CAPTAIN JOHN RACKHAM
CAPTAIN JOHN RACKHAM, AND HIS CREW
John Rackham was Quarter-Master to Vane’s Company, till Vane was turned out for not fighting the French Man-of-War, and Rackham put in Captain in his place, which happened about the 24th day of November, 1718. His first cruise was among the Caribbe Islands, where he took and plundered several vessels. Afterwards, to the windward of Jamaica, he fell in with a Madeira Man, which he detained till he had made his market out of her, and then restored her to her Master, suffering Hosea Tisdel, a tavern-keeper at Jamaica, whom he had taken among his Prizes, to go aboard her, she being bound for that Island.
Afterwards he sailed towards the Island Bermuda, where he took a Ship bound to England from Carolina, and a small Ship from New England, both which he carried to the Bahama Islands, and there clean’d. But staying too long in that Neighbourhood, Captain Rogers sent out a Sloop well mann’d, which retook both the Prizes, the Pirate making his Escape.
From hence they proceeded to the Back of Cuba, where Rackham staid a long Time with his Delilahs, till their Provision was consumed, when he concluded it Time to look out for more. As he was putting to Sea, a Garda del Costa came in with a small English Sloop, which he had taken as an interloper on that coast. The Spaniards seeing the Pirate, attacked her; but finding he could not come to her that night, because she lay close behind a little island, he warps into the channel, to make sure of her in the morning. Upon this Rackham took his Crew into the Boat, with their pistols and cutlasses, and falls aboard the Spaniards in the night, without being discovered, telling them, if they spoke a word they were dead men: And so shipping their cables, drove out to sea, commanding them to take the Boat, and go aboard their Sloop immediately, or else they were all dead men. Afterwards they waking the Captain and his men in the Hammocks, who rose full of their expectation of the Prizes, they sent them aboard their empty Sloop.
In the Beginning of September, they went off of the French part of Hispaniola, where they took two or three Frenchmen on board, that were looking after some cattle grazing near the waterside. Then plundered two Sloops, they returned to Jamaica, where they took a Schooner.