PIRATES AND PIRACY .
INTROD) CTION.
har dl ho - There is y a person w , as a school boy,
had not received the fire of. imagination and the stimulus for adventure and a roaming li fe
through the stirring narratives concerning Cap
) and - o ea A tain idd other well kn wn s rovers .
certain ineifable glamor metamorphosed these
s s a robber into heroe , and lent an in lienable li
“ ” so o s cense to their calling, that the s ng ter and
romancist foun d in them and their deeds pro
lific and w s u su genial themes, hile the ob c re g
gestions of hidden treasures and mysterious caves have inspired many expeditions in quest of
n s w A buried fortu e hich, like the rgo of old, have
n h carried their ) aso s to the myt ical Colchis .
s on Rus The pen of Byr , Scott, Poe, Stevenson,
d n and s sell, an Stockto , the musical geniu of 4 Figu res AND PIRACY .
w inspi Wagner, ere steeped in the productive and ) in ration of these lawless adventurers, gs
s ley found in Lundy Island, the er twhile nest of “ u s the reckless tribe, a s bject for his We tward Ho ) ”
s s Byr on, in The Corsair, ing
’ k- lue sea O e r the glad waters of the dar b ,
dle ss and our soul s as Our th oughts as boun ,
the illows o m Far as the bre ez e can bear, b f a ,
nd ehold our home ) Survey our empire , a b
alms no lim its to thei sw The se ar e our re , r ay,
O ur flag the sceptre al l who m e et obey . Our s the wild life in tum ult still to range
st and o in eve r ch n e . From toil to re , j y y a g
r Piracy was the growth of maritime adventu e, and developed with the advancement of com
oe n w s merce . The Ph nicia s and Greeks ere e pe
ciall y apt in the interstate wars which fr e
u n q ently degenerated into rapine and plu der, and with them piracy became a recognized enter
i ni prise . In Homeric times t was dig fied with — a respect worthy of a nobler cause a sentiment
in which the freebooters of later centuries took — n . u arroga t pride The pirate cruel, vicio s, de — based to the lowest degree of turpitude estab IR AND IR 5 P ATES P ACY . lished a moral code governing his actions and
s n n li and was circum cribi g his wanto cense, it
) ” in the rigorous observance of these trade laws and customs of their realm that this abortive s m ense of honor anifested itself .
The successes of the Phaanicians and Greeks soon m ade the Mediterranean the theatre of maritime robber y, in later years conducted u r un nder the autho ity, sanction, and imm ity of
w s . ss the the Barbary po er In fact, so reckle had enterprise become that the temerity of the free
k and lances new no bounds, headquarters, so to
s s speak, were e tabli hed, and for a long time
maintained, at Cilicia . The vigorous campaign of Pompey in 67 against the pirates was but the precursor of that systematic defence which the nations of the w l s orld eventual y adopted . The Han eatic League of the cities of Northern Germany and neigh
u its boring states, no do bt, had origin in the necessitous combination of merchants to resist m the attacks of the Norse en . England sent out m any expeditions to destroy the pestiferous free booter s W ho w A s armed from the frican coast, and 1815 ) i finally, in , the n ted States sent Decatur 6 PIRATES AND PIRACY .
r to Al giers to annihilate the nefarious corsai s , who had thrived and become brazen in their recklessness during the three centur ies of their
s s Al ascendant power . The incur ion of the gerine E pirates were made as far north as ngland, Ire
o land, and Iceland, and thr ugh them an iniqui tous slave trade was developed . The law of
nations did not place its ban upon this slave tr afiic until by statute England and the ) nited States atte mpted to obliterate this ineradicable
r i blot upon ou civil zation, and only a half cen
u A s r Ru l t ry ago u tria, P ussia, and ssia dec ared
it to be piracy .
un Piracy, by the law of nations, is p ishable
with death within the jurisdictionof any nation
under whose flag the capture may have been
is o o made, for the pirate the c mm n enemy of
Al has s mankind . though it pa sed the zenith of m its per verse glory, and odern naval devel op
has s ment made it impracticable and impo sible, vestiges of piracy remain in the Malay Archi
ea A pelago and the China S . s recently as 1864 five men were hanged in London on such a
charge .
sou ul li Privateering, the re rcef auxi ary to a IR I 7 P ATES AND P RACY.
