The King of Pirates

But I was far from being easy in this Situation of our Affairs; so I made a Proposal to our Men one Day, that tho’ we were well enough in our Habitation, and wanted for nothing, yet since we had a Sloop here, and a Boat so good as she was, ’twas Pity she should lye and perish there, but we should send her Abroad, and see what might happen; that perhaps it might be our good Luck to surprise some Ship or other for our Turn, and so we might all go to Sea again: The Proposal was well enough relish’d at first Word, but the great Mischief of all was like to be this, That we should all go together by the Ears upon the Question who should go in her: My secret Design was laid, that I was resolv’d to go in her myself, and that she should not go without me; but when it began to be talk’d of, I discover’d the greatest seeming Resolution not to stir, but to stay with the rest, and take Care of the main Chance, that was to say, the Money.

I found, when they saw that I did not propose to go myself, the Men were much the easier; for at first they began to think it was only a Project of mine to run away from them; and so indeed it was: However, as I did not at first propose to go my self, so when I came to the Proposal of who should go, I made a long Discourse to them of the Obligation they had all to be faithful one to another, and that those who went in the Sloop, ought to consider themselves and those that were with them to be but one Body with those who were left behind; that their whole Concern ought to be to get some good Ship to fetch them off: At last, I concluded, with a Proposal, that who ever went in the Sloop, should leave his Money behind in the common Keeping, as it was before; to remain as a Pledge for his faithful performing the Voyage, and coming back again to the Company; and should faithfully swear that wherever they went, (for as to the Voyage, they were at full Liberty to go whither they would) they would certainly endeavour to get back to Madagascar; and that if they were cast away, stranded, taken, or whatever befel them, they should never rest till they got to Madagascar, if it was possible.

They all came most readily into this Proposal, for those who should go into the Sloop, but with this Alteration in them, (which was easy to be seen in their Countenances) viz. that from that Minute there was no striving who should go, but every Man was willing to stay where they were: This was what I wanted, and I let it rest for two or three Days; when I took Occasion to tell them, that seeing they all were sensible that it was a very good Proposal to send the Sloop out to Sea, and see what they could do for us, I thought it was strange they should so generally shew themselves backward to the Service for fear of parting from their Money; I told them that no Man need be afraid, that the whole Body should agree to take his Money from him without any pretended Offence, much less when he should be Abroad for their Service: But however, as it was my Proposal, and I was always willing to hazard myself for the Good of them all, so I was ready to go on the Conditions I had propos’d to them for others, and I was not afraid to flatter myself with serving them so well Abroad, that they should not grudge to restore me my Share of Money when I came Home, and the like of all those that went with me.

This was so seasonably spoken, and humour’d so well, that it answer’d my Design effectually, and I was voted to go nemine contradicente; then I desir’d they would either draw Lots for who and who should go with me, or leave it in my absolute Choice to pick and cull my Men: They had for some Time agreed to the first; and forty Blanks were made for those to whose Lot it should come to draw a Blank to go in the Sloop; but then it was said, this might neither be a fair nor an effectual Choice; for Example, if the needful Number of Officers, and of particular Occupations, should not happen to be lotted out, the Sloop might be oblig’d to go out to Sea without a Surgeon, or without a Carpenter, or without a Cook, and the like: So, upon second Thoughts, it was left to me to name my Men; so I chose me out forty stout Fellows, and among them several who were trusty bold Men, fit for any thing.

Being thus Mann’d, the Sloop rigg’d, and having clear’d her Bottom, and laid in Provisions enough for a long Voyage, we set Sail the 3d of January 1694, for the Cape of Good Hope. We very honestly left our Money, as I said, behind us, only that we had about the Value of 2000 Pound in Pieces of Eight allow’d us on Board for any Exigence that might happen at Sea.

We made no Stop at the Cape, or at St. Helena, tho’ we pass’d in Sight of it, but stood over to the Caribbee Islands directly, and made the Island of Tobago the 18th of February, where we took in fresh Water, which we stood in great Need of, as you may judge by the Length of the Voyage. We sought no Purchase, for I had fully convinc’d our Men, that our Business was not to appear, as we were used to be, upon the Cruise, but as Traders; and to that End I propos’d to go away to the Bay of Campeachy, and load Logwood, under the Pretence of selling of which we might go any where.

It is true, I had another Design here, which was to recover the Money which my Comrade and I had bury’d there; and having the Man on Board with me to whom I had communicated my Design, we found an Opportunity to come at our Money with Privacy enough, having so conceal’d it, as that it would have lain there to the general Conflagration, if we had not come for it our selves.

