The King of Pirates Part 2

To this Time I had met with nothing but good Fortune; Success answer'd every Attempt, and follow'd every Undertaking, and we scarce knew what it was to be disappointed; but we had an Interval of our Fortunes to meet with in this Place: We arriv'd, as above, at the Island on the 13th of _March_, but we did not care to make the South Part of the Island our Retreat; nor was it a proper Place for our Business, which was to take Possession of a private secure Place to make a Refuge of: So after staying some Time where we put in, which was on the Point of Land a little to the South of Cape St._ Augustine_, and taking in Water and Provisions there, we stood away to the North, and keeping the Island in View, went on till we came to the Lat.i.tude of 14 Degrees: Here we met with a very terrible Tornado, or _Hurricane_, which, after we had beat the Sea as long as we could, oblig'd us to run directly for the Sh.o.r.e to save our Lives as well as we could, in Hopes of finding some Harbour or Bay where we might run in, or at least might go into smooth Water till the Storm was over.

The Sloop was more put to it than we were in the great s.h.i.+p, and being oblig'd to run afore it, a little sooner than we did, she serv'd for a Pilot-Boat to us which follow'd; in a Word, she run in under the Lee of a great Head-land, which jetted far out into the Sea, and stood very high also, and came to an Anchor in three Fathom and a half Water: We follow'd her, but not with the same good Luck, tho' we came to an Anchor too, as we thought, safe enough; but the Sea going very high, our Anchor came Home in the Night, and we drove on Sh.o.r.e in the Dark among the Rocks, in spight of all we were able to do.

Thus we lost the most fortunate s.h.i.+p that ever Man sail'd with; however, making Signals of Distress to the Sloop, and by the a.s.sistance of our own Boat, we sav'd our Lives; and the Storm abating in the Morning, we had Time to save many Things, particularly our Guns, and most of our Ammunition; and, which was more than all the rest, we sav'd our Treasure: Tho' I mention the saving our Guns first, yet they were the last Things we sav'd, being oblig'd to break the upper Deck of the s.h.i.+p up for them.

Being thus got on Sh.o.r.e, and having built us some Huts for our Conveniency, we had nothing before us but a View of fixing our Habitations in the Country; for tho' we had the Sloop, we could propose little Advantage by her; for as to cruising for Booty among the _Arabians_ or _Indians_, we had neither Room, for it or Inclination to it; and as for attacking any _European_ s.h.i.+p, the Sloop was in no Condition to do it, tho' we had all been on Board; for every Body knows that all the s.h.i.+ps trading from _Europe_ to the _East-Indies_, were s.h.i.+ps of Force, and too strong for us; so that, in short, we had nothing in View for several Months but how to settle ourselves here, and live as comfortably and as well as we could, till something or other might offer for our Deliverance.

In this Condition we remain'd on Sh.o.r.e above eight Months, during which Time we built us a little Town, and fortify'd it by the Direction of one of our Gunners, who was a very good Engineer, in a very clever and regular Manner, placing a very strong double Palisado round the Foot of our Works, and a very large Ditch without our Palisado, and a third Palisado beyond the Ditch, like a Counterscarp or Cover'd-way; besides this, we rais'd a large Battery next to the Sea, with a Line of 24 Guns plac'd before it, and thus we thought ourselves in a Condition to defend ourselves against any Force that could attempt us in that Part of the World.

And besides all this, the Place on which our Habitation was built, being an Island, there was no coming easily at us by Land.

But I was far from being easy in this Situation of our Affairs; so I made a Proposal to our Men one Day, that tho' we were well enough in our Habitation, and wanted for nothing, yet since we had a Sloop here, and a Boat so good as she was, 'twas Pity she should lye and perish there, but we should send her Abroad, and see what might happen; that perhaps it might be our good Luck to surprise some s.h.i.+p or other for our Turn, and so we might all go to Sea again: The Proposal was well enough relish'd at first Word, but the great Mischief of all was like to be this, That we should all go together by the Ears upon the Question who should go in her: My secret Design was laid, that I was resolv'd to go in her myself, and that she should not go without me; but when it began to be talk'd of, I discover'd the greatest seeming Resolution not to stir, but to stay with the rest, and take Care of the main Chance, that was to say, the Money.