is s o weak navy, al o piracy, th ugh not recog nized law s so by the of nation . The private ship m which, under the authority of letters of arque
s s and repri al is ued by the government, made war upon a hostile power, was always an indis pensable adjunct to naval warfare . England
s o con idered ur privateer Paul ) ones a pirate . During the Civil War the Confederate cruisers w s Al ms ere termed pirate , and the abama clai made upon England for damage done by the
Alabama, the Flor ida, and the Shenandoah arose from permitting privateers to depart from her ports .
sw Al s The rise and ay of the corsairs of gier ,
n disor an Tunis , and Tripoli, developi g from g iz was of ed piracy, evidently the result the per secution of the Moors of Spain in the sixteenth
u r e century, who, exiled and retrib tive , sought venge and lucre in the attacks upon the argosies
from India to Spain . Their successes attracted
us nt adventurers from Asia Minor, and th augme
s ed they acquired formidable power, e tablished
sa citadels and states , governed by daring and l gacious eaders , and levied blackmail upon Chris tian coun tries for the protection of commerce . It 8 PIRATES AND PIRACY . was not until the vigorous campaign of Decatur that the backbone of this sanctioned lawlessness
of the Barbary States was broken and safety upon the high seas of the East assured . The bold character of these marauders can be best imagined when we reflect that in the seventeenth century the Al ger ine pirate s cruised
nn in the English Cha el, blockaded the Lord Deputy of Ireland in 1635 for weeks in an Eng
s m suc li h port, where he re ained helpless till
is -of-war t ll cored by an Engl h man , and ac ua y entered the harbor of Cork and carried away
who su s eight fishermen, bsequently were old as A s s . we s lave in lgiers But, as have een, piracy, which at one time was the formidable enemy of mankind and a menace to progress and develop
is hi ment, now merely a matter of story . The limits of this article will not permit any e) tended review of lawless maritime depreda
s s but tion in its various pha es, it may be within our province to refer for a moment to the buc
caneer s filibuster s own and of our continent .
The late war in Cuba brought the filibuster s
once more into prominence . The term applies to one who w u o ou s so , arring pon an ther c ntry, doe , IR AND IR 9 P ATES P ACY .
but b n not for private gain, for public e efit, and refers generally to those who had attempted to conquer certain Spanish-Am er ican possessions upon the plea that the objective country was ff su ering from anarchy and oppression . The theory was that sal vation coul d onl y be found in annexation to the ) nited States ; and if this
so i r be , there are many spiritual fil buste s within our s - m has border to day . The ter now become generally applicable to adventurers from the
) ut k ow un nited States, b was un n n der that name until the expedition of LOpez to Cuba in 1 li 850 . A n u was u aro B rr a fi b ster, although we m ay justly doubt the virtue of his motives .
m s s Willia Walker, perhap the foremo t of them all w li in 1854 , invaded Lo er Ca fornia , attempted
was con to found a republic, defeated, and later
a its quered Nicaragua and bec me president, only to shift about in his meteoric career of destiny and sail against Honduras , where he was cap
- a t l s 1860 . tur d, cour martial ed, and hot in
s hi It is to the buccaneer , however, that the s
) ” tory of piracy is indebted for the glory which may fill its pages ; it is to the men of the stamp
f am and ) an o Morgan, D pier, Peter of Dieppe, 10 PIRATES AND PIRACY .
as s Horn, who by their courage, d h, and pasmodic chivalry lent sufficient romance to their misdeeds
we as to obscure the crime, that owe the stirring tales of the conquests in the West Indies and
n no ss was South America . A d le a pirate Fran
h his n and cis Drake, w o, despite k ighthood the official countenance the Elizabethan govern ment lent to his attacks upon Spanish gall eons
s and cities, tands forth as one of the greatest free
of ) is i lances the world . history is un que, bril
m n his his liant, and com a ding ; service for coun try and the attack upon the Spanish Armada
as l r atoning, it were, for his piratica c imes . l What irony of fate, that this wonderfu man, a knight of England , a member of Parliament, a w r o n ar i r and sailor, a robber and co queror, should now lie in a lead coflin at the bottom of
ofi o R u the sea P rto ico, conq ered by death while on his way to the islands so often the object of his pillage )
The constant warr ing of Spain against the w powers of the orld, not at home but in her west
ss ss n ern po e ions, fi ally led to that outlawry whi ch under the name of buccaneers terrorized the Caribbean Sea during the sixteenth and seven IR IR 11 P ATES AND P ACY.
h 2 e nt 16 5 . t e centuries . In the island of St Chris topher was settled by the buccaneers to establish a base ; and later the island of Tortuga was cap
) s tared, which became the scene of con tant war ”t fare until the capture of ) amaica in 1655 .
