ten vessels, and killed an immense number of the pirates. Shih-Url was
so weakened that he could scarcely make any opposition. On perceiving
this through the smoke, Paou mounted on a sudden the vessel of the
pirate, and cried out: 'I Chang Paou am come,' and at the same moment he
cut some pirates to pieces; the remainder were then hardly dealt with.
Paou addressed himself in an angry tone to Shih-Url, and said: 'I advise
you to submit: will you not follow my advice? what have you to say?'
Shih-Url was struck with amazement, and his courage left him. Paou
advanced and bound him, and the whole crew were then taken captives."
"From that period," says our Chinese historian, in conclusion, "ships
began to pass and repass in tranquillity. All became quiet on the
rivers, and tranquil on the four seas. People lived in peace and plenty.
Men sold their arms and bought oxen to plough their fields; they buried
sacrifices, said prayers on the tops of the hills, and rejoiced
themselves by singing behind screens during day-time"--and (grand climax
to all!) the Governor of the province, in consideration of his valuable
services in the pacification of the pirates, was allowed by an edict of
the "Son of Heaven," to wear peacocks' feathers with two eyes!
THE LIFE OF CAPTAIN LEWIS.
Captain Lewis was at an early age associated with pirates. We first find
him a boy in company with the pirate Banister, who was hanged at the
yard arm of a man-of-war, in sight of Port Royal, Jamaica. This Lewis
and another boy were taken with him, and brought into the island hanging
by the middle at the mizen peak. He had a great aptitude for languages,
and spoke perfectly well that of the Mosquil Indians, French, Spanish,
and English. I mention our own, because it is doubted whether he was
French or English, for we cannot trace him back to his origin. He sailed
out of Jamaica till he was a lusty lad, and was then taken by the
Spaniards at the Havana, where he tarried some time; but at length he
and six more ran away with a small canoe, and surprised a Spanish
periagua, out of which two men joined them, so that they were now nine
in company. With this periagua they surprised a turtling sloop, and
forced some of the hands to take on with them; the others they sent away
in the periagua.
He played at this small game, surprising and taking coasters and
turtlers, till with forced men and volunteers he made up a company of 40
men. With these he took a large pink built ship, bound from Jamaica to
the bay of Campeachy, and after her, several others bound to the same
place; and having intelligence that there lay in the bay a fine Bermuda
built brigantine of 10 guns, commanded by Captain Tucker, he sent the
captain of the pink to him with a letter, the purport of which was, that
he wanted such a brigantine, and if he would part with her, he would
pay him 10,000 pieces of eight; if he refused this, he would take care
to lie in his way, for he was resolved, either by fair or foul means to
have the vessel. Captain Tucker, having read the letter, sent for the
masters of vessels then lying in the bay, and told them, after he had
shown the letter, that if they would make him up 54 men, (for there
were about ten Bermuda sloops,) he would go out and fight the pirates.
They said no, they would not hazard their men, they depended on their
sailing, and every one must take care of himself as well as he could.
[Illustration: _The Pirate Banister, hanging at the Yard Arm._]
However, they all put to sea together, and spied a sail under the land,
which had a breeze while they lay becalmed. Some said he was a turtler;
others, the pirate, and so it proved; for it was honest Captain Lewis,
who putting out his oars, got in among them. Some of the sloops had four
guns, some two, some none. Joseph Dill had two, which he brought on one
side, and fired smartly at the pirate, but unfortunately one of them
split, and killed three men. Tucker called to all the sloops to send him
men, and he would fight Lewis, but to no purpose; nobody came on board
him. In the mean while a breeze sprung up, and Tucker, trimming his
sails, left them, who all fell a prey to the pirate; into whom, however,
he fired a broadside at going off. One sloop, whose master I will not
name, was a very good sailer, and was going off; but Lewis firing a
shot, brought her to, and he lay by till all the sloops were visited and
secured. Then Lewis sent on board him, and ordered the master into his
sloop. As soon as he was on board, he asked the reason of his lying by,
and betraying the trust his owners had reposed in him, which was doing
like a knave and coward, and he would punish him accordingly; _for_,
said he, _you might have got off, being so much a better sailer than my
vessel_. After this speech, he fell upon him with a rope's end, and then
snatching up his cane, drove him about the decks without mercy. The
master, thinking to pacify him, told him he had been out trading in that
sloop several months, and had on board a good quantity of money, which
was hid, and which, if he would send on board a black belonging to the
owners, he would discover to him. This had not the desired effect, but
one quite contrary; for Lewis told him he was a rascal and villain for
this discovery, and he would pay him for betraying his owners, and
redoubled his strokes. However, he sent and took the money and negro,
who was an able sailor. He took out of his prizes what he had occasion
for, forty able negro sailors, and a white carpenter. The largest sloop,
which was about ninety tons, he took for his own use, and mounted her
with 12 guns. His crew was now about eighty men, whites and blacks.
