John Halsey was a Boston man, of New-England, commanded the Charles,
brigantine, and went out with a commission from the governor, to cruise
on the banks of Newfoundland, where he took a French banker, which he
appointed to meet him at Fayal; but missing his prize here, he went
among the Canary Islands, where he took a Spanish barcalonga, which he
plundered and sunk: from thence he went to the island of Bravo, one of
the Cape-de-Verds, where he wooded and watered, turned ashore his
lieutenant, and several of his men here running away from him, the
governor sent them on board again, his commission being as yet in force.
From hence he stood away to the southward, and doubling the Cape of Good
Hope, made for Madagascar and the bay of Augustin, where he took in wood
and water, with some straggling seamen, who were cast away in the
Degrave Indiamen, Capt. Young, commander. After this, he shaped his
course for the Red Sea, and met with a Dutchman of 60 guns, coming from
Mocha, whom he kept company with a week. Though he was resolved upon
turning pirate, he intended to rob only the Moor ships, which occasioned
a dispute between him and his men; they insisting on the ship’s being a
Moor, and he asserting she was Dutch, was positive in his resolve of
meddling with no European ships. The men were for boarding, but his
obstinacy not being to be conquered, they broke Halsey and his gunner,
confined both, and were ready to board the Dutchman, when one of the
crew perceiving he was about to run out his lower tier, knocked down the
quarter-master (whose business it is to be at the helm, in time of chase
or engagement, according to the rules of pirates) clapped the helm hard
aweather, and wore the brigantine. The Dutchman stayed, and fired a
shot, which taking a swivel gun, carried it aft, narrowly missed the man
at helm, and shattered the taffarel. The men perceiving they had caught
a Tartar, made the best of their way to shake her off, and some were
running down between decks, whom the surgeon pricked up again with his
sword, though he was no way consenting to their designed piracy. The
captain and gunner were again reinstated after they had seen their
mistake, and then they steered for the Nicobar Islands, where they met
with a country ship, called the Buffalo, commanded by Capt. Buckley, an
Englishman, coming from Bengal, which they took after a short engagement
there being only three Europeans on board, the captain and two mates;
the rest were Moors. This ship fell seasonably in their way, she being
bound for Achen, with butter, rice, and cloth, and the pirates, at that
time, were in great straits both for provision and clothing. They took
the two mates to sea with them, but left the captain and the Moors at
Cara Nicobar, at an anchor, and then took a cruise. Capt. Buckley, who
was sick, died before their return. In the cruise they met Captain
Collins, in a country sloop, bound also to Achen. He had also two
English mates with him, but the rest of his company consisted of Moors.
Him they carried to the same harbour where they left the Buffalo.
Here a dispute arose among the pirates. Some were for returning to the
West-Indies, others were against it, for they had got no money, and that
was what engaged their search. They parted upon this; one part went on
board the Buffalo, made one Rowe captain, and Myers, a Frenchman,
master, whom they had picked up at Madagascar. The sloop’s deck they
ripped up, and mended with it the bottom of the brigantine which Halsey
still commanded. The ship shaped her course for Madagascar, and the
brigantine made for the straits of Malacca, to lie in the track of the
Manilla ships. I must observe, that Capt. Buckley’s two mates, whom they
intended to force with them, were by strength of entreaty, permitted to
go away with a canoe. In these straits, they met an European built ship,
of 26 guns, which they had not the courage to attack, being soured by
the Dutchman. They afterwards stood in shore, and came to an anchor. A
few days after they made a vessel, which they supposed a China junk, and
gave chase, but when they came pretty nigh, notwithstanding the pilot
assured them she was what they supposed, they swore it was a Dutchman,
and would not venture upon him; so leaving off their chase they stood in
shore, and came again to an anchor under the peninsula. They lay here
some days, and then spied a tall vessel, which they chased, and which
proved to be the Albemarle East-Indiamen, Capt. Bews, commander, coming
from China. They came up with him, but thinking it too warm a ship after
exchanging a few shot, the brigantine made off, and the Albemarle chased
in her turn. They however got clear, having a better share of heels, and
