Part 2 (2/2)

When I came to look about me here, I found our Men had encreas'd their Number, and that a Vessel which had been cruising, that is to say, Pirating on the Coast of _Arabia_, having seven _Dutchmen_, three _Portuguese_, and five _Englishmen_ on Board, had been cast away upon the Northern Sh.o.r.e of that Island, and had been taken up and reliev'd by our Men, and liv'd among them. They told us also of another Crew of _European_ Sailors, which lay, as we did, on the Main of the Island, and had lost their s.h.i.+p and were, as the Islanders told them, above a hundred Men, but we heard nothing who they were.

Some of our Men were dead in the mean Time, I think about three; and the first Thing I did was to call a Muster, and see how Things stood as to Money: I found the Men had been very true to one another; there lay all the Money, in Chests piled up as I left it, and every Man's Money having his Name upon it: Then acquainting the rest with the Promise I had made the Men that came with me, they all agreed to it; so the Money belonging to the dead Men, and to the rest of the forty Men who belong'd to the Sloop, was divided among the Men I brought with me, as well those who join'd at first, as those we took in at the _Cape de Verd_, and the _Canaries_: And the Bails of Goods which we found in the s.h.i.+p, many of which were valuable for our own Use, we agreed to give them all to the fifteen Men mention'd above, who had been sav'd by our Men, and so to buy what we wanted of those Goods of them, which made their Hearts glad also.

And now we began to consult what Course to take in the World: As for going to _England_, tho' our Men had a great Mind to be there, yet none of them knew how to get thither, notwithstanding I had brought them a s.h.i.+p; but I, who had now made myself too publick to think any more of _England_, had given over all Views that Way, and began to cast about for farther Adventures; for tho', as I said, we were immensely rich before, yet I abhorr'd lying still, and burying my self alive, as I call'd it, among Savages and Barbarians; besides, some of our Men were young in the Trade, and had seen nothing; and they lay at me every Day not to lie still in a Part of the World where, as they said, such vast Riches might be gain'd; and that the _Dutchmen_ and _Englishmen_ who were cast away, as above, and who our Men call'd the _Comelings_, were continually buzzing in my Ears what infinite Wealth was to be got, if I would but make one voyage to the Coast of _Malabar_, _Coromandel_, and the Bay of _Bengale_; nay, the three _Portuguese_ Seamen offer'd themselves to attack and bring off one of their biggest Galleons, even out of the Road of _Goa_, on the _Malabar_ Coast, the Capital of the _Portuguese_ Factories in the _Indies_.

In a Word, I was overcome with these new Proposals, and told the rest of my People, I was resolv'd to go to Sea again, and try my good Fortune; I was sorry I had not another s.h.i.+p or two, but if ever it lay in my Power to master a good s.h.i.+p, I would not fail to bring her to them.

While I was thus fitting out upon this new Undertaking, and the s.h.i.+p lay ready to Sail, and all the Men who were design'd for the Voyage, were on Board, being 85 in Number; among which were all the Men I brought with me, the 15 Comelings, and the rest made up out of our old Number; I say, when I was just upon the Point of setting Sail, we were all surpriz'd just in the Grey of the Morning to spy a Sail at Sea; we knew not what to make of her, but found she was an _European_ s.h.i.+p; that she was not a very large Vessel, yet that she was a s.h.i.+p of Force too: She seem'd to shorten Sail, as if she look'd out for some Harbour; at first Sight I thought she was _English_; immediately I resolv'd to slip Anchor and Cable and go out to Sea and speak with her, if I could, let her be what she would: As soon as I was got a little clear of the Land, I fir'd a Gun, and spread _English_ Colours: She immediately brought too, fir'd three Guns, and mann'd out her Boat with a Flag of Truce: I did the like, and the two Boats spoke to one another in about two Hours, when, to our infinite Joy, we found they were our Comrades who we left in the South Seas, and to whom we gave the Fregate at the Isle of _Juan Fernando_.

Nothing of this Kind could have happen'd more to our mutual Satisfaction, for tho' we had long ago given them over either for Lost, or Lost to us; and we had no great Need of Company, yet we were overjoy'd at meeting, and so were they too.

They were in some Distress for Provisions, and we had Plenty; so we brought their s.h.i.+p in for them, gave them a present Supply, and when we had help'd them to moor and secure the s.h.i.+p in the Harbour, we made them lock all their Hatches and Cabins up, and come on Sh.o.r.e, and there we feasted them five or six Days, for we had a Plenty of all Sorts of Provisions, not to be exhausted; and if we had wanted an hundred Head of fat Bullocks, we could have had them for asking for of the Natives, who treated us all along with all possible Courtesy and Freedom in their Way.

