THE LIVES AND ADVENTURES OF SUNDRY NOTORIOUS PIRATES

 [Illustration]

 PIRATES

 _With a _Foreword_ and sundry _Decorations_ by_

 C. Lovat Fraser

 [Illustration]

 _NEW YORK:_ ROBERT M. McBRIDE AND COMPANY 1922

_First American Edition_

_Printed in the United States of America_

_Printed in Great Britain by Billing and Sons, Ltd. , Guildford andEsher. _

[Illustration: CAPTAIN AVERY]

[Illustration]

CONTENTS

 PAGE Foreword vii

 The Life of Captain Avery 1

 Captain John Rackham, and his Crew 17

 Captain Spriggs, and his Crew 29

 Captain Edward Lowe, and his Crew 37

 Captain George Lowther, and his Crew 51

 Captain Anstis, and his Crew 65

 Captain John Phillips, and his Crew 77

 Captain Teach, _alias_ Blackbeard 87

 Major Stede Bonnet and his Crew 101

 Captain William Kid 117

 Captain Edward England, and his Crew 135

 Captain John Gow, _alias_ Smith, and his Crew 145

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

 Captain Avery _frontispiece_

 Captain John Rackham _facing page_ 19

 Captain Edward Lowe " 39

 Captain Teach " 89

 Major Stede Bonnet " 103

 Captain William Kid " 119

 Captain Edward England " 137

 Captain John Gow " 147

[Illustration]

FOREWORD

Time, though a good Collector, is not always a reliable Historian. That is to say, that although nothing of interest or importance islost, yet an affair may be occasionally invested with a glamour thatis not wholly its own. I venture to think that Piracy has fortuned inthis particular. We are apt to base our ideas of Piracy on thesomewhat vague ambitions of our childhood; and I suppose, were such athing possible, the consensus of opinion in our nurseries as to afuture profession in life would place Piracy but little below theglittering heights of the police force and engine-driving. Incapableof forgetting this in more mature years, are we not inclined to deckHer (the "H" capital, for I speak of an ideal), if not in purple andfine linen, at least with a lavish display of tinsel and gilt? Nurserylore remains with us, whether we would or not, for all our lives; andgenerations of ourselves, as schoolboys and pre-schoolboys, havetricked out Piracy in so resplendent a dress that she has fairlyousted in our affections, not only her sister profession of "High Tobyand the Road, " but every other splendid and villainous vocation. YetTeach, Kid, and Avery were as terrible or grim as Duval, Turpin, andSheppard were courtly or whimsical. And the terrible is a more vitalaffair than the whimsical. Is it, then, unnatural that, after a lapseof nigh on two centuries, we should shake our wise heads and allowthat which is still nursery within us to deplore the loss of thosedays when we ran--before a favouring "Trade"--the very good chance ofbeing robbed, maimed, or murdered by Captain Howel Davis or CaptainNeil Gow? It is as well to remember that the "Captains" in this bookwere seamen whose sole qualifications to the title were ready wit, aclear head, and, maybe, that certain indefinable "power of the eye"that is the birth-right of all true leaders. The piratical hero of ourchildhood is traceable in a great extent to the "thrillers, " toyplays, and penny theatres of our grandfathers. Here our Pirate was, asoften as not, a noble, dignified, if gloomy gentleman, with a leaningto Byronic soliloquy. Though stern in exterior, his heart could (andwould) melt at the distresses of the heroine. Elvira's eyes werecertain to awaken in his mind the recollection of "other eyes asinnocent as thine, child. " In short, he was that most touching of allbeings, the Hero-cum-Villain. And it was with a sigh of relief that wesaw him at the eleventh hour, having successfully twitted the"Government Men" and the Excise (should he have an additional penchantfor smuggling), safely restored to the arms of the long-sufferingpossessor of the other eyes. 

Alas! this little book mentions no Poll of Portsmouth, nor does itfavour us with a "Yeo, heave, oh!" nor is there so very much "cut andthrust" about it. It was written in that uninspiring day when Pirateswere a very real nuisance to such law-abiding folk as you and I; butit has the merit of being written, if not by a Pirate, at least by onewho came into actual contact with them. I am not at all sure that"merit" is the right word to use in this instance, for to be a Piratedoes not necessarily ensure you making a good author. Indeed, it mightalmost be considered as a ban to the fine literary technique of anAddison or a Temple. It has, however, the virtue of being in closetouch with some of the happenings chronicled. Not that our author sawabove a tithe of what he records--had he done so he would have been"set a-sun-drying" at Execution Dock long before he had had theopportunity of putting pen to paper; but, as far as posterity wasconcerned, he was lucky in his friend William Ingram--evidently afellow of good memory and a ready tongue--"who, " as our author statesin his Preface, "was a Pirate under Anstis, Roberts, and many others, "and who eventually was hanged in good piratical company on the 11thof June, 1714. 

The actual history of the little book, the major part of which is herereprinted, is as follows:

Its full title is "The History and Lives of all the most NotoriousPirates and their Crews, " and the fifth edition, from which our textis taken, was printed in 1735. A reproduction of the originaltitle-page is given overleaf. 

As a matter of fact, the title is misleading. How could a book thatmakes no mention of Morgan or Lollonois be a history of _all_ the mostnotorious Pirates? It deals with the last few years of the seventeenthcentury and the first quarter of the eighteenth, a period that mightwith justice be called "The Decline and Fall of Piracy, " for after1730 Piracy became but a mean broken-backed affair that borderedperilously on mere sea-pilfering. 

[Illustration: THE

HISTORY _and_ LIVES

Of all the most Notorious

PIRATES, AND THEIR

CREWS;

From Capt. AVERY, who first settled at _Madagascar_, to Captain _JohnGow_, and _James Williams_, his Lieutenant, _&c. _ who were hang'd at_Execution Dock_, _June_ 11, 1725, for Piracy and Murther; andafterwards hang'd in Chains between _Blackwall_ and _Deptford_. And inthis Edition continued down to the present Year 1735. 

Giving a more full and true Account than any yet Publish'd, of alltheir Murthers, Piracies, Maroonings, Places of Refuge, and Ways ofLiving. 

The Fifth Edition. 

Adorned with Twenty Beautiful CUTS, being the Representation of eachPirate. 

To which is prefixed, _An Abstract of the Laws against Piracy_. 

LONDON: Printed for _A. Bettesworth_ and _C. Hitch_, at the _Red Lyon_in _Pater-noster-Row_; _R. Ware_, at the _Sun_ and _Bible_ in_Amen-Corner_; and _J. Hodges_, at the _Looking-glass_ on_London-bridge_. 1735. ]

A little research into the book's history shows us that it isconsistent throughout, and that it is a "piracy, " in the publisher'ssense of the word, of a much larger and more pretentious work byCaptain Charles Johnson, entitled, "A General History of the Pyratesfrom their first Rise and Settlement in the Island of Providence tothe Present Time; With the Remarkable Actions and Adventures of thetwo Female Pyrates Mary Read and Anne Bonny. "

This was published in London, in 8vo. , by Charles Rivington in 1724. Asecond edition, considerably augmented, was issued later in the sameyear, a third edition in the year following, and a fourth edition--intwo volumes, as considerable additions in the form of extra "Lives, "and an appendix necessitated a further volume--in 1725. 

This two-volume edition contained the history of the followingPirates: Avery, Martel, Teach, Bonnet, England, Vane, Rackham, Davis, Roberts, Anstis, Morley, Lowther, Low, Evans, Phillips, Spriggs, Smith, Misson, Bowen, Kid, Tew, Halsey, White, Condent, Bellamy, Fly, Howard, Lewis, Cornelius, Williams, Burgess, and North, together witha short abstract on the Statute and Civil Law in relation to"Pyracy, " and an appendix, completing the Lives in the first volume, and correcting some mistakes. 

The work evidently enjoyed a great vogue, for it was translated intoDutch by Robert Hannebo, of Amsterdam, in 1727, and issued there, withseveral "new illustrations, " in 12mo. A German version by JoachimMeyer was printed at Gosslar in the following year, while in France itsaw the light as an appendix to an edition of Esquemeling's "Histoiredes Avanturiers, " 1726. 

But little is known of the author, Captain Charles Johnson, exceptingthat he flourished from 1724 to 1736, and it is more than probablethat the name by which we know him is an assumed one. It is possiblethat his knowledge of Pirates and Piracy was of such a nature to havejustified awkward investigations on the part of His Majesty'sGovernment. 

There is one thing that we do know for certain about him, and that isthat the worthy Captain's spelling, according to the pirated versionof his book, was indefinite even for his own day. He was one of thoseinspired folk who would be quite capable of spelling "schooner" withthree variations in as many lines. In this edition the spelling hasbeen more or less modernized. 

Lastly, it is to be remembered that the ships of this period, according to our modern ideas, would be the veriest cockle-shells, andso that we should know what manner of vessel he refers to in thesepages, I had recourse to a friend of mine whose knowledge of thingsnautical is extensive enough to have gained for him the coveted "ExtraMaster's Certificate, " and who was kind enough to supply me with thefollowing definitions:

[Illustration: SLOOP. 

A vessel rigged as a cutter, but with one head-sail only set on a veryshort bowsprit. ]

[Illustration: SCHOONER. TOPSAIL SCHOONER. 

Two-masted vessels, fore and aft rigged, sometimes having squaretopsails on the fore-mast. ]

[Illustration: BRIGANTINE. 

A two-masted vessel, square rigged on fore-mast. ]

GALLEY. 

A large vessel rowed by oars and sometimes having auxiliary sail ofvarious rigs. 

PINK. 

Probably a small, fast vessel used as a tender and despatch boat forriver work. 

[Illustration: SNOW. 

A two-masted vessel with a stay, known as a "Horse, " from themain-mast to the poop on which the trysail was set. Sometimes a sparwas fitted instead of a stay. The rig was most likely of a brig(_i. E. _, a two-masted ship, square sails on both masts), and thetriangular trysail set on the stay in bad weather or when hove to. ]

 C. L. F. 

[Illustration]

THE LIFE OF CAPTAIN AVERY

He was the son of _John Avery_, a victualler near _Plymouth_, in_Devonshire_, who in a few years was grown as opulent in his purse asin his body, by scoring two for one; and when he had so done, drinkingthe most of the liquor himself. By which means, and having a handsomewife, who knew her business as well as if she had been brought up toit from a child (which, indeed, she mostly was, her mother keeping theHouse before she married _Mr. Avery_), they soon became very rich andvery able to give credit to a whole ship's crew upon their tickets, which in those days were sold for less than half their value. 

Having but one child (afterwards the Captain), they at first resolvedto bring him up a scholar, that he might advance the dignity of thefamily. But instead of learning his book, he was taught by suchcompanions that he could soon swear to every point of his compass, which was a very diverting scene for the Boatswain and his crew, whowere then drinking in the kitchen, having just received ten poundsapiece short allowance money on board the _Revenge_, every farthing ofwhich they spent before leaving the house. 

But as soon as their money was spent, they were all like to have beenimprisoned by their Landlady for a riot, as she called it, so theywere soon glad to sheer off, and he thought himself happiest thatcould get first aboard. Indeed, it would have been happy for them ifthey had, for the ship was unmoored and gone to sea; which put theBoatswain and his crew swearing in earnest, and not knowing what todo, they resolved to return to their Landlady, _Mrs. Avery_, at "theSign of the _Defiance_. " But she shut them out of doors, calling thema parcel of beggarly rascals, and swearing that if they would not gofrom the door she would send for the Constable; and notwithstandingall the entreaties and tears of her only son, who was then about sixyears of age, she could not be prevailed upon to let them in, so theywere obliged to stroll about the street all night. In the morning, spying the ship at anchor, being driven back by contrary winds, theyresolved to make the best of their way aboard; but on the way, whomshould they meet but young _Avery_, who had no sooner seen them, buthe cried after them. "Zounds, " says the Boatswain, "let's take theyoung dog aboard, and his mother shall soon be glad to adjust thereckoning more to our satisfaction before she shall have her son. "

This was agreed upon by all hands, and the boy was as willing as anyof them. So, stepping into the boat, in about an hour's time theyreached the ship, which they had no sooner boarded but they werebrought before the Captain, who, being in want of hands, contentedhimself with bidding them all go to their business; for the windturned about, and there was occasion for all hands to be at work tocarry out the ship. 

All this while young _Avery_ was at the heels of the Boatswain, andwas observed to swear two oaths to one of the Boatswain's; which beingsoon observed by the Captain, he inquired who brought that youngrascal aboard. 

To which the Boatswain replied that he did, that the boy's mother washis Landlady on shore, and he had taken him up in jest, but was afraidthat they would now have to keep him in earnest. 

When the hurry was a little over, the Captain commanded the boy to bebrought to him in his cabin. He had not talked long to him before hetook a fancy to him, telling him that if he would be a good boy, heshould live with him. 

He, being a mighty lover of children, would often divert himself bytalking to the boy, till at length he took such a fancy to him, thathe ordered him a little hammock in his own cabin, and none were sogreat as the Captain and his boy _Avery_, which had like to haveproved very fatal to him; for Avery one night, observing the Captainto be very drunk with some passengers that were on board, got alighted match and had like to have blown up the ship, had not theGunner happened accidentally to follow him into the store-room. Thismade the Captain ever after very shy of his new Acquaintance, and_Avery_, after he had been well whipped, was ordered down into thehold, where he remained until they arrived at _Carolina_, whichhappened four or five days after. 

The boy was given to a merchant, who, taking a fancy to him, put himto school; but he made so little progress in learning, and committedso many unlucky tricks, that the merchant, in about three years, shipped him off to his friends at _Plymouth_ on board the _Nonesuch_, where he was no sooner arrived but his mother was overjoyed with thesight of her son, his father being dead about a month before hisarrival. 

And, indeed, it was thought the loss of their son broke his heart, forit was observed the father never held up his head after, theneighbours often reflecting upon him for his ill-usage of the seamen, who had spent so much money at his house; saying he could never expectthat all his ill-gotten riches could prosper him, which so happened, as you shall hear presently. For his mother, dying soon after, the boywas left under the guardianship of one Mr. _Lightfoot_, a merchant, who, having great losses at sea, became a bankrupt, and so young_Avery_ was left to look out after himself; there he continued formany years in pilfering and stealing till the country was too hot forhim, when he betook him to sea again, where in time he became asfamous for robbing as _Cromwell_ for rebellion. 

He entered himself on board the _Duke_, Captain _Gibson_ Commander, being one of the two ships of twenty-four guns and one hundred menwhich were fitted out by the merchants of _Bristol_ for the service of_Spain_, which they had no sooner done, but they were ordered by theiragents at _Bristol_ to sail for the _Groyne_ to receive their orders. 

On board one of which ships _Avery_, being at this time above twentyyears old, entered himself, where he had not been long before heobserved the Captain was much addicted to drunkenness. 

He endeavoured to spirit up not only his own ship's crew, but havingalso given the word to part of the other ship's crew, the conspiratorsgave the signal. 

At which the _Duchess_, as the other ship was named, put off herlongboat; which the conspirators hailing were answered by the men inthe boat, "Is your drunken Boatswain on board?" This being the wordagreed upon, Avery answered, "All is safe;" upon which twenty lustyfellows came aboard and joined them, which they had no sooner done butthey secured the hatches and went to work, putting to sea without anydisorder, although there were several ships in the bay, amongst whomwas a frigate of forty-four guns. 

