The Pirates Own Book (40 page)

About the latter end of May 1718, Vane and his crew sailed, and being in
want of provisions, they beat up for the Windward Islands. In the way
they met with a Spanish sloop, bound from Porto Rico to the Havana,
which they burnt, stowed the Spaniards into a boat, and left them to
get to the island by the blaze of their vessel. Steering between St.
Christopher's and Anguilla, they fell in with a brigantine and a sloop,
freighted with such cargo as they wanted; from whom they got provisions
for sea-store.

Sometime after this, standing to the northward, in the track the old
English ships take in their voyage to the American colonies, they took
several ships and vessels, which they plundered of what they thought
fit, and then let them pass.

About the latter end of August, with his consort Yeates, came off South
Carolina, and took a ship belonging to Ipswich, laden with logwood. This
was thought convenient enough for their own business, and therefore they
ordered their prisoners to work, and threw all the lading overboard; but
when they had more than half cleared the ship, the whim changed, and
they would not have her; so Coggershall, the captain of the captured
vessel, had his ship again, and he was suffered to pursue his voyage
home. In this voyage the pirates took several ships and vessels,
particularly a sloop from Barbadoes, a small ship from Antigua, a sloop
belonging to Curacoa, and a large brigantine from Guinea, with upwards
of ninety negroes aboard. The pirates plundered them all and let them
go, putting the negroes out of the brigantine aboard Yeates' vessel.

Captain Vane always treated his consort with very little respect, and
assumed a superiority over him and his crew, regarding the vessel but as
a tender to his own: this gave them disgust; for they thought themselves
as good pirates, and as great rogues as the best of them; so they
caballed together, and resolved, the first opportunity, to leave the
company, and accept of his majesty's pardon, or set up for themselves;
either of which they thought more honorable than to be the servants to
Vane: the putting aboard so many negroes, where there were so few hands
to take care of them, aggravated the matter, though they thought fit to
conceal or stifle their resentment at that time.

In a day or two, the pirates lying off at anchor, Yeates in the evening
slipped his cable, and put his vessel under sail, standing into the
shore; which when Vane saw, he was highly provoked, and got his sloop
under sail to chase his consort. Vane's brigantine sailing best, he
gained ground of Yeates, and would certainly have come up with them, had
he had a little longer run; but just as he got over the bar, when Vane
came within gun-shot of him, he fired a broadside at his old friend, and
so took his leave.

Yeates came into North Eddisto river, about ten leagues to the southward
of Charleston, and sent an express to the governor, to know if he and
his comrades might have the benefit of his majesty's pardon; promising
that, if they might, they would surrender themselves to his mercy, with
the sloops and negroes. Their request being granted, they all came up,
and received certificates; and Captain Thompson, from whom the negroes
were taken, had them all restored to him, for the use of his owners.

Vane cruised some time off the bar, in hopes to catch Yeates at his
coming out again, but therein he was disappointed; however, he there
took two ships from Charleston, which were bound home to England. It
happened just at this time, that two sloops well manned and armed, were
equipped to go after a pirate, which the governor of South Carolina was
informed lay then in Cape Fear river cleaning: but Colonel Rhet, who
commanded the sloops, meeting with one of the ships that Vane had
plundered, going back over the bar for such necessaries as had been
taken from her, and she giving the Colonel an account of being taken by
the pirate Vane, and also, that some of her men, while they were
prisoners on board of him, had heard the pirates say they should clean
in one of the rivers to the southward, he altered his first design, and
instead of standing to the northward, in pursuit of the pirate in Cape
Fear river, turned to the southward after Vane, who had ordered such
reports to be given out, on purpose to put any force that should come
after him upon a wrong scent; for he stood away to the northward, so
that the pursuit proved to be of no effect. Colonel Rhet's speaking with
this ship was the most unlucky thing that could have happened, because
it turned him out of the road which, in all probability, would have
brought him into the company of Vane, as well as of the pirate he went
after, and so they might have been both destroyed; whereas, by the
Colonel's going a different way, he not only lost the opportunity of
meeting with one, but if the other had not been infatuated, and lain six
weeks together at Cape Fear, he would have missed him likewise; however,
the Colonel having searched the rivers and inlets, as directed, for
several days without success, at length sailed in prosecution of his
first design, and met with the pirate accordingly, whom he fought and
took.

