who were careful that every bullet should accomplish its mission, soon -caused the fire to slacken. Still the fight continued for many hours, -till night came, with no apparent advantage on either side.</p> - -<p>With the darkness the conflict ceased. Morgan sent a party cautiously -forward to reconnoitre. No light was to be seen. No sound was to be -heard. Solitude and silence reigned. The fort was deserted. With shouts -the pirates rushed forward to take possession of the works. The loud -voice of Morgan arrested them. He was as cautious as he was brave. A -party of engineers was dispatched, led by Morgan himself, to search -lest there might be lighted fuses leading to the magazine. Morgan was -the first to enter. His quick eye discerned the gleam of a fuse slowly -creeping toward the magazine, where three<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">267</a></span> thousand pounds of gunpowder -were stored. It was instantly trampled out.</p> - -<p>But for this caution, five hundred pirates would have swarmed all -over the fort. There would have been an earthquake roar, a volcanic -upheaval, and not one of those five hundred desperadoes would have -survived to tell the story of the retribution which had so suddenly -befallen them.</p> - -<p>The fort was a small but strong redoubt, or outwork, built of stone, -circular in form, with a massive wall thirty feet high. It was only -accessible by an iron ladder which could be let down from a guard-room. -It mounted fourteen cannons, of eight, twelve, and fourteen pound -calibre. There was also found a quantity of fire-pots, hand-grenades, -pikes, and muskets.</p> - -<p>The pirates had no time to lose. It was needful to press forward as -rapidly as possible, for every hour the inhabitants of the city might -be adding to their defences. They blew up a portion of the wall; spiked -the cannon, and threw them over the ramparts; burned the gun-carriages, -and destroyed all the material of war which they could not carry away -with them.</p> - -<p>The way was now open for the passage of the fleet up the lake to the -very entrance of the harbor. With the earliest dawn the fleet spread -its sails, leaving<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">268</a></span> behind the smouldering ruins of the fort. The -breeze was light, the shoals many, the channel intricate. It was not -until the next day that they came within sight of the city. There was -still another fort to be passed at the very mouth of the port. Morgan -stood upon his quarter-deck, spy-glass in hand. He could see the -Spanish cavaliers at work on the ramparts, and had reason to expect a -very desperate resistance. Again he decided not to expose his ships to -the cannonade which the heavy guns of the fort could bring to bear upon -them.</p> - -<p>Casting anchor out of gun-shot, he disembarked his forces in the boats. -They were ordered not to meddle with the fort, but to march in two -divisions through the woods, and attack the town at points which the -artillery of the fort could not protect. The guns of the fleet were -brought to bear upon all the adjacent thickets, that no foe might find -there a lurking-place.</p> - -<p>The landing was effected without opposition. The march, through the -narrow mule-paths, was undisputed. The town was reached. But there -was no foe there; no inhabitant there. All had fled. Warned by the -awful fate which had befallen Maracaibo, but a few years before, when -sacked by the pirates under Lolonois, the citizens, men, women, and -children, had fled utterly panic-stricken.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">269</a></span> It is easy for a man of any -ordinary courage to brave death in the performance of duty. But who can -endure demoniac torture? Who can bear the idea of seeing his wife, his -daughter, his child exposed to every indignity, every cruelty which -demons in human form can devise?</p> - -<p>Maracaibo was emptied of its population. All had sought refuge in the -forest, with speed to which terror lent wings. The aged, the sick had -fled. Even the dying were carried away. And it is stated without denial -that the ship, the Oxford, which took the lead in this enterprise, -belonged to Charles II., King of England. This royal buccaneer had -equipped it, had manned it, and was to share in the spoil. And he -rewarded the demoniac leader of this demoniac gang with the honors of -a baronetcy; and appointed him governor over one of the most important -colonies of Great Britain. Such scenes were enacted only two hundred -years ago. Surely the world has made some progress.</p> - -<p>The fugitives had taken with them everything they could carry. There -were no carriage roads in those parts. But there were many narrow -mule-paths, leading in various directions. On pack-mules and horses -much treasure had been removed. Two days had elapsed since the alarm -had resounded through the streets, “The pirates are coming.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">270</a></span> -The houses were empty. The doors were left wide open. The chambers -were stripped of everything valuable. Nearly all the gold and silver -and jewels had of course disappeared. There were some houses of much -elegance in the place, sumptuously furnished. The pirates rushed -through the streets, searching for the richest palaces for their -barracks. The churches they wantonly defiled and converted into -prison-houses. Not a vessel or a boat was left in the port. All had -been used, by the terrified fugitives, to escape far away upon the wide -lake beyond.</p> - -<p>Morgan, chagrined at the loss of so much anticipated treasure, -instantly dispatched one hundred fleet-footed men to pursue the -encumbered and heavily laden refugees, along all the trails. Scarcely -any provisions could be found in the town. The fugitives had taken the -wise precaution to destroy what they could not carry away. The little -fort which guarded the harbor was merely a half-moon rampart facing the -water, and mounting but four cannon. These works the Spaniards had of -course abandoned.</p> - -<p>The men who had been dispatched in pursuit of the Spaniards returned -the next evening. They brought with them thirty prisoners, and fifty -mules laden with valuables. The prisoners were feeble<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">271</a></span> men and women -of the poorest class. The owners of the richly laden mules, seeing -the approach of the pirates, had abandoned all, and outstripped the -pursuers in their flight. The unhappy captives were put to the torture, -but nothing could be wrested from them.</p> - -<p>This Morgan, subsequently Sir Henry Morgan, governor of Jamaica, -suspended his prisoners by the beard; hung them up horizontally by -cords bound around their toes and thumbs; placed burning matches -between their fingers; scourged them; twisted cords around their -heads till their eyes burst from their sockets, and perpetrated other -enormities too horrible to be mentioned.</p> - -<p>“Thus,” writes Esquemeling, “all sort of inhuman cruelties were -executed upon these innocent people. Those who would not confess, or -who had nothing to declare, died under the hands of those tyrannical -men. These tortures and racks continued for the space of three whole -weeks; in which time they ceased not to send out daily parties of men -to seek for more people to torment and rob: they never returned home -without booty and new riches.”</p> - -<p>In one of these excursions they captured two negro slaves, who were -faint for loss of food. They were both put to the torture, to compel -them to reveal where their master was concealed. One, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">272</a></span> elder of the -two, endured the horrible torment without a word, and almost without -a groan, till death came to his release. The other captive, a young -man, just emerging from boyhood, bore up bravely until the agony became -utterly unendurable. He then offered to lead them to his master. The -wealthy Spaniard was soon taken, and with him the exultant pirates -seized thirty thousand dollars in silver.</p> - -<p>In such days of disaster and woe, families, flying into the wilderness, -would cling together. Morgan had gradually captured one hundred of the -most prominent families. He had also acquired an unexpectedly large -amount of plunder, in silver, gold, bullion, and rich merchandise.</p> - -<p>Captain Picard was very exultant in view of the success of the -enterprise which he had suggested and guided. He now urged that they -should advance upon the city of Gibraltar. It will be remembered that -this place was at the head of the lake, about one hundred miles south -from Maracaibo. Morgan embarked his prisoners and all of his plunder on -board his fleet and spread his sails for this new enterprise.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">273</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xvii" id="xvii"></a>CHAPTER XVII.<br /> -<em>Adventures on the Shores of Lake Maracaibo.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">Preparations for the Defence of Gibraltar.—The -Hidden Ships.—The Hiding-place of the Governor and -the Women.—Disasters and Failure.—Capture of the -Spanish Ships.—The Retreat Commenced.—Peril of the -Pirates.—Singular Correspondence.—Strength of the Spanish -Armament.—The Public Conference of the Pirates.—The Naval -Battle.—The Fire-Ship.—Wonderful Achievement of the Pirates.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Before</span> Morgan weighed anchor for his expedition to Gibraltar, he sent -two Spanish prisoners to the city to say that if they made a peaceable -surrender of the place, without attempting to conceal or carry off -their valuables, their lives should be spared. But if any resistance -were offered, the city should be laid in ashes and every individual put -to the sword.</p> - -<p>But ample time had been given to the citizens of Gibraltar to prepare -for a vigorous defence. The garrison from Maracaibo had also fled to -her forts. The troops were landed a mile and a half from the town, and -marched through the woods to attack the foe in the rear. The Spaniards -had anticipated this movement and were prepared to meet it. Still -they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">274</a></span> were baffled by the strategy of Morgan. Instead of advancing by -the regular route, he employed a large party of sappers and miners to -cut a new path through the woods. Thus he approached the city without -exposing his men to storm ramparts bristling with artillery and -musketry.</p> - -<p>The Spaniards had no time to throw up new intrenchments. It was -evident, even to the most unintelligent soldier, that all was lost. -Their hearts sank within them, and soldiers and citizens fled with the -utmost precipitation. So general was the flight that the pirates, when -they entered the streets of Gibraltar, found but one single man there, -and he was a semi-idiot. Even that weak creature they tortured. The -poor wretch cried out:</p> - -<p>“Do not torture me any more, and I will show you my riches.”</p> - -<p>The pirates thought, or pretended to think, that he was some rich -person assuming the disguise of poverty and semi-insanity. He led -them to a miserable hovel containing only a few earthern pots. He dug -up, from under the hearth, three dollars which he had buried there. -Still they affirmed that he was a grandee in disguise, and commenced -torturing him anew. In his agony he cried out:</p> - -<p>“In the name of Jesus; in the name of the Virgin Mary, what will you do -with me, Englishmen? I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">275</a></span> am a poor man. I live on alms. I sleep in the -hospital.”</p> - -<p>He died under their hands. They dragged him aside and covered him -with a few shovelfuls of earth. Some of the slaves, who had been -inhumanly treated by their masters, now took revenge, and revealed -their hiding-places to the pirates. A poor lame peasant, with his two -daughters, was brought in. Appalled by the terrors of the rack, he -promised to lead them through the woods to a retreat where several of -the Spaniards were concealed. But the Spaniards, vigilantly on the -watch, fled. The pirates, in the rage of their disappointment, hung the -poor peasant. What became of his daughters we are not informed.</p> - -<p>But I cannot torture my readers with a narrative of these horrors. They -were dreadful beyond all powers of description. It seems inexplicable -that God could have permitted such awful deeds.</p> - -<p>Parties, thoroughly armed, were sent out to explore the region for many -miles around. One of the slaves promised to conduct Captain Morgan to -a river flowing into the lake, where there was a ship and four large -boats richly laden with merchandise, taken both from Gibraltar and -from Maracaibo. He also promised to lead a party to the place where -the governor of Gibraltar was concealed, with most of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">276</a></span> females of -the city. The capture of the governor, for whom a great ransom could -be expected to save him from death by torture, and the capture of the -females, were deemed matters of the greatest moment by these demoniac -pirates.</p> - -<p>Morgan himself took a party of two hundred men, with the slave as a -guide, and set out on an expedition to capture the governor and the -women. At the same time he dispatched another party of one hundred men -in two large boats, to seize the ships. They were to coast along the -shores of the solitary lake until they reached the mouth of the river -where the vessels of the refugees were concealed.</p> - -<p>The governor was on the alert. His scouts watched all the approaches to -his retreat. It required a very painful and laborious march of two days -for the pirates to reach the spot where the fugitives were intrenched. -The governor, with much sagacity, had selected a large island in a -river. The region was difficult of approach, leading through the -roughest paths of tangled thickets and bogs. God seemed to frown upon -the pirates. The rain fell in floods upon them. They were drenched to -the skin. Many mountain torrents they were compelled to ford, wading up -to the waist through the foaming water. They sank to the hips in the -softened<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">277</a></span> marshes. Their shoes were torn from their feet. Their clothes -were rent and their skin pierced by the thorns.</p> - -<p>When they reached the river they found the current rapid and the -channel deep. There were no boats with which to cross. These desperate -men were provided for every emergence. They soon constructed canoes -and crossed the stream. But in the hurried passage many of the canoes -were swamped and the men lost. Upon reaching the island they found that -the governor had taken refuge on a densely wooded and craggy mountain. -The path which led to the summit, winding through the thickets and the -immense rocks, was so narrow that it could only be mounted in single -file.</p> - -<p>In fording the rivers and wading through the bogs, and breasting the -rain and the gale, all of the ammunition of the pirates had been -injured, and much of it utterly spoiled. The whole party was in such a -condition, that Esquemeling writes:</p> - -<p>“If the Spaniards, in that juncture of time, had had but a troop of -fifty men, well armed with pikes or spears, they might have entirely -destroyed the pirates, without any possible resistance on their side.”</p> - -<p>The governor was not aware of this. Prudently he remained upon the -defensive. He had several of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">278</a></span> the soldiers of the garrison with him, -and an ample supply of ammunition. His men were admirably posted behind -rocks and trees, so that had the pirates persisted in their endeavor to -ascend the mountain, every man must have perished. And it is doubtful -whether they could have inflicted even a wound upon their unseen -assailants.</p> - -<p>Morgan perceived that the case was hopeless. Discouraged and maddened -he commenced a retreat. Twelve days passed from the time they commenced -their enterprise before Morgan, with his diminished and shattered -party, returned to Gibraltar. They had, however, captured on the way -quite a number of fugitives whom they had found scattered through -the woods, and also a considerable amount of money. They took a sort -of fiendish pleasure, on their return, in seeing the aged women and -the children swept away by the foaming mountain torrents, which they -forded. They returned to Gibraltar exasperated, and prepared to inflict -severer torture upon all their captives.</p> - -<p>The party sent to take the vessels were a little more successful. The -Spaniards had unloaded the vessels and conveyed to unknown distances -much of their cargoes. Hearing of the approach of the pirates, they -fled precipitately, leaving behind them all which they had not removed, -or which they could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">279</a></span> not immediately destroy. Still there were many -bales of goods left in the vessels and on the shore. These the pirates -seized and carried back to their ships.</p> - -<p>When the pirates had been five weeks in Gibraltar, plundering, -torturing, carousing, the failure of provisions rendered it necessary -for them to depart. But first they sent some of their prisoners back -into the woods to find their hidden companions, and to say to them -that unless they sent Morgan, as a ransom for the city, five thousand -dollars, in gold or silver, he would lay every building of the city in -ashes. Those ruined men went forth on this sad mission. After searching -every nook and corner for a long time, they came back to state that -they could not find anybody. The terrified Spaniards had fled far -beyond the reach of a day’s exploration.</p> - -<p>They said, however, that if Morgan would have a little patience and -give them eight days, they would endeavor to raise the money. The -pirate replied:</p> - -<p>“I am going to Maracaibo. I shall take with me eight of your most -prominent citizens, whom I hold as captives. I shall regard them as -hostages for the payment of the ransom. If within eight days the money -is paid, they will be set at liberty. If the money is not paid, they -must suffer the penalty.