Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts | Page 2

Treasure 291
XXXII. The Real Captain Kidd 309
[Illustration: The Haunts of "The Brethren of the Coast"]

Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts
Chapter I
The Bold Buccaneers

When I was a boy I strongly desired to be a pirate, and the reason for
this was the absolute independence of that sort of life. Restrictions of
all sorts had become onerous to me, and in my reading of the
adventures of the bold sea-rovers of the main, I had unconsciously
selected those portions of a pirate's life which were attractive to me,
and had totally disregarded all the rest.
In fact, I had a great desire to become what might be called a marine
Robin Hood. I would take from the rich and give to the poor; I would
run my long, low, black craft by the side of the merchantman, and
when I had loaded my vessel with the rich stuffs and golden ingots
which composed her cargo, I would sail away to some poor village, and
make its inhabitants prosperous and happy for the rest of their lives by
a judicious distribution of my booty.
I would always be as free as a sea-bird. My men would be devoted to
me, and my word would be their law. I would decide for myself
whether this or that proceeding would be proper, generous, and worthy
of my unlimited power; when tired of sailing, I would retire to my
island,--the position of which, in a beautiful semi-tropic ocean, would
be known only to myself and to my crew,--and there I would pass
happy days in the company of my books, my works of art, and all the
various treasures I had taken from the mercenary vessels which I had
overhauled.
Such was my notion of a pirate's life. I would kill nobody; the very
sight of my black flag would be sufficient to put an end to all thought
of resistance on the part of my victims, who would no more think of
fighting me, than a fat bishop would have thought of lifting his hand
against Robin Hood and his merry men; and I truly believe that I
expected my conscience to have a great deal more to do in the way of
approval of my actions, than it had found necessary in the course of my
ordinary school-boy life.
I mention these early impressions because I have a notion that a great
many people--and not only young people--have an idea of piracy not
altogether different from that of my boyhood. They know that pirates
are wicked men, that, in fact, they are sea-robbers or maritime

murderers, but their bold and adventurous method of life, their bravery,
daring, and the exciting character of their expeditions, give them
something of the same charm and interest which belong to the robber
knights of the middle ages. The one mounts his mailed steed and clanks
his long sword against his iron stirrup, riding forth into the world with a
feeling that he can do anything that pleases him, if he finds himself
strong enough. The other springs into his rakish craft, spreads his sails
to the wind, and dashes over the sparkling main with a feeling that he
can do anything he pleases, provided he be strong enough.
The first pirates who made themselves known in American waters were
the famous buccaneers; these began their career in a very commonplace
and unobjectionable manner, and the name by which they were known
had originally no piratical significance. It was derived from the French
word boucanier, signifying "a drier of beef."
Some of the West India islands, especially San Domingo, were almost
overrun with wild cattle of various kinds, and this was owing to the fact
that the Spaniards had killed off nearly all the natives, and so had left
the interior of the islands to the herds of cattle which had increased
rapidly. There were a few settlements on the seacoast, but the Spaniards
did not allow the inhabitants of these to trade with any nation but their
own, and consequently the people were badly supplied with the
necessaries of life.
But the trading vessels which sailed from Europe to that part of the
Caribbean Sea were manned by bold and daring sailors, and when they
knew that San Domingo contained an abundance of beef cattle, they did
not hesitate to stop at the little seaports to replenish their stores. The
natives of the island were skilled in the art of preparing beef by
smoking and drying it,--very much in the same way in which our
Indians prepare "jerked meat" for winter use.
But so many vessels came to San Domingo for beef that there were not
enough people on the island to do all the hunting and drying that was
necessary, so these