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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СКАЧАТЬ Andrew Delbridge Master, from Jamaica to Boston; which last they burnt, because of Low's irreconcileable Aversion to New-England Men.

      After this Cruize, they went into one of the Islands and clean'd, and then steered for the Bay of Honduras, where they arrived about the Middle of March 1722-3, and met a Sloop turning out of the said Bay. The Pyrates had hoisted up Spanish Colours, and continued them till they drew near the Sloop, then they hall'd them down, hoisted their black Flag, fired a Broadside, and boarded her. This Sloop was a Spaniard of six Guns, and 70 Men, that came into the Bay that Morning, and meeting there with five English Sloops, and a Pink, made Prizes of them all, plundered them, and brought the Masters of the Vessels away Prisoners, for the ransom of the Logwood; their Names were Tuthill, Norton, Newbury, Sprafort, Clark and Parrot. The Spaniards made no Resistance, so that the EnglishPyrates soon became their Masters and fell to rifling; but finding the above-mentioned People in the Hold, and several English Goods, they consulted Low the Captain thereupon, and without examining any further, the Resolution pass'd to kill all the Company; and the Pyrates, without any Ceremony, fell Pell-Mell to Execution with their Swords, Cutlashes, Poll-Axes and Pistols, cutting, slashing and shooting the poor Spaniards at a sad Rate. Some of the miserable Creatures jump'd down into the Hold, but could not avoid the Massacre; they met Death every where, for if they escaped it from one Hand, they were sure to perish by another; the only Prospect they had of Life, was to fly from the Rage of those merciless Men, and to trust to the more merciful Sea; and accordingly a great many leap'd over-board, and swam for the Shore; but Low perceiving it, ordered the Canoa to be mann'd, and sent in pursuit of them, by which Means several of the poor unhappy Men were knock'd in the Head in the Water, as they were endeavouring to get to Land; however, about 12 of them did reach the Shore, but in a miserable Condition, being very much wounded, and what became of them afterwards was not known, except one, who while the Pyrates were at their Sports and Pastimes ashore, finding himself very weak and fainting with his Wounds, and not knowing where to go for Help and Relief, in this Extremity, he came back to them, and begg'd for God sake, in the most earnest Manner possible, that they would give him Quarters; upon which, one of the Villains took hold of him, and said, G— d — n him, he would give him good Quarters presently, and made the poor Spaniard kneel down on his Knees, then taking his Fusil, put the Muzzle of it into his Mouth, and fired down his Throat. ’Twas thought the rest did not long survive their miserable Condition, and could only prolong their Lives, to add to the Misery of them.

      When the murdering Work was over, they rumaged the SpanishPyrate, and brought all the Booty aboard their own Vessels: The six Masters aforementioned, found in the Hold, they restored to their respective Vessels: They forced away the Carpenter from the Pink, and then set Fire to the Spanish Sloop, and burnt her; which last Scene concluded the Destruction of their Enemy, Ship and Crew.

      Low set the Masters of the Vessels free, but would not suffer them to steer for Jamaica, where they were then bound, for fear the Men of War should get Intelligence of them, but forced them all to go to New-York, threat'ning them with Death, when they met them again, if they refused to comply with their Demands.

      In the next Cruize, which was between the Leeward Islands and the Main, they took two Snows, bound from Jamaica to Liverpool, and a Snow from Jamaica to London, Bridds Master; as also a Ship from Biddford to Jamaica, John Pinkham Commander; and two Sloops from Jamaica to Virginia.

      On the 27th of May, Low and his Consort Harris, came off South-Carolina, and met with three good Ships, viz. the Crown, Captain Lovereigne, the King William, the Carteret, and a Brigantine, who all came out of Carolina together two Days before. The Pyrates were at the Trouble of chacing them, and Captain Lovereigne being the sternmost, she fell first a Prey into their Hands; and they spent all the Day in coming up with the rest.

