In the beginning of King William’s War, Captain Kid commanded a Privateer in the West-Indies, and by several adventurous actions acquired the reputation of a brave man, as well as an experienced seaman. About this time the Pirates were very troublesome in those parts, wherefore Captain Kid was recommended by the Lord Bellamont, then Governor of Barbadoes, as well as by several other persons, to the Government here, as a person very fit to be entrusted with the command of a Government Ship, and to be employed in cruising upon the Pirates, as knowing those Seas perfectly well, and being acquainted with their lurking places; but what reasons governed the politics of those times, I cannot tell, but this proposal met with no encouragement here, though it is certain it would have been of great consequence to the subject, our merchants suffering incredible damages by those robbers.
Upon this neglect the Lord Bellamont, and some others who knew what great captures had been made by the Pirates, and what a prodigious wealth must be in their possession, were tempted to fit out a ship at their own private charge, and to give the command of it to Captain Kid; and to give the thing a greater reputation, as well as to keep their seamen under the better command, they procured the King’s Commission for the said Captain Kid.
Captain Kid had also another Commission, which was called a Commission of Reprisals; for it being then War time, this Commission was to justify him in the taking of French Merchant Ships, in case he should meet with any. He sail’d out of Plymouth in May 1696, in the Adventure Galley of thirty guns, and eighty men; the place he first design’d for was New York; in his Voyage thither he took a French Banker, but this was no Act of Piracy, he having a Commission for that purpose, as we have just observed.
When he arrived at New York he put up Articles for engaging more Hands, it being necessary to his Ship’s crew, since he proposed to deal with a desperate enemy: The terms he offered were, that every man should have a share of what was taken, reserving for himself and Owners forty shares. Upon this encouragement he soon increas’d his company to a hundred and fifty five men.
With this company he first sail’d for Maderas, where he took in wine and some other necessaries; from thence he proceeded to Bonavist, one of the Cape de Verd Islands, to furnish the ship with salt, and from thence went immediately to St. Jago, another of the Cape de Verd Islands, in order to stock himself with provisions. When all this was done, he bent his course to Madagascar, the known rendezvous of Pirates; in this way he fell in with Captain Warren, Commodore of three Men-of-War; he acquainted them with his design, kept them company two or three days, and then leaving them, made the best way for Madagascar, where he arrived in February 1696, just nine months from his departure from Plymouth.
It does not appear all this while that he had the least design of turning Pirate; for near Mahala and Joanna both he met with several Indian ships richly laden, to which he did not offer the least violence, tho’ he was strong enough to have done what he pleas’d with them; and the first outrage or depredation I find he committed upon mankind, was after his repairing his ship, and leaving Joanna; he touch’d at a place call’d Mabbee, upon the Red Sea, where he took some Guinea Corn from the natives, by force.
After this he sail’d to Bab’s Key, a Place upon a little Island at the entrance of the Red Sea; here it was that he first began to open himself to his ship’s company, and let them understand that he intended to change his measures; for, happening to talk of the Moca Fleet, which was to sail that way, he said We have been unsuccessful hitherto, but courage, my Boys, we’ll make our fortunes out of this Fleet: And finding that none of them appear’d averse to it, he order’d a boat out, well mann’d, to go upon the coast to make discoveries, commanding them to take a prisoner and bring to him, or get intelligence any way they could. The boat return’d in a few days, bringing him word, that they saw fourteen or fifteen ships ready to sail, some with English, some with Dutch, and some with Moorish Colours. He therefore order’d a man continually to watch at the mast-head, least this Fleet should go by them; and about four days after, towards evening, it appear’d in sight, being convoy’d by one English and one Dutch Man-of-War. Kid soon fell in with them, and getting into the midst of them, fir’d at a Moorish ship which was next him; but the Men-of-War taking the Alarm, bore down upon Kid, and firing upon him, obliged him to sheer off, he not being strong enough to contend with them. Now he had begun hostilities, he resolv’d to go on, and therefore he went and cruis’d along the coast of Malabar; the first Prize he met was a small vessel belonging to Aden, the vessel was Moorish, and the Owners were Moorish Merchants, but the Master was an Englishman, his name was Parker. Kid forc’d him and a Portugueze that was call’d Don Antonio, which were all the Europeans on Board, to take on with them; the first he design’d as a pilot, and the last as an interpreter. He also used the men very cruelly, causing them to be hoisted up by the arms, and drubb’d with a naked cutlass, to force them to discover whether they had money on board, and where it lay; but as they had neither gold nor silver on board, he got nothing by his cruelty; however, he took from them a bale of pepper, and a bale of coffee, and so let them go.
Soon after this he came up with a Moorish Ship, the Master whereof was a Dutchman, call’d Schipper Mitchel, and chased her under French Colours, which they observing, hoisted French Colours too: When he came up with her, he hail’d her in French, and they having a Frenchman on board, answer’d him in the same language; upon which he order’d them to send their boat on board; they were oblig’d to do so, and having examin’d who they were, and from whence they came; he ask’d the Frenchman, who was a passenger, if he had a French pass for himself? The Frenchman gave him to understand that he had. Then he told the Frenchman he must pass for Captain, and by God, says he, you are the Captain: The Frenchman durst not refuse doing as he would have him: The meaning of this was, that he would seize the Ship as fair Prize, and as if she belonged to French Subjects, according to a commission he had for that purpose; tho’, one would think, after what he had already done, that he need not have recourse to a quibble to give his actions a colour.
In short, he took the cargoe and sold it some time after, yet still he seem’d to have some fears upon him least these proceedings should have a bad end; for, coming up with a Dutch Ship some time, when his men thought of nothing but attacking her, Kid oppos’d it; upon which a mutiny arose, and the majority being for taking the said ship, and arming themselves to man the boat to go and seize her, he told them, such as did, never should come on Board him again; which put an end to the design, so that he kept company with the said ship some time, without offering her any violence: However, this dispute was the occasion of an accident, upon which an indictment was afterwards grounded against Kid; for Moor, the Gunner, being one day upon deck, and talking with Kid about the said Dutch Ship, some words arose betwixt them, and Moor told Kid, that he had ruin’d them all; upon which, Kid, calling him Dog, took up a bucket and struck him with it, which breaking his skull, he died the next day.