Pre-eminent amongst the buccaneers of this pe r iod who made the Spanish Main a synonym for robbery and bloodshed was Captain Henr y Mor
who as ) gan, , a pirate , captured amaica, was
b . knighted y Charles II , and later made Deputy
was wh Gover nor of the island . He it o led the buccaneers to the South Sea, opening for them a
s rich field for booty, by marching acro s the Isth mus of t Panama, fighting a battle and cap uring
s and plundering the city, and, seizing the Spani h
o se ou vessels in the harb r, t sail for the S th Sea, returning by way of Cape Horn with fabul ous 1697 prizes . After the capture of Cartagena in ,
) hr isto her the ew atr iated D r iven fr om St. C p , p
omin o Fr ench and Englis h outlaws settled in San D g , an island over whose plains thousands of wild cattl e
nd e) cellent r evenue in the ca tur e r oamed, and fou p of these beasts and the sal e of the flesh and hides .
The p eculiar manner of smoking the b eef and pr e
“ ” s known as bucchannin ave ser ving the hide , g, g
them their name . 12 IR T IR P A ES AND P ACY.
iz n and the organ atio of these intrepid, daring,
- o r o able free b ote s disrupted, and the gl ry waned and vanished ; the degeneracy was rapid and
o - o s o s ou w c mplete , till cut thr at and villain u tla s
s took the place of their great predeces ors .
History shows that in our own country pirates appeared along the Carolina coast as far back as 1565 s n , and before the ettlement of the cou try
s n . by the Engli h, u der charter of Charles II , the
s of pirate the Spanish Main occupied the coast, the many harbors lending refuge and safe r e w f treat, hile permitting the burying o treasures . The Carolinas remained friendl y to pirates with a persistency of popular favor which was
- i An well n gh ineradicable . d this is quite readily understood when we reflect that the depredations were committed upon ships of His Catholic Ma
s je ty, the foe of England, an d that the pirates brought their gold and silver plate to the colonies
s s for ale and barter, thu bringing wealth and r e s s u m un ource to the tr ggling com ities ; and, last l m set y, the exa ple and sanction by the king in k nighting Henry Morgan, the leading pirate of the day . It was impossible to obtain a jury to
one convict any upon the charge of piracy, and
o the s s authoritie found themselves helpless . PIR IR 1 ATES AND P ACY. 3
The best known of all the pirates in America is n ) ll beyo d doubt Captain idd, of whom we a have sung
Oh m , y name is Captain ) idd,
As s iled I a ,
As i d I sa le .
Oh m n me i s C a in ) i d , y a pta d ,
’ And God s l ws I did or id a f b ,
And r i ht ick I g w edly did,
As I sailed.
s o The Engli h g vernment, alarmed at the bold and heinous offences committed by the Indian pi
in rates the Colonies, issued to him letters of marque against the French and the ubiquitous
“ ” s ) ll R rover of the coa t, whose o y oger floating
mi its s n from the zzen, with sini ter porte d, struck
terror to the helpless merchantman .
) is was ffi and sw n n work e cient eepi g, a d in 1691 the Council of the City of New Y ork pre
£100 o his n sented him , in appreciati n of e ergetic
I 1697 s campaign . n he reached Madaga car to w annihilate the pirates in the Eastern aters, but soon strange reports reached England concern
n and ing his actio s, it developed that he had fal “ len a victim to the seductive aphorism, the 14 PIRATES AND PmAcY.
pirate is the free child of the sea, and in the
so as degree as he was their destroyer, he rose
u their energetic leader . S bsequently he sailed O and to the West Indies, Delaware, yster Bay, ,
’ s s burying his treas ures on Gardiner I land, set
was n sail for Boston, where he captured, se t to
an England, and h ged on Execution Dock, Lon
’ s s o n on G s s don . The trea ure f u d ardiner I land am ounted to and to this day hopes are entertained of other buried booty ’ u The scope of Mr . Herrmann s lect re is not to
r e embrace the history of piracy, but to na rat the
’ incidents and vicissitudes of a pirate s life and
ll e modus o er an i o to i ustrat their p d . His st ry
depicts to us the terrible misdeeds as practised
os and ns by th e ferocious heartless demo , amongst
a a whom Captain Fly, Capt in Te ch, the Black an d beard, Captain North were the most noto
rions . A H . . H .
NEW Y OR) Fe u , br ary, 1902 . PIRATES AND PIRACY .
A LECT) RE.
