The exact time of this person’s setting out I am not certain of. I find
him cruising on the Malabar coast in the year 1700, commanding a ship
called the Speaker, whose crew consisted of men of all nations, and
their piracies were committed upon ships of all nations likewise. The
pirates here met with no manner of inconveniencies in carrying on their
designs, for it was made so much a trade, that the merchants of one town
never scrupled the buying commodities taken from another, though but ten
miles distant, in a public sale, furnishing the robbers at the same time
with all necessaries, even of vessels, when they had occasion to go on
any expedition, which they themselves would often advise them of.
Among the rest, an English East-Indiaman, Capt. Coneway, from Bengal,
fell into the hands of this crew, which they made prize of, near
Callequilon. They carried her in, and put her up to sale, dividing the
ship and cargo into three shares; one third was sold to a merchant,
native of Callequilon aforesaid, another third to a merchant of Porca,
and the other to one Malpa, a Dutch factor.
Loaded with the spoil of this and several country ships they left the
coast, and steered for Madagascar; but in their voyage thither, meeting
with adverse winds, and, being negligent in their steerage, they ran
upon St. Thomas’s reef, at the island of Mauritius, where the ship was
lost; but Bowen and the greatest part of the crew got safe ashore.
They met here with all the civility and good treatment imaginable. Bowen
was complimented in a particular manner by the governor, and splendidly
entertained in his house; the sick men were got, with great care, into
the fort, and cured by their doctor, and no supplies of any sort,
wanting for the rest. They spent here three months, but yet resolving to
set down at Madagascar, they bought a sloop, which they converted into a
brigantine, and about the middle of March, 1701, departed, having first
taken formal leave of the governor, by making a present of 2500 pieces
of eight; leaving him, besides, the wreck of their ship, with the guns,
stores, and every thing else that was saved. The governor, on his part,
supplied them with necessaries for their voyage, which was but short,
and gave them a kind invitation to make that island a place of
refreshment in the course of their future adventures, promising that
nothing should be wanting to them that his government afforded.
Upon their arrival at Madagascar, they put in at a place on the east
side, called Maritan, quit their vessel, and settled themselves ashore
in a fruitful plain on the side of a river. They built themselves a fort
on the river’s mouth, towards the sea, and another small one on the
other side, towards the country; the first to prevent a surprise from
shipping, and the other as a security from the natives, many of whom
they employed in the building. They built also a little town for their
habitation, which took up the remainder of the year 1701.
When this was done, they soon became dissatisfied with their new
situation, having a hankering mind after their old employment, and
accordingly resolved to fit up the brigantine they had from the Dutch at
Mauritius, which was laid in a cove near their settlement; but an
accident, that they improved, provided for them in a better manner, and
saved them a great deal of trouble.
It happened that about the beginning of the year 1702, a ship called the
Speedy Return, belonging to the Scotch-African and East-India company,
Capt. Drummond, commander, came into the port of Maritan in Madagascar,
with a brigantine that belonged to her; they had before taken in negroes
at St. Mary’s, a little island adjoining to the main land of Madagascar,
and carried them to Don Mascarenhas, from whence they sailed to this
port on the same trade.
On the ship’s arrival, Capt. Drummond, with Andrew Wilky, his surgeon,
and several others of the crew, went on shore; in the mean time John
Bowen, with four others of his consorts, went off in a little boat, on
pretence of buying some of their merchandise brought from Europe: and
finding a fair opportunity, the chief mate, boatswain, and a hand or two
more only upon deck, and the rest at work in the hold they threw off
their mask; each drew out a pistol and hanger, and told them they were
all dead men if they did not retire that moment to the cabin. The
surprise was sudden, and they thought it necessary to obey: one of the
pirates placed himself sentry at the door, with his arms in his hands,
and the rest immediately laid the hatches, and then made a signal to
their fellows on shore as agreed on; upon which, about forty or fifty
came on board, and took quiet possession of the ship, and afterwards the
brigantine, without bloodshed, or striking a stroke. Bowen was made, or
rather made himself, of course, captain; he detained the old crew, or
the greatest part thereof, burnt the Dutch brigantine as being of no use
to them, cleaned and fitted the ship, took water, provisions, and what
necessaries were wanting, and made ready for new adventures.