[Illustration: _The Master Caned by Captain Lewis._]
After these captures, he cruised in the Gulf of Florida, laying in wait
for the West India homeward bound ships that took the leeward passage,
several of which, falling into his hands, were plundered by him, and
released. From hence he went to the coast of Carolina, where he cleaned
his sloop, and a great many men whom he had forced, ran away from him.
However, the natives traded with him for rum and sugar, and brought him
all he wanted, without the government's having any knowledge of him, for
he had got into a very private creek; though he was very much on his
guard, that he might not be surprised from the shore.
From Carolina he cruised on the coast of Virginia, where he took and
plundered several merchantmen, and forced several men, and then returned
to the coast of Carolina, where he did abundance of mischief. As he had
now an abundance of French on board, who had entered with him, and
Lewis, hearing the English had a design to maroon them, he secured the
men he suspected, and put them in a boat, with all the other English,
ten leagues from shore, with only ten pieces of beef, and sent them
away, keeping none but French and negroes. These men, it is supposed,
all perished in the sea.
From the coast of Carolina he shaped his course for the banks of
Newfoundland, where he overhauled several fishing vessels, and then went
into Trinity Harbor in Conception Bay, where there lay several
merchantmen, and seized a 24 gun galley, called the Herman. The
commander, Captain Beal, told Lewis, if he would send his quarter master
ashore he would furnish him with necessaries. He being sent ashore, a
council was held among the masters, the consequence of which was, the
seizing the quarter master, whom they carried to Captain Woodes Rogers.
He chained him to a sheet anchor which was ashore, and planted guns at
the point, to prevent the pirate getting out, but to little purpose; for
the people at one of these points firing too soon, Lewis quitted the
ship, and, by the help of oars and the favor of the night, got out in
his sloop, though she received many shot in her hull. The last shot that
was fired at the pirate did him considerable damage.
He lay off and on the harbor, swearing he would have his quarter master,
and intercepted two fishing shallops, on board of one of which was the
captain of the galley's brother. He detained them, and sent word, if his
quarter master did not immediately come off, he would put all his
prisoners to death. He was sent on board without hesitation. Lewis and
the crew inquired how he had been used, and he answered, very civilly.
"It's well," said the pirate, "for had you been ill treated, I would
have put all these rascals to the sword." They were dismissed, and the
captain's brother going over the side, the quarter master stopped him,
saying, he must drink the gentlemen's health ashore, particularly
Captain Rogers' and, whispering him in the ear, told him, if they had
known of his being chained all night, he would have been cut in pieces,
with all his men. After this poor man and his shallop's company were
gone, the quarter master told the usage he had met with, which enraged
Lewis, and made him reproach his quarter master, whose answer was, that
he did not think it just the innocent should suffer for the guilty.