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">280</a></span> -And what was that penalty? Death; and probably death by torture. Morgan -began to feel a little solicitude about his retreat. In five weeks the -Spaniards must have had time to assemble troops from various parts of -the province, to repair the fortifications of Maracaibo, and to throw -very serious obstacles in the way of his passing through the straits -which connected Lake Maracaibo with the Gulf of Venezuela.</p> - -<p>Influenced by this consideration, they moved with haste. Weighing their -anchors and spreading their sails, with their fleet laden with plunder, -they now directed their course toward Maracaibo. Baffled by light or -contrary winds, four days passed before they reached the city. Here -they found the same silence and desolation which they had left behind -them. There was but one person in the place—a poor old man, sick and -almost bed-ridden.</p> - -<p>He gave them the alarming intelligence that three Spanish men-of-war -were cruising off the head of the lake, watching their return. They -had also repaired the fort which Morgan had partially destroyed, -had mounted the guns anew, garrisoned the works with experienced -artillerymen, and placed all things in posture for a vigorous defence. -Over the redoubt the flag of Castile was proudly waving.</p> - -<p>Morgan sent one of his swiftest boats down the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">281</a></span> lake to reconnoitre -the state of affairs. The boat came back the next day, confirming the -statements. The ships were large and evidently well manned, as well -as powerfully armed. The largest mounted forty-nine guns; the next, -thirty-eight guns of different calibre, and the smallest, sixteen guns -of large calibre, and eight of less. Morgan could not hope to contend -successfully against forces so much superior to his own. The commander -of this fleet was Don Alonzo Espinosa. He was vice-admiral of the -West-Indian fleet. His little squadron had been sent to those seas to -protect Spanish commerce, and to put to the sword every pirate he could -take. The pirates were thrown into a state of great consternation. -Their largest ship carried but fourteen guns. There seemed no possible -escape for them by sea or by land.</p> - -<p>Whatever might have been Morgan’s secret feeling, he assumed an air of -the utmost confidence. With audacity most extraordinary, considering -the circumstances, he sent a Spanish prisoner to Admiral Espinosa, with -the message that unless he immediately forwarded to him twenty-eight -thousand dollars, in silver or gold, he would apply the torch to -Maracaibo, and every building should be consumed.</p> - -<p>The reply of the admiral was dated “On board<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">282</a></span> the royal ship Magdalen, -lying at anchor at the entry of Lake Maracaibo, this 24th day of April, -1669.” In it Espinosa wrote:</p> - -<p>“My intention is to dispute your passage out of the lake, and to -pursue you wherever you may go. But if you will surrender all that -you have taken, with all your prisoners, I will let you pass without -molestation. But if you make any resistance, I will send my boats up to -Maracaibo, and you shall be utterly destroyed. Every man shall be put -to the sword. This is my fixed determination. I have good soldiers, who -desire nothing more earnestly than to revenge on you, and your people, -the outrages and cruelties you have committed on the Spanish nation.”</p> - -<p>Morgan, upon the reception of this letter, summoned all his men to meet -in the market-place of Maracaibo. He submitted the question to them -whether they would avail themselves of this offer, and thus escape with -their lives, or run the risk of a battle with the Spanish squadron. The -vote was unanimous that they would rather shed the last drop of blood -they had, than give up the treasure they had obtained at the expense of -so much danger and suffering. One of the pirates stepped forward, and -said:</p> - -<p>“Captain Morgan, I will undertake, with twelve<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">283</a></span> men, to destroy the -largest of those ships. I will convert the large vessel we captured -up the river into a fire-ship. We will fill her full of the most -combustible matter. Then we will place images of men around, and sham -guns, made of logs of wood, at the port-holes, and unfurl the English -flag. The crew of the admiral’s ship, not doubting that we are bearing -down to give them battle, will not think of attempting to escape. We -will run directly upon the Magdalen, throw our grappling-irons aboard, -and, when both ships are instantly wrapped in flames, will, in the -confusion, take to our boats, and reach some vessel near by.”</p> - -<p>The proposition was accepted with general acclaim. Still Morgan decided -to make one more effort to escape without the peril and inevitable loss -of a battle. Even should it utterly fail, he would gain time to prepare -for the attack by the fire-ship. He therefore sent two of his prisoners -to Espinosa, with this announcement:</p> - -<p>“If the vice-admiral will pledge his honor that I may retire without -being attacked, I will abandon Maracaibo, without burning the town -or exacting any ransom. I will also set at liberty all the Spanish -prisoners I have taken. The hostages I hold from Gibraltar shall be -sent home, without exacting the ransom which was promised.” The admiral -replied:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">284</a></span> -“I will listen to no terms of accommodation different from those which -I have proposed. If the prisoners and the booty are not voluntarily -surrendered to me within two days, I will advance to your destruction.”</p> - -<p>In the mean time all hands were at work constructing the fire-ship. -All the pitch, tar, and brimstone in the city were collected. Dried -palm-leaves were gathered, in vast numbers, and smeared over with tar. -Packages, containing several pounds of powder, were scattered through -the loose mass. New port-holes were cut to let the air in to fan the -flames. Many images of men were stationed along the decks, with caps on -their heads and armed with muskets and pikes. The ship was so disguised -that no one would doubt that it was a war-ship. From such the admiral -of the Spanish fleet would surely make no effort to escape.</p> - -<p>All things being ready, Morgan exacted an oath from every man that -he would fight to the last drop of his blood; that he would neither -give nor take quarter. The Spanish fleet had passed through the strait -to the entrance of the lake, and was riding at anchor just above the -fort, which it will be remembered they had occupied, strengthened, and -strongly garrisoned. Thus the pirates, before they could escape into -the Gulf of Venezuela, must not only<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">285</a></span> destroy the fleet, but also sail -by the fort exposed to the terrible cannonade of its heavy ordnance.</p> - -<p>On the evening of April 30th, 1669, Morgan spread his sails, and ran -down the lake until he came in sight of the foe. Darkness was then -coming on and he cast anchor. The morning of the first of May dawned -cloudless, over those vast solitudes of land and water, where a few -adventurers from a distance of nearly ten thousand miles had met to -crimson the waves with their blood, and to cause forest and lake and -mountain to resound with the thunders of their demoniac fightings.</p> - -<p>With the first gleam of light in the east, Morgan’s fleet weighed its -anchors and spread its sails. A fresh breeze from the south swelled -their canvas. The fire-ship, with its wooden men and wooden guns, and -which was prepared in an instant to flame into a volcano, bore down -upon the Magdalen. Promptly the crew cleared the decks for action. -Little did they dream of the foe whose resistless fury they were to -encounter.</p> - -<p>The fire-ship ran with a crash against the Spanish frigate. The boat -of escape was ready with the men at the oars. The torch was applied at -several places to make certainty doubly certain. The boat pushed off -with rapid strokes, and scarcely one single moment elapsed before both -ships were enveloped<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">286</a></span> in densest smoke and flashing, consuming flame.</p> - -<p>In an instant it was seen by all that the great achievement was -accomplished; that the majestic man-of-war, in all its pride and -strength, was doomed to immediate destruction. No escape was possible. -No resistance could be of the slightest avail. Not a boat could be -launched. There was no time for thought even. Many of the sailors were -instantly burned to a crisp as the forked flames encircled among them, -wrapping them in its cruel embrace. All, who could, plunged into the -sea. Many were drowned. A few strong swimmers reached the other vessels -and were saved. Among these was the Admiral Espinosa.</p> - -<p>The pirates gazed upon the awful spectacle with shouts of exultation. -They had sworn to give no quarter. The drowning wretches presented but -attractive targets for their sharpshooters. Boats put off from several -of their nearer vessels to knock them in the head.</p> - -<p>The second Spanish ship in size, which was called the St. Louis, -mounted, as we have said, thirty-eight guns in all. The crew consisted -of two hundred sailors. Seeing the utter destruction of the flagship, -and that they were exposed to be attacked by the whole force of the -pirates, they ran back<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">287</a></span> beneath the guns of the fort. To prevent the -ship from falling into the hands of the pirates they ran her ashore, -scuttled her, and took refuge behind the intrenchments.</p> - -<p>The third ship was called the Marquesas. It carried, as we have -mentioned, twenty-four guns, large and small, and a crew of one hundred -and fifty men. This vessel was so surrounded by the pirates that she -could not escape. Her capture was effected with scarcely any conflict. -Infamous as was the cause in which these pirates were engaged, it is -difficult to withhold our admiration from the skill and the courage -with which the great achievement was accomplished.</p> - -<p>In less than one hour these Spanish war-ships, armed with the best -Spanish ordnance, and manned by over six hundred combatants, were -utterly destroyed or taken by the pirates, now but about three hundred -in number, and whose largest ship mounted but fourteen guns. It is one -of the most extraordinary feats in naval warfare. One of the historians -of the time says: “The fire-ship fell upon the Spaniard, and clung to -its sides like a wildcat on an elephant.”</p> - -<p>But still the pirates were by no means out of their difficulties. -Their ships were all in Lake Maracaibo. A narrow and serpentine strait -was to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">288</a></span> threaded before they could enter the Gulf of Venezuela, by -which alone they could gain access to the ocean. Here again the genius -of Morgan came to the rescue. In the first place he collected all the -prisoners he could, men, women, and children, and had them firmly -secured. His plan was to compel the admiral to let him pass the fort -unmolested, by threatening otherwise to put them all to death.</p> - -<p>Among his captives there was a pilot of one of the Spanish ships. Upon -being closely questioned, he made the following statement:</p> - -<p>“We were sent by orders from the Supreme Council of Spain, with -instructions to exterminate the English pirates. The Spanish court -has made many complaints to the King of England of the hostilities -committed here by the English. The king has ever replied that he had -never given any commissions for such hostilities; that these were -individual acts which the Government could not control, and for which -they were not responsible.</p> - -<p>“Hereupon the King of Spain resolved to protect his subjects and punish -the perpetrators of these outrages. He fitted a fleet of six ships. -Three of these, after an extended cruise, hearing of the attack upon -Maracaibo, arrived here. The vice-admiral took possession of the fort, -remounted its guns, adding<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">289</a></span> several of large calibre, and added a -hundred men to its original garrison whom he recalled.”</p> - -<p>Morgan returned to Maracaibo to plan for his escape. The Marquesas, -which he had captured, was larger than any vessel of his own, and more -heavily armed. He refitted this, making it his flagship. The one he had -before occupied was intrusted to one of his captains.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">290</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xviii" id="xviii"></a>CHAPTER XVIII.<br /> -<em>A New Expedition Planned.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">The Threat to Espinosa.—Adroit Stratagem.—Wonderful -Escape.—The Storm.—Revelry at Jamaica.—History of -Hispaniola.—Plan of a New Expedition.—The Foraging -Ships.—Morgan’s Administrative Energies.—Return of the -Foragers.—Rendezvous at Cape Tiburon.—Magnitude and -Armament of the Fleet.—Preparations to Sail.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Morgan</span>, in the self-assurance of triumph, sent word to the governor of -Maracaibo, that unless he sent him, within eight days, five hundred -beef cattle, the city of Maracaibo should be reduced to smouldering -ruins. They were sent in within two days. All hands were employed in -butchering, salting, and storing away the meat in preparation for sea.</p> - -<p>Returning with his fleet to the mouth of the lake, Morgan sent word -to Admiral Espinosa that he had, on board his ships, between two and -three hundred prisoners, including one hundred and fifty sailors of the -Spanish fleet, who were captured in the Marquesas. He demanded a free -passage, promising, if that were granted him, he would send all his -prisoners<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">291</a></span> unharmed ashore, as soon as his fleet was safe on the other -side of the fort.</p> - -<p>If this free passage were not granted him, he declared that he would -force his way through; and that he would bind all his prisoners to the -rigging, that they might be the most exposed to the shot from the fort; -and that having passed by, every one who survived the cannonade should -be killed and thrown overboard. The prisoners, well instructed in the -cruelty and the inflexible will of this demoniac pirate, sent the -most pathetic appeals to the admiral to save them from this dreadful -fate. He, influenced by the pride of the soldier rather than by human -sympathies, unfeelingly replied:</p> - -<p>“If you had been as loyal to the king in hindering the entrance of -these pirates as I shall be in hindering their going out, you would -never have caused these troubles either to yourselves or to our whole -nation, which hath suffered so much through your pusillanimity. I shall -not grant your request; but shall endeavor, according to my duty, to -maintain that respect which is due to my king.”</p> - -<p>When Morgan heard of this reply he said: “Very well; if the admiral -will not give me permission to pass, I will find a way of passing -without his permission.”</p> - -<p>Before attempting to run through the strait, all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">292</a></span> the pirates landed -for a division of the booty. In making an inventory of their effects it -was found that they had, in gold, silver, and jewels, two hundred and -fifty thousand dollars. They had a still larger sum than this in the -vast amount of merchandise which they had gathered from all the ships -and store-houses of the two cities. They had also a large number of -slaves, who brought cash prices in all the ports of the West Indies.</p> - -<p>The escape was effected by the following ingenious stratagem. Morgan -filled his boats with men, and rowed beneath the boughs which hung -densely over the banks of the river, until he arrived at a concealed -spot, where he pretended to land them. He took care, however, so to -conduct the movement that the Spaniards in the fort should catch -glimpses of it. The landing, however, was merely feigned. The men -concealed themselves in the bottom of the boats, and were rowed back -to the ships. Not one was left on the shore. In this way, by repeated -excursions with the boats, apparently several hundred men were -disembarked.</p> - -<p>The admiral, well aware of the ferocious courage of the pirates, and -not doubting that they would make a desperate assault upon the fort on -the land side, immediately, and in the greatest haste, removed their -eighteen-pounders to command the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">293</a></span> approaches by the land. In this way -the sea-coast was left almost defenceless.</p> - -<p>The ensuing night the moon rose full-orbed over the silent waters of -the lake. A fresh breeze sprang up from the south. Providence seemed -to be favoring these desperate men. The tide was also in their favor. -And there was always a gentle current flowing through the narrow strait -from the lake into the gulf.</p> - -<p>Thus, with their path illumined by the moon’s brilliant rays, and aided -by wind, tide, and current, the pirates spread their sails, and, almost -as by magic, glided by the fort. Every precaution was taken to protect -the crews. No attempt was made to return the fire of the Spaniards. -Most of the crews were placed in the holds of the ships. Only enough -were left on deck for the purpose of navigation. The Spaniards, -astonished, bewildered, and with but few guns at their command, fired -hastily, furiously, and with very inaccurate aim at the ships so -rapidly passing beyond their grasp. But little damage was done, and but -few men were killed.</p> - -<p>We are not informed whether Morgan carried out his threat of exposing -his prisoners to the cannonade by binding them to the rigging. What -became of the one hundred and fifty Spanish sailors, is not known. They -were probably all put to death.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">294</a></span> The prisoners from Maracaibo he sent -ashore. Those from Gibraltar he carried away with him, and probably -relieved himself of the incumbrance by throwing them all into the sea. -As Morgan again set sail, his crews raised three cheers of triumph, and -discharged eight heavy guns, loaded with balls, against the fort, as -his parting salute.</p> - -<p>But the very next day, heaven’s frown seemed to succeed heaven’s smile. -One of the most terrible of tropical tornadoes assailed the fleet. All -were in despair. The sailors threw themselves upon their knees, and -called upon the Virgin and all the saints to help them. The gleaming -lightning seemed to be the symbol of God’s wrath, and the pealing -thunder sounded like His angry voice.