the age of thirteen, when most boys are going to boarding-school.
After several voyages in Europe, and to the coast of Africa, he was
appointed mate of a French East Indiaman, bound to Madras in India.
But things did not go any too well with the sturdy ship; a heavy gale
struck her off the Cape of Good Hope; she sprung her mainmast,
and--flopping along like a huge sea-turtle--staggered into the port of
St. Thomas in the island of Mauritius, off the east coast of Africa.
"Here," said young Lafitte to his Captain, "is where I leave you, for
you are a bully, a braggart, and a knave."
And, so saying, he cut for shore in the jolly-boat, but--if the truth
must be known--Lafitte and the Captain were too much alike to get on
together. They both wished to "be boss." Like magnets do not attract,
but repel.
Luck was with the young deserter. Several privateers were being fitted
out at the safe port of St. Thomas and he was appointed Captain of one
of them. Letters of Marque were granted by the Governor of the
Mauritius.
"Ah ha!" cried the youthful adventurer. "Now I can run things to suit
myself. And I'll grow rich."
This he speedily succeeded in doing, for, in the course of his cruise,
he robbed several vessels which came in his path, and, stopping at the
Seychelles (Islands off the eastern coast of Africa), took on a load
of slaves for the port of St. Thomas. Thus he had descended--not only
to piracy--but also to slave catching; the lowest depths to which a
seaman could come down.
When four days out from the curiously named islands, a cry went up
from the watch,
"Sail ho! Off the port bow! A British frigate, by much that's good,
and she's after us with all speed!"
To which bold Lafitte answered, "Then, we must run for it!" But he
hoisted every bit of canvas which he had about and headed for the Bay
of Bengal. "And," said he, "if she does not catch us and we get away,
we'll take an English merchantman and burn her." Then he laughed
satirically.
The British frigate plodded along after the lighter vessel of Lafitte's
until the Equator was reached, and then she disappeared,--disgruntled at
not being able to catch the saucy tartar. But the privateersman headed
for the blue Bay of Bengal; there fell in with an English armed schooner
with a numerous crew; and--although he only had two guns and twenty-six
men aboard his own vessel--he tackled the sailors from the chilly isle
like a terrier shaking a rat. There was a stiff little fight upon the
shimmering waves of the Indian Ocean. When night descended the
Britisher had struck and nineteen blood-stained ruffians from the
privateer took possession of the battered hulk, singing a song which
ran:
"For it's fourteen men on a dead man's chest,
Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum."
Lafitte was now feeling better; his men had been fed; he had good
plunder; and he possessed two staunch, little craft.
"Let's bear away for India, my Hearties," cried he, "and we'll hit
another Englishman and take her."
What he had said soon came to pass, for, when off the hazy, low-lying
coast of Bengal, a rakish East Indiaman came lolling by, armed with
twenty-six twelve-pounders and manned with one hundred and fifty men.
A bright boarding upon her stern-posts flaunted the truly Eastern
name: the _Pagoda_.
The dull-witted Britishers had no suspicions of the weak,
Puritan-looking, little two-'undred tonner of Lafitte's, as she glided
in close; luffed; and bobbed about, as a voice came:
"Sa-a-y! Want a pilot fer the Ganges?"
There was no reply for a while. Then a voice shrilled back,
"Come up on th' port quarter. That's just what we've been lookin'
for."
The fat _Pagoda_ ploughed listlessly onward, as the
unsuspicious-looking pilot plodded up on the port side; in fact, most
of the crew were dozing comfortably under awnings on the deck, when a
shot rang out. Another and another followed, and, with a wild,
ear-splitting whoop, the followers of Lafitte clambered across the
rail; dirks in their mouths; pistols in their right hands, and
cutlasses in their left.
Now was a short and bloodless fight. Taken completely by surprise, the
Englishmen threw up their hands and gave in only too willingly. With
smiles of satisfaction upon their faces, the seamen of the bad man
from St. Malo soon hauled two kegs of spirits upon the decks, and held
high revel upon the clean boarding of the rich and valuable prize. The
_Pagoda_ was re-christened _The Pride of St. Malo_, and soon went off
privateering upon her own hook; while Lafitte headed back for St.
Thomas: well-fed--even sleek with good living--and loaded down with
the treasure which he had taken. "Ah-ha!" cried the black-haired
navigator. "I am going to be King of the Indian waters."
