It was many Years after this before I could bring my Purposes to pass; and I serv’d, first, in some of the Adventures of Captain Sharp, Captain Sawkins, and others, in their bold Adventures in the South Seas, where I got a very good Booty; was at the taking of Puna, where we were oblig’d to leave infinite Wealth behind us, for want of being able to bring it away; and after several Adventures in those Seas, was among that Party
who fought their Way Sword in Hand thro’ all the Detachments of the Spaniards, in the Journey over Land, cross the Isthmus of Darien, to the North Seas; and when other of our Men gat away, some one Way, some another, I, with twelve more of our Men, by Help of a Periagua, gat into the Bay of Campeachy, where we fell very honestly to cutting of Logwood, not for Want, but to employ ourselves till we could make off.
Here three of our Men dy’d, and we that were left, shar’d their Money among us; and having stay’d here two Years, without seeing any Way of Escape that I dar’d to trust to, I at last, with two of our Men, who spoke Spanish perfectly well, made a desperate Attempt to travel over Land to L— having bury’d all our Money, (which was worth eight thousand Pieces of Eight a Man, tho’ most of it in Gold) in a Pit in the Earth which we dug twelve Foot deep, and where it would have lyen still, for no Man knew where to look for it; but we had an Opportunity to come at it again some Years after.
We travell’d along the Sea-shore five Days together, the Weather exceeding hot, and did not doubt but we should so disguise ourselves as to be taken for Spaniards; but our better Fortune provided otherwise for us, for the sixth Day of our March we found a Canoe lying on the Shore with no one in her: We found, however, several Things in her, which told us plainly that she belong’d to some Englishmen who were on Shore; so we resolv’d to sit down by her and wait: By and by we heard the Englishmen, who were seven in Number, and were coming back to their Boat, having been up the Country to an Ingenio, where they had gotten great Quantities of Provision, and were
bringing it down to their Boat which they had left on the Shore, (with the Help of five Indians, of whom they had bought it) not thinking there was any People thereabouts: When they saw us, not knowing who we were, they were just going to fire at us; when I, perceiving it, held up a white Flag as high as I could reach it, which was, in short, only a Piece of an old Linnen Wastcoat which I had on, and pull’d it off for the Occasion; upon this, however, they forbore firing at us, and when they came nearer to us, they could easily see that we were their own Countrymen: They enquir’d of us what we came there for; we told them, we had travell’d from Campeachy, where being tir’d with the Hardships of our Fortune, and not getting any Vessel to carry us where we durst go, we were even desperate, and cared not what became of us; so that had not they came to us thus happily, we should have put our selves into the Hands of the Spaniards rather than have perish’d where we were.
They took us into their Boat, and afterwards carry’d us on Board their Ship; when we came there, we found they were a worse Sort of Wanderers than ourselves, for tho’ we had been a Kind of Pyrates, known and declar’d Enemies to the Spaniards, yet it was to them only, and to no other; for we never offer’d to rob any of our other European Nations, either Dutch or French, much less English; but now we were listed in the Service of the Devil indeed, and, like him, were at War with all Mankind.
However, we not only were oblig’d to sort with them, while with them, but in a little Time the Novelty of the Crime wore off, and we grew harden’d
to it, like the rest: And in this Service I spent four Years more of my Time.
Our Captain in this Pirate Ship was nam’d Nichols, but we call’d him Captain Redhand; it seems it was a Scots Sailor gave him that Name, when he was not the Head of the Crew, because he was so bloody a Wretch, that he scarce ever was at the taking any Prize, but he had a Hand in some Butchery or other.
They were hard put to it for fresh Provisions, or they would not have sent thus up into the Country a single Canoe; and when I came on Board they were so straiten’d, that, by my Advice, they resolv’d to go to the Isle of Cuba to kill wild Beef, of which the South Side of the Island is so full: Accordingly we sail’d thither directly.