I found, when they saw that I did not propose to go myself, the Men were much the easier; for at first they began to think it was only a Project of mine to run away from them; and so indeed it was: However, as I did not at first propose to go my self, so when I came to the Proposal of who should go, I made a long Discourse to them of the Obligation they had all to be faithful one to another, and that those who went in the Sloop, ought to consider themselves and those that were with them to be but one Body with those who were left behind; that their whole Concern ought to be to get some good s.h.i.+p to fetch them off: At last, I concluded, with a Proposal, that who ever went in the Sloop, should leave his Money behind in the common Keeping, as it was before; to remain as a Pledge for his faithful performing the Voyage, and coming back again to the Company; and should faithfully swear that wherever they went, (for as to the Voyage, they were at full Liberty to go whither they would) they would certainly endeavour to get back to _Madagascar_; and that if they were cast away, stranded, taken, or whatever befel them, they should never rest till they got to _Madagascar_, if it was possible.

They all came most readily into this Proposal, for those who should go into the Sloop, but with this Alteration in them, (which was easy to be seen in their Countenances) _viz._ that from that Minute there was no striving who should go, but every Man was willing to stay where they were: This was what I wanted, and I let it rest for two or three Days; when I took Occasion to tell them, that seeing they all were sensible that it was a very good Proposal to send the Sloop out to Sea, and see what they could do for us, I thought it was strange they should so generally shew themselves backward to the Service for fear of parting from their Money; I told them that no Man need be afraid, that the whole Body should agree to take his Money from him without any pretended Offence, much less when he should be Abroad for their Service: But however, as it was my Proposal, and I was always willing to hazard myself for the Good of them all, so I was ready to go on the Conditions I had propos'd to them for others, and I was not afraid to flatter myself with serving them so well Abroad, that they should not grudge to restore me my Share of Money when I came Home, and the like of all those that went with me.

This was so seasonably spoken, and humour'd so well, that it answer'd my Design effectually, and I was voted to go _nemine contradicente_; then I desir'd they would either draw Lots for who and who should go with me, or leave it in my absolute Choice to pick and cull my Men: They had for some Time agreed to the first; and forty Blanks were made for those to whose Lot it should come to draw a Blank to go in the Sloop; but then it was said, this might neither be a fair nor an effectual Choice; for Example, if the needful Number of Officers, and of particular Occupations, should not happen to be lotted out, the Sloop might be oblig'd to go out to Sea without a Surgeon, or without a Carpenter, or without a Cook, and the like: So, upon second Thoughts, it was left to me to name my Men; so I chose me out forty stout Fellows, and among them several who were trusty bold Men, fit for any thing.

Being thus Mann'd, the Sloop rigg'd, and having clear'd her Bottom, and laid in Provisions enough for a long Voyage, we set Sail the 3d of _January_ 1694, for the _Cape of Good Hope_. We very honestly left our Money, as I said, behind us, only that we had about the Value of 2000 Pound in Pieces of Eight allow'd us on Board for any Exigence that might happen at Sea.

We made no Stop at the _Cape_, or at St. _Helena_, tho' we pa.s.s'd in Sight of it, but stood over to the _Caribbee_ Islands directly, and made the Island of _Tobago_ the 18th of _February_, where we took in fresh Water, which we stood in great Need of, as you may judge by the Length of the Voyage. We sought no Purchase, for I had fully convinc'd our Men, that our Business was not to appear, as we were used to be, upon the Cruise, but as Traders; and to that End I propos'd to go away to the Bay of _Campeachy_, and load Logwood, under the Pretence of selling of which we might go any where.