Now came the most bloody and successful of his battles upon the broad
highway of the gleaming, southern ocean.
Taking command of the _La Confidence_ of twenty-six guns and two
hundred and fifty men, whom he found at the port of St. Thomas, he
again headed for the coast of British India; keen in the expectation
of striking a valuable prize. And his expectations were well
fulfilled.
In October, 1807, the welcome cry of "Sail Ho!" sounded from the
forward watch, when off the Sand Heads, and there upon the starboard
bow was a spot of white, which proved to be a Queen's East Indiaman,
with a crew of near four hundred. She carried forty guns.
There were double the number of cannon, there were double the number
of men, but Lafitte cried out:
"I came out to fight and I'm going to do it, comrades! You see before
you a vessel which is stronger than our own, but, with courage and
nerve, we can beat her. I will run our own ship close to the enemy.
You must lie down behind the protecting sides of our vessel until we
touch the stranger. Then--when I give the signal to board--let each
man seize a cutlass, a dirk, and two pistols, and strike down all that
oppose him. We _must_ and _can_ win!"
These stirring words were greeted by a wild and hilarious cheer.
Now, running upon the port tack, the _La Confidence_ bore down upon
the Britisher with the water boiling under her bows; while the
stranger luffed, and prepared for action. Shrill cries sounded from
her huge carcass as her guns were loaded and trained upon the
on-coming foe, while her masts began to swarm with sharpshooters eager
to pick off the ravenous sea-dogs from the Mauritius.
Suddenly a terrific roar sounded above the rattle of ropes and creak
of hawsers--and a broadside cut into the _La Confidence_ with keen
accuracy.
"Lie flat upon the deck," cried Lafitte, "and dodge the iron boys if
you can see 'em."
His men obeyed, and, as the missiles pounded into the broad sides of
their ship, the steersman ran her afoul of the Queen's East Indiaman.
When he did so, many sailors swarmed into the rigging, and from the
yards and tops threw bombs and grenades into the forecastle of the
enemy, so that death and terror made the Britishers abandon the
portion of their vessel near the mizzen-mast.
"Forty of the crew will now board," cried Lafitte. "And let every
mother's son strike home!"
With pistols in their hands and daggers held between their teeth, the
wild sea-rovers rollicked across the gunwales like a swarm of rats.
Dancing up the deck of the Britisher they beat back all who opposed
them, driving them below into the steerage. Shots rang out like
spitting cats; dirks gleamed; and cutlasses did awful execution. But
the Captain of the Indiaman was rallying his men about him on the
poop, and, with a wild cheer, these precipitated themselves upon the
victorious privateers.
"Board! Board!" cried Lafitte, at this propitious moment, and, cutlass
in hand, he leaped from his own vessel upon the deck of the East
Indiaman. His crew followed with a yelp of defiant hatred, and beat
the Captain's party back again upon the poop, where they stood
stolidly, cursing at the rough sea-riders from St. Thomas.
But Lafitte was a general not to be outdone by such a show of force.
He ordered a gun to be loaded with grape-shot; had it pointed towards
the place where the crowd was assembled; and cried--
"If you don't give in now, I'll exterminate all of you at one
discharge of my piece."
It was the last blow. Seeing that it was useless to continue the
unequal struggle, the British Captain held up his long cutlass, to
which was bound a white handkerchief, and the great sea battle was
over. Lafitte and his terrible crew had captured a boat of double the
size of his own, and with twice his numbers.
Says an old chronicler of the period: "This exploit, hitherto
unparalleled, resounded through India, and the name of Lafitte became
the terror of English commerce in these latitudes. The British vessels
now traversed the Indian Ocean under strong convoys, in order to beat
off this harpy of South Africa."
"Egad," said Lafitte about this time, "these fellows are too smart for
me. I'll have to look for other pickings. I'm off for France."
So he doubled the Cape of Good Hope, coasted up the Gulf of Guinea,
and, in the Bight of Benin, took two valuable prizes loaded down with
gold dust, ivory, and palm oil. With these he ran to St. Malo, where
the people said:
"Tenez! Here is a brave fellow, but would you care to have his
reputation, Monsieur?" And they shook their heads, shrugged their
shoulders, and looked the other way when they saw him coming.
