Pirate Life.
I served as assistant pilot on board the merchant vessel Dolphin,
bound from Jamaica for London, which had already doubled the southern
point of the Island of Cuba, favored by the wind, when one afternoon,
I suddenly observed a very suspicious-looking schooner bearing down
upon us from the coast. I climbed the mast, with my spy glass, and
became convinced that it was a pirate. I directed the captain, who was
taking his siesta, to be awaked instantly, showed him the craft, and
advised him to alter our course, that we might avoid her. The captain,
a man of unfortunate temper, whose principal traits of character were
arrogance, avarice, and obstinacy, scorned my counsel, and insisted
that we had nothing to fear, as we were perfectly well protected by
the English flag.
We sailed on, while the schooner drew nearer, for about half a league,
when we observed that the deck of the strange vessel swarmed with
armed men, and her people were busy in getting out their boats. Upon
seeing this, our captain was not a little frightened, and ordered a
change in the course of the ship; but it was too late, for we were
already within reach of the pirate, who soon hailed us, commanding our
captain to come on board of his vessel, and as his commands were not
obeyed, fired a broadside into us, which, however, did us no injury.
At the same time a boat, containing nine men, pushed off towards us.
They presented a most ferocious appearance, being armed with guns,
swords, and long knives. They boarded our brig, as we offered not the
least resistance.
They then commanded the captain, the ship's carpenter, and myself, to
enter their boat, and sent us with an armed escort of four men, who
handled us most roughly, to the schooner, where the pirate captain
received us with deep curses. He was a gigantic, powerful, well-formed
man, of a pale, sallow complexion, large prominent eyes, a hooked
nose, and a huge mouth, and glossy hair and beard. He might be about
thirty years old, and spoke broken English with a Spanish accent.
"Have you specie on board?" he asked.
"None at all," answered our Captain, thoughtlessly enough, for we had
only too much of it, and unfortunately the papers referring to it lay
upon the cabin table.
"The devil," cried the robber, "do you take me for a child? All
home-bound vessels have money on board; give up yours quietly, and
depart in the devil's name whither you will."
The captain repeated his silly denial, and enraged the pirate still
further.
"Well," he said with frightful calmness, "if you will not give up the
money, I will throw your cargo overboard, and search for it myself.
If I find it, I'll lock you in your cabin, and burn your vessel with
every man on board."
After this threat he walked up and down the deck, and said more
quietly, turning to me:
"You must remain with us, for there is no one among my men who
thoroughly understands a helmsman's duty, and I must give myself more
rest, I am not well."
One can imagine my sensations. In the meanwhile supper had been
prepared, and the pirate officers, six or seven in number, invited us
politely to partake of it; we accepted, as we did not wish to
displease them. The meal consisted of onion soup with bread, tolerable
fish, and a very good ham, with plenty of excellent Cogniac and
Bordeaux wine. During supper the schooner approached the Dolphin, and
lay alongside. It was now perfectly dark, and they showed us a place
close by the cabin door, where we could sleep.
The following morning we were invited to breakfast, which consisted of
coffee with goat's milk, broiled fish, smoked pork, very good biscuit,
and sweet brandy. After breakfast we were sent back to the Dolphin,
which, as the captain still persisted in his obstinate assertion that
there was no money on board, was being emptied of her contents by the
robber captain's commands. First of all I slipped into the cabin to
look after my chest; it had been broken open and robbed of all
articles of value, among which were two diamond rings. Some suits of
clothes, and some shirts, were all that remained. In unloading the
vessel they began first with the cow; then they threw over the
poultry, and all the other provisions, and then the wine and brandy
casks. They next came to the actual cargo of the brig, out of which
only what was very valuable was preserved, for there was no room to
stow any thing away in the pirate ship. Thus they worked until towards
evening, when we were again invited to supper, and again shown to our
sleeping place. The sailors had already become intoxicated, and were
singing and rioting upon deck, without either officers or captain
daring to check them, for on board such ships discipline is not to be
thought of.
The next day, right after breakfast, the pirate called the captain to
the after deck.
"I speak now," said he, "in kindness to you, for the last time; give
up your money, or tell where it is concealed. Do it, or, God d--n me,
the Dolphin, yourself, and all on board are lost."
The captain answered as before, that there was no money on board.
"Well then," cried the captain in a rage, "you shall find out who you
have to deal with. Ho there!" he cried to his men, "down with him into
the hold, tie up the pumps, and bring fire!"
The command was instantly obeyed, and a quantity of dry wood was
heaped up around the unfortunate man, which they were just about to
kindle, when his agony wrung from him the confession that under a
board in the cabin floor there was a box containing about five hundred
doubloons. He was unbound, and the gold was found.
"Well," said the pirate, "that is something. But you have more--I know
it! Give it up, or by all the devils, you shall be burnt."
The captain now swore, with tears, that he had not a penny more, but
the pirate would not believe him.
"I will refresh your memory," said he, "rely upon it. Bind up the
pumps again, and kindle the fire quickly!"
The poor man was again bound fast, and the light wood around him was
kindled; the flames licked his clothes and hands, and his eye-brows
and hair were already singed, but he renewed his protestations and
commended himself to God's mercy. The pirate at last believing his
assertion, let the pumps play and extinguished the fire.
"Well," he said in a milder tone, "I will set you at liberty, and you
may sail whither you please, except to any Cuban port, for if I find
you again in these waters I will scuttle your vessel and leave you to
your fate."
He supplied the Dolphin with water and provisions for ten days and
loosened it from the schooner. I was obliged to remain upon the pirate
ship while the brig set sail, and had soon vanished from our sight. As
a thick mist arose we anchored on the edge of a sand-bank, and
remained there over night; at break of day we again set sail and ran
into a small, concealed, but very safe harbor on the coast of Cuba.