</p> - -<p>Esquemeling, who accompanied this expedition, and to whose pen we -are mainly indebted for an account of its events, says that the ship -which bore him lost both anchors and mainsail. It was with the utmost -difficulty they kept the ship afloat, working at the pumps for weary -hours. The thunder he represents as deafening, and the mountain -billows, rushing by, threatened every moment to ingulf them.</p> - -<p>“Indeed,” he writes, “though worn out with fatigue and toil, we could -not make up our minds to close our eyes to that blessed light which -we might<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">295</a></span> soon lose sight of forever. No hope of safety remained. -The storm had lasted four days, and there was no probability of -its termination. On the one side we saw rocks, on which our vessel -threatened every instant to drive. Before us were the Indians, from -whom we could hope for no mercy. Behind us were the Spaniards, -hungering for revenge.”</p> - -<p>At length the storm ceased. The fleet put into a harbor, in the Bay of -Venezuela, to repair damages. There seems to be but little reformatory -power in punishment. These wretched men were not made better by the -chastisement which they had received. All unmindful of their prayers to -Virgin and saint, while some were at work on the ships, others formed -themselves into bands to ravage the country far and wide, plundering -all the Spanish and Indian villages within their reach, and inflicting -the most atrocious outrages upon the inhabitants. It is very clear -that there is no hope for this lost world, unless it may be found in -that <em>change in the heart</em> of man which the religion of Jesus Christ -inculcates. “The mind is its own place.” The pirates after the storm -were the same men as before.</p> - -<p>Morgan, having refitted his ships, and having added very considerably -to his amount of plunder again spread his sails for Kingston, the -capital of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">296</a></span> Jamaica. He reached that port in safety, and was very -cordially welcomed by the inhabitants and the British authorities -there. They seemed to regard him as one of the heroes of the age, -worthy of all honor. The sentiments of the English generally, at -that time, in reference to these exploits, may be inferred from the -following:</p> - -<p>In a book published in London, in the year 1684, and which now lies -before me, a glowing account is given of these adventures. The book had -then attained to a second edition. The title-page says:</p> - -<p>“A True Account of the most remarkable Assaults, committed of late -years upon the Coasts of the West Indies, by the Buccaneers of Jamaica -and Tortuga, wherein are contained more especially the unparalleled -Exploits of Sir Henry Morgan, our English Jamaican Hero, who sacked -Puerto Velo, burnt Panama, etc.”</p> - -<p>At Jamaica new scenes of rioting and profligacy were enacted. The -money soon passed from the hands of the pirates to the sharpers in -liquor-shops, gambling-houses, and dancing-halls, who were eager to -grasp it. Morgan’s eulogistic biographer writes:</p> - -<p>“Morgan, encouraged by success, soon determined on fresh enterprises. -On arriving at Jamaica, he found many of his officers and soldiers -already reduced to their former indigency by their vices and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">297</a></span> -debaucheries. Hence they perpetually importuned him for new exploits, -thereby to get something to expend in wine and strumpets, as they had -already done with what they got before.</p> - -<p>“Captain Morgan, willing to follow fortune’s call, stopped the mouths -of many inhabitants of Jamaica, who were creditors to his men for -large sums, with the hopes and promises of greater achievements than -ever, in a new expedition. This done, he could easily levy men for any -enterprise. His name was so famous through all those islands, that it -alone would bring him in more men than he could well employ.”</p> - -<p>Morgan scattered his proclamations far and wide through all the English -and French ports on the various islands. He wrote particularly to -the governor of Tortuga, soliciting his coöperation. The south side -of this island was appointed as a rendezvous, where Morgan, sailing -from Jamaica, would meet the pirates of Tortuga who wished to join -the expedition. Another and general rendezvous was designated, for -adventurers from all the islands, at Port Couillon, on the south -side of Hispaniola. And here let me give a few explanatory words in -reference to this latter island.</p> - -<p>Columbus discovered this magnificent island on the 5th of December, -1495. It was called by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">298</a></span> natives Hayti. Its population was estimated -at one million. It was four hundred miles long, with a breadth of -from forty to one hundred and fifty miles, covering an area of nearly -thirty thousand square miles. Columbus called it Hispaniola, or Little -Spain. He established a colony on the northern coast, which he called -Isabella. His brother, Diego, was intrusted with its command. This was -the first colony planted by the Europeans in the New World.</p> - -<p>In the year 1665, the French obtained possession of a large portion -of the island, and gave it the name St. Domingo. This was about one -hundred and seventy years after its discovery, and about five years -before Morgan selected a bay on its southern coast as a rendezvous for -his piratic fleet. It is in consequence of these changes that Hayti, -Hispaniola, and St. Domingo frequently occupy so confused a relation in -the public mind.</p> - -<p>Punctuality is an essential element of success alike in good and bad -enterprises. With singular promptness, Morgan sailed into the harbor -of Couillon, in a large ship which he called the Flying Stag. It was -crowded with pirates, or buccaneers as they would perhaps prefer to -have been called, whom he had taken from Tortuga. It was the 24th day -of October, 1670. He found twenty-four vessels<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">299</a></span> already there, and -sixteen hundred men. Almost every hour there were new arrivals of both -ships and sailors. Morgan had selected for his flagship a large vessel, -which mounted twenty-two guns. His arrival was greeted with shoutings, -cannon-firing, flag-waving, and the most boisterous drunken revelry.</p> - -<p>With energy and administrative ability characteristic of this very able -and yet infamous man, he dispatched four vessels to the mainland, to -cruise along the coast and plunder Spaniards and Indians of provisions, -of corn, poultry, swine, and beeves, to victual his ships. They were -also to sack such small towns as they were able to capture. All this -was merely in preparation for the great enterprise before them.</p> - -<p>While the four vessels were absent on this foraging expedition, Morgan -kept his men busy careening, rigging, and calking their vessels, so -as to be ready, immediately upon the return of the foragers, to put -to sea. The magnitude of the enterprise in which this arch-pirate was -engaged may be inferred from the fact that wide regions were to be -devastated, and several towns sacked, merely to gather provisions for -his army.</p> - -<p>Hunters were sent into the woods of St. Domingo in search of game. All -cattle and swine were considered fair booty, no matter to whom they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">300</a></span> -might belong. Each hunting party had a certain region allotted to it. -Portions of the crews were engaged in salting down provisions for the -voyage. There were many swine roving through the woods. Frequently a -hunting party would bring in as many as twenty or thirty men could -carry. The most admirable discipline marked all these arrangements, -over which Morgan presided.</p> - -<p>The expedition sent to the continent reached its destination in six -days. Fortunately for the Spaniards, just as the ships arrived within -sight of land, they were becalmed. This gave the Spaniards time to -conceal their treasures and to throw up intrenchments. The little fleet -was at anchor just off the mouth of the river De la Hacha. There was in -the river a large ship from Carthagena, laden with corn. The vessel, -with all its cargo, fell into the hands of the pirates.</p> - -<p>The next morning, just at break of day, a gentle breeze sprang up, and -the ships ran in toward the shore. A landing of the men was effected, -notwithstanding a valiant resistance by a small party of Spaniards. -The pirates drove their foes from behind intrenchments which they had -suddenly reared, and pursued them toward a strongly fortified town in -the vicinity, called Rancheria. Here the Spaniards rallied again, and -a desperate battle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">301</a></span> ensued. Many fell on both sides, for the Spaniards -were by no means cowards. But the pirates were the victors, though at a -heavy loss. They drove their foes into the woods, and took possession -of the town. Several of the Spaniards were captured. As usual, they -were exposed to the most diabolical tortures to compel the confession -of where they had concealed their goods. The pirates remained here -fifteen days. During this time, they were actively employed in taking -captives and collecting booty. Just before their departure, they sent a -number of prisoners to the fugitives dispersed through the woods, with -the message that unless they sent, within a certain number of days, -four thousand bushels of corn, they would destroy the town. The corn -was sent in. The pirates sailed, greatly enriched with booty, and with -all their ships heavily freighted with provisions.</p> - -<p>They had been gone five weeks. Morgan began to despair of their return. -The pirates had no confidence in each other. Morgan knew full well that -if they had been triumphantly successful, amassing large quantities of -gold and silver, they would prefer to go to some port where they could -squander all their gains in every species of sensual indulgence. He -also knew that there were large towns, like Carthagena and Santa Maria, -in the region the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">302</a></span> ships were sent to plunder. There was no little -danger that they might have been cut off by these combined garrisons.</p> - -<p>Great, therefore, was his joy when, from the lookout, the returning -ships were discerned in the distance. The provisions were divided among -the fleet. The other booty, of precious metals, jewels, and goods, was -awarded to the plunderers.</p> - -<p>Morgan personally inspected every vessel. He then set sail for Cape -Tiburon, at the west end of Hispaniola. This was a convenient spot -to lay in wood and water. Here he was joined by several ships, which -had been refitted at Jamaica to join the expedition. Morgan now found -himself in command of a fleet of thirty-seven vessels, manned by two -thousand two hundred sailors. The admiral’s ship mounted twenty-eight -guns, large and small. Many of the others carried twenty, eighteen, and -sixteen guns. The smallest vessel had four. He had an abundant supply -of ammunition, of fire-balls, hand-grenades, and pots which, upon being -broken, diffused an intolerable suffocating odor.</p> - -<p>The fleet was divided into two squadrons. The second squadron was -placed under a vice-admiral. To every captain he gave a commission to -practise every species of hostility against the Spanish nation. “You -are to seize,” he said, “their ships, wherever<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">303</a></span> you can, whether at sea -or in harbor, just as if they were the open and declared enemies of the -King of England, Charles II., my master.”</p> - -<p>He assembled all the captains in his cabin to sign certain articles -of agreement. It was stipulated that Morgan should have one hundredth -part of all their booty. Every captain should draw the shares of eight -men. The surgeons were to have two hundred dollars each, besides their -regular share. The loss of both legs entitled one to an addition of -fifteen hundred dollars; both arms, eighteen hundred dollars; one hand -or one foot, six hundred dollars; an eye, one hundred dollars. Whoever -should first pull down a Spanish flag, and raise the English in its -stead, was to receive fifty dollars.</p> - -<p>For a little time, it was debated whether they should attack -Carthagena, Vera Cruz, or Panama. The lot fell upon Panama. It was the -richest of the three. Though this city was situated on the western or -Pacific shores of the Isthmus, and though it would be necessary to -leave their fleet in some harbor, and march for several days over an -unknown country, still there would be no difficulty in finding guides, -the Spaniards would be but poorly prepared for so unexpected an attack, -and the amount of booty, particularly in gold and silver, would be -immense. Morgan proudly unfurled from his squadron<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">304</a></span> the royal English -flag. Upon the other squadron he spread to the breeze the blood-red -banner of the pirate; and, strange to say, upon that piratic banner -he placed a white cross, the emblem of the religion of our Lord and -Saviour Jesus Christ, who came to this lost world proclaiming “Glory to -God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">305</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xix" id="xix"></a>CHAPTER XIX.<br /> -<em>Capture of St. Catherine and Chagres.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">The Defences at St. Catherine.—Morgan’s Strategy.—The -Midnight Storm.—Deplorable Condition of the Pirates.—The -Summons to Surrender.—Disgraceful Conduct of the Spanish -Commander.—The Advance to Chagres.—Incidents of the -Battle.—The Unexpected Victory.—Measures of Morgan.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">On</span> the 16th day of December, 1670, the piratic fleet weighed anchor -from Cape Tiburon. They first directed their course to the recapture of -the Island of St. Catherine upon the coast of Costa Rica. This island -had become a penal colony, the Botany Bay, of Spain. The malefactors -from all the Spanish dominions in the West Indies were transported here.</p> - -<p>Four days’ sail brought the fleet within sight of the island. The -settlement was near the mouth of one of the rivers. Morgan sent forward -one of his best sailing vessels to reconnoitre the defences. The river -emptied into a large bay or harbor called the Grande Aguada. Upon the -shores of this harbor the town was beautifully situated, surrounded by -massive and well-garrisoned forts. Several of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">306</a></span> Morgan’s desperadoes had -been there before. With his whole fleet he entered the harbor in the -night-time.</p> - -<p>Guided by instinctive military ability, with his usual promptness -he landed one thousand men. Instead of marching directly upon the -batteries, a corps of able engineers, with their axes, cut a new path -through the tangled forest to the residence of the governor. Here they -found a small rampart which was abandoned. The Spaniards, not being -able to cope with so large a force as Morgan led, had retired to a -stronger position. The pirates pursued. Soon they came upon a massive -fort so fortified with encircling batteries as to seem impregnable. As -soon as the pirates arrived within gun-shot the Spaniards opened upon -them so deadly a fire from their heavy guns, that they were compelled -to retire beyond reach of the balls, and take a position upon the grass -of the open fields.</p> - -<p>Night came. The pirates were weary and hungry. No food had been brought -from the ships. It was supposed that food would be found in abundance. -But the Spaniards had destroyed all which they could not remove; and -it took a very large quantity to satisfy the appetites of a thousand -hungry men. Faint from hunger, they threw themselves unsheltered upon -the grass to sleep.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">307</a></span> -At midnight a tropical tempest arose. The glare of the lightning and -the crashing peals of thunder were terrific. The windows of heaven -seemed to be opened, and the flood fell in sheets. The sailors had -left the ships with no clothing but their trousers and a shirt. In -one moment they were drenched. And yet, hour after hour, in blackest -darkness, the deluge descended, smothering them with its volume and -flooding the fields. Notwithstanding all their efforts, nearly all of -their powder was injured, and much was utterly destroyed.</p> - -<p>In the morning, for an hour the rain ceased. They had just begun to -flatter themselves that a pleasant day was opening upon them, when -the clouds again gathered blackness, and the tempest assailed them -with redoubled fury. It did seem as though they were exposed to the -frown and the chastising blows of an indignant God. They found in the -fields a poor old sick horse, “which was,” writes Esquemeling, who was -present, “both lean and full of scabs and blotches, with galled back -and sides. This horrid animal they instantly killed and skinned, and -divided into small pieces among themselves as far as it would reach; -for many could not obtain one morsel. This they roasted and devoured -without either salt or bread more like unto ravenous wolves than men.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">308</a></span> -They were at that time, Esquemeling says, in so deplorable a condition -that had the Spaniards fallen upon them with one hundred men they might -have cut them all to pieces. The rain fell in such blinding torrents -that the pirates could not even retreat. At noon there was another -lull. Morgan, assuming an air of great boldness and confidence, sent a -flag of truce to the governor, with the following summons to surrender:</p> - -<p>“I solemnly swear unto you, that unless you immediately deliver your -works, yourself, and all your men into my hands, I will put every one -to the sword.”