The Captain, by this time being awaked by the noise of theconspirators working the ship, rung the bell, inquiring what was thematter, to whom _Avery_ and some of the crew replied, "Nothing. Areyou mutinous in your cups? Can't you lie down, sleep, and be quiet?"

"No, " saith the Captain. "I am sure something's the matter with theship. Does she drive? What weather is it? Is it a storm?"

Saith _Avery_: "Cannot you lie quiet while you are quiet? I tell youall's well; we are at sea in a fair wind and good weather. "

"At sea, " saith the Captain; "that can't be. "

"Be not frightened, " saith Avery, "and I'll tell you. You must note, Iam now the Captain of the ship; nay, you must turn out, for this is mycabin, and I am bound for _Madagascar_, to make my own fortune as wellas my companions. "

The Captain, being more terrified than ever, did not know what to say, which _Avery_ perceiving, bid him take heart. "For, " saith he, "if youwill join me and these brave fellows, my companions, in time you mayget some post under me. If not, step into the longboat and get aboutyour business. "

This the Captain was glad to hear, but yet began to expostulate withthem upon the injustice of such doings. Saith _Avery_: "What do Icare? Every man for himself. Come, come, Captain, if you will go, getyou gone; the longboat waits for you, and if there be any more cowardsin the ship, you may all go together. " Which words so affrighted thewhole crew, that there was not above nine or ten of them that durstventure, who made the best of their way to the shore as fast as theycould, and thought they were well off. 

The Captain was no sooner gone, but they called a Council, whichagreed to own _Avery_ as their Captain; which he accepted of with allhumility imaginable, seeming to excuse himself on account of hisinexperience at sea. But he did it so artfully that it more confirmedthem in the good opinion of their choice. "Gentlemen, " said he, "whatwe have done we must live or die by; let us all be hearty and of onemind, and I don't question but we shall make our fortune in a littletime. I propose that we sail first to _Madagascar_, where we maysettle a correspondence, in order to secure our retreats, whenever wethink fit to lie by. "

To which they all agreed, "Nemine contradicente. "

"But hold, " saith _Avery_; "it is necessary that we make some orderamong us, for the better governing of the ship's crew. " Which were ina few days drawn up by the clerk of the ship. 

And _Avery_ promising them vast things, they all came into them atlast, although some things went very much against the grain of many ofthem. 

It took up all their spare time till they arrived at _Madagascar_, where they saw a Ship lying at the N. E. Part of the Island, with whichthe men had run away from _New England_; and seeing _Avery_, theysupposed that he had been sent after them to take them, but _Avery_soon undeceived them, and promised them protection; therefore theyresolved to sail together. In the whole company, there was not aboveten that pretended to any skill in navigation; for _Avery_ himselfcould neither write nor read very well, he being chosen Captain of the_Duke_ purely for his courage and contrivance. 

In the latitude of _Descada_, one of the Islands, they took two othersloops, which supplied them with provisions, and then they agreed toproceed to the _West Indies_; and coming to _Barbadoes_, they fell inwith a ship for _London_ with twelve guns, from which they took someclothes and money, ten barrels of powder, ten casks of beef, andseveral other goods, and five of her men, and then let her go. Fromthence he went to the Island of _Dominico_, and watered; there he metwith six _Englishmen_, who willingly entered with _Avery_. They stayednot long before they sailed for the _Granada_ Island to clean theirships; which being known to the _French_ Colony, the Governor of_Martenico_ sent four sloops well manned after them. But they stayedthere not long, but made the best of their way for _Newfoundland_, entering the harbour of _Trepasse_ with black colours, drums beating, and trumpets sounding. 

It is impossible to relate the havoc they made there, burning allbefore them. When they left _Newfoundland_ they sailed for the _WestIndies_, and from thence to the Island _Descada_, it being judged themost convenient place, at that time of the year, to meet with a richbooty. 

From hence they steered towards the _Arabian_ Coast, near the River_Indus_, where, spying a sail, they gave chase. At their near approachshe hoisted _Mogul_ colours and seemed as if she would stand upon herdefence, whilst _Avery_ contented himself by cannonading her at adistance, which made many of his men begin to mutiny, thinking him acoward. 

But _Avery_ knew better, and commanding his sloops to attack her, onein the Bow, and the rest on the Quarter, clapt her on board, uponwhich she struck her colours and yielded. Aboard her was one of the_Mogul's_ own daughters, with several persons of distinction, whowere carrying rich offerings of jewels and other valuable presents to_Mecca_; which booty was the more considerable, because these peoplealways travel with great magnificence, having all their slaves andattendants always with them, besides jewels and great sums of money todefray the charges. But _Avery_, not content with this, seized theyoung Princess, and taking her with him into his own ship, made thebest of his way to _Madagascar_, where she soon broke her heart anddied. Also her father, the _Great Mogul_, did no sooner hear of it buthe threatened all _Europe_ with revenge. And when he knew they were_Englishmen_ who had captured his daughter and robbed him, hethreatened to send a mighty army, with fire and sword, to extirpateall the _English_ from their settlements on the _Indian_ Coasts, whichgave no small uneasiness to the _Indian Company_ at _London_, whenthey heard of it. 

[Illustration]

[Illustration: CAPTAIN JOHN RACKHAM]

[Illustration]

CAPTAIN JOHN RACKHAM, AND HIS CREW

John Rackham was Quarter-Master to _Vane's_ Company, till _Vane_ wasturned out for not fighting the French Man-of-War, and _Rackham_ putin Captain in his place, which happened about the 24th day of_November_, 1718. His first cruise was among the _Caribbe_ Islands, where he took and plundered several vessels. Afterwards, to thewindward of _Jamaica_, he fell in with a _Madeira_ Man, which hedetained till he had made his market out of her, and then restored herto her Master, suffering _Hosea Tisdel_, a tavern-keeper at _Jamaica_, whom he had taken among his Prizes, to go aboard her, she being boundfor that Island. 

Afterwards he sailed towards the Island _Bermuda_, where he took aShip bound to _England_ from _Carolina_, and a small Ship from _NewEngland_, both which he carried to the _Bahama Islands_, and thereclean'd. But staying too long in that Neighbourhood, Captain _Rogers_sent out a Sloop well mann'd, which retook both the Prizes, the Piratemaking his Escape. 

From hence they proceeded to the Back of _Cuba_, where _Rackham_ staida long Time with his Delilahs, till their Provision was consumed, whenhe concluded it Time to look out for more. As he was putting to Sea, a_Garda del Costa_ came in with a small _English_ Sloop, which he hadtaken as an interloper on that coast. The _Spaniards_ seeing thePirate, attacked her; but finding he could not come to her that night, because she lay close behind a little island, he warps into thechannel, to make sure of her in the morning. Upon this _Rackham_ tookhis Crew into the Boat, with their pistols and cutlasses, and fallsaboard the _Spaniards_ in the night, without being discovered, tellingthem, if they spoke a word they were dead men: And so shipping theircables, drove out to sea, commanding them to take the Boat, and goaboard their Sloop immediately, or else they were all dead men. Afterwards they waking the Captain and his men in the Hammocks, whorose full of their expectation of the Prizes, they sent them aboardtheir empty Sloop. 

In the Beginning of _September_, they went off of the French part of_Hispaniola_, where they took two or three _Frenchmen_ on board, thatwere looking after some cattle grazing near the waterside. Thenplundered two Sloops, they returned to _Jamaica_, where they took aSchooner. 

_Rackham_ continuing about this Island longer than a Man of hisbusiness ought to have done, gave time to a Canoe, which he hadsurprised in _Ocho_ Bay, to inform the Governor of _Jamaica_ of hiscivilities to all he met with going or coming from the Island. Thereupon a Sloop was sent out in quest of him, well mann'd and arm'd, under Captain _Barnet_, to repay him for all his good-naturedActions, and, if possible, to bring him into the Island. In the meanTime _Rackham_ met, near the _Negril_ Point, a small Pettiauger, which, upon sight of him, ran ashore, and landed her Men; but_Rackham_ hailing them, desired the Pettiauger's men to come aboardhim, and drink a bowel of punch; swearing, _They were all Friends andwould do no Harm_. Hereupon they agreed to his Request, and wentaboard him, though it proved fatal to every one of them, they beingnine in all. For, they were no sooner got aboard, and had laid downtheir muskets and cutlasses, in order to take up their pipes, and makethemselves merry with their new acquaintance over a can of Flip, butCaptain _Barnet's_ Sloop was in sight, which soon put a damp to alltheir merriment: Finding she stood directly towards them, theyimmediately weighed their anchor and stood off. _Barnet_ gave themchase, and having the advantage of the wind, soon came up with her, gave her a broadside or two, and, after a very small dispute, took herand his nine new guests, and brought them all together into_Port-Royal_ in _Jamaica_, in about a fortnight's time. 

_November_ the 10th, 1720, a Court of Admiralty was held at _St. Jagode la Vega_, where the following Persons were tried and convicted ofPiracy, and accordingly Sentence of Death was passed upon them by theGovernor, viz. : _John Rackham_, Captain; _George Fetherstone_, Master;_Richard Corner_, Quarter-Master; _John Davis_, _John Howel_, _PatrickCarty_, _Thomas Earle_, _James Dobbin_, and _Noah Harwood_; Five ofwhom was hang'd the next day at _Gallows-point_, and the rest the dayafter. The three first were taken and hanged in Chains; _Rackham_ at_Plumb-point_, _Fetherstone_ at _Bush-key_, and _Corner_ at _Gun-key_. 

But what was yet more strange was the conviction of the nine guests, that knew nothing of the matter, or at least they pretended so; butthe People would not believe them, because it was proved that theycame on board with pistols and cutlasses: However, they were so muchfavoured as to have the Court adjourned to the 24th of Januaryfollowing, to give a better Account of themselves than at the timeappeared to the Court: Beside, the Jury also then wanted sufficientevidence to prove the piratical intention of going aboard the saidSloops. The two _Frenchmen_ taken by _Rackham_ from the Island of_Hispaniola_, deposed, That _John Eaton_, _Edward Warner_, _ThomasBaker_, _Thomas Quick_, _John Cole_, _Benjamin Palmer_, _WalterRouse_, _John Hanson_, and _John Howard_, came on board the Pirate'sSloop at _Negril Point_ in _Jamaica_. Indeed they owned, That at firstSight of them, they run away from _Rackham's_ Sloop, but that hehailing them, they returned, and _Rackham_ sent his canoe ashore tofetch them aboard him, when they saw them all armed with guns andcutlasses, which they brought with them; and that when they werechased by Captain _Barnet_, they were frank and free, some drinkingand walking about the deck not at all dispirited; during which timethere was a great gun, and small arms, fired by the Pirate Sloop atCaptain _Barnet's_ Sloop; but that they could not say that thePrisoners were any way concerned in it: However, they were certainthat when Captain _Barnet's_ Sloop fired at _Rackham's_, the Prisonersat the Bar went under Deck, for cowardice, as they supposed; not somuch as once peeping up during the time of the whole action: But whenCaptain _Barnet_ drew nigh to them to board them, all of them came up, and helped to row the sloop, in order to escape from him: And that_Rackham's_ Men and they seemed to agree very well together, and thatthey did verily believe they were all of a Party, having heard themsay, when they came on board, _They liked them never the worse forbeing Pirates, since they were all honest Boys, and loved theirBottles_. 

To which the Prisoners answered, in their own Defence; That they werea great way off from friends and acquaintance, and, therefore it wasimpossible to have any one to give an account of them. That they werevery honest pains-taking men, and came out to go a-turtling to providefor their families; accordingly going ashore at _Negril_ Point theysaw a Sloop, with a white pendant, making towards them, whereupon theytook up their arms, which were no other but what all people carry uponsuch occasions, and ran into the woods, to hide themselves among thebushes, not knowing what she might be. But when they hailed them andtold them they were _Englishmen_, they ventured out, and came aboardthem, as they desired, to drink a bowl of punch, they being poor men, who get their livelihood very hardily, and such a thing was veryacceptable to them. But when they came on board the Sloop, to theirvery great surprise, they found they were Pirates; upon which theybegged to be released; but _Rackham_ swore, That if they did not stayand assist them against that Sloop that was coming down against them, he would cut all their throats. So being compelled thereunto by_Rackham_ and his men, to save their Lives, they did assist him, andwith no other design but to prevent their being cut in pieces, but assoon as Captain _Barnet_ came up with them, they all very readily andwillingly submitted. 

This being all they had to say in their own Defence, the Prisonerswere ordered from the Bar: The Court were divided in their Judgments;but the majority were of opinion, that they were all guilty of thePiracy and Felony they were charged with; thereupon they all receivedSentence of Death, as usual in such cases, the Judge making a verypathetic Speech to them, exhorting them to bear their Sufferingspatiently, assuring them, that if they were innocent, which he verymuch doubted, then their reward would be greater in the Other World:But everybody must own their case was very hard in this. 

February the 17th, _John Eaton_, _Thomas Quick_, and _Thomas Baker_, were accordingly executed at _Gallows-Point_; and the next Day, _JohnCole_, _John Howard_, and _Benjamin Palmer_, underwent the same fateat _Kingston_. The other three got a Reprieve, they being againstgoing aboard the Pirate's Sloop, and are now living. 

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CAPTAIN SPRIGGS, AND HIS CREW

_Spriggs_ sailed at first with _Lowe_, and came away with him from_Lowther_. Afterwards _Lowe_ took a ship of twelve guns on the Coastof _Guinea_, called the _Delight_, which _Spriggs_ went off on boardwith twenty men, and leaving _Lowe_ in the night, came to the _WestIndies_. In their passage they made a Black Ensign, which they calledthe _Jolly Roger_, with a skeleton in the middle holding a dart in onehand, striking a bleeding heart; and in the other an hour-glass; andbeing hoisted, they fired all their guns to salute _Spriggs_, whomthey chose Captain, and then went to look out for prey. 

In their voyage they took a _Portugueze_ barque, wherein they had richplunder. Near _St. Lucia_, they took a Sloop belonging to_Barbadoes_, which they first plundered, and then burnt, forcing someof the men into their Service, and beating, in a barbarous manner, those that refused to join with them, and afterwards sent them away inthe Boat, half dead with their wounds, the rest got to _Barbadoes_, with much ado, though some of them died soon after of their cuts andslashes. After this they took a _Martinico_ Man, which they used inlike manner, save that they did not burn the ship. Then running downto the Leeward, they took one Captain _Hawkins_ coming from _Jamaica_, laden with Logwood; out of which, they took her stores, arms, andammunition, and what they did not want they threw over-board; they cutthe cables to pieces, knocked down the cabins, broke the windows, anddid what mischief they could, taking _Burridge_ and _Stephens_, thetwo Mates, and some other Hands, by force; and then after keeping hera week, they let her go. On the 27th they took a _Rhode_ Island Sloop, compelling the Captain, and all his men, to go on board the Pirate:One of them not being willing to stay with them, they told him heshould have a discharge presently, which was to receive ten lashesfrom every man on board. 

The next day _Burridge_ signed their Articles; which pleased them somuch, that they fired all the Guns, and made him Master, spending thatday in rejoicings and drinking healths. 

