II.

A still more terrible name to the Spaniards, as a leader of the

buccaneers, was Francis Lolonois, a Frenchman, who in his youth was

transported as a slave to the Caribbean Islands. Passing thence to

Tortuga, he became a common mariner, and conducted himself so well in

several voyages as to win the confidence of the governor, M. de la

Place, who gave him a ship in which to seek his fortune. The beginning

of his career on his own account was favorable; but his cruelties toward

the Spaniards were such as to make his name terrible throughout the

Indies; and the Spanish mariner preferred death in any form to falling

into his hands. Fortune, however, being ever inconstant, Lolonois did

not escape reverses. Encountering a tempest on the coast of Campeachy,

his ship was wrecked, and himself and crew cast on shore. Scarcely had

he dried his dripping clothes when he was met by an armed force, and

defeated in a severe battle. Being wounded, and concealing himself among

the dead bodies of his companions, he escaped, and arrived at Campeachy

in disguise, in time to take part in the thanksgiving and religious

rejoicings of the Spaniards on account of his supposed death. Here he

succeeded in enticing some slaves from their masters, with whom he again

put to sea, with the design of ravaging the small town of De los Cayes,

on the south side of Cuba. Divining his project, however, some fishermen

conveyed information to the governor at Havana, who immediately

despatched a vessel of war of ten guns in pursuit, with orders not to

return until the pirates were captured, and every man executed except

Lolonois himself, who was to be brought to Havana. This vessel entered

the port of De los Cayes while the pirates were yet at sea; but they

were advised of every particular of the pursuit, and concerted their

measures accordingly.

It was on a clear, starlight night, when the Spaniard lay quietly at

anchor in the glassy waters of the bay,

'Secure that nought of evil could delight

To walk in such a scene on such a night,'

that the pirates entered the harbor in two canoes. Stealing upon their

intended prey so silently as to escape observation, they boarded her on

both sides at once, and, after a sharp conflict, succeeded in her

capture. Lolonois then informed the prisoners that he knew their orders,

and it was his purpose to execute them upon those who were to have

enforced them upon him. Supplications and entreaties were in vain. He

successively struck off the heads of every one with his own

hand--sucking, at each stroke, the drops of blood that trickled from his

sabre. Only one person was saved, whom he sent back to the governor with

a letter stating what he had done, and declaring his determination

thenceforward to show no quarter to a Spaniard, adding: 'I have great

hopes I shall execute on your own person the punishment I have upon

those you sent against me. Thus have I retaliated the kindness you

designed to me and my companions.' The governor was much troubled at the

message, and declared that no quarter should ever again be granted to a

pirate; but knowing who would have the advantage in such a war of

retaliation, the inhabitants induced him to change his determination.

Encouraged by his success, Lolonois forthwith set about organizing a

force to make a descent upon the main, with a view of taking Maracaibo

itself. While engaged in these preparations, he formed a connection with

Michael de Basco, who, having retired from the sea, was living upon his

gains. De Basco had served in the wars of Europe as an officer with

distinguished gallantry; and he now engaged with Lolonois as the land

commander. When the expedition sailed, it consisted of eight vessels and

six hundred men. On their passage they fell in with a Spanish armed ship

from Porto Rico for New Spain. Lolonois parted from the fleet and

insisted on engaging the Spaniard alone. He did so, and carried the ship

after an engagement of three hours. She mounted sixteen guns, carried a

crew of sixty men, and was, moreover, richly laden with specie, jewels,

and merchandise. Shortly after another vessel was taken, when on her

voyage to Hispaniola to pay the troops. This was a valuable capture, the

prize being laden with arms and ammunition as well as specie. The prize

vessels were sent into Tortuga, where they were unladen; and one of them

was immediately armed and sent back to join the main squadron as the

flagship. Their marine thus augmented, they sailed first into the Bay of

Venerada, the fort guarding the entrance to which was taken, the guns

spiked, and the garrison, numbering two hundred and fifty men, put to

the sword. The pirates next sailed into the Lake of Maracaibo, landed

their forces, and proceeded at once to attack the castle that guarded

the entrance to the harbor. The governor had made judicious dispositions

for its defence, having formed an ambuscade for the purpose of bringing

the pirates between two fires. His design, however, in this respect, was

frustrated, for those forming the ambuscade, being discovered and

routed, fled to the town, the inhabitants of which, remembering the

former visitation of the pirates, deserted in wild consternation, and

fell back upon Gibraltar, thirty leagues distant. Meantime the pirates,

though armed with swords and pistols only, attacked the castle with such

impetuosity as to compel its capitulation. The slaughter was great.

After the surrender the guns were spiked, and the castle demolished. The

next day the invaders advanced upon the town, which they found desolate.