The limitations of a lecture will not per mit the
o discussion of the subject upon an extended sc pe, nor will it allow a more than cursory review of
s of the general doing , adventures, and methods
pirates in general, leaving the historical treat
for ment another occasion .
r an The Latin word pi atia defines the crime, swer in o dis n g to r bbery on land, with the ti ction that it is committed upon the high seas or navi
l law n gable waters general y . The of natio s has defined it as the taking of property from others w by open violence, ith intent to steal, and with
n . An out lawful authority, o the sea d with the str ingency arising from the ever-growing depre
un dations, and the comm ity of interests of the
e was n l civiliz d world, the crime made pu ishab e 16 PIRATES AND PIRACY.
s was in by death, and juri diction recognized that country into whose ports the pirate may be car
ried .
Piracy flourished in its reckless dare-deviltry and wanton lawlessness about one hundred and
O ns fifty years ago, its most productive peratio
h s being confined to the Spanis Main, over who e vast paths the newly dis covered weal th and hid den treasures of the New World were carried .
The unprotected state of commerce per mitted these piratical invasions with immunity an d thus allowed this nefarious trade to flourish and de
l ll n ve op unchecked and un contro ed . By reaso of this the lawless element of the community was encouraged an d allured by the visions of fab ul ous riches with the attendant excitement in
as eident to its capture . Pirates, as a cl s, were
’ u ws s s principally o tla , ocial outcast , or long s m of s br u hore en a de perate and tal character, who deemed it the m ore enjoyable the more haz i ar dous their undertak ng, and who considered it safer to maraud on the high seas than upon the
n s ns la d, in con tant fear of the minio of the law .
w of i ) ut h a . S not all pirates ere t s ch racter ome, s not inherently viciou nor absolutely depraved, IR P ATES AND PIRACY . 17 had adopted this lawless calling by reason of some stigma which deprived them of their social
s position ; other , by reason of their indolence ;
s m s s h and other fro heer neces ity, w o found in their dire distress the jus tification for the dan
er ou s g s tep .
Whenever a band of these m en had determined
new upon their enterprise, they immediate l s s m s s y eized o e available hip in the shore water , which was frequently accomplished by two or
w o u s three approaching in a ro b at, in the g i e of
f m As u s s o s . u s p rcha er erchandi e a r le, a ves el,
w s i u when in shore ater , s inadeq ately protected
s us s fin by guard , and th the pirate , ding the deck
o o wou in their c ntr l, ld overcome the watch and, w w s o s s of o ith dra n pi t l and threat death, pr ceed to make them helpless prisoners . With practical
o of ss us as su som contr l the ve el th red, e of the number would stand sentry at the hatchways while a signal to the shore brought the reinforce
o l ment of their comrades in crime . Sh u d the captured crew show remonstrance or any intima
s sw s u s tion of resi tance, the ord , c tlas es, and heavy chains were most effective as a quietus ; i and thus with sails all set, and fly ng the flag of 18 IR I P ATES AND P RACY.
the home port as a mantle to their knavery, they
sailed forth to s ome small town in search of pro
s s to s os of s vi ion , di p e their merchandise, relea e
s s their pri oner ) or, as frequently happened,
m oo o so s ar n them upon s me de late i land) , and
s m thu equipped and provisioned, with agazines
se ammunitioned, they t forth in search of prey . Not infrequently the vessel captured would prove too small and insufficient for marauding
) o s u o s u e pediti n p n the high sea , and nable to give battle or a spirited chas e to a sturdy mer
ch ntm n a a . In such event, their operations were confined to the coast-line and in the harbors which had been located by spies1 as having rich
ly laden vessels ready for the outward journey ;
u and, having ascertained the date of depart re,
’ s o its the hip c mplement, possible fighting
s it s o trength, and s de tination , a cl se watch was
set h w us , avoiding, o ever, all ca e for suspicion,
w s ) s a ul s and, ith light e tingui hed, the c ref , ilent m watch was kept till the idnight hour . As eight
n ss bells rang out upon the dark e , and the unsus pecting sailor keeping the midnight watch looked w blankly into the night, several ro boats, with o s to h l ccupant armed the teet , wou d be lowered,
2 0 PIRATES AND PIRACY .
and without a splash ride the waters, over which
sea- o they glided, carrying the r bbers to the grim
2 s ides of their intended prey .
s In many cases the decks, by rea on of the
s ffo l fancied ecurity a rded by the harbor, wou d
n o or be deserted, and , taking adva tage of this pp tunit u k y, the attacking party q ic ly leap over the
n s s i n sides and, u der the noi ele sly g ven comma ds of s i their captain , creep tealth ly to the hatch w s o o s s ay , cautiously taking their p siti n o that no
s mi calculations might frustrate their designs .
