THE STRANGE ADVENTURES OF PHILIP ASHTON
On Friday, June 15, 1722, a number of the vessels of the fishing
fleet hailing from Massachusetts Bay, were at anchor at Port Roseway
near what is now Shelburne, Nova Scotia. It was the custom of these
God-fearing fishermen, when possible, to come into some harbor not too
remote from their fishing grounds and there to spend the Sabbath. On
this occasion thirteen schooners and shallops were lying peacefully
at anchor when a strange brigantine hove in sight and soon found an
anchorage near them. She seemed to be an inward bound vessel from the
West Indies and little attention was paid to her at first, even when a
boat put off from her side with four men in it. When this boat’s crew
reached the side of the nearest fisherman, the men climbed boldly on
board and drawing pistols and cutlasses demanded a surrender.
The brigantine turned out to be the “Rebecca,” owned in Boston, but
recently captured and then commanded by Capt. Edward Low, the Boston
man who had become a pirate and whose bloody excesses were becoming
more notorious every day. One by one the fishermen surrendered and
were pillaged.[129] On Tuesday, the 19th, Low decided to take for
his “privateer,” the new schooner “Mary,” owned by Joseph Dolliber
of Marblehead. He fitted her with ten guns, renamed her the “Fancy,”
and went aboard with a crew of fifty men, including eight whom he
forced from among the fishermen. The forced men were Philip Ashton
and Nicholas Merritt, masters; Joseph Libbie, one of Ashton’s crew;
Lawrence Fabens, one of the crew of the schooner “Rebeckah,” all of
Marblehead, and four other men belonging to Piscataqua and the Isles of
Shoals, all nimble young men, about twenty years of age and unmarried.
Low shipped the prisoners he designed to send home, on board his late
brigantine, the “Rebecca,” of Boston, which he and his consort Lowther
had taken May 28th, and gave her to her former master, Capt. James
Flucker, with orders to take them to Boston. On their arrival the
news was duly published in the _Boston News-Letter_ of July 2d, with
the customary advertisement as to the forcing, but in order to make
the matter doubly sure, a further advertisement, in more legal form,
appeared in the _News-Letter_, of July 9th, viz:--
“Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New-England, Essex, ss.
Anno Regni Regis Georgij nunc Magna Britaniæ, &c. Octavo.
“The Depositions of Thomas Trefry late Master of the Scooner
Mary; Robert Gilford Master of the Shallop Elizabeth; and John
Collyer, one of the Crew belonging to the Scooner Samuel,
William Nichols Master, all of Marblehead in the County of
Essex, Fisher men, Testify and say, That as they were upon
their lawfull Imployment nigh Cape Sables, on or about the
14th, 15th and 16th Days of June last past, they were taken
Prisoners by Captain Edward Low a Pirate then Commander of the
Brigantine [Rebecca] but since removed himself into the before
named Scooner Mary, which they took from the Deponent Trefry;
and besides these Deponents they took several other Fishing
Vessels, viz.: _Nicholas Merrit Master of the Shallop Jane_,
_Philip Ashton Master of the Scooner Milton_, _Joseph Libby
one of said Ashton’s Crew_, _Lawrence Phabens one of the Crew
belonging to the Scooner Rebeckah, Thomas Salter Commander_,
all these four Men, to wit, Nicholas Merrit, Philip Ashton,
Joseph Libbey, and Lawrence Phabens, being Young Nimble Men of
about Twenty Years of Age, the Pirates kept them by Force and
would not let them go tho’ they pleaded as much as they dare
to, yet nothing would avail, so as they wept like Children; yet
notwithstanding they forceably Carried them away to the great
Grief and Sorrow of the aforenamed four Young Men, as well as
these Deponents; and when any of these Deponents mentioned any
thing in favour of the said four Young Men, the Quarter Master
of the Pirate Publickly Declared, They would carry them, and
let them send to New England and Publish it if they pleased.
The Deponants further say, That the said Pirates constrained
four more Fisher men belonging to Piscataqua, and the Isle of
Sholes to go with them against their wills also.
“Salem, July the 3d 1722.
Thomas Trefry,
John Collyer,
Robert Gilford.
Essex, ss. Salem, July the 3d, 1722.
“Then Thomas Trefry, John Collyer and Robert Gilford the
Three Deponants above named personally Appearing made Oath to
the Truth of the foregoing Deposition taken ad Perpetuam rei
memoriam.
{ Josiah Wolcot Justices of the Peace
“Coram Nobis { Stephen Sewall Quorum Unis
“A True Copy of the Original, and as of Record appears.
Examin’d per Stephen Sewall, Regist.”
--_Boston News-Letter_, July 9, 1722.
Philip Ashton served, unwillingly, with Low in the schooner “Fancy,” in
the “Rose Pink,” alias “Frigate,” and again in the “Fancy,” with Low’s
late quartermaster, Francis Farrington Spriggs. In the spring of 1723,
Low went to the island of Roatan, in the Bay of Honduras, to clean and
refit his fleet. Roatan lies in the latitude of 16° 31’ and is about
thirty miles long. On March 9, 1723, while there, Ashton went ashore
with the cooper and others for water and managed to escape and after
five days Low and Spriggs sailed away without him. Ashton remained
alone on the island, except for three days, until June, 1724, when he
was joined by eighteen Bay men, seeking shelter from the Spaniards, who
took him with them to the Island of Barbarat. Ashton then made several
hunting trips to the island of Bonaco and in the spring of 1725 was
found there by Captain Dove, the master of a Salem brigantine, who came
in over the shoals for water. They sailed for Salem on March 31st, and
Ashton arrived home May, 1725, having been absent almost three years.
The _New England Courant_ announced his return soon after as follows:--
“Boston, May 10. We hear from Salem, that a Vessel arrived
there from the Bay [of Honduras] _has brought a Man who was
taken by Low the Pirate some Years since_, and ran away from
him when he went ashore at a Maroon Island to take in Water,
where he had been above two Years, when some of this Vessel’s
Company going on Shore brought him off.”
Shortly after Ashton’s return to Marblehead, Roads, the historian of
Marblehead, says the next Sunday, which would have been the day after
his return, the Rev. John Barnard, pastor of the First Church, preached
a sermon on “God’s Ability to Save His People from All Danger,” using
for his text Daniel III, 17.[130]
Philip Ashton[131] and his parents were present and the sermon closed
with a personal address to him.
Public interest having been aroused in the local Robinson Crusoe,
who, indeed, had gone Alexander Selkirk one better, having landed on
an uninhabited island wearing only a frock, trousers and cap, without
a shirt or shoes, stockings, knife or other iron instrument, or any
means of making a fire, and who had lived there nine months without
fire or cooked food, there was naturally a demand for an account of his
adventures. This was met by Mr. Barnard, who, on Aug. 3d, 1725, writing
from Marblehead, says:--
“The great Reason why this Narrative, which has been so long
wished for, has no sooner appeared, is because Mr. Ashton has
necessarily been so absent, that I have not been able to get
the opportunity of Conferring with him, more than two or three
times, about the Remarkable Occurrences he has met with; and
having no leisure himself to write, I have taken the Minutes of
all from his own Mouth, and after I had put them together, I
have improved the first vacant Hour, I could, to Read it over
distinctly to him, that he might Correct the Errors, that might
arise from my misunderstanding his Report. Thus corrected, he
has set his Hand to it as his own History.
“I have added to a short Account of Mr. Nicholas Merritt, (who
was taken at the same time with Mr. Ashton), the manner of his
Escape from the Pirates, and the hard usage he met with upon
it, till his return to his own Country; which I had from his
own Mouth, all tending to the same end and purpose.”
The narrative was soon published under the following title:--
“ASHTON’S MEMORIAL. / An / History / of the / Strange
Adventures, / and / Signal Deliverances, / of / Mr. Philip
Ashton, / Who, after he had made his Escape from the Pirates,
liv’d alone on a Desolate / Island for about Sixteen Months,
&c. / With A Short Account of Mr. Nicholas Merritt, / who was
taken at the same time. / To which is added / A Sermon on Dan.
3. 17. / By John Barnard V. D. M. / _We should not trust in
our selves, but in God; / --who delivered us from so great
a Death, and doth deliver; in whom we trust, that he will
yet deliver us._ / 11. Cor. 9. 10. / Boston, N. E. Printed for
Samuel Gerrish, at his Shop in Corn-Hill, 1725.”
An edition was also published in London the next year and reprints in
whole or in part have been made at Portland, Me., in 1810; Edinburgh,
1815; Boston, 1850; and Marblehead in 1910.
* * * * *
This interesting recital of the veritable experiences of a New England
man on board notorious pirate vessels, together with other adventures
that fall to the lot of but few men, is here reprinted as a document of
great value in corroborating many of the statements appearing elsewhere
in this volume in chapters devoted to the exploits of Low, Lowther and
Spriggs.
[Illustration:
_Ashton’s_ Memorial.
AN
_HISTORY_
OF THE
Strange Adventures,
AND
Signal Deliverances,
OF
Mr. _Philip Ashton_,
Who, after he had made his Escape from the
PIRATES, liv’d alone on a Desolate
_Island_ for about Sixteen Months, &c.
WITH
A short Account of Mr. _Nicholas Merritt_,
who was taken at the same time.
To which is added
A SERMON on _Dan. 3. 17._
By JOHN BARNARD, V. D. M.
----_We should not trust in our selves, but in God;
----who delivered us from so great a Death, and doth
deliver; in whom we trust, that he will yet deliver us._
II. Cor. I. 9, 10.
_BOSTON_, N. E. Printed for _Samuel Gerrish_,
at his Shop in Corn-Hill, 1725.
]
FOOTNOTES
[129] Among the thirteen vessels taken were the following from
Marblehead, viz.:--schooner Milton, Philip Ashton, master; shallop
Jane, Nicholas Merritt, master; schooner Rebeckah, Thomas Salter,
master; schooner Mary, Thomas Trefry, master; shallop Elizabeth, Robert
Gifford, master; schooner Samuel, William Nichols, master.
[130] “If it be so, our God whome we serve, is able to Deliver us from
the Burning Fiery Furnace, and He will Deliver us out of thine Hand, O
King.”
[131] Ashton was the son of Philip and Sarah (Hendly) Ashton, and was
born in Marblehead, Aug. 12, 1702. He married, first, Jane or Jean
Gallison, Dec. 8, 1726, who bore him a daughter Sarah, baptized Dec. 3,
1727, in the First Church, the mother dying a week later.
On July 15, 1729, he married, second, Sarah Bartlett and they had
Eliza, baptized Oct. 25, 1730; Philip, baptized May 28, 1732; William,
baptized Oct. 20, 1734; Thomas, baptized Apr. 17, 1737 and Jean,
baptized Aug. 15, 1742. The date of his death is not known.
ASHTON’S MEMORIAL
AN HISTORY OF THE STRANGE ADVENTURES, AND SIGNAL
DELIVERANCES OF
MR. PHILIP ASHTON, JUN.
