 Preface of the General History of the Pirates, Volume 1. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Barry Eads. The General History of the Pirates, Volume 1 by Charles Johnson. Preface. Having taken more than ordinary pains in collecting the materials which compose the following history, we could not be satisfied with ourselves. If anything were wanting to it, which might render it entirely satisfactory to the public, it is for this reason we have subjoined to the work a short abstract of the laws now in force against pirates, and made choice of some particular cases, the most curious we can meet with, which have been heretofore tried, by which it will appear what actions have and what have not been a judged piracy. It is possible this book may fall into the hands of some masters of ships, and other honest mariners, who frequently, by contrary winds or tempests, or other accidents incident to long voyages, find themselves reduced to great distresses, either through scarcity of provisions or want of stores. I say it may be a direction to such as those, what lengths they may venture to go without violating the laws of nations, in case they should meet other ships at sea or be cast on some inhospitable shore, which should refuse to trade with them for such things as are absolutely necessary for the preservation of their lives or the safety of the ship and cargo. We have given a few instances in the course of this history of the inducements men have to engage themselves headlong in a life of so much peril to themselves, and so destructive to the navigation of the trading world, to remedy which evil there seems to be but two ways, either to find employment for the great numbers of seamen turned adrift at the conclusion of a war, and thereby prevent their running into such undertakings, or to guard sufficiently the coast of Africa, the West Indies, and other places where two pirates resort. I cannot but take notice in this place that during this long peace I have not so much as heard of a Dutch pirate. It is not that I take them to be honester than their neighbors, but when we account for it it will, perhaps, be a reproach to ourselves for our want of industry. The reason I take to be that after a war when the Dutch ships are laid up they have a fishery, where their seamen find immediate business and as comfortable bread as they had before. Had ours the same recourse in their necessities I am certain we should find the same effect from it, for a fishery is a trade that cannot be overstocked. The sea is wide enough for us all, we need not quarrel for elbow room. Its stores are infinite and will ever reward the laborer. Besides, our own coast, for the most part, supply the Dutch, who employ several hundred sail constantly in the trade, and so sell to us our own fish. I call it our own, for the sovereignty of the British seas are to this day acknowledged us by the Dutch and all the neighboring nations. Wherefore, if there was a public spirit among us, it would be well worth our while to establish a national fishery, which would be the best means in the world to prevent piracy, employ a number of the poor, and ease the nation of a great burden by lowering the price of provision in general, as well as several other commodities. I need not bring any proofs of what I advance, vis that there are multitudes of seamen at this day unemployed. It is but too evident by their straggling and begging all over the kingdom. Nor is it so much their inclination to idleness as their own hard fate in being cast off after their work is done, to starve or steal. I have not known a man of war commissioned for several years past, but three times her compliment of men have offered themselves in twenty-four hours. The merchants take their advantage of this, lessen their wages, and those few who are in business are poorly paid, and but poorly fed. Such usage breeds discontents among them, and makes them eager for any change. I shall not repeat what I have said in the history concerning the privateers of the West Indies, where I have taken notice they live upon spoil, and as custom is a second nature, it is no wonder that, when an honest livelihood is not easily had, they run into one so like their own, so that it may be said that privateers in time of war are a nursery for pirates against a peace. Now we have accounted for their rise and beginning. It will be natural to inquire why they are not taken and destroyed before they come to any head, seeing that they are seldom less than twelve men of war stationed in our American plantations, even in time of peace, a force sufficient to contend with a powerful enemy. This inquiry perhaps will not turn much to the honor of those concerned in that service. However, I hope I may be excused if what I bent is with a design of serving the public. I say, tis strange that a few pirates should ravage the seas for years without ever being light upon, by any of our ships of war, when in the meantime they, the pirates, shall take fleets of ships. It looks as if one was much more diligent in their affairs than the other. Roberts and his crew alone took four hundred sail before he was destroyed. This matter I may probably set right another time, and only observe for the present that the pirates at sea have the same sagacity with robbers at land, as the latter understand what roads are most frequented and where it is most likely to meet with booty, so the former know what latitude to lie in, in order to intercept ships. And as the pirates happen to be in want of provision, stores, or any particular lading, they cruise accordingly for such ships, and are morally certain of meeting with them. And by the same reason, if the men of war cruise in those latitudes, they might be as sure of finding the pirates, as the pirates are to find the merchant ships. And if the pirates are not to be met with by the men of war in such a latitude, then surely down the same latitude may the merchant ships arrive safely to their port. To make this a little plainer to my country readers, I must observe that all our outward bound ships, sometime after they leave the land, steer into the latitude of the peace they are bound to, if to the West India Islands, or any part of the main of America, as New York, New England, Virginia, etc., because the latitude is the only certainty in those voyages to be found, and then they sail due west, till they come to their port without altering their course. In this west way lie the pirates, whether it be to Virginia, etc., or Nevis, St. Christopher's, Montserrat, Jamaica, etc., so that if the merchant ships bound thither, do not fall a prey to them one day, they must another. Therefore I say, if the men of war take the same track, the pirates must unavoidably fall into their mouths, or be frighted away. For where the game is, there will the vermin be. If the latter should be the case, the trading ships, as I said before, will pass unmolested and safe, and the pirates be reduced to take refuge in some of their lurking holes about the uninhabited islands, where their fate would be like that of the fox in his den. If they should venture out, they would be hunted and taken, and if they stay within, they must starve. I must observe another thing, that the pirates generally shift their robings according to the season of the year. In the summer they cruise mostly along the coast of the continent of America, but the winters there, being a little too cold for them, they follow the sun and go towards the islands at the approach of cold weather. Every man who has used the West India trade knows this to be true. Therefore, since we are so well acquainted with all their motions, I cannot see why our men of war under a proper regulation may not go to the southward instead of lying up all the winter useless. But I shall proceed too far in this inquiry. I shall therefore quit it and say something of the following sheets, which the author may venture to assure the reader that they have one thing to recommend them, which is truth. Those facts which he himself was not an eyewitness of, he had from the authentic relations of the persons concerned in taking the pirates, as well as from the mouths of the pirates themselves after they were taken, and he conceives no man can produce better testimonies to support the credit of any history. It will be observed that the account of the actions of Roberts runs into a greater length than that of any other pirate, for which we can assign two reasons. First, because he ravaged the seas longer than the rest, and of consequence there must be a greater sense of business in his life. Secondly, being resolved not to weary the reader with tiresome repetitions when we found the circumstances in Roberts's life and other pirates, either as two piratical articles or anything else, to be the same, we thought it best give them but once, and chose Roberts's life for that purpose, he having made more noise in the world than some others. As to the lies of our two female pirates, we must confess they may appear a little extravagant, yet they are nevertheless true for seeming so, but as they were publicly tried for their piracies, there are living witnesses enough to justify what we have laid down concerning them. It is certain we have produced some particulars which were not too publicly known. The reason is we were more inquisitive into the circumstances of their past lives than other people, who had no other design than that of gratifying their own private curiosity. If there are some incidents and turns in their stories, which may give them a little the air of a novel, they are not invented or contrived for that purpose. It is a kind of reading this author is but little acquainted with, but as he himself was exceedingly diverted with them, when they were related to him, he thought they might have the same effect upon the reader. I presume we need make no apology for giving the name of a history in the following sheets, though they contain nothing but the actions of a parcel of robbers. It is bravery and stratagem in war which makes actions worthy of record, in which sense the adventures here related will be thought deserving that name. Plutarch is very circumstantial in relating the actions of Spartacus, the slave, and makes the conquest of him one of the greatest glories of Marcus Crassus, and it is probable if this slave had lived a little longer Plutarch would have given us his life at large. Rome, the mistress of the world, was no more at first than a refuge for thieves and outlaws, and if the progress of our pirates had been equal to their beginning, had they all united and settled in some of those islands, they might by this time have been honored with the name of a commonwealth, and no power in those parts of the world could have been able to dispute it with them. If we have seemed to glance with some freedom at the behavior of some governors of provinces abroad, it has been with caution, and perhaps we have not declared as much as we knew. However, we hope those gentlemen in the same station who have never given occasion for the like censure will take no offense, though the word governor is sometimes made use of. P.S. It will be necessary to add a word or two to this preface in order to inform the reader that there are several material additions made to this second impression, which swelling the book in bulk must, of consequence, add a smaller matter to its price. The first impression having been received with so much success by the public occasioned a very earnest demand for a second. In the meantime, several persons who had been taken by their pirates, as well as others who had been concerned in taking of them, have been so kind to communicate several facts and circumstances to us, which had escaped us in the first impression. This occasioned some delay, therefore if we have not brought it out as soon as wished, it was to render it more complete. We shall not enter into a detail of all the new matter inserted here, but the description of the island St. Tom, etc., and that of Brazil are not to be passed by without a little notice. It must be observed that our speculative mathematicians and geographers who are no doubt men of the greatest learning, seldom travel farther than their closets for their knowledge, etc., are therefore unqualified to give us a good description of countries. It is for this reason that all our maps and atlases are so monstrously faulty, for these gentlemen are obliged to take their accounts from the reports of illiterate men. It must be noted also that when the masters of ships make discoveries this way, they are not fond of communicating them. A man's knowingness or that coast better than others recommends him in