We have said, in another life, viz. White’s that he was a lighterman on
the river Thames. His father was of that business, and had the character
of a very honest man. After his father’s decease, he grew very
extravagant, and squandered away not only what he had left his son, but
what he had allotted for his widow, whose indulgence, putting every
thing into her son’s hands, was followed by being herself turned out of
doors, for he sold the house over her head. After having ruined himself
and mother, his friends fearing the wickedness of his inclination would
bring scandal upon them, persuaded him to go to sea, and procured him a
voyage to Jamaica, on board a merchant ship. At this island he ran away
from his ship, and associating himself with some desperate fellows, they
stole a canoe, and went away to the Grand Camanas, to join some others
of their own stamp, who lurked thereabouts, with design _to go on the
account_, the term for pirating. They met those they looked for, made up
a company of 20 men, surprised and made themselves masters of a turtling
sloop, and set out in search of booty.
The first prizes they made were only turtlers, which, however, increased
the number of their crew, some being willing to join them, others being
forced, with threats of being set on shore, on some desolate key. After
some time cruising, they met with an Irish brigantine, which had
provisions and servants on board. They made an exchange with the master,
gave him provision to carry him to Jamaica, and allowed five hands to go
with him. The rest (except the servants, who readily took on with the
pirates) were all forced. Not long after, they surprised a sloop which
had been trading on the Spanish coast. As she had 6 guns, and was a fit
vessel for their turn, they changed her against the brigantine. Several
hands belonging to this sloop entered volunteers, and several more were
obliged to join them by compulsion. After this capture, they steered for
the coast of Virginia, and in their way, met with a large New-England
brigantine, laden with provisions bound for Barbadoes. This they made
prize of, and shifting their own guns on board her, sent the master away
with the sloop, after forcing some of his men with them. They had now a
vessel of ten guns, and a crew of 80 men, of whom one James was captain,
and Howard quarter-master.
While they lay on the coast of Virginia, they made prize of several
ships from England, out of which they took men, liquors, provisions,
clothes and whatever else they liked or thought necessary. As these
ships had several felons on board, who were transports, they had out of
them a number of volunteers, besides forced men; so that they had a
large complement. Among other Virginia ships which fell into their
hands, they made prize, with little trouble, of a fine galley, mounted
with 24 guns, which afforded them a great many volunteers, as she had a
number of transported malefactors and servants on board. They changed
their brigantine for this ship, and soon after, the man of war, which
waited on this coast, heaving in sight, they thought proper to take
their departure.
From the coast of Virginia, they shaped their course for that of Guinea,
where they took a great many ships of different nations, all which they
rifled of what they thought fit. Out of these ships they forced on board
a number of men, equal to the number of those formerly compelled, who
desired, and whom they permitted, to be discharged, after much entreaty.
After they had been some months on the coast, they spied a large three
decked Portuguese ship, from Brazil, mounted with 36 guns. They gave
chase and came up with her. The captain would make no resistance; but
his mate, who was an Englishman, named Rutland, thinking it a shame to
give up such a ship, resolved to defend her; which the Portuguese
captain consented to, but went himself out of harm’s way. Rutland, who
had been master of an English brigantine, taken from him on the same
coast by another gang of pirates, fought them the better part of a
forenoon; but the Portuguese flying the decks, and only 30 men, who were
English, Dutch, and French, standing by him, he was obliged to ask
quarters, which were given. When the pirates came on board, they asked
Rutland if he was commander? He answered, no. They inquired after him,
and being told he was somewhere in the hold, they searched, and found
him hid in the powder room; whence they hauled him up, and whipped him
round the deck for his cowardice. Rutland, and those who fought the
ship, were forced on board, and their complement being now 180 men, they
exchanged their galley for the Portuguese ship, carried her in shore,
and ripping off her upper deck, made her deep waisted, by cutting down
some of her gunnel. This prize they named the Alexander.
They went down the coast in this ship, and made several prizes, some of
which they discharged, and put on board such of their forced men as
begged their discharge; others they sunk, and burnt others; but forced
on board carpenters, caulkers, armourers, surgeons, and musicians. In
their way to Cape Lopez, where they designed, and afterwards did clean,
they found a large Bristol ship at an anchor, which had lost a great
many men by sickness, and had then but few healthy on board, who got
into the boat, and endeavoured to get on shore, but were prevented by
the pirates. Here they changed some more of their forced men, and did
intend to change their ship; but on a survey, found the Bristol ship too
old for their purpose, and therefore left her at an anchor, after they
had taken what they thought of use to them. This ship belonged to one
Mr. Godly, of Bristol.
They met with nothing else in their way to Cape Lopez, where they
cleaned their ship, took in wood and water, and then stood away to sea
again. At their leaving Cape Lopez, they spied an English ship, which
they came up with and engaged. The merchantman made an obstinate
defence, and finding the design to board, made to close quarters.
