The Pirates Own Book (29 page)

After the rough salutation which has been related, the boatswain called
to his comrades, laid hold of Skinner, tied him fast to the windlass,
and pelted him with glass bottles until they cut him in a shocking
manner, then whipped him about the deck until they were quite fatigued,
remaining deaf to all his prayers and entreaties; and at last, in an
insulting tone, observed, that as he had been a good master to his men,
he should have an easy death, and upon this shot him through the head.

Having taken such things out of the ship as they stood most in need of,
she was given to Captain Davis in order to try his fortune with a few
hands.

Captain England, some time after, took a ship called the Pearl, for
which he exchanged his own sloop, fitted her up for piratical service,
and called her the Royal James. In that vessel he was very fortunate,
and took several ships of different sizes and different nations. In the
spring of 1719, the pirates returned to Africa, and beginning at the
river Gambia, sailed down the coast to Cape Corso, and captured several
vessels. Some of them they pillaged, and allowed to proceed, some they
fitted out for the pirate service, and others they burned.

Leaving our pirate upon this coast, the Revenge and the Flying King, two
other pirate vessels, sailed for the West Indies, where they took
several prizes, and then cleared and sailed for Brazil. There they
captured some Portuguese vessels; but a large Portuguese man-of-war
coming up to them, proved an unwelcome guest. The Revenge escaped, but
was soon lost upon that coast. The Flying King in despair run ashore.
There were then seventy on board, twelve of whom were slain, and the
remainder taken prisoners. The Portuguese hanged thirty-eight of them.

Captain England, whilst cruising upon that coast, took the Peterborough
of Bristol, and the Victory. The former they detained, the latter they
plundered and dismissed. In the course of his voyage, England met with
two ships, but these taking shelter under Cape Corso Castle, he
unsuccessfully attempted to set them on fire. He next sailed down to
Whydah road, where Captain La Bouche had been before England, and left
him no spoil. He now went into the harbor, cleaned his own ship, and
fitted up the Peterborough, which he called the Victory. During several
weeks the pirates remained in this quarter, indulging in every species
of riot and debauchery, until the natives, exasperated with their
conduct, came to an open rupture, when several of the negroes were
slain, and one of their towns set on fire by the pirates.

Leaving that port, the pirates, when at sea, determined by vote to sail
for the East Indies, and arrived at Madagascar. After watering and
taking in some provisions they sailed for the coast of Malabar. This
place is situated in the Mogul Empire, and is one of its most beautiful
and fertile districts. It extends from the coast of Canora to Cape
Comorin. The original natives are negroes; but a mingled race of
Mahometans, who are generally merchants, have been introduced in modern
times. Having sailed almost round the one half of the globe, literally
seeking whom they might devour, our pirates arrived in this hitherto
untried and prolific field for their operations.

Not long after their settlement at Madagascar, they took a cruise, in
which they captured two Indian vessels and a Dutchman. They exchanged
the latter for one of their own, and directed their course again to
Madagascar. Several of their hands were sent on shore with tents and
ammunition, to kill such beasts and venison as the island afforded. They
also formed the resolution to go in search of Avery's crew, which they
knew had settled upon the island; but as their residence was upon the
other side of the island, the loss of time and labour was the only fruit
of their search.

They tarried here but a very short time, then steered their course to
Johanna, and coming out of that harbor, fell in with two English vessels
and an Ostend ship, all Indiamen, which, after a most desperate action,
they captured. The particulars of this extraordinary action are related
in the following letter from Captain Mackra.

"
Bombay, November 16th
, 1720.