his business, and makes him more useful, and he'll no more discover it than a tradesman will the mystery of his trade. The gentleman who has taken the pains to make these observations is Mr. Atkins, a surgeon, an ingenious man in his own profession, and one who is not tied down by any narrow considerations from doing a service to the public, and has been pleased generously to communicate them for the good of others. I don't doubt what his observations will be found curious and very serviceable to such as trade to those parts. Besides a method of trade is here laid down with the Portuguese, which may prove of great profit to some of our countrymen if followed according to his plan. It is hoped these things will satisfy the public that the author of the following sheets considered nothing so much as making the book useful. Though he has been informed that some gentlemen have raised an objection against the truth of its contents, this that it seems calculated to entertain and avert, if the facts are related with some agreeableness and life, we hope it will not be imputed as a fault. But as to its credit, we can assure them that the seafaring men that is all that know the nature of these things have not been able to make the least objection to its credit. And he will be bold to affirm that there is not a fact or circumstance in the whole book, but he is able to prove by credible witnesses. There have been some other pirates, besides those whose history are here related, such as are hereafter named, and their adventures are as extravagant and full of mischief as those who are the subject of this book. The author has already begun to digest them into method, and as soon as he receives some materials to make them complete, which he shortly expects from the West Indies, if the public gives him encouragement, he intends to venture upon a second volume. End of preface. Introduction, part one, of the general history of the pirates, volume one. This is a LibriVox recording, all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org, recording by Barry Eads. The general history of the pirates, volume one, by Charles Johnson. Introduction, part one. As the pirates in the West Indies have been so formidable and numerous that they have interrupted the trade of Europe into those parts, and our English merchants in particular have suffered more by their depredations than by the United Force of France and Spain in the late war, we do not doubt, but the world will be curious to know the original and progress of these desperados who were the terror of the trading part of the world. But before we enter upon their particular history, it will not be amiss by way of introduction to show by some examples drawn from history the great mischief and danger which threatened kingdoms and commonwealths from the increase of these sort of robbers when either by the troubles of particular times or the neglect of governments, they are not crushed before they gather strength. It has been the case here to fore that when a single pirate has been suffered to range the seas, as not being worth the notice of a government, he has by degrees grown so powerful as to put them to the expense of a great deal of blood and treasure before he was suppressed. We shall not examine how it came to pass that our pirates in the West Indies have continually increased till of late. This is an inquiry which belongs to the legislature or representatives of the people in parliament and to them we shall leave it. Our business shall be briefly to show what from beginnings as inconsiderable as these other nations have suffered. In the times of Marius and Scylla, Rome was in her greatest strength. Yet she was so torn in pieces by the factions of those two great men that everything which concerned the public good was altogether neglected. When certain pirates broke out from Sicilia, a country of Asia Minor situate on the coast of the Mediterranean betwixt Syria on the East from once it is divided by Mount Taurus and Armenia Minor on the West. This beginning was mean and inconsiderable, having but two or three ships and a few men with which they cruised about the Greek islands taking such ships as were very ill armed or weakly defended. However, by the taking of many prizes they soon increased in wealth and power. The first action of theirs which made a noise was the taking of Julius Caesar who was as yet a youth and who being obliged to fly from the cruelties of Scylla who sought his life went into Bithynia and sojourned awhile with Nicodemus, king of that country. In his return back by sea he was met with and taken by some of these pirates near the island of Pharmacusa. These pirates had a barbarous custom of tying their prisoners back to back and throwing them into the sea but supposing Caesar to be some person of a high rank because of his purple robes and the number of his attendants they thought it would be more to their profit to preserve him in hopes of receiving a great sum for his ransom. Therefore they told him he should have his liberty provided he would pay them twenty talents which they judged to be a very high demand. In our money about three thousand six hundred pounds sterling he smiled and of his own accord promised them fifty talents. They were both pleased and surprised at his answer and consented that several of his attendants should go by his direction and raise the money and he was left among these ruffians with no more than three attendants. He passed eight and thirty days and seemed so little concerned or afraid that often when he went to sleep he used to charge them not to make a noise threatening if they disturbed him to hang them all. He also played at dice with them and sometimes wrote verses and dialogues which he used to repeat and also caused them to repeat and if they did not praise and admire them he would call them beasts and barbarians telling them he would crucify them. They took all these as the sallies of a juvenile humor and were rather diverted than displeased at them. At length his attendants returned with his ransom which he paid and was just charged. He sailed for the port of Molitum where as soon as he was arrived he used all his art and industry in fitting out a squadron of ships which he equipped and armed at his own charges and sailing in quest of the pirates he surprised them as they lay at anchor among the islands and took those who had taken him before with some others. The money he found upon them he made prize of to reimburse his charges and he carried the men to Pergamus or Troy and there secured them in prison. In the meantime he applied himself to Junius then governor of Asia to whom it belonged to judge and determine of the punishment of these men. But Junius finding there was no money to be had answered Caesar that he would think at his leisure what was to be done with these prisoners. Caesar took his leave of him, returned back to Pergamus and commanded that the prisoners should be brought out and executed according to law in that case provided which is taken notice of in a chapter at the end of this book concerning the laws in cases of piracy. And thus he gave them that punishment in earnest which he had often threatened them with in jest. Caesar went straight to Rome where being engaged in the designs of his own private ambition as were almost all the leading men in Rome the pirates who were left had time to increase to a prodigious strength for while the civil wars lasted the seas were left unguarded so that Plutarch tells us that they erected diverse arsenals full of all manner of war like stores made commodious harbors set up watchtowers and beacons all along the coasts of Cilicia that they had a mighty fleet well equipped and furnished with galliots of oars manned not only with men of desperate courage but also with expert pilots and mariners they had their ships of force and light penises for cruising and making discoveries in all no less than a thousand sail so gloriously set out that they were as much to be envied for their gallant show as feared for their force having the stern and quarters all gilded with gold and their oars plated with silver as well as purple sails as if their greatest delight had been to glory in their iniquity nor were they content with committing piracies and insolences by sea they committed as great depredations by land or rather made conquests for they took and sacked no less than four hundred cities laid several others under contributions plundered the temples of the gods and enriched themselves with the offerings deposited in them they often landed bodies of men who not only plundered the villages along the sea coast but ransacked the fine houses of the noblemen along the Tiber a body of them once took sextileus and billenus two roman praiders in their purple robes going from Rome to their governments and carried them away with all their sergeants officers and vergers they also took the daughter of Antonius a counselor person and one who had obtained the honor of a triumph as she was going to the country house of her father but what was most barbarous was a custom they had when they took any ship of inquiring of the person on board concerning their names and country if any of them said he was a roman they fell down upon their knees as if in a fright at the greatness of that name and beg pardon for what they had done and imploring his mercy they used to perform the offices of servants about his person and when they found they had deceived him into a belief of their beings and seer they hung out the ladder of the ship and coming with a show of courtesy told him he had his liberty desiring him to walk out of the ship and this in the middle of the sea and when they observed him in surprise as was natural they used to throw him overboard with mighty shouts of laughter so wanton they were in their cruelty thus while Rome was mistress of the world she suffered insults and affronts almost at her gates from these powerful robbers but what for a while made factions cease and rouse the genius of that people never used to suffer wrongs from a fair enemy was an excessive scarcity of provisions in Rome occasioned by all the ships loading with corn and provisions from Sicily, Corsica and other places being intercepted and taken by these pirates in so much that they were almost reduced to a famine upon this Pompey the Great was immediately appointed general to manage this war five hundred ships were immediately fitted out he had fourteen senators men of experience in the war for his vice admirals and so considerable an enemy where these ruffians become that no less than an army of a hundred thousand foot and five thousand horse was appointed to invade them by land but it happened very luckily for Rome that Pompey sailed out before the pirate had intelligence of a design against them so that their ships were scattered all over the Mediterranean like bees gone out from a hive some one way some another to bring home their lading Pompey divided his fleet into thirteen squadrons to whom he appointed their serval stations so that great numbers of the pirates fell into their hands ship by ship without any loss forty days he passed in scouring the Mediterranean some of the fleet cruising along the coast of Africa some about the islands and some upon the Italian coasts so that often those pirates who were flying from one squadron fell in with another however some of them escaped and these making directly to Solicia and appointing their confederates on shore with what had happened they appointed a rendezvous of all the ships that had escaped at the port of Coruscessium in the same country Pompey finding the Mediterranean quite clear appointed a meeting of all his fleet at the haven of Brundusium and from thence sailing around into the Adriatic he went directly to attack these pirates in their hives as soon as he came near the Coruscessium in Solicia where the remainder of the pirates now lay they had the hardiness to come and give him battle but the genius of old Rome prevailed and the pirates received an entire overthrow being all either taken or destroyed but as they made many strong fortresses upon the sea coast and built castles and strongholds up the country about the foot of Mount Taurus he was obliged to besiege them with his army some places he took by storm others surrendered to his mercy to whom he gave their lives and at length he made an entire conquest but it is probable that had these pirates received sufficient notice of the Roman preparation against them so as they might have had time to draw their scattered strength into a body to have met Pompey by sea the advantage appeared greatly on their side in numbers of shipping and of men nor did they want