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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Автор: Даниэль Дефо
Издательство: Bookwire
Жанр: Документальная литература
isbn: 9788027230846
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After a long Debate, in which every Inconvenience, and Advantage, was maturely considered, it was agreed to send with him the Number of Men he required, on Condition he should send them back in four Moons, make an Alliance with them, and War against Mohila; this being agreed to, they staid till Caraccioli was thoroughly recovered, then putting the Johannians on board the Portuguese Ship with 40 French and English and 15 Portuguese to work her, and setting Sail, they arrived at the Place where Misson designed his Settlement, which he called Libertalia, and gave the Name of Liberi to his People, desiring in that might be drown'd the distinguish'd Names of French, English, Dutch, Africans, &c.
The first Thing they sat about was, the raising a Fort on each Side the Harbour, which they made of an octogon Figure, and having finished and mounted them with 40 Guns taken out of the Portuguese, they raised a Battery on an Angle of ten Guns, and began to raise Houses and Magazines under the Protection of their Forts and Ships; the Portuguese was unrigg'd, and all her Sails and Cordage carefully laid up. While they were very busily employed in the raising a Town, a Party which had often hunted and rambled four or five Leagues off their Settlement, resolved to venture farther into the Country. They made themselves some Huts, at about 4 Leagues distance from their Companions, and travell'd East South East, about 5 Leagues farther into the Country, when they came up with a Black, who was arm'd with a Bow, Arrows, and a Javelin; they with a friendly Appearance engaged the Fellow to lay by his Fear and go with them. They carried him to their Companions, and there entertained him three Days with a great Deal of Humanity, and then returned with him near the Place they found him, made him a Present of a Piece of scarlet Baze, and an Ax; he appeared overjoy'd at the Present, and left them with seeming Satisfaction.
The Hunters imagined that there might be some Village not far off, and observing that he look'd at the Sun, and then took his Way direct South, they travell'd on the same Point of the Compass, and from the Top of a Hill they spied a pretty large Village, and went down to it; the Men came out with their Arms, such as before described, Bows, Arrows, and Javelins, but upon two only of the Whites advancing, with Presents of Axes, and Baze in their Hands, they sent only four to meet them. The Misfortune was, that they could not understand one another, but by their pointing to the Sun, and holding up one Finger, and making one of them go forward, and return again with showing their Circumcision, and pointing up to Heaven with one Finger, they apprehended, they gave them to understand, there was but one God, who had sent one Prophet, and concluded from thence, and their Circumcision they were Mahometans; the Presents were carried to their Chief, and he seem'd to receive them kindly, and by Signs invited the Whites into their Village; but they, remembring the late Treachery of the Mohilians, made Signs for Victuals to be brought them where they were.
More of the History of these Adventurers in another Place.
Chapter XXI.
Of Capt. JOHN Bowen
The exact Time of this Person's setting out I am not certain of; I find him cruising on the Mallabar Coast in the Year 1700, commanding a Ship called the Speaker, whose Crew consisted of Men of all Nations, and their Pyracies were committed upon Ships of all Nations likewise. The pyrates here met with no Manner of Inconveniencies in carrying on their Designs, for it was made so much a Trade, that the Merchants of one Town never scrupled the buying Commodities taken from another, though but ten Miles distant, in a public Sale, furnishing the Robbers at the same Time with all Necessaries, even of Vessels, when they had Occasion to go on any Expedition, which they themselves would often advise them of.
Among the rest an English East-India Man, Captain Coneway from Bengal, fell into the Hands of this Crew, which they made Prize of, near Callequilon; they carried her in, and put her up to sale, dividing the Ship and Cargoe into three Shares; one Third was sold to a Merchant, Native of Callequilon aforesaid, another Third to a Merchant of Porca, and the other to one Malpa, à Dutch Factor.
Loaded with the Spoil of this and several Country Ships, they left the Coast, and steer'd for Madagascar; but in their Voyage thither, meeting with adverse Winds, and, being negligent in their Steerage, they ran upon St. Thomas's Reef, at the the Island of Mauritius, where the Ship was lost; but Bowen and the greatest Part of the Crew got safe ashore.
They met here with all the Civility and good Treatment imaginable; Bowen was complimented in a particular Manner by the Governor, and splendidly entertained in his House; the sick Men were got, with great Care, into the Fort, and cured by their Doctor, and no Supplies of any sort wanting for the rest. They spent here three Months, but yet resolving to set down at Madagascar, they bought a Sloop, which they converted into a Brigantine, and, about the middle of March 1701, departed, having first taken formal Leave of the Governor, by making a Present of 2500 Pieces of Eight, leaving him, besides, the Wreck of their Ship, with the Guns, Stores, and every Thing else that was saved. The Governor, on his Part, supply'd them with Necessaries for their Voyage, which was but short, and gave them a kind Invitation to make that Island a Place of Refreshment in the Course of their future Adventures, promising that nothing should be wanting to them that his Government afforded.
Upon their Arrival at Madagascar, they put in at a Place on the East-Side, called Maritan, quitted their Vessel, and settled themselves ashore in a fruitful Plain on the Side of a River. They built themselves a Fort on the River's Mouth towards the Sea, and another small one on the other Side towards the Country; the first to prevent a Surprize from Shipping, and the other as a Security from the Natives, many of whom they employed in the Building. They built also a little Town for their Habitation, which took up the Remainder of the Year 1701.
When this was done, they soon became dissatisfied with their new Situation, having a hankering Mind after their old Employment, and accordingly resolved to fit up the Brigantine they had from the Dutch at Mauritius, which was laid in a Cove near their Settlement, but an Accident, that they improved, provided for them in a better Manner, and saved them a great deal of Trouble.
It happened that about the beginning of the Year 1702, a Ship called the Speedy Return, belonging to the Scotch-African and East-India Company, Captain Drummond Commander, came into the Port of Maritan in Madagascar, with a Brigantine that belonged to her; they had before taken in Negroes at St. Mary's, a little Island adjoining to the main Island of Madagascar, and carried them to Don Mascarenhas, from whence they sailed to this Port on the same Trade.
On the Ship's Arrival, Captain Drummond, with Andrew Wilky, his Surgeon, and several others of the Crew, went on Shore; in the mean while John Bowen, with four others of his Consorts, goes off in a little Boat, on Pretence of buying some of their Merchandize brought from Europe, and finding a fair Opportunity, the chief Mate, Boatswain, and a Hand or two more only upon the Deck, and the rest at Work in the Hold, they threw off their Mask; each drew out a Pistol СКАЧАТЬ