The privateersman, slaver, and pirate was not going to be long with
them, however, for he soon fitted out a brigantine, mounted twenty
guns on her, and with one hundred and fifty men, sailed for
Guadaloupe, among the West Indies. He took several valuable prizes,
but, during his absence upon a cruise, the island was captured by the
British, so he started for a more congenial clime. He roved about for
some months, to settle at last at Barrataria, near New Orleans,
Louisiana. He was rich; he had amassed great quantities of booty; and
he was a man of property. Lafitte, in fact, was a potentate.
"Now," said the privateer and pirate, "I will settle down and found a
colony."
But can a man of action keep still?
It is true that Lafitte was not as bold and audacious as before, for
he was now obliged to have dealings with merchants of the United
States and the West Indies who frequently owed him large sums of
money, and the cautious transactions necessary to found and to conduct
a colony of pirates and smugglers in the very teeth of civilization,
made the black-haired Frenchman cloak his real character under a
veneer of supposed gentility. Hundreds of privateers, pirates, and
smugglers gathered around the banner of this robber of the high seas.
But what is Barrataria?
Part of the coast of Louisiana is called by that name: that part lying
between Bastien Bay on the east, and the mouth of the wide river, or
bayou of La Fourche, on the west. Not far from the rolling, sun-baked
Atlantic are the lakes of Barrataria, connecting with one another by
several large bayous and a great number of branches. In one of these
is the Island of Barrataria, while this sweet-sounding name is also
given to a large basin which extends the entire length of the cypress
swamps, from the Gulf of Mexico, to a point three miles above New
Orleans. The waters from this lake slowly empty into the Gulf by two
passages through the Bayou Barrataria, between which lies an island
called Grand Terre: six miles in length, and three in breadth, running
parallel with the coast. To the West of this is the great pass of
Barrataria, where is about nine to ten feet of water: enough to float
the ordinary pirate or privateersman's vessel. Within this pass--about
two miles from the open sea--lies the only safe harbor upon the coast,
and this is where the cut-throats, pirates, and smugglers gathered
under Lafitte. They called themselves _Barratarians_, and they were a
godless crew.
At a place called Grand Terre, the privateers would often make public
sale of their cargoes and prizes by auction. And the most respectable
inhabitants of the State were accustomed to journey there in order to
purchase the goods which the _Barratarians_ had to offer. They would
smile, and say,
"We are going to get some of the treasure of Captain Kidd."
But the Government of the United States did not take so kindly to the
idea of a privateer and pirate colony within its borders. And--with
malice aforethought--one Commodore Patterson was sent to disperse
these marauders at Barrataria, who, confident of their strength and
fighting ability, defiantly flaunted their flag in the faces of the
officers of the Government. "We can lick the whole earth," chuckled
the piratical followers of Lafitte.
Patterson was a good fighter. On June the eleventh he departed from
New Orleans with seventy members of the 44th regiment of infantry. On
the sixteenth he made for the Island of Barrataria, with some six
gun-boats, a launch mounting one twelve pound carronade; the _Sea
Horse_ (a tender carrying one six-pounder) and the schooner
_Carolina_.
"We must fight, Boys," cried Lafitte to his ill-assorted mates. "Come,
take to our schooners and show these officers that the followers of
Lafitte can battle like Trojans."
A cheer greeted these noble sentiments.
"Lead on!" yelled his cut-throats. "Lead on and we'll sink these cocky
soldiers as we've done to many an East Indiaman!"
So, about two o'clock in the afternoon, the privateers and pirates
formed their vessels, ten in number (including their prizes) near the
entrance of the harbor.
_Crash!_
A shell from the forward gun of the leading gun-boat spun across the
bows of Lafitte's flagship and buried itself in the gray water with a
dull sob.
Up went a huge white flag upon the foremost mast-head of the king
pirate and these words could be plainly seen:
"Pardon for all Deserters."
"Ah, ha," chuckled Patterson. "The arch ruffian has heard that some of
my men are ashore and this is the way he would hire them."
_Crash!_
Another shell ricochetted across the still surface of the harbor and
sunk itself in the side of a piratical brig.
"Hello!" cried a Lieutenant, running up to the United States
Commander. "They're giving up already. See! The beggars are hastening
ashore in order to skip into the woods."
"I'm afraid so," answered the disappointed Commodore. "All my pains
for nothing. The fellows are getting away."