It is true, I had another Design here, which was to recover the Money which my Comrade and I had bury'd there; and having the Man on Board with me to whom I had communicated my Design, we found an Opportunity to come at our Money with Privacy enough, having so conceal'd it, as that it would have lain there to the general Conflagration, if we had not come for it our selves.

My next Resolution was to go for _England_, only that I had too many Men, and did not know what to do with them: I told them we could never pretend to go with a Sloop loaden with Logwood to any Place, with 40 Men on Board, but we should be discover'd; but if they would resolve to put 15 or 16 Men on Sh.o.r.e as private Seamen, the rest might do well enough; and if they thought it hard to be set on Sh.o.r.e, I was content to be one, only that I thought it was very reasonable that whoever went on Sh.o.r.e should have some Money given them, and that all should agree to rendezvous in _England_, and so make the best of our Way thither, and there perhaps we might get a good s.h.i.+p to go fetch off our Comrades and our Money. With this Resolution, sixteen of our Men had three hundred Pieces of Eight a Man given them, and they went off thus; the Sloop stood away North, thro' the Gulph of _Florida_, keeping under the Sh.o.r.e of _Carolina_ and _Virginia_; so our Men dropp'd off as if they had deserted the s.h.i.+p; three of the sixteen run away there, five more went off at Virginia, three at _New York_, three at _Road Island_, and myself and one more at _New England_; and so the Sloop went away for _England_ with the rest. I got all my Money on Sh.o.r.e with me, and conceal'd it as well as I could; some I got Bills for, some I bought Molosses with, and turn'd the rest into Gold; and dressing myself not as a common Sailor, but as a Master of a Ketch, which I had lost in the Bay of _Campeachy_, I got Pa.s.sage on Board one Captain _Guillame_, a _New England_ Captain, whose Owner was one Mr. _Johnson_ a Merchant, living at _Hackney_, near _London_.

Being at _London_, it was but a very few Months before several of us met again, as I have said we agreed to do. And being true to our first Design of going back to our Comrades, we had several close Conferences about the Manner and Figure in which we should make the Attempt, and we had some very great Difficulties appear'd in our Way: First, to have fitted up a small Vessel, it would be of no Service to us, but be the same Thing as the Sloop we came in; and if we pretended to a great s.h.i.+p, our Money would not hold out; so we were quite at a Stand in our Councils what to do, or what Course to take, till at length our Money still wasting, we grew less able to execute any Thing we should project.

This made us all desperate; when as desperate Distempers call for desperate Cures, I started a Proposal which pleas'd them all, and this was, that I would endeavour among my Acquaintance, and with what Money I had left, (which was still sixteen or seventeen hundred Pound) to get the Command of a good s.h.i.+p, bearing a quarter Part, or thereabout, myself; and so having gat into the s.h.i.+p, and got a Freight, the rest of our Gang should all enter on Board as Seamen, and whatever Voyage we went, or wheresoever we were bound, we would run away with the s.h.i.+p and all the Goods, and so go to our Friends as we had promis'd.

I made several Attempts of this Kind, and once bought a very good s.h.i.+p, call'd, _The Griffin_, of one _Snelgrove_ a s.h.i.+pwright, and engag'd the Persons concern'd to hold a Share in her and fit her out, on a Voyage for _Leghorn_ and _Venice_; when it was very probable the Cargo, to be s.h.i.+pp'd on Board casually by the Merchant, would be very rich; but Providence, and the good Fortune of the Owner prevented this Bargain, for without any Objection against me, or Discovery of my Design in the least, he told me afterwards his Wife had an ugly Dream or two about the s.h.i.+p; once, that it was set on Fire by Lightning, and he had lost all he had in it; another Time, that the Men had mutiny'd and conspir'd to kill him; and that his Wife was so averse to his being concern'd in it, that it had always been an unlucky s.h.i.+p, and that therefore his Mind was chang'd; that he would sell the whole s.h.i.+p, if I would, but he would not hold any Part of it himself.