And so w , invading belo decks, with weapons
o s r o p i ed and eve y fibre on the alert, the c ncerted m attack upon the sleeping victi s woul d be given .
one swoo i With fell p, and w th the savagery born of us u i their nefario ndertak ng , the crew would
s o f w be ruthle sly butchered, s me e , perhaps, es caping in the general skirmish and fleeing up
w o to s the gang ay, nly be truck down by the vil a n For s lain o guard . the pre ent we will close
our eyes to the awful picture of torture and mur
to der here enacted, revert to it upon a subse
u o q ent occasi n .
w ins With the cre slain, gagged or in cha , with
s s all possible re i tance overcome, the coming of
22 PIRATES AND PIRACY .
An s the day was awaited . d as the fir t faint streaks of gray broke in upon the darkness of the night and the harbingers of the dawn sent their
o s shafts athwart the h rizon, the hip rode proud
l s y at her anchor, ilently and stately, giving no
indication of the carnage of the night . The creaking of the chain around the capstan was
’ but the mariners mus ic to sing the glory of the
o so w v yage to be begun , and , ithout creating the
s s s ss s oun lea t u picion in the ve el lying r d about,
the captors brought their prize abreast their old
s e f vessel, tran f rred their stock o provisions and
1) m n s to ercha di e , if any, the newly captured
ss ve el, and, thus prepared, sailed grandl y out of W the harbor . hen once again the breath of the
ocean bellied their sails and sped them on to the
u kn w s n o n argo y, the dead, vanquished crew was
u s sea o r dely ca t into the , with ut the semblance
of s for re pect the dead, the decks thoroughly
u s u s scr bbed, the c pper flus hed, the inventory
so o prepared, and , nce again, the course was set
w to s “ for a port in hich di pose of their cargo .
The argus-eyed lookout stationed far up in the
foremast scanned every point of the far-reaching “ l horizon, signa ling to his mates the appearance
24 PIRATES AND PIRACY .
of a spar against the heavens . Then , with course
cons ir changed and wheel set, and sped on by p
own ing winds, they bore d upon the unfortunate
o om vessel , displaying at the pr per moment the
inous and fateful black flag and its ghas tly em
- blem of skull and cross bones .
for s fitful Thus , months perhap , the winds
and steady currents carried them hither and
v for o thither, ever alert, e er ready c mbat and
s m w - n plunder . With gun pri ed and po der hor
s s u s l s tocked, the e pl nderer roamed the track e s
e m s a, at ti es with impatience and drooping
u hopes, ntil the sight of a large, heavily riding
merchantman sent their blood a-leaping and
transformed the deck into a scene of feverish
w e l activity . If recal the peaceful errand of the merchantmen and reflect that their armature
was little calculated to cope with the war-waging
ou ws is tla , it quite apparent how gross the in
u of the s u eq ality truggle m st necessarily be . While most of the merchantmen carried de
s n fen ive armame t, the unpractised, unskilled
crew made the guns in their hands little more t A . s han ineffective the pirate ship approached, she displayed the same flag flying from the
26 PIRATES AND PIRACY . stern of the merchantman ; and with the crew
o t hidden below decks, in rder not to betray heir
s s ffi purpose, the ves els approached u ciently close to enable the pirates to fire a broadside into the unsuspecting vessel and demand immediate sur
7 s render . At time a vessel, by reason of its
su u s superiority, would cceed in o t ailing the pir
but was ates, frequently the result most disas
t- n see trous . Often a stou hearted merchantma ,
was u ff bat ing that capture inevitable, wo ld o er l tle in desperation , firing vo ley after volley of
s o s s o ou stone h t, the pirate , tubb rn, furi s, tena i w t u c ous, fighting ith all the ferocity heir nat res
of sul were capable , re ting, after a decisive con
s in th te t, the lowering of e merchantman flag in
ow disgrace and humiliation . With the l ering of
s th the sail as an indication of surrender, e pirates
s out s th ent everal boats with armed men, under e m wh com and of a chosen leader, o at once placed
the captain under ar rest and demanded the
’ s s n ai hip papers u der p n of death . This request
was o n i usually, th ugh u will ngly, acceded to .
