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diff --git a/old/68949-0.txt b/old/68949-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f9f65e5..0000000 --- a/old/68949-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5406 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The boy's book of buccaneers, by A. -Hyatt Verrill - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The boy's book of buccaneers - -Author: A. Hyatt Verrill - -Release Date: September 9, 2022 [eBook #68949] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed Proofreading - Team at https://www.pgdp.net/ for Project Gutenberg (This - file was produced from images generously made available by - The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BOY'S BOOK OF -BUCCANEERS *** - - - - - THE BOYS’ BOOK OF BUCCANEERS - - BY - - A. HYATT VERRILL - - AUTHOR OF - “AN AMERICAN CRUSOE,” “THE BOYS’ OUTDOOR - VACATION BOOK,” “THE BOYS’ BOOK OF WHALERS,” ETC. - - - ILLUSTRATED - - - NEW YORK - DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY - 1923 - - - - - Copyright, 1923, - By DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY, Inc. - - PRINTED IN THE U. S. A. BY - The Quinn & Boden Company - - BOOK MANUFACTURERS - RAHWAY NEW JERSEY - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - -Chapter I Who and What Were the Buccaneers? 1 - - Pirates and buccaneers. How the buccaneers originated. The first - buccaneers. Settlement of Tortuga. How the buccaneers received - their name. How the first prizes were taken. Originators of - accident insurance. Pieces of eight and the origin of the dollar. - Organization of the buccaneers. - - -Chapter II Some Buccaneers and Their Ways 14 - - Pierre le Grand, the first famous buccaneer. How Le Grand took the - admiral’s ship. Esquemeling and his chronicles. Bartholomew - Portugues and his deeds. A remarkable escape. Rock Brasiliano. A - brutal buccaneer. Brasiliano’s ruse. Francis L’Ollonois the cruel. - The most bloodthirsty buccaneer. Cruelties of L’Ollonois. How - L’Ollonois took Maracaibo. The death of L’Ollonois. - - -Chapter III Morgan and His Road to Fame 39 - - Bravery of Spaniards. Attitude of the buccaneers. Early life of - Morgan. The truth about Morgan. Queer character of Morgan. - Treatment of prisoners. Buccaneers and Indians. Port Royal, the - lair of the buccaneers. Attack on Old Providence. Morgan’s first - raids. Morgan’s attack on Puerto Príncipe. The buccaneers in Cuba. - Morgan prepares to attack Porto Bello. The Gold Road. Capture of - Porto Bello. Morgan’s brutality. An exchange of pleasantries. - - -Chapter IV The Sacking of Maracaibo 64 - - Morgan gathers a great fleet. Morgan’s treachery. Morgan’s narrow - escape from destruction. Tortures and butcheries. Morgan is - blockaded. The buccaneers defeat the Spanish fleet. Morgan’s ruse. - The buccaneers escape from Maracaibo. - - -Chapter V The Taking of San Lorenzo 81 - - Morgan’s greatest undertaking. The buccaneers’ greatest fleet. The - capture of St. Catherine. The governor’s treachery. The buccaneers - sail for the Chagres. Attack on San Lorenzo. The battle. How - accident won the day. Valiant Spaniards. Capture of the castle. The - buccaneers start for Panama. Hardships of the journey. In sight of - Panama. - - -Chapter VI The Sack of Panama 100 - - The Jolly Roger. Buccaneers’ standards. How the buccaneers dressed. - The battle before Old Panama. The buccaneers take the city. - Morgan’s fury. Burning of Panama. Looting and torturing. Morgan’s - vengeance. Morgan demands ransoms. Morgan’s gallantry. The return - to the coast. Division of booty. Morgan deserts his men. - - -Chapter VII The Misfortunes of Monsieur Ogeron 119 - - The golden altar of San José. Arrest of Morgan. Morgan knighted. - The ex-buccaneer suppresses piracy. The end of Sir Henry Morgan. - Ogeron sails for Curaçao. The buccaneers come to grief. How Ogeron - escaped. Ogeron returns to Puerto Rico. Defeat of the buccaneers. - Le Sieur Maintenon and his misfortunes. Odd characters among the - buccaneers. The buccaneer poet. A buccaneer naturalist. The - divinity student who was a buccaneer. Ringrose the navigator. - - -Chapter VIII A Perilous Undertaking 133 - - A mad scheme. The plan of Sharp and his fellows. The buccaneers - start across Darien. A terrible journey. Aid from the Indians. The - buccaneers sight El Real de Santa Maria. Attack on the town. The - buccaneers’ chagrin. The buccaneers go on towards Panama. Humanity - wins its reward. In sight of the town. The Spanish fleet. A daring - attempt. How the buccaneers took the Spanish fleet. Capture of the - Santissima Trinidad. Valuable prizes. Dissensions and desertions. - Trading with the Dons. Messages from the governor. Sawkins - remembers an old friend. Loss of Captain Sawkins. - - -Chapter IX The “Most Dangerous Voyage” of Captain Sharp 150 - - More desertions. Captain Sharp tells his plans. An amazing program. - An awful trip. What happened to Wafer. The transformed galleon - starts on its cruise. Raids on the coast. At Juan Fernandez. The - men want religion. Sharp is deposed. Watling and his ways. Sharp’s - prophecy. The prophecy fulfilled. Watling’s death. Sharp takes - command. The buccaneers repulsed. Mutinies and deserters. Sharp - refits the Blessed Trinity. The buccaneers set forth on their most - dangerous voyage. The buccaneers miss the Straits of Magellan. - Around the Horn through unchartered seas. Up the Atlantic. At the - journey’s end. The treasure the buccaneers threw away. - - -Chapter X The Last of the Buccaneers 174 - - The buccaneers in the South Sea. The cruise of the Revenge. The - Bachelors’ Delight. Davis and his raids. The cruise of the Cygnet. - Reunion of old friends. The buccaneers are disappointed. Swan’s - defeat. Ringrose’s death. Across the Pacific. The buccaneers in - Madagascar. Townley takes vast treasure. The end of Townley. The - sack of Guayaquil. Back to the Antilles. Buccaneers in the East - Indies. Red Legs. A moral pirate. Red Legs’ chivalry. The penalty - of a scolding wife. Major Stede Bonnet. An unfortunate pirate. End - of Bonnet. The pirates in the Virgin Islands. Hamlin at St. Thomas. - - -Chapter XI Kidd, the Pirate Who Wasn’t a Pirate 192 - - Pirate treasure in fact and fancy. The truth about pirate treasure. - Kidd’s unfounded fame. The true story of Captain Kidd. Trial of - Captain Kidd. Death of Captain Kidd. A Don Quixote of the sea. - Prince Rupert of the Rhine. A romantic figure. Shipwreck of Prince - Rupert’s fleet. The death of Prince Rupert. - - -Chapter XII Picturesque Pirates 208 - - The “Man with the glove in his hat.” My Lord, the Earl of - Cumberland. The cruise of The Scourge of Malice. The Earl’s attack - on Puerto Rico. The English take San Juan. The unseen foe. A losing - battle. The Earl retreats. The most famous real pirate. Blackbeard. - A monster in human form. Blackbeard’s courage. Blackbeard’s ways. - Blackbeard’s castle. Origin of Blackbeard. How Blackbeard became a - pirate. Blackbeard’s appearance. How Blackbeard amused his men. A - pirate’s joke. A much-married pirate. - - -Chapter XIII The End of Blackbeard 225 - - Lieutenant Maynard’s attempt. The attack on the pirates. Maynard - repulsed. A hand to hand battle. The fight. Maynard and Blackbeard - fight a duel. A gruesome sight. Blackbeard’s death. The end of the - pirates. The Lafitte brothers. Who the Lafittes were. The - Baratarians. Smugglers. The governor’s proclamation. Denounced as - pirates. Lafitte’s trial. The arrival of the British. Lafitte’s - patriotism. The governor’s attack. The Baratarians destroyed. - Lafitte proffers his services to General Jackson. Bravery of - Lafitte and his men. Pardons. What became of the Lafittes. The end - of piracy. What we owe the buccaneers. - - - - - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - -At dawn the buccaneers sailed away. Frontispiece - - FACING PAGE -Money of the buccaneers’ times 16 -Cruising about in small boats and attacking every Spanish ship - they saw 17 -He managed to secure two earthen wine jars and plugged their - necks, with the idea of using them as floats 34 -The buccaneers swarmed over the ship’s rails 35 -Sir Henry Morgan, the most famous of the buccaneers, with one - of his crew 76 -Burning the galleon 77 -The buccaneers’ fleet 116 -The ruined tower of the cathedral in Old Panama 117 -Near the cathedral are the walls of the ancient fort 117 -Dampier wrote his journal during lulls between battles 140 -Piraguas. It was in boats like these that the earlier buccaneers - captured their first Spanish ships 141 -Two ships were promptly fired and sunk 168 -The battered, patched old galleon sailed southward around Cape Horn 169 -The merchants bid for the loot brought ashore 188 -All were in the best of spirits, smoking, drinking, spinning - yarns of the sea 189 -The last of the pirate ships, the Vigilant, as she was originally - rigged. Now a packet in the West Indies 244 - - - - - - - - - - -THE BOYS’ BOOK OF BUCCANEERS - - -CHAPTER I - -WHO AND WHAT WERE THE BUCCANEERS? - - -Jack looked up from the book he had been reading. “Father,” he asked, -“what was a buccaneer? Cousin Fred says buccaneers and pirates were the -same thing, and Jim says they were not, and in this story they speak of -pirates and buccaneers both.” - -“Fred and Jim are both wrong and both right,” replied Mr. Bickford. -“Buccaneers were pirates, but pirates were not necessarily buccaneers. -But nowadays the two are often confused and writers of stories do not -seem to realize the difference and make it still more confusing. When -Fred comes over to-night bring him into the library, and I’ll try to -straighten out the puzzle and tell you about the buccaneers.” - -“Say, Fred!” cried Jack, when his cousin came bouncing into Jack’s den -that evening. “You were way off. Buccaneers were not the same as -pirates. Dad says so, and he’s going to tell us all about them -to-night. Come on down to the library.” - -“That’ll be dandy,” agreed Fred, enthusiastically. “And of course if -Uncle Henry says they’re not the same, why they’re not, but I always -thought they were. I wonder if Captain Kidd was a pirate or a -buccaneer.” - -“Ask Dad, he knows!” laughed Jack, as the two raced downstairs to Mr. -Bickford’s library. - -They found him surrounded by books with odd, old-fashioned, worn -leather bindings and with some faded and yellowed maps and cuts on the -table before him. - -“Well, boys,” he greeted them, “I suppose you want to know all about -the buccaneers who sailed the Spanish Main, eh?” - -“Yes, and Fred wants to know if Captain Kidd was a pirate or a -buccaneer,” replied Jack. - -“Neither!” laughed his father. “Captain Kidd was, as you boys would -say, ‘the goat’ of a lot of unprincipled men. But we’re getting ahead -too fast. We’ll discuss the famous Kidd when we come to him.” - -“Well, that gets me!” declared Fred, as the boys found comfortable -seats in the big leather chairs. “Captain Kidd not a pirate!” - -“Pirates,” began Mr. Bickford, leaning back in his chair, “have been -known ever since men first used boats. The earliest histories mention -them. There were Phœnician pirates, Greek pirates, Roman pirates, and -the old Vikings were nothing more or less than pirates. Then there were -the Malay pirates, the Tripolitan pirates and the Chinese pirates who -still exist, and we still have harbor pirates, oyster pirates and river -pirates. A pirate is any one who preys upon shipping or steals -merchandise in a boat, and he may be and usually is a sneaking, -cowardly rascal without a redeeming feature. Moreover, a pirate preys -on any one and every one, and while some pirates, such as the Vikings, -confined their forays to certain nations and their ships and did not -molest others, yet most pirates loot, murder and destroy with -impartiality and fall upon their own countrymen or others alike. But -the buccaneers were very different. In the first place, buccaneers were -not known until comparatively recent times and the first buccaneers had -their origin in 1625. - -“At that time England was at war with Spain, and the Spanish Government -claimed all the New World and decreed that any ships found trading in -the Caribbean or neighboring waters, or any settlers found upon the -islands or the Spanish Main, were pirates and would be treated as -such.” - -“But, Dad, what is the Spanish Main?” asked Jack, interrupting. - -“I don’t wonder you ask,” replied his father. “To read of it one would -think it a body of water, for we hear of ‘sailing the Spanish Main.’ -But in reality it was the mainland of South and Central America and -when the buccaneers spoke of ‘sailing the Spanish Main’ they meant -skirting the coast. But to continue. Of course the British and French -claimed many of the West Indies and, despite the dangers, settlers went -to them. Among the others that were settled was the island of St. -Kitts, which was settled by both French and English. Although the -settlers quarreled among themselves, still they managed to exist and -were becoming fairly prosperous when in 1625 the Spanish vessels swept -down upon them, burned their plantations and, after killing many of the -settlers, drove them into the woods. Without homes or means the -survivors sought to reëstablish themselves, but a few set sail in -little dugout canoes seeking new lands. In these little craft they -reached Santo Domingo, which was then known as Hispaniola, and was a -stronghold of the Spaniards. But it was such a marvelously rich and -promising country that the fugitive Frenchmen landed and sent back for -their companions. At first the Dons knew nothing of these new arrivals, -but as they increased, word of their presence reached the authorities, -and soldiers were sent to drive them off or destroy them. - -“At that time Hispaniola was teeming with wild cattle, wild hogs, wild -horses and wild dogs, descendants of the animals introduced by the -Spaniards, and the Frenchmen occupied most of their time hunting and -killing these creatures. Their hides were valuable, and their meat was -preserved by drying it over fires or transforming it into a product -known to the Spaniards as ‘bucan.’ Thus the Frenchmen became known as -‘bucaniers,’ from which the name ‘buccaneer’ was derived. So you see -the buccaneers were not pirates at all at that time, and the name has -no connection with piracy. - -“Owing to their occupation, the buccaneers became expert shots, good -woodsmen, hardy, reckless and daring, and they hated the Dons like -poison. But they could not stand against the Spanish troops and so, -taking to their canoes, they fled to the island of Tortuga, off the -northern coast of what is now Haiti. Here there were a few Spanish -settlers, but they were so outnumbered by the buccaneers that they made -no objection to their new neighbors. The Dons, however, had no -intention of letting the buccaneers alone and sent expeditions to drive -them off. Then the buccaneers started a merry game of puss in the -corner. When the Dons arrived at Tortuga the buccaneers slipped over to -the mainland, and when the Spaniards sought them there they sneaked -back to the island. By this time they had been joined by many English, -a few Portuguese and a number of Dutch, and feeling their numbers were -sufficient to make a stand, they proceeded to fortify Tortuga. They -selected a high rocky hill on the summit of which was a deep depression -and with infinite labor converted this into a fort, mounted cannon and -stored a supply of wood and ammunition. Then they destroyed the only -approach—a narrow defile—and the fort could only be reached by means of -ladders lowered from the parapets. - -“For a long time the Dons left them alone, realizing the impossibility -of taking the fort, and the little settlement prospered and grew. The -French sent out a governor and there at the very threshold of the Dons’ -richest possession the handful of buccaneers lived and plied their -trade. But although they were composed of half a dozen different races, -one and all hated the Spaniards and soon, not content with -buccaneering, they became ambitious and with reckless bravery set out -in small canoes with the intention of capturing Spanish ships. It seems -incredible that these rough, untrained hunters could seize a heavily -armed ship swarming with sailors and soldiers, but nevertheless they -did. Lying in wait in the track of ships they would pull to the first -Spanish galleon that appeared and, while their expert marksmen would -pick off the Spanish gunners and the helmsman, they would dash -alongside, so close that the cannon could not bear upon them. Jamming -the ship’s rudder with their boat, they would swarm up and over the -bulwarks, pistols and swords in hand and knives in teeth and, yelling -like demons, would rush the crew, cutting, slashing, shooting and -stabbing. Seldom did they fail, and thus having secured ships and guns, -to say nothing of treasure, they would sail back to their lair, flushed -with victory. Then, having good ships and plenty of heavy guns, they -transformed their prizes into privateers and set sail in search of more -Spanish ships to conquer. - -“You must remember that at this time England and France were at war -with Spain, and hence the buccaneers were in no sense pirates. Many of -them were given commissions to prey on the Dons as privateers, and -their acts were considered a legitimate part of warfare and were -encouraged and fostered by the officials. - -“And having gone thus far they realized that organization was -necessary. Hence a sort of association was formed, or perhaps we might -call it a society, which they called ‘Brethren of the Main’ and laws, -rules and agreements were drawn up, to which, oddly enough, the -buccaneers were wonderfully faithful. - -“Another interesting thing is the fact that these buccaneers were the -originators of life and accident insurance. Before a ship set out a -council was held, and papers were drawn up stating how large a share of -the loot each man should have for his services, aside from his ‘lay’ of -loot, and how much should be paid for the death of a man or injuries -received. Thus the loss of a right arm was valued at six hundred pieces -of eight or six slaves; a left arm was valued at five hundred pieces of -eight or five slaves; a right leg, five hundred pieces of eight or five -slaves; a left leg, four hundred pieces of eight or four slaves; an eye -or a finger, one hundred pieces of eight or one slave.” - -“Please, Dad,” cried Jack. “Do tell us what a piece of eight is before -you go on. We read about them and about doubloons and onzas, but no one -seems to know what they are.” - -“That’s a question well put,” replied Mr. Bickford. “A piece of eight -was a silver coin of eight reals. As a real was nominally twelve and -one-half cents, or half a peseta of twenty-five centavos, the piece of -eight was nominally a dollar of one hundred centavos. The doubloon was -one hundred reals, or about ten dollars, and was a gold coin, while the -onza, or double doubloon, was two hundred reals, or about twenty -dollars, and was also of gold. But as the peseta is really worth only -twenty cents in present values the piece of eight is worth eighty -cents, and if you go to any money exchange you can buy Spanish silver -‘dollars,’ as they are called, for eighty cents, which are genuine -‘pieces of eight.’ For smaller coins, the old Dons and buccaneers used -what were called ‘cross money.’ These were irregular-shaped slugs cut -from the pieces of eight and with the lettering hammered out, leaving -only the cross-shaped center of the Spanish shield to prove the coin -was minted silver of a definite value. Sometimes, if the piece did not -bear this cross, the priests stamped a cross upon it to prove its -genuineness—a sort of hall mark so to speak. These odd cross money -coins are still in use in remote parts of Panama and, although no two -are exactly alike in size or shape, the natives recognize them as -quarters, eighths or sixteenths of a piece of eight, or in other words, -as half reals, one-real and two-real pieces. And speaking of these old -coins, did you ever know that the piece of eight was the grandfather of -our own dollar, and was the forerunner of the metric system, and that -our symbol for the dollar came from the sign used to designate the -piece of eight?” - -“No, indeed,” declared Fred. “Do tell us about that.” - -“In the old days,” smiled Mr. Bickford, as he continued, “nearly all -countries used the piece of eight as the standard of exchange and -barter. It was used in the American colonies, but after the United -States were formed it was decided to mint a standard coin for the new -republic. As the piece of eight was the recognized standard, the new -coin was made of the same weight and value to avoid trouble and -confusion in trade and commerce. All the accounts had been kept in -pieces of eight, the symbol for which was a figure eight with a line -through it like this, $, and which may have originally been a figure -eight with a line through it or, as some claim, a conventional Pillar -of Hercules such as appeared on the pieces of eight, and so the -accountants and clerks found it easier to use the same symbol with the -addition of another line to designate dollars than to evolve a new -symbol. So you see our dollar sign is really a modification of the old -sign for the piece of eight.” - -“Gosh! I’ll be more interested in dollar signs now,” declared Jack, -“and every time I see one I’ll remember what a piece of eight was.” - -“As I was saying,” went on his father, “the agreements and papers were -drawn up, a captain was chosen, the buccaneers made forays into the -Spanish territory and stole what cattle and hogs and other supplies -they required, and the ships set forth to capture Spanish prizes and -raid the towns on the Spanish Main. - -“The crews were rough, reckless, daredevils of every race; soldiers of -fortune who had drifted to Tortuga and joined the Brethren, and as they -had everything to gain and nothing to lose they exhibited bravery, took -risks and performed deeds which have never been equaled. But they were -not real pirates by any means—except in the eyes of the Spaniards. They -never molested French or British ships, they were openly welcomed and -aided in the French or British islands, and even when peace was -declared and the buccaneers still continued to prey upon the Dons, the -authorities winked at them and gave them refuge. But in time -dissensions arose between the English, the Dutch and the French -buccaneers at Tortuga, and the various nationalities separated and each -took separate spots for their strongholds. The Virgin Islands were -favorite lairs, for the Danish and Dutch owners were safe from their -attacks by sheltering the freebooters, who spent money as recklessly as -they won it, and the buccaneers had stringent rules, and the death -penalty was inflicted upon any man who molested the persons or -properties of the friendly islanders. The British buccaneers made Port -Royal, Jamaica, their stronghold, and that town became famed as the -richest and wickedest city in the world. Another lair was a little -island in Samaná Bay in Santo Domingo, and the Cayman Islands south of -Cuba, the Bay Islands off Honduras and several islands off the Coast of -Venezuela also became nests for the freebooters. - -“At first, of course, all the buccaneers were equal. There were none -who knew more of buccaneering than the others, all pooled their -resources and the captains were elected by vote or won their place -through owning a ship or having captured one. But gradually certain men -won fame and prestige for their cruelty, their daring or their success, -and rapidly rose to recognized leadership and became famous as -buccaneer chiefs. - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER II - -SOME BUCCANEERS AND THEIR WAYS - - -“Now, having learned why the buccaneers were so called and how they -came into existence, we’ll take up a more interesting matter, and I’ll -try to tell you something of the men themselves, of the most famous -buccaneers and of their deeds,” continued Mr. Bickford. - -“Certain famous buccaneers’ names are almost household words—such as -Morgan, Montbars, L’Ollonois and your friend Captain Kidd, who, as I -said, was no buccaneer—but others, who did even braver and more -terrible things and were the most noted of buccaneers in their day, are -almost unknown to the world to-day. Among these was Pierre Le Grand, -Brasiliano, Bartholomew Portugues, Sawkins, Sharp, Davis, Red Legs, -Cook, Dampier, Mansvelt, Prince Rupert and many others.” - -“But you’ve forgotten Drake and Hawkins and Blackbeard,” put in Jack. - -“None of those men were buccaneers,” his father declared. “Drake and -Hawkins were privateers—Drake being Admiral of Queen Elizabeth’s -navy—and won their fame in the destruction of the Spanish Armada. Later -they attacked and took towns on the Spanish Main and destroyed Spanish -ships, but they were neither pirates nor buccaneers. In fact, they were -both dead before buccaneers became of any importance as sea rovers. On -the other hand, Blackbeard was an ordinary pirate—a sea robber who made -no attempt to discriminate between friend and foe and scuttled and -robbed ships of his own countrymen as readily as those of other -nationalities. But as he was an interesting character and was among the -last of the important or dangerous pirates of the Caribbean I will tell -you something of his life and career later. - -“The first buccaneer to rise to any fame was Pierre Le Grand, or as he -was oftener called, Peter the Great, a native of Dieppe in Normandy. Le -Grand’s first and only achievement, and the one which brought him fame, -was the taking of the Vice Admiral of the Spanish fleet near Cape -Tiburon in Haiti. With a small boat manned by twenty-eight of the rough -buccaneers Le Grand set forth in search of prizes and cruised among the -Bahamas, but for many days saw no ship. Provisions were running low, -his men were grumbling and he had about decided to give up in despair -when they sighted a huge Spanish ship which had become separated from -the rest of the convoy. Setting sail they headed for the vessel and at -twilight were very close. In order to force his men to their utmost, Le -Grand ordered one of his crew to bore holes in the bottom of the boat -and then, running their tiny craft alongside the Don, and armed only -with swords and pistols, the buccaneers swarmed over the sides of the -doomed ship. Taken absolutely by surprise, for the Spaniards had not -dreamed that the handful of ragged men in a tiny sail boat intended to -attack them, the crew of the ship, nevertheless, resisted stoutly. But -they were ruthlessly cut down and while some of the buccaneers drove -the Spaniards across the deck, others with Le Grand at their head, -dashed into the cabin where the unsuspecting Vice Admiral was enjoying -a quiet game of cards with his officers. - -“As Le Grand leaped across the room and placed his pistol at the -Admiral’s breast the dumbfounded Spaniard exclaimed, ‘Lord bless us! -Are these devils or what?’ - -“But he soon realized that whatever they were his ship was in their -hands and that he and his men were prisoners. Le Grand, however, was -neither a brutal nor a bloodthirsty wretch, as were many of his -successors, and, having impressed as many of the Spanish seamen into -his service as he required, he set the others, including the Admiral -and the officers, ashore, and set sail with his prize for France. So -great was the booty he secured by this one coup that he gave up -buccaneering and settled down in France for life. - -“But his deed fired the buccaneers on Tortuga with dreams of easily -acquired prizes and riches, and soon a host of the rough hunters and -woodsmen were cruising about in small boats and attacking every Spanish -ship they saw. Indeed, many, unable to secure sailboats, actually went -a-pirating in tiny dugout canoes, and so daring and reckless were they -that, despite their handicaps, they took two huge galleons laden with -plate within the first month, as well as many smaller vessels. Now that -they had seaworthy ships and plenty of wealth at their disposal they -became bolder and bolder, and were soon not only cruising the Caribbean -Sea, and taking ships, but were attacking the fortified and wealthy -towns along the Central and South American coast with success. And let -me mention here that it was very seldom that the buccaneers made use of -the larger ships in their piratical raids. The smaller vessels were -faster, they were more easily handled, and when necessity arose they -could slip through narrow, shoal channels through which the Spanish -men-of-war could not follow. The buccaneers’ vessels seldom carried -over six guns, many had but two or three, but they swarmed with men -armed to the teeth, and the buccaneers depended far more upon a dashing -attack and hand-to-hand fights than upon cannon fire.” - -“Excuse me, Dad,” interrupted Jack, “but are there books that tell all -these things?” - -“Yes, Jack,” replied Mr. Bickford. “And the best and most complete is a -book called ‘The Buccaneers of America.’ It was written by a buccaneer, -a man named Esquemeling, who took part in nearly all the most famous of -the buccaneers’ raids and served with Morgan, L’Ollonois and many other -buccaneer chiefs. His own history is almost as interesting as that of -any of the men of whom he wrote. He was a Hollander by birth, but went -to Tortuga as a clerk for the West India Company of France. The -company, however, found that although the buccaneers were quite willing -to purchase goods it was quite another matter when it came to paying -for them, and as a result, the West India Company abandoned their -agency in Tortuga and gave orders that all their goods and chattels on -the island should be sold for what they would bring. This included -servants of the company as well, and Esquemeling found himself sold for -a slave for thirty pieces of eight. His master was a cruel, tyrannical -man and abused his Dutch slave shamefully, although offering to let him -buy his freedom for three hundred pieces of eight. Esquemeling, -however, as he says himself, ‘was not master of one in the whole -world.’ Finally Esquemeling became weak and ill from abuse and -inadequate food, and his cruel master, fearing the man would die and he -would be out of pocket and without a slave as well, disposed of the -sick Hollander for seventy pieces of eight. His new master was a -surgeon and a kindly man and, having doctored Esquemeling and restored -him to health and strength, at the end of a year he gave him his -liberty, exacting only the promise that Esquemeling should pay him one -hundred pieces of eight when in a position to do so. Being, as he -himself says, ‘at liberty but like unto Adam when he was first created, -that is, naked and destitute of all human necessities,’ and with no -means of earning a livelihood, Esquemeling threw in his lot with the -buccaneers and he remained with them for a number of years. Being by -profession a clerk, Esquemeling kept the logs and accounts of the -buccaneers and also a journal of his own in which he recorded all the -details and events of his adventurous life. His work is, in fact, the -only authentic account of these men, and his quaint phraseology and -droll remarks are very amusing. I have the book here, boys, and you’ll -find it more interesting and absorbing than any story or fiction of the -buccaneers that ever was written. - -“The first buccaneer of note with whom Esquemeling sailed was -Bartholomew Portugues, so called as he was a native of Portugal. -Portugues left Jamaica in a small ship of four small carronades with a -crew of thirty men, and went cruising off Cuba. A few days later he met -a heavily armed galleon bound to Havana from Cartagena and at once -attacked her. Although the Spaniard carried a crew of over seventy, in -addition to passengers, and was armed with twenty heavy cannon, yet -Portugues assaulted the Dons without hesitation and after a desperate -battle in which nearly fifty Spaniards were killed and wounded, the -buccaneers took the galleon with a loss of only ten men killed and four -wounded. Owing to contrary winds Portugues could not return directly to -either Tortuga or Jamaica and so set sail for Cape San Antonio at the -western extremity of Cuba. There he made necessary repairs to his prize -and secured a supply of fresh water. As they were setting sail the -buccaneers were surprised by three great Spanish ships and, greatly -outnumbered, were taken prisoners and stripped of the booty they had so -recently secured, a treasure of over ten thousand pieces of eight, in -addition to valuable merchandise. We can imagine the chagrin of the -buccaneers at this turn of fate and no doubt they gave themselves up -for lost. But luck was with them. Two days after they had been made -prisoners a great storm arose, the vessels became separated and the one -containing the buccaneers was driven to Campeche in Yucatan. When the -residents learned that Portugues and his fellows were captives on board -there was great rejoicing, and the authorities sent off to the ship -demanding that the buccaneers be delivered to them. After a -consultation, however, it was decided safer to leave the prisoners -aboard and in preparation for a general hanging a number of gibbets -were erected on shore. These were in plain view of the buccaneers, and -Portugues resolved to make a desperate effort to escape and to cheat -the expectant Dons of the grewsome spectacle. He managed to secure two -earthen wine jars and, having plugged their necks with the idea of -using them as floats, he waited patiently for darkness. But the sentry, -who hitherto had been a careless, sleepy fellow, was unusually alert, -and seeing this, Portugues seized a knife which he had surreptitiously -obtained and, to quote Esquemeling, ‘gave him such a mortal stab as -suddenly deprived him of life and the possibility of making any noise.’ -Then the buccaneer captain leaped into the sea and aided by his -extemporized water-wings managed to gain the shore. But his troubles -had only begun. At once the hue and cry of his escape was raised, and -for three days Portugues concealed himself in a hollow tree without -food while the Dons searched all about. At last, abandoning their hunt, -the Spaniards returned to the town, and Portugues set out afoot for the -Gulf of Triste, where he hoped to find other buccaneers to aid him in -rescuing his comrades. - -“It is almost impossible to imagine what this meant or the seemingly -insurmountable hardships the buccaneer captain deliberately faced, and -it is also a most striking example of the faithfulness of the -buccaneers to one another, which was one of the chief causes why they -were so successful. Remember, Portugues was unarmed, for he had left -the knife in the sentry’s back, he was without food, he had been half -starved by his captors, and yet he calmly set out on a one hundred and -fifty mile tramp through the jungle and along the jagged rocks of the -seacoast; through a country infested by mosquitoes and stinging -insects, by savage hostile Indians, and through swamps reeking with -malaria. Every settlement and town had to be avoided, as they were all -filled with his enemies, the Spaniards, and throughout that long and -terrible journey the buccaneer subsisted entirely upon the few -shellfish he found along the shore and upon the roots of forest herbs. - -“Moreover, several large and many small rivers crossed his route and -not being able to swim his case seemed hopeless. But while searching -about the banks of the first large stream, looking for a possible ford, -he found an old plank with a few large spikes in it. After tremendous -efforts he managed to withdraw these nails and with infinite patience -whetted them against stones until he secured a sharp knifelike edge. -Just think of that, boys, when you read of modern hardships endured by -men left to their own resources in a forest. Imagine rubbing a ship’s -spike back and forth upon a stone until it has been transformed into a -knife! - -“But the preparation of the nails, incredible as it sounds, was not the -worst of his labors. With these crude implements the buccaneer actually -hacked off branches of trees, cut vines and pliant reeds and with these -constructed a raft with which he crossed the stream. At every large -river he repeated the work and eventually arrived safely at the Gulf of -Triste fourteen days after escaping from the ship. Here, as he had -expected, he found a buccaneer vessel with a captain whom he knew and, -telling of his comrades’ plight, he begged the captain to lend him a -boat and twenty men to go to his men’s rescue. This the captain gladly -did, and eight days later, Portugues was back at Campeche. So small was -the boat that the Spaniards never dreamed that its occupants were -enemies or buccaneers, but thought it a craft from shore bringing off -cargo, and they watched it approach without the least fear or -preparations for defense. - -“Thus the buccaneers completely surprised the Dons and after a short, -sharp struggle were in possession of the ship and had released the -imprisoned buccaneers—or rather most of them, for the Dons had hanged a -few. - -“Realizing that other Spanish vessels might appear and attack him with -overwhelming force at any time, Portugues at once set sail in the ship -wherein he had so long been a helpless captive, and once more in -possession of his booty with vast riches in addition. Steering a course -for Jamaica he was off the Isle of Pines when the fickle fate which -always followed him once more turned her back and the ship went upon -the reefs of the Jardines. The ship was a total loss and sunk with all -her treasure, while Portugues and his comrades barely escaped with -their lives in a canoe. Although they managed to reach Jamaica without -misfortune, luck had deserted Portugues for all time and while he tried -time after time to recoup his fortunes all his efforts were in vain. He -became an ordinary seaman and was soon forgotten. - -“Another buccaneer whose exploits were as remarkable as Portugues’ and -whose most notable exploits also took place in Yucatan, was a Dutchman -who was nicknamed Rock Brasiliano, owing to his long residence in -Brazil. As an ordinary mariner he joined the buccaneers in Jamaica and -soon so distinguished himself by his bravery and resourcefulness that -when, after a dispute with his captain, he deserted the ship, he was -chosen chief by a number of his fellows and, securing a small vessel, -he set forth to capture a prize. Within a few days he seized a large -Spanish ship with a vast treasure aboard which he carried into Jamaica -in triumph. This exploit at once brought him fame and men flocked to -his service. But, unlike Portugues, who seems to have been a very -decent and respectable sort of rascal, Brasiliano was a drunken, brutal -scallawag. As Esquemeling says, ‘Neither in his domestic or private -affairs had he good behavior or government over himself.’ When drunk, -as he always was when ashore, his favorite amusement was to race up and -down the streets, beating, stabbing or shooting all whom he met, very -much as our Western ‘bad men’ used to ‘shoot up’ a town in the old -days. - -“Moreover, Brasiliano was unspeakably bloodthirsty and cruel. Whenever -he captured Spaniards he put them to the most horrible tortures, and in -order to force them to reveal the hiding places of their treasures he -would flay them alive, tear them limb from limb or roast them on spits -over slow fires. As a result, he became a feared and dreaded man, and -the mere mention of his name caused the Dons to shudder and to huddle -within their stockades. Nevertheless Brasiliano was a brave, a -resourceful and a most remarkable man and performed some most -noteworthy exploits. On one occasion he was cruising off the coast of -Yucatan when a violent storm drove his ship upon the rocks, and he and -his men escaped with only their muskets and a slender stock of -ammunition. They landed on a desolate, uninhabited stretch of coast -midway between Campeche and the Gulf of Triste and, quite undeterred by -their plight, commenced an overland march towards the Gulf exactly as -Portugues had done. But they had not proceeded far when they were -surprised by a cavalcade of over one hundred Spanish horsemen. Despite -the fact that the buccaneers numbered less than thirty, yet they had no -thought of either retreat or surrender, but at once prepared to meet -the oncoming cavalry. Expert marksmen as they were, a Don fell for -every bullet fired and for an hour the handful of buccaneers kept the -Spaniards at bay until, finding the cost too heavy, the cavalry -retreated towards the town. Killing the wounded and stripping the dead -of their arms and equipment, the buccaneers continued on the journey -mounted on the horses of the dead Dons, the total loss of Brasiliano’s -forces being but two killed and two wounded. Quite encouraged by their -success, the buccaneers approached a little port and saw a boat lying -at anchor in the harbor and protecting a fleet of canoes that were -loading logwood. With little trouble the buccaneers captured the canoes -and with wild shouts and yells bore down upon the little gunboat. The -Spaniards aboard, terrified at sight of the buccaneers, surrendered -after a short fight, but, to the buccaneers’ chagrin, they found -scarcely any provisions on their prize. This did not trouble them long, -however, and promptly killing the Spaniards’ horses they dressed them, -salted the meat and, thus equipped, sailed forth to capture more -vessels. In this they were highly successful, and in a few weeks -Brasiliano sailed into Port Royal with nearly one hundred thousand -pieces of eight and much merchandise. But the buccaneers invariably -wasted all their hard-won money recklessly. It was not uncommon for one -of them to spend several thousand pieces of eight in a single night of -drinking, gambling and carousing and so, within a few days, Brasiliano -and his men were forced to go to sea again. Having had good fortune at -Yucatan, he set sail for Campeche, but fifteen days after his arrival -on the coast he was captured with several of his men while spying on -the city and harbor in a canoe. They were at once cast into a dungeon -to await execution, but Brasiliano was by no means at the end of his -resources. By some method he managed to secure writing materials and -composed a most wonderful letter purporting to be written by another -buccaneer chief and in which the supposed author threatened dire -reprisals on any Spaniard captured by the buccaneers if Brasiliano and -his men were harmed. This epistle was delivered to the Governor—though -how on earth Brasiliano managed it no one knows—and His Excellency, -having had plenty of experience with buccaneers, was so frightened at -its contents that he at once liberated his prisoners, only exacting an -oath that they would abandon buccaneering. Then, to insure their -keeping their promise, he sent them as sailors on a galleon bound for -Spain. With their wages from the trip they at once returned to Jamaica -and, regardless of pledges, were soon harassing and murdering the Dons -right and left. - -“But neither Portugues or Brasiliano could compare in cruelty, daring, -bloodthirstiness or rascality with Francis L’Ollonois. In his youth -L’Ollonois was transported to the West Indies as a bond servant, or -virtually a slave, and, winning his freedom, made his way to Tortuga -and joined the buccaneers. - -“So unspeakably cruel and bestially inhuman was this Frenchman that -even his fellow buccaneers sickened of his ways and Esquemeling speaks -of him as ‘that infernal wretch’ or ‘that despicable and execrable -pirate.’ For a time after joining the Brethren of the Main, L’Ollonois -served as a common seaman, but his courage and reckless daring soon -brought him to the attention of Monsieur de la Place, the governor of -Tortuga, who was heartily in sympathy with the buccaneers. The governor -therefore provided L’Ollonois with a ship and outfitted him, the -agreement of course being that La Place should have a share of the -booty taken. Within a very short time L’Ollonois had taken several -vessels and immense riches, while his awful cruelties made him a -dreaded and famed character throughout the Caribbean. Indeed, so -merciless was he that the Dons, rather than surrender to the monster, -would leap into the sea or blow out their own brains, knowing that -quick death by any means was preferable to the tortures they would -endure at L’Ollonois’ hands. His first disaster occurred when his ship -was wrecked on the coast of Yucatan. The men all escaped, but were -immediately attacked by the Spaniards, who killed the greater portion -of the buccaneers and wounded L’Ollonois. Seeing no means of escape the -captain smeared himself with blood and sand and crawling among the dead -bodies lay motionless. The Dons were completely fooled and, not -recognizing L’Ollonois and thinking him merely a dead sailor, left the -field after a brief search for the buccaneer chief, whereupon he made -for the woods and lived upon roots until his wounds healed. Then, -having stolen garments from a Spaniard whom he killed, the rascal -walked calmly into Campeche. Here he conversed with several slaves and, -promising them liberty in return for their services, he succeeded in -getting a large canoe and with the slaves to help he reached Tortuga in -safety. In the meantime the Spaniards were rejoicing at thought of the -dread L’Ollonois being killed, for his men, who had been made -prisoners, told the Dons that he had fallen in the battle. - -“His next raid was on the town of Cayos in Cuba, and word of his -approach was sent post-haste to the governor at Havana. We can readily -imagine the amazement and terror of His Excellency when this dreaded -buccaneer, who was supposed to be safely dead at Campeche, bobbed up -alive and well at Cuba. At first the governor could not believe it, but -nevertheless he dispatched a ship with ten guns and with a crew of -eighty to attack the buccaneers and commanded the captain not to dare -to return unless he had totally destroyed the pirates. In addition, he -sent aboard a negro as a hangman with instructions that every buccaneer -taken alive should be hanged, with the exception of L’Ollonois, who was -to be brought alive to Havana. No doubt the governor wished to make -sure of the buccaneer chieftain’s death this time, but fate decreed -otherwise. Instead of trying to escape, the buccaneers, when they -learned of the warship coming to attack them, set forth in two canoes -and unexpectedly bore down on the Spanish ship as she lay at anchor in -the Estera River. It was two o’clock in the morning when they drew near -the doomed vessel, and the watch, seeing the canoes and not dreaming -that they contained buccaneers, hailed them and asked if they had seen -any pirates. To this the buccaneers replied that they had seen no -pirates or anything like them. The watch thus satisfied was turning -away when the canoes dashed close and the buccaneers swarmed over the -ship’s rails. Taken completely by surprise, still the Dons put up a -gallant fight and for some time the battle raged desperately. But, as -usual, the buccaneers, though but twenty-one all told, triumphed and -drove the surviving Spaniards into the hold. Then, stationing his men -by the hatchway with drawn swords, L’Ollonois ordered the prisoners to -come up one at a time, and as fast as they appeared his men struck off -their heads. The last to appear was the negro hangman who begged -piteously for mercy, but L’Ollonois, after torturing him to confession -of various matters, murdered him like the rest. Only one man was spared -and to him L’Ollonois gave a note addressed to the governor in which he -informed His Excellency of the fate of his men and assured him that he -would never give quarter to any Spaniard and only hoped to be able to -torture and kill His Excellency as well. - -“With the ship captured from the Spaniards, L’Ollonois cruised along -the Spanish Main, took several ships and returned to Tortuga with the -idea of fitting out a large company of ships and boldly attacking the -Spanish towns and cities, as well as their vessels. The fleet he -gathered together consisted of eight ships, the largest carrying ten -guns, and with six hundred and sixty buccaneers. But long before they -reached the South American coast they were flushed with success. Near -Porto Rico they captured a ship of sixteen guns laden with cacao and -with treasure consisting of forty thousand pieces of eight and over ten -thousand dollars’ worth of jewels, and near the island of Saona they -took the payship of the Dons and obtained nearly four tons of -gunpowder, many muskets and twelve thousand pieces of eight. It would -be tiresome to describe in detail their arrival at Maracaibo, their -taking of the forts and their capture of the town. The Spaniards -resisted valiantly, but were beaten back and then commenced a series of -orgies, of cruelties and of inhumanities which are almost without an -equal. The people, as soon as they realized the town would fall to -L’Ollonois and his freebooters, took to the outlying country, and these -refugees the buccaneers hunted down and dragged before their chief. In -order to make them confess where they had hidden their -valuables—although L’Ollonois had already obtained vast plunder—they -were put on the rack, broken on the wheel, cut to pieces, flayed alive -and subjected to every cruelty and torture the corsairs could devise. -For fifteen days the buccaneers occupied the town and butchered and -tortured the inhabitants until, convinced that no more loot could be -secured, they left Maracaibo, sailed up the Lake and took the town of -Gibraltar. Here they were ambushed and many killed, but in comparison -to the losses of the Dons the buccaneers suffered little, losing but -forty men killed and about fifty wounded, while over five hundred -Spaniards were killed and several hundred taken prisoners. Many of the -captives died from starvation or illness under the buccaneers’ -treatment, many more were butchered for pure sport and hundreds were -put to the torture. Then, not satisfied, L’Ollonois threatened to burn -the town unless he was paid ten thousand pieces of eight and when this -was not instantly forthcoming he actually set fire to the place. -However, the money being eventually paid, the buccaneers had the -decency to aid the inhabitants in putting out the conflagration, for, -oddly enough, they usually kept to their promises, and after eighteen -days set sail for Maracaibo again. Here they demanded a payment of -thirty thousand pieces of eight under penalty of having the town -destroyed, and the poor harassed and cowed Dons managed to raise the -sum and with heartfelt thanks saw the fleet sail away. When Tortuga was -reached and a division of spoils made it was found that over two -hundred thousand pieces of eight had been taken in addition to immense -stores of silks, gold and silver plate and jewels. - -“Hardly had he landed when L’Ollonois prepared for another raid and -with seven hundred men set sail with six ships for Honduras. Here the -beastly buccaneer chief tortured and killed and robbed to his heart’s -content, but finding comparatively little loot and thinking the -inhabitants had secreted their wealth, he became mad with fury and -outdid all his former inhuman acts. On one occasion, when a prisoner -insisted that he did not know the route to a certain town, L’Ollonois -slashed open the fellow’s breast with his sword, tore out his still -throbbing heart and bit and gnawed at it with his teeth, as Esquemeling -says, ‘like a ravenous wolf,’ and threatened to serve the other -prisoners in the same manner unless they showed him the way to San -Pedro. This they did, but the Spaniards had placed ambuscades and the -buccaneers were compelled to fight savagely every inch of the way. -Finally the Dons agreed to deliver the town if the buccaneers would -grant quarter for two hours, but no sooner was the time up than -L’Ollonois hurried his men after the people, robbed them of what they -had and slaughtered them without mercy. But L’Ollonois was too bestial -and cruel even for his own men. A short time after the sack of San -Pedro, dissensions arose and the party divided, the majority of the -buccaneers leaving with Moses Vanclein to raid the coast towns of Costa -Rica and Panama. From that time on L’Ollonois had nothing but ill luck -and soon afterwards his ship was wrecked off Cape Gracias à Dios. With -the remains of the wreck, the buccaneers set to work to construct a -small boat, and to sustain themselves, planted gardens. For six months -they were marooned until the boat was completed, and L’Ollonois, with -part of his crew, set out for the San Juan River in Nicaragua. But fate -had turned against him which as Esquemeling naïvely remarks, ‘had long -time been reserved for him as a punishment due to the multitude of -horrible crimes which in his wicked life he had committed.’ Attacked by -the Spaniards and their Indian allies, he was forced to retreat with -heavy loss and, still hoping to retrieve his fortunes, headed southward -for the coasts of Darien. And here the villain met with the end he so -richly deserved. He was taken by the savage Indians of the district, -was torn to pieces while alive and his limbs cast into a fire. Finally, -that no trace or memory of him might remain, the savages scattered his -ashes in the air.” - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER III - -MORGAN AND HIS ROAD TO FAME - - -“Ugh!” exclaimed Jack, as his father ceased speaking. “Wasn’t he the -most awful creature! Gosh, I always thought the buccaneers were brave -men and heroes.” - -“There is no question of their bravery,” replied Mr. Bickford, “and -L’Ollonois was an exceptionally cruel villain. But as a rule the -buccaneers were no more cruel or bloodthirsty than the Spaniards or -even their more respectable countrymen. You must remember that human -standards have changed a great deal since the days of the buccaneers. -In their time human life was held very cheaply. The theft of a few -cents’ worth of merchandise was punishable by death. Men and women had -their ears cut off, their tongues pierced or their eyes put out for -most trivial crimes, and torture by rack, wheel or fire was considered -a perfectly legitimate means of securing confessions of guilt from -suspected persons. We must not therefore judge the buccaneers too -harshly. To us they appear inhuman monsters, but in their days they -were no worse than the usual run of men. Moreover, you must remember -that their crews were made up of the roughest, toughest element. -Renegades, fugitives from justice, criminals, cut-throats and thieves, -and that they looked upon the Spaniards as natural enemies and worthy -of no more pity or consideration than wild beasts. Finally, consider -the temptation that ever spurred them on and excited their passions and -their worst instincts. Gold and riches were to be had for the taking, -the Dons were legitimate prey, and they were beyond the pale of the -law, if not actually protected by the authorities. Take a crowd of -sailors to-day, give them arms and a ship, and license to kill, rob and -destroy, and you would find them as reckless, as cruel and as devilish -as the old buccaneers, if not more so. And much of their success -depended upon the reputation they had for cruelty. The very mention of -some of the more famous pirates’ names would create a panic among the -Dons and make victory comparatively easy, and for this reason the -buccaneers practiced cruelties that were absolutely uncalled for, but -which they looked upon as a part of their profession.” - -“It seems to me the Spaniards were awful cowards,” said Fred, as his -uncle paused. “They were always licked by the buccaneers, although -there were more of them.” - -“That’s a great mistake,” Mr. Bickford assured him. “In nearly every -case the Spaniards showed marvelous bravery and courage in resisting -the buccaneers and in several instances their courage was absolutely -heroic. Very often they refused to surrender until every man fell, and -time and time again their commanders committed suicide when they found -that resistance was hopeless. But they were fearfully handicapped. The -buccaneers knew beforehand just what to expect and the strength of the -garrisons, they usually attacked at night and they invariably surprised -the Dons. The Spaniards had no idea how many men were attacking, and -they were packed together in forts, stockades or towns, while the -buccaneers could scatter, could seek the shelter of trees or buildings -and were constantly on the move. Finally, the buccaneers were expert -marksmen, trained woodsmen and were absolutely reckless of life and -limb while, in addition, the Spaniards knew that the more valiantly -they resisted the less quarter they would receive in the end. Perhaps -there are no better examples of the Spaniards’ bravery than that shown -by the garrisons of Porto Bello and of San Lorenzo, which were taken by -Sir Henry Morgan, the most famous of the buccaneers.” - -“Oh, do tell us about him!” cried the two boys in unison. - -“Very well,” laughed Mr. Bickford. “But I’m afraid your ideals will be -rudely shattered when you learn the truth of Morgan, and before I tell -you of his most famous exploits let me ask you a question. Have you any -idea how long Morgan was a buccaneer or how long his career of fame -lasted?” - -“Why, no,” replied Jack. “I never thought about it, but I suppose it -was years and years.” - -“I thought he was a buccaneer all his life,” declared Fred. - -Mr. Bickford smiled. “Nearly all the famous buccaneers led short lives -and merry ones,” he said. “But of them all I think the famous Morgan’s -career was the shortest. From the time he first came into notice as a -corsair until he dropped out of sight was barely five years, and all -his most famous or rather infamous exploits took place within a space -of three years.” - -“Jiminy, he must have been a fast worker!” exclaimed Jack. - -“Yes, he was what you might call a ‘hustler,’” laughed his father. “And -it undoubtedly was the speed with which he carried out his nefarious -projects that made him successful to a large extent. But like many -another famous man, Morgan’s deeds have been greatly exaggerated, and -his real character was very different from that we are accustomed to -attribute to him, for romance, imagination and fiction have, through -the passing years, surrounded him with a halo of false gallantry, -bravery and decency. In reality Morgan was an ignorant, unprincipled, -ruthless, despicable character, utterly selfish and heartless, -dishonorable and with scarcely a redeeming trait, aside from personal -courage. But like many of the buccaneers he displayed most remarkable -and contradictory traits at times. It is said that whenever a priest or -minister fell into his clutches he compelled the clergyman to hold -divine services on the ship, and that on more than one occasion, he -shot down his own men for not attending service or for disrespectful -behavior during a religious ceremony. What became of the unfortunate -clerics after Morgan was done with them is not recorded, but the -chances are that he compelled them to walk the plank or put an end to -their careers in some equally summary manner, for that was ‘Harry -Morgan’s way,’ as he was fond of saying.” - -“But tell me, Dad,” asked Jack, “did the buccaneers always kill or -torture their prisoners?” - -“No,” his father assured him. “As a rule they treated their prisoners -with consideration. Some of the more bloodthirsty tortured and -butchered them out of hand, but in most cases the prisoners were either -held for ransom or were set ashore or turned loose in boats. It was, in -a way, to the buccaneers’ advantage to give quarter, for they knew that -in case any of their number fell into the Spaniards’ hands they would -be treated according to the way they had treated Spanish captives—or -perhaps worse—for the Dons were past masters in the art of devising -most atrocious tortures. - -“And before I tell you of Morgan and his deeds let me point out one or -two other matters which will help you to understand much that would -otherwise puzzle you boys and which is little known. In several -places—as in the Isle of Pines off Cuba—the Spaniards were friendly -with the buccaneers and gladly aided them, while the corsairs made it a -point always to pacify and maintain friendly relations with the -Indians. This was a most important matter for them. All along the South -and Central American coasts were Indian tribes, and the buccaneers -depended very largely upon the red men for provisions, canoes and -guides. The Indians hated the Dons and willingly joined the buccaneers -against them, and even the most savage tribesmen usually welcomed the -freebooters and helped them in every way. Moreover, they knew the -country and were most valuable as guides and pilots, and there are -innumerable records of the buccaneers showing the greatest forbearance -towards the savages. Even when they were attacked by Indians with whom -they had not established relations they refrained from retaliating, but -either propitiated the natives or moved bag and baggage from the -locality, and the most severe punishment was meted out to the -buccaneers by their leaders if they molested the Indians or interfered -with them in any way. As a result, many of their greatest triumphs were -made possible by their Indian allies. - -“But to return to Morgan. He was, by birth, a Welshman, the son of a -well-to-do farmer, but his imagination being fired by tales of -adventure in the West Indies he ran away from home and reached Bristol -with the intention of shipping on a vessel bound to Barbados. But young -Morgan knew little of what was to befall him. According to a common -custom of those days the master of the ship sold him as a bond servant, -or in other words a slave, as soon as the ship reached Barbados, and -the embryo buccaneer found himself far worse off than as a farmer’s boy -in Wales. Nevertheless, he served his time, secured his liberty and -made his way to Jamaica, which was then the headquarters of the English -buccaneers. - -“And now let me digress a bit and explain how a British colony happened -to be a notorious lair of the buccaneers. You remember that I told you -about Tortuga and how the British and French freebooters had disputes -and dissensions and that the English corsairs transferred their -headquarters to Port Royal, Jamaica. At that time, you must remember, -Spain and England were at war, and the British authorities gladly gave -commissions as privateers to the buccaneer leaders. Thus they were -looked upon, not as pirates, but as auxiliaries of the British navy, -and even after peace was declared and they continued to prey upon the -Spaniards, the authorities winked at them. They brought vast sums to -the island ports, spent it recklessly and freely, and disposed of the -merchandise they had taken for a mere song. As a result, the ports -prospered and became rich through their dealings with the buccaneers; -merchants and traders did a lively business, shipyards and outfitting -shops sprang into existence; drinking places, gambling houses and every -form of vice catered to the corsairs and thrived amazingly, and every -one prospered. The buccaneers thus had safe refuges where they could -spend their loot, refit their ships and organize their expeditions, and -they were careful not to molest or injure the inhabitants or their -property. Indeed, Jamaica’s prosperity was largely built upon the trade -with the corsairs, and not until infamous Port Royal was utterly -destroyed by an earthquake on June 7, 1692, and the ‘wickedest city in -the world’ slid bodily into the sea, with all its riches and over three -thousand of its inhabitants, did it cease to be a clearing house, a -gigantic ‘fence’ and a haven for the buccaneers. Then the few -survivors, frightened, feeling that the wrath of God and His vengeance -for their wickedness had been visited upon them, moved across the bay -and founded the present city of Kingston and paved the way for a -respectable and honest development of the island.” - -“Gosh, I should think some one would go down there and get back all -that treasure!” exclaimed Fred. - -“It’s rather strange that no one has attempted it,” said Mr. Bickford. -“The water is not deep—in calm weather the outlines of the ruins may -still be traced under the sea—and the native colored folk tell weird -tales of ghostly pirate ships tacking back and forth at dead of night, -striving to find the lost port; of the bells of the pirates’ church -tolling through storms from beneath the waves, and of spectral figures -walking the beach and gazing seaward as though awaiting ships that -never come.” - -“Did the buccaneers have a church?” cried Jack in surprise. - -“I don’t wonder you ask,” replied his father. “Yes, that was one of the -odd things about them. Altogether the buccaneers were most paradoxical -rascals. With all their villainies many of them were deeply religious -at times and there are instances—as I shall tell you later—of crews -actually mutinying because their captains made them work on Sunday and -did not hold services aboard their ships. They seemed to feel that -their notoriously wicked stronghold at Port Royal was not complete -without a church and so they built one. They fitted it with bells taken -from some raided church of the Dons, they provided altar pieces, -vestments, candelabra and holy vessels of gold and silver, chalices set -with priceless jewels, even paintings and tapestries torn and looted -from the desecrated churches and cathedrals of the Spanish towns, and -attended services in a house of God made a mockery and a blasphemy by -its fittings won by blood and fire and the murder of innocent men, -women and children. - -“And it was to this den of iniquity, this world-famed lair of the -buccaneers, that young Morgan came after gaining his liberty in -Barbados. Perhaps he had no idea of turning corsair and intended to get -honest employment or even to make his way back to his father’s farm in -Wales. But whatever his purpose may have been he found no ready means -of earning a livelihood and enlisted as a seaman on a buccaneer ship. -He was an apt pupil and was thrifty, and after the first two or three -voyages he had saved enough money from his share of plunder to purchase -a ship, or rather a controlling interest in one. He now was a -full-fledged buccaneer captain and in his own vessel set sail for -Yucatan, where he took several prizes and returned triumphantly to -Jamaica. Here he met an old corsair named Mansvelt, who was busy -organizing an expedition to pillage the towns along the Main, and -Mansvelt, seeing in Morgan a most promising young villain, offered him -the post of Vice Admiral of his fleet. With fifteen ships and five -hundred men, Mansvelt and Morgan sailed away from Port Royal and swept -down on the island of Old Providence—then known as St. Catherine—off -the Costa Rican coast, and which at the time was strongly garrisoned by -the Spaniards. After a short battle the island surrendered, and the -buccaneers, after plundering the place, destroying the forts and -burning the houses, sailed off with their holds crowded with prisoners. -These they put safely ashore near Porto Bello and then cruised along -the coasts of Panama and Costa Rica. The Dons, however, were everywhere -on the lookout and every town swarmed with troops. Realizing that an -attempt to take the places would be well nigh useless the buccaneers -returned to St. Catherine, where they had left one hundred of their -men, to find that the buccaneer in charge—Le Sieur Simon—had repaired -the forts and defenses until the place was well nigh impregnable. -Mansvelt’s idea was to retain the island as a basis for piratical raids -against the mainland, but he realized that he could not expect to hold -it with his handful of men, so he set out for Jamaica to enlist the aid -of the governor. His Excellency, however, frowned on the proposal. Not -that he was unwilling to aid his buccaneer friends, but he realized -that any such overt act must reach the ears of His Majesty the King -and, moreover, he could ill spare the necessary men and guns from the -garrison at Jamaica. Not despairing of carrying out his project, -Mansvelt made for Tortuga with the idea of getting help from the -French, but before he arrived he died. Meanwhile the buccaneers at St. -Catherine realized their reënforcements were not forthcoming and -decided to abandon the place, but before this could be done they were -attacked by a superior force of Spaniards and surrendered. Evidently, -too, the wily Governor of Jamaica had been thinking over the matter and -surreptitiously dispatched a party of men and a number of women in a -British ship to St. Catherine. Never suspecting that the isle had -fallen into the Dons’ hands they sailed boldly in and were made -prisoners and were transported to Porto Bello and Panama, where the men -were forced to labor like slaves at constructing fortifications. - -“Morgan now, by Mansvelt’s death, was in command of the fleet, and with -the idea of carrying out his former chief’s intentions he wrote letters -to various prominent merchants in New England and Virginia, asking for -funds and supplies to enable him to retain possession of St. Catherine. -Before replies were received, however, he had word of the recapture of -the island by the Spaniards and, abandoning this project, set out for -Cuba. His original idea was to attack Havana, but deeming his force of -twelve ships and seven hundred men too small for this he decided upon -Puerto Príncipe—now known as Camagüey—as the town to ravage. This town, -which had originally been upon the northern coast of Cuba, had been -moved inland to escape the raids of the buccaneers, but this fact did -not deter Morgan in the least. Landing upon the coast, Morgan and his -men started overland, but unknown to them a Spanish prisoner on one of -the ships had managed to escape and, swimming ashore, had made his way -to the town and had warned the inhabitants. As a result, the people -were up in arms, the roads were barricaded, and the buccaneers were -forced to approach through the jungle. - -“After a short but bloody battle the buccaneers gained the town, but -the Dons, barricaded in their houses, kept up a galling fire until -Morgan sent word that unless they surrendered he would burn the city -and cut the women and children to pieces before the Spaniards’ eyes. -This threat had its effect, and the Dons at once surrendered. Thereupon -Morgan immediately imprisoned all the Spaniards in the churches without -food or drink, and proceeded to pillage, drink and carouse. These -diversions they varied by dragging forth the half-starved prisoners and -torturing them to make them divulge the hiding places of their wealth, -but fortunately for the poor people, the majority of women and children -perished for want of food before Morgan and his men could wreak more -terrible deaths upon them. Finally, finding nothing more could be -secured, Morgan informed the survivors of the citizens that unless they -paid a large ransom he would transport them to Jamaica to be sold as -slaves and would burn the town. The Dons promised to do their best, but -finally, feeling convinced that they could not raise the sum and that -to remain longer in the vicinity might result in disaster, Morgan -consented to withdraw upon delivery of five hundred head of cattle. -These being furnished, he compelled the prisoners to drive the beasts -to the coast and to butcher, dress and salt them and load the meat -aboard his ships. While this was going on Morgan exhibited one of his -odd kinks of character which were always creeping out. One of the -French buccaneers was busily cutting up and salting an ox for his own -use when an English corsair came up and calmly took possession of the -marrow bones. Words and insults resulted, a challenge was issued and a -duel arranged, but as they reached the spot selected for the fight the -Englishman drew his cutlass and stabbed the Frenchman in the back, -killing him treacherously. Instantly the other French buccaneers -started an insurrection, but before it had gone far Morgan interposed, -ordered the offending Englishman chained and promised to have him -hanged when they reached Jamaica, which he did. - -“The taking of Puerto Príncipe, although a notable exploit, was, -nevertheless, a most unprofitable venture, the entire booty obtained -amounting to barely fifty thousand pieces of eight. As a result, the -men were so dissatisfied that the French buccaneers refused to follow -Morgan farther. Morgan’s next exploit was the most daring that the -buccaneers had ever attempted, for it was nothing more or less than an -attack upon the supposedly impregnable forts of Porto Bello, the -Atlantic terminus of the Gold Road across the Isthmus of Panama.” - -“Please, Dad, what was the Gold Road?” asked Jack, as his father -paused. - -“The Gold Road,” answered his father, “was the roughly paved highway -leading from the old city of Panama on the Pacific to Nombre de Dios -and Porto Bello on the Caribbean. If you will look at the map here you -will see Porto Bello situated about twenty-five miles east of Colón -with Nombre de Dios just beyond. Nombre de Dios, however, was abandoned -after its capture by Sir Francis Drake, and the terminus of the road -became Porto Bello. To-day the place is of no importance—a small -village of native huts—but the ruins of the old castles and forts are -still standing in a good state of preservation, and the place is -historically very interesting. Moreover, just off the port Sir Francis -Drake’s body was buried at sea. But to resume. The Gold Road was the -only route from the Pacific to the Atlantic and over it all the vast -treasures won by the Spaniards from the west coasts of North, South and -Central America and Mexico were transported on mule-back to be shipped -to Spain. Over it were carried the millions in gold, silver and jewels -of the Incas; over it was carried the output of countless fabulously -rich mines, incalculable wealth in pearls from the islands off Panama, -emeralds from Colombia, bullion and plate, the stupendous wealth -wrested by the ruthless Dons from Indian princes, princesses and kings; -such a treasure as the world had never seen before. In long mule trains -the vast wealth was carried over the Gold Road through the jungle, -escorted by armed men, accompanied by shackled slaves, and in Porto -Bello it was stored in the great stone treasure house to await the -galleons and their armed convoy to carry it to Spain. Naturally, with -such incredible fortunes stored in Porto Bello, the Spaniards used -every effort and spared no expense to make the place so impregnable -that there was no chance of its falling to the buccaneers, and in all -New Spain, aside from Havana, there was no spot more strongly fortified -and garrisoned than Porto Bello. The defenses consisted of two immense -castles or forts, several batteries and outlying bastions and a -garrison of nearly four hundred men, all seasoned veterans and heavily -armed. To attack this formidable spot Morgan had nine vessels, several -of them small boats, and a total force of four hundred and sixty men. -No buccaneer had dreamed of attacking Porto Bello since the completion -of its defenses—although in 1602 it had been taken and sacked by -William Parker—but Morgan counted on a complete surprise, an assault -made under cover of darkness from the land side and conducted by one of -his men who had once been a prisoner in Porto Bello. - -“Arriving at the River Naos, they traveled upstream a short distance -and then struck out through the forest. As they neared the city, Morgan -sent the former prisoner of the Spaniards, with several men, to kill or -capture the sentry at the outlying fort, and, creeping upon him, they -made him a prisoner before he could give an alarm and brought him bound -and gagged to Morgan. Under threat of torture and death if he gave an -alarm, the fellow was marched before the buccaneers and, without being -seen, they surrounded the first fort. Their prisoner was then ordered -to call to the garrison, tell them an overwhelming force had surrounded -them and advise them to surrender or otherwise they would be butchered -without mercy. The garrison, however, spurned the advice and instantly -commenced firing into the darkness. Although their shots did little -damage, yet they served to arouse the city and prepare the other forces -for the attack. With wild yells and shouts the battle was on, and -although the Dons fought most valiantly the outlying fort fell to the -buccaneers, and Morgan, as good as his word, put every living occupant -to death, thinking this would terrorize the other garrisons. In order -to do this the more effectually, Morgan shut the survivors, men and -officers together, in a store-room and, rolling in several kegs of -powder, blew the entire company to bits. Then, like fiends, he and his -men rushed towards the city. All was confusion, despite the warning the -Spaniards had received, and the inhabitants, who had not had time to -reach the protection of the forts, rushed screaming hither and thither, -casting their valuables into wells and cisterns, hiding in corners and -filled with terror. Bursting into the cloisters, the buccaneers dragged -out the monks and nuns and urging them with blows and pricks of their -swords, forced them to raise the heavy scaling ladders to the walls of -the forts, Morgan thinking that the Dons would not fire upon the -religious men and women. But in this he was mistaken. The Governor, who -throughout had been stoutly defending the castle, had held his own and -had wrought terrific execution upon the buccaneers. Time after time the -corsairs rushed forward through the storm of bullets and round shot, -striving to reach the castle doors, but each time the Dons hurled -grenades, burning tar, hot oil and molten lead upon them and drove them -back. And when Morgan threatened to force the nuns and priests to place -the ladders the brave old Governor replied that ‘never would he -surrender while he lived,’ and that he ‘would perform his duty at any -costs.’ Despite the piteous appeals of the friars and the nuns as they -were beaten forward to the walls, the Governor gave no heed and ordered -his men to shoot them down as though they were buccaneers. Carrying -fireballs and grenades which they heaved among the garrison, the -buccaneers poured over the parapets. Knowing all was lost, the soldiers -threw down their arms and begged for quarter, but the courageous -Governor, sword in hand, backed against a wall and prepared to resist -until the last. Even the buccaneers were won by his bravery and offered -quarter if he would surrender, but his only answer was to taunt them -and shout back that, ‘I would rather die a valiant soldier than be -hanged as a coward.’ - -“So struck was Morgan by the man’s heroism that he ordered his men to -take him alive, and over and over again they closed in upon him. But he -was a magnificent swordsman; before his thrusts and blows the -buccaneers fell wounded and dead, and deaf to the entreaties of his -wife and children, the brave man fought on. At last, finding it -impossible to make him prisoner, Morgan ordered him to be shot down, -and the brave old Don fell, with his blood-stained sword, among the -ring of buccaneers he had killed. The castle was now in Morgan’s hands, -and, gathering together the wounded Spaniards, he callously tossed them -into a small room, ‘to the intent their own complaints might be the -cure of their hurts, for no other was afforded them,’ as Esquemeling -puts it. - -“Then, devoting themselves to a wild orgy of feasting and drinking, the -buccaneers gave themselves up to debauchery and excesses until, as -Esquemeling points out, they were so maudlin that ‘fifty men might -easily have taken the city and killed all the buccaneers.’ But -unfortunately the fifty men were not available, and on the following -day as usual the buccaneers proceeded to loot the town and torture the -people into confessions of the hiding places of their riches. Many died -on the rack or were torn to pieces, and while the buccaneers were -practicing every devilish cruelty they could invent, word of the taking -of Porto Bello had been carried by fugitives to the governor of Panama. -He immediately prepared to equip an expedition to attack the -buccaneers, but before it arrived Morgan was getting ready to leave, -having been in possession of Porto Bello fifteen days. Before -departing, however, he sent word to the Governor General, demanding a -ransom of one hundred thousand pieces of eight if he did not wish Porto -Bello burned and destroyed. Instead of sending the ransom, the Governor -dispatched a force of armed men to attack the buccaneers. This Morgan -had expected, and, stationing a hundred of his men in ambush in a -narrow pass, he put the Spaniards to rout and repeated his threats to -the people of the unfortunate town. By hook and by crook the -inhabitants managed to raise the huge sum, and Morgan commenced his -evacuation in accordance with his promise. - -“As he was doing so a messenger arrived from the Governor General -bearing a letter requesting Morgan to send him ‘some small pattern of -the arms wherewith he had, by such violence, taken a great city.’ -Evidently the Governor imagined that the buccaneers possessed some -novel or marvelous arms, for he could not believe that the place had -fallen to the English through ordinary means. Morgan received the -messenger courteously and with a flash of grim humor handed him a -pistol and a few bullets, telling him to carry them to the Governor and -to inform him that ‘he desired him to accept that slender pattern of -arms wherewith he had taken Porto Bello and to keep them for a -twelvemonth, after which time he would come in person to Panama and -fetch them away.’ - -“Evidently, too, the haughty old Governor had a sense of humor, for ere -Morgan sailed away the messenger returned, bearing a message of thanks -from the Governor, a gold ring which he was requested to accept with -His Excellency’s compliments and a letter stating that Morgan ‘need not -give himself the trouble of visiting Panama, for he could promise that -he should not speed as well there as he had at Porto Bello.’ - -“With the vast loot he had won, a treasure amounting to a quarter of a -million pieces of eight, thousands of bales of silks, vast stores of -merchandise and fabulous sums in bullion, plate and jewels, Morgan left -the harried shores of Panama and set sail for Port Royal, where he -arrived in safety and was welcomed and lauded as the greatest buccaneer -of them all.” - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE SACKING OF MARACAIBO - - -“But I thought Morgan was Governor of Jamaica and a ‘Sir,’” said Jack. - -“He was. I’m coming to that presently,” replied his father. “Of course, -Morgan, having taken Porto Bello and thus won the greatest fame, -buccaneers flocked to him, begging for a chance to join him on his next -expedition. Indeed, he could have easily raised a force of several -thousand men, but Morgan, despite his faults, was a wise man, a born -leader and an experienced buccaneer and he knew that too large a force -would be a disadvantage. But realizing that he could command any number -of ships and men, he foresaw the possibility of accomplishing such -feats as no buccaneer had ever before undertaken. Naming the Island of -La Vaca, or Cow Island, south of Santo Domingo, as a rendezvous, Morgan -and his old captains set sail and there awaited the coming of the -buccaneers. And from every lair they flocked to his standard. French -and English, Dutch and Danes, from Tortuga Samaná, the Virgins and the -Caymans, they sped to join their fortunes with Morgan. Even the -Governor of Jamaica sent forth a ship, a brand-new vessel from New -England mounting thirty-six guns, the largest buccaneer ship that had -ever borne down upon the hapless Dons. Next in size to her was a French -ship, a vessel of twenty-four iron guns and twelve brass carronades -which happened to be lying at anchor at the island. Upon her Morgan -cast envious eyes and used every argument to induce her captain to join -with him. The French, however, were distrustful of the English and -flatly refused. And then the redoubtable Morgan showed his teeth and -proved himself the cowardly, underhand, treacherous rascal that he was -in reality. It seemed that some time previously this big French vessel -had been short of provision at sea and, meeting a British buccaneer, -had secured supplies, giving in payment not ready cash but bills of -exchange on Jamaica and Tortuga. Knowing of this, Morgan, finding he -could not induce the French captain to join him, seized upon the -incident as a means to carry out his nefarious ends. Inviting the -French commander and his officers to dine aboard his ship, Morgan -received them hospitably, but no sooner were they seated than he and -his men whipped out pistols, seized the Frenchmen and bound them as -prisoners. Stating that he had seized them as pirates for having taken -provisions from a British ship without pay, he informed the unhappy -Frenchmen that he intended to hang them and to confiscate their ship as -warning to others. But fate intervened and brought a just and speedy -retribution upon Morgan and his men for their treacherous act. Having -thus possessed himself of the French flagship, Morgan called a council -at which it was agreed to go to Saona Island and wait for the plate -fleet from Spain. Then, as usual, the buccaneers boarded their ships -and held a farewell feast in celebration of their coming voyage, -drinking, carousing and, as was customary, discharging their guns in -salute to one another. Half drunk, hilarious and careless, the men did -not notice that a gun discharged upon the big flagship of the fleet -dropped a bit of smoldering wadding onto the deck. There was a terrific -explosion and the vessel was blown to bits, destroying three hundred -and fifty English buccaneers and the unfortunate French prisoners who -were confined in the hold. Only thirty members of the crew, including -Morgan, escaped, they having been within the cabin at the high poop of -the vessel and away from the main force of the explosion. - -“But instead of being a wholesome lesson to Morgan and his fellows, -this accident only enraged them, and, claiming that their ship had been -blown up by the French prisoners—despite the fact that they were -manacled and far from the magazine—they at once seized all the French -ships in the harbor and sent them with their crews as prisoners to -Jamaica, with word that they had been found with papers authorizing -them to commit piracy against the British. In reality the papers were -merely permits from the Governor of Barracoa permitting the French to -trade in Spanish ports and to ‘cruise against English pirates,’ the -clause being inserted as a cloak to cover the reason for the permits. -But despite their protests and the fact that they had repeatedly aided -the English buccaneers against the Dons, Morgan’s influence was such -that the Frenchmen were imprisoned and several were hanged when they -reached Jamaica. - -“Morgan’s brutality was still further shown when, eight days after the -explosion, he sent out boats to gather up the bodies of the buccaneers -which were now floating about, not, as Esquemeling assures us, ‘with -the design of affording them Christian burial, but only to obtain the -spoil of their clothes and attire.’ Rings were cut from their dead -fingers, earrings torn from their ears, their weapons and garments -stripped from the corpses and the naked bodies cast back for the -sharks. Then, the loot from their dead comrades having been auctioned -off, the buccaneers set sail with fifteen ships—the largest carrying -fourteen guns—and nine hundred and sixty men. - -“Sending some of his ships and men to plunder the farms and villages of -Santo Domingo for provisions and cattle, Morgan continued to Saona. But -his men met with reverses on the island, many of the buccaneers were -killed, and though they escaped they were empty-handed and dared not -return to Morgan with their tale of reverses. Impatient at the delay, -Morgan at last decided to go on without them, and, with his fleet -reduced to eight ships and a force of five hundred men, he started for -the Gulf of Maracaibo. - -“Since it had been looted by L’Ollonois, Maracaibo and its neighboring -city of Gibraltar had prospered and grown immensely rich, the -fortifications had been greatly strengthened and a Spanish fleet was -constantly cruising near to prevent raids by the buccaneers. Arriving -off the port at night, Morgan drew close to the harbor bar unseen and -opened fire at daybreak. From morn until night the battle raged until, -feeling that they could not hold out another day, the garrison -evacuated the fort at nightfall and left a slow match leading to the -magazine in the hopes of blowing up the buccaneers if they entered. In -this they were very nearly successful, but Morgan himself discovered -the burning fuse and stamped it out when within six inches of the -explosives. - -“Finding his ships could not enter the shallow harbor, Morgan embarked -in boats and canoes and after terrific fighting silenced one fort after -another and took the town. Then began an awful scene of butchery and -torture. All that L’Ollonois had done in the stricken town before was -repeated a hundredfold. The people, rounded up and shackled, were -broken on the wheel, torn to pieces on the rack, spread-eagled and -flogged to a pulp. Burning fuses were placed between their fingers and -toes. Wet rawhide thongs were twisted about their heads and allowed to -dry until, as they shrunk, the wretches’ eyes burst from their skulls -and many were cut to pieces a bit at a time or flayed alive. Those who -had no treasures whose hiding place they could divulge died under their -torments, and those who confessed were too far gone to recover. For -three terrible weeks this awful work went on, the buccaneers sparing -neither young nor old, men, women or children, and daily scouring the -countryside to bring new victims to the torture chambers. Then, -satisfied he had every cent that it was possible to secure, Morgan -loaded his remaining prisoners on his ships and sailed for Gibraltar as -L’Ollonois had done. He had sent prisoners ahead, demanding the -surrender of the town and threatening to torture and butcher every -living soul if resistance were made, but notwithstanding this the -inhabitants and the garrison put up a stiff fight. Finding he could not -take the place by assault, Morgan started his men overland through the -woods, and the people, realizing the buccaneers would take the place, -fled with what valuables they could gather into the country, first -having spiked the guns and destroyed the powder in the forts. As a -result the buccaneers entered the city without a shot fired and found -no living soul save one half-witted man. Despite the fact that he was a -demented, helpless creature the buccaneers ruthlessly placed him on the -rack until he begged for mercy and promised to guide his tormentors to -his riches. Following him, they were led to a tumble-down house -containing nothing of any value with the exception of three pieces of -eight—all the poor man’s earthly possessions. The buccaneers, however, -had gotten a crazy idea that the fellow was a rich man masquerading as -a dunce, and when in reply to their question he announced that his name -was ‘Don Sebastian Sanchez’ and ‘I am brother to the Governor,’ instead -of being convinced that he was crazy, the buccaneers believed his -ridiculous words and tortured him anew. Despite his shrieks and -heart-rending appeals he was racked, his limbs were stretched by cords -passed over pulleys and with immense weights attached to them, he was -scorched to a crisp by burning palm leaves passed over his face and -body, and not till the miserable wretch had died after half an hour of -this fiendish torment did the buccaneers cease their efforts to wring -from him the secret of his supposed wealth. - -“The next day the buccaneers captured a poor farmer and his two -daughters and threatened them with torture, but the cowering wretches -agreed to lead the buccaneers to the hiding places of the inhabitants. -Seeing their enemies coming, the Spaniards fled still farther, and the -disgruntled Englishmen hanged the peasant and his daughters to trees by -the wayside. The buccaneers then set diligently at work, scouring the -countryside for prisoners. In one spot they captured a slave, and, -promising him freedom and vast amounts of gold if he would show them -the hiding places of the Dons, he readily agreed and led them to a -secluded house where the buccaneers made prisoners of a number of -Spaniards. Then, to make sure that their slave guide would not dare -desert them, the buccaneers forced him to murder a number of the -helpless Dons before the eyes of the others. This party of Spaniards -totaled nearly two hundred and fifty and these the buccaneers examined -one at a time, torturing those who denied knowledge of treasure. One -man, over seventy years old, a Portuguese by birth, was reported by the -treacherous slave to be rich. This the old fellow stoutly denied, -claiming that his total wealth was but one hundred pieces of eight and -that this had been stolen from him two days previously. In spite of -this and his age, the buccaneers, under Morgan’s personal orders, broke -both his arms and then stretched him between stakes by cords from his -thumbs and great toes. Then, while suspended in this way, the inhuman -monsters beat upon the cords with sticks. Not content with this, they -placed a two hundred pound stone upon his body, passed blazing palm -leaves over his face and head, and then, finding no confession could be -wrung from him they carried him to the church and lashed him fast to a -pillar where he was left for several days with only a few drops of -water to keep him alive. How any mortal could have survived—much less -an aged man—is miraculous, but live he did and finally consented to -raise five hundred pieces of eight to buy his liberty. The buccaneers, -however, scoffed at this, beat him with cudgels and told him it would -take five thousand pieces of eight to save his life. Finally he -bargained for freedom for one thousand pieces, and a few days later, -the money having been paid, he was set at liberty, though, as -Esquemeling tells us, ‘so horribly maimed in body that ’tis scarce to -be believed he survived many weeks after.’ - -“But even these fearful and disgusting torments were mild as compared -to some that Morgan inflicted on the men and women in his mad lust to -wring their riches from them. Dozens were crucified, others were staked -out by pointed sticks driven through them into the earth; others were -bound with their feet in fires, others roasted alive. For five long, -awful weeks they continued their unspeakable atrocities until, finding -further efforts useless, and fearing that his retreat to sea would be -cut off, Morgan left the stricken town, carrying a number of prisoners -for hostages. - -“At Maracaibo they learned that Spanish warships had arrived and that -three armed vessels were blockading the harbor mouth. The largest of -these carried forty guns, the second thirty and the smallest -twenty-four. That the buccaneers, with no heavy guns and with only -small vessels, could escape seemed impossible, but Morgan once more -showed himself the resourceful commander and sent a Spanish prisoner to -the Admiral in command of the ships demanding a free passage to sea as -well as a ransom if Maracaibo was not to be burned. To this the Admiral -replied contemptuously, telling Morgan that, provided he would -surrender all the plunder and prisoners he had taken, he would allow -him and his men to depart, but otherwise would totally destroy them and -give no quarter. This letter Morgan read aloud to his men, asking them -whether they preferred to fight or lose their plunder. The reply was -unanimously that they had rather fight till their last drop of blood -rather than abandon what they had won. Then one of the men suggested -that they fit up a fire ship, disguise her by logs of wood dressed as -men on deck and with dummy cannon at the ports, and let her drift down -on the Spanish vessels. Although all approved the idea, still Morgan -decided to try guile and diplomacy—with a deal of bluff—before -resorting to strenuous measures. Consequently he dispatched another -messenger to the Admiral, offering to quit Maracaibo without firing it -or exacting ransom, and agreeing to liberate all the prisoners if he -and his men were allowed to pass. But the doughty old Spanish commander -would have none of this and replied that unless Morgan surrendered -according to the original terms within two days he would come and take -him. - -“Finding cajolery useless, Morgan at once hustled about to make the -most of his time and to try to escape by force. A ship taken at -Gibraltar was loaded with brimstone, powder, palm leaves soaked in -pitch and other combustibles. Kegs of powder were placed under the -dummy guns and dressed and armed logs were posed upon the decks to -resemble buccaneers. Then all the male prisoners were loaded into one -boat; all the women, the plate and the jewels into another; the -merchandise and things of lesser value in a third. Then, all being -ready, the little fleet set forth with the fireship in the lead. It was -on the 30th of April, 1669, that the buccaneers started from Maracaibo -on this desperate, dare-devil effort to escape, and night was falling -as they sighted the three Spanish warships riding at anchor in the -middle of the entry to the lake. Unwilling to proceed farther, Morgan -anchored his boats, maintained a sharp watch and at daybreak hoisted -anchors and headed directly for the Spanish ships. Realizing that -Morgan was actually about to attempt to battle with them, the Dons -hoisted anchors and prepared to attack. Manned by its courageous if -villainous crew, the fireship crashed straight into the Spanish -flagship and instantly its men threw grappling irons, binding their -combustible vessel to the warship and then, touching match to fuses, -took to the small boats. Before the Dons realized what had happened the -fireship was a blazing mass; the powder exploding threw flaming tar and -brimstone far and near; and in an incredibly short space of time the -Spanish flagship was a seething, roaring furnace and, blowing in two, -sank to the bottom of the lake. Meanwhile the second warship, fearing a -like fate, was run ashore by its crew and was set afire by the -Spaniards to prevent her falling into the buccaneer’s hands, while the -third ship was captured by Morgan’s men. - -“But Morgan and his men were not out of the trap yet. The forts -controlled the harbor entrance and, flushed with their easy victory -over the ships, the buccaneers landed and attacked the castle. But they -failed miserably in this and after heavy losses withdrew to their -boats. - -“The following day Morgan, having made a prisoner of a Spanish pilot -and learning from him that the sunken ships carried vast riches, left a -portion of his men to recover what they could and sailed back to -Maracaibo with the captured warship. Here, being once more in a -position to dictate terms, he sent a demand to the Admiral, who had -escaped and was in the castle, demanding thirty thousand pieces of -eight and five hundred head of cattle as his price for sparing the town -and his prisoners. He finally consented to accept twenty thousand -pieces of eight with the cattle, however, and the following day this -was paid. But Morgan was shrewd and refused to deliver the prisoners -until he was out of danger and had cleared the harbor, and with his -captives set sail. To his delight he found that his men had recovered -nearly twenty thousand pieces of eight in coins and bullion from the -sunken ships, but he was still doubtful of being able to pass the -forts. He thereupon notified his prisoners that unless they persuaded -the Governor to guarantee him safe passage he would hang all the -captives on his ships. In view of this dire threat a committee of the -prisoners went to His Excellency, beseeching him to grant Morgan’s -demands. But Don Alonso was no weakling. His reply was to the effect -that, had they been as loyal to their King in hindering the buccaneer’s -entry as he intended to be in preventing their going out that they -would not have found themselves in such troubles. Very crestfallen the -poor fellows returned with the ill news. But for once Morgan was not as -ruthless as was his wont and forgot all about his threat to execute the -blameless captives. He, however, sent word to Don Alonso that if he was -not permitted to pass he would get by without a permit and, feeling -that he might fail, he at once proceeded to divide the booty. This -totaled over a quarter of a million pieces of eight in money, vast -quantities of plate and jewels, silks, merchandise of various kinds and -many slaves. - -“All being properly divided, the question arose as to how the little -flotilla would pass to sea under the heavy guns of the castle, but this -Morgan accomplished by a most brilliant ruse. On the day before he -planned to make his dash he loaded his canoes with men and had them -paddled towards the shore as if intending to land them. Here, among the -low-hanging foliage, the boats waited for a while and then, with all -but two or three men lying flat in the bottoms of the canoes, they -paddled back to the ships. This was repeated over and over again, and -the Spaniards, seeing canoes full of men coming ashore and apparently -empty craft returning, were convinced that Morgan intended to make an -attack on the land side of the fort. In order to defend themselves the -Dons moved practically all their guns and the greater part of their men -to the landward side of the castle, exactly as Morgan had foreseen. -Then, as night fell, Morgan weighed anchor and without setting sail let -his ships drift down with the ebb tide. Not until they were under the -walls of the fort were sails hoisted and all speed made towards the -harbor mouth. - -“With shouts and cries the Dons gave the alarm and madly they ran and -scurried to get their guns back in position, but the wind was fresh and -fair and before the first shot was fired the buccaneers were almost out -of range. A few balls tore through the sails, a few round shot -splintered the bulwarks and the high poops, and a few men fell, but the -damage was of little moment. Out of reach of the guns, Morgan brought -his ships to, and, loading his prisoners into small boats, sent them -ashore. Then, with a parting shot of seven guns in a broadside, Morgan -spread sails once more and headed for Jamaica.” - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE TAKING OF SAN LORENZO - - -“Well, he certainly was clever for all his cruelty,” said Fred. “But -what a beast he was. Seems to me he was the worst of all the -buccaneers. Even L’Ollonois had some good points.” - -“Yes,” agreed Mr. Bickford. “Morgan could have made a name for himself -as a great general, or an admiral, perhaps, if he had turned his -talents to honest purposes. But he was too much of a rascal and too -unprincipled to succeed for long, even in piracy. When he returned from -taking Maracaibo he believed there was nothing he could not -successfully carry out and he began to consider taking even richer and -more strongly fortified spots than those he had ravished. - -“At that time the three richest cities in the New World were Cartagena, -Panama and Vera Cruz, and of these the richest was Panama. To Panama -all the wealth and treasure from the western coasts of South and -Central America and Mexico and the Orient were brought, as well as the -fortunes in pearls from the pearl islands, and from Panama, as I have -already explained, the riches were carried over the Gold Road to Porto -Bello. - -“But while Panama was so rich, yet it had been free from attacks by -buccaneers owing to its position. It was on the Pacific and in order to -reach it the buccaneers would be compelled either to sail around Cape -Horn; cross the Isthmus overland, or ascend the Chagres River and then -go overland. To cross by the Gold Road meant that the forts at Porto -Bello would have to be taken, and even after that the buccaneers would -be exposed to ambuscades and constant attacks and might well have their -retreat cut off. At the mouth of the Chagres was a most powerful -fort—San Lorenzo—commanding the river mouth, while Panama itself was -very strongly fortified and protected. It seemed impossible that the -buccaneers could ever reach the place and yet that was just what Morgan -planned to do. - -“Although it seemed a harebrained scheme, yet so famed had Morgan -become that men flocked to his call, clamoring to go on the hazardous -expedition, and Morgan appointed the Island of Tortuga as the -rendezvous. Here flocked the sea rovers from far and near. They came in -ships, boats, canoes and even tramped overland across hostile -Hispaniola (Santo Domingo) to join him, until the greatest crowd of -buccaneers and the greatest gathering of buccaneer ships the world had -ever seen were assembled at Tortuga on October 24, 1670. - -“To provision the fleet, Morgan equipped four ships with four hundred -men and dispatched them to La Rancheria near the present port of Rio de -la Hacha in Colombia. His plan was for them to raid the coast towns, -seize what maize and cattle were required and come back with supplies -and salted meat, thus obtained free of cost. In this the ships were -more than successful, for, at the end of five weeks, they returned -laden with maize and beef and with a huge amount of loot, for they had -taken a Spanish ship, had seized the town and had robbed it and the -inhabitants, and had resorted to all their customary barbarities to -wring the last piece of eight from the people. - -“Everything was now in readiness, and Morgan set sail for Cape Tiburón, -Haiti, where vessels from Jamaica were to join him. These brought his -force up to thirty-seven ships and two thousand fighting men, exclusive -of sailors and boys, by far the greatest buccaneer force that ever had -set sail to ravish the Spanish cities. Morgan’s flagship carried -twenty-two large and six small guns, there were several ships of -twenty, eighteen and sixteen guns and the smallest mounted four. -Finding it impossible to command such a huge fleet by himself, Morgan -divided it into two squadrons with a vice admiral, commanders and -captains for each, and to these he issued elaborate commissions to act -against the Spaniards, for all the world as though he were the King of -England. - -“The next matter to attend to was the agreement as to compensation for -death or accidents, and the trip was considered so hazardous that the -amounts to be paid were double the usual sums. Then the fleet set sail -for Old Providence or, as the buccaneers called it, St. Catherine, for -in order to be sure that his retreat was not cut off, Morgan realized -he must destroy this heavily fortified spot and leave a garrison of his -own in charge. Moreover, he knew that outlaws and brigands were -imprisoned there, and that these men, if released, would join his -forces and would be invaluable as guides in crossing the Isthmus of -Panama. - -“On the 29th of December, 1670, they reached St. Catherine, which -Morgan expected to take easily. However, since his former attack under -Mansvelt, the Dons had greatly strengthened the forts. Landing about -one thousand men, Morgan attempted to take the place by land, but the -Spaniards kept up a galling fire, the buccaneers were without -provisions—as they had expected to live off their enemies—and at night -a pouring rain came on, drenching the buccaneers to the skin. At this -time, so tired, hungry and miserable were the men that, had the Dons -but known it, they could easily have wiped out the buccaneers with a -force of less than one hundred men, and no doubt had they done so -Panama would have been saved. The rain continued incessantly the next -day and the buccaneers were able to do nothing. So starved and -desperate were they that when an old horse was discovered in a field -they instantly killed it and fought over it like wolves, devouring even -the offal. By this time the men began to grumble, and even suggested -giving up and became mutinous. Morgan, seeing that unless something was -done at once his expedition would be a failure, resorted to his old -game of bluff, and sent a canoe with a flag of truce to the Governor, -demanding the surrender of the island and threatening to give no -quarter unless it was done at once. So terrified were the Dons that the -Governor merely asked two hours to consider and at the end of that time -sent to Morgan and offered to deliver the place provided Morgan would -agree to carry out a deception by which it would appear that the -Governor was overpowered. - -“The proposition was that Morgan should come at night and open an -attack on St. Jerome fort, while at the same time his fleet approached -Santa Teresa fort and landed men at the battery of St. Matthew. The -Governor was then to pass from one fort to the other and purposely fall -into the buccaneer’s hands. He was then to pretend that the English -forced him to betray his men and was to lead the buccaneers into St. -Jerome. But he stipulated that no bullets should be used in the -buccaneers’ guns and guaranteed that his men would fire into the air. -To this treacherous scheme Morgan agreed and the island was of course -taken in a sham battle. But within a short time His Excellency bitterly -repented of his deed. The buccaneers looted right and left, they tore -down houses to make fires for cooking the stolen poultry and livestock -and they made prisoners of all the Spaniards on the island. These -totaled four hundred and fifty, including one hundred and ninety -soldiers and eight bandits who at once joined Morgan’s force. As there -was nothing in the way of valuables in the place the people escaped the -customary tortures, and, shutting the women in the churches, Morgan -ordered the men into the country to secure provisions. - -“Having accumulated a vast supply of food, many tons of powder, immense -quantities of arms and many cannon, Morgan prepared to attack San -Lorenzo at the Chagres mouth. He had no mind to risk his own precious -neck in this desperate venture, however; but making himself comfortable -at St. Catherine, he dispatched four ships with about four hundred men -under Captain Brodely, a notorious buccaneer who had served with Morgan -under Mansvelt. Anchoring his ships about three miles from the mouth of -the Chagres, Brodely landed his men and attempted to attack the castle -by land. But despite their brigand guides the buccaneers discovered -that it was impossible to approach the fort under cover, the country -having been cleared for a long distance about the fort, while in -addition the deep mangrove swamps made progress next to impossible. But -the buccaneers dared not turn back and face Morgan, and so, although -fully exposed to the fire from the fort, they rushed across the open -space with drawn swords in one hand and fireballs in the other, but the -firing was terrific. The Dons had erected heavy palisades outside of -the fortress walls, and presently the buccaneers were compelled to -retreat. At nightfall, however, they made another assault, throwing -their fire balls at the palisades, attempting to scale them and -fighting like demons. But they were beaten off again and again, and -their case seemed hopeless when, by the merest accident, fate played -into their hands. In the heat of the assault, one of the buccaneers was -struck by an arrow in the back, which completely penetrated his body. -Mad with pain, the fellow drew the missile out through his breast, -wrapped a bit of rag around it and, dropping it into his musket, fired -it back into the fort. - -“But the buccaneer’s hasty and unthinking act won the day for the -corsairs. The cotton rag about the arrow caught fire from the powder, -it fell unnoticed upon some palm-thatched houses within the fort, and -ere the Dons realized what had happened the buildings were ablaze. -Madly the Spaniards strove to quench the flames, but the fire was -beyond control, it reached a magazine, and there was terrific -explosion. During the confusion and panic that ensued the buccaneers -rushed to the palisades and, piling inflammable material about them, -soon had them burning furiously. Presently the stakes began to fall, -carrying down masses of earth that had been piled between them, and -over these the yelling buccaneers swarmed to the assault. Under a rain -of stink pots and fire balls, boiling oil and molten lead hurled at -them by the garrison, the English fell everywhere, and at last, seeing -they could not gain the inner works, they withdrew once more. - -“But despite their losses they were elated, for the palisades were -blazing everywhere and by midnight they were entirely consumed. When -morning dawned only the charred and fallen stakes remained and great -masses of earth had filled the ditch. The commandant, however, had -stationed his men upon these mounds and both sides kept up an incessant -fire of musketry. Within the castle the flames still raged, for the -only available water in the fort was contained in a huge cistern in the -lower part of the castle. Moreover, a party of the buccaneers was -detailed to snipe the Spaniards fighting the fire and carrying water, -while the others, hiding as best they could, picked off the men at the -guns and those guarding the fallen palisades. Noticing one spot where -the Governor himself was stationed in command of twenty-five picked -troops, Captain Brodely led a sudden charge and succeeded in taking the -breach. - -“Even the buccaneers were amazed at the valiant resistance they met, -and, in his chronicles of the battle, Esquemeling particularly calls -attention to the courageousness of the Dons. Once within the walls, -however, the battle was practically won and, fighting hand to hand with -pistols, pikes, daggers, swords and even stones, the British and the -Spaniards battled furiously. Not a Spaniard asked for quarter; the -Governor fell, fighting to the last, with a bullet through his brain, -and when finally the few survivors saw that their cause was hopeless -they leaped from the parapets into the river rather than surrender. And -when the buccaneers found themselves masters of the fortress they -discovered that of the three hundred and fourteen soldiers who had -formed the garrison only thirty remained alive, and of these over -twenty were seriously wounded, while not a single living officer was to -be found. - -“The buccaneers, however, were greatly troubled, despite their hard-won -victory—which had cost them nearly two hundred men—for the prisoners -informed them that a party of volunteers had managed to steal from the -fort, had passed through the buccaneers’ lines and had carried word of -the attack and of Morgan’s coming to Panama. All plans of a surprise -were now hopeless and realizing that quick work was necessary Captain -Brodely at once sent a ship to St. Catherine bearing word to Morgan of -the taking of San Lorenzo. - -“Hastily lading his ships with provisions and the unfortunate prisoners -he had taken, Morgan left a garrison of his own men in the strongest -fort, burned the town, destroyed the other forts, cast the cannon into -the sea and set sail for the Chagres. Eight days after the fall of the -castle he arrived, but his men were so elated at seeing the British -flag flying from the castle that they succeeded in running four of the -ships onto a bar at the river’s mouth. One of these was Morgan’s -flagship, and while all the goods and persons on the vessels were saved -the ships were a total loss. As soon as he landed, Morgan ordered his -St. Catherine prisoners to be put to work repairing the fort and -setting up new palisades and, leaving a force of five hundred men at -the fort and with one hundred and fifty more upon his ships, Morgan set -sail up the Chagres in small boats with a force of two thousand two -hundred men. Thinking to be able to supply himself and his men with -provisions taken from the Spaniards, Morgan carried practically no -supplies and this very nearly caused the utter failure of his -expedition. - -“It was on the 18th of January, 1671, that Morgan left San Lorenzo in -his five boats and thirty-two canoes, with several pieces of light -artillery and all the pomp of a military organization, even to drummers -and trumpeters. The first day they covered barely twenty miles, -reaching a spot known as Los Bracos. But already the men were suffering -from hunger and being cramped and crowded in the small boats. Landing, -they went in search of food, but the Dons, having been forewarned, had -fled, carrying with them or destroying everything edible, and the -buccaneers were ‘forced to stay their bellies with a pipe of tobacco.’ - -“The following day they continued to Cruz de Juan Gallego, but, finding -the river very low and choked by fallen trees, they were here compelled -to forsake the boats and march overland, leaving one hundred and sixty -men to guard the boats and their retreat. After a long march they -reached a spot on the river where canoes could be used, and with -infinite labor the company was transported up stream to Cedro Bueno. -The buccaneers were by now on the verge of starvation, but there was -nothing to do but keep on, and at noon on the fourth day they -discovered a settlement. But not a soul was there and not a morsel to -eat, save a few crumbs of bread and a number of leather bags. Famished, -the buccaneers fell upon the leathern sacks and devoured them. For an -account of this I can do no better than read you Esquemeling’s -narrative. He says: ‘Thus they made a huge banquet of the bags of -leather which doubtless would have been more grateful unto them if -divers quarrels had not arisen concerning who should have the greatest -share. They conjectured that five hundred Spaniards had been there, -more or less, and these they were now infinitely desirous to meet, -intending to devour some of them rather than perish. Whom they would -certainly in that occasion have roasted or boiled had they been able to -take them. Some persons who were never out of their mothers’ kitchens -may ask how these pirates could eat, swallow and digest those pieces of -leather so hard and dry. To whom I only answer: That could they once -experiment with hunger, or rather famine, they would certainly find the -manner, by their own necessity, as the pirates did. For these first -took the leather and sliced it in pieces. Then did they beat it between -stones and rub it, often dipping it in the water of the river to render -it supple and tender. Lastly they scraped off the hair and roasted or -broiled it over a fire. And thus being cooked they cut it in small -morsels and eat it, helping it down with frequent gulps of water, which -by good fortune they had near at hand.’ - -“And when night fell on the close of the fourth day and not a scrap of -food had been found in any of the deserted settlements and camps, the -pirate who had had the foresight to retain a small piece of leather was -indeed a happy man, for the others went supperless to sleep. - -“At noon of the fifth day they reached Barbacoas, where in a cave, the -buccaneers, to their intense joy, discovered two sacks of meal, two -jars of wine and some bananas. These Morgan divided among the men who -were suffering the most, and somewhat encouraged they proceeded on that -terrible march. On the sixth day the men proceeded very slowly, partly -from weakness and partly owing to the rough character of the land, and -to keep themselves alive they devoured grasses, leaves and roots. But -at noon they found a barrel of corn at a deserted plantation and -without waiting devoured it dry and raw. Hardly an hour later they met -an ambuscade of Indians, and feeling confident that they would be -victors and would secure plentiful provisions they threw away the -precious corn. But to their chagrin the Indians, after discharging a -shower of arrows, disappeared like shadows in the forest, leaving no -food and nothing to mark their presence save half a dozen dead -buccaneers. - -“On the seventh day the buccaneers prepared and cleaned their arms, -expecting to meet resistance just ahead, and then, crossing the river, -they hurried forward to the village of La Cruz. As they approached they -saw smoke rising above the trees, and, convinced that this meant the -place was occupied, they made all haste towards it. Judge of their -disgust when they found the village deserted and in flames, with, as -Esquemeling humorously remarks, ‘nothing wherewith to refresh -themselves unless it were good fires to warm themselves, which they -wanted not.’ - -“But a search revealed something to eat—a few stray dogs and cats which -they butchered and devoured raw and bleeding, and hardly had they -completed this horrid repast when a party of the men found a sack of -bread and sixteen jars of wine in the ruins of a stable. Scarcely had -they commenced to eat and drink, however, when they were taken -violently ill, and they at once decided the wine had been poisoned, -although, as their chronicler very wisely says, it was more probable -that it was ‘their huge want of sustenance in that whole voyage and the -manifold sorts of trash they had eaten.’ - -“Whatever the cause, it compelled the expedition to remain there for an -entire day. This village, then called La Cruz, was on the site of the -present Las Cruces, the head of navigation on the Chagres and from -which a branch of the Gold Road led to Panama about twenty-five miles -distant. On the eighth day, Morgan sent forward a scouting party of two -hundred men to find the best route and to learn of any ambuscades. This -they did to their sorrow when, at Quebrada Obscura, they were met with -a hurricane of arrows shot by Indians from hiding places in the deep -forest on the summits of the cañon’s walls. A number of the buccaneers -were killed and many wounded and a few Indians fell, but seeing such -overwhelming numbers of the British approaching they soon took to their -heels, and the buccaneers passed on and entered the savanna country. - -“Here they suffered greatly, being compelled to pass the night in the -open in a pouring rain and enduring agonies from biting insects and -mosquitoes. On the morning of the ninth day they came to a steep hill -from the summit of which they saw the Pacific gleaming in the sun and -with two ships sailing from Panama to Taboga. Elated at finding -themselves so near their goal they hurried down the slope and in a -little meadow discovered a number of cattle, horses and asses. Hastily -butchering and dressing these they kindled huge fires, half cooked the -still warm flesh over the flames and gorged themselves like beasts. -Indeed, to once more quote Esquemeling, ‘they more resembled cannibals -than Europeans at this banquet, the blood many times running down from -their beards to their middles.’ - -“Continuing, they came at evening in sight of a party of two hundred -Spaniards, who challenged them and then retreated, and before nightfall -they saw the tower of the cathedral of Old Panama looming against the -sky. Sounding their trumpets, beating their drums, throwing hats in -air; leaping and shouting with joy, the buccaneers, knowing the end of -their awful march was over, pitched their camp for the night in -preparation of an assault on the morrow. - -“But the buccaneers were not to rest in peace. Fifty horsemen appeared, -taunting and insulting the English just out of gunshot, and soon the -big cannon of the forts began to thunder and roar and the shot fell all -about the buccaneers’ camp. Soon thereafter a party of fully two -hundred cavalry galloped across the fields from the town, and presently -the buccaneers discovered that they were completely surrounded and, -from being the besiegers they had been transformed into the besieged. - -“But having done so much and survived, the rough corsairs gave no -thought or worry to this and ‘began every one to open his satchel and -without napkin or plate fell to eating very heartily the remaining -pieces of bulls’ and horses’ flesh which they had reserved since noon. -This being done they laid themselves down upon the grass with great -repose and huge satisfaction, expecting only with impatience the -dawning of the next day.’ Thus does Esquemeling describe that fateful -evening, the close of the day which foreshadowed the doom of the -richest city of New Spain and which ere another sun set would be a -blazing funeral pyre and a bloody shambles with the shrieks and screams -of tortured beings rending the air and rising loud above the roaring of -the flames.” - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE SACK OF PANAMA - - -“There’s something I’d like to ask, Uncle Henry,” said Fred, as Mr. -Bickford paused in his narrative and reached for an old book. “You -spoke of the British flag flying from San Lorenzo. I thought the -pirates always used a black flag with a skull and bones.” - -“And, Dad, how did they dress?” asked Jack. “Did they wear uniforms or -did they dress like the pictures of pirates, with big earrings and -handkerchiefs about their heads and their sashes stuck full of pistols -and knives?” - -“Those are questions well taken,” replied Mr. Bickford, “and really -important if we are to understand the truth about the buccaneers and -their lives. The ‘Jolly Roger’ was never the emblem of the ‘Brethren of -the Main,’ as they called themselves, but later, after the buccaneers -were dispersed and a few had turned out-and-out pirates, the black flag -with its symbol of death became a recognized pirate standard. But in -the heydey of the buccaneers, when they attacked only Spanish ships and -Spanish cities, they fought under the colors of their -countries—British, French or Dutch, as the case might be, and very -often, in one fleet, there would be ships under the various flags. In -addition, each prominent buccaneer leader had his own colors—much as -merchant shipowners have their house flags—which were flown on all the -ships under the leader. The flag might be of almost any conventional -design, but it was known and recognized by all the buccaneers. - -“Thus, Bartholomew Sharp’s flag was a blood-red burgee bearing a bunch -of white and green ribbons; Sawkins’ colors were a red flag striped -with yellow; Peter Harris flew a plain green ensign; John Coxon used a -plain red burgee; Cook used a red flag striped with yellow and bearing -a hand with a sword; Hawkins’ was appropriately a red flag with a black -hawk upon it and so on. In garments, the buccaneers were not by any -means uniform or particular. The rank and file of sailors dressed in -rough clothes, as a rule, like the ordinary seamen of their times, in -loose knee trousers or ‘shorts,’ coarse shirts and low, heavy shoes on -their bare feet and with knitted caps or bandannas on their heads. Many -wore the costume of the real buccaneers of the woods—rawhide shoes and -leg coverings, leather jackets and trousers and palm hats, while the -majority wore any odds and ends they could pick up. After a foray they -often togged themselves out in the garments of their victims—brocades, -silks and satins, gold lace and plumed hats, often stiff and caked with -the life-blood of their late owners. But the ordinary buccaneer was a -spendthrift drunkard ashore and any finery he possessed usually went to -pay for his debaucheries before he had been on land twenty-four hours, -after which he was left half naked. The leaders or captains, however, -dressed like dandies. To be sure, their wardrobes were often made up of -miscellaneous pieces looted from the wealthy Spaniards, and, like their -men, they were not over particular as to the condition they were in, -but they were more or less thrifty, had plenty of ready cash and spent -small fortunes in buying the most brilliant and costly costumes and -trappings. Here, for example, is a description of the costume worn by -Morgan. ‘A fine linen shirt brave with Italian lace with velvet -waistcoat of scarlet, much laced with gold and a plum-colored greatcoat -reaching to his knees and with great gold buttons fashioned from -doubloons and trimmed with heavy braid of gold. Upon his legs, breeches -of saffron silk, belaced like unto his shirt and ruffled, and hose of -sky-blue silk. Soft top boots of red cordovan with huge buckles of -silver beset with gems and his hat of Sherwood green belaced with gold -and gemmed, and wherein was placed a crimson plume draping onto his -shoulder. His periwig was lustrous brown and at his side he bore a -Toledo rapier, jeweled at the hilt, on a belt of gray shagreen buckled -with gold, and bore also a staff, gold headed and tasseled.’ Quite a -striking figure, surely, reminding us of one of the ‘three musketeers.’ -And here is the description of another buccaneer chieftain: ‘A long -surtout of green satin with wide skirts slit far up the arms to give -his muscles play. Breeches wide and short of bullock-blood satin and -hose of canary silk.’ So you see the pirate or buccaneer of fiction is -by no means typical of the real thing. However, in one respect they -were all much alike. When on the ‘warpath,’ as we may say, they wore -all the pistols and daggers they could stow in belts or sashes, they -invariably carried heavy curved cutlasses with peculiar scallop -shell-shaped hilts and, in addition, they carried muskets slung over -their shoulders with horns of powder and pouches of bullets. Moreover, -men and officers alike were inordinately fond of gewgaws and jewelry, -and rings in ears were almost universal, as they were with all seamen -of their time and for years later. - -“And now let us return to Morgan and his men encamped on the plain -before ‘ye goodlye and statlye citie of Panama.’ - -“Early the next day—the tenth after leaving San Lorenzo—Morgan -marshaled his men upon the plain and with drums beating and trumpets -blaring, marched like a miniature army towards the doomed city. It was -soon evident that to follow the high road would cost the buccaneers -dearly, and at his guides’ suggestion Morgan made a detour, in order to -approach the city through the woods. This was totally unexpected by the -Spaniards and in order to check the buccaneers’ advance the troops were -compelled to leave their forts and guns and meet the enemy in the open. -The Spanish numbered four regiments of foot soldiers, totaling -twenty-four hundred; two squadrons of cavalry, amounting to four -hundred men, and a large number of slaves who were driving a herd of -two thousand wild bulls which they expected would charge the buccaneers -and cause consternation among them. - -“Reaching a low hill, the English looked with amazement at the -overwhelming forces sent to meet them and for the first time their -confidence began to waver. As Esquemeling puts it, ‘Yea, few there were -but wished themselves at home or at least free from the obligation of -that engagement wherein they perceived their lives must be narrowly -concerned.’ But they had come too far, had undergone too many -hardships, and had the richest city of the New World too near, to -falter or turn back and, knowing no quarter would be given them, they -swore a solemn oath to fight until death. - -“Dividing his men into three troops, Morgan then ordered the best -marksmen, to the number of two hundred, to scatter and advance and pick -off the Spaniards before the main body of buccaneers charged. The Dons -at once attempted a charge of cavalry, but the rains had softened the -ground and had transformed it to a quagmire; they could not maneuver -properly and the accurate fire from the buccaneer sharpshooters brought -them down by scores. Notwithstanding this, the Spaniards fought -courageously and the infantry tried again and again to force their way -through the buccaneers in order to support the cavalry. Then the bulls -were urged forward; with cracking whips and shouts from the slaves they -were stampeded towards the buccaneers, and like an avalanche they came -plunging on, a sea of wildly tossing horns, thundering hoofs and -foaming nostrils. But the buccaneers were the last men in the world to -be demoralized by cattle. They had made hunting savage wild bulls their -profession and with shouts, trumpets and waving hats they turned the -stampede to one side while the few bulls that kept on and dashed among -the British were shot down or hamstrung ere they did the least damage. - -“The battle had now raged for two hours; practically all the Spanish -cavalry were killed or unhorsed, and the infantry, discouraged and -demoralized, fired one last volley and then, throwing down their -muskets, fled to the city. Many were not able to gain the town and -tried to conceal themselves in the woods, but these the buccaneers -hunted down and butchered wherever found. - -“Upon the field the Dons had left six hundred slain, in addition to -several hundred wounded, and the buccaneers had lost, between killed -and wounded, nearly half as many. Weary with their long tramp overland -and the battle, the English were in no condition to follow up their -victory, but Morgan forced them on and after a short rest they resumed -their march towards the city. The approach, however, was directly under -the fire of the cannon in the forts and with the great guns roaring -constantly and the buccaneers falling at every step the English kept -doggedly on until, after three hours of fighting, they were in -possession of the city. - -“Madly they rushed hither and thither, ruthlessly cutting down and -pistoling all they met, men, women and children, broaching rum casks, -looting shops and houses, destroying for mere lust and wantonness -until, after a great deal of difficulty, Morgan got his men under -control and, assembling them in the market place, gave strict orders -that none should touch or drink any liquor owing to the fact, so he -said, that he had won a confession by torture from prisoners that all -the wine had been poisoned. In reality, he undoubtedly foresaw that, -should his men become drunk, they would fall easy victims to the -Spaniards and that the Dons thus might retake the city. - -“Morgan, however, was in a frenzy, an overpowering passion, a -demoniacal rage, for the people, having been warned of his coming, had -carried off the bulk of the riches in the city. The most precious altar -pieces, the wonderful gold altar of San José church, the chests of -coins, the bullion and plate, vast fortunes in gems and the most -valuable merchandise had all been loaded hurriedly onto ships which had -sailed away, no one knew whither, long before the buccaneers arrived. -There were to be sure, boats within the harbor, but it was low tide—the -tide in the Pacific rises and falls for nearly twenty feet—the boats -were high and dry, and Morgan could not even send a craft in chase of -the fleeing treasure ships. - -“Beside himself with rage, Morgan secretly ordered the city fired and -in a moment the place was a hell of raging flames. Morgan, in order to -excite his men the more, and to bring greater revenge upon the -Spaniards, claimed that the Dons had started the blaze, but there is no -question that he was the culprit, for Esquemeling, who was present, -does not hesitate to make the statement. Morgan, however, had -overstepped his mark; even his men fought valiantly side by side with -the Spaniards to extinguish the flames, but to no avail. In half an -hour an entire street was a smoldering heap of ruins and as most of the -city consisted of flimsy houses of native cedar and of thatched and -wattled huts it burned like tinder. And here let me point out that the -accepted ideas of this old city of Panama are very erroneous. Because -the ruins left standing are of stone, the public, and many historians, -have assumed that it was a city of stone buildings. This, however, was -not the case. Esquemeling particularly states that, ‘all the houses of -the city were built of cedar, being of curious and magnificent -structure and richly adorned within, especially with hangings and -paintings, being two thousand of magnificent and prodigious building -with five thousand of lesser quality.’ Moreover, in the official -description of the city, preserved in the Archives of Seville, it is -stated that the houses were of wood, and they were divided into two -classes,—those with and those without floors, the latter being greatly -in the majority. Thus it is easily seen how a fire would sweep the city -and wipe it out of existence in a few hours, leaving only the solidly -built stone buildings remaining. Of these there were a number, -including eight monasteries, two churches and a hospital, the -cathedral, the slave market, the governor’s palace, the treasury and -the forts. One of the finest buildings was the slave exchange owned by -Genoese slave merchants, and within this, when the town fell to the -buccaneers, were over two hundred, cowering, helpless slaves. Guarding -the doors that none might escape, Morgan ordered the place burnt and -for hours the screams and shrieks of the manacled, helpless blacks and -Indians drowned all other sounds as the poor creatures were slowly -roasted to death. - -“For four weeks the city burned, while the buccaneers camped within the -charred ruins, but taking great care not to become separated, as they -well knew that large numbers of the Spaniards were lurking near, fully -armed and ready to take advantage of the least carelessness on the part -of the invaders. - -“In the meantime, the buccaneers searched the ruins for loot, explored -the wells and cisterns and recovered large amounts of hidden treasure -and valuables which had survived the flames. Meanwhile, too, Morgan -sent out five hundred heavily armed men to scour the surrounding -country and bring in all prisoners and valuables they could find, and -two days later they returned, bringing over two hundred captives. Each -day new parties were sent out and constantly they returned bearing more -loot and additional captives until the countryside for miles about was -a desolate uninhabited waste. - -“Then, to wring confessions of where the miserable folk had secreted -their valuables, Morgan commenced such a series of devilish tortures -and inhumanities as the world had probably never seen before or since. -One poor wretch who was a mere serving man was captured while wearing a -pair of his master’s ‘taffety breeches’ which he had donned in the -confusion of the attack. Moreover, hanging to the trousers was a small -key, and these things convinced the buccaneers that the fellow was -well-to-do and that the key belonged to some secret chest containing -his wealth. In vain the fellow protested that he knew nothing of it, -that the garments and the key were his master’s and that he was merely -a servant. Paying no heed to his screams, the buccaneers placed him on -the rack and stretched him until his arms were pulled from their -sockets. Still the man protested his ignorance and the inhuman monsters -twisted a thong about his forehead until his eyes popped from their -orbits. Even this awful torture was, of course, without result, and -stringing him up by the thumbs, they flogged him within an inch of his -life, sliced off his ears and nose, singed his bleeding sightless -features with burning straw and, still unsuccessful in their attempts -to learn the supposed secret of his treasure, they ordered a slave to -run him through with a lance. There is no need to describe other -examples of Morgan’s fiendishness. He spared neither young nor old, men -or women, and the priests and nuns were treated with even greater -cruelty than any others. Only the most prominent and important men and -women were free from tortures, and these Morgan herded together to -hold, under threat of death or worse, for ransom. - -“For three weeks the buccaneers occupied the ruined city, torturing, -slaying, committing every devilishness imaginable, until even Morgan’s -men sickened with the sights and a large portion of them planned to -steal away in a ship and desert their leader. Morgan, however, heard of -the plot, destroyed all the ships and ordered preparations made to -leave the city and return to San Lorenzo. But before he left he sent -certain prisoners to outlying districts demanding ransoms for those he -held, and for days wealth flowed in from friends of the captives and -many were freed. Still, hundreds remained, and on the 14th of February, -1671, Morgan and his men left the city, and, with one hundred and -seventy-two pack mules laden with booty and six hundred prisoners, he -started on the long and terrible overland trip. - -“Never did heaven look down upon a more pitiable, awful spectacle than -that presented by the buccaneers with their captives. Surrounded by the -armed buccaneers, the prisoners—many of them tender, high-bred ladies -and young children—were forced over the rough trail and across rivers. -‘Nothing,’ says Esquemeling, ‘was to be heard save the lamentations, -cries, shrieks and doleful sighs of those who were persuaded that -Morgan designed to transport them to his own country as slaves.’ Given -barely enough food and water to sustain life, many of them wounded, all -terrified and frightened, they were forced on by blows, curses, prods -with swords or rawhide lashes. Women, unable to endure, fell upon their -knees and implored Morgan to permit them to go back to their loved ones -to live in huts of straw as they had no houses left, but to one and all -he replied, with a laugh, that he came not to hear lamentations and -cries but to gain money. Often, the women and children would stagger -and fall, and if unable to rise were pistoled or run through, the -others staggering over their dead bodies. And yet, in the midst of this -awful march, Morgan exhibited that strange paradoxical nature of his -and performed a gallant and commendable act. It happened that among the -prisoners was a lady who belonged on the island of Taboga, a most -lovely and virtuous woman according to Esquemeling, and to her -buccaneer guards she stated, amid her sobs and shrieks, that she had -sent two priests to secure her ransom, but that having obtained the -money they had used it to secure the release of their own friends. This -tale reached Morgan’s ears and instantly he halted his men, made an -investigation and finding it true at once released the woman, made her -a present of the amount of her ransom, swept off his plumed hat, bent -his knee and kissed her finger-tips and, with expressions of deepest -sorrow for her state, sent her happily on her way with an armed escort. -Then, to even scores, he made prisoners of the treacherous priests, -and, as Esquemeling tells us, ‘used them according to the deserts of -their incompassionate intrigues.’ - -“By the time La Cruz was reached on March 5, 1671, the bulk of the -captives who still lived had been ransomed, and, embarking with those -remaining and with a number of new prisoners taken at La Cruz, Morgan -and his men started down the Chagres. - -“When midway to San Lorenzo, Morgan again halted, ordered every one -searched to be sure they had concealed no booty and, to show his -fairness, insisted that he too must be searched, ‘even to the soles of -his boots.’ Then once more they resumed their way, and on March 9th -reached the mouth of the Chagres and the fortress. - -“Soon after he arrived, Morgan loaded a boat with the prisoners he had -taken at St. Catherine and sent them to Porto Bello with a demand that -a ransom should be paid for the evacuation of San Lorenzo without its -being destroyed. This time, however, Morgan’s bluff was called, and a -message was returned stating that not a farthing would be paid and -Morgan could do as he pleased with the castle. - -“Meantime, the loot was divided—Morgan doing the dividing—and at once -grumblings and complaints arose and the men openly accused Morgan of -keeping far more than his agreed share. And there is little wonder that -they did, for, despite the immense booty taken, Morgan gave but two -hundred pieces of eight to each man! - -“Then Morgan showed his yellow streak and, sneaking secretly aboard his -ship, while at his orders his men were demolishing the fort, he sailed -away, leaving the buccaneers to follow as best they might. With -scarcely any provisions, with no commander of experience, the deserted -buccaneers were in a sad state. As Esquemeling quaintly says, ‘Morgan -left us all in such a miserable condition as might well serve for a -lively representation of what reward attends wickedness at the latter -end of life.’ As a matter of fact, they separated, took to sea in the -remaining ships and scattered to the four winds, carrying on a -desultory and more or less successful buccaneering life on their own -account. Thus, by treachery, Morgan possessed himself of his men’s -hard-won loot, he double-crossed and deserted the men who, rough and -villainous as they were, had stood by him through thick and thin and -had made his most famous deed possible, and his career as a buccaneer -was over. - -“But the monuments to his awful deeds remain. Above the placid Chagres’ -mouth old Fort San Lorenzo still frowns down. Its quaint sentry boxes -jut from the battered walls; the great guns lie rusting and corroded in -the crumbling embrasures; piles of round shot are overgrown with weeds -and vines; the cisterns where the Dons dipped the water to quench the -flames caused by that blazing arrow are still there. Within the -dungeons are rusty leg irons, manacles and heavy chains; the patched -walls, where Morgan’s toiling prisoners repaired the breaches of his -buccaneers’ attack, are plainly visible; and the deep trench, half -filled with the piles of dirt whereon the gallant Governor made his -last stand, are there for all to see. - -“And across the Isthmus—by the shores of the Pacific—looms the lonely, -ruined tower of the cathedral in Old Panama. Near it are the walls of -the ancient fort, the gaunt arches of a burned monastery, the solid -massive walls of the slave mart wherein those cowering wretches were -roasted at Morgan’s orders and, spanning a little stream, is the stone -bridge over which the buccaneers fought and fell as they took the city. -Half hidden in the jungle are the treasure vaults that once held -incalculable fortunes in plate and gold, in ingots and jewels, in -pieces of eight, onzas and doubloons. Among the shrubbery one may still -pick up bits of glass and china, hinges and locks, buttons and stray -coins, even an occasional pistol barrel or sword hilt, all warped, -misshapen, melted by the flames that wiped Old Panama from the map when -Morgan, in his rage, fired the richest city of New Spain and left death -and destruction, smoldering ruins and distorted bleeding corpses to -testify to the most wanton, ruthless deed ever perpetrated by a -buccaneer.” - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE MISFORTUNES OF MONSIEUR OGERON - - -“Gosh, I’m glad the Spaniards fooled Morgan and got most of their -things away!” exclaimed Jack. “What became of the treasure, Dad; did -they bring it back after Morgan left?” - -“No one knows what became of the bulk of it,” replied his father. “One -or two of the ships were never heard from. They were probably wrecked -or perhaps their crews mutinied and made off with the valuables. One -vessel was driven ashore on the coasts of Darien and the treasure went -down with it. The priceless cargoes of others were buried in -out-of-the-way spots and no one has ever discovered them as far as -known, while a few of the ships returned after the buccaneers had gone. -Of course the town was in ruins and, realizing that the situation was -too exposed, the Dons moved a few miles to the west and built the -present city of Panama, using the stones and bricks from the ruins in -making the more important buildings. And here let me tell you a little -story—a most romantic and fascinating tale that throws some light on -the question of what became of the treasures the Spaniards saved from -Morgan’s clutches. - -“In the old city the richest and most famed church was that of San -José. Like all the churches, it received its tithe or share of all gold -and riches passing through Panama, but the brothers who owned San José -saw fit to use their share to fashion a huge altar of beaten gold, a -marvelous, glorious structure unequalled in all the world and which -became famed far and wide. Indeed it is said that it was mainly the -stories of the golden altar of San José and the heavily jeweled -vestments and images in the church that led Morgan to sack the town. -When word of the taking of San Lorenzo reached Panama, the priests of -San José church hurriedly removed the far-famed altar piecemeal and -loading it onto a ship sailed away. Months later, when the new city was -being built, the priests returned and busied themselves in building a -new San José church near the harbor shores in the new city. But they -were evidently no longer rich. The church was a tiny, obscure, -unattractive affair half hidden among other buildings, as it still -stands to-day, at the corner of Avenue A and 8th Street in Panama City. -And within the church, in place of the wonderful altar of beaten gold, -they erected a plain white altar—the poorest of all among the churches -in the city. Time went on. There were slave uprisings, fires, -rebellions against Spain and insurrections. The country was turbulent -and unsettled, but the brothers of San José church had nothing to tempt -robbers, bandits or revolutionists and they and their little stucco -church were left in peace. Even the fires that swept the town and -destroyed many of the larger churches spared the little affair on -Avenue A. Then came the Americans and the Canal; Panama won her -independence, Uncle Sam sanitized the city, established law and order, -and bloody, unsettled days were a thing of the past. - -“Then for days the priests of San José church busied themselves with -mysterious doings behind closed doors and at last, lo and behold, where -the white altar had stood, once more gleamed the ancient altar of gold! -Through all the years the friars had guarded their secret well. Under -its coating of white paint the famed altar had been hidden with never a -suspicion of its existence and now that it was safe the white paint had -been cleaned off and once more the glorious altar of precious metal -glowed and scintillated in the sunlight pouring upon it through the -stained glass windows. It is one of the sights of Panama of to-day, but -few know of its existence, still fewer know of its history and in the -little church on a back street few tourists realize that there stands -the most wonderful and the only real treasure salvaged from the ancient -city destroyed by the buccaneers. - -“And now, boys, let us go back to Morgan and follow his career after he -returned to Jamaica from the looting of Panama. While he had been away, -peace between Spain and England had been declared, and the King of -England, hearing that Jamaica’s Governor encouraged the buccaneers and -even shared in their raids, appointed a new governor and ordered the -old one to appear before the Crown and explain his behavior. Thus, when -Morgan arrived at Jamaica, he found himself declared a pirate and -placed under arrest along with the ex-governor. And with his -discredited official friend the buccaneer chieftain was transported to -England to stand trial for piracy. - -“No one knows exactly what arguments Morgan used or how he managed it; -but he was a glib talker, a man of great personal magnetism and, -moreover, had vast riches at his disposal, and doubtless he employed -all these resources to the best of his ability. At any rate, instead of -being hung as he richly deserved, he was knighted by the king, was -appointed Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica and sent back to the island -with instructions to suppress piracy. Maybe the King had method in his -madness and thought that if it took a thief to catch a thief it would -be well to have a pirate to catch pirates. And in this he was not -mistaken. Morgan, having already won the enmity of his former comrades -and being discredited as a buccaneer, turned upon the corsairs, and -with all the cruelty and unscrupulousness he had exhibited when -attacking the Dons, he hunted down the buccaneers, hanged them without -trial and sent expeditions out to destroy them. But he was such an -utterly unprincipled and dastardly wretch that he could not play fair -even as a reformed buccaneer. While destroying buccaneers with one hand -he was aiding them with the other and secretly was providing funds and -help for his brother and a few chosen friends in their piratical -ventures. Owing to rumors of this and complaints of his tyrannical -rule, the King at last recalled him and Morgan, sailing from Jamaica, -passed into oblivion. Very little is known of what became of him. Some -claim he settled down in England and lived quietly upon the proceeds of -his robberies; others say he settled in the West Indies, and there is -even a rumor that he was assassinated by one of his old shipmates. -Whatever his end, he died unknown, unhonored, hated for a traitor, a -most atrocious scallawag; after a meteoric career of but five years and -the only buccaneer who was ever made a ‘Sir.’ - -“Now for a change, let me tell you of a buccaneer who found the -Spaniards more than a match for him and met his Waterloo at the hands -of the Dons. This was no less a personage than the Governor of Tortuga, -Monsieur Bertram Ogeron. After Morgan’s raid on Panama, in 1673 to be -exact, war broke out between the French and Dutch, and this gave an -excuse to the French buccaneers of Tortuga to attack their former -friends of the Dutch West Indies. Governor Ogeron, who was quite a -famed buccaneer, built and fitted out a large armed vessel which he -named the Ogeron in honor of himself and, manning it with five hundred -buccaneers, prepared to swoop down on the island of Curaçao. But when -nearing Porto Rico and sailing through the Mona Passage between that -island and Santo Domingo, a violent storm drove his ship upon the -Guadanillas rocks, completely destroying it. Fortunately, or perhaps -unfortunately as it turned out, all the men escaped in boats to the -main island of Porto Rico. Almost at once they were discovered by the -Spaniards who recognized them as French buccaneers, and the castaways -being unarmed and helpless they were immediately made prisoners. -Although the French begged for mercy and quarter, the atrocities they -had committed in the past were still fresh in their captors’ minds and, -finding buccaneers at their mercy, they proceeded to wreak vengeance. -In a short time they had tortured and killed the majority of the -captives and then, securely binding those left alive, they started to -drive them across the island to San Juan as slaves. Throughout all -this, Ogeron had remained unknown to the Dons, pretending to be a -half-witted fool, and his men, to all the Dons’ queries, insisted that -their commander had been drowned. Thinking him a poor demented fellow -the Spaniards left him free and obtained no little amusement from his -crazy capers and insane behavior. Indeed, they found him so diverting -that they treated him with kindness, fed him from their own meals, -while the other buccaneers were given barely enough to sustain life, -and allowed him full liberty. Also among the buccaneers was another -favored man, a surgeon, who was also left free in order that he might -use his services for the Dons’ benefit, and the two at once plotted to -escape and, returning to Tortuga, bring an expedition to Porto Rico to -rescue their fellows. Watching their chance, they took to the woods and -made towards the coast. This they reached safely, but found themselves -almost as badly off as before, for there was not a scrap of food to eat -and no chance of getting shelter or making their way to Tortuga. But -they were resourceful men and, wandering along the shore, they -succeeded in capturing a number of fish in the shoal water. Then, by -rubbing sticks together, they obtained fire, roasted the fish and the -next day proceeded to cut down trees with the intention of making a -raft. Fortunately they had brought along a small hatchet, their only -tool and weapon, and with this they undertook their herculean job. They -were thus busily at work when, to their delight, they saw a canoe -approaching and, hiding in the bushes, they watched it as it drew -towards the beach and discovered that it contained two men,—poor -fishermen,—a Spaniard and a mulatto. Picking up several calabashes, the -mulatto stepped from the little craft and started up the beach, -evidently intent on securing water. Stealing stealthily after him the -buccaneers, to quote Esquemeling’s words, ‘assaulted him and, -discharging a great blow on his head with the hatchet, they soon -deprived him of life.’ Hearing his cries, the Spaniard started to -escape, but was quickly overtaken and butchered. Then, securing a -plentiful supply of water in the dead man’s calabashes, they set sail -and a few days later arrived safely at a buccaneers’ lair in Samaná -Bay, Santo Domingo. - -“Here Ogeron told his story, gathered together all the buccaneers he -could find and with a number of ships and several hundred men started -on his voyage of rescue and vengeance. The Dons, however, saw his fleet -approaching and prepared to give the buccaneers a warm welcome. -Unsuspecting, the buccaneers fell into an ambuscade, great numbers were -killed and the survivors who did not manage to escape to their ships, -were made prisoners. Ogeron himself escaped and shamed and beaten -returned to Tortuga, abandoning all hopes of rescuing his unfortunate -comrades. In the meantime, the Dons slaughtered the wounded Frenchmen, -cut off a few heads and limbs of the corpses to prove to their first -prisoners the fate of their friends who had attempted their rescue, and -drove the poor fellows on towards the capital. Here in San Juan they -were put to work at building the massive fortress of San Cristóbal -while a few were transported to Havana as laborers on the -fortifications there. But the Dons took no chances with them. Although -but a handful of half-starved, shackled slaves yet the buccaneers’ -reputation was such that the Spaniards kept them constantly under -guard, confining them in separate cells at night, for, to once more -quote Esquemeling’s quaint phraseology, ‘the Spaniards had had divers -proofs of their enterprises on other occasions which afforded them -sufficient cause to use them after this manner.’ - -“And to make assurance doubly sure, each time a ship sailed for Spain -parties of the prisoners were placed on board, transported to Europe -and set at liberty. The buccaneers, however, had an almost uncanny -faculty of getting together, even when widely separated, and ere long -all the prisoners had met in France and were soon back in their old -haunt at Tortuga ready for another foray. But they had had enough of -Ogeron as a leader and joining Le Sieur Maintenon sailed for Trinidad -which they sacked and ransomed for ten thousand pieces of eight and -then set forth for the conquest of Caracas. Here, once more, they met -defeat, for while they took the port of La Guaira they were -ignominiously beaten back on the awful trail over the mountains to -Caracas. Many were killed, more were made prisoners and only a handful -of survivors escaped and returned, broken and penniless, to Tortuga.” - -“Well, I’m glad the Dons did beat them,” declared Fred. “Seems to me -the buccaneers had it their own way too often.” - -“Yes, that is true,” assented Mr. Bickford, “but you must bear in mind -that only the successes of the buccaneers were recorded as a general -thing. No doubt they were defeated repeatedly and nothing said of the -matter, and if the Spaniards’ story were told it might read very -differently. Now that I have told you of Morgan, of the ruthless -buccaneers, such as Portugues, L’Ollonois and their kind, let me tell -you of the most remarkable expedition ever undertaken by the -buccaneers; a trip without a parallel in history and which, for sheer -daredevil bravery, indomitable courage, splendid seamanship and -wonderful adventures is worthy of a place in the history of the -greatest navigators and discoverers of the world. Moreover, this ‘most -dangerous voyage,’ as the buccaneer historian calls it, was of real -value to the world, as it resulted in scientific discoveries and data, -in geographical knowledge and facts about the Indians which otherwise -might never have been recorded.” - -“It seems funny to think of buccaneers being interested in science or -geography or such things,” said Jack, as his father searched through a -volume for the chapter he desired. “How did it happen, Dad?” - -“One of the members of the expedition was a man named Dampier,” replied -his father. “He was the son of an English farmer and at seventeen was -apprenticed as a boy aboard a merchant ship sailing to the West Indies. -Deserting the ship, he tried his fortunes as a logwood cutter, but -finding this held little chance for either riches or excitement, he -joined the buccaneers. But Dampier was at heart a naturalist and an -author. He was fond of study, was a keen observer and wherever he went -he invariably wrote notes recording all he had seen and made excellent -maps and sketches. One would hardly expect the career of a buccaneer to -favor literary work and yet Dampier managed to write an excellent book -while on a buccaneer ship. Often he would be obliged to drop pen and -paper in the middle of a chapter in order to help his comrades battle -with a Spanish ship or take a town, but he kept it up with fanatical -persistence, carried his manuscript and his writing materials with him -wherever he went and left most valuable records. What a queer picture -he must have presented as he sat on a gun carriage busily jotting down -notes on natural history or making sketches of the rugged wooded shores -of some buccaneers’ lair, which he always speaks of as ‘a particular -draught of my own composure,’ while, beside his ink horn, was his -loaded pistol and his trusty cutlass ready for any emergency. His copy -he kept in a joint of bamboo, which, he says, ‘I stopt at both ends, -closing it with Wax so as to keep out any water. In this way I -preserved my Journal and other writings from being wet, tho’ I was -often forced to swim.’ - -“And along with the author-naturalist, Dampier, was many another odd -character. There was Foster, who spent his hours between battles -composing sentimental poetry and who wrote ‘Soneyettes of Love’ aboard -a buccaneer ship; Richard Jobson, a divinity student and chemist, who -carried along with his sword and pistols a well-thumbed Greek Testament -which he translated aloud for the edification of his piratical mates, -and, lastly, Ringrose, the pilot and navigator, whose carefully kept -log has given us the true history of this ‘most dangerous voyage and -bold assaults of Captain Bartholomew Sharp.’” - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -A PERILOUS UNDERTAKING - - -“Among the buccaneers who ravished the Caribbean and the Spanish Main, -but who had not joined Morgan in his endeavors, were Captain -Bartholomew Sharp, Peter Harris, Richard Sawkins, Captain Cook, -Alleston, Row and Macket. As a whole, they were far superior men to -Morgan and his kind, although no less daring, and in March, 1680, these -various buccaneer leaders chanced to meet at a favorite lair of the -corsairs, Bocas del Toro, on the Atlantic coast of what is now Panama. -Deploring the lack of rich cities to sack and the difficulty of taking -the Spanish galleons, now guarded by armed convoys, and cursing the -fate that had decreed peace between Spain and England, the disgruntled -buccaneer captains sought for new fields for their activities. - -“Morgan’s raid on Panama had proved that there were rich pickings on -the Pacific, but the relentless persecution of the buccaneers by the -British authorities in the Caribbean made life uncomfortable for them, -and after a deal of discussion it was agreed that the Pacific coasts -held the best promise of fortunes to be won. But to talk of raiding the -Dons’ towns and seizing their ships on the Pacific was one thing and to -do it was quite a different matter. To sail around the Horn was a long -and tedious voyage beset with greatest dangers and to cross by the Gold -Road or the Chagres, while possible, was not only perilous, but would -be but repeating Morgan’s raid. Then, into their presence, came one -Bournano, a French buccaneer, who reported that while peace had been -established between the savage Indians of Darien and the Spaniards, yet -the Indians were still friendly to the buccaneers and hated the Dons. -Indeed, Bournano stated further that the Indians had promised to lead -him and his men to a rich town called Tocamora and that he had agreed -to return to raid the place as soon as he could secure more ships and -men. - -“This exactly suited the assembled buccaneers; it was unanimously -agreed to join fortunes with the Frenchman, and, supplying their ships -with sea turtles and maize, the captains set sail for Darien. The fleet -consisted of nine vessels with four hundred and seventy-seven men and -without adventure they arrived at the San Blas Islands. Here the -Indians welcomed them, for the San Blas tribe had, from time -immemorial, been allies of the corsairs, but when they learned of the -buccaneers’ purpose they frowned upon it. Tocamora, they said, was in a -mountainous country; the way was long and rough, it was in an -uninhabited district where food was scarce, and the place was not as -rich as had been reported. Instead, the Indians suggested that the -buccaneers should cross the Isthmus, take the outlying city of El Real -de Santa Maria, which was the depot for all the gold from the -incredibly rich mines of Darien, and then proceed to attack the new -city of Panama. It was a wild, harebrained, daring and almost hopeless -scheme, but it appealed to the buccaneers and, aside from Captain Row -and Bournano, all agreed to follow the Indians’ advice. - -“On April 5, 1680, the buccaneers landed on the mainland three hundred -and thirty-one strong, and, leaving a few men and Captains Alleston and -Macket to guard the ships, the dauntless buccaneers started on their -terrible march, carrying for provisions but three cakes of cassava each -and all heavily armed. - -“Following their Indian guides, the buccaneers divided into six -companies and entered the jungle. The very first day their hardships -began. So impenetrable was the forest that it was necessary to hew a -way every yard, there were rivers to cross, swamps to wade through, and -clouds of mosquitoes made life miserable. The first day four men gave -up and returned to the coast, but the others, of whom, as I have said, -Dampier was a member, kept doggedly on. Through pouring rain, climbing -precipitous mountains, swimming rivers, the buccaneers proceeded on -their way and at the close of the second day had covered nearly -eighteen miles. Often, as Ringrose tells us, they were obliged to cross -the same river over and over again, but at noon of the third day they -came to a village of the wild Kuna Indians. Ringrose and Dampier -describe the Indians very well, speaking particularly of the painted -wooden crowns, the red caps and the gold nose rings worn by the chiefs, -exactly as they are to-day. The Indians were friendly, they supplied -the buccaneers fruit and provisions, and the footsore corsairs spent -the day resting in the Indians’ huts. On the tenth of April a river -large enough to be navigable by canoes was reached, and Captains Sharp, -Coxon, Cook and Ringrose, with seventy men, embarked in fourteen -dugouts. But they soon found that gliding down the Chukunaque River was -by no means a relief from the overland tramp. Fallen trees and bars -filled the stream; at every few yards the buccaneers were compelled to -haul their craft bodily over the obstructions, and, being separated -from their comrades, they began to fear the Indians intended to cut -them off and betray them to the Spaniards. On April 13th they reached -the junction of the Tuira and Chukunaque Rivers, and in the afternoon -of the same day they were overjoyed to see their missing companions who -had come through the jungle in safety. Throughout this awful trip, -Dampier had preserved his writings in his ‘joyente of bamboo,’ -carefully jotting down, despite all difficulties, his observations of -bird and animal life, notes on plants and descriptions of the Indians -and their lives. But the difficulties of the crossing were practically -over. In sixty-eight canoes the three hundred and twenty-seven men -embarked with fifty Indians and swept swiftly down stream towards -unsuspecting El Real. Camping a scant half mile above the town, the -buccaneers prepared to attack at dawn and were awakened by the drums of -the garrison. Priming their pistols and muskets, the buccaneers marched -on the village, which was surrounded by a twelve-foot palisade, but the -corsairs made short work of this and took the town with a loss of but -two men wounded. Within were two hundred and sixty men, but the -buccaneers soon learned, to their chagrin, why no resistance had been -made. The gold, brought from the mines, and, which they had hoped to -gain, had been taken the day before to Panama—a treasure of three -hundred pounds of bullion—and there was utterly nothing worth taking in -the place, which was a mere outpost of straw and palm-thatched huts. -Unlike Morgan and his fellows, Sharp and his men treated the Dons -humanely and even prevented their Indian allies from butchering the -captives, a diversion they had started the moment they had entered the -place. Disappointed at their ill luck, the buccaneers were more than -ever determined to attack Panama, and, choosing Captain Coxon as -commander, the buccaneers, deserted by all but three Indians, prepared -for the most hazardous venture ever attempted. Cut off, as they were, -from retreat by the long journey through the jungle, in a hostile -country, without provisions or ships, yet these fearless, indomitable -men were about to hurl themselves upon the most strongly fortified town -on the Pacific, and attack a city of thousands with less than three -hundred and twenty men, for twelve of their number had left and had -gone back with the Indians after taking El Real. - -“On April 17, 1680, the buccaneers embarked in thirty-six canoes and -slipping down river with the ebb tide entered the great Gulf of San -Miguel. Soon the party became separated, and Ringrose’s canoe was -wrecked. Without food or clothing other than the few rags on their -bodies and with no shoes on their feet, the buccaneers set forth afoot. -By good fortune they met Indians, secured canoes, and, sending their -prisoners back free, they continued on their way. The very next night, -seeing fires on shore, the weary fellows thought they had found their -missing comrades and hastily landed, only to fall into the hands of a -party of Spaniards. But here the humane actions of the buccaneers were -rewarded. The Dons, learning who their captives were, and hearing from -a prisoner how the British had saved them from massacre by the Indians, -fed and clothed the buccaneers and gave them their liberty. - -“The next morning, to every one’s unspeakable delight, the other -parties were met. Several small sailboats were also captured, and now, -once more well equipped and confident, the entire party gathered at -Chepillo Island and prepared for their descent on Panama, about thirty -miles distant. And here, too, the buccaneers suddenly, for ‘reasons -which I can not dive into,’ as Ringrose puts it, threw aside their -former humanity and ordered the Indians to butcher the few remaining -Spanish prisoners. Luckily, the captives managed to escape, however, -and only one was killed. Rowing stealthily along the shores under cover -of the night, and drenched by torrential rains, the buccaneers came at -dawn within sight of the city to find two great ships and three smaller -men-of-war anchored in the bay and ready to resist the buccaneers. Here -were unexpected troubles. They had counted on taking the place by -surprise, on being led into the city by a captive whose life they had -saved, and, instead, their presence was known and five powerful armed -ships swarming with Spaniards were prepared for them. And, to make -matters worse, a large part of their men were absent. During the night -and the storm they had become separated, the largest of the boats, in -command of Captain Sharp, had put into outlying islands for water, and -the heavier piraguas were far astern of the lighter canoes. These, five -in number and with one piragua, contained but sixty-eight out of the -three hundred odd buccaneers, and these were weary with their long row -and in no condition to fight. But there was no time for indecision. The -three Spanish war vessels were already bearing down upon the -buccaneers, and although so near that Ringrose says they feared they -would be run down, yet the English fell to their oars and, pulling -desperately into the wind, evaded the Dons’ ships and got to windward. -Realizing that the sooner they struck the better, the buccaneers turned -their boats and, pulling directly towards the huge Spanish ships, -picked off the helmsmen and the gunners with their muskets. With their -vessels aback, unable to maneuver, the Dons were, for the moment, -helpless, and while their broadsides threw round shot and chain shot -among the buccaneers and killed a number, the light swift boats were -hard targets to hit, and before a second broadside could be fired they -were under the vessels’ side where the cannons could not reach them. -Then the battle raged thick and fast. Picking off the Dons whenever -they showed their heads above the bulwarks, cutting sheets and braces -with their shots, the buccaneers forced their tiny craft under the -warships’ sterns, jammed the rudders, and, sinking their own craft to -make sure the men must do or die, they swarmed up ropes, chains and -quarter galleries onto the Spaniards’ decks. - -“Ringrose and his party attacked the Admiral’s ship, and leaping over -the bulwarks cut down the Admiral, swept like demons among the Spanish -crew, cutting, slashing, shooting and converting the decks to a bloody -shambles. Not until two-thirds of the crew were killed did the Dons -surrender, however. With the flagship in their hands, Captain Coxon -took charge and at once sent two canoes of buccaneers to aid Sawkins, -who had thrice been beat back from the decks of the other warship. -Hardly had the reënforcements arrived when two explosions took place on -the ship and in the confusion the buccaneers swarmed onto the ship’s -deck and took the vessel without resistance, for not one Spaniard was -left alive and uninjured aboard! But on every ship the slaughter was -terrific. Of the original crew of eighty-six on the flagship, only -twenty-five men remained alive and only eight of these were able to -stand. Indeed, even Ringrose and his fellows, hardened to slaughter and -bloodshed as they were, were amazed at the butchery they had wrought, -and, in their journals, Ringrose and Dampier state that ‘blood ran down -the decks in whole streams and not one place upon the ships was found -that was free of blood.’ And yet this victory, this awful carnage, had -been carried out by sixty-eight buccaneers in frail canoes and small -boats, truly a most marvelous feat of daring and bravery, and, more -remarkable yet, the buccaneers’ losses amounted to but eighteen killed -and twenty-two wounded! - -“With the two men-of-war in their possession the buccaneers at once -sailed for the big galleons, but, to their surprise, found them -absolutely deserted, every member of their crews having been placed -aboard the warships in their attack upon the buccaneers. But before -deserting their ships the Dons had made every effort to prevent any -possibility of their falling into the buccaneers’ hands. The largest -galleon, which was called the Santissima Trinidad (Blessed Trinity) had -been set afire and scuttled, but the buccaneers’ victory was so rapidly -won that they reached her in time, extinguished the fire, stopped the -leak and transferred their wounded to her. The battle had begun soon -after sunrise and by noon the last shot had been fired, the fleet was -in the hands of the buccaneers, and the standards of Sawkins, Sharp, -Coxon and the others were floating from the mastheads in place of the -gold and scarlet banners of Spain. - -“Never in the annals of the buccaneers had such a victory been won; -never had there been a sharper, bloodier battle, and even the captive -Spanish captains were loud in their praise and admiration of the valor -of the English. ‘Captain Peralta declared,’ says Ringrose, that ‘surely -you Englishmen are the valiantest men in the world, who designed always -to fight open whilst other nations invented all ways imaginable to -barricade themselves and fight as close as they could, and yet, -notwithstanding, you killed more of your enemies than they of you.’ - -“And there, resting upon a gun still hot from recent fighting, Dampier -drew his paper and ink-horn from his bamboo joint and on the -blood-stained deck proceeded to make one of his ‘particular draughts’ -of the harbor and to write an account of the brave and exciting deeds -through which he had just passed. - -“It was, of course, out of the question for the buccaneers to attempt -to take Panama, for the defenses were powerful, it was surrounded with -an immense, heavily armed wall, it swarmed with soldiers, as well as -its thousands of citizens, and the large ships could not approach -within cannon shot. But the buccaneers had little cause to complain. -They had taken five ships, the largest, the Holy Trinity, a galleon of -four hundred tons, and while the cargoes consisted of sugar, skins, -soap and flour of little value, still, with good ships under their -command, the buccaneers were in a position to take prizes and raid -towns. To retain all five ships was not practical and, accordingly, two -were promptly fired and sunk. Those saved were the Trinity; a -sugar-laden ship of about two hundred tons, which was taken over by -Cook; and a fifty-ton piragua in command of Coxon. Coxon was -disgruntled, having been accused of backwardness in the fight, and -three days after the battle he left the buccaneers with twenty of his -sympathizers and sailed away to Darien to march back to the Atlantic -and his ship, taking with him the Indian guides. - -“A day or two later, Captain Sharp arrived, having taken a small -Spanish bark while on his search for water, and shortly afterwards -Captain Harris turned up, also with a prize. During Sharp’s absence, -Sawkins had been elected commandant, and, having turned loose all but -their most important prisoners, the buccaneers proceeded to Taboga -Island to repair and refit the captured ships. - -“While there the buccaneers were visited by a number of Spanish -merchants from Panama who brought various supplies and goods to sell to -the buccaneers, for, incredible as it may seem, the corsairs had a most -remarkable habit of dealing fairly with tradesmen, even though they -were slaughtering and robbing others. To these Spanish merchants the -buccaneers disposed of much of the material they had found on the -ships, and Ringrose informs us that they paid excellent prices, -offering two hundred pieces of eight for each slave the English could -spare. You may wonder why unprincipled robbers and cut-throats like the -buccaneers should dispose of their goods when they could have so easily -possessed themselves of their visitors’ money without giving anything -in return, but it was one of their codes of honor to deal fairly under -such conditions and there is no record that they ever used violence or -robbed a visitor or one who came to them on a friendly mission. - -“While at Taboga, several ships were captured by the buccaneers, one of -which proved a rich prize, as it contained two thousand jars of wine, -fifty kegs of gunpowder and fifty-one thousand pieces of eight. Also, -from this ship, the English learned of a galleon due from Lima with -over one hundred thousand pieces of eight, and, rubbing their hands -with satisfaction, the buccaneers proceeded to make ready to receive -her. - -“Meanwhile, the governor of Panama sent a message to Sawkins asking -why, in time of peace, British had attacked Spaniards and for what -reason the buccaneers had come to Panama. To this Sawkins facetiously -replied that they had come ‘to assist the King of Darien, who was true -Lord of Panama,’ and that ‘having come so far they should have some -satisfaction.’ Adding that ‘should His Excellency be pleased to send -five hundred pieces of eight for each man and one thousand for each -commander and would promise not further to annoy the Indians, but give -them full liberty, then the buccaneers would depart peacefully, -otherwise they would remain to get what they might!’ And here also -occurred another of the odd incidents which showed the buccaneers’ -strange natures and point of view. One of the Spanish merchants brought -word to Captain Sawkins that the Bishop of Panama had formerly been the -Bishop of Santa Marta and had been a captive of Sawkins when the latter -took the place. Thereupon Sawkins sent the Bishop two loaves of sugar -with his best wishes. In return, the Bishop sent a gold ring and his -compliments and also a second message from the Governor. This time His -Excellency wished to know from whom the buccaneers had commissions and -to whom he should complain of the damages they had done. Evidently -Sawkins was a humorous man, for he replied that, ‘As yet the company -are not all together, but when they are they will visit His Excellency -in Panama and bring their commissions in the muzzles of their guns, at -which time you shall read them as plain as the flame of powder can make -them.’ But such interchanges of pleasantries did not serve to satisfy -the impatient men, and provisions were getting woefully low. In vain -their commanders urged that they await the arrival of the plate ship -from Peru. They demanded action and food and at last, finding open -mutiny would break out if he refused, Sawkins hoisted sail and, leaving -Taboga, cruised westward along the coast in search of towns to sack and -vessels to capture. In this they were quite successful. They took -Otoque Island, looted the pearl catch from Coiba and attacked Puebla -Nueva. But they met with disaster as well. Two of their vessels -foundered, with a loss of twenty-two men, and on the attack upon Puebla -Nueva brave Captain Sawkins met his death, and the buccaneers were -beaten off. - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE “MOST DANGEROUS VOYAGE” OF CAPTAIN SHARP - - -“Say, that beat anything that Morgan did!” exclaimed Jack. “And yet, I -never even heard of Sharp or Sawkins and the rest.” - -“Very true,” replied his father. “Many of the most remarkable deeds and -adventures of the buccaneers and many of the most noted leaders have -been practically forgotten. Fiction has kept alive such men as Morgan, -while others, who were far more worthy of being perpetuated, are -unknown to the world at large. As I said before, Sharp and his men -outdid every other buccaneer and yet not one person in a thousand ever -heard of them or the ‘most dangerous voyage.’” - -“But it seems to me they were really pirates,” said Fred. “They knew -the war was over and it was a low, mean trick to tell the Indians to -kill the prisoners after the Spaniards had treated them so well.” - -“Of course they were pirates,” agreed his uncle. “As I told you in the -beginning, the buccaneers were pirates—even though pirates were not -always buccaneers—and the buccaneers freely admitted the fact. Indeed, -Esquemeling, Ringrose and the other chroniclers always wrote of -themselves and their fellows as pirates. And as far as letting the -Indians butcher the captives was concerned, you must remember that -Ringrose’s party were the ones who received the favors from the Dons -and he was merely a pilot or navigator and had no say in regard to the -orders given by the captains. Moreover, the ‘reasons he could not dive -into’ were perhaps sufficient to warrant the leaders’ orders. But to -return to the doings of the buccaneers after their defeat at Puebla -Nueva. Sawkins was liked and respected by all the men; he was brave, -courteous, fair and, for a buccaneer, very honorable, and when he was -killed and Bartholomew Sharp was given command of the expedition many -men refused to continue with the latter. They had joined the venture -under Sawkins, they did not care to be under any one else and they -disliked Sharp. Moreover, the new commander announced that it was his -intention to fit the Blessed Trinity as a buccaneer ship, to cruise -along the west coast of South America, ravishing the Spanish towns, and -to return to the Caribbean by sailing through the Straits of Magellan -and completely circumnavigating South America. Even the hardy and -daredevil buccaneers were amazed at this. It was a venture fraught with -the greatest hazard, a voyage such as no buccaneer had ever undertaken, -and there were those who openly expressed the opinion that Sharp must -have gone mad to think of it. - -“And there is little wonder that they thought him insane. Imagine a -lone ship—and a half-burned, far from seaworthy galleon at that—going -pirating in the Pacific where every town, every man, every ship was an -enemy; where there was not a friendly harbor in which to lie; where -Spanish warships were numerous; where there was no buccaneers’ lair in -which to refit or provision and secure men, and where the buccaneers -were completely cut off, separated by thousands of miles, from their -own countrymen. And then, even if the ship and its crew survived, think -of the thousands of perils to be faced at every turn in attempting to -navigate the almost unknown Antarctic seas and to round South America -and sail for thousands of miles across the Atlantic to the West Indies. -It was a scheme so wild, so dangerous and so unheard of that nearly -one-third of the men refused to stand by Sharp, and nearly seventy men -declared their intention of braving the perils and hardships of a -return march through the jungles of Darien rather than attempt the -voyage. Among these deserters was Dampier; Wafer, the surgeon; Jobson -of the Greek Testament, and others. Ringrose himself freely admits in -his ‘log’ that he was minded to accompany them and would have done so -had he not been more afraid of the jungle and the Indians than of the -proposed voyage. It is fortunate for us that he stuck to the ship, for -otherwise we would have no record of that marvelous cruise. - -“And the deserters had anything but an easy time of it, and often, ere -they reached the Caribbean and their own ships, they heartily wished -that they had remained with Captain Sharp. - -“Bad as the crossing had been before, it was now a thousand times -worse. It was the height of the rainy season; it poured incessantly day -and night; the forest was little more than a vast morass and the rivers -were swollen, raging torrents. The Indians refused to guide the men, -owing partly to the weather conditions and partly as they were -disgusted at having been cheated out of their revenge on the Dons and -the joy of butchering them, and the buccaneers were in a sad plight. In -vain they offered beads, cloth, hatchets and similar articles of trade -for guides. They were in despair until one of the men, evidently -familiar with women’s ways, dug a sky-blue petticoat from among his -loot and slipped it quickly over the head of the chief’s wife. His ruse -worked like a charm. The wife added her arguments to those of the -buccaneers, and the chief, throwing up his hands in despair, agreed to -lead the buccaneers across the Isthmus. But even with their Indian -guide their plight was pitiable. They plunged through deep swamps, -fought their way through wicked, thorn-covered jungles, hacked and -hewed a pathway through the forest, swam swollen rivers, were drenched -with rain, infested with ticks, tortured by mosquitoes and almost -starved. For days at a time they could not light a fire; they had no -shelters; the clothes were torn from their bodies; their sodden shoes -fell from their blistered, bleeding feet. Sometimes a whole day’s labor -would result in less than two miles of progress and their best time was -but five or six miles a day. For twenty-three days they endured every -hardship and torture, traveling one hundred and ten miles and losing -their way a hundred times despite their Indian guide. On the morning of -the eighth day they reached a river so wide and swift none dared to -attempt it, and after a deal of argument it was decided to choose a man -by lot to swim the torrent with a line. The lot fell upon one George -Gayney. Unfortunately for him he was an avaricious fellow and insisted -on carrying his share of loot—three hundred pieces of eight—in a bag -lashed to his back. When midway across he was whirled about by the -current, he became entangled in the rope and was carried under and -drowned. But another took his place, the rope was gotten across and, -half-drowned, the party reached the opposite bank. A few days later -they found poor Gayney’s body with the bag of coins still lashed to his -back, but so miserable and spent were the men that they did not even -bother to secure the silver but left the corpse there upon the river’s -bank, money and all. Another unfortunate was the surgeon, Wafer. By an -accidental discharge of some powder he received a serious wound in the -leg and, unable to walk, was left with some Indians to recover. While -convalescing he used his skill for the Indians’ benefit, and the -redmen, impressed by what they considered magic, treated him like a -god. To show their gratitude and esteem they stripped him of his ragged -garments, painted him from head to foot with every color of the rainbow -and enthroned him in a regal hut. But Wafer had no mind to pass his -remaining days as an Indian witch doctor or medicine man. Watching his -opportunity he stole away, and garbed only in his coat of paint, -sneaked off through the forest towards the coast. Months later, after -untold hardships, he came in sight of the sea, and, without thinking of -his appearance, rushed toward a party of buccaneers who fortunately -were at hand nearby. For an instant the buccaneers gaped in amazement, -utterly at a loss to understand who the nude, gorgeously painted -creature was, and not until he shouted to them in English did they -realize that it was the long-lost surgeon, Wafer. Never had buccaneer -appeared before in such guise; they roared with laughter, and many were -the rude jests and coarse jokes passed at the doctor’s expense. But -poor Jobson, the divinity student, was less fortunate. He too had been -overcome and left behind, and while he eventually managed to rejoin his -comrades he was too far spent to recover and a few days later he died, -his Greek Testament still clasped in his hand. But aside from Gayney -and Jobson no lives were lost, and a few days after reaching the -Caribbean shores the buccaneers were rescued by a French buccaneer, -Captain Tristian, along with the loot they had carried throughout their -awful journey, and Dampier’s ‘joyente of bamboo’ which the -naturalist-buccaneer had preserved unharmed and within which was the -closely written journal wherein he had daily set down every event of -interest or note. - -“Meanwhile, back at Coiba Island, Sharp and his companions were -preparing for their momentous undertaking. Stripping the other vessels -of all fittings and arms, Sharp scuttled and burned them and proceeded -to equip the Blessed Trinity for a pirate ship. Her high and ornately -gilded poop was in the way, and with axes and hatchets the buccaneers -hacked and chopped away the galleries and moldings, knocked off a tier -or two of cabins and, hastily boarding it up, mounted guns with their -grim muzzles protruding from what once had been the stained glass -windows. Ports were cut in bulwarks and topsides, the decks were -stripped of all unnecessary gear, the rigging was overhauled, and the -ship with the holy name was ready for her most unholy work. At Coiba -they laid in a supply of turtles, salted deer meat, and water, and on -the afternoon of June 6, 1679, they sailed forth from Coiba Island on -their marvelous voyage. - -“It is not necessary to relate in detail all that took place -thereafter. They cruised along the coast, captured all the ships they -saw and either sunk them or, cutting away all but one mast, filled them -with their prisoners and set them adrift to sink or sail as the fates -decreed. Sharp at times showed intense cruelty, and whenever priests -were taken he ordered them butchered out of hand and often tossed them -overboard while still living. Ringrose says, ‘Such cruelties, though I -abhorred very much in my heart, yet here was I forced to hold my tongue -as having no authority to oversway them.’ And they captured many a -town, too. Arica, Hilo, Coquimbo, La Serena, were attacked, sacked and -burned; but the buccaneers often came near to destruction also. Only by -luck did they escape, and at La Serena the Dons, under cover of -darkness, swam to the Trinity on inflated hides, placed combustibles -and explosives between the rudder and the stern post of the ship and -fired them. Just in time the buccaneers discovered the source of the -blaze and prevented the loss of ship and all within her. Fearing their -numerous prisoners would plot successfully against them, the -buccaneers, after this, set all the Dons ashore and, finding it -necessary to refit, sailed to Juan Fernandez island. - -“It was now December, and the buccaneers spent a wild and riotous -Christmas upon the isle, firing salutes, building bonfires, singing and -shouting, drinking and carousing; frightening the seals and the birds -with their wild cries, startling the goats with their ribald laughter; -gambling and making merry, for which we can scarcely blame them, for it -was the first holiday they had had since leaving Coiba, five months -before. - -“And here at Juan Fernandez dissensions among the men once more arose. -Some were for going home at once; others wished to remain longer, while -all declared they would sail no longer under Sharp for the -reason—incredible as it may seem—that he had failed to observe the -Sabbath! So here on Juan Fernandez the ungodly pirates deposed their -commander because he was not sufficiently religious and in his stead -elected a hoary old buccaneer named John Watling. Sharp, naturally -resenting this, was quickly silenced by being cast, willynilly, into -the hold, where he had ample chance to think over his wicked past and -moralize on the psychology of men who would slit a friar’s throat one -moment and clamor for prayers and divine services the next. - -“Under their new captain the Sabbath was rigorously observed, and -Ringrose writes, speaking of the first Sunday under Watling’s command, -‘This day was the first Sunday that ever we kept by command and consent -since the loss and death of our valiant commander, Captain Sawkins. Our -generous-hearted commander threw the dice overboard, finding them in -use on the said day.’ - -“Under Watling, the Trinity sailed to Iquique and there captured -several prisoners, among them an aged Indian from whom they sought to -obtain information of Arica, which they planned to raid the second -time. Evidently, from what transpired, Captain Sharp had seen the error -of his ways and had made up his mind to be a most moral pirate in -future. Having been released from the hold, he was on deck when the -Indian prisoner was questioned, and he protested most vehemently -against Watling’s orders to shoot the prisoner because, so the -buccaneers imagined, he had not told them the truth. Finding his pleas -for the Indian in vain, Sharp dipped his hands in a basin of water and -dramatically declared, ‘Gentlemen, I am clear of the blood of this old -man. And I will warrant you a hot day for this piece of cruelty -whenever we come to fight at Arica.’ - -“And verily did the buccaneers learn to their sorrow how they had -misjudged the Indian and how true was Sharp’s prophecy, for Arica had -been strongly fortified and garrisoned, just as the captive had -related; the buccaneers were ignominiously defeated with heavy loss; -Captain Watling and a number of other officers were killed, and the -beaten and decimated buccaneers clamored loudly for Bartholomew Sharp -once more to take command. Sharp, however, refused at first to listen -to them, having had enough of their fickle natures, but finding that, -unless he or some one took charge immediately all would be destroyed, -he at last consented, and after severe fighting managed to get the -survivors to their ship, although the surgeons were left behind. In -fact the buccaneers had the closest shave of all their lives at Arica. -Not only were they beaten back, killed and wounded by scores, and -forced to retreat to the outlying country in disorder, but the Dons -were on the point of destroying their boats when they were rallied by -Sharp, and only by a sharp hand-to-hand struggle did the English -succeed in recovering them. Now, however, the men looked upon Sharp -with reverence and awe, for not only had he saved their lives, but with -the superstition of sailors, they remembered his prophecy, believed he -had occult power and cursed the late Watling right and left for having -destroyed the Indian prisoner and disregarded Sharp’s warning. - -“The buccaneers were now greatly reduced in numbers. They had lost -twenty-eight killed and eighteen desperately wounded, as well as about -a dozen who had fallen into the Spaniards’ hands, and of the original -one hundred and forty men who had set sail on the wild adventure in the -Trinity a bare seventy now remained who were in condition to work or -fight. But lack of men did not trouble Sharp in the least. Heading -northward, they ravished city after city, leaving a trail of blood and -smoke behind them, and at last put into the Gulf of Nicoya, battered, -weatherbeaten and vastly in need of repairs to both themselves and -their ship. But when off San Miguel dissensions had once more arisen, -and forty-seven more of the men deserted and headed overland across -Darien as had those who had gone before. Their experiences were much -the same as those others, although as the rainy season had not come on -they were more fortunate, but they had many narrow escapes and many -adventures nevertheless. - -“With his forces now reduced to less than fifty men Sharp put into the -Gulf, took prizes of the ships there, raided the villages and by good -luck succeeded in making prisoners of some shipwrights and carpenters -who were engaged in building ships for the Spaniards. These artizans he -impressed into his service and at once proceeded to put the battered -Blessed Trinity into condition for the long and dangerous voyage around -South America and up the Atlantic to the Antilles. For, despite losses, -desertions and all, Sharp and the remaining buccaneers were determined -to carry out their original plans. They had now been in the Pacific for -over a year, carrying terror far and wide, swooping upon every town or -village they could find, capturing vessels and ever managing to escape -in their shot-torn, dingy old galleon, and now Sharp planned to make -her as staunch and seaworthy as possible with the materials and labor -at his command. With almost superhuman efforts the deck was taken up -and relaid, new planking was put in her shattered sides, the masts were -all shortened and the ship was rerigged and refitted from truck to -water line. Then Sharp graciously thanked his captive carpenters and -presented them with a vessel he had captured as a reward for their -services. Then, freeing all the prisoners and most of the slaves they -had taken, the buccaneers set sail for the Gulf of Dulce, where the -ship was careened and cleaned, it having been impossible to do this at -Nicoya. The condition that the craft was in can be imagined as she had -not been cleaned, either outside or in, since she had fallen into the -buccaneers’ hands—and the Lord only knows when before that. Ringrose -states that, ‘when we came to cleanse her hold both myself and several -others were struck blind with the filth and nastiness of it.’ - -“But at last it was done and the Trinity sailed forth from the Gulf of -Dulce and started on her long deferred voyage to the distant Caribbean. -And as they sailed, many a rich prize fell to those upon the one-time -galleon. Within ten days after starting, a ship was taken with over -forty thousand pieces of eight and, by a strange coincidence, this -proved to be the same ship from which they had won so much treasure and -wine in Panama harbor over a year before. Ship after ship they took, -but ever freeing all prisoners and turning them loose in the vessels -after they had been looted, for Sharp had no mind to burden himself -with hungry mouths which were of no use to him. Down the coast they -sailed, avoiding conflicts ashore,—although, truth to tell, there was -little to be got after having raided the coast twice within the -twelvemonth,—until finally, leaving the last settlements and inhabited -lands astern, they bore through cold and stormy seas towards the tip of -the continent. They stopped in at Tierra del Fuego, found and mapped -uncharted, storm-lashed isles, hunted penguins and seals, and battered -by mountainous waves, buffeted by ice-laden gales, crept ever farther -south, searching for the entrance to the Strait of Magellan. - -“And remember that they had only the crudest instruments with which to -navigate, only a rough quadrant for finding their latitude, and no -means whatever, save dead reckoning, for determining their longitude. -Their ship, despite their efforts to put it in seaworthy shape, was -leaky, strained and filled with patched shot holes, and they were in -one of the stormiest parts of the world in the wildest season of the -year. Often their sails were torn to ribbons or carried away, the ship -was sheathed in ice, and after tedious beating through storm and sleet -for days they would be driven back in a night farther than they had -gained in a week. Let me quote a few passages from Ringrose’s log and -you will get a better idea of what that handful of grim buccaneers in -the Blessed Trinity underwent. Here, for example, under date of -November 10th, he says, ‘Day being come the wind increased and at noon -blew our mainsail to pieces. Hereupon we were forced to lower the yard -and unbend the sail, lying under mizzen. But that too gave way and all -the rest of the day we lay a hull in dark weather, foggy and windy, -with a huge sea that oftentime rolled over us.’ The next day he -reports, ‘All last night we had furious weather with seas higher and -higher.’ On November 16th the fore shrouds gave way; for several days -hereafter it was ‘so foggy we could not see the stem from the stern’; -they narrowly escaped running into icebergs and, to make matters worse, -their provisions had run low and the men were on the most scanty -rations. Several of the crew were frostbitten; others were so benumbed -with the intense cold they could not stand, and at last they realized -that they could not find the sought-for Straits and that there was -nothing for it but to stand on to the eastward through uncharted polar -seas in the hopes of rounding Cape Horn. - -“Day after day they kept on, bending on new sails as fast as they were -carried away; splicing and repairing rigging as it parted; half -starved, numb with cold, often unable to secure a sight to learn where -they were, but ever grimly heading east and north and blindly plunging -into the long, green, storm-swept seas. - -“And at last they found they were making northing, the tempests were -less severe, the weather was appreciably warmer, and they realized, -with heartfelt joy, that they had rounded the Cape and actually were in -the Atlantic. By the 7th of December they were well north of Cape -Horn—off the mouth of Rio de la Plata, in fact—but they had sighted no -land since leaving Tierra del Fuego and had not the least idea how many -scores or hundreds of miles they might be from either the South -American or the African coast. - -“Now the awful struggles the ship had undergone began to tell, and she -sprang more leaks, until the men, on less than quarter rations, were -compelled to toil day and night at the pumps. Yet they were cheered, -for the weather was constantly becoming warmer and fairer, and though -several men died from the result of frost bites and exposure, the -others took heart. But it was maddening for them to see porpoises, -dolphins, bonitos and sea birds about their ship and yet be unable to -obtain them to eke out their perilously low supply of food. The fish -would not take the hook, the birds gave them no chance to shoot, and -the haggard, dull-eyed, tattered men watched with hungry eyes the -bountiful supply of food quite beyond their reach. - -“Since leaving the tropics in the Pacific not a mouthful of meat, save -a few oily penguins and a seal or two, had passed their lips. The only -meat upon the ship was a sow which had been taken aboard as a suckling -pig in the far-off Gulf of Nicoya, and on Christmas Day this was -slaughtered for the men’s dinner. Starvation was staring them in the -face, but on January 5th they captured a hundred-and-twenty-pound -albicore and great was the rejoicing. Two days later they took an even -larger one, and now they discovered that their water casks had sprung -leaks and that only a few pannikins of the precious liquid remained. -Only a quart a day was allowed to a man, and sweltering under the -equatorial sun, baffled with light winds and calms, the men’s plight -was pitiable. In order to keep afloat they toiled ceaselessly at the -pumps, falling exhausted on the sizzling decks, cursing and moaning, -crying for water, and several dying raving mad. - -“But now they were well north of the equator. Somewhere ahead, Ringrose -felt sure, were the Caribbean isles they longed to see, and Captain -Sharp offered a reward to the first man to sight land. - -“On the 28th of January the glad cry came ringing from the masthead -and, straining their eyes, the half dead men saw the faint and hazy -outline of land upon the horizon. Then cheer after cheer rose from -those thirst-cracked throats, the men forgot their troubles, their -hunger, their ceaseless toil, for all recognized the welcome bit of -earth as the island of Barbados. - -“Marvelous indeed had been Ringrose’s navigation. Had he been equipped -with a modern sextant, with the latest nautical almanacs and the most -perfect chronometer, he could not have done better. By sheer dead -reckoning for his longitude, and by his crude instruments to find his -latitude, he had won within ten miles of the goal for which he had -made—truly an almost incredible piece of seamanship. - -“Weather-beaten, patched, her rigging frayed and spliced; her masts -awry, her sails mended and discolored, with gaping holes in her -bulwarks, with the charred marks of fire still upon her hacked-off poop -and with her crew more like ghosts than living men, the Blessed Trinity -headed for Bridgetown with the frayed and faded British ensign at her -peak and Sharp’s red banner with its green and white ribbons at her -masthead. - -“But the homesick, sea-weary buccaneers were not to set foot upon the -green shores of Barbados, for within the bay lay a British frigate. -Sharp realized that, in the eyes of the law, he and his men were -pirates, and so, with clanging pumps, the Trinity swept by the island, -while the wondering folk ashore gazed in amazement at this strange -ship, this vision that, gaunt and gray and battered, slipped by like a -wraith, and to their superstitious minds savored of the Flying -Dutchman. But the buccaneers’ ‘most dangerous voyage’ was almost at an -end. At Antigua, two days later, Ringrose and thirteen of the men went -ashore and secured passage on the Lisbon Merchant for England, while -Sharp and the others sailed to Nevis. There the ‘great sea artist and -admirable captain,’ as Ringrose calls him, presented his men with the -ship and sailed for Bristol. - -“Thus ended that most memorable voyage, that venture which had taken -the buccaneers across Darien, up and down the length of South America -twice, and around Cape Horn and back to the Antilles in a captured -Spanish galleon. Two years had passed since they had plunged into the -jungles of Darien; two years without sight of fellow countrymen or news -of home; two years in enemies’ seas and enemies’ country, and welcome -indeed was the sight of the verdant British islands and of Englishmen -once more.” - -“What became of Captain Sharp and Ringrose?” asked Jack. “Gosh, that -was a wonderful voyage. It ought to be more famous than Morgan’s.” - -“Sharp and a number of his men were tried for piracy when they arrived -in England,” replied Mr. Bickford. “But they were acquitted. The -specific charge brought against them was the taking of the San Rosario -and the killing of her captain, but it was proved that the Spaniards -fired the first shot and the men were freed on a plea of self-defense. -Their fellows, who after Sharp’s departure made their way to Jamaica, -were less fortunate. Two of the three were acquitted, but the third -pleaded guilty and was hanged. Ringrose himself settled down for a -well-earned, quiet life, but the love of the sea and the call of -adventure was too great. In 1683 he joined with his old comrades Wafer, -Dampier and Swan and went back to the Pacific, piloting the ship Cygnet -around Cape Horn. He was killed a few years later in a battle with the -Dons on the west coast of Central America, but that is another story.” - -“But, Dad, you didn’t tell us how much loot they got in all that time,” -complained Jack. - -“It’s not recorded,” replied his father. “Owing to the long voyage the -treasure was divided up after every raid or prize. But the greatest -treasure they took they threw away.” - -“How on earth was that?” asked Fred. - -His uncle chuckled. “I often think what a bitter pill it must have been -for Sharp and the others to swallow,” replied Mr. Bickford. “The San -Rosario—the ship for the taking of which the men were tried—had very -little treasure aboard her, apparently. She was laden with huge ingots -of what the buccaneers supposed was tin and this was thrown overboard, -one of the buccaneers retaining a single ingot as a keepsake. Imagine -the chagrin of the men when, during their trial, they learned that the -supposed tin was solid silver! They had cast into the sea, as -worthless, more riches than they had won on their entire venture!” - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE LAST OF THE BUCCANEERS - - -“Gosh, that was a good joke on the buccaneers,” laughed Jack. “Now do -tell us more about Ringrose, Dad. He must have been a fine fellow. Just -as soon as you get through I’m going to borrow that log of his and read -it from beginning to end.” - -“Me, too,” cried Fred with enthusiasm. “And I’m going to read -Esquemeling.” - -“You’ll find both Esquemeling’s and Ringrose’s log most interesting,” -said Mr. Bickford, “and you’ll be amused at the map. See here—this is -the chart by which Ringrose steered the Trinity. See how the Amazon and -the Rio de la Plata are pictured as one huge estuary of the sea, making -part of Brazil and all of Uruguay and Paraguay into a great island. -Very little was known of South America in those days, although, as you -will notice, the West Indies and Central America were accurately -shown.” - -“Golly, I don’t see how they ever did get around,” declared Fred, as -the two boys studied the ancient chart. “Hadn’t any one else ever -sailed around the Horn before?” - -“Yes,” replied his uncle. “Vasco da Gama had done so, and Drake and -Magellan had gone through the Straits, but no buccaneer had ever -attempted it and none had sailed from the Pacific around into the -Atlantic. But the success of Sharp’s voyage and Ringrose’s experiences -led the way for many a later buccaneer raid into the South Sea, as they -called the Pacific. Buccaneering was no longer a safe profession in the -Caribbean, for any buccaneers caught were tried and hanged as pirates, -but the South Seas were out of England’s jurisdiction and offered a -fine field. It is unnecessary to go into details of all the -buccaneering, or perhaps I might say pirating, cruises that were made -to the Pacific, but it is well to learn a little of the more noteworthy -ones, especially as our old friends Dampier, Wafer and Ringrose took -prominent parts in them. - -“The first buccaneers to sail for the ‘South Sea’ after Sharp’s -exploits became known, set forth from Chesapeake Bay in August, 1683. -Their ship was the Revenge, of eighteen guns and seventy men, in charge -of Captain John Davis, who had won considerable fame as a pirate by -sacking St. Augustine, Florida. With Davis went Cook, who had -accompanied Sharp, as well as Wafer, the surgeon, who had received such -unappreciated honors at the hands of the Darien Indians. Off the coast -of Sierra Leone they seized a Danish ship of thirty-six guns and, -finding her a much better vessel than their own, at once transferred -their belongings to the prize and scuttled the Revenge. Then, renaming -their new ship the Bachelors’ Delight, the corsairs headed for Cape -Horn and reached Juan Fernandez without mishap. Here they fell in with -another buccaneer ship, the Nicholas, and together the two cruised -northward to the Gulf of Nicoya, taking many prizes and attacking, with -considerable success, the smaller towns on the South America coast. In -the Gulf of Nicoya Cook died and Davis was left as sole -commander-in-chief. Those on the Nicholas, however, were bent on -pirating through the East Indies and shortly after Cook’s death parted -from the Bachelors’ Delight and set off on their own account, leaving a -grewsome trail through the South Seas and along the African coast on -their way to England. Davis and his company confined their activities -to the American coast until they met the Cygnet at the Island of La -Plata. The latter, which had been fitted out as a trader in London, had -soon abandoned peaceable pursuits and had become a full-fledged pirate -with our old friend Ringrose as navigator or pilot and Dampier, the -naturalist-author, as quarter-master, with an old buccaneer named Swan -in command. The two ships at once agreed to keep together and we may be -sure there were wildly hilarious times when Dampier, Ringrose, Wafer -and the others once more met, here in this out-of-the-world spot in the -Pacific. Remembering the rich pickings they had had under Sharp, the -veterans urged attacks on Paita, Guayaquil, Panama and other towns as -they had done in the Trinity. But the Dons had grown wise; corsairs -were no longer rare or unexpected upon the Pacific, and a warm -reception met the buccaneers at every town they visited. They took many -prizes nevertheless, and we may be quite sure that no more cargoes of -‘tin’ were cast into the sea. - -“For several weeks they blockaded Panama, and while off this port they -were reënforced by Captains Grogniet and L’Escayer, French buccaneers, -who with two hundred Frenchmen and one hundred and eighty English had -crossed the Isthmus. Shortly after, Captain Townley with one hundred -and eighty buccaneers arrived by the same route, and a little later two -hundred and sixty more French appeared. With a total force of nine -hundred and sixty men, which Davis divided among ten captured ships, -the buccaneers felt they were strong enough to withstand anything and -impatiently awaited the arrival of the plate fleet from Lima. - -“But when, on May 28, 1685, the long-expected treasure fleet hove in -sight the buccaneers’ hearts fell. For the Dons had been warned and -instead of helpless galleons carrying the vast fortune in gold and -bullion, the pirates saw, to their consternation, that the plate was -convoyed by six great Spanish warships, six smaller sloops of war and -two fire ships. The buccaneers had no mind to commit suicide and after -firing a few defiant-shots at long range they very wisely pulled up -anchors and sailed away, leaving the triumphant Dons to discharge their -precious cargo in peace. - -“Arriving at the Island of Quibo, the buccaneers met still another -party of pirates and almost at once dissensions arose between the -French and British corsairs. As a result, Davis and his men sailed -north, plundered Leon and Rio Lexa in Nicaragua, and, learning that a -plate ship was due from Manila, they cruised along the coasts of Mexico -and Central America awaiting its arrival. But they were not content to -wait patiently and must needs raid the coastal towns, with the result -that over sixty of Swan’s men were cut off and completely wiped out by -a Spanish ambuscade. This was the most severe blow the pirates had ever -received on the South Sea, and among the killed were several officers -and the pilot, Basil Ringrose. - -“Disappointed at missing the galleon and furious at the loss of his -men, Swan accused Davis of negligence and a severe quarrel arose among -the buccaneers. This ended in Swan setting sail for the Philippines, -where his men mutinied and the unfortunate captain and thirty-six -others were marooned, the Cygnet sailing on without them. Among the -mutineers was Dampier, still, no doubt, keeping his journal in his -‘joyente of bamboo,’ and very interestingly he wrote of the Celebes, -Timor, New Holland and Australia. At the Nicobar Islands Dampier had -had enough of pirating, and with a few companions, deserted the Cygnet -and by hook or crook managed to reach England in safety, where he -devoted the rest of his life to publishing his journals and his -‘special draughts’ for the edification of his less adventurous -countrymen. - -“It was lucky he did so, for the ship, thoroughly unseaworthy, barely -succeeded in reaching Madagascar before she foundered. Here some of the -men settled down and took service with the native chiefs while others, -in time, reached home. - -“In the meantime, Townley had also left Swan and had set out to rejoin -his erstwhile French allies, with whom he took vast treasure at Quibo, -Grenada and Lavelia, although Townley lost his life at the last place. - -“The Bachelors’ Delight continued to cruise up and down the coast of -Peru for the next two years, sacking many towns, seizing innumerable -ships and accumulating vast plunder, which Davis is reputed to have -hidden on the Galápagos Islands. - -“But the Dons were becoming heartily sick of the nuisance of the -English pirates, and early in 1687, sent a powerful fleet to destroy -them. A terrific battle resulted, a running fight being kept up for -seven days, and, though many of the pirates were killed, the ship -managed to escape. The buccaneers, however, had had a wholesome lesson, -and when, a few days later, they again met Townley’s men they decided -to revenge themselves for their loss by one last raid. This fell on -Guayaquil, which was taken and sacked, and then, realizing even the -South Sea was becoming too hot for them, the pirates refitted at the -Galápagos and sailed around Cape Horn to the Virgin Islands, where they -arrived in 1688, after five years of pirating in the Pacific.” - -“Gosh, I never knew before that there were buccaneers in the -Philippines and Madagascar and all those places,” said Jack. “Say, they -went all over the world, didn’t they?” - -“You forget,” his father reminded him, “that they were no longer -buccaneers in the true sense of the word. They had degenerated to -common pirates and attacked any ship they met, except British, and they -were not by any means overpunctilious in that respect. Early in the -eighteenth century,—soon after the Cygnet’s wreck, in fact?—Madagascar -became a favorite pirates’ lair and they even set up an independent -kingdom, or rather republic, there. Had they possessed a leader such as -Morgan, Mansvelt or Sharp, no doubt they would have maintained a colony -which might have established British dominion over a vast area, but -they were always quarreling among themselves and never succeeded in -anything for long.” - -“But what became of them all?” asked Fred. “They never seemed to get -killed off or hung.” - -“Some settled down in the West Indies, others in England or Europe and -others in the American colonies, and led respectable lives under -fictitious names among people who never suspected who they were. At -times, though, they were recognized, brought to trial or hung or -managed to slip away and find new homes. Many a well-to-do planter in -the West Indies; many a wealthy merchant and shipowner in the New -England colonies, made the beginnings of his fortune by pirating. And -many of them, of whom the world never hears, led most romantic and -adventurous lives. For example, there was Red Legs. He was a most -picturesque character—not a pirate by choice, but by force of -circumstances, and I’m happy to say that he eventually became a highly -respected and charitable man. Indeed, I have actually stopped in the -house he built and occupied after he gave up piracy.” - -“Oh, do tell about him!” cried Jack. “Gee—that’s a great name—Red Legs! -I’ll bet he was a peach of a pirate.” - -“He was,” asserted Mr. Bickford, with a smile. “But I must pass over -his career very briefly, for there were many other interesting -buccaneers and pirates I have not mentioned as yet. - -“Red Legs was originally a slave—one of those unfortunates who were -taken during Cromwell’s time, and, because they wore kilts—being Irish -and Scotch, they were nicknamed ‘red-legs.’ At that time it was -customary to ship prisoners and malefactors as slaves to the West -Indies, where they were sold for fifteen hundred pounds of sugar each. -They were marked or branded like cattle, compelled to labor with the -blacks and were treated far more cruelly than the negro slaves. Many of -them were shipped to Barbados and their descendants may still be seen -there and are still called ‘red-legs.’ A few have become well-to-do, -but the majority are miserable, ragged, degenerate folk who have never -recovered from the effects of their ancestors’ servitude. - -“The future pirate ‘Red Legs,’ however, fell into good hands—a planter -who secretly sympathized with the prisoners’ cause,—and he was well -educated and was practically adopted by his owner. When still a mere -lad, however, his owner died and he was sold to a cruel master who made -life miserable for him. As a result, he decided to stow away on some -ship bound for a Dutch island, but in the darkness, when swimming to -the vessel, he became confused and by chance clambered onto the deck of -a buccaneer ship. As a result, he was compelled to join the pirates and -took part in their raids. But he was no pirate at heart. He could never -bear the sight of tortures or brutality and resented the treatment of -captive women. Once, in a quarrel over a female prisoner whom the -captain was maltreating, the ex-slave killed his commander and, to his -amazement, was elected captain himself. As a buccaneer chief he -performed some really amazing deeds. He took the Island of Margarita -and the vast fortune in pearls awaiting transportation to Spain. He -sacked Santa Ysobel in Mexico, and he became one of the most notorious -West Indian corsairs, although he was famed for the fact that he never -permitted cruelties or the butchering of prisoners. Eventually he tired -of the life and settled in Nevis with an old crony. Here he was -discovered and cast into prison, but was freed by the earthquake that -destroyed the town and, clinging to a floating bit of wreckage, escaped -the fate of thousands of the citizens. Eventually he made his way to -Dominica, settled down again and spent the remaining days of his life -in peace, a most worthy citizen. But ever he must have lived in deadly -fear of discovery or betrayal. His house was built like a fortress with -moats, heavy walls and underground vaults, while the balustrade to his -verandah was most fittingly fashioned from old musket barrels.” - -“Well, he was really a good pirate,” declared Jack. “Were there any -others like him?” - -“Not exactly,” replied his father. “But men often took to piracy for -most peculiar reasons. For example, there was Major Stede Bonnet, also -a native of Barbados. But unlike Red Legs, Major Bonnet, far from being -a slave, was a most honored and well-to-do member of the colony. He was -a gentleman by birth, well educated, possessed a large fortune and was -an army officer. However, there was one fly in the gallant Major’s -ointment. He had a nagging, scolding wife. But not until in 1716, when -the Major began acting most strangely, did tongues begin to wag over -him or his household. At that date Major Bonnet suddenly purchased a -sloop, fitted her with ten guns and engaged a crew of seventy men. -Then, indeed, did speculation become rife. To all inquiries the Major -replied ‘wait’ and the mystery deepened as the shipwrights rigged the -craft, and upon its stern appeared the name ‘Revenge.’ Then one dark -night, the Revenge slipped out of the harbor and disappeared, but in a -few months came tidings of her that were a nine days’ wonder in -Barbados. Major Stede had turned pirate! The Revenge was cruising off -the American coast, taking prizes right and left; she had become the -terror of Philadelphia, Salem, Norfolk and other coast towns, and the -Major, to add insult to injury had made Gardiner’s Island in Long -Island Sound his headquarters. Evidently pirating had appealed to the -Major as a peaceful life beside the nagging tongue of Mrs. Bonnet. - -“But the poor, hen-pecked Major’s career did not last long. He fell in -with Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard, who pretended to be an ally -and then ruthlessly robbed the amateur pirate, and, a little later, the -Major was captured off the Carolina coast. He managed to escape in a -canoe, but the reward of seventy pounds sterling offered for him, dead -or alive, soon brought results. He was retaken, tried at Charleston and -hanged. After the long-winded lecture and flowery-worded harangue that -the presiding judge inflicted upon the poor condemned man the Major -must have really welcomed hanging, and as he did not even plead the -‘discomforts to be found in the married state’ as extenuating -circumstances for his misdeeds the execution was carried out at once.” - -“That would have been funny if the poor Major hadn’t been hanged,” said -Jack. “But please tell us about Blackbeard. Was he a buccaneer?” - -“I’ll tell you of him presently,” replied Mr. Bickford, “but let us -follow up the history of the buccaneers in its proper sequence first. -As I have said, the buccaneers, as such, were practically destroyed -when Morgan was made Lieutenant-Governor of Jamaica and waged a -relentless war on his former associates. But to drive the corsairs from -all their lairs in the Islands and about the Spanish Main was too big a -job even for Morgan and the British king. To be sure they were driven -from Jamaica, but the French still held Tortuga; there was a fortified -island where they foregathered in Samaná Bay in Santo Domingo, and on -many a small outlying bay and islet they were comparatively safe. Then -there were the Dutch Islands and the Virgins. These last were -particular favorites of the buccaneers. They belonged to France, -Sweden, Denmark, Holland and England and always they had been neutral -ground for the freebooters. Here in these tiny out-of-the-way spots -they could careen and refit, could carouse ashore and were safe from -pursuit. The people looked upon them as friends; they spent money -freely, and in return for the privileges and security afforded them, -they never molested the inhabitants or their property. Many a buccaneer -has swung to his own yardarm for an insult to some Virgin Islander; -many a man was pistoled by his captain for attempting to make free with -Virgin Islander’s property, and in the Virgin Island ports—in St. -Martin, St. Barts, St. John, Anegada and even in St. Thomas the -remnants of the Brethren of the Main found snug lairs. - -“Many of the little islands were surrounded with dangerous reefs, where -large ships could not enter, but whose secret channels were known to -the buccaneers, and at almost all of them the corsairs erected forts -and mounted guns. Montbars, the ‘Exterminator,’ as he was called, made -his headquarters at Saint Bartholomew or St. Barts as it is more -commonly called, others selected St. Martin, others Virgin Gorda and -still more Anegada. All about here are names redolent of the -buccaneers, such as Norman Island, Dead Man’s Chest, Rum Island, -Dutchman’s Cap, Broken Jerusalem, while we also find such places as Sir -Francis Drake’s Bay, Rendezvous Bay, Privateers’ Bay, Gallows Bay, -Doubloon Cove, etc. - -“Most of the freebooters at Anegada were destroyed or driven off by -expeditions sent from Jamaica by Morgan, for Anegada, like Virgin Gorda -and Tortola, were British; but the buccaneers, who, you must remember, -were now out-and-out pirates and had been declared so by England and -France, were still comparatively safe in the Dutch and Danish isles. -Indeed, the Danish officials were quite openly in league with the -pirates, and one governor of St. Thomas, Adolf Esmit—who, by the way, -had been a buccaneer himself—was closely identified with a most -notorious pirate, Jean Hamlin. - -“It was in 1682—about the time Sharp returned from his ‘dangerous -voyage’—that Hamlin took as a prize the French ship, La Trompeuse, -refitted her as a corsair and made a swift and successful piratical -cruise through the Caribbean. Despite all protests of the British, -Hamlin made his headquarters at St. Thomas, where he was entertained by -the governor—with whom, no doubt, he shared his loot—and was afforded -every courtesy and aid in fitting for another raid. For over a year -Hamlin wrought havoc with British, French, Spanish and Dutch shipping -with equal impartiality, finally culminating in a wholesale capture of -seventeen Dutch and British ships off the coast of Africa. - -“Returning from this foray the pirates were loudly welcomed in St. -Thomas; the merchants bid for the loot brought ashore, and Hamlin made -merry with his good friend, the governor. But word of the corsair’s -whereabouts had been carried to the neighboring British Islands. -Governor Stapelton, of Antigua, despatched the H.M.S. Francis under -stout old Captain Carlisle to St. Thomas, and three days after Hamlin’s -triumphant arrival at the island the British frigate sailed into the -harbor. - -“It was useless for the pirates to attempt to escape or to resist. -Their ship was under the guns of the frigate scarcely a pistol shot -away and, hastily scrambling into their boats and firing a few guns to -‘save their faces,’ the pirate captain and his men rowed for shore and -sought protection under the wings of the governor. Carlisle wasted no -time in formalities and, despite the fact that he was in the waters of -Denmark, promptly fired the pirate ship and blew her to bits. - -“Of course Governor Esmit protested, claiming he had already seized the -Trompeuse in the name of the Danish king, but Captain Carlisle snapped -his fingers—figuratively speaking—in the Danes’ faces, asked them what -they were going to do about it and sailed away, well satisfied with a -good deed well done. In the meantime, Esmit provided the pirates with a -new vessel, but realizing that complications might arise, he suggested, -in a friendly way, that henceforth some more isolated, out-of-the-way -spot would be better adapted to piratical uses.” - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -KIDD, THE PIRATE WHO WASN’T A PIRATE - - -“Whew, I didn’t know they had pirates and buccaneers right up here -around home!” exclaimed Fred. “Think of pirates in Long Island Sound!” - -“Of course there were,” declared Jack. “If there weren’t, how do you -suppose Captain Kidd could have buried his treasure up here?” - -“That’s so,” admitted his cousin. “But I always thought he pirated down -in the West Indies and just brought his treasure up here to hide it. Do -you suppose he really did bury anything up this way, Uncle Henry?” - -Mr. Bickford laughed. “No, most of those stories are purely -imagination,” he replied. “There isn’t a stretch of coast from Canada -to South America that hasn’t got its tale of buried pirate treasure. If -they all were true there’d be more valuables hidden by the pirates than -all the corsairs ever took.” - -“Didn’t the buccaneers and pirates really bury treasure, then?” asked -Jack. “You said that Davis was supposed to have hidden his loot on the -Galápagos Islands.” - -“Undoubtedly they did,” his father assured him. “The buccaneer leaders -were far more thrifty than their men, and as there were no banking -facilities in the haunts of the pirates and no safe hiding places in -the towns, I have not the least doubt that they did bury vast -quantities of their booty. But, also, I have no doubt but that they -eventually dug most of it up again. The majority of the buccaneer and -pirate captains retired from the profession and settled down to a life -of peace and plenty, as I have said, and there is no reason why they -should have left their treasure hidden away. Of course those who were -suddenly killed might have had money and valuables secreted at the time -of their death, but there were far greater fortunes hidden by the -Spaniards than by the pirates. No doubt thousands and thousands of -dollars’ worth of money, plate and jewels were buried or hidden by the -Dons to prevent their falling into the buccaneers’ hands and were never -recovered. Very often the owners were killed or made prisoners and the -secret of the treasure died with them, or they died a natural death -without digging up their buried riches. - -“Of course a great deal of hidden treasure has been found of which the -world never hears. In most countries the government claims a large -share of such finds and naturally the finder, having no desire to share -his unexpected fortune, keeps mum when he discovers it. There are -countless cases of poor negroes and others in the West Indies suddenly -becoming well-to-do without apparent reason. From time to time ancient -coins appear at money changers and now and then we hear of treasure -being found. But as a rule, the sums discovered are not large and are -found by accident. - -“And with few exceptions there is every reason to believe that the -valuables were hidden by their lawful owners or were lost or -accidentally buried. For example, there was the man Gayney, who was -drowned in Darien and who had three hundred pieces of eight on his -person. Any one might find that and think it was buried treasure and -never imagine it was the loot carried on a man’s back. At other times, -boats loaded with valuables were wrecked or sunk and the treasure lost. -Then, years later, it is found in the sand of the shore and the finders -think of it as buried treasure. Moreover, wherever the pirates -foregathered they naturally lost more or less money and if, by chance, -some one picks up a few doubloons or pieces of eight in such places it -always starts a tale of buried loot. At Anegada, St. John, St. Martin -and, in fact, every other buccaneers’ old haunt, pieces of money are -picked up from time to time and from these finds the tales of buried -treasure have originated. In all the reliable histories and chronicles -of the buccaneers and pirates I have never found any statement or hint -that would lead one to think that it was customary for the corsairs to -bury or hide their loot. All the tales of pirate captains burying -treasure at dead of night and shooting the men who dug the holes are -pure fiction with no fact on which to base them. - -“But there is no question that vast amounts of treasure lie at the -bottom of the sea in the Caribbean and elsewhere. Port Royal, Jamaica, -slipped bodily into the sea with all its treasure—and there was -undoubtedly vast sums in money and jewels in the place—and not a cent -has ever been salvaged. Jamestown, in Nevis, was also submerged by an -earthquake and all the riches it contained still lie at the bottom of -the sea. Countless ships, attacked by the buccaneers, sank before the -pirates could loot them and went to the bottom with their valuables, -and many a buccaneers’ and pirates’ vessel was lost with thousands of -dollars worth of treasure. The floor of the Caribbean is dotted with -such wrecks. In some cases the men escaped and told of the loss, and -the places where the ships went down are known, but in many cases the -vessels with all their treasure and crew merely disappeared and no one -knows their fate. It was thus with Grammont, a famous French buccaneer, -who, in 1686, plundered and burnt Campeche and secured a vast treasure. -But he and his ship were never heard from and beyond a doubt the -immense fortune in gold, silver and precious stones lies somewhere -among the rotted timbers of his ship at the bottom of the Caribbean.” - -“Well, it doesn’t sound as if treasure hunting would be very -profitable,” remarked Jack. - -“Far more money has been spent in searching for treasure than ever was -lost,” declared Mr. Bickford. “There was the Peruvian treasure supposed -to have been hidden on Cocos Island—a vast fortune in church plate, -holy vessels and coin which was taken away to prevent it falling into -the hands of the enemy. Innumerable expeditions have set out to find it -but none have succeeded, although many have claimed to possess maps of -the spot. But during the years that have passed, the island has -altered, there have been landslides, and, if we are to believe the most -reliable reports, the treasure lies buried under thousands of tons of -rock and earth that has fallen from the mountainside. And as far as -known the treasures that were lost when the Dons hurriedly sent it away -from Old Panama to prevent it falling into Morgan’s hands has never -been found. Some day some one may stumble upon it, but the chances are -that it will remain lost to the world forever.” - -“Then all these stories about Captain Kidd’s treasure are just yarns,” -said Fred regretfully. “And you said he wasn’t even a pirate.” - -“If Captain Kidd had possessed one-hundredth of the treasure he is -supposed to have buried he would have been the most successful pirate -who ever lived,” declared Mr. Bickford. “There is nothing to prove that -Captain Kidd ever had any considerable treasure and the little he had -was secreted on Gardiner’s Island and recovered by the men who employed -Kidd and for whom it was intended. No, your old hero Kidd was not a -pirate nor a buccaneer. On the contrary, he was a much maligned man, a -weak, rather cowardly chap, who was the tool of unscrupulous -adventurers and paid the penalty for crimes that never were proved -against him. And yet, strangely enough, he became noted as the most -famous of all pirates and his name is a household word and the epitome -of piracy. It is one of the most astounding examples of unwarranted -fame and misconception on record, and so firmly fixed in the mind of -the public is the erroneous idea that Kidd was the most notorious of -pirates that not one person in a thousand will listen to reason or pay -the least heed to documentary evidence or historical records proving he -was no pirate at all. - -“It is the hardest thing in the world to down tradition and oddly -enough the more false tradition is the harder it seems to be to correct -it. Despite everything, Kidd will, no doubt, continue to remain the -favorite pirate of romance and story, and to the end of time Kidd’s -treasure will still, in imagination, be buried here, there and -everywhere along the coasts. - -“We scarcely ever hear of ‘Blackbeard’s treasure,’ of ‘Morgan’s -treasure’ or of ‘Bonnet’s treasure,’ although each and every one of -those rascals was a pirate and took vast sums and may have buried their -loot for all we know. But always it is Kidd’s treasure, although the -poor fellow never had any to bury. - -“As a matter of fact, Captain William Kidd was a respectable and honest -sea captain, a native of Greenock, and was so highly respected for his -integrity that he was given a commission to suppress piracy by King -William the Third of England. The commission was addressed to ‘our -trusty and well-beloved Captain William Kidd of the ship Adventure, -galley’ and was dated 1695. The royal warrant went on to authorize Kidd -to destroy and hunt down ‘divers wicked and ill-disposed persons who -were committing many and great pyraces to the great danger and hurt of -our loving subjects.’ - -“Kidd, being impecunious, was backed by several rich and influential -persons in Massachusetts and New York, among them Lord Belmont, the -governor of Barbados, who saw in the capture of pirates and the taking -of their ill-gotten loot a chance for large profits. - -“The Adventure set forth on her mission in May, 1696, with a crew of -one hundred and fifty-five men and cruised here, there and everywhere -searching for piratical prey. Unfortunately pirates seemed very scarce, -Kidd’s crew became mutinous and clamored for excitement, and the next -thing that was known, word came to the authorities that the Adventure -had attacked and taken a Moorish ship called the Queda Merchant. -Furthermore, reports had it that Kidd had taken possession of the -prize, had transferred his men, guns and other possessions to the Queda -and, having sunk the Adventure, had gone a-pirating in the Moorish -ship. At once he was branded as a pirate and a price put upon his head. -All unwittingly Kidd sailed into Santo Domingo in his prize and there -learned that he was looked upon as a pirate and was wanted by the -authorities. - -“Without hesitation, Kidd purchased a sloop, left the Queda in port and -sailed as fast as possible to Boston to explain matters. He was, of -course, rather doubtful of his reception and before throwing himself on -the mercies of the authorities he secreted the few valuables he had on -Gardiner’s Island, sent word to his sponsors, and after a consultation -in which they agreed to stand by him and clear him of the charge of -piracy, he gave himself up. - -“Kidd’s explanation was frank and simple. He claimed his crew, a gang -of thugs and cut-throats, had mutinied, had made him prisoner and of -their own volition had captured the prize, and that the Adventure, -being rendered unseaworthy in the action, had been abandoned, and the -men and their belongings transferred to the Moorish ship. He also -testified that his men had threatened to shoot him if he did not accede -to their wishes and that during the time of the capture of the ship he -had been locked in his cabin. He was questioned as to what became of -the valuables, supposedly worth seventy thousand pounds sterling, which -were on the Queda and in reply swore that the men had taken it and made -away with it. In the end, to make a long story short, the trial -simmered down to a charge against the unfortunate Captain of having -killed a gunner named Moore, who was a member of the Adventure’s crew. -Kidd frankly admitted he had killed the fellow by striking him over the -head with a bucket, as Moore had been mutinous and had led the men in -their scheme to turn pirates. Throughout these preliminary hearings, -Kidd’s wealthy sponsors had deserted him. They saw that they would -become involved; and poor Kidd found himself without friends or money -and even deprived of the rights to produce documentary evidence of his -statements. Heavily manacled, he was sent to England and tried on the -charge of piracy and murder at Old Bailey in May, 1701. - -“The trial was a rank travesty of justice from the beginning. Papers -and letters favorable to Kidd were refused as evidence; his erstwhile -friends perjured themselves to save their own names; counsel was denied -him and only his faithful wife stood by him. In addition to Kidd, nine -of his crew were also charged with piracy, these being the men who had -remained faithful to their captain, and although all testified in -Kidd’s behalf and substantiated his story, Kidd and six of the men were -condemned to be hanged in chains. At Execution Dock the maligned, -helpless captain and his fellows were strung up without mercy on May -23rd, and their dead bodies suspended in chains along the river side, -where, for years, the bones swayed and rattled in the winds as a grim -warning to all pirates. - -“But the execution was a bungling and awful thing. Kidd, standing with -the noose about his neck, was pestered, browbeaten and cajoled to -confess, but stoutly maintained his innocence. As he was swung off, the -rope broke and the poor, tortured, groaning man was again hoisted to -the scaffold where, despite his suffering, a minister and others -exhorted him to confess his crimes and reveal the hiding places of his -treasure. But between pitiful groans and pleas for a speedy death, Kidd -still maintained that he had no treasure and had told only the truth. -Finally, despairing of wringing a confession from one who had nothing -to confess, he was hanged until dead. His entire estate, consisting of -less than seven thousand pounds, was confiscated and presented to the -Greenwich Hospital, where, by all that was right and just, it should -have proved a curse rather than a blessing. - -“No one ever knew what became of the Queda or her treasure, but, no -doubt, as Kidd claimed, she was scuttled by the mutinous crew and the -loot divided between them was scattered to the four winds. Upon that -slender mystery of the disappearance of the valuables of the Queda were -built all the tales of Captain Kidd’s buried treasure, and upon the -farce of a trial and the conviction of the unfortunate seaman for -killing a mutinous gunner in self-defense, was reared the undying fame -of Captain Kidd.” - -“Gee, that was a shame!” declared Jack. “I feel really sorry for poor -old Captain Kidd. Think of Morgan being knighted and honored after all -he did and Kidd being hung for nothing.” - -“You must bear in mind that times had changed since Morgan’s day,” said -Mr. Bickford. “The romantic, picturesque buccaneers were a thing of the -past, and England and her colonies were waging a relentless war on -pirates. In a way we must not be too hard on the authorities for their -treatment of Kidd. They were intent on discouraging piracy and -doubtless felt that, even if there was a question of Kidd’s guilt, his -death would be a wholesome warning to any seamen who felt inclined to -turn pirates. But it certainly is a wonderful example of the irony of -fate to think of Kidd winning undying fame as a bold and ruthless -pirate when—even if he were guilty—he could not have been charged with -taking more than one ship, while others, who destroyed hundreds and -ravaged the seas for years, have been totally forgotten. There was not -even anything romantic, daring or appealing to the imagination in -Kidd’s career. In contrast, consider the most romantic corsair who ever -pirated in the Caribbean, a veritable knight errant of the seas, a -scion of royalty, known as Prince Rupert of the Rhine.” - -“Why, I never ever heard of him!” exclaimed Fred. “What did he do?” - -“Of course you never heard of him,” said Mr. Bickford. “That is why I -mentioned him, just as an example of how a man who should have been -famous remains unknown and forgotten and a man like Kidd, with no claim -to fame, lives on forever. Prince Rupert was a most romantic and -fascinating character, a real Don Quixote, ever getting into one scrape -after another, living a series of incredible adventures that would have -put the famous D’Artagnan to shame; a dashing, impetuous gallant young -prince who, according to historians, was ‘very sparkish in his dress’ -and ‘like a perpetual motion.’ Young, handsome, a dashing cavalier, as -ready with his sword as with his purse, he championed every romantic or -hopeless cause, threw himself into any wild scheme or fray where a lady -was concerned or some one was in distress, and was no sooner out of one -trouble than he was head over heels into another. But he was ever -resourceful, ever light hearted and ever a great favorite with the -ladies. In his youth, he was cast into prison in Linz, but, despite his -plight, he managed to learn drawing, made love to the governor’s -daughter and so won her heart that his escape was made easy. - -“Later, he decided that the land held too few opportunities for his -restless, romantic spirit, and with a handful of choice companions he -took to sea in command of a fleet of three ships. These were the -Swallow, his own vessel, the Defiance, under command of his brother, -Prince Maurice, and the Honest Seaman. - -“Gay with pennants and bunting, the little argosy set sail from Ireland -in 1648, and with the gallant young Prince, dressed in his gayest -silks, satins and laces, upon the high poop of the Swallow, the three -tiny vessels set off on their voyage to do their bit towards -championing the cause of their king in the far-off Caribbean. - -“For five years they sailed. Battling right nobly with the Dons, -escaping annihilation a thousand times, beset by tempest and storm and -meeting enough adventures at every turn to satisfy even the Prince’s -ardent soul. A book might be written on the romantic, harebrained, -reckless deeds performed by that hot-blooded young scion of royalty, -but in the end, in a terrific hurricane, Prince Rupert’s fleet was -driven on the treacherous reefs off Anegada. Prince Maurice in the -Defiance was lost, the Honest Seaman was battered to pieces and her few -survivors reached the low, desolate land more dead than alive, but the -Swallow, by chance or Providence, managed to escape by driving through -a narrow entrance in the jagged reef to the sheltered water within. -Battered and leaking, badly crippled, the poor Swallow was far from -seaworthy when the storm was over and the gay Prince, saddened and -sorrowful at the loss of his brother and his men, sailed dolefully for -England. He was a changed man thereafter and settled down to a very -quiet life in a little house at Spring Gardens. All his brave deeds -were forgotten, even his name passed into oblivion and in 1682 he died, -almost unknown, in his English home.” - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -PICTURESQUE PIRATES - - -“I’d like to read all about him,” said Jack. “I’ll bet he had an -exciting life. I’ll never hear of Captain Kidd without thinking of -Prince Rupert by contrast.” - -“You’ll find the whole story in this book,” said his father. “But -you’ll always find these old volumes dry reading in a way. They pass -over the most exciting events very casually, as if they were matters of -course, but you’ll be amused at the quaint language and naïve remarks.” - -“Weren’t there any other old buccaneers who were as romantic and -gallant as Prince Rupert?” asked Fred. - -“He was not strictly a buccaneer,” his uncle corrected him. “Nor was he -really a pirate. His deeds took place before the buccaneers were really -organized, and ostensibly he was more of a privateer than a pirate. In -a way he was in the same category as Drake and Hawkins, and the same is -true of another most romantic figure who ravaged the Caribbean and was -a thorn in the side of the Spaniards. Perhaps he should not be included -among stories of buccaneers, but he was such a picturesque figure that -a brief account of him may interest you boys.” - -“Yes, do tell us about him,” cried Jack. “Even if he wasn’t really a -buccaneer.” - -“He was also a member of the British nobility,” continued Mr. Bickford. -“The Earl of Cumberland, a graduate of Oxford with the degree of M.A., -a wealthy peer, romantic, picturesque, a courtier, a noted gambler and -a man of tremendous personal strength and courage. In his youth he had -taken part in the attack on the Spanish Armada under Drake and had been -made a Knight of the Garter and was a great favorite with Queen -Elizabeth. In fact, through some favor, the queen had presented the -Earl with one of her gloves—a claret-colored, diamond-studded thing -which the dashing adventurer invariably wore tucked through the band of -his broad-brimmed plumed hat. It became his crest, his badge, and far -and wide, to friends and enemies alike, he became famed as ‘the man -with the glove in his hat.’ - -“Like Prince Rupert, Lord Cumberland found too few opportunities for -his love of adventure ashore and so turned to the sea and the Indies -for excitement. No doubt he found it in plenty, for he became a terror -to the Dons, took many prizes, accumulated vast wealth and seemed to -bear a charmed life. Again and again he returned to England to settle -down, but ever the life of the sea rover appealed too strongly to him, -and donning his hat with its jeweled glove, he would up and away to -some new daredevil adventure. - -“Finally, in March, 1598, he set sail from Plymouth harbor with twenty -ships, all his own, for the greatest attack on the Dons in the -Caribbean that had ever been organized. His flagship bore the curious -name of The Scourge of Malice, and the Earl’s bold scheme was to attack -the supposedly impregnable port of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Drake and -Hawkins had tried it, but had been driven off, and the reckless -devil-may-care ‘man with the glove in his hat’ saw, in a raid on Puerto -Rico a fine chance for adventure such as his heart craved. - -“Having captured a few prizes in mid-ocean, the fleet arrived at -Dominica in May, and the Earl allowed his men shore liberty and a good -rest before continuing on his daredevil foray. Being totally unexpected -by the Dons, the Earl’s ship approached unseen at dead of night, and -six hundred men were silently landed about two miles to the east of -Morro Castle. Dividing his force into two parties and following the -road, Cumberland led his men close to the city walls and at break of -day rushed the sleepy sentries and the gates. Shouting and yelling, -brandishing cutlasses, firing pistols, the wild horde of Englishmen -appeared to the frightened, surprised Spaniards like fiends suddenly -sprung from the earth. Terrorized, they retreated to the inmost -fastnesses of the town before they rallied and, realizing the dreaded -British were upon them, turned to face their foes. But it was too late. -The English were in the streets, and although the Dons fought manfully -and many fell on both sides, the Earl’s men were victorious, and within -two hours the city was in their hands. - -“And mightily well pleased was My Lord as, with his own men in charge -of the walls and grim old fortress, he strutted about the city -appraising the valuables, the rich merchandise, the ships in the -harbor, which were his to pick and choose from. Never before had San -Juan fallen to an enemy, and the Earl had every reason to be filled -with pride at his great deed. The city was rich and prosperous, the -Morro was one of the strongest fortifications in the New World, and the -‘man with the glove in his hat’ felt that he had mightily added to -England’s power by securing this stronghold as a fortified base from -which to harass the hated Dons. But he had counted without an enemy -that lurked unseen and unsuspected near at hand. He had subdued the -Dons, but there was another foe ready to attack him that no bravery, no -arms could subdue. The dreaded Yellow Fever crept stealthily among the -British, and ere Cumberland realized what had occurred his men were -dying by scores daily. Here was an enemy he could not fight, a foe -invisible and more deadly than the Spaniards, and in almost no time -Cumberland’s force was more than half destroyed. Filled with terror at -this dread death stalking among his men, realizing that to remain meant -destruction for all, the Earl hurriedly embarked the few remaining -Englishmen aboard his ships, and beaten, discouraged and disheartened, -sailed away from the town he had so gloriously won. He had not gone -empty-handed, however. The city had been thoroughly pillaged, much of -it had been burnt, the ships in the harbor had been destroyed and -Cumberland’s fortune had been increased tremendously. But he had had -enough of the corsair’s life. He settled down to pass the remaining -years of his life in peace; but we may feel sure that often, as he -glanced at the flopping, white-plumed hat with its little red glove, he -breathed a sigh of regret that his days of a sea rover were over; that -never again would he leap over a galleon’s side with cutlass in one -hand and pistol in the other, while men shouted for St. George and San -Iago and blood flowed and cannons roared and blade clashed on blade and -pistols flashed as Don and Briton battled.” - -“Seems to me those old fellows were a lot more picturesque than the -real buccaneers,” said Fred. “Why don’t people write more stories about -them, Dad? I never read of Prince Rupert or the Earl of Cumberland in -any story; but books are full of Morgan and those fellows.” - -“Probably because less is known about them,” replied his father. “And -partly, too, as they lived and fought before the West Indies and the -Spanish Main became as well known as in Morgan’s day. You must remember -that we hear very little of L’Ollonois, Brasiliano, Portugues, or the -earlier buccaneers. New England, you know, was not settled until 1638, -and most of the famous buccaneers were those whose deeds were committed -after the American colonies were trading extensively with the West -Indies. Morgan, you remember, sent to merchants of New England for help -in fitting out his fleet, and Davis and his fellows sailed for the -South Sea from the Chesapeake. To the inhabitants of New England and -Virginia the buccaneers seemed comparative neighbors, and hence the -tales of their careers came fresh and vividly to them, whereas it took -weeks or months for stories to reach England. - -“But don’t imagine that it was only the older pirates who were -picturesque. Perhaps the most picturesque and fascinatingly wicked -pirate who ever lived—although he hadn’t a redeeming feature—was among -the last of the really famous corsairs of the Caribbean. If ever there -was a dime-novel, story-book pirate it was he—Blackbeard.” - -“Hurrah! I was hoping you’d tell us about him!” cried Jack. “Was he -really as bad as the stories make out?” - -“A great deal worse,” Mr. Bickford assured him. “No imagination could -invent anything to equal Blackbeard’s innate deviltry. - -“He combined all the worst traits of every buccaneer and pirate who -ever lived. He was a double-dyed, out-and-out rascal; a ruffian, a thug -and a brutal, inhuman bully. The most despicable buccaneer who ever -raided a Spanish town or boarded a galleon would have despised him, for -he held no shred of honor or principle; he cheated his friends and his -own men and was a veritable monster in human form. Nevertheless, it -cannot be denied that he was courageous; that he never shirked danger; -that he never asked or expected his men to go where he would not lead, -and, moreover, he was a most striking and picturesque rascal.” - -“I saw somewhere that he had a castle in St. Thomas,” said Fred, as Mr. -Bickford paused to refresh his memory with data from a book on the -table. “Did he live there, Uncle Henry?” - -“Not as far as known,” replied Mr. Bickford. “It is true that there is -an ancient tower-like building above the town of Charlotte Amalia at -St. Thomas, and which is called ‘Blackbeard’s Castle,’ and that the -natives claim it was once the home of the noted pirate. But there is -also a similar edifice known as ‘Bluebeard’s Castle’ on a neighboring -hilltop. It’s just about as probable that old Bluebeard lived in one as -that Blackbeard dwelt in the other. No doubt Blackbeard visited St. -Thomas, but there is not a bit of historical data to prove he ever -lived there. It’s a shame to destroy the island’s claim to association -with the notorious old pirate, but as a matter of record his so-called -castle was built by Charles Baggaert, a Dane, about 1660. To be sure, -that would not have prevented it from being used by Blackbeard, for he -lived at a much later date, but Blackbeard’s favorite haunts were the -Bahamas and the coasts of the Carolinas, and he would have had no -earthly reason for stopping ashore at St. Thomas. However, whatever the -truth of his ‘castle’ may be, the rest of Blackbeard’s life story is -well known and is substantiated by historical records. - -“Blackbeard’s real name was Edward Teach and, like many another pirate -and sea rover, he was a native of Bristol, England. Had Teach been born -a few years earlier no doubt he would have become a famous buccaneer -and a dangerous rival of Morgan and his fellows, but Master Teach came -into the world after buccaneering as a profession had fallen into -disrepute. Hence it fell to his lot to become an ordinary seaman on -honest merchant ships, which was far from satisfactory to the ambitions -of young Teach. As a result, when his ship dropped anchor in Jamaica, -one day in 1716, Teach promptly deserted and, falling in with a number -of questionable characters, joined their company in a pirating venture. - -“Evidently the embryo pirate believed thoroughly in the old adage that -‘what’s worth doing at all is worth doing well,’ and he threw himself -heart and soul into his chosen profession. Efficiency seemed to be his -middle name, to use a slang expression, and within two years from the -time he deserted the merchant service he had risen to the very highest -pinnacle as a pirate chieftain. In fact, I might go further and, -without exaggeration or question, say that within that short period -Teach had become the world’s greatest pirate, a pirate never equaled or -excelled for pure devilish bloodthirstiness and villainy, and, if the -facts were known, most of the lurid stories and the romances of piracy -have been founded on the deeds of Blackbeard. Even the popular -conception of much-maligned Kidd is based on Blackbeard, for he was the -culmination of piratical scoundrelism, the ideal pirate of -blood-and-thunder fiction, the most highly depraved cutthroat who ever -walked a ship’s decks. - -“And he was a thorough believer in keeping up his reputation and well -knew the effect of appearances upon the public. Naturally a most -repulsive-looking man,—a huge, long-armed, broad-shouldered, brutal -creature,—he added to his ugliness by cultivating an enormous -coal-black beard and allowing his hair to grow until it covered his -shoulders like a mane. His beard he braided into innumerable little -pigtails, twisting in bits of bright-hued ribbons, and when attacking a -prize or boarding a ship he added to his wild and savage aspect by -tucking burning slow matches into the mass of black hair and beard that -framed his villainous, leering face. - -“But his actual deeds would have been sufficient to inspire horror and -dread without the theatrical accessories of black whiskers and slow -matches. He was a past master in the art of devilish cruelty; he gave -no quarter; he took ships of any nation that happened to come his way, -and when prizes were scarce he varied the monotony of life by robbing -and murdering his own men and his fellow pirates. Had Teach drifted -into other and more peaceful walks of life he might have become a great -inventor, for he had an inordinate bump of curiosity and was forever -carrying out experiments which, while most interesting to him, were -most unpleasant to others. Once he marooned seventeen of his crew upon -a tiny barren islet, to learn, so he declared, how long human beings -could survive without food or water; but unfortunately for his -curiosity, and most opportunely for the marooned subjects of his test, -Major Stede Bonnet—of whom I have already told you—chanced to sail that -way and rescued the unfortunate seventeen from their desert isle. - -“He possessed a weird and grewsome sense of humor too, and we may be -very sure that life was never dull or monotonous aboard his ship. On -one occasion, when for days no prize had been sighted and the pirate -craft rolled with slatting sails upon an oily sea under the blazing -tropic sun, Teach, hatless and shoeless, appeared on deck and announced -with a roar and an oath that he had devised a scheme for killing time -and amusing themselves. It was, indeed, a novel idea, and one quite in -keeping with Blackbeard’s character, for it was nothing less than, to -quote his words, ‘to make a little hell of our own and see who is best -fitted for our hereafter.’ It was useless for the men to protest, for -any artificial inferno that Teach could devise would, they knew, be -mild in comparison to that which they would bring upon themselves -should they refuse to follow out their captain’s wishes. - -“Urging the fellows into the hold by no gentle means, Teach leaped in -with them, and then, setting fire to several pots of brimstone, pitch -and other inflammable things, the pirate chief drew the hatches shut. -There in the close, unventilated hold they sat upon the ballast, -choking, coughing, suffocating in the noxious fumes until, -half-roasted, nauseated, almost asphyxiated, the men could endure no -longer and, rushing to the hatch, threw it open and crawled on deck. -Not until all the others had gained the open air did Blackbeard emerge -triumphant, and throughout his life he was never tired of boasting of -his endurance, and took the greatest pride in recalling that his men -declared that, when he came forth, he had looked like a half-hanged -man. - -“In fact, this remark by a thoughtless member of his crew set Teach to -thinking and, his curiosity being aroused, he suggested that another -and even more interesting test should be made to see who could come the -nearest to being hung without dying. But at this his men drew the line; -they had no desire to choke and kick while dangling with a noose about -their necks, even to satisfy their captain’s curiosity. In vain Teach -pointed out that sooner or later they’d be hung, most probably, and -that they might as well become accustomed to the sensation at once. -Without avail he argued that by so doing they might become so inured to -hanging that it would hold no terrors for them. One and all refused -point-blank, and Teach, realizing that to be suspended from his yardarm -alone would prove nothing and that his men might try his endurance a -bit too far, and also realizing that he could not string up his entire -crew by himself, reluctantly gave up the idea and, cursing the men -fluently as cowards, busied his mind thinking up other amusements. - -“Such pleasantries were of almost daily occurrence, and his crew and -his friends thought themselves lucky indeed if they got off with -nothing more serious than his brimstone test. One night, for example, -he was entertaining two cronies, one his sailing master and the other -the pilot who had just brought the ship into port. All were in the best -of spirits, smoking, drinking, spinning yarns of the sea in the tiny, -stuffy cabin, when Blackbeard, without the least warning, suddenly -whipped out a brace of pistols, cocked them, crossed his hands, and -before his amazed guests knew what he was about, he blew out the candle -and fired his weapons in the direction of the astounded and terrified -men. The sailing master was shot through the knee—although, as you will -learn later, it was a most fortunate thing for him—and lamed for life, -and indignantly the pilot and sailing master demanded of Teach what he -meant by such behavior. - -“Having cursed them fluently for several minutes, Blackbeard roared -with boisterous laughter, and replied good-naturedly that ‘if I didn’t -kill one of you now and then you’d forget who I was.’ - -“And yet, despite his brutality, his murderous ways, his utter -depravity, Teach apparently was a great favorite with the ladies. At -any rate, he was married fourteen times—although history fails to -mention divorces—his last wife being, according to those who knew, ‘a -beautiful young creature of sixteen.’ It certainly would be interesting -to know by what manner of courtship the villainous old wretch could win -the hearts of innocent young girls, but perchance in his love-making he -was as gentle and as ardent as he was brutal and devilish in his -piracy. - -“For two years Teach ravaged the Caribbean and the coast of the -Atlantic states, sailing as far north as Massachusetts and the coast of -Maine, and making his headquarters either in the Bahamas or in the -waters of Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Indeed, there was more than -good reason to suspect that the governor of Carolina was hand and glove -with Teach, and that the pirate paid a goodly tribute to the executive -in return for freedom from molestation while in the Carolina waters. - -“But at last Blackbeard’s activities became too great to be borne -longer by the long-suffering mariners and merchants of the colonies. -They rose and demanded his apprehension or destruction, and the -Governor of Virginia thereupon offered a reward of one hundred pounds -sterling ‘for one Edward Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard, pirate,’ -dead or alive, and forty pounds for each and every other pirate. One -hundred pounds in those days was a fortune, and Teach, reading a copy -of the proclamation, swelled with pride to think that his fame and -notoriety were such as to bring forth such an offer. But he had no fear -whatever of any one claiming it. His mere name was enough to drive -every one scurrying to safety, he had perfect confidence in his ability -to look out for himself, and he took the whole matter as a bit of a -joke. - -“Indeed, he thought so lightly of it that he boldly sailed into Pamlico -Sound, came to anchor in a little cove at Ocracoke Inlet, and there -fell in with an old friend, a merchant skipper, with whom he spent the -night drinking and swapping yarns of old days before Teach had gone -a-pirating.” - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -THE END OF BLACKBEARD - - -“As is often the case, Teach, just when he felt himself safest, was in -the most imminent peril. The munificent reward offered for his death or -capture had proved a tempting bait, and a brave young naval officer, -Lieutenant Maynard of H.M.S. Pearl, had made up his mind to pocket that -one hundred pounds and several of the forty pound rewards as well. -Gathering together a few brave and tried friends and old shipmates, -Maynard manned a small sloop, loaded it with a plentiful supply of arms -and ammunition and, having learned of Blackbeard’s whereabouts, set -sail for Ocracoke. Long before the gallant lieutenant came within sight -of the pirates’ lair, however, Teach had word of his coming, but this -only amused the black-whiskered corsair. It would serve to enliven a -dull day, and he and his men looked forward with pleasurable -anticipation to Maynard’s arrival. - -“But the villainous pirate little knew the manner of man who was coming -to attack him. As the day dawned, those on the pirate ship saw the -sloop approaching, and, realizing that his situation in the exposed -anchorage was not well adapted to defensive tactics, Blackbeard cut his -cable, hoisted the black flag and allowed his vessel to drift upon the -mudflats with the tide. This was a tactful move, for Maynard’s craft -drew too much water to come to grips with the pirate, and as neither -vessel carried cannon, the battle would have to be a hand-to-hand -combat, and the pirates would have every advantage, as their enemies -would be compelled to board them. But the lieutenant had no intention -of giving the pirates any advantage he could avoid. He was out to get -Blackbeard, dead or alive, and he meant to succeed. Throwing over his -ballast, together with anchors, fittings, water casks and spare spars, -Maynard lightened his sloop until she could pass over the flats, and -then, hoisting sail, he bore down upon the stranded pirate craft. - -“Blackbeard, with lighted fuses glowing in his hair and beard, drawn -cutlass and pistols in hand, leaped upon the rail, ‘hailed him in a -rude manner and cursed most horribly,’ as the old accounts tell us, and -then, in a bit of bravado, raised a glass of grog and in full view of -his enemies drank to ‘the damnation of the attackers.’ - -“Even with the lightened sloop, Maynard found, however, that he could -not come to grips with Teach’s vessel, and so, piling his men into -small boats, the lieutenant headed for the stranded pirate, intending -to board her. But long before they could gain the vessel’s sides they -were met with such a galling musketry fire that they were compelled to -retreat with twenty-nine men killed and wounded. - -“This was, indeed, a wretched beginning, but Maynard was a resourceful -man and, ordering his men below decks, so that only himself and the -helmsman remained in sight, he allowed his sails to flap and swing as -though he had no men able to handle the sloop and with the slowly -rising tide crept constantly closer to the pirates. - -“Thinking they had won the day and that Maynard’s men were utterly done -for, Teach and his crew roared out boisterous songs and taunts and -prepared to leap onto the sloop’s decks and butcher the two remaining -men and any wounded who might be lying about. A moment later the two -vessels touched. With a terrible oath and a savage yell, Blackbeard -sprang through the smoke to the sloop’s decks with his shouting crew at -his heels, and with swirling, gleaming cutlasses they rushed towards -Maynard and his helmsman. Then, up from their hiding place in the hold, -poured the sloop’s crew, and instantly the battle raged fast and -furiously. The pirates, surprised, gave back a bit, the lieutenant’s -men fought like furies, and back and forth across the bloody decks the -battle surged. Teach had singled out Maynard and, whipping out pistols, -both fired at the same instant. Blackbeard’s shot missed, but the -bullet from the lieutenant’s pistol found its mark in the pirate’s -face. With blood streaming from the wound and dripping from the braided -ends of his long beard, eyes blazing with fury, and yelling with anger -and pain, the pirate threw aside his useless pistol and leaped at the -lieutenant with swinging cutlass. But Maynard was a splendid swordsman. -As Blackbeard, cursing and shouting that he would hack the other’s -heart from his body, leaped forward, the officer’s sword met his, steel -clanged on steel, and the pirate found himself balked, held off, driven -back. - -“It was a terrible duel,—the struggle of enormous brute strength -against skill,—and with terrific slashing blows and savage lunges -Blackbeard strove to break down the other’s guard, to disarm him or to -snap his blade. Here and there across the decks they fought and swayed -and panted, stumbling over dead and wounded men, slipping in pools of -blood, bumping into fighting knots of pirates and seamen. Both were -bleeding from a dozen wounds, both were near exhaustion, both were -spent, and both knew that it was but a question of moments ere one -would fall. And then, with a tremendous blow, Blackbeard brought his -heavy cutlass swinging down, the lighter blade of the officer’s snapped -at the hilt, and with a blood-curdling, triumphant yell the pirate -swung his cutlass up, whirled it about his head and aimed a -death-dealing blow at Maynard’s head. Quick as a flash the lieutenant -leaped aside, the stroke fell short, and Maynard escaped with the loss -of three fingers lopped off by that terrible blow. - -“Before the pirate could raise his weapon again one of Maynard’s men -had leaped forward, his cutlass fell upon the back of Blackbeard’s -neck, almost severing the head from the body, and with a crimson -fountain spouting from the awful gash the pirate turned and cut his -assailant to the chin with a single blow. But despite his ghastly wound -the pirate chieftain was still standing, still defiant, still fighting. -All about, the decks were a shambles, his men were lying dead and -wounded, half a dozen of Maynard’s men were attacking him. Kicking off -his shoes to get a better foot-hold on the bloody deck, bellowing like -a maddened bull, blood streaming from over twenty-five wounds, with his -half-severed head lolling hideously upon his chest, but still defiant, -Blackbeard backed against the bulwarks and slashed and lunged, keeping -his enemies at bay until, as his life blood poured over his chest and -beard and trickled to the decks, his muscles weakened and his blows -grew less. Then, suddenly whipping a pistol from his belt, he made one -last desperate effort to shoot down the lieutenant. But before he could -press the trigger, before a man could strike the weapon up, his knees -sagged, his eyelids closed, and with a gurgling, awful moan he sank -lifeless to the deck. - -“Few of the pirates remained alive, none were unwounded. Those who had -the strength leaped overboard, attempting to escape, but all were -captured; Blackbeard and his men were wiped out and the only member of -the pirates who had escaped was the sailing master, Israel Hands. -Nursing the bullet wound in his knee, which had been so playfully -inflicted by Blackbeard, he was safe ashore. Doubtless he most heartily -gave thanks for his dead captain’s form of humor and blessed the wound -that gave him a stiff leg for life. - -“Maynard’s losses, too, were tremendous; many of his men had been -killed, scarcely one had escaped without serious wounds, but they -forgot their hurts, for they were triumphant. Thirteen pirate prisoners -were safe in irons in the sloop’s hold, the grewsome, awful head of the -redoubtable Blackbeard was lashed to the tip of the bowsprit, and, -hoisting sail, Maynard set forth for Bath Town, North Carolina, to -claim his well-earned reward and exhibit his bloody trophy. There the -thirteen prisoners were promptly hanged, Teach’s black-whiskered, -blood-clotted head, with the burnt-out fuses still in the tangled hair, -was placed in the market square, and the promised rewards were duly -paid to the courageous lieutenant and his daring men.” - -“Jiminy!” exclaimed Fred. “That must have been some fight! Was that the -end of the pirates?” - -“Practically,” replied Mr. Bickford. “Teach was the last pirate of -note. There were a few who still lurked in the Caribbean, but the -Atlantic coasts and the West Indies were getting too hot for them. Such -rascals, as Low, England, Roberts and Avery, transferred their -activities to more out-of-the-way spots, to Africa, Madagascar and the -Indian Ocean, and the last of the West Indian pirates were dispersed -and destroyed by Lieutenant, afterwards Commodore, Porter, who also -wiped out the Tripolitan pirates.” - -“But how about Lafitte and his pirates?” asked Jack. “I thought they -lived until the time of the war of 1812 and helped General Jackson at -the battle of New Orleans.” - -“So they did,” replied his father. “But Lafitte and his brother were -not really pirates. That is, no real acts of piracy were ever proved -against them, although they were denounced as such. In reality the -Lafittes were smugglers, but their career was so picturesque and -romantic that their story may be quite fittingly included in that of -the buccaneers and pirates. - -“The two brothers, Jean and Pierre Lafitte, were born in France, and -came to New Orleans in the spring of 1809. They were brilliant, witty, -well educated, attractive men, and spoke several languages fluently. -The two started a blacksmith shop, which they operated by slaves, and -from the first the brothers appeared to have plenty of money. At that -time there was a strip of territory, stretching for a distance of about -sixty miles from the mouth of the Mississippi to Bayou Lafourche, which -was in almost undisputed possession of a colony of smuggler-pirates -known as the ‘Baratarians,’ from the fact that their headquarters were -on the Bay of Barataria, a body of water with a narrow opening -protected from the Gulf by a low, narrow island about six miles long -known as Grande-Terre. - -“Some of these Baratarians possessed letters of marque from France, as -well as from the Republic of New Grenada (now Colombia), authorizing -them to prey upon Spanish shipping, but like the pirates of old they -had the reputation of lacking discrimination and of attacking any -vessel that they could overpower. Whatever the truth of their piratical -tendencies may have been, there was no question that they were -smugglers on a large scale, and not long after the Lafittes arrived in -Louisiana they joined their lot with these Baratarians. - -“Jean occupied a position as a sort of agent and banker for the -smugglers, but he was far too clever and ambitious to remain long in -such a subordinate capacity, and soon was the head and brains of the -whole organization. To this state he won both by superior intelligence -and force of arms, for both Lafittes were adept swordsmen and expert -pistol shots, and when a fellow called Grambo, a burly leader among the -Baratarians, had the temerity to question Jean Lafitte’s leadership the -latter promptly whipped out a pistol and shot him through the heart. - -“Hitherto the Baratarians had been divided into factions, and there -were constant dissensions and quarrels among them, but under Lafitte’s -management all were united, and so daring and brazenly did they carry -on their operations that within three years from the time the Lafitte -brothers stepped ashore at New Orleans there was more commerce entering -and leaving Barataria Bay than the port of New Orleans. Great -warehouses rose above the low sand dunes of Grande-Terre; cargoes of -slaves were weekly auctioned in the big slave market; from far and near -merchants and dealers flocked to the smugglers’ stronghold to barter -and trade, and it was evidently but a question of time before the -Lafittes and their Baratarian friends would control all the import -trade of the Mississippi Valley. - -“Becoming alarmed at the magnitude of operations, the federal -government decided to break up the smugglers, and revenue cutters were -dispatched to the bay. But the Baratarians’ spies were vigilant, word -of the raid was brought, and the discomfited government officers -returned empty-handed, without having accomplished anything worth -while. Indeed, it was a common rumor in New Orleans that even the -United States officials were in league with the Lafittes, and the -wealthy, charming Frenchmen came and went, spent their money freely in -New Orleans, drove about in splendid carriages and with magnificent -horses, maintained expensive establishments, and snapped their slender, -jeweled fingers at the authorities. - -“It was the greatest, most flagrant smuggling enterprise ever carried -on in the history of the world, and at last Governor Claiborne of -Louisiana decided to take drastic measures to suppress it. The -penalties of the law for smuggling were evidently not severe enough to -meet the case, and so, in 1813, the governor issued a proclamation in -which he declared the Baratarians pirates, warned the citizens not to -deal with them, and threatened to hang every one he could lay hands on. - -“But His Excellency might have saved his breath and his paper. Twirling -gold-headed canes, decked in valuable jewels, attired in the most -expensive and beautifully tailored clothes, the Lafitte brothers -strolled nonchalantly through the streets and, surrounded by admirers, -read with interest and amusement the official placards in which they -were denounced as pirates. Then, to add insult to injury, they tacked -up posters, advertising a slave auction to be held at Barataria, -alongside the irate governor’s proclamations! - -“Beside himself with anger, but realizing he was unable to cope -single-handed with the situation; Governor Claiborne issued a -supplementary proclamation offering five hundred dollars reward for the -apprehension of either of the Lafitte brothers. Only one man, as far as -known, attempted to earn the reward, and instead of the five hundred -dollars he received a bullet through the lungs which promptly relieved -him of all desire or necessity for money or anything else of a worldly -nature. - -“The governor was desperate. No one would raise a finger against the -so-called ‘pirates,’ they openly defied the state, and he asked the -Legislature for an appropriation to raise a company of volunteers to -attack the stronghold of the Lafittes. Unfortunately the increase of -the smugglers’ business had so depleted the state treasury that there -were no funds available; but at last the governor succeeded in -obtaining an indictment for piracy against the two Lafittes and the -Baratarian leaders. Armed with this, the governor managed to have -Pierre arrested. - -“But the executive had forgotten that money talks. For a fee of $20,000 -each, Jean Lafitte retained the two most prominent lawyers in the -state, Edward Livingston and John R. Grymes, the latter resigning as -District Attorney to defend the Lafittes. During the trial his -successor taunted him with this and as a result Grymes challenged him -and shot him through the hip, crippling him for life. - -“There was no question of how the trial would result. Pierre was freed, -Jean was cleared and the indictment against him dismissed and the -triumphant lawyers were invited by the brothers to visit their -headquarters at Barataria and collect their fees. Livingston, a New -Yorker, declined, but Grymes, who was a Virginian, accepted, and the -tale is still told in New Orleans of the princely entertainment, the -magnificent feast and the whole-souled hospitality accorded the -attorney by the Lafittes and their outlaw friends. Finally he was sent -back to New Orleans in an almost regally appointed yawl laden with -boxes containing the two lawyers’ fees in Spanish doubloons and pieces -of eight. - -“Meanwhile the war between England and the United States had been going -on for nearly two years. It had been felt but little on the shores of -the Gulf, however, and the Baratarians, and even the more law-abiding -citizens, scarcely knew that there was a conflict. But in September, -1814, the smuggler-pirate colony was started by the sudden appearance -of an armed British brig off their island haunt. Hastily ordering out -his private cutter, Jean Lafitte boarded the war vessel, invited the -officers ashore and feasted them right royally. Then, as the merry -party sat back and puffed at their fine Havanas the smuggler chieftain -was presented with a letter from the British commandant at Pensacola. -It was an offer of a high commission in the British army and a fee of -$30,000, provided Lafitte would use his forces in assisting the British -in their proposed invasion of Louisiana. - -“The Frenchman hesitated, replied that it would take him some time to -decide upon such an important matter and asked for ten days in which to -consider it. This was willingly granted, the officers were escorted -back to their ship and, well satisfied with their progress, they -prepared to await Lafitte’s reply, which they felt convinced would be -favorable. But even before they had stepped upon their ship’s decks a -messenger had been despatched post-haste by Lafitte to the Louisiana -Legislature. Not only did the messenger carry a complete account of the -British plans of invasion as divulged by the officers, but he also -carried the letter from the English commandant and a letter from -Lafitte offering the services of himself and his men in the defense of -the state. - -“Instantly Governor Claiborne called a council of the army, navy and -militia officers and showed them Lafitte’s communication. The officials -could not believe that Lafitte—outlaw and smuggler and so-called -pirate—could possess any sentiments of patriotism, and one and all -declared that, in their opinions, the papers were forgeries and that -Lafitte had submitted them in order to prevent the authorities from -interfering with his plans. - -“As a result, an expedition was organized, and, under command of -Commodore Patterson and Colonel Ross, set out to attack the -Baratarians. Supposing, as was natural, that the approaching forces had -been sent to combine with them against the British, the smugglers were -taken completely by surprise; many were killed and captured and their -headquarters were destroyed. Only the two Lafittes and a few followers -escaped and a vast quantity of loot was seized by the victorious -troops. Among this booty was found the jewelry of a Creole lady who had -left New Orleans several years before and had never been heard from, -and this circumstantial evidence of piracy was the sole and only thing -ever produced to prove that the Lafittes or the Baratarians could be -considered pirates. Upon that one incident all the tales of piracy by -the Lafittes have been built up and, like Captain Kidd’s, their fame -has grown from nothing. Despite the scurvy treatment accorded Lafitte -by the governor, he still remained true to his adopted country and -instead of joining the British—and he could scarcely have been blamed -if he had—he remained with his brother and the other fugitives in -hiding until General Andrew Jackson arrived to take supreme command at -New Orleans. Then, risking life and liberty, he came forth again, -offered his services and those of his men to the nation and was -promptly accepted. General Jackson placed Lafitte in command of the -redoubts along the river with a part of his men and detailed the others -to the battery at New Orleans. Throughout that memorable battle the -Baratarians and the Lafittes fought with such furious and whole-hearted -bravery that they were lauded in the general orders issued after the -victory, and at General Jackson’s suggestion all were granted full -pardons. - -“After the battle, a great ball was given by the army and naval -officers and great was the rejoicing, and at this brilliant function -Jean Lafitte appeared for the last time. Among the honored guests was -General Coffee, and the pompous General and the dandy Frenchman were -brought together for an introduction. At first, as the orderly -mentioned Lafitte’s name, the General hesitated and glanced -superciliously over the smiling stranger. Lafitte stepped forward, drew -himself up proudly and announced: ‘Lafitte, the pirate.’ Instantly the -General thrust out his hand and grasped the other’s cordially. - -“Never again were the Lafittes seen in New Orleans or their old haunts. -Rumors came from time to time, wild tales were told of their doings, -but there was little to bear them out. It was, however, generally -accepted as a fact beyond dispute that they went to an island near -Galveston, secured commissions as privateers from a South American -Republic and preyed upon Spanish shipping to their own considerable -profit. - -“About that time, too, a United States cruiser was attacked by unknown -corsairs in the Gulf and looted of an enormous sum in bullion and this -was laid to the Lafittes. As a result, the Galveston settlement was -attacked and destroyed, but no signs of the famous Lafittes were found. -Perhaps they had never been there, perhaps they managed to escape. They -completely disappeared and where they passed the remainder of their -lives, where they died has never been discovered. Once it was reported, -that they had sailed to the Argentine and had entered the service of -the Buenos Ayres government. Again it was stated that they had -established a pirate lair in Yucatan. There were stories of their -having settled on Ruatan Island off Honduras, where they conducted -wrecking and piratical undertakings, but definite news, actual proofs, -were never forthcoming. - -“We can scarcely believe that men who had proved their patriotism and -their valor, men who had shown their honor and their loyalty as had the -Lafittes, would countenance an attack upon a United States ship. It -does not seem like them to have degenerated into rascally cut-throats -and wreckers. To my mind, it is far more probable that they returned to -their beloved France or settled down under new names in some quiet -tropical land and there passed the remainder of their lives like the -accomplished gentlemen they were. No one will ever know. We can only -surmise. But with the passing of these romantic, picturesque brothers -went the last of the more famous pirates. And—as I said before—there -was nothing to prove that they were pirates after all.” - -“Golly, I never knew the buccaneers and pirates were so interesting,” -declared Fred, as Mr. Bickford ceased speaking. “I always loved to read -stories about them, but they’re a lot more interesting than the -stories.” - -“Yes,” agreed his uncle. “It’s a splendid example of the truth of the -time-worn saying that ‘truth is stranger than fiction.’ And did you -ever stop to think, boys, that if it hadn’t been for the buccaneers -there might not—probably would not—have been any United States?” - -“Why, no!” cried Jack. - -“How could that be?” demanded Fred. - -“Very few people realize that we owe the buccaneers a tremendous debt -of gratitude or that they played a most important part in the history -of America. They may have been ruthless, cruel, bloodthirsty, -unprincipled cut-throats, but if it had not been for the buccaneers the -chances are that what is now the United States would have been a colony -of Spain or a Spanish-American republic. It was very largely owing to -the buccaneers that England retained her supremacy in the West Indies. -She was far too busy with wars at home to look after her American -possessions; Spain controlled South and Central America, Florida and -the Southwest, and her sea power was tremendous. But the buccaneers -kept the Dons in check, they compelled Spain to devote all her energies -and her warships to protecting her cities and her plate ships, and, -with the sea rovers everywhere in the Caribbean, the Dons could not -expand their holdings and were hard put to it to hold what they had. It -is no exaggeration to say that the buccaneers had a greater effect on -maintaining England’s hold in America than all the British Crown’s -forces. And the British navy was not at all blind to the services of -the buccaneers. When the English attacked Jamaica and wrested it from -Spain the buccaneers took a most important part and in many another sea -battle, and land attack as well, the British navy and army were mighty -glad of the buccaneers’ help. Whatever their sins and their misdeeds -may have been, we cannot overlook the fact that they had a most -important place in the scheme of things, that they helped make history -and that they are entitled to a big niche in the hall of fame of -pioneers, colonizers and fighters of America. And there is no need to -fear that they will ever be forgotten. As long as there is red blood in -the veins of men and boys; as long as human beings have pulses that -will quicken to tales of heroism and bravery and mighty deeds, the -swashbuckling, daredevil, picturesque buccaneers, and even the pirates -who came after, will live on. The names of kings and queens may be -forgotten. Famous admirals and generals may have passed into oblivion. -Great battles and tremendous victories, treaties of peace and -declarations of war; the conquests of countries; the subjugation of -kingdoms may fade from memory, and yet, every schoolboy is familiar -with the names of Morgan, L’Ollonois, Montbars, Hawkins and the other -chieftains of the buccaneers. They were characters who can never die.” - -“Gee, I’m kind of sorry they have all gone,” declared Jack, as his -father ceased speaking. “It would be great to see a real buccaneer or a -real pirate ship.” - -Mr. Bickford smiled. “I’m afraid you’ll never see a buccaneer,” he -said. “But you might see a pirate ship.” - -“Oh, do you really mean there are any pirates’ ships left?” cried Fred. - -“I can’t say, positively,” replied his uncle. “But there was one a very -short time ago. She was doing duty as a packet between the Virgin -Islands and her name was the Vigilant. She was a trim, speedy little -schooner—the typical ‘low black craft with rakish masts’ of story and -fiction and had had a most adventurous and romantic career. She was -built at Baltimore and was originally intended as a privateer for use -in the Revolution. But the war was over before she was launched and she -served as a smuggler, a slaver and a pirate, changing hands frequently. -At that time she was rigged as a topsail schooner and was called the -Nonesuch, and at one time she was even a man-of-war. That happened when -Denmark and Spain were at war and a Spanish cruiser was harassing -Danish commerce, always escaping by fleeing to waters too shoal for the -Danish war vessels. The Vigilant was pressed into service, disguised as -a merchantman, and lured the Spaniard on until at close quarters, when -she suddenly showed her real character in true pirate fashion, and, -throwing grappling irons, the armed crew of the schooner swarmed over -the Spaniard’s side, killed the captain and officers, overpowered the -crew and captured the ship. It was the last engagement of the gallant -little schooner—a fitting end to her career—and ever since she has done -duty as an honest merchantman. I have seen her many times, have even -sailed on her, and, for all I know to the contrary, she may still be -plowing the blue Caribbean in the haunts of the buccaneers as staunch, -fast and seaworthy as when the Jolly Roger flew from many a masthead.” - - - THE END - - - - - - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BOY'S BOOK OF -BUCCANEERS *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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