Howard, and seven or eight more, entered; but the pirate’s boatswain not
having secured his lashing, they fell astern, and left these men on
board the merchant ship, who seeing themselves in danger, hauled up the
boat, which the chase had astern, and cutting the rope, got on board the
Alexander, which being considerably the larger ship, and drawing a great
deal more water, struck on an unknown bank, which the merchantman went
over, and by this lucky accident escaped.
This obliged the pirates to start their water, and throw over the wood
to get the ship off, which put them under a necessity of going back to
Cape Lopez to take in those necessaries. After having a second time
wooded and watered, they put again to sea, fell in with and took two
Portuguese brigantines, which they burnt, and setting the men on shore,
they made for, and doubled the Cape of Good Hope, and shaped their
course for Madagascar, where to the northward of, and near a small
island, they run the ship on a reef, where she stuck fast. The captain
being then sick in his bed, the men went ashore on the small adjacent
island, and carried off a great deal of provisions and water to lighten
the ship, on board of which none but the captain, the quarter-master,
and about eleven more were left.
The quarter-master, who was Howard, with the others, took all the
treasure, put it on board the boats, and made off for the main of
Madagascar. The captain, hearing nobody stir upon deck, made shift to
crawl out of his cabin, and seeing them put off, fired the two fore
chase guns at them, which alarmed (to no purpose) the men ashore. As the
sea ebbed, the ship lay dry, and they could walk to her from the island.
She might have been saved had they the boats to carry out an anchor; but
for want of them they brought every thing ashore, at tide of flood, upon
rafts. As the ship lay in a quiet place, they had opportunity to rip her
up, and build a vessel out of her wreck. The major part of the crew
being English and Dutch who sided together, they forced about 36
Portuguese and French (thinking their crew too numerous for their
provisions in the present circumstances) to get upon a raft, and take
their chance with the sea-breeze to get to the island of Madagascar,
about three leagues from them. They finished a vessel of 60 tons, but
the day they designed to have launched her, a pirate brigantine hove in
sight, who took them on board.
Howard and his consorts stood along the W. side of the island, with
design to round the N. end, and to go to St. Mary’s but finding the
current too strong to stem, they lay there about a fortnight. In the
interim they spied three sail of tall ships, which were men of war under
Commodore Littleton, viz. the Anglesa, Hastings, and Lizard, who had
carried a pardon to the island of St. Mary’s, accepted of by many of the
pirates. Thinking these might be also pirates, they made a smoke, which
brought the boats ashore; but finding they were men of war’s boats, the
pirates thought fit to abscond; wherefore, finding nothing nor any body,
the said men of war’s boats returned, and the ships kept their cruise.
They had here plenty of fish and wild hogs which they found in the
woods. One day, when Howard was hunting, his comrades took the
opportunity, went off, rounded the north end, and left Mr. Howard to
provide for himself.
About four or five-and-twenty leagues from the Cape, they went into a
fine harbour on the east side, not frequented, nay, hardly known to the
European ships. They were here received handsomely, treated and provided
with fresh meat, and what necessaries they wanted, by the king of this
district, whose name was Mushmango, who had formerly been driven from
Augustin by war, and travelling through the heart of the country, had
here fixed his settlement. When the boats were victualled, and while
Johnson, who took on him the command after they had deserted Howard, was
ashore with three more, the rest went off with the boats and booty, and
stood away to the southward, along the coast, designing for St. Mary’s,
going every night into some harbour, or coming to an anchor under some
point when the winds proved contrary.
Johnson addressed himself to the king, and told him the boat and goods
were his property; upon which he went along shore with a number of men,
and found the boat at an anchor, and all asleep, except one to look out,
at whom the king fired his blunderbuss, and killed him. The report of
the piece awakened the others, who cut and stood off the coast. The king
returned, gave Johnson an account of his expedition, and furnished him a
canoe, some calabashes of fresh water, provisions, and lances, that he
might pursue after his people. Johnson kept the shore on board till he
came to the island of St. Mary’s, where he heard his comrade fugitives
were gone to, and settled at Ambonavoula, in a village belonging to the
natives on the river of Manansallang. Leaving his canoe, he went into
one belonging to an inhabitant, who carried him to his companions.
After he had been here some few months, Fourgette, already mentioned in
White’s life, came in with his ship from Martinico. With this vessel
they sailed to the west side, and came to an anchor at an island called
Anquawla, 30 leagues from the place where they left Howard.
Some of the subjects of the king of Anquawla had before met with, and
brought hither, Capt. Howard, who seeing the ship at anchor near shore,
hailed her, and desired the boat might be sent to fetch him off, which
was accordingly done, and he joined the rest of the crew. Here two boys
ran away from them, whom they demanded of the king; but he not
delivering them, they went ashore by day-break, surprised his town, and
brought off twelve of his concubines, whom they detained on board, till
their boys, who were blacks, were returned, and then delivered them
back. From this ship he went on board the Speaker, where he continued
till she was lost on Mauritius, when he came back to Madagascar, and
settled at Augustin. Here he tarried till the Prosperous, a ship of 36
guns, commanded by Capt. Hilliard, came in, which Howard and some other
pirates (with the assistance of the boatswain and some of the crew
belonging to the ship,) seized. In taking this ship, the captain and his
chief mate were killed, and several others wounded. Howard was by the
company declared captain. Several of the ships crew took on with them,
and they went round the south end to the east side, till they came the
length of Maritan, where they found some of the Speaker’s company, whom
they took on board, and made up their complement about 70 men.