OF MARBLEHEAD
Upon Friday, June 15th, 1722, After I had been out for some time in the
Schooner Milton, upon the Fishing grounds, off Cape Sable Shoar, among
others, I came to Sail in Company with Nicholas Merritt, in a Shallop,
and stood in for Port-Rossaway, designing to Harbour there, till the
Sabbath was over; where we Arrived about Four of the Clock in the
Afternoon. When we came into the Harbour, where several of our Fishing
Vessels had arrived before us, we spy’d among them a Brigantine, which
we supposed to have been an Inward bound Vessel, from the West Indies,
and had no apprehensions of any Danger from her; but by that time we
had been at Anchor two or three Hours, a Boat from the Brigantine, with
Four hands, came along side of us, and the Men Jumpt in upon our Deck,
without our suspecting any thing but that they were Friends, come on
board to visit, or inquire what News; till they drew their Cutlasses
and Pistols from under their Clothes, and Cock’d the one and Brandish’d
the other, and began to Curse & Swear at us, and demanded a Surrender
of our Selves and Vessel to them. It was too late for us to rectify our
Mistake, and think of Freeing our Selves from their power; for however
we might have been able, (being Five of us and a Boy) to have kept them
at a Distance, had we known who they were, before they had boarded us;
yet now we had our Arms to seek, and being in no Capacity to make any
Resistance, were necessitated to submit our selves to their will and
pleasure. In this manner they surprised Nicholas Merritt, and 12 or 13
other Fishing Vessels this Evening.
When the Boat went off from our Vessel, they carried me on board the
Brigantine, and who should it prove but the Infamous Ned Low, the
Pirate, with about 42 Hands, 2 Great Guns, and 4 Swivel Guns. You may
easily imagine how I look’d, and felt, when too late to prevent it, I
found my self fallen into the hands of such a mad, roaring, mischievous
Crew; yet I hoped, that they would not force me away with them, and I
purposed to endure any hardship among them patiently, rather than turn
Pirate with them.
Low presently sent for me Aft, and according to the Pirates usual
Custom, and in their proper Dialect, asked me, If I would sign their
Articles, and go along with them. I told him, No; I could by no means
consent to go with them, I should be glad if he would give me my
Liberty, and put me on board any Vessel, or set me on shoar there.
For indeed my dislike of their Company and Actions, my concern for my
Parents, and my fears of being found in such bad Company, made me dread
the thoughts of being carried away by them; so that I had not the least
Inclination to continue with them.
Upon my utter Refusal to joyn and go with them, I was thrust down into
the Hold, which I found to be a safe retreat for me several times
afterwards. By that time, I had been in the Hold a few Hours, they had
compleated the taking the several Vessels that were in the Harbour, and
the Examining of the Men; and the next Day I was fetched up with some
others that were there, and about 30 or 40 of us were put on board a
Schooner belonging to Mr. Orn of Marblehead, which the Pirates made use
of for a sort of a Prison, upon the present occasion; where we were
all confined unarm’d, with an armed Guard over us, till the Sultan’s
pleasure should be further known.
The next Lord’s Day about Noon, one of the Quarter Masters, John Russel
by Name, came on board the Schooner and took six of us, (Nicholas
Merritt,[132] Joseph Libbie,[133] Lawrence Fabens,[134] and my self,
all of Marblehead, the Eldest of, if I mistake not, under 21 Years of
Age, with two others) and carried us on board the Brigantine; where we
were called upon the Quarter Deck, and Low came up to us with Pistol
in hand, and with a full mouth demanded, Are any of you, Married Men?
This short and unexpected Question, and the sight of the Pistol, struck
us all dumb, and not a Man of us dared to speak a word, for fear there
should have been a design in it, which we were not able to see thro’.
Our Silence kindled our new Master into a Flame, who could not bear it,
that so many Beardless Boyes should deny him an Answer to so plain a
Question; and therefore in a Rage, he Cock’d his Pistol, and clapt it
to my Head, and cryed out, You D--g! why don’t you Answer me? and Swore
vehemently, he would shoot me thro’ the Head, if I did not tell him
immediately, whether I was Married or no.
I was sufficiently frightened at the fierceness of the Man, and the
boldness of his threatening, but rather than lose my Life for so
trifling a matter, I e’en ventured at length to tell him, I was not
Married, as loud as I dar’d to speak it; and so said the rest of my
Companions. Upon this he seemed something pacified, and turned away
from us.
It seems his design was to take no Married Man away with him, how young
soever he might be, which I often wondred at; till after I had been
with him some considerable time, and could observe in him an uneasiness
in the sentiments of his Mind, and the workings of his passions towards
a young Child he had at Boston (his Wife being Dead, as I learned, some
small time before he turned Pirate) which upon every lucid interval
from Revelling and Drink he would express a great tenderness for,
insomuch that I have seen him sit down and weep plentifully upon the
mentioning of it; and then I concluded, that probably the Reason of
his taking none but Single Men was, that he might have none with him
under the Influence of such powerful attractives, as a Wife & Children,
lest they should grow uneasy in his Service, and have an Inclination to
Desert him, and return home for the sake of their Families.
Low presently came up to us again, and asked the Old Question,
Whether we would Sign their Articles, and go along with them? We all
told him No; we could not; so we were dismissed. But within a little
while we were call’d to him Singly, and then it was demanded of me,
with Sternness and Threats, whether I would Joyn with them? I still
persisted in the Denial; which thro’ the assistance of Heaven, I was
resolved to do, tho’ he shot me. And as I understood, all my Six
Companions, who were called in their turns, still refused to go with
him.
Then I was led down into the Steerage, by one of the Quarter-Masters,
and there I was assaulted with Temptations of another kind, in hopes to
win me over to become one of them; a number of them got about me, and
instead of Hissing, shook their Rattles, and treated me with abundance
of Respect and Kindness, in their way; they did all they could to
sooth my Sorrows, and set before me the strong Allurement of the Vast
Riches they should gain, and what Mighty Men they designed to be, and
would fain have me to joyn with them, and share in their Spoils; and
to make all go down the more Glib, they greatly Importuned me to Drink
with them, not doubting but this wile would sufficiently entangle me,
and so they should prevail with me to do that in my Cups, which they
perceived they could not bring me to while I was Sober; but all their
fair and plausible Carriage, their proffered Kindness, and airy notions
of Riches, had not the Effect upon me which they desired; and I had no
Inclination to drown my Sorrows with my Senses in their Inebriating
Bowls, and so refused their Drink, as well as their Proposals.
After this I was brought upon Deck again, and Low came up to me, with
His Pistol Cock’d, and clap’d it to my Head, and said to me, You D--g
you! if you will not Sign our Articles, and go along with me, I’ll
shoot you thro’ the Head, and uttered his Threats with his utmost
Fierceness, and with the usual Flashes of Swearing and Cursing. I told
him, That I was in his hands, and he might do with me what he pleased,
but I could not be willing to go with him: and then I earnestly beg’d
of him, with many Tears, and used all the Arguments I could think of to
perswade him, not to carry me away; but he was deaf to my Cryes, and
unmoved by all I could say to him; and told me, I was an Impudent Dog,
and Swore, I should go with him whether I would or no. So I found all
my Cryes, and Entreaties were in vain, and there was no help for it, go
with them I must, and as I understood, they set mine and my Townsmens
Names down in their Book, tho’ against our Consent. And I desire to
mention it with due Acknowledgments to GOD, who withheld me, that
neither their promises, nor their threatenings, nor blows could move
me to a willingness to Joyn with them in their pernicious ways.
Upon Tuesday, June 19th, they changed their Vessel, and took for
their Privateer, as they call’d it, a Schooner belonging to Mr.
Joseph Dolliber of Marblehead, being new, clean, and a good Sailer,
and shipped all their hands on board her, and put the Prisoners, such
as they designed to send home, on board the Brigantine, with one
---------------- who was her Master, and ordered them for Boston.
When I saw the Captives were likely to be sent Home, I thought I would
make one attempt more to obtain my Freedom, and accordingly Nicholas
Merrit, my Townsman and Kinsman, went along with me to Low, and we
fell upon our Knees, and with utmost Importunity besought him to let
us go Home in the Brigantine, among the rest of the Captives: but he
immediately called for his Pistols, and told us we should not go, and
Swore bitterly, if either of us offered to stir, he would shoot us down.
Thus all attempts to be delivered out of the hands of unreasonable Men
(if they may be called Men) were hitherto unsuccessful; and I had the
melancholy prospect of seeing the Brigantine sail away with the most of
us that were taken at Port-Rossaway, but my self, and three Townsmen
mentioned, and four of Shoal-men detained on board the Schooner, in the
worst of Captivity, without any present likelyhood of Escaping.
And yet before the Brigantine sailed, an opportunity presented, that
gave me some hopes that I might get away from them; for some of Low’s
people, who had been on shoar at Port-Rossaway to get water, had left
a Dog belonging to him behind them; and Low observing the Dog a shoar
howling to come off, order’d some hands to take the Boat and fetch him.
Two Young Men, John Holman, and Benjamin Ashton, both of Marblehead,
readily Jumpt into the Boat, and I (who pretty well know their
Inclination to be rid of such Company, & was exceedingly desirous my
self to be freed from my present Station, and thought if I could but
once set foot on shoar, they should have good luck to get me on board
again) was getting over the side into the Boat; but Quarter Master
Russel spy’d me, and caught hold on my Shoulder, and drew me in board,
and with a Curse told me, Two was eno’, I should not go. The two Young
Men had more sense and virtue than to come off to them again, so that
after some time of waiting, they found they were deprived of their Men,
their Boat, and their Dog; and they could not go after them.
When they saw what a trick was play’d them, the Quarter Master came up
to me Cursing and Swearing, that I knew of their design to Run away,
and intended to have been one of them; but tho’ it would have been an
unspeakable pleasure to me to have been with them, yet I was forced
to tell him, I knew not of their design; and indeed I did not, tho’
I had good reason to suspect what would be the event of their going.
This did not pacifie the Quarter-Master, who with outragious Cursing
and Swearing clapt his Pistol to my Head, and snap’d it; but it miss’d
Fire: this enraged him the more; and he repeated the snapping of his
Pistol at my Head three times, and it as often miss’d Fire; upon which
he held it over-board, and snap’d it the fourth time, and then it went
off very readily. (Thus did GOD mercifully quench the violence of the
Fire, that was meant to destroy me!) The Quarter-Master upon this, in
the utmost fury, drew his Cutlass, and fell upon me with it, but I
leap’d down into the Hold, and got among a Crowd that was there, and
so escaped the further effects of his madness and rage. Thus, tho’
GOD suffered me not to gain my wished-for Freedom, yet he wonderfully
preserved me from Death.
All hopes of obtaining Deliverance were now past and gone; the
Brigantine and Fishing Vessels were upon their way homeward, the Boat
was ashore, and not likely to come off again; I could see no possible
way of Escape; and who can express the concern and Agony I was in, to
see my self, a Young Lad not 20 Years Old, carried forcibly from my
Parents, whom I had so much reason to value for the tenderness I knew
they had for me, & to whom my being among Pyrates, would be as a Sword
in their Bowels, and the Anguishes of death to them; confined to such
Company as I could not but have an exceeding great abhorrence of; in
Danger of being poisoned in my morals, by Living among them, and of
falling a Sacrifice to Justice, if ever I should be taken with them.
I had no way left for my Comfort, but earnestly to commit my self and
my cause to GOD, and wait upon Him for Deliverance in his own time and
way; and in the mean while firmly to resolve, thro’ Divine Assistance,
that nothing should ever bring me to a willingness to Joyn with them,
or share in their Spoils.
I soon found that any Death was preferible to being link’d with such
a vile Crew of Miscreants, to whom it was a sport to do Mischief;
where prodigious Drinking, monstrous Cursing and Swearing, hideous
Blasphemies, and open defiance of Heaven, and contempt of Hell it self,
was the constant Employment, unless when Sleep something abated the
Noise and Revellings.
