Part 16
In their passage they met with a violent storm, in which they were near foundering. It beat in their stern, and obliged them to throw over all their guns (two excepted, which lay in the hold) and forced them into the gulf of Persia, where they took several small vessels, which they ripped up to repair their ship. Being very much in want of water, having staved all their casks, to save themselves in the storm, and meeting with little in the vessels taken, they hoisted out the canoe to chase a fishing vessel, that they might be informed where they should find water. This boat made from them with all their force, but the ship firing, the people all leaped into the water, some of whom were drowned, and the rest got ashore, except one man, whom they came up with; but as soon as they thought to lay hold of him, he dived, and kept them in play near an hour and a half. They would not shoot him, because it did not answer their ends; but at length North, who was in the boat, took the sprit, and struck him as he rose, and broke his jaw. They took him by these means, brought him on board, sent him to the surgeon, and when they despaired of his being able to speak, he asked for a pipe of tobacco, which he smoked, and drank a dram; after which he seemed very hearty. As the pirates had on board several black slaves, who spoke the East-India tongue, one of them was ordered to inquire of him where they might find water, promising him his liberty if he would direct them. On this promise he carried them to a convenient landing place, where he showed a well, full of dirt, out of which, after a great deal of trouble to come at it, they drew but three buckets of water, which sufficed those only who went on shore, to the number of thirty. Enraged with this disappointment after so much labour, they threatened their prisoner with death, who told them, if they would have patience till the sun was set, they would have plenty, for the spring would rise, and flow all night; which they found to be the fact, and filled twenty tons of water, and returned on board, carrying the man with them, for whom they made a gathering of some goods, and about 30 dollars. These they gave him, and exacted a promise, that whenever he saw any ship on that coast, which made the same signals they had made, he would go on board and render them what service he could, assuring him he would always meet with civil treatment, and be well rewarded.
After this they cruised in the gulf of Persia some days, in hopes of meeting their consort, not doubting but she had some share in the storm; but the time of their partnership having at length expired, and she not appearing, they steered for the highlands of St. John, near Surat, the place of rendezvous. When they made the land they spied a ship, and immediately making all clear for an engagement, they gave chase. The other ship doing the like, they soon met, and to the great joy of both parties, she proved their consort. Upon inquiry they found the Prosperous had been ten days on this station, and had not met with the storm which had so roughly handled the Speedy Return. On giving an account of their misfortune, viz. their being obliged to throw over their guns, and a quantity of provisions, Capt. Howard spared them some fresh provisions, and expressing great concern for the accident, renewed his consortship for two months longer; that is, they agreed whatever prizes were taken should be equally divided between the crews of both ships. After they had cruised here fourteen days, they spied seven sail of lofty ships, which proved to be the Moors from Mocha. They both gave chase, but the Speedy Return being the better sailor, first came up with one of them, laid her on board and carried her in very little time, with little more damage them the loss of her bowsprit. The Prosperous continued the chase, and having Capt. Whaley on board as a pilot, took another at an anchor, as is related in Capt. Howard’s life.
The Speedy Return steered with her prize for the coast of Malabar, where, by agreement, she was to wait ten days for her consort. In six days the Prosperous joined them, but without any prize, having rifled and dismissed her.
Here they made an equal dividend of their prizes, burnt the Speedy Return, sunk the Prosperous, went all on board the Moor’s ship, put to sea, and cruised on this coast, where they made several prizes. When they came over against Cachine, some black merchants, goldsmiths, and several Dutchmen, came on board to trade with them, bringing a great many sequins, and other gold coin, to change for Spanish dollars. As many of the pirates designed to knock off and return home, they gave 500 dollars for 200 sequins, for the conveniency of close stowage about them. The goldsmiths set up their forges on board the ship, and were fully employed in making them buttons, buckles, and what else they fancied, so that they had a fair opportunity of putting in what alloy they thought proper. They here also furnished themselves with a good quantity of arrack, provisions and stores, and then leaving the coast, shaped their course for Madagascar, but, in the way, fell in with the island of Mauritius, and put into a port called the North West Harbour. Here they wooded and watered. This port affords great abundance of a poisonous fish called the Red-Snapper, the nature of which was well known to Capt. Bowen, who persuaded his men not to eat of them, but they were in port, and then are all commanders, so that this wholesome advice was thrown away upon them. The captain seeing their obstinacy, and that they could not be dissuaded, eat with them, choosing rather to share the same fate, than be left alone to the mercy of the Dutch, as he was conscious of what he merited. They supped plentifully on the fish, and drank very heartily after it. Soon after they began to swell in a frightful manner. The next morning some planters came on board with fowls, goats, &c. and seeing the pirates in a miserable condition, and some of these fish lying on the decks, asked if they had not eaten of them? Being answered in the affirmative, they advised their drinking plentifully of strong liquors, which was the only way to expel the poison, which had dispatched them all in less time, had they not done it after their unfortunate meal. They readily followed this advice, as the prescription was agreeable, and by this means, with the care of the surgeons, of whom they had several expert in their business, and stocked with good medicines, they all recovered, four excepted, who paid their obstinacy with their lives.