The History of the Adventures and Success of these Men, from the Time we left them to the Time of their Arrival at our new Plantation, was our whole Entertainment for some Days. I cannot pretend to give the Particulars by my Memory; but as they came to us _Thieves_, they improv'd in their Calling to a great Degree, and, next to ourselves, had the greatest Success of any of the Buccaneers whose Story has ever been made publick.

I shall not take upon me to vouch the whole Account of their Actions, neither will this Letter contain a full History of their Adventures; but if the Account which they gave us was true, you may take it thus:

First, that having met with good Success after they left us, and having taken some extraordinary Purchase, as well in some Vessels they took at Sea, as in the Plunder of some Towns on the Sh.o.r.e near _Guyaquil_, as I have already told you, they got Information of a large s.h.i.+p which was loading the King's Money at _Puna_, and had Orders to sail with it to _Lima_, in order to its being carry'd from thence to _Panama_ by the Fleet, under the Convoy of the _Flotilla_, or Squadron of Men of War, which the King's Governor at _Panama_ had sent to prevent their being insulted by the Pirates, which they had Intelligence were on the Coast; by which, we suppose, they meant us who were gone, for they could have no Notion of these Men then.

Upon this Intelligence they cruis'd off and on upon the Coast for near a Month, keeping always to the Southward of _Lima_, because they would not fall in the Way of the said _Flotilla_, and so be overpower'd and miss of their Prize: At last they met with what they look'd for, that is to say, they met with the great s.h.i.+p abovenam'd: But to their great Misfortune and Disappointment, (as they first thought it to be) she had with her a Man of War for her Convoy, and two other Merchant s.h.i.+ps in her Company.

The Buccaneers had with them the Sloop which they first sent to us for our Intelligence, and which they made a little Fregate of, carrying eight Guns, and some Patareroes: They had not long Time to consult, but in short they resolv'd to double man the Sloop, and let her attack the great Merchant-s.h.i.+p, while the Fregate, which was the whole of their Fleet, held the Man of War in Play, or at least kept him from a.s.sisting her.

According to this Resolution, they put 50 Men on Board the Sloop, which was, in short, almost as many as would stand upon her Deck one by another; and with this Force they attack'd the great Merchant-s.h.i.+p, which, besides its being well mann'd, had 16 good Guns, and about 30 Men on Board. While the Sloop thus began the unequal Fight, the Man of War bore down upon her to succour the s.h.i.+p under her Convoy, but the Fregate thrusting in between, engag'd the Man of War, and began a very warm Fight with her, for the Man of War had both more Guns and more Men than the Fregate after she had parted with 50 Men on Board the Sloop: While the two Men of War, as we may now call them, were thus engag'd, the Sloop was in great Danger of being worsted by the Merchant-s.h.i.+p, for the Force was too much for her, the s.h.i.+p was great, and her Men fought a desperate and close Fight: Twice the Sloop-Men enter'd her, and were beaten off, and about nine of their Men kill'd, several other wounded, and an unlucky Shot taking the Sloop between Wind and Water, she was oblig'd to fall a-Stern, and heel her over to stop the Leek; during which the _Spaniards_ steer'd away to a.s.sist the Man of War, and pour'd her Broadside in upon the Fregate, which tho' but small, yet at a Time when she lay Yard-arm and Yard-arm close by the Side of the _Spanish_ Man of War, was a great Extremity; however, the Fregate return'd her Broadside, and therewith made her sheer off, and, which was worse, shot her Main-mast thro', tho' it did not come presently by the Board.

During this Time, the Sloop having many Hands, had stopp'd the Leak, was brought to rights again, and came up again to the Engagement, and at the first Broadside had the good Luck to bring the s.h.i.+p's Foremast by the Board, and thereby disabled her; but could not for all that lay her athwart, or carry her by Boarding, so that the Case began to be very doubtful; at which, the Captain of the Sloop, finding the Merchant s.h.i.+p was disabled, and could not get away from them, resolv'd to leave her a while and a.s.sist the Fregate; which he did, and running a Longside our Fregate, he fairly laid the Man of War on Board just thwart his Hawser; and besides firing into her with his great Shot, he very fairly set her on Fire; and it was a great Chance but that they had been all three burnt together, but our Men helpt the _Spaniards_ themselves to put out the Fire, and after some Time master'd it: But the _Spaniards_ were in such a terrible Fright at the Apprehension of the Fire, that they made little Resistance afterwards, and in short, in about an Hour's Fight more, the _Spanish_ Man of War struck, and was taken; and after that the Merchant s.h.i.+p also, with all the Wealth that was in her: And thus their Victory was as compleat as it was unexpected.