My next Resolution was to go for England, only that I had too many Men, and did not know what to do with them: I told them we could never pretend to go with a Sloop loaden with Logwood to any Place, with 40 Men on Board, but we should be discover’d; but if they would resolve to put 15 or 16 Men on Shore as private Seamen, the rest might do well enough; and if they thought it hard to be set on Shore, I was content to be one, only that I thought it was very reasonable that whoever went on Shore should have some Money given them, and that all should agree to rendezvous in England, and so make the best of our Way thither, and there perhaps we might get a good Ship to go fetch off our Comrades and our Money. With this Resolution, sixteen of our Men had three hundred Pieces of Eight a Man given them, and they went off thus; the Sloop stood away North, thro’ the Gulph of Florida, keeping under the Shore of Carolina and Virginia; so our Men dropp’d off as if they had deserted the Ship; three of the sixteen run away there, five more went off at Virginia, three at New York, three at Road Island, and myself and one more at New England; and so the Sloop went away for England with the rest. I got all my Money on Shore with me, and conceal’d it as well as I could; some I got Bills for, some I bought Molosses with, and turn’d the rest into Gold; and dressing myself not as a common Sailor, but as a Master of a Ketch, which I had lost in the Bay of Campeachy, I got Passage on Board one Captain Guillame, a New England Captain, whose Owner was one Mr. Johnson a Merchant, living at Hackney, near London.

Being at London, it was but a very few Months before several of us met again, as I have said we agreed to do. And being true to our first Design of going back to our Comrades, we had several close Conferences about the Manner and Figure in which we should make the Attempt, and we had some very great Difficulties appear’d in our Way: First, to have fitted up a small Vessel, it would be of no Service to us, but be the same Thing as the Sloop we came in; and if we pretended to a great Ship, our Money would not hold out; so we were quite at a Stand in our Councils what to do, or what Course to take, till at length our Money still wasting, we grew less able to execute any Thing we should project.

This made us all desperate; when as desperate Distempers call for desperate Cures, I started a Proposal which pleas’d them all, and this was, that I would endeavour among my Acquaintance, and with what Money I had left, (which was still sixteen or seventeen hundred Pound) to get the Command of a good Ship, bearing a quarter Part, or thereabout, myself; and so having gat into the Ship, and got a Freight, the rest of our Gang should all enter on Board as Seamen, and whatever Voyage we went, or wheresoever we were bound, we would run away with the Ship and all the Goods, and so go to our Friends as we had promis’d.

I made several Attempts of this Kind, and once bought a very good Ship, call’d, The Griffin, of one Snelgrove a Shipwright, and engag’d the Persons concern’d to hold a Share in her and fit her out, on a Voyage for Leghorn and Venice; when it was very probable the Cargo, to be shipp’d on Board casually by the Merchant, would be very rich; but Providence, and the good Fortune of the Owner prevented this Bargain, for without any Objection against me, or Discovery of my Design in the least, he told me afterwards his Wife had an ugly Dream or two about the Ship; once, that it was set on Fire by Lightning, and he had lost all he had in it; another Time, that the Men had mutiny’d and conspir’d to kill him; and that his Wife was so averse to his being concern’d in it, that it had always been an unlucky Ship, and that therefore his Mind was chang’d; that he would sell the whole Ship, if I would, but he would not hold any Part of it himself.

Tho’ I was very much disappointed at this, yet I put a very good Face upon it, and told him, I was very glad to hear him tell me the Particulars of his Dissatisfaction; for if there was any Thing in Dreams, and his Wife’s Dream had any Signification at all, it seem’d to concern me (more than him) who was to go the Voyage, and command the Ship; and whether the Ship was to be burnt, or the Men to mutiny, tho’ Part of the Loss might be his, who was to stay on Shore, all the Danger was to be mine, who was to be at Sea in her; and then, as he had said, she had been an unlucky Ship to him, it was very likely she would be so to me; and therefore I thank’d him for the Discovery, and told him I would not meddle with her.

The Man was uneasy, and began to waver in his Resolution, and had it not been for the continu’d Importunities of his Wife, I believe would have come on again; for People generally encline to a Thing that is rejected, when they would reject the same Thing when profer’d: But I knew it was not my Business to let myself be blow’d upon, so I kept to my Resolution, and wholly declin’d that Affair, on Pretence of its having got an ill Name for an unlucky Ship; and that Name stuck so to her, that the Owners could never sell her, and, as I have been inform’d since, were oblig’d to break her up at last.