They here heeled their ship, scrubbed, tallowed, and took in what they wanted. When they had been three months in this port, the governor sent and desired them to put to sea, for he expected the arrival of the Dutch East-Indiamen. They accordingly got every thing ready, and went out, but left several of their men behind them, as we have related in Bowen’s life.
From hence they steered to Madagascar, and in their passage stopped at Don Mascarenhas, where they took in a quantity of hogs, goats, sheep, fowls of all sorts, and green turtle. Captain Bowen here went ashore with 40 of his men, having obtained the governor’s protection by the force of presents. These men designed to give over their piracy, and return home the first opportunities offered them. In six months after they landed here, Capt. Bowen was taken ill of the dry belly-ache, a distemper as common here as in the West-India Islands, died, and was buried in the highway, for the priests would not allow him holy ground, as he was a heretic.
But to return. When Bowen went ashore, North was chosen captain. The ceremony of this installation is as follows:—The crew having made choice of a person to command, either by an unanimous consent, or by a majority of suffrages, they carry him a sword in a very solemn manner, make him some compliments, and desire he will take upon him the command, as he is the most capable among them; that he will take possession of the great cabin: and, on his accepting the office, he is led into the cabin in state, and placed at a table, where only one chair is set at the upper end, and one at the lower end of the table for the company’s quarter-master. The captain and he being placed, the latter succinctly tells him, that the company having experience of his conduct and courage, do him the honor to elect him for their head, not doubting his behaving himself with his usual bravery, and doing every thing which may conduce to the public good; in confidence of which, he, in the name of the company, promises to obey all his lawful commands, and declares him captain. Then the quarter-master takes up the sword, which he had before presented him, and he had returned, puts it into his hand, and says, _This is the commission under you are to act; may you prove fortunate to yourself and us_. The guns are then fired round shot and all; he is saluted with three cheers; and the ceremony ends with an invitation from the captain to such as he thinks fit to have dine with him, and a large bowl of punch is ordered to every mess.
Capt. North, leaving this island, steered for Madagascar, and came to Cape Dolphin at the south end, where he anchored, and took on board some refreshments, but it blowing hard, he was obliged to put to sea, and leave his boat with 30 men behind him. He ran along the east side of the island, and came to Ambonavoula, in lat. 17 deg. 38 m. where they put on shore some of their goods, and settled themselves among the negroes, several living in a house. Here they lived as sovereign princes among the inhabitants.
The Moor prisoners they kept on board, and allowed them sufficient fresh provisions. North privately told the boatswain of the Moors to take advantage of the land breeze in the night time, and go off with the ship, and what goods were left on board, or the pirates would soon haul her up, take every thing on shore, and they never see their own country again. Accordingly the boatswain, following this advice, laid hold of the opportunity of a dark night, and communicating his design to the other Moors, whom he did not acquaint with this advice, as North charged him not, till he was on the point of executing his design, they weighed with great silence and stood to sea.
The next morning some of the pirates proposed to go on board and bring off some iron and other things to trade with in the country; but they were strangely surprised when they missed the ship. They alarmed the rest of their comrades, and went in a body to Capt. North, to tell him what had happened. He answered, if the Moors were gone off with the ship, it was their own fault; they ought to have left a sufficient number of hands on board to have secured her; and there was now no remedy but patience, for they had no vessel to pursue with, except they thought the canoe proper.
Some of the pirates thought, as she lay in foul ground, the cable might be cut by some rock, and the ship blown off to sea by that accident. On starting this, some of them ran up to an eminence, and from thence spied the ship as far as they could well see, with all sail set, which was a cruel and convincing proof that their loss was irreparable.