Tho' I was very much disappointed at this, yet I put a very good Face upon it, and told him, I was very glad to hear him tell me the Particulars of his Dissatisfaction; for if there was any Thing in Dreams, and his Wife's Dream had any Signification at all, it seem'd to concern me (more than him) who was to go the Voyage, and command the s.h.i.+p; and whether the s.h.i.+p was to be burnt, or the Men to mutiny, tho' Part of the Loss might be his, who was to stay on Sh.o.r.e, all the Danger was to be mine, who was to be at Sea in her; and then, as he had said, she had been an unlucky s.h.i.+p to him, it was very likely she would be so to me; and therefore I thank'd him for the Discovery, and told him I would not meddle with her.

The Man was uneasy, and began to waver in his Resolution, and had it not been for the continu'd Importunities of his Wife, I believe would have come on again; for People generally encline to a Thing that is rejected, when they would reject the same Thing when profer'd: But I knew it was not my Business to let myself be blow'd upon, so I kept to my Resolution, and wholly declin'd that Affair, on Pretence of its having got an ill Name for an unlucky s.h.i.+p; and that Name stuck so to her, that the Owners could never sell her, and, as I have been inform'd since, were oblig'd to break her up at last.

It was a great while I spent with hunting after a s.h.i.+p, but was every Way disappointed, till Money grew short, and the Number of my Men lessen'd apace, and at last we were reduc'd to seven, when an Opportunity happen'd in my Way to go Chief-Mate on Board a stout s.h.i.+p bound from _London_ to ... ...

[_N. B. In Things so modern, it is no Way convenient to write to you particular Circ.u.mstances and Names of Persons, s.h.i.+ps, or Places, because those Things being in themselves criminal, may be call'd up in Question in a judicial Way; and therefore I warn the Reader to observe, that not only all the Names are omitted, but even the Scene of Action in this criminal Part, is not laid exactly as Things were acted; least I should give Justice a Clew to unravel my Story by, which no Body will blame me for avoiding._]

It is enough to tell the Reader, that being put out to Sea, and being for Conveniency of Wind and Weather come to an Anchor on the Coast of _Spain_, my seven Companions having resolv'd upon our Measures, and having brought three more of the Men to confederate with us, we took up Arms in the middle of the Night, secur'd the Captain, the Gunner, and the Carpenter, and after that, all the rest of the Men, and declar'd our Intention: The Captain and nine Men refus'd to come into our projected Roguery, (for we gave them their Choice to go with us, or go on Sh.o.r.e) so we put them on Sh.o.r.e very civilly, gave the Master his Books, and every Thing he could carry with him; and all the rest of the Men agreed to go along with us.

As I had resolv'd, before I went on Board, upon what I purpos'd to do, so I had laid out all the Money I had left in such Things as I knew I should want, and had caus'd one of my Men to pretend he was going to ------ to build or buy a s.h.i.+p there, and that he wanted Freight for a great deal of Cordage, Anchors, eight Guns, Powder and Ball, with about 20 Tun of Lead and other bulky Goods, which were all put on Board as Merchandize.

We had not abundance of Bail Goods on Board, which I was glad of; not that I made any Conscience or Scruple of carrying them away, if the s.h.i.+p had been full of them; but we had no Market for them: Our first Business was to get a larger Store of Provision on Board than we had, our Voyage being long; and having acquainted the Men with our Design, and promis'd the new Men a Share of the Wealth we had there, which made them very hearty to us, we set Sail: We took in some Beef and Fish, at ------ where we lay fifteen Days, but out of all Reach of the Castle or Fort; and having done our Business, sail'd away for the _Canaries_, where we took in some b.u.t.ts of Wine, and some fresh Water: With the Guns the s.h.i.+p had, and those eight I had put on Board as Merchandize, we had then two and thirty Guns mounted, bur were but slenderly Mann'd, tho' we gat four _English_ Seamen at the _Canaries_; but we made up the Loss at _Fiall_, where we made bold with three _English_ s.h.i.+ps we found, and partly by fair Means, and partly by Force, s.h.i.+pp'd twelve Men there; after which, without any farther Stop for Men or Stores, we kept the Coast of _Africa_ on Board 'till we pa.s.s'd the Line, and then stood off to St. _Helena_.