It was a great while I spent with hunting after a Ship, but was every Way disappointed, till Money grew short, and the Number of my Men lessen’d apace, and at last we were reduc’d to seven, when an Opportunity happen’d in my Way to go Chief-Mate on Board a stout Ship bound from London to…

[N. B. In Things so modern, it is no Way convenient to write to you particular Circumstances and Names of Persons, Ships, or Places, because those Things being in themselves criminal, may be call’d up in Question in a judicial Way; and therefore I warn the Reader to observe, that not only all the Names are omitted, but even the Scene of Action in this criminal Part, is not laid exactly as Things were acted; least I should give Justice a Clew to unravel my Story by, which no Body will blame me for avoiding.]

It is enough to tell the Reader, that being put out to Sea, and being for Conveniency of Wind and Weather come to an Anchor on the Coast of Spain, my seven Companions having resolv’d upon our Measures, and having brought three more of the Men to confederate with us, we took up Arms in the middle of the Night, secur’d the Captain, the Gunner, and the Carpenter, and after that, all the rest of the Men, and declar’d our Intention: The Captain and nine Men refus’d to come into our projected Roguery, (for we gave them their Choice to go with us, or go on Shore) so we put them on Shore very civilly, gave the Master his Books, and every Thing he could carry with him; and all the rest of the Men agreed to go along with us.

As I had resolv’d, before I went on Board, upon what I purpos’d to do, so I had laid out all the Money I had left in such Things as I knew I should want, and had caus’d one of my Men to pretend he was going to – to build or buy a Ship there, and that he wanted Freight for a great deal of Cordage, Anchors, eight Guns, Powder and Ball, with about 20 Tun of Lead and other bulky Goods, which were all put on Board as Merchandize.

We had not abundance of Bail Goods on Board, which I was glad of; not that I made any Conscience or Scruple of carrying them away, if the Ship had been full of them; but we had no Market for them: Our first Business was to get a larger Store of Provision on Board than we had, our Voyage being long; and having acquainted the Men with our Design, and promis’d the new Men a Share of the Wealth we had there, which made them very hearty to us, we set Sail: We took in some Beef and Fish, at – where we lay fifteen Days, but out of all Reach of the Castle or Fort; and having done our Business, sail’d away for the Canaries, where we took in some Butts of Wine, and some fresh Water: With the Guns the Ship had, and those eight I had put on Board as Merchandize, we had then two and thirty Guns mounted, bur were but slenderly Mann’d, tho’ we gat four English Seamen at the Canaries; but we made up the Loss at Fiall, where we made bold with three English Ships we found, and partly by fair Means, and partly by Force, shipp’d twelve Men there; after which, without any farther Stop for Men or Stores, we kept the Coast of Africa on Board ’till we pass’d the Line, and then stood off to St. Helena.

Here we took in fresh Water, and some fresh Provisions, and went directly for the Cape of Good Hope, which we pass’d, stopping only to fill about 22 Butts of Water, and with a fair Gale enter’d the Sea of Madagascar, and sailing up the West Shore, between the Island and the Coast of Africa, came to an Anchor over against our Settlement, about two Leagues Distance, and made the Signal of our Arrival, with firing twice seven Guns at the Distance of a Two-Minute Glass between the Seven; when, to our infinite Joy, the Fort answer’d us, and the Long-boat, the same that belong’d to our former Ship, came off to us.

We embrac’d one another with inexpressible Joy, and the next Morning I went on Shore, and our Men brought our Ship safe into Harbour, lying within the Defence of our Platform, and within two Cables length of the Shore, good soft Ground, and in eleven Fathom Water, having been three Months and eighteen Days on the Voyage, and almost three Years absent from the Place.

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 Shore 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 Ship 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 Ship, 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 Ship; 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 Ship or two, but if ever it lay in my Power to master a good Ship, I would not fail to bring her to them.

While I was thus fitting out upon this new Undertaking, and the Ship 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 Ship; that she was not a very large Vessel, yet that she was a Ship 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 Ship in for them, gave them a present Supply, and when we had help’d them to moor and secure the Ship in the Harbour, we made them lock all their Hatches and Cabins up, and come on Shore, 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 Shore near Guyaquil, as I have already told you, they got Information of a large Ship 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 Ship 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 Ships 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-Ship, while the Fregate, which was the whole of their Fleet, held the Man of War in Play, or at least kept him from assisting 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-Ship, 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 Ship 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-Ship, for the Force was too much for her, the Ship 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 assist 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 Ship’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 Ship was disabled, and could not get away from them, resolv’d to leave her a while and assist 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 Ship 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 Ship, and with some Alteration in her upper Work, made a very good Fregate for them, and they afterwards quitted their own Ship, and went all on Board the Spanish Ship, taking out the Main-mast of their own Ship, and making a new Fore-mast for the Spanish Ship, 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 Shore, 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 ship, 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 Ship: 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 pass’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 Ship, 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 Ship, so that they had now a stout Ship 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 Shore, 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 Shore in the Island, and having revictual’d their Ship in the best Manner they could in that barren Island, away they went to Sea.