The First of _April_ they spied a sail, and gave her chase all night, believing she had been a _Spaniard_; but when they came up to her, andgave her a broadside, she cried out for Quarters, which made themcease firing, and ordered the Captain to come aboard, which proved tobe Captain _Hawkins_, whom they had dismissed three days before, notworth a groat. Two Days after, they anchored at _Ratran_, not far from_Honduras_, and put ashore Captain _Hawkins_, and several others, giving them powder and ball, and a musquet, and then left them toshift as well as they could. Here they staid three weeks, when two mencame in a canoe, that had been left in another Maroon Island near_Benecca_, and carried them thither. A fortnight after they espied aSloop at sea, which had lately escaped from the _Spaniards_ at the Bayof _Honduras_, which, upon a signal stood in and took them all off. 

At an Island to the westward, the Pirates cleaned their ship, and thensailed towards _St. Christophers_ to meet Captain _Moor_. 

_Spriggs_ next stood towards _Bermudas_, where he took a Schoonerbelonging to _Boston_, from which he took all the Men, and sunk theVessel. 

Instead of going to _Newfoundland_, they came back to the Islands, andon the 8th of _June_, to windward of _St. Christophers_, they took aSloop, _Nicholas Trot_, Master, belonging to _St. Eustatia_, whose menthey hoisted as high as the main fore-tops, and so let them fall downagain; then whipping them about the deck, they gave _Trot_ his Sloop, and let him go, keeping only two of his men, besides the plunder. Twoor three days after, they took a ship coming from _Rhode Island_ to_St. Christophers_, laden with provisions and some horses, and burntship, men, and horses: Since when _Spriggs_ has not been heard of:though it is supposed he went to _Madagascar_, to spend, in riotingand wantonness, his ill gotten plunder; till by a letter from_Jamaica_, of the 2nd of _March_ last, we understood, That he had beenagain at the Bay of _Honduras_, and taken sixteen Sail. 

[Illustration]

[Illustration: CAPTAIN EDWARD LOWE]

[Illustration]

CAPTAIN EDWARD LOWE, AND HIS CREW

_Edward Lowe_, born at _Westminster_, very early began the Trade ofPlundering; for if any Child refused him what he had, he must fighthim. When he grew bigger, he took to Gaming among Blackshoe Boys uponthe _Parade_, with whom he used to play the _Whole Game_, as they callit; that is, cheat every Body, and if they refused, they had to fighthim. 

_Ned_ went to Sea with his eldest Brother, and leaving him in_New-England_, he worked in a Rigging House, at Boston, for someTime, when not liking that, he returned to _England_ to see hisMother, with whom he did not stay long before he took his Leave ofher, for the last Time, as he said, and returned to _Boston_, where heshipped himself in a Sloop that was bound to the Bay of _Honduras_;and when he arrived there, he was made Patron of the Boat, to bringthe logwood on board to lade the ship; where he differing with theCaptain about the hurry of taking the logwood on board, _Lowe_ takesup a loaden Musquet, and fired at him; then putting off the Boat, he, with twelve of his companions, goes to sea. Next day they met a smallvessel, which they took, made a Black Flag, and declared War againstall the world. From hence they proceed to the Island of the _GrandCaimanes_, where they met with _George Lowther_, who took him underhis protection as an ally, without any formal Treaty; which _Lowe_readily agreed to. But parting with _Lowther_ on the 28th of _May_, aswe have already given in an Account in _Lowther's_ Life, _Lowe_ took aVessel belonging to _Amboy_, which he plundered, and then stood awayto the South East, by which he avoided two Sloops which the Governorhad sent to take him from _Rhode_ Island. 

[Illustration]

_July_ the 12th, he sailed into the Harbour of Port _Rosemary_, wherehe found 13 small vessels at anchor, whom he told they would have noquarters if they resisted; which so frightened the Masters of thevessels, that they all yielded. Out of them he took whatever hewanted, keeping for his own Use a Schooner of 80 Tons, on board ofwhich he put 10 Carriage Guns, and 50 men, and named her the _Fancy_making himself Captain, and appointing _Charles Harris_ Captain of theBrigantine. Making up a complement of 80 men out of the vessels, someby force, and others by their own inclinations, he sailed away from_Mablehead_, and soon after he met two Sloops bound for _Boston_, withprovisions for the garrison; but there being an officer and soldierson board, he thought it the safest way, after some small resistance, to let them go on about their business. 

They then steered for the _Leeward_ Islands; but in their voyage metwith such a hurricane, as had not been known in the memory of man. After the storm was over, they got safe to one of the small Islands ofthe _Carribees_, and there refitted their vessels as well as theycould. As soon as the Brigantine was ready, they took a short cruise, leaving the Schooner in the harbour till their return; which had notbeen many days at sea, before she met a ship that had lost all hermasts, on board of which they went, and took, in money and goods, tothe value of 1000_l. _ Upon this success, the Brigantine returned to theSchooner, which being then ready to sail, they agreed to go to the_Azores_, or Western Islands, where _Lowe_ took a _French_ Ship of 32Guns, and in _St. Michael's_ Road, he took several sail that werelying there, without firing a gun. Being in great want of water, hesent to the Governor of _St. Michael's_ for a Supply, promising uponthat Condition, to release the Ships he had taken, otherwise to burnthem all; which the Governor, for the sake of the Ships, agreed to. Thereupon he released six, keeping only the _Rose_ Pink, of which hetook the Command. 

The Pirates took several of the Guns out of the ships, and mountedthem on board the _Rose_. _Lowe_ ordered the Schooner to lie in theFare between _St. Michael's_ and _St. Mary's_, where he met withCaptain _Carter_ in the _Wright_ Galley; who, defending himself, theycut and mangled him and his Men in a barbarous manner; after which, they were for burning the ship, but contented themselves with cuttingher cable, rigging, and sails to pieces, and so left her to the mercyof the seas. From hence they sailed to the Island of _Maderas_, wherethey took a fishing boat, with two old men and a boy in her, one ofwhom they sent ashore, demanding a boat of water, otherwise they wouldkill the old man, which being complied with, the old man wasdischarged. From hence they sailed to the _Canaries_, and thencecontinued their course for the _Cape de Verde_ Islands, where theytook a ship called the _Liverpool Merchant_, from which they took 300gallons of brandy, two guns and carriages, besides six of the men, andthen obliged them to go to the Isle of _May_. They also took two_Portugueze_ ships bound to _Brazil_, and three Sloops from _St. Thomas's_ bound to _Curaso_: All of which they plundered, and let themgo, except one Sloop, by which they heard that two Gallies wereexpected at the Western Islands. Her they manned, and sent in Quest ofthese Ships whilst they careened the _Rose_ at _Cape de Verde_; butthe Sloop missing the prey, was reduced to great want of water andprovisions, so that they ventured to go ashore _St. Michael's_, andpass for Traders; where, being suspected by the Governor, they wereconducted into the Castle, and provided for as long as they lived. 

_Lowe's_ ship was overset a-careening, so that he was reduced to hisold Schooner, aboard of which there went about an hundred as boldrogues as ever was hanged, and sailed to the _West-Indies_, where theytook a rich _Portugueze_ ship bound Home from _Bahia_, putting to thetorture several of the men, who confest the Captain flung into the seaa bag of 11000 Moidores. This made _Lowe_ swear a thousand oaths; andafter cutting off his lips, he murdered him and all his Crew, being 36men. 

After this, they cruised to the Northward, and took several Vesselsand then steered for the Bay of _Honduras_, where they took Five_English_ Sloops, and a Pink, and a _Spaniard_ of 6 Guns and 70 men, whom they killed every man; which being done they rummaged the_Spanish_ Ship, bringing all the booty on board their own vessel. 

In the next cruise, between the _Leeward Islands_ and the Main, theytook two Snows from Jamaica to Liverpool, and just after a Ship calledthe _Amsterdam Merchant_, the Captain thereof he slit his Nose, cuthis Ears off, and then plundered the ship and let her go. Afterwardshe took a Sloop bound to _Amboy_, of whose Men he tied lightedmatches between the fingers, which burnt the flesh off the bones, andafterwards set them ashore in an uninhabited part of the country, asalso other ships which fell a prey to those villains. 

One of His Majesty's Men-of-War called the _Greyhound_, of 20 guns and120 men, hearing of their barbarous actions, went in search of themand, seeing the Pirates, allowed _Lowe_ to chase them at first, tillthey were in readiness to engage him, and when he was within gunshot, tacked about and stood towards him. The Pirates edged away under theMan-of-War's stern, making a running fight for about two hours. Butlittle wind happening, the Pirates gained from her; thereupon the_Greyhound_ left off firing, and turned all her hands to her oars, andcame up with them, when the fight was renewed with a brisk fire onboth sides, till the _Ranger's_ main-yard was shot down; upon which, the _Greyhound_ pressing close, _Lowe_ bore away and left his consort, who seeing the cowardice of his Commadore, and that there was nopossibility of escaping, called out for quarters. 

_Lowe's_ conduct in this engagement shewed him to be a cowardlyvillain; for had he fought half as briskly as _Harris_, the Man-of-Warcould never have taken either of them. The _Greyhound_ carried herPrize to _Rhode-Island_, which was looked upon to be of such signalService to the Colony, that in Council they resolved to compliment_Peter Sulgard_ Captain, with the Freedom of their Corporation. Theysecured the prisoners under a strong guard in Jail, till a Court ofVice-Admiralty could be held for their Trials, which was on the 10thof _July_ at _Newport_, lasting three Days. The Judges were _WilliamDummer_, Esq; Lieutenant Governor of the _Massachusets_, President;_Nathaniel Payne_, Esq; _John Lechmore_, Esq; Surveyor General; _JohnValentine_, Esq; Advocate General; _Samuel Cranston_, Governor of_Rhode Island_; _John Menzies_, Esq; Judge of the Admiralty; _RichardWard_, Esq; Registrar; and Mr. _Jahleet Brinton_, Provost Marshal. _Robert Auchmuta_, Esq, was appointed by the Court, Counsel for theprisoners here under mentioned. 

_Charles Harris_, Captain, _William Blads_, _Daniel Hyde_, _ThomasPowel_, jun. , _Stephen Munden_, _Thomas Hugget_, _William Read_, _Peter Kneeves_, _James Brinkley_, _Joseph Sound_, _WilliamShutfield_, _Edward Eaton_, _John Brown_, _Edward Lawson_, _OwenRice_, _John Tomkins_, _John Fitzgerald_, _Abraham Lacy_, _ThomasLinester_, _Francis Leyton_, _John Walters_, Quarter-master, _WilliamJones_, _Charles Church_, _Thomas Hazel_, and _John Bright_, who wereall executed the 19th of _July_, 1723, near _Newport_ in _RhodeIsland_; but _John Brown_ and _Patrick Cunningham_ were recommended toMercy. 

The eight following were found Not Guilty; _John Wilson_, _HenryBarnes_, _Thomas Jones_, _Joseph Switzer_, _Thomas Mumper_, Indian, _John Hencher_, Doctor, _John Fletcher_, and _Thomas Child_. 

Instead of working repentance in _Lowe_, this deliverance made him tentimes worse, vowing revenge upon all they should meet with for thefuture, which they executed upon _Nathan Skiff_, Master of a_Whale-fishing_ Sloop, whom they whipt naked about the deck, and thencut off his ears, making his torture their sport. At length beingweary thereof, they shot him through the head, and sunk his vessel. Some days after, he took a fishing boat off of _Black_ Island, andonly cut off the master's head; but next day taking two Whale Boatsnear _Rhode_ Island, he brutally killed one of the masters and cut offthe ears of the other. From hence he went to _Newfoundland_, where hetook 23 _French_ Vessels, and mann'd one of them of 22 Guns withpirates; after which, they took and plundered 18 ships, some of whichthey destroyed. 

The latter end of _July_, _Lowe_ took a large ship called the _MerryChristmas_, and mounted her with 34 Guns, on which he goes aboard, taking the title of Admiral, and sails to the Western Islands, wherehe took a Brigantine manned with _English_ and _Portugueze_, theLatter of whom he hanged. 

Afterwards _Lowe_ went to the Coast of _Guinea_, but nothing happenedtill he came to _Sierra Leon_, in _Africa_, when he met with the_Delight_, which he took, mounting her with 16 Guns, and 60 men, appointing _Spriggs_ Captain, and from whom two days after heseparated. 

In _January_ after, he took a Ship called _Squirrel_, but what came ofhim afterwards we cannot tell. 

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CAPTAIN GEORGE LOWTHER, AND HIS CREW

_George Lowther_ went second Mate on board the _Gambia Castle_, belonging to the _Royal African_ Company, on board which was Captain_Massey_, with soldiers that he was to command under Colonel_Whitney_, whom were landed on _James_ Island; but the Fort andGarrison not agreeing the Company soon after lost a Galley worth10000_l. _ by it. 

[Illustration]

_Massey_ finding he must be over-ruled by the merchants, soon began tocomplain of their ill-treatment of his men in their allowance, sayinghe did not come to be a _Guinea_ Slave; and that if they did not usehim and his men better, he should take other measures. 

At the same time, there happened a dispute between the Captain of theship and _Lowther_, which very much contributing to Lowther's design:For _Lowther_ finding himself neglected by the Captain, found means toingratiate himself into the favour of the sailors, who, upon theCaptain's going to punish him, swore, They would knock down the firstman that should offer to lay hands on him; which _Lowther_ improved toa general disaffection of the ship's Crew. _Massey_ in the meantime, having contracted an intimacy with _Lowther_, they agreed to curbtheir enemies, and provide for themselves some other way; which theCaptain perceiving, he goes on shore to the Governor and Factor, toconsult what methods to take. But _Lowther_ apprehending it wasagainst him, he sent a letter in the same boat to _Massey_, advisinghim to repair on board, to put their project in execution. 

Upon which _Massey_ harangued the Soldiers, saying, _You that have aMind to return to England_, may now do it; which they all agreed to. Then he went to the Governor's appartment, and took his bed, baggage, plate and furniture, believing the Governor would go with him, whichhe refused; however _Massey_ came aboard with the Governor's son. After demolishing all the guns of the Fort, they weighed anchor, andfell down, but soon ran the ship aground; upon which _Massey_ returnsto the Fort, remounts the guns, and keeps garrison till the ship gotclear. In the meantime Captain _Russell_ got off but was not sufferedto come on board, although he offered _Lowther_ what terms he pleased. Next tide they got the ship afloat, having first nailed up anddismounted all the cannon. Then putting the Governor's son ashore, they put out to sea, when _Lowther_ called upon the men, and toldthem, _It was Madness to think of returning to _England_; for whatthey had done, would be judged a Capital Offence_; and therefore, since they had a good ship under them, he proposed that they shouldseek their fortunes upon the Seas, as others had done before them, which they all agreed to, calling the ship _The Delivery_, and sworeto stand by one another. 

_Lowther_ left the Fort the 13th of _June_, and on the 20th, near_Barbadoes_, he came up with a Brigantine, belonging to _Boston_, which he plundered, and then let go. After this he proceeded to_Hispaniola_, where he met with a _French_ Sloop loaden with wine andbrandy, on board whom Captain _Massey_ went, pretending at first to bea merchant; but finding her to be a Ship of value, he told Monsieur, He must have it all without money. On board her, there was 30 casks ofbrandy, 5 hogsheads of wine, several pieces of chintz, and 70_l. _ inmoney, all of which they took, only _Lowther_ return'd the FrenchMaster five pounds again. 