was s The old vessel thereupon di mantled , the
captured boat refitted, and, burning the hull of
s n s 8 the for ake ves el, the pirates once more set
R 28 PIRATES AND PI ACY. sa w t in il, i h the imprisoned captain and crew
u hi . chains cast into the dark, fo l hold of the s p
Immun ity was sometimes gran te d the captives upon their taking the oath of all egiance to the
we not how piratical horde . Can imagine the intense an guish and un endurable torture final ly forced from the unwilling lips the fearful avow al of allegiance ) We can plainly observe the purpose of the
o pirates in endeav ring to captur e a large, pow er ful and was nl , speedy vessel, for that the o y safeguard of their barbarous trade . They read ily recognized that success and secur ity depend ed solely upon speed to overtake a fleeing ship w l or to escape a po erfu adversary . Their motto, “ ) e who fights an d runs away may live to fight n ” l a other day, was in rea ity the only literature the bold and adventurous pirate woul d compre hend or accept . Therefore, well equipped in a
n s ll sta ch, trim ves el, with the lockers fi ed, the
n s magazi es tocked, the guns aimed and ready for action, they were brave enough to combat even
- f- a man o war . The books are replete with the thrilling accounts of engagements and set battles waged between pirates and resisting armed mer
30 PIRATES AND PIRACY .
h in c antmen, resul ting completely victory for the black flag which so defiantly floated from the
s mizzenm as t . The gradual progre s and growth
- s o n of the energetic sea robber , from the l oti g of vessels riding peacefully at anchor in the harbors
to the management of large and seaworthy
r mi t n ak craft, pe tted hem to u dert e long and
s seemingly endless cruises, the mo t daring of
w no n hich being undertaken , doubt, by that oto
ni 9 rions Chieftain, Captain Natha el North, who
cruised from Newfoun dland to the West Indies, then across the Southern Atlantic to the Cape of
via In Good Hope, thence Mozambique to the
O Red tr a dian cean, and northward to the Sea, versing the same track to the Arabian Sea and
s — a s East Indie voyage of mile , the toy d of the monsoon, the victim of the typhoon, an the sport of the trade-winds in the many lati h tudes . History as reserved a rather infamous
o niche for such freebo ters as Thomas Howard, n a Captain Misso , Capt in Fly, and Captain
) s o s n idd, who e v yage a d exploits have given
to s an themes the hi torian, the narrator, d the i novel st . It was during these long cr uises that the coast towns suffered through the depreda
32 PIRATES AND PIRACY .
l and inhabi tions, plundering, and pil age, the tants put in constant fear of these sudden and vicious onslaughts .
Not infrequently the pirates selected some
s o t r their treasures de olate l cality in which uw y v l bfl gr 1 0 s o ener all buildi and tore their stolen go ds, g y t n f ” villa e w aj g inland, ell hidden in the foliage of the forests or tropical shrubbery, and perhaps inaccessible save through the devious paths cun ningly planned to secure imm unity from attack.
These natural defences were supplemented with - h “ a series offail Sasa further protection from the w incursions of the natives . The internecine ars so fiercely waged by the inhabitants of the Af rican East Coas t frequently brought the van
” quished to these villages to secure protection — a safety usually given in exchange for prae tical slavery in tilling the groun d and cul tivatf
o s ing cr p .
From time almost immemorial the word pir ate
s w l n has been ynonymous ith all that is vil ai ous , bloodthirsty, and cruel, and capture by a gang of these assassins meant indescribable torture and sufi er in we w f g, and ill devote a ew moments to
a consideration of these awful scenes ; the sud
34 PmATEs AND PIRACY .
n s i den attacks, the vai attempt at fl ght, the des
- - for li mi perate hand to han d struggles fe, ngled wi s s it th the brutal yell , inter persed with the p
r e cous cries for mercy, followed by the hor ibl silence which final ly settles over the slippery m decks, and the grueso e spectacle of the dread ful vandalism as the murderers proceed to strip
their victims .
n s a Ge erally, after a succe sful att ck, the cap tain of the unfortunate vessel woul d be placed in chains and questioned as to the cargo and
A s l treasures of his ship . cutlas held menacing y
over him indicated the danger of untruth, and frequently a savage gas h brought a stubborn
r l and silent captain to submission . Inquisito ia
b v li tortures, unrelieved y any mock ci i ty, were continued to extract further confessions from
- the pain racked prisoners . Devices born only of a devilish instinct and fiendish delight suggest
of s ff an d so ed all forms u ering, the captain
’ was frequently tied to the ship s pump and
ur u w u s f s ro nded ith b rning combu tibles ; or, as tened to the deck, surrounded with gunpowder,
