He was a bloody Villain, having a few days before killed a poor Sailor, because he did not do something so soon as he had ordered him. This cruel Monster was asking some of my People, “Where their Captain was.” So at my coming upon Deck, one of them, pointing to me, said, “There he is.” Tho’ the night was very dark, yet there being four Lanthorns with Candles, he had a full sight of me: Whereupon lifting up his broad Sword, he swore, “No Quarter should be given to any Captain that offered to defend his Ship,” aiming at the same time a full stroke at my Head. To avoid it I stooped so low, that the Quarter-deck Rail received the Blows and was cut in at least an inch deep: Which happily saved my Head from being cleft asunder: And the Sword breaking at the same time, with the force of the Blow on the Rail, it prevented his cutting me to pieces.
By good Fortune his Pistols, that hung at his Girdle, were all discharged; otherwise he would doubtless have shot me. But he took one of them, and with the But-end endeavoured to beat out my Brains, which some of my People that were then on the Quarter-deck observing, cried out aloud, “For God’s sake don’t kill our Captain, for we never were with a better Man.” This turned the Rage of him and two other Pirates on my People, and saved my Life: But they cruelly used my poor Men, cutting and beating them unmercifully. One of them had his Chin almost cut off; and another received such a Wound on his Head, that he fell on the Deck as dead; but afterwards, by the care of our Surgeon he recovered.
All this happened in a few Minutes and the Quarter-master then coming up ordered the Pirates to tie our People’s Hands, and told me, “That when they boarded us, they let their Boat go adrift, and that I must send an Officer with some of my People in our Boat to look for theirs.” Whereupon my first Mate, Mr. Simon Jones, who stood by offered to go: And the Quarter-master telling him, “He must return quickly otherwise he should judge that they were run away with the Boat, in order to go on Shore; and if they did so he would cut me to pieces:” Mr. Jones replied, “He would not stay above a quarter of an Hour, but return whether he found the Boat or not.” Happily for me he soon found her, and returned (tho’ it was very dark) in less time than he had promised.
Then the Quarter-master took me by the hand, and told me, “My Life was safe provided none of my People complained against me.” I replied, “I was sure none of them could.”
The Pirates next, loaded all their small Arms, and fired several Vollies for Joy they had taken us: Which their Comrades on board their Ship hearing, it being then very near us, tho’ we could not see it for the darkness of the Night, they concluded we had made Resistance, and destroyed their People.
It will be proper to observe here, that soon after we had anchored in the Mouth of the River Sieraleon, it became calm; and the Tide of Ebb beginning to come down, the Pirates cut their Cable, and let their Ship drive down with the Tide towards us, from the place where we had seen her at anchor; having sometime before sent their Boat against the Tide of Flood, to discover us. The Ship being by that means come near us, and seeing our Lights, without asking any Questions, gave us a Broad-side with their great Guns; verily believing we had destroyed their Boat and People. This put the Pirates on board us into Confusion, which I observing, asked the Quarter-master, “Why he did not call with the speaking Trumpet, and tell their Ship they had taken us?” Upon that he asked me angrily, “Whether I was afraid of going to the Devil by a great Shot? For, as to his part, he hoped he should be sent to Hell one of these days by a Cannon Ball.” I answered, “I hoped that would not be my Road.” However, he followed my Advice, and informed their Ship, “They had taken a brave Prize, with all manner of good Liquors and fresh Provisions on board.”
Just after this, Cocklyn, the Pirate Captain, ordered them to dress a quantity of these Victuals; so they took many Geese, Turkeys, Fowls and Ducks, making our People cut their Heads off, and pull the great Feathers out of their Wings: But they would not stay till the other Feathers were pick’d off. All these they put into our great Furnace, which would boil Victuals for 500 Negroes, together with several Westphalia Hams, and a large Sow with Pig, which they only bowelled, leaving the Hair on. This strange medley filled the Furnace, and the Cook was ordered to boil them out of Hand.
As soon as the Pirate-ship had done firing, I asked the Quarter-master’s leave, for our Surgeon to dress my poor People that had been wounded; and I likewise went into the Steerage, to have my Arm dress’d, it being very much bruised by the Blow given me by the Pirate-Boatswain. Just after that, a person came to me from the Quarter-master, desiring to know, “What a Clock it was by my Watch?” Which judging to be a civil way of demanding it, I sent it him immediately: desiring the Messenger to tell him, it was a very good going Gold Watch. When it was delivered to the Quarter-master, he held it up by the Chain, and presently laid it down on the Deck, giving it a kick with his Foot; saying, “It was a pretty Foot-ball:” On which, one of the Pirates caught it up, saying, “He would put it in the common Chest to be sold at the Mast.”