It was well stored with provisions, but all the valuables had been

removed or buried. Lolonois demanded information of the prisoners where

the plate, jewels, and money were concealed, and attempts were made to

extort confessions by the rack, but to little purpose. He then hacked

one of the prisoners to pieces with his sword, declaring that such

should be the fate of all, unless the hidden treasures of the town

should be forthcoming. But the poor wretches were unable to give the

information, as the owners had fled as best they could, changing their

own hiding places, and taking away their valuables. Having remained

fifteen days in Maracaibo, and supposing that the people had carried

their treasures with them to Gibraltar, Lolonois determined to sail to

that town. The deputy governor, however, without the knowledge of the

pirates, had made vigorous preparations for its defence; and

accordingly, on their arrival in sight of the town, they unexpectedly

discovered the royal standard floating from two strong batteries

guarding a very narrow channel through which the pirate squadron must

pass. A council of war was called, at which, after a spirited speech

from Lolonois, it was agreed to land and carry the works by storm--the

leader declaring that he would pistol any man who should flinch, with

his own hand. The Spanish forces numbered eight hundred men, well

appointed; but nothing could daunt the resolution of the pirates. The

Spaniards conducted themselves bravely; and not until five hundred of

their number had fallen did they yield. The buccaneers had eighty killed

and wounded, not one of the latter recovering--an evidence of the

desperation with which they fought. The town of Gibraltar, of course,

fell into their hands; but it was a bootless conquest, inasmuch as

during the time the pirates had wasted at Maracaibo, the people had

secured their treasure by carrying it away. To save the town from the

torch, however, the inhabitants paid a ransom of ten thousand pieces of

eight, yet not until a portion of it had been burned. After spending two

months on shore, the buccaneers reembarked, carrying away all the

crosses, pictures, and bells of the churches, for the purpose, as they

alleged, of erecting a chapel in the island of Tortuga, to which pious

object a portion of the spoils was to be consecrated! The amount of

their booty, during their expedition, was two hundred and sixty thousand

pieces of eight, together with vast quantities of plate, jewels, and

merchandise--most of which was soon dissipated, after their return, in

debauchery, and other rude pleasures of such a ruffian race.

The next exploit of Lolonois was the capture, in the mouth of the

Guatemala river, of a Spanish ship, carrying forty-two guns, and manned

by one hundred and thirty fighting men; the pirate carrying only

twenty-two guns, and being attended by a single small vessel. The

Spaniard made a good defence, and the pirate chief was at first

repulsed. Yet afterward, under cover of a thick mist, rendered more

dense by the smoke of the powder, the pirates boarded the Spaniard from

their small craft, and bravely accomplished their purpose.

The career of this desperado was soon to come to an end. Shortly after

this last exploit, while cruising in the Bay of Honduras, his own ship

was wrecked, and he, together with his crew, were thrown upon an island.

Their next business was to build a boat from the remains of the broken

ship--a work which occupied them six months, and when finished she would

carry but half their number--the other half remaining behind by lot.

Lolonois then directed his course for Carthagena; but venturing ashore

at Darien, he was made prisoner by a wild tribe of Indians, who became

the instruments of divine justice in avenging his many cruelties. They

were not ignorant of his character, and, believing that no trace or

memorial of such a wretch ought to remain upon earth, they tore him in

pieces alive, throwing his body limb by limb into the fire, and

afterward scattering his ashes to the winds. Fitting death for such a

horrible monster!

But the career of the most formidable chief in this bloody catalogue

remains yet to be described. It was that of Henry Morgan, whose very

name, as it has been justly remarked, 'spread such terror abroad, that

with it the old women frightened their children asleep, and then lay

awake themselves through fear.' Morgan was the son of a wealthy farmer

in Wales, but not satisfied with his secluded condition, he sought a

seaport, and sailed for Barbadoes, where he was sold for a term of years

for his passage. The term of his service having expired, he repaired to

Jamaica, where the temptations spread before him by the buccaneers of

rapidly arriving at wealth and fame, induced him to join their

community. In the course of several voyages, which were attended with

great success, he evinced so much intrepidity, skill, prudence, and

judgment, as to win the confidence of his companions, several of whom

proposed the purchase of a ship on joint account, the command of which

was conferred on him. About this time, also, Morgan became acquainted

with Mausvelt, an old pirate, and who had now on foot an expedition

destined for a descent upon the Spanish main. Mausvelt induced Morgan to

join him as his vice-admiral, and they were shortly at sea with a fleet

of fifteen sail, great and small, and five hundred men, chiefly French

and Maroons. Their course was first directed against the two small

islands, nearly contiguous, of St. Catharine's, on the coast of Costa

Rica. These, though strongly fortified, were easily taken, by reason of

the inefficiency both of the commander and his troops, superinduced by

the terror inspired by the very name of the pirates. The design of

Mausvelt in the acquisition of these islands, was to fortify and hold

them as a place of rendezvous. Leaving, therefore, a garrison of one

hundred men in the forts, Mausvelt and Morgan continued their course to

the main; but as a knowledge of their intentions had preceded them, such

preparations had been made by the Spaniards on the coast for their

reception, as induced them to return to St. Catharine's. Thence they

sailed back to Jamaica for recruits; but not being favored by the

governor, Mausvelt repaired to Tortuga, where he died. The command now

devolved upon Morgan, who endeavored to prosecute the designs of his

predecessor; but the Spaniards having regained possession of St.

