The Book of Pirates and Highwaymen (4 page)

The divisions between the two nations continued, nevertheless, to prevail. It was difficult for men, whose language, sentiments, religion, and manners, were so widely different, long to agree: but as the English and the French were not on board the same ships, a separation became more easy. It was amicably effected. Most of the French left Morgan, chose one of their countrymen for their commander, and withdrew.

The confidence of the pirates in their chieftain was boundless: among them, the separation of the French produced but little sensation. Less mixed, they became more intimately united, and promised Morgan that they would follow him every where. They sedulously applied themselves to the procuring of new recruits at Jamaica; so that, in the course of a few weeks, they had collected nine ships of various sizes, and four hundred and sixty men, all devoted to their brave commander.

Till then, the free-booters had only landed in the Islands. Morgan conceived more extensive plans: he turned his views to the continent of America; and the great, the opulent city of Porto Bello was the place he intended to plunder.

Porto Bello, which was defended by three forts, is situated on the shore of a gulf, on the southern side of the isthmus of Panama. For the last two centuries to the present time, it has been known as the greatest mart in the world for valuable metals. At the period now referred to, it was a city of the greatest importance, and, next to Havana, the strongest place of all the Spanish possessions in America. The entrance of its port was defended by two castles, St James and St Philip, which were reputed to be impregnable, and were garrisoned by three hundred soldiers. Notwithstanding its vast circumference, the city was inhabited by only four hundred families, on account of the unwholesomeness of the climate. It contained scarcely any thing else but warehouses for articles, the proprietors of which constantly resided at Panama, which is situated at a small distance. Thence was sent to Porto Bello on mules, at certain periods of the year, the gold and silver that arrived from Peru and Mexico. The inhabitants of the first named place, though few in number, had the character of being good soldiers: and they deserved their reputation, from the valour with which they had on various occasions defended themselves.

Morgan had not communicated to any individual his design on Porto Bello, to prevent the Spaniards from obtaining any information concerning it. The pirates themselves were very far from suspecting it; and, when it was announced to them, were intimidated. The most intrepid among them shook their heads, and exclaimed against the smallness of their number, with which it was impossible to take so strong and extensive a city.

‘What signifies it,’ replied Morgan, ‘how small our number is, if our hearts are great! The fewer we are, the more intimate will be our union and the more considerable our shares of plunder.’– This short address at once aroused their cupidity and their courage. The expedition was unanimously determined to be carried into execution.

It was accordingly executed in 1688, when the Spaniards had just concluded their treaty of peace with France, at Aix-la-Chapel. Morgan moored his ships, during the dark, at some distance from the city; a very few soldiers being left on board; the remainder went into boats and canoes, in order that they might land in silence near the port. The descent being effected, Morgan detached four men, under the command of an Englishman, who was well acquainted with the local situation, with orders to kill or bring away, without noise, the sentinel of the advanced post. Circumstances favoured the taking him prisoner. The soldier was surprised, stripped of his arms, and with his hands bound, was conducted to the commander of the Pirates; who, by means of threats, extorted from him all the information he wanted. The first of the two forts was next approached; and they reached without detection the very foot of the wall.

From thence the captive soldier was compelled, with a loud voice, to announce to his countrymen, in the name of Morgan, that if they did not instantly surrender, they should be cut to pieces. This menace produced no effect: the garrison began to fire upon them, and made a courageous resistance. The first was, notwithstanding, carried in a short time; when the free-booters, with a view to intimidate the inhabitants, thought it necessary to accomplish their threat. They therefore collected all the captive soldiers together, set fire to the powder magazine, and blew up both the fort and the garrison into the air. Without losing a moment, they marched towards the city.

Trembling with terror, the inhabitants were busily engaged in concealing a part at least of their riches, either by throwing them into the wells, or burying them in the earth. The governor, not being able to prevail upon them to defend themselves, shut himself up in the second fort, from which he commenced a terrible fire upon the pirates. These, however, attempted an assault: it lasted from day break till noon, and was frustrated.