</p> - -<p>The governor was appalled. A piratic fleet of thirty-seven vessels of -war, manned by over two thousand of the most fiend-like desperadoes -earth could furnish, presented a force greater than the governor -thought he could withstand. He sent back a request that two hours’ time -might be allowed him to deliberate with his officers, when he would -return a decisive answer. At the appointed time he sent to Morgan the -following humiliating proposal:</p> - -<p>“The governor is willing to surrender the island, as he has not -sufficient force to repel the English fleet. But for the saving of -his reputation and that of his officers, he begs that Captain Morgan -would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">309</a></span> attack him by night, with all his marine and land forces. The -governor will feign an attempt to escape from one fort to another, when -Captain Morgan’s troops can intercept and capture him. There shall be a -continued firing on both sides, but without bullets.”</p> - -<p>To these terms, so degrading to the governor, Morgan rejoicingly -acceded. Thus, from apparently hopeless defeat, his sagacity won a -signal and bloodless victory. The sham fight took place according to -the programme. That night there was a great and ridiculous roar of all -the big guns in the fort and on the ships. Powder was burned freely. -The white flag was raised by the governor, the surrender made, and the -island, with all it contained, passed into the hands of the pirates.</p> - -<p>The buccaneers were half starved. Several days were spent in feasting. -The island was well stocked with beef cattle, swine, and poultry. -Recklessly they were destroyed. The houses were torn down to build -their fires. Two thousand men, by day and by night, indulged in the -wildest orgies of revelry. Many of the people of the settlement -fled into the woods. But the pirates counted four hundred and fifty -captives. The women, who were subject to every indignity, were -imprisoned in a church.</p> - -<p>Morgan, upon inspecting the works, was astonished<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">310</a></span> at their strength -and at his own victory. The main fort, or castle as it was called, was -very strong, built of stone, and surrounded by a wide ditch twenty -feet deep. Heavy guns commanded the port. There were other supporting -batteries which mounted nearly sixty guns. An immense amount of -ammunition, including thirty thousand pounds of powder, were found -in the fort. These were all transferred on board the ships. The guns -were spiked, the gun-carriages burned, and the pirates, with shouts of -victory, again spread their sails.</p> - -<p>Among the prisoners there were three desperadoes, notorious robbers, -who professed to be familiar with the route to Panama, and with all the -region around. Eagerly they joined in the expedition with the promise -of sharing in the spoil. Esquemeling, speaking of the proposition made -to these wretches by Morgan, says:</p> - -<p>“These propositions pleased the banditti very well. They readily -accepted his proffers, promising to serve him very faithfully; -especially one of these three, who was the greatest rogue, thief, and -assassin among them, and who deserved, for his crimes, to be broken -alive upon the wheel. This wicked fellow had a great ascendency over -the other two, and could domineer over them as he pleased, they not -daring to refuse obedience to his orders.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">311</a></span> -The Isthmus of Panama was then celebrated for its gold and silver -mines. It was the seat of a very extensive commerce, and was perhaps -more strongly fortified and more populous than any other of the Spanish -colonies. This narrow tongue of land, which separates the Atlantic and -Pacific oceans, is about three hundred miles in length, and from thirty -to forty in breadth.</p> - -<p>Chagres, on the Atlantic coast, was a very strongly fortified -settlement at the mouth of the Chagres River. On the other side of the -isthmus, on the Pacific shore, was Panama, a far more important place, -abounding in wealth. Morgan’s plan was to capture Chagres; leave his -fleet in the harbor there; ascend the river in his boats as far as the -stream was navigable, and then to march to the doomed city. With his -two thousand well-armed desperadoes he doubted not his ability to crush -any force which might be brought against him.</p> - -<p>Morgan sent, in advance, four ships and a large boat to capture -Chagres. The expedition was intrusted to the vice-admiral Bradley, -the same one who had so successfully led the foraging party to -Rancheria. He was a notorious buccaneer, renowned for his exploits. -Three days’ sail brought his squadron to Chagres. Upon an eminence, -commanding the entrance to the river, there was a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">312</a></span> strong fort, called -Castle Lawrence. As Bradley approached the harbor, he unfurled at his -mast-head the blood-red flag of the pirate. The garrison immediately -displayed the royal banner of Spain, and foolishly saluted them with a -volley of shot which did not reach their ships.</p> - -<p>The buccaneers, according to their usual stratagem, instead of bringing -their wooden walls up to be battered by the guns of the fort, cast -anchor about a mile from the castle, and landing, cut a path with -hatchet and sabre through the tangled forest, to attack the works upon -their weakest side. Early in the morning the landing was effected. By -the middle of the afternoon they had reached a hill, from whose summit -they could throw their shot into the fort, could they but have drawn -their cannon to that spot.</p> - -<p>But the marshy ground would not admit of this. The garrison had brought -their guns to bear upon the eminence, and opened a fire before which -many of the pirates fell. Bradley was greatly disheartened. The fort -proved to be of very unexpected strength. It was surrounded by two -high parallel walls of timber, filled in with earth. Well-constructed -bastions were at each corner. The works were enclosed by a ditch, -thirty feet deep. There was but one entrance, and that was by a -drawbridge<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">313</a></span> across this ditch. The north side of the castle was washed -by the broad and rapid river. On the south there was a precipitous -inaccessible crag. Strong batteries guarded the approaches to both the -other sides.</p> - -<p>Even the most desperate of the pirates recoiled from the idea of -attempting to carry works so formidable by assault. But Bradley could -not endure the thought of the scorn and rage he would encounter from -Morgan should he retreat without making the attempt. After much -perplexity and disputing it was resolved to hazard the assault. They -hoped with hatchet and sabre to cut down the timber, and then to -clamber over the crumbling earth. The interior of the works was all -of wood. There were barracks and huts, which, beneath the blaze of a -tropical sun, had become dry as powder.</p> - -<p>Cautiously the buccaneers descended the hill, throwing themselves upon -their faces as the explosions of the massive guns showered the balls -around them. Their sharpshooters threw bullets through the loops of the -walls, and through the embrasures, to strike down the artillery-men at -the guns. This skirmishing was continued until night, but nothing was -accomplished. Many of the pirates were killed, and Bradley himself had -one of his legs broken by a cannon-ball. The reckless men charged up to -the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">314</a></span> very walls, threw over fire-balls, and hacked at the timbers.</p> - -<p>The pirates, as darkness approached, began to retreat. The Spaniards -shouted to them from the walls:</p> - -<p>“Come on, you English devils; you heretics; the enemies of God and of -the king. Let your comrades, who are behind, come also. We will serve -them as we have served you. You shall not get to Panama this time.”</p> - -<p>This shout alarmed them. It revealed the fact that, in some way, the -Spaniards had been warned of the expected attack upon Panama, and would -prepare for resistance. As a group of the pirates were conferring -together, in the dusk, an arrow from the castle struck one of them in -the shoulder. He coolly drew the point from the bleeding wound, and -addressing his companions, said:</p> - -<p>“Look here, my comrades, I will make this accursed arrow the means of -the destruction of all the Spaniards.”</p> - -<p>He then drew from his pocket a quantity of wild cotton, which the -buccaneers carried with them as lint to staunch their wounds. This he -wound around the head of the arrow. Charging his musket with powder -only, he inserted the arrow and fired it back into the castle. It -lighted upon a roof of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">315</a></span> thatch. The powder set fire to the cotton, and -the cotton to the dry leaves. -<a name="the2" id="the2"></a><ins title="Original has They">The</ins> roof was instantly in a flame.</p> - -<p>The Indians had aided the garrison, and their arrows lay thick around. -Instantly the air was filled with a shower of these flaming meteors. -They fell upon the thatched roofs, and tongues of fire flashed in all -directions. One chanced to fall upon a large quantity of powder, and a -fearful explosion followed. A terrible conflagration blazed forth. A -scene of shrieks, confusion, and horror ensued which is indescribable. -The inmates of the fort found themselves in the crater of a volcano -in its most violent state of eruption. It was in vain to attempt to -extinguish the flames. No one could live in such a furnace.</p> - -<p>The night was dark, moonless and starless. The bodies of the Spaniards -were clearly defined against the glowing background of flame. The -pirates, with unerring aim, shot them down. Every bullet struck -its target. The Spaniards, in the horrible tumult, could make but -little resistance. They still, however, taking refuge as they could -in different parts of the fort, fought with impotent desperation. -Oexemelin relates an incident illustrative of the indomitable fury of -the assailants.</p> - -<p>One of the pirates was pierced in the eye by an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">316</a></span> Indian arrow. In -terrible agony he came to Oexemelin to draw it out. Its barbed point -had sunk deep in the socket of the eye, and could only be withdrawn -by cruelly tearing it out. Oexemelin hesitated; he had not sufficient -nerve to inflict such torture. The pirate seized it with both hands, -tore it out with its mangled and bloody adhesions, bound a handkerchief -over the wound, and with a curse rushed forward again to the assault.</p> - -<p>The fire raged through the whole night. All the wood-work was consumed. -The walls of earth crumbled down. The pirates, mounting upon each -other’s shoulders, climbed the ramparts and threw down hand-grenades -and fire-balls, and pots of suffocating odors upon the helpless -garrison. “The armor had fallen piecemeal from their giant adversary, -and he now stood before them bare, wounded, and defenceless.”</p> - -<p>Still, in one corner of the fort, the heroic governor rallied the few -survivors, twenty-five only in number, resolved to fight to the bitter -end. They were slightly protected from a charge by a deep ditch, which -ran directly before them. This, however, afforded them no shelter from -the bullets of their foes. A dreadful storm of fire-balls and lead fell -upon them. They had no hope of victory—no hope of escape even. Their -only desire was to kill<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">317</a></span> as many of the pirates as they could before -they should die themselves. At last a shot pierced the brain of the -governor. The feeble remnant was easily overpowered.</p> - -<p>The garrison had consisted of three hundred and fourteen men. All of -these, excepting fourteen, were either killed or helplessly wounded. -Not a single officer was left alive. The governor had previously -dispatched a courier to Panama to alarm the city. In this sanguinary -conflict the pirates had lost very heavily. One hundred were killed and -seventy grievously wounded. A large pit was dug and the one hundred -dead bodies of the pirates were thrown in and covered up from sight -and smell. The prisoners were compelled to drag the bodies of the dead -Spaniards to the cliff, and cast them into the sea. A large amount of -ammunition and provisions were found in the fort.</p> - -<p>Morgan, informed of the fall of Chagres, devastated the Island of St. -Catherine as much as possible, so as to render it quite indefensible. -It was his intention to return and recover the place, so as to make -it a rendezvous for his fleet in future operations. On the cruise to -Chagres a violent storm arose. His fleet was scattered, so that they -were detained many days at sea. But as ship after ship entered the bay, -and the crews beheld the English<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">318</a></span> flag floating from the blackened -walls of Chagres Castle, the bay resounded with their cheers, and with -salutes from their cannon. So eager was the admiral and some of the -others in their heedless joy, that, without waiting for a pilot, his -own and three other vessels were driven upon sunken rocks, where they -broke to pieces. The crew and cargoes were saved.</p> - -<p>Morgan immediately set to work with great energy, employing all his -force of engineers, carpenters, and laborers in repairing the castle. -Here he stationed a garrison of picked men, storing the magazines with -provisions and ammunition, as a refuge from any possible disaster at -Panama. The fortunes of war are proverbially inconstant. The pirate -Morgan was a very able general. His plans were generally well formed to -meet adversity as well as prosperity.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">319</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xx" id="xx"></a>CHAPTER XX.<br /> -<em>The March from Chagres to Panama.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">Preparations to Ascend the River.—Crowding of the -Boats.—The Bivouac at Bracos.—Sufferings from Hunger.—The -Pathless Route.—The Boats Abandoned.—Light Canoes -Employed.—Abandoned Ambuscades.—Painful Marches, -Day by Day.—The Feast on Leathern Bags.—Murmurs and -Contentions.—The Indians Encountered.—Struggling through -the Forest.—The Conflagration at Santa Cruz.—Battle and -Skirmishes.—First Sight of Panama.—Descent into the -Plain.—Feasting.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">From</span> the prisoners Morgan learned that three weeks before their arrival -the garrison at Chagres was informed, by a message from Carthagena, -that the English were equipping a fleet at Hispaniola for the capture -of Panama. The governor immediately sent one hundred and sixty-four -soldiers to strengthen the garrison at Chagres, which had previously -numbered but one hundred and fifty. Morgan was also informed that the -governor of Panama had placed several ambuscades along the Chagres -River, and that a force of three thousand six hundred men was awaiting -his arrival at Chagres.</p> - -<p>These were tidings sufficient to appal any ordinary mind. But the -pirates were accustomed to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">320</a></span> triumph over vastly superior numbers. -There were several large Spanish boats at Chagres, adapted to river -navigation. All these Morgan seized. They generally mounted two great -iron guns and four smaller ones of brass. These vessels, with those -he took from his ships, made a flotilla of thirty-two gunboats. They -were manned by twelve hundred sailors. Five hundred were left behind to -garrison the castle. One hundred and fifty had charge of the ships.</p> - -<p>On the 18th of August, 1670, Morgan put his fleet in motion to ascend -the Chagres River on his advance to Panama. His boats were greatly -crowded, and so heavily laden with men, ammunition, and arms, that he -could take but a small supply of provisions. He expected to provide -himself abundantly from the supplies he should find in the Spanish -ambuscades.</p> - -<p>The first day the little fleet ascended the river but eighteen miles, -to a place called Bracos. The men on board his boats were greatly -cramped in their limbs, having but little room to move, and none in -which to lie down. They therefore found it necessary to land for the -night, that they might enjoy a few hours of sleep. They also hoped to -rob some of the neighboring plantations. Nearly all their food had -disappeared in this one day’s sail.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">321</a></span> -The cheer of camp-fires seems to be essential to all bivouacs. The -gloom of the dense tropical forest was soon illumined by the flames -around which twelve hundred men were congregated. Most of them went -supperless to their mossy beds, consoled only by their pipes of -tobacco. In the morning they ranged the country in vain for food. The -planters had fled, taking with them or destroying everything that could -be eaten.</p> - -<p>Again they repaired to their boats. Hungry, disappointed, and -murmuring, they ascended the river about twenty miles farther until -they reached a place called Juan Gallego. Here they were compelled -to leave their boats, as the river was so shallow from want of rain; -it was also much impeded by decayed and fallen trees. Thus ended the -second day.</p> - -<p>There was no road for an army through the rough, miry, tangled maze. -They were told by the guides that, at the distance of two leagues, they -would find the country more favorable. With sabre and hatchet these -half-famished men hewed a narrow path for themselves. They fed upon -berries, roots, and leaves. One hundred and sixty men were left to -guard the boats, and to feed themselves as best they could by hunting -or plundering, or obtaining supplies from the fleet.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">322</a></span> -Morgan had advanced but a mile or two when the gigantic growth and -interlacing vines seemed to render the forest impenetrable. The -river also deepened a little, so that some of his boats would float. -There was imminent danger every moment that he would fall into some -ambuscade. He sent back for some light canoes to be brought up. This -was accomplished with great labor. He then embarked his men, taking -a part at a time, and thus, ascending the river a few miles farther, -reached a place called Cedro Bueno. To accomplish this, the canoes -made several passages. The pirates were very eager to encounter the -Spaniards, as their only means of obtaining any food. But the Spaniards -wisely left them to the hardships of their march and to the pangs of -starvation.