Catharine's, his projects were for a time defeated. Not only had the

Spaniards recovered the island, but a large English ship, despatched

thither from Jamaica for the aid of the buccaneers, and well supplied

with arms, men, provisions, and women, also fell into their hands. This

was a severe disappointment to Morgan, who had made extensive

arrangements for preserving St. Catharine's as a storehouse and place of

refuge, and had opened a correspondence with Virginia and New England

upon the subject. These events took place in 1665.

But, far from relinquishing the profession he had chosen, Morgan had

only just entered upon it. He soon succeeded in organizing another fleet

of nine sail of different-sized vessels, manned by four hundred and

fifty men. With these he made sail for Porto Bello, the third strongest

post at that time in the American dominions of Spain. In order to secure

secrecy, Morgan had communicated his purpose to no living soul, until he

came almost in view of the town. Some of his bold spirits then faltered

for a moment; but he had the power to dissipate their doubts of success,

even against odds so great. Landing his forces in the night, Morgan

arrived at the very citadel before he was discovered, having taken

captive the sentinel so suddenly as to prevent the least alarm. The

castle was summoned to surrender on pain of putting every man found

therein to death. The summons being disregarded, the assault was begun,

and bravely repelled for a time; but the fortress was at length

compelled to yield to the impetuous assaults of the pirates. But there

were yet other castles, and one of the strongest, to be subdued. With

this latter Morgan was hotly engaged from daylight until noon--losing

many of his men, and at times almost despairing himself of success. At

length another of the lesser castles gave way, and Morgan was encouraged

and strengthened by the return of the detachment that had been engaged

against it. As a device, moreover, to compel the Spanish governor to

yield the principal castle, the pirate chief caused its walls to be

planted round with scaling ladders, upon which, in front of his own men,

the religious prisoners in his hands, priests and nuns, were forced to

ascend. But although these people called to the governor in the name of

all their saints to yield and save their lives, his determination was

inflexible. He declared he would yield only with his life, and that the

castle should be defended to the last. Night approached, and the contest

yet raged; but finally, after performing prodigies of valor, the

assailants succeeded in scaling the walls, and the castle was entered

sword in hand. The garrison thereupon submitted, all but the governor,

who, deaf to the entreaties of his wife and daughter, fought on, killing

several of the pirates with his own hand, and also some of his own

soldiers for surrendering, until he was himself killed. The entire town

was now in possession of the rapacious invaders; and all the treasures

of the churches, having been placed in the castles for safety, of course

fell into the hands of the victors, as also did a vast amount of money

and plate.

Amazed that a town so strongly fortified as Porto Bello, and so well

garrisoned, should have been captured by so small a force, the president

of Panama sent a message to Morgan, desiring a pattern of the arms by

which he had performed so desperate an exploit. Morgan treated the

messenger with courtesy, and returned to the president a pistol and

several bullets, as a slender pattern of the arms he had used,

requesting his Excellency to preserve them carefully for a twelvemonth,

when he promised to come to Panama and bring them away. The president,

however, sent the articles back again, to save the pirate chief the

trouble of coming after them. He also sent him as a gift a gold ring,

with a civil request that he would not trouble himself to come to Panama

at the time mentioned, since he would not be likely to fare so well as

he had at Porto Bello. Morgan, after having destroyed the military walls

at Porto Bello, reembarked with his numbers greatly diminished by

battle, debauchery, and disease, and returned to Jamaica.

The fame of exploits like these caused the name of Morgan to resound

throughout Europe; and large numbers of the English chivalry, men of

family and rank, hastened to the New World, either to mend dilapidated

fortunes, or to acquire new ones, and to participate in the unlawful

glory which even the darkness of the deeds by which it was won could not

eclipse. These recruits attached themselves to Morgan, and eagerly

accepted commands under him. The bold rover gave them commissions in the

name of the king of England, authorizing them to commit hostilities

against the Spaniards, whom he declared to be the enemies of the British

crown. To such an amazing extent did the buccaneering system increase,

that more than four thousand men were now engaged in it, two thousand of

whom were under Morgan, with a fleet of thirty-seven vessels, divided

into squadrons, and appointed with all the formality of an independent

sovereignty. Their place of rendezvous was between Tortuga and St.

Domingo, the coast of the latter being plundered for provisions. A

squadron of four sail was also sent to the region of the Rio de la Hacha

upon the same errand, where a large ship was captured, the coast

successfully ravaged, and many prisoners put to death, as in former

instances, by the most exquisite tortures.