Thus Confined, the best course I could take, was to keep out of the
way, down in the Hold, or wherever I could be most free from their
perpetual Din; and fixed purpose with my self, that the first time I
had an opportunity to set my Foot on shore, let it be in what part of
the World it would, it should prove (if possible) my taking a final
leave of Low and Company.
I would remark it now also (that I might not interrupt the Story
with it afterwards) that while I was on board Low, they used once a
Week, or Fortnight, as the Evil Spirit moved them, to bring me under
Examination, and anew demand my Signing their Articles, and Joyning
with them; but Blessed be GOD, I was enabled to persist in a constant
refusal to become one of them, tho’ I was thrashed with Sword or Cane,
as often as I denyed them; the fury of which I had no way to avoid,
but by Jumping down into the Hold, where for a while I was safe. I
look’d upon my self, for a long while, but as a Dead Man among them,
and expected every Day of Examination would prove the last of my Life,
till I learned from some of them, that it was one of their Articles,
Not to Draw Blood, or take away the Life of any Man, after they had
given him Quarter, unless he was to be punished as a Criminal; and this
emboldned me afterwards, so that I was not so much affraid to deny
them, seeing my Life was given me for a Prey.
This Tuesday, towards Evening, Low and Company came to sail in the
Schooner, formerly called the Mary, now the Fancy, and made off for
Newfoundland; and here they met with such an Adventure, as had like to
have proved fatal to them. They fell in with the Mouth of St. John’s
Harbour in a Fogg, before they knew where they were; when the Fogg
clearing up a little, they spy’d a large Ship riding at Anchor in the
Harbour, but could not discern what she was, by reason of the thickness
of the Air, and concluded she was a Fish-Trader; this they look’d upon
as a Boon Prize for them, and thought they should be wonderfully well
accommodated with a good Ship under Foot, and if she proved but a good
Sailer, would greatly further their Roving Designs, and render them a
Match for almost any thing they could meet with, so that they need not
fear being taken.
Accordingly they came to a Resolution to go in and take her; and
imagining it was best doing it by Stratagem, they concluded to put all
their Hands, but Six or Seven, down in the Hold, and make a shew as
if they were a Fishing Vessel, and so run up along side of her, and
surprise her, and bring her off; and great was their Joy at the distant
prospect how cleverly they should catch her. They began to put their
designs in Execution, stowed away their Hands, leaving but a few upon
Deck, and made Sail in order to seise the Prey; when there comes along
a small Fisher-Boat, from out the Harbour, and hailed them, and asked
them, from whence they were? They told them, from Barbadoes, and were
laden with Rhum and Sugar; then they asked the Fisherman, What large
Ship that was in the Harbour? who told them it was a large Man-of-War.
The very Name of a Man-of-War struck them all up in a Heap, spoil’d
their Mirth, their fair Hopes, and promising Design of having a good
Ship at Command; and lest they should catch a Tartar, they thought it
their wisest and safest way, instead of going into the Harbour, to
be gone as fast as they could: and accordingly they stretched away
farther Eastward, and put into a small Harbour, called Carboneur, about
15 Leagues distance; where they went on Shoar; took the Place, and
destroyed the Houses, but hurt none of the People; as they told me, for
I was not suffered to go a shore with them.
The next Day they made off for the Grand Bank, where they took seven
or eight Vessels, and among them a French Banker, a Ship of about 350
Tuns, and 2 Guns; this they carried off with them, and stood away for
St. Michaels.
Off of St. Michaels they took a large Portugueze Pink, laden with
Wheat, coming out of the Road, which I was told was formerly call’d the
Rose-Frigat. She struck to the Schooner, fearing the large Ship that
was coming down to them; tho’ all Low’s Force had been no Match for
her, if the Portugueze had made a good Resistance. This Pink they soon
observed to be a much better Sailer than their French Banker, which
went heavily; and therefore they threw the greatest part of the Wheat
over board, reserving only eno’ to Ballast the Vessel for the present,
and took what they wanted out of the Banker, and then Burnt her, and
sent the most of the Portugueze away in a large Lanch they had taken.
Now they made the Pink, which Mounted 14 Guns, their Commodore, and
with this and the Schooner Sailed from St. Michaels, to the Canaries,
where off of Teneriff, they gave Chase to a Sloop, which got under the
Command of the Fortress, and so escaped sailing into their Hands; but
stretching along to the Western end of the Island, they came up with a
Fishing Boat, and being in want of Water, made them Pilot them into a
small Harbour, where they went a shore and got a supply.
After they had Watered, they Sailed away for Cape de Verde Islands, and
upon making the Isle of May, they descry’d a Sloop, which they took,
and it proved to be a Bristol-man, one Pare or Pier Master; this Sloop
they designed for a Tender, and put on board her my Kinsman Nicholas
Merritt, with 8 or 9 hands more, and Sailed away for Bonavista, with a
design to careen their Vessels.
In their Passage to Bonavista, the Sloop wronged both the Pink and the
Schooner; which the Hands on board observing, being mostly Forced Men,
or such as were weary of their Employment, upon the Fifth of September,
Ran away with her and made their Escape.
When they came to Bonavista, they hove down the Schooner, and careen’d
her, and then the Pink; and here they gave the Wheat, which they had
kept to Ballast the Pink with, to the Portugueze, and took other
Ballast.
After they had cleaned and fitted their Vessels, they steered away
for St. Nicholas, to get better Water; and here as I was told, 7 or
8 hands out of the Pink went a shore a Fowling, but never came off
more, among which I suppose Lawrence Fabins was one, and what became
of them I never could hear to this Day. Then they put out to Sea, and
stood away for the Coast of Brasil, hoping to meet with Richer Prizes
than they had yet taken; in the Passage thither, they made a Ship,
which they gave chase to, but could not come up with; and when they
came upon the Coast, it had like to have proved a sad Coast to them;
for the Trade-Winds blowing exceeding hard at South East, they fell in
upon the Northern part of the Coast, near 200 Leagues to the Leeward of
where they designed; and here we were all in exceeding great Danger,
and for Five Days and Nights together, hourly feared when we should
be swallowed up by the violence of the Wind and Sea, or stranded upon
some of the Shoals, that lay many Leagues off from Land. In this time
of Extremity, the Poor Wretches had no where to go for Help! For they
were at open Defiance with their Maker, & they could have but little
comfort in the thoughts of their Agreement with Hell; such mighty
Hectors as they were, in a clear Sky and a fair Gale, yet a fierce
Wing and a boisterous Sea sunk their Spirits to a Cowardly dejection,
and they evidently feared the Almighty, whom before they defied, lest
He was come to Torment them before their expected Time; and tho’ they
were so habituated to Cursing and Swearing, that the Dismal Prospect of
Death, & this of so long Continuance, could not Correct the language of
most of them, yet you might plainly see the inward Horror and Anguish
of their Minds, visible in their Countenances, and like Men amazed, or
starting out of Sleep in a fright, I could hear them ever now and then,
cry out, Oh! I wish I were at Home.
When the Fierceness of the Weather was over, and they had recovered
their Spirits, by the help of a little Nantes, they bore away to the
West Indies, and made the three Islands call’d the Triangles, lying off
the Main about 40 Leagues to the Eastward of Surinam. Here they went
in and careened their Vessels again; and it had like to have proved a
fatal Scouring to them.
For as they hove down the Pink, Low had ordered so many hands upon the
Shrouds, and Yards, to throw her Bottom out of Water, that it threw
her Ports, which were open, under Water; and the Water flow’d in with
such freedom that it presently overset her. Low and the Doctor were in
the Cabin together, and as soon as he perceived the Water to gush in
upon him, he bolted out at one of the Stern-Ports, which the Doctor
also attempted, but the Sea rushed so violently into the Port by that
time, as to force him back into the Cabin, upon which Low nimbly run
his Arm into the Port, and caught hold of his Shoulder and drew him
out, and so saved him. The Vessel pitched her Masts to the Ground,
in about 6 Fathom Water, and turn’d her Keel out of Water; but as her
Hull filled, it sunk, and by the help of her Yard-Arms, which I suppose
bore upon the Ground, her Masts were raised something out of Water;
the Men that were upon her Shrouds and Yards, got upon her Hull, when
that was uppermost, and then upon her Top-Masts and Shrouds, when
they were raised again. I (who with other light Lads were sent up to
the Main-Top-Gallant Yard) was very difficultly put to it to save my
Life, being but a poor Swimmer; for the Boat which picked the Men up,
refused to take me in, & I was put upon making the best of my way to
the Buoy, which with much ado I recovered, and it being large I stayed
my self by it, till the Boat came along close by it, and then I called
to them to take me in; but they being full of Men still refused me;
and I did not know but they meant to leave me to perish there; but the
Boat making way a head very slowly because of her deep load, and Joseph
Libbie calling to me to put off from the Buoy and Swim to them, I e’en
ventured it, and he took me by the hand and drew me in board. They lost
two Men by this Accident, viz. John Bell, and one they called Zana
Gourdon. The Men that were on board the Schooner were busy a mending
the Sails, under an Auning, so they knew nothing of what had happened
to the Pink, till the Boat full of Men came along side of them, tho’
they were but about Gun-Shot off, and We made a great out-cry; and
therefore they sent not their Boat to help take up the Men.
And now Low and his Gang, having lost their Frigate, and with her the
greatest part of their Provision and Water, were again reduced to their
Schooner as their only Privateer, and in her they put to Sea, and were
brought to very great straits for want of Water; for they could not get
a supply at the Triangles, and when they hoped to furnish themselves
at Tobago, the Current set so strong, & the Season was so Calm, that
they could not recover the Harbour, so they were forced to stand away
for Grand Grenada, a French Island about 18 Leagues to the Westward of
Tobago, which they gained, after they had been at the hardship of half
a pint of Water a Man for Sixteen Dayes together.
Here the French came on board, and Low having put all his Men down, but
a sufficient number to Sail the Vessel, told them upon their Enquiry,
Whence he was, that he was come from Barbadoes, and had lost his Water;
and was oblig’d to put in for a recruit; the poor People not suspecting
him for a Pyrate, readily suffered him to send his Men ashoar and fetch
off a supply. But the Frenchmen afterwards suspecting he was a Smugling
Trader, thought to have made a Boon Prize of him, and the next day
fitted out a large Rhode-Island built Sloop of 70 Tuns, with 4 Guns
mounted, and about 30 Hands, with design to have taken him. Low was
apprehensive of no danger from them, till they came close along side of
him and plainly discovered their design, by their Number and Actions,
and then he called up his hands upon Deck, and having about 90 Hands on
board, & 8 Guns mounted, the Sloop and Frenchmen fell an easy prey to
him, and he made a Privateer of her.
After this they cruised for some time thro’ the West Indies, in which
excursion they took 7 or 8 Sail of Vessels, chiefly Sloops; at length
they came to Santa Cruiz, where they took two Sloops more, & then came
to Anchor off the Island.
While they lay an Anchor here, it came into Low’s Head, that he wanted
a Doctor’s Chest, & in order to procure one, he put four of the
Frenchmen on board one of the Sloops, which he had just now taken, &
sent them away to St. Thomas’s, about 12 Leagues off where the Sloops
belonged, with the promise, that if they would presently send him off a
good Doctor’s Chest, for what he sent to purchase it with, they should
have their Men & Vessels again, but if not, he would kill all the Men
& burn the Vessels. The poor People in Compassion to their Neighbours,
& to preserve their Interest, readily complyed with his Demands; so
that in little more than 24 Hours the four Frenchmen returned with what
they went for, & then according to promise, they & their Sloops were
Dismissed.
