Chapter I_Buccaneers and pirates of our coasts

E-text prepared by Suzanne Shell, David Yingling, and the Project

Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net/)

Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this

file which includes the original illustrations.

See 17188-h.htm or 17188-h.zip:

(https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/7/1/8/17188/17188-h/17188-h.htm)

(https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/7/1/8/17188/17188-h.zip)

BUCCANEERS AND PIRATES OF OUR COASTS

FRANK R. STOCKTON

Illustrated

[Illustration: "The pirates climbed up the sides of the man-of-war as if

they had been twenty-nine cats."--Frontispiece.]

[Illustration]

Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers

New York

by arrangement with The Macmillan Company

By the Century Co.

By the MacMillan Company.

may be reproduced in any form without

permission in writing from the publisher,

except by a reviewer who wishes to quote

brief passages in connection with a review

written for inclusion in magazine or

newspaper.

Set up and electrotyped July, 1898. Reprinted November,

1898; September, 1905; May, 1906; April, October, 1908;

October, 1910; March, 1913; September, 1914; January,

1915; October, 1917.

Printed in the United States of America

FOREWORD

Tempting boys to be what they should be--giving them in wholesome form

what they want--that is the purpose and power of Scouting. To help

parents and leaders of youth secure _books boys like best_ that are also

best for boys, the Boy Scouts of America organized EVERY BOY'S LIBRARY.

The books included, formerly sold at prices ranging from $1.50 to $2.00

but, by special arrangement with the several publishers interested, are

now sold in the EVERY BOY'S LIBRARY Edition at $1.00 per volume.

The books of EVERY BOY'S LIBRARY were selected by the Library Commission

of the Boy Scouts of America, consisting of George F. Bowerman,

Librarian, Public Library of the District of Columbia; Harrison W.

Craver, Director, Engineering Societies Library, New York City; Claude

G. Leland, Superintendent, Bureau of Libraries, Board of Education, New

York City; Edward F. Stevens, Librarian, Pratt Institute Free Library,

Brooklyn, N.Y., and Franklin K. Mathiews, Chief Scout Librarian. Only

such books were chosen by the Commission as proved to be, by _a nation

wide canvas_, most in demand by the boys themselves. Their popularity is

further attested by the fact that in the EVERY BOY'S LIBRARY Edition,

more than a million and a quarter copies of these books have already

been sold.

We know so well, are reminded so often of the worth of the good book and

great, that too often we fail to observe or understand the influence for

good of a boy's recreational reading. Such books may influence him for

good or ill as profoundly as his play activities, of which they are a

vital part. The needful thing is to find stories in which the heroes

have the characteristics boys so much admire--unquenchable courage,

immense resourcefulness, absolute fidelity, conspicuous greatness. We

believe the books of EVERY BOY'S LIBRARY measurably well meet this

challenge.

BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA,

[signed] James E. West

Chief Scout Executive.

Contents

Chapter Page

I. The Bold Buccaneers 1

II. Some Masters in Piracy 7

III. Pupils in Piracy 16

IV. Peter the Great 23

V. The Story of a Pearl Pirate 31

VI. The Surprising Adventures of Bartholemy Portuguez 39

VII. The Pirate who could not Swim 49

VIII. How Bartholemy rested Himself 59

IX. A Pirate Author 65

X. The Story of Roc, the Brazilian 72

XI. A Buccaneer Boom 89

XII. The Story of L'Olonnois the Cruel 94

XIII. A Resurrected Pirate 100

XIV. Villany on a Grand Scale 109

XV. A Just Reward 119

XVI. A Pirate Potentate 132

XVII. How Morgan was helped by Some Religious People 145

XVIII. A Piratical Aftermath 153

XIX. A Tight Place for Morgan 159

XX. The Story of a High-Minded Pirate 171

XXI. Exit Buccaneer; Enter Pirate 192

XXII. The Great Blackbeard comes upon the Stage 200

XXIII. A True-Hearted Sailor draws his Sword 210

XXIV. A Greenhorn under the Black Flag 217

XXV. Bonnet again to the Front 224

XXVI. The Battle of the Sand Bars 233

XXVII. A Six Weeks' Pirate 243

XXVIII. The Story of Two Women Pirates 253

XXIX. A Pirate from Boyhood 263

XXX. A Pirate of the Gulf 277

XXXI. The Pirate of the Buried Treasure 291

XXXII. The Real Captain Kidd 309

[Illustration: The Haunts of "The Brethren of the Coast"]

Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts

Chapter I

The Bold Buccaneers

When I was a boy I strongly desired to be a pirate, and the reason for

this was the absolute independence of that sort of life. Restrictions of

all sorts had become onerous to me, and in my reading of the adventures

of the bold sea-rovers of the main, I had unconsciously selected those

portions of a pirate's life which were attractive to me, and had totally

disregarded all the rest.