All things being in readiness, the expedition sailed in December, 1670,

the ultimate destination of which was to pay the promised visit to the

governor of Panama--the richest city of Spanish America. Preliminary,

however, to their landing upon the isthmus, a detachment of the fleet

was sent against a fortress at the mouth of the Chagu--which river it

was necessary to ascend before disembarking for Panama. This fortress

was built upon a steep rock, against which the waves of the sea were

continually breaking, and was defended by an officer of distinguished

ability and courage, and by a garrison in all respects worthy of such a

commander. For a time the contest was doubtful, but the fates favored

the freebooters. The Spanish commander was slain, and, the fort taking

fire, the position fell into the hands of the besiegers. The manner in

which the fire was communicated to the fortress was very remarkable.

During the fight, an arrow from the bow of one of the garrison was

lodged in the eye of one of the pirates, standing near his chief.

Extracting the barbed shaft from his head with his own hand, and binding

some cotton around the missile, he set it on fire, and shot it back into

the fortress from the barrel of his gun. The burning arrow fell upon the

roof of a house thatched with palm leaves, which were dry, and a

conflagration ensued, which the garrison strove in vain to resist. But

for this untoward occurrence, it was believed that Brodley, the pirate

vice-admiral, would have been repulsed.

Brodley was now joined by the main fleet under Morgan himself; and the

vessels, having been brought to anchor, were left with a sufficient

guard, while the commander, with twelve hundred men, embarked in boats

and canoes, and commenced the ascent of the river toward the capital,

the sacking of which was to be the crowning act of his career of outrage

and blood. They were compelled soon to leave their boats; and their

march for nine days was one of the severest operations ever successfully

encountered by man. The country was desolate, villages and plantations

being alike deserted, and in the flight of the people nothing had been

left behind that could possibly be converted into food, or in any wise

minister to the cupidity of the invaders. The hardships they underwent

in climbing mountains almost inaccessible, and traversing morasses

nearly impassable, while in a state bordering upon starvation, exceed

the power of language to describe. The carcass of an ass found by the

way afforded an uncooked tempting meal; and such cats and dogs as did

not flee with their owners, were considered delicious morsels.

On the eighth day a narrow defile was feebly defended by a company of

Indians, by whom ten of the pirates were killed, and fourteen others

wounded. On the ninth, having gained the summit of a lofty mountain, to

their infinite delight they came in view of the great Southern ocean,

and saw beneath them the glittering spires of Panama, and the shipping

in the harbor. The despondency which had been brooding over them for

several days, was now lighted up by the most extravagant demonstrations

of joy. They leaped, and sang, and threw up their hats, and blew their

trumpets, and beat their arms, as though the prize were already their

own without a struggle. Seemingly refreshed in strength by the sight of

the object of their desires, the pirates rushed eagerly forward, and

before nightfall encamped upon the great plain on which stood the city,

dispersing with ease several strong reconnoitring parties who had thrown

themselves in their way. The Spaniards had evidently been preparing for

their reception, and they played their artillery upon the invaders all

night, but with little effect; the pirates sleeping on the grass with

great composure, anxious for the arrival of the day which was to reward

their sufferings with untold riches.

The invaders were early on foot on the morning of the tenth day, and in

full march for the city. Arriving upon the summit of a little hill, they

were brought to a pause by a force which they saw advancing to meet

them. Their own numbers had been reduced on the march to less than a

thousand effective men; and they now beheld an army consisting of two

squadrons of horse, and four regiments of foot, led by the governor in

person, and preceded by a large herd of wild bulls, the design of which

singular description of light troops was to throw the buccaneers into

confusion. Beyond these, in immediate proximity to the city, they

discovered the people of Panama in arms, in yet greater numbers. The

action with the advanced army, under the governor, soon commenced, the

wild cattle being of no avail against the pirates, who shot them all

down in a very brief space of time. But the Spaniards, especially the

cavalry, fought bravely for more than two hours. The horse having at

length been compelled to yield, the infantry fled, after a brief

resistance. Six hundred Spaniards lay dead upon the field, and the

buccaneers suffered so severely that they were forced to desist from an

immediate pursuit, and obtain some rest. From a prisoner they

ascertained that the city was defended by two thousand five hundred men,

with a large number of heavy guns, planted at different points. But the

buccaneers, though sadly diminished in numbers, were determined to

finish the work they had begun on the same day; and taking an oath that

they would stand by each other to the last, they again advanced, and a

second fierce and bloody encounter took place at the very gates of the

city, which, after a resistance of three hours, fell into the hands of

the buccaneers. Neither party gave or received quarter, and after the

conquest the pirates killed nearly all who fell into their hands,

sparing neither ecclesiastics nor women.

The city was at that time one of remarkable splendor, containing two

thousand houses of great magnificence. The private dwellings were

chiefly built of cedar, and embellished with hangings, paintings, and

everything that luxury and taste could supply. It was the see of a

bishop, with two large churches, and seven monasteries, all richly

adorned with altar pieces, paintings, gold, silver, and precious stones.