They endeavoured to make themselves easy, since there was no help; and transporting their goods to different abodes, at small distances, they settled themselves, buying cattle and slaves, and lived in a neighbourly manner, one among another, five years, cleared a great deal of ground, and planted provisions, such as yams, potatoes, &c. The natives among whom they fixed, had frequent broils and wars among themselves, but the pirates interposed, and endeavoured to reconcile all differences, North deciding their disputes with that impartiality and strict regard to distributive justice, (for he was allowed, by all, a man of admirable good natural parts) that he ever sent away, even the party who was cast, satisfied with the reason, and content with the equity of his decisions.
These inclinations which the pirates showed to peace, and the example they set of an amicable way of life, (for they carefully avoided all jars, and agreed to refer all cause of complaint among themselves which might arise, to a cool hearing before North, and twelve of their companions,) gave them a great character among the natives, who were before very much prejudiced against the white men. Nay, in this point of keeping up a harmony among themselves, they were so exact, that whosoever spoke but in an angry or peevish tone, was rebuked by all the company, especially if before any of the country people, though even but a slave of their own; for they thought, and very justly, that unity and concord were the only means to warrant their safety; for the people being ready to make war on one another upon the slightest occasion, they did not doubt but they would take the advantage of any division which they might observe among the whites, and cut them off whenever a fair opportunity offered.
The example they set, and the care they took to accommodate differences among their neighbours, had calmed all the country round them. After they had lived here near three years, Capt. North, and some of his companions, had a mind to visit the country southward, and trade for more slaves and cattle; to which end, taking a considerable quantity of powder and arms, beside what they might use, with 50 whites and 300 natives, he set forward on his journey. When they had traveled about 80 miles southward, they came to a nation rich in slaves and cattle, who inhabited the banks of the largest river on the east side of the island, called Mangora. With these people he trafficked for a great number of slaves and cattle, which he purchased for guns and powder. They being at war when Capt. North came among them, with a neighbouring prince, he was entreated to give his assistance, for which they, the Mangorians, promised him 100 slaves with 500 head of cattle, and all the prisoners they should take. On these conditions he joined them, and marched to a very large town of the enemy’s, which was naturally very strong, and esteemed by the natives impregnable, being situated on a high and craggy rock, which could be ascended by the way only leading to the gate, where was kept a strong guard. The blacks in North’s army were for leaving this town unattempted, and marching farther into the country, in search of booty; but North told them it was not safe to leave a garrison of enemies at their backs, which would continually infest them by falling on their rear, and which would be an obstacle to their carrying off what plunder they might get together; beside, it would be an asylum for all the country, which would fly thither till they had gathered a body considerable enough to come down and face them in the open field, which the enemy might do with reasonable hopes of success, as their men would be all fresh, while those of his party would be fatigued with marches, perhaps encumbered by plunder, and worn down with the inconveniences of lying exposed in the fields.
The chief of his allies allowed his reasons good, were an attempt on the town practicable, which experience told him was not; for, though several times besieged, it never could be taken, and it would be the loss of a great deal of time, and many men’s lives to attempt it. North desired he would leave the management of this siege to him. The chief answered, he should do as he pleased, but it was against his judgment to attack a town which nature herself had fortified, which God Almighty would never suffer to be taken, and which had, to no purpose, cost the lives of a number scarce to be told, of his countrymen, in the several attempts they had made to be masters of it.
North disposed his army, and invested the rock on every side; then sent word to the town, if they did not surrender, he would give no quarter to either sex or age. The inhabitants laughed at his message, and told him, that they did not believe he had learnt the art of flying, and till he had, they thought themselves very secure from his putting such menaces in execution.
Out of the white men, North chose 30, whom he set at the head of three companies, consisting of 100 blacks each; and as they had some grenade-shells with them, soon dispersed the guard at the foot of the rock, and made a lodgement. Though the blacks were acquainted with fire-arms, the shells were entirely new to them, and as they saw their terrible effect, threw down their arms, and gained the middle of the rock, where they had another _corps de garde_, though not without some loss. Those who were at the bottom of the rock being put to flight, North sent 10 whites and 500 blacks to take that post, and orders to the other whites to mount the rock, and having beat that guard, if possible, to enter the town with them. They accordingly ascended in this order, as the road was so narrow, only three could pass abreast; and as the enemy, when within cast of a dart, threw down a shower upon them, three unarmed blacks with their shields marched before three small shot men, and sheltered them from the enemy’s weapons. These were followed by others, with the same precaution, the white men being mixed with those who thus went up, that is to say, one white musketeer to two blacks.