But this good harmony did not last long amongst them, _Massey_ wasuneasy, and resolved to leave them; which _Lowther_ agreed to, givinghim a Sloop he had just before taken, to go where he thought fit. Accordingly _Massey_ goes aboard, with ten men, and comes in directlyfor _Jamaica_, where, putting a bold face on the matter, he informsSir _Nicholas Laws_, the then Governor, how he had left _Lowther_ thepirate, and of all that had been transacted before, adding, That heassisted him at the River _Gambia_ only to save so many of HisMajesty's subjects, and return to _England_. 

_Massey_ was well received, and, at his own report, he was sent onboard the _Happy Sloop_, to cruise off _Hispaniola_ for _Lowther_; butnot meeting with him, he returned to _Jamaica_, and getting aCertificate, he came home to _England_, where, when he arrived, hewrites to the _African_ Company, relating the whole transaction of hisvoyage, but excuses it as an inadvertency, by his being ill-used; forwhich, if they would not forgive him, he begged to die like a soldier, and not be hanged like a dog. This not producing so favourable ananswer as he expected, he went the next day to the Lord Chief JusticeChambers, and enquired, If there had been ever a Warrant granted andagainst one Captain _Massey_ for Piracy. But being told, There wasnot, he said, He was the Man, and that the _African_ Company wouldsoon apply to my Lord for one, which if they did, he lodged in_Aldersgate street_, where the Officer might at any time find him. This the Clerk took down in writing, and a Warrant being soon granted, the Tipstaff went accordingly, and took him without any trouble. 

But still there was no person to charge him, neither could they provethe letter to be his own hand-writing, till the Justice interrogatedhim, _Whether he did write the letter or not_; which he readilyconfessed, as also gave an ample account of the whole voyage, thereupon he was committed to _Newgate_, though soon after he wasadmitted out upon bail. 

_July_ the 5th, 1723, he was tried at the _Old-Baily_ by a Court ofAdmiralty, when Captain _Russell_ and others appeared against him: Buthe would have saved them all that trouble, for he confessed more thanthey knew, fixing the facts so firm upon himself, that he was foundGuilty, received Sentence of Death, and was executed three weeksafter at _Execution Dock_. 

[Illustration]

But to return to _Lowther_, whom _Massey_ left cruising off of_Hispaniola_, who plying to the Windward near _Porto Rico_, took twosail, one was a small _Bristol_ Ship, the other a _Spanish_ Pirate, who had taken the _Bristol_ Ship; which so provoked _Lowther_, that hethreatened to put all the _Spaniards_ to Death, for daring tointermeddle in his Affairs: But at last he contented himself withburning both their ships; and the _Spaniards_ getting away in theirlaunch, they thought they were well off. 

Afterwards he took a small Sloop from _St. Christophers_, which hemanned; and carried with him to an island where they cleaned, and thengoing aboard, they sailed towards the Bay of _Honduras_, where theymet with a small vessel with 13 Hands, of the same employment, underCaptain _Lowe_, whom _Lowther_ received as friends, inviting them, asthey were few in number, to join their strength together; which beingaccepted of, _Lowther_ continued Captain, and _Lowe_ was madeLieutenant, burning his own ship. Then coming into the Bay, they fellupon a ship of two hundred tons, called the _Greyhound_; against whom_Lowther_ firing his guns, hoisted the piratical Colours, whichCaptain _Edward_ bravely returned; but at length finding the Piratetoo strong for him he yielded, and the Pirate came on Board, and notonly rifling the ship, but beat and cut the men in a cruel manner. Incrusing about the Bay, they took several other vessels without anyresistance, particularly a Sloop of 100 Tons, which they mounted with8 carriages and 10 swivel guns. With this fleet, _Lowther_ in the_Happy Delivery_, _Lowe_ in the _Rhode Island_ Sloop, _Harris_ in_Hamilton's_ Sloop, left the Bay, and came to _Port Mayo_, where theymade preparations to careen, carrying ashore all their sails, to laytheir plunder and stores in; but when they were busy at work, a bodyof the natives came down and attacked the Pirates unprepared, who wereglad to fly to their Sloops, and leave them masters of the field, leaving the _Happy Delivery_ behind them, contenting themselves withthe _Ranger_, which had only 20 guns, and 8 swivels, taking all themen on board her, wherein they presently began to quarrel, laying theblame upon one another. Being very much in want of provisions, theygot to the _West Indies_, _May_ 1722, and near the Island of _Descada_took a Brigantine stored with provisions and necessaries, which putthem in better temper. Then they watered and stood to the Northward, intending to visit the North Coast of _America_, and in Latitude 38, they took the _Rebecca_ of _Boston_, at which Time the Crews divided, _Lowe_ with 44 Hands went on board the Brigantine, and _Lowther_ withthe same number, staid in the Sloop, separating that very night, beingthe 28th of May 1722. 

_Lowther_ cruised a pretty while among the Islands to no purpose, till at length he fell in with a _Martinico_ Man, which proved aseasonable relief, he being reduced to great want of provisions, andafter that a _Guinea_ Man. After which they thought it time to clean, in order to prepare for new adventures; for which purpose they sailedto the Island of _Blanco_, which is a low Island 30 leagues from themain of _Spanish America_, where he unrigged his Sloop, sending hisguns, rigging, and sails ashore, and putting his vessel upon thecareen. But the _Eagle_ Sloop of _Barbadoes_, coming near this Island, and seeing her, supposing her to be a Pirate, took the advantage ofattacking her when unprepared, who immediately hoisted the _St. George's_ Flag at her top-mast head to bid them defiance: But whenthey found the _Eagle_ resolved to board them in good earnest, thePirates cut their cable, and hawled the stern on shore, which obligedthe _Eagle_ to come to an anchor athwart the hawse, where they engagedthem till they cried out for Quarters. At which time _Lowther_ and 12men made their escape, but they took the rest, and brought them to_Camena_, where the _Spanish_ Governor condemned the Sloop to thecaptors, and sent 23 Hands to scour the Bushes of _Blanco_ for thePirates, when they took 40; but could not find _Lowther_, three menand a little Boy. _John Churchill_, _Edward Mackonald_, _NicholasLewis_, _Rich. West_, _Sam Lavercot_, _Rob. White_, _John Shaw_, _And. Hunter_, _Jonathan Delve_, _Matthew Freeborn_, and _Henry Watson_, were hanged, _Roger Granger_, _Ralph Candem_, and _Robert Willis_, were acquitted. And Captain _Lowther_, it is said, afterwards shothimself, being found dead, and a pistol burst by his side. 

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CAPTAIN ANSTIS, AND HIS CREW

_Thomas Anstis_ shipped himself at _Providence_, in the Year 1718, aboard the _Buck_ Sloop, and was one of the six that conspiredtogether to get off with the vessel, along with _Howel Davis_, _DennisTopping_, and _Walter Kennedy_, etc. I shall only observe, that thiscombination was the beginning of Captain _Roberts's_ company, whichafterwards proved so formidable, from whom _Anstis_ separated the 18thof _April_, 1721, leaving his Commodore to pursue his adventures uponthe Coasts of _Guinea_, whilst he returned to the _West Indies_, uponthe same design. 

About the middle of _June_, he met with one Captain _Maiston_, between _Hispaniola_ and _Jamaica_, bound to _New-York_, from which hetook all the wearing apparel, liquors and provisions, and six men. Afterwards he met with the _Irwin_, Captain _Ross_ from _Cork_, on theCoast of _Martinico_, which ship had Colonel _Doyly_ of _Montserrat_on board, and his Family, and 600 barrels of beef. 

Afterwards they went into one of the Islands to clean, and thenceproceeding towards _Bermudas_, they met with a stout ship called the_Morning Star_, bound from _Guinea_ to _Carolina_, which they kept fortheir own use. Just after, they took a ship from _Barbadoes_ bound to_New England_, from whence taking her guns, they mounted the _MorningStar_ with 32 pieces of cannon, and 100 men, appointing _John Fenn_Captain: For _Anstis_ was so in love with his own vessel, she being agood sailor, he made it his choice to stay in her, and let _Fenn_ havethe other ship. Though they were not sufficiently strong, yet beingmost new men, they could not agree, but resolving to break up company, sent a Petition to His Majesty by a Merchant Ship, expecting herReturn at _Cuba_. 

Here they staid about nine months; but not having provisions for abovetwo, they were obliged to take what the Island afforded; which is manysorts of fish, particularly turtle; though they eat not a bit ofbread, nor flesh meat, during their being on the Island. 

They passed their time here in dancing, and other diversions, agreeable to these sort of folks. Among the rest, they appointed amock Court of Judicature, to try one another for Piracy, and he thatwas a Criminal one day, was made a Judge another. I shall never forgetone of their Trials, which for the curiosity of it, I shall relate. The Judge got up into a tree, having a dirty tarpaulin over hisshoulders for a robe, and a Thrum Cap upon his head, with a large pairof spectacles upon his nose, and a monkey bearing up his train, withabundance of Officers attending him, with crows and hand-spikesinstead of wands and tip-staves in their hands. Before whom theCriminals were brought out, making 1000 wry Faces; when theAttorney-General moved the Court, and said, An't please your Lordship, and you Gentlemen of the Jury, this fellow before you is a sad dog, asad, a sad dog, and I hope your Lordship will order him to be hangedout of the way; he has committed Piracy upon the High Seas; nay, myLord, that's not all; this fellow, this sad dog before you, hasout-rid a hundred storms, and you know, my Lord, _He that's born to behanged, will never be drowned_. Nor is this all, he has been guilty ofworse villany than this, and that is of drinking of small beer; andyour Lordship knows, there was never a sober fellow but what was arogue--My Lord, I should have said more, but your Lordship knows ourrum is out, and how should a Man speak that has drunk a dram to-day. 

[Illustration]

 _Judge. _ Harkee me, Sirrah--you ill-looked dog. What have you to say why you may not be tucked up, and set a-sun-drying like a scare-crow?--Are you Guilty, or not?

 _Prisoner. _ Not Guilty, an't please your Worship. 

 _Judge. _ Not Guilty! say so again, and I will have you hanged without any Trial. 

 _Prisoner. _ An't please your Worship's Honour, my Lord, I am as honest a fellow as ever went between stem and stern of a ship, and can hand, reef, steer, and clap two ends of a rope together, as well as e'er a He that ever crossed Salt-water; but I was taken by one _George Bradley_ (the name of the Judge) a notorious Pirate, and a sad rogue as ever was hanged, and he forced me, an't please your Honour. 

 _Judge. _ Answer me, Sirrah--how will you be tried?

 _Prisoner. _ By God and my country. 

 _Judge. _ The Devil you will. .. . Then, Gentlemen of the Jury, we have nothing to do but to proceed to Judgment. 

 _Attorney-Gen. _ Right, my Lord; for if the fellow should be suffered to speak, he might clear himself; and that, you know, is an affront to the Court. 

 _Prisoner. _ Pray, my Lord, I hope your Lordship will consider. 

 _Judge. _ Consider!--How dare you talk of considering!--Sirrah, Sirrah, I have never considered in all my life. --I'll make it Treason to consider. 

 _Pris. _ But I hope your Lordship will hear reason. 

 _Judge. _ What have we to do with Reason?--I would have you to know, Sirrah, we do not sit here to hear Reason--we go according to Law. --Is our dinner ready?

 _Attorney-General. _ Yes, my Lord. 

 _Judge. _ Then harkee you rascal at the Bar, hear me, Sirrah, hear me. --You must be hanged for three reasons: _First_, because it is not fit that I should sit as Judge, and no-body to be hang'd: _Secondly_, You must be hang'd because you have a damn'd hanging Look: _Thirdly_, You must be hanged, because I am hungry. There's Law for you, ye dog; take him away, Gaoler. 

[Illustration]

By this we may see how these fellows can jest upon things, thethoughts of which should make them tremble. 

_August_ 1722, they made ready the Brigantine, and came out to sea, where meeting their correspondent returning, and finding nothing done, they all agreed to ply their old trade. So they sailed with the shipand Brigantine to the Southward, where they ran the _Morning Star_upon the _Grand Carmanes_, and wrecked her; the next Day _Anstis_ wentashore to fetch the men off, who were all safe. _Anstis_ had just timeto get Captain _Fenn_, and a few others on board, before the _Hector_and _Adventure_ came down upon him; but he got to sea, and one of theMen-of-War after him, keeping within gun-shot several hours, when thewind dying away, the Pirates got to their oars, and rowed for theirlives. 

The _Hector_ landed her men, and took 40 of the _Morning Star's_ Crew, without any resistance, they pretending they were glad of thisopportunity; the rest hid themselves in the woods. 

The Brigantine after her escape, sailed to an Island, near the Bay of_Honduras_, to clean, and in her way took a Sloop, Captain _Durfey_Commander, which they destroyed, but brought the men on board. Whileshe was cleaning, _Durfey_ conspired with some of the prisoners, tocarry off the Brigantine; but it being discovered, he and four orfive more got ashore, with arms and ammunition; and when the Pirates'Canoe came in for Water, seized the boat and men; upon which, _Anstis_sent another boat with 30 hand ashore; but _Durfey_ gave them such awarm reception that they were glad to return back again. 

In _December_ 1722, _Anstis_ left this place, taking in his cruise agood ship. He mounted her with 24 Guns and made _Fenn_ Commander. Fromhence they went to the _Bahama_ Islands, taking what they wanted. 

As they were cleaning their ship the _Winchelsea_ came down upon them, when most of them escaped to the woods; but _Anstis_ having a lightpair of heels, escaped in the Brigantine. Afterwards, some of theCompany, being tired of this trade, shot _Anstis_ in his Hammock, andput the rest in irons, and then carried the Brigantine to _Curacco_, a_Dutch_ Settlement, where they were hanged, and those that deliveredup the vessel acquitted. _Fenn_ was soon after taken by theMan-of-War's Men, straggling in the woods, with a few more, andcarried to _Antegoa_ and hanged. But some escaped among the negroes, and were never heard of since. 

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CAPTAIN JOHN PHILLIPS, AND HIS CREW

_John Phillips_ was bred a carpenter, but sailing in a West Countryship to _Newfoundland_, was taken by _Anstis_, who soon persuaded himto join with him, making him Carpenter of the Vessel, in which stationhe continued till they broke up at _Tobago_, when he came Home in aSloop that was sunk in _Bristol_ Channel. But he did not stay long in_England_; for hearing of some of his companions being taken in_Bristol_ Gaol, he moved off to _Topsham_, and there shipped himselfwith one Captain _Wadham_ for _Newfoundland_, where when the shipcame he ran away, and hired himself a splitter in the Fishery for theseason: but he soon combined with others in the Fishery, to go offwith one of the vessels that lay in the Harbour, and turn Pirate, andaccordingly fixed upon the 29th of _August_, 1713, at Night; but of 16Men that promised five only were as good as their Word. Notwithstanding, _Phillips_ was for pushing on, assuring them thatthey should soon increase their company. Hereupon they seized avessel, and went out to sea, when they soon began to settle theirOfficers to prevent dispute, appointing, _John Phillips_, Captain;_John Nutt_, Navigator of the Vessel; _James Sparks_, Gunner; _ThomasFern_, Carpenter; and _William White_ was only a private man amongthem. 

