Part 13
The masters of the merchantmen sent to Capt. Tudor Trevor, who lay at St. John’s in the Sheerness man of war. He immediately got under sail, and missed the pirate but four hours. She kept along the coast and made several prizes, French and English, and put into a harbour where a French ship lay making fish. She was built at the latter end of the war, for a privateer, was an excellent sailer, and mounted 24 guns. The commander hailed him: the pirate answered, _from Jamaica with rum and sugar_. The Frenchman bid him go about his business; that a pirate sloop was on the coast, and he might be the rogue: if he did not immediately sheer off, he would fire a broadside into him. He went off and lay a fortnight out at sea, so far as not to be descried from shore, with resolution to have the ship. The Frenchman being on his guard, in the mean while raised a battery on the shore, which commanded the harbour. After a fortnight, when he was thought to be gone off, he returned, and took two of the fishing shallops belonging to the Frenchman, and manning them with pirates, they went in. One shallop attacked the battery, the other surprised, boarded, and carried the ship, just as the morning star appeared, for which reason he gave her that name. In the engagement the owner’s son was killed, who made the voyage out of curiosity only. The ship being taken, seven guns were fired, which was the signal, and the sloop came down and lay along side the ship. The captain told him he supposed he only wanted his liquor; but Lewis made answer, he wanted his ship, and accordingly hoisted all his ammunition and provision into her. When the Frenchman saw they would have his ship, he told her trim, and Lewis gave him the sloop; and excepting what he took for provision, all the fish he had made. Several of the French took on with him, who, with others, English and French, had by force or voluntarily, made him up 200 men.
From Newfoundland he steered for the coast of Guinea, where he took a great many ships, English, Dutch, and Portuguese. Among these ships was one belonging to Carolina, commanded by Capt. Smith. While he was in chase of this vessel an accident happened, which made his men believe he dealt with the devil; for he carried away his fore and main-top-mast; he, Lewis, running up the shrouds to the main-top, tore off a handful of hair, and throwing it into the air, used this expression, _good devil, take this till I come_. And it was observed, that he came afterwards faster up with the chase than before the loss of his top-masts.
Smith being taken, Lewis used him very civilly, and gave him as much, or more in value than he took from him, and let him go, saying, he would come to Carolina when he had made money on the coast, and would rely on his friendship.
They kept some time on the coast, when they quarrelled among themselves, the French and English, of which the former was more numerous, and they resolved to part. The French therefore chose a large sloop newly taken, thinking the ship’s bottom, which was not sheathed, damaged by the worms. According to this agreement they took on board what ammunition and provision they thought fit out of the ship, and put off, choosing one Le Barre captain. As it blew hard, and the decks were encumbered, they came to an anchor under the coast, to stow away their ammunition, goods, &c. Lewis told his men they were a parcel of rogues, and he would make them refund; accordingly run along side, his guns being all loaded and new primed, and ordered him to cut away his mast, or he would sink him. Le Barre was obliged to obey. Then he ordered them all ashore. They begged the liberty of carrying their arms, goods, &c. with them, but he allowed them only their small arms and cartridge-boxes. Then he brought the sloop along side, put every thing on board the ship, and sunk the sloop.
Le Barre and the rest begged to be taken on board. However, though he denied them, he suffered Le Barre and some few to come, with whom he and his men drank plentifully. The negroes on board Lewis told him the French had a plot against him. He answered, he could not withstand his destiny; for the devil told him in the great cabin, he should be murdered that night.
In the dead of the night, the rest of the French came on board in canoes, got into the cabin and killed Lewis. They fell on the crew; but, after an hour and a half’s dispute, the French were beat off, and the quarter-master, John Cornelius, an Irishman, succeeded Lewis.
CAPTAIN JOHN CORNELIUS.
Having now the command of the Morning Star, Cornelius kept on the coast, and made several prizes, both English and Portuguese. The former he always discharged, after he had taken what he thought fit, but the latter he commonly burnt.
While he was thus ravaging the coast, two English ships, which had slaved at Whidaw, one of 56 guns, and the other 12, which fought close, were ready to sail; and having notice of a pirate, who had done great mischief, resolved to keep company together for their defence. The captain of the small ship lay sick in his cabin, and she was left to the care of the mates. When they had got under sail, 200 negroes jumped overboard from the larger ship, which obliged her to bring to and get out her boats. The mate of the other went into the cabin, told the accident, and advised lying by, and sending their boats to assist their consort; but the captain being ill, and willing to get off the coast, bid him keep on his way, for it would be dangerous; having 400 slaves on board; and being but weakly manned, when the boats were gone they might rise upon him. The mate urged the danger of the pirates, should they leave their consort. The captain answered, the seas were wide, and he would not bring to; accordingly they kept on their way with a fresh gale.
