We had scarcely cast anchor when a whole fleet of large and small
boats pushed off from the shore and sailed towards us. The pirate knew
with whom he had to deal, and made ready for them. Two officials and
several other gentlemen and ladies now stepped on board, and were
saluted with fifteen guns. After the guests had congratulated the
robber upon his successful expedition, refreshments were brought, and
the whole company commenced dancing on the deck, where some black
musicians were playing. The merriment lasted far into the night, and
all left the vessel, delighted with the rich presents of silks and
jewels that they had received, while they promised to send purchasers
to the sale of the pirate's booty, which was to take place on the
following day. As soon as we were alone again, the pirate captain
informed me confidentially, that he maintained the friendliest
relations with the government, and that he had no dread whatever of
any hostile attempts against him.
"I can easily settle all that with these people," said he, "with
presents."
On the following morning the deck was swept and preparations were made
for the sale, and a crowd of ladies and gentlemen soon appeared; the
captain and I received them on board, and conducted them under the
blue canopy with silver fringe that had been erected for their
accommodation. At a signal from the ship's bell the sale began. As
many articles were sold by weight, I presided over the scales, that
were placed near the mainmast. The purchasers stood around me in a
semi-circle, and as every one of them bought either a whole or half a
hundred weight, it was immediately shoveled into the bags and baskets
they had brought. Some attendants, in the meanwhile, handed round
wine, cakes, and biscuit, and the wine had its effect; the sale was
very lively, and before three o'clock in the afternoon, our casks and
barrels were almost empty.
The captain now invited the whole company to dinner, and the further
sale of silks, linens, and ornaments, was postponed until afterwards.
He then called me aside, and gave me a peculiar commission; he ordered
me to concoct a drink which should be no less intoxicating than
pleasant.
"After the guests shall have partaken of it," said he, "they will bid
high enough, and I shall have an excellent sale. Call it English punch
and they will like it all the better."
I had to promise him to do my best, and go to work at once; as we had
a good store of all kinds of intoxicating liquors on board, I could
choose what I pleased. I mixed together, Bordeaux, Madeira, Rum,
Arrac, Geneva, Cogniac, and Porter; dissolved in it half a hat-full of
sugar and threw in about two dozen oranges, and as many sweet lemons.
It certainly tasted most excellently, and even the smell of it
affected my head. After dinner, when the dessert was about to be
placed upon the table, I called six sailors, and providing each with a
large bowl of my mixture, they marched into the cabin in procession
and placed them on the table; then I informed the company that the
mixture was a new kind of English punch, and filled their glasses for
them.
The delicious drink was very popular and even the ladies sipped it
with delight. The effect was immediate; after the first two glasses,
all grew very loquacious; two more glasses and the gentlemen were
thoroughly intoxicated without being stupified. At this moment the
sale began, and all rushed on deck, and proceeded to purchase in such
a wild, excited manner, that the worst article that we had, sold for
twice its real value. When the business was nearly concluded, a
frightful noise arose on the forward deck; the crew had received a
double allowance of rum and brandy, and very naturally, a quarrel had
arisen between two of the most excited, in which one of them was
stabbed in the breast. As I understood something of surgery, I was
called upon to dress and bandage the wound, and whilst I was thus
engaged the company departed in the boats, the gentlemen in a high
state of excitement and much pleased with their bargains.
When all was quiet on board, the captain called to him the man who had
escaped from the combat unhurt, and inquired into the cause of the
bloody fray. And now a fearful secret came to light. The man revealed
a conspiracy against the captain, headed by one of the officers, which
had been in progress for a month. The officer who commanded it had
asked leave of absence, and was at that time on land, engaged in
perfecting his plan, which was, to fall upon the captain and murder
him with the greater part of the crew. The wounded sailor had belonged
to this conspiracy, which was frightful enough, and so angered the
captain that he was almost beside himself with rage. He forthwith
called together the whole ship's company and made known to them the
plot he had discovered. He had scarcely finished speaking when fierce
cries for revenge arose among the crew; they rushed below, and in a
few minutes dragged up the wounded sailor, hacked off his arms and
legs, plunged their knives into his body, and threw it overboard.
They then dragged out his chest; destroyed and tore to rags every
thing in it, and in a perfect frenzy of rage, threw it into the sea
also. Then the watch was trebled and set; all sharpened their daggers
and knives, and prepared for an attack. But the night passed and
nothing occurred.
On the following afternoon, a sail appeared, which steered towards us;
the captain took the spy glass, and instantly recognized the boat
which had carried the treacherous officer and part of the crew on land
the day before.
"Here come the conspirators," he cried, with a fearful curse, "we'll
give them the welcome they deserve. Thirty of you load your muskets
and be ready."
When the boat was within a short distance of us, it stopped and
hoisted a white flag in token of peace; the captain did the same, and
the boat then approached perfectly unsuspiciously. When they were
within musket shot, the captain ordered his men to fire. Five men fell
dead, a sixth sprang into the sea, and the rest turned and rowed away.
The captain sent a boat out after the unhappy wretch who was in the
water, and in less than five minutes they dragged him on board. He was
wounded in the arm and was bleeding freely. But, notwithstanding, his
clothes were, by the captain's orders, torn off, and he was exposed
naked to the burning rays of the sun. When he had suffered thus for an
hour, the tyrant went to him and asked with suppressed rage:
"Now traitor, will you confess?"
"I am innocent," replied the half-dead wretch, "I know of nothing."
"Here," cried the captain to his savages, "take him and row him into
the inlet; there leave him in the swamp; we'll see whether the
gad-flies will not help his memory. You," continued the captain, "go
with them, and give heed to this example."
Five of the pirates, armed with pistols and swords, bound the wretched
man, hand and foot, threw him into the boat and rowed into the inlet.
Just at the mouth of it there was a morass filled with gad-flies and
other poisonous insects. Into this dreadful ditch they threw their
former comrade, and then withdrew to a short distance to jeer at and
mock him. In about an hour they drew him out again; he was still
living, but his body was so covered with blisters that he looked like
nothing human. In this condition he was taken to the ship again.
"Has he confessed?" shouted the captain to us as we were approaching.
We replied in the negative.
"Then shoot him down like a dog."
Two of the robbers seized him, one presented a pistol to his forehead,
another to his breast; they were both discharged at the same moment,
and the unhappy man was bathed in his own blood. As he gave no further
sign of life, they hurled him overboard.
What a deed of horror! I passed a fearful night, for I could not close
my eyes when I thought of the probable fate that awaited me among
these miscreants.