Having thus piratically possessed himself of Capt. Drummond’s ship and
brigantine, and being informed by the crew, that when they left Don
Mascarenhas, a ship called the Rook galley, Capt. Honeycomb, commander,
was lying in that bay, Bowen resolved, with the other pirates, to sail
thither, but it taking up seven or eight days in watering their vessels,
and settling their private affairs, they arrived not at the island till
after the departure of the said galley, who thereby happily escaped the
villaneous snare of their unprovoked enemies.
The night after the pirates left Maritan, the brigantine ran on a ledge
of rocks off the west side of the island of Madagascar, which not being
perceived by the ship, Bowen came into Mascarenhas without her, not
knowing what was become of his consort. Here he stayed eight or ten
days, in which time he supplied the ship with provisions, and judging
that the Rook galley was gone to some other island, the ship sailed to
Mauritius, in search of her; but the pirates seeing four or five ships
in the N. W. harbour, they thought themselves too weak to attempt any
thing there; so they stood immediately for Madagascar again, and arrived
safe, first at Port Dauphin and then at Augustin Bay. In a few days the
Content brigantine, which they supposed either to have been lost, or
revolted that honourable service, came into the same bay, and informed
their brethren of the misfortune that happened to them.
The rogues were glad, no doubt, of seeing one another again, and calling
a council together, they found the brigantine in no condition for
business, being then very leaky; therefore she was condemned, and
forthwith hauled ashore and burnt, and the crew united, and all went on
board the Speedy Return.
At this place the pirates were made acquainted, by the negroes, of the
adventures of another gang that had settled for some time near that
harbour, and had one Howard for their captain. It was the misfortune of
an India ship called the Prosperous, to come into the bay at the time
that these rogues were looking out for employment; who under the
pretence of trading (almost in the same manner that Bowen and his gang
had seized the Speedy Return) made themselves master of her, and sailed
with her to New Mathelage. Bowen and his gang consulting together on
this intelligence, concluded it was more for their interest to join in
alliance with this new company, than to act single, they being too weak
of themselves to undertake any considerable enterprise, remembering how
they were obliged to bear away from the island of Mauritius, when they
were in search of the Rook galley, which they might have taken, with
several others, had they had, at that time, a consort of equal force to
their own ship.
They accordingly set sail from the bay, and came into New Mathelage, but
found no ship there, though upon enquiry they understood that the pirate
they looked for, had been at the place, but was gone; so after some stay
they proceeded to Johanna, but the Prosperous not being there neither,
they sailed to Mayotta, where they found her lying at anchor. This was
about Christmas, 1702.
Here these two powers struck up an alliance. Howard liking the
proposals, came readily into it, and the treaty was ratified by both
companies. They stayed about two months at this island, thinking it,
perhaps, as likely a place to meet with prey as cruising out for it, and
so indeed it happened; for about the beginning of March, the ship
Pembroke, belonging to our East-India company, coming in for water, was
boarded by their boats, and taken, with the loss of the chief mate and
another man that were killed in the skirmish.
The two pirate ships weighed, and went out to sea along with their
prize, and that day and the next plundered her of the best part of her
cargo, provisions, and stores, and then taking the captain and carpenter
away, they let the Pembroke go where the remainder of her crew pleased,
and came with their ships into New Mathelage. Here the two captains
consulted, and laid a plan for a cruise to India, for which purpose they
detained Capt. Woolley, of the Pembroke, lately taken, in order to be
their pilot in those seas; but a very hot dispute arose between the two
companies which ship he should go aboard of, insomuch that they had gone
together by the ears, if an expedient had not been found to satisfy each
party, that one might not have the advantage of the other by the
captain’s skill and knowledge of the Indian coast, and this was to knock
the poor man on the head, and murder him: but at last, by the authority
of Bowen, Capt. Woolley escaped the threatened danger, by bringing his
company to consent to his remaining on board the Prosperous, where he
then was.
The Speedy Return being foul, and wanting a little repair was judged
proper for her to go back to Augustin Bay to clean; in the mean while
the Prosperous was to have a pair of boot-tops where she lay, and
likewise to take in water and provisions, and then to join their consort
again at Mayotta, the island appointed for the rendezvous.