In fact, I had a great desire to become what might be called a marine

Robin Hood. I would take from the rich and give to the poor; I would run

my long, low, black craft by the side of the merchantman, and when I had

loaded my vessel with the rich stuffs and golden ingots which composed

her cargo, I would sail away to some poor village, and make its

inhabitants prosperous and happy for the rest of their lives by a

judicious distribution of my booty.

I would always be as free as a sea-bird. My men would be devoted to me,

and my word would be their law. I would decide for myself whether this

or that proceeding would be proper, generous, and worthy of my unlimited

power; when tired of sailing, I would retire to my island,--the position

of which, in a beautiful semi-tropic ocean, would be known only to

myself and to my crew,--and there I would pass happy days in the company

of my books, my works of art, and all the various treasures I had taken

from the mercenary vessels which I had overhauled.

Such was my notion of a pirate's life. I would kill nobody; the very

sight of my black flag would be sufficient to put an end to all thought

of resistance on the part of my victims, who would no more think of

fighting me, than a fat bishop would have thought of lifting his hand

against Robin Hood and his merry men; and I truly believe that I

expected my conscience to have a great deal more to do in the way of

approval of my actions, than it had found necessary in the course of my

ordinary school-boy life.

I mention these early impressions because I have a notion that a great

many people--and not only young people--have an idea of piracy not

altogether different from that of my boyhood. They know that pirates

are wicked men, that, in fact, they are sea-robbers or maritime

murderers, but their bold and adventurous method of life, their bravery,

daring, and the exciting character of their expeditions, give them

something of the same charm and interest which belong to the robber

knights of the middle ages. The one mounts his mailed steed and clanks

his long sword against his iron stirrup, riding forth into the world

with a feeling that he can do anything that pleases him, if he finds

himself strong enough. The other springs into his rakish craft, spreads

his sails to the wind, and dashes over the sparkling main with a feeling

that he can do anything he pleases, provided he be strong enough.

The first pirates who made themselves known in American waters were the

famous buccaneers; these began their career in a very commonplace and

unobjectionable manner, and the name by which they were known had

originally no piratical significance. It was derived from the French

word _boucanier_, signifying "a drier of beef."

Some of the West India islands, especially San Domingo, were almost

overrun with wild cattle of various kinds, and this was owing to the

fact that the Spaniards had killed off nearly all the natives, and so

had left the interior of the islands to the herds of cattle which had

increased rapidly. There were a few settlements on the seacoast, but

the Spaniards did not allow the inhabitants of these to trade with any

nation but their own, and consequently the people were badly supplied

with the necessaries of life.

But the trading vessels which sailed from Europe to that part of the

Caribbean Sea were manned by bold and daring sailors, and when they knew

that San Domingo contained an abundance of beef cattle, they did not

hesitate to stop at the little seaports to replenish their stores. The

natives of the island were skilled in the art of preparing beef by

smoking and drying it,--very much in the same way in which our Indians

prepare "jerked meat" for winter use.

But so many vessels came to San Domingo for beef that there were not

enough people on the island to do all the hunting and drying that was

necessary, so these trading vessels frequently anchored in some quiet

cove, and the crews went on shore and devoted themselves to securing a

cargo of beef,--not only enough for their own use, but for trading

purposes; thus they became known as "beef-driers," or buccaneers.

When the Spaniards heard of this new industry which had arisen within

the limits of their possessions, they pursued the vessels of the

buccaneers wherever they were seen, and relentlessly destroyed them and

their crews. But there were not enough Spanish vessels to put down the

trade in dried beef; more European vessels--generally English and

French--stopped at San Domingo; more bands of hunting sailors made their

way into the interior. When these daring fellows knew that the Spaniards

were determined to break up their trade, they became more determined

that it should not be broken up, and they armed themselves and their

vessels so that they might be able to make a defence against the Spanish

men-of-war.

Thus gradually and almost imperceptibly a state of maritime warfare grew

up in the waters of the West Indies between Spain and the beef-traders

of other nations; and from being obliged to fight, the buccaneers became

glad to fight, provided that it was Spain they fought. True to her

policy of despotism and cruelty when dealing with her American

possessions, Spain waged a bitter and bloody war against the buccaneers

who dared to interfere with the commercial relations between herself and

her West India colonies, and in return, the buccaneers were just as

bitter and savage in their warfare against Spain. From defending

themselves against Spanish attacks, they began to attack Spaniards

whenever there was any chance of success, at first only upon the sea,

but afterwards on land. The cruelty and ferocity of Spanish rule had

brought them into existence, and it was against Spain and her

possessions that the cruelty and ferocity which she had taught them were

now directed.

When the buccaneers had begun to understand each other and to effect

organizations among themselves, they adopted a general name,--"The

Brethren of the Coast." The outside world, especially the Spanish world,

called them pirates, sea-robbers, buccaneers,--any title which would

express their lawless character, but in their own denomination of

themselves they expressed only their fraternal relations; and for the

greater part of their career, they truly stood by each other like

brothers.