"We arrived on the 25th of July last, in company with the Greenwich, at
Johanna, an island not far from Madagascar. Putting in there to refresh
our men, we found fourteen pirates who came in their canoes from the
Mayotta, where the pirate ship to which they belonged, viz. the Indian
Queen, two hundred and fifty tons, twenty-eight guns, and ninety men,
commanded by Captain Oliver de la Bouche, bound from the Guinea coast to
the East Indies, had been bulged and lost. They said they left the
captain and forty of their men building a new vessel, to proceed on
their wicked designs. Captain Kirby and I concluding that it might be of
great service to the East India Company to destroy such a nest of
rogues, were ready to sail for that purpose on the 17th of August, about
eight o'clock in the morning, when we discovered two pirates standing
into the bay Johanna, one of thirty-four, and the other of thirty-six
guns. I immediately went on board the Greenwich, where they seemed very
diligent in preparation for an engagement, and I left Captain Kirby with
mutual promises of standing by each other. I then unmoored, got under
sail, and brought two boats a-head to row me close to the Greenwich; but
he being open to a valley and a breeze, made the best of his way from
me; which an Ostender in our company, of twenty-two guns, seeing, did
the same, though the captain had promised heartily to engage with us,
and I believe would have been as good as his word, if Captain Kirby had
kept his. About half an hour after twelve, I called several times to the
Greenwich to bear down to our assistance, and fired a shot at him, but
to no purpose; for though we did not doubt but he would join us,
because, when he got about a league from us he brought his ship to and
looked on, yet both he and the Ostender basely deserted us, and left us
engaged with barbarous and inhuman enemies, with their black and bloody
flags hanging over us, without the least appearance of ever escaping,
but to be cut to pieces. But God in his good providence determined
otherwise; for, notwithstanding their superiority, we engaged them both
about three hours; during which time the biggest of them received some
shot betwixt wind and water, which made her keep off a little to stop
her leaks. The other endeavored all she could to board us, by rowing
with her oars, being within half a ship's length of us above an hour;
but by good fortune we shot all her oars to pieces, which prevented
them, and by consequence saved our lives.

"About four o'clock most of the officers and men posted on the
quarter-deck being killed and wounded, the largest ship making up to us
with diligence, being still within a cable's length of us, often giving
us a broadside; there being now no hopes of Captain Kirby's coming to
our assistance, we endeavored to run a-shore; and though we drew four
feet of water more than the pirate, it pleased God that he stuck fast on
a higher ground than happily we fell in with; so was disappointed a
second time from boarding us. Here we had a more violent engagement than
before: all my officers and most of my men behaved with unexpected
courage; and, as we had a considerable advantage by having a broadside
to his bow, we did him great damage; so that had Captain Kirby come in
then, I believe we should have taken both the vessels, for we had one of
them sure; but the other pirate (who was still firing at us,) seeing the
Greenwich did not offer to assist us, supplied his consort with three
boats full of fresh men. About five in the evening the Greenwich stood
clear away to sea, leaving us struggling hard for life, in the very jaws
of death; which the other pirate that was afloat, seeing, got a warp
out, and was hauling under our stern.

"By this time many of my men being killed and wounded, and no hopes left
us of escaping being all murdered by enraged barbarous conquerors, I
ordered all that could to get into the long-boat, under the cover of the
smoke of our guns; so that, with what some did in boats, and others by
swimming, most of us that were able, got ashore by seven o'clock. When
the pirates came aboard, they cut three of our wounded men to pieces. I
with some of my people made what haste I could to King's-town,
twenty-five miles from us, where I arrived next day, almost dead with
the fatigue and loss of blood, having been sorely wounded in the head by
a musket-ball.

"At this town I heard that the pirates had offered ten thousand dollars
to the country people to bring me in, which many of them would have
accepted, only they knew the king and all his chief people were in my
interest. Meantime, I caused a report to be spread that I was dead of my
wounds, which much abated their fury. About ten days after, being pretty
well recovered, and hoping the malice of our enemies was nigh over, I
began to consider the dismal condition we were reduced to; being in a
place where we had no hopes of getting a passage home, all of us in a
manner naked, not having had time to bring with us either a shirt or a
pair of shoes, except what we had on. Having obtained leave to go on
board the pirates with a promise of safety, several of the chief of them
knew me, and some of them had sailed with me, which I found to be of
great advantage; because, notwithstanding their promise, some of them
would have cut me to pieces, and all that would not enter with them, had
it not been for their chief captain, Edward England, and some others
whom I knew. They talked of burning one of their ships, which we had so
entirely disabled as to be no farther useful to them, and to fit the
Cassandra in her room; but in the end I managed the affair so well, that
they made me a present of the said shattered ship, which was Dutch
built, and called the Fancy; her burden was about three hundred tons. I
procured also a hundred and twenty-nine bales of the Company's cloth,
though they would not give me a rag of my own clothes.