Two days after, the mate, about 8 in the morning, ordered a man to the mast-head, who spied a sail, which made them prepare for an engagement. There was on board one Robert Williams, who had served the African company three years on the Guinea coast, who spoke the negro tongue very well. He told the slaves he had picked out, to the number of 50, that the ship in sight he believed would fight them, and if they got the better, would certainly, as they were cannibals, kill and eat them all; and therefore it behoved them to fight for their lives. They had lances and small arms given them.
About 10, Cornelius came up with them, and being hailed, answered he was a man of war, in search of pirates, and bid them send their boat on board; but they refusing to trust him, though he had English colours and pendant flying, the pirate fired a broadside, and they began a running fight of about 10 hours, in-which time the negroes discharged their arms so smartly, that Cornelius never durst attempt to board. About 8 at night the ship blew up abaft. They immediately cut the lashings of the long-boat, but the ship going down, they had not time to get her out, and barely enough to launch the yawl, which lay on the forecastle. The ship went down on one side, and Robert Williams running on the other, was hooked by the mizen-truss, and was carried down with her; but having his knife in his hand, and a great presence of mind, he cut the waistband of his trowsers, where he was caught, got clear, and swam after the boat, into which about 16 had gotten, and either knocked those on the head, or cut off their hands, who laid hold on it; however, with much entreaty, he was permitted to lay one hand on to ease him. They made to the pirate, who refused to receive them, without they would enter with him: which, to save their lives, they all agreed to, and were then civilly received, and dry clothes given them. These and one negro were all the souls saved.
In a little time after this he took two Portuguese ships, which he plundered and kept with him; and one foggy morning, hearing the firing of guns, which by the distance of time, he judged to be minute guns, as they really were, for the death of an English commander, he called his men on board from the prizes, sent them about their business, and directed his course by the report of the cannon he had heard. In about two hours he spied the ship that had fired, came up with her very soon, and took her without resistance. The officers of the ship which blew up, finding this prize English, and that the pirate did not intend to detain her begged to be discharged, as they had all large families, which must perish without their support. Cornelius, taking them into considerations, discharged Mr. Powis of Limehouse, who has since been a commander, and raised a fortune. The then chief mate, Mr. George Forelong, the boatswain, carpenter, and other married men, he set on board the prize, and was very generous to them out of the plunder of the Portuguese ships, because they had made a broken voyage; but Robert Williams and the other bachelors he detained, and forced some out of the prize, which he let go.
After this he took three Portuguese ships at an anchor, which he plundered and burnt, after he had hove down by one of them. He continued some time longer on the coast, did a great deal of mischief to the trade, and forced a great many men. These he put to do all the slavery of the ship, and they were beat about the decks, without daring to resent it. I shall take notice of an instance of this kind, to show how far revenge will carry a man. One Robert Bland was at the helm, and called Robert Williams to take whipstaff, till he went to play. Williams refused it; upon which Bland drubbed him with the lanyard of the whipstaff very severely. Williams, that he might revenge himself, and have liberty to fight Bland, went that instant and entered himself a volunteer in the ship’s books, and asked leave to fight Bland, which was allowed him, but with no other weapons than his fists. He, however, challenged his antagonist, who was too hard for him; so he turned pirate to be heartily thrashed.
Cornelius, thinking they had been long enough on the Guinea coast, doubled the Cape, off which he spied the Lizard, and two more men of war, under the command of Commodore Littleton. Cornelius was for giving chase, but finding his men unwilling there being, as they gave for reason, 70 forced men on board, and these ships being, as they suspected, men of war, he made the best of his way for Madagascar, went up the river Methelage, or the west side, and anchored against Pombotoque, a small village of blacks.
The quarter-master went ashore, and the black governor examined him, for several of these blacks speak English. He told the governor they were come for provision and to trade; upon which he sent a couple of oxen on board, and then ordered some of the inhabitants to go up with the quarter-master to the king. The boat’s crew seeing a number of blacks come down to the strand without the quarter-master, apprehended some mischief had befallen him; but were eased of their fears, when they saw two oxen given them, and were told the white man, who was gone to the king, would be back next day, it not being above 20 miles from the shore.
When the quarter-master, who carried up a blunderbuss, a fine gun, and a pair of pistols, for a present to the king, told him they wanted provisions, he asked where they were bound? To which he answered, to seek their fortunes, for at present they were very poor. _Look ye_, replied the king, _I require nothing of you; all white men I look upon as my children; they helped me to conquer this country, and all the cattle in it are at their service. I will send down provisions enough, and when that is spent, you shall have more._ He accordingly sent 1000 head of cattle, out of which he bid them choose what they would, and they salted 100 fat oxen.