But the gorgeous palaces and solemn temples were doomed to the flames by

the order of Morgan himself, although he afterward endeavored to fix the

act of vandalism upon others. They were probably burned in revenge

because found empty, for many of the inhabitants had sought refuge in

flight, carrying away such of their valuables as they could. Still, by

the horrible processes of torture, immense discoveries were made of

treasures concealed in the wells and caves, and in the woods. Some

valuable freights were taken from boats in the harbor, which had been

left aground at low water; and rich deposits were frequently discovered

in the earth, under the excruciating tortures of the rack.

Morgan lingered at Panama for a considerable period, until, indeed, his

men began to murmur at their protracted inactivity. The cause of this

inaction will hardly be divined from the character thus far developed of

this stupendous freebooter; but it was the tender passion! He had among

his prisoners a beautiful Spanish lady, who attracted his particular

attention. She was a native of Spain, and the wife of an opulent

merchant, whose business had some time before called him to Peru.

According to the historians of that day, she was still in the bloom of

youth; 'Her cheeks, naturally ruddy, were heightened by a tropical sun

into a warmer glow; and her fine black eyes, dazzling with uncommon

lustre, gave animation to the noblest countenance that ever the hand of

nature delineated, or poet's fancy conceived. The interest which her

unhappy situation excited was heightened into admiration by her elevated

mien; and her whole deportment indicated a soul incapable of being

degraded from its native rank, by any reverse of condition, or any depth

of misery.' Morgan, rude as he was, and unused to the melting mood, was

nevertheless charmed with her conversation, and the admiration which he

felt for her bearing was ere long changed into yet more tender emotions.

He provided a house for her, and assigned to her service a retinue of

domestics. Shortly afterward he attempted to open such a correspondence

with her as might favor his desires, but failing in this, he proceeded

to usurp some freedoms, at which her delicacy revolted. Her rebuke, firm

and noble, drove him back abashed; but his impetuous temper could not

well brook disappointment, and in the ardor of his passion he

subsequently attempted to force her into compliance with his brutal

desires. But with a virtue as exalted as that of the Roman matron, who

resisted, but in vain, the advances of the son of Tarquin, and with a

yet higher courage, she sprang from his attempted embrace, exclaiming,

'Stop! Thinkest thou, then, that thou canst ravish mine honor from me,

as thou hast wrested from me my fortune and my liberty? Be assured that

I can die and be avenged!' Having said this, she drew from her bosom a

poniard, which she would have plunged into his breast, had he not

avoided the blow. From that moment she became an object not only of his

hate, but of his cruelty, until at length she was ransomed by some of

her friends. History has not preserved the name of this lofty specimen

of female purity and honor; but, like that of Lucretia, it deserves the

topmost niche in the temple of virtue.

At length, in the month of February, Morgan took his departure from

Panama, having one hundred and seventy-five beasts of burden laden with

silver and gold, jewelry, and other precious things. He also took with

him six hundred prisoners, men, women, and children, for the purpose of

extorting enormous ransoms for them by the way; the cries of the women

and children were pitiful to hear; but the freebooter's heart was

steeled against every humane emotion. Returning down the river Chagre,

he destroyed the castle at its entrance, and prepared to reembark for

Jamaica. Before going on board, however, a division of the plunder was

made, which gave great dissatisfaction. It seemed unaccountable to his

men that so large an apparent amount of booty should yield only about

two hundred pieces of eight _per capita_, and rumors of foul play were

rife. Meantime he had richly laden his own ship with merchandise; and in

the course of the following night, while his companions were in a deep

sleep, he put to sea and escaped to Jamaica, and thence to England. Such

an instance of treachery had never been before known among the

buccaneers, and the rage and resentment that ensued cannot be described.

His departure was the signal for the dispersion of the fleet. The French

returned to Tortuga. Some of the English attempted to overtake the

mighty robber and make him disgorge, but were unsuccessful. Others of

the crews dispersed with their vessels to seek their fortunes as best

they might. Morgan ultimately returned to England laden with wealth, and

was well received. He afterward became a commander in the naval service

of his country, and obtained the honor of knighthood from William III.

The capture of Panama, however, was the last great land expedition

successfully undertaken by the buccaneers. A few other land expeditions,

it is true, were begun by chiefs of lesser note; but the indifferent

success which attended these, induced the freebooters insensibly to

confine their operations more exclusively to the water, and there was no

sea left untraversed by them, from the Atlantic to the Indian ocean. The

commerce of almost all nations was annoyed by them, although their

depredations continued more particularly to be directed against the

first objects of their hate, the Spaniards. It is a curious fact,

illustrating the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church at that time,

that in one of the Spanish ships captured while on her way to South

America, by an Englishman named White, there were found no less than two

millions of Papal bulls, granting indulgences to the Spaniards of the

New World! These were a royal trade, and had been purchased by the king

of Spain for three hundred thousand florins, _prime cost_, and by him

were designed to be retailed for five millions. Thus, by their capture,

his Catholic Majesty lost the benefit of a fine speculation. Had these

indulgences been captured by Yankees, they would have contrived to

barter them away at a profit; or had the captors been good Catholics,

they might have ravaged the whole continent with very quiet consciences,

having the Pope's pardon already in their pockets.[B]

