"During the voyage, I had sounded the hands in regard to my intention of becoming a Buccaneer. I found them all ready to join me excepting the first mate and the steward or cook, rather, a negro whose views I knew too well beforehand, to consult on the matter. "As I knew that the ordinary crew of the vessel would not be sufficient for our purpose, I engaged several resolute fellows to join us, whom I prevailed on the captain to take on board as passengers. "When we had been about a week out at sea and all our plans were completed, we quietly made prisoners of the captain and first mate, put them in the jolly boat with provisions to last them for several days, and sent them adrift. The cook, with his son, a little boy, would have gone with them, but thinking that they might be useful to us, we concluded to keep them on board. "What became of the captain and mate afterwards, we never heard. "We now put in to port on one of the islands where we knew we could do it in safety, and fitted our vessel up for the purpose we intended to use her. "This was soon done, and we commenced operations. "The game was abundant, and our success far exceeded our most sanguine expectations. "There would be no use undertaking to tell the number of vessels, French, English, Spanish and Dutch, that we captured and sunk, or of the poor devils we sent to a watery grave. "But luck which had favored us so long, at last turned against as. "The different governments became alarmed for the safety of their commerce in the seas which we frequented, and several expeditions were fitted out for our special benefit. "For a while we only laughed at all this, for we had escaped so many times, that we began to think we were under the protection of old Neptune himself. But early one morning the man on the look-out reported a sail a short distance to the leeward, which seemed trying to get away from us. "It was a small vessel, or brig, but as the weather was rather hazy, her character in other respects he could not make out. "We thought, however, that it was a small trading vessel, which having discovered us, and suspecting our character, was trying to reach port before we could overtake her. "Acting under this impression, we made all sail for her. "As the strange vessel did not make very great headway, an hour's sailing brought as near enough to give us a pretty good view of her, yet we could not exactly make out her character, yet we thought that she had a rather suspicious look. And still she appeared rather like a traveling vessel, though if so, she could not have much cargo on board, and as the seemed built for speed, we wondered why she did not make better headway. "But we were not long left in doubt in regard to her real character, for all at once her port-holes which had been purposely concealed were unmasked, and we received a broadside from her just as we were about to send her a messenger from our long tom.