Before they left the Banks, they took several small fishing vessels, out of which they took some more Hands, and then sailed to the_West-Indies_: Among those that were taken, was one _John Rose Archer_who having been a pirate under _Blackbeard_ was made Quarter-Master tothe company: They came off _Barbadoes_ in _October_, and cruisedabout the Islands about three Months, without meeting with a vessel, so that they were almost starved for want of provisions, when atlength they fell in with a _Martinico_ Man of 12 guns and 35 hands, upon which they hoisted the Black Flag and ran up along side of theSloop, with piratical Colours flying, swearing, If they did not strikeimmediately, they must expect no quarters; which so frightened the_Frenchman_, that he never fired a gun. Having got this supply, theytook her provisions, and four of her men. 

Having occasion to clean their vessel, _Phillips_ proposed _Tobago_;and just as they had done, a Man-of-War's boat came into the Harbour, the ship cruising to the Leeward of the Island; which was no soonergone, but they warped out, and plied to the Windward for safety. 

In a few days they took a Snow with a few Hands in it, on board ofwhich they sent _Fern_ the Carpenter, _William Smith_, _Philips Wood_, and _Taylor_; but _Fern_ being dissatisfied at _Archer's_ beingpreferred before him to be Quarter-Master, persuaded the rest to gooff with the prize; but _Phillips_ gave them Chase, and coming up withthem, shot _Wood_, and wounded _Taylor_ in the leg; upon which theother two surrendered. 

From _Tobago_ they stood away to the Northward, and took a_Portugueze_ bound for _Brazil_, and two or three Sloops for_Jamaica_, in one of which _Fern_ endeavouring to go off, was killedby _Phillips_, as was also another man for the like attempt, whichmade all the others more fearful of discovering their Minds, dreadingthe villany of a few hardened wretches, who feared neither God norDevil, as _Phillips_ was often used blasphemously to say. 

On the 25th of March, they took two ships from _Virginia_, theMaster's name of one was _John Phillips_, the Pirate's Name-sake; ofthe other, _Robert Mortimer_, a stout young man. _Phillips_ staid onboard _Mortimer's_ Ship, while they transported the crew to the Sloop, when _Mortimer_ took up a hand-spike and struck _Phillips_ over theHead; but not knocking him down, he recovered and wounded _Mortimer_with his sword; and the other two Pirates who were on board, comingto _Phillip's_ assistance they cut _Mortimer_ to pieces, while his owntwo men stood and looked on. Out of the other _Virginia_ Man, theytook _Edward Cheesman_, a carpenter, to supply the Place of _Fern_, who being averse to that way of life, proposed to _J. Philamore_, whowas ordered to row _Cheesman_ on board _Mortimer's_ ship, to overthrowtheir Piratical government; which from time to time, as occasionoffered, they consulted how to do. The Pirates, in the mean time, robbed and plundered several ships and vessels, bending their coursetowards _Newfoundland_, where they designed to raise more men, and doall the mischief they could on the Banks, and in the harbours. Towardswhich country, _Phillips_ making his way, took one _Salter_ in a Sloopon the Isle of _Sables_, which he kept, and gave _Mortimer's_ Ship tothe Mate and crew; also a Schooner, one _Chadwell_ Master, which theyscuttled in order to sink: But _Phillips_ understanding that shebelonged to Mr. _Menors_ of _Newfoundland_, with whose Vessel theyfirst went off a-Pirating, said, _We have done him injury enoughalready_, and so ordering his Vessel to be repaired, returned her tothe Master. 

In the Afternoon, they chased another vessel, whose Master was anInward Light Man, named _Dependence Ellery_, who told _Phillips_ hetook him for a Pirate as soon as he saw him, otherwise he would nothave given him the Trouble of chasing him so long. This so provoked_Phillips_ and his Crew, that they made poor _Dependence_, for hisIntegrity, dance about the Ship till he was weary. After which theytook 10 other ships and vessels; and on the 14th of _April_, they tooka Sloop belonging to Cape _Anne_, _Andrew Harradine_ Master; whichlooking upon to be more fit for their purpose, they came on board, keeping only the Master of her Prisoner, and sending the crew away in_Salter's_ vessel. _Cheesman_ broke his mind to _Harradine_, todestroy the crew. Upon this, it was concluded to be 12 a Clock atNoon, when _Cheesman_ leaves his working-tools on the deck, as if hehad been going to use them, walks off. But perceiving some signs offear in _Harradine_, he fetches his brandy bottle, and gives him andthe rest a dram, saying, _Here's to our next Meeting_; then he talksto _Nutt_, in the mean while _Philamore_ takes up an axe, while_Cheesman_ and _Harradine_ seize _Nutt_ by the Collar, and toss himover the Side of the Vessel. 

By this Time the Boatswain was dead; for as soon as _Philamore_ sawthe Master laid hold on, he up with the axe, and cut off theBoatswain's head, which Noise soon brought the Captain upon Deck, whom_Cheesman_ saluted with the blow of a mallet, which broke hisjaw-bone, but did not knock him down; upon which _Harradine_ came tothe Carpenter's aid, when _Sparks_ the Gunner interposing, _Cheesman_trips up his Heels, and flung him into the arms of _Charles Ivemay_, who at that moment threw him into the Sea; and at the same Time_Harradine_ throws Captain _Phillips_ after him, bidding the Deviltake them both. This done, _Cheesman_ jumps from the deck into theHold, to knock _Archer_ on the Head, when _Harry Gyles_ came downafter him, desired his Life might be spared; which being agreed to, hewas made a Prisoner, and secured. 

All being over, they altered their course from _Newfoundland_ to_Boston_, where they arrived the 3rd of _May_, to the great joy of theProvince, and on the 12th of _May_, a special Court of Admiralty washeld for the Trial of these Pirates, when _John Philamore_, _EdwardCheesman_, _John Cobs_, _Henry Gyles_, _Charles Joymay_, _JohnBootman_, and _Henry Payne_, were honourably acquitted; as also three_French_ Men, _John Baptis_, _Peter Taffery_, and _Isaac Lassen_, asalso three Negroes, _Pedro_, _Francisco_, and _Pierro_. _John RoseArcher_, the Quarter-Master, _William White_, _William Taylor_, and_William Phillips_ were condemned; altho' the two latter got aReprieve, and the two former, _Archer_ and _White_, were executed the2nd of _June_ following. 

[Illustration]

[Illustration: CAPTAIN TEACH]

[Illustration]

CAPTAIN TEACH, _ALIAS_ BLACKBEARD

_Edward Teach_ was a _Bristol_ Man, and had served many years in thelate wars, in a Privateer fitted out from _Jamaica_, in which he hadoften distinguished himself for his boldness. He was never thought fitto be entrusted with any Command, till he went a-pirating in the Year1716, when Captain _Benjamin Hornigold_ put him into a Prize Sloop, with whom he kept company till _Hornigold_ surrendered. 

In 1727, _Teach_ and _Hornigold_ sailed from _Providence_ for_America_, where, in their way, they took a vessel with above 100Barrels of Flour, as also a Sloop from _Bermudas_, and a Ship bound to_Carolina_; from which they had a good plunder. After cleaning at_Virginia_, they returned to the _West-Indies_, and made Prize of a_French Guinea_ Man bound to _Martinico_, which _Teach_ was madeCaptain of; but _Hornigold_ with his Sloop returned to _Providence_, and surrendered to mercy. Aboard the _French Guinea_ Ship, _Teach_mounted 46 guns, and called her _Queen Anne's Revenge_. Not long afterhe fell in with the _Scarborough_ Man-of-War, who, after a long fightfinding she could do no good with _Teach_, left him, and returned to_Barbadoes_, while _Teach_ sailed to _Spanish America_. In his way, hemet with Major _Bonnet_ a Gentleman, formerly of a good estate in_Barbadoes_, in a small Sloop with which he had turned Pirate: But_Teach_ finding _Bonnet_ knew nothing of the matter, took him into hisown Ship, and put one _Richards_ Captain in his room, telling theMajor, _That he had not been us'd to the Fatigues of the Sea, he hadbetter decline it, and take his pleasure aboard his Ship_. At_Turnissi_ they took in fresh water; but seeing a Sloop coming in, they ran to meet her, which struck her sail, upon the sight of theBlack Flag, to _Teach_, who took the Captain and his men aboard, andput _Israel Hands_ to mann the Sloop: From thence they sailed to theBay, where they found a ship and four Sloops. _Teach_ hoisted hisBlack Colours, at the Sight of which, the Captain and his men left theShip, and ran into the woods. _Teach's_ Quarter-Master, with some ofhis Men, took possession of her, and _Richards_ secured the Sloops:One of which they burnt, because she belonged to _Boston_, where someof his Men had been hanged; but the others they let go afterplundering them. 

From hence they sailed to the _Grand Canaries_, then to the _Bahama_Wrecks, and then to _Carolina_, where they took a Brigantine and twoSloops, lying off the Bar of _Charles Town_; as also a Ship bound for_London_, with some passengers aboard. The next Day they took anotherVessel coming out, and two Pinks going in, and a Brigantine withnegroes, in the Face of the Town; which put the Inhabitants into a sadfright, being in no condition to help themselves. 

[Illustration]

_Teach_, alias _Blackbeard_, sent _Richards_ along with Mr. _Mark_, one of the Prisoners, to demand a chest of medicines of the Governor, several of his Men being sick aboard; threatening otherwise to burnthe Ships, and destroy all the prisoners, among whom was Mr. _SamuelWrag_, one of his Council. Altho' this went very much against theinhabitants, yet they were forced to comply with it to save the livesof the many souls had in his custody. So sending him a chest worthabout 3 or 4 hundred Pounds, _Richards_ went back safe to the shipswith his booty; which as soon as _Blackbeard_ had received, (for so Ishall call him for the future) he let the ships and the prisoners go, having first taken 1500_l. _ Sterling, and some provisions out of her. From thence they sailed to North _Carolina_, where he had thoughts ofbreaking up the company, and securing the money and the best of theeffects for himself and friends. Accordingly he ran a-ground, as if ithad been by accident, and calling _Israel Hands_ to his assistance, heran the Sloop ashore near the other, and so they were both lost. Thisdone _Blackbeard_ goes into the _Revenge_ and maroons 17 men upon adesert island; where they must inevitably have perished, if _Bonnet_had not after taken them up. 

_Blackbeard_ goes straight to the Governor of _North Carolina_, withTwenty of his Men, and pleads his Majesty's Pardon, and receivesCertificates thereupon. He went to his Sloop which lay at _Okere-Cock_Inlet, and set out for Sea upon another expedition, steering his Shiptowards _Bermudas_. Meeting with one or two _English Vessels_ in hisway, he robb'd them only of provisions for his present occasion; butmeeting with a _French_ Ship laden with sugar and cocoa, he broughther home with her cargoe to _North Carolina_, where the Governor andthe Pirates shared the plunder. He had no sooner arrived there, but heand four of his Men made affidavit, That they found the _French_ Shipat Sea, without ever a Man on board; upon which she was condemned. TheGovernor had sixty hogheads of sugar for his dividend, his Secretarytwenty, and the rest were shared amongst the other Pirates. And forfear the ship might be discovered by some that might come into theRiver, _Blackbeard_, under pretence that she was leaky, and mightsink, obtained an order from the Governor to bring her out into theRiver, and burn her; which they did, and sunk her bottom. 

The Sloops trading in the River, being so often pillaged by_Blackbeard_, consulted with the traders what course to take, knowingit was in vain to make any application to the Governor; therefore theysent a deputation to the Governor of _Virginia_, to sollicit a forcefrom the Men-of-War to destroy this Pirate. Accordingly the Governorconsulted with the Captains of the _Pearl_ and _Lime_ Men-of-War, which lay in _St. James's_ River; whereupon it was agreed, That theGovernor should have a couple of small Sloops, and they should bemann'd out of the Men of War, the Command of which was given to Mr. _Robert Maynard_, first Lieutenant of the _Pearl_. But before theysailed, it was agreed in Council, to offer a reward of 100_l. _ for _anyone that should take _Edward Teach_, commonly called _Blackbeard_;_for every_ Lieutenant, Master, Quarter-Master, Boatswain, _or_Carpenter Twenty Pounds; For every inferior Officer, Fifteen Pounds;And for every Man taken on Board each Sloop, Ten Pounds_. 

Upon this, the Lieutenant sailed from _James's_ River in _Virginia_, the 17th of _November_, 1718, and the 21st in the evening came to_Okere-cock_ Inlet, where he had fight of the Pirate: And altho' thisExpedition was made with all the Secrecy imaginable, yet _Blackbeard_had notice of it from the Governor of North _Carolina_ and hisSecretary: But having heard several false reports before, he gave theless credit to this, till he saw the Sloops; and then he put himselfin a Posture of defence, with his 25 Men. 

Lieutenant _Maynard_ came to an anchor that night, because the Channelwas so intricate that there was no getting in, in the dark. In theMorning, coming within gun-shot of the Pirate, he received his fire:whereupon the _Maynard_ stood directly towards him, endeavouring tomake a running fight. _Maynard's_ men being most expos'd, he losttwenty at one broadside; upon which he ordered his men under deck, andbid them get ready for close fighting upon the first signal. Then_Blackbeard's_ men pour'd in grenadoes; after which, seeing no Handsaboard, he told his men they were all kill'd; _Let's jump in, and fallto Plunder_: Which they had no sooner done, but the Lieutenant and hismen gave them as unwelcome a reception as ever they met with before. The Lieutenant and _Blackbeard_ fired first at each other, and thenthey went to it sword in hand, whilst the men on each side were aswarmly engaged as their Captains, until the vessel was all overblood. _Blackbeard_ stood it till he had received above twenty wounds, five of them being shots, before he fell down dead. Eight of hisfourteen men being kill'd, and the other six being much wounded, theycall'd for quarters; which was granted, and then the Lieutenantattacked with equal bravery the men that remained in the Sloop andtook them. 

The Lieutenant caused _Blackbeard's_ head to be cut off, and hung atthe bowsprit end; with which he sailed to _Bath Town_ to get hiswounded men cured, and then began to rummage the Pirate Sloop, aboardwhich they found several Letters of Correspondence betwixt theGovernor of _North Carolina_, his Secretary, and some Traders of _NewYork_ and _Blackbeard_. Thereupon going to _Bath Town_ in _NorthCarolina_, he seized in the Governors Store-house, the Sixty Hogsheadsof Sugar, and Mr. _Knight_ his Secretary's 20, which was theirdividend of the plunder taken in the _French_ Ship before-mentioned. 

After his Men were a little recovered, he returned to the Men-of-Warin _James's_ River in _Virginia_, with _Blackbeard's_ head hanging athis bowsprit, and 15 prisoners, 13 of whom were hanged, one of thembeing taken but the night before out of a trading Sloop: The other, not being in the fight, was taken at _Bath Town_, being just beforedisabled by _Blackbeard_ in one of his drunken humours. 

The night before he was killed, being ask'd if he should chance to bekilled, whether his wife knew where his money was; he answered, _Thatno-body but himself and the Devil, knew where it was, and the longestLiver should take all_. 

