_Original of the most famous pirates of the coasts of America--Famous
exploit of Pierre le Grand._
I HAVE told you in the preceding chapters how I was compelled to
adventure my life among the pirates of America; which sort of men I name
so, because they are not authorized by any sovereign prince: for the
kings of Spain having on several occasions sent their ambassadors to the
kings of England and France, to complain of the molestations and
troubles those pirates often caused on the coasts of America, even in
the calm of peace; it hath always been answered, "that such men did not
commit those acts of hostility and piracy as subjects to their
majesties; and therefore his Catholic Majesty might proceed against them
as he should think fit." The king of France added, "that he had no
fortress nor castle upon Hispaniola, neither did he receive a farthing
of tribute from thence." And the king of England adjoined, "that he had
never given any commissions to those of Jamaica, to commit hostilities
against the subjects of his Catholic Majesty." Nor did he only give this
bare answer, but out of his royal desire to pleasure the court of Spain,
recalled the governor of Jamaica, placing another in his room; all
which could not prevent these pirates from acting as heretofore. But
before I relate their bold actions, I shall say something of their rise
and exercises; as also of the chiefest of them, and their manner of
arming themselves before they put to sea.
The first pirate that was known upon Tortuga was Pierre le Grand, or
Peter the Great. He was born at Dieppe in Normandy. That action which
rendered him famous was his taking the vice-admiral of the Spanish
flota, near the Cape of Tiburon, on the west side of Hispaniola; this he
performed with only one boat, and twenty-eight men. Now till that time
the Spaniards had passed and repassed with all security, through the
channel of Bahama; so that Pierre le Grand setting out to sea by the
Caycos, he took this great ship with all the ease imaginable. The
Spaniards they found aboard they set ashore, and sent the vessel to
France. The manner how this undaunted spirit attempted and took this
large ship I shall give you, out of the journal of the author, in his
own words. "The boat," says he, "wherein Pierre le Grand was with his
companions, had been at sea a long time without finding any prize worth
his taking; and their provisions beginning to fail, they were in danger
of starving. Being almost reduced to despair, they spied a great ship of
the Spanish flota, separated from the rest; this vessel they resolved to
take, or die in the attempt. Hereupon, they sailed towards her, to view
her strength. And though they judged the vessel to be superior to
theirs, yet their covetousness, and the extremity they were reduced to,
made them venture. Being come so near that they could not possibly
escape, they made an oath to their captain, Pierre le Grand, to stand by
him to the last. 'Tis true, the pirates did believe they should find the
ship unprovided to fight, and thereby the sooner master her. It was in
the dusk of the evening they began to attack; but before they engaged,
they ordered the surgeon of the boat to bore a hole in the sides of it,
that their own vessel sinking under them, they might be compelled to
attack more vigorously, and endeavour more hastily to board the ship.
This was done accordingly, and without any other arms than a pistol in
one hand and a sword in the other, they immediately climbed up the sides
of the ship, and ran altogether into the great cabin, where they found
the captain, with several of his companions, playing at cards. Here they
set a pistol to his breast, commanding him to deliver up the ship. The
Spaniards, surprised to see the pirates on board their ship, cried
'Jesus bless us! are these devils, or what are they?' Meanwhile some of
them took possession of the gun-room, and seized the arms, killing as
many as made any opposition; whereupon the Spaniards presently
surrendered. That very day the captain of the ship had been told by some
of the seamen that the boat which was in view, cruising, was a boat of
pirates; whom the captain slightly answered, 'What then, must I be
afraid of such a pitiful thing as that is? No, though she were a ship
as big and as strong as mine is.' As soon as Pierre le Grand had taken
this rich prize, he detained in his service as many of the common seamen
as he had need of, setting the rest ashore, and then set sail for
France, where he continued, without ever returning to America again."
[Illustration: "PIERRE LE GRAND COMMANDING THE SPANISH CAPTAIN TO
SURRENDER THE SHIP"--_Page 36_]
The planters and hunters of Tortuga had no sooner heard of the rich
prize those pirates had taken, but they resolved to follow their
example. Hereupon, many of them left their employments, and endeavoured
to get some small boats, wherein to exercise piracy; but not being able
to purchase, or build them at Tortuga, they resolved to set forth in
their canoes, and seek them elsewhere. With these they cruised at first
upon Cape de Alvarez, where the Spaniards used to trade from one city to
another in small vessels, in which they carry hides, tobacco, and other
commodities, to the Havannah, and to which the Spaniards from Europe do
frequently resort.
Here it was that those pirates at first took a great many boats laden
with the aforesaid commodities; these they used to carry to Tortuga, and
sell the whole purchase to the ships that waited for their return, or
accidentally happened to be there. With the gains of these prizes they
provided themselves with necessaries, wherewith to undertake other
voyages, some of which were made to Campechy, and others toward New
Spain; in both which the Spaniards then drove a great trade. Upon those
coasts they found great numbers of trading vessels, and often ships of
great burden. Two of the biggest of these vessels, and two great ships
which the Spaniards had laden with plate in the port of Campechy, to go
to the Caraccas, they took in less than a month's time, and carried to
Tortuga; where the people of the whole island, encouraged by their
success, especially seeing in two years the riches of the country so
much increased, they augmented the number of pirates so fast, that in a
little time there were, in that small island and port, above twenty
ships of this sort of people. Hereupon the Spaniards, not able to bear
their robberies any longer, equipped two large men-of-war, both for the
defence of their own coasts, and to cruise upon the enemies.