</p> - -<p>The morning of the fourth day dawned upon these wretched marauders. -Most of them struggled along the banks of the river, led by one of -their guides. Others toiled against the stream, in the canoes, being -often compelled to alight in the water, to cross sandbars or surmount -rapids. To guard against ambuscades the guides were kept a quarter of -a mile in advance. The Spaniards had sent forward their Indian scouts, -and kept themselves informed of every movement of the foe. About noon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">323</a></span> -of this day they reached a place which from its extreme ruggedness was -called Torna Cavallos.</p> - -<p>Here the guides came rushing back to the main body with the -announcement that they had discovered an ambuscade. The half-starved -men were delighted. They knew that the Spaniards, on all their -expeditions, provided themselves luxuriously with food. Examining -their muskets, their priming, and their sabres, that they might be -prepared for a resistless charge, they pressed eagerly yet cautiously -forward. They soon came in sight of an intrenchment, which was shaped -like a half-moon. Their practised eyes told them that it would protect -a garrison of about four hundred men. Twelve hundred men, impelled by -rage and hunger, with hideous yells rushed upon it. Bitter was their -disappointment when they found no foe there. They had captured but an -abandoned and crumbling rampart. There were some coarsely tanned, hairy -leather bags scattered around. Their hunger was so great that these -were cut up, cooked, and eaten. We have a minute account of the cookery -of these unsavory morsels.</p> - -<p>First they took the leather and sliced it in pieces. Then they beat -the pieces between two stones rubbing them and dipping them in the -water, to render them supple and tender. Lastly they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">324</a></span> scraped off the -hair, and roasted or broiled the pieces upon the fire. Being thus -cooked, they cut it into very fine pieces, which “they helped down with -frequent gulps of water, which by good fortune they had nigh at hand.”</p> - -<p>“I can assure the reader,” writes Oexemelin, “that a man can live on -such food, though he can hardly get very fat.”</p> - -<p>Esquemeling adds, “Some who were never out of their mothers’ kitchens -may ask how these pirates could eat, swallow, and digest those pieces -of leather so hard and dry? Unto whom I would answer that could they -once experience what hunger, or rather famine is, they would certainly -find the manner, as the pirates did, by their own experience.”</p> - -<p>On the morning of the fifth day the weary march was resumed. Having -had but little food, save the leather bags, they were in a deplorable -condition. The pirates were not amiable men. They staggered along, -in their weakness, over the rough ways, murmuring, quarrelling, and -cursing each other. As night approached they came to a place called -Barbacoa. Here they found another abandoned ambuscade. Not a particle -of food was to be obtained. Loud and bitter were their oaths against -the Spaniards. Dreadful would have been the fate<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">325</a></span> of any of them who -might have fallen into their hands. Esquemeling says that they were so -consumed by hunger, that if they had caught any of the Spaniards they -would certainly have roasted and eaten them.</p> - -<p>Parties were sent out to explore the woods in search of habitations. -But none could be found. The inhabitants, in all directions, had fled, -carrying with them their provisions. The day was spent here. It was a -day of dreadful suffering. Life was preserved by devouring berries, -roots, and leaves. Several plantations were discovered, but there -was generally not an individual, an animal, or a kernel of corn left -behind. In one place they found concealed two sacks of wheat, two jars -of wine, and a few plantains. These Morgan divided among those who were -nearest to perishing of hunger.</p> - -<p>The sixth day they continued their march, still along the banks of -the Chagres River. Such as could not walk were paddled along in light -canoes. At night they came to a plantation, which, as usual, was -entirely abandoned. Their supper consisted mainly of leaves and grass.</p> - -<p>The next day, at noon, they discovered a barn, full of Indian corn in -the husk. They fell upon it and devoured it dry, with the rapacity of a -herd of swine. Having satiated their hunger, each man<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">326</a></span> loaded himself -with as much as he could carry. With renovated spirits, they pressed -on their way. After journeying along for a couple of hours, they came -upon a band of about two hundred Indians, who fled with the utmost -precipitation. They were far more fleet of foot than the exhausted -pirates, and not one of them was shot or captured. In their flight, the -Indians threw back a shower of arrows, which wounded several of the -pirates, and killed three of them. They shouted out in Spanish: “Ha! ye -dogs, go to the plain, go to the plain.”</p> - -<p>They now reached such a bend in the river that it was necessary to -cross it. They therefore bivouacked for the night. This place was -called Santa Cruz.</p> - -<p>Loud murmurings filled the camp. Morgan was denounced in unmeasured -terms. They were indeed involved in gloom. To go back was certain -starvation. And destruction seemed equally to threaten them in a -farther advance. There were some, however, who still kept up their -courage, and shouted, “Onward! onward!”</p> - -<p>The morning of the seventh day they crossed the river. As it was -supposed that they must soon meet the Spaniards, every man was -required carefully to examine his musket and pistols, to be ready for -any engagement. The guides told them that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">327</a></span> they were approaching the -important town of Cruz, where they would find provisions and other -stores in abundance. This was called the halfway house between Chagres -and Panama, though it was sixty-eight miles from the former place and -but twenty-four from the latter. To this point the Chagres merchandise -was taken in boats, when the river was full, and, being landed, was -conveyed to Panama on the backs of mules. To give the reader some idea -of the style of Esquemeling’s narrative, written two hundred years -ago,<a name="FNanchor_A_3" id="FNanchor_A_3" href="#Footnote_A_3" class="fnanchor">[A]</a> I will quote his graphic description of what ensued:</p> - -<div class="border"> -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="outdent"><a name="Footnote_A_3" id="Footnote_A_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_3" class="label">[A]</a> -His account was written in Dutch, but translated into -English and published in London.</p> -</div></div> - -<p>“While yet at a considerable distance from Cruz, they perceived much -smoke to arise out of the chimneys. The sight thereof afforded them -great joy, and hopes of finding people in the town; and afterwards what -they most desired was plenty of good cheer. Thus they went on, with as -much haste as they could, making several arguments to one another upon -those external signs, though all like castles built in the air. For -said they, ‘There is smoke cometh out of every house. Therefore they -are making good fires for to roast and boil what we are to eat,’ with -other things to this purpose.</p> - -<p>“At length they arrived there, in great haste,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">328</a></span> all sweating and -panting; but found no person in the town, nor any thing that was -eatable, wherewith to refresh themselves, unless it were good fires to -warm themselves, which they wanted not. For the Spaniards, before their -departure, had every one set fire to his own house, excepting only the -store-houses and stables belonging to the king.</p> - -<p>“They had not left behind them any beast whatever, either alive or -dead. This occasioned much confusion in their minds; they not finding -the least thing to take hold of, unless it were some few cats and dogs, -which they immediately killed and devoured with great appetite. At -last, in the king’s stables, they found, by good fortune, fifteen or -sixteen jars of Peru wine, and a leather sack full of bread. But no -sooner had they begun to drink of the said wine, when they fell sick, -almost every man.</p> - -<p>“This sudden disaster made them think that the wine was poisoned, which -caused a new consternation in the whole camp, as judging themselves now -to be irrecoverably lost. But the true reason was their huge want of -sustenance in that whole voyage, and the manifold sorts of trash which -they had eaten upon that occasion. Their sickness was so great that day -as caused them to remain there till the next morning, without being -able to prosecute<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">329</a></span> their journey, as they used to do, in the afternoon.</p> - -<p>“Here Captain Morgan was constrained to leave his canoes and land -all his men, though never so weak in their bodies. But lest the -canoes should be surprised, or take too many men for their defence, -he resolved to send them all back to the place where the boats were, -excepting one, which he caused to be hidden, to the intent it might -serve to carry intelligence, according to the exigency of affairs. Many -of the Spaniards and Indians, belonging to this village, were fled -unto the plantations thereabouts. Hereupon Captain Morgan gave express -orders that none should dare to go out of the village except in whole -companies of one hundred together.</p> - -<p>“The occasion hereof was his fear lest the enemies should take an -advantage upon his men by any sudden assault. Notwithstanding, one -party of English soldiers stickled not to contravene these commands, -being thereunto tempted with the desire of finding victuals. But these -were soon glad to fly into the town again, being assaulted with great -fury by some Spaniards and Indians, who snatched up one of the pirates -and carried him away prisoner. Thus the vigilancy and care of Captain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">330</a></span> -Morgan was not sufficient to prevent every accident which might happen.”</p> - -<p>On the morning of the 8th, Morgan reviewed his troops. He found that -he had still eleven hundred resolute men at his command. He selected a -band of two hundred of his best marksmen as an advance guard. They were -to watch vigilantly for ambuscades. The path they were to traverse was -very narrow. At many places but two could pass abreast. Cautiously they -proceeded for ten hours, encountering no sign of an enemy.</p> - -<p>At length they reached a dark wooded gorge, which the sunlight could -scarcely penetrate. Apparently no one could enter the dense thickets -around, of bushes, thorns, and intertwining vines, but by hewing his -way with the hatchet. A high mountain rose before them. But nature had -tunnelled it, so that there was a narrow path through. This remarkable -place was called Quebrada Obscura.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, from the impenetrable forest which enveloped the mountain, a -shower of arrows fell upon them, like hailstones from the clouds. They -probably exaggerated the number in estimating them at between three -and four thousand. They came rushing, as by some supernatural impulse, -through the leaves. No hand was seen. No sound was heard. No movement -was perceptible. There<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">331</a></span> was but that one flight of arrows and no more. -Those who, with sinewy arms, had thrown them, in some mysterious way -escaped—as it were, vanished.</p> - -<p>This singular and inexplicable assault threw the army into great -confusion. For a moment, these reckless men were staggered. It seems -strange that but eight of the pirates were killed and ten wounded by -this shower of arrows. After a few moments’ delay, the pirates moved -cautiously forward, threading the narrow tunnel, through which but two -could walk abreast, until they came out upon a very rough plain on the -other side, encumbered with huge rocks and a growth of gigantic trees. -To this vantage-ground the Indians had retreated, and here they seemed -disposed to make a stand.</p> - -<p>Quite a fierce battle ensued. The Indians could be seen, in large -numbers, dodging from rock to rock, and from tree to tree. They fought -with great bravery. Their chief was a very handsome young fellow, -gorgeously dressed, and with a very brilliant coronet of variegated -feathers. He seemed to have no fear. At length, in his zeal, he -plunged headlong upon the pirates, utterly regardless of numbers, and -endeavored to thrust his javelin through one a little in the advance. -The blow was parried, and he was instantly shot down.</p> - -<p>As he was seen to fall, there was a loud cry from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">332</a></span> his followers -and, without discharging another shaft, they all fled. The pirates -impetuously pursued. The fugitives could not be overtaken. A few of the -boldest concealed themselves behind trees and thickets, whence they -could make good their retreat, and worried the pirates with a random -fire, which sorely wounded a few, without accomplishing any important -results.</p> - -<p>The buccaneers entered soon upon a broad, treeless prairie. Here -they halted to tend the wounded. At some distance before them there -was another rocky and wooded eminence. The Indians, who seemed to be -swarming there, were evidently preparing for another battle. A party of -fifty men was sent, by a circuitous route, to attack them in the rear. -Their watchful eyes detected the movement. With nimble feet, they fled, -shouting to their assailants, “To the plain, to the plain, you English -dogs.”</p> - -<p>The pirates rightly interpreted these words to mean that on the plain -before Panama a large body of Spaniards was assembled, and that there -the great struggle was to take place. Many Spaniards were with the -Indians. At this point, which was but a few miles from Panama, they -disappeared. The next night there came one of those flooding rains with -which tropical lands were so often deluged. The pirates in vain sought -shelter from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">333</a></span> drenching storm. There was the blackness of darkness, -with thunderings and lightnings, and the howlings of the tornado. -There were many plantations on the route where houses and huts had -been reared. But the Indians had applied the torch. Every building was -in ashes. The cattle were driven away. All provisions were removed or -consumed. These wretched men, on their fiend-like mission, were still -starving.</p> - -<p>The next morning, which was the ninth of their journey, the rain -ceased. Heavy clouds floated through the sky, darkening the sun, and -thus enabling them to march sheltered from its scorching rays. A -well-mounted troop of twenty Spaniards appeared at some distance in the -advance, watching all the movements of the invaders. During the day -they came to quite a high mountain, which it was necessary to cross. -From its summit they first caught sight of the Pacific Ocean, and of -the Bay of Panama, upon whose shores the city of the same name was -situated. In the bay there was a large Spanish ship riding at anchor. -Six boats were under sail, directing their course toward the islands of -Tavoga and Tavogilla, which were about eighteen miles distant.</p> - -<p>At this sight the pirates raised shouts of joy. Never doubting their -own prowess, they considered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">334</a></span> their toils as ended, and the city, with -all its treasures, as already in their possession. At the foot of the -mountain there was a large grassy plain, over which thousands of cattle -were grazing, cows, horses, bulls, mules, and donkeys. With a rush, -the piratic gangs descended the mountain, and, with the voracity of -famished wolves, fell upon the cattle.</p> - -<p>“One shot a horse. Another felled a cow. But the greater part -slaughtered the mules, which were most numerous. Some kindled fires; -others collected wood; and the strongest hunted the cattle, while the -invalids slew and skinned and flayed. The whole plain was soon alight -with a hundred fires. The hungry men cut off lumps of flesh, carbonaded -them in the flame, and ate them half raw, with incredible haste and -ferocity. ‘They resembled,’ Esquemeling says, ‘rather cannibals than -Christians, the blood running down their beards to the middle of their -bodies.’”<a name="FNanchor_A_4" id="FNanchor_A_4" href="#Footnote_A_4" class="fnanchor">[A]</a></p> - -<div class="border"> -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="outdent"><a name="Footnote_A_4" id="Footnote_A_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_4" class="label">[A]</a> -Monarchs of the Main, vol. ii. p. 114.</p> -</div></div> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">335</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxi" id="xxi"></a>CHAPTER XXI.<br /> -<em>The Capture of Panama.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">First Sight of the City.—The Spanish Scouts -Appear.—Morgan’s Advance.—Character of the Country.—Fears -of the Spaniards.—Removal of Treasure.—Capture of the -City.—The Poisoned Wine.—Magnificent Scenery of the -Bay.—Description of Panama and its Surroundings.—Wealth of -the City.—Scenes of Crime and Cruelty.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Morgan</span> was an extraordinary man. Fear never appalled him. He was never -discouraged by disasters. Passion was never allowed to throw him off -his guard. He shared, in full, all the hardships of his demoniac crew. -Though hungry and weary himself, and sympathizing with his starving -men in their sufferings, he did not in the least degree remit his -watchfulness or lose his self-control.</p> - -<p>Perceiving the danger that his men, in their famished condition, -indulging in such reckless gluttony might induce sickness which would -incapacitate them for battle, he ordered a false alarm to be sounded. -Instantly every man seized his musket and ran to his appointed place -in the ranks. Morgan had taken the precaution, before descending<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">336</a></span> the -mountain, to order every musket to be discharged and loaded afresh, -from fear that the powder might have become damp.