Besides the present of oxen, the king sent 100 blacks laden with rice. Cornelius sent him a present of two barrels of powder, and would have given him more, with small arms in return, but he sent them word he would have no more, nor any of their arms, not being in want of either. On the contrary, if they wanted, he would send them ten barrels of powder, as they were his children; bade them proceed on their voyage, and if they were richer when they came back, and would send him any present, he would accept it, but not now, they were so poor.
Here Cornelius lost 70 men by their excesses. Having been long without fresh provisions, the eating immoderately, and drinking _toke_ (a liquor made of honey) to excess, threw them into violent fevers, which carried them off.
The blacks having given Cornelius an account of the Speaker’s having sailed from Methelage about three months before for the East-Indies, he, having taken in his provisions, steered the same course, in hopes to join in consort with her; but the Speaker lying off the Red Sea, and the Morning Star going into the Gulf of Persia, they never met. They run up a pretty way in the gulf, and lay under Antelope Island, where they kept a look out, and whence they made their excursions, and took a number of prizes.
Here they designed to heave down and clean, and they had got a good part of their goods and water casks ashore, when the look-out discovered two lofty ships, one of them wearing a flag at the fore-top-mast-head. This put them into great confusion: they got what casks and necessaries they could on board, and lay till the ships came abreast of them Then they got under sail at once, their sails being furled with rope yarns, and came close alongside the larger ship, which was a Portuguese of 70 guns, as the other was of 26. They exchanged a broadside with her, and the smaller ship engaged so close, that they threw hand grenades into each other; but Cornelius’ business was to run, and the great ship put in stays twice to follow him, but missing, was obliged to ware, which gave the pirate a great advantage. The small ship, in staying, tailed aground: she, however, gave chase till she had run a good way ahead of her consort, which the pirate seeing, brought to, and stayed for her, as did the Portuguese for her consort, not caring to engage him singly. When it was quite dark, Cornelius ran up the other shore, passed the Portuguese ships (which kept down the gulf) and came again to anchor at his old station, where he found his enemies had been ashore in their boats and staved his casks. He here cleaned, and finding no money to be got out of any prizes made, and bale goods being of little value to them, they from hence went away to the island of Johanna, where it was designed to maroon the blacks, who were the greater number and all bred among the English. Robert Williams, fearing they would next maroon the English, who were not above a third of the whites, gave the negroes notice of the design, who secured all the arms of the ship, and gave Williams the command till they should get to Madagascar, keeping a good guard on the French and Dutch. When they came to Methelage they gave the ship to the king, her bottom being eaten so much with the worms that she was no longer fit for service; and they all went and lived with the king. About five months after they broke up, Cornelius died, and was buried with the usual ceremony.
CAPTAIN DAVID WILLIAMS.
This man was born in Wales, of very poor parents, who bred him up to the plough and the following of sheep, the only things he had any notion of till he went to sea. He was never esteemed among the pirates as a man of good natural parts, perhaps on account of his ignorance of letters; for as he had no education, he knew as little of the sailing a ship, set aside the business of a foremast man, as he did of history, in which, and natural philosophy, he was equally versed. He was of a morose, sour, unsociable temper, very choleric, and easily resented as an affront, what a brave and a more knowing man would not think worth notice; but he was not cruel, neither did he turn pirate from a wicked or avaricious inclination, but by necessity; and we may say, though he was no forced man, he could not well avoid the life he fell into.
When he was grown a lusty lad he would see the world, and go seek his fortune, as the term is among the country youths, who think fit to withdraw themselves from the subjection of their parents. With this whim in his head, he got to Chester, where he was received, and sailed on board a coaster, till he had made himself acquainted with the rigging, learned to knot, splice, and do the other parts of a common sailor’s duty; then coming to London, he shipped himself on board the Mary Indiaman, bound for Bengal and Madras, which voyage he performed outward, and it was not his fault that he did not come home in the same ship; for, in her return, falling short of water, they steered for the island of Madagascar, and fell in with the east side, in lat. 20 deg. or thereabouts. The captain manned and sent ashore the long-boat to seek for water, but a large surf running, she came to an anchor, at some little distance from shore, and David Williams, with another, being good swimmers, stripped and swam off in search of water. While they were ashore, the wind, which blew full upon the island, and freshening, caused the surf to run too high for them to get off; and the long-boat, after waiting some time, seeing no possibility of getting these men on board, weighed and stood for the ship, which filled her sails and stood for St. Augustin’s Bay, where she watered, and proceeded on her voyage.