courage as may be seen by their coming out of the port of Coruscessium to give the Romans battle with a force much inferior to theirs I say had they overthrown Pompey it is likely they would have made greater attempts and Rome which had conquered the whole world might have been subdued by a parcel of pirates this is a proof how dangerous it is to governments to be negligent and not take an early care in suppressing the sea bandit before they gather strength the truth of this maxim may be better exemplified in the history of Barbarossa a native in the city of middling in the island of Lesbos in the age in sea a fellow of ordinary birth who being bred to the sea first set out from thence upon the pirating account with only one small vessel but by the prizes he took he gained immense riches so that getting a great number of large ships all the bold and desolate fellows of those islands flocked to him and listed in his service for the hopes of booty so that his strength was increased to a formidable fleet with these he performed such bold and adventurous actions that he became the terror of the seas about this time it happened that Salim Utemi, king of Algiers having refused to pay the accustomed tribute to the Spaniards was apprehensive of an invasion from thence wherefore he treated with Barbarossa upon the foot of an ally to come and assist him and deliver him from paying this tribute Barbarossa readily came into it and sailing to Algiers with a great fleet he put part of his men on shore and having laid a plot to surprise the city he affected it with great success and murdered Salim in a bath soon after which he was himself crowned king of Algiers after this he made war upon Abdelabd, king of Tunis and overthrew him in battle he extended his conquests on all sides and thus from a thief became a mighty king and though he was at last killed in battle yet he had so well established himself upon that throne that dying without issue he left the inheritance of the kingdom to his brother another pirate I come now to speak of the pirates infesting the West Indies where they are more numerous than in any other parts of the world on several reasons first because there are so many uninhabited little islands and quays with harbors convenient and secure for cleaning their vessels and abounding with what they often want, provision I mean water, seafowl, turtle, shell, and other fish where if they carry in but strong liquor they indulge a time and become ready for new expeditions before any intelligence can reach to hurt them it may appear perhaps be no unnecessary digression to explain upon what they call keys in the West Indies these are small sandy islands appearing a little above the surf of the water worth only a few bushes or weeds upon them but abound, those most at any distance from the main with turtle, amphibious animals that always choose the quietest and most unfrequented place for laying their eggs which are to a vast number in the seasons and would seldom be seen but for this except by pirates then vessels from Jamaica and the other governments make voyages called turtling for supplying the people a common and approved food with them I am apt to think these keys especially those night islands to have once been contiguous with them and separated by earthquakes frequently there or inundations because some of them that have been within continual view as those night Jamaica are observed within our time to be entirely washed away and lost and others daily wasting there are not only of use above taken notice of to pirates but it is commonly believed where always in buccaneering piratical times the hiding places for their riches and often times a shelter for themselves till their friends on the main had found means to obtain indemnity for their crimes for you must understand when acts of grace were more frequent and the laws less severe these men continually found favors and encouragers at Jamaica and perhaps they are not all dead yet I have been told many of them still living have been of the same trade and left it off only because they can live as well honestly and gain now at the hazard of others next secondly another reason why these seas are chose by pirates is the great commerce thither by French, Spaniards, Dutch and especially English ships they are sure in the latitude of these trading islands to meet with prizes, booties of provision, clothing and naval stores and sometimes money there being great sums remitted this way to England the returns of the asiento, the private slave trade to the Spanish West Indies and in short by some one or other all the riches of potost a third reason is the inconveniencey and difficulty of being pursued by the men of war the many small inlets, lagoons and harbors on these solitary islands and keys is a natural security tis generally here that the pirates begin their enterprises setting out at first with a small force and by infesting these seas and those of the continent of North America in a year's time if they have good luck on their sides they accumulate such strength as enables them to make foreign expeditions the first is usually to Guinea taking the Azores and Cape de Verde islands on their way and then to Brazil and the East Indies where if they meet with prosperous voyages they set down at Madagascar or the neighboring islands and enjoy their ill-gotten wealth among their elder brethren with impunity but that I may not give too much encouragement to the profession I must inform my maritime readers that the far greater part of these rovers are cut short in the pursuit by a sudden precipitation into the other world the rise of these rovers since the peace of Uttrik or at least the great increase of them may justly be computed to the Spanish settlements in the West Indies the governors of which being often some hungry courtiers sent thither to repair or make a fortune generally countenance all proceedings that bring in profit they grant commissions to great numbers of vessels of war on pretense of preventing and interloping trade with orders to seize all ships or vessels whatsoever within five leagues of their coast which our English ships cannot well avoid coming in their voyage to Jamaica but if the Spanish captains chance to exceed this commission and rob and plunder at discretion the sufferers are allowed to complain and exhibit a process in their court and after great expense of suit delay of time and other inconveniences obtain a decree in their favor but then when the ship and cargo comes to be claimed with costs of suit they find to their sorrow that it has been previously condemned and the plunder divided among the crew the commander that made the capture who alone is responsible is found to be a poor rascally fellow not worth a groat and no doubt is placed in that station for the like purposes the frequent losses sustained by our merchants abroad by these pirates was provocation enough to attempt something by way of reprisal and a fair opportunity offering itself in the year 1716 the traders of the West Indies took care not to slip it over but made the best use of it their circumstances would permit it was about two years before that the Spanish galleons our plate fleet had been cast away in the Gulf of Florida and several vessels from the Havana were at work with diving engines to fish up the silver that was on board the galleons the Spaniards had recovered some million of pieces of eight and had carried it all to the Havana but they had at present about 350,000 pieces of eight in silver then upon the spot and were daily taking up more in the meantime two ships and three sloops fitted out from Jamaica, Barbados, etc under Captain Henry Jennings sailed to the Gulf and found the Spaniards there upon the wreck the money before spoken of was left on shore deposited in a storehouse under the government of two commissaries and a guard of about 60 soldiers the rovers came directly upon the place bringing their little fleet to an anchor and in a word landing 300 men they attacked the guard who immediately ran away and thus they seized the treasure which they carried off making the best of their way to Jamaica in their way they unhappily met with a Spanish ship bound from Portobello to the Havana with a great many rich goods, viz bales of cocconeal, cask of indico and 60,000 pieces of eight more which their hands being in they took and having rifled the vessel let her go they went away to Jamaica with their booty and were followed in view of the port by the Spaniards who having seen them thither went back to the governor of the Havana with the account of it who immediately sent a vessel to the governor of Jamaica to complain of this robbery and to reclaim the goods as it was in full peace and contrary to all justice and right that this fact was committed they were soon made sensible that the government at Jamaica would not suffer them to go unpunished much less protect them therefore they saw a necessity of shifting for themselves so to make bad worse they went to see again though not without disposing of their cargo to good advantage and furnishing themselves with ammunition provisions etc and being thus made desperate they turned pirates robbing not the Spaniards only but their own countrymen and any nation they could lay their hands on it happened about this time that the Spaniards with three or four small men of war fell upon our logwood cutters in the Bay of Campeche and Bay of Honduras and after they had made prizes of the following ships and vessels they gave the men belonging to them three sloops to carry them home but these men being made desperate by their misfortunes and meeting with the pirates they took on with them and so increased their number the list of ships and vessels taken by the Spanish men of war in the year 1716 the Stafford, Captain Knox from New England, bound for London Anne, Gurnish for London Dove, Grimstone for New England a sloop, Alden for New England a brigantine, Mosin for New England a brigantine, Turfield for New England a brigantine, Tennis for New England a ship, Porter for New England Indian Emperor, Wentworth for New England a ship, Rich Master a ship, Bay a ship, Smith a ship, Stockholm a ship, Saddley a sloop, Richards belonging to New England two sloops belonging to Jamaica one sloop of Barbados two ships from Scotland two ships from Holland the rovers being now pretty strong they consulted together about getting some place of retreat where they might lodge their wealth clean and repair their ships and make themselves a kind of abode they were not long in resolving but fixed upon the island of Providence the most considerable of the Bahama islands laying in the latitude of about 24 degrees north and to the eastward of the Spanish Florida this island is about 28 miles long and 11 were broadest and has a harbor big enough to hold 500 sail of ships before which lies a small island which makes two inlets to the harbor at either way there is a bar over which no ship of 500 ton can pass the Bahama islands were possessed by the English till the year 1700 when the French and Spaniards from Petit Guavas invaded them took the fort and governor in the island of Providence plundered and destroyed the settlements etc. carried off half the blacks and the rest of the people who fled to the woods retired afterwards to Carolina end of introduction part one introduction part two of the general history of the pirates volume one this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Barry Eads the general history of the pirates volume one by Charles Johnson introduction part two in March 1705 six the House of Lords did an address to her late majesty set forth that the French and Spaniards had twice during the time of the war overrun and plundered the Bahama islands that there was no form of government there that the harbor of the Isle of Providence might be easily put in a posture of defense and that it would be of dangerous consequence should those islands fall into the hands of the enemy wherefore the Lords humbly be sought her majesty to use such methods as she should think proper for taking the said islands into her hands in order to secure the same to the crown of this kingdom and to the security and advantage of the trade thereof but however it happened no means were used in compliance to that address for securing the Bahama islands till the English pirates had made providence their retreat and general receptacle then was found absolutely necessary in order to dislodge that troublesome colony and information being made by the merchants to the government of the mischief they did and were likely to do his majesty was pleased to grant the following order Whitehall September 15 1716 complaint having been