</p> - -<p>There were several miles yet to be traversed over plains and through -forests, before the pirates could enter the streets of the city, which -they had discerned in the distance. Cautiously they continued their -march until the approach of evening when they ascended an eminence -which commanded a perfect view of the city, with its steeples, houses, -and streets all aglow with the rays of the setting sun. Here the shouts -of exultation were renewed. The pirates, strengthened by their feast, -danced for joy, beating their drums, sounding their trumpets, firing -off their muskets, and exulting as in the hour of perfect victory. Here -they encamped for the night, waiting impatiently for the morning, which -would usher in the decisive battle.</p> - -<p>In the evening two hundred mounted Spaniards rode out from the city, -dashed along until they came within hailing distance of the pirates, -and shouted out to them words which could not be understood. Morgan -established double sentinels, and all his men slept upon their arms.</p> - -<p>At daybreak on the tenth day the Spaniards, from their walls, sounded -with bugle-peal and drum-beat a challenge to their foes. The pirates -were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">337</a></span> equally eager for the fight. Rapidly they advanced into the -plain. The Spaniards, on horseback and on foot, crowded out to meet -them. In glittering battalions they were drawn up upon the plain, -outnumbering the pirates three to one. There were two squadrons of -cavalry, four regiments of foot, and, most singular to relate, “a huge -number of wild bulls, roaring and tossing their horns, driven by a -great number of Indians and a few mounted matadores.”</p> - -<p>It is recorded that the pirates were surprised and alarmed in view of -the force thus to be encountered. Many of them wished they were at -home. No quarter was to be expected. There was no hope for them but in -fighting with the utmost desperation. All were conscious of this. They -therefore bound themselves, by the most solemn oaths, to conquer or to -spend the last drop of their blood.</p> - -<p>Morgan formed his men into three battalions, after selecting a band -of two hundred sharpshooters to skirmish in the advance. Many of the -Spaniards were armed in glittering coats of mail. Their silken banners, -richly embroidered, presented a beautiful appearance as they fluttered -in the rays of the morning sun. The Spaniards sent forward a squadron -of horse. As they came galloping over the plain, Morgan’s skirmishers -fell upon one knee,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">338</a></span> in the tall grass, and opened upon them a very -destructive fire. Several riders dropped from their horses. Several -horses, struck by the bullets, and appalled by the sudden explosion of -two hundred guns, became uncontrollable, and rushed wildly over the -plain in all directions.</p> - -<p>“The bulls,” writes Thornbury, “proved as fatal to those who employed -them as the elephants to Porus. Driven on the rear of the buccaneers, -they took fright at the noise of the battle, a few only broke through -the English companies, and trampled the red colors under foot; but -these were soon shot by the old hunters. A few fled to the savanna, and -the rest tore back and carried havoc through the Spanish ranks.”</p> - -<p>The plain was rough with ravines and quagmires, so that the cavalry -could not operate to advantage. The desperate pirates were all reckless -in their courage, and nearly all unerring in their aim. The Spaniards -were also men of war and blood, who had been guilty of the greatest -atrocities as they had cut down and robbed the native tribes. They -fought with ferocity equal to that of the pirates. In this battle it -was, in reality, fiend against fiend. The Spaniards were as bad as the -pirates.</p> - -<p>For two hours the battle raged with intensest fury. There was neither -tree, stump, nor rock to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">339</a></span> protect either party from the bullets which -with deadly velocity swept the plain. On the one side there were eleven -hundred pirates. Esquemeling estimated the force of the Spaniards at -four hundred cavalry and two thousand four hundred infantry. There were -also one or two hundred Indians and negroes to drive the wild bulls -through the English camp, hoping thus to break their lines and throw -them into confusion. The Spaniards had also dug trenches and raised -batteries to arrest the advance of their foes.</p> - -<p>Morgan, as usual, ordered his men to approach the city by a circuitous -route, so as to avoid the batteries. In preparation for this movement -he ordered a review of the troops. He concealed from his troops the -number of pirates who had fallen, but announced, probably with some -exaggeration, that six hundred of the Spaniards lay dead upon the field.</p> - -<p>It would seem that the Spaniards had not been very sanguine as to the -result of the battle; for they had shipped to the Island of Tavoga much -of their portable wealth and all of their women. In the battle thus -far, the Spaniards had been so decidedly beaten that they had abandoned -the field, and horse and foot had taken a new stand behind the -ramparts. Many prisoners had been taken, including<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">340</a></span> quite a number of -Catholic priests. Morgan, not wishing to be encumbered with prisoners, -ordered them all to be pistolled. The pirates had lost heavily, but -their loss exasperated instead of disheartening them.</p> - -<p>Esquemeling writes: “The pirates were nothing discouraged, seeing their -numbers so much diminished, but rather filled with greater pride than -before, perceiving what huge advantage they had obtained against their -enemies. Thus, having rested themselves some while, they prepared to -march courageously towards the city, plighting their oaths to one -another that they would fight till never a man were left alive. With -this courage they recommenced their march either to conquer or to be -conquered.</p> - -<p>“They found much difficulty in their approach unto the city. For within -the town the Spaniards had placed many great guns at several quarters -thereof, some of which were charged with small pieces of iron and -others with musket bullets. With all these they saluted the pirates -at their drawing nigh unto the place, and gave them full and frequent -broadsides, firing at them incessantly. From whence it happened that -they lost, at every step they advanced, great numbers of men.</p> - -<p>“But neither these manifest dangers of their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">341</a></span> lives, nor the sight of -so many of their own dropping down continually at their sides, could -deter them from advancing farther and gaining ground every moment upon -the enemy. Thus, although the Spaniards never ceased to fire and act -the best they could for their defence, yet, notwithstanding, they were -forced to deliver the city after the space of three hours’ combat. And -the pirates, having now possessed themselves thereof, both killed and -destroyed as many as attempted to make the least opposition against -them.</p> - -<p>“The inhabitants had caused the best of their goods to be transported -unto more remote and occult places. Howbeit, they found within the -city, as yet, several warehouses well stocked with all sorts of -merchandise, as well silks and cloths as linen and other things of -considerable value. As soon as the first fury of their entrance into -the city was over, Captain Morgan assembled all his men, at a certain -place which he assigned, and there commanded them, under very great -penalties, that none of them should dare to drink or taste any wine.</p> - -<p>“The reason he gave for this injunction was because he had received -private intelligence that it had been all poisoned by the Spaniards. -Howbeit it was the opinion of many that he gave those prudent orders -to prevent the debauchery of his people, which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">342</a></span> he foresaw would be -very great at the beginning, after so much hunger sustained by the -way; fearing withal lest the Spaniards, seeing them in wine, should -rally their forces, and use them as inhumanly as they had used the -inhabitants before.”</p> - -<p>Morgan was now master of Panama. The city, with nearly all of its -wealth, had fallen into his hands. And still the vanquished Spaniards -could rally a force greatly outnumbering his own. The Bay of Panama -is one of peculiar beauty. At that time its shores were fringed with -luxuriant groves of oranges, figs, and limes. The feathery tops of the -cocoanut trees towered over all the rest, rivalled only by the lofty -tamarinds. Through the rich foliage there peeped, in much picturesque -beauty, numerous cane-built huts. Indian children, entirely unclothed, -were running about upon the beach, while birch canoes, light as -bubbles, were skimming the placid waves.</p> - -<p>The islands of Tavoga and Tavogilla appeared in the distance as masses -of foliage. The mines of Mexico and Peru had emptied their floods -of wealth into that port. Many of the mansions were architecturally -magnificent. They were adorned with the richest paintings and with the -most costly furniture. The Spanish grandees had hung upon their walls -the masterpieces of Titian, Murillo, and Velasquez.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">343</a></span> The streets of the -city were broad, an unusual circumstance in Spanish cities, and were -lined with the most beautiful and ever-flowering of tropical trees.</p> - -<p>Within the walls of the city there was a cathedral of imposing -magnitude and towering splendor. There were also eight monasteries, -massive buildings, occupied by the religious orders, and abundantly -supplied with works of art. The broad avenues were lined with two -thousand mansions of the wealthy; and five thousand smaller houses and -shops crowded the more busy streets. The most imposing block in the -city was what was called the Genoese Warehouses. These belonged to a -company who had enriched themselves by the slave trade. An immense -number of horses and mules were used in transporting goods across the -isthmus, from one ocean to the other. These were kept in long rows -of stables admirably arranged. The products of the mines of gold and -silver were melted down into solid bars called plate or bullion, and in -that form were sent to the Old World. The city was surrounded with rich -plantations and highly artistic gardens.</p> - -<p>“Panama was the city to which all the treasures of Peru were annually -brought. The plate fleet, laden with bars of gold and silver, arrived -here at certain periods, brimming with the crown wealth, as well as -that of private merchants. It returned laden<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">344</a></span> with the merchandise of -Panama and the Spanish main, to be sold in Peru and Chili; and still -oftener with droves of negro slaves that the Genoese imported from the -coast of Guinea to toil and die in the Peruvian mines.</p> - -<p>“So wealthy was this golden city that more than two thousand mules were -employed in the transport of the gold and silver from thence to Porto -Bello, where the galleons were loaded. The merchants of Panama were -proverbially the richest in the whole Spanish West Indies. The governor -of Panama was the suzerain of Porto Bello, Nata, Cruz, and Veragua. The -bishop of Panama was primate of the Terra Firma and the suffragan to -the archbishop of Peru. The district of Panama was the most healthy of -all the Spanish colonies, rich in mines, and so well wooded that its -ship-timber covered with vessels both the northern and the southern -seas. Its land yielded full crops, and its broad savannas pastured -innumerable herds of wild cattle.”<a name="FNanchor_A_5" id="FNanchor_A_5" href="#Footnote_A_5" class="fnanchor">[A]</a></p> - -<div class="border"> -<div class="footnote"> -<p><a name="Footnote_A_5" id="Footnote_A_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_5" class="label">[A]</a> -Monarchs of the Main, vol. ii. p. 159.</p> -</div></div> - -<p>Such was the city and province which had fallen into the hands of -this gang of pirates. They found the booty, notwithstanding all the -Spaniards had removed, rich beyond their most sanguine expectations. -The stores were still crowded with goods of great value. Wine, spices, -olive oil, silks and cloths<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">345</a></span> of every variety of fabric were found in -great abundance. The magazines were amply supplied with corn and other -provisions.</p> - -<p>Morgan himself was surprised at the grandeur of his capture. He was -also alarmed in view of his own peril. The force which could still be -arrayed against him was far greater than he had anticipated. He was in -imminent danger of being cut off from his return to the ships. There -were several Spanish vessels aground in the port. Morgan seized them. -With the high tide they were floated. He manned them with the most -desperate of his gang and sent them to the islands, and to pursue the -vessels which had escaped with treasure along the coast.</p> - -<p>There was one royal Spanish mercantile vessel, in particular, of four -hundred tons, which had escaped, laden with church plate and jewels, -and the richest merchandise. It had put to sea in the greatest haste, -with but seven guns and but about a dozen muskets. It was poorly -supplied with food and water, and had only the uppermost sails of the -mainmast to spread. All the females of the nunnery were on board this -ship, with the most valuable ornaments of the church.</p> - -<p>Morgan was anxious to make an immediate pursuit of this vessel. Had -he done so the vessel would easily have been captured. But for a time -he lost<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">346</a></span> the control of his demoniac crew. Inflamed with wine—for -Morgan’s prohibition had no effect—and rushing into the most pitiless -debauchery, they spent many hours in scenes which neither Sodom nor -Gomorrah could ever have outrivalled. Thus the ship escaped. It is -said that it contained gold and silver of greater value than all the -treasures found in Panama.</p> - -<p>Morgan probably foresaw that unless he could destroy these liquors, -with which the city was filled, his men would become entirely -disorganized, and the Spaniards, falling upon the drunken rabble, would -easily cut them to pieces. He could not destroy liquors before the eyes -of the pirates, for they would not permit it.</p> - -<p>He set fire to the city in various quarters, carefully spreading the -report that the conflagration was kindled by the Spaniards themselves. -The fire spread with such rapidity that, in a few hours, nearly all of -the business portion was laid in ashes. Most of the humbler buildings -were of wood, with thatched roofs. They burned like tinder. Two hundred -stores, with all their contents, were destroyed. The Genoese Warehouses -were burned. There were many poor slaves imprisoned in them. They were -consumed by the all-devouring flames.</p> - -<p>This energetic commander, as pitiless as any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">347</a></span> beast which ever howled -in the jungle, had accomplished his purpose. His troops were driven out -of the flaming streets into the fields, and there they were compelled -to encamp. These wretched men, satiated with gluttony, drunkenness, -and debauchery, began now to awake, with new eagerness, to their old -passion for plunder.</p> - -<p>Four vessels were dispatched to visit the islands and to cruise along -the coast in both directions. One hundred and sixty men were sent back -to Chagres to convey supplies to the troops in garrison there, and -to inform them of the great victory. Daily companies of two hundred -men, one party relieving another, were sent out to explore the region -around. They returned every night with a group of pale and trembling -prisoners, and with mules laden with treasure. These unhappy captives -were tortured to compel them to reveal where treasure, of which they -knew nothing, was concealed. The father, the mother, the maiden -daughter, and the child were alike stretched on the bed of torture. -Neither innocence, beauty, nor virtue afforded the female captive any -protection.</p> - -<p>A pauper Spaniard, not much more than half-witted, wandered, during -the confusion, into a rich man’s house, stripped off his rags, and -clothed himself in costly linen with breeches of bright red taffeta<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">348</a></span> -and a coat of silk velvet. As he was foolishly strutting about admiring -his finery, the pirates broke in, and seized him as their prize. They -believed, or assumed to believe, that he was the master of the house, -and demanded that he should inform them where he had concealed his -treasure.</p> - -<p>In vain he pointed to his rags and protested, by all the saints, that -he had lived upon charity. There was nothing he could reveal. These -cruel men stretched him on the rack. They dislocated his joints. They -twisted a cord around his forehead, “till his eyes appeared as big as -eggs, and were ready to fall out.” They hung him up by the thumbs and -scourged him. They cut off his nose and ears and singed his face with -blazing straw. Then with the thrusts of their lances they put him to -death.</p> - -<p>“After this execrable manner,” writes Esquemeling, “did many others -of these miserable prisoners finish their days; the common sport and -recreation of these pirates being these, and other tragedies not -inferior to these.”</p> - - - - -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">349</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxii" id="xxii"></a>CHAPTER XXII.<br /> -<em>The Return from Panama.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">Return of the Explorers.—The Beautiful Captive.—Sympathy -in her behalf.—Embarrassments of Morgan.—Inflexible Virtue -of the Captive.—The Conspiracy.—Efficiency of Morgan.—His -Obduracy.—The Search of the Pirates.—The Return -March.—Morgan Cheats the Pirates.—Runs Away.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> vessels which Morgan sent out to the islands, and to cruise along -the shore, all returned within about eight days. They came laden with -merchandise and with captives. The fate of the female captives was -dreadful. In this treatment none of the men were worse than Morgan -himself. In one of the shiploads of captives there was a Spanish lady -of exquisite beauty. She was quite young, and the wife of a wealthy -merchant, then absent in Peru. She is described by both Esquemeling and -Oexemelin as a lady endowed with such loveliness as is rarely seen upon -earth. Esquemeling writes:</p> - -<p>“Her years were few, and her beauty so great as, peradventure, I may -doubt whether, in all Christendom any could be found to surpass her -perfections, either of comeliness or honesty.