Here we took in fresh Water, and some fresh Provisions, and went directly for the _Cape of Good Hope_, which we pa.s.s'd, stopping only to fill about 22 b.u.t.ts of Water, and with a fair Gale enter'd the Sea of _Madagascar_, and sailing up the West Sh.o.r.e, between the Island and the Coast of _Africa_, came to an Anchor over against our Settlement, about two Leagues Distance, and made the Signal of our Arrival, with firing twice seven Guns at the Distance of a Two-Minute Gla.s.s between the Seven; when, to our infinite Joy, the Fort answer'd us, and the Long-boat, the same that belong'd to our former s.h.i.+p, came off to us.

We embrac'd one another with inexpressible Joy, and the next Morning I went on Sh.o.r.e, and our Men brought our s.h.i.+p safe into Harbour, lying within the Defence of our Platform, and within two Cables length of the Sh.o.r.e, good soft Ground, and in eleven Fathom Water, having been three Months and eighteen Days on the Voyage, and almost three Years absent from the Place.

When I came to look about me here, I found our Men had encreas'd their Number, and that a Vessel which had been cruising, that is to say, Pirating on the Coast of _Arabia_, having seven _Dutchmen_, three _Portuguese_, and five _Englishmen_ on Board, had been cast away upon the Northern Sh.o.r.e of that Island, and had been taken up and reliev'd by our Men, and liv'd among them. They told us also of another Crew of _European_ Sailors, which lay, as we did, on the Main of the Island, and had lost their s.h.i.+p and were, as the Islanders told them, above a hundred Men, but we heard nothing who they were.

Some of our Men were dead in the mean Time, I think about three; and the first Thing I did was to call a Muster, and see how Things stood as to Money: I found the Men had been very true to one another; there lay all the Money, in Chests piled up as I left it, and every Man's Money having his Name upon it: Then acquainting the rest with the Promise I had made the Men that came with me, they all agreed to it; so the Money belonging to the dead Men, and to the rest of the forty Men who belong'd to the Sloop, was divided among the Men I brought with me, as well those who join'd at first, as those we took in at the _Cape de Verd_, and the _Canaries_: And the Bails of Goods which we found in the s.h.i.+p, many of which were valuable for our own Use, we agreed to give them all to the fifteen Men mention'd above, who had been sav'd by our Men, and so to buy what we wanted of those Goods of them, which made their Hearts glad also.

And now we began to consult what Course to take in the World: As for going to _England_, tho' our Men had a great Mind to be there, yet none of them knew how to get thither, notwithstanding I had brought them a s.h.i.+p; but I, who had now made myself too publick to think any more of _England_, had given over all Views that Way, and began to cast about for farther Adventures; for tho', as I said, we were immensely rich before, yet I abhorr'd lying still, and burying my self alive, as I call'd it, among Savages and Barbarians; besides, some of our Men were young in the Trade, and had seen nothing; and they lay at me every Day not to lie still in a Part of the World where, as they said, such vast Riches might be gain'd; and that the _Dutchmen_ and _Englishmen_ who were cast away, as above, and who our Men call'd the _Comelings_, were continually buzzing in my Ears what infinite Wealth was to be got, if I would but make one voyage to the Coast of _Malabar_, _Coromandel_, and the Bay of _Bengale_; nay, the three _Portuguese_ Seamen offer'd themselves to attack and bring off one of their biggest Galleons, even out of the Road of _Goa_, on the _Malabar_ Coast, the Capital of the _Portuguese_ Factories in the _Indies_.