made to his majesty by great number of merchants masters of ships and others as well as by several governors of his majesty's islands and plantations in the West Indies that the pirates are grown so numerous that they infest not only the seas near Jamaica but even those of the northern continent of America and that unless some effectual means be used the whole trade from Great Britain to those parts will not be only obstructed but in imminent danger of being lost his majesty has upon mature deliberation in council been pleased in the first place to order a proper force to be employed for the suppressing of the said pirates which force so to be employed is as follows a list of his majesty ships and vessels employed and to be employed at the British governments and plantations in the West Indies place where Jamaica five rates ship adventure forty guns now there Jamaica ship diamond forty guns sailed from hence thither fifth of last month Jamaica ship Ludlow castle forty guns to carry the governor Jamaica ship swift sloop now there Jamaica six rate ship when Chelsea twenty guns surveying the coast of the West Indies and then to return home but during her being at Jamaica is to join the others for security of the trade and intercepting pirates Barbados five rate ship scarborough thirty guns now there leeward islands six rate ship seaford now there Tyrell sloop six guns Virginia six rate ship lime twenty guns now there Virginia five rate ship shore ham thirty guns ordered home Virginia ship pearl forty guns sailed thither from home the seventh of last month and is to cruise about the capes new york six rate ship phoenix thirty guns now there new england ship squirrel twenty guns new england ship rose twenty guns ordered home those at Jamaica Barbados and the leeward islands are to join upon occasion for annoying the pirates and the security of the trade and those at new england virginia and new york are to do the like besides these frigates two men of war were ordered to attend captain rogers late commander of the two bristol ships called the duke and duchess that took the rich acapulco ship and made a tour round the globe this gentleman received a commission from his majesty to be governor of the island of providence and was vested with power to make use of all possible methods for reducing the pirates and that nothing might be wanting he carried with him the king's proclamation of pardon to those who should return to their duty by a certain time the proclamation is as follows by the king a proclamation for suppressing of pirates george are whereas we have received information that several persons subjects of great britain have since the twenty fourth day of june in the year of our lord seventeen fifteen committed divers piracy and robberies upon the high seas in the west indies or adjoining to our plantations which half and may occasion great damage to the merchants of great britain and others trading into those parts and though we have appointed such a force as we judge sufficient for suppressing the said pirates yet the more effectually to put an end to the same we have thought fit by and with the advice of our privy council to issue this our royal proclamation and we do hereby promise and declare that in case any of the said pirates shall on or before the fifth of september in the year of our lord seventeen eighteen surrender him or themselves to one of our principal secretaries of state in great britain or ireland or to any governor or deputy governor of any of our plantations beyond the seas every such pirate and pirates so surrendering him or themselves as a force said shall have our gracious part of and force such his or their piracy or piracy's by him or them committed before the fifth of january next ensuing and we do hereby strictly charge and command all our admirals captains and other officers at sea and all our governors and commanders of any forts castles or other places in our plantations and all other our officers civil and military to seize and take such of the pirates who shall refuse or neglect to surrender themselves accordingly and we do here by further declare that in case any person or persons on or after the sixth day of september seventeen eighteen shall discover or seize or cause or procure to be discovered or seized any one or more of the said pirates so refusing or neglecting to surrender themselves as a force said so as they may be brought to justice and convicted of the said offense such person or persons so making such discovery or seizure or causing or procuring such discovery or seizure to be made shall have and receive as a reward for the same is for every commander of any pirate ship or vessel the sum of one hundred pounds for every lieutenant master boats and carpenter and gunner the sum of forty pounds for every inferior officer the sum of thirty pounds and for every private man the sum of twenty pounds and if any person or persons belonging to and being part of the crew of any such pirate ship or vessel shall on or after the said six day of september seventeen eighteen seize and deliver or cause to be seized or delivered any commander or commanders of such pirate ship or vessel so as that he or they be brought to justice and convicted of the said offense such person or persons as a reward for the same shall receive for every such commander the sum of two hundred pounds which said sums the Lord treasurer or the commissioners of our treasury for the time being are hereby required and desired to pay accordingly given at our court at hampton court the fifth day of september seventeen seventeen in the fourth year of our reign god save the king before governor rogers went over the proclamation was sent to them which they took as teague took the covenant that is they made prize of the ship and proclamation too however they sent for those who were out a cruising and called the general council but there was so much noise and clamor that nothing could be agreed on some were for fortifying the island to stand upon their own terms and treating with the government upon the foot of a commonwealth others were also for strengthening the island for their own security but were not strenuous for these punctilious so that they might have a general pardon without being obliged to make any restitution and to retire with all their effects to the neighboring british plantations but captain jennings who was their commodore and who always bore a great sway among them being a man of good understanding and a good estate before the swim took him of going a pirating resolved upon surrendering without more ado to the terms of the proclamation which so disconcerted all their measures that the congress broke up very abruptly without doing anything and presently jennings and by his example about one hundred fifty more came into the governor of bermudas and had their certificates though the greatest part of them returned again like the dog to the vomit the commanders who were then in the island besides captain jennings aforementioned i think were these benjamin hornigold edward teach john martel james five christopher winter nicholas brown paul williams charles bellamy all over the bush major penner ed england t burges thomas cocklin our sample charles vane and two or three others ornigold williams burges and the bush were afterwards cast away teach and penner killed and their crews taken james five killed by his own men martel's crew destroyed and he forced on an uninhabited island cocklin sample and vane hanged winter and brown surrendered to the spaniards at cuba and england lives now at madigascar in the month of may or june seventeen eighteen captain rogers arrived at his government with two of his majesty ships and found several of the above said pirates there who upon the coming of the men of war all surrendered to the pardon except charles vane and his crew which happened after this manner i have before described the harbor to have two inlets by means of a small island laying at the mouth of it at one of which both the men of war entered and left the other open so that vane slipped his cable and set fire to a large prize they had there and resolutely put out firing at the man of war as he went off as soon as captain rogers had settled himself in his government he built a fort for his defense and garrisoned it with the people he found upon the island the quantum pirates to the number of four hundred he formed into companies appointed officers of those whom he most confided in and then set about to settle a trade with the spaniards in the gulf of mexico in one of which voyages captain burges above mentioned died and captain hortigold another of the famous pirates was cast away upon rocks a great way from land and perished but five of his men got into a canoe and were saved captain rogers sent out a slope to get provisions and gave the command to one john auger one of the pirates who had accepted the act of grace in their voyage they met with two sloops and john and his comrades not yet forgetting their former business made use of their old freedom and took out of them in money and goods to the value of about five hundred pounds after this they steered away for his spaniola not being satisfied whether the governor would admit them to carry on two trades at once and so thought to have been farewell to the bahama islands but as ill luck would have it they met with a violent tornado wherein they lost their mast and were drove back to one of the uninhabited bahamas and lost their sloop the men got all ashore and lived up and down in the wood for a little time till governor rogers happening to hear of their expedition and where they had got to sent out an arms loop to the aforesaid island the master of which with good words and fair promises got them on board and brought them all to providence being a eleven persons ten of which were tried at a court of admiralty convicted and hanged by the others evidence in the sight of all their former companions and fellow thieves the criminals would feign have spirited up the pardon pirates to rescue them out of the hands of the officers of justice telling them from the gallows that they never thought to have seen the time when ten such men as they should be tied up and hang like dogs and four hundred of their sworn friends and companions quietly standing by to behold the spectacle one Humphrey Maurice urged the matter further than the rest taxing them with pusillanimity and cowardice as if it were a breach of honor in them not to rise and save them from the ignomonious death they were going to suffer but was all in vain they were now told it was their business to turn their minds to another world and sincerely to repent of what wickedness they had done in this yes answered one of them i do hardly repent i repent i had not done more mischief and that we did not cut the throat of them that took us and i'm extremely sorry that you ain't all hanged as well as we so do i says another and i says a third and then they were all turned off without making any other dying speeches except one dennis mccarty who told the people that some friends of his had often said he should die in his shoes but that he would make them liars and so kicked them off and thus ended the lives with their adventures of those miserable wretches who may serve as sad examples of the little effect mercy has upon men once abandoned to an evil course of life least ivy thought severe in my animate versions upon the spanish proceedings in the west indies in respect to their dealings with us i shall mention an instance or two wherein i shall be as concise as possible and then transcribe some original letters from the governor of jamaica and an officer of a man of war to the alchities of trinidado on the island of cuba with their answers translated into anglish and then proceed to the particular histories of the pirates and their crews that have made most noise in the world in our own times about march seventeen twenty two one of our men of war trading upon the coast viz the greyhound galley captain walron the said captain invited some of the merchants to dinner who with their attendance and friends came on board to the number of sixteen or eighteen in all and having concerted measures about six or eight dined in the cabin and the rest were waiting on the deck while the captain and his guests were at dinner the bosan pipes for the ship's company to dine accordingly the men take their platters receive their provisions and down they go between decks leaving only four or five hands besides the spaniards above who were immediately dispatched by them and the hatches laid on the rest those in the cabin were as ready as their companions for they pulled out their pistols and shot