 * * * * *

The Names of the Pirates killed in the engagement were _EdwardBlackbeard_, Commander; _Philip Morton_, Gunner; _Garnet Gibbons_, Boatswain; _Owen Roberts_, Carpenter; _Thomas Miller_, Quarter-Master;_John Husk_, _Joseph Curtice_, _Joseph Brooks_, _Nath. Jackson_. 

The following, except the two last, were hanged, viz. : _John Carnes_, _Jo. Brookes, jun. _, _James Blake_, _John Gibbs_, _Thomas Gates_, _James White_, _Richard Styles_, _Cesar_, _Joseph Philip_, _JamesRobbins_, _John Martyn_, _Edward Salter_, _Stephen Daniel_, _RichardGreensarl_, _Israel Hands_, and _Samuel Odel_. 

[Illustration]

[Illustration: MAJOR STEDE BONNET]

[Illustration]

MAJOR STEDE BONNET, AND HIS CREW

The Major was a Gentleman of Fortune and Distinction in the Island of_Barbadoes_, who before his Piracy bore the character of a worthyhonest _man_, and no-body could ever account for this his undertaking, for he wanted neither learning nor understanding. He fitted out aSloop with ten guns and sixty men, which he named the _Revenge_, athis own expence, and sailed from _Barbadoes_ for the Cape of_Virginia_, where he took the _Anne_ from _Glasgow_, the _Turbet_ from_Barbadoes_, the _Endeavour_ from _Bristol_, the _Young_ from _Leith_, and many others. From thence he went to _New York_, and there took aSloop, and then stood in at _Gardiner's_ Island where he boughtprovisions, and went off. _August_, 1717, he came off at the Bar of_South Carolina_, and took a Sloop and Brigantine, which theyplundered, and then he dismissed the Brigantine, but took the Sloopwith him to an Inlet in _North-Carolina_, where he careened, and sether on fire. 

Afterwards he put to sea, but could not agree with the men what courseto take; for the Major being no sailor, was obliged to submit to manythings his men imposed upon him, when falling in with _Edward Teach_, alias _Blackbeard_, who was a good sailor, but a hardened villain, _Bonnet's_ Crew joined with him, and put _Bonnet_ aboard_Blackbeard's_ Ship. 

But _Blackbeard_ losing his Ship at _Topsail_ Inlet, surrendered tothe King's Proclamation; when _Bonnet_ re-assumed the command of hisown Sloop, and sailed directly for _Bath_ Town in _North-Carolina_, where he also surrenders himself, and receives a certificate. Theregetting a clearance for his Sloop, he pretended to sail for theIsland of _St. Thomas_, to get the Emperor's Commission to goa-Privateering upon the _Spaniards_. But returning to _Topsail_ Inlet, he found that _Blackbeard_ and his gang were gone, with their effects;and that they had set on shore, on a small sandy island about a leaguefrom the continent, seventeen men, without any provisions, or vesselto escape. There they had been two nights and one day without anysustenance, when, to their inexpressible joy, they saw Major _Bonnet_, who had been informed of their being there by two of _Blackbeard's_crew, who had escaped to avoid his cruelty. 

Then he steered his course towards _Virginia_, where meeting with aPink having Provisions on board, and they being in want, he took outof her ten barrels of pork, and five hundredweight of bread, and gaveher, in exchange, ten casks of Rice, and an old cable. 

Two days after they took a Sloop of sixty tons, from which they tooktwo hogsheads of rum, and two of molasses, and then put in her eightmen, to take care of the Prize; but they not liking her newacquaintance took the first opportunity to get off with her. 

After this the Major threw off all restraint, and became a downrightPirate, by the name of Captain _Thomas_, taking and plundering all thevessels he met with. He took off Cape _Henry_, two Ships from_Virginia_, bound to _Glasgow_; the next day a small Sloop from_Virginia_ bound to _Bermudas_; from which they took twenty barrels ofpork, and gave her in return, two barrels of rice, and as muchmolasses. The next day they took another _Virginia_ man, bound to_Glasgow_, out of which they took two men, and a few small things, andgave her a barrel of pork, and another of bread. From thence theysailed to _Philadelphia_, where they took a Schooner coming from_North Carolina_ to _Boston_, from which they took two men, and twodozen of calves skins, to make covers for guns. In the latitude of32°, off of _Delaware_ River, near _Philadelphia_, they took two Snowsbound to _Bristol_, from which they took money and goods to the valueof two hundred pounds; as also a Sloop of sixty tons, from_Philadelphia_ to _Barbadoes_, from which they took a few goods, andlet her go. The 29th of _July_, they took a Sloop of fifty tons, boundfrom _Philadelphia_ to _Barbadoes_, laden with provisions, which theykept; as also another of sixty tons, from _Antegoa_ to _Philadelphia_, having on board, rum, molasses, sugar, cotton and indigo, to the valueof five hundred Pounds, all of which they kept. Then they left_Delaware_ Bay, and sailed to Cape _Fear_ River, where they staidalmost two months to repair their Sloop, which proved very leaky, tillnews came to _Carolina_ of a Pirate's Sloop, with her Prizes, beingthere a-careening. 

Whereupon Colonel _William Rhet_ offered to go with two Sloops toattack them; which being by the Governor and Council approved of, hewas commissioned on board the _Henry_, with eight guns and seventymen, commanded by Captain _John Masters_; and the _Sea Nymph_, commanded by Captain Farier-Hall, with as many guns and men; bothunder the Direction of the Colonel, who went on board the _Henry_ the14th of _September_, and sailed from _Charles_ Town to _Swillivant's_Island, in order to cruise: where he was informed, by a small shipfrom _Antegoa_, which in sight of the Bar, was taken and plundered by_Charles Vane_, in a Brigantine of sixteen guns, and a hundred men;that he had taken two Sloops, one Captain _Dill_, Master, from_Barbadoes_; the other Captain _Thompson_, from _Guinea_, with seventynegroes, which they put on board one _Yeats_ his consort, being asmall Sloop with twenty-five men, who being weary of this course oflife, ran into _Edisto_ River, and surrender'd to his Majesty'sPardon, by which the owners got their negroes again, and _Yeats_ andhis men had their certificates sign'd. 

_Vane_ cruised for some time thereabouts, in hopes to take _Yeats_, and be revenged on him; during which time, he took a ship bound toLondon, to whom he gave out, that he designed to go to the southward;which Colonel _Rhet_ hearing, sailed over the Bar the 15th with thetwo Sloops, and went after the Pirate _Vane_; but not meeting withhim, tack'd and stood for Cape _Fear_, according to his first Design;and on the 26th following he entered the River, where he saw _Bonnet_, and the three Sloops his Prizes, at anchor; but the Pilot running theSloops a-ground, hindered their getting up that Night. The Piratesseeing the Sloops, and not knowing who they were, mann'd three canoes, and sent them down to take them; but finding their mistake, _Bonnet_took all the men out of the Prizes to engage them. Colonel _Rhet's_Sloops the next morning getting under sail, stood for the Pirates, whodesigned only to make a running fight; but the Colonel getting uponhis quarters, he edged in upon the shore, and ran his Sloop a-ground. The Colonel's Sloops were soon in the same condition: The _Henry_grounded within pistol-shot of the Pirate, on his bow; the other, right a-head of him, almost out of gun-shot, which made it of but verylittle use to the Colonel. By this time the Pirate had a very greatadvantage: For his Sloop lifted from Colonel _Rhet's_, which convertedthem all over; and the Colonel's Sloop lifting the same way, was muchexposed for about five hours, whilst they lay a-ground. The Colonel'sSloop being first a-float, he got into deeper water, and after mendinghis rigging, he stood for the Pirate, to go directly on board him;which they prevented, by hoisting a flag of truce, and surrenderingsoon after. The Colonel lost in this action ten men, and had fourteenwounded. The _Sea Nymph_ had two killed, and four wounded. Among thePirates were none killed, and three were wounded. The next day theColonel weighed from Cape _Fear_, and arrived at _Charles Town_ the 3dof _October_, to the no small joy of the people of _Carolina_. 

There being no publick prison, _Bonnet_ was committed into the custodyof the marshal, and his Men were kept at the Watch-house under astrict guard; a little before the trial, _David Harriot_ the Master, and _Ignatius Rathe_ Boatswain, the evidences, were removed from theCrew, to the Marshal's house, from whence on the 24th _Bonnet_ and_Harriott_ made their escape; which as soon as the Governor heard of, he published a Proclamation, promising a reward of 700_l. _ to any onethat would take him, and also sent several boats with armed men inpursuit of him. 

_Bonnet_ stood to the northward, in a small vessel; but through stressof weather, and want of necessaries, he was forced to _Swillivant's_Island. Of which information being given to the Governor, he sent forColonel _Rhet_, and desired him once more to go in pursuit of him;which the Colonel readily accepted of; and having got all Thingsready, went that Night for _Swillivant's_ Island, where, after a longsearch, he discovered them. After the Colonel's men had fired uponthem, and killed _Harriott_, _Bonnet_ immediately surrendered himself, and was, next Morning, brought back to _Charles Town_, and confinedunder a strong guard till his trial, which was hastened for fear heshould give them the slip again. 

On the 28th of _October_, 1718, a Court of Vice-Admiralty was held at_Charles Town_, and, by several adjournments continued to the 12th of_November_ following, by _Nicholas Trot_, Esq; Judge of theVice-Admiralty, and Chief Judge of _Carolina_, and other AssistantJudges; where, after the King's Commission was read, and a Grand Jurysworn, _Judge Trot_ gave them a learned Charge: And then the _GrandJury_ went out, and found the Bills; upon which, a _Petit-Jury_ wassworn, and the following Persons were arraingn'd and try'd. 

 _Stede Bonnet_, alias _Edwards_, alias _Thomas_, late of _Barbadoes_, Merchant. 

 _Robert Tucker_, late of _Jamaica_, Merchant. 

 _Edward Robinson_, late of _Newcastle_-upon-_Tine_, Mariner. 

 _Neal Peterson_, late of _Aberdeen_, Mariner. 

 _William Scot_, late of _Aberdeen_, Mariner. 

 _William Eddy_, alias _Neddy_, late of _Aberdeen_, Mariner. 

 _Alexander Annand_, late of _Jamaica_, Mariner. 

 _George Rose_, late of _Glasgow_, Mariner. 

 _George Dubin_, late of _Glasgow_, Mariner. 

 _John Ridge_, late of _London_, Mariner. 

 _Matthew King_, late of _Jamaica_, Mariner. 

 _Daniel Perry_, late of _Guernsey_, Mariner. 

 _Henry Virgin_, late of _Bristol_, Mariner. 

 _James Rattle_, alias _Robbins_, late of _London_, Merchant. 

 _James Mullet_, alias _Millet_, late of _London_, Mariner. 

 _Thomas Price_, late of _Bristol_, Mariner. 

 _James Wilson_, late of _Dublin_, Mariner. 

 _John Lopez_, late of _Oporto_, Mariner. 

 _Zachariah Long_, late of the Province of _Holland_, Mariner. 

 _Job. Barley_, late of _London_, Mariner. 

 _John William Smith_, late of _Charles_ Town in _Carolina_, Mariner. 

 _Thomas Carman_, late of _Maidstone_ in _Kent_, Mariner. 

 _John Thomas_, late of _Jamaica_, Mariner. 

 _William Morrison_, late of _Jamaica_, Mariner. 

 _Samuel Booth_, late of _Charles_ Town, Mariner. 

 _William Howet_, late of _Jamaica_, Mariner. 

 _John Kent_, late of _North Carolina_, Mariner. 

 _William Livres_, alias _Evis_, late of _Carolina_, Mariner. 

 _John Brierly_, alias _Timberhead_, late of _Bath_ Town in _North Carolina_, Mariner. 

 _Robert Boyd_, late of _Bath_ Town in North _Carolina_, Mariner. 

 _Thomas Nicholas_, late of _London_, Mariner. 

 _Rowland Sharp_, late of _Bath_ Town, Mariner. 

 _Jonathan Clark_, late of _Charles_ Town, Mariner. 

 _Thomas Gerrard_, late of _Antegoa_, Mariner. 

All of whom, except the four last, were found Guilty, and receivedSentence of Death, upon two Indictments, for Robbing upon the High Seathe _Francis_, _Peter Manwaring_, Commander; and for seizing, in aPiratical Manner, the Sloop _Fortune_, _Thomas Read_, Commander: Towhich they all pleaded Not Guilty, except _James Wilson_ and _JohnLevit_, who pleaded Guilty to both Indictments, and _Daniel Piercy_to one only. _Bonnet_ moved to go through both the Indictments atonce; but the Court overruling it, he was found Guilty of one, andretracted his Plea to the other. They made but little Defence, pretending they were taken off a _Maroon_ Shore, and were shipped withMajor _Bonnet_ to go to _St. Thomas's_, but wanting provisions theywere obliged to do what they did; and the Major himself pretended itwas _Necessity_ and not _Inclination_ that compelled them to do it. But that not appearing, they having all shared ten or eleven Pounds aman, except the four last, they were all found Guilty. After which theJudge set forth the enormity of their Crimes: And then pronouncedSentence of Death upon the persons aforesaid, except Major _Bonnet_, who not being brought back in time, was not tried till the 10th of_November_; and being then also found Guilty, he received Sentence inlike manner as the others; before whom Judge _Trot_ made an excellentspeech, saying afterwards. 

_And now, having discharged my Duty as a Christian, I must do myOffice as a Judge, which is_

_You the said _Stede Bonnet_ shall go from hence, to the Place fromwhence you came, and from thence to the Place of Execution, where youshall be hanged by the Neck till you are dead. _

[Illustration]

[Illustration: CAPTAIN WILLIAM KID]

[Illustration]

CAPTAIN WILLIAM KID

We are now going to give an account of one whose name is better knownin _England_, than most of those whose histories we have alreadyrelated; the person we mean is Captain _Kid_, whose public Trial andExecution here, rendered him the subject of all conversation. 

In the beginning of King _William's_ War, Captain _Kid_ commanded aPrivateer in the _West-Indies_, and by several adventurous actionsacquired the reputation of a brave man, as well as an experiencedseaman. About this time the Pirates were very troublesome in thoseparts, wherefore Captain _Kid_ was recommended by the Lord_Bellamont_, then Governor of _Barbadoes_, as well as by several otherpersons, to the Government here, as a person very fit to be entrustedwith the command of a Government Ship, and to be employed in cruisingupon the Pirates, as knowing those Seas perfectly well, and beingacquainted with their lurking places; but what reasons governed thepolitics of those times, I cannot tell, but this proposal met with noencouragement here, though it is certain it would have been of greatconsequence to the subject, our merchants suffering incredible damagesby those robbers. 

Upon this neglect the Lord _Bellamont_, and some others who knew whatgreat captures had been made by the Pirates, and what a prodigiouswealth must be in their possession, were tempted to fit out a ship attheir own private charge, and to give the command of it to Captain_Kid_; and to give the thing a greater reputation, as well as to keeptheir seamen under the better command, they procured the King'sCommission for the said Captain _Kid_. 

Captain _Kid_ had also another Commission, which was called aCommission of Reprisals; for it being then War time, this Commissionwas to justify him in the taking of _French_ Merchant Ships, in casehe should meet with any. He sail'd out of _Plymouth_ in _May_ 1696, inthe _Adventure_ Galley of thirty guns, and eighty men; the place hefirst design'd for was _New York_; in his Voyage thither he took aFrench _Banker_, but this was no Act of Piracy, he having a Commissionfor that purpose, as we have just observed. 

