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
Served under Morgan in 1670, and after the fall of Chagres Fort, Norman
was left in charge with 500 men to hold it, while Morgan crossed the
isthmus to attack Panama. Norman soon "sent forth to sea two boats to
exercise piracy." These hoisted Spanish colours and met a big Spanish
merchant ship on the same day. They chased the ship, which fled for safety
into the Chagres River, only to be caught there by Norman. She proved a
valuable prize, being loaded with all kinds of provisions, of which the
garrison was in sore need.
NORTH, CAPTAIN NATHANIEL.
Born in Bermuda, and by profession a lawyer, Captain North was a man of
remarkable ability, and in his later calling of piracy he gained great
notoriety, and was a born leader of men. His history has been written
fully, and is well worth reading. He had many ups and downs in his early
seafaring life in the West Indies; being no less than three times taken by
the pressgang, each time escaping. He served in Dutch and Spanish
privateers, and eventually rose to being a pirate captain, making his
headquarters in Madagascar. From here he sailed out to the East Indies,
and preyed on the ships of the East India Company. Several times he was
wrecked, once he was the only survivor, and swam ashore at Madagascar
stark naked. The unusual sight of a naked Englishman spread terror amongst
the natives who were on the beach, and they all fled into the jungle
except one, a woman, who from previous personal experience knew that this
was but a human being and not a sea devil. She supplied him with clothes,
of a sort, and led him to the nearest pirate settlement, some six miles
away. On another occasion when the pirates were having a jollification
ashore, having left their Moorish prisoners on the ship at anchor, North
gave the prisoners a hint to clear off in the night with the ship,
otherwise they would all be made slaves. This friendly hint was acted
upon, and in the morning both ship and prisoners had vanished. The pirates
having lost their ship took to the peaceful and harmless life of planters,
with North as their ruler. He won the confidence of the natives, who
abided by his decision in all quarrels and misunderstandings. Occasionally
North and his men would join forces with a neighbouring friendly tribe and
go to war, North leading the combined army, and victory always resulted.
The call of piracy was too strong in his bones to resist, and after three
years planting he was back to sea and the Jolly Roger once more. On one
occasion he seized the opportunity, when in the neighbourhood of the
Mascarenhas Islands, to go ashore and visit the Catholic priest and
confess, and at the same time made suitable arrangements for his children
to be educated by the Church. North evidently truly repented his former
sins, for he returned to resume his simple life on his plantation. On
arriving home he found the settlement in an uproar. He soon settled all
the disputes, appeased the natives, and before long had this garden-city
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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