Captain Vane went into an inlet to the northward, where he met with
Captain Teach, otherwise Black Beard, whom he saluted (when he found who
he was) with his great guns loaded with shot: it being the custom among
pirates when they meet, to do so, though they are wide of one another:
Black Beard answered the salute in the same manner, and mutual
civilities passed between them some days, when, about the beginning of
October, Vane took leave, and sailed farther to the northward.

On the 23d of October, off Long Island, he took a small brigantine bound
from Jamaica to Salem in New England, besides a little sloop: they
rifled the brigantine, and sent her away. From thence they resolved on a
cruise between Cape Meise and Cape Nicholas, where they spent some time
without seeing or speaking with any vessel, till the latter end of
November; they then fell in with a ship, which it was expected would
have struck as soon as their black colors were hoisted; but instead of
this she discharged a broadside upon the pirate, and hoisted French
colors, which showed her to be a French man-of-war. Vane desired to have
nothing more to say to her, but trimmed his sails, and stood away from
the Frenchman; however, Monsieur having a mind to be better informed who
he was, set all his sails and crowded after him. During this chase the
pirates were divided in their resolution what to do. Vane, the captain,
was for making off as fast as he could, alleging that the man-of-war was
too strong for them to cope with; but one John Rackam, their
quarter-master, and who was a kind of check upon the captain, rose up in
defence of a contrary opinion, saying, "that though she had more guns,
and a greater weight of metal, they might board her, and then the best
boys would carry the day." Rackam was well seconded, and the majority
was for boarding; but Vane urged, "that it was too rash and desperate an
enterprise, the man-of-war appearing to be twice their force, and that
their brigantine might be sunk by her before they could reach to board
her." The mate, one Robert Deal, was of Vane's opinion, as were about
fifteen more, and all the rest joined with Rackam the quarter-master. At
length the captain made use of his power to determine this dispute,
which in these cases is absolute and uncontrollable, by their own laws,
viz., the captain's absolute right of determining in all questions
concerning fighting, chasing, or being chased; in all other matters
whatsoever the captain being governed by a majority; so the brigantine
having the heels, as they term it, of the Frenchman, she came clear off.

But the next day, the captain's conduct was obliged to stand the test of
a vote, and a resolution passed against his honor and dignity, which
branded him with the name of coward, deposed him from the command, and
turned him out of the company with marks of infamy; and with him went
all those who did not vote for boarding the French man-of-war. They had
with them a small sloop that had been taken by them some time before,
which they gave to Vane and the discarded members; and that they might
be in a condition to provide for themselves by their own honest
endeavors, they let them have a sufficient quantity of provisions and
ammunition.

John Rackam was voted captain of the brigantine in Vane's room, and he
proceeded towards the Carribbee Islands, where we must leave him, till
we have finished our history of Charles Vane.

The sloop sailed for the bay of Honduras, and Vane and his crew put her
in as good a condition as they could by the way, that they might follow
their old trade. They cruised two or three days off the northwest part
of Jamaica, and took a sloop and two perriaguas, all the men of which
entered with them: the sloop they kept, and Robert Deal was appointed
captain.

On the 16th of December, the two sloops came into the bay, where they
found only one vessel at anchor. She was called the Pearl of Jamaica,
and got under sail at the sight of them; but the pirate sloops coming
near Rowland, and showing no colors, he gave them a gun or two,
whereupon they hoisted the black flag, and fired three guns each at the
Pearl. She struck, and the pirates took possession, and carried her away
to a small island called Barnacho, where they cleaned. By the way they
met with a sloop from Jamaica, as she was going down to the bay, which
they also took.

In February, Vane sailed from Barnacho, for a cruise; but, some days
after he was out, a violent tornado overtook him, which separated him
from his consort, and, after two days' distress, threw his sloop upon a
small uninhabited island, near the bay of Honduras, where she staved to
pieces, and most of her men were drowned: Vane himself was saved, but
reduced to great straits for want of necessaries, having no opportunity
to get any thing from the wreck. He lived here some weeks, and was
supported chiefly by fishermen, who frequented the island with small
crafts from the main, to catch turtles and other fish.