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">350</a></span> -Oexemelin gives a more detailed account of her charms. He says that her -hair was in glossy, silken ringlets of jet black. Though a brunette, -her complexion was of dazzling purity. Her large, lustrous black -eyes beamed with a peculiar expression of tenderness, which won the -admiration of all who beheld her. The roughest pirates were subdued and -softened by her presence. To them she presented almost the image of the -Virgin Mary, and they regarded her charms as angelic.</p> - -<p>The moment Morgan cast his eyes upon her he was overawed and captivated -by her beauty, and was inspired with the most intense desire to win her -love. Others had been his slaves, subject to his brutal will. But this -lady, with her beauty, her grace, her accomplishments, her virtue, so -far vanquished him, that he could not approach her but as a suppliant -for her favor.</p> - -<p>Love, the essence of the deity, is, under some circumstances, in its -legitimate bearing, the most purifying of influences. Under other -circumstances it is the most debasing and brutalizing of passions. -It was observed that the demeanor of Morgan became quite changed. He -became more social, more gentle, and was particularly attentive to his -dress, clothing himself in his richest attire. He ordered his beautiful -captive to be separated from the other<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">351</a></span> prisoners, appointed a negress -to wait upon her, sent her delicate viands from his own table, and -treated her, in all respects, with the greatest consideration. The -negress was instructed to do everything in her power to convince the -captive lady that her captor was not a beast and a heretic, as she had -been taught to believe, but a gentleman, and a Christian, a man of -polished manners and cultivated mind. Esquemeling writes:</p> - -<p>“This lady had formerly heard strange reports concerning the pirates, -before their arrival at Panama, as if they were not men, but heretics, -who did neither invoke the blessed Trinity, nor believe in Jesus -Christ. But now she began to have better thoughts of them than ever -before, having experienced the manifold civilities of Captain Morgan; -especially as she heard him many times swear by the name of God and of -Jesus Christ, in whom she had been persuaded that they did not believe.</p> - -<p>“Neither did she now think them to be so bad, or to have the shapes -of beasts, as she had often heard. For as to the names of robbers or -thieves, which was commonly given them, she wondered not much at it, -seeing, as she said, that among all nations there were to be found some -wicked men who naturally coveted to possess the goods of others.”</p> - -<p>Morgan visited the lady with smiles and bows<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">352</a></span> and costly presents. -He flooded her chamber with robes, jewels, and perfumes. She was not -deceived. And when he ventured to propose that she should abandon her -husband, and become virtually his wife, and accompany him to the home -of splendor with which he would provide her, she repelled him with -indignation and loathing. Replying to him with all the eloquence of -impassioned innocence, she said:</p> - -<p>“Sir, my life is in your hands. But sooner shall my soul be separated -from my body than I will surrender myself to your demands.”</p> - -<p>This repulse stirred up the rage of the infamous pirate. He stripped -her of her rich attire, left her only the coarsest garments, and threw -her into a dark and loathsome dungeon. She was supplied with only -enough food to support life. By these brutalities he hoped to break her -spirit, and to compel her to acquiesce in his wishes.</p> - -<p>Even demons can appreciate true nobility of character. The beauty and -virtues of this lady had won, in some degree, the sympathy of the -vilest of these wretches. Morgan could not conceal his treatment from -them. They began to murmur, to denounce him, to curse him as a brute.</p> - -<p>“I myself,” says Esquemeling, “was an eye-witness of the lady’s -sufferings, and could never have believed that such constancy and -virtue could have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">353</a></span> been found in the world, had I not been assured -thereof by my own eyes and ears.”</p> - -<p>Morgan became alarmed by the threatening aspect assumed by his men. -Various causes had been for some time undermining his authority. He -knew full well that there was not one of these desperadoes who would -hesitate, for one moment, to thrust a poniard into his heart, or to -pierce his brain with a bullet. These pirates were all consummate -villains. There was no sense of honor among them. There was no crime -from which they would shrink did they deem it for their interest to -commit it. Even their sympathy for the beautiful captive lady resolved -itself mainly into jealousy of the captain. Had they seized her -unprotected in the halls of a nunnery, she would have experienced no -mercy whatever at their hands.</p> - -<p>The pirates, flushed with their great victory, and the vast amount of -wealth, of every kind, at their disposal, had formed a conspiracy, in -which more than a hundred were implicated. Their plan was to get rid of -Morgan, then to seize one of the islands in the neighborhood as their -rendezvous, and to make it their stronghold. With the vessels they -already had, and the ships they would soon capture, they would have an -invincible fleet. Then they would sweep the Pacific Ocean, and ravage -all the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">354</a></span> coasts of Chili and Peru. After they had acquired sufficient -plunder to make them all millionnaires, they would return to Europe, -by the way of the East Indies, picking up ships by the way, and would -then disperse to seek new homes and riot in luxury for the remainder of -their days.</p> - -<p>In preparation for this movement they had secreted several of the large -guns of the town and an ample store of ammunition. But Morgan was equal -to this emergency. One of the conspirators betrayed the rest. The first -intimation the conspirators had that their design was discovered was in -seeing every vessel and boat in the harbor in flames. Every piece of -artillery in the place was spiked. Thus they were entirely frustrated -in their plan. Orders were then given to pack the mules with treasure, -and to make immediate preparation to return to Chagres.</p> - -<p>The plunder of Panama had not yet been divided. Though every pirate -had taken the most solemn oath that all the booty should be thrown -into common stock, and that he would not secrete anything, no one had -any confidence in the oath of another. Morgan ordered every man to -be searched, from the crown of his head to the soles of his shoes. -Though Morgan himself submitted to be first searched, they were all -exasperated by this. Every man was compelled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">355</a></span> to discharge his musket -to prove that no jewels were hidden in its barrel.</p> - -<p>The French portion of the pirates were especially enraged against -Morgan. Many oaths were uttered that they would put him to death before -they reached Jamaica. In a few days all the treasure was packed in -convenient bales, and placed upon the backs of the mules. The church -plate was beaten into shapeless lumps for more convenient stowage. -The treasure which could not be removed they wantonly destroyed. One -hundred and fifty men were sent to Chagres to bring the boats as far up -the river as the stream was navigable. He informed the prisoners that -he should take all, as slaves, to Jamaica, who did not, through their -friends, obtain an ample ransom.</p> - -<p>For the ransom of his beautiful captive, from whom he now rather -desired to be relieved, he demanded thirty thousand dollars. Two of -the ecclesiastics were permitted to go to her friends to obtain this -money. It was immediately furnished them. They returned with it, and -treacherously, instead of ransoming her, employed the money for the -ransom of their own particular friends.</p> - -<p>This treachery was known throughout the army. Even the pirates -denounced it. The murmurs in the camp were so loud, that Morgan was -compelled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">356</a></span> to heed them, and he gave the lady her liberty.</p> - -<p>On the morning of the 24th of February, 1671, these robbers set out on -their return to Chagres. Many of the captive women implored Captain -Morgan, upon their knees, with loud lamentations, to permit them to -remain with their husbands and their children. Unfeelingly he replied:</p> - -<p>“I did not come here to listen to the cries of women, but to obtain -money. Bring me money, and you shall be released. If you do not, you -shall surely go to Jamaica.”</p> - -<p>“When the march began,” writes Esquemeling, “those lamentable cries and -shrieks were renewed, insomuch that it would have caused compassion in -the hardest heart to hear them. But Captain Morgan, as a man little -given to mercy, was not moved therewith in the least.”</p> - -<p>The line of march was as before. First there were scouts a quarter of a -mile in advance of the troops. Then followed the advance guard in great -strength. The prisoners came next, with the heavily laden mules. The -remainder of the pirates formed the rear guard. They goaded forward the -fainting, tottering, despairing captives with push of javelin and prick -of sabre.</p> - -<p>When they reached the blackened ruins of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">357</a></span> town of Cruz, which was -at the head of boat navigation, the mules were unloaded, and their -burdens were placed in the canoes. There was a necessary delay here -of several days, and quite a number of the prisoners, who had written -agonizing letters to their friends, received their money and paid their -ransom. Morgan still had with him many woe-stricken Spaniards, and one -hundred and fifty negro slaves. These last he deemed cash articles, for -they would bring the money in any of the ports of the West Indies.</p> - -<p>From Cruz the pirates advanced in two parties, one in the boats, and -another on the land. Chagres was reached without any event occurring -of special importance. Immediately after his arrival, Morgan, with his -characteristic energy, sent some of his prisoners to the important town -of Puerto Velo, frequently called Puerto Bello, with the announcement -that if the citizens did not forthwith send him a large ransom, he -would utterly demolish the castle and lay all the works there in ruins. -As Chagres was the all-important port of entry for the whole province, -he thought that this threat would bring the money. They, however, paid -no heed to it.</p> - -<p>The booty was now divided. The pirates were bitterly disappointed -in finding that the whole estimated value amounted to but about two -million<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">358</a></span> dollars. Probably ten times that sum, which they could not -remove, had been destroyed in their rapacity. Every man had expected -at least ten thousand dollars. When they found that but one thousand -was their share they were greatly enraged. This pittance was scarcely -sufficient for the carouse of a single week.</p> - -<p>Loud and threatening murmurs rose from nearly all lips. They accused -Morgan of cheating them. The consummate knave with great adroitness -had done so. Many of his men had conspired against him. With far -greater ability he was now conspiring against them. He had taken a -few into his confidence to share the spoil which they were to steal -from the rest. The common sailors had no idea of the value of diamonds -and other precious stones. His partisans bought them up at not one -<a name="hundredth" id="hundredth"></a><ins title="Original has hundreth">hundredth</ins> part of their real value. Massive bars of gold -were easily concealed.</p> - -<p>Morgan endeavored to engross the attention of his men in plundering, -burning, and destroying Chagres. While apparently his whole force, -in the delirium of intoxication, were engaged in this work, Morgan -and his accomplices repaired on board the ships, quietly in the night -weighed anchor, and taking advantage of a fair wind, before the morning -were out of sight with all their treasure. Their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">359</a></span> dupes, consisting -of nearly one-half of the piratic crew, were left on the shore amid -the ruins, without food, without a boat, without shelter, in utter -destitution. What ultimately became of them is not known. Probably some -starved; some were shot by the Spaniards; some were caught and hung. -“Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”</p> - -<p>We have no more details respecting the final career of this very able, -sagacious, and infamous man. We simply know that he reached Jamaica in -possession of an immense fortune. There he was honored as one of the -great men of his age. Charles II., King of England, whose accomplice -he is said to have been in his piracies, rewarded him for his -achievements, appointed him governor of the island, and conferred upon -him the honors of a baronetcy. We know not when he died. But we do know -that, however Sir Henry Morgan may have escaped the penalty of his sins -in this world, he has long ago appeared before the tribunal of that God -“who will render to every man according to his deeds.”</p> - - - - -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">360</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxiii" id="xxiii"></a>CHAPTER XXIII.<br /> -<em>Montbar the Fanatic.</em></h2> - -<blockquote> -<p class="hang">Partial Solution of a Mystery.—Montbar’s Birth.—His -Education and Delusions.—Anecdote of the Dramatic -Performance.—Montbar Runs Away from Home.—Enters -the Navy.—His Ferocious Exploits.—Joins the -Buccaneers.—Desperate Battles on the Land and on the -Sea.—His Final Disappearance.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><span class="smcap">In</span> reading the narrative of the cruelties practised by the pirates upon -the Spaniards, the mind is often oppressed with the thought that a God -of infinite love and power should have allowed such scenes to have -been enacted. There is nothing conceivable, in intense and protracted -torture, which was not inflicted upon men, women, and children. There -is no satisfactory explanation of this great mystery of earth. Still -there are considerations which may perhaps point in the direction of a -solution.</p> - -<p>The pirates seem to have been permitted to revenge upon the Spaniards -the awful sufferings which they had inflicted upon the Indians. The -Spanish armies of Cortez and Pizarro ravaged the homes of the innocent -native inhabitants of those countries with ferocity and cruelty which -Satan and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">361</a></span> his legions could not possibly have surpassed. The Spaniards -had thrown the Indian into the flames of the most awful misery. And -then God allowed the pirate to throw the Spaniard into the same flames.</p> - -<p>There was a celebrated pirate by the name of Montbar, who seemed to -have been inspired with fanatical frenzy approaching maniacal fury -against the whole Spanish nation. He was the child of one of the most -opulent and respected families in Languedoc, in France. He had received -all the advantages of education which wealth could afford. In the -process of this education he had read the account of the atrocities -practised by the Spaniards in their conquest of the islands and the -continents of the New World.</p> - -<p>The blood of this ardent young man seemed to boil in his veins, while -pondering these fiend-like crimes. As a child he brooded over these -tortures until he became almost insane. Soon he devoted himself to all -martial exercises, that he might avenge the wrongs of the Indians. -This generous but cruel determination grew rapidly into monomania. The -animal forces of a mind of unusual energy were all concentrated in -this direction. Revenge for the wrongs practised upon the Cubans, the -Peruvians, the Mexicans occupied his thoughts by day and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_362" id="Page_362">362</a></span> his dreams by -night. This became the all-absorbing passion of his soul.</p> - -<p>Even when a child, practising with his cross-bow, he said, “I wish to -shoot well, only that I may know how to kill the Spaniards.” George W. -Thornbury, in his sketch of this singular man, alluding to the Spanish -enormities in the New World, writes:</p> - -<p>“Fanaticism, avarice, and ambition had ruled like a trinity of devils, -over the beautiful regions desolated and plague-smitten by the -Spaniards. Whole nations had become extinct. The name of Christ was -polluted into the mere cipher of an armed and aggressive commerce. -These books had impressed the gloomy boy with a deep, absorbing, -fanatical hatred of the conquerors, and a fierce pity for the conquered.</p> - -<p>“He believed himself marked out by God, as the Gideon sent to -their relief. Dreams of riches and gratified ambition spurred him -unconsciously to the task. He thought and dreamed of nothing but the -murdered Indians. He inquired eagerly from travellers for news from -America, and testified prodigious and ungovernable joy when he heard -that the Spaniards had been defeated by the Caribs and the Bravos.</p> - -<p>“He indeed knew by heart every deed of atrocity<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_363" id="Page_363">363</a></span> that history recorded -of his enemies, and would dilate upon each one, with a rude and -impatient eloquence. The following story he was frequently accustomed -to relate, and to gloat over with a look that indicated a mind capable -of even greater cruelty, if once led away by a fanatic spirit of -retaliation.