The masters of the merchantmen sent to Capt. Tudor Trevor, who lay at
St. John's in the Sheerness man-of-war. He immediately got under sail,
and missed the pirate but four hours. She kept along the coast and made
several prizes, French and English, and put into a harbor where a French
ship lay making fish. She was built at the latter end of the war, for a
privateer, was an excellent sailer, and mounted 24 guns. The commander
hailed him: the pirate answered, _from Jamaica with rum and sugar_. The
Frenchman bid him go about his business; that a pirate sloop was on the
coast, and he might be the rogue; if he did not immediately sheer off,
he would fire a broadside into him. He went off and lay a fortnight out
at sea, so far as not to be descried from shore, with resolution to have
the ship. The Frenchman being on his guard, in the meanwhile raised a
battery on the shore, which commanded the harbor. After a fortnight,
when he was thought to be gone off, he returned, and took two of the
fishing shallops belonging to the Frenchman, and manning them with
pirates, they went in. One shallop attacked the battery; the other
surprised, boarded and carried the ship, just as the morning star
appeared, for which reason he gave her that name. In the engagement the
owner's son was killed, who made the voyage out of curiosity only. The
ship being taken, seven guns were fired, which was the signal, and the
sloop came down and lay alongside the ship. The captain told him he
supposed he only wanted his liquor; but Lewis made answer he wanted his
ship, and accordingly hoisted all his ammunition and provision into her.
When the Frenchman saw they would have his ship, he told her trim, and
Lewis gave him the sloop; and excepting what he took for provision, all
the fish he had made. Several of the French took on with him, who, with
others, English and French, had by force or voluntarily, made him up 200
men.
From Newfoundland he steered for the coast of Guinea, where he took a
great many ships, English, Dutch and Portuguese. Among these ships was
one belonging to Carolina, commanded by Capt. Smith. While he was in
chase of this vessel a circumstance occurred, which made his men
believe he dealt with the devil; his fore and main top-mast being
carried away, he, Lewis, running up the shrouds to the maintop, tore off
a handful of hair, and throwing it into the air used this expression,
_good devil, take this till I come_. And it was observed, that he came
afterwards faster up with the chase than before the loss of his
top-masts.
[Illustration: _Captain Lewis giving a lock of his hair to the Devil._]
Smith being taken, Lewis used him very civilly, and gave him as much or
more in value than he took from him, and let him go, saying, he would
come to Carolina when he had made money on the coast, and would rely on
his friendship.
They kept some time on the coast, when they quarrelled among themselves,
the French and English, of which the former were more numerous, and they
resolved to part. The French therefore chose a large sloop newly taken,
thinking the ship's bottom, which was not sheathed, damaged by the
worms. According to this agreement they took on board what ammunition
and provision they thought fit out of the ship, and put off, choosing
one Le Barre captain. As it blew hard, and the decks were encumbered,
they came to an anchor under the coast, to stow away their ammunition,
goods, &c. Lewis told his men they were a parcel of rogues, and he would
make them refund; accordingly he run alongside, his guns being all
loaded and new primed, and ordered him to cut away his mast or he would
sink him. Le Barre was obliged to obey. Then he ordered them all ashore.
They begged the liberty of carrying their arms, goods, &c. with them,
but he allowed them only their small arms and cartridge boxes. Then he
brought the sloop alongside, put every thing on board the ship, and sunk
the sloop.
Le Barre and the rest begged to be taken on board. However, though he
denied them, he suffered Le Barre and some few to come, with whom he and
his men drank plentifully. The negroes on board Lewis told him the
French had a plot against him. He answered, he could not withstand his
destiny; for the devil told him in the great cabin he should be murdered
that night.
In the dead of the night, the rest of the French came on board in
canoes, got into the cabin and killed Lewis. They fell on the crew; but,
after an hour and a half's dispute, the French were beaten off, and the
quarter master, John Cornelius, an Irishman, succeeded Lewis.
--"He was the mildest manner'd man,
That ever scuttled ship or cut a throat;
With such true breeding of a gentleman,
You never could discern his real thought.
Pity he loved an adventurous life's variety,
He was so great a loss to good society."
THE LIFE, CAREER AND DEATH OF CAPTAIN THOMAS WHITE.
He was born at Plymouth, where his mother kept a public house. She took
great care of his education, and when he was grown up, as he had an
inclination to the sea, procured him the king's letter. After he had
served some years on board a man-of-war, he went to Barbadoes, where he
married, got into the merchant service, and designed to settle in the
island. He had the command of the Marygold brigantine given him, in
which he made two successful voyages to Guinea and back to Barbadoes. In
his third, he had the misfortune to be taken by a French pirate, as were
several other English ships, the masters and inferior officers of which
they detained, being in want of good artists. The brigantine belonging
to White, they kept for their own use, and sunk the vessel they before
sailed in; but meeting with a ship on the Guinea coast more fit for
their purpose, they went on board her and burnt the brigantine.
