The Pirates' Who's Who: Giving Particulars Of The Lives and Deaths Of The Pirates And BuccaneersGosse, Philip
History
The Pirates' Who's Who: Giving Particulars Of The Lives and Deaths Of The Pirates And Buccaneers
Gosse, Philip
Pirates
These chaste pirates soon took and plundered many rich merchant ships, but
always in the most gentlemanly manner, so that none failed to be "not a
little surprised at the Regularity, Tranquillity and Humanity of these
new-fashioned Pyrates." From out of one of these, an English vessel, they
took a sum of L60,000, but during the engagement the captain was killed.
Poor Captain Misson was broken-hearted over this unfortunate mishap, and
to show as best he could his regret, he buried the body on shore, and,
finding that one of his men was by trade a stonecutter, raised a monument
over the grave with, engraved upon it, the words: "Here lies a gallant
English-Man." And at the conclusion of a very moving burial service he
paid a final tribute by "a triple Discharge of 50 small Arms and fired
Minute Guns."
Misson now sailed to the Island of Johanna in the Indian Ocean, which
became his future home. Misson married the sister of the local dusky
queen, and his lieutenant led to the altar her niece, while many of the
crew also were joined in holy wedlock to one or more ladies of more humble
social standing.
Already Misson has received more space than he is entitled to in a work of
reference of this kind, but his career is so full of charming incidents
that one is tempted to continue to unseemly length. Let it suffice to say
that for some years Misson made speeches, robbed ships, and now and again,
when unavoidably driven to it, would reluctantly slaughter his enemies.
Finally, Misson took his followers to a sheltered bay in Madagascar, and
on landing there made a little speech, telling them that here they could
settle down, build a town, that here, in fact, "they might have some Place
to call their own; and a Receptacle, when Age or Wounds had render'd them
incapable of Hardship, where they might enjoy the Fruits of their Labour,
and go to their Graves in Peace."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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