The Prosperous put into Mayotta as agreed on, and waiting there some
time for Bowen’s ship, without seeing or hearing any news of her, went
to Johanna, but not meeting with her there, they apprehended some
accident had befell her, and therefore left the place, and sailed on the
expedition themselves. As to the Speedy Return, she arrived safe at St.
Augustin Bay, at Madagascar, and there cleaned and victualled; but
tarrying there somewhat too long, the winds hung contrary, and they
could not for their lives beat up to Mayotta, and therefore went up to
Johanna, where, hearing that their friends had lately left that Island,
they steered for the Red Sea, but the wind not proving fair for their
design, they bore away for the high land of St. John’s near Surat, where
they once more fell in company with their brethren of the Prosperous.
They cruised together as was first agreed on, and after some time they
had sight of four ships, to which they gave chase; but these separating,
two standing to the northward, and two to the southward, the pirates
separated likewise, Bowen standing after those that steered southerly,
and Howard crowding after the others. Bowen came up with the heaviest of
the two, which proved to be a Moorish ship of 700 tons, bound from the
Gulf of Mocha to Surat. The pirates brought the prize into Rajapora, on
the coast of India, where they plundered her; the merchandise they sold
to the natives, but a small sum of current gold they found aboard,
amounting to £22,000 English money, they put into their pockets. Two
days after, the Prosperous came in, but without any prize; however, they
soon made their friends acquainted that they had not succeeded worse
than themselves, for at Surat river’s mouth, where all the four ships
were bound, they came up with their chase, and with a broad side, one of
them struck, but the other got into the bay. They stood down the coast
with the prize till they had plundered her of the best of her cargo, the
most valuable of which was 84,000 sequins, a piece of about ten
shillings each, and then they left her adrift, without either anchor or
cable, off Daman.
While they were lying at Rajapora they passed a survey on their
shipping, and judging their own to be less serviceable than their prize,
they voted them to the flames, and straightway fitted up the Surat ship.
They transported both companies aboard of her, and then set fire to the
Prosperous and Speedy Return. They mustered at this place 164 fighting
men; 43 only were English, the greater number French, the rest Danes,
Swedes, and Dutch. They took on board 70 Indians to do the drudgery of
the ship, and mounted 56 guns, calling her the Defiance, and sailed from
Rajapora the latter end of October, in the year 1703 to cruise on the
coast of Malabar. But not meeting with prey in this first cruise, they
came to an anchor about three leagues to the northward of Cochen,
expecting some boats to come off with supplies of refreshments, for
which purpose they fired several guns, by way of signal, but none
appearing, the quarter-master was sent in the pinnace to confer with the
people, which he did with some caution, keeping the boat upon their oars
at the shore side. In short, they agreed very well, the pirates were
promised whatever necessaries they wanted, and the boat returned aboard.
The next day a boat came off from the town with hogs, goats, wine, &c.
with a private intimation from Malpa, the Dutch broker, an old friend of
the pirates, that a ship of that country called the Rhimæ, lay then in
Mudbay, not many leagues off, and if they would go out and take her, he
would purchase the cargo of them, and likewise promised that they should
be further supplied with pitch, tar, and all other necessaries, which
was made good to them; for people from the factory flocked aboard every
hour, and dealt with them as in open market, for all sorts of
merchandise, refreshments, jewels, and plate, returning with coffers of
money, &c. to a great value.
The advice of the ship was taken very kindly, but the pirates judging
their own ship too large to go close into the bay, consulted their
friend upon means for taking the said ship, who readily treated with
them for the sale of one of less burthen, that then lay in the harbour;
but Malpa speaking to one Punt, of the factory, to carry her out, he not
only refused to be concerned in such a piece of villany, but reproved
Malpa for corresponding with the pirates, and told him, if he should be
guilty of so base an action, he must never see the face of any of his
countrymen more; which made the honest broker change both his
countenance and his purpose.
At this place Capt. Woolley, whom they had taken for their pilot on the
Indian coast, being in a very sick and weak condition, was, at his
earnest entreaty, discharged from his severe confinement among them, and
set ashore, and the next day the pirates sailed, and ranged along the
Malabar coast, in quest of more booty. In their way they met a second
time with the Pembroke, and plundered her of some sugar, and other small
things, and let her go again. From the coast they sailed back for the
Island of Mauritius, where they lay some time, and lived after their
usual extravagant manner.