It is not my business here to give an account of this French pirate, any
farther than Capt. White's story obliges me, though I beg leave to take
notice of their barbarity to the English prisoners, for they would set
them up as a butt or mark to shoot at; several of whom were thus
murdered in cold blood, by way of diversion.
White was marked out for a sacrifice by one of these villains, who, for
what reason I know not, had sworn his death, which he escaped thus. One
of the crew, who had a friendship for White, knew this fellow's design
to kill him in the night, and therefore advised him to lie between him
and the ship's side, with intention to save him; which indeed he did,
but was himself shot dead by the murderous villain, who mistook him for
White.
After some time cruising along the coast, the pirates doubled the Cape
of Good Hope, and shaped their course for Madagascar, where, being drunk
and mad, they knocked their ship on the head, at the south end of the
island, at a place called by the natives Elexa. The country thereabouts
was governed by a king, named Mafaly.
When the ship struck, Capt. White, Capt. Boreman, (born in the Isle of
Wight, formerly a lieutenant of a man-of-war, but in the merchant
service when he fell into the hands of the pirates,) Capt. Bowen and
some other prisoners got into the long-boat, and with broken oars and
barrel staves, which they found in the bottom of the boat, paddled to
Augustin Bay, which is about 14 or 15 leagues from the wreck, where they
landed, and were kindly received by the king of Bavaw, (the name of that
part of the island) who spoke good English.
They stayed here a year and a half at the king's expense, who gave them
a plentiful allowance of provision, as was his custom to all white men,
who met with any misfortune on his coast. His humanity not only provided
for such, but the first European vessel that came in, he always obliged
to take in the unfortunate people, let the vessel be what it would; for
he had no notion of any difference between pirates and merchants.
At the expiration of the above term, a pirate brigantine came in, on
board which the king obliged them to enter, or travel by land to some
other place, which they durst not do; and of two evils chose the least,
that of going on board the pirate vessel, which was commanded by one
William Read, who received them very civilly.
This commander went along the coast, and picked up what Europeans he
could meet with. His crew, however, did not exceed 40 men. He would have
been glad of taking some of the wrecked Frenchmen, but for the
barbarity they had used towards the English prisoners. However, it was
impracticable, for the French pretending to lord it over the natives,
whom they began to treat inhumanly, were set upon by them, one half of
their number cut off, and the other half made slaves.
Read, with this gang, and a brigantine of 60 tons, steered his course
for the Persian Gulf, where they met a grab, (a one masted vessel) of
about 200 tons, which was made a prize. They found nothing on board but
bale goods, most of which they threw overboard in search of gold, and to
make room in the vessel; but as they learned afterwards, they threw
over, in their search, what they so greedily hunted after, for there was
a considerable quantity of gold concealed in one of the bales they
tossed into the sea!
In this cruise Capt. Read fell ill and died, and was succeeded by one
James. The brigantine being small, crazy and worm-eaten, they shaped
their course for the island of Mayotta, where they took out the masts of
the brigantine, fitted up the grab, and made a ship of her. Here they
took in a quantity of fresh provisions, which are in this island very
plentiful and very cheap, and found a twelve-oared boat, which formerly
belonged to the Ruby East Indiaman, which had been lost there.
They stayed here all the monsoon time, which is about six months; after
which they resolved for Madagascar. As they came in with the land, they
spied a sail coming round from the east side of the island. They gave
chase on both sides, so that they soon met. They hailed each other and
receiving the same answer from each vessel, viz. _from the seas,_ they
joined company.
This vessel was a small French ship, laden with liquors from Martinico,
first commanded by one Fourgette, to trade with the pirates for slaves,
at Ambonavoula, on the east side of the island, in the latitude of 17
deg. 30 min. and was by them taken after the following manner.
The pirates, who were headed by George Booth, now commander of the
ship, went on board, (as they had often done,) to the number of ten, and
carried money with them under pretence of purchasing what they wanted.
