THE PIRATES OF THE HIGH SEAS – Know Your Infamous Buccaneers, Their Exploits & Their Real Histories (9 Books in One Edition). Даниэль Дефо

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      William the Third, by the Grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. To our trusty and well beloved Captain William Kid, Commander of the Ship the Adventure Gally, or to any other the Commander of the same for the Time being, GREETING; Whereas we are informed, that Captain Thomas Too, John Ireland, Captain Thomas Wake, and Captain William Maze, or Mace, and other Subjects, Natives or Inhabitants of New-York, and elsewhere, in our Plantations in America, have associated themselves, with divers others, wicked and ill disposed Persons, and do, against the Law of Nations, commit many and great Pyracies, Robberies and Depredations on the Seas upon the Parts of America, and in other Parts, to the great Hinderance and Discouragement of Trade and Navigation, and to the great Danger and Hurt of our loving Subjects, our Allies, and all others, navigating the Seas upon their lawful Occasions. Now KNOW YE, that we being desirous to prevent the aforesaid Mischiefs, and, as much as in us lies, to bring the said pyrates, Free Booters and Sea Rovers to Justice, have thought fit, and do hereby give and grant to the said William Kid (to whom our Commissioners for exercising the Office of Lord High Admiral of England, have granted a Commission as a private Man of War, bearing Date the 11th Day of December 1695, and unto the Commander of the said Ship for the Time being, and unto the Officers, Mariners, and others, which shall be under your Command, full Power and Authority to apprehend, sieze, and take into your Custody as well the said Captain Thomas Too, John Ireland, Captain Thomas Wake, and Captain William Maze, or Mace, as all such pyrates, Free Booters and Sea Rovers, being either our Subjects, or of other Nations associated with them, which you shall meet with upon the Seas, or Coasts of America, or upon any other Seas or Coasts, with all their Ships and Vessels; and all such Merchandizes, Money, Goods and Wares as shall be found on Board, or with them, in Case they shall willingly yield themselves; but if they will not yield without fighting, then you are by Force to compel them to yield. And we do also require you to bring, or cause to be brought, such pyrates, Free Booters, or Sea Rovers, as you shall seize, to a legal Tryal, to the End they may be proceeded against according to the Law in such Cases. And we do hereby command all our Officers, Ministers, and other our loving Subjects whatsover, to be aiding and assisting to you in the Premisses. And we do hereby enjoin you to keep an exact Journal of your Proceedings in the Execution of the Premisses, and set down the Names of such pyrates, and of their Officers and Company, and the Names of such Ships and Vessels as you shall by Vertue of these Presents take and seize, and the Quantities of Arms, Ammunition, Provision and Lading of such Ships, and the true Value of the same, as near as you judge. And we do hereby strictly charge and command you as you will answer the contrary at your Peril, that you do not, in any Manner, offend or molest our Friends or Allies, their Ships, or Subjects, by Colour or Pretence of these Presents, or the Authority thereby granted. In Witness whereof we have caused our Great Seal of England to be affix'd to these Presents. Given at our Court of Kensington, the 26th Day of January 1695,in the seventh Year of our Reign.

      Captain Kid had also another Commission, which was called a Commission of Reprisals; for it being then War Time, this Commission was to justify him in the taking of French Merchant Ships, in Case he should meet with any; but as this Commission is nothing to our present Purpose, we shall not burthen the Readers with it.

      With these two Commissions he sail'd out of Plymouth in May 1696, in the Adventure Gally of thirty Guns, and eighty Men; the Place he first design'd for was New-York; in his Voyage thither he took a French Banker, but this was no Act of Pyracy, he having a Commission for that Purpose, as we have just observ'd.

      When he arrived at New York he put up Articles for engaging more Hands, it being necessary to his Ships Crew, since he proposed to deal with a desperate Enemy: The Terms he offered were, that every Man should have a Share of what was taken, reserving for himself and Owners forty

      Shares. Upon which Encouragement he soon increas'd his Company to a hundred and fifty five Men.