From Santa Cruz they Sailed till they made Curacao, in which Passage
they gave Chase to two Sloops that out sailed them & got clear; then
they Ranged the Coast of New Spain, and made Carthagena, & about
mid-way between Carthagena and Port-Abella, they descry’d two tall
Ships, which proved to be the Mermaid Man-of-War, & a large Guinea-Man.
Low was now in the Rhode Island Sloop, & one Farrington Spriggs a
Quarter-Master, was Commander of the Schooner, where I still was. For
some time they made Sail after the two Ships, till they came so near
that they could plainly see the Man-of-War’s large range of Teeth, &
then they turned Tail to, and made the best of their way from them;
upon which the Man-of-War gave them Chase & overhalled them apace. And
now I confess I was in as great terrour as ever I had been yet, for I
concluded we should be taken, & I could expect no other butt to Dye for
Companies sake; so true is what Solomon tells us, a Companion of Fools
shall be destroyed. But the Pirates finding the Man-of-War to overhale
them, separated, & Low stood out to Sea, & Spriggs stood in for the
Shoar. The Man-of-War observing the Sloop to be the larger Vessel
much, and fullest of Men, threw out all the Sail she could, & stood
after her, and was in a fair way of coming up with her presently. But
it hapened there was one Man on board the Sloop, that knew of a Shoal
Ground thereabouts, who directed Low to run over it; he did so; and
the Man-of-War who had now so forereached him as to sling a Shot over
him, in the close pursuit ran a Ground upon the Shoal, and so Low and
Company escaped Hanging for this time.
Spriggs, who was in the Schooner, when he saw the Danger they were in
of being taken, upon the Man-of-War’s outsailing them, was afraid of
falling into the hands of Justice; to prevent which, he, and one of
his Chief Companions, took their Pistols, and laid them down by them,
and solemnly Swore to each other, and pledg’d the Oath in a Bumper of
Liquor, that if they saw there was at last no possibility of Escaping,
but that they should be taken, they would set Foot to Foot, and Shoot
one another, to Escape Justice and the Halter. As if Divine Justice
were not as inexorable as Humane!
[Illustration: PIRATES BOARDING A SPANISH VESSEL IN THE WEST INDIES
From an engraving in “The History and Lives of the most Notorious
Pirates,” by an old Seaman, London, n.d., in possession of Capt. Ernest
H. Pentecost, R.N.R.]
But, as I said, he stood in for the Shoar, and made into Pickeroon Bay,
about 18 Leagues from Carbagena, and so got out of reach of Danger.
By this means the Sloop and Schooner were parted; and Spriggs made
Sail towards the Bay of Honduras, and came to Anchor in a small Island
called Utilla, about 7 or 8 Leagues to Leeward of Roatan, where by the
help of a small Sloop, he had taken the Day before, he haled down, and
cleaned the Schooner.
While Spriggs lay at Utilla, there was an Opportunity presented, which
gave occasion to several of us to form a design, of making our Escape
out of the Pirates Company; for having lost Low, and being but weak
handed, Spriggs had determined to go thro’ the Gulf, and come upon the
Coast of New-England, to encrease his Company, and supply himself with
Provision; whereupon a Number of us had entred into a Combination, to
take the first fair advantage, to Subdue our Masters; and Free our
selves. There were in all about 22 Men on board the Schooner, and 8
of us were in the Plot, which was, That when we should come upon the
Coast of New-England, we would take the opportunity when the Crew had
sufficiently dozed themselves with Drink, and had got sound a Sleep, to
secure them under the Hatches, and bring the Vessel and Company in, and
throw ourselves upon the Mercy of the Government.
But it pleased GOD to disappoint our Design. The Day that they came
to Sail out of Utilla, after they had been parted from Low about five
Weeks, they discovered a large Sloop, which bore down upon them.
Spriggs, who knew not the Sloop, but imagined it might be a Spanish
Privateer, full of Men, being but weak handed himself, made the best
of his way from her. The Sloop greatly overhaled the Schooner. Low,
who knew the Schooner, & thought that since they had been separated,
she might have fallen into the hands of honest Men, fired upon her, &
struck her the first Shot. Spriggs, seeing the Sloop fuller of Men than
ordinary, (for Low had been to Honduras, & had taken a Sloop, & brought
off several Baymen, & was now become an Hundred strong) & remaining
still ignorant of his old Mate, refused to bring to, but continued to
make off; and resolved if they came up with him, to fight them the best
he could. Thus the Harpies had like to have fallen fowl of one another.
But Low hoisting his Pirate Colours, discovered who he was; and then,
hideous was the noisy Joy among the Piratical Crew, on all sides,
accompanied with Firing, & Carousing, at the finding their Old Master,
& Companions, & their narrow Escape; and so the design of Crusing upon
the Coast of New-England came to nothing. A good Providence it was to
my dear Country, that it did so; unless we could have timely succeeded
in our design to surprise them.
Yet it had like to have proved a fatal Providence to those of us that
had a hand in the Plot; for tho’ our design of surprising Spriggs and
Company, when we should come upon the Coast of New-England, was carried
with as much secrecy as was possible, (we hardly daring to trust one
another, and mentioning it always with utmost privacy, and not plainly,
but in distant hints) yet now that Low appeared, Spriggs had got an
account of it some way or other; and full of Resentment and Rage he
goes aboard Low, and acquaints him with what he called our Treacherous
design, and says all he can to provoke him to Revenge the Mischief upon
us, and earnestly urged that we might be shot. But GOD who has the
Hearts of all Men in His own Hands, and turns them as He pleases, so
over ruled, that Low turned it off with a Laugh, and said he did not
know, but if it had been his own case, as it was ours, he should have
done so himself; and all that Spriggs could say was not able to stir up
his Resentments, and procure any heavy Sentence upon us.
Thus Low’s merry Air saved us at that time; for had he lisped a Word in
compliance with what Spriggs urged, we had surely some of us, if not
all, have been lost. Upon this he comes on board the Schooner again,
heated with Drink, but more chased in his own mind, that he could not
have his Will of us, and swore & tore like a Madman, crying out that
four of us ought to go forward, & be shot; and to me in particular he
said, You D--g, Ashton, deserve to be hang’d up at the Yards Arm, for
designing to cut us off. I told him, I had no design of hurting any man
on board, but if they would let me go away quietly I should be glad.
This matter made a very great noise on board for several Hours, but at
length the Fire was quenched, and thro’ the Goodness of GOD, I escaped
being consumed by the violence of the Flame.
The next Day, Low ordered all into Roatan Harbour to clean, and here it
was that thro’ the Favour of GOD to me, I first gained Deliverance out
of the Pirates hands; tho’ it was a long while before my Deliverance
was perfected, in a return to my Country, and Friends; as you will see
in the Sequel.
Roatan Harbour, as all about the Gulf of Honduras, is full of small
Islands, which go by the General Name of the Keys. When we had got in
here, Low and some of his Chief Men had got a shoar upon one of these
small Islands, which they called Port-Royal Key, where they made them
Booths, and were Carousing, Drinking, and Firing, while the two Sloops,
the Rhode-Island, and that which Low brought with him from the Bay were
cleaning. As for the Schooner, he loaded her with the Logwood which the
Sloop brought from the Bay, & gave her, according to promise, to one
John Blaze, and put four men along with him in her, and when they came
to Sail from this Place, sent them away upon their own account, and
what became of them I know not.
Upon Saturday the 9th of March, 1723, the Cooper with Six hands in the
Long-Boat were going ashore at the Watering place to fill their Casks;
as he came along by the Schooner I called to him and asked him, if he
were going a shoar? he told me Yes; then I asked him, if he would take
me along with him; he seemed to hesitate at the first; but I urged
that I had never been on shoar yet, since I first came on board, and I
thought it very hard that I should be so closely confined, when every
one else had the Liberty of going ashoar, at several times, as there
was occasion. At length he took me in, imagining, I suppose, that there
would be no danger of my Running away in so desolate uninhabitated a
Place, as that was.
I went into the Boat with only an Ozenbrigs Frock and Trousers on, and
a Mill’d Cap upon my Head, having neither Shirt, Shoes, nor Stockings,
nor any thing else about me; whereas, had I been aware of such an
Opportunity, but one quarter of an Hour before, I could have provided
my self something better. However, thought I, if I can but once get
footing on Terra-Firma, tho’ in never so bad Circumstances, I shall
count it a happy Deliverance; for I was resolved, come what would,
never to come on board again.
Low had often told me (upon my asking him to send me away in some of
the Vessels, which he dismissed after he had taken them), that I should
go home when he did, and not before, and Swore that I should never set
foot on shoar till he did. But the time for Deliverance was now come.
GOD had ordered it that Low and Spriggs, and almost all the Commanding
Officers, were ashoar upon an Island distinct from Roatan, where the
Watering place was; He presented me in sight, when the Long Boat came
by, (the only opportunity I could have had) He had moved the Cooper to
take me into the Boat, and under such Circumstances as rendred me least
lyable to Suspicion; and so I got ashoar.
[Illustration: MAP OF THE BAY OF HONDURAS SHOWING RATTAN ISLAND
From the map in “Voyages and travels of Capt. Nathaniel Uring,” London,
1726, in the library of the Massachusetts Historical Society]
When we came first to Land, I was very Active in helping to get the
Casks out of the Boat, & Rowling them up to the Watering place; then I
lay down at the Fountain & took a hearty Draught of the Cool Water; &
anon, I gradually strol’d along the Beech, picking up Stones & Shells,
& looking about me; when I had got about Musket Shot off from them
(tho’ they had taken no Arms along with them in the Boat) I began to
make up to the Edge of the Woods; when the Cooper spying me, call’d
after me, & asked me where I was going; I told him I was going to get
some Coco-Nuts, for there were some Coco-Nut Trees just before me. So
soon as I had recovered the Woods, and lost sight of them, I betook my
self to my Heels, & ran as fast as the thickness of the Bushes, and my
naked Feet would let me. I bent my Course, not directly from them, but
rather up behind them, which I continued till I had got a considerable
way into the Woods, & yet not so far from them but that I could hear
their talk, when they spake any thing loud; and here I lay close in a
very great Thicket, being well assured, if they should take the pains
to hunt after me never so carefully they would not be able to find me.
After they had filled their Casks and were about to go off, the Cooper
called after me to come away; but I lay snug in my Thicket, and would
give him no Answer, tho’ I plainly eno’ heard him. At length they set
a hallooing for me, but I was still silent; I could hear them say to
one another, The D--g is lost in the Woods, and can’t find the way out
again; then they hallooed again; and cried, he is run-away and won’t
come again; the Cooper said, if he had thought I would have served him
so, he would not have brought me ashoar. They plainly saw it would be
in vain to seek me in such hideous Woods, and thick Brushes. When they
were weary with hallooing, the Cooper at last, to shew his good Will
to me, (I can’t but Love and Thank him for his Kindness) call’d out,
If you don’t come away presently, I’ll go off and leave you alone. But
all they could say was no Temptation to me to discover my self, and
least of all that of their going away and leaving me; for this was
the very thing I desired, that I might be rid of them, and all that
belonged to them. So finding it in vain for them to wait any longer,
they put off with their Water, without me; and thus was I left upon a
desolate Island destitute of all help, and much out of the way of all
Travellers; however this Wilderness I looked upon as Hospitable, and
this Loneliness as good Company, compared with the State and Society I
was now happily Delivered from.