While Vane was upon this island, a ship put in there from Jamaica for
water, the captain of which, one Holford, an old buccaneer, happened to
be Vane's acquaintance. He thought this a good opportunity to get off,
and accordingly applied to his old friend: but Holford absolutely
refused him, saying to him, "Charles, I shan't trust you aboard my ship,
unless I carry you as a prisoner, for I shall have you caballing with my
men, knocking me on the head, and running away with my ship pirating."
Vane made all the protestations of honor in the world to him; but, it
seems, Captain Holford was too intimately acquainted with him, to repose
any confidence at all in his words or oaths. He told him, "He might
easily find a way to get off, if he had a mind to it:—I am going down
the bay," said he, "and shall return hither in about a month, and if I
find you upon the island when I come back, I'll carry you to Jamaica,
and there hang you." "How can I get away?" answered Vane. "Are there not
fishermen's dories upon the beach? Can't you take one of them?" replied
Holford. "What!" said Vane, "would you have me steal a dory then?" "Do
you make it a matter of conscience," replied Holford, "to steal a dory,
when you have been a common robber and pirate, stealing ships and
cargoes, and plundering all mankind that fell in your way! Stay here if
you are so squeamish?" and he left him to consider of the matter.

After Captain Holford's departure, another ship put into the same
island, in her way home, for water; none of the company knowing Vane, he
easily passed for another man, and so was shipped for the voyage. One
would be apt to think that Vane was now pretty safe, and likely to
escape the fate which his crimes had merited; but here a cross accident
happened that ruined all. Holford returning from the bay, was met by
this ship, and the captains being very well acquainted with each other,
Holford was invited to dine aboard, which he did. As he passed along to
the cabin, he chanced to cast his eye down into the hold, and there saw
Charles Vane at work: he immediately spoke to the captain, saying, "Do
you know whom you have got aboard there?" "Why," said he, "I have
shipped a man at such an island, who was cast away in a trading sloop,
and he seems to be a brisk hand." "I tell you," replied Captain Holford,
"it is Vane the notorious pirate." "If it be he," cried the other, "I
won't keep him." "Why then," said Holford, "I'll send and take him
aboard, and surrender him at Jamaica." This being agreed upon, Captain
Holford, as soon as he returned to his ship, sent his boat with his
mate, armed, who coming to Vane, showed him a pistol, and told him he
was his prisoner. No man daring to make opposition, he was brought
aboard and put into irons; and when Captain Holford arrived at Jamaica,
he delivered up his old acquaintance to justice, at which place he was
tried, convicted, and executed, as was some time before, Vane's consort,
Robert Deal, who was brought thither by one of the men-of-war. It is
clear from this how little ancient friendship will avail a great
villain, when he is deprived of the power that had before supported and
rendered him formidable.

Containing Accounts of their Atrocities, Manners of Living, &c., with
proceedings of the Squadron under Commodore Porter in those seas, the
victory and death of Lieutenant Allen, the interesting Narrative of
Captain Lincoln, &c.

Those innumerable groups of islands, keys and sandbanks, known as the
West-Indies, are peculiarly adapted from their locality and formation,
to be a favorite resort for pirates; many of them are composed of coral
rocks, on which a few cocoa trees raise their lofty heads; where there
is sufficient earth for vegetation between the interstices of the rocks,
stunted brushwood grows. But a chief peculiarity of some of the islands,
and which renders them suitable to those who frequent them as pirates,
are the numerous caves with which the rocks are perforated; some of them
are above high-water mark, but the majority with the sea water flowing
in and out of them, in some cases merely rushing in at high-water
filling deep pools, which are detached from each other when the tide
recedes, in others with a sufficient depth of water to allow a large
boat to float in. It is hardly necessary to observe how convenient the
higher and dry caves are as receptacles for articles which are intended
to be concealed, until an opportunity occurs to dispose of them. The
Bahamas, themselves are a singular group of isles, reefs and quays;
consisting of several hundred in number, and were the chief resort of
pirates in old times, but now they are all rooted from them; they are
low and not elevated, and are more than 600 miles in extent, cut up into
numerous intricate passages and channels, full of sunken rocks and coral
reefs. They afforded a sure retreat to desperadoes. Other islands are
full of mountain fastnesses, where all pursuit can be eluded. Many of
the low shores are skirted, and the islands covered by the mangrove, a
singular tree, shooting fresh roots as it grows, which, when the tree is
at its full age, may be found six or eight feet from the ground, to
which the shoots gradually tend in regular succession; the leaf is very
thick and stiff and about eight inches long and nine wide, the interval
between the roots offer secure hiding places for those who are suddenly
pursued. Another circumstance assists the pirate when pursued.—As the
islands belong to several different nations, when pursued from one
island he can pass to that under the jurisdiction of another power. And
as permission must be got by those in pursuit of him, from the
authorities of the island to land and take him, he thus gains time to
secrete himself. A tropical climate is suited to a roving life, and
liquor as well as dissolute women being in great abundance, to gratify
him during his hours of relaxation, makes this a congenial region for
the lawless.