The Book of Pirates and Highwaymen (5 page)

During Muley Abdullah’s residence at Mequinez, a captain of a row-boat came from Salee to wait upon him. The sea-officer had returned from a cruise, in which he had taken two prizes; and was come to court to deliver to his majesty the share of the captures which is customarily rendered to government, and likewise to offer a considerable present as a token of his loyal affection.

The emperor received the present and share of the prizes with all seeming complacency and satisfaction; and the captain imagined that his services were highly approved. But the emperor had received an account, that the captain had, on his cruise, met with a French merchantman, but had declined an engagement, fearing the Christians might be too strong for him. On this information, the emperor had in his mind passed sentence on him as a coward, and only waited his arrival for execution.

The captain, highly pleased with the acceptance of his present, staid only for his formal dismissal. The emperor observing that he now expected his discharge, told him he could not dismiss him yet, as he had some business of importance to settle, which had not yet been duly adjusted. At this the captain was somewhat chagrined, and began to suspect the emperor’s displeasure, but knew not what to attribute it to. The emperor, however, soon put an end to his uncertainty, by telling him, with an angry countenance, that he was determined to make him account for the loss of the French merchantman, which like a coward and a traitor, he had run away from; and that nothing but his life should answer for the fault.

During this interview, the emperor was on horseback, and the captain on foot. The emperor moved his horse about thirty paces from the victim of his resentment, and turning short around, with his lance in his hand, rode full speed towards him, and endeavoured to pierce him through the body. The captain, however, hoping to save his life, artfully evaded the thrust, and, according to the custom of the country, caught hold of the tail (which is usually a sanctuary from further punishment), imploring mercy and forgiveness in a most pathetic manner. The emperor, however, made no scruple to sacrifice the prejudice and good opinion of subjects in that point to the gratification of his revenge. Doubly exasperated by the evasion which the captain had made, he darted the lance into his body, and laid him lifeless in a minute, with no less than thirteen wounds, the least of which would have produced death.

Having thus performed the office of an executioner with his own hand, he commanded the dead body to be dragged to the market-place, and there exposed for three days, as a public monument of his vengeance on cowardice; and at the expiration of that term, to be dragged in the same infamous manner without the walls of the city, there to remain till the birds and beasts of prey or the operations of nature should have destroyed it.

The jacket of the unhappy victim was purchased by a Spanish captive, who preserved it, intending (should Providence ever grant him a release) to exhibit the thirteen holes made in it by the emperor’s spear as monuments, in the face of Christendom, of Barbarian tyranny.

Adventures of Morgan, Prince of Free-booters: An Unusual Threat

The pirates still had to carry the other fort, into which part of the garrison belonging to the first fort had retired, together with the governor. The first was of less importance than that which they had just taken, and served to defend the entrance of the harbour; but the free-booters were under the necessity of occupying it, in order that they might secure themselves free access to their ships. There was, in fact, no impediment whatever, to prevent them from plundering the city at their ease: but in order to carry off their booty, and especially to take away with safety their numerous wounded comrades, their ships were indispensably necessary.

That no time might be lost, they summoned the governor to surrender, promising him to spare all his soldiers. Cannon-shot were the answer. They had no time for consideration. This fort, like the former, was attacked sabre in hand; and its surrender was accelerated by the vanquished being compelled to direct their own cannons against its walls. The officers quitted their arms only with life. The soldiers, on the contrary, laid down theirs, and demanded quarter.

The governor, who was a Castilian, and whose name deserved to have been transmitted to posterity, continued furiously to defend himself; and, with his own hand, killed several of these robbers. His valour forced admiration: he haughtily rejected the pardon they offered him. In vain did his wife and daughter with tears conjure him to save his life.– ‘I had rather,’ he replied, ‘die on the field of honour, than on a scaffold!’ In fact, a glorious death only could terminate his valiant career. Thus Morgan found himself master of two strong castles; and this success had been obtained, without cannon, solely by four hundred men. The men and the women, as well as the wounded, were all shut up in separate enclosures.

Here the conqueror, whom it had been hitherto impossible not to admire, disappears, to give place to the ferocious man, whom we detest. Instead of causing the wounded to be dressed, he said to them with the most cruel irony,– ‘your groans shall supply the place of clothing for your wounds.’ His companions in arms shewed themselves worthy of him. During the following night, they amused themselves with intoxication, music, and the commission of the most horrid excesses. Those women, who opposed their brutality by the resistance of modesty, were threatened with instant death; and such as persisted fell beneath their blows, without being able to obtain the last consolations of religion, which they implored. The ensuing day was employed by the ferocious conquerors in searching after concealed treasures: great numbers of the unfortunate captives were put to the most cruel tortures, beneath which many of them expired.

While these transactions were taking place, Morgan was informed that the president of Panama, Don Juan Peres de Gusman, was collecting forces against him from every quarter. He nevertheless continued his operations with perfect security; in case of immediate danger, his retreat was rendered certain by his ships being in the vicinity. Lest, however, he should be surprised, he ordered the ruins of the two forts to be thrown up again; and placed his cannons to defend himself, in case he should be attacked: but the Spaniards left him a respite, of which he made ample use.