came again to an anchor. Having not above 40 hands, the water growing
scarce, and not daring to venture ashore for fear of the Dutch, a
council was called, and it was resolved to make the best of their way to
Madagascar, to pick up more hands, refresh, and set out on new
adventures. Pursuant to this resolution, they steered for that island,
but fell in their way on Mascarenhas, where, making a small present to
the governor, they were supplied with what they wanted. From hence they
went to a place on Madagascar, called by the pirates Hopeful Point; by
the natives, Harangby, near the island of St. Mary’s in the lat. of 17,
40, S. where they met with the Buffalo, and the Dorothy, a prize, made
by Capt. Thomas White and his company, being about 90 or 100 men,
settled near the same place, in petty governments of their own, having
some of them 5 or 600, some 1000 negro subjects, who acknowledged their
sovereignty. Here they again repaired their brigantine, took in
provisions and all necessaries, augmented their company to about 100
men, and set out for the Red Sea. They touched at Johanna, and there
took in a quantity of goats and cocoa nuts for fresh provisions, and
thence in eleven days reached the Straits of Babelmandel. They had not
cruised here many days, when they spied the Moorish fleet from Mocha and
Jufa, consisting of 25 sail, which they fell in with, and had been
taken, if their oars had not helped them off, it falling a dead calm.
They had not apprehended the danger so great, if they had not judged
these ships convoyed by some Portuguese men of war. Some days after
this, they met a one mast vessel, called a grab, coming from Mocha,
which they spied within gun-shot in a thick fog: they fired a shot which
cut her halliards, and then took possession of her with their boats. She
was laden with drugs, but they took only some necessaries and 2000
dollars; and having learned that four English vessels lay at Mocha, of
which one was from Jufa, they let her go.
Three days after they spied the four ships, which they at first took to
be the trees of Babelmandel. At night they fell in with, and kept them
company till morning, the trumpets sounding on both sides all the time,
for the pirate had two on board as well as the English. When it was
clear day, the four ships drew into a line, for they had hailed the
pirate, who made no ceremony of owning who he was, by an answering
according to their manner, _From the seas_. The brigantine bore up till
she had slung her gaff. One of the ships perceiving this, advised Capt.
Jago, who led the van, in a ship of 24 guns and 70 men, to give chase,
for the pirate was on the run; but a mate, who was acquainted with the
way of working among pirates, answered he would find his mistake, and
said he had seen many a warm day, but feared this would be the hottest.
The brigantine turned up again, and coming astern, clapped the Rising
Eagle aboard, a ship of 16 guns, and the sternmost. Though they entered
their men, the Rising Eagle held them a warm dispute for three quarters
of an hour, in which Capt. Chamberlain’s chief mate and several others
were killed, the purser was wounded, jumped overboard and drowned. In
the mean while the other ships called to Capt. Jago to board the pirate;
who bearing away to clap him aboard, the pirate gave him a shot, which
raked him fore and aft, and determined Capt. Jago to get out of danger;
for he run away with all the sail he could pack, though he was fitted
out to protect the coast against pirates. His example was followed by
the rest, every one steering a different coast. Thus they became masters
of the Rising Eagle. I cannot but take notice, that the second mate of
the Rising Eagle, after quarters were called for, fired from out the
forecastle, and killed two of the pirates, one of whom was the gunner’s
consort, who would have revenged his death by shooting the mate, but
several Irish and Scots, together with one Captain Thomas White, once a
commander among the pirates, but then a private man, interposed and
saved him, in regard that he was an Irishman. They examined the
prisoners to know which was the ship from Jufa, that had money on board;
and having learned it was the Essex, they gave chase, came up with her,
hoisted the bloody flag at the main-mast-head, fired one single gun, and
she struck, though she was fitted for close quarters, and there was not
on board the brigantine above 20 hands, and the prize was astern so far,
that her top-mast scarce appeared out of the water. In chasing this
ship, they passed the other two, who held the fly of their ensigns in
their hands ready to strike. When the ship had struck, the captain of
her asked, who commanded the brigantine? He was answered, Capt. Halsey.