the captain surgeon and another dead and grievously wounded a lieutenant but he getting out of the window upon a side ladder thereby saved his life and so they made themselves masters of the ship in an instant but by accidental good fortune she was recovered before she was carried off for captain walron having manned a sloop with thirty hands out of his ship's company had sent her to winward some days before also for trade which the spaniards knew very well and just as the action was over they saw this loop coming down before the wind towards their ship upon which the spaniards took about ten thousand pounds in specie as i am informed quitted the ship and went off in their launch unmolested about the same time a guard lacoste of portorico commanded by one matthew luke and italian took four english vessels and murdered all the crews he was taken by the lanston man of war in may seventeen twenty two and brought to jamaica where they were all but seven deservedly hanged it is likely the man of war might not have meddled with her but that she blindly laid the lanston on board thinking she had been a merchant ship who there upon catch a tartar afterwards in roman gene there was found a cartridge of powder made up with a piece of an english journal belonging i believe to the cream snow and upon examination at last it was discovered that they had taken this vessel and murdered the crew and one of the spaniards when he came to die confessed that he had killed twenty english men with his own hands as jago de la vega february twenty a letter from his excellency sir nicolas laws our governor to the alkalis of trinidad on cuba dated the twenty six of january seventeen twenty one twenty two the frequent depredations robberies and other acts of hostility which have been committed on the king my royal master subjects by a parcel of bandit who pretend to have commissions from you and in reality are sheltered under your government is the occasion of my sending the bear captain chamberlain commander of his majesty snow happy to demand satisfaction of you for so many notorious robberies which your people have lately committed on the king subjects of this island particularly by those traders nicolas brown and christopher winter to whom you have given protection such proceedings as these are not only a breach of the law of nations but must appear to the world of a very extraordinary nature when considered to the subjects of a prince in amity and friendship with another shall give countenance and encourage such vile practices i confess i have had long patients and declined using any violent measures to obtain satisfaction hoping the cessation of arms so happily concluded upon between our respective sovereigns would have put an effectual stop to those disorders but on the contrary i now find the port of trinidad o a receptacle to villains of all nations i do therefore think fit to acquaint you and assure you in the king my master's name that if i do meet with any of your rogues for the future upon the coast of this island i will order them to be hanged directly without mercy and i expect and demand of you to make ample restitution to captain chamberlain of all the negroes which the said brown and winter have lately taken off from the north side of this island and also of such sloops and other effects as they may have taken and robbed of since the cessation of arms and that you will deliver up to the bear such english men as are now detained or otherwise remain at trinidad o and also expect you will hear after for bear granting any commissions or suffer any such notorious villains to be equipped and fit it out from your port otherwise you may depend upon it those that i can meet with shall be esteemed pirates and treated as such of which i thought proper to give you notice and m etc a letter from mr joseph laws lieutenant of his majesty ship happy snow to the alcalde's of trinidad o gentleman i am sent by comodore vernan commander in chief of all his majesty ships in the west indies to demand in the king our majesty's name all the vessels with their effects etc and also the negroes taken from jamaica since the cessation of arms likewise all english men now detained or otherwise remaining in your port of trinidad o particularly nicholas brown and christopher winter both of them being traders pirates and common enemies to all nations and the said comodore heth ordered me to acquaint you that he is surprised that the subjects of a prince in amity and friendship with another should give countenance to such notorious villains in expectation of your immediate compliance i am gentleman off the river trinidad o february 8 1720 your humble servant joseph laws the answer of the alcalde's of trinidad o to mr laws letter captain laws an answer to yours this serves to acquaint you that neither in this city nor port are there any negroes or vessels which have been taken at your island of jamaica nor on that coast since the cessation of arms and what vessels have been taken since that time have been for trading in an unlawful commerce on this coast and as for those english fugitives you mentioned they are here as other subjects of our lord the king being brought voluntarily to our holy catholic faith and have received the water of baptism but if they should prove rogues and should not comply with their duty in which they are bound at present then they shall be chastised according to the ordinances of our king whom god preserve and we beg you will weigh anchor as soon as possible and leave this port and its coast because upon no account you shall be suffered to trade or anything else for we have resolved not to admit thereof god preserve you we kiss your hand trinidad february 8 1722 signed heranimo due fuentes bonitae alfonso del manzano mr laws reply to the alcalde's letter gentlemen you're refusing to deliver up the subjects of the king my master is somewhat surprising it being in a time of peace and the detaining them consequently against the law of nations notwithstanding your trifling pretense for which you have no foundation but to forge an excuse to prevent my making any inquiry into the truth of the facts i have alleged in my former i must tell you my resolutions are to stay on the coast till i have made reprisals and should i meet any vessels belonging to your port i shall not treat them as the subjects of the crown of spain but as pirates finding it a part of your religion is this place to protect such villains off the river trinidad february 8 1720 your humble servant joseph laws the answer of one of the alcalde's is to mr laws reply captain laws you may assure yourself i will never be wanting in the duty of my post the prisoners that are here are not imprisoned but only kept here to be sent to the governor of the havana if you as you say command at sea i command on shore if you treat the spaniards you should happen to take as pirates i will do the same by every one of your people i can take up i will not be wanting to good manners if you will do the same i can likewise act the soldier if any occasions should offer that way for i have very good people here for that purpose if you pretend anything else you may execute it on this coast god preserve you i kiss your hand trinidad february 20 1720 sign bonita alfonso del manzano the last advice is we have received from our plantations in america dated june 9 1724 gives us the following account is that captain jones in the ship john and mary on the fifth of the said month met with near the capes of virginia a spanish guard del coast commanded by one don benito said to be commissioned by the governor of cuba she was manned with 60 spaniards 18 french men and 18 english and had an english captain as well as spanish one richard holland who formerly belonged to the suffoc man of war which he deserted at naples and took shelter in a convent he served on board the spanish fleet under admiral camock in the war in the Mediterranean and after the sensation of arms with spain settled with several of his countrymen irish in the spanish west indies this guard del coast made prize of captain jones's ship and kept possession of her from fifth to the eighth during which time she also took the prudent hannah of boston thomas moselle master and the dolphin of topsham theodore bear master both laden and bound for virginia the former they sent away together with three men and the mate under the command of a spanish officer and crew the same day she was taken the latter they carried off with them putting the master and all the crew aboard captain jones's ship they plundered captain jones's of 36 men slaves some gold dust all his clothes four great guns and small arms and about 400 gallons of rum besides his provisions and stores computed in all to 1500 pounds sterling end of introduction part two chapter one part one of the general history of the pirates volume one this is a labor vox recording all labor vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Richard Kilmer the general history of the pirates volume one by charles johnson chapter one part one none of these bold adventurers were ever so much talked of for a while as avery he made his great a noise in the world as merivice does now and was looked upon to be a person of his great consequence he was represented in europe as one that had raised himself to the dignity of a king and was likely to be the founder of a new monarchy having as it was said taken immense riches and marry the great mogul's daughter who was taken in an indian ship which fell into his hands and that he had by her many children living in great royalty and state that he had built forts erected magazines and was master of a stout squadron of ships manned with able and desperate fellows of all nations that he gave commissions out in his own name to the captains of his ships and to the commanders of his forts and was acknowledged by them as their prince the play was writ upon him called the successful pirate and these accounts obtained such belief that several schemes were offered to the council for fitting out a squadron to take him while others were for offering him and his companions an act of grace and inviting them to england with all their treasures least his growing greatness might hinder the trade of europe to the east indies yet all of these were no more than false rumors improved by the credulity of some and the humor of others who love to tell strange things for while it was said he was aspiring at a crown he wanted a shelling and at the same time it was given out he was in possession of such prodigious wealth in madagascar he was starving in england no doubt but the reader will have a curiosity of knowing what became of this man and what were the true grounds of so many false reports concerning him therefore i shall in as brief a manner as i can give his history he was born in the west of england near plymouth in devonshire being bred to the sea he served as a mate of a merchantman in several trading voyages it happened before the piece of ricewick when there was an alliance betwixt spain england holland and etc against france that the french and martin echo carried on a smuggling trade with the spaniards on the continent of peru which by the laws of spain is not allowed to friends in time of peace for none but native spaniards are permitted to traffic in those parts or set their feet on shore unless at any time they are brought as prisoners therefore they constantly keep certain ships cruising along the coast whom they call the guarda del costa who have the orders to make prizes of all ships they can light up within five leagues of the land now the french growing very bold in trade and the spaniards being poorly provided with ships and those they had being of no force it often fell out that when they light of the french smugglers they were not strong enough to attack them therefore it was resolved in spain to hire two or three stout foreign ships for their service which being known at bristol some of the merchants of that city fitted out two ships of 30 odd guns and 120 hands each well furnished with provisions and ammunition and all other stores and the hire being agreed for by some agents of spain they were commanded to sail for corona or the groin there to receive their orders and to take on board some spanish gentlemen who were to go passengers to new spain one of these ships which i take to be called the duke captain gibson commander avry was first mate and being a fellow of more cunning than courage he insinuated himself into the goodwill of several of the boldest fellows on board the other ship as well as that which he was on board of having sounded their inclinations before he opened himself and finding them right for his design