The enemy seemed resolute to defend the pass, but when they had, to no purpose, spent a number of darts, and had lost some men by the shot, they swiftly took to the top of the rock, where, joined with fresh men from the town, they made a stand and show of resistance. North’s men followed, and pouring in a volley, put them into confusion, which gave the assailants an opportunity to come near enough to throw in their shells, half a dozen of which bursting with considerable damage, and the slaughter of several men, they thought to shelter themselves in the town, but the inhabitants, fearing the enemy’s entering with them, shut the gates against both, so that the blacks of North’s army, notwithstanding all the whites could do to the contrary, made a great slaughter; however, they saved some, whom they sent prisoners to the camp, desiring at the same time, a supply of powder to make a petard.
In the mean while the enemy from the town threw a prodigious quantity of darts, which the besiegers received upon their shields, at least, the greater part.
The town was again summoned, but they refused to surrender; wherefore they were obliged to shelter themselves as well as they could, and expect the powder from the camp; though in the mean while the small shot from without being warmly plied, the throwing of darts from the town became less frequent, for no one could show his head but with the greatest danger.
When the powder came, they cut down and hollowed a tree, which they filled with powder, and plugged up very tight, and under the protection of their shields and muskets, got into the gate, under which they dug a hole large enough to receive it, then setting fire to the fuse, it burst with a terrible crack, tore their gate to atoms, and left an open passage, which the besiegers, who had been joined with 500 more blacks, who came up with the powder entered, and began a very great slaughter. The whites protected all they could who submitted, but notwithstanding their diligence, the town was strewed with dead and dying men. At length, what with being tired, and what with persuasion, the slaughter ceased, the town was reduced to ashes, and the conquerors returned to camp with 3000 prisoners, whom his allies led to their own quarters, where culling out the old women, children, and useless slaves, they sent them to North, as if by these they thought themselves released from the promise made to induce his assistance.
When North saw the dishonesty of these people, he sent for their prince, and told him, “According to agreement all the slaves belonged to him; nay, according to justice, he alone had a right to them, since he despaired of taking the town, so far as to dissuade his besieging it; and that he not only owed to him their success, but even the safety of his army, and all the plunder they should make in the prosecution of the war, for reasons already given, and by himself allowed to be good. That he thought he had allied himself to a people of integrity, but he was sorry to say, he found himself quite mistaken in his opinion, since they were so far from making good their treaty, that they sent him out of the slaves taken, instead of all, those only whom they knew not what to do with; that they must not imagine him so blind as not to perceive how disingenuously he was dealt with; or that he wanted either strength or resolution to resent the usage.”
He then asked what was become of a number of young and handsome women he had seen among the captives? The prince answered, “that those he inquired after, were his and his countrymen’s relations, and as such, they could not consent to, nor could he require, their being made slaves.”
This answer made, the chief left him. As it was delivered in a pretty haughty tone, it did not a little nettle both North and his comrades. The latter were for immediately doing themselves justice; but the former begged they would have patience, and rely on him. They followed his advice, and he sent an interpreter, who inquired privately among the women what relation they bore to the people of the river? The prisoners answered, that some of their forefathers had intermarried with that nation.
I must here take notice, that notwithstanding the inhabitants of Madagascar have but one language, which is common to the whole island, the difference of the dialect, in different nations, makes it very difficult for any but the natives, or those who have been a great many years (more than North and his companions had been) among them, to understand them perfectly, which is the reason he made use of an interpreter, as well between him and the chief, as between the slaves and him.
When he had received this answer from the prisoners, he went to the prince, and told him, “It was very odd he should make war on his relations; however, he should keep them, since he declared them such, till he could prove his right better than the prince could his nearness of blood; that as he had once taken them, he would try if he could not support the justice of his claim, and told him therefore to be upon his guard, for he openly declared, he was no longer the ally, but the professed enemy of faithless people.”
Saying this, he and his blacks separated themselves from the Mangorians, and North divided them into companies, with his white men at the head of each, and ordered them to fire ball over the heads of their late allies. The first volley was a prodigious astonishment to the Mangorians, several of whom ran away, but North firing two more immediately, and marching up to them, brought the prince and the head officers of his army to him, crawling on all fours. They (as the custom of showing the greatest submission is among them) kissed the feet of the whites and begged they would continue their friendship and dispose of every thing as they thought proper.