"They sailed the 3rd of September; and I, with jury-masts, and such old
sails as they left me, made a shift to do the like on the 8th, together
with forty-three of my ship's crew, including two passengers and twelve
soldiers; having no more than five tuns of water aboard. After a passage
of forty-eight days, I arrived here on the 26th of October, almost naked
and starved, having been reduced to a pint of water a-day, and almost in
despair of ever seeing land, by reason of the calms we met with between
the coast of Arabia and Malabar.

"We had in all thirteen men killed and twenty-four wounded; and we were
told that we destroyed about ninety or a hundred of the pirates. When
they left us, they were about three hundred whites, and eighty blacks,
on both ships. I am persuaded, had our consort the Greenwich done his
duty, we had destroyed both of them, and got two hundred thousand pounds
for our owners and selves; whereas the loss of the Cassandra may justly
be imputed to his deserting us. I have delivered all the bales that were
given me into the Company's warehouse, for which the governor and
council have ordered me a reward. Our governor, Mr. Boon, who is
extremely kind and civil to me, had ordered me home with the packet; but
Captain Harvey, who had a prior promise, being come in with the fleet,
goes in my room. The governor had promised me a country voyage to help
to make up my losses, and would have me stay and accompany him to
England next year."

Captain Mackra was certainly in imminent danger, in trusting himself and
his men on board the pirate ship, and unquestionably nothing but the
desperate circumstances in which he was placed could have justified so
hazardous a step. The honor and influence of Captain England, however,
protected him and his men from the fury of the crew, who would willingly
have wreaked their vengeance upon them.

It is pleasing to discover any instance of generosity or honor among
such an abandoned race, who bid defiance to all the laws of honor, and,
indeed, are regardless of all laws human and divine. Captain England was
so steady to Captain Mackra, that he informed him, it would be with no
small difficulty and address that he would be able to preserve him and
his men from the fury of the crew, who were greatly enraged at the
resistance which had been made. He likewise acquainted him, that his
influence and authority among them was giving place to that of Captain
Taylor, chiefly because the dispositions of the latter were more savage
and brutal. They therefore consulted between them what was the best
method to secure the favor of Taylor, and keep him in good humor. Mackra
made the punch to flow in great abundance, and employed every artifice
to soothe the mind of that ferocious villain.

A single incident was also very favorable to the unfortunate captain. It
happened that a pirate, with a prodigious pair of whiskers, a wooden
leg, and stuck round with pistols, came blustering and swearing upon the
quarter deck, inquiring "where was Captain Mackra." He naturally
supposed that this barbarous-looking fellow would be his executioner;
but, as he approached, he took the captain by the hand, swearing "that
he was an honest fellow, and that he had formerly sailed with him, and
would stand by him; and let him see the man that would touch him." This
terminated the dispute, and Captain Taylor's disposition was so
ameliorated with punch, that he consented that the old pirate ship, and
so many bales of cloth, should be given to Mackra, and then sank into
the arms of intoxication. England now pressed Mackra to hasten away,
lest the ruffian, upon his becoming sober, should not only retract his
word, but give liberty to the crew to cut him and his men to pieces.

But the gentle temper of Captain England, and his generosity towards the
unfortunate Mackra, proved the organ of much calamity to himself. The
crew, in general, deeming the kind of usage which Mackra had received,
inconsistent with piratical policy, they circulated a report, that he
was coming against them with the Company's force. The result of these
invidious reports was to deprive England of his command, and to excite
these cruel villains to put him on shore, with three others, upon the
island of Mauritius. If England and his small company had not been
destitute of every necessary, they might have made a comfortable
subsistence here, as the island abounds with deer, hogs, and other
animals. Dissatisfied, however, with their solitary situation, Captain
England and his three men exerted their industry and ingenuity, and
formed a small boat, with which they sailed to Madagascar, where they
subsisted upon the generosity of some more fortunate piratical
companions.