Daring Deeds of Famous Pirates: True stories of the stirring adventures, bravery and resource of pirates, filibusters & buccaneersChatterton, E. Keble (Edward Keble)
History
Daring Deeds of Famous Pirates: True stories of the stirring adventures, bravery and resource of pirates, filibusters & buccaneers
Chatterton, E. Keble (Edward Keble)
Pirates
We need not stop to depict Smith’s feelings, nor to suggest with what
dismay he found himself compelled to obey the behests of a coarse,
ignorant freebooter. It was humiliating to the last degree for a man who
had been mate and served under the red ensign thus to have to submit to
such abominable treatment. But there was no choice between submission and
death, though from what eventually followed it was obvious that Smith
was not a coward and was not so proud of his skin as to fear death. He
proceeded aboard the brig, discovered that she had been well ransacked
and with a heavy heart began to collect his belongings. He brought off
his gold watch and sextant, packed his clothes and then returned to the
schooner. But before doing so he acted as a man about to pass out of
the world and anxious to dispose of his remaining effects. With almost
humorous pathos, one might remark, he set about this last duty. “My
books, parrot and various other articles I gave in charge to Mr. Lumsden,
who engaged to deliver them safely into the hands of my friends, should
he reach England:” and it needs no very gifted imagination to see the
sentimental sailor of the great sailing-ship age painfully taking a last
look at these cherished possessions.
The cargo having been transferred to the schooner, the pirates indulged
themselves in liquor and became intoxicated. But meanwhile the crew of
the brig were not allowed to stand idle. The pirate captain was going
to get all that he could from his capture, and ordered the _Zephyr’s_
fore t’gallant mast and yard to be sent down, and these, together with
whatever other spars might seem useful, were to be sent on board the
schooner. The merchant ship was positively gutted of everything the
pirates fancied. There was not left even so much as a bed or a blanket:
even the ear-rings on the ears of the children passengers were snatched
from the latter. In addition to this the whole of the live stock such
as an ocean-going ship carried in those days prior to the invention of
refrigerating rooms and tinned food was transferred to the schooner and a
certain amount of drinking water.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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