When I supposed they were gone off, I came out of my Thicket, and drew
down to the Water side, about a Mile below the Watering place, where
there was a small run of Water; and here I sat down to observe their
Motions, and know when the Coast was clear; for I could not but have
some remaining fears lest they should send a Company of Armed Men after
me; yet I thought if they should, the Woods and Bushes were so thick
that it would be impossible they should find me. As yet I had nothing
to Eat, nor indeed were my Thoughts much concerned about living in this
Desolate Place, but they were chiefly taken up about my geting clear.
And to my Joy, after the Vessels had stayed five Days in this Harbour,
they came to Sail, and put out to Sea, and I plainly saw the Schooner
part from the two Sloops, and shape a different Course from them.
When they were gone and the Coast clear, I began to reflect upon my
self, and my present Condition; I was upon an Island from whence I
could not get off; I knew of no Humane Creature within many scores
of Miles of me; I had but a Scanty Cloathing, and no possibility of
getting more; I was destitute of all Provision for my Support, and
knew not how I should come at any; every thing looked with a dismal
Face; the sad prospect drew Tears from me in abundance; yet since GOD
had graciously granted my Desires, in freeing me out of the hands of
the Sons of Violence, whose Business ’tis to devise Mischief against
their Neighbour, and from whom every thing that had the least face of
Religion and Virtue was intirely Banished, (unless that Low would never
suffer his Men to work upon the Sabbath, (it was more devoted to Play)
and I have seen some of them sit down to Read in a good Book) therefore
I purposed to account all the hardship I might now meet with, as Light,
& Easy, compared with being Associated with them.
In order to find in what manner I was to Live for the time to come,
I began to Range the Island over, which I suppose is some 10 or 11
Leagues Long, in the Latitude of 16 deg. 30 min. or thereabouts. I soon
found that I must look for no Company, but the Wild Beast of the Field,
and the Fowl of the Air; with all of which I made a Firm Peace, and GOD
said Amen to it. I could discover no Footsteps of any Habitation upon
the Island; yet there was one walk of Lime Trees near a Mile long, and
ever now & then I found some broken Shreds of Earthen Pots, scattered
here and there upon the Place, which some say are some remains of the
Indians that formerly Lived upon the Island.
The Island is well Watered, and is full of Hills, high Mountains, and
lowly Vallies. The Mountains are Covered over with a sort of scrubby
black Pine, & are almost inaccessible. The Vallies abound with Fruit
Trees, and are so prodigiously thick with an underbrush, that ’tis
difficult passing.
The Fruit were Coco-Nuts, but these I could have no advantage from,
because I had no way of coming at the inside; there are Wild-Figs, and
Vines in abundance, these I chiefly lived upon, especially at first;
there is also a sort of Fruit growing upon Trees somewhat larger than
an Orange, of an Oval shape, of a brownish Colour without, and red
within, having two or three Stones about as large as a Walnut in the
midst: tho’ I saw many of these fallen under the Trees, yet I dared not
to meddle with them for sometime, till I saw some Wild Hogs eat them
with safety, and then I thought I might venture upon them too, after
such Tasters, and I found them to be a very delicious sort of Fruit;
they are called Mammees Supporters, as I learned afterwards. There are
also a sort of small Beech-Plumb, growing upon low shrubs; and a large
form of Plumb growing upon Trees, which are called Hog-Plumbs; and many
other sorts of Fruit which I am wholly a Stranger to. Only I would take
notice of the Goodness of GOD to me, in preserving me from destroying
my self by feeding upon any Noxious Fruit, as the Mangeneil Apple,
which I often took up in my hands, and look’d upon, but had not the
power to eat of; which if I had, it would have been present Death to
me, as I was informed afterwards, tho’ I knew not what it was.
There are also upon this Island, and the Adjacent Islands, and Keys,
Deer, and Wild Hogs; they abound too with Fowl of diverse sorts,
as Ducks, Teil, Curlews, Galdings, (a Fowl long Legged, and shaped
somewhat like a Heron, but not so big) Pellicans, Boobys, Pigeons,
Parrotts, &c. and the Shoars abound with Tortoise.
But of all this Store of Beast, and Fowl, I could make no use to Supply
my Necessities; tho’ my Mouth often watered for a Bit of them; yet I
was forced to go without it; for I had no Knife, or other Instrument of
Iron with me, by which to cut up a Tortoise, when I had turned it; or
to make Snares or Pitts, with which to entrap, or Bows & Arrows with
which to kill any Bird or Beast withal; nor could I by any possible
means that I knew of, come at Fire to dress any if I had taken them,
tho’ I doubt not but some would have gone down Raw if I could have come
at it.
I sometimes had thoughts of Digging Pits and covering them over with
small Branches of Trees, & laying Brush and Leaves upon them to take
some Hogs or Deer in; but all was vain imagination, I had no Shovel,
neither could I find or make any thing that would answer my end, and I
was presently convinced, that my Hands alone, were not sufficient to
make one deep and large eno’ to detain any thing that should fall into
it; so that I was forced to rest satisfied with the Fruit of the Vine,
and Trees, and looked upon it as good Provision, and very handy for one
in my Condition.
In length of time, as I was poking about the Beech, with a Stick, to
see if I could find any Tortoise Nests, (which I had heard lay their
Eggs in the Sand) I brought up part of an Egg clinging to the Stick,
and upon removing the Sand which lay over them, I found near an Hundred
& Fifty Eggs which had not been laid long eno’ to spoil; so I took some
of them and eat them: And in this way I sometimes got some Eggs to Eat,
which are not very good at the best; yet what is not good to him that
has nothing to Live upon, but what falls from the Trees.
The Tortoise lay their Eggs above High Water Mark, in a hole which they
make in the Sand, about a Foot, or a Foot and half deep, and cover them
over with the Sand, which they make as smooth & even as any part of the
Beech, so that there is no discerning where they are, by any, the least
sign of a Hillock, or Rising; and according to my best observation,
they Hatch in about 18 or 20 Days, and as soon as the Young Ones are
Hatched they betake themselves immediately to the Water.
There are many Serpents upon this, and the Adjacent Islands. There is
one sort that is very Large, as big round as a Man’s Wast, tho’ not
above 12 or 14 Feet long. These are called Owlers. They look like old
fallen Stocks of Trees covered over with a short Moss, when they lye
at their length; but they more usually lye coiled up in a round. The
first I saw of these greatly surprised me; for I was very near to it
before I discovered it to be a Living Creature, and then it opened it’s
Mouth wide eno’ to have thrown a Hat into it, and blew out its Breath
at me. This Serpent is very slow in its motion, and nothing Venemous,
as I was afterwards told by a Man, who said he had been once bitten by
one of them. There are several other smaller Serpents, some of them
very Venemous, particularly one that is called a Barber’s Pole, being
streaked White and Yellow. But I met with no Rattle-Snakes there,
unless the Pirates, nor did I ever hear of any other being there.
The Islands are also greatly infested with vexatious Insects,
especially the Musketto, and a sort of small Black Fly, (something like
a Gnat) more troublesome than the Musketto; so that if one had never so
many of the comforts of Life about him, these Insects would render his
Living here very burthensome to him; unless he retired to a small Key,
destitute of Woods and Brush, where the Wind disperses the Vermin.
The Sea hereabouts, hath a variety of Fish; such as are good to Eat,
I could not come at, and the Sharks, and Alligators or Crocodiles, I
did not care to have any thing to do with; tho’ I was once greatly
endangered by a Shark, as I shall tell afterwards.
This was the Place I was confined to; this my Society and Fellowship;
and this my State and Condition of Life. Here I spent near Nine Months;
without Converse with any Living Creature; for the Parrots here had not
been taught to Speak. Here I lingred out one Day after another, I knew
not how, without Business, or Diversion; unless gathering up my Food,
rambling from Hill to Hill, from Island to Island, gazing upon the
Water, and staring upon the Face of the Sky, may be called so.
In this Lonely and Distressed Condition, I had time to call over
my past Life; and Young as I was, I saw I had grown Old in Sin; my
Transgressions were more than my Days; and tho’ GOD had graciously
Restrained me from the Grosser Enormities of Life, yet I saw Guilt
staring me in the Face; eno’ to humble me and forever to vindicate the
Justice of GOD in all that I underwent. I called to mind many things I
had heard from the Pulpit, and what I had formerly Read in the Bible,
which I was now wholly Destitute of, tho’ I thought if I could but have
one now, it would have sweetened my Condition, by the very Diversion
of Reading, and much more from the Direction and Comfort it would have
afforded me. I had some Comforts in the midst of my Calamity. It was
no small Support to me, that I was about my Lawful Employment, when
I was first taken; and that I had no hand in bringing my Misery upon
my self, but was forced away sorely against my Will. It wonderfully
aleviated my Sorrows, to think, that I had my Parents approbation, and
consent in my going to Sea; and I often fancied to my self, that if
I had gone to Sea against their will and pleasure, and had met with
this Disaster, I should have looked upon it as a designed Punishment
of such Disobedience, and the very Reflection on it would have so
aggravated my Misery, as soon to have put an end to my Days. I looked
upon my self also, as more in the way of the Divine Blessing now, than
when I was linked to a Crew of Pirates, where I could scarce hope for
Protection and a Blessing. I plainly saw very signal Instances of the
Power & Goodness of GOD to me, in the many Deliverances which I had
already experienced (the least of which I was utterly unworthy of) and
this Encouraged me to put my Trust in Him: and tho’ I had none but GOD
to go to for help, yet I knew that He was able to do more for me than
I could ask or think: to Him therefore I committed my self, purposing
to wait hopefully upon the Lord till he should send Deliverance to me:
Trusting that in his own time and way, he would find out means for my
safe Return to my Fathers House; and earnestly entreating that he would
provide a better place for me.
It was my Daily Practice to Ramble from one part of the Island to an
other, tho’ I had a more special Home near to the Water side. Here I
had built me a House to defend me from the heat of the Sun by Day,
and the great Dews of the Night. I took some of the best Branches I
could find fallen from the Trees, and stuck them in the Ground, and
I contrived as often as I could (for I built many such Huts) to fix
them leaning against the Limb of a Tree that hung low; I split the
Palmeto Leaves and knotted the Limb & Sticks together; then I covered
them over with the largest and best Palmeto Leaves I could find. I
generally Situated my Hut near the Water side, with the open part of
it facing the Sea, that I might be the more ready upon the look out,
and have the advantage of the Sea Breeze, which both the Heat and
the Vermin required. But the Vermin, the Muskettos and Flys, grew so
troublesome to me, that I was put upon contrivance to get rid of their
Company. This led me to think of getting over to some of the Adjacent
Keys, that I might have some Rest from the disturbance of these busy
Companions. My greatest difficulty lay in getting over to any other
Island; for I was but a very poor Swimmer; and I had no Canoo, nor any
means of making one. At length I got a piece of Bamboe, which is hollow
like a Reed, and light as a Cork, and having made tryal of it under
my Breast and Arms in Swimming by the shoar; with this help I e’en
ventured to put off for a small Key about Gunshot off, and I reached it
pretty comfortably. This Key was but about 3 or 400 Feet in compass,
clear of Woods & Brush, & lay very low: & I found it so free from the
Vermin, by the free Passage of the Wind over it, that I seemed to be
got into a New World, where I lived more at ease. This I kept as a
place of Retreat, whither I retired when the Heat of the Day rendred
the Fly-kind most troublesome to me: for I was obliged to be much upon
Roatan for the sake of my Food, Water, & House. When I swam backward
& forward from my Night to my Day Island, I used to bind my Frock &
Trousers about my Head, but I could not so easily carry over Wood &
Leaves to make a Hut of; else I should have spent more of my time upon
my little Day Island.