When he arrived at _New York_ he put up Articles for engaging moreHands, it being necessary to his Ship's crew, since he proposed todeal with a desperate enemy: The terms he offered were, that every manshould have a share of what was taken, reserving for himself andOwners forty shares. Upon this encouragement he soon increas'd hiscompany to a hundred and fifty five men. 

With this company he first sail'd for _Maderas_, where he took in wineand some other necessaries; from thence he proceeded to _Bonavist_, one of the _Cape de Verd Islands_, to furnish the ship with salt, andfrom thence went immediately to _St. Jago_, another of the _Cape deVerd Islands_, in order to stock himself with provisions. When allthis was done, he bent his course to _Madagascar_, the knownrendezvous of Pirates; in this way he fell in with Captain _Warren_, Commodore of three Men-of-War; he acquainted them with his design, kept them company two or three days, and then leaving them, made thebest way for _Madagascar_, where he arrived in _February_ 1696, justnine months from his departure from _Plymouth_. 

[Illustration]

It does not appear all this while that he had the least design ofturning Pirate; for near _Mahala_ and _Joanna_ both he met withseveral _Indian_ ships richly laden, to which he did not offer theleast violence, tho' he was strong enough to have done what he pleas'dwith them; and the first outrage or depredation I find he committedupon mankind, was after his repairing his ship, and leaving _Joanna_;he touch'd at a place call'd _Mabbee_, upon the _Red Sea_, where hetook some _Guinea_ Corn from the natives, by force. 

After this he sail'd to _Bab's Key_, a Place upon a little Island atthe entrance of the _Red Sea_; here it was that he first began to openhimself to his ship's company, and let them understand that heintended to change his measures; for, happening to talk of the _Moca_Fleet, which was to sail that way, he said _We have been unsuccessfulhitherto, but courage, my Boys, we'll make our fortunes out of thisFleet_: And finding that none of them appear'd averse to it, heorder'd a boat out, well mann'd, to go upon the coast to makediscoveries, commanding them to take a prisoner and bring to him, orget intelligence any way they could. The boat return'd in a few days, bringing him word, that they saw fourteen or fifteen ships ready tosail, some with _English_, some with _Dutch_, and some with _Moorish_Colours. He therefore order'd a man continually to watch at themast-head, least this Fleet should go by them; and about four daysafter, towards evening, it appear'd in sight, being convoy'd by one_English_ and one _Dutch_ Man-of-War. _Kid_ soon fell in with them, and getting into the midst of them, fir'd at a _Moorish_ ship whichwas next him; but the Men-of-War taking the Alarm, bore down upon_Kid_, and firing upon him, obliged him to sheer off, he not beingstrong enough to contend with them. Now he had begun hostilities, heresolv'd to go on, and therefore he went and cruis'd along the coastof _Malabar_; the first Prize he met was a small vessel belonging to_Aden_, the vessel was _Moorish_, and the Owners were _Moorish_Merchants, but the Master was an _Englishman_, his name was _Parker_. _Kid_ forc'd him and a _Portugueze_ that was call'd _Don Antonio_, which were all the _Europeans_ on Board, to take on with them; thefirst he design'd as a pilot, and the last as an interpreter. He alsoused the men very cruelly, causing them to be hoisted up by the arms, and drubb'd with a naked cutlass, to force them to discover whetherthey had money on board, and where it lay; but as they had neithergold nor silver on board, he got nothing by his cruelty; however, hetook from them a bale of pepper, and a bale of coffee, and so let themgo. 

Soon after this he came up with a _Moorish_ Ship, the Master whereofwas a _Dutchman_, call'd _Schipper Mitchel_, and chased her under_French_ Colours, which they observing, hoisted _French_ Colours too:When he came up with her, he hail'd her in _French_, and they having a_Frenchman_ on board, answer'd him in the same language; upon which heorder'd them to send their boat on board; they were oblig'd to do so, and having examin'd who they were, and from whence they came; he ask'dthe _Frenchman_, who was a passenger, if he had a _French_ pass forhimself? The _Frenchman_ gave him to understand that he had. Then hetold the _Frenchman_ he must pass for Captain, _and by God_, says he, _you are the Captain_: The _Frenchman_ durst not refuse doing as hewould have him: The meaning of this was, that he would seize the Shipas fair Prize, and as if she belonged to _French_ Subjects, accordingto a commission he had for that purpose; tho', one would think, afterwhat he had already done, that he need not have recourse to a quibbleto give his actions a colour. 

In short, he took the cargoe and sold it some time after, yet still heseem'd to have some fears upon him least these proceedings should havea bad end; for, coming up with a _Dutch_ Ship some time, when his menthought of nothing but attacking her, _Kid_ oppos'd it; upon which amutiny arose, and the majority being for taking the said ship, andarming themselves to man the boat to go and seize her, he told them, such as did, never should come on Board him again; which put an end tothe design, so that he kept company with the said ship some time, without offering her any violence: However, this dispute was theoccasion of an accident, upon which an indictment was afterwardsgrounded against _Kid_; for _Moor_, the Gunner, being one day upondeck, and talking with _Kid_ about the said _Dutch_ Ship, some wordsarose betwixt them, and _Moor_ told _Kid_, that he had ruin'd themall; upon which, _Kid_, calling him _Dog_, took up a bucket and struckhim with it, which breaking his skull, he died the next day. 

But _Kid's_ penitential fit did not last long, for coasting along_Malabar_, he met with a great number of boats, all which heplunder'd. Upon the same Coast he also lit upon a _Portugueze_ Ship, which he kept possession of a week, and then having taking out of hersome chests of _Indian_ goods, thirty jars of butter, and some wax, iron, and a hundred bags of rice, he let her go. 

The _Adventure_ Galley was now so old and leaky, that they were forcedto keep two pumps continually going, wherefore _Kid_ shifted all theguns and tackle out of her into the _Queda_ Merchant, intending herfor his Man-of-War; and as he had divided the Money before, he nowmade a division of the remainder of the cargo: Soon after which, thegreatest part of the company left him, some going on board Captain_Culliford_, and others absconding in the Country, so that he had notabove forty men left. 

He put to sea and happened to touch at _Amboyna_, one of the _Dutch_Spice Islands, where he was told, that the news of his Actions hadreach'd _England_, and that he was there declared a Pirate. 

The truth on't is, his Piracies so alarmed our Merchants, that somemotions were made in Parliament, to enquire into the commission thatwas given him, and the persons who fitted him out: These proceedingsseem'd to lean a little hard upon the Lord _Bellamont_, who thoughthimself so much touch'd thereby, that he published a Justification ofhimself in a pamphlet after _Kid's_ execution. In the mean time, itwas thought advisable, to publish a Proclamation, offering the King'sfree Pardon to all such Pirates as should voluntarily surrenderthemselves, whatever Piracies they had been guilty of at any time, before the last day of _April_, 1699--That is to say, for allPiracies committed Eastward of the _Cape of Good_ Hope, to theLongitude and Meridian of _Socatora_, and _Cape Camorin_. In whichProclamation, _Avery_ and _Kid_ were excepted by Name. 

When _Kid_ left _Amboyna_ he knew nothing of this Proclamation, forcertainly had he had notice of his being excepted in it, he would nothave been so infatuated, to run himself into the very jaws of danger;but relying upon his interest with the Lord _Bellamont_, and fancying, that a _French_ Pass or two he found on board some of the ships hetook, would serve to countenance the matter, and that part of the bootyhe got would gain him new friends--I say, all these things made himflatter himself that all would be hushed, and that justice would butwink at him. Wherefor he sail'd directly for _New York_, where he wasno sooner arrived, but by the Lord _Bellamont's_ orders, he was securedwith all his papers and effects. Many of his fellow-adventurers who hadforsook him at _Madagascar_, came over from thence passengers, some to_New England_ and some to _Jersey_; where hearing of the King'sProclamation for pardoning of Pirates, they surrendered themselves tothe Governor of those places: At first they were admitted to bail, butsoon after were laid in strict confinement, where they were kept forsome time, till an opportunity happened of sending them with theirCaptain over to _England_ to be tried. 

Accordingly a Sessions of Admiralty being held at the _Old Baily_, in_May_, 1701, _Captain Kid_, _Nicholas Churchill_, _James How_, _RobertLumley_, _William Jenkins_, _Gabriel Loff_, _Hugh Parrot_, _RichardBarlicorn_, _Abel Owens_, and _Darby Mullins_, were arraingn'd forPiracy and Robbery on the High Seas, and all found guilty, exceptthree; these were _Robert Lumley_, _William Jenkins_, and _RichardBarlicorn_, who proving themselves to be apprentices to some of theofficers of the ship, and producing their Indentures in Court, wereacquitted. 

_Kid_ was tried upon an indictment of Murder also, _viz. _ for killing_Moor_ the Gunner, and found guilty of the same. _Nicholas Churchill_and _James How_ pleaded the King's Pardon, as having surrenderedthemselves within the time limited in the Proclamation, and Colonel_Bass_, Governor of _West Jersey_, to whom they surrendered, being inCourt, and called upon, proved the same; however, this plea wasover-ruled by the Court, because there being four Commissioners namedin the Proclamation, it was adjudged no other person was qualified toreceive their surrender, and that they could not be intitled to thebenefit. 

As to Captain _Kid's_ Defence, he insisted much upon his owninnocence, and the villany of his men; he said he went out in alaudable employment and had no occasion, being then in goodcircumstances, to go a-Pirating; that the men often mutinied againsthim, and did as they pleas'd; that he was threatened to be shot in hiscabin, and that ninety five left him at one time, and set fire to hisboat, so that he was disabled from bringing his ship home, or thePrizes he took, to have them regularly condemn'd, which he said weretaken by virtue of a commission under the broad seal, they having_French_ Passes--The Captain called one Col. _Hewson_ to hisReputation, who gave him an extraordinary character, and declared tothe Court, that he had served under his command, and been in twoengagements with him against the _French_, in which he fought as wellas any man he ever saw; that there were only _Kid's_ Ship and his ownagainst Monsieur _du Cass_, who commanded a squadron of six sail, andthey got the better of him, but this being several years before thefacts mentioned in the Indictment were committed, prov'd of no mannerof service to the Prisoner on his Trial. 

As to the friendship shown to _Culliford_, a notorious Pirate, _Kid_denied, and said, he intended to have taken him, but his men being aparcel of rogues and villains refused to stand by him, and several ofthem ran away from his ship to the said Pirate. --But the evidencebeing full and particular against him, he was found Guilty as beforementioned. 

When _Kid_ was asked what he had to say why Sentence should not passagainst him, he answered, That _he had nothing to say, but that he hadbeen sworn against by perjured wicked People_. And when Sentence waspronounced, he said, _My Lord it is a very hard Sentence. For my partI am the innocentest Person of them all, only I have been swornagainst by perjured Persons_. 

Wherefore about a week after, Capt. _Kid_, _Nicholas Churchill_, _James How_, _Gabriel Loff_, _Hugh Parrot_, _Abel Owen_, and _DarbyMullins_, were executed at _Execution Dock_, and afterwards hung up inChains, at some distance from each other, down the river, where theirBodies hung exposed for many years. 

[Illustration]

[Illustration: CAPTAIN EDWARD ENGLAND]

[Illustration]

CAPTAIN EDWARD ENGLAND, AND HIS CREW

_Edward England_ went Mate of a Sloop that sailed out of _Jamaica_, and was taken by _Winter_, a Pirate, from whom he had the Command of aSloop just before their Settlement at _Providence_. The man was braveand good natured, and far from being cruel, as most of them are; andwould not have committed such barbarous actions as he did, had not hiscomrades compelled him to it. 

He sailed to the Coast of _Africa_, after the Island of _Providence_was inhabited by the _English_. In his Passage he took several Ships, particularly the _Cadogan_ Snow belonging to _Bristol_, one _Skinner_Master, who was murdered by those very men who had formerly servedunder him, upon a quarrel that happened between _Skinner_ and them, about their wages: He shipped them on board a Man-of-War, from whencethey deserted, and went on board a ship in the _West-Indies_, wherethey were taken by a pirate, and brought to _Providence_, and thenthey sailed with Captain _England_ a-Pirating. 

As soon as _Skinner_ came on board, he saw his old Boatswain, whosaid, _Ah! Captain Skinner is it you, I am much in your Debt, and nowI shall pay you in your own Coin_. These words put the Captain in apanic Fear: And indeed he had Reason enough to be afraid, for theyimmediately seized him, bound him to the Windlass, pelted him withGlass Bottles, afterwards whipt him about the Deck, and then said, because he had been a good Master, he should have an easy Death, andso shot him through the Head; the vessel and her Cargoe being given to_Howel Davis_. 

After this _England_ went into an _Harbour_ to clean his Ship, andalso fitted up the _Peterborough_, which he called the _Victory_. Then putting out to sea, they sailed for the _East-Indies_, and took_Madagascar_, by the Way. From thence, after taking in water andprovisions, they went for _Malabar_, in the Empire of the _Mogul_. Here they took several _Indian_ Vessels, and one _European_, a _Dutch_Ship, which they exchanged for one of their own, and then came back to_Madagascar_, where they sent several Hands on shore to kill venison, and then resolved to seek out for the remains of _Avery's_ Crew; butreturning without success, they being settled on the other side, theystay'd no longer than till they had cleaned their ships, and thensailed to _Juanna_. 

In the Year 1720, the _Bombay_ Fleet, consisting of four _Grabs_, the_London Chandois_, and some other ships, carried 1000 Men to bombardand batter _Gapra_, a fort belonging to _Angria_, on the _Malabar_Coast; which they not being able to do, fell in with the Pirates, intheir return to _Bombay_: But Captain _Upton_ the Commodore, having noorders, would not engage them; which so provoked the Governor, formissing so favourable an opportunity of cutting the Pirates all off, that he gave the command to Captain _Mackra_, with orders to fightthem wherever he met with them. 

But the Pirates proceeded to the southward, and took a small ship outof _Orincro_ Road, with a _Dutch_ and two _Portugueze_ Men on board, one of which they sent to the Captain, to inform him, that if he wouldsupply them with provisions and water he should have his ship again. But the Master would not agree to it; thereupon they sent otherpersons ashore, and swore he should be the last man they would givequarter to, and so put directly for _Laccadeva_ Island, and arrivedthere in three days. But being informed by a _Menchew_, there was noanchor-ground there, they went to the next Island, called _Melincha_, whence they were driven by a storm, leaving behind them a hundredpeople, and all their water-casks: But in a week's time, they regainedthe island, took their people on board, and filled the water-casks. Provisions being scarce, they resolved to visit the _Dutch_ at_Cochin_, and after three days sail, arrived off of _Tellechery_, where they took a small Vessel belonging to Governor _Adams_; whogiving an account of Captain _Mackra's_ fitting out against them, putthem into a grievous passion. 

