The Privateersman | Page 3

resting upon their weapons, their eyes fixed upon the
unconscious form of that unhappy lady.
The rage of battle was now over, our passions had subsided, and we felt
ashamed of a conquest purchased with such unutterable anguish. The
noise of this renewed combat had brought down the captain; he ordered
the lady to be taken away from this scene of horror, and to be carefully
tended in his own cabin; the wound of the son, who was found still
alive, was immediately dressed, and the prisoners were secured. I
returned on deck, still oppressed with the scene I had witnessed, and
when I looked round me, and beheld the deck strewed with the dead
and dying--victors and vanquished indiscriminately mixed up
together--the blood of both nations meeting on the deck and joining

their streams, I could not help putting the question to myself, "Can this
be right and lawful--all this carnage to obtain the property of others,
and made legal by the quarrels of kings?" Reason, religion, and
humanity answered, "No."
I remained uneasy and dissatisfied, and felt as if I were a murderer; and
then I reflected how this property, thus wrested from its former
possessor, who might, if he had retained it, have done much good with
it, would now be squandered away in riot and dissipation, in purchasing
crime and administering to debauchery. I was young then, and felt so
disgusted and so angry with myself and everybody else, that if I had
been in England I probably should never again have put my foot on
board of a privateer.
But employment prevented my thinking; the decks had to be cleaned,
the bodies thrown overboard, the blood washed from the white planks,
the wounded to be removed and their hurts dressed, the rigging and
other damages to be repaired, and when all this had been done we made
sail for Jamaica with our prize. Our captain, who was as kind and
gentle to the vanquished as he was brave and resolute in action,
endeavoured by all the means he could think of to soften the captivity
and sufferings of the lady. Her clothes, jewels, and everything
belonging to her, were preserved untouched; he would not even allow
her trunks to be searched, and would have secured for her even all her
husband's personal effects, but the crew had seized upon them as
plunder, and refused to deliver them up. I am almost ashamed to say
that the sword and watch of her husband fell to my lot, and, whether
from my wearing the sword, or from having seen me fire the pistol
which had killed him, the lady always expressed her abhorrence of me
whenever I entered her presence. Her son recovered slowly from his
wound, and on our arrival at Port Royal was permitted by the admiral
to be sent to the King's Hospital, and the lady, who was most tenderly
attached to him, went on shore and remained at the Hospital to attend
upon him. I was glad when she was gone, for I knew how much cause
she had for her hatred of me, and I could not see her without remorse.
As soon, as we had completed our repairs, filled up our provisions and
water, we sailed upon another cruise, which was not so successful, as

you will presently perceive.
For five or six weeks we cruised without success, and our people began
to grumble, when one morning our boats in shore off Hispaniola
surprised a small schooner. A negro who was among the prisoners
offered to conduct us through the woods by night to the house of a very
rich planter, which was situated about three miles from a small bay, and
at some distance from the other plantations. He asserted that we might
there get very valuable plunder, and, moreover, obtain a large ransom
for the planter and his family, besides bringing away as many of the
negro slaves as we pleased.
Our captain, who was tired of his ill-success, and who hoped also to
procure provisions, which we very much wanted, consented to the
negro's proposal, and standing down abreast of the bay, which was in
the Bight of Lugan, he ran in at dark, and anchoring close to the shore
we landed with forty men, and, guided by the negro, we proceeded
through the woods to the house. The negro was tied fast to one of our
stoutest and best men, for fear he should give us the slip. It was a bright
moonlight; we soon arrived, and surrounding the house forced our way
in without opposition. Having secured the negroes in the out-houses,
and placed guards over them, and videttes on the look-out to give
timely notice of any surprise, we proceeded to our work of plunder.
The family,