Thus the free-booters continued at Porto Bello without any apprehensions, for fifteen days; during which period they were actively occupied in supplying themselves with provisions, and in embarking all their booty. They might have prolonged their residence; but their insatiable gluttony had devoured so great a quantity of the necessaries of life, that they were at length compelled to support themselves almost wholly on horses’ and asses’ flesh. This scarcity was peculiarly fatal to the prisoners, who had no other sustenance but very small portions of that food, no bread, and some cistern water. This unwholesome and muddy fluid was, indeed, the ordinary drink of the inhabitants; but they had recourse to filtration; an expedient which was prohibited to these unfortunate persons. The robbers themselves had no other water; but this circumstance not a little contributed to hasten their departure.

But, before they quitted the place, Morgan had the audacity to send to the president of Panama two prisoners, who were ordered to demand 100,000 piasters for the ransom of Porto Bello, if he did not wish to see it reduced to ashes. The president had been able to muster only 1,500 men, which number, however, he thought sufficient to carry without delay his answer.

But these forces, though so greatly superior to those of the pirates, did not impose upon them. They marched to meet the Spaniards, occupied a defile, where they attacked them, and occasioned considerable loss among them. Gusman, who did not doubt but the reinforcements he expected would ultimately secure him the victory, was by no means discouraged at this first check; and sent to inform Morgan that nothing could save him, unless he instantly quitted Porto Bello. Morgan replied, that above all things he wished to have the ransom demanded; and that, if he did not obtain it, he certainly would embark; but that it should not be till he had burnt the city, demolished the forts, and put every prisoner to death. This terrifying answer damped the president’s courage. The moment he heard of the capture of Porto Bello, he had dispatched an express to Carthagena, to press the sending of a small fleet, which was to cut off the free-booters by the sea, while he attacked them by land. But these measures, though so exceedingly urgent, were slowly carried into execution; and when the pirates were ready to set sail, no hope remained that the flotilla would arrive in time. In this situation the president left the inhabitants to save themselves, how they could. The hundred thousand piastres were speedily collected and paid.

Gusman, who had served in Flanders in the rank of general, could not but admire those free-booters, who had performed such vast exploits with so few men; and who, without undertaking a formal siege, had succeeded in taking a city defended by a wall, ramparts, and cannons. He could not conceive what arms they had made use of, in order to obtain such signal success: he therefore sent a messenger to Morgan, to carry him some refreshments; and requested him to return a specimen of his arms, as a mark of his remembrance. Morgan gave the messenger a hearty reception, and by him transmitted a pistol, together with some little balls, and thus addressed him:– ‘Tell the president, if he pleases, to accept this small specimen of the arms with which I have conquered Porto Bello, and to keep it one year. At the expiration of that term, I promise to come myself to Panama, and shew him how to use it.’ To his thanks, for such a promise, the president added a fine emerald set in a gold ring; but he returned his pistol and balls, with directions to inform Morgan that he did not want for arms of that sort; and advised him to spare himself the trouble of coming to Panama, as he should not there succeed so well as at Porto Bello. At the same time he could not, however, but express his regret, that such brave fellows were not in the service of some great prince, and that they could not display their singular valour in a lawful war. It may be easily conceived in what manner this frank and ingenious compliment was received by the free-booters.

At length they departed without any obstacle occurring, after they had taken away the best cannon from the forts, and had spiked the rest. They sailed first towards the island of Cuba: there they examined their plunder; which, exclusive of a great quantity of jewels and valuable articles, consisted of gold and silver, both coined and in plate, to the value of 250,000 piasters. They afterwards transported themselves, together with their treasures, to Jamaica.

These robbers were not formed for repose. In a short time they began to make preparations for a new expedition. To the veterans, who were to be engaged in it, were added a crowd of novices, more eager to participate in Morgan’s plunder than in his glory. Through the protection of the governor of Jamaica, he obtained a six-and-thirty gun ship. With this reinforcement, which equally added to his military strength and importance, he departed for Hispaniola in January, 1669.

… Morgan, in the presence of all the free-booters, whose number was completed by the arrival of the other ships, disclosed his plan of sailing towards Savanna, and there to take the rich fleet which would arrive from Spain. The proposal was received with enthusiasm; cries of joy were mingled with discharges of artillery. The excesses of intoxication which covered this tumult, deprived these marauders of their reason, and lulled their vigilance to sleep.

In the midst of their drunken revels, the ship blew up into the air, and three hundred and fifty Englishmen were buried at sea. Thirty only, including Morgan, were spared, who were in a large hut, and consequently at a distance from the centre of the explosion. A few others might have saved themselves, but they were so intoxicated as to be unable to make any efforts for that purpose. By this accident three hundred and twenty pirates were lost. The survivors exerted themselves very actively in fishing them up again, – not indeed from any pious regard for the mortal remains of their comrades, but to strip them of the gold rings which these corsairs commonly wore on their fingers.