Afterward they arrived at _Mauritius_, where they refitted the_Victory_, and then sailed the 5th of April for _Madagascar_, butcalled first at the Island _Mascarine_, at which they found a_Portugueze_ ship of seventy guns at anchor, disabled by a violentstorm, so that they easily became a Prize to the Pirates. She had onboard the _Conde Ereceira_ Vice-Roy of _Goa_, also they found on boardher, in diamonds only, to the value of four millions of Dollars. Theymade the Vice-Roy a prisoner; but in consideration of his losses, accepted of a ransom of 2000 dollars and then set him and hisfollowers ashore. Learning that an _Ostender_ was on the leeward ofthat Island, they sailed and took her, and sent her to _Madagascar_with news of their success, where they followed themselves soonafter, with two hundred _Mozambique_ Negroes in the _Portugueze_ Ship. 

When _Taylor_ came with the _Portugueze_ Prize to _Madagascar_, theyfound that the _Ostender_ had made his men drunk, and seized his ship, which they carried to the _Mozambique_; from thence the Governorordered her to _Goa_. But the Pirates staid and clean'd the_Cassandra_, and divided very great plunder. Some, who thought theyhad got enough, staid at _Madagascar_, and the rest, having nooccasion for two ships, burnt the _Victory_, she being leaky, and wenton board the _Cassandra_, under the Command of Captain _Taylor_, designing to go for _Cochin_ to dispose of his diamonds, amongst hisold Friends the _Dutch_, and also to avoid the dangers of theMen-of-War that were in pursuit of them. But as he was preparing tosail, and heard of four Men-of-War coming after him; therefore healtered his mind, and sailed for the Main of _Africa_, and put in at_Delagoa_: But the Pirates were surprized in the evening with someshot from the shore. They took it for a desert shore, but it provedotherwise; for a few months before, the _Dutch East India Company_ hadsettled one hundred men upon it, who, not being supplied withnecessaries, were reduced to about sixteen; whom _Taylor_, upon theirhumble petition took aboard, and they all became Pirates with him. 

Here they stayed about four months, careened their ships, and left_Delagoa_ the latter end of _December_: But not agreeing amongthemselves, they parted those who were weary of that sort of life, went on board the _Portugueze_ Prize, and sailed for _Madagascar_; theothers went on board the _Cassandra_, and sailed for the _Spanish WestIndies_. The _Mermaid_ Man-of-War, which was a convoy to someMerchant-men, about 30 leagues distance, would have gone to attackthem, had not the Merchants, whom he had the care of, declar'd theirprotection was of more service than destroying the Pirates; and so hewas oblig'd to be content with only dispatching the news of it to_Jamaica_. This brought down the _Lanceston_, though it was a day ortwo too late, for they had just before surrendered, with all theirriches, to the Governor of _Porto-Bello_, where they now live upontheir Spoils, saying, others would have done as much, had they had thesame opportunity; swearing, _That whatever Robberies they hadcommitted they are not the only Rogues in the World; for that theSouth-Sea[A] did more Mischief in one Year, than they were able to doin their whole Lives_. 

[Illustration]

FOOTNOTE:

[A] The South-Sea Bubble. 

[Illustration: CAPTAIN JOHN GOW]

[Illustration]

CAPTAIN JOHN GOW, _ALIAS_ SMITH, AND HIS CREW

_John Gow_, alias _Smith_, was born at a place called _Caristoun_, inthe _Orkney_ Islands, and was brought up a sailor from his youth, having served on board several Men-of-War, and last of all on boardthe _Suffolk_, along with _T. Swan_, who was engaged with him in theconspiracy to murder Captain _Ferneau_, and seize the ship and cargoe, as they went off the _Texel_, but they were prevented by _JamesBelvin_, who was led into the secret and discovered it. Captain_Ferneau_ taking little notice of it, contented himself with turningoff _Swan_, and preferred _Gow_ to be second Mate and Gunner. 

They sailed on board the _George_ Galley, August the 1st, 1724, fromthe _Texel_ to _Santa Cruz_, having 15000_l. _ on board, when Gowdesigned to have seized the Ship as they went out, but could not get aparty strong enough to join with him, till he worked up amisunderstanding between the Captain and part of the crew, concerningthe provisions of the ship, particularly _Winter_, _Peterson_, _andMc. Cawley_, who came upon the Quarter-Deck, in presence of the Owners, just before they sailed, and made a long complaint against theCaptain; who assured them that if there was any wrong done them, itwas not by his consent; and that he would enquire into it as soon asthey had unmoored the ship. 

About eight a clock at night, Captain _Ferneau_, as usual, called themup to prayers in the great Cabin, and then set the watch, and went tosleep, little thinking his end was so near, when _Winter_, _Rawlisson_, and _Melvin_, begun the scene of blood, _Gow_ lying snugin his hammock, as if he knew nothing of the matter, till he sawwhether the villany would succeed, or not. _Winter_ cut the Doctor'sthroat as he was asleep in his hammock, and then went up to _Melvin_and _Rawlisson_, who in the mean time had seized the Captain and cuthis throat also, but not touching the windpipe, _Gow_ stept up andshot him with a brace of bullets, and then threw him over-board. _Mc. Cawley_ cut _Stephen Algiers_ the Clerk's throat, as he lay in thehammock, and _Williams_ shot him dead afterwards. _Peterson_ cut thethroat of _Bonaventure Jelphs_, the Chief Mate; and _Michael Moor_, atthe Command of _Williams_, shot him. 

After this _Williams_ came upon the Quarter-Deck, and saluted _Gow_with Captain _Ferneau's_ sword, first striking it upon one of theguns, and saying, _Welcome Captain_ Gow, _welcome to your newCommand_. After which, _Gow_ told the men, That if any of them durstmurmur or cabal together, they must expect to meet with the same Fate;and then calling a Council, they agreed to go, _Upon the Account_, asthey called it. 

They called the ship the _Revenge_, and mounted six more of her guns, she being able to carry four and twenty in all. But instead of goingto _Genoa_ as intended, they sailed for the coasts of _Spain_ and_Portugal_, in hopes of getting a ship laden with wine, to keep uptheir spirits; but all was alike they met with; and instead of wine, they contented themselves with fish, which they took out of a shipcalled the _Delight_ of _Poole_, _Thomas Wise_, Master, bound from_New-England_ to _Cadiz_, out of which they took the men, and whatthey wanted, and then sunk the Ship, to prevent their being discoveredto the _English_ Men-of-War who lay in the _Straights_. 

On the 18th of _December_, they took the _Snow-Galley_, out of whichCrew they kept _Rob_, and discharged the Captain and the rest of themen, after having plundered the Ship of the arms, ammunition, cloth, provisions, sails, anchors, cables, and then let her go. 

By this time, they were got a great way to the southward; and being inwant of water as well as wind, they agreed to go to _Maderas_, whichIsland they made in two days, cruising about it near a week, expectingsome vessel to come in or come out; but the Country discovering whatthey were, they were disappointed in their attempts. Then they stoodaway for _Porto Santa_, where they put up _British_ Colours, and senttheir Boat ashore with a compliment to the Governor, desiring leave toWater, and buy some refreshments; which he readily agreed to, and wentwith them to pay the _English_ Captain a Visit, who received him in avery grand Manner. But the refreshments not coming as expected, he atlength told him he was his Prisoner, and must remain so till theprovisions were come on board, which was not till next day, when _Gow_discharged him, giving him three Cerons of Bees-wax, and three Guns athis going away. 

Having now got provisions, they agreed to return to the Coasts of_Spain_ and _Portugal_; where they had not been above two days, beforethey met with the _Batchelor_, _Benjamin Cross_ Master, from_New-England_ bound to _Cadiz_; out of which they took _Cross_ andhis Men, and gave the Ship to Captain _Wise_, as also 24 Cerons ofBees-wax to him and his mate, and to his four men 8 Cerons. After thisthey took a _French_ Ship from _Cadiz_, loaded with wine, oil, andfruit, which was what they wanted, and manned her with their own men, taking on board the _Revenge_ the _French_ Master, and his 12 Men, andmost Part of the cargoe, with five guns and their carriages, ammunition, small arms, and sails, and gave the ship to _Somerville_, Captain of the _Snow Galley_; and to Captain _Cross_ the _New-English_Man, to who they gave half the ship and cargoe and _Somerville_ hadall his Men, but _Alexander Rob_, whom they detained, and who wasexecuted in 1725, for engaging along with them. 

Soon after they saw a large ship to the windward bearing down uponthem, which at first they thought to have been a _Portugueze_Man-of-War; but they found afterwards, it was a _French_ Merchant Shipcoming home from the _West-Indies_, which not fearing them, came on tothe windward. _Gow_ perceiving she was a Ship of great strength, called all his men together, telling them they had a great manyprisoners on board, and that he could not trust many of his own men;besides, six of his best Hands were on Board the other Ship, thereforehe advised them not to meddle with her, she being far superior inForce. This so exasperated _Williams_, that he demanded of _Gow_ togive his orders for fighting; but he, by the advice of the whole crew, declined it; whereupon _Williams_ snapt his pistol at his Face; whichnot going off, made him still madder. _Winter_ and _Peterson_ standingby him fired each a Pistol at _Williams_, one shooting him through thearm, and the other in the belly; at which he fell, and they believinghe was killed, were going to throw him overboard, when he leapt up, and ran into the Powder-Room, with his pistol cocked in his hand, swearing he would blow them all up; which he had certainly done, hadthey not prevented him that very moment, he having opened the scuttleto do it. 

They immediately put him in irons, and hand-cuffed him, and then puthim between decks, in a place prepared for prisoners. 

Two days after this, they took the _Triumvirate_, a _Bristol_ Sloop, _Joel Davis_ Master, bound from _Newfoundland_ to _Oporto_, with fish;from whence they took all her provisions, arms, sails, and two of hermen, and then let her go with the rest, and all her cargoe. Notknowing what to do with _Williams_, they resolved to put him on boardthem, and send him away, for fear of further danger, ordering theMaster to put him on board the first _English_ man of War he shouldmeet with, to hang him for Piracy; which when _Williams_ found theywere resolved to do, he made all the submission he was able to Captain_Gow_, begging for pardon, knowing if he was carried to _Lisbon_ heshould meet with his deserts. But all his entreaties would not do, hewas brought up double fettered, when he begged they would throw himinto the sea, and drown him, rather than give him up to be hanged inchains, which he knew he deserved from the _Portugueze_ as well as_English_. This made many of them begin to relent and pity him; butconsidering his savage disposition, they knew there was no safety tokeep him on board, and so resolved to let him go, and give him ahearty curse at parting, wishing him a safe voyage to the gallows, notdreaming that they themselves should accompany him. 

The _Bristol_ Captain obeyed their orders, and as soon as he came to_Lisbon_ put him on board the _Argyle_ man of War, Captain _Bowler_Commander, who brought him home not above three days before Gow andhis Crew came to keep him company. 

In the middle of last _January_, they arrived at _Caristoun_ in theIsles of _Orkney_, when _Gow_ gave them instructions, what accountthey should give of themselves to the people of the country, to avoidsuspicion. But now began their misfortunes, for several of their menbegan to think of making their escape, the first was one _Read_, whotook an opportunity to get away when the boat went ashore, who went toa farm-house which lay under a hill where he hired a horse and rodeto _Kirkwall_, a market town about twelve miles off, where he informedthem what they were; whereupon they raised the Country to defendthemselves. The Pirates soon hearing what was done, ten more of themwent away with the longboat, making the best of their way for_Scotland_, who were some time after taken in the _Frith_ of_Edinburgh_, and made Prisoners. 

This so provoked _Gow_, that he resolved to plunder the Country, bethe consequence what it would, and in order thereto, he sent _Belvin_his Boatswain, with _Rob_ and Four more, to Mr. _Honnyman's_ house, the Sheriff, who not being at home, his Servants let them in, notsuspecting their design. They immediately fell to work, but Mr. _Honnyman's_ Daughter had the presence of mind to hide the money in atub of feathers, till she found an opportunity to carry it away, bythe contrivance of _Alexander Rob_, who was placed centinel at thedoor. But when the Boatswain found the treasure was gone, Gow havingbefore told them where it lay, he swore he would burn the house, andall that was in it, which the young Lady hearing, she runs to theCharter-room where the Treasure lay, and threw it out of the Window, jumping herself after. However, they plundered the house of aboutfifty pounds, and some plate, and then forced a servant who played onthe bag-pipes, to pipe before them to the ship, whom they alsodetained, and was brought along with them to the _Marshalsea_, wherehe was sick till his release. 

The next day they weighed anchor, and came to _Calf-Sound_, where theboatswain went ashore again with four armed Men, meeting with noPlunder. From thence they went to the Island of _Eda_, to plunder thehouse of Mr. _Fea_, whom _Gow_ had formerly been School-fellow with, and knowing him to be a Man of Courage, believed that the Alarm at_Caristoun_ had drawn him thither: But Mr. _Fea's_ wife at that Timebeing very sick in Bed, kept him at home, and having notice of them hesent a letter to _Gow_ by _James Laing_, to desire him to withdraw, assuring him that most of the inhabitants were fled to the mountainson the report of his being a Pirate, desiring him to send themessenger safe back, at whose return the affrights of the people wouldbe over. _Gow_ sent him word back, that he would write to nobody, butif Mr. _Fea_ would send his men with a Boat, he would reward themhandsomely, which Mr. _Fea_ hearing, he ordered his great Boat to bestaved, and sunk, and the sails to be carried out of sight. In themean time, perceiving _Gow's_ boat come on shore, with five men in it, well armed, he met them, and said if they would go to a Publick Housein the neighbourhood, and take a cup of ale with him, he would seewhat he could do to serve them, which they agreed to, seeing Mr. _Fea_was all alone, not suspecting any danger. Mr. _Fea_ had before givenorders for half a dozen men, well armed, to lie in ambush to surprizethem, which being done, Mr. _Fea_ sent to Mr. _Gow_ to let him know, that the country was alarmed, and that it would be his best waypeaceable to surrender, which _Gow_ did in a day or two, thinkingthereby to make himself an evidence; but it would not do, although hecomplied so far as to delude all his men ashore one after another, whowould certainly have cut his throat, had they known of any waysafterwards to have escaped. 

They were put on board the _Greyhound_, which delivered them into the_Marshalsea_, _March_ 30, 1714, where they continued till _June_following, when eight of them were hanged at _Execution Dock_, viz. _John Gow_, _James Williams_, _James Belvin_, _John Winter_, _PeterRawlisson_, _Daniel Mc. Cawley_, _William Ingram_, for another Piracyunder _Anstis_, and a month afterwards _Alexander Rob_ was hanged forPiracy under _Gow_. 

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Transcriber's Note

Fraser notes in his foreword to this book that the original author'sspelling was "indefinite even for his own day", and adds that it has"has been more or less modernized" in this edition; however, there arestill many inconsistencies in spelling, use of hyphenation anditalics, and capitalisation of words. These inconsistencies, alongwith archaic spelling, have been retained throughout. 

Minor typographic errors in punctuation have been corrected withoutnote. The word 'with' was printed as 'htiw' (page 138), and has beencorrected. The word 'were' has been amended to 'where' (page 139, ". .. Where they sent several Hands . .. "), for the sentence to make sense. Two instances of transposed letters have also been corrected--siezechanged to seize, and Goaler changed to Gaoler. The original titlepage illustration also contained an error, Jnae, which referred to amonth. This was cross-checked with the rest of the text, and has beenamended to read June in the transcription of the text. 

The frontispiece illustration has been moved to follow the front matter.