My Swimming thus backward & forward exposed me to some Danger. Once I
Remember as I was passing from my Day to my Night Island, the Bamboe
got from under me e’er I was aware, & the Tide or Current set so
strong, that I was very difficulty put to it to recover the Shoar;
so that a few Rods more distance had in all probability landed me in
another World. At another time as I was Swimming over to my Day Island,
a Shovel nos’d Shark, (of which the Seas thereabouts are full, as well
as Alligators) struck me in the Thigh just as I set my Foot to Ground,
& so grounded himself (I suppose) by the shoalness of the Water, that
he could not turn himself to come at me with his Mouth, & so, thro’
the Goodness of GOD, I escaped falling a Prey to his devouring Teeth.
I felt the Blow he gave me some hours after I had got ashoar. By
accustoming my self to Swim, I at length grew pretty dexterous at it,
and often gave my self the Diversion of thus passing from one Island to
another among the Keys.
One of my greatest difficulties lay in my being Barefoot, my Travels
backward & forward in the Woods to hunt for my Daily Food, among the
thick under-brush, where the Ground was covered with sharp Sticks &
Stones, & upon the hot Beech among the sharp broken Shells, had made
so many Wounds and Gashes in my Feet, & some of them very large, that
I was hardly able to go at all. Very often as I was treading with all
the tenderness I could, a sharp Stone or Shell on the Beech or pointed
Stick in the Woods, would run into the Old Wounds, & the Anguish of it
would strike me down as suddenly as if I had been shot thro’, & oblige
me to set down and Weep by the hour together at the extremity of my
Pain; so that in process of time I could Travel no more than needs
must, for the necessary procuring of Food. Sometimes I have sat leaning
my Back against a Tree, with my Face to the Sea, to look out for the
passing of a Vessel for a whole Day together.
At length I grew very Weak & Faint, as well as Sore and Bruised; and
once while I was in this Condition, a Wild Boar seemed to make at me
with some Fierceness; I knew not what to do with my self, for I was not
able to defend my self against him if he should attack me. So as he
drew nearer to me, I caught hold of the Limb of a Tree which was close
by me, & drew my Body up by it from the Ground as well as I could;
while I was in this Hanging posture, the Boar came and struck at me,
but his Tushes only took hold of my shattered Trousers & tore a peice
out; and then he went his way. This I think was the only time that I
was assaulted by any Wild Beast, with whom I said I had made Peace; and
I look upon it as a Great Deliverance.
As my Weakness encreased upon me, I should often fall down as tho’
struck with a dead sleep, and many a time as I was thus falling, and
sometimes when I lay’d my self down to Sleep, I never expected to wake
or rise more; and yet in the midst of all GOD has Wonderfully preserved
me.
In the midst of this my great Soreness & Feebleness I lost the Days of
the Week, & how long I had layn in some of my numb sleepy Fits I knew
not, so that I was not able now to distinguish the Sabbath from any
other Day of the Week; tho’ all Days were in some sort a Sabbath to me.
As my Illness prevailed I wholly lost the Month, and knew not where
abouts I was in the Account of Time.
Under all this Dreadful Distress, I had no healing Balsames to apply
to my Feet, no Cordials to revive my Fainting Spirits, hardly able now
& then to get me some Figs or Grapes to Eat, nor any possible way of
coming at a Fire, which the Cool Winds, & great Rains, beginning to
come on now called for. The Rains begin about the middle of October, &
continue for Five Months together, and then the Air is Raw Cold, like
our North East Storms of Rain; only at times the Sun breaks out with
such an exceeding Fierceness, that there is hardly any enduring the
Heat of it.
I had often heard of the fetching Fire by Rubbing of two Sticks
together; but I could never get any this way; tho’ I had often
tried while I was in Health and Strength, untill I was quite tired.
Afterwards I learned the way of getting Fire from two Sticks, which I
will Publish, that it may be of Service to any that may be hereafter in
my Condition.
Take Two Sticks, the one of harder the other softer Wood, the dryer the
better, in the soft Wood make a sort of Mortice or Socket, point the
harder Wood to fit that Socket; hold the softer Wood firm between the
Knees, take the harder Wood between your Hands with the point fixed in
the Socket, and rub the Stick in your Hands backward & forward briskly
like a Drill, and it will take Fire in less than a Minute; as I have
sometimes since seen, upon experiment made of it.
But then I knew of no such Method (and it may be should have been
difficulty put to it to have formed the Mortice and Drill for want of
a Knife) and I suffered greatly without a Fire, thro’ the chillness of
the Air, the Wetness of the Season, and Living only upon Raw Fruit.
Thus I pass’d about Nine Months in this lonely, melancholy, wounded,
and languishing Condition. I often lay’d my self down as upon my last
Bed, & concluded I should certainly Dye alone, & no Body knew what was
become of me. I thought it would be some relief to me if my Parents
could but tell where I was; and then I thought their Distress would be
exceeding great, if they knew what I under went. But all such thoughts
were vain. The more my Difficulties encreased, and the nearer prospect
I had of Dying, the more it drove me upon my Knees, and made me the
more earnest in my Crys to my Maker for His favourable regards to me,
and to the Great Redeemer to pardon me, and provide for my after well
being.
And see the surprising Goodness of GOD to me, in sending me help in my
time of trouble, & that in the most unexpected way & manner, as tho’ an
Angel had been commissioned from Heaven to relieve me.
Sometime in November, 1723, I espied a small Canoo, coming towards
me with one Man in it. It did not much surprise me. A Friend I could
not hope for; and I could not resist, or hardly get out of the way
of an Enemy, nor need I fear one. I kept my Seat upon the Edge of the
Beech. As he came nearer he discovered me & seemed great surprised. He
called to me. I told him whence I was, & that he might safely venture
ashoar, for I was alone, & almost Dead. As he came up to me, he stared
& look’d wild with surprise; my Garb & Countenance astonished him; he
knew not what to make of me; he started back a little, & viewed me more
thorowly; but upon recovering of himself, he came forward, & took me by
the Hand & told me he was glad to see me. And he was ready as long as
he stayed with me, to do any kind offices for me.
He proved to be a North-Britain, a Man well in Years, of a Grave and
Venerable Aspect, and of a reserved Temper. His Name I never knew, for
I had not asked him in the little time he was with me, expecting a
longer converse with him; and he never told me it. But he acquainted me
that he had lived with the Spaniards 22 Years, and now they threatened
to Burn him, I knew not for what Crime: therefore he had fled for
Sanctuary to this Place, & had brought his Gun, Ammunition, and Dog,
with a small quantity of Pork, designing to spend the residue of his
Days here, & support himself by Hunting. He seemed very kind & obliging
to me, gave me some of his Pork, and assisted me all he could; tho’ he
conversed little.
Upon the Third Day after he came to me, he told me, he would go out in
his Canoo among the Islands, to kill some Wild Hogs & Deer, and would
have had me to go along with him. His Company, the Fire and a little
dressed Provision something recruited my Spirits; but yet I was so
Weak, and Sore in my Feet, that I could not accompany him in Hunting:
So he set out alone, and said he would be with me again in a Day or
two. The Sky was Serene and Fair, and there was no prospect of any
Danger in his little Voyage among the Islands, when he had come safe in
that small Float near 12 Leagues; but by that time he had been gone an
Hour, there arose a most Violent Gust of Wind and Rain, which in all
probability overset him; so that I never saw nor heard of him any more.
And tho’ by this means I was deprived of my Companion, yet it was the
Goodness of GOD to me, that I was not well eno’ to go with him; for
thus I was preserved from that Destruction which undoubtedly overtook
him.
Thus after the pleasure of having a Companion almost Three Days, I was
as unexpectedly reduced to my former lonely Condition, as I had been
for a little while recovered out of it. It was grievous to me to think,
that I no sooner saw the Dawnings of Light, after so long Obscurity,
but the Clouds returned after the Rain upon me. I began to experience
the Advantage of a Companion, and find that Two is better than One,
and flattered my self, that by the help of some fresh Hogs Grease, I
should get my Feet well, and by a better Living recover more Strength.
But it pleased GOD to take from me the only Man I had seen for so many
Months after so short a Converse with him. Yet I was left in better
Circumstances by him that he found me in. For at his going away he
left with me about Five Pound of Pork, a Knife, a Bottle of Powder,
Tobacco Tongs and Flint, by which means I was in a way to Live better
than I had done. For now I could have a Fire, which was very needful
for me, the Rainy Months of the Winter; I could cut up some Tortoise
when I had turned them, and have a delicate broiled Meal of it: So
that by the help of the Fire, and dressed Food, and the Blessing of
GOD accompanying it, I began to recover more Strength, only my Feet
remained Sore.
Besides, I had this Advantage now, which I had not before, that I could
go out now and then and catch a Dish of Crab-Fish, a Fish much like a
Lobster, only wanting the great Claws. My manner of catching them was
odd; I took some of the best peices of the old broken small Wood, that
came the nearest to our Pitch Pine, or Candle-Wood, and made them up
into a small Bundle like a Torch, and holding one of these lighted at
one End in one hand, I waded into the Water upon the Beech up to my
Wast: the Crab-Fish spying the Light at a considerable distance, would
crawl away till they came directly under it, and then they would lye
still at my Feet. In my other hand I had a Forked Stick with which I
struck the Fish and tossed it ashoar. In this manner I supplyed my self
with a Mess of Shell-Fish, which when roasted is very good Eating.
Between two and three Months after I had lost my Companion, as I was
ranging a long shoar, I found a small Canoo. The sight of this at first
renewed my Sorrows for his Loss; for I thought it had been his Canoo,
and it’s coming ashore thus, was a proof to me that he was lost in the
Tempest: but upon further Examination of it I found it was one I had
never seen before.
When I had got this little Vessel in possession, I began to think
my self Admiral of the Neighbouring Seas, as well as Sole Possessor
and Chief Commander upon the Islands; and with the advantage hereof
I could transport my self to my small Islands of Retreat, much more
conveniently than in my former Method of Swimming. In process of time I
tho’t of making a Tour to some of the more distant and larger Islands,
to see after what manner they were inhabitated, and how they were
provided, and partly to give my self the Liberty of Diversions. So I
lay’d in a small parcel of Grapes and Figs, and some Tortoise, & took
my Fire-Works with me, and put off for the Island of Bonacco, an Island
of about 4 or 5 Leagues long, and some 5 or 6 Leagues to the Eastward
of Roatan.
As I was upon my Voyage I discovered a Sloop at the Eastern End of
the Island; so I made the best of my way, and put in at the Western
End; designing to travel down to them by Land, partly because there
ran out a large point of Rocks far into the Sea, and I did not care
to venture my self so far out in my little Canoo as I must do to head
them: & partly because I was willing to make a better discovery of
them, before I was seen by them; for in the midst of my most deplorable
Circumstances, I could never entertain the thoughts of returning on
board any Pirate, if I should have the opportunity, but had rather Live
and Dye as I was. So I haled up my Canoo, and fastened her as well as I
could, and set out upon my Travel.