Thus our poor Welchman and his companion were left destitute on an island altogether unknown to them, without clothes or subsistence but what the fruits of the trees offered. They rambled some little time along the coast, and were met by the natives, and by them carried up into the country, where they were humanely treated, and provided with all the necessaries of life, though this was not sufficient to expel his consort’s melancholy, who took his being left behind so much to heart, that he sickened and died in a very little time.
Some time after, the prince of the country, who entertained Williams, had a quarrel with a neighbouring king, which broke into a war. Williams took the field with his patron, but the enemy being superior in number, got the victory, and took a great many prisoners, among whom was the unfortunate Welchman. The king whose prisoner he was, treated him very kindly; and being master of an old musket, gave it him, saying _such arms were better in the hands of a white man than those of any of his subjects, who were not so much used to them; that he should be his friend and companion, and should fare as well as himself if he would assist him in his wars_.
It will not be amiss here to take notice, that this island, on the east side is divided into a great number of principalities or kingdoms, which are almost in continual war one with another; the grounds of which are very trivial, for they will pick a quarrel with a neighbour, especially if he has a number of cattle, (in which, and slaves, consist their riches) on the slightest occasion, that they may have an opportunity of plunder; and when a battle or two is lost, the conquered makes his peace, by delivering up such a certain number of bullocks and slaves as shall be demanded by the victorious prince. On the west side the island, the principalities are mostly reduced under one prince, who resides near Methelage, and who is, as we have said in the lives of other pirates, a great friend to white men; for his father, who founded his empire by the assistance of the Europeans, left it in charge with his son, to assist them with what necessaries they should require, and do them all friendly offices; but if he disobeyed this command, and should ever fall out with the white men, or spill any of their blood, he threatened to come again, turn him out of his kingdom, and give it to his younger brother. These menaces had a very great effect on him, for he firmly believed his father would, on his disobedience, put them in execution; for there is not on earth, a race of men equally superstitious.
But to return to Williams, he lived with this prince in great tranquility, and was very much esteemed by him, (for necessity taught him complaisance.) After some time, his new patron was informed that his vanquished enemy had formed a grand alliance, in order to make war upon him; wherefore, he resolved to begin, and march into the countries of the allies, and ravage the nearest before they could join forces. He raised an army, and accordingly marched southward. At the news of his approach, the inhabitants abandoned all the small towns, and sending messengers to their friends, raised a considerable body to oppose him, suffering him to over-run a great deal of ground without molestation. At length being reinforced, they took their opportunity, and setting upon him when his men were fatigued, and his army encumbered with booty, they gained a signal victory. The king had the good luck to get off, but Williams was a second time taken prisoner.
He was carried before the conqueror, who, (having been an eye witness of his bravery, for Williams killed a number of his enemies with his shot, and behaved very well, defending himself with the butt end of his musket for some time, when he was surrounded) reached him his hand, and told him, he made war with his enemies only, that he did not esteem the white men much, but should be glad of their friendship. Here Williams was used with more respect than he had been even by his last patron, and lived with this prince some years; but a war breaking out, he was routed in a set battle, in which Williams was his companion. In the pursuit, the poor Welchman, finding he could not get off, clapped his musket at the foot of a tree, and climbing up, he capitulated. He was now terribly afraid of being cut to pieces, for he had shot and wounded a great number of the enemy. They, however, promised him good quarter, and kept their word.
The king of Maratan, who took him, used him as well as any of the former had done, and carried him always with him to the wars, in which fortune was more propitious, for the parties Williams commanded had constantly the better of their enemies, and never returned without great booties of cattle and slaves, for all the prisoners they take are so, until redeemed; though these prisoners are, for the most part, women and children, they seldom giving quarter to any other. The fame of his bravery and success, spread itself round the country; and his name alone was so terrible, that the giving out he was at the head of any party, was giving the enemy an overthrow without a battle.
This reaching the ears of Dempaino, a mighty prince who lived 200 miles from him, and who had several petty princes tributaries, he sent an ambassador to demand the white man; but his patron, who had no mind to part with him, denied that he had any white man with him; that he who was called so was a native of the country. For the reader’s better understanding this passage, I must inform him, that there is a race of what they call white men, who have been settled on Madagascar, time out of mind, and are descended from the Arabs; but mixing with the negroes, have propagated a race of mulattoes, who differ in nothing from the manner of living of the black natives.
To proceed, the ambassador desired to see this man, and Williams coming to him, being extremely tanned, he had passed for what he was reported, had he been before apprized of what had been said, to have answered accordingly, for he spoke the language perfectly; or had the ambassador not examined him; who, after he had some time viewed him, asked him of what country he was, and whether it was true that he was one of Madagascar? Williams answered, he was an Englishman, and was left in the country, relating the particulars, as I have already set them down, adding, he had been five years in the island.