Fanny Campbell, The Female Pirate Captain: A Tale of The RevolutionBallou, Maturin M. (Maturin Murray)
History
Fanny Campbell, The Female Pirate Captain: A Tale of The Revolution
Ballou, Maturin M. (Maturin Murray)
Sea stories; United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Fiction; War stories; Women pirates -- Fiction
‘Yes, and here is as good a plot for a novel as the Bay Province ever
afforded, even in the times of the Indians or the French war.’
‘True, true; how blessed we are, to be sure; and to think that the
girl should have dressed in man’s clothes, and deceived them all; even
William himself for some time, and that was odd, though they had not
seen each other for so long a time. Now if we had read that in a novel,
we should have said that the author was telling a very improbable story;
but here it is all true, and there is no getting away from it.’
‘Oh, she’s a wonderful girl, our Fanny; and William says all the crew
loved her just like that Irishman in the other room, and he will have it
that she is a saint, and no man at all. He doesn’t know of her disguise,
and don’t suspect it either.’ Terrence Moony lay upon a comfortable bed
in an adjoining room, not yet having recovered from a severe splinter
wound, received in the last action on board the Constance; but he was
in good hands, and fast recovering. To use his own words, it was worth
while to git a sliver into his thigh once a year at laste, to git along
so comfortably, and to be treated so kindly.’ The prisoners confined
on board the vessels were conducted to Boston, and delivered up to the
Commander-in-chief as prisoners of war. With them, William Lovell as the
agent of Fanny, or as he was obliged to represent it at head-quarters,
of Captain Channing, also delivered up a large amount of arms and
ammunition, which had been taken from the enemy for the use enemy, and
as a gift. A sufficient armament and ammunition was, however, retained
to fit the brig for the purpose of a privateer, for it was his intent
thus to appropriate her after obtaining letters of marque from Congress.
Some fears were entertained by Fanny and her family, touching the
captures she had made, inasmuch as, strictly speaking, she had laid
herself liable to the charge of piracy, and Fanny, in the eyes of
the law, was actually a Female Pirate Captain. But there were none to
prosecute such a charge, and if there had been, Captain Campbell could
nowhere be found, for only her family knew the secret.
We have said that the prisoners were conducted to Boston. We should have
excepted the mate of the second prize--the pardoned Englishman, who
was admitted as a member of the Campbell family until a favorable
opportunity should offer to ship for his home.
Terence Moony’s surprise at not being able to find his much loved
captain after his recovery, was unbounded; but he accounted for the
whole affair in his usual style, and which also proved perfectly
satisfactory, at least to himself.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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