[Illustration: MAP SHOWING ROATAN ISLAND IN THE BAY OF HONDURAS WHERE
PHILIP ASHTON ESCAPED FROM PIRATES
From a map in the “American Atlas” by Thomas Jeffery, London, 1776, in
the possession of John W. Farwell]
I spent two Days, and the biggest part of two Nights in Travelling
of it; my Feet were yet so sore that I could go but very slowly, and
sometimes the Woods and Bushes were so thick that I was forced to Crawl
upon my Hands and Knees for half a Mile together. In this Travel I
met with an odd Adventure that had like to have proved fatal to me,
and my preservation was an eminent Instance of the Divine Conduct and
Protection.
As I drew within a Mile or two of where I supposed the Sloop might be,
I made down to the Water side, and slowly opened the Sea, that I might
not discover my self too soon; when I came down to the Water side I
could see no sign of the Sloop, upon which I concluded that it was
gone clear, while I spent so much time in Travelling. I was very much
tired with my long tedious March, and sat my self down leaning against
the Stock of a Tree facing to the Sea, and fell a Sleep. But I had
not slept long before I was awakened in a very surprising manner, by
the noise of Guns. I started up in a fright, and saw Nine Periaguas,
or large Canooes, full of Men firing upon me. I soon turned about and
ran as fast as my sore Feet would let me into the Bushes; and the Men
which were Spaniards, cryed after me, O Englishman, we’ll give you good
Quarter. But such was the Surprise I had taken, by being awakened out
of Sleep in such a manner, that I had no command of my self to hearken
to their offers of Quarter, which it may be at another time under
cooler thoughts I might have done. So I made into the Woods, and they
continued Firing after me, to the Number of 150 small Shot at least,
many of which cut off several small twigs of the Bushes along side of
me as I went off. When I had got out of the reach of their Shot, into a
very great Thicket, I lay close for several Hours; and perceiving they
were gone by the noise of their Oars in Rowing off, I came out of my
Thicket, and Travelled a Mile or two along the Water side, below the
place where they Fired upon me, and then I saw the Sloop under English
Colours, Sailing out of the Harbour, with the Periaguas in tow; and
then I concluded that it was an English Sloop that had been at the Bay,
whom the Spaniards had met with and taken.
The next Day I went up to the Tree, where I so narrowly Escaped being
taken Napping, and there to my surprise I found 6 or 7 Shot had gone
into the Body of the Tree, within a Foot or less of my Head as I sat
down; & yet thro’ the wonderful goodness of GOD to me, in the midst of
all their Fire, and tho’ I was as a Mark set up for them to shoot at,
none of their Shot touched me. So did GOD as yet signally preserve me.
After this I Travelled away for my Canoo at the Western End of the
Island, and spent near three Days e’er I reached it. In this Long March
backward and forward, I suffered very much from the Soreness of my
Feet, & the want of Provision; for this Island is not so plentifully
stored with Fruit as Roatan is, so that I was very difficultly put
to it for my Subsistence, for the 5 or 6 Days that I spent here; and
besides the Musketoes and Black Flys were abundantly more numerous, and
vexatious to me than at my old Habitation. The Difficulties I met with
here made me lay aside all thoughts of tarrying any time to search the
Island. At length much tired and spent I reached my Canoo, and found
all safe there, to my great Joy; and then I put off for Roatan, which
was a Royal Palace to me in comparison of Bonacco, where I arrived to
my great Satisfaction about Ten a Clock at Night, & found all things as
I left them.
Here I Lived (if it may be called Living) alone for about Seven Months
more, from the time of my loosing my North British Companion; and spent
my time after my usual manner in Hunting for my Food, and Ranging the
Islands; till at length it pleased GOD, to send some Company to me with
whom I could Converse, and enjoy somewhat more of the Comforts of Life.
Sometime in June, 1724, as I was upon my small Island, where I often
retired for Shelter from the pestering Insects, I saw two large Canooes
making into the Harbour; as they drew near they saw the Smoak of the
Fire which I had kindled, and wondring what it should mean came to a
stand. I had fresh in my Memory what I met with at Banacco, and was
very loth to run the risque of such another firing, and therefore
steped to my Canoo upon the back side of my small Island, not above 100
feet off from me, and immediately went over to my great Mansion, where
I had places of safety to Shelter me from the Designs of an Enemy,
and Rooms large and spacious eno’ to give a kindly welcome to any
ordinary number of Friends. They saw me cross the Ferry of about Gun
shot over, from my little to my great Island, and being as much afraid
of Spaniards, as I was of Pirates, they drew very cautiously towards
the shoar. I came down upon the Beech shewing my self openly to them,
for their caution made me think they were no Pirates, and I did not
much care who else they were; however, I thought I could call to them,
and know what they were, before I should be in much danger from their
shot; and if they proved such as I did not like, I could easily retire
from them. But before I called, they, who were as full of fears as I
could be, lay upon their Oars and hallooed to me, enquiring who I was,
and whence I came; I told them I was an English Man, and had Run away
from the Pirates. Upon this they drew something nearer and enquired who
was there besides my self; I assured them I was alone. Then I took my
turn, and asked them who they were, and whence they came. They told
me they were Bay-men, come from the Bay. This was comfortable News to
me; so I bid them pull ashoar, there was no danger, I would stop for
them. Accordingly they put ashoar, but at some distance from me, and
first sent one Man ashoar to me; whom I went to meet. When the Man came
up to me he started back, frighted to see such a Poor, Ragged, Lean,
Wan, Forlorn, Wild, Miserable Object so near him: but upon recovering
himself, he came and took me by the hand, and we fell to embracing one
another, he with surprise and wonder, I with a sort of Extasy of Joy.
After this was over he took me in his Arms and carried me down to their
Canooes, where they were all struck with astonishment at the sight of
me, were glad to receive me, and expressed a very great tenderness to
me.
I gave them a short History how I had escaped from Low, and had lived
here alone for Sixteen Months, (saving three days) what hardship I
had met with, and what danger I had run thro’. They stood amazed!
They wondred I was alive! and expressed a great satisfaction in it,
that they were come to relieve me. And observing I was weak, and my
Spirits low, they gave me about a Spoonful of Rhum to recruit my
fainting Spirits. This small quantity, thro’ my long disuse of any
Liquor higher Spirited than Water, and my present weakness, threw my
Animal Spirits into such a violent Agitation, as to obstruct their
Motion, and produced a kind of Stupor, which left me for some time
bereft of all Sense; some of them perceiving me falling into such a
strange Insensibility, would have given me more of the same Spirit to
have recovered me; but those of them that had more wit, would not allow
of it. So I lay for some small time in a sort of a Fit, and they were
ready to think that they should lose me as soon as they had found me.
But I revived.
And when I was so thorowly come to my self as to converse with them, I
found they were Eighteen Men come from the Bay of Honduras, the chief
of which were, John Hope, and John Ford. The occasion of their coming
from the Bay was, a Story they had got among them, that the Spaniards
had projected to make a descent upon them by Water, while the Indians
were to assault them by Land, and cut off the Bay; and they retired
hither to avoid the Destruction that was designed. This John Hope and
Ford had formerly, upon a like occasion, sheltered themselves among
these Islands, and lived for four Years together upon a small Island
called Barbarat, about two Leagues from Roatan, where they had two
Plantations, as they called them; and being now upon the same design of
retreating for a time for Safety, they brought with them two Barrels
of Flower, with other Provisions, their Fire-Arms, Ammunition and Dogs
for Hunting, and Nets for tortoise, and an Indian Woman to dress their
Provisions for them. They chose for their chief Residence a small Key
about a quarter of a Mile Round, lying near to Barbarat, which they
called the Castle of Comfort, chiefly because it was low, and clear of
Woods and Bushes, where the Wind had an open passage, and drove away
the pestering Muskettoes and Gnats. From hence they sent to the other
Islands round about for Wood and Water, and for Materials, with which
they Built two Houses, such as they were, for Shelter.
And now I seemed to be in a far more likely way to Live pretty
tollerably, than in the Sixteen Months past; for besides the having
Company, they treated me with a great deal of Civility, in their way;
they Cloathed me, and gave me a large sort of Wrapping Gown to lodge
in a Nights to defend me from the great Dews, till their Houses were
Covered; and we had plenty of Provision. But after all they were Bad
Company, and there was but little difference between them and the
Pirates, as to their Common Conversation; only I thought they were not
now engaged in any such bad design as rendered it unlawful to Joyn with
them, nor dangerous to be found in their Company.
In process of time, by the Blessing of GOD, & the Assistance I
received from them, I gathered so much Strength that I was able
sometimes to go out a Hunting with them. The Islands hereabouts, I
observed before, abound with Wild Hogs and Deer, and Tortoise. Their
manner was to go out a number of them in a Canoo, sometimes to one
Island, sometimes to another, and kill what Game they could meet with,
and Firk their Pork, by beginning at one end of a Hog and cutting along
to the other end, and so back again till they had gone all over him,
and flee the flesh in long strings off from the Bones; the Venison they
took whole or in quarters, and the Tortoise in like manner; and return
home with a load of it; what they did not spend presently, they hung up
in their House a smoak drying; and this was a ready supply to them at
all times.
I was now ready to think my self out of the reach of any danger from an
Enemy, for what should bring any here? and I was compassed continually
with a Number of Men with their Arms ready at hand; and yet when I
thought my self most secure, I very narrowly escaped falling again into
the hands of the Pirates.
It happened about 6 or 7 Months after these Bay-men came to me. That
three Men and I took a Canoo with four Oars, to go over to Banacco,
a Hunting and to kill Tortoise. While we were gone the rest of the
Bay-men haled up their Canooes, and Dryed and Tarred them, in order to
go to the Bay and see how matters stood there, and to fetch off their
Effects which they had left behind them, in case they should find there
was no safety for them in tarrying. But before they were gone, we, who
had met with good Success in our Voyage, were upon our return to them
with a full load of Tortoise and Firkt Pork. As we were upon entering
into the Mouth of the Harbour, in a Moon-light Evening, we saw a great
Flash of Light, and heard the report of a Gun, which we thought was
much louder than a Musket, out of a large Periagua, which we saw near
our Castle of Comfort. This put us into a great Consternation, and we
knew not what to make of it. Within a Minute or two we heard a Volley
of 18 or 20 small Arms discharged upon the shoar, and heard some Guns
also fired off from the shoar. Upon which we were satisfied that some
Enemy, Pirates or Spaniards were attacking our People, and being cut
off from our Companions, by the Periaguas which lay between us and
them, we thought it our wisest way to save our selves as well as we
could. So we took down our little Mast and Sail, that it might not
betray us, and rowed out of the Harbour as fast as we could; thinking
to make our Escape from them undiscovered, to an Island about a Mile
and half off. But they either saw us before we had taken our Sail down,
or heard the noise of our Oars as we made out of the Harbour, and came
after us with all speed, in a Periagua of 8 or 10 Oars. We saw them
coming, & that they gained ground upon us apace, & therefore pull’d
up for Life, resolving to reach the nearest shoar if possible. The
Periagua overhaled us so fast that they discharged a Swivel Gun at us,
which over-shot us; but we made a shift to gain the shoar before they
were come fairly within the reach of their small Arms; which yet they
fired upon us, as we were getting ashoar. Then they called to us, and
told us they were Pirates, and not Spaniards, and we need not fear,
they would give us good Quarter; supposing this would easily move us
to surrender our selves to them. But they could not have mentioned any
thing worse to discourage me from having any thing to do with them, for
I had the utmost dread of a Pirate; and my first aversion to them was
now strengthened with the just fears, that if I should fall into their
hands again, they would soon make a Sacrifice of me, for my Deserting
them. I therefore concluded to keep as clear of them as I could; and
the Bay-men with me had no great inclination to be medling with them,
and so we made the best of our way into the Woods. They took away
our Canoo from us, and all that was in it; resolving if we would not
come to them, they would strip us, as far as they were able, of all
means of Subsistance where we were. I who had known what it was to be
destitute of all things, and alone, was not much concerned about that,
now that I had Company, and they their Arms with them, so that we could
have a supply of Provision by Hunting, and Fire to dress it with.