he at length proposed to them to run away with the ship telling them what great wealth was to be had upon the coasts of india it was no sooner said than agreed to and they resolved to execute their plot at ten o'clock the following night it must be observed the captain was one of those who are mightily addicted to punch so that he passed most of his time on shore in some little drinking ordinary but this day he did not go on shore as usual however this did not spoil the design for he took his usual dose on board and so got to bed before the hour appointed for the business the men also who are not privy to the design turned into their hammocks leaving none upon deck but the conspirators who indeed were the greatest part of the ship's crew at the time agreed on the duchess's long boat appeared which every hailing in the usual manner was answered by the men in her is your drunken boson on board which was the watchword agreed between them and every replying in the affirmative the boat came aboard with sixteen stout fellows and joined the company when our gentry saw that all was clear they secured the hatches so went to work they did not slip the anchor but weighed it leisurely and so put to sea without any disorder or confusion though there were several ships then lying in the bay and among them a dutch frigate of forty guns the captain of which was offered a great reward to go out after her but man here who perhaps would not have been willing to have been served so himself could not be prevailed upon to give such usage to another and so that Mr. Avery pursued his voyage wither he had a mind to the captain who by this time was awakened either by the motion of the ship or the noise of working the tackles rung the bell Avery and two others went into the cabin the captain half asleep and in a kind of fright asked what was the matter Avery answered coolly nothing the captain replied something's to matter with the ship does she drive what weather is it thinking nothing less than it had been a storm and that the ship was driven from her anchors no no answered Avery we're at sea with a fair wind and good weather at sea says the captain how can that be come says Avery don't be in a fright but put on your clothes and I'll let you into a secret you must know that I am captain of this ship now and this is my cabin therefore you must walk out I am bound to Madagascar with the design of making my own fortune and that of all the brave fellows who joined with me the captain having little recovered his senses began to apprehend the meeting however his fright was as great as before which Avery perceiving bait him fear nothing for says he if you have a mind to make one of us will receive you and if you'll turn sober and mind your business perhaps in time I may make you one of my lieutenants if not here's a boat alongside and you shall be set ashore the captain was glad to hear this and therefore accepted his offer and the whole crew being called up to know who is willing to go on shore with the captain and who to seek their fortunes with the rest there were not above five or six men who are willing to quit this enterprise where for they were put into the boat with the captain that minute and made their way to the shore as well as they could they proceeded on their voyage to Madagascar but I do not find they took any ships in their way when they arrived at the northeast part of that island they found two sloops at anchor who upon seeing them slipped their cables and ran themselves ashore the men all landing and running into the woods these were two sloops which the men had run away with from the West Indies and seeing Avery they supposed him to be some frigate sent to take them and therefore not being a force to engage him they did what they could to save themselves he guessed where they were and sent some of this man on shore to let them know they were friends and to offer they might join together for their common safety the sloops men were well armed and had posted themselves in a wood with sentinels just on the outside to observe whether the ship landed her men to pursue them and they observing only two or three men to come towards them without arms did not oppose them but having challenged them and they answering they were friends they led them to their body where they delivered their message at first they apprehended it was a stratagem to decoy them on board but when the ambassadors offered that the captain himself and as many of the crew as they should name would meet them on shore without arms they believed them to be in earnest and they soon entered into a confidence with one another those on board going on shore and some of those on shore going on board the sloops men were rejoiced at the new ally for their vessels were so small that they could not attack a ship of any force so that hitherto they had not taken any considerable prize but now they hoped to fly at high game and Avery was as well pleased at this reinforcement to strengthen them for any brave enterprise and though the booty must be lessened to each being divided into so many shares and yet he found out an expedient not to suffer by it himself as shall be shown in its place having consulted what was to be done they resolved to sail out together upon a cruise the galley and two sloops they therefore fell to work to get the sloops off which they soon affected and steered towards the Arabian coast near the river Indus the man at the mast had spied a sail upon which they gave chase and as they came nearer to her they perceived her to be a tall ship and fancy she might be a Dutch East Indian man homeward bound but she proved to be a better prize when they fired at her to bring to she hoisted moguls colors and seemed to stand upon her defense Avery only cannonated at a distance and some of his men began to suspect that he was not the hero they took him for however the sloops made use of their time and coming one on the bow and the other on the quarter of the ship clapped her on board and entered her upon which she immediately struck her colors and yielded she was one of the great mogul's own ships and there were in her several of the greatest persons of his court among whom it was said was one of his daughters who were going on a pilgrimage to Mecca that Mohammedans thinking themselves obliged once in their lives to visit that place and they were carrying with them rich offerings to present at the shrine of Mohammed it is known that the eastern people travel with the utmost magnificence so they had with them all their slaves and attendants their rich habits and jewels with vessels of gold and silver and great sums of money to defray the charge of their journey by land wherefore the plunder got by this prize is not easily computed having taken all the treasure on board their own ship and plundered their prize of everything else they either wanted or liked they let her go she not being able to continue her voyage returned back as soon as the news came to the mogul and he knew that they were English who robbed them he threatened loud and talked of sending a mighty army with fire and sword to extirpate the English from all their settlements on the Indian coast the East India Company in England were very much alarmed at it however by degrees they found means to pacify him by promising to do their endeavors to take the robbers and deliver them into his hands however the great noise this thing made in Europe as well as India was the occasion of all these romantic stories which were formed of Avery's greatness in the meantime our successful plunderers agreed to make the best of their way back to Madagascar intending to make that place their magazine of repository for all their treasure and to build a small fortification there and leave a few hands always ashore to look after it and defend it from any attempts of the natives but Avery put an end to this project and made it altogether unnecessary as they were steering their course as has been said he sends a boat on board of each of the sloops desiring the chief of them to come on board of him in order to hold a council they did so and he told them that he had something to propose to them for the common good which was to provide against accidents he made them consider the treasure they were possessed of would be sufficient for them all if they could secure it someplace on shore therefore all they had to fear was some misfortune in the voyage he made them consider the consequences of being separated by bad weather in which case the sloops if either of them should fall in with any ship of force must be either taken or sunk and the treasure on board her lost to the rest beside the common accidents of the sea as for his part he was so strong he was able to make his party good with any ship they were like to meet in those seas that if he met with any ship of such strength that he could not take her he was safe from being taken being so well manned beside his ship was a quick sailor and could carry sail when the sloops could not therefore he proposed to them to put the treasure on board his ship to seal up each chest with three seals where of each was to keep one and to appoint a rendezvous in case of separation upon considering this proposal it appeared so sensible to them that they readily came into it for they argued to themselves that an accident might happen to one of the sloops and the other escape where for it was for the common good the thing was done as agreed to the treasure put on board of Avery and the chests sealed they kept company that day and the next the weather being fair in which time Avery tampered with his men telling them they now had sufficient to make all easy and what should hinder them from going to some country where they were not known and living on shore all the rest of their days and plenty they understood what he meant and in short they all agreed to bilk their new allies the sloops men nor do I find that any of them felt any qualms of honor rising in his stomach to hinder them from consenting to this piece of treachery in fine they took advantage of the darkness that night and steered another course and by morning lost sight of them I leave the reader to judge what swearing and confusing there was among the sloops men in the morning when they saw that Avery had given them the slip for they knew by the fairness of the weather and the course they had agreed to steer that it must have been done on purpose but we leave them at the present to follow Mr. Avery end of chapter one part one recording by Richard Kilmer Real Medina Texas chapter one part two of the general history of the pirates volume one this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox dot org recording by Richard Kilmer the general history of the pirates volume one by Charles Johnson chapter one part two Avery and his men having consulted what to do with themselves came to a resolution to make the best of their way towards America and none of them being known in those parts they intended to divide the treasure to change their names to go ashore some in one place some in other to purchase some settlements and live at ease the first land they made was the island of Providence then newly settled here they stayed some time and having considered that when they should go to New England the greatness of their ship would cause much inquiry about them and possibly some people from England who had heard the story of the ships being run away with from the groin might suspect them to be the people they therefore took a resolution of disposing of their ship at Providence upon which Avery pretending that the ship being fitted out upon the private hearing account and having no success had received orders from the owners to dispose of her to the best advantage he soon met with a purchaser and immediately bought a sloop in this loop he and his companions embarked they touched at several parts of America where no person suspected them and some of them went on shore and dispersed themselves about the country having received such dividends as Avery would give them for he concealed the greatest part of the diamonds from them which in the first hurry of plundering the ship they did not much regard as not knowing their value at length he came to Boston in New England and seemed to have a desire of settling in those parts and some of his companions went on shore there also but he changed his resolution and proposed to the few of his companions who were left to sail for Ireland which they consented to he found out that New England was not a proper place for him because a great deal of his wealth lay in diamonds and should he have produced them there he would have certainly been seized on suspicion of piracy in their