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
The pirates sailed down the West Coast of India from Goa to Cochin, and
returned to Mauritius. Thence sailing to the Island of Mascarine they
found a big Portuguese ship, which they took. In her they discovered the
Conde de Eviceira, Viceroy of Goa, and, even better, four million dollars
worth of diamonds.
Taylor, now sailing in the _Cassandra_, heard that there were four
men-of-war on his tracks, so he sailed to Delagoa Bay and spent the
winter of the year 1722 there. It was now decided that as they had a huge
amount of plunder they had better give up piracy, so they sailed away to
the West Indies and surrendered themselves to the Governor of Porto Bello.
The crew broke up and each man, with a bag of diamonds, went whither he
would; but Captain Taylor joined the Spanish service, and was put in
command of a man-of-war, which was sent to attack the English logwood
cutters in the Bay of Honduras.
TAYLOR, WILLIAM.
One of Captain Phillips's crew. Wounded in the leg while attempting to
desert. There being no surgeon on board, a consultation was held over the
patient by the whole crew, and these learned men were unanimous in
agreeing that the leg should be amputated. Some dispute then arose as to
who should act the part of surgeon, and at length the carpenter was chosen
as the most proper person. "Upon which he fetch'd up the biggest saw, and
taking the limb under his Arm, fell to Work, and separated it from the
Body of the Patient in as little Time as he could have cut a Deal Board in
two." This surgeon-carpenter evidently appreciated the importance of
aseptics, for, "after that he had heated his Ax red hot in the Fire,
cauteriz'd the Wound but not with so much Art as he perform'd the other
Part for he so burnt the Flesh distant from the Place of Amputation that
it had like to have mortify'd." Taylor was tried and condemned to death at
Boston on May 12th, 1714, but for some reason not explained was reprieved.
TEACH, CAPTAIN EDWARD, or THATCH, or THACH, _alias_ DRUMMOND, _alias_
BLACKBEARD. Arch-pirate.
A Bristol man who settled in Jamaica, sailing in privateers, but not in
the capacity of an officer.
In 1716, Teach took to piracy, being put in command of a sloop by the
pirate Benjamin Hornigold. In 1717, Hornigold and Teach sailed together
from Providence towards the American coast, taking a billop from Havana
and several other prizes. After careening their vessels on the coast of
Virginia, the pirates took a fine French Guineaman bound to Martinico;
this ship they armed with forty guns, named her the _Queen Ann's Revenge_,
and Blackbeard went aboard as captain. Teach now had a ship that allowed
him to go for larger prizes, and he began by taking a big ship called the
_Great Allen_, which he plundered and then set fire to. A few days later,
Teach was attacked by H.M.S. _Scarborough_, of thirty guns, but after a
sharp engagement lasting some hours, the pirate was able to drive off the
King's ship.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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