They beat about on the South of the Line all up the Coast of Chili, and Part of Peru, till they came to the Height of Lima itself.

They met with several Ships, and took several, but they were loaden chiefly with Lumber or Provisions, except that in one Vessel they took between 40 and 50000 Pieces of Eight, and in another 75000. They soon inform’d themselves that the Spanish Men of War were gone out of those Seas up to Panama, to boast of their good Fortune, and carry Home their Prize; and this made them the bolder. But tho’ they spent near five Months in this second Cruise, they met with nothing considerable; the Spaniards being every where alarm’d, and having Notice of them, so that nothing stirr’d Abroad.

Tir’d then with their long Cruise, and out of Hope of more Booty, they began to look Homeward, and to say to one another that they had enough; so, in a Word, they came back to Juan Fernando, and there furnishing themselves as well as they could with Provisions, and not forgeting to take their Treasure on Board with them, they set forward again to the South; and after a very bad Voyage in rounding the Terra del Fuego, being driven to the Latitude of 65 Degrees, where they felt Extremity of Cold, they at length obtain’d a more favourable Wind, viz. at S. and S. S. E; with which, steering to the North, they came into a milder Sea and a milder Coast, and at length arriv’d at Port St. Julien, where, to their great Joy, they found the Post or Cross erected by us; and understanding that we were gone to Madagascar, and that we would be sure to remain there to hear from them, and withal that we had been gone there near two Year, they resolv’d to follow us.

Here they staid, it seems, almost half a Year, partly fitting and altering their Ship, partly wearing out the Winter Season, and waiting for milder Weather; and having victuall’d their Ship in but a very ordinary Manner for so long a Run, viz. only with Seals Flesh and Penguins, and some Deer they kill’d in the Country, they at last launch’d out, and crossing the great Atlantick Ocean, they made the Cape of Good Hope in about 76 Days, having been put to very great Distresses in that Time for Want of Food, all their Seals Flesh and Penguins growing nauseous and stinking in little less than half the Time of their Voyage; so that they had nothing to subsist on for seven and twenty Days, but a little Quantity of dry’d Venison which they kill’d on Shore, about the Quantity of 3 Barrels of English Beef, and some Bread; and when they came to the Cape of Good Hope, they gat some small Supply, but it being soon perceiv’d on Shore what they were, they were glad to be gone as soon as they had fill’d their Casks with Water, and gat but a very little Provisions; so they made to the Coast of Natal on the South East Point of Africa, and there they gat more fresh Provisions, such as Veal, Milk, Goats-Flesh, some tolerable Butter, and very good Beef: And this held them out till they found us in the North Part of Madagascar, as above.

We staid about a Fortnight in our Port, and in a sailing Posture, just as if we had been Wind-bound, meerly to congratulate and make merry with our new-come Friends, when I resolv’d to leave them there, and set Sail; which I did with a Westerly Wind, keeping away North till I came into the Latitude of seven Degrees North; so coasting along the Arabian Coast E. N. E. towards the Gulph of Persia, in the Cruise I met with two Persian Barks loaden with Rice; one of which I mann’d and sent away to Madagascar, and the other I took for our own Ship’s Use. This Bark came safe to my new Colony, and was a very agreeable Prize to them; I think verily almost as agreeable as if it had been loaded with Pieces of Eight, for they had been without Bread a great while; and this was a double Benefit to them, for they fitted up this Bark, which carry’d about 55 Tun, and went away to the Gulph of Persia in her to buy Rice, and brought two or three Freights of that which was very good.

In this Time I pursu’d my Voyage, coasted the whole Malabar Shore, and met with no Purchase but a great Portugal East-India Ship, which I chac’d into Goa, where she got out of my Reach: I took several small Vessels and Barks, but little of Value in them, till I enter’d the great Bay of Bengale, when I began to look about me with more Expectation of Success, tho’ without Prospect of what happen’d.

I cruis’d here about two Months, finding nothing worth while; so I stood away to a Port on the North Point of the Isle of Sumatra, where I made no Stay; for here I gat News that two large Ships, belonging to the Great Mogul, were expected to cross the Bay from Hugely in the Ganges to the Country of the King of Pegu, being to carry the Grandaughter of the Great Mogul to Pegu, who was to be marry’d to the King of that Country, with all her Retinue, Jewels, and Wealth.