This Company it seems were some of Spriggs Men, who was Commander of
the Schooner when I Ran away from them. This same Spriggs, I know not
upon what occasion, had cast off the Service of Low, and set up for
himself as the Head of a Party of Rovers, and had now a good Ship of
24 Guns, and a Barmuda Sloop of 12 Guns, under his Command, which were
now lying in Roatan Harbour, where he put in to Water and Clean, at the
place where I first made my Escape. He had discovered our People upon
the small Island, where they Resided, and sent a Perigua full of Men to
take them. Accordingly they took all the Men ashoar, and with them an
Indian Woman and Child; those of them that were ashoar abused the Woman
shamefully. They killed one Man after they were come ashoar, and threw
him into one of the Baymens Canooes where their Tar was, and set Fire
to it, and burnt him in it. Then they carried our People on Board their
Vessels, where they were barbarously treated.
One of the Baymen Thomas Grande, turned Pirate, and he being acquainted
that Old Father Hope (as we called him) had hid many things in the
Woods, told the Pirates of it, who beat poor Hope unmercifully, and
made him go and shew them where he had hid his Treasure, which they
took away from him.
After they had kept the Bay-men on board their Vessels for five Days,
then they gave them a Flat, of about 5 or 6 Tons to carry them to the
Bay in, but they gave them no Provision for their Voyage; and before
they sent them away, they made them Swear to them, not to come near
us, who had made our Escape upon another Island. All the while the
Vessels rode in the Harbour, we kept a good look out, but were put to
some difficulties, because we did not dare to make a Fire to dress our
Victuals by, least it should discover whereabouts we were, so that
we were forced to live upon Raw Provision for five Days. But as soon
as they were gone, Father Hope with his Company of Bay-men, (little
regarding an Oath that was forced from them; and thinking it a wicked
Oath, better broken, than to leave four of us in such a helpless
Condition) came to us, and acquainted us who they were, and what they
had done.
Thus the watchful Providence of GOD, which had so often heretofore
appeared on my behalf, again took special care of me, and sent me out
of the way of danger. ’Tis very apparent that if I had been with my
Companions, at the usual Residence, I had been taken with them; and
if I had, it is beyond question (humanely speaking) that I should not
have escaped with Life, if I should the most painful and cruel Death,
that the Madness and Rage of Spriggs could have invented for me; who
would now have called to mind the design I was engaged in while we were
parted from Low, as well as my final Deserting of them. But Blessed be
GOD, who had designs of favour for me, and so ordered that I must at
this time be absent from my Company.
Now Old Father Hope and his Company were all designed for the Bay; only
one John Symonds, who had a Negro belonging to him, purposed to tarry
here for some time, and carry on some sort of Trade with the Jamaica
Men upon the Main. I longed to get home to New England, and thought if
I went to the Bay with them, it was very probable that I should in a
little while meet with some New England Vessel, that would carry me to
my Native Country, from which I had been so long a poor Exile. I asked
Father Hope, if he would take me with him, and carry me to the Bay.
The Old Man, tho’ he seemed glad of my Company, yet told me the many
Difficulties that lay in the way; as that their Flat was but a poor
thing to carry so many Men in for near 70 Leagues, which they must
go before they would be out of the reach of Danger; that they had no
Provision with them, and it was uncertain how the Weather would prove,
they might be a great while upon their Passage thither, & their Flat
could very poorly endure a great Sea; that when they should come to the
Bay, they knew not how they should meet with things there, and they
were Daily in Danger of being cut off; and it may be I should be longer
there, in case all was well, than I cared for, e’er I should meet with
a Passage for New-England; for the New-England Vessels often Sailed
from the Bay to other Ports: so that all things considered, he thought
I had better stay where I was, seeing I was like to have Company;
whereas rather than I should be left alone he would take me in.
On the other hand, Symonds, who as I said designed to spend some time
here, greatly urged me to stay and bear him Company. He told me that as
soon as the Season would permit, he purposed to go over to the Main to
the Jamaica Traders, where I might get a Passage to Jamaica, and from
thence to New-England, probably quicker, and undoubtedly much safer
than I could from the Bay; and that in the mean while I should fare as
he did.
I did not trouble my self much about fareing, for I knew I could not
fare harder than I had done; but I thought, upon the Consideration of
the whole, that there seemed to be a fairer Prospect of my getting home
by the way of Jamaica, than the Bay; and therefore I said no more to
Father Hope about going with him, but concluded to stay. So I thanked
Father Hope and Company for all their Civilities to me, wished them a
good Voyage, and took leave of them.
And now there was John Symonds, and I, and his Negro left behind; and
a good Providence of GOD was it for me that I took their Advice and
stayed; for tho’ I got not home by the way of Jamaica as was proposed,
yet I did another and quicker way, in which there was more evident
Interpositions of the Conduct of Divine Providence, as you will hear
presently.
Symonds was provided with a Canoo, Fire-Arms, and two Dogs, as well
as a Negro; with these he doubted not but we should be furnished of
all that was necessary for our Subsistence; with this Company I spent
between two and three Months after the usual manner in Hunting and
Ranging the Islands. And yet the Winter Rains would not suffer us to
hunt much more than needs must.
When the Season was near approaching for the Jamaica Traders to be over
at the Main, Symonds proposed the going to some of the other Islands
that abounded more with Tortoise, that he might get the Shells of
them, and carry to the Traders, and in Exchange furnish himself with
Ozenbrigs and Shoes and such other necessaries as he wanted. We did so,
and having got good store of Tortoise Shell, he then proposed to go
first for Bonacco, which lies nearer to the Main than Roatan, that from
thence we might take a favourable Snatch to run over.
Accordingly we went to Bonacco, and by that time we had been there
about Five Days there came up a very hard North wind which blew
exceeding Fierce, and lasted for about three Days; when the heaft of
the Storm was over, we saw several Vessels standing in for the Harbour;
their number and largeness made me hope they might be Friends, and now
an opportunity was coming in which Deliverance might be perfected to me.
The Larger Vessels came to Anchor at a great Distance off; but a
Brigantine came over the Shoals, nearer in against the Watering place
(for Bonacco as well as Roatan abounds with Water) which sent in her
Boat with Cask for Water: I plainly saw they were Englishmen, and
by their Garb & Air, and number, being but three Men in the Boat,
concluded they were Friends, and shewed my self openly upon the Beech
before them: as soon as they saw me they stop’d rowing, and called
out to me to know who I was. I told them, and enquired who they were.
They let me know they were honest Men, about their Lawful Business. I
then called to them to come ashoar, for there was no Body here that
would hurt them. They came ashoar, and a happy meeting it was for me.
Upon enquiry I found that the Vessels were the Diamond Man-of-War,
and a Fleet under his Convoy, bound to Jamaica, (many whereof she had
parted with in the late Storm) which by the violence of the North had
been forced so far Southward, and the Man-of-War wanting Water, by
reason of the Sickness of her Men which occasioned a great Consumption
of it, had touched here, and sent in the Brigantine to fetch off Water
for her. Mr. Symonds, who at first kept at the other end of the Beech,
about half a Mile off, (lest the three Men in the Boat should refuse to
come ashoar, seeing two of us together), at length came up to us and
became a sharer in my Joy, and yet not without some very considerable
reluctance at the Thoughts of Parting. The Brigantine proved to be
of Salem (within two or three Miles of my Fathers House) Capt. Dove,
Commander, a Gentleman whom I knew. So now I had the prospect of a
Direct Passage Home. I sent off to Capt. Dove, to know if he would give
me a Passage home with him, and he was very ready to comply with my
desire; and upon my going on Board him, besides the great Civilities
he treated me with, he took me into pay; for he had lost a hand, and
needed me to supply his place. The next Day the Man-of-War sent her
Long Boat in, full of Cask, which they filled with Water, and put on
Board the Brigantine, who carried them off to her. I had one Difficulty
more to encounter with, which was to take leave of Mr. Symonds, Who
Wept heartily at parting; but this I was forced to go thro’ for the Joy
of getting Home.
So the latter end of March 1725, we came to Sail, and kept Company with
the Man-of-War, who was bound to Jamaica: the first of April we parted,
and thro’ the good hand of GOD upon us came safe thro’ the Gulf of
Florida, to Salem-Harbour, where we arrived upon Saturday-Evening, the
first of May: Two Years, Ten Months and Fifteen Days, after I was first
taken by the Pirate Low; and Two Years, and near two Months after I had
made my Escape from him upon Roatan Island. I went the same Evening to
my Father’s House, where I was received, as one coming to them from the
Dead, with all Imaginable Surprise of Joy.
Thus I have given you a Short Account, how GOD has Conducted me
thro’ a great variety of Hardships and Dangers, and in all appeared
Wonderfully Gracious to me. And I cannot but take notice of the strange
concurrence of Divine Providence all along, in saving me from the Rage
of the Pirates, and the Malice of the Spaniards, from the Beasts of the
Field, and the Monsters of the Sea; in keeping me alive amidst so many
Deaths, in such a lonely and helpless Condition; and in bringing about
my Deliverance; the last Articles whereof are as peculiarly Remarkable
as any;--I must be just then gone over to Bonacco; a Storm must drive
a Fleet of Ships so far Southward; and their want of Water must oblige
them to put in at the Island where I was:--and a Vessel bound to my own
Home must come and take me in.--_Not unto Men and means, but unto thy
Name, O Lord, be all the Glory!_ Amen.
FOOTNOTES
[132] Nicholas Merritt was Ashton’s kinsman. He was the son of Nicholas
and Elizabeth Merritt and born in Marblehead where he was baptized Mar.
29, 1702 in the First Church. He served unwillingly on Low’s vessel and
finally escaped at Saint Michael’s, in September, 1722, where he was
imprisoned by the Portuguese authorities and not released until the
following June. Making his way to Lisbon he at last reached home safely
on September 28, 1723.
[133] Joseph Libbie also served, unwillingly, at first. He was with Low
in the “Rose Frigate,” when she was lost in careening in the spring of
1723, and pulled Philip Ashton out of the water. He then served with
Low’s consort, Capt. Charles Harris, in the sloop “Ranger,” and on
June 10, 1723, with Harris and forty-two others, was taken by H. M.
ship “Greyhound,” Capt. Peter Solgard, commander, between Block Island
and Long Island, and brought into Newport, R. I. The pirates were duly
tried and on Friday, July 19th, 1723, Captain Harris, Joseph Libbie and
twenty-four others were hanged within the seamark inside of two hours.
[134] Lawrence Fabens served, unwillingly, on the schooner “Fancy,”
under Low, but succeeded in escaping at St. Nicholas in the fall of
1722, shortly after Merritt escaped as is told elsewhere. He was
probably the son of James and Johannah Fabians, born in Marblehead
about 1702, where nine of his brothers and sisters were duly baptized
in the First Church between 1688 and 1709.