In a Word, I was overcome with these new Proposals, and told the rest of my People, I was resolv'd to go to Sea again, and try my good Fortune; I was sorry I had not another s.h.i.+p or two, but if ever it lay in my Power to master a good s.h.i.+p, I would not fail to bring her to them.

While I was thus fitting out upon this new Undertaking, and the s.h.i.+p lay ready to Sail, and all the Men who were design'd for the Voyage, were on Board, being 85 in Number; among which were all the Men I brought with me, the 15 Comelings, and the rest made up out of our old Number; I say, when I was just upon the Point of setting Sail, we were all surpriz'd just in the Grey of the Morning to spy a Sail at Sea; we knew not what to make of her, but found she was an _European_ s.h.i.+p; that she was not a very large Vessel, yet that she was a s.h.i.+p of Force too: She seem'd to shorten Sail, as if she look'd out for some Harbour; at first Sight I thought she was _English_; immediately I resolv'd to slip Anchor and Cable and go out to Sea and speak with her, if I could, let her be what she would: As soon as I was got a little clear of the Land, I fir'd a Gun, and spread _English_ Colours: She immediately brought too, fir'd three Guns, and mann'd out her Boat with a Flag of Truce: I did the like, and the two Boats spoke to one another in about two Hours, when, to our infinite Joy, we found they were our Comrades who we left in the South Seas, and to whom we gave the Fregate at the Isle of _Juan Fernando_.

Nothing of this Kind could have happen'd more to our mutual Satisfaction, for tho' we had long ago given them over either for Lost, or Lost to us; and we had no great Need of Company, yet we were overjoy'd at meeting, and so were they too.

They were in some Distress for Provisions, and we had Plenty; so we brought their s.h.i.+p in for them, gave them a present Supply, and when we had help'd them to moor and secure the s.h.i.+p in the Harbour, we made them lock all their Hatches and Cabins up, and come on Sh.o.r.e, and there we feasted them five or six Days, for we had a Plenty of all Sorts of Provisions, not to be exhausted; and if we had wanted an hundred Head of fat Bullocks, we could have had them for asking for of the Natives, who treated us all along with all possible Courtesy and Freedom in their Way.

The History of the Adventures and Success of these Men, from the Time we left them to the Time of their Arrival at our new Plantation, was our whole Entertainment for some Days. I cannot pretend to give the Particulars by my Memory; but as they came to us _Thieves_, they improv'd in their Calling to a great Degree, and, next to ourselves, had the greatest Success of any of the Buccaneers whose Story has ever been made publick.

I shall not take upon me to vouch the whole Account of their Actions, neither will this Letter contain a full History of their Adventures; but if the Account which they gave us was true, you may take it thus:

First, that having met with good Success after they left us, and having taken some extraordinary Purchase, as well in some Vessels they took at Sea, as in the Plunder of some Towns on the Sh.o.r.e near _Guyaquil_, as I have already told you, they got Information of a large s.h.i.+p which was loading the King's Money at _Puna_, and had Orders to sail with it to _Lima_, in order to its being carry'd from thence to _Panama_ by the Fleet, under the Convoy of the _Flotilla_, or Squadron of Men of War, which the King's Governor at _Panama_ had sent to prevent their being insulted by the Pirates, which they had Intelligence were on the Coast; by which, we suppose, they meant us who were gone, for they could have no Notion of these Men then.

Upon this Intelligence they cruis'd off and on upon the Coast for near a Month, keeping always to the Southward of _Lima_, because they would not fall in the Way of the said _Flotilla_, and so be overpower'd and miss of their Prize: At last they met with what they look'd for, that is to say, they met with the great s.h.i.+p abovenam'd: But to their great Misfortune and Disappointment, (as they first thought it to be) she had with her a Man of War for her Convoy, and two other Merchant s.h.i.+ps in her Company.