This Booth had formerly been gunner of a pirate ship, called the
Dolphin. Capt. Fourgette was pretty much upon his guard, and searched
every man as he came over the side, and a pair of pocket pistols were
found upon a Dutchman, who was the first that entered. The captain told
him that _he was a rogue, and had a design upon his ship_, and the
pirates pretended to be so angry with this fellow's offering to come on
board with arms, that they threatened to knock him on the head, and
tossing him roughly into the boat, ordered him ashore, though they had
before taken an oath on the Bible, either to carry the ship, or die in
the undertaking.
They were all searched, but they however contrived to get on board four
pistols, which were all the arms they had for the enterprise, though
Fourgette had 20 hands on board, and his small arms on the awning, to be
in readiness.
The captain invited them into the cabin to dinner, but Booth chose to
dine with the petty officer, though one Johnson, Isaac and another, went
down. Booth was to give the watchword, which was _hurrah_. Standing near
the awning, and being a nimble fellow, at one spring he threw himself
upon it, drew the arms to him, fired his pistol among the men, one of
whom he wounded, (who jumping overboard was lost) and gave the signal.
Three, I said, were in the cabin, and seven upon deck, who with
handspikes and the arms seized, secured the ship's crew. The captain and
his two mates, who were at dinner in the cabin, hearing the pistol, fell
upon Johnson, and stabbed him in several places with their forks, but
they being silver, did him no great damage. Fourgette snatched his
piece, which he snapped at Isaac's breast several times, but it would
not go off. At last, finding his resistance vain, he submitted, and the
pirates set him, and those of his men who would not join them, on shore,
allowing him to take his books, papers, and whatever else he claimed as
belonging to himself; and besides treating him very humanely, gave him
several casks of liquor, with arms and powder, to purchase provisions in
the country.
I hope this digression, as it was in a manner needful, will be excused.
I shall now proceed.
After they had taken in the Dolphin's company, which were on the island,
and increased their crew, by that means, to the number of 80 hands, they
sailed to St. Mary's, where Capt. Mosson's ship lay at anchor, between
the island and the main. This gentleman and his whole ship's company had
been cut off at the instigation of Ort-Vantyle, a Dutchman of New-York.
Out of her they took water casks and other necessaries; which having
done, they designed for the river Methelage, on the west side of
Madagascar, in the lat. of 16 degrees or thereabouts, to salt up
provisions and to proceed to the East Indies, cruise off the islands of
St. John, and lie in wait for the Moor ships from Mocha.
In their way to Methelage they fell in (as I have said) with the pirate,
on board of which was Capt. White. They joined company, came to an
anchor together in the above named river, where they had cleaned, salted
and took in their provisions, and were ready to go to sea, when a large
ship appeared in sight, and stood into the same river.
The pirates knew not whether she was a merchantman or man-of-war. She
had been the latter, belonging to the French king, and could mount 50
guns; but being taken by the English, she was bought by some London
merchants, and fitted out from that port to slave at Madagascar, and go
to Jamaica. The captain was a young, inexperienced man, who was put in
with a nurse.
The pirates sent their boats to speak with them, but the ship firing at
them, they concluded it a man of war, and rowed ashore; the grab
standing in, and not keeping her wind so well as the French built ship,
run among a parcel of mangroves, and a stump piercing her bottom, she
sunk: the other run aground, let go her anchor, and came to no damage,
for the tide of flood fetched her off.
The captain of the Speaker, for that was the name of the ship which
frightened the pirates, was not a little vain of having forced these two
vessels ashore, though he did not know whether they were pirates or
merchantmen, and could not help expressing himself in these words: "How
will my name ring on the exchange, when it is known I have run two
pirates aground;" which gave handle to a satirical return from one of
his men after he was taken, who said, "Lord! how our captain's name will
ring on the exchange, when it is heard, he frightened two pirate ships
ashore, and was taken by their two boats afterwards."
When the Speaker came within shot, she fired several times at the two
vessels; and when she came to anchor, several more into the country,
which alarmed the negroes, who, acquainting their king, he would allow
him no trade, till the pirates living ashore, and who had a design on
his ship, interceded for them, telling the king, they were their
countrymen, and what had happened was through a mistake, it being a
custom among them to fire their guns by way of respect, and it was owing
to the gunner of the ship's negligence that they fired shot.