It is a curious fact, not, I believe, very extensively understood, that

the great English circumnavigator Dampier was for a considerable period

connected with the buccaneers after the flight of Morgan. Dampier found

himself among them at first by accident, having gone ashore on the

Spanish main in great distress to procure provisions. Falling in with a

party of the marauders, he was induced to join them. He was at the

taking of Porto Bello; and afterward crossed the Isthmus of Darien with

Sawkins, Sharp, and others. Sawkins, the commander, was killed in an

attack on Puebla Nova in 1679. Dampier, in his 'Voyages,' gives an

interesting account of their subsequent course along the coasts, and

among the islands of the Pacific, which was rather disastrous. A mutiny,

however, occurring among those of the buccaneers engaged in the

expedition, Dampier returned across the Isthmus and came to Virginia in

July, 1682, where, after he and his companions had dissipated all their

wealth, they fitted out another piratical expedition for the South seas,

doubling Cape Horn in the spring of 1684. Proceeding northward to

Panama, Dampier's party were joined by large numbers of buccaneers who

had just crossed the Isthmus; and obtaining a number of additional

vessels, they prepared to intercept the Plate fleet on its departure

from Lima for Spain. After a few successes, and several disasters,

Dampier and his companions sailed to the Philippine Islands in 1686; and

subsequently visited most of the islands in the Pacific, sometimes

rioting in luxury, and at others brought to the verge of starvation.

Dampier quitted the buccaneers at the island of Nicoba, in the spring of

1688. Subsequently, however, he again joined them, as the commander of a

fine vessel; but the treachery of his officers and crew defeated the

objects of the cruise. Returning from this bootless voyage, he was

presented to Queen Anne, and well received. He subsequently made a

fourth voyage to the Pacific, during which he discovered and took from

the island of Juan Fernandez the celebrated Alexander Selkirk, the hero

of De Foe's Robinson Crusoe--a story ever delightful and ever new to

readers old and young. The actual experience of Selkirk, as related by

Dampier, corresponds more closely with the narrative, probably, than has

generally been supposed.

The last great enterprise of this remarkable race of men was directed

against Carthagena in 1697. It was planned in France, from one of the

ports of which a squadron of twelve vessels sailed, under the command of

Pointis. It was joined by twelve hundred buccaneers in the West Indies;

and although Carthagena was then the strongest city in the New World,

its forts and castles were carried by storm in rapid succession. The

booty thus acquired by Pointis amounted to one million seven hundred and

fifty thousand pounds sterling, with which he embarked and made sail.

But they had not been long at sea before the buccaneers discovered that

their rapacious commander was meditating how he should deprive them of

their share of the plunder. Exasperated at this treatment, they at first

determined to put him to death. This purpose, however, was diverted by a

suggestion to return to Carthagena and demand a heavy ransom to save the

city from destruction, that they might fill their pockets in that way.

This project was carried into execution. Entering the city without

resistance, the men were confined in the great church, and a ransom

demanded of more than two hundred and eighteen thousand pounds sterling.

A venerable priest ascended the pulpit, and by his eloquent address

persuaded the people to comply with the demand, by surrendering all

their remaining money and jewels. But the amount fell short of the

demand, and the city was sacked a second time. Having amassed all the

wealth they could find, the adventurers once more put to sea. But they

did not long enjoy their ill-gotten riches. Meeting with a fleet of

ships belonging to England and Holland, both of which nations were then

in alliance with Spain, an engagement ensued, in which several of the

pirates were taken and sunk, and among them were lost the treasure

ships, so that the booty went to the bottom of the sea. This was the

last memorable event in the history of the buccaneers of America,

although a lower order of piracy prevailed, both in the Atlantic and

Pacific oceans, for many years afterward.

There had been for the most part a separation between the English and

French buccaneers on the revolution of 1688, which brought William and

Mary to the throne of England, and terminated the friendly relations

between that nation and the Gauls. By the peace of Ryswick, moreover, in

1697, peace was restored between France and Spain, and it then became

the interest as well as the policy of Europe to put an end to the

associated existence of the most extraordinary combination of men who

ever trod the earth. History affords no parallel to the buccaneers.

'Without any regular system, without laws, without any degree of

subordination, and even without any fixed revenue, they became the

astonishment of the age in which they lived, as they will be of

posterity.' In their actions is to be found a mixture of the most

opposite feelings and principles. They were at once undauntedly brave,

and cowardly brutal; full of justice and honor to each other, and yet a

lawless banditti. As an evidence of their feelings of honor,

it is related that on a certain occasion a company of their

fraternity--'Brothers of the Coast,' as they styled themselves--had

stipulated, for a certain sum, to escort a Spanish ship richly laden.

