This brig was lying at Valparaiso, and was chartered by a man under the pretence of making a trading voyage, but his real object was piracy, and we shipped with a crew of men desperate as ourselves, who, if they did not know the object of the voyage, the captain rightly thought, would have no scrupulous objections to it.
As soon as we were upon blue water, the captain opened our plan of operations to the crew, and although one or two murmured at first, all at length came into our scheme. In fact, they were obliged to do so, for had any of them held out, we should have disposed of them in a very summary way.
I was now in my proper element, where I could gratify the highest object of my wicked ambition. I was a free rover, with no one to fear, and no one to obey, with the whole world for my prey.
During the year that I sailed in this vessel, we overhauled, plundered, and burned several Portuguese and Spanish ships, in most cases murdering their crews. After cruising about the West India Islands, we made our course for the Gulf of Gibraltar, went to Marseilles, boarded a Greek vessel, and obtained provisions and stores. Finding that she had no money on board, we let her go, and the next morning sailed for the Dardanelles, where we cast anchor and went ashore at a small town, and although none of us could speak the language, we remained there about six weeks, and then went to Constantinople, and on the voyage lay one night alongside of an English brig.
We boarded her about 12 o’clock, and after searching her and finding nothing, we went on our voyage.
After remaining a short time at Constantinople, we headed for the Gut of Gibraltar, and one night were hailed by a British man-of-war, whose name we did not learn. We answered in Portuguese, when she ordered us to lay to.
Instead of doing this we crowded all sail, and during the conversation we had got our guns ready; we gave her a raking fire from our stern, which carried away the foremast. As we saw it falling over the side, we bade them “good bye” in English, and gave them three cheers, for which they returned a broadside, and we received two shots in our stern.
I dare say the British Admiralty never knew to this day to what vessel their man-of-war was indebted for the loss of her foremast, but if they ever read this the mystery will be cleared up. It is more than likely they have suspected their old enemy, the French, of playing this trick, but they have been wrong; the shot came from the brig Anne Mills.
We never shortened sail until we reached a Spanish port, about 150 miles from the Gut, where we laid for a short time to repair damages, and made sail for the coast of Mexico, and stopped at a port near Vera Cruz, where we laid in wood and water, and sailed for Vera Cruz. From here we went to the coast of Florida, and anchored in the mouth of the river opposite Jacksonville. Here we lay two or three weeks recruiting; at the end of this time, having completed the necessary preparations, we sailed direct for the coast of Africa, where we took on board a load of negroes and steered our course for Rio.
A few miles to windward of Cape Frio an English cruiser hove in sight. We made off for the land at once, but finding the cruiser was gaining upon us, the captain made the negroes fast to the chain cable and let the anchor go, with the cable over the rail, dragging the negroes overboard.