Sure enough--afraid to remain and fight it out--the craven followers
of Lafitte now turned their schooners to the shore--ran their bows
into the sand, and, leaping overboard, made into the forest as fast as
their legs could carry them. Thus--without firing a shot--the cowardly
pirates of Barrataria "took to the bush."
"The enemy had mounted on their vessels, twenty pieces of cannon of
different calibre," wrote Patterson, after this tame affair. "And, as
I have since learnt, they had from eight hundred to one thousand men
of all nations and colors. When I perceived the pirates forming their
vessels into a line of battle I felt confident, from their fleet and
very advantageous position, and their number of men, that they would
have fought me. Their not doing so I regret; for had they, I should
have been enabled more effectually to destroy or make prisoners of
them and their leaders; but it is a subject of great satisfaction to
me, to have effected the object of my enterprise, without the loss of
a man. On the afternoon of the 23rd, I got under way with my whole
squadron, in all seventeen vessels, but during the night one escaped
and the next day I arrived at New Orleans with my entire command."
Thus ended the magnificent (?) attempt of the vainglorious Lafitte to
stem the advance of the Government of the United States. In the
parlance of the camp, "He was a fust-class quitter."
But he did not show himself to be a "quitter" in the battle of New
Orleans.
The English and Americans, in fact, were soon at each other's throats
in the ungentle game of war. At different times the British had sought
to attack the pirates of Barrataria, in the hope of taking their
prizes and armed vessels. On June 23rd, 1813, while two of Lafitte's
privateers were lying to off of Cat Island, an English sloop-of-war
came to anchor at the entrance of the pass, and sent out two boats in
the endeavor to capture the rakish sea-robbers. But they were repulsed
with severe and galling loss.
On the 2nd of September, 1814, an armed brig appeared on the coast,
opposite the famous pass to the home of the rangers of the sea. She
fired a gun at a smuggler, about to enter, and forced her to poke her
nose into a sand-bar; she then jibed over and came to anchor at the
entrance to the shallows.
"That vessel means business, sure," said one of the pirates to
Lafitte. "She has spouted one gun, but now she's lyin' to. Better see
what's up."
"You're right," answered the famous sea-rover. "We'll go off in a boat
and look out for what's going to happen."
So, starting from the shore, he was soon on his way to the brig, from
which a pinnace was lowered, in which could be seen two officers, one
of whom had a flag of truce. The two boats rapidly neared each other.
"Where is Mr. Lafitte?" cried one of the Britishers, as the pinnace
neared the shore. "I would speak with the Laird of Barrataria."
But Lafitte was not anxious to make himself known.
"He's ashore," said he. "But, if you have communications for him,
these I can deliver."
"Pray, give him these packages, my good man," spoke the English tar,
handing him a bundle of letters, tied up in tarpaulin.
Lafitte smiled.
"I would be delighted to do so," he replied. "But, pray come ashore
and there I will return you your answer after I have seen the great
Captain, who is camping about a league inland."
The Britishers readily assented, and both rowed towards the sandy
beach, where a great number of pirates of Barrataria had collected.
As soon as the boats were in shallow water, Lafitte made himself known
to the English, saying:
"Do not let my men know upon what business you come, for it will go
ill with you. My followers know that war is now on between Great
Britain and the United States, and, if they hear you are making
overtures with me, they will wish to hang you."
It was as he had said. When the Englishmen landed, a great cry went up
amongst the privateers, pirates and smugglers:
"Hang the spies! Kill the dirty dogs! To the yard-arm with the
rascally Englishmen! Send the hounds to New Orleans and to jail!"
But Lafitte dissuaded the multitude from their intent and led the
officers in safety to his dwelling, where he opened the package,
finding a proclamation addressed to the inhabitants of Louisiana, by
Col. Edward Nichalls--British commander of the land forces in this
state--requesting them to come under the sheltering arm of the British
Government. There were also two letters to himself, asking him to join
and fight with the English.
"If you will but battle with us," said Captain Lockyer--one of the
British officers--"we will give you command of a forty-four gun
frigate, and will make you a Post Captain. You will also receive
thirty thousand dollars,--payable at Pensacola."
Lafitte looked dubiously at him.
"I will give answer in a few days," he replied, with courtesy.
"You are a Frenchman," continued the British Captain. "You are not in
the service of the United States, nor likely to be. Come--man--give us
a reply at once."