One of them ventured to propose to his companions to enrich themselves

at once by taking the ship. Montauban, the commander of the troop, had

no sooner heard the proposal, than he desired to resign his command and

be set on shore. 'What!' replied the freebooters, 'would you then leave

us? Is there one among us who approves of the treachery you abhor?' A

council was thereupon called, and it was agreed that the person who had

made the proposition should be thrown upon the first coast they should

reach. 'The history of past times,' says a quaint writer, 'doth not

offer, nor will that of future times produce, an example of such an

association, almost as marvellous as the discovery of the New World.

Their swords and their daring spirit, which they exercised with such

terrible effect, were the only fortune they possessed in Europe. In

America, being enemies of all mankind, and dreaded by all, perpetually

exposed to the most extreme dangers, and considering every day as their

last, their wealth was dissipated in the same manner in which it was

acquired. They gave themselves up to all excesses of debauchery and

profusion, and on returning from their expeditions, the intoxication of

their victories accompanied them in their feasts: they would embrace

their mistresses in their bloody arms and fall asleep for a while,

lulled by voluptuous pleasures, from which they were aroused to proceed

to fresh massacres. It was a matter of indifference to them whether they

left their bodies upon the earth or beneath the waters, and they

consequently looked upon life and death with the same composure.

Ferocious in mind, misguided in conscience, destitute of connections, of

relatives, of friends, of fellow citizens, of country, of an asylum;

without any of those motives which moderate the ardor of bravery by the

value which they attach to existence, they were ever ready to rush, as

without sight, upon the most desperate attempts. Equally incapable of

submitting to indigence or quiet; too proud to employ themselves in

common labor; they would have been the scourge of the Old World, had

they not been that of the New.'

* * * * *

In closing this paper, it remains to glance for a moment at the real

history of William Kidd, the buccaneer of the American colonies, whose

name, as remarked in the former part of this article,[C] has for a

hundred and fifty years stood at the head of the pirate legends of the

North, but who, in reality, must have been one of the smallest members

of the fraternity. I have not been able to ascertain the place of Kidd's

nativity. He was, however, the captain of a merchant vessel, trading

between New York and London, and was celebrated for his nautical skill

and enterprise. The first mention of him, in our authentic criminal

history, occurs in 1691, in which year, as we learn from the journals of

the New York Assembly, much was allowed to be due him 'for the many good

services done for the province in attending with his vessels.' But in

what capacity, or for what object, he 'attended with his vessels,' does

not appear. It was also declared that he ought to be suitably rewarded.

Accordingly, in the same year, it was ordered by the Assembly 'that the

sum of one hundred and fifty pounds be paid to Captain Kidd, as a

suitable acknowledgement for the important benefits which the colony had

derived from his services.' The presumption is, that those services were

in some way connected with the protection of the colonial merchant ships

from the attacks of the pirates, who were even yet hovering along the

coasts of the Northern colonies. Indeed, the harbor of New York itself

was no stranger to the pirate vessels, and the commerce between them and

the 'people of figure' in the city was not inconsiderable. It was no

secret that the pirates were freely supplied with provisions by the

inhabitants of Long Island. Further yet, it was well known in the year

1695, that the English pirates had fitted out the vessels in the harbor

of New York. On the arrival of the pirate vessels from their cruises,

their goods were openly sold in the city, and the conduct of the

Colonial Government was such, that collusion, if not actual partnerships

between them and the public authorities, was not doubted. Colonel

Fletcher, a poor and profligate man, was governor at that time. He was

beyond doubt concerned with the freebooters, as also was William Nicoll,

a member of the privy council. Complaints upon this subject having

reached England, Fletcher was succeeded, in 1695, by the Earl of

Bellamont, the appointment being made in the belief that, from his rank

and the wealth of his character, he would be able to retrieve the

character of the Colonial Government.

Justice, however, to the memory of Kidd requires it to be said that he

was not at that period, so far as it is known, a pirate himself. Before

Lord Bellamont sailed from England for his government, he met with

Robert Livingston of New York--the ancestor of the Livingstons of

Livingston's Manor--with whom he held a conversation respecting the

pirates, and the best means that could be adopted to put them down. The

project of employing a swift-sailing armed ship of thirty guns, and one

hundred and fifty men, to cruise against them, was spoken of; and

Livingston recommended his lordship to Kidd, as a man of integrity and

courage, acquainted with the pirates and their places of rendezvous, and

as one in all respects fit to be intrusted with the command of a vessel

engaged in such a difficult service. He had, indeed, commanded a

privateer, in regular commission, against the pirates in the West

Indies, in which service he had acquitted himself as a brave and

adventurous man. The project not being entertained by the Board of

Admiralty, a private adventure against the pirates was suggested by Mr.