      Within a few Days they took a Ship called the Amsterdam Merchant, Captain Willard, from Jamaica, but belonging to New-England; as Low let none of that Country depart without some Marks of his Rage, he cut off this Gentleman's Ears, slit up his Nose, and cut him in several Places of his Body, and, after plundering his Ship, let him pursue his Voyage.

      After this he took a Sloop bound to Amboy, William Frazier, Master, with whom Mr. Low happening to be displeased, he ordered lighted Matches to be ty'd between the Mens Fingers, which burnt all the Flesh off the Bones; then cut them in several Parts of their Bodies with Knives and Cutlashes; afterwards took all their Provisions away, and set some of them ashore in an uninhabited Part of the Country.

      The Kingston, Captain Estwick, another Ship, one Burrington Master, two Brigantines from Carolina to London; a Sloop from Virginia to Bermudas; a Ship from Glasgow to Virginia; a Scooner from New-York to South-Carolina; a Pink from Virginia to Dartmouth, and a Sloop from Philadelphia to Surinam, fell a Prey to these Villains, upon this Cruize, besides those above-mentioned.

      It happened that at this Time one of his Majesty's Ships was upon a Cruize, on this Station, and got Intelligence of some of the mischievous Actions of this Miscreant, by one of the Vessels that had been plundered by him, who steering as directed, came in Sight of the Pyrates by break of Day, on the 10th of June, of all Days in the Year. The Rovers looking out for Prey, soon saw, and gave Chace to the Man of War, which was called the Greyhound, a Ship of 20 Guns, and 120 Men, rather inferiour in Force to the two Pyrate Vessels: The Greyhound finding them so eager, was in no doubt what they should be, and therefore tack'd and stood from them, giving the Pyrates an Opportunity to chace her for two Hours, till all Things were in Readiness for an Engagement, and the Pyrates about Gun-shot off; then the Greyhound tack'd again, and stood towards the two Sloops, one of them called the Fancy, commanded by Low himself, and the other the Ranger, commanded by Harris, both which hoisted their piratical Colours, and fired each a Gun. When the Greyhound came within Musquet-shot, she halled up her Main-sail, and clapp'd close upon a Wind, to keep the Pyrates from running to Leeward, and then engaged: But when the Rogues found who they had to deal with, they edg'd away under the Man of War's Stern, and the Greyhound standing after them, they made a running Fight for about two Hours; but little Wind happening, the Sloops gained from her, by the help of their Oars; upon which the Greyhound left off firing, and turned all Hands to her own Oars, and at three in the Afternoon came up with them. The Pyrates haul'd upon a Wind to receive the Man of War, and the Fight was immediately renewed, with a brisk Fire on both Sides, till the Ranger's Main-Yard was shot down, and the Greyhound pressing close upon the disabled Sloop, Low, in the other, thought fit to bear away and leave his Consort a Sacrifice to his Enemy, who (seing the Cowardice and Treachery of his Commadore and Leader, having ten or twelve Men killed and wounded, and that there was no possibility of escaping,) called out for Quarters, and surrendered themselves to Justice, which proved severe enough to them a-while afterwards.

      The Conduct of Low was surprizing in this Adventure, because his reputed Courage and Boldness, had, hitherto, so possess'd the Minds of all People, that he became a Terror, even to his own Men; but his Behaviour throughout this whole Action, showed him to be a base cowardly Villain, for had Low's Sloop fought half so briskly as Harris's had done, (as they were under a solemn Oath to do,) the Man of War, in my Opinion, could never have hurted them.

      The Greyhound carried in their Prize to Rhode Island, to the great Joy of the whole Province, tho’ it had been more compleat, if the great LOW himself had grac'd the Triumph. The Prisoners were strongly secured in a Goal, till a Court of Vice-Admiralty could be held for their Tryals, which begun on the 10th of July, at Newport, and continued three Days. The Court was made up of the following Gentlemen.

      William Dummer, Esq; Lieutenant Governor of the Massachusets, СКАЧАТЬ