The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 3Whymper, Frederick
History
The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 3
Whymper, Frederick
Adventure and adventurers; Arctic regions; Ocean; Voyages around the world
With this purchase he designed greater things which he might have
alone,” and so forth. Piracy did not prosper with him in the end, for his
vessel was afterwards lost, and he was never fortunate again.
“Not less considerable,” wrote Esquemeling, “are the actions of another
pirate who now lives at Jamaica, who on several occasions has performed
very surprising things. He was born at Groninghen, in the United
Provinces. His own name not being known, his companions gave him the name
of Roche Brasiliano, by reason of his long residence in Brazil; hence he
was forced to fly when the Portuguese took those countries from the Dutch,
several nations then inhabiting at Brazil (as English, French, Dutch, and
others) being constrained to seek new fortunes.
“This person fled to Jamaica, where, being at a stand how to get his
living, he entered into the society of pirates, where he served as a
private mariner for some time, and behaved himself so well that he was
beloved and respected by all. One day some of the mariners quarrelled with
that degree that they left the boat. Brasiliano, following them, was
chosen their leader, who, having fitted out a small vessel, they made him
captain.”
Within a few days after he took a rich plate ship coming from New Spain,
and carried it to Jamaica. This action brought him great reputation, and
he was, for the time, a great man ashore. He was, however, a terrible
brute when drunk—the average condition of the pirate on land—and would run
wildly about the streets, insulting, beating, or wounding any one he
chanced to meet. Pleasant Brasiliano!
[Illustration: BRASILIANO’S ESCAPE.]
To the Spaniards he was always barbarous and cruel, out of an inveterate
hatred against their nation. On several occasions he commanded men to be
roasted alive on wooden spits, for not showing hog-yards where he might
steal swine. After committing many such cruelties, as he was cruising on
the coasts of Campechy, a dismal tempest surprised him so violently that
his ship was wrecked upon the coasts, the mariners only escaping with
their muskets and some few bullets and powder, which were the only things
they could save. The ship was lost between Campechy and the Golpho Triste;
here they got ashore in a canoe, and, marching along the shore with all
the speed they could, directed their course towards Golpho Triste, the
common refuge of the pirates. On their journey, all very exhausted and
hungry, they were pursued by a troop of 100 Spaniards. The pirates were
but thirty; yet, seeing their brave commander resolute, they fought
bravely, and facing the troop of Spaniards, discharged their muskets on
them so dexterously that they killed one horseman almost with every shot.
The fight continued for an hour, till at last the Spaniards were put to
flight. They stripped the dead, and took from them what was most for their
use; such as were not quite dead they despatched with the ends of their
muskets.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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