Well, he has gone to his account, whither I must shortly follow him, and tread the same dark path he trod before me.
On finding myself safe on shore once more, I shipped on the bark Jeanette, of London, for New York, from whence I went in the schooner Eliza, for Boston.
On board of this schooner I met a man by the name of Lockwood, whom I found to be in every respect worthy of filling the place made vacant by the death of Tom Stone. He was a strong, wiry man, full of determination, cruel and desperate in his disposition, and totally without fear. I found he had led a life nearly similar to mine, and he thought no more of stealing a purse, or cutting a throat, than I; and, in addition to his other qualifications, was an expert navigator. So the second day out, we laid our plans to rob the schooner and scuttle her, which we did that night when off Block Island, making our escape in a boat, and leaving all hands to perish.
We landed on Block Island, and went on board of a sloop bound to Newport, where we shipped on board a schooner, Mescedions,[[1]] of Providence, for the West Indies. Nothing particular occurred on the passage, and when we arrived at St. Domingo, we left the schooner and went in a brig to New Orleans, whence we shipped on the schooner Camphene, for the Straits of Magellan.
[1]. The name is spelled as Hicks pronounced it, but it is evidently not the correct name.
When we were at anchor in the Straits one night, Lockwood and myself having previously arranged all our plans, robbed the schooner of all the money and valuables on board, and after scuttling her by boring holes in her bottom, we set fire to her, while all hands were asleep aft, and got away in a boat, leaving all on board to perish. We landed safely, and travelled across the coast to the nearest town, living on four days’ provisions, which we took with us from the schooner. We reached the place in about ten days, very much exhausted by lack of food and water.
As we had plenty of money, we made up for our late deprivations by plunging into all sorts of dissipation and pleasures; never, however, losing a chance to rob anybody whose appearance promised to pay us for the trouble. In this way we spent some months, and then went to Joaquin on horseback, armed for the road, where we stopped for a few weeks, leading our old life, and then went to Santiago, robbing and murdering as before. We did not confine our operations to highway robberies alone, but committed every variety of depredations, breaking into houses, and murdering and robbing the inmates while they slept.
We remained in the neighborhood of Santiago about one year, and, should I undertake to relate circumstantially all the murders we committed during this time on the road between there and Valparaiso, it would occupy nearly all the time I have to live. It would take some time to give even a list of those I can remember, and they were of so frequent occurrence, I have no doubt many of them have escaped my memory altogether. I do not think I could name them all in one day.[[2]]
[2]. This was in answer to a direct question.—Ed.
After this, our longer stay in this neighborhood would be running too great a risk, as our numerous outrages had attracted the attention of the government, and the whole country was aroused against us; so we shipped on board the brig Anne Mills, bound to the coast of Africa.