Privateering and Piracy in the Colonial Period: Illustrative Documents
History
Privateering and Piracy in the Colonial Period: Illustrative Documents
Pirates; Privateering; United States -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 -- Sources
itt was on Sunday, after wee had din'd with
what wee had, which was att that time onely bread and water. and now
being under the Equinoctiall about a ii leagues from Shore wee [saw]
Mount a Christo plaine,[69] that lieth some leagues in the cuntry, The
Mount bore of us E.S.E. these poore men when parted from us had about
5 leagues to goe, before could Conveniently Land, for wild Indians and
negro's, which by shipping formerly their was cast away, and since
grone very Populus and Barberous, As we wear inform'd by our
Prissnors. thay did intend to take thiss island of ---- or Cork
Island, which lieth in the bay of the Gorgony. now thay being gon both
parties wear much troubled att the parting, Yett the party that went
away would have staied in case Sharpe had nott beene made capt., for
thay could not by any meanes allow of him to be capt. more of us would
have gon away, Butt capt. Sharpe sends his Master to us who spoke
thuss (his Name was Jno. Cooxe), "Gentmen, capt. Sharpe doth declair
and swair that those men that will stay with him and goe about in the
shipp with him by water, that he will make them a Voyage, and doe the
uttmost of his power to gett money Enough, and will not have thoughts
of goeing out of these till every man is willing." soe wee consider'd
our shipp was foule. wee that stayed wear about 61 soles in number.
with the advise of capt. Batt. Sharpe was resolved to run downe to
Pennamau, and to leeward, to finde some private place to cleane our
shipp in, and to take her one deck lower. wee searching of some
Spanish Jurnalls findds mention of an Island lieing to the No'ward in
8 degrees called the Island of canes, wheir wee found thiss Isle of
Canes;[70] and by our observacion lieth in North lattitude, 7 deg. 30'.
their is good wooding and watering butt no secure place for a shipp to
ride in, without very good Anchors and Cables, which wee att that time
was Ill provided with. wee staied here 3 dayes and killed one sow and
Pigg and fill'd water. here are good large Oysters. so wee sett saile
with full intencion to goe into the Gulph of Dulce,[71] if wee could
find itt, but wee stearing away N.W. about 33 English legs from thiss
Isle of Canes, which Island lieth 5 legs from the Maine shore, and
comeing in with the land saw a brave deepe gulph, which concluded was
a good Place for us to cleane Our shipp, hopeing that their might be
no Inhabitance. Into which gulph we rann, by sounding of our leade so
farr as wee could, Except wee had had a Pilott for that place. wee
hoyst our 2 men of warr cannoes And went upp the Gulph. capt. Batt.
Sharpe Imbarkque[d] in one of them him self, to see if could take an
Indian to understand whatt for a place itt was; goeing about 4 leagues
ahead of the shipp, comes upp with an Island lying in the gulph of
Nicoy,[72] which Island wee understood by some Indians was called the
Island of Perroz or in English the Isle of doggs. wee found 3 or 4
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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