Page:A general history of the pyrates, from their first rise and settlement in the Island of Providence, to the present time (1724).djvu/317

 this Confuion he enquired for the Prioner, of whom he had before heard a good Character; and thinks he rendered all the Service in his Power, for preventing it; in particular, he undertood by all Hands, that he had eized, and taken, from one James Philips, a lighted Match, at the Intant he was going down to the Magazine, wearing, that he hould end them all to Hl together. He had heard alo, that after Roberts was killed, the Prioner ordered the Colours to be truck; and had ince hown, how oppoite his Practice and Principles had been, by dicovering who were the greatet Rogues among them.

The Prioner, in his own Defence, ays, when he had the Mifortune of falling into the Pyrates Hands, he was chief Mate of the Samuel, of London, Captain Cary; and when he had hid himelf, to prevent the Deign of carrying him away, they found him, and beat and threw him over-board. Seven Days afterwards, upon his objecting againt, and refuing to ign their Articles, he was cut and abus’d again: That tho’ after this he ingratiated himelf, by a more humble Carriage, it was only to make Life eay; the Shares they had given him, having been from Time to Time returned again to uch Prioners as fell in his Way; till of late, indeed, he had made a mall Reervation, and had deired Captain Loan to take two or three Moidores from him, to carry to his Wife. He was once taken, he ays, at making his Ecape, in the Wet-Indies, and, with two more, entenced to be hot for it, by a drunken Jury; the latter actually uffered, and he was preerved only by one of the chief Pyrates taking a udden Liking to him, and bullying the others. A econd time he ran away at Hipaniola, carrying a Pocket Compas, for conducting him through the Woods; but that being a mot deolate and wild Part of the Iland he fell upon, and he igno-