voyage to Ireland they avoid at St. George's Channel and sailing north about they put into one of the northern ports of that kingdom there they disposed of their sloop and coming on shore they separated themselves some going to Cork and some to Dublin eighteen of whom obtained their pardons afterwards of Kay William when Avery had remained sometime in this kingdom he was afraid to offer his diamonds to sail leased an inquiry into his manner of coming by them should occasion of discovery therefore considering with himself what was best to be done he fancied there was some persons at Bristol who he might venture to trust upon which he resolved to pass over into England he did so and going in the Devonshire he sent to one of these friends to meet him at a town called Bideford when he had communicated himself to his friends and consulted with him about the means of his effects they agreed that the safest method would be to put them in the hands of some merchants who being men of wealth and credit in the world no inquiry would be made how they came by them this friend telling him he was very intimate with some who were very fit for the purpose and if he would but allow them a good commission would do the business very faithfully Avery liked the proposal for he found no other way of managing his affairs since he could not appear in them himself therefore his friend going back to Bristol and opening the matter to the merchants they made Avery a visit at Bideford where after some process stations of honor and integrity he delivered them his effects consisting of diamonds and some vessels of gold they gave him a little money for his present subsistence and so they parted he changed his name and lived in Bideford without making any figure and therefore there was no great notice taken of him yet let one or two of his relations know where he was who came to see him in some time his little money was spent yet he heard nothing from his merchants he read to them often and after much importunity they sent him a small supply but scarce sufficient to pay his debts in fine the supplies they sent him from time to time were so small that they were not sufficient to give him bread nor could he get that little without a great deal of trouble and importunity where for being weary of his life he went privately to Bristol to speak to the merchants himself where instead of money he met a most shocking repulse for when he desired them to come to an account with him they silenced him by threatening to discover him so that our merchants were as good pirates at land as he was at sea whether he was frightened by these venices or he had seen somebody else he thought knew him is not known but he went immediately over to Ireland and from there solicited his merchants very hard for a supply but to no purpose for he was even reduced to beggary in this extremity he was resolved to return and cast himself upon them let the consequences be what it would he put himself on board a trading vessel and worked his passage over to Plymouth from once he traveled on foot to Bideford where he had been but a few days before he fell sick and died not being worth as much as would buy him a coffin thus have I given all that could be collected of any certainty concerning this man rejecting the idle stories which were made of his fantastic greatness by which it appears that his actions were more inconsiderable than those of other pirates since him though he made more noise in the world now we shall turn back and give our readers some account of what became of the two sloops we took notice of the rage and confusion which must have seized them upon their missing of Avery however they continued their course some of them still flattering themselves that he had only out sailed them in the night and that they should find him at the place of rendezvous but when they came there and could hear no tidings of him there was an end of hope it was time to consider what they should do with themselves their stock of sea provisions was almost spent and though there was rice and fish and foul to be had a shore yet these would not keep for sea without being properly cured with salt which they had no convenience of doing therefore since they could not go on a cruising anymore it was time to think of establishing themselves at land to which purpose they took all things out of the sloops and made tents of the sails and encamped themselves having a large quantity of ammunition and abundance of small arms here they met with several of their countrymen the crew of a privateer sloop which was commanded by captain thomas too and since it will be but a short digression we will now give an account of how they came here captain george do and captain thomas too having received commissions from then governor of bermudas to sail directly for the river gambia in africa there with the advice and assistant of the agents of the royal african company to attempt the taking of the french factory at gory lying upon that coast in a few days after they had sailed out do in a violent storm not only sprung his mast but lost sight of his consort do therefore returned back to refit and two instead of proceeding on his voyage made for the cape of good hope and doubling the said cape shaped his course for the straits of the bell mandel be in the entrance into the red sea here he came up with a large ship richly laden bound from the indies to arabia with three hundred soldiers on board besides seaman yet too had the hardiness to board her and soon carried her and to said by this prize his men shared nearly three thousand pounds apiece they had intelligence from the prisoners of five other rich ships to pass that way which too would have attacked though they were very strong if they had not been overruled by the quartermaster and others this differing of opinion created some ill blood amongst them so that they resolved to break up pirating and no place was so fit to receive them has Madagascar hither they steered resolving to live on shore and enjoy what they got as for to himself he with a few others in a short time went off to Rhode Island from once he made his piece thus we have accounted for the company of our pirates met with here it must be observed that the natives of Madagascar or kind of negroes they differ from those of guinea in their hair which is long and their complexion is not so good a jet they have a numerable little princess among them who are continually making war upon one another their prisoners are their slaves and they either sell them or put them to death as they please when our pirates first settled amongst them the alliance was much courted by these princes so they sometimes joined one sometimes another but wheresoever they sided they were sure to be victorious for the negroes here had no firearms nor did they understand their use so that at length these pirates became so terrible to the negroes that if two or three of them were only seen on one side when they were going to engage the opposite side would fly without striking a blow by these means they not only became feared but powerful all the prisoners of war they took to be their slaves they married the most beautiful of the negro women not one or two but as many of them as they liked so that every one of them had as great a soralia as the grand seer at constan to noble their slaves they employed in planting rice in fishing hunting and etc besides which they had abundance of others who lived as it were under their protection and to be secure from the disturbances or attacks of their powerful neighbors they seem to pay them a willing homage now they began to divide from one another each living with his own wives slaves and dependents like a separate prince and as power and plenty naturally beget contention they sometimes quarreled with one another and attacked each other at the head of their several armies and in these civil wars many of them were killed but an accident happened which obliged them to unite again for their common safety it must be observed that the sudden great men had used their power like tyrants they grew wanton in cruelty and nothing was more common than upon the slightest displeasure to cause one of their dependents to be tied to a tree and shot through the heart let the crime be what it would whether little or great this was always the punishment wherefore the negroes conspired together to rid themselves of these destroyers all in one night and as they now lived separate the thing might easily have been done had not a woman who had been wife or concubine to one of them run nearly twenty miles and three hours to discover the matter to them immediately upon the alarm they ran together as fast as they could so that when the negroes approached them they found them all up in arms wherefore they retired without making any attempt the escape made them very cautious from that time and it will be worthwhile to describe the policy of these brutish fellows and to show what measures they took to secure themselves they found that fear of their power could not secure them against the surprise and the bravest man may be killed when he is asleep by one much is inferior in courage and strength therefore as their first security they did all they could to format war betwixt the neighboring negroes remating neuter themselves by which means those who were overcome constantly fled to them for protection otherwise they must be either killed or made slaves they strengthened their party and tied some to them by interest when there was no war they contrived to spirit up private quarrels among them and upon every little dispute or misunderstanding push on one side or the other to revenge instruct them how to attack or surprise their adversaries and lend them loaded pistols or fire locks to dispatch them with the consequence of which was that the murderers was forced to fly to them for safety of his life with his wives children and kindred such as these were fast friends and their lives depended upon the safety of his protectors for as we observed before our pirates were grown so terrible that none of their neighbors had resolution enough to attack them in an open war by such arts as these in the space of a few years their body was greatly increased they then began to separate themselves and remove at a greater distance from one another for the convenience of more ground and were divided like Jews into tribes each carrying with them his wives and children of which by this time they had a large family and also their quota of dependence and followers and if power and command be the thing which distinguish a prince these ruffians had all the marks of royalty about them nay more they had the very fears which commonly disturb tyrants as may be seen by the extreme caution they took in fortifying the places where they dwelt in this plan of fortification they imitated one another their dwellings were rather citadels than houses they made choice of a place overgrown with wood and situated near a water they raised a rampart or high ditch round it so straight and high that it was impossible to climb it especially by those who had not the use of scaling ladders over the stitch there was one passage into the wood and the dwelling which was a hut was built in that part of the wood which the prince who inhabited it thought fit but so covered that it could not be seen till you came at it but the greatest cunning lay in the passage which led to the hut which was so narrow that no more than one person could go abreast and contrived in such an intricate manner that it was a perfect maze or labyrinth it being round and round with several little crossways so that a person that was not well acquainted with the way might walk several hours round and cross these ways without being able to find the hut moreover all along the sides of these narrow paths certain large thorns which grew upon a tree in that country were struck into the ground with her points uppermost and the path itself being made crooked and serpentine if a man should attempt to come near the hut at night he would certainly have struck upon these thorns though he had been provided with that clue which Ariadne gave to Theseus when he entered the cave of the minotaur thus tyrant like they lived fearing and feared by all and in this situation they were found by Captain Woods Rogers when he went to Madagascar in the delicia a ship of 40 guns with the design of buying slaves in order to sell to the Dutch at Batavia or New Holland he happened to touch upon a part of the island where no ship had been seen for seven or eight years before when he met with some of the pirates at which time they had been upon the island above 25 years having a large motley generation of