A BRIEF HISTORY OF PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Tom Bowling | 256 pages | 09 Mar 2010 | The Perseus Books Group | 9780762438525 | English | Reading, MA, United States A Brief History of Pirates and Buccaneers PDF Book They had not come out upon those waters to attack men-of-war, but, more than that, they had not come out to perish by hunger and thirst. So far Roc's career had been very much like that of many other Companions of the Coast, differing from them only in respect to intensity and force, but he was a clever man with ideas, and was able to adapt himself to circumstances. Acceptable Use Privacy Suggestions. The acquisition of gold and all sorts of plunder seemed to be the sole object of this Spanish expedition; natives were enslaved, and subjected to the greatest hardships, so that they died in great numbers. He therefore went to the captain of the vessel and informed him that he had on board one of the very worst pirates in the whole world, whose wicked deeds were well known in various parts of the West Indies, and who ought immediately to be delivered up to the civil authorities. It makes for great film drama, but pirates didn't actually do this. Social Facebook. This collection is provided by the Library of Congress. As we have seen, the hatred of the Spaniards by the buccaneers began very early in the settlement of the West Indies, and in fact, it is very likely that if there had been no Spaniards there would never have been any buccaneers; but in all the instances of ferocious enmity toward the Spaniards there has been nothing to equal the feelings of Roc, the Brazilian, upon that subject. When he returned to his own country in , having done as much literary work as was possible among the uncivilized surroundings of Tortuga, he there completed a book, which he called, "The Buccaneers of America, or The True Account of the Most Remarkable Assaults Committed of Late Years Upon the Coasts of the West Indies by the Buccaneers, etc. They created a rich empire in Central America and ships laden with gold sailed back to Spain. I'll leave that for you to decide. But historical? He remained with the pirates for several years, and during that time worked very industriously getting material together for his history. They must take what comes to them [Pg 42] and make the best of it, and this is exactly the way in which the matter presented itself to Bartholemy and his men. But Drake and his men soon proved that they could hold up a train of mules as easily as some of the masked robbers in our western country hold up a train of cars. Jean Lafitte Jean Lafitte is today remembered as one of the most famous American pirates of the 19th century. They also fought with muskets, pistols and the cutlass. When they reached the place where they had left the rest of their party, they found that these had already run away, and taken to the boats. But not only were the French and English sailors [Pg 32] and traders who had become buccaneers excited and stimulated by the remarkable good fortune of their companion, but many people of adventurous mind, who had never thought of leaving England for purposes of piracy, now became firmly convinced that there was no business which promised better than that of a buccaneer, and some of them crossed the ocean for the express purpose of getting rich by capturing Spanish vessels homeward bound. It was an unusual thing for a prisoner to have such powerful friends so near by, and the Governor took Roc's case into most earnest consideration. Home History of Piracy The Buccaneers. The cruelty and ferocity of Spanish rule had brought [Pg 6] them into existence, and it was against Spain and her possessions that the cruelty and ferocity which she had taught them were now directed. It had a crew of seventy men, and besides these there were some passengers, and regular marines, and knowing [Pg 43] that the captain had determined to fire upon the approaching vessel, everybody had gathered on deck to see the little pirate ship go down. When this dignitary heard the story he immediately sent a party of officers to the ship, and commanded the captain to deliver the pirate leader into their charge. Among the most notorious pirates was Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard, who was killed in Report a problem. Soon after the Spanish captain perceived that one of his fleet was making his way out of the river, the wind reached his vessel, and he immediately set all [Pg 37] sail and started in pursuit of the rascals, whom he supposed to be his dishonest countrymen. But when he came to ordinary good fortune, such as any pirate might expect, Bartholemy the Portuguese found that he had no chance at all. He had nothing in the world but the clothes on his back, and he saw no way in which he could make money enough to keep himself alive until he had [Pg 69] paid for himself. These notable instances have been mentioned because it would be unjust to take up the history of those resolute traders who sailed from England, France, and Holland, to the distant waters of the western world for the purpose of legitimate enterprise and commerce, and who afterwards became thorough-going pirates, without trying to make it clear that they had shining examples for their notable careers. It was not long before his intense admiration of the buccaneers and their performances began to produce in him the feeling that the history of these great exploits should not be lost to the world, and so he set about writing the lives and adventures of many of the buccaneers with whom he became acquainted. Every bushy-bearded fellow who could get possession of a small boat, and induce a score of other bushy-bearded fellows to follow him, wanted to start out and capture a rich Spanish galleon, as the great ships, used alike for war and commerce, were then called. This came soon after nightfall. The idea is not new! They jumped into their own vessel, and then they put off to a short distance to take breath and get ready for a different kind of a fight. Then they were filled with a superstitious horror, believing that the wild visitors were devils who had dropped from the sky, for there seemed no other place from which they could come. They were not put to the sword nor thrown overboard, not sent on shore and made to work as slaves,—three very common methods of treating prisoners in those days. See what services we're offering online and in person. During his active years he was celebrated as a hero by the ordinary people and as a criminal by US government. When he found that the great ship was in the possession of a very small body of pirates, Bartholemy and his men were immediately made prisoners, taken on board the Spanish ship, stripped of everything they possessed, even their clothes, and shut up in the hold. These unusual circumstances and amazing temptations do not furnish an excuse for the exceptionally wicked careers of the early American pirates; but we are bound to remember these causes or we could not understand the records of the settlement of the [Pg 8] West Indies. A pirate and a sailor were exchanging stories. Now this pirate captain was a man who always wanted to have a share in what was to happen, and he immediately racked his brain to find out what he could do in this case. A rookie. Now it is easy to see that all this made buccaneering a very tempting occupation. A Brief History of Pirates and Buccaneers Writer Get started using free eMagazines online or download the RBDigital app. He felt himself in the position of a man who has stolen a baby-bear, and who hears the roar of an approaching parent through the woods; to throw away the cub and walk off as though he had no idea there were any bears in that forest would be the inclination of a man so situated, and to get rid of the great pirate without provoking the vengeance of his friends was the natural inclination of the Governor. They appointed Pompey to deal with them. In the days which we are considering there were all sorts of pirates, some of whom gained much reputation in one way and some in another, but there was one of them who had a disposition different from that of any of his fellows. When the fifteen Spanish citizens came into the market-place and found there the little body of armed Englishmen, they immediately fired upon them, not knowing or caring who they were. He had never been in a more desperate situation, but he did not lose heart, and immediately set to work to free himself from his irons, which were probably very clumsy affairs. During his active years he was celebrated as a hero by the ordinary people and as a criminal by US government. Now this pirate captain was a man who always wanted to have a share in what was to happen, and he immediately racked his brain to find out what he could do in this case. Christine J Randall marked it as to-read Jul 14, If I found it necessary to make a youngster take a nap, I should say nothing of the condition of affairs in Cuba or of the persecutions of the Armenians.