</p> - -<p>“‘A Spaniard’ the story ran, ‘was once upon a time appointed governor -of an Indian province, which was inhabited by a fierce and warlike race -of savages. He proved a cruel governor, unforgiving in his resentments, -and insatiable in his avarice. The Indians, unable any longer to endure -either his barbarities or his exactions, seized him, and showing him -gold, told him that they had at last been able, by great good luck, -to find enough to satisfy his demands. They then held him firm, and -melting the ore, poured it down his throat, till he expired in torments -under their hands.’”</p> - -<p>The peculiarities of this young man were singularly exhibited on one -occasion, which showed that his mental operations were so deranged -that he could not calmly reflect upon anything connected with the -Spanish nation. At one of the college exhibitions, a comedy was to be -enacted by the students, in which Montbar was to take a part. During -the performance there was a dialogue to take place between a Spaniard -and a Frenchman.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_364" id="Page_364">364</a></span> Montbar represented the Frenchman, and one of his -companions the Spaniard.</p> - -<p>The Spaniard appeared first upon the stage, and began to utter a -tirade of extravagancies against France, denouncing and ridiculing the -French in unmeasured terms. Montbar listened, with ever-increasing -excitement, until he lost all self-control. The mimic scene in his mind -became a reality. In a perfect fury he broke upon the stage; assailed -the representative Spaniard like a maniac; called him a liar and a -murderer; knocked him down, and would inevitably have killed him, had -he not been dragged away by the terrified bystanders.</p> - -<p>The boy developed a very active and powerful mind, and his wealthy -father was very proud of him. His eccentricities did not alarm him, -as he thought that contact with the world would soon remove them all. -He wished his son to study some profession. But Montbar insisted upon -entering the army. “I wish to learn to fight,” said he, “that I may -kill the Spaniards.”</p> - -<p>As his friends opposed his entering the army, he ran away from home, -and found his way to Havre. Here he had an uncle who was in command -of one of the king’s ships. France was then at war with Spain. The -ship was just entering upon a cruise against the Spaniards. The uncle, -pleased with the enthusiasm<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_365" id="Page_365">365</a></span> of the boy, and with the intensity of his -desire to join the expedition, wrote to the father, and obtained his -reluctant consent. In a few days the ship sailed.</p> - -<p>The young fanatic kept a constant watch for the foe, evincing the most -intense eagerness for an engagement. The moment any sail appeared, he -armed himself, and seemed overjoyed with the thought that he might soon -wreak vengeance on the Spaniards. At length, a Spanish ship appeared. -Soon they met and exchanged broadsides. Montbar was quite intoxicated -with joy. He was perfectly reckless. Not a thought of danger entered -his mind. When the order was given to board, Montbar, sabre in hand, -led the party, and was the first to leap on board the Spanish ship. -He seemed to bear a charmed life, and to be endowed with herculean -strength. He sought no assistance from his comrades, but plunged into -the thickest of the enemy, hewing on his right hand and his left, with -marvellous strength. Twice he rushed from end to end of the vessel, -mowing down all who opposed him. He would give no quarter.</p> - -<p>The Spaniards were overpowered. Their slaughter was awful. Montbar, -dreaming that he was God’s appointed minister of vengeance, was in an -ecstasy of exultation, as he cut down some, ran his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_366" id="Page_366">366</a></span> sabre through the -heart of others, and drove others into the sea. His spirit inspired the -rest. Nearly every Spaniard was killed. His uncle succeeded in saving -one or two.</p> - -<p>The prize was found to be of immense value. The hold was crammed with -riches. There was one casket of diamonds of almost priceless worth. -While the captain and the crew were examining these treasures, and -rejoicing over them, Montbar regarded them with entire indifference. He -was counting the dead. Blood, not plunder, was what his soul craved.</p> - -<p>As there was now war between France and Spain, the French buccaneers, -even when acting without any formal commission, were regarded by the -Government as engaged in legitimate warfare. The buccaneers of England, -robbing Spanish commerce and Spanish colonies, were encouraged and -aided by the French navy. The conflict we have described took place -near the shores of St. Domingo. Montbar’s uncle learned, from his -prisoners, that the ship he had captured had been separated by a storm -from two others, and that they were bound to Port Margot on the island.</p> - -<p>He immediately sailed to the vicinity of that port, where he kept -watch. The vessel he had captured was used as a decoy. He placed French -soldiers<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_367" id="Page_367">367</a></span> on board, unfurled the flag of Spain, and stood off and on, -waiting the arrival of the two vessels. While thus on the watch, some -buccaneers, from the shore, came on board in canoes, with provisions to -sell. They had been wrecked upon the coast; and while a part of their -number had been at a distance from the camp hunting, the Spaniards had -fallen upon them, put them to flight, and plundered their stores.</p> - -<p>“Why do you suffer this?” exclaimed Montbar, indignantly.</p> - -<p>“We do not mean to suffer it,” they replied. “We know what the -Spaniards are, and what our power is. We are collecting our forces, and -will soon take signal vengeance upon them.”</p> - -<p>“Let me go with you,” said Montbar. “I do not ask to be your leader, -but I will go at your head. I will be the first to expose myself, and -will show you how I can fight these accursed Spaniards.”</p> - -<p>Gladly they accepted his offer. His ardor and energy inspired them with -great confidence in him. His uncle very reluctantly allowed him to -go, cursing him as a foolish, hair-brained madcap, ever eager to push -his head into danger. Yet the uncle was very proud of him. As young -Montbar descended the side of the ship into a canoe, the captain said<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_368" id="Page_368">368</a></span> -exultingly to one at his side, “There goes as brave a lad as ever trod -a plank.”</p> - -<p>The buccaneers returned to their camp, and immediately, in a strong -war-party, set out in search of the Spaniards. They threaded intricate -paths through the woods, until they opened upon a small treeless -prairie, which they called a savanna. Just before entering this field, -which was surrounded by hills and woods, they saw, in the distance, a -mounted party of Spaniards who were evidently on the march to attack -them.</p> - -<p>Montbar was transported with rage at the sight of the Spaniards. He -was ready, single-handed, to rush upon them at once—he alone, against -several hundred, regardless whether the others followed him or not. But -an old, experienced buccaneer, who led the party, held him back.</p> - -<p>“Stop,” said he; “there is plenty of time. If you do as I tell you, not -one of those fellows shall escape.”</p> - -<p>These words, “Not one of those fellows shall escape,” arrested the -impetuous young man. The buccaneers halted, pretending not to have -seen the Spaniards. They allowed one or two of their number to exhibit -themselves, as if belonging to a hunting party. They then pitched their -tent of linen, apparently entirely unconscious that they were near<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_369" id="Page_369">369</a></span> -any foe. Drawing out their brandy-flasks, they feigned a great revel, -singing songs, shouting, and passing the flasks from one to another, as -if in the wildest of drunken bouts. This was done by a small portion of -the company, while most of the buccaneers were hidden in ambush.</p> - -<p>The Spaniards, having secreted themselves, watched all these movements. -They supposed that the buccaneers, stupefied with drink, would ere long -fall helplessly asleep. The Spaniards would then creep cautiously upon -them, and kill them all. But the cunning old buccaneer had taken good -care that the brandy-flasks should all be empty. Not a single drop of -intoxicating drink had the feigned revellers taken.</p> - -<p>As soon as darkness veiled the scene the buccaneers all assembled in -ambuscade, anticipating a midnight attack. Every musket was in order, -and their brains were cool and uninflamed with drink. The Spaniards -delayed their attack until daylight. As the hours lingered away, -Montbar was restless, and chafed like a caged lion, saying that they -would never come, and imploring permission to march out and attack them.</p> - -<p>At daybreak the buccaneers discerned a dark line moving noiselessly -over the ridge, and descending into the plain. They knew full well what -this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_370" id="Page_370">370</a></span> meant. Every movement was watched by the ambushed buccaneers. -Cautiously the Spaniards advanced. They crossed the prairie, and -entered the forest, intending to encircle the tent, which they supposed -held the sleeping buccaneers.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the woods seemed to burst into volcanic flame. The report of -the musketry was followed with shout and yell, and the storm of lead -swept through the ranks of the Spaniards, striking down scores, either -in death or grievously wounded. The buccaneers rushed instantaneously -upon their bewildered, staggered, bleeding foe. Montbar seemed -animated by demonaical frenzy. He rushed upon the Spaniards in utter -recklessness, regardless of their numbers, or of the support he should -receive from his comrades. His heavy sabre flashed in all directions, -as if wielded by tireless sinews of steel.</p> - -<p>Soon he was quite in advance of his companions, and was alone in the -very thickest of the Spanish squadron. He would inevitably have been -cut down, had not the other buccaneers, astonished at his audacity, -rushed to his rescue. Montbar’s sword was dripping with blood. He -was in a frenzy of joy. Every blow he struck cut down a Spaniard. He -exulted in the carnage, and ever after declared that this was the -happiest day of his life. One<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_371" id="Page_371">371</a></span> grounded Spaniard clung to his knee -begging for mercy. Montbar brought down his sabre upon his head, -splitting it from crown to chin, fiercely exclaiming, “I wish that you -were the last of this accursed race.” An eye-witness of the battle -describes the carnage as horrible. Nearly every Spaniard was destroyed. -The victors, all absorbed in their bloody work, stumbled over the dying -and the dead, deaf to every cry for mercy.</p> - -<p>The buccaneers were astonished and delighted by the prowess which -Montbar had displayed. They entreated him to remain and become their -captain. But a signal gun, fired by his uncle, called him back to the -ship. Montbar was placed as captain on board the large ship which his -uncle had captured. Many of the pirates eagerly engaged to serve under -him.</p> - -<p>After a sail of eight days these two vessels encountered four Spanish -war-ships, each one larger than either of those commanded by Montbar -or his uncle. One of the most desperate of naval battles ensued. The -elder Montbar was attacked by two of the ships. For three hours they -struggled, grappled together, receiving and giving the most terrible -broadsides. At last the three sank together in one watery grave. The -uncle, it is said, rejoicing to drag the two other ships with him, went -down laughing.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_372" id="Page_372">372</a></span> -Montbar, with his crashing shot, succeeded at length in sinking -one of the ships assailing him, and then he boarded the other. The -terror-stricken crew threw themselves into the water. The floating -bodies presented targets for the buccaneers. No quarter was shown. -Montbar rushed up and down the decks killing all he could reach. His -courage and accomplishments were so marvellous, that his comrades -regarded him with superstitious reverence, as endowed with more than -mortal powers. He himself ever averred that he was God’s appointed -messenger, to avenge the wrongs the Spaniards had inflicted upon the -Indians. It is not known that a single individual escaped from these -four Spanish ships.</p> - -<p>Montbar had now two vessels at his command. He engaged many other -buccaneers in his service, and soon had an army of nearly eight -hundred men ready to follow him to the death. He swept the seas, and, -often landing, ravaged the coasts. We have no detailed account of his -subsequent career. One of his biographers writes:</p> - -<p>“And this completes all that history has preserved of one of -the strangest combinations of fanatic and soldier that has ever -appeared since the days of Loyola. In another age, and under other -circumstances, he might have been a second Mohammed. Equally<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_373" id="Page_373">373</a></span> -remorseless, his ambition, though narrower, seems to have been no less -fervid. If he was cruel, we must allow him to have been sincere even in -his fanaticism. Daring, untiring, of unequalled courage and unmatched -resolution, the cruelty of the Spaniards he put down by greater -cruelty. He passes from us into unknown seas, and we hear of him no -more. He died probably unconscious of crime, unpitying and unpitied.</p> - -<p>“Oexemelin, who saw Montbar at Honduras, describes him as active, -vivacious, and full of fire, like all the Gascons. He was of tall -stature, erect and firm, his air grand, noble, martial. His complexion -was sunburnt, and the color of his eyes could not be discerned under -the deep, arched vaulting of his bushy eyebrows. His very glance in -battle was said to intimidate the Spaniards, and to drive them to -despair.”</p> - -<p> </p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -</div> -<div class="tn"> -<p class="center p120">Transcriber’s Note:</p> - -<p class="noi">Punctuation has been standardised. -Changes to the original publication have been made as follows:</p> - -<ul class="nobullet"> -<li>Pages v and 29</li> -<li><ul> -<li>William Kidd, the New York Merchant <i>changed to</i><br /> -William Kidd, the <a href="#newyork">New-York Merchant</a></li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 19</li> -<li><ul> -<li>was a broad crimsom sash <i>changed to</i><br /> -was a broad <a href="#crimson">crimson</a> sash</li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 20</li> -<li><ul> -<li>queen, with charteristic tartness <i>changed to</i><br /> -queen, with <a href="#characteristic">characteristic</a> tartness</li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 26</li> -<li><ul> -<li>turning upon his heel, said contemptously <i>changed to</i><br /> -turning upon his heel, said <a href="#contemptuously">contemptuously</a></li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 38</li> -<li><ul> -<li>of February, 1666, that Captain Kidd <i>changed to</i><br /> -of February, <a href="#date">1696</a>, that Captain Kidd</li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 89</li> -<li><ul> -<li>taken sick and died in New-York <i>changed to</i><br /> -taken sick and died in <a href="#new">New York</a></li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 105</li> -<li><ul> -<li>dividing into two partions <i>changed to</i><br /> -dividing into two <a href="#parties">parties</a></li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 107</li> -<li><ul> -<li>employed skilled seaman to manage the ship <i>changed to</i><br /> -employed <a href="#skilled">a skilled seaman</a> to manage the ship</li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 170</li> -<li><ul> -<li>The Carousal; and the New Enterprise <i>changed to</i><br /> -<a href="#the">the</a> Carousal; and the New Enterprise</li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 182</li> -<li><ul> -<li>coast to render such asssistance <i>changed to</i><br /> -coast to render such <a href="#assistance">assistance</a></li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 183</li> -<li><ul> -<li>they threatented with instant <i>changed to</i><br /> -they <a href="#threatened">threatened</a> with instant</li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 187</li> -<li><ul> -<li>mouth of the great river of Gautemala <i>changed to</i><br /> -mouth of the great river of <a href="#Guatemala">Guatemala</a></li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 192</li> -<li><ul> -<li>was inhabitated by a very fierce tribe <i>changed to</i><br /> -was <a href="#inhabited">inhabited</a> by a very fierce tribe</li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 201</li> -<li><ul> -<li>Mary Read and Ann Bonny <i>changed to</i><br /> -Mary Read and <a href="#Anne">Anne</a> Bonny -</li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 204</li> -<li><ul> -<li>week for its maintainance <i>changed to</i><br /> -week for its <a href="#maintenance">maintenance</a></li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 222</li> -<li><ul> -<li>dying an ignominous death <i>changed to</i><br /> -dying an <a href="#ignominious">ignominious</a> death</li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 242</li> -<li><ul> -<li>repel an asault from the land <i>changed to</i><br /> -repel an <a href="#assault">assault</a> from the land</li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 252</li> -<li><ul> -<li>expressive of his astonishmeut <i>changed to</i><br /> -expressive of his <a href="#astonishment">astonishment</a></li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 315</li> -<li><ul> -<li>They roof was instantly <i>changed to</i><br /> -<a href="#the2">The</a> roof was instantly</li> -</ul></li> - -<li>Page 358</li> -<li><ul> -<li>bought them up at not one hundreth <i>changed to</i><br /> -bought them up at not one <a href="#hundredth">hundredth</a></li> -</ul></li> -</ul> -</div> - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAPTAIN WILLIAM KIDD AND OTHERS OF THE BUCCANEERS***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 50550-h.htm or 50550-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/0/5/5/50550">http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/5/5/50550</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed.</p> - -<p>Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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