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
they all Joyned in partnership, agreeing Captain Every should be the
Comander. After they had laine there some time they were apprehensive
the Moors shipps would not come downe from Mocha,[16a] soe they sent a
pinnace thither, which tooke two Boates. they brought away 2 men,
which told them the shipps must come downe. In the meane time they
stood into the sea about 3 Leagues and came to an Anchor there, and
hearing by the Pinnace the Moors Shipps were ready to come downe they
weighed and stood to Leparon againe. After they had lain there 5 or 6
dayes the Moores shipps (being about 25 in number) past by them in the
night unseen, though the passage was not above 2 miles over. they[17]
was in August last on Saturday night. the next morning they saw a
Ketch comeing downe, which they tooke, and by them they heard the
ships were gone by, whereupon it was resolved they should all follow
them and accordingly they wheighed on Monday, but the _Dolphin_ being
an ill sayler they burnt her and tooke the men most of them aboard
Captain Every and the Brigantine they tooke in two [tow]. the sloop
fell asterne and never came up to them. Captain Wake likewise lagged
behind but came up to them afterwards. the _Portsmouth_ kept them
company. they steered their Course for Suratt, whether the Moores
ships were bound. about 3 dayes before they made Cape St. John[18]
they mett with one of the Moores ships, betweene 2 and 300 tons, with
6 Guns, which they tooke, she haveing fired 3 shott. they tooke about
50 or 60,000 l. in that ship in Silver and gold, and kept her with
them till they made the land, and comeing to an anchor they espied
another ship. they made sale up to her. she had about 40 Guns mounted
and as they said 800 men. Shee stood a fight of 3 houres and then
yeilded, the men runing into the Hold and there they made their
Voyage. They tooke out of that ship soe much Gold and Silver in Coyned
money and Plate as made up each mans share with what they had taken
before about 1000 l. a man, there being 180 that had their Dividents,
the Captain haveing a Double share and the Master a share and a halfe.
The _Portsmouth_ did not come into the Fight and therefore had noe
Divident, but the Brigantine had, which was taken away from them
againe by reason that the _Charles's_ men changing with them Silver
for Gold they found the Brigantine men Clippt the Gold, soe they left
them only 2000 peices of Eight to buy provisions. They gave a share to
the Captain of the _Portsmouth_ and brought him away with them.
Captain Want went into his ship and sailed into the Gulph of Persia
and the Brigantine (he thinkes) went to the Coast of Ethiopia. Captain
Wake went to the Island of St. Maries near Madagascar,[19] intending
for the Red Sea the next time the Moores ships were expected from
thence. Captain Every resolved to goe streight for the Island of
Providence. In the way the men mutinied, some being for carrying her
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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