Captain Lafitte was obdurate, for--strange as it may seem--he wished
to inform the officers of the State Government of this project of the
English. So he withdrew to his own hut.
As he did this, the pirates seized the British officers, dragged them
to a cabin, and thrust them inside. A guard was stationed at the door,
while cries went up from every quarter:
"To New Orleans with the scoundrels! A yard-arm for the butchers! A
rope's end for the scurvy tars!"
Lafitte was furious when he learned of this, and, after haranguing the
crowd, had the Britishers released.
"If you treat men under a flag of truce as prisoners," he cried, "you
break one of the first rules of warfare. You will get the same
treatment if you, yourselves, are captured, and you will lose the
opportunity of discovering what are the projects of the British upon
Louisiana."
His men saw the good sense of these words of advice, and acted
accordingly.
Early the next morning the officers were escorted to their pinnace
with many apologies from Lafitte, who now wrote a letter to Captain
Lockyer, which shows him to have been a man of considerable
cultivation, and not a mere "rough and tumble" pirate--without
education or refinement. He said:
"BARRATARIA, 4th Sept., 1814.
"TO CAPTAIN LOCKYER,
"SIR:--The confusion which prevailed in our camp
yesterday and this morning, and of which you have a
complete knowledge, has prevented me from answering in a
precise manner to the object of your mission; nor even
at this moment can I give you all the satisfaction that
you desire. However, if you could grant me a fortnight,
I would be entirely at your disposal at the end of that
time.
"This delay is indispensable to enable me to put my
affairs in order. You may communicate with me by sending
a boat to the Eastern point of the pass, where I will be
found. You have inspired me with more confidence than
the Admiral--your superior officer--could have done,
himself. With you alone I wish to deal, and from you,
also, I will claim in due time, the reward of the
services which I may render you.
"Your very respectful servant,
"J. LAFITTE."
His object in writing this letter--you see--was, by appearing to
accede to the proposals, to give time to communicate the affair to the
officers of the State Government of Louisiana and to receive from them
instructions how to act, under circumstances so critical and important
to his own country: that is, the country of his adoption.
He, therefore, addressed the following epistle to the Governor of
Louisiana. Do you think that you, yourself, could write as well as did
this pirate?
"BARRATARIA, Sept. 4th, 1814.
"TO GOVERNOR CLAIBORNE:
"SIR:--In the firm persuasion that the choice made of
you to fill the office of first magistrate of this
State, was dictated by the esteem of your fellow
citizens, and was conferred on merit, I confidently
address you on an affair on which may depend the safety
of this country.
"I offer to you to restore to this State several
citizens, who perhaps, in your eyes, have lost that
sacred title. I offer you them, however, such as you
could wish to find them, ready to exert their utmost
efforts in the defence of the country.
"This point of Louisiana, which I occupy, is of great
importance in the present crisis. I tender my services
to defend it; and the only reward I ask is that a stop
be put to the proscription against me and my adherents,
by an act of oblivion, for all that has been done
heretofore.
"I am the stray sheep wishing to return to the fold.
"If you are thoroughly acquainted with the nature of my
offences, I should appear to you much less guilty, and
still worthy to discharge the duties of a good citizen.
I have never sailed under any flag but the republic of
Carthagena, and my vessels were perfectly regular in
that respect.
"If I could have brought my lawful prizes into the ports
of this State, I should not have employed illicit means
that have caused me to be proscribed (hounded by the
State authorities).
"I decline to say more upon this subject until I have
your Excellency's answer, which I am persuaded can be
dictated only by wisdom. Should your answer not be
favorable to my ardent desire, I declare to you that I
will instantly leave the country, to avoid the
imputation of having cooperated towards an invasion on
this point, which cannot fail to take place, and to rest
secure in the acquittal of my conscience.
"I have the honor to be,
"Your Excellency's Most Humble Servant,
"J. LAFITTE."
Now how is that for a swashbuckling privateer? Anyone would be proud
of such a letter and it does honor to the judgment of this sand-spit
king, giving clear evidence of a strange but sincere attachment to the
American cause. Hurrah for the Frenchman!
This missive, in fact, made such an impression upon the Governor that
he had an interview with Lafitte, who was ushered into his presence
only to find General Andrew Jackson (Old Hickory) closeted with the
chief executive.