The Buccaneers had with them the Sloop which they first sent to us for our Intelligence, and which they made a little Fregate of, carrying eight Guns, and some Patareroes: They had not long Time to consult, but in short they resolv'd to double man the Sloop, and let her attack the great Merchant-s.h.i.+p, while the Fregate, which was the whole of their Fleet, held the Man of War in Play, or at least kept him from a.s.sisting her.

According to this Resolution, they put 50 Men on Board the Sloop, which was, in short, almost as many as would stand upon her Deck one by another; and with this Force they attack'd the great Merchant-s.h.i.+p, which, besides its being well mann'd, had 16 good Guns, and about 30 Men on Board. While the Sloop thus began the unequal Fight, the Man of War bore down upon her to succour the s.h.i.+p under her Convoy, but the Fregate thrusting in between, engag'd the Man of War, and began a very warm Fight with her, for the Man of War had both more Guns and more Men than the Fregate after she had parted with 50 Men on Board the Sloop: While the two Men of War, as we may now call them, were thus engag'd, the Sloop was in great Danger of being worsted by the Merchant-s.h.i.+p, for the Force was too much for her, the s.h.i.+p was great, and her Men fought a desperate and close Fight: Twice the Sloop-Men enter'd her, and were beaten off, and about nine of their Men kill'd, several other wounded, and an unlucky Shot taking the Sloop between Wind and Water, she was oblig'd to fall a-Stern, and heel her over to stop the Leek; during which the _Spaniards_ steer'd away to a.s.sist the Man of War, and pour'd her Broadside in upon the Fregate, which tho' but small, yet at a Time when she lay Yard-arm and Yard-arm close by the Side of the _Spanish_ Man of War, was a great Extremity; however, the Fregate return'd her Broadside, and therewith made her sheer off, and, which was worse, shot her Main-mast thro', tho' it did not come presently by the Board.

During this Time, the Sloop having many Hands, had stopp'd the Leak, was brought to rights again, and came up again to the Engagement, and at the first Broadside had the good Luck to bring the s.h.i.+p's Foremast by the Board, and thereby disabled her; but could not for all that lay her athwart, or carry her by Boarding, so that the Case began to be very doubtful; at which, the Captain of the Sloop, finding the Merchant s.h.i.+p was disabled, and could not get away from them, resolv'd to leave her a while and a.s.sist the Fregate; which he did, and running a Longside our Fregate, he fairly laid the Man of War on Board just thwart his Hawser; and besides firing into her with his great Shot, he very fairly set her on Fire; and it was a great Chance but that they had been all three burnt together, but our Men helpt the _Spaniards_ themselves to put out the Fire, and after some Time master'd it: But the _Spaniards_ were in such a terrible Fright at the Apprehension of the Fire, that they made little Resistance afterwards, and in short, in about an Hour's Fight more, the _Spanish_ Man of War struck, and was taken; and after that the Merchant s.h.i.+p also, with all the Wealth that was in her: And thus their Victory was as compleat as it was unexpected.

The Captain of the _Spanish_ Man of War was kill'd in the Fight, and about 36 of his Men, and most of the rest wounded, which it seems happen'd upon the Sloop's lying athwart her. This Man of War was a new s.h.i.+p, and with some Alteration in her upper Work, made a very good Fregate for them, and they afterwards quitted their own s.h.i.+p, and went all on Board the _Spanish_ s.h.i.+p, taking out the Main-mast of their own s.h.i.+p, and making a new Fore-mast for the _Spanish_ s.h.i.+p, because her Fore-mast was also weaken'd with some Shot in her; this, however, cost them a great deal of Labour and Difficulty, and also some Time, when they came to a certain Creek, where they all went on Sh.o.r.e, and refresh'd themselves a while.

