From hence they steered for Madagascar, and in their Passage stopped at Don Mascarenas, where they took in a Quantity of Hogs, Goat, Sheep, Fowls of all Sorts, and Green Turtle. Captain Bowen here went ashoar with 40 of his Men, having obtained the Governor’s Protection by the Force of Presents. These Men design’d to give over their Pyracy, and return home the first Opportunities offer’d them. In six Months after they had staid here, Captain Bowen was taken ill of the dry Belly Ach, a Distemper as rife here as in the West-India Islands, and was buried in the Highway, for the Priests would not allow him holy Ground, as he was a Heretick.
But to return; when Bowen went ashoar North was chosen Captain. The Ceremony of this Installation is, the Crew having made choice of him to Command, either by an unanimous Consent, or by a Majority of Suffrages, they carry him a Sword in a very solemn Manner, make him some Complements, and desire he will take upon him the Command, as he is the most capable among them. That he will take Possession of the great Cabin; and, on his accepting the Office, he is led into the Cabin in State, and placed at a Table, where only one Chair is set at the upper End, and one at the lower End of the Table for the Company’s Quarter-Master. The Captain and he being placed, the latter succinctly tells him, that the Company having Experience of his Conduct and Courage, do him the Honour to elect him for their Head, not doubting his behaving himself with his usual Bravery, and doing every Thing which may conduce to the publick Good; in Confidence of which, he, in the Name of the Company, promised to obey all his lawful Commands, and declared him Captain. Then the Quarter-Master takes up the Sword, which he had before presented him, and he had returned, puts it into his Hand, and says, This is the Commission under which you are to act, may you prove fortunate to your self and us. The Guns are then fired round, Shot and all; he is saluted with three Chears; the Ceremony is ended with an Invitation from the Captain to such as he thinks fit to have dine with him, and a large Bowl of Punch is ordered to every Mess.
Captain North leaving this Island steered for Madagascar, and came to Cape Dolphin at the South End, as is said in White’s Life, where he came to an Anchor, and took on board some Refreshments, but it blowing hard, he was obliged to put to Sea, and leave his Boat with 30 Men behind him. He ran along the East-Side of the Island, and came to a Place called Ambonavoula, in the Latitude of 17, 38. where they put on Shore some of their Goods, and settled themselves among the Negroes, several living in a House; here they lived as Sovereign Princes among the Inhabitants.
The Moor Prisoners they kept on board, and allowed them sufficient fresh Provisions. North privately bid the Boatswain of the Moors take the Advantage of the Land Breeze in the Night Time, and go off with the Ship, and what Goods were left on board; or the Pyrates would soon hawl up the Ship, take every Thing on Shore, and they (marooned there) would never see their own Country again.
Accordingly the Boatswain following this Advice, laid hold of the Opportunity of a dark Night, and communicating his Design to the other Moors, whom he did not acquaint with this Advice, as North charg’d him not, till he was on the Point of executing his Design, they weigh’d with great Silence and stood to Sea.
The next Morning some of the Pyrates propos’d to go on Board and fetch off some Iron and other Things to trade with in the Country; but they were strangely surpriz’d when they miss’d the Ship; they alarm’d the rest of their Comrades, and went in a Body to Captain North to tell him what had happen’d. He answer’d, if the Moors were gone off with the Ship, it was their own Fault; they ought to have left a sufficient Number of Hands on Board to have secur’d her; that there was now no Remedy but Patience, for they had no Vessel to pursue with, except they thought the Canoe proper.
Some of the Pyrates thought as she lay in foul Ground the Cable might be cut by some Rock, and the Ship blown off to Sea by that Accident; on starting this, some of them ran up to an Eminence, and from thence spy’d the Ship as far as they could well see, with all Sails set, which was a cruel and convincing Proof that their Loss was irreparable.
They endeavoured to make themselves easy, since there was no Help; and transporting their Goods to different Abodes, at small Distances, they settled themselves, buying Cattle and Slaves, and lived in a neighbourly Manner one among another five Years; clear’d a great deal of Ground, and planted Provisions as Yamms, Potatoes, &c. The Natives among whom they fix’d, had frequent Broils and Wars among themselves, but the Pyrates interposed, and endeavoured to reconcile all differences; North deciding their Disputes not seldom, with that Impartiality and strict Regard to distributive Justice (for he was allowed, by all, a Man of admirable good natural Parts) that he ever sent away, even the Party who was cast, satisfied with the Reason, and content with the Equity of his Decisions.
These Inclinations which the Pyrates shewed to Peace, and the Example they set of an amicable Way of Life; for they carefully avoided all Jars, and agreed to refer all Cause of Complaint among themselves which might arise, to a cool Hearing before North, and twelve of their Companions, gave them a great Character among the Natives, who were before very much prejudiced against the White Men. Nay, in this Point of keeping up a Harmony among themselves, they were so exact, that whosever spoke but in an angry or peevish Tone, was rebuked by all the Company, especially if before any of the Country, tho’ even but a Slave, of their own; for they thought, and very justly, that Unity and Concord were the only Means to warrant their Safety; for the People being ready to make War on one another upon the slightest Occasion, they did not doubt but they would take the Advantage of any Division which they might observe among the Whites, and cut them off whenever a fair Opportunity offered.
North often set this before them, and as often made them remark the Effects of their Unanimity, which were, the being treated with great Respect and Deference, and having a Homage paid them as to sovereign Princes. Nature, we see, teaches the most Illiterate the necessary Prudence for their Preservation, and Fear works Changes which Religion has lost the Power of doing, since it has been looked upon as a Trade, and debased by the scandalous Lives of those who think it their Business to teach it only, and, satisfied with the Theory, leave the practical Part to the Laity: For these Men whom we term, and not without Reason, the Scandal of humane Nature, who were abandoned to all Vice, and lived by Rapine; when they judged it for their Interest, not only (politickly) were strictly just, both among themselves, and in composing the Differences of the neighbouring Natives, but grew continent and sober, as no doubt they esteemed their Security to depend on shewing the Blacks they could govern those Passions to which they themselves were Slaves. Its true, they were all Polygamists, but that was no Scandal among a People who thought the cohabiting with a pregnant Woman a Sin against Nature in acting contrary to her Design, which is by Generation to propagate the animal Race; and who should be guilty of this Crime among them, they esteemed worse than Beasts, which following Nature, obey her Orders exactly, and set Men a Lesson of Prudence. When then, I say, they were continent, I mean they never invaded the Rights either of their Companions, or of the Natives.