From hence they steered for the island of St. Mary’s, where they heeled
their ship, watered, wooded, and shipped some more hands. Here they had
an invitation from one Ort Van Tyle, who lived on the main of
Madagascar, to come to the ceremony of christening two of his children.
They were kindly received and treated by him, but it having been
reported that this Ort Van Tyle had murdered some pirates, they in
revenge, though they had no certainty of the fact, took him prisoner,
plundered his house, and what goods they could not take off in a great
canoe belonging to him, they threw into the river or burnt. Ort Van Tyle
they designed to carry on board, and hang at the yard-arm; but one of
the pirates helped him to escape, and he took into the woods, where
meeting some of his blacks, he waylaid his canoe and Howard’s pinnace by
the river side. Besides what goods they had on board of this Dutchman’s
they had several women and children belonging to him and some white men,
who had left them under his care. The pirates set the women to the
paddles, and the canoe was overset on the bar; Ort Van Tyle fired on the
men, and shot one through the arm and through the thigh, whom with his
comrade, he took prisoner, and kept with him. The rest of the men got
ashore on the south side of the river and escaped him; the women on the
north side, and returned home. When the pinnace came down, he fired and
shot the captain through the arm, but he got on board, where his arm was
set. After this, the Prosperous sailed for Methelage, where they
victualled, with a design to go to the East-Indies. While they lay here,
came in a large Dutch ship, well manned, and of 40 guns. The Prosperous
was not strong enough to attack her, and the Dutch, fearing he should
spoil his trade, would not meddle with Howard, though hard words passed,
and the Dutchman threatened to fall foul on him if he did not leave the
place, which Howard thought fit to do, and sailed to Mayotta.
A few days after the departure of the Prosperous, Capt. Bowen, in the
Scotch ship, came in, anchored within small arm shot, and right ahead of
the Dutchman, whom he saluted with 11 guns, shot and all, which the
other returned with 15, after the same manner; drums beating and
trumpets sounding on both sides. The Dutchman, however, was surprised,
and under apprehensions. He hailed the pirate, and answer was returned,
_From the seas_. He then bid them send their boat on board, which
accordingly went with the quarter-master, who told the captain, that
they had no design on him, but were going against the Moors, and came in
for provision. He replied, they could get none there, and the best way
was to be gone; however, the quarter-master went ashore, (where the
Dutch had made his factory, and had some goods) and shot down three
oxen, which he ordered the natives to help to cut in pieces. The
Dutchman, perceiving a friendship between the natives and pirates,
seeing Bowen full of men, and hearing two more pirates were expected,
thought fit to go off in the night, and leave the goods he had put on
shore.
A few days after, Bowen, seizing the goods left, went for Mayotta, where
he joined the Prosperous, and lay for the season to go to the
East-Indies. After some stay here, their salt provision perishing, they
returned to Madagascar to revictual, Bowen to St. Augustin, and Howard
(on board of whose ship was Capt. Whaley, taken as related in Bowen’s
life) to Methelage, agreeing to meet at the island of St. Johns, to lie
for the Moors fleet; where after some disappointments, they met, and got
sight of the Moors fleet, one of which fell a prize to Bowen; but the
Prosperous being a heavy sailer, did not come up with them till they
were at an anchor at the bar of Surat, where they waited to lighten. The
Moors seeing few hands on board, for Howard concealed his men, and not
imagining a pirate would venture up, concluded him an English
East-Indiaman. Howard clapped the largest on board, which stood him a
smart engagement, and killed him about 30 men. At length the pirates
forced Capt. Whaley who spoke the Moors language to go on board and
offer quarter, which they excepted. There was on board this prize a
nobleman belonging to the Great Mogul, who had been at Jaffa to buy
horses for his master. The prize yielded them a great booty, though they
found but part of the money which was on board. They intended to carry
her to Madagascar, but her bowsprit being wounded in the boarding, she
lost all her masts; wherefore they sent her adrift, and she ran ashore
at Deman, belonging to the Portuguese.
From hence he steered to the Malabar coast, where he met Bowen and his
prize, which mounted 56 guns. Both crews went on board Bowen, sunk the
Prosperous, and burnt the Scotch ship, called the Speedy Return. Hence
they stood along the coast of India; and Howard, with about 20 more,
landed with what they had, and retired among the natives, where Howard
married a women of the country, and being a morose, ill-natured fellow
and using her ill, he was murdered by her relations.