The snow came to anchor about a league from the sloop and Fly ordered Captain Fulker with six men to bring her alongside the snow. The wind was in the wrong quarter, however, and after several attempts they gave it up for the time and brought Captain Fulker back to the snow where Fly received him in a violent passion, cursing and damning him for not bringing off the sloop. Fulker said it was impossible. “Damn ye,” replied Fly, “you lie like a Dog, but damn my Blood, your Hide shall pay for your Roguery, and if I can’t bring her off I’ll burn her where she lies.” He then ordered Captain Fulker “to the Geers.” He was at once stripped and given an unmerciful beating. The boat’s crew were then sent back again to bring off the sloop and after a time got her as far as the bar where she bilged and sank.

With Captain Fulker, Captain Atkinson and the rest on board, the “Fame’s Revenge” set sail on June 5th and the next day sighted the ship “John and Betty,” Capt. John Gale, bound from Barbadoes for Virginia. Fly gave chase and finding that the ship could outsail him he hoisted “a Jack at the Main topmast Head, in token of Distress.” Captain Gale was suspicious and ignoring the signal kept his course with Fly still in chase. The pursuit was kept up all night and early in the morning, the wind having slackened, Fly came within gunshot and hoisting a black flag, fired several times until Captain Gale struck his colors. Fly manned his long boat, which carried a pateraro in the bow, and went on board well armed with pistols and cutlasses and having made the master and crew prisoners sent them on board the snow. Fly lay by for two days and finding little on board of value to him, save some sail cloth and small arms, he permitted the ship to go after forcing six of the crew. In her went Captain Fulker, Mr. Ruth and Captain Green’s surgeon, who had steadfastly refused to serve the pirate company. Captain Atkinson, however, was forced to remain with Fly as he understood navigation and also was familiar with the New England coast. When Captain Atkinson asked to be allowed his liberty, Captain Fly replied as follows:—

“Look ye, Captain Atkinson, it is not that we care a T——d for your Company, G——d d——n ye, G——d d——n my Soul, not a T——d, by G——d, and that’s fair; but G——d d——n ye, and G——d’s B——d and W——ds, if you don’t act like an honest Man, G——d d——n ye, and offer to play us any Rogue’s Tricks, by G——d, and G——d sink me, but I’ll blow your Brains out; G——d d——n me if I don’t. Now, Captain Atkinson, you may do as you please, you may be a Son of a Whore, and pilot us wrong, which, G——d d——n ye, would be a rascally Trick, by God, because you would betray Men who trust in you; but, by the eternal J——s, you shan’t live to see us hang’d. I don’t love many Words, G——d d——n ye, if you have a Mind to be well used you shall, G——d’s B——d; but if you will be a Villain and betray your trust, may G——d strike me dead, and may I drink a Bowl of Brimstone and Fire with the D——l, if I don’t send you head-long to H——ll, G——d d——n me; and so there needs no more Arguments, by G——d, for I’ve told you my Mind, and here’s all the Ship’s Crew for Witnesses, that if I do blow your Brains out, you may blame no Body but your self, G——d d——n ye.”[167]

Fly forbade Captain Atkinson to have any conversation with other forced men lest he should hatch a conspiracy and to prevent any communication between them at night a hammock was given him in the cabin.

Off Delaware Bay they met the sloop “Rachel,” Samuel Harris, commander, bound for Pennsylvania from New York. She had about fifty Scotch-Irish passengers aboard. When Fly hoisted his black ensign and ordered her to strike she did so at once. The sloop was ransacked and held for a day and then permitted to go. One of her crew, a lusty fellow named James Benbrook, was forced.

Fly now ordered Captain Atkinson to bear away for Martha’s Vineyard proposing to water there and then sail for the Guinea coast; but Atkinson, instead of steering for the Vineyard, purposely carried them past and out into the Bay. When Fly discovered this he told Captain Atkinson that “he was a rascally Son of an envenom’d Bitch, and damn his Blood it was a Piece of Cruelty to let such a son of a Whore live, who design’d the Death of so many honest Fellows.”

Atkinson replied that he never pretended to know the coast and it was very hard that he should die for being thought an abler man than he really was. “G——d d——n you,” said Fly, “you are an obstinate Villain,” and he was about to draw a pistol to shoot Atkinson when Mitchell interposed and saved his life.

On June 23d they met a fishing schooner lying to on Brown’s bank. She was the “James,” of Marblehead, George Girdler, master, and as Fly came up he fired a gun and hoisted his black ensign. When the master came aboard, Fly told him that he proposed taking his vessel unless he found a better sailer. About noon, as they lay near each other, several other schooners came in sight and Fly ordered six of his pirates and a prisoner named George Tasker, to man the prize schooner and go in pursuit. This was a very hazardous thing to do for it left him on board the “Fame’s Revenge” with only three of his pirate crew, one of whom, Samuel Cole, was in irons on suspicion of mutiny. Against this small number of armed men were Captain Atkinson, Captain Fulker’s mate, a couple of his boys, Captain Green’s gunner and carpenter, five of Captain Gale’s men, James Benbrooke, and three fishermen belonging to the Marblehead schooner. Atkinson already had secretly had some conversation with Samuel Walker and Thomas Streaton and Walker had spoken to Benbrook. This seemed to be the opportunity that they had waited for. By good fortune, just at this time, several other vessels appeared in sight and Atkinson, by telling Fly what he saw from the bows, drew him forward from his loaded guns and cutlass which he had kept beside him on the quarter-deck. At first Fly was loath to leave the quarter-deck and told Atkinson that he could see but one sail, but Atkinson insisted that he could see two others and told Fly that he would soon have a fleet of prizes. “If you were but here, Sir, with your glass, ahead, you would easily see them all,” said Atkinson. Fly in his intense interest forgot his earlier caution and came off the quarter-deck where his arms lay and went ahead to spy the sails that Atkinson claimed to have seen. He sat on the windlass and with his prospective glass tried to locate the mythical vessels. Benbrook and Walker now came forward and directed the captain to look a point or two at one side and while so engaged, Atkinson, a spare and slender man, slipped aft towards the guns and as Walker and Benbrook seized Fly he quickly pointed a gun at him and told him that “he was a dead man if he didn’t immediately submit.” Benbrook already had broken Fly’s sword. About this time Greenville, one of the pirates, heard the struggle and put his head above to see what was the matter. Atkinson at once struck him over the head with his gun and with the help of the carpenter the other man was soon in irons. Meanwhile the rest of the forced men stood by as in a trance but soon came to and with a will aided in securing the prisoners.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the
Hands if the Living GOD.
A
SERMON
Preached to some miserable
PIRATES
July 10. 1726.
On the Lord’s Day, before their Execution.
By Benjamin Colman,
Pastor of a Church in Boston.
To which is added some Account of said Pirates.
Deut. XVII. 13. And all the People shall hear and fear, and do no more so presumptuously.
BOSTON, N. E. Printed for John Phillips and Thomas Hancock, and Sold at their Shops. 1726.