Page:A general history of the pyrates, from their first rise and settlement in the Island of Providence, to the present time (1724).djvu/135

 ’s Ships, the Captain wearing he would cut him in pound Pieces, if he did not do it immediately; but unable, was forced to bear their Scurility, till they came up with them, and found they were two Moor Ships from Mucat, with Hores; they brought the Captain of them, and Merchants, on Board, torturing them, and rifling the Ships, in order to dicover Riches, as believing they came from Mocha; but being baulked in their Expectation, and next Morning eeing Land, and at the ame Time a Fleet in Shore plying to Windward, they were puzzled how to dipoe of them; to let them go, was to dicover and ruin the Voyage, and it was cruel to ink the Men and Hores with the Ships, (as many of them were inclined to,) therefore, as a Medium, they brought them to an Anchor, threw all their Sails over-board, and cut one of the Ships Mats half through.

While they lay at an Anchor, and were all the next Day employed in taking out Water, one of the aforementioned Fleet bore towards them with Englih Colours, anwered with a red Enign from the Pyrates, but did not peak with one another. At Night they left the Mucatt Ships, weighed with the Sea Wind, and tood to the Northward after this Fleet: About four next Morning, jut as they were getting under ail, with the Land Wind, the Pyrates came amongt them, made no top, but fired their great and mall Guns very briskly, till they got through; and as Day-Light cleared, were in a great Conternation in their Minds, having all along taken them for Angria’s Fleet; what to do was the Point, whether run or purue? They were enible of their Inferiority of Strength, having no more than 300 Men in both Ships, and 40 of them Negroes; beides, the Victory had then four Pumps at Work, and mut inevitably been lot before, had it not been for ome Hand-