In the wake of the buccaneers

by A. Hyatt Verrill

At first the buccaneers were compelled to make their raids in small boats,—bateaux and pirogues, or dugout canoes,—for they had no ships of their own. But this handicap did not deter them in the least. The fact that a contemplated prize was a great galleon bristling with guns and swarming with armed men did not discourage them, but rather made them the more keen to take her. Manning their little craft, the buccaneers pulled or paddled or sailed toward their prey, steering in such a way as to avoid the heaviest fire of the enemy’s guns (and it must be remembered that with the clumsy, short-range, far from accurate cannon of those days a moving small boat was a difficult mark to hit), and meantime keeping up a steady fusillade of small arms. Literally walking arsenals, trained [[230]]marksmen, and accustomed to hunting wild cattle, the pirates usually succeeded in killing the helmsman of the enemy’s ship, as well as many of the gunners. Running under the vessel’s stern, they would make fast, wedge the rudder of their prize, and with knives in teeth swarm up chains and rigging and pour over the rail like a pack of fiends. Nothing could withstand the onslaught of this savage crew, who, yelling and cursing, poured over the bulwarks, cutlass in one hand, pistol in the other, and shooting, slashing, and thrusting like madmen, oblivious of wounds, regardless of death, hacked and slew and seemed to be everywhere at once.

It was thus that Sharp and his men took the Spanish fleet and came into possession of The Most Blessed Trinity in the harbor of Panama, and the annals of the buccaneers are filled with similar deeds. The ship in their hands, as a rule they either put the ordinary survivors of the battle ashore or set them adrift in a boat, retained the captain and his officers as prisoners for ransom, and took possession of any women who might be aboard.

Having by such means secured seaworthy sailing-vessels, the buccaneers were able to extend operations, and after eliminating the fancy gilt-work and lofty stern castles, the luxuriant fittings, and all unnecessary gear of their prizes, they would [[231]]man them with crews of several hundred each and set forth on their forays.

They seldom built ships of their own, but by selecting the handiest and swiftest of their prizes and rerigging and refitting them to suit their own special needs, they gradually accumulated a fleet of ships which were noted for speed and stanchness. Moreover, the larger vessels were seldom used. The pirates required craft which could dodge among reefs and slip through shoal waters where the big men-of-war could not follow, and it was only now and then that a buccaneer ship carried more than eight guns, the usual number being four or six. The pirates depended more upon seamanship and marksmanship than mere weight of metal or thundering broadsides, although on some of their later and larger enterprises they used ships carrying forty guns or more.

When we consider the heterogeneous character of their crews, and the varied antecedents and training of those who made up their number, it is not surprising that the corsairs succeeded against tremendous odds. In addition to the true Tortugan hunters and buccaneers there were logwood-cutters from the Central American coast and the bay islands, ex-soldiers and sailors, Indians, criminals from prisons and gaols, outlaws and bandits[[232]]—all men who were trained in the use of arms, of immense physical strength and endurance, with an extraordinary power to undergo hunger, thirst, and other hardships, and with an utter disregard for death or bodily suffering.

The strangest part of it was that this riffraff of adventurers was amenable to discipline. When afloat or on one of their forays they obeyed their leaders implicitly and were true to them even in the face of torture or death. They never betrayed their comrades, would risk their lives to help another buccaneer, and would share their last centavo or their rags with a Brother of the Main at any time.

Another interesting fact is that these buccaneers were the inventors of life and accident insurance, or we might better say employees’ compensation laws. Before starting on a cruise they made their preparations in a most efficient way and provided for all contingencies.

When a pirate leader decided that it was time to go a-pirating he would give out word of his intention and call for volunteers, each man who presented himself for the venture being supposed to bring his own arms, ammunition, and supplies. The next step was to provide food for the voyage, and the buccaneers, seeing no reason to use their own resources for the purchase of supplies which could [[233]]be had for the taking, thereupon made a sortie against the nearest Spanish possession, held up and robbed a few corrals, and, buccanning the cattle and swine thus economically acquired, stocked the commissary department. The next step was to arrange shares of the prospective loot, and to draw up articles in writing very particularly setting forth the sum each man was to receive for his services, said sum to be taken from the “common stock” as it was called, or, in other words, the total value of prizes and loot secured; for their unalterable rule was “No prey, no pay.”

First it was settled by vote what the captain was to receive for his services or the use of his ship (for very often the skipper was merely the owner of the vessel and was no navigator), then what the salaries of the other men, such as the carpenter, the steward, the gunners, the surgeon, were to be. Then it was agreed that the provisions and liquors should be paid for, recompense being given the individuals who had secured them. Finally came the matter of insurance, and a very complete schedule was drawn up, with exact provisions for payment for nearly every form of injury or wound. This varied somewhat according to the danger of the undertaking, but as a rule it was about six hundred pieces of eight for the loss of a right arm; five hundred [[234]]pieces of eight for a left arm; the same for a right leg; four hundred for a left leg; one hundred pieces of eight for an eye, the same for a finger, and one thousand for total disability or death. In every case slaves might be taken in lieu of cash, the value of slaves, either white or black, male or female, being fixed at one hundred pieces of eight each. It was also provided that after the payment of all the aforesaid “salaries,” refunds, and compensations the remainder of the loot should be equally divided among the survivors of the expedition, with the exception of the captain and other officers, the former always receiving five or six shares to each share of the men, and the others in proportion.

In addition to all this, each member of the company was compelled to take a solemn oath (not infrequently signed in blood) not to conceal, hide, or keep anything for himself, to turn all loot into the common fund, and to abide by the articles of agreement, obey his leaders, and not desert. The penalty for violation of this oath varied all the way from death to being marooned, forfeiting a share in the plunder, or being drummed out of the Brethren, according to the extent of the delinquent’s offense.