He told me, then, there was a brave fellow in the other ship, pointing
to another English ship which rode in the harbour, who, in concert with
some of the men, had resolved to mutiny the next morning, and run away
with the ship; and that, if we could get strength enough among our
ship's company, we might do the same. I liked the proposal very well,
and he got eight of us to join with him, and he told us, that as soon as
his friend had begun the work, and was master of the ship, we should
be ready to do the like. This was his plot; and I, without the least
hesitation, either at the villainy of the fact or the difficulty of
performing it, came immediately into the wicked conspiracy, and so it
went on among us; but we could not bring our part to perfection.
Accordingly, on the day appointed, his correspondent in the other ship,
whose name was Wilmot, began the work, and, having seized the captain's
mate and other officers, secured the ship, and gave the signal to us.
We were but eleven in our ship, who were in the conspiracy, nor could we
get any more that we could trust; so that, leaving the ship, we all took
the boat, and went off to join the other.
Having thus left the ship I was in, we were entertained with a great
deal of joy by Captain Wilmot and his new gang; and, being well prepared
for all manner of roguery, bold, desperate (I mean myself), without the
least checks of conscience for what I was entered upon, or for anything
I might do, much less with any apprehension of what might be the
consequence of it; I say, having thus embarked with this crew, which at
last brought me to consort with the most famous pirates of the age, some
of whom have ended their journals at the gallows, I think the giving
an account of some of my other adventures may be an agreeable piece
of story; and this I may venture to say beforehand, upon the word of a
pirate, that I shall not be able to recollect the full, no, not by far,
of the great variety which has formed one of the most reprobate schemes
that ever man was capable to present to the world.
I that was, as I have hinted before, an original thief, and a pirate,
even by inclination before, was now in my element, and never undertook
anything in my life with more particular satisfaction.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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