which they ignited ; or his limbs were severed
from his body and his flesh prodded with the
36 IR I P ATES AND P RACY .
s s point of the cutla s, the fiendish pirates forming m “ ” a circle around him for this inhu an sport . w Despite these awful tortures, confessions ere
often suppressed, in the hope that the pirates would allow the v essel to proceed on its way ) as w m as so etimes the cas e) , and thus a part of the
) ut all su treasures be saved . hope of ccor or c onsideration at the hands of these murderers
s w wa idl e . ) nsatisfied ith the mere acquisition
of booty, these human devils, devoid of the last
om s l t spark of c pa sion, wou d me e out to each member of the crew and the pas sengers the most
unheard-of tortures which human depravity
use . could invent, for the am ment of the captors
Some were tied to a W indl ass an d pelted into
s or s a . insen ibility, perhap more charit ble death
s s Others were la hed with ropes and ca t, almost
1 1 sea and dead, into the ; or, spiked hand foot to
th w ) s s e deck, ere e po ed merciles ly to the hot
rays of the sun until the features were distorted
into unr ecognizability ; some were placed before
a gun and thus decapitated, while others were w w tied back to back and thro n into the aters .
l ow w s w In fact, so ere these villainou retches in
their degradation that only the m ost cruel and
38 PIRATES AND PIRACY .
cunningly devised torture could satiate their — bloodthirsty cravings human hyenas , who
found rest only in the pains and shrieks of other
s was mortals . By far the mo t favorite pastime
“ ” to make the victim walk the plan k or hang
1 2 him to the yardarm a suggestion of the retri
u bution snfi er ed by the pirates when capt red .
No word picture can present the awful orgies in
who dulged in by these social outcasts, continued
ass l s u as their carnage , au t, and abu e ntil the l t
m s at victi had uccumbed . Then, directing their
o s s tention t the hip , it was quietly di mantled, set
’ u to w adrift, or freq ently burned the ater s edge, b ll u u allowing the u to float abo t, a r dderless
derelict .
n no m ss w O e must t for the impre ion , ho ever, that this reckless lawlessness was attended with
n insubordination or lack of discipline . O the
o o us c ntrary, they were rig ro ly governed by an “ iron hand and by the unwritten code of
” “ ” A o honor . pirate entered up n the account ) a term meaning piracy) by taking the oath of
to us u so fealty the ca e, abj ring all cial ties , pledging himself never to desert his ship or de
fraud his comrades or steal anything belonging
40 PIRATES AND PIRACY .
s u an to his fellows . Having thu bo nd him by oath firm and dreadful in its mal ediction upon
s is any violation of its term , the organization
completed by the selection of a captain , who,
su is s es s s u ally, the trong t, brave t, and mo t des
f m ll w u the perate o the a , ell calc lated to keep
and the s ih crew in subjection . Mutiny pirit of
subordination frequently raised its ominous
o o ss ss growl, t be quelled nly by the fearle ne of
the captain and his ability to keep his men in i abject fear of h s commands . It held the men
l s o s its efficacious in the thra l of hypn ti m, and in
ness depended the safety of the captain and his,
“ ” om w loyal adherents . With s e cre s the title
Cap tain did not convey autocratic power nor
s his m dictatorial prerogative , power to com and
absolutely being confined only to times of com
bat . A us urpation of power frequently brought
as death a deterrent to any as piring successor .
In those cases where the captain was not recog
nized as s u m n the ole r ler, each a had a vote in
ff s o a air of m ment, and had an undivided interest
o and title in all bo ty .
It can readily be understood how valueless the
cast-iron oath of the pirate must be when oc
42 PIRATES AND PIRACY .
s casion makes its rejection convenient, and thu
apparent dissatisfaction with the captain or with
his commands have frequently caused those se
s s O r e cret plotting below decks , re ulting in pen
3 — 1 s t volt or mutiny pirate again t pirate, bru e
force matched against brute force for power and
s m supremacy . The severest puni h ent to a mem ber of the crew for thieving from a fellow-pirate — was marooning slitting the ears and nose and
depositing the ofi ender upon some desolate
island or lonely shore with but few provisions
and u . was r limited amm nition Life little p ized,
no s n for death had terror , and life beyo d this
world entered not into their calcul ations . Their
fearlessness and courage was splendidly ex
am le p d when Captain Teach, alias Black Beard, appeared off Charleston in the year 1717 and sent word to the Governor of the colony to send out to him at once a certain number of medicine
c t i hes s, n failure of which the port woul d be l blockaded by his single vessel, and a l persons