Livingston, one fifth part of the stock of which he would take himself,

besides becoming security for the good conduct of Kidd. The proposition

was approved by the king, who became interested to the amount of one

tenth; and the residue of the expense was supplied by Lord Chancellor

Somers, the Duke of Shrewsbury, the Earls of Romney and Oxford, and Sir

Edmund Harrison and others. The ship having been procured and equipped,

Kidd sailed for New York under a regular commission, in April, 1696--the

direction of the enterprise being committed to the Earl of Bellamont and

himself. For a time he served faithfully and with advantage to the

commerce of the colonies and mother country; for which services he

received much public applause, and another grant from the colony of two

hundred and fifty pounds. Tradition, moreover, says that, on visiting

the government house, he was received with public honors, and invited to

a seat with the speaker of the House of Assembly.

On his next voyage, however, he stretched away to the Indian ocean, and

turned pirate himself. Selecting the island of Madagascar as his

principal place of rendezvous, and burning his own ship after having

captured one that suited him better, his depredations upon the commerce

of all nations were represented to have been great. It is said that he

'ranged over the Indian coast from the Red sea to Malabar, and that his

depredations extended from the Eastern ocean back along the Atlantic

coast of South America, through the Bahamas, the whole of the West

Indies, and the shores of Long Island.' But it will presently be seen

that this statement must have been an exaggeration, as time was not

afforded for operations so extensive before his arrest.

It is beyond doubt true that Long Island contained several of his hiding

places. 'Kidd's Rock' is well known at Manhasset, upon Long Island, to

this day. Here he was supposed to have buried some of his treasures, and

many have been the attempts of the credulous to find the hidden gold,

but it could not be found. There is also no doubt that he was wont to

hide himself and his vessel among those curious rocks in Sachem's Head

Harbor, called the Thimble islands. There is also upon one of those

rocks, sheltered from the view of the Sound, a beautiful artificial

excavation of an oval form, holding perhaps the measure of a barrel,

called 'Kidd's Punch Bowl.' It was here, according to the legend of the

neighborhood, that he used to carouse with his crew. It is a fact,

however, beyond controversy, that he was accustomed to anchor his vessel

in Gardner's bay. On one occasion, in the night, he landed upon

Gardner's island, and requested Mrs. Gardner to provide a supper for

himself and his attendants. Knowing his desperate character, she dared

not refuse, and fearing his displeasure, she took great pains,

especially in roasting a pig. The pirate chief was so pleased with her

culinary success, that, on going away, he presented her with a cradle

blanket of gold cloth. On another occasion, also, when he landed at the

island, he buried a small casket of gold, silver, and precious stones in

presence of Mr. Gardner, but under the most solemn injunctions of

secrecy.

Repairing soon afterward to Boston, where Lord Bellamont happened to be

at the time, he was summoned before his lordship, and directed to give a

report of his proceedings in the service of his company. Refusing to

comply with this demand, he was arrested on the third of July, 1699, on

the charge of piracy. He appears to have disclosed the fact of having

buried the treasure at Gardner's island, for the same was demanded by

his lordship, and surrendered by Mr. Gardner. I have conversed with a

gentleman who has seen the original receipt for the amount, with the

different items of the deposit. The amount was by no means large, and

affords evidence of no such mighty sweepings of the seas as have been

told of in story and in song. Of gold, in coins, gold dust, and bars,

there were seven hundred and fifty ounces. Of silver, five hundred and

six ounces, and of precious stones about sixteen ounces.

Lord Bellamont wrote home for a ship of war, to carry Kidd to England

for trial. The 'Rochester' was despatched upon that service, but being

obliged to put back, a general suspicion prevailed in England that there

was collusion between the pirates and the ministers, and, in fact, that

they dared not bring the sea robber home for trial, lest it should be

discovered that the Lord Chancellor and his noble associates in the

enterprise were confederates in the piracies also. Party spirit ran

high, and the opponents of the ministers brought a resolution into the

House of Commons for excluding from place all the partners of Kidd in

the original enterprise. And although this resolution was voted down,

yet the Tories contrived afterward to impeach the Whig lords upon the

charge of having been concerned with Kidd. But the articles were not

sustained. Meanwhile Kidd had been taken to England, tried on an

indictment for piracy and murder, and hung in chains, with six of his

crew. In addition to the indictment for piracy, he was indicted for the

murder of one of his own subordinate officers, named Moore, whom he

killed in a quarrel, by striking him over the head with a bucket. He was

convicted upon both charges, but protested to the last that he was the

victim of conspiracy and perjury.

But, after all, suspicions were entertained by the public that the

execution was a sham--that the Government dared not put him to death;

and that, to avoid disclosures, a man of straw was hung in his place. In

proof of this assertion, it was gravely and strongly alleged that Kidd

had been seen alive and well, many years afterward, by those who could

not be mistaken as to his identity. I think there is no doubt, however,

of his having been honestly hung at 'Execution Dock,' in London, on the

12th of May, 1701. Yet, when compared with the nobler villains, Lolonois

and Morgan, Kidd must have been a pirate upon an insignificant scale--a

mere bottle imp by the side of Satan, as portrayed in stupendous

grandeur by Milton!