And that about the 18th or 19th day of the said month of November met with a Moors Ship of about 200 Tuns,[7] coming from Suratt, bound to the Coast of Mallabar, loaded with two horses, Sugar and Cotton, to trade there, having about 40 Moors on board, with a Dutch Pylot, Boatswain and Gunner, which said Ship the Narrator hailed, and commanded on board, and with him came 8 or 9 Moors and the said three Dutchmen, who declared it was a Moors Ship, and demanding their Pass from Suratt, which they shewed, and the same was a French Pass, which he believes was shewed by a Mistake, for the Pylot swore Sacrament[8] she was a Prize, and staid on board the Gally and would not return again on board the Moors Ship, but went in the Gally to the Port of St. Maries.
And that about the First Day of February following, upon the same Coast, under French Colours with a Designe to decoy, met with a Bengall Merchantman belonging to Surrat of the burthen of 4 or 500 Tuns, 10 guns, and he commanded the Master on board, and a Frenchman, Inhabitant of Suratt and belonging to the French Factory there, and Gunner of said Ship, came on board as Master, and when he came on board the Narrator caused the English Colours to be hoisted, and the said Master was surprized and said, You are all English; and asking, Which was the Captain, whom when he saw, said, Here is a good Prize, and delivered him the French Pass.[9] And that with the said two Prizes sailed for the Port of St. Maries, in Madagascar; and sailing thither the said Gally was so leaky that they feared she would have sunk every hour, and it required eight men, every two Glasses[10] to keep her free, and was forced to woold[11] her round with Cables to keep her together, and with much ado carried her into the said Port of St. Maries, where they arrived about the First Day of April 1698, and about the 6th day of May the lesser Prize was haled into the Careening Island or Key, the other not being arrived, and ransacked and sunk by the mutinous men, who threatened the Narrator and the men that would not join with them, to burn and sink the other, that they might not go home and tell the news.
And that when he arrived in the said Port there was a Pyrate Ship, called the Moca Frigat,[12] at an Anchor, Robert Culliford Commander thereof, who with his men left the same at his coming in, and ran into the Woods, And the Narrator proposed to his Men to take the same, having sufficient power and authority so to do,[13] but the mutinous Crew told him, if he offered the same, they would rather fire two Guns into him than one into the other, and thereupon 97 deserted, and went into the Moca Frigat, and sent into the Woods for the said Pyrates and brought the said Culliford and his men on board again; and all the time she staid in the said Port, which was for the Space of 4 or 5 Dayes, the said Deserters, sometimes in great numbers, came on board the said Gally and Adventure Prize,[14] and carried away great guns, Powder, Shot, small Armes, Sailes, Anchors, Cables, Chirurgeons Chest, and what else they pleased, and threatned several times to murder the Narrator (as he was informed, and advised to take care of himselfe) which they designed in the Night to effect but was prevented by his locking himself in his Cabin at night, and securing himselfe with barrocading the same with bales of Goods, and having about 40 small Armes, besides Pistols, ready charged, kept them out. Their wickedness was so great, after they had plundered and ransacked sufficiently, went four miles off to one Edward Welche's house,[15] where his the Narrator's Chest was lodged, and broke it open, and took out 10 Ounces of Gold, forty Pounds of Plate, 370 pieces of Eight, the Narrator's Journal, and a great many papers that belonged to him and the People of New-York that fitted them out.
That about the 15th of June, the Moca Frigat went away, being manned with about 130 Men and forty Guns, bound out to take all Nations. Then it was that the Narrator was left only with 13 Men, so that the Moors he had to pump and keep the Adventure Gally above Water being carried away, she sunk in the harbour, and the Narrator with the said thirteen men went on board of the Adventure-Prize, where he was forced to stay five months for a fair Wind. In the meantime some Passengers presented, that were bound for these Parts, which he tooke on board to help to bring the said Adventure-Prize home.
That about the beginning of April 1699 the Narrator arrived at Anguilla in the West-Indies and sent his Boat on Shore, where his men had the News That he and his People were proclaimed Pirates, which put them into such a Consternation that they sought all Opportunitys to run the Ship on shore upon some reef or Shoal, fearing the Narrator should carry them into some English Port.
From Anguilla they came to St. Thomas, where his Brother-in-law Samuel Bradley[16] was put on shore, being sick, and five more went away and deserted him, where he heard the same News, that the Narrator and his Company were proclaimed Pirates, which incensed the People more and more. From St. Thomas set saile for Moona, an Island between Hispaniola and Porto Rico, where they met with a Sloop called the St. Anthony, bound for Montego[17] from Curaso, Mr. William Bolton[18] Merchant and Samuel Wood Master. The men on board then swore they would bring the Ship no further. The Narrator then sent the said Sloop St. Anthony for Curaso for Canvas to make Sails for the Prize, she being not able to proceed, and she returned in 10 Dayes, and after the Canvas came he could not persuade the men to carry her for New-England, but Six of them went and carried their Chests and things on board of two Dutch Sloops, bound for Curaso, and would not so much as heele the Vessel or do any-thing; the remainder of the men not being able to bring the Adventure-Prize to Boston, the Narrator secured her in a good safe Harbour in some Part of Hispaniola, and left her in the Possession of Mr. Henry Boulton of Antego, Merchant, the Master, three of the old men, and 15 or 16 of the men that belonged to the said Sloop St. Anthony and a Briganteen belonging to one Burt of Curaso.
That the Narrator bought the said Sloop St. Anthony of Mr. Bolton, for the Owners accompt, and after he had given Directions to the said Bolton to be careful of the Ship and Ladeing and persuaded him to stay three months till he returned, and then made the best of his way to New-York, where he heard the Earl of Bellomont was, who was principally concerned in the Adventure Gally, and hearing his Lordship was at Boston, came thither and has now been 45 Dayes from the said Ship.
Wm. Kidd.
Boston, 7th July 1699.
Further the Narrator saith, That the said Ship was left at St. Katharina on the Southeast part of Hispaniola, about three Leagues to Leward of the Westerly end of Savano.[19] Whilst he lay at Hispaniola he traded with Mr. Henry Bolton of Antigua, and Mr. William Burt of Curracao,[20] Merchants, to the value of Eleven thousand two hundred Pieces of Eight, whereof he received the Sloop Antonio at 3000 Pieces of 8/8, and four thousand two hundred Pieces of 8/8 by Bills of Exchange, drawn by Bolton and Burt upon Messieurs Gabril and Lemont,[21] Merchants in Curracao, made payable to Mr. Burt, who went himself to Curracao, and the Value of four thousand Pieces of 8/8 more in Dust and barr-gold, which Gold, with some more traded for at Madagascar, being Fifty Pound Weight or upwards in Quantity, the Narrator left in Custody of Mr. —— Gardner of Gardner's-Island,[22] near the Eastern end of Long-Island, fearing to bring it about by Sea. It is made up in a bagg put into a little box, lockt and nailed, corded about, and sealed. Saith, He took no receipt for it of Mr. Gardner.