Asking again, who was quarter-master? He was told Nathaniel North, to
whom he called, as he knew him very well. North, learning his name was
Punt, said, _Capt. Punt, I am sorry you are fallen into our hands_. He
was civilly treated, and nothing belonging to himself or the English
gentlemen, who were passengers, touched, though they made bold to lay
hands on £40,000 in money, belonging to the ship. They had about £10,000
in money out of the Rising Eagle. They discharged the Essex, and with
the other prize and the brigantine, steered for Madagascar, where they
arrived and shared their booty. Some of the passengers, who had been so
well treated, came afterwards with a small ship from India (with license
from the governor of Madras) called the Greyhound, laden with
necessaries, in hopes to barter with the pirates for the dry goods they
had taken, and recover them at an easy rate. They were received very
kindly, an invoice of their goods was asked, the goods agreed for,
shared and paid in money and bale goods. In the mean while came in a
ship from Scotland, called the Neptune, 26 guns, 54 men, commanded by
Capt. Miller, with a design to slave, and to go thence to Batavia to
dispose of her negroes (having a supercargo on board, brought up among
the Dutch) and thence to Malacca, to take on board the cargo of a ship,
called the Speedwell, lost on her return from China; but finding here
another ship trading with the pirates, and having many necessaries,
French brandy, Madeira wine, and English stout on board, Capt. Miller
thought it better to trade for money than slaves. The merchants of the
Greyhound, nettled to see any but themselves take money, for the pirates
never haggled about a price, told them, _They could not do the governor
of Madras a more grateful piece of service than to make prize of the
Neptune, which was a ship fit for that purpose_. To which some of the
Scotch and Irish answered, _They had not best put such a design on foot,
for if the company once got it into their heads to take one, they would
go nigh to take both ships_. In a short time after came on a hurricane,
which obliged the Neptune to cut away all her masts, and lost the three
ships belonging to the pirates, which was their whole fleet. They having
now no ship, and several of them no money, having been stripped at play,
their thoughts were bent on the Neptune. The chief mate of her, Daniel
Burgess, who had a spleen to the captain, joining privately with the
pirates (among whom he died) got all the small masts and yards ashore;
and the pirates being requested to find him proper trees for masting,
told Capt. Miller they had found such as would serve his turn, desiring
he would take a number of hands ashore to get them down to the water,
which (he suspecting no harm) accordingly did, and he and his men were
seized, and the long-boat detained ashore. The captain was forced to
send for the second mate, and afterwards for the gunner; the mate, who
was the captain’s brother, went, but the gunner, suspecting foul play,
refused. In the evening, Burgess came on board, and advised the
surrender of the ship, which, though but sixteen were left on board,
they scrupled, and proposed going under the cover of their own guns to
fetch their top-mast and yards, and with them put to sea; but the chief
mate, Burgess, whose villany was not then known, persuaded them to give
up a ship they could neither defend nor sail; which was no small
satisfaction to the Greyhound, little thinking how soon they would meet
with the same treatment; for two days after, the pirates manned the
Neptune’s pinnace, seized the Greyhound, took away all the money they
had paid, and shifting out of the Neptune ten pipes of Madeira, with two
hogsheads of brandy, into the Greyhound, and putting on board the
captain, second mate, boatswain and gunner of the Neptune, and about
fourteen of her hands, ordered her to sea. The rest of the Neptune’s
company being young men fit for their purpose, they detained, most of
whom, by hard drinking, fell into distempers and died. As to Capt.
Halsey, while the Scotch ship was fitting, he fell ill of a fever, died
and was buried with great solemnity and ceremony; the prayers of the
church of England was read over him, colours were flying, and his sword
and pistol laid on his coffin, which was covered with a ship’s jack; as
many minute guns fired as he was years old, viz. 46, and three English
volleys, and one French volley of small arms. He was brave in his
person, courteous to all his prisoners, lived beloved, and died
regretted by his own people. His grave was made in a garden of
water-melons, and fenced in with palisades to prevent his being rooted
up by the wild hogs, of which there are plenty in those parts.
P. S. The Neptune seized as above, was the year after Capt. Halsey’s
death, ready to go to sea; but a hurricane happening, she was lost, and
proved the last ship that gang of pirates ever got possession of.