The free-booters then tried the firing of red-hot balls against the gates of the fort. They were not more successful. These gates were almost wholly composed of iron; and, in addition to this impediment, the garrison threw down from the top of the walls so many stones, so many pots filled with powder, that the intrepid assailants could not approach without meeting with certain death. Even the headstrong Morgan began to be doubtful of victory; when he beheld the English flag flying at a small distance from the fort he had just taken. This sight re-animated his courage, as well as that of his men. He made all the religeuse, of both sexes, quit their convents; and caused twelve ladders to be hastily made, and of sufficient width to admit twelve men abreast to mount them. The wretched religeuse were obliged to plant themselves against the walls, serving as a bulwark to the free-booters, who were marching behind them. Morgan had taken for granted that the governor would not venture to fire on his countrymen, especially on persons whom superstition must render sacred to him. These monastics also impatient of their horrible situation, amid the pangs of death, with which they were threatened, cried with all their might, and conjured the governor, in the name of all the saints, to surrender the fort, and save their lives. The pirates added yet more horror to this scene, by a menace, which in their lips was never in vain, that a general massacre should take place in the case of a longer resistance. The wall, at the foot of which the assailants presented themselves, was not lofty: the batteries of the fort were so exposed, and the freebooters were such able marksmen, that every cannon shot was followed by the death of some of the Spanish artillery men. They persisted notwithstanding in their determination of holding out against the pirates.

The governor, in particular, was alike deaf to every menace, and to the lamentations of the wretched recluses, near whom were the ladies of the city, the wives of the lower classes of people, and their children. Regardless of so many innocent victims, he ordered his artillery to fire upon this living rampart; behind which the free-booters were sheltered. To these terrible assailants his fire did but little damage; but it overthrew a vast number of monks, of female religeuse, and of women in general, before these hapless persons succeeded in applying the ladders to the walls.

The assault then became more easy to the free-booters, although they had no other arms than their pistols and sabres. In a short time they reached the summit of the wall, when they discharged a kind of earthen shot, filled with powder, upon the Spaniards, who were giving way a little, defending themselves at the same time with their pikes; but who, still persisting in their refusal to surrender, were all cut to pieces.

Candid Culprit

The duke of Ossuna, Viceroy of Naples, passing through Barcelona, went on board the Cape Galley, and passing through the crew of slaves, he asked several of them what their offences were? Every one excused themselves upon various pretences; one said that he was put in out of malice, another by bribery of the judge; but all of them unjustly. The duke came at last to a sturdy little black man, whom he questioned as to what he was there for? ‘My lord,’ said he, ‘I cannot deny but I am justly put here; for I wanted money, and so took a purse near Tarragona, to keep me from starving.’ The duke, on hearing this, gave him two or three blows on the shoulder with his stick, saying, ‘You rogue, what are you doing among so many honest innocent men? Get you out of their company.’ The poor fellow was the set at liberty, while the rest were left to tug at the oar.

Justice Fighting Against Mercy

A young gentleman of family and fortune, but of abandoned principles, having long distinguished himself, in the reign of Charles II, by highway robberies, and other desperate acts against society, was often apprehended, and sometimes convicted; but through the interest of his friends, had always been pardoned. Many of the nobility interceded in his favour, but to no effect; the king was inexorable; he had the pen in his hand to sign the order for execution, when one of the nobility threw a copy of a pardon on the table before him. The Duchess of Portsmouth, his chief favourite, standing at his right shoulder, took his hand gently within her own, and conducting it to the paper which had the pardon written on it, led his hand while he subscribed his name, the king not making the least resistance. Shaking his head, and smiling, he threw the pardon to the nobleman who had interposed in the young man’s behalf, adding, ‘Take care you keep the rascal out of my reach for the future.’

When this pardon was shewn to Lord Chancellor Hyde, observing how badly the king’s name were formed, he wittily remarked, ‘That when his majesty signed the pardon, “Justice had been fighting with Mercy”.’

Mull’d Sack

In an old work, entitled ‘Portraits, &c. from the reign of Edward III. To the Revolution,’ is a curious account of Mull’d Sack, alias John Cottington, so called from his drinking mull’d sack, morning, noon, and night. He was a most notorious fellow. He robbed Oliver Cromwell twice; once as he was coming out of Parliament House, and once on Hounslow Heath; and when at Cologne, he robbed King Charles II, then in his exile, of as much plate as was valued at £1,500.

Cowardice Punished By The Emperor Of Morocco