A general history of the pyrates : $b from their first rise and settlement in the island of Providence, to the present timeJohnson, Charles, active 1724-1731
History
A general history of the pyrates : $b from their first rise and settlement in the island of Providence, to the present time
Johnson, Charles, active 1724-1731
Pirates -- Early works to 1800
_About Four o'Clock, most of the Officers and Men posted on the
Quarter-Deck being killed and wounded, the largest Ship making up to us
with all Diligence, being still within a Cable's Length of us, often giving
us a Broadside, and no hopes of Capt._ Kirby_'s coming to our Assistance,
we endeavoured to run ashoar; and tho' we drew four Foot Water more than
the Pyrate, it pleased God that he stuck fast on a higher Ground than we
happily fell in with; so was disappointed a second time from boarding us.
Here we had a more violent Engagement than before. All my Officers, and
most of my Men, behaved with unexpected Courage; and as we had a
considerable Advantage by having a Broadside to his Bow, we did him great
Damage, so that had Capt._ Kirby _come in then, I believe we should have
taken both, for we had one of them sure; but the other Pyrate_ (_who was
still firing at us_) _seeing the_ Greenwich _did not offer to assist us, he
supplied his Consort with three Boats full of fresh Men. About Five in the
Evening the_ Greenwich _stood clear away to Sea, leaving us struggling hard
for Life in the very Jaws of Death; which the other Pyrate, that was
afloat, seeing, got a-warp out, and was hauling under our Stern; by which
time many of my Men being killed and wounded, and no Hopes left us from
being all murdered by enraged barbarous Conquerors, I order'd all that
could, to get into the Long-Boat under the Cover of the Smoak of our Guns;
so that with what some did in Boats, and others by swimming, most of us
that were able got ashoar by Seven o' Clock. When the Pyrates came aboard,
they cut three of our wounded Men to Pieces. I, with a few of my People,
made what haste I could to the_ King's-Town, _twenty five Miles from us,
where I arrived next Day, almost dead with Fatigue and Loss of Blood,
having been sorely wounded in the Head by a Musket Ball_.
_At this Town I heard that the Pyrates had offered ten thousand Dollars to
the Country People to bring me in, which many of them would have accepted,
only they knew the King and all his chief People were in my Interest. Mean
time, I caused a Report to be spread, that I was dead of my Wounds, which
much abated their Fury. About ten Days after, being pretty well recovered,
and hoping the Malice of our Enemies was nigh over, I began to consider the
dismal Condition we were reduced to, being in a Place where we had no Hopes
of getting a Passage home, all of us in a manner naked, not having had Time
to get another Shirt, or a Pair of Shoes_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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