But if the taking the Man of War was an unexpected Victory to them, the Wealth of the Prize was much more so; for they found an amazing Treasure on Board her, both in Silver and Gold; and the Account they gave me was but imperfect, but I think they calculated the Pieces of Eight to be about 13 Tun in Weight, besides that they had 5 small Chests of Gold, some Emeralds, and, in a Word, a prodigious Booty.

They were not, however, so modest in their Prosperity as we were; for they never knew when to have done, but they must Cruise again to the Northward for more Booty, when to their great Surprize, they fell in with the Flotilla or Squadron of Men of War, which they had so studiously avoided before, and were so surrounded by them, that there was no Remedy but they must fight, and that in a Kind of Desperation, having no Prospect now but to sell their Lives as dear as they could.

This unlucky Accident befel them before they had chang'd their s.h.i.+p, so that they had now the Sloop and both the Men of War in Company, but they were but thinly mann'd; and as for the Booty, the greater Part of it was on Board the Sloop, that is to say, all the Gold and Emeralds, and near half the Silver.

When they saw the Necessity of fighting, they order'd the Sloop, if possible, to keep to Windward, that so she might as Night come on, make the best of her Way, and escape; but a _Spanish_ Fregate of 18 Guns tended her so close, and sail'd so well, that the Sloop could by no Means get away from the rest; so she made up close to the Buccaneers Fregate, and maintain'd a Fight as well as she could, till in the Dusk of the Evening the _Spaniards_ boarded and took her, but most of her Men gat away in her Boat, and some by swimming on Board the other s.h.i.+p: They only left in her five wounded _Englishmen_, and six _Spanish_ Negroes. The five _English_ the barbarous _Spaniards_ hang'd up immediately, wounded as they were.

This was good Notice to the other Men to tell them what they were to expect, and made them fight like desperate Men till Night, and kill'd the _Spaniards_ a great many Men. It prov'd a very dark rainy Night, so that the _Spaniards_ were oblig'd by Necessity to give over the Fight till the next Day, endeavouring, in the mean time, to keep as near them as they could: But the Buccaneers concerting their Measures where they should meet, resolv'd to make Use of the Darkness of the Night to get off if they could; and the Wind springing up a fresh Gale at S. S. W. they chang'd their Course, and, with all the Sail they could make, stood away to the N. N. W.

slanting it to Seawards as nigh the Wind as they could; and getting clear away from the _Spaniards_, who they never saw more, they made no Stay till they pa.s.s'd the Line, and arriv'd in about 22 Days Sail on the Coast of _California_, where they were quite out of the Way of all Enquiry and Search of the _Spaniards_.

Here it was they chang'd their s.h.i.+p, as I said, and quitting their own Vessel, they went all on Board the _Spanish_ Man of War, fitting up her Masts and Rigging, as I have said, and taking out all the Guns, Stores, _&c._ of their own s.h.i.+p, so that they had now a stout s.h.i.+p under them, carrying 40 Guns, (for so many they made her carry) and well furnish'd with all Things; and tho' they had lost so great a Part of their Booty, yet they had still left a vast Wealth, being six or seven Tun of Silver, besides what they had gotten before.

With this Booty, and regretting heartily they had not practis'd the same Moderation before, they resolv'd now to be satisfy'd, and make the best of their Way to the Island of _Juan Fernando_; where keeping at a great Distance from the Sh.o.r.e, they safely arriv'd, in about two Months Voyage, having met with some contrary Winds by the Way.

However, here they found the other Sloop which they had sent in with their first Booty, to wait for them: And here understanding that we were gone for St. _Julien_, they resolv'd, (since the Time was so long gone that they could not expect to find us again) that they would have t'other Touch with the _Spaniards_, cost what it would. And accordingly, having first bury'd the most Part of their Money in the Ground, on Sh.o.r.e in the Island, and having revictual'd their s.h.i.+p in the best Manner they could in that barren Island, away they went to Sea.