      With this Company he sail'd first for Maderas, where he took in Wine and some other Necessaries; from thence he proceeded to Bonavist, one of the Cape de Verd Islands, to furnish the Ship with Salt, and from thence went immediately to St. Jago, another of the Cape de Verd Islands, in order to stock himself with Provisions. When all this was done, he bent his Course to Madagascar, the known Rendezvouz of pyrates; in his Way he fell in with Captain Warren, Commadore of three Men of War; he acquainted them with his Design, kept them Company two or three Days, and then leaving them, made the best Way for Madagascar, where he arrived in February 1696, just nine Months from his Departure from Plymouth.

      It happen'd that at this Time the Pyrate Ships were most of them out in search of Prey; so that according to the best Intelligence Captain Kid could get, there was not one of them at that Time about the Island, wherefore having spent some Time in watering his Ship, and taking in more Provisions, he thought of trying his Fortune on the Coast of Malabar, where he arrived in the Month of June following, four Months from his reaching Madagascar. Hereabouts he made an unsuccessful Cruize, touching sometimes at the Island of Mahala, sometimes at that of Joanna, betwixt Malabar and Madagascar: His Provisions were every Day wasting, and his Ship began to want Repair; wherefore, when he was at Joanna, he found Means of borrowing a Sum of Money from some French Men who had lost their Ship, but saved their Effects, and with this he purchas'd Materials for putting his Ship in good Repair.

      It does not appear all this while that he had the least Design of turning Pyrate; for near Mahala and Joanna both, he met with several Indian Ships richly laden, to which he did not offer the least Violence, tho’ he was strong enough to have done what he pleas'd with them; and the first Outrage or Depredation I find he committed upon Mankind, was after his repairing his Ship, and leaving Joanna; he touch'd at a Place call'd Mabbee, upon the Red Sea, where he took some Guinnea Corn from the Natives, by Force.

      After this he sail'd to Bab's Key, a Place upon a little Island at the Entrance of the Red Sea; here it was that he first began to open himself to his Ship's Company, and let them understand that he intended to change his Measures; for, happening to talk of the Moca Fleet which was to sail that Way, he said, We have been unsuccessful hitherto, but Courage, my Boys, we'll make our Fortunes out of this Fleet: And finding that none of them appear'd averse to it, he order'd a Boat out, well mann'd, to go upon the Coast to make Discoveries, commanding them to take a Prisoner and bring to him, or get Intelligence any Way they could. The Boat return'd in a few Days, bringing him Word, that they saw fourteen or fifteen Ships ready to sail, some with English, some with Dutch, and some with Moorish Colours.

      We cannot account for this sudden Change in his Conduct, otherwise than by supposing that he first meant well, while he had Hopes of making his Fortune by taking of pyrates; but now, weary of ill Success, and fearing least his Owners, out of Humour at their great Expences, should dismiss him, and he should want Employment, and be mark'd out for an unlucky Man; rather, I say, than run the Hazard of Poverty, he resolved to do his Business one Way, since he could not do it another.

      He therefore order'd a Man continually to watch at the Mast Head, least this Fleet should go by them; and about four Days after, towards Evening, it appear'd in Sight, being convoy'd by one English and one Dutch Man of War. Kid soon fell in with them, and getting into the midst of them, fir'd at a Moorish Ship which was next him; but the Men of War taking the Alarm, bore down upon Kid, and firing upon him, obliged him to sheer off, he not being strong enough to contend with them. Now he had begun Hostilities, he resolv'd to go on, and therefore he went and cruis'd along the Coast of Malabar; the first Prize he met was a small Vessel belonging to Aden, the Vessel was Moorish, and the Owners were Moorish Merchants, but the Master was an English Man, his Name was Parker. Kid forc'd him and a Portugueze СКАЧАТЬ