children and grandchildren descended from them there being about that time 11 of them remaining alive upon their first searing a ship of this force and burden they supposed it to be a man of war sent to take them therefore they lurked within their fastness but when some from the ship came ashore without any show of hostility and offering the trade with the Negroes they ventured to come out of their holes attended like princes since they actually are king's de facto which is a kind of right we ought to speak of them as such having been so many years upon this island it may be imagined their clothes had long been worn out so that their majesties were extremely out at the elbows I cannot say that they were ragged since they had no clothes they had nothing to cover them but with the skins of beasts without any tanning but with all the hair on nor a shoe nor stocking so they looked like the picture of Hercules in the lion's skin and being overgrown with beard and hair upon their bodies they appeared the most savage figures that a man's imagination can frame however they soon got rigged for they sold great numbers of those poor people under them for clothes knives saws powder and ball and many other things and became so familiar that they went aboard the delicia and were observed to be very curious examining the inside of the ship and very familiar with the men inviting them ashore their design in doing this as they afterward confessed was to try if it was not practical to surprise the ship in the night which they judged very easy in case there was but a slender watch kept on board they having boats and many enough at command but it seems the captain was aware of them and kept so strong watch upon deck that they found it was in vain to make any attempt where for when some of the men went ashore they were for invigling them and drawing them into a plot for seizing the captain and securing the rest of the men under the hatches when they should have the night watch promising a signal to come on board to join them proposing if they succeeded to go a pirating together not doubting but with that ship they should be able to take anything they met on the sea but the captain observing an intimacy growing between stem and some of his men thought it could be for no good and therefore he broke it often time not suffering them so much as to talk together and when he sent a boat on shore with an officer to treat with them about the sale of slaves the crew remained on board the boat and no man was suffered to talk with them but the person deputed by him for that purpose before he sailed away and they found that nothing was to be done they confessed all the designs they had formed against him thus he left them as he found them in a great deal of dirty state and royalty but with fewer subjects than they had having as we observed sold many of them and if ambition be the darling passion of men no doubt they were happy one of these great princes had formally been a waterman upon the Thames where having committed a murder he fled to the West Indies and was a number of those who run away with the sloops the rest had been all four masked men nor was there a man amongst them who could either read or write and yet their secretaries of state had no more learning than themselves this is all the account we can give of these kings of Madagascar some of whom it is probable are reigning to this day end of chapter one part two recording by Richard Kilmer Real Medina Texas chapter two of the general history of the pirates volume one this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Mike Turitson the general history of the pirates volume one by Charles Johnson chapter two of Captain Martel and his crew I come now to the pirates that have rose since the piece of Utrecht in wartime there is no room for any because all those of a roving adventurous disposition find employment in privateers so there is no opportunity for pirates like our mobs in London when they come to any height our superiors order out the train bans and when once they are raised the others are suppressed of course I take the reason of it to be that the mob go into the tame army and immediately from notorious breakers of the piece become by being put into order solemn preservers of it and should our legislators put some of the pirates into authority it would not only lessen their number but I imagine set them upon the rest and they would be the likeliest people to find them out according to the proverb set a thief to catch a thief to bring this about their needs no other encouragement but to give all the effects taken aboard a pirate vessel to the captors for in case of plunder and gain they like it as well from friends as enemies but are not fond as things are carried of ruining poor fellows say the creolians with no advantage to themselves the multitude of men and vessels employed this way in time of war in the west indies is another reason for the number of pirates in a time of peace this cannot be supposed to be a reflection on any of our american governments much less on the king himself by whose authority such commissions are granted because of the reasonableness and absolute necessity there is for the doing of it yet the observation is just for so many idle people employing themselves and privateers for the sake of plunder and riches which they always spend as fast as they get for when the war is over and they can have no farther business in the way of life they have been used to they too readily engage in acts of piracy which being but the same practice without a commission they make very little distinction betwixt the lawfulness of one and the unlawfulness of the other i have not inquired so far back as to know the original of this rover but i believe he and his gang were some privateers men belonging to the island of jamaica in the preceding war his story is but short for his reign was so an end having been put to his adventures in good time when he was growing strong and formidable we find him commander of a pirate sloop of eight guns and eighty men in the month of september 1716 cruising off jamaica cuba etc about which time he took the berkeley galley captain saunders and plundered him of one thousand pounds in money and afterwards met with a sloop called the king Solomon for which he took some money and provisions besides goods to a good value they proceeded after this to the port of cavena at the island of cuba and in their way took two sloops which they plundered and let go and off the port fell in with a fine galley with 20 guns called the john and martha captain wilson which they attacked under the piratical black flag and made themselves masters of her they put some of the men ashore and others they detained as they had done several times to increase their company but captain martel charged captain wilson to advise his owners that their ship would answer his purpose exactly by taking one deck down and as for the cargo which consisted chiefly of logwood and sugar he would take care it should be carried to a good market having fitted up the aforesaid ship as they designed they mounted her with 22 guns 100 men and left 25 hands in the sloop and so proceeded to cruise off the leeward islands where they met with but too much success after the taking of the sloop and a brigantine they gave chase to a stout ship which they came up with and at sight of the pirate's flag she struck to the robbers being a ship of 20 guns called the dolphin bound for newfoundland captain martel made the men prisoners and carried the ship with him the middle of december the pirates took another galley in her voyage home from jamaica called the kent captain lawton and shifted her provisions aboard their own ship and let her go which obliged her to sail back to jamaica for a supply for her voyage after this they met with a small ship and a sloop belonging to barbatos out of both they took provisions and then parted with them having first taken out some of their hands who are willing to be forced to go along with them the grayhound galley of london captain evans from guinea to jamaica was the next that had the misfortune to fall in their way which they did not detain long for as soon as they could get out all of her gold dust elephants teeth and 40 slaves they sent her onwards upon her voyage they concluded now that was high time to get into harbor and refit as well as to get refreshments themselves and wait an opportunity to dispose of their cargo therefore it was resolved to make the best of their way to santa crux a small island in the latitude of 18 30 north 10 mile long and too broad lying southeast of port orico belonging to the french settlements here they thought they might lie privately for some time and fit themselves for further mischief they met with a sloop by the way which they took along with them and in the beginning of the year 1716 to 17 they arrived at their port having a ship of 20 guns a sloop of eight and three prizes there's another ship of 20 guns a sloop of four guns and another sloop last taken with this little fleet they got into a small harbor or road the northwest part of the island and warped up two creeks which were made by a little island lying in the bay i am the more particular now because i shall take leave of the gentleman at this place they had here bear 16 foot water at the deepest and but 13 or 14 at the shallowest and nothing but rocks and sands without which secured them from the wind and sea and likewise from any considerable force coming against them when they had all got in the first thing they had to do was to guard themselves in the best manner they could they made a battery of four guns upon the island and another battery of two guns on the north point of the road and warped in one of the sloops with eight guns at the mouth of the channel to hinder any vessels from coming in when this was done they went to work on their ship unrigging and unloading in order to clean where i shall leave them a while till i bring other company to them in the month of november 1716 general hamilton commander-in-chief of all the leeward caribbean islands sent a sloop express to captain hume at barbedos commander of his majesty's ship scarborough of 30 guns and 140 men to acquaint him that the two pirate sloops of 12 guns each molested the colonies having plundered several vessels the scarborough had buried 20 men and had near 40 sick and therefore was but an ill state to go to sea however captain hume left his sick men behind and sailed to the other islands for a supply of men taking 20 soldiers from antigua at nevis he took 10 and 10 at st christophers and then sailed to the island of anguilla where he learned that sometime before two such sloops had been at spanish town otherwise called one of the virgin islands accordingly the next day the scarborough came to spanish town but could hear no news of the sloops only that they had been there about christmas it being then the 15th of january captain hume finding no account could be had of these pirates designed to go back the next day to barbedos but it happened that night that a boat anchored there from santa crux and informed him that he saw a pirate ship of 22 or 24 guns with other vessels going into the northwest part of the island of foresaid the scarborough weighed immediately and the next morning came in sight of the rovers and their prizes and stood to them but the pilot refused to venture in with the ship all the while the pirates fired red hot bullets from the shore at length the ship came to an anchor alongside the reef near the channel and cannonated for several hours both the vessels and batteries about four in the afternoon the sloop that guarded the channel was sunk by the shot of the man of war then she cannonated the pirate ship of 22 guns that lay behind the island the next night vis the 18th it falling calm captain hume weighed fearing he might fall on the reef and so stood off and on for a day or two to block them up on the 20th in the evening they observed the man of war to stand off to sea and took the opportunity to warp out in order to slip away from the island but at 12 o'clock they run aground and then seeing the scarborough about standing in again as their case was desperate so they were put into the utmost confusion they quitted the ship and set her on fire with 20 negroes in her who were all burnt 19 of the pirates made their escape in a small sloop but the captain and the rest with 20 negroes but took to the woods where twas probable they might starve for we never heard what became of them afterwards captain hume released the prisoners with the ship and sloop that remained and then went after the two pirate sloops first mentioned end of chapter two