The Captain of the _Spanish_ Man of War was kill'd in the Fight, and about 36 of his Men, and most of the rest wounded, which it seems happen'd upon the Sloop's lying athwart her. This Man of War was a new s.h.i.+p, and with some Alteration in her upper Work, made a very good Fregate for them, and they afterwards quitted their own s.h.i.+p, and went all on Board the _Spanish_ s.h.i.+p, taking out the Main-mast of their own s.h.i.+p, and making a new Fore-mast for the _Spanish_ s.h.i.+p, because her Fore-mast was also weaken'd with some Shot in her; this, however, cost them a great deal of Labour and Difficulty, and also some Time, when they came to a certain Creek, where they all went on Sh.o.r.e, and refresh'd themselves a while.

But if the taking the Man of War was an unexpected Victory to them, the Wealth of the Prize was much more so; for they found an amazing Treasure on Board her, both in Silver and Gold; and the Account they gave me was but imperfect, but I think they calculated the Pieces of Eight to be about 13 Tun in Weight, besides that they had 5 small Chests of Gold, some Emeralds, and, in a Word, a prodigious Booty.

They were not, however, so modest in their Prosperity as we were; for they never knew when to have done, but they must Cruise again to the Northward for more Booty, when to their great Surprize, they fell in with the Flotilla or Squadron of Men of War, which they had so studiously avoided before, and were so surrounded by them, that there was no Remedy but they must fight, and that in a Kind of Desperation, having no Prospect now but to sell their Lives as dear as they could.

This unlucky Accident befel them before they had chang'd their s.h.i.+p, so that they had now the Sloop and both the Men of War in Company, but they were but thinly mann'd; and as for the Booty, the greater Part of it was on Board the Sloop, that is to say, all the Gold and Emeralds, and near half the Silver.

When they saw the Necessity of fighting, they order'd the Sloop, if possible, to keep to Windward, that so she might as Night come on, make the best of her Way, and escape; but a _Spanish_ Fregate of 18 Guns tended her so close, and sail'd so well, that the Sloop could by no Means get away from the rest; so she made up close to the Buccaneers Fregate, and maintain'd a Fight as well as she could, till in the Dusk of the Evening the _Spaniards_ boarded and took her, but most of her Men gat away in her Boat, and some by swimming on Board the other s.h.i.+p: They only left in her five wounded _Englishmen_, and six _Spanish_ Negroes. The five _English_ the barbarous _Spaniards_ hang'd up immediately, wounded as they were.

This was good Notice to the other Men to tell them what they were to expect, and made them fight like desperate Men till Night, and kill'd the _Spaniards_ a great many Men. It prov'd a very dark rainy Night, so that the _Spaniards_ were oblig'd by Necessity to give over the Fight till the next Day, endeavouring, in the mean time, to keep as near them as they could: But the Buccaneers concerting their Measures where they should meet, resolv'd to make Use of the Darkness of the Night to get off if they could; and the Wind springing up a fresh Gale at S. S. W. they chang'd their Course, and, with all the Sail they could make, stood away to the N. N. W.

slanting it to Seawards as nigh the Wind as they could; and getting clear away from the _Spaniards_, who they never saw more, they made no Stay till they pa.s.s'd the Line, and arriv'd in about 22 Days Sail on the Coast of _California_, where they were quite out of the Way of all Enquiry and Search of the _Spaniards_.

Here it was they chang'd their s.h.i.+p, as I said, and quitting their own Vessel, they went all on Board the _Spanish_ Man of War, fitting up her Masts and Rigging, as I have said, and taking out all the Guns, Stores, _&c._ of their own s.h.i.+p, so that they had now a stout s.h.i.+p under them, carrying 40 Guns, (for so many they made her carry) and well furnish'd with all Things; and tho' they had lost so great a Part of their Booty, yet they had still left a vast Wealth, being six or seven Tun of Silver, besides what they had gotten before.

With this Booty, and regretting heartily they had not practis'd the same Moderation before, they resolv'd now to be satisfy'd, and make the best of their Way to the Island of _Juan Fernando_; where keeping at a great Distance from the Sh.o.r.e, they safely arriv'd, in about two Months Voyage, having met with some contrary Winds by the Way.

However, here they found the other Sloop which they had sent in with their first Booty, to wait for them: And here understanding that we were gone for St. _Julien_, they resolv'd, (since the Time was so long gone that they could not expect to find us again) that they would have t'other Touch with the _Spaniards_, cost what it would. And accordingly, having first bury'd the most Part of their Money in the Ground, on Sh.o.r.e in the Island, and having revictual'd their s.h.i.+p in the best Manner they could in that barren Island, away they went to Sea.

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