on board in - going and out-going ships killed and
their heads sent to the Governor as proof of the
e u of ) xec tion the threat . e al so threatened to
set s all hips on fire . It illustrates clearly in what
44 PIRATES AND PIRACY .
dread these sea marauders were held in those
e times, when w learn that the Governor imme diately complied with the demands and the em
is m s bargo was raised . It recorded that in mo ent
of defeat pirates voluntarily have set fire to their
powder magazines and thus were blown to de
u struction rather than plead for mercy . D ring
s s l long crui es, when no ship upon the horizon ine
o varied the monot ny of the daily routine, pas
w - times ere invented, each one out rivalling the h other in sheer wickedness . Captain Teac con
’ sider ed it rare sport to lock his men in the ship s
hold and then set sulphur afir e to as certain how
Y e long they could withstand as phyxiation . t
“ ” his greatest bravery was displayed ) and herein he developed commendable Spartan for
titude ) when he marr ied fourteen times with a
fearlessness highly worthy of a better pur pose )
) is wickedness was as great as his fearlessness
was n un but u bo ded, wickedness was voted man
ly in a pirate and assured the esteem and ad
mIr ation his of comrades .
With the progression of events and the
ow of m w gr th com erce, piracy aned, and gradu
ally the black flag which had so long swept the IR IR 4 P ATES AND P ACY. 5
Spanish Main was furled and drooped into the
so an sea over which it had long defi tly floated . The European governments made many futile attempts to check the rapid development of the
) i s w unlawful enterprise, and many e ped tion ere successful, resul ting in the trial, condemn ation, and execution of the outlaws on land . In England a proclamation of amn esty was
s n i sued, insuri g freedom and rights of citizen — ship to al l who renounced their calling a priv ilege which many accepted, only to find their ml blood fire and yearn for the wild, ai ess, and n w adventurous roami g on the seas, hich gradu ally drew them back to their calling and away
s s i from the re traint of civ lization . The capture
of a pirate meant death, and, as no practicable
was a r defence av ilable, the p isoners usually en trenched themselves behind the plea that they were kidnapped or shanghaied and were com pell ed to enter into piracy for the preservation
) ut w i of their lives . piracy, ith ts harrow
u s its and i ing gr esomene s, boldness daring, ts
its romance and adventure, plunder and mur
s s l is der, its conflict and repri a s, a spectre of
no is the past, and w chiefly confined to the rivers I 46 PIRATES AND P RACY.
and harbors of the Far Eas t and Northern Af
and n rica . It has lost the glamor encha ting,
romantic atmosphere which pervaded the career of Captain ) idd and made him the worshipped
- n hero of every school boy, or which i spired the
f All n pen o a Scott, of an Edgar a Poe or Frank
to of R. Stock n, or put the charm to the tales W.
R e and Clark ussell, for pirat s piracy are now
r o in e dead, and live inglo i usly only the pag s of
chronicling history.
RA ’ PI TES SONG .
To the m st nail our fla ) It is d r k as he r ve a g a t g a ,
’ Or the death which it bears while it swee ps o e r the
wave .
Let our deck le for tion c ar ac , our guns be prepared ;
) e the o d n -a) e sh e ned the s m te r a d b ar i g arp , ci i b re .
Set the can ste s ead and then i i r r y , br ng to me ,
For the l st of m dutie s the ow e - a y , p d r room key.
It sh ll neve b e lowe ed the l a r r , b ack flag we bear ;
If th e se a be denied us we sweep thou h th , r g e air . h ’ ) ns ared have we le ft our last victory s prey ; It is mine to d vide it an i , d yours to obey )
The e ar ’ r e shawls that might suit a sultana s white n eck,
And e ar l h p s t at ar e fair as th e arm s they will deck IR AND IR P ATES P ACY . 47
h r r ks hi h unse l them the ai T e e a e flas w c , a , r will dis
close
’ m i summe s h home of the ose . Dia etta s fa r r , t e r
I claim not a portion ; I ask but as m ine .
’ Tis to drink to our victor y one cup of r ed wi ne .
’ ’ m fi ht tis for r che s some fi ht tis for me So e g , i ; g , fa m s ise and the l st is n e . The first I de p , a a a
’ fi ht tis for ven e n e ) I l ov e to see flow I g , g a c , m s k of m s e he li e of foe . At the tro e y abr , t f y I strike for the m emor y of long-vanished years ; h I only shed bl ood where anot er shed tears .
ome as the li htnin ome s r ed om ove I c g g c , fr ab ,
’ r h ce th lo the to the ttl e l ove O e t e ra at I a , ba I .