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
Coxon was soon out again upon a much bolder design, for in December, 1679,
he met Sharp, Essex, Allinson, Row, and other buccaneer chiefs at Point
Morant, and in January set sail for Porto Bello. Landing some twenty
leagues from the town, they marched for four days, arriving in sight of
the town on February 17th, "many of them being weak, being three days
without any food, and their feet cut with the rocks for want of shoes."
They quickly took and plundered the town, hurrying off with their spoils
before the arrival of strong Spanish reinforcements. The share of each man
in this enterprise came to one hundred pieces of eight. A warrant was
issued by Lord Carlisle, the Governor of Jamaica, for the apprehension of
Coxon for plundering Porto Bello, and another was issued soon after by
Morgan, when acting as Governor, but nothing seems to have resulted from
these. Sailing north to Boca del Toro, they careened their ships, and were
joined by Sawkins and Harris. From this place the buccaneers began, in
April, 1680, to land and cross the Isthmus of Darien, taking the town of
Santa Maria on the way. Quarrels took place between Coxon, who was, no
doubt, a hot-tempered man, and Harris, which led to blows. Coxon was also
jealous of the popular young Captain Sawkins, and refused to go further
unless he was allowed to lead one of the companies. After sacking the town
of Santa Maria, the adventurers proceeded in canoes down the river to the
Pacific. Seizing two small vessels they found there, and accompanied by a
flotilla of canoes, they steered for Panama, and, with the utmost daring,
attacked, and eventually took, the Spanish fleet of men-of-war--one of the
most remarkable achievements in the history of the buccaneers.
Coxon now quarrelled again with his brother leaders, and began a march
back across the isthmus; his party of seventy malcontents including
Dampier and Wafer, who each published accounts of their journey. By 1682
Coxon seems to have so ingratiated himself with the Jamaican authorities
as to be sent in quest of a troublesome French pirate, Jean Hamlin, who
was playing havoc with the English shipping in his vessel, _La Trompeuse_.
Later in the same year Coxon procured letters of marque from Robert
Clarke, the Governor of New Providence Island, himself nothing better than
a pirate, to go cruising as a "privateer." Coxon was continually being
arrested and tried for piracy, but each time he managed to escape the
gallows. We do not know the name of the ship Coxon commanded at this date,
but it was a vessel of eighty tons, armed with eight guns, and carrying a
crew of ninety-seven men.
COYLE, CAPTAIN RICHARD.
Born at Exeter in Devonshire.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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