Life Aboard a British Privateer in the Time of Queen Anne: Being the Journal of Captain Woodes Rogers, Master Mariner — John Shaqi
Life Aboard a British Privateer in the Time of Queen Anne: Being the Journal of Captain Woodes Rogers, Master MarinerRogers, Woodes
History
Life Aboard a British Privateer in the Time of Queen Anne: Being the Journal of Captain Woodes Rogers, Master Mariner
Rogers, Woodes
Privateering -- Early works to 1800; Voyages around the world -- Early works to 1800
Among these regulations it was agreed "that what is plunder be
adjudg'd by the superior officers and agents in each ship; and that
if any person do conceal any plunder exceeding in value one piece
of eight, twenty-four hours after capture of a prize, he shall be
severely punished and lose his share of the plunder. The same penalty
to be inflict'd for being drunk in time of action or disobeying his
officer's commands, or deserting his post in sea or land service.
That public books of plunder are to be kept in each ship, the plunder
to be appraised and divided as soon as possible after capture. Every
person to be sworn and searched so soon as they shall come aboard, any
person refusing, to forfeit his share of the plunder; and that whereas
Captain Rogers and Captain Courtney to make both ships companies easy,
have given the whole cabin plunder (which in all probability is the
major part), to be divided among the crew, it is agreed that the said
Captains Woodes Rogers and Steph: Courtney, shall have 5 per cent. each
of 'em over and above their respective shares, &c. That a reward of
twenty pieces of eight be given to him that first sees a prize of good
value exceeding 50 tuns." Rogers adds that this arrangement was "agreed
on in order to make the men easy, without which we must unavoidably
have run into such continual scenes of mischief and disorder, which
have not only tended to the great hindrance, but generally to the total
disappointment of all voyages of this nature, that have been attempted
so far abroad in the memory of man."
Hearing nothing more of "their good linguist," the "Duke" and
"Dutchess" "came to sail at seven in the evening," of Oct. 8th, from
St. Vincent. After having "put the deputy Govenour of S. Antonio (a
negro), ashoar, where he must lie in a hole of the rocks there being
no house on that part of the island." In his description of these
islands Rogers mentions "that they have here very large spiders, which
weave their webs so strong that 'tis difficult to get thro' 'em, and
that the heats are excessive to us who came newly from Europe, so that
several of our men began to be sick and were blooded;" while "some of
the officers that went ashore a hunting could meet no game but a wild
ass, which, after a long chase they got within shot and wounded; yet
he afterwards held out so as to tire them, and they return'd weary and
empty-handed."
The piety of the expedition appears to have increased steadily as it
got further from home, for as they draw near the Equator "in close
cloudy weather with squalls of rain," we read how first "having put up
the smith's forge, and he began to work on such things as we wanted,"
that a day or two after "We began to read prayers in both ships,
mornings and evenings, as opportunity would permit, according to the
Church of England; designing to continue it the term of the voyage."
[Sidenote: _A Second Mate punish'd for Mutiny._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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